Hawaii
No pay on the way: Hawaii scrambles to support federal workers
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Thousands of federal workers are bracing for the financial fallout of the government shutdown.
The first partial paychecks since the shutdown are expected to arrive tomorrow. But the next one, scheduled for two weeks from now, will have no pay at all.
Nine days in and patience – and paychecks are running thin.
For thousands of federal workers, tomorrow’s partial pay won’t go far and backpay is not guaranteed either.
At Hawaiian Community Assets, the inquiries for financial help has picked up.
“Definitely over the past few months, it’s been increasing, you know. And what we tell people is that the best thing to do is try to get ahead of every situation. And so if you’re worried that something could happen, now is the time to come in,” said Chelsie Evans Enos, Hawaiian Community Assets Executive Director. “Now’s the time to connect with someone. So we can definitely help you take a look at what worst case scenario could be like, and attempt to have that plan of what we can do along the way, or try to prevent some of those things from happening. But preparedness is is the best thing that people can do right now.”
Hawaiian Community Assets provides financial education and emergency planning, but they also have emergency funds through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. While much of that funding has been already been used, Evan Enos recommends people to contact them anyway because there may be additional funding coming from OHA.
Families who are tightening their budgets can find help, they just need to ask.
Hawaiian Electric announced it’s offering interest-free payment options to affected customers.
The Board of Water Supply says they can work with customers to provide an interest-free, no late fee payment plan.
And most local credit unions are offering short term loans and deferred payments.
“What I’m seeing from our variety of credit unions throughout the islands is that we are looking at being proactive by our members impacted by the by the federal government shutdown.. Some of the variety of programs being offered are loan deferment programs on existing loans at the credit union, loan deferrals, loan modifications, anything we can, we can do to make the situation a very uncertain situation more manageable,” said Tim Ashcraft, Hawaii Credit Union League President and CEO. “Another option that I’m seeing from some of our credit unions that they are offering short term loans where the payments are deferred for up to 90 days, with the hopes that the shutdown doesn’t last that long.”
There are 45 credit unions in the state of Hawaii.
“They’re all locally based, so you’ll get a decision much, much more timely, given that local ownership. And our credit unions are not for profit, financial cooperative zoned by its members. That’s what makes our structure so unique and so valuable to our communities in which we serve,” said Ashcraft. For those looking for financial help, Ashcraft recommends contacting your local credit union. “You may have a unique situation that even though credit unions may have a variety of options, contact them directly. They may have another option available that may meet the unique need.”
Hawaii congresswoman Jill Tokuda tells us she’s been appealing to local banks and agencies to help Hawaii families get through the coming weeks.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time just reaching out to those front liners talking about, where can we, you know, really, you know, get help for our federal workers during this really difficult time, knowing, at the same time, our job is to reopen government,” said Tokuda.
The Hawaii Foodbank is preparing for a higher demand. Aloha United Way’s 211 helpline is already fielding more calls. While we’ve weathered previous crises, this time, it’s different.
“It just feels a little bit more uncertain, and then in years past, and I think that’s creating the stress and the and the anxiety. I think you’re feeling that around town,” said Ashcraft.
The advice we’re hearing across the board – don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
“Sharktober” — the spike in shark bite incidents off the west coast of North America during the fall — is real, and it seems to happen in Hawaii when tiger sharks give birth in the waters surrounding the islands, new research suggests.
Carl Meyer, a marine biologist at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, analyzed 30 years’ worth of Hawaii shark bite data, from1995 to 2024, and found that tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) accounted for 47% of the 165 unprovoked bites recorded in the area during that period. Of the others, 33% were by unidentified species and 16% were attributed to requiem sharks (Carcharhinus spp.)
Crucially, tiger sharks accounted for at least 63% of the recorded bites during that month. What’s more, 28% of the October bites involved unidentified species, some of which may have also been tiger sharks, Meyer wrote in the study, which was published Jan. 6 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.”The October spike appears to be driven by tiger shark biology rather than changes in human ocean use,” Meyer told Live Science via email.
Tiger sharks typically reach 10 to 14 feet (3 to 4.3 meters) long and weigh more than 850 pounds (385 kilograms). They are named for the dark vertical stripes that younger ones have, and they are found throughout the world in temperate and tropical waters, especially around central Pacific islands.
Tiger shark numbers are highest in the waters off Hawaii during October according to ecotourism operators. This month is also when large, mature females move from islands in the northwest Pacific to areas close to the shores around the main Hawaiian Islands to give birth. The increased presence of large sharks is one crucial factor that could lead to more bites, Meyer said.
“The most plausible explanation is seasonal reproduction: a partial migration of large adult female tiger sharks associated with pupping season appears to increase their presence in nearshore waters used by humans,” Meyer said.
The other key factor is that giving birth is draining. Tiger sharks are ovoviviparous, which means their eggs hatch inside the mother’s body, and the embryos receive additional nutrition beyond what was in the egg’s yolk sac.The sharks also give birth to an average of about 30 pups after 15 to 16 months of gestation.
This means females, while pregnant and after they have given birth, are likely to need to actively forage to recover energy reserves, Meyer said. Other ecological factors may also contribute to the spike in bites, though, he added, such as seasonal increases in the availability of preferred prey, such as large reef fish. Attacks won’t be down to the mothers protecting their young, though — once born, tiger shark pups are independent and often stay in shallow areas to avoid being eaten by bigger sharks, including their mother.
The available information suggests an increase in unprovoked shark bites around Hawaii, said Daryl McPhee, an environmental scientist at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, who studies shark attacks but wasn’t involved in this study.
“Any seasonal behavioural change that can increase the potential overlap between large species of sharks such as tiger sharks, has the potential to increase the risk of a bite occurring,” he told Live Science via email, adding that regardless of the circumstances, the risk of a bite remains low.
Meyer also noted the overall risk of shark bites is extremely low. “The key implication is awareness, not alarm,” Meyer said. “Extra caution is advised during this month, particularly for high-risk, solo activities such as surfing or swimming in coastal areas.”
Although the October peak revealed in the study is specific to Hawaii and tiger sharks, there may be similar patterns elsewhere in the world, Meyer said. “When large coastal sharks show strong seasonal shifts in habitat use, bite risk can also become seasonal. Other regions and species may experience similar patterns, but the timing and drivers will vary depending on local ecology.”
Globally, three large coastal shark species account for most recorded unprovoked bites. These are great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger sharks and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), a type of requiem shark.
Bull sharks are thought to be behind a recent spate of bites near Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, with four events within 48 hours, and this period does roughly align with their southern hemisphere summer breeding period.
“Bull sharks along parts of the Australian east coast are more seasonally abundant nearshore and in rivers and estuaries during their reproductive period in the austral summer,” McPhee said.
However, other factors may have been more influential to the recent bites in Australia, including a combination of increased summer water use by people, environmental conditions such as storm runoff and reduced water clarity.
“There was a set of environmental conditions that concentrated bull sharks towards the mouth of Sydney Harbour and adjacent beaches,” McPhee said. “There was heavy rain in the catchment that would have flushed prey out and it made the water murky. Thus, prime conditions for bull sharks to feed in.”
Despite substantial variation in the number of bites across time and in different places, there is a general long-term trend of increasing shark bites, particularly on surfers, McPhee added. In New South Wales there were four recorded bites between 1980 and 1999, while 63 bites were recorded between 2000 and 2019.
Globally the picture is similar, according to data from the Florida Museum. In the 1970s, there were a total of 157 attacks, but that hit 500 in the 1990s and totalled 803 between 2010 and 2019.
Shark quiz
COURTESY HAWAII POLICE
Jas Dewitt McQuade Cox
A 32-year-old Puna man has been arrested and charged following the delivery of a parcel, which Hawaii island authorities said originally contained over 10 pounds of a crystal-like substance that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine.
Big Island police vice officers arrested Jas Dewitt McQuade Cox at a Hawaiian Paradise Park residence on Tuesday evening, according to Hawaii County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen.
Police said officers later obtained subsequent search warrants and recovered, a black Radical Arms model RF-15 multi-caliber rifle with a black cylindrical silencer and two magazines, a black-and-silver 9mm semiautomatic, an unserialized pistol (ghost gun), 9mm and .308 caliber ammunition, a glass smoking pipe and two zip packets and contents that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine, plus an operable digital scale.
Cox is charged with two counts each of attempted first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, two counts of prohibited ownership or possession of a firearm, possession of a ghost gun and silencer, and two counts of prohibited possession of ammunition.
The most serious offense, attempted first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, is a Class A felony offense that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Cox made his initial appearance in Hilo District Court on Friday. His request for a bail reduction was denied, and his bail was maintained at $360,000. He was ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. Cox remained in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
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