Pandemic homelessness is on the rise, among household pets as well. Animals adopted when stay-at-home orders were in effect are being brought back to humane societies nationally at a greater rate than normal with people heading back to the office, or perhaps due to human financial hardship, as well.

This week the Maui Humane Society joined those reporting a need for adoptive families for their at-capacity pet population (mauihumanesociety.org). Societies statewide could use help, too.

Tobacco trust fund gets a reprieve

It looks like the Hawaii Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund — which funds a range of tobacco prevention, smoking cessation and anti-vaping initiatives — will survive to continue its important mission. The governor intends to veto House Bill 1296, which would have dissolved the trust.

State legislators were looking to use the trust’s $50 million-plus to help fill a huge state budget hole predicted earlier this year. But thanks to a much-rosier revenue forecast now fueled by Hawaii’s surging recovery, the critical budget shortfall seems to have, well, gone up in smoke. For now, at least.