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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Have you started decorating for Halloween?"}]

SMILE 26 10 2

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026</title>

Have you started decorating for Halloween?

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

 Have you started decorating for Halloween?

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

The woman charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting a man in Kailua last weekend was turned in by her father the day of the event, according to a Honolulu police report.

Hilinaikailimakualopali Keeno, 24, was charged on Sept. 30 with second-degree murder, carrying a firearm in the commission of a felony and improperly keeping a pistol or revolver. She is being held pending a $1 million bail.

An HPD document — which was submitted on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to the Honolulu Circuit Court to establish probable cause to detain Keeno without a warrant — states that Keeno’s father brought her to the Kailua Police Station less than an hour after 

was declared dead of a gunshot wound to the neck in the Kailua Target parking lot.

The report states that HPD special duty officers, who were working security at the Kailua Fall Festival that day, were called to assist with a group of festivalgoers involved in an argument at about 8:26 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Officers escorted the group out of the festival and watched them head toward the Target parking lot, only to hear another altercation begin among the group minutes later.

During this new altercation, a pop resembling a gunshot was heard, and officers saw two men — one of whom was Keeno’s brother — assaulting a third. Both assailants were placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, while officers discovered Malone on the ground, covered in blood.

[{"type":"text","text":"Malone was declared dead at the scene by 8:43 p.m."}]

At 9:39 p.m., Keeno was brought to the Kailua Police Station by her father, who told police she was involved in the incident and wanted to provide a statement in the presence of her attorney.

According to the HPD report, no interview was conducted with Keeno that night. Subsequently, HPD sought photographs and videos from the public to help piece together the event and identify the shooter.

On Sept. 28, another witness identified Keeno as the shooter, and HPD confirmed that Keeno has one firearm registered in her name, a Sig Sauer P365 handgun.

[{"type":"text","text":"Following this, Keeno was placed under arrest."}]

Keeno’s preliminary hearing, when she will plead guilty or not guilty to the charges, will take place Monday, Oct. 5. She remains in custody.

Hpd 16x9

<title>Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father</title>

Hilinakailimakualopali Keeno faces a $1 million bail for a second-degree murder charge.

Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

’s newest location near the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa opened today. This store marks the 

; it’s on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street.

The University store — which is about 2,300 square feet — is CU Hawai

i’s second-largest location (behind its 

). The University store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Similar to the Downtown Honolulu store, the University store will feature CU Hawai

i’s ramyun library wall with in-store cookers, exclusive Korean and local snacks, customizable drinks, popular onigiri, and more.

i’s signature DIY smoothie machine and slushy machine. Smoothies come in flavors like strawberry banana, mixed berry, acai and mango banana kale. 

The University store will also feature new, exclusive products that aren’t offered in other CU Hawaiʻi stores, including CU Hawai

i socks and other merch, BTS figurines and Kendama.

To celebrate the University store’s opening, customers can enjoy free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7. Prizes include CU goodie bags with treats, limited-edition collectible CU characters and more. For examples, customers with student ID can get free onigiri tomorrow, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until sold out). On Saturday, Oct. 3, customers will receive a free CU goody bag with any purchase. From Oct. 1 to 7, customers can take advantage of a BOGO musubi offer (buy one, get one free).

[{"type":"text","text":"All giveaways are while supplies last (limit one free item per purchase)."}]

Customers can also take advantage of month-long specials at this location, including $1.99 triangle gimbap and $4.99 katsu sando with fountain drink (or ice cup) combo.

[{"type":"text","text":"Limited customer parking is available at this location."}]

CU Hawaii University blessing 100126

<title>CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa</title>

The new store — on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street — is the brand’s fifth location in Hawaiʻi. The University store is CU Hawaiʻi’s second-largest location; to celebrate its opening, customers can look forward to free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7.

CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa

Business & Tourism

From the moment she opened her first cafe in Hilo three and a half years ago, business owner Savanica Johansen of 

“The vision (for my shops) was always just bigger — opening across the Islands, maybe even opening on the Mainland,” she says. “It was always just a big vision. This was always a matter of when (not if) — when we would open in Honolulu.”

Long before Coffee Girl came about, Johansen was a sales manager for Hilton. Part of her job including traveling; the first thing she would do in a different city was to look for cute coffee shops.

“I’ve always been a coffee girl,” Johansen says. “When I would travel (for work), I would just go to a different coffee shop every day. That was what I loved to do.”

At that time, Johansen recalls that coffee shops/cafes were not plentiful in Hilo.

“If I wanted to get coffee before work, the Starbucks line was so long,” she remembers. “It was so hard to get coffee; if I went on my lunch break, everyone was also there at the same time.”

During a trip to Australia, Johansen felt “really inspired” to start her own coffee business one day.

“There are beautiful coffee shops on every corner (there),” she says. “I kept saying, ‘I want to have a coffee shop.’”

Around 2018, Johansen left the hotel industry to pursue real estate, which she says “was her first dream.” She said her goal for the longest time was to be a luxury real estate agent. When the Covid-19 pandemic happened and life slowed down, Johansen remembers coffee was still a highlight in her life — specifically, in the form of white mochas from Starbucks.

“White mocha was my thing,” she laughs. “I asked my husband, ‘Can you please buy me one of those fancy, expensive coffee machines? It’ll save money.’”

For six months after getting a coffee machine, Johansen says she “dumped everything down the drain” and still went to get her fix at Starbucks because her coffee “was terrible.”

“I’m very, very picky with my coffee, so none of them tasted good (to me)," she says. "Finally, one day, I made something really good.

“My sister, who is a nurse at the hospital in Hilo, came over and tried it,” she adds. “She said, ‘Can you bring me a coffee for my night shift?’ I started bringing her coffee at work, and her coworkers wanted coffee, too, so I started delivering.”

Johansen credits her drink recipes to a lot of trial and error. The coffee deliveries were the catalyst to officially starting her business.

“It was still around 2021; they (my sister’s coworkers) said, ‘This is really good, but you should be charging us,’” Johansen says. “I was just making it for free; I started charging $3 for the drinks.

“I wanted something to do; I’m a very social person,” she adds, noting the struggles with social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I just wanted connection. I feel like it’s so fulfilling to give somebody a cup of coffee and for them to be so happy. This (coffee) brought me more fulfillment than real estate ever did.”

At first, Johansen didn’t know what to call her business, but “coffee girl” was a suggestion from her daughter.

“I didn’t like it at first because it was just (geared) to one market,” Johansen says. “But most of my drinks are to this market — the girls who want the fancy coffees, who want the aesthetic.

“At that time, I was working for a lawyer part-time and doing coffee deliveries,” she says. “My lawyer was like, ‘This is a genius idea; a lot of people can resonate with being a coffee girl.’”

With her business name and social media account set, word started to spread about Coffee Girl, and Johansen realized having a physical location for her business was the next step.

“My business got registered; I wanted to do this right — in line with the health department guidelines — and get a shop,” Johansen says. She ended up funding her first store, located at 2100 Kanoelehua Ave., with the money from her biggest real estate sale.

“I put every single penny into my shop and opened my first location in March 2023,” she says. “It did really well; I was so happy with the response that I got.

“It was my first shop, but I wanted more; I just felt like it was made for me,” she adds. “I ended up getting the opportunity for my second shop, which is in downtown Hilo (42 Waianuenue Ave.).”

While opening in Honolulu was always on her heart, everything came together quickly this year. Johansen says she was on O

ahu for vacation in June and didn’t want to leave.

“I went home and was like, ‘I want to be in Honolulu,’” she says. “I flew back the next week, looked at spaces, and put in an offer (for this one). By the time I got the keys, it was August. We started construction at the end of August; we finished in about four weeks.

“I believe in myself so much that sometimes, I’m like, ‘Wow, girl … you need to check yourself,’” she laughs. “But honestly, sometimes I don’t want to think about it (too much) because who opens a coffee shop in 60 days?”

Coffee Girl’s Honolulu location officially opened on Sept. 26. While all of her stores are slightly different, Johansen says there are common elements in each one.

“All of my shops have roses; I love roses, they are my favorite flower,” she says. “They’re (the stores) all different colors — my first shop is pink, my second shop is a lighter shade of green, like a sage green, and this one is white and gold. They’re the same vibe, but different; I want them all to be destination coffee shops. I want people to experience all the Coffee Girls.”

She says that while her Big Island stores are inspired by French cafes, her Honolulu store features a more modern look. She says her cafes usually feature mirrors and heart-shaped straws for the drinks.

The menus across all three stores a mostly the same, according to Johansen. The café

’s signature beverage is its pink macchiato, a layered drink with white chocolate, vanilla, strawberry milk and espresso shots. Other popular options include the banana bread latte and chocolate haupia pie latte.

Johansen says, referring to the menu selection. “A lot of my drinks are inspired by my favorite desserts. I’m a big dessert person; I love sweets. I made the chocolate haupia pie years ago because I love Ted’s Bakery’s chocolate haupia pie.”

She notes that many of the drinks are designed as iced lattes, but hot drinks are available as well. Besides coffee, the menu includes frappes (blended drinks), lemonade, matchas, teas and kid-friendly options like hot cocoa and chocolate milkshakes.

“Our strawberry matcha is made a little differently here,” 

Johansen notes. “There are different products that I can get here (in Honolulu) that aren’t as easily accessible in Hilo.” 

For her Honolulu store, Johansen collabs with local bakers to feature a rotating selection of treats. Coco’s Cravings 808 (cinnamon rolls), Aloha Loaf (brown butter chocolate chip banana bread cookies) and Lyman Lattes (mini croissants) are a few of the featured vendors so far.

“I was not about to put an oven and a whole bakery in here,” Johansen says. “I was like, ‘Let me get some local bakers who want to collab and I can sell their stuff here;' it’s a win. I love what everybody does, and the hard work they put in.”

Coffee Girl Honolulu does offer a café menu, comprising dishes like grilled cheese ($10.95), chicken pesto panini ($16.95) and build-your-own avocado toast (starting at $14.95).

“I never used to do food when I started,” Johansen says. “We started with the build-your-own avocado toast, which is popular on the Big Island.

“People want a one-stop shop — they want to come in and get their coffee, get their breakfast or lunch, and maybe get a sweet treat,” she adds.

ahu store came together quickly partially because she “gets things done quick,” but also because materials were more accessible.

“When I do things, I fully commit,” she says. “All of my orders came in faster (here) than they did in Hilo. Sometimes, that’s the biggest thing; just waiting on stuff to come in. When I finally opened last Saturday, it was surreal.

“I couldn’t do any of this without God, every space, every opportunity was because of Him. He’s opened every door at the right time,” she says. “It’s definitely a lot of hard work and sacrifice, too; my kids back home sacrifice a lot. But let this inspire people who have kids; they can definitely accomplish their dreams.”

Coffee Girl Honolulu’s grand opening is this Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m. The first 100 customers will get a free goodie bag; after grand opening, the biz will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This location is just special because I always wanted to be on O

ahu,” Johansen says. “I love the city. Every time it’s Merrie Monarch (in Hilo), I get a lot of O

ahu customers. They’re like, ‘When are you going to open on O

“It’s finally here; it’s been talked about for years now, and it’s really been on my heart,” she adds. “I really felt like this is where I wanted to be. I made this for you guys; I made this for the O

Customer parking available at Azure Ala Moana (retail stalls available)

Open daily, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (open from 6 a.m. after Oct. 3)

Coffee Girl owner 092826

<title>Oʻahu has a new ‘Coffee Girl’</title>

The cafe with roots in Hilo — known for its coffee, matcha and aesthetic decor — just opened its first Honolulu location on Keʻeaumoku Street at Azure Ala Moana. Its grand opening is this Saturday at 8 a.m.; customers can look forward to specialty lattes like chocolate haupia pie, banana bread and white chocolate strawberry.

Oʻahu has a new ‘Coffee Girl’

Government & Politics

Aloha Spirit

State and U.S. flags will be flown at half-staff this weekend in commemoration of former U.S. Rep. Patricia “Pat” Saiki, who died Wednesday at the age of 96.

Saiki was the second woman in Hawai‘i elected to represent the state in Congress — the first being Patsy Mink — as well as the first Republican Hawai‘i Congress member. She reportedly died peacefully in her home in Kāhala, according to the 

, a successor organization to the state’s first teachers’ union, which she founded.

Before her career in politics, the Hilo-born Saiki was a public school teacher at Kaimukī Intermediate School. When her daughter fell ill at school and was taken to the hospital, she was told she could not use school phones for personal business such as checking on her daughter, which led her to form the Teacher’s Chapter of the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association.

Saiki ran for the state House of Representatives in 1968 and won — becoming the first woman to hold the seat — and served through 1974. Following that, she ran for the state Senate, where she served until 1982, when she unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor.

In 1986, she was elected to her U.S. House seat, where she served until 1990 before an unsuccessful U.S. Senate run. That year, then-President George H. W. Bush appointed her to be the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Association, where she served until 1993.

Among her legislative achievements were the establishment of the Kapi‘olani Medical Center’s Sex Abuse Treatment Center, passing reparations for Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans detained in internment camps during World War II, and successfully urging President Bush to halt the use of Kaho‘olawe as a bombing range in 1990.

Later in life, Saiki was chair of the Hawai‘i Republican Party from 2014 to 2015 — during which time the party saw membership rolls triple, according to Gov. Josh Green’s office.

“Pat Saiki’s six decades of public service and her pioneering example for young women and Asian Americans in Hawai

i and across the U.S., combine to form both a lasting, inspiring legacy and a high bar for all of us who serve the public,” Green said Wednesday.

From Friday through Monday morning, U.S. and state flags will be flown at half-staff at all state offices and agencies, as well as Hawai‘i National Guard facilities.

Saiki is survived by four children, Stuart Saiki, Sandra Saiki, Margaret Saiki and Laurie Saiki, as well as numerous grandchildren. Services are pending.

Screenshot 2026 09 30 at 3 43 39 PM 16x9

<title>Former Congresswoman Pat Saiki dead at 96</title>

Flags to fly at half-staff this weekend to honor the state's first Republican delegate

Former Congresswoman Pat Saiki dead at 96

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

The old Restaurant Row was built in 1988, and popular eateries like Studebaker’s and Black Orchid brought crowds to the plaza. As soon as you parked your car and got out, the mouth-watering smell of burgers and steaks overwhelmed your senses. Many of us remember shooting toothpicks through straws into the ceiling at Rose City Diner. We appreciated the assortment of restaurants open late after a night out. If you worked nearby, dinner at the Row was an easy choice.

But the success of Restaurant Row was short-lived as those restaurants, once popular, began closing their doors due to decreased traffic. Some attribute the slowdown to Aloha Tower Marketplace and Chinatown’s First Fridays. But no matter what the reason, we still have our memories.

[{"type":"text","text":"And our ghost stories."}]

Stories of Waterfront Plaza, as it’s now known, begin with the history of the land and what was there long ago. Before the highrises of modern Kaka‘ako were built, this area was part of a coastal landscape of wetlands, fishponds, and salt pans. As Honolulu grew and changed, the place names remind us of what was once there.

Ka‘ākaukukui is an ‘ili, or traditional land division, that was located makai (inland) of Kewalo and west of Kukuluāe‘o. Trails that crossed the region connected Kou (now Honolulu) and Waikīkī. By the time the 20th century rolled about, that landscape had virtually disappeared.

In 1900, the Honolulu Iron Works moved to a block of land at Ka‘ākaukukui. The company had become an important part of Hawaiʻi's sugar industry, manufacturing machinery for sugar mills in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere. At its height, the Iron Works employed approximately 1,500 workers, many of whom lived in Kakaʻako.

As the sugar industry eventually declined, so did the need for the mill parts that the Honolulu Iron Works manufactured. After closing its doors in 1973, its buildings were gradually converted to other uses before being demolished. The final warehouse was torn down in 1982.

In 1985, construction at the former Honolulu Iron Works site uncovered human skeletal remains. The burial pits were found less than three feet below the existing ground surface, within an older sand deposit. Archaeologists associated the burials with Kaʻākaukukui Cemetery, which was said to have been used from the 1700s into the early 1800s.

Today, after more than a century of urban development, there is no visible cemetery marking the site, but that doesn’t mean there are no lingering remnants. Iwi kūpuna, ancestral Native Hawaiian remains, associated with Kaʻākaukukui continue to be found during modern construction and utility work in Kakaʻako.

Perhaps it is no surprise that places with such histories can also become the setting for stories of the unexplained. Over the years, people who have worked in and around this area have reported encounters they could not easily explain.

, in 2005. Soon after, I did book signings where I also shared ghost stories. At one such occasion, a very tall Hawaiian woman in a business suit approached me and said she was a manager at Restaurant Row. She went on to say she was having trouble keeping security guards employed because they would quit after seeing ghosts and spirits in and around Restaurant Row, which happened at all hours, even in broad daylight.

“These are big, tough Sāmoan and Hawaiian security guards,” she emphasized.

According to this woman, the guards said they saw half-torso apparitions floating through the parking lot, or heard voices calling their names. Worse, they would see spirits of children, covered in bleeding sores.

I was shocked to hear this, as I remembered that my late boss, Glen Grant, talked about the same thing on his ghost tours and in his books.

The manager said there was also a woman they would find crying in the theater bathroom. She went on to say that customers and employees would hear the woman crying miserably in the stall. Security comes and knocks on the door, the door swings open, and a woman is squatting on the floor, covering her face with her two hands, just sobbing. The security guard asks what’s wrong, and the woman removes her hands, and she has no face.

“If this is happening during the day,” I asked. “Then what’s going on at night?”

“If a guard isn’t getting physically assaulted, then something follows them in their car,” she said.

The woman seemed more frustrated than scared because she needed guards day and night to patrol and protect the row. She left before I could get her contact information to follow up. The restaurants all changed, closed, or made way for other businesses, but I often wondered how they finally dealt with the hauntings.

A few years ago, I was doing a personal ghost tour for some staff and students from Hawaii Pacific University. They had just recently moved to their new location at the Waterfront Plaza. I met them near The Row bar, and when I heard about their move, I asked how they liked it so far.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We need it blessed,” they said. “It’s haunted.”"}]

Apparently, chairs move, computers turn on and off by themselves. The security company calls late at night because they can hear people in the offices talking, but no one is ever found. Someone even said that no one would be sitting at a computer station, but you can see the keys on the keyboard typing away.

I think they were surprised that I wasn’t phased at all by their descriptions. I just nodded and said that the place has been haunted since the beginning.

Waterfront Plaza

<title>What Haunts Waterfront Plaza</title>

Back in the day, when this complex was known as Restaurant Row, many of us enjoyed being pleasantly haunted by ’50s tunes at Rose City Diner or catching sight of celebrities at Black Orchid. But even then, some people were haunted by far more disturbing sights, perhaps owing to a cemetery that had been at the same location long ago.

What Haunts Waterfront Plaza

Black pearl with calamari and prawns. Seafood with shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams. Chicken and chorizo.

These are just a few of the flavors you’ll find at 

“The inspiration came from my Spanish roots and my passion for sharing authentic paella with people,” explains chef and business owner Santiago Garamendy. “We wanted to bring the experience of live paella cooking to Hawaiʻi, while incorporating the Aloha spirit and creating something that people could enjoy at farmers markets, festivals, private events and weddings.”

When coming up with a business name, Garamendy wanted something simple yet personal.

“We wanted a name that felt approachable, authentic and easy to remember,” he says.

The biz currently pops up at farmers markets and events across O

ahu. Regardless of the event, the business is known for cooking its paella in real-time.

“We cook everything fresh on-site, allowing guests to experience the entire process from start to finish,” Garamendy says. “Whether it’s an intimate gathering or a corporate event, our team is fully equipped to prepare and serve paella for up to 1,200 guests at the same time.”

The business’s seafood paella ($19) and black pearl paella ($19) are its bestsellers, according to Garamendy.

“The black pearl paella is our signature dish,” he says. “It’s black squid ink rice with calamari and prawns, served with housemade aioli.”

The business’s Hawaiian paella ($19) is a local-inspired version with pork, bacon and pineapple. Meanwhile, the veggie paella ($15) is a colorful option with asparagus, carrots, green beans, mushrooms and peas.

The biz also offers fried seafood cones, which all come with fries, according to Garamendy. Customers can choose from Santi’s cone ($17) — a mix of calamari, prawns and smelt — calamari cone ($14), prawns cone ($13) and more.

Santi’s Paella currently pops up from 8 a.m. to noon at the FarmLovers Kaka

ako farmers market on Saturdays and the Kailua farmers markets on Sundays. The biz is also a vendor at the Waikīkī Makers Market from 4 to 8 p.m. on Mondays at Waikīkī Beach Walk.

Santi’s Paella also offers catering for private events and celebrations, according to Garamendy. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from the Hawaiʻi community,” Garamendy says. “Our goal is not only to serve great food, but also to create an experience that brings people together. Whether it’s a farmers market, festival, wedding or private event, we want every guest to leave with a smile and memorable experience.”

Santis Paella owner

<title>This biz showcases authentic paella</title>

Santi's Paella, which officially opened last year, is known for its paella, which is always cooked fresh on-site. Customers can find Santi’s Paella at farmers markets and events across Oʻahu.

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

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Authors

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