Letters to the Editor

Columnists

Viewpoints

Opinion

Kenneth Kaneshiro

Dr. Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro

Abbey HA Headshot Color crop Large

Abbey Seitz

Mathew Hoffmann scaled

Mathew Hoffmann

Maxx Ramos

Donalyn Dela Cruz photo

Donalyn Dela Cruz

KWO Kealoha Fox

Kealoha Fox

Fumiko Chun

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

The bakery is located on Keeaumoku Street, in the former Ross space. It will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; hours are subject to change.

The business — which has other stores in California, New York and Texas — is popular for its French- and Korean-inspired baked goods.

The shop offers freshly baked artisan pastries, cakes and beverages. The business prides itself on baking its pastries fresh every day, according to store manager Yuri Woo.

“We’re baking fresh bread every morning,” she says. “That’s the most important thing for our bakery.”

Popular items include salt and butter rolls, garlic cream cheese bread ($7.65), sesame and sweet rice donuts ($3.20 each) and egg custard pastries ($4.70).

Woo notes that most pastries are French-inspired, but some are influenced by Korean flavors.

“The salt and butter (rolls), red bean donuts and custard buns are Korean-inspired,” she says. “The garlic cream cheese bread is popular. It’s bread with garlic cream inside; it’s cheesy and savory.” 

The bakery is especially known for its Cloud cakes, which are available by the slice or as whole cakes.

“The Cloud cakes are the most popular — we have fresh Cloud cream, strawberry, green tea mango and blueberry,” Woo says.

Customers can also opt for a variety of other cakes — ranging from flavors like strawberry tiramisu and classic mocha to tiramisu and seasonal options — macarons and cheesecakes.

TOUS les JOURS also offers a variety of coffees and teas. Popular options include tiramisu lattes ($5.85-$6.85), ube lattes ($5.25-$6.25) and honey lavender macchiatos ($5.85-$6.85).

“We have good coffee selections, but the most popular one — our signature one — is the tiramisu latte,” Woo says. “It’s basically the vanilla latte with cream cheese foam and cocoa powder on top. The cream cheese foam is made with a special recipe.”

Customers can also enjoy limited-time holiday offerings like candy cane hot cocoa ($5.75-$6.25), gingerbread matcha latte ($5.75-$6.75) and gingerbread lattes ($5.75-$6.75).

TOUS les JOURS is celebrating its grand opening with a variety of giveaways from Dec. 28 to 30. The first 100 guests who spend $30 or more will get a free TOUS les JOURS umbrella (Dec. 28); a free TOUS les JOURS mug (Dec. 29); and a free TOUS les JOURS insulated tote (Dec. 30).

[{"type":"text","text":"The bakery will eventually offer validated parking."}]

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

TOUS les JOURS sign 122725

<title>TOUS les JOURS opens first Hawaiʻi location</title>

The bakery soft opened today and is celebrating its grand opening on Dec. 28 to 30 with a variety of giveaways. The business — which has other stores in California, New York and Texas — is popular for its French- and Korean-inspired baked goods.

TOUS les JOURS opens first Hawaiʻi location

Daniel Farr Headshot

Daniel Farr

Crime & Courts

Dr. Judy Fitzgerald, a longtime leader in Hilo’s health care community, died Wednesday in a head-on crash on Daniel K. Inouye Highway, leaving colleagues and residents mourning the loss of a dedicated mentor and patient advocate.

Gov. Josh Green, who previously served on Hawai‘i Island as a family and emergency room doctor for more than 20 years, told Aloha State Daily that Fitzgerald’s death underscores the broader toll of traffic fatalities across the state.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Dr. Judith ‘Judy’ Fitzgerald, a beloved emergency physician who dedicated her life to caring for the people of Hawaiʻi," Green said. "Her death in a Christmas Eve traffic crash is a devastating reminder that we have now reached 128 traffic fatalities statewide this year — 128 lives lost, 128 families forever changed. 

"We all have a responsibility to do better on our roads by slowing down, driving sober, staying focused and looking out for one another," he said. "That’s how we honor Dr. Fitzgerald’s legacy and protect the lives of those we love.”

Throughout her career as a physician, Fitzgerald held numerous leadership roles and was a steadfast supporter of medical services development.

Hilo Benioff Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kathleen Katt reflected on Fitzgerald’s decades of service in a statement: “Throughout her career, Dr. Fitzgerald generously volunteered for numerous leadership roles and was a steadfast advocate for the remarkable progress and growth our health care community has achieved. Her commitment to excellence, education and patient care left a lasting legacy that will continue to influence our work and our mission.”

HBMC CEO Dan Brinkman released a statement, saying, "One of our HBMC family has passed. We are all sad. Our sincere condolences to her family and friends. She will be missed."

The crash occurred near the 13-mile marker on Daniel K. Inouye Highway when a 2020 Toyota Tacoma traveling eastbound toward Hilo crossed the center line and struck Fitzgerald’s westbound 2025 Mazda convertible. She was found unresponsive at the scene and transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where she worked, and was later pronounced dead at 7:59 p.m. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

The Toyota’s driver, 34-year-old Caitlin Smith of Hilo, sustained minor injuries and was treated and released at Hilo Benioff Medical Center. Smith was initially arrested on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide, reckless driving and operating a vehicle under the influence, but was released Thursday evening without charges pending further investigation.

Hawaiʻi Police Department Public Information Officer Denise Laitinen told ASD that the decision to release Smith was made in consultation with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, not by the police department.

Court records show Smith has a history of speeding offenses, including a 2020 conviction for driving 95 mph in a 55 mph zone, which resulted in a fine, community service and a 30-day license suspension.

Police say speed, alcohol and/or drugs, and reckless driving are all believed to be contributing factors in the crash. The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit is continuing its investigation. The crash marks the 21st traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island in 2025, compared with 28 at the same point last year.

“Tell your friends to drive safe, tell your family members,” Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a social media post. “We lost another major community member in Dr. Judith Fitzgerald by another suspected impaired or reckless driver.”

Dr judy fitzgerald 122625 2 dbae396ff9874213a67c4eadb5050b5c 16x9

<title>Governor, Hilo community mourns death of emergency room doctor</title>

Police have indicated that speed, alcohol and/or drugs, and reckless driving are believed to be contributing factors to the fatal crash on Saddle Road on Christmas Eve.

Governor, Hilo community mourns death of emergency room doctor

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Riders are continuing to take to the rails, more than a month after the second segment of Skyline 

Since then, weekday ridership numbers have routinely surpassed 10,000 daily, according to data provided to Aloha State Daily by the City and County of Honolulu.

There were three Mondays — Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 10 — where the number of riders dipped just below that threshold: 9,816, 9,936 and 9,998 respectively.

Veteran’s Day, which was Tuesday, Nov. 11, had the lowest weekday ridership tally since Oct. 16, with 7,966.

Opening day of segment 2 had the highest weekday count so far, with 11,897 riders, followed by Wednesday, Nov. 19, with 11,298. Even more turned out for a 

 and spans just under 11 miles from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. This section includes the rail's first nine stations.

The newly opened 5.2-mile stretch of guideway now carries riders beyond Aloha Stadium to the Middle Street Transit Center and has four new stations: Makalapa (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam), Lelepaua (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), Āhua (Lagoon Drive) and Kahauiki (Middle Street Transit Center), taking riders to some of the island’s biggest employment hubs.

“The Department of Transportation Services is incredibly pleased to see our communities embrace Skyline as a new alternative way to get around,” DTS Deputy Director Jon Nouchi said in a statement provided to Aloha State Daily. “We are now seeing average weekday ridership surpass 11,000 passengers, a figure that is triple what we carried during the operation of Segment 1.”

Nouchi says it’s “particularly encouraging” to see that of the rail’s four highest-performing stations, three are part of the newly opened segment: Kahauiki, Āhua and Lelepaua.

“This data confirms that we are connecting our residents to the destinations that matter most,” he continued. “Additionally, we are also carrying about 8,500 riders on our new connected A Line, U Line, and W Line, which express passengers on fast, frequent, and direct routes to Downtown Honolulu, [University of Hawai‘i at] Mānoa, and Waikīkī, respectively.  We look to [improve] TheBus services to and from Skyline to bring more people to Skyline and further growing our ridership into the future.”

(ICYMI: You can read more about new and recently modified bus routes 

“Seeing more than 10,000 riders a day on Skyline’s second segment in its first six weeks is an outstanding start. It shows that people are embracing this system and the convenience it brings. We expect ridership to continue growing as more residents experience how Skyline can make their commute easier and more reliable,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement provided to ASD.

City spokesman Scott Humber told ASD in an email that the city's Department of Transportation Services originally wanted to double ridership in the second segment and “we have exceeded that by nearly tripling it, going from 3,500 daily to more than 10,000.”

Humber noted, too, that Mayor Rick Blangiardi wants to get to 25,000 rides daily by Oct. 16, 2026.

, daily ridership counts ranged from 1,842 to 7,519. Prior to the second section of the rail route opening last month, monthly ridership numbers this year had been as low as 89,167 in 

 Here are the weekday counts from Oct. 16 through Nov. 21, provided by the city:

Skyline 100925 1

<title>Skyline ridership still up a month after second segment opens</title>

Weekday ridership numbers have routinely surpassed 10,000 daily since the second section of the rail opened on Oct. 16, according to data from the City and County of Honolulu.

Skyline ridership still up a month after second segment opens

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

This parcel of land along Kamehameha Highway was once a family farm long before Windward Mall opened its doors in 1982. Our friend Bill remembers it fondly as a gathering place for weddings and funerals, with more than a dozen kids playing and running around on any given day. He recalls chickens, pigs, cows, bananas, coconuts, sugar cane, and mangoes.

[{"type":"text","text":"“You could go and pick your breakfast,” he says."}]

A small creek ran through that block of land where a few small houses stood. Sometimes at night, they would catch a hint of smoke drifting upon the wind, and the adults told the children it was the spirits of the ancient people who used to follow the path along the creek.

Locals later remember it as an undeveloped lot where they used to race, play hide-and-seek, and make up other games. Around the edges grew haole koa trees, their seed pods collected by nimble fingers to make lei and small crafts. These quiet, ordinary moments of community and play were woven into the fabric of everyday life in Kāneʻohe.

Yet even in this natural playground, there were boundaries the children dared not cross. On the Alaloa side of the property stood an old, modest cemetery, its headstones weathered and tilting, once marked off by handwritten signs declaring “Kapu.” The unspoken rule here was clear; respect the dead.

The oldest headstone in the cemetery dates back to 1893, marking the grave of a Sacred Hearts priest. Scattered around the area are also unmarked burials, the identities of their occupants long forgotten. The final interment took place around 1973, after which the burial ground became overgrown with thick foliage, hidden from view and unknown to many who passed by.

When developers selected the site along Kamehameha Highway for their planned 80-store complex, they briefly considered purchasing the cemetery land. However, the residents of Kāneʻohe refused to give in and allow their loved ones to be moved. A representative later admitted that the idea of relocating the graves was “entertained,” but ultimately proved unfeasible. Instead, the landowners and developers reached an agreement. The cemetery would remain untouched, preserved in its place, as it had been for more than a century.

When the mall rose on this ground, Liberty House, Sears, and J.C. Penney anchored the building, along with dozens of smaller stores. But memory lingers beneath the concrete and becomes evident when it’s least expected.

For decades, the Sears store at Windward Mall stood as one of the anchor stores, its long aisles lined with neatly arranged clothing racks and orderly displays. But employees who worked beneath those fluorescent lights spoke of a presence that had little respect for retail order.

One former worker recalled how, without warning, clothing would sway violently on their racks as if some unseen person just whipped them aside. It was not the gentle brushing of a passing customer, but a deliberate, forceful motion, sharp enough to leave the clothes and hangers tangled. Just as unnerving, entire racks would sometimes shift out of place when no one was looking. Workers would return to find the metal stands shoved into the aisleways, blocking the path as though something wanted to make its presence known.

These disturbances were not limited to the merchandise. Staff and customers described moments when an unseen force would shove them outright, sending them stumbling and, in some cases, crashing to the floor. What frightened them most was the aggression. What they felt was not a gentle nudge or a bump, but a purposeful push.

One informant even spoke of a security tape that seemed to capture the impossible. On the screen, a small child appeared, running toward an elderly shopper in the tool section. The figure pushed the senior to the ground, yet as bystanders rushed to help, the child vanished. No one else had seen a child in that part of the store that day. When the tape was reviewed again, the figure flickered, almost translucent, before disappearing altogether.

Speculation over the hauntings at Sears has long lingered. Some point to the nearby cemetery, where the resting places of earlier generations lie on a grassy hill overlooking the mall and its parking lot. Others believe the disturbances echo the laughter and raucous play of the dozens of children who once roamed the lot before the mall was built, their energy built up over the years.

Whether restless spirits of the departed or the echoes of youthful energy unwilling to fade, the hauntings at Sears left a mark on those who worked there. Even now, with the store long closed, stories persist that the building bears the imprint of things unseen yet impossible to forget.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

St Anns Graveyard WW Mall

<title>Ages of unrest at Windward Mall</title>

The former Sears store in particular had been a nexus for unexplained activities — staffers and shoppers pushed by unseen forces, clothes flung along their racks.

Ages of unrest at Windward Mall

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton is an award-winning reporter on 

‘ business desk. She previously covered immigration at 

 after forging the newspaper’s Denver neighborhoods beat and covering social inequities in business. Earlier in her career, Megan chased after lawmakers on Capitol Hill as 

 agriculture and trade policy reporter. Megan has covered the Venezuelan refugee crisis in Peru, immigration in Colombia, socioeconomic issues in Guatemala, parliamentary affairs in England, and White House press briefings in Washington, D.C. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Megan is proud of her Kanaka ʻŌiwi ancestry.

<title>Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton</title>

Kēhaulani Vaughn, a professor based in California, was taught about Native Hawaiian values and her roots from her mom growing up. Today, she continues to perpetuate her culture and pursue academics, while taking care of her own ʻohana and helping to support the lāhui in the diaspora.

KWO Vaughn Sepulveda family

Community Voices: Uplifting Indigeneity on Turtle Island

Follow the path of human geneticist, Keolu Fox, a Native Hawaiian who aims to advance the lāhui in his field while on the Mainland, with hopes of returning home in the near future.

960px Dr Keolu Fox

Community Voices: Bringing ‘ike kūpuna to genome sciences

Aloha Spirit

“No matter how long you’ve been away from home, it’s still home,” says Leialoha Kaula.

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

Latest from Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

Community Voices: Uplifting Indigeneity on Turtle Island

Community Voices: Bringing ‘ike kūpuna to genome sciences

Community Voices: Empowering the diaspora in the Pacific Northwest

More from our columnists