Kokua Line: Will DMV still mail delayed license-plate tag?

Question: The DMV said people whose online motor vehicle renewal was delayed by the “technological glitch” should receive their emblem in the mail by the end of February (808ne.ws/kline226). We didn’t. Must we go to a satellite city hall to pick it up?

Answer: No, although that is an option for affected motorists who don’t want to wait for the emblem in the mail.

The city said it initially failed to process motor vehicle renewals submitted online from Jan. 26 to Feb. 16 due to a “technological glitch” that it discovered and fixed on Feb. 17. The city said then that affected motorists were identified for “expedited processing” and should receive their updated vehicle registration and license-plate sticker in the mail by the end of February. Some, like you, did not.

“The Motor Vehicle Registration Branch will mail the registration and emblem to those residents who renewed online between Jan. 26 and Feb. 16, and didn’t receive them by Feb. 28. For residents who don’t want to continue waiting, they can visit a satellite city hall and request a replacement. To avoid being charged 50 cents for the replacement, residents can get the fee waived; however, they would have to indicate on the form, which they will be asked to complete at the satellite city hall, that they did not receive their registration in the mail and would like a replacement,” Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Serv­ices, said by email.

Affected motorists who choose this option should bring a printed or electronic copy of the confirmation email they received when they renewed online, according to a notice on the city’s website.

Q: Is the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii raising money to help return to England the remains of a man who died while on vacation in Hawaii? I’d like to help if I can.

A: No, the nonprofit that helps Hawaii visitors who suffer from crimes or other adversities doesn’t raise money for the victims, nor does it pay for medical bills, funeral arrangements or the shipping of remains, Jessica Lani Rich, president and CEO, said in an email. VASH does assist in many other ways, including in this case.

The family of the late tourist, John Thompson, of Bradford, England, set up a GoFundMe campaign for the purpose you described, as well as to pay medical expenses. For details, see gofundme.com/f/6thmyn-john-thompson.

“No visitor ever expects an emergency to happen while on vacation. Our hearts go out to the family and we do care about them. Usually in cases like this, the GoFundMe campaign that the family arranged helps a lot and in many cases, families raise more funds than their original goals,” Rich said.

Thompson, 74, collapsed and died Feb. 6, one week into a vacation with his wife, Eileen, that had been scheduled to take them to Las Vegas, Mexico and Hawaii, according to the Telegraph & Argus newspaper. A problem with the couple’s travel insurance left his widow with large bills for medical treatment and mortuary serv­ices, including cremation and shipping his ashes to England, it said.

After receiving your question, Rich followed up with the mortuary and “they informed me that they are sending Mr. Thompson’s ashes back to his home in England even without the payment received yet,” she said in an email last week.

On the GoFundMe page, Johnson’s daughter-in-law described VASH as “an amazing charity” that helped Johnson’s widow on Oahu “during this awful time.” In her email, Rich recalled picking up Eileen Thompson from a North Shore hospital, providing victim-assistance counseling, helping her get the couple’s luggage off their cruise ship before it departed, arranging a discounted hotel, taking her out to eat, accompanying her to the Medical Examiner’s Office and a mortuary, and helping arrange her flight home and a ride to the airport — complimentary service and moral support offered in the aloha spirit.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.