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Daily Smile

When you thought you were getting a smart German Shepherd but instead you got one with one brain cell...

Smile 26 6 26

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

 When you thought you were getting a smart German Shepherd but instead you got one with one brain cell...

[{"type":"text","text":"Mothers are mothers..."}]

Smile 26 8 11

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026</title>

Mothers are mothers...

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Stephanie Salmons in Honolulu. "

A bright azure sky and an even brighter rainbow streched out over Honolulu were recently spotted from high up Azure Ala Moana."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

IMG 20260610 151509

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Azure sky</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Stephanie Salmons in Honolulu.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Azure sky

AKINA portrait 2

Keliʻi Akina

Viewpoints

Government & Politics

Saturday, Aug. 8, marked the third year since wildfires tore through much of Maui’s beloved Lahaina town, claiming 102 lives and destroying more than 2,200 structures.

I wish I could report that the once-thriving cultural and tourism hotspot is well on its way to recovery. But so far only about 220 houses have been restored, and the status of non-residential rebuilds is even more bleak. Work has been completed on only 13 such permits, and fewer than 30 have even been issued.

 from Honolulu Civil Beat, some signs of “wildfire fatigue” are starting to show. Community support appears to have waned, people are getting distracted by new issues, and the fire victims are seeing less help.

I’m not sure I believe Hawaiʻi residents are losing interest in Lahaina. As president of the Grassroot Institute, I promise you that our team remains as committed as ever to Maui’s recovery.

Just a few weeks ago, Grassroot policy researcher Jonathan Helton 

 in The Washington Post how layer upon layer of land-use, zoning, permitting and historic preservation laws have delayed Lahaina’s reconstruction. He echoed that message in a commentary published this past Thursday in 

Such regulations are bad enough in Hawaiʻi during the best of times but become even more intolerable when the Islands are slammed by a disaster.

Since the ashes settled in Lahaina, Grassroot has been dedicated to researching and promoting legislation aimed at reducing the many barriers to restoring the historic whaling town that once served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. We have long championed housing reforms as a way to lower Hawaiʻi’s skyrocketing cost of living and see leveraging that expertise as the best way to help our Maui ʻohana rebuild.

The outpouring of public support for Lahaina over the years has played a crucial role in community healing and addressing the area’s temporary housing needs. But neighborly love can’t secure permits or ease rigid building regulations that were not designed with disaster recovery in mind.

Maui’s wildfire victims deserve to see their community restored, and my heart goes out to them.

However long it takes the people of Lahaina to recover from the tragedy that befell them three years ago is how long Grassroot will be in their corner, fighting to change the laws and regulations that have been keeping them from returning home.

Reprinted with permission from the Aug. 8, 2026 "Presidentʻs Corner" of 

Front and Wharf streets August 2026

<title>Community Voices: Grassroot still stands with Lahaina, three years later</title>

"I’m not sure I believe Hawaiʻi residents are losing interest in Lahaina," writes Keli‘i Akina on the day of the three-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. "As president of the Grassroot Institute, I promise you that our team remains as committed as ever to Maui’s recovery."

Community Voices: Grassroot still stands with Lahaina, three years later

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Business & Tourism

HĀLAWA — That puka in the sky? It hasn't been visible for over 50 years. 

The original Aloha Stadium broke ground in 1971, opening in 1975 at a total cost of $37 million. For 45 years, it earned the reputation as Hawai‘i's gathering place, hosting a multitude of sporting events and concerts. But in late 2020, the stadium's rusty condition was condemned and deemed unsafe to hold any fans. 

For more than five years, the stadium's 50,000 seats idled. After submitting the lone bid to become the new stadium's developer, Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) publicly revealed their first renderings of a new mixed-use stadium and entertainment district in the winter of 2024. After the New Aloha Stadium and Entertainment District (NASED) came to terms on a 

Then in February, live demolition of the stadium began with the side awning in Hālawa. A 

 continued over the next months, taking away the upper decks of both sides of the old stadium. 

In July's Aloha Stadium Authority meeting, interim manager Michael Yadao was in a reflective state of mind. He was a member of the board when the year began, then was voted into his new role in time for 

. Each update serves as a milestone, with the new stadium on the same grounds getting closer to reality with each step. 

"Contracts were in question, and legislative support was in question. Community support was there, but I think a frustration was setting in about, 'When does it start? When do you move?' 

The stadium is in a very different and much better place (compared to when it was idle)," Yadao told Aloha State Daily. 

Yadao joked during the Stadium Authority meeting that images of the interior's current state look "post-apocalyptic," but it's merely setting the stage for what's next in the weeks and months ahead. 

, is prepared to unveil its latest round of renderings of the new stadium, which is planned to seat 31,000 with the future capacity for 10,000 more. 

Meanwhile, groundbreaking for the new Aloha Stadium, targeted to open in spring of 2029, can begin as early as November and as late as January 2027. Yadao says Thanksgiving is the current estimate for when it could begin. 

The current stadium in its entirety will not be torn down, as AHDP and NASED both told ASD that preserving the structures in both end zones will save approximately $90 million in construction costs. 

Also in July's meeting, the board told Yadao that he was "exceeding expectations" six months into the role after stepping in following Chris Sadayasu's resignation. When asked how he envisions things looking a year from now, he flashed a wide grin.

"By the summertime (in 2027), you're in construction. You're in it," Yadao said. "I think you start seeing the framework of what's going to become (the next) Aloha Stadium. It's a continuance, and I think you're gonna see it start to take shape. I can't even envision a year from now. I got to get through the next six months."

Aloha Stadium 073026

<title>Aloha Stadium prepares for next round of milestones</title>

New renderings for the 31,000-seat stadium are expected soon, while groundbreaking is targeted to begin towards the end of the year.

Aloha Stadium prepares for next round of milestones

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

The City and County of Honolulu Office of Revitalization 

 Aug. 7 that it will close on Friday, Aug. 14, after the Honolulu City Council cut the office’s budget by $2 million.

In a statement to Aloha State Daily on Monday, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi stated, “The next time a small business owner asks why the City no longer offers the support they once depended on, the answer is simple: the City Council eliminated the office that provided it. The next time farmers recovering from the Kona Low storms ask why economic recovery assistance is no longer available, the answer is the same. Council votes have consequences. Beginning Friday, our community will experience the consequences of this one.”

 the Office of Economic Revitalization in October 2020 to coordinate the city’s Covid-19 economic response and recovery efforts, accelerate economic expansion and disburse state and federal funding through grants and loans. The office managed approximately $408 million in federal pandemic relief funds and other grants for programs supporting local businesses, agriculture and Covid-19 relief funds over the last five years, according to a news release from OER.

 noted issues with accountability and transparency related to OER’s staffing and funding and found that OER did not meet five of its eight responsibilities outlined in the resolution.

“Specifically, OER has demonstrated activity in economic response and recovery, identifying and management of funds for economic revitalization, and small business support. However, the office has not fully established or implemented the remaining five required functions including economic development and investment, economic improvement projects, a business resource hub, sector-specific economic support, and economic revitalization commission,” Acting City Auditor Troy Shimasaki wrote in the report.

The audit encouraged the office to establish a long-term sustainability plan, provide annual performance reports, evaluate program and services that are shared with other city departments and the state and ensure it meets all eight responsibilities.

The Honolulu City Council cut $1.62 million in salaries and $412,000 in expenses for OER in the budget for the 2026 fiscal year, leaving approximately $56,000 in operating funds. Blangiardi vetoed the cuts in June, calling the cuts “misguided and indefensible,” and the council voted 6-2 to override the mayor’s veto in July.

Councilmembers Radiant Cordero, Esther Kiaʻāina, Scott Nishimoto, Val Aquino Okimoto, Andria Tupola and Tommy Waters voted to override the mayor’s veto and Councilmembers Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and Matt Weyer voted to sustain the veto.

Blangiardi wrote, “Let me be clear: this was not my decision. This was the decision of Council Chair Tommy Waters, Budget Chair Val Okimoto, and the City Council members who voted to override my veto. They own this decision, and they own its consequences.”

ASD reached out to Waters for comment Monday.

Blangiardi also stated that the City Council rejected his request to allow the administration to address the audit findings and improve the department.

“I believed then, and I believe now, that good government identifies problems, corrects them, holds people accountable and continues delivering services. Eliminating an entire operation rather than improving it was the wrong decision," he said.

While the $2 million in cuts effectively shutters OER, only Oʻahu voters can end its operations, according to the Honolulu Revised Charter.

Councilmember Matt Weyer, who voted against the cuts in July, told ASD by email Monday that he was deeply disappointed that the OER will close and thanked the OER team for their service.

“I opposed the budget cuts that led us here because I saw firsthand how critical OER was to our residents, including helping our District 2 community recover from the Kona Low storms,” he stated. “As affordability and cost-of-living challenges worsen, our local families, small businesses, and farmers are fighting to survive. Our work is not done until every ʻohana can afford a home, our small businesses can thrive, and our communities are safe.”

The Honolulu Film Office retains three employees. Three community equity liaisons will go to the Department of Community Services, the sustainable agriculture and food systems program manager will move to the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency and the small business and finance program manager will transition to the Managing Director’s Office. According to minutes from a July Economic Revitalization Commission meeting, repurposed American Rescue Plan Act funds will pay the 15 remaining staff members through the end of September.

According to a news release issued Friday, Kona Low business recovery grants, small business support, workforce development programs and funding, tourism support and innovation and tech support will be suspended indefinitely at the city level. DCS will continue community outreach and equity work, CCSR will continue food systems and sustainable agriculture initiatives, and the Department of Housing and Land Management will continue two months of a federally funded fellowship to activate vacant City properties for development. The Oʻahu Business Connector, the Oʻahu Small Business Loan Fund, Stay Open Oʻahu and other small business support will continue in the Managing Director’s Office and an effort to expand the Wahi Pana art installation project will continue in the Mayor’s Office of Culture and Arts.

Joseph Burns, director of the Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center, said that SBDC provides comprehensive no-cost statewide business advisory services as a program of UH Hilo under a cooperative agreement with U.S. Small Business Administration.

“If the closure of the OER results in additional strong demand on our capacity, we are positioned to respond, although there may be a somewhat longer than usual wait time,” he stated.

Economic Revitalization Commission Chair Eliza Talbot told ASD Monday that she is disappointed at the closure of OER, saying that she anticipates small businesses and farmers who benefitted from OER services and programs will see long term impacts because of the closure.

OER positioned the City more competitively for federal grants and worked with the state to establish Hawaiʻi as a statewide economic development district, she said.

Talbot said that the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism works great on a macro level, but that OER was tuned into the Oʻahu community on a micro level with the ability to respond to crises. Without OER, Talbot said that small businesses will fall through the cracks.

Community members, organizations voice support for OER

The Honolulu City Council received dozens of letters this spring from residents, business owners and organizations in support of funding OER, including the International Economic Development Council, North Shore Chamber of Commerce, Kapolei Chamber of Commerce, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, Hawaiʻi Farmers Union and Hawaiian Council.

President and CEO Sherry Menor urged the Council in June to sustain funding for OER.

“As Oʻahu continues to navigate economic uncertainty, strong alignment between government and the business community is essential to recovery,” she wrote. “Scaling back key economic functions risks slowing progress and weakening the foundation needed for long-term stability, diversification, and growth. Maintaining dedicated capacity in economic resilience remains vital to both near-term recovery and long-term growth for the City.”

Josh Wisch, executive director of Holomua Collaborative, advocated to the City Council to work with OER to find ways to implement the auditor’s recommendations in July.

“Audits find areas for improvement. That is what they do. But when an audit finds TheBus can be improved, the answer is not to eliminate TheBus and shut down all of its routes,” he said.

Selena Costa, owner of Leather & Lei, wrote to the City Council in April advocating for continued funding for OER. Costa participated in the first 

 cohort in 2025 and said that it showed her “that everyday people like me can turn their dreams into reality.”

Chu Lan Shubert Kwock, of the Chinatown Business Community Association, pointed to recovery efforts during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, Kona low storms in March 2026 and power outages in the area as reasons to sustain funding to OER.

“Nobody else came to help the small business people but OER,” she said.

Amy Asselbaye, executive director of OER, told the City Council in June that the principle that “government should listen to the people it serves,” has guided the office since it was established in 2020.

According to Asselbaye, OER reached 46,595 households through outreach efforts, access to local produce, rent and utility relief, and employee retention and workforce programs, and 12,200 beneficiaries through capital investments and programs.

Office of Economic Revitalization

<title>Office of Economic Revitalization slated to close Friday</title>

The City and County of Honolulu Office of Revitalization announced Aug. 7 that it will close on Friday, Aug. 14, after the Honolulu City Council cut the office’s budget by $2 million.

Office of Economic Revitalization slated to close Friday

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

nose flute, open the song “Pua Naupaka,” before 

a rap in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi gives words to a familiar legend.  

“Pua Naupaka” is one of 16 tracks that form the soundtrack of “ʻAuana,” Cirque du Soleil's first resident production in Hawaiʻi, which opened at the Outrigger Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel in December of 2024.

On Friday, July 17 — one year and seven months after ʻAuana had its world premiere in Waikīkī — the soundtrack began streaming on global platforms, including 

Cirque du Soleil shows often feature ethereal music, 

sometimes with lyrics in Cirquish, a made-up language

, but this production is almost entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. 

During the scene that accompanies “Pua Naupaka” a pair of skaters share the stage, executing lifts and spins on a circular platform.

For the production’s band leader, John Signor, this song is special because it shares a beloved moʻolelo explaining why a flower that grows mauka and makai looks like it has been torn in half.

“It’s probably my favorite legend,” Signor said. “There are different moʻolelo attached to the scenes throughout the show. That is the story I'm most familiar with growing up here probably because me and my friends knew a storyteller, and we would always bother the storyteller, ʻPlease tell the Naupaka story.’ I never tired of it. Different people tell it differently, but the gist of the story is the same: Two people, young lovers, fall madly in love, and for whatever reason, sometimes life doesn't allow for that to happen. There's this amazing beautiful love. And then there's tremendous heartache and separation — and resolution. Naupaka tells this amazing story that these two lovers have to go through. It's quite profound.”

The music for the newly released soundtrack was composed by Evan Duffy, with lyrics in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi by 

, a Native Hawaiian linguist and the lyricist for the album. NeSmith performs some of the chants, plus the rap in “Pua Naupaka.” 

, vocalist Alana Kahiapo and the production’s live musicians, which include Signor, Christina Souza and 

Most Promising Artist of the Year at the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

 last month. The album also features chants from 

, the show’s choreographer and Kumu Hula of Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, plus 

one of only a few people to hold two of the most coveted titles in hula

Duffy’s score is elevated by NeSmith’s lyrics, which are “really nuanced,” Signor added.

“For Hawaiian language speakers, they are understanding 'ʻAuana' at an entirely different level than an audience member who is not understanding the language,” he said. “One of the characteristics of the language is kaona, so there is veiled meaning throughout.”

In addition to playing as part of the band, Signor opens each production with a preshow, often playing pieces written by or for Queen Liliʻuokalani

In “Pua Naupaka,” Signor plays percussion and several flute solos.

“The scene is bookended by two nose flute solos,” he said. “In the first, it's a love song, and it's this enchantment — you are entranced by another person as you fall in love. And then at the end, it's a mournful crying because of the separation that happened.”

In the scene, Signor also plays a cajón, a box-shaped instrument with strings

“I love percussion,” he added. “And it's the only time in the show I get to play percussion.”

Signor usually performs 10 shows each week.

“There's a tendency for even the musicians to forget that there's music from the moment an audience member walks in,” he said. “And even as the show's over and the audience is walking out, we're playing the soundtrack.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The full tract list includes 16 songs:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"1. Ka‘i ‘Auana"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"2. Ala Moe"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"3. Hānau ka Moana"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"4. Kele ka Moana"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"5. Holunape ka Niu"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"6. Pō Mahina"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"7. Ka Nalu"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"8. Kai Māmala9. Māui Kolohe"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"10. Pua Naupaka"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"11. Aloha ‘Āina"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"12. Māui Ki‘iki‘i"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"13. Pele ‘Ai Honua"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"14. Mimilo"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"15. Ke Ānuenue"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"16. Ho‘i ‘Auana"}]

John Signor

<title>Now streaming: 'ʻAuana' soundtrack</title>

John Signor, band leader of "ʻAuana," Cirque du Soleil's first resident production in Hawaiʻi, shares his favorite song in the show and how lyrics in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi add levels of meaning to the storytelling.

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

Authors

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