Question: A caretaker’s cottage at Kalani High School burned down in November. The eyesore burned shell is still there. When will it be torn down and/or removed?
Answer: No removal date has been set, nearly six months after the vacant structure on the southeast corner of campus was engulfed in flames. Officials plan to meet this week on the matter, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.
No one was injured in the Nov. 15 fire, which was limited to the old custodian’s cottage. Classes had been dismissed before 2 p.m. that day and the fire broke out just before 3 p.m., after most students had left campus.
The blaze did snarl traffic on Kalanianaole during the afternoon rush hour. The school is located at 4680 Kalanianaole Highway and firefighters closed westbound lanes to fight the fire. They had it under control by 3:30 p.m. but remained on the scene until 8 p.m. to tamp down hot spots, according to news reports at the time.
The burned-out shell is visible to passers-by on Kalanianaole, as well as to people on campus. You are not the first reader to ask why final demolition is taking so long.
Sherie Char, a HIDOE spokeswoman, provided this status update from the Office of School Facilities and Support Services:
“The Hawaii State Department of Education, contractor and other involved parties will be meeting this week to work through the proposed environmental cleanup provisions. Once this matter is resolved and the scope of work has been agreed upon, HIDOE can move forward on safely and properly demolishing the building.”
Q: I inquired about getting a low-income program and had to list my income. They asked if I was on Social Security (I am) but I didn’t list that because that’s a benefit I paid for and I don’t think it should count as income. They told me list it. What counts as “personal income”?
A: You do have to list it. Personal income doesn’t include Social Security contributions (payments you made), but it does include Social Security benefits (payments you receive), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
According to the BEA, personal income includes:
>> Wages, salaries and fringe benefits
>> Proprietors’ income
>> Rental income
>> Investment income (interest and dividends)
>> Transfer income (Social Security, Medicare, unemployment benefits, etc.)
Personal income does not include:
>> Social Security and Medicare contributions
>> Capital gains and losses
Q: When they changed the tax code did they take away the deduction for charitable giving?
A: No, people who itemize deductions on their income-tax returns will be able to deduct charitable donations in 2018. However, there is some concern that charitable giving could decline because the new tax code doubled the standard deduction. That may reduce the incentive for taxpayers to itemize their returns and therefore dampen the desire to donate, at least among those who do so for the tax break.
E Kala Mai
In haste to pick up my child after school and frustration at the daily traffic jam on campus, I drove the wrong way into the administration parking lot. I got a spot, but jammed up parents coming in from the correct direction. The school has terrible traffic management, but that’s no excuse for me taking the shortcut. I won’t do it again. — Mindful motorist
Mahalo
Mahalo to the people who found my lost wallet at Sam’s Club Pearl City. They would not accept reward money. God bless. — Mililani customer
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