Good morning, Honolulu.

After the joint state and city food drive ended Tuesday, a convoy of state and city vehicles—escorted by the Honolulu Police Department—delivered a truck loaded with thousands of pounds of food donations from Honolulu Hale to the Hawaii Foodbank warehouse.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released data on May 12th showing that residential customers in Hawaii and Connecticut paid over $200 per month in 2024—more than twice what customers in New Mexico and Utah paid.

The report noted that the nationwide average bill was $144 as electricity prices rose to 16.5 cents per kilowatt-hour and consumption increased by 2% from 2023.

Honolulu and state education officials asked drivers to plan ahead as more than 11,000 students will graduate from 46 public high school ceremonies over the next several weeks — 25 of those events will take place on Oahu.

They advised that traffic may be heavy near key venues and urged the use of public transit to ease congestion.

NOAA officials reported that four rehabilitated Hawaiian monk seals were returned to the wild after treatment at Ke Kai Ola; two malnourished pups from Papahanaumokuakea were released this month while an injured pup from Oahu and a juvenile male from Maui were returned in April and January, respectively — officials said these interventions are part of efforts to recover the endangered species.

Foster Botanical Garden will celebrate 50 years of its Exceptional Tree Program on Saturday morning, May 31 with free admission from 9:30 a.m. to noon — including a presentation, guided tour and workshop for tree nominations.

The Honolulu Police Department kicked off National Police Week (May 11–17) with a proclamation ceremony at Kahala Mall attended by Mayor Rick Blangiardi and city officials.

A remembrance walk and candlelight vigil are planned to honor fallen officers, and a public service and awards ceremony is scheduled today at 10:30 a.m. at Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

Consolidated Water’s subsidiary Kalaeloa Desalco LLC reached a major milestone when the Honolulu Board of Water Supply approved pilot test reports that showed the desalinated water matched the current supply—construction will begin after permits are obtained and is expected to boost revenue in 2026 and 2027.

UH baseball defeated Cal State Fullerton 10-2 Sunday at Goodwin Field when reserve outfielder Kamana Nahaku hit a pinch-hit homer and three relievers, including Liam O’Brien who pitched 3⅓ scoreless innings, helped control the game—this win improved UH’s overall record and moved them into a tie for fourth in the Big West.