Christine Donnelly

Question: I am a senior veteran who renewed my motor vehicle registration in Hono­lulu last week and I didn’t get $20 off. There wasn’t anything about it on the city website.

Question: Why did HMSA drop the Silver&Fit program from the Akamai Advantage benefits in 2026? It encouraged healthy aging and improved physical, emotional and social health.

Question: Lately I’ve noticed quite a few new “med spas” popping up, not just in my neighborhood but around the island. I recently tried one that advertised a specialized laser treatment for dark facial pigmentation (melasma). Despite spending $4,400 for 10 laser treatments, the dark spots worsened. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the owner, but my concerns were met with no resolution. The owner of the med spa is described on her website as a “medical grade esthetician” without specifying the qualifications or source of that credential. Her official license with the state is listed as “beauty operator.” Are these med spas monitored to ensure they are delivering outcomes that justify their high price tags? I’m concerned about their safety and effectiveness given an apparent lack of oversight and exaggerated claims of beauty enhancement on social media. I want to prevent others from experiencing what I went through. Is there any recourse for consumers in this situation?

Question: What about the federal workers who are not furloughed but are forced to stay on the job and work without pay? Are they eligible to file for unemployment insurance?

Question: Regarding the merger of Hawaiian and Alaska airlines’ loyalty programs into Atmos Rewards, I received a notice on Oct. 1 that “as a former HawaiianMiles member, a new Atmos Rewards number has been created” for me. … Unfortunately, my mileage credited to Atmos was only from my HawaiianMiles account (10,629 miles), not Alaska’s Mileage Plan (in which I had 6,552 credited miles). … I thought that Hawaiian and Alaska miles would be automatically combined and merged into a new account, although I had also read that you could manually link accounts yourself online (as an option). … Over the past few months I was so consumed with major home maintenance projects that I didn’t think about doing this linkage myself. … I “chatted” online with an Alaska reservations representative on Oct. 1, but she said I needed to call “customer care.” I called Alaska customer care the next day, but with an estimated wait time of three-and-a-half hours I couldn’t stay on the line. Are my Mileage Pl

Question: Is it too late to donate HawaiianMiles to charity? I never switched to the new system and my traveling days are behind me.

Question: What jobs qualify for “no taxes on tips” under the new federal law?

Question: They’re having public meetings about climate action, and I didn’t hear anything about it so I missed the one at my library. Please let people who can still go know about these.

Sunday’s column about updates to Hawaii’s Food Safety Code that spell out when pet dogs are allowed in outdoor areas of eating establishments (808ne.ws/4nuQ6Vs) generated follow-up questions from readers. Here are responses from the state Department of Health:

Kokua Line: Must restaurants welcome pet dogs?