Question: Will UH Manoa graduation be open to the public? Is there a vaccination requirement?
Answer: Yes, commencement ceremonies and lei-giving afterward will be open to the public. No, COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result is not required, as those protocols were suspended across the 10-campus University of Hawaii system effective March 26, after Gov. David Ige’s emergency proclamation expired. Graduates and their guests are encouraged to wear face masks.
Commencement ceremonies will be held at Stan Sheriff Center on May 13 at 5 p.m. and on May 14 at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with graduates attending a particular ceremony according to their major and degree. For details, see manoa.hawaii.edu/ commencement.
UH had previously asked each graduate to limit their guest list for the ceremony to four people whose names would be registered in advance. However, that guidance was dropped Tuesday, as the website was updated to say that “tickets and guest names upon registration will no longer be required, and will not be needed to enter the arena. All guests are welcome to the ceremonies on a first-come, first-seated basis.”
Lei-giving will follow each ceremony, and had always been open to the public.
Q: Regarding special license plates, will this annual fee increase affect those of us who have veteran’s license plates which have an American flag with “VETERAN” under the flag? I have had one of these for more than 30 years and don’t recall paying extra fees.
A: No. The bill signed into law in 2021 that raised application and renewal fees for personalized license plates specified that it did not apply “to any plates issued pursuant to section 249-9.2,” which is the section of the Hawaii Revised Statutes about special license plates related to military service, such as your veteran’s license plate. There are 10 types of specialty license plates connected to military service, which you can read about in the HRS or on the website of the state Office of Veterans’ Services, dod.hawaii.gov/ovs; click on “Benefits and Services.”
By contrast, 2021’s bill did modify HRS Section 249-9.1, which refers to “special number plates” containing letters and numbers of the owner’s choosing (within limits), also known as personalized license plates or vanity license plates. As we reported Monday, the fee for these plates is rising to $60 from $25 a year on July 1.
Q: Regarding the higher fee for personalized license plates, will that be statewide or only on Oahu?
A: Statewide. The fee is set in state law, specifically HRS 249-9.1.
Auwe
My Queens Point neighbor, a resident of California, travels to his home on Oahu and stays for about two months of the year. While he is here he cuts down the trees that are on the Hawaii Kai Golf Course so he has a better view of the ocean from his bedroom. Shame, shame, shame on you. If you can’t love the aina and all that comes with it, don’t come to Hawaii. The rest of us full-time residents enjoy the shade, privacy and bird songs that used to come from the tree. — K. Cooke
Mahalo
On Good Friday, while on the way to an important doctor’s appointment, we exited H-1 at Kinau Street, where there were five busy lanes. Our car broke down in the middle of the five lanes. We were two ladies stuck not knowing what to do in this crazy busy traffic. Our hero out of the blue offered to push our car to an apartment parking lot. He himself had three children and a wife in his car. We only got his first name, Pat. We want to thank Pat from the bottom of our hearts. We wish him many blessings. — Much aloha, Juli and Denee
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