
Kokua Line: Why are lights out in Pali tunnels?
Question : Both of the short tunnels on Pali Highway are in the dark, and the sign announcing the outage has also gone missing. I'll refrain from smart-aleck remarks, but this seems a serious situation that needs attention. Do the responsible folks know and have a plan to fix it ?
Answer : Yes. You are one of multiple readers who have expressed this safety concern in recent weeks, with some saying the lights have been out for quite a while. We raised your questions with the state Department of Transportation on Feb. 27, and after following up on Wednesday heard back later that day. Here's the response from Shelly Kunishige, a spokesperson for the department :
'HDOT has posted electronic signs alerting motorists to the lights in the Pali tunnels on Oahu being out. For safety we recommend that drivers use their headlights when traveling through the tunnels even in daylight.
'HDOT is working with Hawaiian Electric to investigate concerns with the power supply and lights in the short tunnels on the Pali Highway. This will involve installation of power monitoring equipment in mid-March and a surge suppression system in June. In the interim, we will be turning on an emergency circuit that can partially power the short tunnel lighting (10 lights in the Kailua-bound tunnel and six lights in the Honolulu-bound tunnel ).
'The long tunnel lights have been restored following a timing schedule programming error that turned them off during the night. HDOT staff will be manually commanding the long tun -nel lights as we work to resolve the timing schedule programming.'
Q : Regarding the state trying to expedite the hiring of laid-off federal workers, isn't the city doing the same thing ?
Don 't miss out on what 's happening !
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE !
Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.
A : Yes, Honolulu's municipal government announced it's streamlining the hiring of laid-off federal employees to fill vacant city positions. Learn more at. For convenience, here's the link to the state's effort, which we mentioned in a previous column : .
Q : The federal government gives a preference in hiring to military veterans, attracting them to apply, and now they are getting laid off in droves. Auwe !
A : U.S. military veterans comprise about 30 % of the federal workforce, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and they are not immune from the mass layoffs imposed by the Trump administration, as you pointed out. As for the hiring preference, you can read more about that at.
Q : Please print the Hawaii phone numbers for our congressional delegation. Not all of us are online.
A : Here are local contact numbers as listed on the senators' and representatives' websites, where additional contact information is available, including phone numbers to their Washington, D.C., offices and options to send email or letters.—Sen. Mazie Hirono, 808-522-8970 or 844-478-3478 (toll free ),—Sen. Brian Schatz, 808-523-2061,—Rep. Jill Tokuda, 808-746-6220,—Rep. Ed Case, 808-650-6688, Auwe These mass federal layoffs are going to drive everything to 'online service, ' which is fine for most people, but good luck if you have even the slightest complication in your case, form, request, etc.—the computer can't handle it ! And now the person who could have helped you is being laid off ! Auwe !—A reader Mahalo Many thanks to the young man who lifted my heavy purchases into the trunk of my car at Iwilei Costco. He was with his mother, who approached very gently, so as not to startle me, as I struggled to lift a case of canned goods from the cart. I appreciate their kindness.—A reader------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump is expected to sign a measure blocking California's nation-leading vehicle emissions rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign a measure Thursday that blocks California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, a White House official told The Associated Press. The resolution Trump plans to sign, which Congress approved last month, aims to quash the country's most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. He also plans to approve measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. The timing of the signing was confirmed Wednesday by a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to share plans not yet public. The development comes as the Republican president is mired in a clash with California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over Trump's move to deploy troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. It's the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and heavily Democratic California over everything from tariffs to the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and funding for electric vehicle chargers. According to the official, Trump is expected to sign resolutions that block California's rule phasing out gas-powered cars and ending the sale of new ones by 2035. He will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. The president is scheduled to sign the measures and make remarks during an event at the White House on Thursday morning. Newsom, who is considered a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, and California officials contend that what the federal government is doing is illegal and said the state plans to sue. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin are expected to attend, along with members of Congress and representatives from the energy, trucking and gas station industries. California, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the EPA allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked California's ability to enforce its standards, but President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. Republicans have long criticized those waivers and earlier this year opted to use the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. That's despite a finding from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, that California's standards cannot legally be blocked using the Congressional Review Act. The Senate parliamentarian agreed with that finding. California, which makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, has significant power to sway trends in the auto industry. About a dozen states signed on to adopt California's rule phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars. The National Automobile Dealers Association supported the federal government's move to block California's ban on gas-powered cars, saying Congress should decide on such a national issue, not the state. The American Trucking Associations said the rules were not feasible and celebrated Congress' move to block them. Chris Spear, the CEO of the American Trucking Associations, said in a statement Wednesday: 'This is not the United States of California.' ___ Austin reported from Sacramento, Calif.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk called Trump Monday night before expressing regret for harshest criticism of the president
Elon Musk called President Donald Trump Monday night, two sources told CNN, before saying early Wednesday that he regrets some of his social media posts about the president during their very public blow-up last week. The call with the president, which lasted just moments, came after Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles spoke by phone with Musk on Friday, when which the three discussed the feud between Trump and the tech billionaire, two sources familiar with the discussion told CNN. Musk backed off from his attacks following the phone calls, deleting his most critical social media posts about the president — including the one relating to Jeffrey Epstein and another agreeing with the suggestion that Trump should be impeached. On Wednesday, Musk went even further, writing on X that he some of the posts 'went too far.' 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,' he wrote on X. The New York Times first reported the Monday phone call and The Wall Street Journal first reported the Friday call. CNN has reached out to a spokesperson for Musk. Republican lawmakers and high-profile Trump allies have spent the last week quietly reaching out to Musk, urging him to not only reconcile with the president, but also support his domestic policy bill. During Musk's time as Trump's 'first buddy,' many of the president's closest advisers formed their own relationships with the tech billionaire, which they leaned on after the messy public break-up between the two men to try and bring Musk back around. Through text messages and phone calls with Musk, these Trump allies have sought to deescalate the feud and explain the necessity for what Trump calls his 'Big Beautiful Bill,' which faces hurdles in the Senate. Sources familiar with these interactions said Musk was receptive to outreach but still pushed back on there not being enough spending cuts in the legislation. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that he was in touch with Musk and was 'trying to be a peacemaker' between him and the president. 'I think the temperature's being turned down, and I'm very hopeful that these two will reconcile,' the Louisiana Republican said. While the two billionaires are seemingly on the path to reconciliation after Musk called Trump, many close to the president would still like to see Musk come out in favor of the bill. 'He has real concerns, but we're all hoping he comes around. His words carry a lot of weight,' one of the sources said. The Friday call with Musk came after Vance had asked the president last week how he wanted him to publicly handle the feud, especially given Vance was slated to do an interview with conservative podcast host Theo Von hours later, one of the sources told CNN. Trump urged Vance to be diplomatic, the source said. The sources familiar with the discussion told CNN that by the time Wiles and Vance got on the phone with Musk, it appeared Trump and the Tesla founder had already begun to deescalate their feud. 'Musk appeared to already be backing off at that point, and the president wasn't as pissed by then as he was the day before,' one of the sources said. White House officials have since left the door open to the possibility the two men will eventually repair their relationship. While at first it appeared Musk's attacks may have been an irrevocable break in their alliance, the president has internally not been as harsh toward Musk in recent days as some had previously expected, they said. Vance had recorded the Theo Von podcast on Thursday, which was then released on Saturday. During that recording, the vice president said he thought it was a 'huge mistake' for Musk to go after Trump the way he had, but that he hoped Musk 'comes back into the fold.' 'I actually think that if Elon chilled out a little bit everything would be fine,' Vance said. After last week's very public blow-up between Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire began inching back toward Trump over the weekend, as unrest and protests of immigration raids began roiling Los Angeles. Musk appeared to support the Trump administration's stance on the situation in Los Angeles, adding American flags to a post from Vance about how the 'president will not tolerate rioting and violence.' Musk has long supported closed borders, stopping illegal immigration, and deportations, in alignment with the administration. And Musk posted a screenshot of a Trump Truth Social post that said California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass 'should apologize to the people of Los Angeles.' This week, he also re-followed White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and conservative podcaster and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, proponents of the domestic policy bill whom he had unfollowed amid the fight with Trump. Kirk had been publicly calling on Musk and Trump to reconcile. 'I know both these guys … I am hopeful, optimistic and will do everything I possibly can to try and bring this back together,' Kirk told Megyn Kelly on Tuesday, adding he expected them to make up. Musk's message of regret in the early hours of Wednesday appears to have reached the president, who told The New York Post in a brief phone interview, 'I thought it was very nice that he did that.' This story and headline have been updated with additional reporting.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Governors should end California's ludicrous and harmful electric vehicle mandate
In the Biden administration's waning days, the Environmental Protection Agency granted California permission to implement an electric vehicle mandate that several other states adopted, despite the economic turmoil it would create for American consumers and businesses. In granting a waiver to implement California's Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, the EPA attempted to clear the road for other states to go beyond existing federal regulations and sign on to California's pledge to meet escalating annual electric vehicle sales quotas that effectively ban gas-powered and conventional hybrid cars by forcing zero-emissions vehicles to comprise 100 percent of all new car sales by 2035. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have hitched their wagons to California's regulations. In response, Congress recently passed a Congressional Review Act measure to revoke the EPA waiver that gave California effective permission to ban new gas and hybrid power vehicles. Notably, 35 House Democrats and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) joined with Republicans in voting to repeal the waiver. President Trump should waste no time in signing the Congressional Review Act resolution into law, despite California's promise to challenge Congress's authority to rescind the waiver in court. Legal challenges aside, when it comes to electric vehicles, reality is proving to be a stubborn obstacle to politicians' zeal and environmentalists' wishful thinking. Traditional cars with gas engines and newer hybrid engines are widely popular because they are budget-friendly. In addition, the market conditions and infrastructure capabilities are nowhere near ready for the fantastical transition demanded by the new mandates — one that will be massively expensive for American families and taxpayers. A recent national survey showed that 65 percent of America's middle class struggles financially. Forty percent of all Americans are unable to plan beyond their next paycheck. Factor in inflation and the costs and effects of Trump's tariffs, and consumers agree the future looks bleak. Out of all their wallet worries, electricity prices are an extra-sore spot for consumers, with already spiking rates expected to increase as much as 30 percent for more than 65 million Americans. Consumers' grim economic outlook, shaky purchasing power and genuine infrastructure concerns are reflected in zero-emissions vehicles' lackluster national sales. Even the more ambitious forecasts have sales falling short, recognizing that national electric vehicle sales may reach only 16 percent in 2028 — the same year California's and the others states' rules would require electric vehicles to account for a whopping 51 percent of new vehicle sales. Some of these states have electric vehicle sales rates in single digits. Even California, where electric vehicles account for a relatively high 25 percent of new car sales, is lagging far behind its own requirements. Electric vehicles currently make sense for affluent early adopters with large amounts of disposable income and lifestyle habits to transition ahead of others — not so much for those in less fortunate economic positions. Even groups pushing for more adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles admit that 'electric cars still cost 25 percent more' than other vehicles. Electric vehicle owners in more privileged situations also face challenges. Some are stranded in 'charging deserts,' far from public infrastructure, and thus face a lose-lose proposition: They have to choose between installing a $1,000-$2,500 at-home charger or overload their circuits and run up electricity bills by plugging into existing outlets. If drivers are fortunate enough to live a reasonable distance from one of the 64,000 public electric vehicles chargers, data shows one in five simply don't work. New Jersey was quick to hitch itself to California's electric vehicles mandate, and businesses in the state have been sounding the alarm. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association recently urged Gov. Phil Murphy (D) to stop this rule taking effect, which they said 'will significantly add costs for both consumers and businesses during a severe affordability crisis.' In contrast, governors in Maryland, Delaware, New York and Massachusetts — all Democrats — have taken recent executive actions to steer their states away from onerous and unworkable sales quotas by delaying or withdrawing the associated penalties. Too many Americans are worried their families' income will not be enough to afford high housing, grocery and electricity prices, as well as price hikes from tariffs. Instead of adding to that burden by leaving Sacramento in the driver's seat, governors of all these states should give their constituents a reprieve from California's impractical and economically back-breaking mandate by delaying enforcement or withdrawing entirely. Mario H. Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a public policy advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity and prosperity for all. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.