Question: Did I miss the free shredding event? … There’s usually one around this time of year and I haven’t seen anything about it.
Answer: No, you haven’t missed it. The Better Business Bureau’s annual Secure Your ID Day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13, on Oahu and Maui.
>> Aiea: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Access Information Management, 98-736 Moanalua Loop. Bring up to three bags or boxes of documents for shredding; old computers and other e-waste for recycling and disposal; and used clothes in good condition for donation.
>> Wailuku: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Access Information Management, 821 Eha St. Bring up to three bags or boxes of documents for shredding and used clothes for donation. E-waste recycling and disposal is not offered at the Maui location.
Properly disposing of unneeded documents and securely recycling electronics helps prevent identity theft, according to the BBB, which advised on what to consider shredding and what to keep:
>> Keep for one year: bank statements, paid and undisputed bills, pay stubs
>> Keep for seven years: tax-related receipts, tax- related canceled checks, W-2 forms
>> Keep permanently: deeds, mortgages, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, birth certificates, tax returns, wills
For more information, see trust-bbb.org/syid/.
Q: With the unfortunate accident in New York, does Hawaii have a rule on who can operate a limousine so that a driver needs a special license? Living on Oahu one can see quite possibly hundreds of so-called limos operating on our roads.
A: No, not specifically.
Only a standard license is required if the limousine carries fewer than 16 people, including the driver. A commercial driver’s license is required to operate any vehicle, including a limousine, that is intended to carry 16 passengers or more, according to the city, which oversees driver’s licensing by Hawaii’s counties under contract with the state.
The limousine that crashed in upstate New York on Saturday — killing all 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians — shouldn’t have been on the road, according to New York’s governor, who was quoted by the Associated Press and other news media. The vehicle — an SUV that had been cut apart and rebuilt as a stretch limousine — had failed a recent safety inspection and its driver was not properly licensed, the governor said.
Q: Can the public watch the ConAm hearing in the Supreme Court? They’re saying it will be Oct. 18, but what time?
A: Yes, oral arguments scheduled for Oct. 18 at 8:45 a.m. will be open to the public, although seating is limited in Hawaii’s Supreme Court. The building, Aliiolani Hale, is at 417 South King St.
Hawaii’s four county governments want the Supreme Court to invalidate a Nov. 6 ballot question, which, if approved, would amend Hawaii’s constitution to grant property-taxing authority to the state. Currently, only counties can levy property taxes.
The proposed amendment asks, “Shall the legislature be authorized to establish, as provided by law, a surcharge on investment real estate property to be used to support public education.”
The counties say the wording is vague, failing to define investment property or to make clear that the surcharge would be a new tax. Proponents, including the Hawaii State Teachers Association, say that additional funding is necessary for Hawaii’s public schools and that the surcharge would be paid mainly by off-shore owners of luxurious second homes.
Mahalo
I am very grateful to the gentleman in the white car at Foodland Kailua who offered to help me put my groceries in the trunk of my car. It was such a pleasant surprise! Thank you. — Grateful senior
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
