Latest news with #HouseBill980
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Why such a long wait for permit test?
Question : With the newly implemented website for teens taking the driver's permit written test online, why is the next available appointment for in-person written testing so far out, approximately three months ? The online testing was supposed to help with not going in person. Is there a problem with the website ? Answer : No, there isn't a problem with the website that administers the written test online for any eligible person seeking a Hawaii driving permit (it's not limited to teenagers ). To take the test online, an applicant must use an internet-connected desktop or laptop computer with a mouse (or mouse pad-controlled cursor ), keyboard and webcam. Cellphones, tablets or touchscreen devices cannot be used. To take the written test at any time, go to. There's a longer wait for appointments to take the written test in person at an Oahu driver's licensing center because the DMV offers fewer appointments for this service now that the online option is available. 'Our goal is to keep the wait time for in-office service for the written permit test to one month, ' Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu's Department of Customer Services, said in an email. Be sure to check all convenient locations for an appointment time ; you may have faced a longer wait because you focused on a single location. To be clear, this is about the knowledge test required to obtain a learner's driving permit, not the road test. As the CSD website explains : 'You may take a learner's permit written test at a driver licensing center by appointment available at. Appointments for in-person written testing will be limited at each driver's licensing center to the following days : 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.—Kapalama Driver Licensing Center : Tuesday and Thursday—Kapolei Driver Licensing Center : Monday and Wednesday—Koolau Driver Licensing Center : Friday—Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center : Tuesday—Waianae Driver Licensing Center : Thursday 'You will need to present all of the required documentation to obtain a permit prior to sitting for the exam.' The number of Oahu residents taking the online test has steadily risen since this option was first offered in early December ; 284 people took it that month, 653 in January and 1, 009 in February, according to a news release from the city. City officials are encouraged by the trend, because overseeing the written test in person is a time-consuming task, and having applicants take the test remotely frees up DMV staff for other work, including serving customers who must appear in person. Q : Did that bill about culling feral chickens pass ? A : No, the Committee on Agriculture and Environment deferred House Bill 980, HD 1, after a public hearing March 14. The bill would have expanded authority to kill feral chickens on private property, but opponents noted that licensed pest-control companies can already do so, with the permission of the property owner. You can read the bill, committee reports and public testimony at. Mahalo This past weekend I had the misfortune to require emergency medical attention and was taken to the Straub emergency room on King Street. The staff at the ER quickly and efficiently processed me in, and hooked me up to wires and tubes to diagnose my problem. They determined that I needed two units of blood, and I spent four hours getting infused. During this period the staff and nurses checked in on me regularly to make sure I was comfortable and safe. For this I am deeply grateful to the Straub ER staff and want to convey my sincere mahalo to them. But I also want to convey my gratitude to them for another, more important reason : While I was being treated in the ER, an elderly, obese, disheveled homeless woman also came in for emergency treatment. The ER staff treated her with such sincere caring, dignity and compassion. All of us in the community are fortunate to have such dedicated professionals caring for our citizens. Mahalo !—K.H.------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Why is it so hard to cull feral chickens?
JAMM AQUINO / 2022 A feral chicken walks outside the Aiea Public Library in Aiea. JAMM AQUINO / 2022 A feral chicken walks outside the Aiea Public Library in Aiea. Question : Can anyone explain why our government is reluctant to remove feral chickens that move into our community (for example, at Kaiser and Mc Kinley high schools, UH Manoa, etc.)? They spread diseases, make unacceptable noise, etc. If I were to abandon a couple goats on the UH Manoa campus, will they be allowed to thrive and even multiply on the grounds ? What's the difference then in how we address a goat problem from a chicken problem ? They're both farm animals. Answers : Lately we've heard more complaints about feral chickens on state property, such as public schools, than we have about feral chickens on city property, such as in parks. That's anecdotal, but it might reflect that the municipal government makes it easy to report nuisance chickens on any city property via the Department of Customer Services ; the city also helps pay for private-property owners to remove feral chickens. By contrast, people concerned about feral chickens on state land are told to complain to the agency overseeing the property. We know from past questions that removal efforts often are based on complaints. For more information, including about determining land oversight, go to. There are at least two bills alive in the state Legislature aimed at lowering Hawaii's feral chicken population, including one, House Bill 980, HD 1 (), which has a public hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Conference Room 224 and remotely, according to. The hearing is before the Committee on Agriculture and Environment. This bill would amend a state law that prohibits the 'taking, injuring or destroying ' of wild birds to exempt feral chickens on private property, allowing them to be killed with the 'express written permission ' of the property owner. The bill describes feral chickens as a persistent nuisance and health threat in residential areas, including as potential carriers of H5N1 avian influenza. The original version listed poisoning while caged, decapitation and drowning as acceptable methods of death, but that language was deleted from the amended bill, which allows any manner of death not prohibited by law, 'including methods that adhere to standard veterinary guidelines for euthanasia of chickens and are consistent with the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals.' Most public testimony as of Thursday opposed the bill, including that of the Hawaiian Humane Society, the animal law enforcement contractor for Oahu's municipal government, which said, 'We know of no instances of property owners being prosecuted for lethal control of feral chickens on their property '; that state law allows licensed pest control companies to control feral chickens ; and that 'allowing property owners to kill feral chickens by methods involving close contact with the animals could increase ' risks of avian flu. 'A far more impactful response to avian flu would be to shut down cockfighting operations and the breeding of roosters on agricultural lands, ' wrote Stephanie Kendrick, the nonprofit's director of community engagement. 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. Another bill, HB 1389, HD 1 (), would appropriate state funds to expand the City and County of Honolulu's feral chicken program and to establish a statewide public education campaign about feeding feral animals. The bill doesn't say how much money would be granted to the city, which now relies on city funds to offset the price private property owners pay to remove feral chickens, through a contract with Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions. (The city also controls feral chickens on its own property.) HB 1389, HD 1, made it from the House to the Senate, where it passed first reading and has been referred to the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs /Health and Human Services joint committee and the Ways and Means Committee. No hearing dates were posted as of Thursday. Most testimony submitted as of Thursday supports the bill, including that of Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawai 'i Farm Bureau, who wrote that 'the feral chicken and rooster populations in Hawai 'i have skyrocketed and have become an ever-increasing problem. Aside from roosters crowing in the hours before dawn, the feral chickens damage crops, spread weeds, threaten native plants, and are a road hazard. The noise, health issues, and environmental damage from feral chickens have become major concerns and need to be controlled.'------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kokua Line: Why is it so hard to cull feral chickens?
JAMM AQUINO / 2022 A feral chicken walks outside the Aiea Public Library in Aiea. JAMM AQUINO / 2022 A feral chicken walks outside the Aiea Public Library in Aiea. Question : Can anyone explain why our government is reluctant to remove feral chickens that move into our community (for example, at Kaiser and Mc Kinley high schools, UH Manoa, etc.)? They spread diseases, make unacceptable noise, etc. If I were to abandon a couple goats on the UH Manoa campus, will they be allowed to thrive and even multiply on the grounds ? What's the difference then in how we address a goat problem from a chicken problem ? They're both farm animals. Answers : Lately we've heard more complaints about feral chickens on state property, such as public schools, than we have about feral chickens on city property, such as in parks. That's anecdotal, but it might reflect that the municipal government makes it easy to report nuisance chickens on any city property via the Department of Customer Services ; the city also helps pay for private-property owners to remove feral chickens. By contrast, people concerned about feral chickens on state land are told to complain to the agency overseeing the property. We know from past questions that removal efforts often are based on complaints. For more information, including about determining land oversight, go to. There are at least two bills alive in the state Legislature aimed at lowering Hawaii's feral chicken population, including one, House Bill 980, HD 1 (), which has a public hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Conference Room 224 and remotely, according to. The hearing is before the Committee on Agriculture and Environment. This bill would amend a state law that prohibits the 'taking, injuring or destroying ' of wild birds to exempt feral chickens on private property, allowing them to be killed with the 'express written permission ' of the property owner. The bill describes feral chickens as a persistent nuisance and health threat in residential areas, including as potential carriers of H5N1 avian influenza. The original version listed poisoning while caged, decapitation and drowning as acceptable methods of death, but that language was deleted from the amended bill, which allows any manner of death not prohibited by law, 'including methods that adhere to standard veterinary guidelines for euthanasia of chickens and are consistent with the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals.' Most public testimony as of Thursday opposed the bill, including that of the Hawaiian Humane Society, the animal law enforcement contractor for Oahu's municipal government, which said, 'We know of no instances of property owners being prosecuted for lethal control of feral chickens on their property '; that state law allows licensed pest control companies to control feral chickens ; and that 'allowing property owners to kill feral chickens by methods involving close contact with the animals could increase ' risks of avian flu. 'A far more impactful response to avian flu would be to shut down cockfighting operations and the breeding of roosters on agricultural lands, ' wrote Stephanie Kendrick, the nonprofit's director of community engagement. 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. Another bill, HB 1389, HD 1 (), would appropriate state funds to expand the City and County of Honolulu's feral chicken program and to establish a statewide public education campaign about feeding feral animals. The bill doesn't say how much money would be granted to the city, which now relies on city funds to offset the price private property owners pay to remove feral chickens, through a contract with Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions. (The city also controls feral chickens on its own property.) HB 1389, HD 1, made it from the House to the Senate, where it passed first reading and has been referred to the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs /Health and Human Services joint committee and the Ways and Means Committee. No hearing dates were posted as of Thursday. Most testimony submitted as of Thursday supports the bill, including that of Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawai 'i Farm Bureau, who wrote that 'the feral chicken and rooster populations in Hawai 'i have skyrocketed and have become an ever-increasing problem. Aside from roosters crowing in the hours before dawn, the feral chickens damage crops, spread weeds, threaten native plants, and are a road hazard. The noise, health issues, and environmental damage from feral chickens have become major concerns and need to be controlled.'------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
