Question: Years ago, if you wanted to obtain or renew a Commercial Driver License you had to go downtown where there was a dedicated line for CDL transactions. Then the state decided to move CDL licensing only to a portable building near Aloha Stadium. But this office added automobile permits, road tests and license renewals for anyone, with no dedicated parking and no restrooms (you have to walk a quarter-mile to the nearest Porta-Potty). This is the only place CDL drivers can go to take a test, renew or apply for a CDL license on Oahu. Waiting for hours in line just doesn’t seem fair. Why was this changed into a regular driver’s license station? On most days they close the doors at least 30 minutes early so they can take care of those standing in line outside.

Answer: The current site at 99-501 Salt Lake Blvd., directly across from Aloha Stadium’s main parking entrance, is only a temporary location, but whether CDL licensing will become more customer-friendly is not yet certain.

The state Department of Transportation is supposed to designate a new site "sometime in the near future," said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city Motor Vehicle & Licensing Division. "We hope that the (DOT) will be able to relocate this operation to a more permanent site with more accessible public restroom facilities and parking."

The DOT did not respond to requests for information regarding a new location.

Since the CDL station is a driver’s license station, the city can’t restrict services to only CDL applicants.

"We do encourage regular license (renewers) to visit the Pearlridge Satellite City Hall rather than waiting in line with CDL applicants," Kamimura said. Records show only five to seven non-CDL applicants are processed each day, compared to 80 to 120 CDL transactions daily.

The total number of CDL drivers licensed in Honolulu, as of Dec. 31, was 15,189, compared to 606,580 "regular" licensed drivers in Honolulu.

Kamimura explained that the CDL program is federally mandated, with the DOT required to fund it through the driver’s license programs in each county. Although the fees are collected by the counties, the DOT sets and gets the fees.

Federal law also requires only trained CDL staff to conduct the required computer checks of CDL applicants. "Therefore, individuals seeking or renewing a CDL license are limited to only the CDL stadium site," Kamimura said.

He said he would not recommend that the DOT establish a second CDL site because of "its associated cost."

Question: There is a program at 7 p.m. Thursdays on the KIKU channel called "Soko ga Shiritai" from Japan. On April 26, there was a heartwarming story about a young woman, Ms. Hirose, attending school in Tokyo. She was shown crying because the reporter was kind enough to treat her to shave ice. Is it possible to find out if this young woman completed her studies and is OK years later?

Answer: Since the program is no longer being produced, it would be difficult to get in touch with someone who might know what happened to the woman. The shows now being televised were produced 10 to 20 years ago, according to KIKU.

On its website — http://kikutv.com/faqs.asp#Anchor-FAQ-07 — KIKU says, "We wish we could license new episodes of ‘Soko ga Shiritai,’ but the program is no longer in production in Japan."

The episodes broadcast locally have been shown "numerous times." KIKU says "Soko ga Shiritai" remains the most popular program aired by the station.

MAHALO

To a stranger. On April 14, a motorist ran out of gas near Fort Shafter. A gentleman drove up and offered to buy him a gallon of gas. The motorist forgot to ask the person’s name. Mahalo also to a police officer who stopped and asked if a tow truck was needed.

— Norman