Question: Why did they close Beretania Street so long for the parade for the fallen police officer? They closed it for almost 40 minutes. They also closed Alapai. The whole area was messed up for almost 40 minutes.
Answer: Honolulu Police Department records show Beretania Street was closed for about 20 minutes for the Feb. 8 funeral motorcade and short ceremony fronting HPD’s Alapai headquarters, said spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
The motorcade for officer Garret Davis left Borthwick Mortuary, as scheduled, at 12:45 p.m. “and there were rolling road closures as the motorcade made its way to Alapai headquarters,” Yu said.
HPD obtained a street usage permit from the city for the rolling road closures, as well as the closure of Beretania, she said.
According to records, Beretania Street between Ward Avenue and Punchbowl Street was closed from 12:55 to 1:14 p.m.
During this time, drivers were rerouted from Alapai Street onto South King Street and traffic on Beretania was rerouted onto Ward, Yu said.
“The motorcade stopped briefly at Alapai headquarters for honors that would normally be conducted graveside,” she said. The honors included a three-round rifle volley, the playing of taps and the dropping of flowers from a helicopter.
The ceremony took place at HPDheadquarters because officer Davis’ remains had been flown back to his hometown in California.
“We believe that this was a fitting tribute to the officer who died while protecting and serving our community, and we thank drivers for their understanding and patience,”Yu said.
Question: Is there a dental review organization that I can file a complaint with?I feel I was gouged for $29 for a swish of fluoride after a dental cleaning. I told the hygienist that I did not want the fluoride and thought she had given me another rinse. I am over 59 years old and feel I do not need a fluoride rinse, especially at such an outrageous cost.
Answer: Call the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Consumer Resource Center at 587-3222.
The center receives and processes complaints for the Regulated Industries Complaints Office and the Office of Consumer Protection.
RICO investigates complaints involving possible professional licensing law violations, while the Office of Consumer Protection investigates complaints involving possible unfair or deceptive acts or practices, explained Daria Loy-Goto, RICO’s acting complaints enforcement officer.
The Consumer Resource Center would look into the circumstances surrounding the $29 charge and determine whether there are issues either office may look into, she said.
Complaint forms also can be downloaded at www.hawaii.gov/dcca/rico.
“Issues involving ‘the quality of care and appropriateness of care … related to dentistry,’ can also be addressed to the Hawaii Dental Association,” Loy-Goto said.
Auwe
To thieves who stole HI-5 containers we were collecting at Kalaheo High School as part of the senior class Project Grad fundraiser. We have a recycling drive twice a month in which parents and students collect HI-5 containers and drop them into a recycling container brought on campus. About a month ago, someone went in through the back of the bin and stole all the containers. So we got a padlock. Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, someone climbed in through the small opening and removed all the containers except one can. — Emma Bell/Project Grad Committee
Bell hopes the public will help support the Project Grad cause by dropping off HI-5 containers during the next recycling drive, to be held 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
The recycling bin, set up on campus on a Friday and normally taken away on a Monday, will be picked up immediately after the event to thwart the thieves, she said.
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