Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Useful telephone numbers
can get you help in a pinchIt's a new year and, with luck, perhaps one filled with fewer things to annoy and confound us. But in the event they do crop up, here's Kokua Line's updated list of useful telephone numbers and addresses to help us get through the year:
Abandoned vehicles: Call the city, 733-2530. Officials say, however, that many complaints about "abandoned" vehicles turn out to involve parking problems.
Aircraft nuisance: For civilian aircraft, call the state, 1-888-697-7813. For military: If branch is unknown, call U.S. Pacific Command, 477-6282; Army, 655-8727; Navy/Marine, 257-2121 (day) or 257-2898 (night); Air Force, 449-2490; Coast Guard, 541-2121; National Guard, 733-4258. Call the Federal Aviation Administration, 837-8300 for safety complaints about low-flying aircraft.
Animal nuisance: Roosters, barking dogs, etc., call police at 911. Lost or found animals, call Hawaiian Humane Society, 946-2187, ext. 285.
Better Business Bureau of Hawaii: For the latest scams, to check a company/charity's record or to file complaints, call 536-6956.
Book/magazine donations: Call Friends of the Library, 536-4174. They'll take donations or refer you elsewhere.
Christmas cards: Used Christmas cards can be sent to Merlinda Oania at 98-596 Kaimu Loop, Aiea, HI 96701 (phone 486-0236). Her students at Waipahu Intermediate School make picture books for delivery at Christmas to hospitalized children.
Computer donations: The city Office of Economic Development is in the process of setting up a one-stop Web site, Kidsdotcom, where people can get information about where and how to donate computers. The site is expected to be up in February. Check the city's Web site, www.co.honolulu.hi.us, where there will be a link to Kidsdotcom. In the meantime, Hawaii Computer For Kids works to put computers in public school classrooms. Call Helping Hands Hawaii (843-8473); Computer-Aided Technologies International (521-2259 or e-mail cfk@catii.com); or contact any member of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu.
Donate functional computers to Leeward Community College's "Everything Old is NEW Again" program, where they are recycled back into the community. Call Marianne Luna at 455-0662 or e-mail lunamari@hawaii.edu, or call 455-0477.
Computer recycling: Island Recycling (845-1188, 1811 Dillingham Blvd. ) accepts nonfunctioning computers.
Consumer protection: For consumer-related complaints/questions, call state Office of Consumer Protection, 587-3222.
Credit ratings: To get copies of credit reports, call Experian, 1-800-682-7654; Trans Union, 1-800-888-4213; Equifax, 1-800-685-1111. Call 1-888-567-8688 to have your name excluded from lists of names "prescreened" and sold by credit bureaus.
Environmental concern line (city): Call 527-5091 to report illegal dumping or non-point source pollution; volunteer for environmental projects; or to get information on recycling, household hazardous wastes, bulky item pickups, etc.
Health/Human Service Agencies: For information and referral to health and human service organizations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, call 211 statewide, maintained by Aloha United Way.
Junk mail: To stop the unwanted flow, write to Mail Preference Service, c/o Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.
Landlord-tenant problems: Call the state Office of Consumer Protection, 586-2634.
"Live Aloha" bumper stickers: Send self-addressed, stamped envelope to Live Aloha, 165 Waokanaka Place, Honolulu 96817 or The Hawaii Community Foundation, 900 Fort St. Mall, Honolulu 96813. No charge, but donations welcomed.
Mediation -- The Mediation Center of the Pacific, formerly known as the Neighborhood Justice Center of Honolulu, mediates domestic disputes, landlord-tenant, condominium and other matters of private dispute. $25 charge. Call 521-6767.
Noise complaints: Call police at 911 or Health Department's noise and radiation branch, 586-4700.
Overgrown trees: On city roadways, call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 971-7151 or the Department of Customer Services at 523-4381. On state roads, call the Department of Transportation at 831-6703.
Potholes: On state roads, call 536-7852; city, 527-6006.
Rats and other pests: Call the state's Vector Control Branch, 831-6767.
Recycling: Call 527-5335 or check www.opala.org for locations of community recycling bins and other information.
Sanitation complaints: Call the state Sanitation Branch, 586-8000.
Sidewalk, overgrown lots, other housing code violations: Call the city, 527-6308.
Smoking: For information about the state's no-smoking laws, call the state Health Department's Tobacco Prevention and Education Project, 586-4613.
State ID card: To obtain or renew a card, call 587-3111.
Street light outages: City streets, call 564-6113; state, leave a message at 831-6714 at any hour. Be specific on location.
Street signs that are damaged/missing/faded: Call the city, 484-7613/484-7644.
Telemarketing calls: To reduce solicitations, write to Telephone Preference Service, P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014.
Water Waste Hotline: To report water waste by an individual, business or government agency, call the Board of Water Supply, 527-6126.
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Useful phone numbers
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