Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Burger King
in Hawaii
waits on courtQuestion: Do you know if Burger King will ever reopen the restaurant in Aiea at Kamehameha Highway and Kaahumanu Street, mauka of Neal Blaisdell Park? It's been a while since it closed due to fire in the exhaust vent. Looks like for the most part the store is still in good operating condition.
Answer: The restaurant at 98-1214 Kaahumanu St. sustained $160,000 in fire damage on March 26, 2001.
We called Burger King's corporate office in Honolulu twice and left messages asking about the fate of the restaurant, but no one called back or had an answer to what appeared to be a simple question.
But it apparently is not so simple since Burger King's Hawaii owner, Cimm's Inc., is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, and several of its Hawaii restaurants are up for sale.
Last week, Star-Bulletin business reporter Russ Lynch reported that a deal was in the works to sell 16 Burger King outlets in Hawaii to Kazi Foods Inc., which operates 159 KFC restaurants in the United States, including 27 in Hawaii.
Cimm's wants to keep most of the 130 Burger Kings it owns across the nation, Lynch reported, including several in Hawaii. However, exactly which outlets here will be sold wasn't revealed.
A court hearing was to be held this week and a list of the outlets affected to be released. Look for updates in the Star-Bulletin business section.
Q: Who hires the police to direct traffic at Punahou School -- taxpayers or Punahou? Why are they allowed to stop cars on a green light just to allow cars from Punahou to exit while we're missing our own green light on Wilder Avenue, causing a backup of traffic?
A: The officers are special duty hired by the school.
However, generally speaking, waiting motorists should not be held up for more than one light change, according to the Honolulu Police Department's Special Duty Section.
A sergeant was to be sent to the school to observe the situation. "The officers directing traffic will be asked to be more cognizant of the situation," a spokeswoman said.
Q: I once saw speeders going 80-plus mph and swerving dangerously through all three lanes of the freeway. Traffic at that time was somewhat heavy, and they created a dangerous situation. I called 911 but was left hanging for five minutes. By then, I lost track of these speeders and also was exiting the freeway, so I hung up. What else could I have done? Is there a better way for me to report speeding?
A: You did what you should have done, said Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
Unfortunately, if it is not an emergency, you may not get through immediately when you call 911, she acknowledged.
An alternative is to note the license number, make of the vehicle, time, location and any other pertinent information and mail your observations in to police (Honolulu Police Department, Traffic Division, 801 S. Beretania St., Honolulu HI 96813). Police cannot issue a citation based on your complaint (they have to witness a violation themselves), but they will send a letter to the owner of the vehicle noting the alleged violation, Yu said.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com