Opinion
The latest made-in-Hawai‘i movie world premieres at L.A. Film Festival, Native Hawaiian actress wins award
Written by and starring Colby Haines, crime story "Kāhala Sunset" was filmed entirely in the Islands with a cast and crew featuring "NCIS: Hawai‘i," "Five-O" and "Magnum P.I." alums.
Ed RampellAugust 18, 2026
Community Voices: Returning to Mākua
While visiting cemeteries is a common tradition in many cultures to honor loved ones, Aunty Muriel “Puni” Ioane cannot access the graves of her own ancestors whose ties to Mākua span generations.
Hannah Kaʻiulani CoburnAugust 18, 2026
Hawaiʻi’s next billion-dollar industry is not tourism — it is capital stewardship
Everyday people in Hawai‘i are, collectively, sitting on a vast source of wealth, mainly real estate. As Guild Consulting's real estate and finance expert Ray Tsuchiyama explains, the Islands' next big challenge — and opportunity — could be putting this wealth to work at the neighborhood level for positive change.
Ray TsuchiyamaAugust 14, 2026
Neon, its birth and death in Hawai‘i
Bright, colorful neon signs debuted in the Islands nearly a century ago, with literal Hollywood glamor — the Waikīkī, Kūhiō and other movie palaces used them. Restaurants and small businesses of all kinds went for neon, too. Over time, they became associated with dive bars and the bad side of town. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown revisits and the highs and lows of this distinctly 20th-century form of advertising.
DeSoto BrownAugust 14, 2026
OpenAI Models escape sandbox, hack Hugging Face: Why AI coordination should worry us
Two AI models slipped out of a sealed testing environment, hacked a real company to steal an answer key, and left their coordination notes on an internal message board. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on what machines that plan together mean for the fragile systems we live by.
Sterling HigaAugust 13, 2026
Hamada: Don't be numb to warnings
Impending disasters get the same amount of hype in advance, whether they come to pass or not. With Tropical Storm Lala approaching, ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada says it's best to prepare for the worst rather than assume nothing will happen just because previous predictions fizzled.
Rick HamadaAugust 13, 2026
Letter to the Editor: A statement of hubris, sure, but 'bombastic'?
A reader from Honolulu writes in to thank Aloha State Daily columnist Perry Arrasmith for his recent article but questions what was really going on during 1954 with both political parties.
Letters to the EditorAugust 13, 2026
Community Voices: Taxation of Envy
Local media points to the recent enactment of the millionaires’ 13% tax bracket as evidence of lawmakers making “the wealthy” pay their “fair share.” It may be a millionaire’s tax today, Tom Yamachika argues; however, next year and beyond, it could change to a tax on half a million because those people are “wealthy.”
Tom YamachikaAugust 13, 2026
The Ghost of a Queen
Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 12, 2026
What Hawai‘i’s 1954 Democratic Party platform says about today
Hawai‘i has been a virtual one-party state since statehood, but how did that happen? ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith explores how, with a look at the local Democratic Party's 1954 platform and a comparison with the party's current priorities.
Perry ArrasmithAugust 11, 2026
Community Voices: Grassroot still stands with Lahaina, three years later
"I’m not sure I believe Hawaiʻi residents are losing interest in Lahaina," writes Keli‘i Akina on the day of the three-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. "As president of the Grassroot Institute, I promise you that our team remains as committed as ever to Maui’s recovery."
Keliʻi AkinaAugust 11, 2026
Maui Police corruption case shows why Hawaiʻi needs federal law enforcement
A Maui police lieutenant allegedly arranged his bribes over burner phones and Instagram, certain no one could read them. The FBI read every word. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on why corruption is only ever answered from the rung above.
Sterling HigaAugust 10, 2026
Community Voices: Punahou student raises concerns about Palantir Technologies in Honolulu
Zane Dalgamouni, a 15-year-old student at Punahou, fears a future where his every move is watched and free speech is threatened. He concludes, "We do not have to accept a future dictated by unaccountable tech giants," including Palantir Technologies, a Miami-headquartered corporation that is hiring now in the Islands.
Zane DalgamouniAugust 10, 2026
The breakthrough that Hawai‘i needs: Measuring what leaders do
It’s time for a change. Leadership is more than charisma or slogans; it requires choosing real problems and acting with enough integrity and reasonableness that the public can judge results fairly. ASD introduces a new data-driven opinion column to help readers understand what works in Hawai‘i, what doesn't, and how we stack up against other states.
Peter S. Adler & PhDAugust 08, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first on Kaka‘ako’s Automobile Row
Shiny, new high-rise condos are popping up all over Kaka‘ako, and it isn't the first time a trend changed the neighborhood. In the 1950s, the new kids on the blocks were car dealerships. The first of these, in 1958, was for Volkswagen.
DeSoto BrownAugust 07, 2026
In Hawai‘i, where are the multimember districts?
Election season is a good time to ask — why doesn't Hawai‘i go back to having multimember districts? In a such a system, more of Hawai‘i's voters would have representation in the state Legislature.
Perry ArrasmithAugust 05, 2026
Her daughter was murdered in 2014 — now she’s dedicated to helping other victims
Charli Scott was a Maui woman who was murdered in 2014 at age 27 when she was five months pregnant. In the 12 years since her daughter’s death, Kimberlyn Scott has dedicated herself to helping families of missing persons.
Christina O'ConnorAugust 05, 2026
The races to watch
ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada talks about the races he's most closely watching in the upcoming Primary Election. Is it going to be Case or Keohokalole? Tokuda or Awa? What about the LG's race? And he has questions for you about the elections and politics in Hawai‘i for further discussion.
Rick HamadaAugust 05, 2026
Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho
Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 05, 2026
Reddit advice, AI chatbots, and the counsel of strangers
A YouTube ad promised answers from “parents who get you.” ASD columnist Sterling Higa on why the counsel of strangers, now trained into our machines, is no substitute for a friend who knows you.
Sterling HigaAugust 05, 2026
Community Voices: Seattle artist reclaims culture through kapa making
“I’m not trying to gatekeep knowledge,” she said of her school and work experience both on the Mainland and on Oʻahu. “I’m trying to share it as much as possible.”
Megan Ulu-Lani BoyantonAugust 04, 2026
David Shapiro hits a triple bogey
A freshman legislator is handed a budget the size of a phone book and told to master it. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why the cure for corruption is shrinking the prize, not rewriting the rules.
Sterling HigaAugust 04, 2026
Community Voices: Giving Kūpeke Back to Itself
Located on the east end of Molokai, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke includes about 300 acres, from the top of the mountain to the shoreline and out to the fishpond wall. Laʻa Poepoe’s stewardship of Kūpeke is the confluence of his Molokai lineage, aloha for his community, a passion to mālama ʻāina, an unshakable work ethic, and his foresight.
Puanani Fernandez-Akamine & Hannah Kaʻiulani CoburnJuly 31, 2026
Aloha State Daily named 'Best Overall News Site'
The Hawai‘i Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists held its annual awards Wednesday night. For our work throughout 2025 — our first year —Aloha State Daily won 14 awards, including best online news site.
A. Kam NapierJuly 30, 2026