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Decree 250-2026, published in the official gazette on October 16, entered into force authorizing the Finance Ministry to allocate up to 11 million lempiras (about $440,000) to subsidize electricity rates for residents of Utila, Bay Islands, through local utility UPCO.

The government will temporarily absorb a 33.5% increase in Utila's average electricity rate, which rose from L 11.20 to L 14.95 per kilowatt-hour, to prevent the hike from reaching residents and businesses.

Joselin Mejía, 18, from the island of Utila died at Regional Atlántida Hospital from severe dengue after arriving in shock with critically low blood pressure; another island resident remains hospitalized.

The electricity rate in Utila, Bay Islands, will rise from L11.20 to L14.95 per kilowatt-hour on October 1, a 33.5% increase that residents say will strain household budgets; a public assembly is planned for Tuesday to address concerns.

The first swamper iguanas (Ctenosaura bakeri) of the 2026 breeding season have hatched on Utila, advancing conservation efforts for the critically endangered species found only in the island's mangroves; hatchlings will be reared at a research station before reintroduction to the wild.