Question: What are they doing on the H-3 to Kaneohe?
Answer: Joint replacements and concrete repair work, which will mean overnight closures of the H-3 freeway/Kaneohe offramp (Exit 1D) from the westbound H-201 Moanalua Freeway for the next two weeks, except weekends, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The closure is scheduled for 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. nightly Monday through Friday, through Oct. 27. “Motorists traveling to the Windward side of the island are advised to take Likelike Highway or Pali Highway as alternate routes,” the DOT said in a news release. Work is weather-permitting.
Q: Is it too late to order free COVID-19 tests?
A: No. Go to covid.gov/tests to order four free COVID-19 tests for free delivery by mail. This U.S. government service was reinstated Sept. 25 and is still accepting orders.
The U.S. government first made free rapid tests available to U.S. households by mail in January 2022 and has stopped and started the service several times since then. Health officials want households to have COVID-19 tests on hand ahead of the winter holiday season, knowing that for the past three years, COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked in January. Testing can help minimize exposure if people who test positive stay home and away from others. People with COVID-19 symptoms should do the same, whether or not they choose to take a test, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Q: I get where the lead came from in the Maui ash, given that old homes may have lead paint underneath newer paint. But where did the arsenic come from?
A: “Arsenic is a heavy metal found in soils in Hawaii due to volcanic soils and its use as an herbicide in the early 1900s. It is also found in building materials made of sugar cane (Canec) and wood treated for termite control (CCA treated wood). Arsenic can also be found in food such as rice, meats, fish and seaweed and has also been found to be naturally occurring in well water around the world. Long-term, environmental exposure to arsenic can cause skin problems, heart problems and cancers of the skin, bladder and lungs. Levels of arsenic in the ash were very high and pose a potential health risk to people with exposure to the ash,” the state Department of Health said in a news release announcing that wildfire ash collected in Kula had very high levels of arsenic. The ash was collected from eight burned Kula homes that had been built from the 1930s to the 2000s. The DOH expects similar results in the Lahaina burn zone, when testing there gets underway, because homes there were built during the same time period. The Kula testing also showed elevated levels of lead and cobalt.
Mahalo
I scheduled a road test to get a driver’s license after arriving in Hawaii for law school. There was a minor issue with the tire pressure sensor in my own car, which doesn’t affect its performance, but displays a warning signal on the main screen. DMV regulations state that there should be no warning signals for a vehicle used in a road test. When I went to the garage, they informed me that getting the part to fix the problem would take about a week. My road test was only a few days away. I would like to thank Clifton from Jerry V’s Honolulu Hyundai, who went way above and beyond on his own time to ensure that I had a car to borrow. His actions truly reflect the aloha spirit. I was deeply moved. — Mahalo, Gavin
Mahalo
On Thursday a ruptured waterline in Kaneohe disrupted water service to our home on Haiku Road. Mahalo to the Board of Water Supply for quickly restoring service. — Grateful Kaneohe resident
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.
