Question: Regarding Sunset Memorial Park, do you have to know the grave site to be able to get the information?
Answer: No. The new online portal created to share and gather information about the dilapidated cemetery allows users to search for a grave by name. Or users can click on a dot in the cemetery map to see who is buried in that plot. The latter method would be slow going unless you know the general location of your ancestor’s grave site. The website is at sunsetmemorialparkhonolulu.org.
The cemetery at 848 4th St. in Pearl City has a history of complaints about vandalism, homeless encampments, overgrown weeds and other problems. The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs hired a surveyor in 2021 to map the property and create the interactive website, which asks users to identify plots they own or where they know a relative is buried, and to briefly describe any documentation they have, such as contracts with the cemetery.
You don’t have to provide that information to use the map, but doing so might help the state identify purchased plots that are vacant or unmarked. People can submit information until July 30, the portal says.
The DCCA does not own the cemetery and will not resolve conflicts about ownership of individual plots, it said.
Q: Can I get rental aid if I sublet?
A: Subleasing is allowed; you’ll have to meet the same standards as other applicants, according to Honolulu County’s Rental and Utility Relief Program.
You’ll need to meet income limits, show proof of financial harm from the pandemic and submit required documents, “including a signed lease or sublease agreement,” proof of Oahu residency and other information, according to the program’s FAQ at oneoahu.org.
Anyone with a sublease should talk to the leaseholder before submitting an application, it says.
Q: Regarding reimbursement for at-home COVID-19 tests, I bought several over Christmas, when I was going out and omicron was worse. I’m not sure I kept the receipts, but maybe I could retrieve them. Can I still get reimbursed? I have HMSA.
A: No. You bought the tests before Jan. 15, when the federal reimbursement mandate took effect. For tests purchased on or after that date, you’ll need receipts and the tests’ UPC bar codes to verify that you purchased authorized tests, according to HMSA’s website, hmsa.com. The website has details about eligibility for reimbursement, as well as instructions for submitting a claim.
Auwe
What laws do we have to obey, when and where? The reason I ask is that as I drive around the Punchbowl/Makiki area every day and some nights, I see cars parked in spaces that I think are illegal. I see lines of cars that have jumped the curb and parked in the sidewalk areas, some paved and some not. I see cars parked partially off the road, hanging over the curb with wheels in the gutter. I see cars and trucks parked in short driveways so as to hang over and block the sidewalk and even hang out past the curb into the street. These are everyday observations involving the same vehicles. I assume that the police drive by at least once in a while and observe the conditions but accept that there is a shortage of parking in the area and look the other way. Yet, I note as I drive or walk down Bishop Street downtown, those conditions do not exist, and those parked in metered stalls are ticketed when time expires and/or towed away at pau hana time. Thus my question. — W.B.
Mahalo
A big mahalo to Raul V., who generously paid for our lunches Feb. 9 at Big City Diner Pearlridge. We didn’t have the opportunity to thank him in person, as he had instructed the server to tell us after he left the restaurant. Raul, you are a kind and good-hearted person as well as an inspiration to others. God bless you always! — Grateful diners
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.
