Question: Is it OK to wear a scarf in my driver’s license photo if I want to get the gold star? I am balding from cancer treatment and would prefer not to have my photo taken this way. I am not embarrassed. I intend to survive and thrive and don’t want to be looking at that picture for the next eight years!
Answer: Yes, as long as the scarf does not obscure your facial features or generate a shadow, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“The REAL ID regulatory standards for the digital photograph recognize that some individuals may wear head coverings for religious or other reasons. However, such coverings should not obscure an applicant’s facial features or generate a shadow. For purposes of the photograph, the face should be visible from the hairline to the chin and forward of the ears, and be free of shadows. The REAL ID regulation does not require the exposure of the hair line or the ears,” DHS says on its website, dispelling a myth that applicants for federally compliant driver’s licenses or state IDs must remove all head coverings.
Such credentials are commonly known as “gold star” driver’s licenses or IDs, because of a mark they carry.
Best wishes to you as you continue your medical treatment.
Q: I live here now and let my old license (California) expire. Will I have to take the road test to get a Hawaii license?
A: Yes. “An expired out- of-state license is not transferable and requires the successful completion of both written and road tests,” according to the city’s website.
If your license had not expired, you would have been able to apply for an out-of-state transfer.
Q: I haven’t seen anything lately about HPD setting up sobriety checkpoints. Those reminders are good, especially this time of year. Might keep someone from dying.
A: The Honolulu Police Department does indeed set up impaired driver checkpoints every week, at unannounced times and locations, and will continue to do so throughout the holiday season, when people may be attending parties where intoxicants are served.
“Drinking and driving can result in serious consequences. We strongly urge drivers to think before they get behind the wheel,” the department states on its website.
Q: Can you browse in the marijuana storefronts?
A: No. “If you are planning on acquiring medical cannabis from a dispensary, you must have 1) your valid 329 card, and 2) valid state ID, valid state driver’s license, or valid passport book (not passport card) on your person to gain entry,” according to Hawaii’s Department of Health.
Find more information at 808ne.ws/disp.
Auwe
Auwe to the man driving a small, light-colored vehicle at the Ala Moana Center mall level parking roadway near J. Crew on Dec. 7 around 5:30 p.m. After you rear-ended our vehicle while we were at a stop for pedestrians, you drove off as we turned into a lane to assess the damage. Shame on you. — A reader
Mahalo
On Dec. 10, in the Kaimuki Shopping Center parking lot near Longs Drugs, my car stalled. Two gentlemen pushed my car to a safe parking area. Also, a young woman helped by turning the wheel to that area. I did not get their names. I want to thank all of them for helping me. Mahalo. — Senior Sakai
Mahalo
My husband, who has dementia, recently required the services of EMS, fire department and Kaiser’s emergency staff. His behavior was difficult and yet all of them treated him with care and patience. Everyone handled him with professionalism and understanding. I really appreciated all that you did. Mahalo to all involved. — Gratefully, a senior’s wife
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
