Latest news with #DepartmentofHumanResources
Sharjah 24
27-05-2025
- Business
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah HR holds dialogue on building workplace success
Enhancing productivity through self-development The session addressed key themes around developing capacities within professional environments, distinguishing between personal and professional growth, and explaining how both are essential for success. It also explored how self-improvement positively impacts productivity, performance, and adaptability in the face of evolving technologies and workplace dynamics. Practical insights and leadership vision Real-life examples were shared to demonstrate how capacity development fuels career growth, while the importance of training programmes in helping employees keep pace with emerging requirements was emphasised. His Excellency Abdullah Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Executive Council and Chairman of the Department of Human Resources, stressed that personal and professional development are fundamental to creating a workforce ready to navigate the fast-changing business environment. This session is part of the ongoing 'Visions for Sustainable Leadership' series launched last year by the department. The initiative reflects the emirate's commitment to excellence in human capital development, institutional performance, and fostering innovation in government work.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HTA personnel woes put $100M Hawai‘i Convention Center project at risk
The planned closure of the Hawai 'i Convention Center in 2026 and 2027 for $100 million worth of repairs could extend even longer, putting the state at risk of losing even more millions of dollars in group tourism bookings if a new project manager is not promptly found. Isaac Choy, HTA vice president of finance and acting chief administrative officer, who had been managing the project, was put on unpaid leave May 9 at the direction of the state Department of the Attorney General and the Department of Human Resources amid allegations he made racist and sexist remarks on the job. Choy, a former state tax director and lawmaker who was elected to five terms in the House of Representatives serving the Manoa district from 2008 through 2018, joined HTA in 2023. He has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them false and retaliatory. He said in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the Department of the Attorney General has acknowledged him as a 'whistleblower ' who was working with the department, staff, other public bodies and the Legislature to report and resolve violations or suspected violations of law, rule or regulations and contracts executed by HTA. When queried about the attorney general's involvement or Choy's designation as a whistleblower, Toni Schwartz, spokesperson for the Department of the Attorney General, said in an email that the department 'will not make statements on the existence or status of possible pending investigations.' Teri Orton, Hawai 'i Convention Center general manager, asked members of the HTA Budget, Finance and Convention Center Standing Committee during a meeting Wednesday to find a way to put Choy back on the project, perhaps as a contractor, since the center is well into the planning phase to repair a leaky rooftop terrace deck and address other deferred maintenance such as the center's elevators. Orton told committee members the center already has relocated six of its largest citywide events in 2026 and 12 in 2027. The economic loss alone from Rotary International Convention, which Honolulu had planned to host June 5-9, 2027, is estimated at more than $35 million based on estimates from Rotary's 2020 convention, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We are pressed to start and finish this construction project within that time frame. We absolutely cannot let this project run behind schedule into 2028 because it will mean we will have to relocate additional business (and ) we have put out our word on the line, ' Orton said. 'This is a sense of urgency and a plea to everyone in this committee that we find someone to spearhead this project, ' she said. 'We are so late in the game in the planning process for this project that to bring anyone in at this point other than Isaac is going to be a huge undertaking in bringing this person up to speed. We have $100 million in projects in two years.' Caroline Anderson, HTA director of planning and interim HTA president and CEO, told the Star-Advertiser on Friday that the agency had sent the state Department of Accounting and General Services a request for proposals and the current contracts to review. 'I am meeting with them next week to get their assistance. They know how important this project is for the state, ' Anderson said. James Kunane Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, estimated at the HTA Budget, Finance and Convention Center committee meeting Wednesday that it would cost more than $561, 000 to hire outside professional services if other state agencies cannot provide a project manager to take over Choy's duties at the center. One reason HTA is having difficulty finding a project manager from within its staff is that the agency has multiple vacancies, and many HTA staff members including Anderson already are working multiple jobs or do not have the necessary skills to oversee a large-scale construction project. To be sure, State Sen. Kurt Fevella (R, Ewa Beach ), HTA contractors, former HTA employees and some board members alleged in a May 4 that HTA and DBEDT failed to respond promptly to complaints about a hostile work environment, including alleged racist and sexist comments, that they claim contributed to the recent resignations of five Native Hawaiian members of HTA's leadership team. First 90 days The convention center threat is just the latest challenge Anderson has had to steer HTA through as she embarks on a 90-day action plan to shore up the state's top tourism agency following its latest major leadership scramble. Daniel Naho 'opi 'i, HTA's last interim president and CEO, abruptly resigned March 21 after just 18 months on the job. His resignation letter to the HTA board characterized the work environment as 'toxic ' and fraught with power struggles. Anderson is working closely with HTA Board Chair Todd Apo, who assumed the role March 27. Apo replaced Mufi Hanne mann, who stayed on the HTA board but resigned as chair following blowback from a recent state financial audit. Anderson told the HTA board during a May 1 meeting that she plans in the next 90 days to focus on stabilizing the agency's leadership and organizational structure and strengthening strategic communication. She also aims to improve the HTA board by defining roles and duties, establishing intraboard relations and board and staff relations, consolidating board committees and identifying necessary and beneficial board training. Anderson said the plan's goals include achieving a collaborative and cohesive team that communicates and coordinates efforts and works together efficiently ; reducing overdue invoices by 100 % and identifying other outstanding contractor issues ; reviewing and updating HTA policies and procedures ; and improving board work and efficiencies. She also set a goal by July 1 to fill several key staff leadership vacancies, including a public affairs officer, brand manager for the stewardship team and chief stewardship officer. Anderson said she wants to prioritize effective tourism policy development by setting clear direction while empowering staff to implement its annual Strategic Tourism Management Plan, which she said is due around November along with the next round of Destination Management Action Plans, or DMAPS, the community-driven tourism management plans for each island. It's been a challenging start. Some HTA board members already are pushing to evaluate Anderson's performance in her new role and for her to complete other employee evaluations by June. Increased scrutiny Since 2002, the state Office of the Auditor has conducted five management and financial audits of HTA, and the latest released this month was as unfavorable as the last four. 'HTA's lack of accountability, lack of measurable results, and lack of tracking of progress have been recurring themes in past audits by the Office of the Auditor, ' the audit read. 'HTA's inability to demonstrate its effectiveness undermines its credibility with the public and policymakers, as well as its ability to effectively make data-driven decisions and allocate.' The latest audit called HTA's destination management efforts 'not new or effective, ' and said action plans for each island were 'poorly planned and executed ' and that many of the efforts 'did not address hot spots.' Anderson said that prior to the state audit, HTA had conducted an internal audit and since then has been 'putting more metrics, milestones, targets into not only DMAPs, but also our strategic plan as well.' HTA entered this legislative session in a better place with a $63 million recurring budget and no threat of dissolution after years of struggles. Last year, state lawmakers tightened oversight of HTA by removing its exemption from the administrative supervision of boards and commissions, which put DBEDT in the driver's seat when it went into effect July 1. The exemption was its last after the Legislature took away its procurement exemption in 2021, and in 2022 the agency lost its special fund status. However, this year state lawmakers moved swiftly to pass Senate Bill 1571, which if signed by Gov. Josh Green will change HTA's governance model and tighten oversight of the agency. They were reacting to a state financial audit of HTA, which was conducted by Accuity LLP and released in late March, that determined procedural deficiencies allowed for inappropriate freebies at the Hawai 'i Convention Center. Apo told the HTA Administrative and Audit Standing Committee on April 7 that based on input from HTA staff that he did not 'see an abuse of discretion ' and recommended putting the matter 'to bed.' John Cole, state deputy attorney general, told the Star-Advertiser that the matter had been referred to the Department of the Attorney General, but it was determined there was not enough information to open an investigation. The Department of the Attorney General has declined to provide status updates ; however, it has been directed by Green to review the Choy matter. It also has been asked by HTA to determine whether the agency must pay $780, 000 in interest for millions of dollars in to its largest contractor, the Hawai 'i Visitors &Convention Bureau. On Friday, HVCB said it was still due $3.8 million in unpaid invoices, down from the more than $11 million in back payments it was owed by HTA some months ago.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mother of 3 food stamp benefits hacked 5 months straight
JACKSON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Meghan Dainty is a single mother of three children and said for the fifth month in a row, her food stamps have been hacked. Dainty said she logged in to her EBT account on Monday and noticed that her benefits were finally there after months of hacks. She said that only minutes later, the money was gone right before her eyes. 📲 to stay updated on the go. 📧 to have news sent to your inbox. 'As I was logged in looking at them, they went to just a dollar,' said Dainty. 'They just completely went from several hundred dollars down to one dollar, and I do not know why.' When she asked the Jackson County Department of Human Resources office and asked what could be done about it, she was told that nothing could be done. 'These funds are provided to me because I qualify, and yes, I do need them, and so do thousands of others who are affected. A lot of families are on these SNAP benefits, and we need the Government to do what it's promised,' said Dainty. The federal government halted reimbursements for stolen SNAP benefits in December. Dainty says that losing her benefits for multiple months in a row is unbearable. She plans to take her fight to state and local leaders until she gets an answer for herself and the most vulnerable. 'Luckily, I have a mom and dad that are here to support me, but not everyone has a mom and dad alive or has money to help them,' Dainty explained. 'A lot of families are all on these SNAP benefits, and they need the government to do what is promised. As in the Food Stamp Act of 1964, we qualify for these, and we need this government assistance.' DHR launched a new website and app for its EBT clients. It is also giving SNAP recipients advice on how to protect their benefits and report fraud. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers proposing a bill banning people from buying soda with SNAP benefits
ALABAMA (WDHN) – The Alabama house filed a bill pushing to ban people from buying soda using SNAP benefits. Representative Mack Butler is sponsoring the bill. The measures of the legislation include requiring the Department of Human Resources to request a waiver from the federal government to exclude soda from SNAP until the waiver is approved. The department is required to complete the waiver process every year. Once the federal government accepts the waiver, the ban goes into effect. The bill gets proposed as several other Republican led states are forcing waivers to ban soda and candy from SNAP. If passed, the bill will get signed into law and it would go into effect on October 1st, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur police: Man confesses to rape of juvenile, held under Aniah's Law
Apr. 4—A Decatur man was charged Friday with first-degree rape and is being held without bond pending an Aniah's Law hearing which has yet to be set, according to a police affidavit and court records. The affidavit said on Jan. 25, 2021, a worker from the Department of Human Resources told the Decatur Police Department that a child reported Pascual Francisco Jimenez, 38, had raped them when they were under the age of 12. "Francisco was interviewed Post Adult Miranda, where he confessed to the rape," the affidavit said. Under Aniah's Law, suspects charged with certain violent crimes — including first-degree rape — can be held without bond after a hearing to determine if they are a flight risk or a danger to the public. The state law, named after slain college student Aniah Blanchard, was approved in 2022 and expanded the list of offenses appropriate for pretrial detention without bail. — or 256-340-2442.
