The rapid, deep, and sweeping cuts to the federal workforce being carried out by the Trump Administration are hard to keep up with, and it’s even harder to understand their impacts on all of our lives and our environment.

Word of funding and job cuts are slow to be made public.

Here are two things I’ve heard in the past 12 hours.

1) A longstanding program in the State Judiciary to educate middle-and-high school students about the history, meaning, and importance of the U.S. Constitution and their constitutional rights has been unfunded. The curriculum used dates back to the administration of President Ronald Reagan, and thousands of Hawaii students have benefited over the years. Although Donald Trump took an oath to uphold the constitution, his administration is pulling the plug on this and other programs that educate students and the general public about that same constitution.

2) At least a dozen biologists working to protect Hawaii’s endangered species and habitats were fired this week from their jobs with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The number is likely higher, as the Fish and Wildlife Service works to protect endangered species throughout the Pacific area. So although Hawaii is considered the endangered species capitol of the world due to its high number of endangered and threatened species relative to the small land area, the Trump Administration and Elon Musk have now eliminated the programs and staff working in related programs. These aren’t federal bureaucrats sitting behind desks somewhere. These are biologists working in the field.

These programs were cut and jobs eliminated without prior review, opportunity for comment, or consideration of the impacts they will have.

These are just two out of what must be hundreds of programs being unfunded in Hawaii and people losing their jobs across the state.

We need to be telling their stories.

Please, when you hear of other cuts, please leave a comment here.

You can also contact me via encrypted Proton mail, ilind600@proton.me.

When Waialae Stream was overflowing its banks and flooding the beach park early Saturday morning, I phoned friends who live nearby to warn them of the rising water in the stream that could eventually cause problems for them. They knew from past experience that flooding usually occurs when sand has built up and blocks the stream from flowing directly into the ocean.

They later sent this message.

Thanks for calling this morning. We ended up calling the Dept of Emergency Management and they were closed. So we called 911 which insisted that we choose Fire Police or Ambulance. I said flood and she insisted, so I said police. Police said it wasn’t something they could help with and suggested fire. So I talked to fire and they were nice but said they would call Dept of Emergency Management. Well meaning but not really helpful.

By then the level had stopped rising, but I would really like to know exactly whom we should have called. Do you have any ideas?

I’m at a loss. Any suggestions?