Off the news: End of the rainbow for license plate

It’s the end of the line for Hawaii’s familiar rainbow license plate design: A sequence of letters and numbers used to make each plate unique to its owner has run its course, the city Department of Customer Services confirmed, so a new look is called for.

The rainbow plate was first issued in 1991, with “Hawaii” at the top and “Aloha State” at bottom, as required by law, and a white background, which patrolling police reportedly prefer for ease of observation. The City and County of Honolulu manages the contract for license plate design, and we’re awaiting details from city hall on what comes next. Maybe an erupting volcano?