Opinion
Talking story about values.
The staff reporters at Aloha State Daily have a clear mission on the news side of the house: to tell you what happened, not what to think or how to feel about what happened. Here in the opinion section, we want to talk story about values — what we think Hawai‘i should do, or should not do, and why. This is where we welcome informed debate and where people can argue for their perspective.
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
Community Voices: How Hawai‘i's latest bribery scandal blocked healthcare access
Rep. Ryan Yamane, recently indicted for bribery, allegedly killed a bill that would have exempted certain critical categories of health care facilities from the state's onerous Certificate of Need requirements. As a result, treatments like dialysis remain in short supply.
Malia HillAugust 07, 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
Honolulu's restaurant corner
With its high traffic and visibility, the corner of Kapi‘olani Boulevard and Kalākaua Avenue has attracted a series of legendary eateries over the decades. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown revisits them all — Kau Kau Korner, Coco's, Hard Rock Café (much of the latter's building now serving as the home of Chick-fil-A's only sit-down restaurant).
DeSoto BrownJuly 30, 2026
Letter to the Editor: Reader thanks ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa for ʻike
A reader from Lāʻie writes in to Aloha State Daily to thank Higa, who has opined on the stateʻs "increasingly steep slide into societal suicide."
Letters to the EditorJuly 30, 2026
Hamada: Hot takes on bribery, Tommy Waters, Hāna Highway confrontation
With so much in the news, ASD opinion columnist weighs in on the state's bribery scandal, Tommy Waters' attempt at a third term and a recent ugly confrontation between locals and tourists in the Hāna Highway.
Rick HamadaJuly 29, 2026
Secrets of the Scottish Rite Cathedral
ASD's ghost and history columnists themselves had a very strange experience giving a tour of Makiki's Scottish Rite Cathedral. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was welcomed into the Islands in 1874 by King David Kalākaua and John Owen Dominis, husband of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Its members have a long history of service to community, with an air of Masonic mystery.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 29, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Fauci revealed as fear-mongering, fame-loving fraud
It's not getting much media attention, but the private diaries of Dr. Anthony Fauci have been published online by Sen. Rand Paul in advance of his hearings this week into Fauci and Covid-19. What they reveal across thousands of pages is man in love with the adulation he received, who privately knew that many of things he said publicly about the pandemic were wild exaggerations.
A. Kam NapierJuly 29, 2026
Tommy Waters term limits ruling: Why the Council Chair should step aside
A judge ruled Monday that Tommy Waters has already served his two terms — while voters were filling out ballots bearing his name. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on the difference between fighting for the people within the law and fighting the people with it.
Sterling HigaJuly 29, 2026
Community Voices: The one-dollar solution
Under the state constitution, surpluses are supposed to be returned to Hawai‘i's taxpayers. Here are some of the games lawmakers and governors play so that the amount returned is always, somehow, just a dollar.
Tom YamachikaJuly 28, 2026
Community Voices: Empty homes tax just empty promises
Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i helped persuade the Honolulu Charter Commission to not advance a poorly conceived empty homes tax to the ballot. Instead, as GIH proposes, improvements to zoning and permitting could speed the supply of housing.
Keliʻi AkinaJuly 26, 2026
Hawaiʻi population decline: How George Ariyoshi’s managed growth policies shaped today’s crisis
George Ariyoshi dressed for the office he held and trusted the most respected experts of his age — and the experts were wrong. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on the population prophecy that failed twice.
Sterling HigaJuly 25, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first high-rise
Perhaps no urban Honolulu neighborhood has changed more over the past 50 years than Kaka‘ako. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown looks back on the changes, starting with the skyline, which used to boast but a single high-rise building. That has certainly changed! The condo 1350 Ala Moana once stood as a landmark and now is lost in the crowd.
DeSoto BrownJuly 23, 2026
Hawaiʻi millionaire tax: Why the new 13% bracket won’t be the last
The millionaire tax passed with barely a murmur. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why the measures nobody argues about deserve the second look.
Sterling HigaJuly 23, 2026
Hamada: Thirty years of infamy for our business climate — when does that change?
Hawai‘i was just ranked worst in the nation for business. Again. Mainland and local observers have been pointing this out consistently since the 1990s, even, at times, as far back as the 1970s. Well, asks ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada, who has been in charge all this time?
Rick HamadaJuly 23, 2026
Uncles and Aunties: Vicky Holt Takamine, legendary kumu hula
“My mother was my inspiration,” Takamine told ASD. “I used to watch her dance on the ‘Lucky Luck’ TV show in the 1950s. I begged her to let me go to hula classes, but she said I was too young and that I would quit after a year. I proved her wrong!” In 2025, she was recognized as a Living Treasure of Hawai‘i for her accomplishments — one of several accolades, both local and national, she has received over the years for her contributions to hula and Native Hawaiian arts and culture.
Cheryl Chee TsutsumiJuly 22, 2026
Night Marchers at the Naniloa
Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 22, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: The company they keep
Hawai‘i Democrats invited a special Mainland guest to their annual convention in late May, as keynote speaker. If this is their role model, ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier opines, Hawai‘i is in trouble.
A. Kam NapierJuly 22, 2026
Community Voices: Why care about the Dam Special Fund
Special funds have proliferated in Hawai‘i state government, to now more than 1,800. It's to the point that the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i says it's impossible to know how much money state government actually has. The foundation sued over one of these funds for failing to follow state constitutional limits. Here's what happened to that case.
Tom YamachikaJuly 22, 2026
The return of Hawai‘i’s Marine Affairs Coordinator
ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith noticed that the state of Hawai‘i has just created a Marine Affairs Coordinator — and it's not the first time. What will the person who gets this position do, and how is different from the last time that Hawai‘i state government created, and eventually abandoned, the same role?
Perry ArrasmithJuly 22, 2026
NBC, ABC and the Trump speech: The century-old idea behind the networks’ decision
The anchors couldn’t wait for the speech to end. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why the press acts like a priesthood — and why no reform will fix it.
Sterling HigaJuly 21, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i's election amnesia
A Civil Beat op-ed this weekend freaked out over Pres. Trump's election security speech and the SAVE Act. Memories have gotten pretty short in the Islands; however, because voting in person and showing ID to vote were uncontroversial good-government reforms that Hawai‘i Democrats themselves put in place in 1970. These reforms governed our elections reliably until Democrats changed the laws again in 2019.
A. Kam NapierJuly 21, 2026
Hawaiʻi Act 11: Why the corporate campaign spending ban can’t fix our politics
Hawaiʻi’s new ban on corporate election money assumes the voters are ready to govern themselves. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why self-government can’t be legislated.
Sterling HigaJuly 15, 2026
Hamada: Airport carjacker skating on kidnapping charge
Lawrence and Rose Ching are stunned that the man who carjacked them at Honolulu International Airport — driving off with their teen daughter in the back seat — isn't getting charged with kidnapping. ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada agrees and takes a close look at the definition of the crime.
Rick HamadaJuly 15, 2026
Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian
Life thrived along Hilo Bay and Waiākea Peninsula, with abundant taro lo‘i, fish ponds, for centuries before Western contact. Spiritual life was ever-present and the landscape was dominated by the towering Kūakaʻananuʻu heiau, where men were sacrificed in elaborate ceremonies. Now the site is home to Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and guests share stories of spectral visitors from long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 15, 2026
Kooky Rental Cars!
ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us on a spin behind the wheels of the wacky, colorful rental cars that tourists loved in 1960s Hawai‘i. Open-air jeeps and dune buggies, these vehicles came from such exotic places as England, Italy, France and Toledo, Ohio. They all promised a fun time in the Islands.
DeSoto BrownJuly 14, 2026
Community Voices: Planting the seeds for progress
Two laws supported by Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i have passed, allowing farmers to run home kitchen operations on their properties and build on-site housing for much-needed workers.
Keliʻi AkinaJuly 14, 2026
Community Voices: Empty homes tax won’t go away
Legislative attempts to pass the tax have failed, so proponents have a new idea — make an empty homes tax a charter amendment that people can vote on in the next election. The proposal is making headway, even as the draft amendment contains all the same conundrums as the failed bills.
Tom YamachikaJuly 14, 2026
Community Voices: Molokai is ready for another option
Lānaʻi Air will begin flying between Oʻahu and Molokai in September.
Philamer FelicitasJuly 14, 2026
Hawaiʻi attacks on parents: What the Liliha, Hawaiʻi Kai and Waikīkī cases share
A blood-soaked man stood in the middle of a Liliha street and answered police with his father’s name. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on three attacks on parents in a single year — and the commandment written for ordinary homes.
Sterling HigaJuly 11, 2026
Community Voices: The luxury tourism myth
Many voices call for Hawai‘i's tourism industry to attract fewer, wealthier customers. Hospitality industry veteran Dan Wacksman explains why Hawaiʻi can't simply replace millions of visitors with millionaires
Dan WacksmanJuly 10, 2026
Community Voices: By Restoring Our Reefs We Restore Ourselves
When corals are ripped out, we lose more than coral — we lose shelter for reef life, habitat for fish, and part of the reef’s natural ability to take the punch out of waves before they reach our shoreline. That loss affects our food systems, livelihoods and community health, says Alika Peleholani Garcia, executive director of Kuleana Coral Restoration.
Alika Peleholani GarciaJuly 08, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i's fraudulent vape ban
On Tuesday, Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green signed into law a ban on "99.9% of disposable vapes." It's a move totally at odds with the harm reduction strategies the state uses for all other vices, argues ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier. And it's in response to a non-existent crisis, in that teen smoking and vaping is the lowest it's ever been in a quarter century.
A. Kam NapierJuly 08, 2026
Hamada: Hawai‘i not to blame for losing Sony Open
We fret locally about what Hawai‘i might've done wrong to lose major golf tournaments, but ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada says that changes within the golf industry itself made the loss inevitable.
Rick HamadaJuly 08, 2026
What 1,800 words can’t tell you about the OHA lawsuit
The disputed court filing at the center of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ board war runs 42 pages and costs $4.31 to download. Almost no one will ever read it. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why we meet every public story halfway through — and why we have to judge anyway.
Sterling HigaJuly 08, 2026
Huaka‘i Pō at Pu‘ukoholā
It is said that Kamehameha himself helped build the Pu‘ukoholā heiau, a massive undertaking that involved a human chain 20 miles long passing stones from Pololu Valley to Puʻukoholā. Once completed and consecrated, Kamehameha's kahuna had said, the heiau would mean the successful end to Kamehameha's wars of conquest. Naturally, tales of night marchers — Huaka‘i Pō — still haunt the area.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 08, 2026
Community Voices: SNAP disaster imminent
The good news is that we don’t have the worst error rate, and Hawaiʻi was just slightly above the national average. The bad news is that our error rate was 10.92% in 2025. Double digits mean triple penalties, and don’t expect anyone to cut us some slack when they take effect.
Tom YamachikaJuly 08, 2026
Sony Open joins the seniors’ tour — and so has Hawaiʻi
A pension check arrives in Hawaiʻi untaxed; a young family’s groceries do not. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on the golf rebrand that tells the truth about who these Islands are built for.
Sterling HigaJuly 07, 2026
Aloha Tower at 100 years old, Part 2: It seemed like a good idea at the time ...
In the early 1960s, the State of Hawai‘i invested millions in harbor upgrades that included modernizing Aloha Tower as a terminal for passenger liners. But jet planes soon replaced passengers liners, rendering the terminal obsolete. In the 1990s, those structure were torn down to create Aloha Marketplace, a shopping and dining destination that would never draw the anticipated crowds. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown brings us to the present day as Aloha Tower celebrates its centennial.
DeSoto BrownJuly 06, 2026
Community Voices: Are your trees ready for hurricane season?
As hurricane season unfolds, it's worth remembering that preparing for storms isn't only about what we store in our closets or garages. It's also about caring for the living infrastructure that surrounds us.
Daniel Dinell & Carol KwanJuly 03, 2026
From Waipahu to Italy: Remembering Staff Sgt. Grover Kazutomi Nagaji
Born and raised in Waipahu, Nagaji joined the U.S. Army on March 25, 1943. He became a proud member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 34th Infantry Division, and trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. One year later, he was deployed to Europe, where he saw action in Italy as part of the Allied campaign against German forces.
John DekhaneJuly 03, 2026
Community Voices: Now you see it, now you don’t
There’s no magic involved here, only taxes. Taxes you can see, and taxes you can’t. Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi revisits the barrel tax.
Tom YamachikaJuly 03, 2026
On the Fourth, read the Declaration
If you really want to understand why we're celebrating Independence Day, go back to the source and read the Declaration of Independence, says ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith. It's only one of the most important documents in history!
Perry ArrasmithJuly 02, 2026
Community Voices: Commercial fishing is not a cultural practice
Rather than framing ocean protection as a burden, we should instead ask why Pacific Island peoples, and our protected and sacred oceans, are forced to bear the unfair burden of industrial fishing, write two members of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group.
Hau‘oli Lorenzo-Elarco and Kenika Lorenzo-ElarcoJuly 01, 2026
Hamada: Why I'm happily celebrating the Fourth of July
ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada remembers firsthand the tumultuous year of 1968 — and how Americans nevertheless united to celebrate the Fourth of July. He's keeping that spirit alive this year, even if some people seem determined to sit the party out.
Rick HamadaJuly 01, 2026
Moanalua’s Haunting History
If an old Hawaiian woman asks you to cut a cord for her in Moanalua Valley, be very, very careful what you do next. That's just once of the eerie tales of this part of O‘ahu where many battles have raged, from the invasion of Kahekili from Maui to the dispute over the route of H3.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 01, 2026
Aloha Tower at 100 years old: Part 1
A hundred years ago, Aloha Tower was built as an intentional landmark for the bustling harbor where all visitors to O‘ahu arrived, and that plan worked, as it quickly became synonymous with Hawai‘i itself. In part one of our look back at the tower's history, ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us from the creation of the tower to just after WWII.
DeSoto BrownJuly 01, 2026
Community Voices: When licensing goes too far
Highlights from Grassroot’s annual legislative wrap-up visits, including how a hair braider in Hawaiʻi got their license to open a small business.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 30, 2026
Community Voices: Why homeownership matters for Hawaiʻi's future
As affordability challenges continue to shape the housing conversation, expanding access to education, resources and pathways to ownership remains critical for local residents — and the Realtors who represent them.
Suzanne YoungJune 30, 2026
America’s religious founding: Revival came before the Republic
A child earns a gold star this spring for writing that the founders wanted church and state kept apart. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on the founding we no longer teach — and the revival that built it.
Sterling HigaJune 29, 2026
Hawaiʻi says ‘No can’ to Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.
Hawaiʻi government officials will not be present at the Great American State Fair, put on by Freedom 250 now through July 10, along with at least 10 mostly Democratic-led states citing cost, staffing and for some, political reasons. Gov. Josh Green says no funds were earmarked for the fair by the state or Congress and instead, has thrown support behind local celebrations.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 29, 2026
Hawai‘i at 250
Hawai‘i's celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America's independence seem muted compared to those for the Bicentennial in 1976. That's a shame, argues ASD columnist Perry Arrasmith. Can't we set aside our complaints for even one day to celebrate?
Perry ArrasmithJune 29, 2026
Family, friends continue to seek justice for Amber Jackson 16 years after Kaua‘i murder
For 16 years, the murder of Amber Jackson on Kauaʻi has gone unsolved, but in December 2025, the Kaua‘i Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Gregory Glaser, wanted for second degree murder in connection with the case. ASD crime writer Christina O'Connor spoke with Amber Jackson's family and friends to learn about Jackson's life and their tireless pursuit of justice for her.
Christina O'ConnorJune 29, 2026
RIMPAC 2026: Hawaiʻi, China, and the Question Underneath
The children have soccer practice while, a few miles offshore, 31 nations rehearse a war. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on what Hawaiʻi trusts to keep it safe.
Sterling HigaJune 26, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i’s crappy priorities
The state just announced a process for Hawai‘i’s businesses and nonprofits to apply for funding out of the new $120-million “green fee” fund. ASD editor in chief A. Kam Napier opines that we could be aiming all of that money at a single very significant environmental problem we made for ourselves right here in the Islands. Instead, it will get diluted.
A. Kam NapierJune 25, 2026
Hamada: Let me be a warning to you
ASD columnist Rick Hamada gets personal with some health news, in hopes that you'll be inspired to take better care of yourself.
Rick HamadaJune 25, 2026