Can you help us? We lost our mailbox on Kalaloa Street, near Makalapa Manor, about six weeks ago. It was a small box that was there for more than 25 years. There are a lot of senior citizens who depended on that box to mail their letters. Many of us don't drive, so it's really inconvenient not to have that box there. Mailbox was no longer
useful, ‘just fell apart’That mail collection box had outgrown its usefulness and was supposed to have been removed about five years ago, said Postal Service spokeswoman Felice Broglio.
But postal officials decided to just leave it there and gauge its usage. The box then "just fell apart," which explains why it was finally removed. But it wouldn't have lasted long anyway, because the amount of mail picked up was just a fraction of the minimum usage standard, Broglio said. The standard is at least 25 pieces of mail per pickup.
She also said that since your neighborhood is residential, with homes, townhouses and apartment buildings, there are many alternatives. People with private mailboxes can just raise the red flag to alert the carrier to outgoing mail, while most buildings are equipped with their own collection boxes.
Aiea postal officials are working with the resident manager of Makalapa Manor, who indicated he was willing to put a collection box next to his office, Broglio said.
Another indication of society's declining values was the recent theft of the safety check sticker from my 1996 vehicle. Can I just purchase a replacement decal, or do I have to have another safety check? What penalty do I, a law-abiding citizen, suffer if I am cited due to the desperation of another person?
Unfortunately, you may be the victim, but you still have to bear the cost of replacing the sticker. And that would cost you a minimum of $5 or the cost of a complete reinspection, said Dennis Kamimura, the city's licensing administrator.
State rules and regulations say the operator of a safety inspection station may charge $5 to replace a safety inspection decal that's been destroyed, stolen or lost.
However, there may be mitigating circumstances that would allow the station to insist on a new inspection, Kamimura said.
One is that the station may not have the right stickers. Say your inspection was in October and was good through October 1998. If you seek a replacement in November or December, the station may no longer carry October 1998 stickers, Kamimura said.
The law also says that a reinspection is required if there is no evidence of a current inspection or the vehicle displays "visual defects," Kamimura said. "The service station makes the call."
You may be the victim, but the service station can't be expected to stand your loss as well, he said.
To three women who helped my son after he got hijacked in front of 7-Eleven on Nuuanu Avenue and got into a fight with three or four guys. One woman physically carried him into the store. Mahalo also to the manager of 7-Eleven, but auwe to the men who just stood around and watched. Mahalo
Mahalo to Al Yoro of Yoro's Fish Market in Aiea. On Sept. 26, a black Toyota Supra slammed into the back of our car, which was stopped at the Moanalua Road and Aiea Library intersection. That caused me to hit the car in front, which hit the car in front of it. The driver who started the chain reaction took off. No one got the license number except Mr. Yoro. The police report showed the 48-year-old driver not only fled the scene of an accident and didn't render aid, but is an uninsured motorist too! Auwe! The same thing is going to happen to him someday, but I hope that that driver stops, renders aid and takes responsibility like an adult. -- The Davises Mahalo and Auwe
