Report: Cities boost policies to criminalize homelessness
HONOLULU (AP) — A new report says cities nationwide are enacting more policies that criminalize homelessness.
The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty said Tuesday many cities banned living in vehicles, camping in public areas and panhandling.
The center says policies that criminalize homelessness harm communities because they create barriers to employment, housing and education.
Honolulu is among a handful of cities named in the report’s “hall of shame” for what the authors call bad policies. The report says Honolulu issued more than 16,000 warnings to people violating its sit-lie ban since it was enacted in Waikiki in 2014.
Honolulu officials say the ban is necessary so people can safely use public sidewalks and because tourists and residents complained.
Denver, Dallas and Puyallup, Wash., also were criticized for criminalizing policies.
State trying to use Olympic surfing to attract tourists
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii is trying to bring in more tourists by taking advantage of surfing’s elevation to Olympic sport status.
Surfing will be an official sport in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority usually spends most of its $9.1 million sports budget on land-based events, but will start to focus on surfing and water sports as the games approach, according to Leslie Dance, the agency’s vice president for marketing and product development.
The agency is working with New York-based Ascendent Sports Group to develop sports marketing for 2017-18. Ascendent has a $200,000 contract with HTA.
HTA’s marketing contractor, Hawaii Tourism Japan, also will ask Japan’s Olympic Committee to allow surfing to be highlighted in the opening ceremony.
Guam preps events to welcome possible next archbishop
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam is preparing a series of events later this month to welcome the man who could become its next archbishop.
Byrnes, 58, will have the right to succeed current Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron — who faces a trial in Rome for multiple allegations of sex abuse of altar boys in the 1970s — if he resigns, retires or is removed. Byrnes was auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit before Pope Francis appointed him to the Guam post.
Byrnes will spend his first day on the island with Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai and the clergy in a day of recollection and private Mass. The archdiocese said he will also meet with local religious men’s and women’s groups.
Island residents will have the opportunity to see and hear Byrnes during a Nov. 30 evening Mass.
Byrnes will also meet with representatives of all parishes, Catholic schools, Catholic institutions, and other lay ministries.
