Kokua Line: Was park guard wrong to make us leave at 6 p.m.?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Today
• Last updated 11:56 p.m.

Question: My wife and I were surprised to be informed by the security guard at Koko Crater Botanical Garden that the park closes at 6 o’clock and not dusk as the sign says. Read more

Kokua Line: Why are clocks running 6 minutes fast?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 27, 2025
• 31

Question: Is anybody else noticing their clocks running faster and faster? Mine are about six minutes ahead. Not on my cellphone but on my oven, microwave, etc. What is happening? Read more

Kokua Line: Will changes at Social Security delay new payments?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 26, 2025
• 1

Question: Are the Trump administration’s changes at Social Security going to delay payments for those of us due more now that WEP/GPO is repealed? Read more

Kokua Line: Is MGM cash offer for real?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 25, 2025
• 2

Question: I go to Vegas quite a bit, but I’ve never stayed at the MGM Grand. I got an email saying I’m entitled to a settlement from them. Is this a scam? Read more

Kokua Line: How can laid-off federal workers get unemployment benefits?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 23, 2025
• 6

Question: Will the federal workers losing their jobs even be eligible for unemployment benefits? Read more

Kokua Line: Why do libraries close 3 days for 1 holiday?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 21, 2025
• 16

Question: I went to the Manoa library Saturday, and it was closed for Presidents Day. It was also closed Monday for the actual holiday. The Kaimuki library was closed Sunday, and closed Monday for the actual holiday. I’m curious as to why the public libraries seem to get two to three days off for one holiday. Read more

Kokua Line: Can DOGE mess up Social Security?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 20, 2025
• 55

Question: I am three years away from collecting Social Security, after paying Social Security taxes my whole working life, and I am concerned about what Elon Musk is doing over there. I don’t take it lightly when the head of an agency quits rather than comply with what they consider improper demands. What can we do? Anything? Read more

Kokua Line: When will holiday festival grounds be cleared?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 19, 2025
• 1

Question: We drove past Honolulu Hale over the weekend and noticed that those ugly metal arches left over from Honolulu City Lights are still up. When will they be taken away? Read more

Kokua Line: How do I figure car registration fee from taxes on total cost of registration?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 18, 2025
• 1

Question: How do I determine the car registration fee from taxes on the total cost of registration? Read more

Kokua Line: Do traffic cams check expired registrations?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 16, 2025
• 8

Question: When a vehicle runs a red light and the license plate number is recorded on camera, does the system also check if the registration is current? Read more

Kokua Line: Why can’t Hawaii taxpayers use IRS Direct File?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 14, 2025
• 1

Question: An eligibility check on the IRS.gov website indicates that Hawaii is not one of the 25 states participating in the “IRS Direct File” online income tax filing program for federal returns. Why not, and is there any plan to participate in the future? Read more

Kokua Line: Can opala crew dump blue, gray bins in same truck?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 13, 2025
• 4

Question: In the last year, at various times not all the blue or green bins were picked up with the rest of our street. Three things have happened. We brought our bin in; the next day the remaining blue bins on the street were picked up. We left our bin outside for a later pickup; one week later our bin was still on the curb. Read more

Kokua Line: What’s up with new Hawaii license plates?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 12, 2025
• 6

Question: How did we run out of the new license plates so fast? Didn’t they just start adding the okina this year? Read more

Kokua Line: Will all public workers get Social Security bump?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 11, 2025
• 8

Question: Will all public workers get the Social Security bump? I never applied for Social Security when I retired because of the exclusion, so maybe I should apply now. Read more

Kokua Line: Who do I call to dispose of cats hit by cars?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Feb. 2, 2025
• 7

Question: Even before this last thunderstorm there was a storm where it was pouring rain and the power went out and there were no traffic lights. It was very hard to see driving. The next day it was obvious that cats were fatally hit by cars the night before. This was on the weekend and I didn’t know who to call. Read more

Kokua Line: Did crews clear homeless camps along streams?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 31, 2025
• 17

Question: Auwe! Letting homeless people get away with living in the drainage canals and under bridges has got to stop. Every time it rains hard, their stuff goes downstream, and then heavy resources are spent cleaning it up. Not to mention the flooding risk when streams are blocked with tents, tarps, shopping carts, etc. Read more

Kokua Line: How do I dispose of old batteries from disaster kit?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 30, 2025
• 3

Question: Ahead of the storm we checked our disaster kit and found alkaline batteries (Duracell D8) that were best by March 2015. We’re replacing them, but my question is what can we do with the old ones? Read more

Kokua Line: Won’t federal freeze hurt red states, too?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 29, 2025
• 21

Question: Regarding the Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants, won’t this hurt red states just as bad? Read more

Kokua Line: Is REAL ID enforcement postponed again?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 28, 2025
• 6

Question: I hear they’re postponing REAL ID again. Is that true? If not, please remind me of the documents required. Read more

Kokua Line: Can police increase video enforcement of fireworks?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 26, 2025
• 11

House Bill 550 would allow law enforcement to establish probable cause for a fireworks-related arrest based on video recordings “made by a law enforcement agency using, controlling, or operating an unmanned aerial vehicle.” Read more

Kokua Line: How can Las Vegas resident get copy of Hawaii birth certificate?

• By Christine Donnelly
• Jan. 24, 2025
• 1

Question: My son lives in Las Vegas now, but he was born in Hawaii in 1972 and needs to get his birth certificate. How would he go about getting a copy? Read more