The state’s budgetary push-and-pull dislodges all kinds of nest eggs. In one legislative briefing Wednesday, out came a $6 million special fund earmarked for future repair and maintenance of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

That got the Senate money committee chairwoman asking UH some tough questions, especially since the financially ill center is seeking a recurring $5 million yearly allotment to help sustain operations. Turns out the special fund, created as a requirement of revenue bonds used to build the center, is intended for future repairs — and since the center is fairly new, the funds have yet to be tapped. That’s the bright side.

The less-clear side: Whether some of those reserves should — could — be tapped now to defray the center’s current money woes. Let the legislative games begin.

Lingle returns to boost Hawaii Republicans

She’s back. Well, sort of.

Hawaii’s most prominent Republican, former Gov. Linda Lingle, sang the praises of Donald Trump at a pre-inauguration party for Hawaii Republicans in Kaneohe on Wednesday.

Lingle, the former chief operating officer for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois, resigned that position in July. She said she will move back to Hawaii in April, but has no plans to seek office again.

But could Lingle help other candidates revitalize the flagging fortunes of the GOP in Hawaii? Perhaps. As Barack Obama might say, don’t underestimate the audacity of hope. Stay tuned.