Opinion
Pipikaula Corner: Aloha, Stadium!
ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier bids a personal, Gen X farewell to Aloha Stadium after watching some of the demolition firsthand. Anyone else remember The Police playing in ’84? This column is for you!
A. Kam NapierJune 11, 2026
Hawai‘i's parking meters – when, where, and why?
Before parking meters came along, street parking in Hawai‘i was free — and a total free-for-all. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown dives into how the parking meter got to the Islands.
DeSoto BrownJune 10, 2026
Hamada: My favorite things
There have been plenty of heavy topics to write about in recent weeks, so for this week, let's have fun. Martinis, anyone?
Rick HamadaJune 10, 2026
Sacred Hauntings at Pūowaina
Pūowaina — Punchbowl Crater — holds tremendous energy after centuries of profound human activities. In ancient times, it housed a heiau puhi kanaka, a fire temple involving human sacrifice. Now it is home to the National Memorial Cemetery for America's war dead. In between those eras, it has housed canons and Easter services, a firing range and sledding slopes. Some say it houses spirits as well, who make themselves known even in broad daylight.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 10, 2026
Hawai‘i's love affair with Botswana — and why it ended
For most Mainland United States locations, the antipode — the place on the directly opposite side of the globe — falls right in the middle of an ocean. For Hawai‘i, the antipode is in Africa. That realization was the beginning of a 1960s relationship between Hawai‘i and Botswana as that nation gained independence. Hawai‘i Governor John A. Burns was America's official representative at the independence ceremonies.
Perry ArrasmithJune 10, 2026
Uncles and Aunties: The Logan ʻohana serve up sweet treats
Paul Logan, who grew up in Wahiawā, is having the time of his life as the “Uncle” of Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, which wholesales its sweet treats to 150 retailers on the Mainland and close to 200 statewide, including Foodland, Whole Foods and ABC stores. His wife, Barbara, helps manage the finances for the business and enjoys sharing about his post-Merchant Marine ventures such as surviving a super typhoon in Saipan with their two-month-old son, renovating a 200-year-old chateau near Verviers, Belgium, and more.
Cheryl Chee TsutsumiJune 10, 2026
Community Voices: What preserving Papahānaumokuākea means below the surface
Marine debris from lost or discarded commercial fishing nets to plastic and other waste carried to the ocean by streams, rivers and lakes, does not simply disappear at sea. Much of the debris collected in the massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch north of Hawaiʻi eventually converges on our shores — especially in Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Despite relatively little of this waste originating in Hawaiʻi, our local community continues bearing the responsibility of ongoing cleanup efforts to protect one of the most sacred and ecologically significant places on Earth.
Philamer FelicitasJune 09, 2026
Community Voices: When Congestion Rules All
Honolulu DTS director of transit Jon Nouchi is set to lead a public discussion about human transit on June 27 at AIA Hawaiʻi's book club, which this quarter aims to examine how public transit influences connectivity, community planning and the future of Honolulu’s urban spaces. Nouchi gives ASD readers a taste of the upcoming conversation.
Jon NouchiJune 09, 2026
Community Voices: Navigating the 'NIL'e
University of Hawaiʻi's Athletic Director Matt Elliott is determined to find a way to get millions in resources for college athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness (referred to as NIL). Although the Legislature tried to sink NIL funding, UH’s ship stubbornly refuses to go down, per the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi.
Tom YamachikaJune 09, 2026
The sword that spares
ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa shares gratitude for the police we send toward the danger the rest of us flee, especially in light of the manhunts for Jacob Baker and William “Billy” Sinclair.
Sterling HigaJune 09, 2026
Letter to the Editor: ʻPraise and accoladesʻ for speaking truth
An ASD reader, born in Honolulu who now resides in Louisiana, gives kudos to columnist Sterling Higa for his take on the May 30 beating on Oʻahu's North Shore. "His article was faith-affirming and much needed in these days of violence," she writes.
Letters to the EditorJune 08, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Lawsuit filed against Act 11
Lawmakers said the state would get sued, even as they pushed SB2471 into law as Act 11, seeking to nullify the U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United. Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i filed its lawsuit Friday, challenging the law as unconstitutional.
A. Kam NapierJune 06, 2026
No law can raise the dead
Maybe police crackdowns or stricter parental discipline might've prevented the now infamous North Shore beatdowns, writes ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa, but at heart, the cruelties of that night are evidence of a deeper spiritual crisis in Hawai‘i.
Sterling HigaJune 06, 2026
Making Sense of Hawai‘i’s Medicaid Fraud Conundrum
On Thursday, the federal government decertified and defunded Hawai‘i's Medicaid fraud unit in response to having spent millions on the unit for years while getting few results. ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith explains how we got here and what it means for Hawai‘i, where Gov. Josh Green had been on fairly good terms with the Trump administration on health matters.
Perry ArrasmithJune 05, 2026
Then & Now on Bishop Street: Buildings and Trees Grow Taller
DeSoto Brown, historian and curator for the Archives at Bishop Museum, joins ASD as a history columnist. In this debut, he shows us Bishop Street in Downtown Honolulu, as it was in 1949 and as it appears today, with the backstory on what you're seeing. Something on this street is older than you might guess. What do you think that might be?
DeSoto BrownJune 04, 2026
Community Voices: 'Reestablishing food sovereignty for Hawaiʻi is a kākou effort'
Adapted from an undergraduate research thesis, student Rose Angelo talks with Maui community members about Hawaiʻi's "drastic change in food production and security, and how can Hawaiians come together to steward the land and their communities."
Rose AngeloJune 03, 2026
Community Voices: Our Big Tax Bill Act
Senate Bill 3125 — signed into law on May 21 and became Act 24 — changes individual tax rates, adds a new millionaires’ tax bracket, adds limits to the solar credit, and gets rid of several different business tax credits over time.
Tom YamachikaJune 03, 2026
Hamada: North Shore beating sickens
A dozen boys and men ganged up on a 15-year-old boy this week, then turned on the young lifeguard who tried to save him. ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada asks — who the heck raised these people, and what are we going to do about this crime?
Rick HamadaJune 03, 2026
Dog-Spirits and Moʻo at Kapena Falls
Who — or what — lives in the pond beneath Kapena Falls in Nu‘uanu Valley? In ancient legends, the valley has been home to guardian dogs with supernatural abilities, and creatures who can take both human and lizard form. For some visitors to the valley, those legends haven't been so ancient after all.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 03, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: UH athletics and the race for dollars
Name, Image, Likeness is already upsetting the finances of college sports. Now there's a new trend — universities are starting to spin off their entire athletics programs as freestanding corporations. Where will this leave the University of Hawai‘i?
A. Kam NapierJune 03, 2026
Too much sunshine
Transparency is great, but it isn't the only value government has to weigh, writes ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa. There's so much sunshine on some commission hiring that good applicants might shy away for fear of getting needlessly burned.
Sterling HigaJune 02, 2026
Community Voices: How Hawaiʻi parents can set kids free from digital addiction
A Mililani mom and certified life coach/private tutor shares tips on how local families can break free from daily struggles with screen time.
Karen K.C. GibsonJune 02, 2026
Community Voices: Lawmakers choose innovation over red tape
We can’t predict whether seagliders will take off as an efficient and economical way to travel interisland, but it is nice to know that efforts are being made to ensure the potential growth of a new industry will not be held back by unnecessary regulations, writes Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i's Keli‘i Akina.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 02, 2026
The politics downstream
Presidents used to emerge out of whistlestop tours, radio address, television and cable. Now, for the youngest voters and voters-to-be, political power gathers in the frenetic world of livestreams. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa talks about what this means.
Sterling HigaMay 30, 2026