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Kokua Line
Question: My son was having a rummage sale on McKinley Street in Manoa a year ago this month. It was raining. A gentleman and his female companion walked up the very steep driveway holding hands. I asked him if I could take their picture. After I returned home to Sioux Falls, S.D., and developed the pictures, I knew I had to draw "grandfather." His picture received a ribbon in a "Master Works" art contest and was displayed in our state capitol. I am visiting my son again and would like to give this gentleman the picture. Can you help? Do you know the man
in the portrait?Answer: Betty Barnett is returning home to Sioux Falls on Monday and hopes to present her portrait (seen above) to the unknown "grandfather." She usually visits her son, Dan Barnett, who sings in local opera productions, during the opera season.
She says she draws "for fun."
If you recognize yourself in the portrait or know who the gentleman is, call Kokua Line at 525-8686 and leave a message.
Q: About 1:20 p.m. one day, I saw a person using a state vehicle buying lunch at a store on the corner of Kunawai Lane and Liliha Street. Are state employees allowed personal use of state vehicles?
A: State employees may use state vehicles to stop at restaurants or to pick up lunch during their lunch periods if they are going to and from their work sites, said Harold Sonomura, chief of the state Automotive Management Division.
They are not authorized to use state vehicles specifically to get lunch or to drive to restaurants during work hours, he said.
The vehicle you cited is used by the CHOW Project, which operates an HIV prevention program, including syringe exchange, from a site near Kukui and Maunakea streets, according to officials of the STD/AIDS Prevention Branch of the state Department of Health.
"The CHOW Project outreach workers work out of vans and they use the vans to pick up their lunch on their lunch hour," they said. At 1:20 p.m., the worker was on lunch break.
In general, Sonomura explained, certain state workers are authorized to take vehicles home when use of a vehicle is essential for official work.
They must have a "personal use permit" issued by the state comptroller, he said.
"State vehicles are for official use only and not allowed for pleasure use," Sonomura said.
Auwe
To the person who questioned police driving around without their blue car lights on at night. I think police should drive around without them on as "stealth drivers" so people don't know where they are. If you don't have anything to hide, why do you care whether police are there or not? -- No name
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com