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: Who says “Honolulu wants an anti-ICE police chief?”
Advocacy journalism from Civil Beat last week asserts that the whole city wants the next HPD chief of police to be a political warrior. Does it? Seems the next chief has their work cut out for them on improving the basics. Here's data on how HPD performs at clearing crimes.
A. Kam NapierMarch 30, 2026
Hawai‘i's celebrity politicians
From Duke Kahanamoku to Herman Wedemeyer to Augie Tulba, there have been local celebrities who have added one more role to resume — politician. ASD columnist Perry Arrasmith walks us through the legends.
Perry ArrasmithMarch 27, 2026
Who controls the rain?
Conspiracy theories fell like raindrops, even as the Kona Low system pummeled the Islands. ASD columnist Sterling Higa digs into what it means as people search for answers to calamity.
Sterling HigaMarch 26, 2026
The Mana of King Lunalilo
On his deathbed, King William Charles Lunalilo expressed a wish to be buried among his people rather than among the kings and chiefs and so he was interred in a tomb at Kawaiaha‘o Church. That's where the author personally had a profound experience of an otherworldly nature.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMarch 25, 2026
Hamada: Beware the scammers who take advantage of bad times
In the wake of a calamity like the Kona Low floods, people generously step up to help — while others wickedly step up to steal. ASD columnist Rick Hamada has advice for how to avoid charitable giving scams.
Rick HamadaMarch 25, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: The climate change dodge
Hawai‘i lawmakers are advancing a bill that would allow insurers to sue fossil fuel companies when they have to make big payouts for disasters allegedly caused by climate change. What they really aim to do, however, is shield local government and powerful interests from accountability for any role they themselves may have played.
A. Kam NapierMarch 24, 2026
"Puh, Puh, Punahou"
ASD columnist Sterling Higa has three words for kama‘āina who hide their private school background — cut it out!
Sterling HigaMarch 23, 2026
Uncles and Aunties: Diane Harding, president of the Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle
In a journey that has taken her from Kāne‘ohe to Boston and back, Diane Harding spent 40 years developing geophysics software for such projects as undersea cable across the Pacific. Now, as president of the Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle, she tends to the beauty of the Islands.
Cheryl Chee TsutsumiMarch 23, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i is hypocritical about vice
Yesterday's rally at the State Capitol against disposable vapes is an example of how lawmakers approach vices with a dazzling mix of inconsistency, hypocrisy and amnesia over the laws they've already passed.
A. Kam NapierMarch 19, 2026
The ghost dog at Kukui Plaza
Sightings, decades apart, of a ghostly dog suggest that an enduring presence roams the area of Downtown Honolulu that now houses Kukui Plaza.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMarch 18, 2026
Hamada: Anyone up for "Singin' in the Rain?"
Our recent roundup of Hawai‘i films to watch when kept indoors had ASD columnist Rick Hamada reflecting on his own favorites.
Rick HamadaMarch 18, 2026
What the Carpenters couldn't buy
ASD columnist Sterling Higa writes that the PAC of the Carpenters Union has spent millions opposing candidates who have opposed rail spending, including Sylvia Luke. Now that she's politically vulnerable and facing challengers, the union might be getting what it wants.
Sterling HigaMarch 18, 2026
The ladder and the helicopter
ASD columnist Sterling Higa finds a lot to admire in how people responded to the weekend's storm and flooding. Not just among professionals such as the Honolulu Fire Department and the work crews of Hawaiian Electric, but among everyday citizens whose own preparations meant that they could help each other.
Sterling HigaMarch 16, 2026
Aloha State Daily passes 10,000 Instagram followers
Social media is just one of the ways to keep up with us. Here are some of your options for being part of the Aloha State Daily story.
A. Kam NapierMarch 16, 2026
The not-so-harmless fun of ripping Pokémon packs
A gambling aspect has crept into even childhood diversions, writes ASD columnist Sterling Higa, as if nothing can be enjoyable if it doesn't contain a chance to win big.
Sterling HigaMarch 13, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Invisible Legislators
People take time out of their lives to participate in the democratic process by testifying before committee hearings. Too often, the committee isn't there.
A. Kam NapierMarch 12, 2026
Hamada: The SAVE America Act is important, and sensible
ASD columnist Rick Hamada finds Rep. Ed Case to be the only voice of reason among Hawai‘i's congressional delegation in voting in favor of the SAVE America act requiring that voters show ID to prove their eligibility to vote.
Rick HamadaMarch 11, 2026
Early morning ghosts at Wahiawā General
Wahiawā in central O‘ahu has long been at the center of things. It once boasted extensive taro lo‘i. It was important to the sandalwood trade. As a modern community grew up around its agriculture, so did a town with a school that became a hospital. That's where this week's ghost story takes, in the wee hours, in the waiting room.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMarch 11, 2026
"The Rep from Bethlehem"
ASD columnist Sterling Higa explores how a recent exchange on the floor of the House of Representatives between House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan and Rep. Elijah Pierick went so wrong.
Sterling HigaMarch 11, 2026
The best Youtube videos on Hawai‘i’s problems
Content creators from outside the Islands have made compelling, long-form videos about conditions in Hawai‘i, observes ASD columnist Perry Arrasmith. Here are some of the best, plus a call for Hawai‘i's own filmmakers to get in the game.
Perry ArrasmithMarch 06, 2026
Hamada: Hawai‘i needs to get serious about stopping sex-trafficking
The crime should be considered a capital offense, but Hawai‘i doesn't go that for in dealing with even the most heinous crimes, writes ASD columnist Rick Hamada.
Rick HamadaMarch 04, 2026
The spirit at Plantation Hale
The Kaua‘i area now known as Waipouli was formerly known as Kololoku or Kaloloku Swamp, a former wetland where Native Hawaiians once thrived. For half a century it's been developed for modern tourism, but the spirits remain and make themselves known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMarch 04, 2026
More money won’t fix what’s broken in Hawai‘i’s schools
A bill before the Legislature would give the state powers it has never had to tax property, arguing it would give to money to education. The state wants us to forget that Hawai‘i's public schools already have enormous tax funding available to no other state — direct access to our income taxes and the GET we pay on every purchase we make. ASD columnist Sterling Higa has a counter proposal.
Sterling HigaMarch 03, 2026
Hamada: State of the Union — fractured
We're looking at a Congress in which one party would rather sit on its hands than stand or applaud the most basic decencies or functions of government.
Rick HamadaFebruary 26, 2026
The growth we say we want in Hawai‘i (but really don't)
Hawai‘i constantly says it wants economic growth but has been allergic to one thing necessary to make that happen: More people. We need bigger families, not smaller, and to be more welcoming to people moving to the Islands.
Sterling HigaFebruary 26, 2026
More paranormal activity at Paradise Park
Paradise Park stands suspended between memory and mystery. On one hand, the visitor center reasons open and lively, even if the majority of the park closed years ago. As for the rest of the property, what was once a place of celebration and song now rests quietly beneath a canopy of trees, overtaken by the forest. Whether the strange occurrences are echoes of the past or simply imagination, the valley has always carried a spiritual weight that demands respect.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiFebruary 25, 2026
‘Ōkolehao gets a hearing (or two)
Modern-day local distillers of ‘ōkolehao, the Hawaiian spirit distilled from ki plant roots, are before the Legislature this session, looking for the sort of legal protections afforded to such local products as Kona coffee, in competition with outside brands trying to capitalize on the name. It's the latest chapter in Hawai‘i's 200-year on-again, off-again love affair with what has been called Hawai‘i's brandy or moonshine at different times. Here's a look at its colorful past — King David Kalakaua loved it, Queen Lili‘uokalani tried to curtail it — and the present-day quest to define and preserve ‘ōkolehao as a uniquely Hawai‘i product.
Perry ArrasmithFebruary 25, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: State government is the hazard
The Legislature said it was going to tackle Hawai‘i's affordability crisis. In killing tax relief on our grocery purchases, it's doing the opposite. Meanwhile, it's commandeering hundreds of millions to pay its own workers hazard pay for the Covid years.
A. Kam NapierFebruary 21, 2026
Paranormal activity at Paradise Park
If you want to understand why Mānoa Valley is filled with spirits and strange occurrences, consider that even the beauty of its endless rainbows has a dark side in the tragic story of Kahalaopuna, the famed “Rainbow Princess” of Mānoa.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiFebruary 18, 2026
Hamada: Hawai‘i's classrooms should be politically neutral
A quality public education used to include a solid grounding in civics — a neutral understanding of how the government works and how to participate in the democratic process. Now it includes activist teachers using the classroom as a pulpit for their personal politics.
Rick HamadaFebruary 18, 2026
Uncles and Aunties: How John Rampage first got into theater and is shaping performers today
Over his 54-year career in theater, Rampage has acted in, directed and/or choreographed more than 90 different shows, including Tony Award winners “Evita,” “Cabaret,” “The Producers” and “A Chorus Line.” Since 1995, he has served as Diamond Head Theatre's artistic director.
Cheryl Chee TsutsumiFebruary 17, 2026
The Incredible Shrinking Voter of Honolulu
The voting power of the average O‘ahu resident has declined over the past century, to where each of the nine city council members now represent more than 112,000 people across multiple neighborhoods. That's twice as many people as a Hawai‘i state senator represents. There are some efforts underway to change that.
Perry ArrasmithFebruary 12, 2026
Echoes of The Willows
Generations of kama‘āina have warm memories of The Willows restaurant in Mō‘ili‘ili. Here's the real history of the location, and the reasons why people who worked there heard singing when no one was present and saw the footprints of ghostly children.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiFebruary 11, 2026
Hamada: Super Bowl shenanigans
The selection of Bad Bunny seemed calculated to provoke more than entertain. Why can't entertainment just be ... entertaining?
Rick HamadaFebruary 11, 2026
Pipikaula Corner: Economic diagnosis déjà vu
Something about the new report from UHERO about Hawai‘iʻs weak economy seemed awfully familiar ... namely, everything. Here are things you need to know about what's been going on for decades and what you can do about it.
A. Kam NapierFebruary 06, 2026
Hamada: Look after your heart for American Heart Month
Three guests on my show recently shared personal and professional stories of how heart disease impacts all of our lives in Hawai‘i.
Rick HamadaFebruary 04, 2026