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Kokua Line
Question: Do you have a number to call about getting mulch? Problems hold up
city mulch planAnswer: Call the city's Kapaa Transfer Station, 262-2628 -- but not until May or so.
The mulch program is temporarily on hold because of equipment problems, said Wayne Hamada, disposal operations engineer with the Department of Environmental Services.
He hopes to get it restarted in "a couple of months."
The city took green waste, mainly from residential refuse collection routes, as well as from self-haulers and convenience centers, Hamada said. That green waste was turned into mulch and used in city parks and also given away free to the public.
The primary operation site is the Kapaa Transfer Station. However, when the site was cleared, it was discovered that the ground "was irregular, so we needed to improve the surface before mulching again," Hamada said. On top of that, there have been equipment failures.
Once the mulching restarts, Hamada hopes to expand the program to other areas of the island, providing more access to the public. An announcement will be made when that happens, probably later this year, he said.
Q: Are there any local restrictions on .22-caliber nonlethal tear gas handguns or blanks handguns?
A: Tear gas is not meant for general public use to begin with and Section 40-2.3 of the Revised Ordinances of the City and County of Honolulu specifically prohibits such a weapon, said Sgt. Criz Caraang, of the Honolulu Police Department's firearms section.
Under subsection (a), it says: "No person shall use any shell, cartridge, bomb, gun or other device capable of emitting any liquid, gaseous or solid substance or any combination thereof, which is injurious to person or property, or which is nauseous, sickening, irritating or offensive to any of the senses; to injure, molest, discomfort, discommode or coerce another in the use or control of the individual's person or property."
Caraang was puzzled about the second part of your question, dealing with "blanks handguns." All guns can shoot blanks, he said, noting that blank ammunition simply doesn't have the capacity to explode. Thus, the handgun you're referring to would be regulated by the general handgun laws, which require gun-safety classes, registration and that you are not specifically prohibited from owning a gun because you are a felon, being treated for drug abuse, etc.
Auwe
To the lady passenger in a blue SUV who looked to see if her door was dented. If you open the car door just as the next car is obviously pulling out, you're just asking for a dent. -- No name
Mahalo
To Jose Trillo. He was in line ahead of me at Costco Salt Lake recently, when my husband and I realized that the box for the TV set we had just bought would not fit in our car. I was talking story with Mr. Trillo and joked that we wouldn't be able to get the TV set in the trunk. The next thing I know, he offered to return to Costco after emptying his van of his purchases, pick up our TV set and deliver it to our house. He asked that we just wait. So we had a hot dog and a half hour later, he returned, loaded our TV set and drove with me all the way back to our house and helped unload it. This was a tremendously generous thing for him to do. Mr. Trillo restored my faith in the aloha spirit. -- Marsha
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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