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"You know the rules, Pablo. You stay in your lane and I'll stay in mine..."

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Daily Smile: Monday, May 18, 2026

Parrot is telling his dog friend what happened...

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Smile: Sunday, May 17, 2026

My cat and my dog go through my new curtain differently...

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Daily Smile: Saturday, May 16, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Sometimes it's hard to find a good place to sleep...

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Rabbit keeps taking breaks while being chased because the dog is a fatso...

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Daily Smile: Monday, May 11, 2026

This is Cooper. He tried to politely decline the blowout, but apparently it's a nonnegotiable part of his spa package...

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Daily Smile: Sunday, May 10, 2026

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, known for its loaded, customizable acai bowls, first opened its truck in Kāneʻohe in September 2024. 

last March, but it was only open Fridays to Sundays.

“It [our former location] was a good start for us, but it was temporary,” says Raia Kawaa, 

. “We have a three-year lease, so we hope to stay for a while here.”

The business temporarily closed in February to relocate to its new, permanent space in Windward City Shopping Center. HI Cravings Windward reopened on May 2; the store is located next to Rainbow Crack Seed.

While the business’s menu is the same, its hours are extended, according to Kawaa.

“Customers can order online here, too,” she says. “We had online orders before, but we were only open Fridays to Sundays [at our old location], so it was kind of hard.”

pick a bowl size — snack ($7.80), regular ($14.80) or large ($18.50) — and base. Options include acai, mango sorbet, acai sorbet, coconut sorbet and strawberry guava sorbet. All bowls include granola and raw honey.

Choose from one of the pre-set menu options, like the Bliss Bowl, which includes bananas, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and cookie dough, or you can create your own bowl. Add-on toppings are an additional charge, but options range from peanut butter and cacao nibs to mochi, Cookie Butter, Nutella, and caramel drizzle.

If you want something indulgent, go for the business’s housemade cookie dough (one order includes three scoops). The business also sells strawberries stuffed with cookie dough ($7).

45-480 Kāneʻohe Bay Drive Ste. B03, Kāneʻohe

Open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

HI Cravings Windward City Shopping Center owner 051326

<title>This acai bowl shop has a new location in Kāneʻohe</title>

HI Cravings Windward opened a storefront in Kāneʻohe last March. It recently relocated to Windward City Shopping Center earlier this month, and now features extended hours.

This acai bowl shop has a new location in Kāneʻohe

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, May 18, 2026</title>

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

LĀ‘IE — For the Le Jardin boys volleyball team, destiny was decided by a vote. 

With O‘ahu battered by heavy rain, flooding and lightning strikes on Friday, the possibility of postponing the HHSAA Division II championship match between Le Jardin and Pearl City at BYU-Hawai‘i's Cannon Activities Center to a later date was floated to both teams. 

Back in Kailua, Le Jardin already loaded its team bus on campus. Head coach Makana Wade told his team they didn't have to play on Friday if they didn't want to, that tournament organizers could move some things around to get the match played later in the weekend. Wade asked his players to raise their hands if they wanted to play on Friday.

"Everybody's hand went straight up," setter Brennan Nakayama said. "We just knew we were ready for this, and we knew what we needed to do."

Following a commute to the North Shore that lasted three hours due to traffic brought on by the weather, the Bulldogs arrived prepared to do something the school had never done before. With a 25-18, 25-9, 25-21 sweep over Pearl City, Le Jardin won its first HHSAA boys volleyball championship in school history. 

"Just a real surreal feeling," Wade told Aloha State Daily following the match. "When I took this job, this is the last thing I could ever dream of, was being here. I'm just so happy for Le Jardin and everybody there for believing in me and giving me this job. And so blessed to be able to coach these amazing players."

When he saw the look of determination in his team, Wade knew they were destined to take the title home. 

"I wish everybody could have seen inside our bus for three hours. You would have thought we were gonna play UH or something," Wade said. "The guys were so locked in, having fun. I kept getting calls from our AD, my dad asking, 'Sure you wanna play tonight, coach?' I'm asking the guys, 'Are you sure?' And they're yelling at me, like, yes, of course. There's no way we weren't going to play this match tonight. I think we really took what was ours tonight."

The notion of playing against UH is something Wade would have deep knowledge of. The son of Hawai‘i head coach 

, Makana Wade was a UH men's volleyball assistant coach for multiple seasons. He departed the program in January in order to take the position of Le Jardin head coach, as NCAA rules prohibit one from coaching high school and collegiate teams of the same gender and sport in the same season.

leading Hawai‘i to a national title on Monday

 since arriving back to Honolulu on Tuesday. After taking care of business on Monday, Charlie Wade made it clear where his priorities were during the program's celebration event on Wednesday. Ahead of a scheduled autograph session, Wade told the thousands of fans gathered at the Stan Sheriff Center that he'd have to leave early in order to watch his son coach. 

On Friday, Charlie Wade sat courtside across from the Le Jardin bench, locked in on the match. When the Bulldogs secured the victory, father and son shared multiple long embraces following the match, the look of pride in Charlie Wade's eyes undeniable. 

"Very cool," he told ASD. "He's been coaching with me at the club level, and obviously the last couple years at the collegiate level. He's always kind of had that analytical brain that it takes to be a good coach, and he and I have spent uncountable hours out walking the dogs at night and talking about coaching. He's asked me about a lot of different stuff over the years, and it's great to see him take on that role as a head coach and have to deal with playing time and all that other stuff that is not coaching that's a part of it, but not the X's and O's part. He's doing a great job and has a lot of passion for it, so fun to see him have some success."

"I don't think we have enough time to talk about what I've learned, but I think the basic is just be a guy that people can lean on and trust," Makana Wade said when asked what he learned from his father. "My dad has taught me countless things, and I'm just so happy to be able to learn from him every day, really. I wouldn't be here without him."

For the 2026 season in particular, Makana Wade worked closely with UH associate head coach Kupono Fey on analytics and strategy. He suddenly received the opportunity to run his own program at just 21 years old. 

"It was really hard to leave," Makana Wade said. "I love those guys to death. It was only gonna be a special job like this, a place like this, where there's amazing people, amazing kids. ... It was pretty crazy. I got hired, couple weeks later, we had tryouts, and then next week we're playing our tournament, then we're playing ILH. It's been a pretty hectic couple months, but it's all worth it in the end."

Makana Wade, a UH-Mānoa junior, also had a French final exam he had to take on Friday morning. "It's been a crazy day, but it's been awesome," he said. 

On Friday night, the Bulldogs were in control for the entirety of the match. Nakayama paced the offense with 39 assists, while La‘akea Kamahale had 20 kills on 31 swings. Following a commanding win in Set 2, Le Jardin took a comfortable 24-19 lead in Set 3. After consecutive Pearl City points to cut the lead to 24-21, a calm Makana Wade called timeout to make sure his team was composed. The Bulldogs finished their 2026 campaign 16-1 and state champions for the first time in school history.

"Our whole team can't thank him enough for how lucky we are to have him," Nakayama said of Makana Wade. "The knowledge and experience is super cool. The scouting reports, and how tight he keeps the team and everything, all the way to the bus rides, everything you want. I think we started a legacy."

For the Wade family, the week started with Charlie and Kainoa Wade winning an NCAA championship. On Friday, Makana Wade coached his own team to a championship, capping an unforgettable week for a family that has no plans to stop chasing greatness in the sport for the foreseeable future. 

"Monday seems like a long time ago," Charlie Wade said. "It doesn't seem like it's the same week, but obviously very cool, a lot of positive stuff."

Added Makana Wade: "I'm just so happy for my dad, and they worked really hard this season. To be able to do this too is just a surreal feeling."

Makana Wade 051626

<title>Makana Wade coaches Le Jardin to first state title in boys volleyball</title>

Makana Wade, the son of UH men's volleyball head coach Charlie Wade, led the Bulldogs to the HHSAA title in his first season at the helm.

Makana Wade coaches Le Jardin to first state title in boys volleyball

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

[{"type":"text","text":"Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 2471 into law Thursday."}]

The bill was touted by supporters throughout the legislative session as a measure to stymie Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case that found that attempting to prohibit political spending by corporations is unconstitutional.

SB 2471 — now signed into law as Act 11 — supposedly would prevent corporate spending in Hawai‘i elections by limiting the privileges granted to corporations by the state. 

Corporations and other artificial entities exist because the state grants them legal privileges, including limited liability and lucrative tax benefits that individuals cannot claim," said Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole in a statement Thursday. "Act 11 clarifies that those privileges do not include the power to spend corporate money to influence our elections.”

In theory, political action committees will continue to operate under current campaign finance laws, but will not be able to spend any money received by corporations, according to a statement by the State Senate Majority.

We want our elections to reflect the voices and values of the people of Hawaiʻi," Green said in a statement. "This measure is intended to strengthen transparency and accountability in our campaign system and support fair elections. I thank the Hawai‘i State Legislature for its partnership and continued commitment to maintaining public trust in our democratic process.”

Throughout the legislative session, the Office of the Attorney General warned that the bill will be seen as an attempt to undermine the Citizens United verdict and will likely be susceptible to potentially costly legal challenges. 

[{"type":"text","text":"The law takes effect July 1 of next year."},{"type":"hardBreak","text":""}]

Hawaiʻi State Capitol

<title>Green signs anti-corporate spending bill</title>

Senate Bill 2471, now Act 11, aims to limit corporate influence on Hawai‘i's elections

Green signs anti-corporate spending bill

Crime & Courts

The only local candidate for Honolulu Police Chief wants to invest in the department’s officers.

Mike Lambert, director of the state Department of Law Enforcement, is one of three candidates for Honolulu Police Chief under consideration by the Honolulu Police Commission. If selected, he told Aloha State Daily, his first priority will be to make officers at the police department feel more valued.

“We have to create an environment where people don’t leave early,” Lambert said. “The department has seen people leave before hitting retirement age, either for other agencies or to outright change careers, and I believe that has to do with the work environment.”

Lambert, who was with HPD for 21 years and reached the rank of major before joining the DLE, said small problems like a broken water fountain not being fixed efficiently lead officers to feel like their work isn’t valued or respected. And that feeling, he said, reflects in officers’ police work.

“When I was an officer, when I got a beat-up car, I would get really upset because I had a 3-12 schedule, three days a week, 12-hour shifts, and for 12 hours [I was stuck with] this beat-up car that has a funny smell, and I know for a fact that I was grouchy,” Lambert said. “Versus when I get lucky and the vehicle dispatcher gave me a newer car, I felt great … I felt proud about the car I was driving and I believe that I probably gave better service that day.”

Moreover, poor conditions in the department contribute to poor officer retention rates. Lambert said the department has lost more officers than it has recruited for the last four years, but not for a fault in recruitment — in fact, Lambert said recruitment lately has been high.

“They’ve turned the corner on getting people in,” Lambert said. “It’s just a matter of making people want to stick.”

Lambert said he believes quality of life improvements to the department will help begin to fix other problems facing the department: “I think we need to focus internally first, cleaning up shop internally, and then I think that the other things will kind of naturally fix themselves in time.”

By improving HPD’s working conditions and thereby improving retention rates, officers will be able to perform better in the field. By performing better in the field, public trust in the department as an institution will improve, something Lambert said is sorely needed following the public disgrace and arrest of former chief Louis Kealoha.

Lambert said he knows his own image as chief must remain spotless: “if the chief is dirty, then the whole department is dirty.”

Lambert’s lifetime on the island will help bolster his trustworthiness among the public, he said. Compared to his competitors for the chief position — San Franciscan David Lazar and Georgia resident Scott Ebner — Lambert said only he understands the department and the community enough to hit the ground running.

“I have at least a two-year head start if I were chosen,” Lambert said.

At the same time, his ties to the community means Lambert has nowhere to run if he fails.

“When you come from here, you have a sense of shame if you fail, right? It’s a legacy thing,” Lambert said. “I don’t want that for my kids, where I fell short or embarrassed them and now for the next 10 years, 15 years, it’s like ‘wasn’t your dad that failed police chief?’ I don’t get to just pick up stakes and go somewhere no one knows me.”

That said, Lambert’s retirement became a matter of public discussion last month, when he announced his intention to leave the DLE and return to HPD when it became clear that remaining with the DLE would jeopardize a sizable chunk of his retirement benefits.

Because of a quirk with the state’s retirement system, the benefits he had accrued while working as an HPD officer would be lost to him if he remained in the state. While a bill in the state legislature this year could have allowed him to retain those benefits, it failed to pass.

Lambert said he would have stayed on with the DLE if he could keep those benefits — about 11% of his pension, or some $20,000 per year — “but I have a family and that penalty was just too much to ask.”

“That’s what they offered when I took the job,” Lambert added. “It’s like, ‘hey man, you come in, you get a good retirement,’ and that was one of the things that attracted me to the job. So to be kind of shamed for it is a little disappointing.”

Beyond improvements to the department’s operations, Lambert said he wants to pursue greater technological solutions in order to improve the department’s effectiveness at actually solving crimes. He pointed to a pilot program in Waikīkī that coordinates public-facing video cameras, license plate readers and drones to more efficiently track a crime once it is reported.

“Whenever a person delays their reporting, the likelihood of identification [of a suspect] is low without any other witnesses or technology opportunities,” Lambert said.

Lambert acknowledged that HPD’s clearance rate — the rate at which cases are resolved — is low compared to the national average. 

According to the Hawai‘i Office of the Attorney General

, HPD’s clearance rate in 2024, the most recent year with available data, was about 22%.  

However, Lambert also said Hawai‘i has some of the most stringent protections against self-incrimination or search and seizure in the nation, which makes comparisons to Mainland agencies difficult.

And while several Mainland agencies have established policies recently fully separating local law enforcement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Lambert said he can’t commit to such a hard stance.

“The chief of police can’t be trendy,” Lambert said, adding that he does believe HPD has no business assisting ICE in administrative-only situations, such as if somebody has an expired visa. However, he said, “to say ‘never’ is not wise in the law enforcement community.”

Lambert said that, when he was an HPD officer, he arrested a man who was running several illegal gambling operations, who had attempted to bribe him. The man was sentenced to only seven years in prison, Lambert said, but what destroyed the man’s criminal enterprise was the fact that he was deported after leaving prison.

“If the individual has a nexus to sex trafficking, drug trafficking or organized crime, on a case-by-case basis, we may assist in that person’s recovery,” Lambert said.

Whether Lambert will become HPD chief will be revealed next week. The Honolulu Police Commission will conduct final interviews with the three candidates on May 19, and will make its final selection on May 20.

Mike Lambert 16x9

<title>Top cops: HPD chief candidate Mike Lambert wants to improve officer morale</title>

Department of Law Enforcement director Mike Lambert believes fixing officer retention is the key to improving Honolulu's police

Top cops: HPD chief candidate Mike Lambert wants to improve officer morale

 is returning in June. The festival features a selection of authentic Italian and Italian-American restaurants and chefs from both Italy and Hawaiʻi.

The festival spans two days. The Passaporto Italiano VIP food and wine experience is 

on Friday, June 5, at Velocity Honolulu. Meanwhile, the 2026 street festival will be 

 Saturday, June 6, at Mother Waldron Park in Kakaʻako.

The Passaporto Italiano VIP experience is a ticketed event for individuals ages 21 years and older. It includes food and dessert dishes from Hawaiʻi’s top-tier Italian chefs and restaurants; attendees can also enjoy unlimited Italian wines, beers and craft Italian cocktails. VIP guests can sip on the curated selection of beverages while enjoying the beauty of Italian exotic vehicles from Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini.  

Featured restaurants — and dishes — at the Passaporto Italiano VIP experience include:

: Seared ‘ahi with Mediterranean essence

: Panna cotta with berry gelato and Amalfi lemon sorbetto

: Mountain View Farms pork stew; affogato

: Handmade potato gnocchi ai quattro formaggi with honey and Hawaiian macadamia nuts 

Tickets for the Passaporto Italiano VIP experience are available in tiers:

The street festival on June 6 is free to the public. Attendees will be able to walk around the Kakaʻako district and enjoy a variety of food vendors and live entertainment. Individuals can look forward to a wine and beer garden, offering a selection of Italian beers, wines and traditional spirits for purchase; street performers of European and Italian variety; an Italian-inspired film showcase hosted by the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, and a special Galileo-themed stargazing experience with Stargazers of Hawaiʻi. Two large telescopes will be available for safe solar viewing during daylight and night-sky viewing once it’s dark.

 is a brand-new experience this year. Street festival VIP tickets cost $40 each, and include an aperol spritz, slice of specialty Festa Italiana pizza by Mad Pie, one cannoli from Mad Pie, access to ample seating in an exclusive area, and special bar offerings. 

Street festival attendees can also enjoy performances by Ballet Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre, Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, The Royal Hawaiian Band and more. The performances will celebrate both, Italian and local culture.

Featured street festival vendors include Allegrini Mozzarella, Aloha Pizzeria, 

, Arancino Ristorante Italiano, Aroma Italia, Bambino’s, Cialoha Italian Sodas, Diamond Head Drip, Fig & Ginger Honolulu, Forno Romano, Il Gelato Hawaiʻi,

 Roti-si, Sage Creamery, Zucchi Pizza and more.

There will be a dedicated keiki area within Mother Waldron Park, offering a welcoming space for families to gather and enjoy the festival together. The zone will feature kid-friendly activities and games. The festival will provide a free keiki food dish from The Old Spaghetti Factory for the first 200 children (ages 10 years and under). Hawaiʻi Literacy Bookmobile will also be at this year’s street festival; families are encouraged to enjoy literacy-related activities and explore books.

Parking with validation ($6) will be available at Waterfront Plaza; attendees must stop by the Festa Italiana info booth for a validation sticker.  

Festa Italiana Arancino VIP 051426

<title>Festa Italiana 2026 is coming this June</title>

The ticketed Passaporto Italiano VIP experience is June 5, while the street festival — which is free to attend — is June 6. The festival highlights a selection of authentic Italian and Italian-American restaurants and chefs from both Italy and Hawaiʻi.