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[{"type":"text","text":"Now let's all enjoy a baby playing with a baby..."}]

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<title>Daily Smile: Saturday, June 6, 2026</title>

Now let's all enjoy a baby playing with a baby...

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 6, 2026

 Now let&#039;s all enjoy a baby playing with a baby...

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Aloha Spirit

's beach volleyball Player of the Year, becoming the first athlete from Hawai‘i to win the honor. 

Padilla was given the honor during the 33rd 

AAU Hermosa Beach National Championships in California over the weekend. 

“For me to win this award, it shows that hard work and dedication has paid off," Padilla said in an AAU news release. "To be from such a small island the culture is so amazing. I’m grateful for my Hawai‘i family that supports me.”

Padilla is set to begin her junior year at Seabury Hall in the coming weeks but has already committed to play collegiate beach volleyball for Stanford University, starting in the fall of 2028. 

In March, Padilla was also named to the USA Volleyball U18 beach team, just one of 10 players named to the roster. 

It wasn't until 2016 that the NCAA began holding championships for women's beach volleyball. USC and UCLA have dominated the sport with six and three national titles, respectively. Stanford's best finish was back in May, when it finished runners-up to UCLA. Meanwhile, the University of Hawai‘i's best finishes were third-place finishes in 2017 and 2018, back when the NCAA Tournament for beach volleyball was in its infancy. 

During the 2026 season, Stanford had a pair of players from Hawai‘i in sisters Indigo and Phoenix Clarke, who are both Punahou alumnae. Padilla can sign with Stanford in the fall of 2027. 

In winning the AAU award, Padilla is the first woman from Hawai‘i to take home an individual AAU award since surfer 

, who was named the 2022 AAU Sullivan Award recipient, given to the country's top Olympic or collegiate athlete. 

Founded in 1888, the Amateur Athletic Union serves as one of the nation's largest multi-sport organizations. Sports include baseball, basketball, football, hockey, track & field, volleyball and wrestling. Basketball is perhaps its most prominent offering, as elite high school prospects frequent the AAU basketball circuit to increase their exposure to both college and the pros. 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Milaniakai Padilla 072026

<title>Maui's Milaniakai Padilla wins national beach volleyball honor</title>

Padilla was named the Amateur Athletic Union's Beach Volleyball Player of the Year on Monday.

Maui's Milaniakai Padilla wins national beach volleyball honor

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 recently soft opened in Honolulu. The biz doesn’t have an official sign yet, but it’s located on one end of the 

The business is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu patties. Created in collaboration with 

, winner of London’s Slider Decider competition in 2015 and 2016, Dragon Burger is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu beef patties and innovative sauces.

Dragon Burger initially did a pop-up in Fukuoka, Japan in August 2017. After positive customer feedback, the brand opened in Tofukuji, Kyoto the following month. 

The yuzu kosho burger is the business’s signature burger. It includes yuzu mayo, a sweet chili sauce, spring onions, cheddar cheese and pickled radish. Yuzu kosho, a popular Japanese condiment made with fresh yuzu citrus zest, contributes to the burger's savory flavor. 

The shiso flame features spicy mayo, spring onions, cheddar cheese, shiso leaf and onion chili paste.

We’re told that the business will add more burgers — like the wasabi (crispy onions, wasabi mayo, onions, cheddar cheese, wakame seaweed and Karashi mustard) and classic (sweet mustard, onions, onion miso, cheddar cheese and Karashi mustard) — to the menu in the upcoming days.

Customers can opt for the business’s Kyo chips ($6), or fries, plain or with sauces like yuzu mayo, spicy mayo and wasabi mayo (additional $1). The wasabi mayo comes highly recommended.

Dragon Burger is currently open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. daily. Both this biz and the business next to it, Bonbori — a ramen spot from Hokkaido — will be celebrating their grand opening on July 25.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m.

Dragon Burger yuzu kosho burger 072026

<title>Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu</title>

The Japan-based burger spot — known for its gourmet wagyu patties and innovative sauces — just soft opened at Midtown Eats food hall at The Park on Keʻeaumoku. The menu is limited for now; the business will celebrate its grand opening on July 25.

Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu

Business & Tourism

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many individuals developed new hobbies like cooking or baking. For husband and wife Caameron and Monica Nakasone, the pandemic was a catalyst for creating their own coffee beverages.

“When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we couldn’t go out and visit a café, we took it upon ourselves to learn how to make a delicious brew at home,” Monica Nakasone says. “This sparked our passion for coffee and our admiration for the craft.

“Everyone either baked or did coffee (during the pandemic),” she adds. “We went down the coffee route and fell in love with the craftsmanship.”

i, the couple was living in Oregon at the time, as they both went to college at the University of Portland. They spent many weekends visiting specialty coffee shops, according to Nakasone.

“After we graduated from the University of Portland, we found ourselves living in Oregon for 12 years,” she says. “When Covid hit, we started researching how much craftsmanship really goes into specialty coffee, and how small variables could change the flavor. We started figuring out what we loved about coffee and what flavors brought us joy.”

ahu to be closer to family, they also decided to pursue their dream of opening up a coffee shop together. Their specialty coffee shop, called 

, is inspired by the Pacific Northwest, according to Nakasone.

“We take pride in sourcing our coffee beans and teas from Portland shops that we would frequent and found joy in visiting, and we are excited to share them with the community here in Hawaiʻi,” Nakasone says.

Third Space Coffee opened about two weeks ago; it’s located on the third floor of the 808 Center in a shared space with Cake M. The business’s logo features their dog, Kuro, with a cup of coffee, according to Nakasone, who says the café’s name stems from its goal to be a “third space” for the community.

“Our mission is to be a place to spend time that’s outside of work or home, where anyone can come in, enjoy a memorable cup of coffee, and return for the hospitality and warmth they felt from our shop,” she says. “Third Space is the culmination of our gratitude and appreciation for the communities that supported us, our experience living in the Pacific Northwest — a region known for its multitude of coffee roasters and coffee culture — and our passion for specialty coffee.”

The café offers a variety of coffees, teas and specialty beverages. The signature drinks are inspired by some of the couple’s favorite places and features about Oregon.

“They pay homage to where we first experienced a particular beverage,” Nakasone explains. “For example, The Bluff — an iced London Fog, topped with our marionberry cold foam — is a reference to the University of Portland, where we first had a London Fog. Some of our other popular drinks include the Cedar Hills — a brown sugar vanilla, honey and cinnamon latte — and Mount Hood, our cold brew topped with marionberry cold foam, and the St. John’s.”

The St. John’s is a brown sugar cardamom latte. All of the café’s syrups and cream cheese flavors are made in house, with the exception of the caramel sauce, according to Nakasone.

“I had never heard of a London Fog until we moved to the Mainland,” Nakasone says. “We try to incorporate some of our favorite flavors — like marionberry — from the Pacific Northwest.”

Teas include options like iced hibiscus punch tea, Rose City Genmaicha and Portland breakfast. The café also features bagels from Big Time Bagels, and housemade baked goods like chocolate chip cookies ($4.75) and Spam-cheddar and gochujang scone ($6).

“We are proud to share that all our baked goods — with the exception of our bagels — are made in house,” Nakasone says. “The scones are my husband’s recipe. The Everything bagel with our housemade pizza cream cheese ($8) is a fan favorite.”

Third Space Coffee is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays).

“We are a small team of two who find joy in crafting a cup of coffee and sharing our take on it with others,” Nakasone says. “This is our way of bringing some of the Pacific Northwest and some of our favorite things to Hawai

Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays

Third Space Coffee owners 071626

<title>This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu</title>

Hawaiʻi locals Caameron and Monica Nakasone moved back to Oʻahu from Oregon about two years ago. Their new café, Third Space Coffee, features some of their favorite flavors from the Pacific Northwest; the shop is in a shared space with Cake M in the 808 Center.

This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Hawai‘i’s energy future is natural gas, claims a $2 billion development proposal by a Japanese energy company.

In October 2025, Gov. Josh Green traveled to Tokyo to sign 

 for the state to partner with JERA Co. Inc. — the largest power generation company in Japan, supplying about one-third of the nation's electricity, according to the Hawai‘i State Energy Office — to help the state meet its clean energy goals.

On Tuesday, Green’s office announced that JERA has submitted 

for how it would modernize O‘ahu’s energy grid, including the construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in Kapolei that would generate about 500 megawatts of power per year.

According to Hawaiian Electric, O‘ahu’s various power plants generate a combined 1,516 megawatts.

JERA has proposed investing — along with “local partners” — $2 billion into a Kapolei plant fed by imported liquefied natural gas, delivered via an undersea pipeline connecting to tankers moored offshore. The facility would connect to the existing O‘ahu power grid, distributing power through most of urban Honolulu.

Such a facility would be necessary for the state to meet its legally mandated energy goals, claims JERA’s proposal. In 2022, the state passed a law requiring that 100% of the state’s net electricity generation come from renewable sources by 2045, and 40% by 2030.

To meet those goals, O‘ahu’s oil power plants must be replaced, but JERA’s proposal states that the growth of renewable energy generation on the island isn’t fast enough to fill the gap left behind by oil plants. But a liquified natural gas plant could fill that gap.

While liquified natural gas is not a renewable fuel, it is less expensive and generates less emissions than petroleum, JERA claims.

If implemented, JERA’s proposal claims that the state could save about $170 million per year compared to the state’s annual oil expenses, while households could save an average of $500 per year.

Furthermore, investments in the plant would not be wasted after 2045, as JERA claims that about 90% of the facility could be repurposed to deliver clean energy: the pipeline could be used to deliver an unspecified “clean fuel,” a floating fuel storage and regasification unit could be used as a “floating gas station” to refuel ships, and the plant itself could be adapted to work with hydrogen, ammonia or other fuel sources with “limited upgrades.”

JERA’s proposal suggests that the plant and most of the necessary infrastructure could be constructed by the end of 2030. During construction, JERA proposes the project could increase the state’s GDP by $150 million per year and create some 1,100 jobs.

Once completed, those benefits shrink, with JERA projecting only an additional $52 million annually to the state GDP and 167 permanent jobs. JERA also estimates that the annual cost of operating the facility would be about $670 million per year.

Green’s announcement comes just three days after the Asia-Pacific Energy Security Forum, where Japan 

 up to $56 billion in energy projects in America, primarily focusing on oil imports and natural gas, liquified and otherwise. JERA was reportedly tied to some of these deals, including a $1.5 billion investment into natural gas production in the southern U.S.

JERA’s Hawai‘i proposal and Green’s announcement Tuesday name Hawai‘i Gas and Pasha Hawai‘i as specific local partners for the project. Hawai‘i Gas CEO Alicia Moy said in a statement that her company supports the expansion of liquified natural gas availability and would develop the pipeline infrastructure necessary to deliver it and other renewable fuels throughout the state.

Green’s own statement on Tuesday touted JERA’s proposal a “transformative overhaul of our electrical grid and a tangible step to move Hawai‘i off its historic dependence on oil.”

Nonetheless, the proposal isn’t a done deal. The state Public Utilities Commission must approve the project, along with several other state and federal agencies, many of which will require public outreach. JERA predicts the permitting phase alone won’t be completed until mid-2028.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 6, 2026

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Daily Smile: Saturday, June 6, 2026

Authors

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