Question: My driver’s license expired. Do I need a driver’s license to be street legal on an electric bike or on a moped? Can I ride an electric bike on a sidewalk?
Answer: You don’t need a driver’s license to ride an electric bike, but you do need a valid driver’s license or instruction permit to ride a moped, according to the state Department of Transportation. No, you can’t ride an electric bike on the sidewalk; it’s against state law.
Q: Will they ever have e-waste recycling in town again?
A: Yes. A Going Green community recycling event is scheduled for Oct. 28 from 9 to 11 a.m. at McKinley High School, 1039 S. King St.
Two other Going Green events are scheduled before that, but neither is in town. One is set for this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Wahiawa Middle School, and the other is set for Oct. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Waianae Hongwanji, according to a news release from coordinator Rene Mansho.
Q: Why is there another emergency alert when we just tested the sirens?
A: They are separate emergency preparedness events. The nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wire Emergency Alerts scheduled for today starting at about 8:20 a.m. Hawaii time is being overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions while the WEA portion will be sent to consumer cellphones, according to a FEMA news release. “The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed, due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11,” it said.
WEA-compatible wireless phones should receive the emergency message, if they are “switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and in a geographic area where the wireless provider participates in WEA,” the news release said. Phones with the main message set to English will receive the following message: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The EAS portion of the test, conducted with radio, TV, cable and other industry partners, “will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar,” making clear that no action is required by the public during what is only a test of the Emergency Alert System.
On Monday, Hawaii tested its all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System, in what was the first monthly statewide test since before the deadly Maui wildfires erupted Aug. 8.
Q: What is a “job interest card” with the city?
A: It’s an online form a job seeker can submit to receive an email notification every time a city job opens up in any of dozens of job categories the person has selected. To fill out the form, go to honolulu.gov/career and click on “Job Interest Form” at the top right of the page. The submission will be good for a year.
Auwe
Auwe to vehicles that drift in and out of their way while the driver is obviously texting. This is so dangerous! Get off your phone! — Safe driver
Mahalo
My husband is always losing his driver’s license. On Monday he dropped it at the Mililani 24 Hour Fitness. Luckily, someone found it in the men’s locker room and turned it in to the reception desk. Thank you to this good Samaritan. We really appreciate his kind gesture. We will follow his example should a similar situation happen to us. — M.W.
Mahalo
To my angel who found and turned in my debit card at the Kapahulu Safeway on Friday, may you be blessed abundantly! Grateful! — C.M.
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.
