More state taxpayers filed electronically this year
The average state income tax return was $467 for returns filed by the end of last month while the number of people filing electronically more than tripled, the state Department of Taxation reported.As of the Monday state tax deadline this year, 77,708 returns had been filed electronically. That compares to 22,511 electronic returns as of last year's state tax deadline of April 20.
The state attributed the increase in electronic returns to an increase in the number of software providers who sold electronic tax filing software. This is the second year the state has offered electronic filing.
The Internal Revenue Service says it received about 515,000 federal tax returns from Hawaii taxpayers as of April 19 and 162,000 were filed electronically, an 18 percent increase over last year. The IRS says 13,564 returns were filed over the telephone via Telefile, a 9.7 percent increase.
Nationwide, about 115,867,000 were received by the end of last week, almost 45.8 million taxpayers had filed electronically.
FAA checking whether Delta Air pilot was drunk
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether a Delta Air Lines co-pilot was drunk or suffering from a medical condition when he showed up for a flight to Los Angeles.The man was stopped Tuesday night by security personnel at Kahului Airport after they saw something was wrong with him, FAA Pacific representative Tweet Coleman said yesterday.
Flight 292 was delayed for three hours before being canceled. Passengers were put up overnight at hotels and departed Wednesday.
Anthony Black, a Delta spokesman at the airline's Atlanta headquarters, said the flight was canceled because of "crew unavailability." When asked about the possibility that the co-pilot was drunk, Black said the airline doesn't comment on employee matters.
Coleman said pilots aren't allowed to drink alcohol for at least eight hours before flying.
"The FAA rule is eight hours from bottle to throttle. That's a long-standing rule," Coleman said.
Public invited to meeting at new Filipino center
The public is invited to attend an informational meeting about the services and activities offered at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu at 1 p.m. next Saturday.The center will hold its grand opening June 11 to kick off the Mabuhay Festival celebration. Small-business workshops and other community-oriented programs are scheduled for June and July.
The center is next to Hans L'Orange Park and the Waipahu Sugar Mill, at the corner of Mokuola and Waipahu streets.
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>> Cal Kawamoto is a state senator. A quote next to his photo on Page A3 Wednesday incorrectly said he was a representative. Corrections and clarifications
>> Maui Sky Fiber does not plan to offer its wireless Internet service on Oahu. A story Thursday on C5 in Hawaii Inc. incorrectly reported it planned to offer the service next year.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Missing teen calls home to says she's just fine
Kauai police said a 15-year-old girl who has been missing for more than a month contacted her parents this week to say that she is OK.Kaylee Ruiz-Taira was last seen on March 22 when police said she caught a plane to Oahu to meet someone that she had first encountered on the Internet.
Police said Taira would not say who she was with, where she was or when she was returning to Kauai.
Kulani prison escapee nabbed at a Pahoa home
HILO >> Big Island police arrested Shayne Y.K. Kobayashi, 27, at a home in Pahoa yesterday, they said.Kobayashi had been wanted since escaping from Kulani prison on April 10. He was serving time for sexual assault.
Kobayashi is being held at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center pending charges.
[The Courts]
Governor selects Waldorf for Oahu Circuit Court
Gov. Ben Cayetano has appointed District Judge Marcia J. Waldorf to the Oahu Circuit Court bench, filling a vacancy left by Judge Gail Nakatani, who did not seek reappointment.Waldorf graduated cum laude from the University of California at Davis and received her law degree from the University of San Francisco. She worked as a state public defender before being appointed to District Court, where she was administrative judge.
Waldorf's appointment is subject to confirmation by the state Senate. Other applicants for the position included Dana S. Ishibashi, Ronette Kawakami, Alexander T. MacLaren, Peter T. Stone and Michael K. Tanigawa.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Selection Commission appointed Maui attorney Joel E. August to fill a Circuit Court vacancy there after the retirement of former judge Artemio Baxa. Other applicants for that position included Maui County Prosecutor Richard T. Bissen Jr., Reinette W. Cooper, Mark T. Honda, Douglas H. Ige and Rhonda I.L. Loo.
Big Isle company pleads no contest to tax counts
Joy A. McElroy M.D. Inc., a Kailua-Kona medical corporation, has pleaded no contest to four counts of failure to file general excise tax returns from 1997-2000.Circuit Judge Riki Amano fined the company a total of $50,000 -- $12,500 for each year. The corporation will pay the fine in a year.
Attorney avoids discipline by resigning law practice
A 63-year-old Honolulu attorney has been allowed to resign from the practice of law rather than face disciplinary action.The Supreme Court granted Rolando R. Garcia's request, and his resignation will be effective May 22.
Under the Supreme Court Rules, resignation in lieu of discipline is equivalent to disbarment, including reinstatement. However, details on the allegations against Garcia are confidential. Garcia was admitted to the Hawaii bar in 1986. He is a graduate of the University of the Philippines School of Law.
Doctor pleads not guilty in tax-returns case
Dr. Taying Yang has pleaded not guilty to four counts of failure to file annual general excise tax returns from 1996-2000.Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani set the trial for the week of June 10. The charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by a year in prison and $25,000 fine.
