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<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026</title>

Swimming comes more naturally to some dogs than others...

Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

 Swimming comes more naturally to some dogs than others...

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Queen Emma was born on January 2, 1836, to Nā‘ea and Fanny Kekelaokalani Young. As was customary in Hawaiian society, she was raised in the hānai tradition, and much of her childhood was spent in the care of Fanny’s sister, Grace Kamaʻikuʻi Young, and her husband, Thomas Charles Byde Rooke.

‘Emalani, as she was then known, grew up at Rooke House, which stood near the Waikīkī/makai corner of what are now Beretania and Nuʻuanu streets, where Mark’s Garage is now. Educated at the Royal School along with other children of ali‘i, and then taught by an English governess, Emma was fluent in both Hawaiian and English, was a skilled equestrian, and was an accomplished vocalist and pianist. 

In 1856, she married Alexander Liholiho, King Kamehameha IV, and two years later, gave birth to a son, Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli. By all accounts, the young prince brought a great deal of happiness to the King and Queen, and was beloved by the people of Hawai‘i. But it seems the happiness was not to last.

Succumbing to an unknown illness, Queen Emma’s only child died in 1862, at just four years old. After his death, the Queen was referred to as Kaleleokalani, meaning flight of the heavenly one. King Kamehameha IV, grief-stricken and feeling responsible for his son’s death, withdrew from public life. Suffering from chronic asthma, the young king died a year later at the age of 29. After her husband died, the Queen’s name changed again to the plural form of Kaleleonālani, flight of the heavenly ones.

In the midst of her grief, Emma traveled to England. The journey gave her some distance from the sorrow she had experienced at home, but it also became an important turning point in her life.

She was concerned about the future of the young women of her island nation and recognized the importance of education. Queen Emma was already involved in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaiʻi. While in London, she raised money toward the construction of an Anglican cathedral in Hawaiʻi. She sought the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding her vision for a school for girls.

On Ascension Day, May 30, 1867, Queen Emma founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, together with Mother Priscilla Lydia Sellon of the Society of the Most Holy Trinity of Devonport, England.

The Priory’s primary educational objective was the teaching of English. Instruction was conducted in English, and the girls were not permitted to speak Hawaiian, even during their playtime. Along with their academic studies, they were taught sewing and embroidery, music and drawing. Religious instruction was also an important part of the curriculum.

For Queen Emma, St. Andrew’s Priory was more than simply a school. It was part of a larger vision for the education and future of the young women of Hawaiʻi.

For more than 150 years, generations of young women passed through its halls, sharing lessons, laughter, friendships, and celebrations. It should come as no surprise that a place so closely connected to Queen Emma would eventually become associated with stories of her lingering presence.

Over the years, tales have circulated among the students and staff, revealing strange occurrences at the boarding school. Some of the students claimed to have seen the actual ghost of Queen Emma in the halls, while others are said to have heard the stairs creaking late at night and believed she was making her rounds.

There are also reports of unexplained cold spots, particularly near Queen Emma’s portrait and just outside the main entrance to the girls’ dormitory. On some nights, the grand piano could be heard playing long after midnight. Lights would mysteriously switch on and off, tools would disappear only to turn up elsewhere, and belongings left in handbags would be rearranged or simply dumped on the floor. These unexplainable events led many to believe that ghostly hands were still at work within the walls of St. Andrew’s Priory.

My dear friend recently gifted me with his personal stories and those of his ʻohana, who were boarders at the school.

Reportedly, gardenias were among Queen Emma’s favorite flowers. The smell of fresh gardenia was common around the Queen’s portrait and in Emma Hall.

My friend’s aunt told him, “The smell was so strong, it was like you were standing right next to a big gardenia bush in full bloom, and then it would suddenly be gone, and you wouldnʻt smell it again.”

As girls, his aunts spent many evenings cleaning up Emma Hall before heading to bed, as part of their nightly chores. On one occasion while straightening up the room, one aunt saw a woman in a dark blue, Victorian-style gown with her hair pulled up, walking away from the piano, but the figure vanished just before reaching the door. She only saw the woman from behind, but the image stayed with her.

Another memory went back to when she was about eight or nine years old. One night, during a storm, she left the dormitory to use the bathroom. Frightened by the weather, she ran back toward the dorm when a nun gently stopped her and said, “No running.”

She was about to answer, “Yes, Sister,” when the nun began to fade away. The figure seemed to turn light gray before disappearing completely.

Years later, my friend returned to St. Andrew’s Cathedral for the first time since childhood. He learned that there was a stained-glass window depicting Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, and he went to search for them.

He was looking up, trying to find their images when a woman’s voice behind him said, “Look down for what you are looking for.”

He looked down and found himself standing directly in front of the panel showing the King and Queen. When he turned to thank the woman, no one was there. In fact, he was all alone in the cathedral.

On a more recent visit, my friend was showing his partner the sights around St. Andrew’s. He said he always wanted to see the inside of St. Paul’s Chapel, but like each time he tried to visit, the door was locked. It was raining that day, and while they were standing beneath the arched portico talking about where to go next, a man’s voice suddenly came from behind them.

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My friend turned, already explaining that they had tried the door, but his words choked off mid-sentence. No one was there.

They turned back to the chapel and tried the door again. This time, it opened.

The two quickly peeked inside for a brief look before leaving the chapel. Neither could explain who had spoken to them. There had been no one else around, and yet someone, or something, had apparently known exactly what they wanted to see.

There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything that has happened at St. Andrew’s. Then again, perhaps there isn’t. The stories have survived because people experienced things they could not explain, and in a place so closely connected to Queen Emma, it is easy to understand why some believe her presence can still be felt. Perhaps, after all these years, the Queen and other spirits are still making their rounds.

Cathedral of St Andrews

<title>The Ghost of a Queen</title>

Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.

The Ghost of a Queen

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Government & Politics

From the First Congressional District to the House and the Senate to the lieutenant governor's race, many of the most pivotal elections of this year will be decided within Democratic Party’s primaries. 

We’re a heavily Democratic state. I know that. You know that. We know that.

I’ve often wondered how that came to be the case. To answer that question, my default setting is history. History gets you answers if you know where to look. It’s not for nostalgia’s sake alone that history is useful. More often than not, history reveals the true location of present-day problems. 

In a local history class, you’ll be taught (maybe) that there was a Democratic ‘Revolution’ in November 1954. It was like the local version of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Rural Democrats organized by the ILWU from across the Neighbor Islands combined with urbanite Democrats in Honolulu to successfully seize control of both houses of the Territorial Legislature. 

The Democrats established a beachhead in the Legislature, one that they steadily reinforced until they effectively consolidated control over all branches of state government in the ’60s. Such consolidated power is where we are likely to remain in 2026.

So 1954 is the beginning of that history, but what made the Democratic Party so appealing in 1954?

To answer that question, I started to search for a document that’s not easily findable online. In fact, finding the document required me to scan newspaper archives in the hopes of finding a stray copy printed in an edition. 

Even seasoned politicos have never read the document. However, I’d argue it remains one of the most political documents in the last century of Hawai‘i’s history.

It’s a statement that rationalizes the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i’s right to power and their vision for the future, at least in 1954. The future, in 1954, was full of so much promise. There was so much to build in Hawai‘i. 

It is the 1954 Platform of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. I found a copy, which I’ve transcribed and left 

It’s a bombastic document that hails the Democratic Party as “the greatest political party in the world today.” I don’t know if I’d agree with such a statement, or whether even Democrats would agree with such a statement today. 

Beyond that one bombastic statement, however, I was surprised by the document’s tone. It is not about a person’s rights alone, but what a person is expected to be able to do with the rights they attain. People should be able to get an education, work a decent job, have a home, and start a business. In 1954, the Democratic Party wanted to make it easier for residents to do those things. The Democratic Party wanted to build a Hawai‘i where people would be able to live the lives they deserved to live. 

The platform of 1954 makes commitments on statehood, taxation, small business and home ownership, land ownership and economic development, education, labor, home rule, the rights and obligations of individuals, and health and welfare. Some of the commitments feel especially relevant to a young person concerned with the viability of Hawai‘i as a place with a future.

Many sections feel foreign, if only because their ideas seem to run contrary to the general state of affairs in our time. On small business and home ownership, for instance, it pledges to “provide financial assistance from the Territory to encourage” small business, independent, farming, ranching and home construction. It also pledges to “repeal existing laws which discriminate against” small-scale enterprises. 

Government needed to let small business boom. People deserved to be able to build homes. Fallow agricultural land needed to be brought into production by local people.

It’s a document built on a person’s access to opportunity – and their ability to build out a better place. Such sentiments are not partisan, and perhaps that’s where the Democratic Party Platform of 1954 is not a very partisan document.

1954 remains important, if not for any particularly romantic reason. The 1954 Democratic Party Platform is therefore refreshing because it is not a romantic document. It is idealistic, but as a political proclamation, it is also measured. 

You may not be a Democrat. However, any resident of Hawai‘i is the figurative (and even literal, for a few) descendant of the Hawai‘i imagined in the words of the 1954 Democratic Party Platform. Our politics, culture, economics, and society is framed by a party which came to power in 1954 on the principles of that platform.

The 1954 Platform is concise. Perhaps it also remains a vision for Hawai‘i’s future. The current 

 of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, in contrast, is nearly three times as long as the 1954 platform. 

The 1954 Platform was a sober and responsible document. Hawai‘i would benefit from such sober and responsible concision in 2026. 

Spark Matsunaga Patsy Mink Lyndon B Johnson John Burns Daniel Inouye 1966 A1901 36 A

<title>What Hawai‘i’s 1954 Democratic Party platform says about today</title>

Hawai‘i has been a virtual one-party state since statehood, but how did that happen? ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith explores how, with a look at the local Democratic Party's 1954 platform and a comparison with the party's current priorities.

What Hawai‘i’s 1954 Democratic Party platform says about today

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

The best of Hawai‘i — the best family attraction, cruise, lū‘au, resort, restaurant and tour company — has been decided by voters in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

Nominees in each category were chosen with the help of a panel of experts but the winners were determined by votes and announced July 22.

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<title>Here's the best of Hawai‘i, according to the people</title>

The best family attraction, cruise, lū‘au, resort, restaurant and tour company in Hawai‘i have been decided by voters in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Read on to see who made the lists.

Here's the best of Hawai‘i, according to the people

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

ommunity continues to come together following weeks of severe storms and flooding that has displaced neighbors and destroyed livelihoods across the Islands. 

Several churches on Oʻahu have opened shelters, distributed supplies and hot meals, and helped clean up the mess.   

 told Aloha State Daily that this is "our first time responding to a flood emergency at this scale on our island."

"But this isn't anything new. We've done this in Lahaina," he said. "I think personally for me, this is the first one where our hands and feet are getting some mileage."

Inspire Mililani became a hub for shelters, complete with hot meals and showers, and continues to serve as a donation site. 

Chinen said 55 people found rest there, and the church's initial volunteer count was 100.

"We responded as a whole organization and were ready to open in less than 48 hours," he added.

He noted that three weeks prior to the storms, the church purchased a 15-seat passenger shuttle for church services. "We've transported more pounds of water than we have people in the last few days. We're using every resource we can. We’re not going to sit on stuff we have."

 delivered thousands of donated hygiene kits by Rob [last name not given] to Hale

ʻiwa Distilling Co., which stopped accepting individual donations Wednesday due to “getting full” from the community outpouring.

"That’s divine response. That's how incredible God is, people are responding out of their own heart," Chinen said. "I do think Waialua is going to recover quick because people are responding to the need and the right resources are getting to the people quickly. There's not a delay. No one has to wait for government to step in. This is everybody's kuleana."

 has served for 15 years in various leadership roles at Inspire Church, which has six locations statewide overseen by Senior Pastors Mike and Lisa Kai. Chinen's congregation in Mililani is about 800 people.

"We have this saying at Inspire Church, 'Blessed are the flexible, so they will never be bent out of shape,'" he said.

mission is “to multiply leaders: equipping individuals to lead with purpose, serve others, and impact their families, churches, and communities for the Kingdom of God,” its website states.

Chinen said teams will be helping serve lunch at Waialua High School on Thursday and Friday. A medical tent will also be set up in the area. 

Looking ahead, Inspire Church aims to assess and fill individual needs in the affected communities to ready for cleaning and rebuilding, he added.

For upcoming outreach and donation opportunities, visit 

iwa-based North Shore Christian Fellowship did not gather for a typical service this past Sunday, but rather united “to be the Church," per an Instagram post. They headed out in teams across the community “to serve, clean and help restore what’s been impacted."

Pastor Danny Angel said that one-third of the churchʻs 400-person congregation was directly impacted by the flood, yet still about 300 volunteers showed up to serve, "pray over the people and be the hands and feet of Jesus."

Over the last couple days, our primary role is just to be sending the most help to where the greatest need is," Angel told ASD. "So, we have a system where people can come sign-up and volunteer. We give them the tools they need, and we've been sending out teams all over the North Shore. We've probably serviced 50 or more properties."

Government, church and nonprofit partners, as well as individuals, have aided in the relief, he said, including 

North Shore Christian Fellowship is now seeking donations of 

dehumidifiers, floor-dry powders and masks to remedy mold. Additionally, for more specialized needs once rebuilding starts, 

carpenters, electricians, plumbers and more, are asked to contact 808-269-8927 or info@nscf.church.

Supplies will be available for families at Waialua Community Association Gym in Hale

iwa until Friday, May 27. For the weekend, Angel says the church is looking for farmers to help out.

"This is our community and our neighbors. 

We know we’re going to be here long-term, when the cameras and help have left," he said. "

We recognize the spiritual need we can help fill, especially as the church. We plan to follow-up and maintain relationships by being present, sitting and listening to people in need."

The church is “a community of followers of Christ whose mission is to preach the gospel and to ‘Love God and Love Others’ by seeking to glorify God in all areas of life,” 

Interested in serving or making a donation to its flood relief fund? 

collected donations and set up distribution hubs in Mānoa.

“One of the ladies in our church opened her home the same day as the flood to be a hub for the community and collect donations for them,” said Pastor Maiola Vivas. “She and another woman from our church have been working with Inside Outreach to connect with people in the community to find out what their needs may be and send volunteers their way.”

The church also created an Emergency Disaster Relief Fund and is seeking volunteers to help sort and pack donations. Sign-up or donate 

 in Wailua teamed up with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, EPIC Young Adult Ministry and the community to clean and restore areas like Haona Street and 

Otake Camp. It also served as a sub-hub for the collection and distribution of cleaning supplies, water, hot meals and food for those affected, Parish Pastoral Associate and Secretary Joshua Kapika told ASD by email.

"Throughout the week, hundreds of volunteers arrived to assist hundreds of families in clearing flood debris from their homes," he said. 

As soon as residents were able to return to their homes, the community came together in a powerful way. People picked up whatever tools and buckets they could find and got to work — neighbor helping neighbor. Hundreds of individuals from across Oʻahu came together to support this small North Shore community, demonstrating a true spirit of aloha and solidarity in helping Waialua begin its recovery." 

On Sunday for mass, he said, "the streets were packed with volunteers caring shovels and buckets, front loaders moving debris and volunteers helping to keep everyone hydrated and feed to keep the work going."

"Everyone banded together to support each other," he added. "It's even clear in the various partnerships between other groups to help achieve the mission of getting our community back on its feet."

St. Michael Parish "will continue working closely with community partners and local ministries to ensure the ongoing needs of our community are met."  

He added: "As we enter into Holy Week, our parish will also remain open for worship and prayer, offering spiritual support and a place of peace and hope for all those affected."

 in Honolulu normally operates a food pantry, offering free food to those in need.

As a result of the storms, Rev. Brian Rallison told ASD by email, “

Our Food Pantry patrons have increased significantly over the past two weeks, and we’ve received multiple donations, both in kind and monetary, to support our efforts in feeding the people in Makiki.

According to Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s website,

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Waialua will be distributing food Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. at 66-842 Kaukonahua Road, as will St. Stephen's - Liliʻuokalani Protestant Church starting at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 27, at 66-090 Kamehameha Hwy.

As of noon Wednesday, Gov. Josh Green said that the Wahiawā Dam has been stabilized and the National Guard, among other reinforcements, will assist with cleanup efforts for recovery.

North Shore Christian Fellowship flood cleanup crew

<title>Oʻahu churches serve neighbors impacted by flooding</title>

Inspire Church, North Shore Christian Fellowship, St. Michael Parish and more, have mobilized to provide shelter, cleanup, supplies and meal services to those in need following severe storms. Aloha State Daily spoke with pastors, who along with their crews and community members, are still boots on the ground in Haleʻiwa, Waialua and Mānoa.

Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Authors

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