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NOHO HOME collabs with Honolulu Cookie Co.
A limited-edition fall gift box pairs Hawai‘i-inspired art from NOHO HOME with signature cookies from Honolulu Cookie Co. Aloha State Daily caught up with Jalene Kanani Hitzeman, president and creative director of NOHO HOME, about the collaboration and looks at how other businesses have partnered to support each other.
Stephanie SalmonsSeptember 12, 2026
Hurricanes Lala and Lowell show Neighbor Islands depend on Honolulu
A high schooler from Molokai looks down at the Honolulu lights and says, “They live like rats down there.” ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why the Neighbor Islands need the city more than they’d like to admit, and what the city owes them in return.
Sterling HigaSeptember 12, 2026
New Japanese sake pub opens in Honolulu
Pub Maniwa Kakuuchi opened within Up Roll Café Kakaʻako at the end of July. The eatery is featuring a discounted sake discovery set until its grand opening, with the goal of making sake tasting approachable and enjoyable to diners. The food menu features izakaya-style small plates, ranging from sashimi and creamy shrimp gratin to truffle dashi omelet.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 11, 2026
Terns is a new open-air dining space in Honolulu
Terns, located on the terrace of Halekūlani Bakery, recently opened to the public. Named after the seabirds found in Honolulu, Terns offers diners globally inspired shared plates and rum-based cocktails in a casual, outdoor setting.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 11, 2026
Great Aloha Run returns with new, temporary route
The race, which originally spanned 8.1 miles from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium, is being rebranded as a 5K race until 2030.
Christian ShimabukuSeptember 11, 2026
Homeowners vs. hikers: Council weighs in with no-parking proposal
A proposal to paint curbs with "no parking" near trailheads is before the Honolulu City Council. The bill has received opposition from the Department of Transportation Services, while residents have voiced frustration over congestion on streets near public trailheads.
Haley LehmanSeptember 11, 2026
‘The Paper’ launches second season
Co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman and star Domhnall Gleeson spoke with Aloha State Daily about “The Paper,” a spinoff of the wildly popular sitcom “The Office.” The Peacock series, which has a Hawai'i-born executive producer, launched Season 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The mockumentary captures the struggles of a Midwestern paper and the people who break news.
Katie HellandSeptember 11, 2026
Hawai‘i sued over illegal immigrant tuition law
U.S. Department of Justice challenges state policy allowing illegal immigrants to be eligible for in-state tuition.
Michael BrestovanskySeptember 11, 2026
JL Capital completes Ala Moana affordable housing project
Amana Lofts, an adaptive reuse project in Honolulu's urban core, has transformed a former five-story office building into 64 rental units.
Stephanie SalmonsSeptember 11, 2026
Community Voices: Hawai‘i's elections watchdog has been locked out of its own room
Two members of the Hawai‘i Elections Commission want readers to know that their office has been prevented from meeting, even as voters have endured an election marred by irregularities.
Tamara McKay & Ralph S. CushnieSeptember 11, 2026
West Oʻahu’s first matcha and coffee festival is coming this weekend
Whisk & Brew: Matcha + Coffee Fest is this Sunday, Sept. 13, at Wai Kai. This new event features a variety of matcha and coffee businesses, along with other food vendors and food trucks.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 10, 2026
True tales of tall trees in the Islands
We love our trees in Hawai‘i. As ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown tells it, some trees have even been main characters in dramas playing out in the streets of the Islands.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 10, 2026
Roy’s Hawaiʻi Kai just launched Sunday brunch
The Hawaiʻi Kai restaurant has offered brunch for holidays and special occasions, but brunch is now weekly from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feast on dishes like souffle pancakes, crab cake eggs Benedict, meatloaf loco moco and more.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 10, 2026
Pho N Grindz is opening in Kailua
The eatery — in the former spot of Hot Pot Heaven Kailua, but under the same owners — is opening today. Instead of hot pot, the restaurant now features authentic Vietnamese cuisine and plate lunch staples. As part of its grand opening special, the biz is offering 20% off for one week.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 10, 2026
Hamada: Remembering 9/11
It was about a quarter to 3 in the morning in Honolulu when the first plane hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. For many of us in the Islands, the first we heard of the attack was a strangely early morning phone call from a loved one who had seen the news. "Turn on the TV. We're at war." ASD columnist Rick Hamada describes getting such a call, then spending 30 hours on the air at KHVH as kama‘āina called in with their fears, tears and rage.
Rick HamadaSeptember 10, 2026
Hawai‘i looks for first win of 2026 season against New Mexico State
The Rainbow Warriors are 0-2 heading into Saturday's matchup against the Aggies.
Christian ShimabukuSeptember 10, 2026
Assets School makes strides in Great Minds Capital Campaign
A total of $3.5 million was donated to the campaign in August, with funds coming from a local nonprofit as well as a former Assets parent.
Stephanie SalmonsSeptember 10, 2026
Hawai‘i joins lawsuits over endangered species protections
Federal agencies rescissions of endangered species protections led 21 states to sue the federal government Wednesday.
Michael BrestovanskySeptember 10, 2026
Why Hawaiʻi families stop speaking over a house
The wealth that most people in Hawai‘i stand to inherit is typically real estate — quite often the very homes we grew up in, which are now million-dollar assets. ASD columnist Ray Tsuchiyama has advice for how kama‘āina can avoid the pain of fighting over the house when their parents are gone.
Ray TsuchiyamaSeptember 10, 2026
Tonkatsu Sakazaki is now open in Honolulu
The tonkatsu eatery just opened in Sam Sung Plaza. Customers can take advantage of a grand opening special — discounted $9.99 pork loin cutlet rice bowls (regular price $19) — for about three weeks. The restaurant specializes in tonkatsu, ranging from pork tenderloin to chicken katsu.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 09, 2026
Dim sum restaurant relocates to Kapolei Commons
West Emperor, which opened in Embassy Suites Kapolei last December, relocated to Kapolei Commons and opened in the former space of La Tour Café. The eatery still offers dim sum and wagyu specialties — including wagyu manapua and wagyu chow funn — but has expanded its menu to feature Chinese-Japanese fusion and catering.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 09, 2026
Through the Eyes of a Princess
Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 09, 2026
Pro-Surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb rides the wild surf in new doc shot at Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Tahiti and Beyond
“A Marble in the Jar” debuts on 10 screens across the Mainland this Friday. The doc includes eye-popping, jaw-dropping camerawork above the pounders and underwater, as Weston-Webb rides the waves from Hawai‘i to French Polynesia to Australia to Bali to Mexico to France to Portugal to California and beyond on the pro-surfer circuit, in search of championships and the ideal tube.
Ed RampellSeptember 09, 2026
Former legislator joins Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp.
In her new role as housing development director, Sharon Har will focus on the day-to-day development of CCHDC's newest affordable housing project, Hale Pilina, and serve as the main point of contact for financing, construction and consulting partners.
Stephanie SalmonsSeptember 09, 2026