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ASD Staff

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

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Stephanie Salmons in Honolulu. &quot;A bright azure sky and an even brighter rainbow streched out over Honolulu were recently spotted from high up Azure Ala Moana.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

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

Government & Politics

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

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

People driving were honking and throwing shakas, while community members waved signs directed to Palantir Technologies, and ICE, on an overcast Monday during the lunch rush at the corner of Bishop and Queen streets in Downtown Honolulu.

Punahou student Zane Dalgamouni served as the main organizer of the protest with 

, which is a progressive grassroots activist organization that is part of the nationwide

. Palantir is actively recruiting in Honolulu for high-level, military-facing roles, according to 

Dalgamouni said in an Op-Ed for Aloha State Daily.

Meanwhile, Sergio Alcubilla, community engagement director for 

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawaiʻi

, set up shop with a table, signs and more information about today’s cause and priorities for the organization.

Signs varied in messaging, including, “Palantir Powers the Surveillance State,” “Palantir Dark Lord’s Software,” “Palantir Destroys Data Privacy,” and “Palantir Automates Cruelty.” 

, Miami-headquartered Palantir Technologies is a software company that makes “products for human-driven analysis of real-world data,” in the form of government defense, police enforcement and higher education contracts; analytics and AI tools, among other services. 

Palantir currently operates in Washington D.C., New York, Washington and California, as well as Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.  Last summer, 

 it had awarded Palantir a 10-year, $10 billion contract to consolidate data tools.

The software company has since looked to renovate offices at the Pacific Guardian Center in Downtown Honolulu, 

according to an article from Pacific Business News in September 2025

. Multiple members of the protest Monday told ASD that Palantir was "unlisted" in the commercial office's tenant director.

” have been ongoing across the country, including at Stanford University. 

Catherine Titzer, who recently graduated from there and is now a community field fellow for ACLU of Hawaiʻi, told ASD at the protest Monday that her job entails “community outreach, events, showing up for and listening to the community, and engaging with people.”

“Basically, just supporting the mission of ACLU of Hawaiʻi, which is expanding and protecting civil liberties and civil rights for all.”

In California, she was the co-president of Stanford ACLU, which also involved community outreach. 

“Recently, we were organizing a lot around Stanford’s contract with 

, which is very connected to the same fight as Palantir,” Titzer said. “And just as of last week, 

, which is really exciting. So, we’re doing a lot of the same things to bring awareness to these issues and trying to protect people’s data privacy. … No one likes the idea of being surveilled 24/7.”

She added that even though Palantir has been in Honolulu for about a year, there “has been a large lack of transparency about who they are [and] what they are doing here. And so part of what we’re protesting, too, is that lack of transparency because we believe that people should be able to know what’s going on here."

Titzer advises the public to educate themselves first, and then educate friends and family next.

When asked about the turnout of this protest, she noted that all ages were represented, “which is really exciting to see everyone come together over this issue.”

“I think that the energy is really good,” she continued. “It’s a very peaceful protest and people have, overall, been receptive to learning more.”

For Theresia Ota — a proud ACLU of Hawaiʻi volunteer for about a month now — having a lasting effect on the community, particularly with Palantir, is the goal.

“I enjoy doing something about the issues I care about and appreciate aligning with ACLU,” she said, adding that domestic violence “is a big issue for me and very near and dear to my heart.”

“On the Mainland, I read how Flock cameras were being used inappropriately by law enforcement. There are many women on the Mainland who have relationships with exes in law enforcement, who are misusing their video access to stalk [them]; there’s evidence of that. So, that is one facet of why this is not OK. And then you add on the whole ICE aspect of it, which is even more upsetting.”

Ota adds that the reelection of President Donald Trump was a “sad state of affairs,” and that she wishes more local folks would have voted in the primary.

“I like to think I’m paying attention, but I only just found out about Palantir weeks ago,” she continued. “I hope they look at things (differently).”

on social media for more upcoming events. 

Panatir protest 05

<title>Palantir protest draws mid-sized crowd to Bishop and Queen streets</title>

Organized by ACLU of Hawaiʻi and Indivisible Hawaiʻi, among others in the community, a peaceful protest was held Monday outside of Pacific Guardian Center, where Palantir Technologies has operated as an unlisted tenant for nearly a year.

Palantir protest draws mid-sized crowd to Bishop and Queen streets

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Fun fact: Selling homemade cinnamon rolls was not 

While the business is currently known for its warm, fluffy rolls, Jasmine “Jaz” Milam, who co-owns Hele Rolls with Brittany “Kawai” Lopez, remembers she started out with doughnuts.

“It was doughnuts to begin with; I’m no good at doughnuts and I already knew that, but I think she (Lopez) really likes doughnuts,” Milam says. “After a couple weeks, I was like, doughnuts are not working.”

Milam, who always loved baking, remembers making homemade cinnamon rolls regularly when she was deployed.

“I was making homemade cinnamon rolls every Sunday to share with my fellow service members,” she says. “It became a tradition that brought everyone together, and seeing how something as simple as a warm cinnamon roll could create that sense of comfort and connection has always stayed with me.”

Milam suggested featuring cinnamon rolls for Hele Rolls’ main product and, long story short, they quickly became a hit.

“Cinnamon rolls felt like the perfect fit,” she says. “They’re nostalgic, comforting, and have a way of bringing people together, which is exactly what we hope every customer experiences when they enjoy one of our rolls.”

Hele Rolls officially launched last June, shortly after Milam’s father died. The business was created as a way to honor his legacy and the values he believed in, especially the idea of food having the power to bring people together.

The business’s name pays tribute to Hele Nui, the food truck Milam’s father previously operated.

“Everyone says it (the business name) should be Jaz’s cinnamon rolls, and I didn’t want my name on it,” Milam says. “All of a sudden, it came to me — his food truck’s name was Hele Nui, so what about Hele Rolls? It’s using his name, but kind of paving my own path, carrying his legacy forward.

“Now, I tell everybody, this started off as a side hustle, but it’s turned into so much more,” she adds. “I have a legacy that I’m trying to continue with my dad. It’s more than just making cinnamon rolls for some extra cash; it’s making him, my family and my community proud.”

The family-operated business accepts pre-orders and pops up at various events across O

ahu, such as the Taste of Aloha Night Market at NEX and What the Truck?! in Waikele. The business’s first What the Truck?! market was recent, and Hele Rolls sold out of its cinnamon rolls in 45 minutes, according to Milam.

“I had about 220 to 240 rolls at What the Truck?!,” she says. “Taste of Aloha was the most I’ve done at a market; it was a little more than 300.”

All cinnamon rolls are handmade in small batches, according to Milam, who says the business focuses on creating that soft, fluffy texture and homemade frostings.

While the business’s original cinnamon roll continues to be a bestseller, it also offers specialty flavors which change every month, according to Milam. Previous specialty flavors include strawberry shortcake, chocolate haupia, ube and Oreo. In July, the business featured Oreo and lemon blueberry cinnamon rolls.

“We love keeping our menu fresh with rotating flavors inspired by Hawai

i, classic desserts and seasonal favorites,” Milam says. “One of our favorite things is challenging people’s expectations of what a cinnamon roll can be. They can be familiar, nostalgic and comforting — or completely unexpected.

“Lemon blueberry had our housemade blueberry compote, our icing, homemade whipped cream, fresh blueberries, lemon zest and blueberry shortcake, which is like cookies with freeze-dried blueberries,” she adds. “The Oreo one was like a cookies and cream. Our menu rotates regularly, so there’s always something new to discover. We put a lot of heart into everything we make.”

At markets, customers can buy individual cinnamon rolls or get sample packs, which include two original rolls and two specialty flavors. If customers pre-order, only packs are available. At markets, original cinnamon rolls cost $6 each; specialty flavors cost $8 each.

When asked about her favorite cinnamon roll flavors, Milam says she likes her kūlolo one — “I still need to perfect it a little bit more” — and also recommends the haupia flavor, which features original icing, toasted macadamia nuts and coconut shavings. 

Besides pop-up events and accepting pre-orders, the biz also offers catering for private parties, corporate events and celebrations. Customers can opt for the full-sized cinnamon rolls or the business’s Cinni-Maninis, or bite-sized cinnamon rolls.

Hele Rolls wasn’t even a year old when the biz was asked to participate in Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.”

“One day, we were making cinnamon rolls; I was in the kitchen, and Kawai yelled my name,” Milam remembers. “It wasn’t a panic yell; it was more of an excited yell. I came to her, and she said, ‘Look at this.’ It was a casting agent who reached out to us through Instagram. Obviously, like everyone else, we thought it was Spam.”

“We thought it was Spam for sure, but we were like, ‘Who knows, let’s just take a chance,’” Lopez says.

Hele Rolls responded to the message, the agent got back to them, and from there, “it just snowballed,” according to Milam.

That was earlier this spring; Hele Rolls left to compete on “The Great Food Truck Race” in April. Hosted by Tyler Florence, this season follows eight food truck teams from across the country, as they travel through the Great Smoky Mountains. The winning team gets a $50,000 grand prize. Previous show episodes can be viewed on HBO Max.

Keeping the competition a secret was a huge challenge, especially since Hele Rolls has regular customers.

“We couldn’t tell anyone,” Milam says. “On Instagram, we said, ‘This is our last pick-up and preorder until further notice;’ we didn’t know how long we were going to be there. Our regular customers were like, ‘What are you doing? Are you done?’ It was crazy to see all of that play out.”

The current season of “The Great Food Truck Race” premiered on July 26. The teams started in Nashville, according to Milam, who still remembers the first day of filming.

“We were so starstruck because we knew what we were doing there; everybody was looking at us,” she says. “It was insane; I will never forget that feeling.”

Hele Rolls usually pops up in tents at events; the business currently doesn’t operate out of a food truck, though that’s a future goal. Creating new friendships with other cast members and competing teams was one of the highlights of being on the show, according to Lopez.

“Though it was a competition, at the end of the day, we respected one another and cherished that experience as a whole,” she says. “We got a lot of different advice from everybody, their companies and their brands. A lot of them were more experienced in business; we’re freshly new in business. It was a lot to soak in, and also a chance for us to really be OK with being ourselves.”

[{"type":"text","text":"For Milam, being on the show instilled a newfound sense of confidence."}]

“This show has given me the ability to see the worth in ourselves,” she says. “All these people believed in me and believed in us. Being selected to compete on Season 19 of Food Network’s 

has been an unforgettable experience and an incredible opportunity to represent Hawai

“We continue to stay humble, but we’re so proud at the same time,” Lopez adds. “I think the best thing to do is to take a chance on yourself. You never know what can come out of any experience.”

As the business heads into its second year of operation, Milam and Lopez are focused on new goals for Hele Rolls. Milam — now running Hele Rolls full-time — says they would eventually love to own their own food truck and have a storefront.

“We’ve done so much in year one that we never thought was even possible,” Milam says. “We’ve been so blessed in one year — all these things that happened to us.”

She remembers when one of her first goals — in the business’s early days — was just to “have a line.”

“That’s all we wanted — two to three people,” she laughs. “A line means people are willing to sacrifice their time to stand in line for us and for our product. Having a storefront would be (amazing) because I know I can pump out more for them and it would be better quality; that’s always the goal.”

Being involved with the community is also important to the Hele Rolls team, who is always looking for ways they can support Hawai

“We want to be known not just for cinnamon rolls; we want to be known as a business that’s supporting our community,” Milam says. “If somebody needs something, I want Hele Rolls to be in the front of people’s minds. It’s literally about family, food and community.”

No matter what the future holds, staying true to themselves and maintaining the brand’s mission is essential, according to Milam.

“Beyond the cinnamon rolls themselves, I think what truly makes Hele Rolls unique is the experience,” she says. “From the very beginning, we’ve wanted every customer to feel like they’re part of our ‘ohana. That sense of connection is just as important to us as the product we serve.”

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support our community has shown us over the past year,” Milam adds. “As a women-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and family-powered business, it means so much to see people embrace not only our cinnamon rolls, but also the story and values behind Hele Rolls. We wouldn’t be here without our amazing ‘ohana and community, and we can’t wait to share what’s next.”

For updates and information, follow the biz on 

Hele Rolls The Great Food Truck Race credit Food Network 080526

<title>Oʻahu-based family business is 'on a roll'</title>

Hele Rolls, known for its homemade cinnamon rolls, started its business last June. The biz regularly pops up at events across Oʻahu and accepts pre-orders. Hele Rolls is also competing on the new season of Food Network’s "The Great Food Truck Race," which premiered on July 26.

Oʻahu-based family business is 'on a roll'

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

The criminal complaint says the lieutenant was careful. When money changed hands, he allegedly insisted on Instagram messages and FaceTime calls on burner phones, apps he believed the police could not easily reach.

Michael Vaituʻulala served nearly 18 years with the Maui Police Department. According to the complaint 

, he took cash to keep officers away from illegal cockfights. One organizer paid him a cut of the proceeds, and the low end was about $3,000 an event. On one trip to Las Vegas with an organizer, he allegedly gambled more than $30,000 at blackjack. Vaituʻulala is also accused of tipping off drug dealers about pending investigations, alerting them to wiretaps and warrants.

He is charged, not convicted, and the courts will sort out the truth. But one detail deserves a long look. Vaituʻulala led the Maui Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit. The man assigned to watch organized crime on Maui is accused of working for it.

If the watchers are bought off, who watches them? If the allegations hold, this went on for years under the department’s own roof. The case that finally landed is federal — the FBI and federal prosecutors are bringing it, not the Maui Prosecutor, and not the state Attorney General.

There is a reason, and it is not an insult to Maui. Wire fraud is a federal crime, and electronic messages cross state borders. Drug trafficking is a federal crime, and the cooperating witnesses in this case were likely bargaining down their own federal sentences. But this is not the full story.

Corruption is rarely rooted out at its own level. The local police live next door to the people they would have to investigate. They are related to them, or they owe them, or they are afraid of them. So counties answer to the state, and the state answers to the federal government. Each rung of the ladder is watched by the rung above. When the feds bring a case, they bring wiretap recordings, witnesses who flipped, and private messages the defendant believed were beyond reach. They tend to win.

Paul wrote that the ruler “does not bear the sword in vain.” The sword in this case looks like subpoenas and postal inspectors, which is less dramatic than it sounds and more effective than it looks.

A man who can be paid to sell his badge is not restrained by conscience. He is restrained by the knowledge that somewhere above him sits an authority he cannot buy, with resources he cannot match. Criminals should feel fear.

We have been reminded before what happens when criminals are fearless. In 1970, state Senator Larry Kuriyama was 

 in his ʻAiea carport after coming home from an event.

Ronnie Ching, the mob hitman who admitted being a lookout for the killing, later claimed involvement in some 20 killings. One of these was the son of Charles Marsland — the man Honolulu then elected prosecutor in 1980. Marsland went to war against the syndicates.

Which brings me to Hawaiian sovereignty. The activists hold a premise I take seriously: Distant power is dangerous, and sometimes abused. History gives them plenty of material. But I have never heard one of them answer a simple question. In an independent Hawaiʻi, who stands on the rung above?

When local law enforcement is in bed with organized crime, who will investigate and prosecute? When state judges are taking bribes, who will take them to court?

Hawaiʻi is host not only to tourists, but also to human traffickers, drug traffickers, and extortion rings. Syndicates run game rooms and hold cockfights. Criminals in these organizations will bribe or murder the ones who stand in their way.

A nation of 1.4 million people would face foreign syndicates with more money and more manpower than the government itself. Our prosecutors are a thin bench. County law enforcement is already stretched. Small island nations across the Caribbean and the Pacific have run this experiment. The syndicates usually win.

Federal agencies harbor corruption of their own. The same logic that sends the FBI to Maui demands that Congress, the courts, and the inspectors general watch those watchers too. No agency is above the law.

Human justice will never be perfect. It must be pursued anyway.

The state cannot save a soul, and it has not been asked to. Its assignment is narrower: to be a terror to bad conduct. 

In Hawaiʻi, the feds have lately been doing that work. They 

 of trafficking three adults and one minor. They 

 who bought over 100 pounds of methamphetamine. They 

 who looted a Hawaiʻi County affordable housing program through bribery. Now they are taking on alleged corruption in local law enforcement.

The criminal complaint describes a man who believed some conversations were beyond reach. Many criminals make the same mistake, thinking that they will never be caught. On Earth, this may be so. But there is a judge who sees all, and His verdicts are perfect.

Vaituulala2

<title>Maui Police corruption case shows why Hawaiʻi needs federal law enforcement</title>

A Maui police lieutenant allegedly arranged his bribes over burner phones and Instagram, certain no one could read them. The FBI read every word. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on why corruption is only ever answered from the rung above.

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