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“How my dogs act when my husband gets home after 12 hours vs when I get back from the store after 10 minutes..."

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 13, 2026

When your dogs really don't want you to leave...

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 12, 2026

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Now let's all enjoy a little boy and his dog...

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Daily Smile: Monday, February 9, 2026

This is Foster. A massive rainstorm hits, but he's out there gleefully swimming laps in the pool like it's the best day ever...

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Daily Smile: Sunday, February 8, 2026

Playing Rock, Scissors, Paper with your dog...

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Daily Smile: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Rage baiting is a universal concept for fun...

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 6, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

This dog is an observational learner. After a few pushes, he got it and judging us for not figuring it out sooner...

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

It's always good to teach your dog how to let you know when he's hungry...

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

“I got my dog a button to press when he's hungry... BIG MISTAKE!”

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Daily Smile: Monday, February 2, 2026

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Daily Smile: Sunday, February 1, 2026

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Daily Smile: Saturday, January 31, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, January 30, 2026

If there's a better chess match out there, we have yet to see it...

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Daily Smile: Thursday, January 29, 2026

"This is the largest stick Daisy has ever selected to bring home..."

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Baby's reaction to seeing a puppy for the first time...

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Nine University of Hawai‘i athletes and four head coaches took turns testifying for Hawai‘i 

 at UH-Mānoa's Bachman Hall on Wednesday afternoon.  

The main focus of House Bill 2384 consists of UH-Mānoa obtaining an unspecified amount of money towards its NIL fund from the Hawai‘i Legislature, though $5 million was the figure brought up in a joint hearing between the House and Senate at the Hawai‘i State Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025. 

After University of Hawai‘i president Wendy Hensel and UH-Mānoa athletics director Matt Elliott spoke in front of the 

House of Representatives’ Committee on Higher Education, UH student-athletes took to the podium to speak at Bachman Hall, the vast majority with prepared statements. 

Hawai‘i women's basketball players Jovi Lefotu and Ritorya Tamilo, women's volleyball players Victoria Leyva, Cha'lei Reed and Tali Hakas, football players Dean Briski and Micah Alejado, and baseball players Elijah Ickes and Ben Zeigler-Namoa all spoke about their experiences in representing the school, expressing a shared gratitude towards the community support they all get across the state. 

In support of HB 2384, Ickes discussed how he grew close with multiple teammates who went on to depart UH in order to take NIL deals with other schools. Ickes, who was selected in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft as a senior at Kamehameha and is again considered a prospect in 2026, likely could have followed suit if NIL earnings were his top priority. 

Meanwhile, Briski, a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa, spoke about how other schools tried to entice him to the enter the NCAA transfer portal with large NIL offers. He ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it. 

"A lot of programs rely on money transfers or highly related recruits, and with years of experience. For us, that's never been the case," said Briski, who started 11 games at right tackle as a junior for the Rainbow Warriors in 2025.  "Players come and go, but the family unity, loyalty and culture built here, our cultures instill something deeper in those who choose to stay. This island is very special. It brings people together, and it is filled with with love. 

"I've had opportunities from Power Four schools offering large amounts of money, but I've chosen to stay because of what has been built here, a team rooted in faith, not just faith in each other, in our community, but faith in God. Hawai‘i is an expensive place to live when other schools offer money that can change the lives of not just players, but their families who live back home. It becomes incredibly hard to say no, because at that point, it's no longer just about you. ... Possibilities for Hawai‘i football can become truly special. I believe this program is only scratching the surface, and with the right backing, what Hawai‘i can achieve will be something great, not just on the field, but for the people, the culture and the future generations to come."

Additionally, women's basketball head coach Laura Beeman, women's volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow, and football head coach Timmy Chang also spoke. Ah Mow got choked up and had to briefly recollect herself after explaining how without volleyball, she would have never had the opportunity to receive a college education. 

Baseball head coach Rich Hill, football general manager Matt Chon and football player Jamih Otis were among those supporting in attendance.

When asked about the department's fundraising efforts during Wednesday's hearing, Elliott said the school will continue to solicit funding from the private sector. 

"The state funding allows us to have some certainty and stability around an NIL program so that we can make promises to these student-athletes that we know we will fulfill, and then we'll try to raise on top of them, as well. So, (the $5 million) is just a really good kick-start," Elliott said.

Following the testimonies, the committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill. It will then cross over from the House to the Senate in the coming months, which will be followed by another vote. 

The money UH is asking for is with the intent for it to be activated for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which starts on on July 1. As for the current 2025-2026 year, Elliott said the athletics department is still raising funds for its target of $3 million in NIL funding, though they're more than halfway towards their target.

"We are probably going to need to raise $3 million to cover the NIL promises that we have made this year, for the academic year that's happening right now, and we've raised over $1.6, probably closer to $1.7 now," Elliott said. The donations have come from private avenues, which includes boosters. "We're making progress, and right now I hope to hit that goal.

"We have asked for $5 million for next fiscal year, so that's for 26-27, and that is so that we can then be very secure in the promises that we make to our student athletes on the football team, the basketball team, the volleyball teams, the baseball teams, etc., because if we have that foundation, then we know, OK, that's who we can recruit and retain, and then we're going to still try to fundraise on top of that."

After the hearing and unanimous vote in favor of the bill, Elliott says he couldn't be more thankful for the athletes that chose to speak. 

"I thought they were brilliant," he said. "I thought they did an incredible job representing this university, and we should be so proud of the program that's creating these opportunities for students to be here and do that. They're gonna be, I say all the time, these are our future leaders. No question. I believe that so strongly."

 vowed to do what he could to keep Hawai‘i competitive in the ever-changing college landscape. The 2025-2026 academic year was the first in which schools could engage in direct revenue sharing with its student-athletes. Power Four schools are distributing $20.5 million to their student-athletes in addition to scholarships. In 2026-2027, that number will jump 4% to $21.3 million. Although that figure is currently out of the realm of a mid-major school like UH, Elliott and Hensel have visited with the House and Senate multiple times to in an attempt to secure what it can. 

"It's unique to this place, I think, in terms of how the legislature engages with the athletics department," Elliott said. "But I still think that what we're talking about is an opportunity for alignment. Let's get everybody on board. Let's get everybody on the same page. We're not going to do that today, we're not going to do that tomorrow, but it will take time as people tell the stories of our student-athletes and we see the progress that we're making, I really believe more and more people will come along and think it is worthwhile. 

"I think we just wanted to be very proactive and transparent about it, that this is what we believe is necessary for us to be successful. So why not just say it? Why not just put it out there, say to the state, "We want that support.' I don't want to be the school that in six months or in a year, facing our budget, and we're like, 'Oh, we're $7 million in debt.' Why are you $7 million in debt? Well, because we didn't have an NIL plan. We didn't talk about where those resources are going to come from, and we tried to figure it out, and it just didn't work. 

"So, I think our approach here is much more driven, very much by 

. Let's set up opportunities to talk about this and talk about it early and often. I don't want to be in a place where we have a budget deficit. I want to run a balanced budget, but do it in a way where we have enough funding to run NIL, as well. That's the idea behind it."

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Matt Elliott 021126

<title>UH testifies for increased NIL support</title>

On Wednesday, over a dozen combined UH athletes and coaches spoke in favor of House Bill 2384, aimed at increasing NIL funds for the school's athletics department.

UH testifies for increased NIL support

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, February 13, 2026</title>

When Isaiah Magdaleno and his size 15 cleats toe the rubber on Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium, University of Hawai‘i baseball head coach Rich Hill will have no doubt the right guy will be on the mound to open the team's season. 

Magdaleno, a Los Angeles native, will begin his junior season with the Rainbow Warriors as the team's ace pitcher. Magdaleno pitched in a hybrid role as a freshman in 2024 — of his 12 appearances, he had four starts and a save. While getting his college baseball bearings, his ERA of 7.61 was the highest on the team. 

Magdaleno blossomed as a sophomore in 2025, quickly establishing himself as one of the country's top bullpen arms. He went 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 

. Of his 24 appearances, all came in relief. He locked down nine saves, striking out 77 hitters in 60 innings en route to first team All-Big West Conference honors. 

In college baseball parlance, "Friday night guy" is a term reserved for a team's bona fide No. 1 starter, a role Magdaleno is serving for the first time in a Hawai‘i uniform. Come 6:35 p.m. against Gonzaga, it will be Magdaleno who throws the first pitch of UH's highly anticipated 2026 season. 

"I'm very grateful to get the opportunity," Magdaleno said earlier in the week. "Very thankful to the pitching coach, (Keith Zuniga) and coach (Hill), the opportunity to get the Friday night and opening day start. Very excited to get it going and get the season started."

Despite the success Magdaleno had closing out games in 2025, Hill noticed one of Magdaleno's strengths out of the bullpen was his ability to get more comfortable as his outings went on, a trait he believes will translate well as Magdaleno becomes a full-time starter in 2026. Eighteen of his 24 appearances in 2025 were stretched across multiple innings. 

"He had a couple of outings where it got tied and he was forced to go more than five innings," Hill recalled. "I can remember against UC Irvine on the road, which was a regional team, really an Omaha team, he kind of dominated him. Same thing here at home one night. ... So, he can do it. He seemed to kind of get stronger as the game went. He's got a phenomenal changeup, a great curveball, and the fastball is really improved. I think he can go two times, maybe three times around the order."

Magdaleno's fastball hovers in the 95 miles per hour range, but pro scouts and coaches alike believe his changeup is his best pitch. He's also added a cutter and sinker to his repertoire to go with a developing slider. 

With the year he had in 2025, Magdaleno was viewed as an appetizing option for power conference schools were he to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Hawai‘i has seen its share of promising pitchers finish their college careers elsewhere. Harrison Bodendorf departed for Oklahoma State in 2024, while Cooper Walls left for Florida following his freshman season in 2025. But to Magdaleno, leaving was never an option. 

"I was committed to coming back here. I didn't want to leave. I love the fans here, love the community, love the coaching staff," Magdaleno said. "They've always been giving me the ball and they've been trusting me, so I just wanted to give that back to them. And just taking that load off of knowing that I wasn't going to leave to begin with, and coming back and supporting the fans and being a leader once I got back."

As Hawai‘i enters its final season in the Big West Conference, the team believes it has what it takes to make its first NCAA regional since 2010. A big reason why? The Friday night guy taking the ball to start things off. 

"I've never started opening night, so I don't really know what it'll entail, but I know that I'm ready for the this crowd to be live," Magdaleno said. "Since I was a closer, everybody is usually up during those innings towards the back end, so I'm just excited to see what it looks like from up there, but just taking it in and just doing my job at the end of the day, just making pitches and let my defense work, really."

Isaiah Magdaleno 021226

<title>Hawai‘i ace pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno readies for his moment</title>

Magdaleno will get the start on opening day for the Rainbow Warriors on Friday night against Gonzaga.

Hawai‘i ace pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno readies for his moment

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Government & Politics

Columnists

The voting power of the average O‘ahu resident has declined in the past century. 

When elected government first took shape in 1905, the Islands were less populated than they are today. In June 1900, a census count estimated that 154,001 resided in the entire Territory of Hawai‘i, of which 58,504 people lived on O‘ahu. The island experienced a great deal of population growth over the next decade, reaching 81,993 persons by the next count on April 15, 1910. 

O‘ahu’s legislative body is always changing, if not to the detriment of the average resident’s voting power. At least one 

 of the Honolulu City Council outlines the history of the Council’s evolution, dating back to its early formation just a few years less than a decade after Hawai‘i’s annexation into the U.S.

As of 2020, approximately 1,016,508 people reside on O‘ahu. Each member of the Honolulu City Council represents more than 112,000. 

Given the island’s population expansion, it’s only natural. However, that shouldn’t have to mean that the voting power of an individual will shrink in perpetuity, subject only to the growth (or decline) of O‘ahu’s population. 

However, that’s the way the current system is evolving. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"THE TERRITORIAL ERA"}]

Population growth is not the only natural reason for the shrinking power of an O‘ahu voter. The composition of the island’s Legislature, known initially as the Board of Supervisors and now as the City Council, has shifted since that point, too. 

The size of O‘ahu has also expanded since 1905, the year counties were formally established across the U.S. Territory of Hawai‘i through Act 39 of the 1905 Territorial Legislature. 

Elections for the first Board of Supervisors were made in late 1906. Three of the supervisors would hail from the City of Honolulu, one from the district of ‘Ewa, one from the districts of Wai‘anae and Waialua, and one more from the districts of Ko‘olauloa and Ko‘olaupoko, and an at-large member. Other county officers to be elected would be a Sheriff, a County clerk, an Auditor, a County Attorney, a Treasurer, and a Deputy Sheriff for each district of O‘ahu.

Even with O‘ahu’s 1910 population, each member of the Honolulu City Council represented less than 14,000 constituents each. 

This framework, in the grand scheme of history, was nothing more than a brief aberration. More reform was on the horizon. 

In 1907, the Territorial Legislature once again modified the fabric of O‘ahu’s organization through Act 118. The measure, among other gambits, formally chartered the entire island as the City and County of Honolulu. Members of the Board would serve two-year terms, 

Before the end of the Territorial era, O‘ahu was already evolving from employing a Board of Supervisors to a formal City Council.

O‘ahu was also rapidly growing. Between April 1950 and April 1960, the island’s population grew from 353,020 to 500,409 people. While the populations of every other county were in sharp decline, the island was becoming the gathering place of an emerging U.S. State. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"AN ISLAND IN A NEW STATE"}]

The Board preceded the Honolulu City Council, which was not established until statehood in 1959. Honolulu, with statehood, was set to get a City Council. 

In 1955, the Territorial Legislature once again initiated reform through Act 225. A new Charter Commission was authorized, resulting in the expansion of the Council to nine members. Under this new scheme, the composition of the Council would be divided between three rural members and six members selected from the entire county. The influence of rural voters was weighed more heavily than the votes of urban residents. 

Each at-large councilmember now represented an average of approximately 83,400 residents. At this point, each councilmember now represented a constituency larger than the total size of the island at the time of the first council elections in 1906.  

The inequities of the new system inspired controversy in the 1966 county elections. Resolution 173 provided two options for the future composition of the Honolulu City Council to the resident’s voters. 

The first option proposed a new council of nine members elected at-large. The second option proposed an expanded council of 11 members. Six would be elected from at-large seats, while five would be selected from council districts. 

The gambit confused voters. Nearly two-thirds of the voters favored both the first and second propositions. However, an electorate divided in three roughly even ways both meant that neither vote received a majority of the electorate’s support. The Council’s traditional structure remained in place.

The 1972 Charter Commission marked a turning point in the history of the county. Reform approved by the voters established nine district-based councils. Honolulu no longer had at-large seats. 

By April 1970, O‘ahu’s population grew to 630,528 residents. As a result of the transition to geographically based districts aligned to the principle of “one-person one-vote,” each district now had approximately 70,000 constituents. 

Compared to the system established before statehood, this arguably widened the relative voting power of individual voters. Since 1970, O‘ahu’s population has increased by more than 350,000 residents. The number of councilmembers, in the meantime, has stayed the same. 

Since that point, Honolulu has enjoyed nine members, each representing a specific geographic district of the county. While O‘ahu’s population has exploded in the last 50 years, the composition and method of our Council’s shape has stayed static, while the voting power of the individual has declined. 

As of this writing, varied efforts are underway to re-imagine the ideal size and scope of the county’s councilmembers. Each proposal is geared towards increasing the voting power of the individual.

Many arguments for lowering the size of an individual council seat are inspired by the overwhelming size of a council seat relative to the size of a district in the State Legislature. In 2026, a member of the Hawai‘i State Senate – the upper chamber of our State Legislature, represents an average of fewer than 60,000 residents. 

, for example, entertains increasing the size of the Council, albeit without a clear eye towards an ideal number of members. 

, Trevor Nagamine wants to increase the size of the City Council to 81 members. “The large size of Council districts in both population and physical area limits the ability of Councilmembers to be responsive to community issues, especially since City matters tend to be highly local in nature,” Trevor explains. Tom Heinrich is a little more measured through 

, arguing that the Council would be better served with 13 councilmembers. 

, want to make each member of the Council a county-wide representative. 

Many of these proposals are contradictory. However, they are a clear and present reminder that the size and shape of the City Council has never been fixed. It is a fluid construction, one that we could easily change. 

Reform may come. The voting power of the individual may increase, if present reforms move against the trajectory of history. 

Oahu Districts 16x9

<title>The Incredible Shrinking Voter of Honolulu</title>

The voting power of the average O‘ahu resident has declined over the past century, to where each of the nine city council members now represent more than 112,000 people across multiple neighborhoods. That's twice as many people as a Hawai‘i state senator represents. There are some efforts underway to change that.

The Incredible Shrinking Voter of Honolulu

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

“Bakudan” means “bomb” in Japanese, and its explosive connotation was perfect in the culinary aspect, according to business owner Rheindell Alupay.

“It’s an explosion in your mouth,” Alupay explains, when referring to his poke.

 used to be located in Mapunapuna and regularly popped up at events across O

ahu. The business recently relocated and now operates out of La

akea Fish Company; it made so much sense because they’re one of the leading guys that provide fresh fish,” Alupay says. “La

akea has been here for almost two years; they provide me with the good fish.”

The menu at this new location is different because there’s a “different variety of poke,” according to Alupay. Customers can choose from one- ($16), two- ($18), or three-choice ($20) poke bowls. All bowls feature a base of your choice — sushi rice, nacho chips or garden salad — crab salad and toppings like tobiko, furikake and green onions.

Poke flavors range from spicy lomi ‘ahi and spicy ‘ahi avocado to crunchy garlic taegu ‘ahi, cold ginger scallion ‘ahi and wasabi masago ‘ahi.

“We use sashimi-grade cubes for our poke, which helps the quality,” says Alupay, who notes that popular flavors include crunchy garlic taegu poke, wasabi masago ‘ahi, lomi ‘ahi and cold ginger scallion.

Poke nachos feature your choice of poke topped with spicy mayo, unagi sauce and house crab salad. The biz also offers house chirashi ($25) — ‘ahi sashimi, your choice of rice or salad, and choice of poke — and torched ‘ahi donburi bowls ($18-$22).

Of course, the business’s signature Bakubombs are still available. Each pack contains four pieces of cone sushi stuffed with a torched crab filling ($14) or poke flavor of your choice (two-choice poke $16, poke sampler for $20).

“For the four Bakubombs with your choice poke, you can mix and match whatever (flavor) you want,” Alupay says.

akea Fish Company from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays. The business is still open for catering, though, Alupay notes.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We do sushi tables, sushi cakes and sashimi platters,” he confirms."}]

Limited customer parking is available in front of La

Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays

Bakudan's Poke business owner 020926

<title>Bakudan's Poke is now open in Kalihi</title>

The business, which used to be in Mapunapua, is known for its poke flavors and Bakubombs, which are cone sushi stuffed with a torched crab filling or poke. Bakudan's Poke has teamed up with Laʻakea Fish Company and operates out of the business’s store in Kalihi.

Bakudan's Poke is now open in Kalihi

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Not far beneath the paved roads, apartment buildings, and high-rises, a hidden system of underground caverns and spring-fed ponds once nourished wetlands, lo

i kalo, and freshwater ponds across the M

ili district. This karst, the underground cave system, was formed by eons of erosion of the coral limestone base that consists of beach sediments, marine organisms, and fragments of shells and water-worn coral. The M

ili Karst is thought to be part of the original channel of Mānoa Stream, and contained fish that lived so long in the darkness that they were blind.

It is said that when someone asked an old fisherman in the area where he was going, he

m going holoholo,” out for a walk. For if he announced he was going fishing, the fish that lived underground would hear his plans and spread the word, and the fisherman would have no luck that day.

The water in the underground streams rose to the surface in sacred ponds. Among these, one of the most important was Kapa

akea, also remembered as Kumulae and then later called Hausten Pond. Like nearby Kānewai, Kapa

akea was believed to possess healing qualities and was associated with restoration.

The pond was a favored retreat of Princess Victoria Kamāmalu, who inherited the land from her mother, Kina

ahumanu. Kamāmalu died in 1866 with no heirs, and Kapa

akea eventually came under the ownership of Princess Pauahi and the Bishop Trust. In the 1920s, it was purchased by John McGuire, whose wife, Emma Kaleimoku Ai, established a sanctuary for her family. The property overflowed with a wide variety of tropical flowers, plumeria, ulu, and kukui trees, as well as Hawaiian medicinal plants and herbs, and, of course, Emma

s graceful willow trees that would eventually give the place a new name. The family even had a diving board over the freshwater pond to entertain the children and visitors. The pond was stocked with koi that were said to have interbred with the fish inhabiting the underground streams.

s passing, Emma remarried Henry T. Hausten. The family began hosting political dinners and occasional lu

au for important guests. With the help of Emma

s daughters, her sister, and her brother, things quickly evolved into a full-time business and eventually into The Willows.

Since their official opening in 1944, The Willows welcomed everyone with beautiful settings, warm hospitality, and delicious food. On almost any given day, one would see average working families having a quiet meal alongside the rich and famous. The Willows catered to everybody, perhaps even the otherworldly.

One afternoon, while I was still teaching at a Hawaiian immersion school, a parent asked if she could share her story with me.

She said she used to work as a cashier at The Willows restaurant. At night, she counted the money from the day

the cage,” while a security guard kept watch. One night, out of the blue, they heard Hawaiian music coming from the main part of the restaurant. They could hear lively conversations and the sound of cutlery on plates. But the restaurant had been closed for hours.

After locking the cage door, she and the guard went to check, but the place was empty and completely quiet. The silence was unnerving, but the two were not going to wait for the proverbial shoe to drop. They decided she would quickly finish counting the cash, and then they would leave as soon as she was done. But as she neared the end of her count, they heard splashing in the pond and the sounds of laughter and fun.

Once she finished her work, she and the security guard braced themselves to leave, trying to ignore anything else they might see or hear.

The laughter and splashing kept going until we left the restaurant,” she said, 

When we got to the parking lot, we heard the Hawaiian music again. The security guard quit the next day, and later that week, I started working at the airlines.”

I shared a bit of the pond's sacred history, and she looked as if she had just remembered something important.

She added that sometimes, while counting money in the cage, they would finish and look up to see tiny footprints all over the ceiling and walls, as if children had been stomping around, though they never heard any footsteps. A staff member once told them there was supposed to be a menehune path through The Willows, but no one knew exactly where it was.

Generations of kama‘āina have warm memories of The Willows restaurant in Mō‘ili‘ili. Here's the real history of the location, and the reasons why people who worked there heard singing when no one was present and saw the footprints of ghostly children.