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.
Pipikaula Corner: Government got lucky last week
The tsunami traffic jam can't be a surprise when local government has made driving more and more difficult since the last time a tsunami warning put Honolulu in gridlock.
A. Kam NapierAugust 05, 2025
Hawai‘i’s lurking nuclear dilemma
Hawai‘i pushes to decarbonize, but also pushes away nuclear energy. But maybe that's starting to change as state officials move to open a nuclear energy conversation.
Perry ArrasmithAugust 04, 2025
Echoes of the Past at Poli‘ahu
The remains of this keiau on Kaua‘i carry a heavy burden of the past.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 30, 2025
Vanishing lights in the Tunnel of Trees
This week's ghost tale comes from Kaua‘i, where the Tunnel of Trees near Kōloa, while beautiful by day, is home to eerie experiences by night.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 23, 2025
These gates can’t keep the ghosts out
The gates of ʻIolani Palace, each with its own name and purpose, are decorated with gold painted finials and adorned with the Hawaiian Kingdom Coat of Arms. While accounts of mysterious disturbances related to the gates have been shared, it is evident they still hold mana.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 16, 2025
The most important speech in Hawaiʻi’s history
It was the "subtle inferiority of spirit" speech by then-Gov. John A. Burns that came to define the mission of the Democratic Party — and modern Hawai‘i.
Perry ArrasmithJuly 15, 2025
An East-West Center tailored for Hawaiʻi's needs
How this institution came to be and what it will need to become to survive.
Perry ArrasmithJuly 10, 2025
From haunted hotel to haunted museum
Spooky stories shared by staff at the No. 1 Capitol District Building, which was originally the Hawaiian Hotel that opened in February 1872.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 09, 2025
Uncles and Aunties: Malia Davis, inspired to be an animal caretaker by her grandparents
National Zookeeper Week is July 20-26. We spotlight an aunty who has spent half her life taking care of the elephants at Honolulu Zoo.
Cheryl Chee TsutsumiJuly 05, 2025
The women who march at night in Kaimukī
A little place history, as well as stories of "a female procession of spirits" at Puʻu o Kaimukī.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 02, 2025
Pipikaula Corner: How 13 teenagers and some California lawyers rule Hawai’i
State officials are set to unveil new rules to decarbonize the transportation sector. No one voted for this. It wasn't discussed. They committed us to this plan by settling a lawsuit last year that compels state government to protect us from the entire planet.
A. Kam NapierJune 27, 2025
Pipikaula Corner: Sen. Mazie Hirono teaches us a lesson
Only it's not the lesson she might have had in mind. The senator recently went off on a Republican plan to introduce nationwide vouchers. Here's why she — and Republicans — are wrong about how to fix education.
A. Kam NapierJune 26, 2025