Aloha Neighbor,
We enter the Year of the Metal Ox— it portends to bring a period of calmness, harmony and peace (we need it after 2020!) The new year is predicted to be a year for emotional, spiritual and economic reconstruction. The energies look hopeful! Celebrate with the Hawaii Theater Center’s virtual performances and demonstrations safely in the comfort of home. Events include Chinese calligraphy, a dumpling demonstration and a Chinese music and opera performance. For more information, visit the Hawaii Theatre Center website.
Happy Valentine’s Day: Activities for families, lovebirds and singles
If you’re looking for safe ways to celebrate amid the coronavirus pandemic, here’s a list of happening events to get into the spirit of the holiday. For more info, click here.
Kakaako Pop-Up Art Opens in Kakaako: “AL♡HA” is illuminated at The BARN at SALT at Our Kakaako to encourage gratitude and aloha. Add your own sentiments of aloha to the art display by writing messages on “Share AL♡HA” postcards and hanging them on the fence to create a wall of love. This event is free and open to the public from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, click here.
Coming Monday: Presidents Day Holiday
Here’s the City and County of Honolulu holiday schedule to observe President’s Day on Monday, Feb. 15:
Operating: Emergency medical services, fire, lifeguard, medical examiner, and police
TheBus will operate on a Saturday schedule. Visit thebus.org for route and schedule information, and rider guidelines.
Operating: Refuse collection and transfer stations, convenience centers, H-POWER, and the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill. Visit opala.orgfor information.
Open: Parks and botanical gardens. Visit honolulu.gov/parks for park use guidelines.
Open: Municipal golf courses. Visit honolulu.gov/des/golf for revised play information.
Closed: Neal S. Blaisdell Center box office. Visit blaisdellcenter.com/ for information.
Closed: People’s Open Markets.
Closed: All satellite city halls and driver licensing centers.
The following traffic and parking regulations will be in effect:
Parking will be restricted in Lanikai over the three-day holiday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On-street parking will be free, except for the meters on Kalakaua Avenue along Queen Kapiolani Park, metered parking lots, and meters on specific Waikiki streets. View the list of Waikiki streets here.
COVID UPDATES
Presidential Executive Order for Mandatory Masks Effective February 15 – The Presidential Executive Order and new Centers for on public transportation. Effective Monday, February 15, 2021, the regulation states specific types of mask that are acceptable and those that are no longer acceptable to wear while riding public transit. To view the Executive Order, see here.
Vaccines available this weekend: Kaiser Permanente Clinic – Despite supply and demand concerns over the coronavirus vaccine, another mass vaccination clinic will take place this weekend. Kaiser Permanente says there is enough supply on hand for hundreds of appointments this week leading up to a vaccination event on Saturday at their Mapunapuna Medical Office. Doses will be administered to kupuna 75 years and older whether you’re a member of Kaiser or not but appointments are required. Kaiser members can click here to make an appointment. Non-Kaiser members should click here. Appointments can also be made via phone by calling 808-432-2000 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kaiser Permanente says so far, they’ve administered more than 24,000 doses of the vaccine.
Unemployment Insurance: Benefits on the Way – After a significant delay, the state Labor Department is close to distributing jobless benefits through the newly funded federal extended unemployment program. The Department announced that it has completed system updates for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program that was extended by the Continued Assistance Act (CAA). Payments will also include the additional $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) weekly benefit. The PEUC 11-week extension will begin to roll out on Feb. 16 with a phased implementation. Claimants saw payments stop in December, after the program was allowed to lapse, leaving thousands without benefits for more than a month. For more detailed information, click here.
Gov. Ige extends eviction moratorium 2 more months – The statewide moratorium on residential evictions would be extended for another two months in a COVID-19 emergency proclamation that Gov. David Ige plans to issue this week. For more info, click here.
Renew vehicle registrations at your local grocery store – Hoping to avoid public places and long lines at the DMV during the pandemic, many drivers have been using self-service kiosks at grocery stores. Self-service kiosks–these free-standing terminals– operate like ATMs and can be found at a handful of grocery stores on Oahu. The service allows drivers to renew and print vehicle registrations instantly. The city expanded its vehicle registration service to seven Safeway and Foodland supermarkets across Oahu, giving drivers more options to quickly register vehicles outside of city offices and normal business hours while maintaining 6 feet social distancing in public. For more information, click here.
C&C OF HONOLULU LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO SERVE
Neighborhood Board Election: Deadline for Candidate Registration – If you want to be a candidate in the 2021 Neighborhood Board Election you have until Friday, February 19 to register either online or by mail. To register online, visit www2.honolulu.gov/nbe. To register by mail, the 2021 Neighborhood Board Election Candidate Registration Form must be postmarked by February 19, 2021 and received by the Neighborhood Commission Office by February 26, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Any Oahu resident who will be at least 18 years of age by Friday, February 19, 2021 can become a registered candidate, including military personnel, military family members, and legal resident aliens. The 2021 Neighborhood Board Election will be held online. The website will be activated during the voting period which begins on April 26, 2021 and concludes on May 21, 2021. If you are unable to vote online, you can request a paper ballot by calling the Ballot Request Hotline at 768-3705 no later than 4:30 p.m. on May 11, 2021 with your full name, birthdate, and residential address. Returned ballots must be postmarked by May 21, 2021 and received by the NCO no later than May 28, 2021.
Honolulu Ocean Safety Hiring New Lifeguards – Do you know an avid water lover with the physical ability to potentially save lives? Honolulu Ocean Safety is looking to hire some new lifeguards. They’re holding lifeguard tryouts on Feb. 26 and 27 at Ala Moana Beach Park. Aspiring lifeguards must complete three physical tests including a 1,000-yard run and swim in under 25 minutes; a run-swim-run distance of 100 yards each in under 3 minutes; and a 400-yard rescue board paddle in under 4 minutes. Applicants must also have a High School diploma, or GED, and have enrolled in at least one prior medical emergency training class. For full details on the application, click here.
