July 27, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Monday, July 27, 2026

July 27, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 8:02 AM :: 167 Views

Trump DEI Cuts—No Harm! Hawaii LGBTQ Activists find way Keep on Recruiting Street Boys

CB: … Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, which runs public health and homeless housing programs on Oʻahu, was in a tough spot.

As part of an annual competition for federal funds to combat homelessness, the nonprofit was applying to renew its grant for its Guide on the Side outreach program, which focuses on at-risk and homeless LGBTQ youth.

But the new funding guidelines from the Department Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, which awards the grants, now specifically reference a January 2025 executive order issued by President Donald Trump that targeted diversity, equity and inclusion programs for elimination.

So Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center made adjustments, defining Guide on the Side more broadly for the application’s sake.

“Definitely we’ve had to change language and the ways we answer the questions,” said Heather Lusk, the nonprofit’s executive director.

“We were funded for LGBTQ homeless youth outreach,” Lusk said. “Now we’re applying for general youth outreach, but knowing that in practice, any young person could access our services, always could and always will.” …

Read … Nonprofits Face New Political Realities, Threats To Homeless Housing Programs - Honolulu Civil Beat

High Grocery Bills Burden Shoppers In Hawaiʻi And Beyond

CB: … High food costs were already part and parcel of life in Hawaiʻi. The state imports a lot more food than it can produce, and grocery prices in Honolulu have grown faster than the national average since the 1980s, according to government data.

And prices for local products took an upswing this year. The cost of shipping goods between the Hawaiian Islands has skyrocketed amid rising fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict and financial instability within Young Brothers, the company that has a near-monopoly on interisland shipping.

Even butter mochi has gotten harder to make. One essential ingredient, milk, costs $9 a gallon at a locally owned supermarket chain, Tabadero said.

“Foodland is not affordable” for locals, she said, referring to the chain known for its poke. Tabadero has switched to shopping at Target or Times Supermarket….

Read … High Grocery Bills Burden Shoppers In Hawaiʻi And Beyond - Honolulu Civil Beat

HCDA Asleep at Switch: Tower construction maxes out Kakaako electricity infrastructure

SA: … High-rise development in Kakaako has outstripped capacity to distribute electricity to several planned residential towers in the growing urban Honolulu neighborhood.

The incapacity has contributed to major delays for at least a few projects, including a pair of workforce housing towers and two state-initiated affordable rental towers with apartments reserved for low- and middle-income Hawaii households.

Addressing the issue by upgrading a Hawaiian Electric substation and more than a mile of underground power lines is also inflating project costs that include a new $19 million expense for the two-tower affordable rental project slated for 625 homes.

The situation, which is contributing to what could be a three-year delay for the affordable rental project called Pohukaina Commons, arose despite two major landowners in Kakaako having long-established master plans for tower development, and a state agency with a mission that includes facilitating infrastructure growth to accommodate high-density residential redevelopment in what used to be a largely low-density industrial area.

The agency, the Hawaii Community Development Authority, was formed in 1976 and has helped improve infrastructure in Kakaako in order to facilitate redevelopment. ….

Read … Tower construction maxes out Kakaako electricity infrastructure | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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