Tag: hawaii state,oahu,honolulu,senator district 12,sharon moriwaki

  • DOH Data, Jobs, Labor Day happenings

    DOH Data, Jobs, Labor Day happenings
    With the concerns about schools reopening, parents of the 350 Jefferson Elementary School students can be assured that the teachers, staff and classrooms are ready when their keiki return to school.   Principal Garret Zakahi has rooms ready, supplies and equipment on hand, and made sure that everyone –students and teachers are trained from remote to in-class learning.  Above: Principal Zakahi and his staff accepted donations of 1,000 child and 1,000 adult facemasks for students, teachers and staff from Adrian Tam and Senator Moriwaki.

    Aloha Neighbor,

    On Monday, our nation celebrates Labor Day to honor and pay tribute to our nation’s workers.  A creation of the labor movement, it is a day to celebrate those who have contributed to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. While many are yet unemployed, we celebrate them and hope for their speedy return to work.   Enjoy the Labor Day weekend but this Labor Day needs to be celebrated differently – with no social gatherings, strict social distancing in public and private places, and celebrating only with your own household members.  We understand that HPD will enforce the Mayor’s latest order: “Indoor and outdoor social gatherings of any type and any number of people are prohibited.”

    KNOW MORE ABOUT THE VIRUS AND SPREAD: DOH is posting new data to help you
    Good News! We’ve been asking DOH for some time to share more data with the public on testing, contact tracing, and location of outbreaks. Not all of it will be up, but it is on the way!  Eddie Mersereau, DOH Deputy Director of Behavioral Health Sciences leads a team to collect and post real-time (as much as possible) data on a dashboard at the DOH website.  He and partners– Dr. Janet Berremann, Kauai District Health Officer, Dr. Victoria Fan, UH School of Social Work, and MG Kenneth Hara, HIEMA Incident Commander — shared promising developments. You can see daily updates at:  https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/.  It’s a work in progress but it already includes data on: prevention and detection (number wearing masks, turnaround time in testing, type and number of inbound travelers); current situation (new, active and cumulative cases, number of PPE in stock and distributed); and treatment and outcomes (capacity and use of hospital beds, ventilators, quarantine/isolation facilities, fatalities) and much more.  Stay tuned!

    WANT TO SERVE THE HOMELESS?  The Institute of Human Services (IHS) needs YOU!
    Like helping people? Want to help the homeless? Need a job?  If you answered “yes” to all 3 questions,  contact IHS now!  A little customer service and a big heart are all you need to apply for over 50 available positions.  The State’s largest homeless service provider received $1 million in federal CARES money to hire entry level and administrative staff, 20 new case managers, plus two dozen frontline staff to work in shelters and outreach to the homeless.  If interested, check out the IHS job openings list and apply here.

    LABOR DAY HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
    City and County of Honolulu offices across Oahu will close Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day.

    The holiday schedule for the City and County of Honolulu operations:

    • Emergency medical services, fire, lifeguard, medical examiner, and police services will be available.
    • TheBus will operate on a modified state holiday schedule. Please visit thebus.org for route and schedule information, and rider guidelines.
    • Refuse will be collected. Transfer stations, convenience centers, H-POWER, and the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill will be open. Please visit opala.org for information.
    • Remaining closed to comply with Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s emergency stay-at-home, work-at-home orders are: all parks; municipal golf courses; botanical gardens; the Honolulu Zoo; Neal S. Blaisdell Center; People Open Markets; Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and Koko Head Shooting Complex; as well as satellite city halls and driver licensing centers.

    Traffic and parking regulations in effect:

    • As part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, no parking will be allowed on all streets and shoulders in Lanikai, 24 hours a day weekly until further notice.
    • 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.Traffic lanes will not be coned for contraflow.

    Satellite City Hall Offices are closed but some services continue:
    Services continue for bus passes, handicap placards, driver license renewals, and other needs during the stay-at-home order, which will last through at least Sept. 9.

    • Disability Parking Placard: click here
    • Bus Pass:  Sales locations: TheBus Pass Office at Kalihi Transit Center, 7-Eleven, Foodland, and Times Supermarkets. Bus pass sales are final, and the validity of a September bus pass will not be extended, even if service is disrupted. For more info, click here.
    • For more operational changes to Satellite City Hall services, click here.

    OTHER HAPPENINGS DURING THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND

    • OKINAWAN FESTIVAL —Bon Dance is still on! With a virtual twist, you’ve got a front-row seat to festival livestreaming of cultural dancing, singing and interviews. Get into the spirit for this 3-day weekend!  Schedule below:
    • Saturday (9/5) AND Sunday (9/6), 2pm – Festival livestreaming.
    • Saturday night (9/5), 7pm – Virtual Bon Dance begins.

    Join live on YouTube and Facebook. Get into the Spirit

    • SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY’S LOCAL BUSINESSES —SALT at Our Kakaako provides a merchant update for the month.  Go to their website for the most recent store hours, takeout, and delivery service updates.
    • VIRTUAL VENTURES GAIN POPULARITY AT LANAKILA SENIOR CENTER —How are 200 senior citizens having so much fun during the pandemic? Seniors are zooming for a cooking class, an American Sign Language course, lessons in hula, ukulele, tai chi, stretching and toning—these are gratifying interests to look forward to, and a healthy way to fill the day. There’s no charge to join. If you are 60 or older, sign up by calling 847-1322 or email: suzanne.oakland@catholiccharitieshawaii.org

    Take care & stay safe!

  • UI update, Rapid testing, Jobs, Ala Wai flood risk

    UI update, Rapid testing, Jobs, Ala Wai flood risk

    Aloha Neighbor,

    COMMEMORATE THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAPAN’S FORMAL SURRENDER ENDING WORLD WAR II
    Today (9/2) marks the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender formally ending World War II— signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The “Mighty Mo” — a major attraction — now rests at anchor in Pearl Harbor. Today’s ceremony at Pearl honored the 16 million Americans who fought in the war to preserve freedom and democracy for us all, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Out of that triumph came lasting peace between the U.S. and Japan; an enduring alliance still strongly felt in Hawaii

    Formal surrender of Japan on the Battleship USS Missouri deck ending WWII–September 2, 1945

    A new documentary, “Apocalypse ’45,” chronicles the war in the Pacific that ultimately led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. Director Erik Nelson intends to immerse the viewer in the war experience of the harrowing final year of the war pulling from thousands of archival reels that were filmed in color—some never seen before.  Told through the voices of 24 veterans, including Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams, “Apocalypse ’45” brings into focus the horrors of war while serving as a tribute to veterans and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom today.  Watch the trailer here.  If you want to watch the entire 1 hr 44 minute film, you can watch it online here for $12.

    UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE UPDATE: Additional Benefits & More Help
    The Senate Covid Committee met today (9/2) with Anne Perreira-Eustaquio, Acting Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, who brought some good news for the unemployed:

    • Additional $300/week for four weeks (for eligible claimants).  The state has been approved for “Assistance Program for Lost Wages” under the Presidential Memorandum, paying benefits backdated to August 1 to eligible claimants (must be receiving $100/week or more and must self-certify that unemployment is due to COVID-19).  Go to the UI website that will give you instructions on how to apply, using your current account number: https://labor.hawaii.gov/ui/
    • UI calling claimants with pending claims. Additional staff are being hired and volunteers coming on board to address pending claims.  Staff will be calling claimants so the Labor Director urges claimants to answer the phone call. Staff will leave messages or try to email but the fastest way to get the problem addressed and claims processed is to answer the call.
    • Virtual Call Center on the way. Currently staff are working Monday through Sunday to answer calls but cannot keep up with thousands of claimants. The department will soon have a virtual call center that will be able to provide assistance more quickly.

    EXCITING POSSIBILITIES: A New “Made In Hawaii” Rapid COVID-19 Test
    The committee also heard from Dr. Patrick Sullivan, Oceanit CEO, on its ASSURE-19 test currently being tested.  So far it shows promise as a test with high sensitivity and specificity and the speed of results (within 10 minutes) and cost( $5-20/test depending on production volume).  Very easy to use, just collect your saliva and, like a pregnancy test, the test kit provides results; and is used for 5 days when virus is active.  All they need is $10 million to produce 400,000 test kits.  The committee sees this as a new local industry to diversify our economy.  Let’s hope the department of health and Governor (and/or Mayors) can provide the funding support needed to test the test to control the virus.  See Wednesday’s presentations by Director Perreira-Eustaquio and Dr.Sullivan when it becomes available here or notes from the meeting when available here.

    LOOKING FOR A JOB? CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HAWAII LAUNCHES NEW JOB SITE
    The Chamber launched HawaiiIsHiring.com  –a one-stop online resource– to connect job-seekers to a portal of more than 16,500 jobs, plus training programs and educational opportunities.  Job-seekers can find a job, bridge to a promising new career, enroll in short-term certificate programs, and/or sign on to earn-and-learn apprenticeships and internships, etc.

    HOT OFF THE PRESS: Council’s Report on the Ala Wai Canal Flood Risk Management Project
    The City Council’s Permitted Interaction Group (PIG) responded to community concerns about the Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed flood risk mitigation design for the Ala Wai Watershed by investigating and exploring alternatives to minimize impacts to the area. The PIG obtained assistance of Oceanit’s engineering team. The report proposes a Subsurface Watershed Inundation Flow Technology design in its report here.  The report will be considered for adoption at the City Council’s Special Council meeting on September 9. If you have questions, contact PIG council members Ann Kobayashi, Carol Fukunaga and/or Tommy Waters.

    Take care & stay safe!