ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

Now, let's all enjoy watching Bowser the Bulldog play with the door-stopper thing...

Smile 26 6 30

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 30, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

 Now, let&#039;s all enjoy watching Bowser the Bulldog play with the door-stopper thing...

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

A challenge against excessive vehicle towing at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor was overturned Friday.

 before the Board of Land and Natural Resources to renew a contract with Secure Parking LLC — the company that has managed paid parking at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor since 2023 — received substantial backlash from residents concerned about Secure Parking’s management.

In particular, people complained about a "towing first" policy, whereby recreational users who exceeded their allotted six hours of free parking would have their vehicles towed immediately, without any citations or warnings beforehand.

The proposal in September claimed that towing policy exists because the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ ability to issue parking citations is limited — the Division of Boating and Ocean Resources isn’t authorized to do so, while the Division of Conservation of Resource Enforcement is authorized, but has insufficient staff to conduct full-time parking enforcement. Therefore, towing offending vehicles has been the primary solution for cars overstaying their free parking period.

The proposal to renew Secure's contract included a License Plate Recognition system that would, ostensibly, help reduce the amount of vehicles towed from the lot.

Secure’s LPR system would use cameras to scan license plates automatically and track repeat violators, while also connecting with existing equipment such as pay stations. Violators would receive printed warnings on-site, and would be subject to towing upon subsequent offenses.

But residents argued last year that this system does not end the “towing first” policy. One resident, Kate Thompson, requested a contested case hearing against the proposal in September.

Thompson argued that the proposal will “lock in” the towing first policy, and noted that other public facilities such as the Honolulu Zoo are able to manage parking with citations just fine. At the same time, she argued, Secure’s contract costs the state $15,316 per month, funds that could be allocated toward harbor improvements.

On Friday, the Board voted to deny Thompson’s request, despite requests from dozens of residents urging the case to go forward.

Honolulu resident Douglas Meller argued that issuing warnings before towing a car is not preferable to issuing parking citations.

“A warning carries no financial consequence,” Meller wrote. “The first financial penalty a vehicle owner will ever face at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor remains a $165 tow … The community has not been asking to be warned before being towed. It has been asking for the tow to be replaced, as the first financial penalty, by a proportional citation.”

Thompson and Meller both suggested that the only party that particularly benefits from the towing-first policy is the towing company itself. According to Honolulu Police records obtained by Thompson, there were 2586 vehicles towed from the harbor in 2025, and 2512 in 2024; DOCARE, meanwhile, issued 25 parking citations at the harbor in 2025 and four in 2024.

Nonetheless, the BLNR ruled unanimously — albeit with member Wesley Yoon abstaining — that Thompson does not have standing to request a contested case, as things like “statutory post-tow procedures” or “fair proportionate penalties” are not constitutionally protected interests that a person can challenge via the contested case process.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

IMG 9767 1024x683

<title>No contested case for tow woes at Ala Wai</title>

Despite complaints over tow-happy parking enforcement at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, a contested case hearing will not be going forward.

No contested case for tow woes at Ala Wai

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Aloha Spirit

Real Estate

Three Maui grads are getting help with college costs thanks to the Construction Industry of Maui.

The CIM Bob Poulson Scholarship encourages local students to pursue a degree in the construction and design industry — away from Maui — then bring their knowledge and skills back to the Valley Isle.

This year, CIM has awarded each student — Leah Burns, a Maui Preparatory Academy grad; Brennan Tanaka, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Maui; and Dominick Guiwa, a graduate of Maui High School — a $20,000 scholarship. They received their scholarships at a banquet last month.

Burns, who was born and raised in Lahaina, says she plans to venture to the Mainland, where she'll study landscape architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

"My interest in architecture stems from the loss of my home and town in the 2023 Lahaina wildfires," she told Aloha State Daily earlier this month in an emailed response to questions. "I knew I wanted a career that allowed me to care for others and give back to my community. Architecture combines my creativity and artistic skills with my empathy and desire to give back to my community."

On Aug. 8, 2023, fires flamed by winds from a passing storm ravaged parts of the Valley Isle. More than 100 people were killed in the blaze that destroyed much of Lahaina town.

Burns says that after five years at Cal Poly, she'll have her architecture license and plans to return to Maui — and Lahaina specifically — to be a part of the town's rebuild, "and help restore not just houses, but homes."

She was "completely shocked" when she received the phone call about the scholarship award.

"After I got off the phone, I literally ran to my mom to tell her the news!" Burns says. "It was such a relief. I knew the award was at least $10,000, and I was shook at that alone. At the actual ceremony when I and the other winners were awarded our checks, I saw the official amount, $20,000, and I started tearing up! It was unbelievable!"

Burns told ASD that Cal Poly has been her dream college with her dream program and this award helps her dreams become reality.

"My parents not only have to pay for my college, they also pay for my older brother's college, on top of trying to figure out whether or not we can rebuild our Lahaina home," she says. "This award takes off some pressure and financial burden. This award has also connected me with so many different people in the industry, and these connections may help me find internships and possibly jobs in the future. This award has helped me in so many different ways and I am forever grateful!"

For his part, Tanaka, of Wailuku, plans to study mechanical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston.

He told ASD in June that he became interested in engineering because of the erosion around his family's church, Pā‘ia Mantokuji.

"That made me want to pursue engineering to help solve problems like those," Tanaka says.

He was thankful to receive the scholarship and was "just celebrating when I heard the news." The scholarship will help relieve some financial burdens and allow Tanaka to "be able to focus more on college and doing the best I can."

After college, Tanaka says he'll maybe spend some time on the Mainland, but plans to one day come back home to Hawai‘i, specifically Maui, to give back to the community. He plans to do something related to the environment, like sustainability.

"I think that's because of Kamehameha Schools, too, because learning about the culture and the history, and getting more connected to the people of Hawai‘i, and wanting to give back and make sure that the future's in good hands."

Guiwa, a first-generation Filipino-American student born and raised on Maui, also hopes to pursue mechanical engineering at Santa Monica College before transferring to a university or a top mechanical engineering program. 

He says he'll be the first to go to college in America, "and that is a big achievement, especially to me and my family, since I'm helping to break barriers in leading and guiding my siblings into higher education as well, especially in America."

Guiwa, of Kahului, said since he's going to Santa Monica, he'll likely pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on construction engineering and mechatronics in the future, "meaning that right now, as I begin college, I know that I'll either be going one of two routes, which is a speciality in the construction industry or the mechanics industry, meaning planes, military contractors, things like that."

A career in engineering was inspired in part by his father, who Guiwa says taught him mathematic and arithmetic principles when he was younger, "so that was where my strength was."

"Eventually, as I grew older, I found a lot of creativity and I developed a lot of critical thinking skills from math, and I found that I enjoyed using my hands a lot, so that's where the idea of engineering came to me, by my dad, because he knew that it was something that I was strong in."

When he learned of receiving the scholarship, Guiwa said he was ecstatic and speechless.

"This is something that's going to be incredible for my family, especially in lessening the financial burden for college, especially in California, where housing is extremely expensive."

The scholarship honors the legacy of Bob Poulson, a founding member of CIM who co-established Arita Poulson General Contracting in 1986. To date, $390,000 in scholarships have been awarded to 21 Maui County high school students.

According to CIM, to be eligible, students must graduate from a Maui County high school and enter a two- or four-year degree program in construction, engineering, landscaping or other design fields.

CIM Scholarship Banquet 2026 15

<title>Construction Industry of Maui awards scholarships to three isle students</title>

The CIM Bob Poulson Scholarship encourages local students to pursue a degree in the construction and design industry — away from Maui — then bring their knowledge and skills back to the Valley Isle. Three students each received a $20,000 scholarship this year and shared with Aloha State Daily their plans after college.

Construction Industry of Maui awards scholarships to three isle students

CEO Headshot Suzanne Young2022

Suzanne Young

Viewpoints

As National Homeownership Month (in June) comes to a close, conversations about homeownership in Hawaiʻi and affordability challenges 

Many local residents see headlines about being “priced out of paradise,” compounded by rising home prices, elevated interest rates and the growing cost of living, and understandably feel discouraged about whether homeownership is still possible for them.

Homeownership remains important not only because it helps individuals and families build stability, but because it also plays a broader role in whether local residents feel they can build a future here. For many families, owning a home can mean putting down roots, building financial security and creating a stronger foundation for the next generation. Keeping homeownership within reach matters not just for prospective buyers, but for the long-term strength of our communities, workforce and local economy.

One of the biggest concerns we hear is that too many local residents are counting themselves out before they fully explore what may still be available to them. It is important to understand that many first-time homebuyers are entering the market at a different price point than the million-dollar homes that tend to draw headlines, and they should not let those headlines discourage them from taking the next step. 

Every month, nearly 200 homes on Oʻahu sell for $500,000 or less, and there are currently more than 1,100 active listings at that price point across the island.

Education and support also helps local residents better understand the homebuying process, strengthen their financial readiness and identify pathways that bring homeownership within reach.

(ICYMI: Aloha State Daily senior reporter Stephanie Salmons 

 with Aaron Tangonan, president of the Honolulu Board of Realtors, to see what prospective homebuyers should know about the process.)

Through the Honolulu Board of Realtors’ partnership with the Hawaiʻi HomeOwnership Center, the 

helps prospective buyers build a realistic plan for ownership and connect with resources that may support them.

Since 2021, more than 850 local residents have participated in the HOPE program, and roughly 70% have gone on to purchase a home or enter escrow within six to 18 months.

Other efforts also help make homeownership more attainable. This year, the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp. announced the first three buyers through its 

, including a 27-year-old teacher who purchased a one-bedroom home in Makiki and a family of three who purchased a townhome in Mililani Mauka. Programs like this can help make homeownership more attainable for local residents at different stages of life, from younger working professionals to families seeking greater stability. Along with offerings from local lenders and community organizations, they can help eligible buyers access below-market interest rates, down payment assistance and other support.

Many local residents do not have to look far to find a Realtor within their own circle of trust who can help them navigate the homebuying process. That relationship can make it easier to ask questions early, better understand what may still be possible and move forward with guidance from someone who understands the market and the process.

We regularly see Realtors help clients identify opportunities they may not have considered, navigate contracts and negotiations, and connect with programs or resources that can help them overcome obstacles. In a process that can feel intimidating, especially for first-time buyers, trusted support can make a meaningful difference.

No single program will solve Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges, but helping more local residents build a future here means strengthening the education, partnerships and policies that expand access to homeownership and support long-term stability in Hawaiʻi. Our members at the Honolulu Board of Reators' live and work in these same communities and are committed to helping keep homeownership possible for Hawaiʻi families.

Authored by Suzanne Young, CEO, Honolulu Board of Realtors. Learn more at 

Honolulu homes kaycy quintal 3q YEIFC4am4 unsplash

<title>Community Voices: Why homeownership matters for Hawaiʻi's future</title>

As affordability challenges continue to shape the housing conversation, expanding access to education, resources and pathways to ownership remains critical for local residents — and the Realtors who represent them.

Community Voices: Why homeownership matters for Hawaiʻi's future

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 launched its pau hana menu in 2024. It recently updated it to include more dishes for $6 each.

The pau hana deal is available daily from 2 to 6 p.m. The featured dishes are full-sized portions for about half the price.

Deals include the hot honey chicken sando (regular price $15), fish katsu sando (regular price $15), kalbi burger (regular price $17) and bao buns (regular price $13). The bao include two per order.

So far, the hot honey chicken sando has been one of the most popular orders. It features chicken katsu, herb cabbage slaw, chili crunch hot honey and Japanese cucumber pickles.

The fish katsu sando looks similar, but features herb cabbage slaw, a caper tartare sauce and Japanese cucumber pickles.

The eatery’s bao buns — stuffed with braised applewood smoked slab bacon, hoisin, keiki cukes and micro cilantro — and kalbi burger were previously included on the pau hana menu. The latter features a brisket blend beef patty with kimchi slaw, West Side sauce, American cheddar and Japanese cucumber pickles.

[{"type":"text","text":"Customers can also take advantage of $5 fries."}]

Drink discounts include $6 beers — which include local draft brews — $9 wines by the glass and $12 tropical cocktails. Options range from frozen liliko

i margaritas and pina coladas to mango mules. Cocktails usually cost $16 to $18.

Customer parking is available in the Lilia Waikīkī parking garage (entrance on Walina Street); two-hour parking with $4 validation.

Piko happy hour spread 061126

<title>This eatery launched a $6 happy hour</title>

Piko Kitchen + Bar in Waikīkī updated its pau hana menu to include more dishes for $6 each. Its pau hana deal is available daily from 2 to 6 p.m. Customers can enjoy options like hot honey chicken sandos and fish katsu sandos, along with $6 beers and discounted cocktails.

This eatery launched a $6 happy hour

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

A child in a Hawaiʻi classroom learned this spring that the Founding Fathers wanted church and state kept apart. She wrote it on her worksheet, earned a gold star, and carried home a version of the founding that is tidy, confident, and backwards. By the Fourth of July most of us will repeat some form of it without thinking twice.

The men who wrote the Constitution were not trying to push religion out of public life. Most of the 13 states still had an established church or a religious test for office, and the convention that drafted the document was Protestant almost to a man. What they barred was a national church — one denomination, set above the rest and backed by federal power. They had reason to fear it.

Most of the colonies had been founded by people running away from state churches. The Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth had fled England, then the Netherlands, rather than worship as the king ordered. Rhode Island filled up with men and women banished from Massachusetts for their “wrong” beliefs about God. The dissenters, it turns out, had dissenters of their own. A government that crowned one church would only be choosing which refugees to disappoint.

So the names matter — Congregationalist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Quaker. Many history classes skim them as clutter, hurrying along to the “real” story. But the arguments over how to worship God were not the background to colonial politics. They 

The fair point is that several founders were plainly not orthodox. Jefferson kept a Bible he had gone through with a razor and glue. Franklin called himself a Deist and meant it. But a man can only reject what he first understands.

Jefferson attacked the deity of Christ and cut the miracles out of his Gospels — but he knew what he was removing. He wanted the ethics of Jesus without the divinity. The modern man cannot be bothered with either.

Franklin knew the creed well yet never bowed the knee. He printed George Whitefield’s sermons and counted the great evangelist a friend for 30 years, but was not moved an inch toward Christ.

The wall kept the federal government off the church. It was never meant to keep the faith out of the country. The men who built the wall were sheltering a fire, not smothering one.

And there had been a fire. A generation before the Revolution, a great revival swept the colonies. Crowds gathered in open fields to hear Whitefield’s voice carrying over thousands, while Jonathan Edwards preached to farmers who wept where they sat. The children raised in the warmth of that awakening grew up to found a country. The awakening came first, and the reform came after.

The Hawaiian islands would follow the same path. The awakening of the 1830s ripened into a kingdom Christian in its laws and life. But that is a story for another week.

The order is worth getting right, because an anniversary tempts us toward the wrong kind of nostalgia. The secularist wants the founding with the religion trimmed away — the same razor Jefferson took to his Gospels, turned now on the country’s own story. There is a Christian version of the same error, more seductive because it flatters us. It is the urge to wave the heritage like a banner while setting down the obedience that came with it. No country is made Christian by fireworks, or by Scripture chiseled over a courthouse door. Revival built this nation, and a plaque cannot stand in its place.

The child with the gold star will grow up. What she keeps of her country depends on what we hand her — a living faith, or a relic under glass.

Flag and church i Stock 1058861544 16x9

<title>America’s religious founding: Revival came before the Republic</title>

A child earns a gold star this spring for writing that the founders wanted church and state kept apart. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on the founding we no longer teach — and the revival that built it.

America’s religious founding: Revival came before the Republic

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

 party over three years ago and declined to show, according to the Office of the Governor.

 from the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Josh Green was asked “to establish a Hawaiʻi Commission on the United State Semiquincentennial.”  

The commission formed by the governor did not receive any government funding

 “to coordinate a statewide effort commemorating and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America,” per the executive order.

Leading the 19-member Hawai‘i America250 Commission is Peter Young, a member of the Hawaiʻi Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, along with lawmakers and other representatives.

The commission is responsible for soliciting donations to bring local events and activities to “communities across the Islands [that] will reflect on our shared past, celebrate our diverse heritage, and honor our veterans and ancestors through events grounded in local culture and the Spirit of Aloha,” its website notes.

To donate, volunteer and learn more, go to: 

Hawaiʻi opts out of Great American State Fair

Hawaiʻi has no official government representation at 

, a block party on the National Mall in Washington D.C., running now through July 10.

It features attractions like rodeos and a 110-foot Ferris wheel, with more than 150 exhibits for all 50 states plus U.S. territories, as well as "businesses, innovators and civic organizations," according to 

, the organizer of the fair and other semiquincentennial events.

The decision for the Hawai‘i America250 Commission, which includes Green as an honorary chair, to say, “No can” to participating in the fair appears to have grown more apparent as the travel commitment grew “from a few days to two weeks with 12-hour days,” 

Green told Aloha State Daily in a statement Friday, “The Hawai‘i America250 Commission is not operating a pavilion at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., which is 5,000 miles away. No funds were earmarked by the state, or by Congress.”

One Mililani resident wrote in to ASD after hearing Hawaiʻi would not be at the fair.

“Especially with what's been happening in Hawaiʻi, participation in this national event would have been a great opportunity to formally and informally educate and share the history and Aloha of our people; to garner support/supporters from outside our state for the causes of the Hawaiian people and the legacy of its past monarchs,” the reader wrote.

Another ASD reader from Honolulu wrote, "

Wouldn't this have been a great opportunity for the state's Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA)? According to their annual budget, they expend [millions] of our taxpayers’ money annually on branding and marketing!"

At least 10 mostly Democratic-led states decided against sending official government delegations to the fair, which including Hawaiʻi are: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, according to 

“Most of the states that opted out are led by Democrats. But all cited financial considerations, saying they'd have to spend at least $100,000 (and in some cases up to half a million dollars) of their own money and preferred to prioritize celebrations at home,” 

, noting, organizers offered to help cover basic booth setup.

 that “the decision came down to resources”; Illinois sent representatives from the Peoria Riverfront Museum to run the state's booth instead; and Oregon Gov. Tina Koteck cited both cost and concerns that the event is "a more partisan affair than originally presented,” per the The New York Times; while Young of the Hawai‘i America250 Commission has shifted focus to local initiatives.

New Hampshire, which has a similar population size to the Aloha State at about 1.4 million, found a way to participate by having its Department of Natural and Cultural Resources staff an official booth showcasing “historic documents, a presentation and a video featuring state political figures reading the Declaration of Independence.” It is the only New England State with a presence from local government, per the 

 and photos over the weekend from the Great American State Fair, Alaska and Hawaiʻi both have empty booth displays boasting red, white and blue backdrops, though, Hawaiʻi’s included a couple of rocking chairs. 

Makes sense, since they chose to sit this one out.

Hawaii at Great American State Fair

<title>Hawaiʻi says ‘No can’ to Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.</title>

Hawaiʻi government officials will not be present at the Great American State Fair, put on by Freedom 250 now through July 10, along with at least 10 mostly Democratic-led states citing cost, staffing and for some, political reasons. Gov. Josh Green says no funds were earmarked for the fair by the state or Congress and instead, has thrown support behind local celebrations.

Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Monday, June 29, 2026

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 27, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Monday, June 29, 2026

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 27, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

Most read