JOIN US IN TAKING BACK OUR STREETS—CITIZEN PATROLS
Old and new groups patrol our neighborhoods with our HPD officers. Join us! (From left to right: Waikiki-East, Waikiki-Eaton Square, Kakaako Citizen Patrols)
Citizen Patrols Are Growing in Our District – Mahalo to HPD for Organizing Our Community Policing
Kakaako patrol meets on Mondays at 5:45pm at Mother Waldron Park
Waikiki Eaton Square meets on Tuesdays at 6:15pm in front of Eaton Square on Hobron Lane
Waikiki East Citizen Patrol meets on Thursdays at 4:30pm at the big banyan tree on Kalakaua at the Uluniu intersection
Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor Citizen Patrol meets on Thursdays at 7:00 pm at the grassy area between the Harbormasters office and the 500 row
Mahalo to HPD District 6 Officers Virardi, Yamamoto and newest officer Moses for leading our Waikiki Citizen Patrols! All neighbors welcome to join us! For more information on the Waikiki and Ala Wai Small Harbor patrols, please contact Officer Stephanie Virardi at 808-723-3349 or svirardi@honolulu.gov. For the Kakaako patrol, please contact Louise Black at louise.leilehua@gmail.com.
Updated Behavioral Health Dashboard: Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Homeless
Want to know the status of our state’s behavioral health? The newly updated Department of Health/UH dashboard will give you key information and statistics on substance use, homelessness and mental health in Hawaii and comparisons with national indicators. Other data on the dashboard are statistics on inpatient stays and drug prescriptions, homeless numbers and mental health emergency calls. The dashboard also contains information about Hawaii CARES, the state’s 24/7 help line for crisis support, referral to treatment for mental health and substance use, and COVID-19 isolation/quarantine services. If you or anyone you know needs support, please call 808-832-3100 on Oahu or toll-free 1-800-753-6879. Click here to view the dashboard.
TRAVEL
DOT Advises Travelers to be Prepared for the Busy, 3-Day Holiday Weekend
The first holiday weekend since reopening inter-island travel to vaccinated residents is coming up so if you are planning to travel to the neighbor islands, make sure you have their documents ready to go. The state is allowing Hawaii residents to bypass the mandatory quarantine or pre-test to travel inter-island. See the Governor’s update on interisland travel,
Airport officials advise that travelers get to the airport 90 minutes before their departure time, whether they are vaccinated, took a pre-travel test, or plan to quarantine. Travelers to the mainland are advised to be at the airport earlier and especially make sure documents like QR codes and vaccination cards are printed on paper before getting to the airport.
KEIKI FUNDING RELIEF
Federal Child Tax Relief
The federal child tax credit from the Federal Government has the potential to help 278,000 children in Hawaii who could receive monthly payments of at least $250 throughout the last half of this year. Beginning in July, most families with children who have filed taxes and earn below a certain income threshold will start receiving monthly deposits in their bank accounts. This expansion will help many of our keiki out of poverty. For more details and additional resources, click here.
Alice’s Kids Charity provides assistance to keiki from low-income households
Alice’s Kids, a charity which helps thousands of children pay for clothing, shoes, musical instruments, sports equipment, school fees, etc., is offering financial assistance to keiki in low-income households. The program accepts requests for help from a “trusted network of teachers, coaches, religious leaders, and social workers,” granting each child an average of $125. Requests are fulfilled within 24-hours in the form an electronic gift card or check send to the adult who requested assistance. For more information and details on where to go to submit a request, click here or you can contact them directly at contact@aliceskids.org or call (703)746-8108.
UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE
Requirements for fully unemployment claimants changing
Because the economy is starting to recover and vaccines are increasing our immunity, the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations is encouraging jobless Hawaii residents to return to work, requiring fully unemployed claimants to start searching for work and logging on the “Record of Contacts Made for Work (ROC)” form at least three times a week, starting Sunday, May 30, 2021. Click here for the form.
This requirement does not apply to claimants who are partially unemployed, still tied to their full-time employer in some way, or are in the PUA program. Two programs that deter claimants from skirting the UI system– the Reemployment Services & Eligibility Assessment program (RESEA) and DLIR’s internal, federally regulated audit section. Claimants are randomly selected, and their ROC form is documented. Claimants should know that:
Employers can report claimants who refuse to work and are collecting unemployment benefits to the UI Division. For the website employer portal, click here
Most adjudication issues currently involve claimants voluntarily leaving the employers, misconduct, and overpayment issues.
Claimants who are unable to work because they are caring for a child due to COVID-19 circumstances will not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits; they will qualify under PUA.
The following programs will continue: PEUC, PUA, and the $300 weekly plus-up.
Hawaii’s current unemployment rate is 8.5% while the national average is 6.1%.
DISTRICT HAPPENINGS
Waikiki Galleria Tower Getting New Owners
Hawaii investors led by BlackSand Capital are buying the Waikiki Galleria Tower on Kalakaua Avenue. Its former owner DFS Group closed this luxury retail store last year. The building includes the 75,000-square-foot two-story retail podium, topped by parking and 86,000 square feet of office space.
The sands of Waikiki Beach are restored ahead of schedule
The Waikiki Beach Maintenance project restored the sands to Waikiki Beach, doubling the beach width on most sections of the Royal Hawaiian Beach between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Kuhio Beach Park—and completed three weeks ahead of schedule! The 12-hour-long working periods of hauling and replacing sand allowed for the project to be completed just in time for summer. For before and after photos of the shoreline, click here.
Ala Moana Center Offering Gift Cards to Customers Who Shop Local
Ala Moana Center is offering an incentive for customers who shop local: if you spend $100 or more at one of its local stores or restaurants you can receive a $25 Ala Moana Center gift card while supplies lasts. The promotion runs through May 31 and is valid at more than 100 participating tenants (applies to purchases made on weekdays only). To see the list of stores and more information on the promotion, click here.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board: May 25, 6:30pm
To participate and/or to submit testimony, click here for the agenda.
Discussion will include the following:
Bus Route Changes
Biki Bike Update
Ala Moana Transit Oriented Development Plan
Kamehameha Schools “Kaiāulu o Kaka‘ako” Master Plan
Honolulu bicycle sharing program
Status of Pensacola bike lane and parking during peak periods
Status of H-1 Piikoi on-ramp PM peak period closure
The board meetings can be viewed on ʻŌlelo 49 on the first and third Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., and every second Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Click here for the full schedule, or for archived videos, click here.
OahuMPO Meeting: May 25, 1:00pm
The Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OahuMPO) will be holding its policy board meeting on Tuesday, May 25 at 1:00pm. For the link to the agenda, click here. For general information about OahuMPO, projects, resources, and more, click here.
Storm Water Workshops: May 27 & June 7
The City and County Department of Facilities Maintenance is holding virtual workshops on the development of a comprehensive Storm Water Master Plan. Primary Urban Center workshops will be held on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 12:00 noon and Monday, June 7, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. For meeting registration and information, click here.
THIS WEEKEND
2021 Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaii: Starting May 21, 5:00pm-9:00pm
On the grounds of the Shinnyo-en temple in Honolulu, a large-scale lantern will be installed as a space for reflection. Designed by artist Hide Tsutsui, the lantern will be adorned with a silhouette of a kukui tree, symbolizing light, hope and renewal. Participants will be able to write and hang prayers and messages on the trees. Those who can’t visit the temple in person may send in their remembrances online. Tributes received between April 12 and June 4 may be included as part of the art installation. The exhibit runs from May 21 to June 5 at the Shinnyo-En Hawaii Buddhist Temple, 2348 S Beretania St., Honolulu. Reservations for the exhibit can be made on the website here. On Memorial Day, a 30-minute TV program will air on KGMB at 6:30pm, called Share Your Light – A Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaii Special. For more info., call 808-947-2814.
Young Artists of Hawaii Exhibit: Starting May 21, 10:00am-4:00pm
Experience Hawaii through award-winning student artwork! Free admission. Young Artists of Hawaii is an annual student art competition and exhibition. This year’s theme is “My Culture, My Family, and Me.” The State Foundation on Culture & the Arts and the Hawaii Tourism Authority sponsor the program recognizing the creative excellence among Hawaii’s public and private school students, kindergarten through the 6th grade. A panel of judges select 96 works for the exhibition displayed at the Hawaii State Art Museum on the 2d floor at 250 South Hotel Street in downtown Honolulu, from May 21 to June 25, daily from 10am-4pm. Replicas of the artworks are also displayed at the Hawaii Convention Center for one year (May 2021 – March 2022), in the Pa Kamalii Courtyard on the third floor. For more info, contact Kamakani Konia at 808-586-0900 or email hawaiisfca@hawaii.gov
Kenny Endo & Taiko Center of the Pacific: May 22, 6:30pm-8:30pm
The Taiko Arts Center presents “Ame – Tears of the Earth,” a virtual live-stream concert in response to the 9/11 tragedy, broadcast from the Hawaii Theatre, 1130 Bethel Street in Honolulu, on Saturday May 22, 2021 at 6:30 pm. Featured artists include: master taiko artist Kenny Endo, Taiko Center of the Pacific (Performing Ensemble, and the Youth Group), and special guests: Peter Rockford Espiritu & Tau Dance Theater (hula and contemporary dance), Todd Yukumoto (saxophone, flute), Abe Lagrimas Jr. (ukulele, vibes, drum set), and Nawahine Lanzilotti (cello, voice). For more info, call 528-0506.
(Virtual) Special Olympics Hawaii’s Paradise Plunge Fundraiser: Starting May 21
This socially-distanced event allows participants to safely support local athletes by sharing a video or photo of yourself performing any type of water activity – such as beach bodyboarding, surfing, or taking the plunge in a swimming pool. The Paradise Plunge is open to individuals, families and student groups, and anyone else who wants to take the plunge to support Special Olympics Hawaii athletes. Plungers are asked to send photos or a 60-second, horizontal video clip of themselves performing their “Paradise Plunge” using www.wetransfer.com to development@sohawaii.org. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 11. Register here. For more info, call 808-783-8395 or email chantel.crystalclearhi@gmail.com
