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Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

When Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks kicks off on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. HST at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., former University of Hawai‘i linebacker Jahlani Tavai will join an exclusive club. 

Tavai, a linebacker for the Patriots, will become just the 14th former University of Hawai‘i football player to play in a Super Bowl. Tavai will also be the first Rainbow Warrior to play in a Super Bowl since former UH receiver Marcus Kemp, a special teamer for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. 

A lightly recruited player out of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Tavai joined the Rainbow Warriors in the fall of 2014 under former head coach Norm Chow and redshirted his true freshman season. He blossomed into a four-year starter, earning All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2016 and 2017. 

After injuries limited to eight games as a senior in 2018, he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 43rd overall selection. Tavai was released by the Lions prior to the 2021 season and was promptly picked up by the Patriots, where he has been a staple ever since. From 2022 to 2024, Tavai played in all 51 regular season games for New England in that span. He racked up 110 tackles in 2023, then had 115 in 2024.

In the 2025 regular season, Tavai played in 12 games with seven starts. He missed time after his partner, Kalei, was hospitalized with a blood infection while pregnant with the couple's second child, a girl named Ka ua. Unfortunately, Ka ua passed away in the womb during Kalei's hospitalization. 

Under NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have enjoyed quite the turnaround, going from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 in 2025. Tavai has played in all three games for the Patriots during their playoff run thus far, logging three tackles each against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans while registering one tackle against the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game. 

"So excited for him," current Hawai‘i football coach 

 said following a recent spring practice. "In the four years that I've been here, every offseason, I see him here training on the field and spending time here. Extremely proud and excited for him, and I will be rooting him on."

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Jahlani Tavai 020625

<title>Hawai‘i alum Jahlani Tavai joins exclusive club ahead of Super Bowl debut</title>

Tavai is the first player with direct ties to the Aloha State to compete in the Super Bowl since 2023.

Hawai‘i alum Jahlani Tavai joins exclusive club ahead of Super Bowl debut

Scan 20241017 2

Corey Idleburg

Government & Politics

Malia, a single mother of two, works full-time as a medical assistant in Honolulu, earning about $47,000 a year. Malia spends 60% of her paycheck on rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Kalihi, and most weeks, she runs out of money for groceries, so she relies on local food banks until her next paycheck. When her daughter needed urgent care last month, Malia delayed the visit for three days because she was between insurance coverage. Her 15-year-old car broke down, and without $1,200 for repairs, she now spends 3 hours a day on TheBus getting to work and to her kids' school.

By the government's measure, Malia isn't poor because her income is well above the poverty threshold of $39,852 for a family of three, so she does not qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, or SNAP.

Malia's story reveals a critical gap in how we understand economic hardship in Hawai

i: the official poverty rate was 10.1% in 2023, suggesting nine out of 10 Hawai

i residents are doing fine. But that single number, based only on income, masks the reality that hundreds of thousands of families face compounding challenges that income alone can't measure.

[{"type":"text","text":"The measurement gap"}]

For more than 60 years, the United States has measured poverty the same way: calculate the minimum income needed to afford food, multiply by three, and adjust for family size. If your income falls below that threshold, you're officially poor. If it doesn't, you're not.

This approach made sense in 1963 when the poverty line was created, and families spent about one-third of their income on food. But it hasn't kept pace with how family budgets have changed, especially in Hawai

i, where housing, not food, has become the dominant expense.

The federal poverty threshold for a family of three is $24,860. Hawai

i's official threshold is about 15% higher, at roughly $28,000, to account for our elevated costs. But even this adjustment misses the mark. According to the latest data, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in urban Honolulu exceeds $2,200 per month, or $26,400 annually, which is more than the entire federal poverty threshold for a family of three.

Researchers have long known that income-based poverty measures miss critical dimensions of hardship. People need more than a minimum income; they need affordable housing, access to nutritious food, health care, education, and reliable transportation. When families lack these basics simultaneously, the impact compounds in ways that a simple income threshold can't capture.

Consider food security, or rather, the lack of it. While official poverty statistics counted 10.1% of Hawai

i's population as poor in 2023, a comprehensive study by Hawai

i Foodbank found that 32% of households experienced food insecurity in 2024. That's nearly one in three families who are uncertain about where their next meal will come from.

The numbers are even starker in specific communities. On Hawai

i Island, 40% of households faced food insecurity. Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families, the rate exceeded 40%. Six percent of children went entire days without eating.

These aren't people captured by the poverty line. Many are working full-time. They're making choices between paying rent and buying groceries, between electricity and fresh vegetables. The official poverty rate doesn't ask these questions.

The housing story is similarly obscured. Official poverty measures acknowledge housing exists, but they don't measure whether families can actually afford it. Separate data from Aloha United Way paints a different picture: 44% of households are "ALICE"— Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These families earn above the poverty line but can't afford basic necessities including housing, childcare, food, transportation and health care.

This isn't about living comfortably. The ALICE threshold represents a bare-minimum budget: the cheapest housing available, the least expensive childcare, minimal food costs, basic transportation and catastrophic-only health insurance. Nearly half of Hawai

i families can't meet even this survival budget, despite working.

Health care access reveals another dimension. While the official poverty rate doesn't measure health insurance coverage, American Community Survey data shows that in 2023, approximately 12% of Hawai

i's working-age population lacked health insurance. Those without coverage face impossible choices when illness strikes — forgo care and risk worsening conditions, or seek treatment and face bills that can push families into debt.

The challenge extends beyond insurance. The federal government has designated large swaths of rural Hawai

i as Medically Underserved Areas, including all of Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, most of Hawai

i Island, and parts of Maui and Oʻahu. Families in these areas face long drives to reach basic medical care, a burden that compounds when transportation is already a struggle.

[{"type":"text","text":"How hardships intersect"}]

Understanding poverty requires seeing how these challenges interlock. A family paying 60% of income for rent has little left for food, leading to food insecurity. Food insecurity affects children's ability to concentrate in school, impacting educational outcomes. Poor educational outcomes limit future employment opportunities. Lack of reliable transportation makes it harder to access better-paying jobs, quality health care, or affordable grocery stores. Each deprivation reinforces the others.

This is what researchers call "multidimensional poverty": the experience of simultaneous deprivations across multiple areas of life. While national researchers have developed frameworks to measure this, Hawai

i lacks a comprehensive local measure that accounts for our unique circumstances.

i's veterans, a population where we actually have good data tracking multiple dimensions. According to federal housing data, approximately 20,270 Hawai

i veterans, 36% of veteran homeowners, face housing affordability challenges, living in homes with quality problems, overcrowding, or severe cost burdens. Federal estimates suggest 283 veterans experience homelessness. These housing challenges often intersect with health care needs, employment barriers and food insecurity.

i has also shown what targeted, multidimensional intervention can achieve with this population. Between 2015 and 2022, the state reduced veteran homelessness by 51%, far exceeding the national average. This success came from programs that addressed not just housing but also health care, employment support and case management. It demonstrates both the importance of measuring multiple dimensions and the potential for coordinated solutions.

[{"type":"text","text":"The full picture"}]

When we look across multiple measures, a more complete picture emerges. The official poverty rate captures 10.1% of the population. But:

These aren't separate groups of people. There's substantial overlap. A single working mother might be above the poverty line (not counted as poor), but experience food insecurity (counted in the 32%), qualify as ALICE (counted in the 44%), live in a medically underserved area, and spend 65% of her income on rent. Each challenge makes the others harder to overcome.

The demographics reveal additional layers. Native Hawai

an and Pacific Islander families experience food insecurity at rates exceeding 40%. Hawai

i Island shows both the highest food insecurity (40%) and significant challenges with health care access. Families with children face particularly acute pressures, with 34% of households with children reporting that one or more keiki is food insecure.

[{"type":"text","text":"Why measurement matters"}]

Why does measurement matter? Because how we count determines what we see, and what we see shapes how we respond.

When we measure only income-based poverty, we miss the working families who are one car repair away from crisis. We overlook the trade-offs families make between food and rent, between health care and electricity. We fail to see how geographic isolation compounds economic challenges in rural areas. We don't capture the full scope of need in our communities.

Better measurement doesn't automatically create solutions, but it enables smarter responses. The success in reducing veteran homelessness came from recognizing that housing alone wasn't enough. Veterans needed coordinated support across multiple dimensions. Food banks can target resources more effectively when they understand which communities face the highest rates of food insecurity. Policymakers can design programs that address the interactions between housing costs and food security rather than treating them as separate issues.

More comprehensive measurement also reveals what's working. If Hawai

i implements programs to reduce housing cost burdens, we can track whether food insecurity also decreases. When we improve transportation access, we can measure impacts on health care utilization and employment. Understanding how challenges intersect allows us to identify interventions that create positive ripple effects across multiple areas.

[{"type":"text","text":"Moving toward understanding"}]

i faces unique economic challenges that national poverty measures weren't designed to capture. Our housing costs rank among the nation's highest. Our island geography creates barriers to accessing services that mainlanders take for granted. Our diverse population experiences hardship differently across communities. Our dependence on shipping makes us vulnerable to supply chain disruptions that affect food security.

Developing a more comprehensive understanding of economic hardship in Hawai

i would help us see these intersections clearly. Several states and regions have created multidimensional poverty measures tailored to their specific contexts. Hawai

i could do the same, incorporating our existing data on food security, housing affordability, health care access, and geographic challenges into a framework that shows how these factors combine.

The goal isn't to prove that more people are struggling, though the data suggests current measures significantly undercount hardship. Rather, it's to understand the nature of that struggle more completely. Only by seeing the full picture can communities, organizations and policymakers develop responses that address the actual challenges Hawai

i families face, not just the ones that fit neatly into a single income threshold created more than 60 years ago.

Reprinted with permission from Corey Idleburg, executive director of 

The Learning Observatory, a Hawaiʻi nonprofit focused on research translation and public learning. Learn more at 

Downtown Honolulu 010625

<title>Community Voices: Beyond the poverty line: Why income alone doesn't tell Hawaiʻi's…</title>

Several states and regions have created multidimensional poverty measures tailored to their specific contexts. Hawaiʻi could do the same.

Community Voices: Beyond the poverty line: Why income alone doesn't tell Hawaiʻi's economic story

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

," by UH’s Economic Research Organization. That paper described how Hawai‘i doesn't only have a high cost of living, it has an intrinsically weak, slow-growth local economy of stagnant wages.

"ʻA byzantine labyrinth of laws, bureaucratic red tapeʻ [are] choking Hawai‘i's business climate. "Government intervention in the marketplace could be tolerated when the economy was booming ... but the economy has [since] been stagnant and the business climate and economic development have emerged as major political issues."

[{"type":"text","text":"Wait, hold on. That quote is not from UHERO's February 2026 report. "}]

It's from me, in a September 1998 cover story for Honolulu Magazine called "We Were Warned," and most of it is, in turn, from a September 1985 Wall Street Journal article. 

Kama‘āina of certain age will recall that while the Mainland boomed through the hot dot-com ’90s, Hawai‘i stagnated, badly, seemingly endlessly. "We Were Warned" was a detailed history of all the times local observers and Mainland business journalists noticed the flaws in Hawai‘i's economy, going back as far as 1973. Again and again, observers went into great detail about how Hawai‘i was buoyed up by external money while being dragged down by internal weaknesses — small, isolated, no manufacturing, no exports post-sugar and post-pineapple, expensive transportation costs, all overseen by an overbearing government class that treated profit as an evil.

It is a strange feeling to read our article this week about UHERO's report, then get up, walk past ‘Iolani Palace, march into the main State Library and pluck my nearly 28-year-old story off the shelf.

The pages were all yellowed. Because that issue is 

generally, the lost decade of the 1990s never really ended but rather it has persisted for 35 years." That quote does indeed come UHERO's lead authors, Steven Bond-Smith and Erich Schwartz. 

Their report directs our attention from the high cost of living to the low wages, seeing the latter problem as more significant, particularly when they looked at the motivations of people who have moved away over the past two-plus decades years. 

"Crucially, the combination of high prices and low incomes predicts as much outmigration as in some of the nation’s most struggling cities, where low costs of living typically cushion economic disadvantages," they write. "In short, Hawaiʻi’s residents face a unique mix of high prices and low incomes that, together, match the economic pressures found in struggling regions more than in prosperous, high-cost cities."

I applaud their efforts to qualify this mathematically. But my Gen X friends and I have literally been joking for decades, "We have the highest cost of living in the nation ... and we make up for it with the lowest wages!"

The UHERO authors have a prescription for their diagnosis.

"Revitalizing growth will require deliberate, well-designed policies that identify and remove barriers to diversification and innovation, supported by strong governance that emphasizes continuous monitoring, accountability, and adaptation," they write.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Sounds great!"}]

But what I learned writing that 1998 article, and have seen repeated since, is a consistent pattern:

Someone publishes a report critical of the structures that impede the local economy. If the report comes from a Mainland writer, local leaders react with rage and denunciation. Eventually, the political class notices that we, the people, actually agree with the report and are quite angry. Then politicians announce, with some fanfare, a Task Force to identify the barriers to economic growth and diversification.

Former governors George Ariyoshi and Ben Cayetano had a Task Force. 

More recently, former Gov. David Ige created a Task Force during his Covid-19 panic. Remember when he 

 Alan Oshima, retired CEO of Hawaiian Electric, to be the Hawai‘i Economic and Community Recovery and Resiliency Navigator?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That effort went nowhere. "}]

Just like the findings of all the previous Task Forces. There's a press conference for the big debut of the Task Force, then crickets when its final report is filed away. These reports are probably on a shelf somewhere just yards away from my old article.

I think the reason for that failure to act is that the last thing our government class wants to do is exactly what these reports have said over and over.

It needs to get out of our way. Deregulate. Cut taxes.

We are all partly to blame for this. We, collectively, continue to beseech governor after governor, legislature after legislature — please, diversify our economy. Please, do something about the economy!

But the economy doesn't come from the government. The economy is just you and me, exchanging goods and services for money.

 make the economy. Government comes after, ideally to facilitate our interactions. It's handy, for example, when we have it build roads or standardize weights and measures. Less so when it behaves, decade after decade, as if its purpose were still to constrain the Big Five sugar companies.

[{"type":"text","text":"So simple, and yet so complex that you need a Ph.D. to be a UHERO author."}]

Here's the reality going on in the Big Square Building: The Legislature gave some mighty fine speeches on opening day about affordability, about economic diversification, about housing opportunities, about stemming the tide of kama‘āina fleeing for better pay and lower costs on the Mainland, all that.

. What have they done so far? I see a parade of bills that mainly 

There's lot of tax-raising getting discussed over there. The fear is palpable in the Legislature, an extension of Gov. Josh Green's sudden hesitancy to let us keep the tax breaks he once bragged about. That fear is, "The economy is lousy and the feds are cutting back: Where are we going to get the money for 

Every buck they extract from a local business is a dollar that employer doesn't have for salaries. Every buck they extract from you eats into your buying power. 

And it's totally going to happen if you don't speak up. These people really, seriously want their state revenue. 

You and your needs will not come first in the Legislature if you don't demand it. Follow the bills. Testify. Call your representatives, email them. Show up for hearings. Ask them, "How does bill grow the economy, build houses or lower costs? If it doesn't do any of those things, why are you wasting time on it?" 

Even better: It's an election year — run for office! Encourage good, smart people to run for office. Campaign for better representatives. I'm seeing this Legislature advance bad bills over business-group opposition simply because individual legislators are filled with paternalism and too few of their peers are opposing them. Ultimately, running for office is the most meaningful thing you could do, as the legislators are remarkably resistant to public opinion.

[{"type":"text","text":"If you don't like where we're going, change the navigators."}]

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.

Hawaii State Capitol 7 29 25

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Economic diagnosis déjà vu</title>

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.

Pipikaula Corner: Economic diagnosis déjà vu

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Business & Tourism

Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, a Honolulu-based floral designer and founder of 

, made an international debut last month representing Hawaiʻi at the 

world’s largest trade fair for horticulture

. The invitation stemmed from connection.

 of Canada met master florist and teacher 

 of Germany at a conference in Palm Springs last summer. He had seen their presentation of “Spirit of Aloha” – a display of creative flower arrangements that includes cultural storytelling – and wanted to bring it to 

the International Plant Fair (IPM) 2026 in Essen, Germany

first North American designers to present on IPM’s stage,” 

Tabbal-Yamaguchi told Aloha State Daily. “A lot of people come to the event. I didn’t get to see everything. But imagine the [Hawaiʻi] Convention Center times five or six.”

The annual horticulture trade show attracts more than 1,500 exhibitors and 40,000 guests from 45 countries.

Tabbal-Yamaguchi and her small team had less than six months to prepare, tasked with building a larger-than-life lei stand, wedding arch and more, while showcasing hula dancing.

[{"type":"text","text":"What would she do differently? “Bring more flowers.”"}]

“Between the two of us (Quan), we had seven pieces of luggage, and we used everything that we brought,” she continued. That didn’t include the full group, just shy of 10, and their luggage.

Flowers were sourced from Hawai’i and Ecuador, 

Tabbal-Yamaguchi noted, adding that orchids were especially popular among audiences.

She described the message of the program as “sharing the aloha spirit through flowers,” as well as personal stories.

Breann Brewer and Princess Sumibcay danced hula, and lei-making and giving them away was another hit.

’d know more of it. They loved the hula dancers; they’re so beautiful at it,” Tabbal-Yamaguchi said, noting that giving lei was "memorable."

When asked what surprised her most about the experience

she said how amazed she was to see master designers learning their "simple techniques," or seeing a lei needle for the first time. “We do have intricate styles, too, we just take for granted.”

Sponsors locally and across the globe made it all come together, she added.

What’s next? For SU‑V Expressions, it’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day and weddings.

Personally, Tabbal-Yamaguchi is looking forward to teaching engagements and getting together with other floral designers across the Islands.

A longtime resident of ‘Āina Haina, she holds two certifications: American Institute of Floral Designers and European Master Certification.

Sue Tabbal Yamaguchi IPM Essen 2026 Germany 01

<title>Local floral designer presents the ‘Spirit of Aloha’ on global stage</title>

Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, who owns Kakaʻako-based business SU‑V Expressions, set out to share "the aloha spirit through flowers" at IPM Essen 2026, the world’s largest trade fair for horticulture in Germany.

Local floral designer presents the ‘Spirit of Aloha’ on global stage

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Last October, The Kāhala Hotel & Resort announced that 

Alan Wong’s would be replacing Hoku’s as its signature restaurant

The resort announced today that, after 30 years of service, Hoku’s at The Kāhala will conclude its last dinner service on Feb. 20. The restaurant’s closure will lead to the opening of Alan Wong’s Kāhala Hotel & Resort, scheduled to debut on March 25.

Hoku’s last Sunday brunch service will be Feb. 15. On Feb. 23, restaurant reservations for Alan Wong’s Kāhala Hotel & Resort will be available via OpenTable for dining on and after April 8.

The Veranda — known for its afternoon tea — will temporarily close during the transition and reopen with regular service upon the opening of Alan Wong’s. Customers can also look forward to the return of the resort’s popular Sunday brunch on March 29 with no changes to the current menu selection.

Guests who want an earlier dining experience at Alan Wong’s can book The Kāhala Hotel & Resort’s 

. The package includes a dining credit, exclusive restaurant reservations during its first two weeks of operation, daily breakfast buffet at Plumeria Beach House and spa credit. The eatery will open to the general public on April 8.

These milestones are part of The Kāhala’s “Legacy of Aloha” celebration, which honors the resort’s rich history. As part of the celebration, the resort has undergone an extensive refresh of its suites and guest rooms; upgrades include new flooring and local collaborations.

“The Legacy of Aloha represents everything The Kāhala stands for — genuine hospitality, deep respect for place, and meaningful guest experiences,” states Joe Ibarra, general manager of The Kāhala Hotel & Resort. “As we bid farewell to Hoku’s and prepare to welcome Alan Wong’s, we are entering an exciting new chapter that further elevates The Kāhala as a destination for exceptional dining and refined luxury.”

For more information, visit The Kāhala Hotel & Resort’s 

Alan Wongs at The Kahala staff photo 020526

<title>Alan Wong’s Kāhala restaurant is opening March 25</title>

Hoku’s at The Kāhala’s last dinner service is Feb. 20. Alan Wong’s Kāhala Hotel & Resort will open to the general public on April 8; guests who book The Kāhala Hotel & Resort’s Legacy of Aloha package can secure early access to experience the new restaurant.

Alan Wong’s Kāhala restaurant is opening March 25

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Out for an evening drive, a young couple becomes stranded when their car breaks down on a long, isolated road. Enveloped by darkness, the car won’t start, and the man takes on the role of hero, saying he will walk back to the last house they passed to ask for help.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Stay in the car,” he tells his girlfriend, “No matter what.”"}]

The woman waits in the safety of the car, but after a while, she begins to hear a slow tapping on the roof. She waits and waits. Finally, she grows tired and falls asleep, but is startled by a policeman knocking on the window. It’s daybreak, and the officer instructs the woman to get out of the car.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Don’t look back,” he says as he guides her to his patrol car."}]

She looks back anyway and sees her boyfriend hanging upside down from the tree above their car. The tapping sound was his blood, slowly dripping onto the roof. 

This is the urban legend that most of us have heard growing up. No one really knows exactly where the story originated, but no matter where you’re from, you’ve probably heard some version of this story. On O‘ahu, we associate this story with the infamous Morgan’s Corner.

Another urban legend is about a young woman who, distraught over her boyfriend leaving her, chooses a tree at Morgan’s Corner from which to hang herself. She hung so long that her head separated from her body. People say that her headless body roams the area, and if you look up into the tree, she will be there waiting to grab you.

Sometimes legends start with a bit of fact, and over time, the stories morph into something scarier or spookier. While we can say for sure that neither of these actually happened at Morgan’s Corner, there are several events that may be the cause of alleged hauntings in that area.

While the urban legends are just that, there was an actual murder nearby. In 1938, two prisoners escaped from a work line on Smith Street, near Beretania, and caught a city bus to Nu‘uanu Valley. After hiding out overnight, they came upon the Wilder Estate. They broke in through a small dressing room window, gaining access to the Wilder home where 68-year-old widow Therese Wilder was just sitting down to dinner. Mrs. Wilder heard the noise and went to investigate.

When she discovered the men in her home, she tried to escape, calling out in an attempt to frighten the intruders. One man grabbed her, and the other struck her in the eye. Mrs. Wilder was quickly overpowered and was bound and blindfolded. When she began to regain consciousness, she struggled and was beaten until she passed out. She was gagged with the towel that was initially used as her blindfold. The escaped convicts took some food and left. Mrs. Wilder wasn’t found until five days later. Her official cause of death was suffocation. Her jaw was broken, and the gag further impeded her breathing.

But death and destruction in this valley go back even further. In 1795, Kamehameha’s quest to conquer O‘ahu brought the decisive battle between his army of 12,000 warriors against Kalanikupule’s 9,000 O‘ahu and Maui warriors to Nu‘uanu Valley. From Pūowaina to La‘imi, to Pū‘iwa, to the 500-foot cliffs of the Nu‘uanu Pali, the armies clashed, leaving death in their wake. The battle raged right through the area that is now Old Pali Road and Nu‘uanu Pali Drive as the warriors fought for control of the island. Some people think the spirits of warriors continue to linger due to the many deaths that occurred in and around this area.

[{"type":"text","text":"But where exactly is Morgan’s Corner, and how did it get its name?"}]

The actual “corner” on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive was located at the spillway under the bridge at Judd Trail. Before the roadway was adjusted, the turn was nearly 90 degrees.

As early as February 1938, Honolulu newspapers were drawing attention to the dangerous curves on the Nu‘uanu side of Pali Road. Letters to the editor described a narrow, slippery road with almost no straight stretches of visibility, which was considered unsuitable and unsafe.

That same year, the Department of Public Works began promoting plans for a future Nu‘uanu Pali tunnel route that would eliminate some of the most dangerous bends. But public opposition and lack of interest delayed major improvements for years. In the meantime, the winding section of Nu‘uanu Pali Drive, including its almost-ninety-degree turn, continued to earn a deadly reputation.

Arguably the most famous haunted place on O‘ahu is Morgan's Corner in Nu‘uanu. Do you know the real story behind it? Turns out, there's more than one possible explanation for the things seen and presences felt where life and death intersect on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive.

Corey Idleburg

Latest from Corey Idleburg

Community Voices: Beyond the poverty line: Why income alone doesn't tell Hawaiʻi's economic story

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