Question: My son goes to USC, and he said foreign students who plan to go home for winter break are being told to be back on campus before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Is UH telling its foreign students anything like this?
Answer: No, “there are no plans to send any messages to the international students. The semester starts before Jan. 20 (Inauguration Day) and the university does not anticipate that the students will have any issues” reentering the United States, said University of Hawaii spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl, who checked with the UH Manoa Office of Global Engagement.
UH Manoa’s spring classes begin Jan. 13, as do the University of Southern California’s.
USC is among several colleges and universities telling noncitizen students who plan to leave the country to return before Trump is inaugurated. He has promised an immigration crackdown on Day One, which might include banning travelers from certain countries. Harvard, Cornell, MIT, Penn, Wesleyan and UMass Amherst are among schools that have issued advisories similar to the one USC issued Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
Q: Will I be able to renew my Hawaii driver’s license online as of Jan. 1? I recall that’s when the new law was supposed to take effect, but I don’t see anything about a new procedure on the city’s website.
A: No. The Hawaii law approved in 2023 enabling online renewals for some Hawaii drivers has an effective date of July 1, not Jan. 1. You can read the measure, signed into law as Act 243, at 808ne.ws/3ZB2bhv Opens in a new tab.
Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, said the online renewal option would be available by July 1, but he didn’t have a definitive timetable for its introduction. Implementing this option is high on the list of 2025 priorities for the department’s Division of Motor Vehicles, he said.
Q: It’s been a tradition for our family to collect the Honolulu City Lights Christmas tree ornaments. But we’re missing a few, and I usually see only that year’s ornament for sale at Macy’s. Is there a way to buy an ornament from quite a few years back — specifically 2015, 2007 and 2012?
A: Yes, you can purchase commemorative ornaments from past years on the Honolulu City Lights website, at honolulu citylights.org/shop Opens in a new tab. Some years are out of stock, especially the earliest years the commemorative ornaments were issued, but the three years you mentioned are in stock, according to the website. All proceeds from ornament sales go toward keeping the annual celebration on civic center grounds free to the public, the website says.
More parades
>> Moanalua Christmas Parade, 7 p.m. Saturday. The parade will proceed from the Moanalua High School parking lot to Ala Ilima Street, to Likini Street, to Ala Napuunani Street and end back at the high school.
>> Leeward Oahu Lions/Village Park Community Association Christmas Parade, 9 a.m. Sunday. The parade will proceed from Waikele Community Park to Lumiana Street, to Managers Drive, to Hiapo Street, to Paiwa Street, to Waipahu Street, to Honowai Street, to Aiki Street, to Kupuna Loop and end at the Kunia Park and Ride.
>> Olomana Christmas Parade, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The parade is to proceed from Maunawili Elementary School to Ulupii Street, to Ulupuni Street, to Uluohao Street, to Uluhala Street, to Ulupuni Street, to Ulukou Street, and end back at the school.
Mahalo
On Nov. 17 I had an epileptic seizure while in my condominium unit. When I awoke from this seizure, I looked around for my iPhone to call 911. I could not find it. I knocked on my neighbor Michelle’s unit. She called 911, called my iPhone number to locate the phone (it was on a counter in my unit), and she sends me periodic text messages to see how I am doing on my recovery. I want to send a Mahalo to this wonderful person. — Sincerely, Gail F.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
