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<title>Daily Smile: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026</title>

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Daily Smile: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026

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Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

It took the University of Hawai‘i football team four years to reclaim the Paniolo Trophy. The Rainbow Warriors don't plan on relinquishing it in less than 10 months. 

, players from the Hawai‘i sideline sprinted over to the opposite side of the field to snatch the trophy away from the Cowboys. The trophy, named to commemorate the rivalry between the two programs, had been in Wyoming's hands since 2022. Prior to that, the 'Bows had won the Paniolo Trophy with a victory at Wyoming to wrap up its 2021 regular season. 

The Mountain West has scheduled the Rainbow Warriors and Cowboys against each other in either October or November in six consecutive matchups. But in 2026, the 'Bows will visit Laramie for a matchup on Saturday at 8 a.m. HST. Both teams are currently 1-2 and are hoping to use the matchup to springboard themselves into Mountain West Conference contention. 

"I think what it represents, the Paniolo, the Cowboy, two tough programs historically. By nature, the elements in which they grew up in, the culture and environment which we have grown in, it makes for two tough programs," Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang says. "It signifies the toughness, the grit, and you get two teams that are going to play at that type of level. It means a lot."

Lester Lagafuaina was the first Rainbow Warrior to run to the Paniolo Trophy in 2025. He certainly did his part with five tackles, including two for loss. 

Lagafuaina's production (37 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks), combined with his imposing frame (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) made him a potentially intriguing target for teams in the transfer portal. The problem for other teams is he never actually entered the portal. 

With an affinity for the Islands, the native of American Samoa chose to come back to Mānoa for his redshirt junior season. An injury in the team's season opener against Stanford sidelined him for the next two games, but following a bye week, Lagafuaina was back at the practice field on Tuesday. 

"It's very exciting. I'm excited to be with my boys," 

I was on the sideline cheering. That's another way of adding value, but I want to add a lot more value on the field. 

"Our main goal is not that trophy — it's really just to execute our jobs. We're not really focused on the trophy. ... You can have all the trophies in the world, but getting the win first is most important. Knowing our assignments, everyone doing their job, we're more focused on our job more than the trophy."

In Hawai‘i's 9-4 2025 campaign, the Rainbow Warriors went 2-3 on the road. Their two wins came at Colorado State and Air Force, a pair of schools that tout high elevation. Prior to Saturday's game, the 'Bows have practiced and are staying in Fort Collins, Colo., about an hour's drive away from Laramie. 

"We're always emphasizing starting fast and finishing fast. That's the biggest thing right now. Away game, away environment, different things, it's about not letting those type of things kind of affect us as a team," says quarterback Micah Alejado. "It's about going out there, playing our game, and going out there and making plays."

Lester Lagafuaina 092526

<title>Hawai‘i football looks to hold on to Paniolo Trophy against Wyoming</title>

The Rainbow Warriors and Cowboys look to vault themselves back into Mountain West Conference contention in their annual rivalry game.

Hawai‘i football looks to hold on to Paniolo Trophy against Wyoming

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"Looking for the best jolt of java?"}]

Drip Studio HNL in Honolulu and HiCO Hawaiian Coffee in Kailua-Kona are two of just 20 in the U.S. nominated for the list of 

 in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

The awards aim to rank the 10 best in several areas of travel and lifestyle, and the 20 nominees were chosen with the help of a panel of experts. The final 10 will be determined by voters.

Drip Studio owner-operators Vince Pohaku and Kelsie Mercado Uehara founded the specialty coffee house, located at 1114 Fort Street Mall, in 2023 with no cafe experience and the argument that "

Hawai'i grows world-class coffee, so we should drink like it

," an announcement from the shop notes. The coffee shop founders add that it works directly with farms and roasters to showcase Hawaiʻi as a world-class coffee destination.

Meanwhile HiCO, which has three Big Isle locations, serves 100% Hawai‘i-grown coffee, supporting local farmers and honoring the Islands' agricultural heritage, its 

 once a day until 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Winners will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Several other Hawai‘i businesses are up for spots on various other 10Best lists, voting for which is underway:

Drip Coffee sign 092526

<title>These Hawai‘i coffee shops, distilleries are nominated for 10Best lists</title>

The USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards aim to rank the 10 best in several areas of travel and lifestyle. Nominees are chosen with the help of a panel of experts but the final 10 will be determined by voters.

These Hawai‘i coffee shops, distilleries are nominated for 10Best lists

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

The Chinatown Cultural Plaza will be demolished and redeveloped, the City and County of Honolulu announced Wednesday. When Aloha State Daily visited the site, we saw Taiwan and U.S. flags flapping in the wind, graffiti scrawled on the side of the plaza, empty storefronts, and a handful of restaurants and shops.

Honolulu Mayor Blangiardi has been open with his frustration over the property over the past five years and has pushed for improvements as part of a broader revitalization effort in Chinatown. He met with a Taiwanese 

 in Honolulu in July to discuss the future of the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. In a statement issued Wednesday, he said that the redevelopment is a breakthrough to transform Chinatown and Honolulu.

“This is about much more than redeveloping a single property,” Blangiardi said. “It is about what Chinatown can become. This community has extraordinary history, culture and character, and we want to see that reflected in its future. A revitalized Cultural Plaza can help bring new energy and economic activity into Chinatown while remaining a place that celebrates the cultures and traditions that have made this community so special.”

Six Chinese organizations designed and built the 3.97-acre Chinatown Cultural Plaza in 1974. Taiwan purchased the property in 1979 through China Airlines and Longevity International Enterprises Corporation has 

The center, located at 100 N. Beretania St., is bordered by River Street, Kukui Street and Maunakea Street. The Mun Lun School is not part of the Chinatown Cultural Center.

In April 2025, Blangiardi told the Chinatown-Downtown neighborhood board that he was “totally dissatisfied … with the state of the cultural plaza,” pointing to disrepair.

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, founder of the Chinatown Business and Community Association and chair of the Downtown-Chinatown neighborhood board, told Aloha State Daily Thursday that the “plaza is dilapidated from years of neglect.”

The management company has not adequately addressed maintenance over the years, leading to holes in the ceiling and broken elevators, Shubert-Kwock said. Community members have also seen homeless encampments, drug use and illegal gambling at the plaza.

Shubert-Kwock said that the property managers should be held accountable for failing to maintain the building to proper standards. She expressed concern that tenants will not be compensated for moving before their leases are up and received short notice of the lease terminations, calling it “unfair to tenants.”

 added that she supports the redevelopment project, and said she'd like to see affordable housing, retail, restaurants and public parking at the site. She would also like a large Chinese restaurant at the plaza. The Empress Restaurant opened in 1979 and closed by the end of 2018, leaving a 10,000-square-foot banquet space empty on the second floor of the Chinatown Cultural Center and eliminating a banquet space for community gatherings, she noted.

, co-founder of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and chairman of 

, said that the plaza was beautiful when it was first built, but “slowly, gradually deteriorated” after it was sold to Taiwan.

“The problem is mismanagement,” Flores said. “Nobody cares. I’ve never seen a property so mismanaged in my life.”

Flores said that the redevelopment could bring affordable housing, retail, a community center and a large Chinese restaurant to the plaza.

“We’re looking forward to the future. People are afraid to go there at nighttime," he said.

Flores gave Blangiardi an “A+” for advocating for change in Chinatown. He said that Chinatown has been a center of business activity, community and historical significance, and the area could be a tourist attraction second to Waikīkī with investment.

According to the City and County of Honolulu, preliminary work at the plaza will include environmental impact assessments and archaeological studies, followed by demolition of existing structure and requests for redevelopment proposals.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu stated in a news release Friday that the redevelopment ushers in a new chapter for the Chinatown Cultural Plaza.

TECO identified Longevity International Enterprises Corp. as the owner of the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, and stated that owners agreed to redevelop the plaza to align with the City and County of Honolulu’s efforts to promote the development of Chinatown.

“The redevelopment aims to create a modern, safe, and vibrant new landmark with stronger Taiwanese characteristics, while continuing to serve the community and function as a bridge connecting Taiwan and Hawaii,” TECO stated in the news release

It’s not clear how the demolition and reconstruction will impact local events like the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Hawaiʻi Chinatown Peace Festival, formerly called the Buddha Peace Festival, used to be held at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza and has moved to Maunakea Marketplace in recent years.

Tenants were given a notice of lease termination and must vacate the premises by March 31, 2027, per the county.

Sandy’s Café has been open since 2020, and the restaurant’s lease is up in 2028, owner Henry Cheng said Thursday. The restaurant is in a good location, he said, adding that increased security could deter homeless people and improve conditions.

Cheng said that tearing down the plaza could mean the end to the businesses that set up shop there.

Eva Chen, one of the owners of Lee Ho Fook Restaurant, has been operating the restaurant out of the Chinatown Cultural Plaza for 30 years. She does not currently have plans to relocate, and her son, Matthew Wu, said that his parents want to take a break when the lease ends in March and may reopen in the future.

Wu said that the plaza seemed thriving and livelier when he was younger, but has turned into a “ghost town” in the last five years.

Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said by email Thursday, “My priority is making sure the existing tenants receive clear communication, timelines and expectations as this project moves forward. I want the City to be a partner in supporting these businesses as much as possible and will continue advocating for our small businesses throughout this process. I hope the redevelopment will contribute to a stronger, more vibrant Chinatown while recognizing the important role these longtime businesses play in our community.”

Chinatown Cultural Plaza

<title>UPDATED: Chinatown Cultural Plaza to be razed, redeveloped</title>

The center, owned by the Taiwan government, will be demolished and redeveloped after a years-long push by the City and County of Honolulu to improve the site. Over the past 50 years, Chinatown Cultural Plaza has “carried forward our unique cultural traditions and preserved the shared memories of Honolulu,” said the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu. Its tenants received end of lease termination notices and must vacate the premises by the end of March 2027.

UPDATED: Chinatown Cultural Plaza to be razed, redeveloped

Kodi Look was born into football. Her father, 

, was the head football coach for ‘Iolani since 1991, a position he held until retiring over the summer. 

"I've been going to games since I was a baby," Kodi Look recalled to Aloha State Daily. "Been around practice since I was little. ... I wanted to be an NFL player when I grew up, but obviously I knew as I got older that wasn't a reality. But I knew I loved the game and loved being a part of it. It was kind of always a dream of mine [to work in football]."

A pair of former Oregon State assistant coaches in 

Mike Cavanaugh and Mark Banker used to frequently visit ‘Iolani on the Island recruiting trail and built a rapport with Wendell Look in the early 2000s. When Wendell introduced the two to Kodi, they told her she could have a job in the football office if she chose to attend the school. After graduating from ‘Iolani in 2008, Kodi Look went on to attend Oregon State in pursuit of her goal of a career in football. 

In 2016, Look joined the University of Oregon's football operations staff. Though she initially joked that getting a gig for the Ducks was "joining the dark side" of the Oregon State-Oregon rivalry, she's been a mainstay at Oregon in her 10 years with the school, which has involved four different head coaches during her time there. 

Look's title as Oregon's director of football operations is as all-encompassing as the gig sounds. Different days and different times of the year each come with their own set of demands. Spring ball and fall camp includes days full of physical and mental training for players and coaches. During Look's time with Oregon, the Ducks have routinely put together recruiting classes that are ranked in the top 10 nationally. Part of Look's duties include assisting with the coordination of recruiting visits and camps. Travel is another part of the job, even beyond the team's national Big Ten Conference schedule. Over the summer, Look was part of a Ducks contingent that went to Japan and held local camps and activation events in hopes of growing the program's fanbase in other parts of the world. 

"I work closely with the administration side as well, the business office, compliance office, and then all the different departments in the building too," Look said. "I work with our dietitian, strength staff, video, so it's really everybody. You have to have communication with everybody every day because it's a big production, especially when we have practice."

Look also works closely with Oregon's coaches, ready to deliver in a moment's notice if a task is needed. She'll also communicate with players on a daily basis to assist with day-to-day needs. The vast majority of Oregon's freshmen are living away from home for the first time, a shock to the system for the 18 and 19-year-old boys who are learning to be independent. Some players may want to write letters home to their families but don't know how to properly address and mail letters. Others may want to buy a suit but aren't sure where to begin. 

Relationships are paramount in collegiate athletics, and Look points to Detroit Lions three-time All-Pro offensive lineman Penei Sewell as an example of how rewarding the job can be. She beams with pride when recalling how much Sewell matured in his years as a Duck and how he's now married and a father of three. 

Beyond the people inside Oregon's building, Look also communicates with NFL personnel. She was even named the 2025 NFL Liaison of the Year. Since 2017, 52 Oregon players have been selected in the NFL Draft, many of those calls made after scouts came to practices and games to see the players in person. 

College football has evolved into a 24/7, 365-day sport over the years, and the rigors of the job keep her busy. Personal time has been one of the tougher sacrifices to make over the years. 

"I missed a lot of birthdays, weddings, and I've never been to an [‘Iolani] reunion because it's always in December, and so I miss a lot of opportunities like that to reconnect with people, and so it is a big sacrifice," she said. "But I look back and just see all the different opportunities and experiences that I get to have with football, and I wouldn't trade it.

Look's desire to work in football was affirmed early on in her career, back when she was with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League in 2014. 

"I had to wear a lot of hats when I worked there because we had a small office," Look recalled. "I was an operations person, I was an executive assistant to the head coach. I helped with ticketing. Our media guy quit right before our season, and I had to help do the media guide. I'd never done it before, but it was worth it."

Back in high school, Look actually played for her father and was the starting kicker for ‘Iolani's HHSAA Division II state championship team in 2007. She remembers during one of her made extra points in the 2007 state title game, she made the kick despite a Lahainaluna defender bumping into her. When she got back to the sideline, she remembers her father yelling at her, telling her she should have embellished the contact in order to draw a penalty. 

"Growing up, he was very strict and critiqued me on every little thing, and I didn't really understand it at first. But when I grew up and went to college and kind of had to be on my own, I started to realize those were life lessons that he was trying to teach me," Kodi Look says of Wendell Look. "I would say he always instilled the One Team [‘Iolani's motto] spirit in me and just working as a team and it's not about you, it's never about an individual, it's about everybody. Just putting in the hard work and not expecting things."

In a male-dominated sport, Kodi Look also wants to show that there's a place for women in it. 

"It was tough at first to kind of get my foot in door and show my worth, but a lot of women are in football now and in director roles, too. It's a great feeling to be able to represent and show that we're supposed to be here," she says.

For the 2026 season, Oregon is currently 2-1 and ranked No. 20 in the country. The Ducks entered the season with national championship aspirations and still possess them heading into a pivotal game at No. 12 USC at 1:30 p.m. HST on Saturday. 

Following its Big Ten opener this weekend, the Ducks will be idle on the field next week. But for Look, the grind never stops. 

"Anyone who's interested in getting into sports, my advice to them is to make sure that this is really what you want to do, because it's a big commitment and it's a big sacrifice in your life," Look said when asked what she tells those who inquire about getting into her line of work. "You give up a lot of personal time with family and friends. If it's something that they really want to do, once they get their foot in the door, just work hard."

Kodi Look 1 092326

<title>At Oregon, ‘Iolani alumna Kodi Look plays a vital role for one of college football's…</title>

Look is the director of football operations for the Ducks, a job that is as all-encompassing as it sounds.

At Oregon, ‘Iolani alumna Kodi Look plays a vital role for one of college football's biggest brands

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

You can barely see it today, but once Kaka‘ako was largely composed of numerous individual homes. Constructed of wood starting around 1910-1915, and surrounded by yards with abundant trees, these houses were the signature of the district. Nobody was rich in Kakaako and this low-income population was, not surprisingly, prone to unsupervised children and a problem with crime. But this would start to change after the end of World War II in 1945 when the varied businesses already present would begin to gradually take over from residents as their property leases ended. Land owners sought the higher rents they could receive from commercial tenants, and Kakaako shifted mostly to this use.

Back when Kaka‘ako was home to thousands of people, necessary services and amenities were provided for them. Two examples of these were the Pohukaina Elementary School and its one-time playground /park, and the Kewalo Theater. The school is gone, the park remains, and the theater still exists although no films have been shown there for very close to 70 years.

By 1912, enough children resided in Kaka‘ako to justify the construction of a school there, leading to the completion of a two-story concrete building for the new Pohukaina School in January 1913. Over decades, other structures also came to occupy the grounds, but as the number of students in the area dropped the Department of Education pivoted to accommodating handicapped children at the school by 1967. Eventually, these were shifted to Waialae Elementary and Kaimukī Intermediate and Pohukaina at this location closed in 1980. By January 1987 only 14 school-aged kids were determined to currently be living in Kaka‘ako.

Debates about the Pohukaina site took place after its closure. As plans for the massive redevelopment of Kakaako were projected in the 1980s and ‘90s, some argued that a new school would be needed for new residents, but not surprisingly, a highrise condo today occupies part of the property.

An important historic figure in Kaka‘ako’s history was Mrs. Margaret Waldron, an Irish-Hawaiian woman who labored tirelessly for decades as a social worker in what was then a notoriously tough district.

Known to all by the affectionate nickname of “Mother Waldron” she began her time in Kaka‘ako as a teacher at Pohukaina School for 18 years before becoming the Director of Recreation at a neighborhood park. Her devotion to combating gangs and crime, particularly when it touched children, and serving as a positive and helpful influence was honored in June 1930 with the naming of the Pohukaina School’s playground as Mother Waldron Park. There she continued her instructional work, speaking of how she would be teaching girls the skills of sewing and cooking in a small structure in this new park. 

Her life came to an end in May 1936 but the following year, improvements and new structures in Mother Waldron Playground would be dedicated in September 1937. These cost $50,000 (or $1,162,417 in 2026 dollars) in government funding and the labor was provided through the federal government’s Works Progress Agency (WPA), an anti-Depression body that constructed innumerable public improvements all over the USA. These are still in place today; most immediately recognizable is the low zig-zag cement block wall on the ‘ewa side of the site.

In 1976 the Hawai‘i Community Redevelopment Agency was created to make over Kaka‘ako, and in 1981 its first plans for this project were presented. A foundational part of this government body’s goal was to improve the district’s infrastructure and in 1988 this led to the widening of both Pohukaina and Cooke Streets by 10 feet along with a major realignment of the latter. Along with condemnations and the clearing of former structures on its Waikīkī side, Mother Waldron Park approximately doubled in size.

The removal of Coral Street along the park’s other boundary added even more land to it in 1992. This was a wise move for the recreational needs of the increasing number of condo residents around it who would come in the future.

Kaka‘ako’s population in 1937 was significant enough to warrant the construction of the Kewalo Theater at the corner of Cooke and Queen Streets. Newspaper publicity for this event stated that the neighborhood was then “one of the largest and most densely populated sections in Honolulu.”

Consolidated Amusement, the biggest cinema chain in the Hawaiian Islands at that time, spent $75,000 ($1,743,626 in today's dollars) to open the latest of what it called “Neighborhood Playhouses” which served residential areas. Programs changed every day, which was true of all of Consolidated’s small theaters then, and admission was 25c for adults and only 10c for children ten years old and under.

Less than 20 years later, the Kewalo Theater was closed due to dwindling audiences as Kaka‘ako lost residents displaced by commercial tenants. Consolidated retained ownership of the empty structure for years and used it for storage, and surprisingly it still exists today. Currently occupying what had been the theater’s auditorium is the Lonohana Chocolate Company, and visitors who take a tour to see the variety of machinery which processes raw cocoa beans into tasty treats can also see remnants of the Kewalo’s 1930s interior decor still present on the walls and ceiling.

Kaka‘ako’s future growth will continue to displace the small industrial businesses that the area has been known for over the past decades, just as these displaced residents and private homes starting after World War II. As this process continues, we’ll see the diversity of Kaka‘ako today — as messy as it sometimes is — disappear as increasingly sterile new towers continue their takeover.

1 Ahui SP 31143 16x9

<title>Changing Kakaako: Once a residential neighborhood</title>

More than a century ago, the modern development of Kaka‘ako started as modest, wooden single-family homes. Over time, these were displaced businesses. ASD historian DeSoto Brown takes down these streets of Kaka‘ako as they looked then, and now.

Daily Smile: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026

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Daily Smile: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026

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