Opinion

Lost Time at Topa Tower

Weird experiences at the site of the former Honolulu Fort suggest that the boundaries between past, present and future might be porous.

Community Voices: Small victory

This session, the Legislature eliminated a procedural trap that kept taxpayers from being to appeal to the Tax Appeal Court. Here's what that issue was all about.

Uncles and Aunties: Melvin Matsuda, the karate farmer of Kahuku

Kahuku-born and -raised, Melvin Matsuda decamped to California in the early ’70s with his black belt and ran successful martial arts schools in San Bernadino and Palm Springs for five years. But when his father asked if he would come home to look after the family farm, he signed on, came home, and never looked back.

Pipikaula Corner: UH joins the Resistance

But I have questions about its claims that it was ever politically independent.

Community Voices: Backyard Kuleana 2025 – When the systems fail, we must return to each other

We are looking at a collapse of many systems that our communities rely upon to sustain themselves. We will all need to step up our service going forward. Here, I share more about that forward-looking evolution.

Community Voices: Fearing federal cuts, state looks to axe tax credits

Renters, landlords, business owners and more should watch out for House Bill 1369, which the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i has dubbed the "Category Killer," for the categories of tax exemptions and credits it seeks to eliminate.

Community Voices: Apply rebuilding waivers to all Lahaina fire victims

When disaster strikes, people want to rebuild what they lost. If that property is in a Shoreline Management Area, however, the law can get in the way, as hundreds of Lahaina homeowners have found out. A bill before the legislature would waive such restrictions, freeing people to rebuild their homes.

Community Voices: Presidential proclamation balances ocean protection and sustainable commercial tuna fishing

This viewpoint from the Hawai‘i Longline Association makes a case that President Donald Trump's reopening of commercial fishing grounds around Pacific islands is good for local consumers and industry, which use more sustainable methods than do foreign fishing fleets.

Pipikaula Corner: Downtown Honolulu 100 years ago (Updated!)

Do you recognize anything in this aerial view of Honolulu taken in April 1925?

Community Voices: Persistence amid permit issues to hold services at Waikīkī Beach

Waikīkī Beach Chaplaincy has served the community surrounding the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waīkikī Beach Resort for 55 years. Last month, the chaplaincy received a “Cease and Desist Order” from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for its Easter and weekly services. Pastor David “Waxer” Tipton, director and president of the chaplaincy since 2021, shares how the organization is handling permitting pitfalls this year.

A Haunting at a Princely Hotel

Hospitals, and the places where they once stood, can be a source of strange experiences. Here, our columnists share a firsthand account.

Community Voices: Supporting Government’s Central Services

Hawai‘i's state Department of Transportation pays the most among all departments in internal fees back to state government for its shared expenses. Here's why it may be stuck with that arrangement.

Community Voices: Turns out you can fight city hall — and win!

Trapped in Hawai‘i County permitting limbo, Shahzaad Ausman could neither live in his home nor renovate it. So he took officials to court. “If the government can wrongfully revoke my permit, it can revoke many other permits. We must hold officials accountable and stand up for our rights,” he said.

Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui

Looking into the eerie energies surrounding the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery.

Community Voices: Taxing Capital Gains

The Hawai‘i state Legislature wants to change taxes on capital gains by some as yet unstated amount by taxing, for example, the money you gain selling your house at rates comparable to state income taxes. For individuals, this could amount to as much as a 52% increase to the rate someone would pay on capital gains.

Readers respond to "Bringing Pork Over the Pali"

On Instagram, we asked readers to share their own stories in response to Lopaka and Tanya Kapanuiʻs history of why itʻs considered unlucky to bring pork over the Pali. Here are some of the replies so far, from funny to eerie.

Community Voices: We can do more to help Hawai‘i businesses rebound

Hawai‘i’s anemic economic growth — the second slowest in the country — should be a sign that we haven’t done enough to help local business rebound since the Covid-19 lockdowns. If anything, it seems we’re doing the opposite. The major tax hikes that are still alive in the current legislative session all promise to be significant burdens on local businesses.

Pipikaula Corner: Did stocks just "plunge" and "tumble" after tariff announcement?

Here's an important skill to develop when decoding the news put in front of you — look at the scale. Now let's walk through today's headlines about the stock market, including taking a look at some of Hawai‘i's publicly traded companies.

Bringing Pork Over the Pali

Kama‘āina know itʻs bad luck. Even visitors have heard itʻs bad luck. But do you know why?

Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green annexes Las Vegas

April 1 declared "Ninth Island Liberation Day"

Community Voices: You Want to Raise the TAT by HOW Much?

Two bills would raise the Transient Accommodations Tax, but won't openly state the new rate, in a process leaving little time for public input.

Community Voices: Lahaina future brighter, but keep pedal to the metal

The cave of an ancient shark god

On the Wai‘anae Coast near Mākua is Kāneana Cave. In distant ages, the cave was underwater and the home of the shark god, Kāmohoali‘i. His romance with a mortal woman produced a son with a terrifying nature.

Community Voices: The new tax cuts website

The Hawaii State Tax Watch Doggie has gone online to check it out and has a few quibbles.