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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
State Archives receive century-old Portuguese immigration records
The Portuguese Consulate in San Francisco gifted the state scans of immigration data from between 1878 and 1934.
Michael BrestovanskyFebruary 21, 2026
New Korean grocery store open in Honolulu
You Me Mart just soft opened on Ke‘eaumoku Street. The business is located in the same space as French-Korean bakery TOUS les JOURS, in the former Ross space.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaFebruary 21, 2026
Rail construction to cause extended traffic adjustments along Dillingham Boulevard, Kamehameha Highway
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and Tutor Perini Corp. will implement a revised traffic plan for the roadways, beginning with a section of road between Middle Street and Pu‘uhale Road.
Stephanie SalmonsFebruary 21, 2026
New weekday dinner buffet at Prince Waikīkī
100 Sails Restaurant & Bar just launched a new chef selection dinner buffet, available from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays. This buffet costs $62 per adult; instead of action stations like prime rib or sushi handrolls, it features specialty items like roasted beef tri tip, guava barbecue pork ribs, mushroom risotto and more.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaFebruary 20, 2026
Honolulu’s Rachel Chai talks caregiving
Chai, a mother of two, has more than a decade of experience as a caregiver, most recently with Griswold Home Care for Oʻahu. She was recently named a recipient of the company’s winter caregiver scholarship for National Caregivers Day, which will go toward her master’s degree in social work.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosFebruary 20, 2026
AI music regulations, a state symphony, and more in these bills to watch
Aloha State Daily rounded up some bills that lawmakers are considering this legislative session. Those measures include proposed laws that could bring musical performances to patrons of the public library system and students in public schools. There is also an initiative to designate the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra as the State of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra.
Katie HellandFebruary 20, 2026
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel debuts $180M renovation
The hotel says this is the “most extensive transformation in the property’s 60-year history.”
Stephanie SalmonsFebruary 20, 2026
Tax on groceries to stay, for now
One proposal to scale back the General Excise Tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs has died in the Legislature although another still stands.
Michael BrestovanskyFebruary 20, 2026
New seafood restaurant opens at Pier 38
Located in the former space of Nami Kaze Hawaiʻi at Pier 38, Thirty Eight restaurant just opened to the public for dinner. The menu focuses on fresh seafood; customers can enjoy dishes like hamachi crudo, poke crackers, shrimp toast, and a fried whole moi.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaFebruary 19, 2026
Aloha Beer Co. launched a new menu
The Kakaʻako brewpub’s new menu features a variety of appetizers, seafood dishes, entrees and pizzas that are designed to pair well with the venue’s beverages. Customers can also create their own mixed six-pack of canned beers.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaFebruary 19, 2026
Danny Alvarez set to make debut as Hawai‘i beach volleyball head coach
The No. 16 Rainbow Wahine will play six teams at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic this week, all of whom are in the top 10.
Christian ShimabukuFebruary 19, 2026
Group’s kuleana to maintain Kūʻīlioloa Heiau in Waiʻanae
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Moku O Kapuāiwa Chapter, helps steward the ancient site near Pokaʻi Bay still used today for community events that perpetuate Hawaiian culture.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosFebruary 19, 2026
Architect Francis Oda, founder of G70, dies at 84
Hawai‘i has lost "one of its most influential voices," Lance Hirai, the 2026 president of AIA Honolulu and an associate principal at G70, says.
Stephanie SalmonsFebruary 19, 2026
HPD justified in 2024 Waikīkī fatal shooting
Eric Walsh was shot 15 times in Waikīkī following a string of bank robberies.
Michael BrestovanskyFebruary 19, 2026
Services for Hula Master Nālani Kanakaʻole
The fifth-generation loea hula will be honored with services at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo this weekend. Nālani Kanakaʻole also co-founded Sig Zane Designs in 1985 with her husband, Sig Zane. Learn more about the services.
Katie HellandFebruary 19, 2026
AC Carter returns to Hawai‘i ahead of jersey retirement
UH will honor Carter and retire his No. 23 jersey during Saturday night's game against UC Santa Barbara.
Christian ShimabukuFebruary 18, 2026
New dumpling shop in Honolulu
Located on the second floor of Discovery Bay Center, Waikīkī Snack Store recently opened. The shop — which specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine, including handcrafted dumplings and wontons in bone soup — also offers interactive ramen and shave ice stations.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaFebruary 18, 2026
Community Voices: More local food starts with housing
A look at several measures that have been introduced during this year’s state legislative session that could actually make a difference for Hawaiʻi’s farmers and ranchers, and for Hawaiʻi residents and consumers as a whole.
Keliʻi AkinaFebruary 18, 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
Officials gather for new Aloha Stadium milestones
A blessing was held for the Aloha Stadium Authority's temporary office, where multiple new pieces of information were also revealed.
Christian ShimabukuFebruary 18, 2026
Chance and the pandemic led West Maui resident to interior design career
Melissa Dyckman is the founder and principal designer at her namesake interior design studio, Melissa Dyckman Interiors.
Stephanie SalmonsFebruary 18, 2026
Hawai‘i County proposes higher property taxes for $4M-plus homes
New plan aims to raise millions for housing and homelessness programs, while protecting full-time residents.
February 18, 2026