• Senior ID cards issued tomorrow • Public-access TV meeting Wednesday • New dance classes to begin soon • Agencies honored at Republican bash • State has plan for responding to flu Senior ID cards issued tomorrow Leaders in the
• Senior ID cards issued tomorrow
• Public-access TV meeting Wednesday
• New dance classes to begin soon
• Agencies honored at Republican bash
• State has plan for responding to flu
Senior ID cards issued tomorrow
Leaders in the county Agency on Elderly Affairs in the offices of Community Assistance are hosting their monthly issuance of senior identification cards for seniors 60 years and older on Tuesday.
Cards will be issued from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the county Pi‘ikoi Building conference rooms (old Gem store), 4444 Rice St., in Lihu‘e.
The entrance is by the mall area of the building.
Seniors will be asked to complete forms in order to receive the cards.
The information on the forms is kept confidential, and is used by AEA officials to identify seniors who may qualify for benefits and services.
AEA staff members will be available to assist seniors in completing the forms.
Each individual will be asked to present proof of name, date of birth and Social Security number.
Senior identification cards are issued the first Tuesday of each month.
Call 241-4470 for more information.
Public-access TV meeting Wednesday
Members of the Community Television Producers Association contend in a press release that state officials are violating state law by not using the competitive- bid process to award contracts for public, education and government (PEG) access TV facilities in each county.
A public meeting to discuss the situation is Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the second floor of the State Building on the corner of Hardy and ‘Eiwa streets in Lihu‘e.
Over $5 million in state-mandated funds are available for video-production companies, and while leaders in the State Procurement Office have rules in place to prevent unfair, competitive practices, such as allowing sole-source designation to private, nonprofit corporations, officials in the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs have been violating these laws by granting sole-source contracts for PEG access facilities including Ho‘ike Kaua‘i Community Television, Inc., on Rice Street in Lihu‘e, according to the release.
Producers are encouraging members of the public to attend the meeting and tell state officials not to allow sole-source designations to Ho‘ike leaders and others.
“The position of CTPA is that DCCA shall comply with state procurement law and use the competitive-bid process to procure public-access television services,” and open up the process to competitive bidding or requests for proposals, the press release states.
Feb. 24 is the deadline for submitting written testimony.
Submissions may be e-mailed to DCCA officials at cabletv@dcca.hawaii.gov, faxed toll-free to 274-3141, then 6-2825# after the recorded message, or mailed to Cable Television Division, DCCA, P.O. Box 541, Honolulu, HI 96809.
The DCCA Web site is www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/catv/main/press_releases/.
New dance classes to begin soon
Tiffany Dodge of the Aloha Dance Studio announced that a new series of classes at her studio in Kukui Grove Village West, across ‘Ulu Maika Street from The Home Depot, is beginning soon.
Enrollment is open now for hip hop, tap, jazz, ballet, pointe and flamenco classes, for those ages 3 to adult.
For more information, call 245-1810, or see the Web site, www.alohadancestudio.com.
Agencies honored at Republican bash
Governor Linda Lingle and Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste are scheduled to honor representatives of Kauai Economic Opportunity, Inc., and the Kauai Food Bank, at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Marriott Beach Club & Resort in Lihu‘e.
The elected officials will present the awards to the nonprofit agency representatives, members of the Kauai United Way, for their outstanding commitment to the people of Kaua‘i, according to a press release.
There will be a prime-rib buffet, and dinner show featuring Anahola resident Keli‘i Kaneali‘i, formerly of the Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning group Hapa, along with Healani Youn, the 1985 Miss Aloha Hula at the Merrie Monarch hula festival in Hilo on the Big Island.
Tickets are available from Ron Agor, 651-5764 or 245-4550, or Mitzi Swift, 826-5579.
State has plan for responding to flu
State Department of Health officials said in a press release that they have finalized Hawai‘i’s Pandemic Flu Preparedness & Response Plan.
The plan is intended to assist partner agencies within the state and county, and the private sector with the coordination and integration of resources required to respond to an influenza pandemic.
The plan is available for viewing on the Department of Health’s Web site at: www.hawaii.gov/health.
“We now have a plan, but implementation is and will be a critical step,” said Health Director Chyome Fukino, M.D.
“Success will depend upon the Department of Health and partner agencies working together to educate people on how to prepare and protect themselves and others against flu and other infectious diseases in the event of a public health emergency in Hawai`i.
Hawai`i’s Pandemic Flu Preparedness & Response Plan will also help facilitate statewide emergency preparations and is a major step in Hawai`i’s response to the possibility of an influenza pandemic.
Last week, as part of President Bush’s plan to mobilize the nation to prepare for an influenza pandemic, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced state and local preparedness funding in the amount of $100 million, of which the State of Hawaii is to receive $803,669.
The focus of the state plan is on practical, community-based procedures that could prevent or delay the spread of pandemic influenza and help to reduce the burden of illness communities would content with during and outbreak.
