Some taxpayer services will be limited Thursday and Friday while the state Department of Taxation transfers data to a new computer system as part of its Tax System Modernization program. Services that require access to the current computer system will be affected.
All of the department’s district tax offices will be open during regular office hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on those days. The Kona office’s new hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Taxpayer information and services that do not require department staff to access the current computer system will continue during the data transfer. Services that require access to taxpayer accounts, including the issuance of tax clearances, will be temporarily limited during those days. The department will also be unable to process new requests for tax clearances Thursday and Friday.
For more information about the Tax System Modernization program, visit tax.hawaii.gov.
Drone license prep course offered
Drone Services Hawaii is offering Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 operators certificate exam preparation courses Saturday and Sunday at the Moore aviation center at 90 Nakolo Place, Suite 24, in Honolulu.
Both one-day classes are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and cost $350, with lunch included. Each class is designed to help drone enthusiasts comply with new aviation rules set to go into place Aug. 29.
Registration closes at 5 p.m. today.
The FAA recently changed its guidelines to make it easier for drone users to get their commercial-use licenses because of the rapid rise in the popularity of drones, which now outnumber planes and helicopters nearly 2-to-1, according to FAA reports.
To help enthusiasts pass the Part 107 Operators Certificate Exam, the classes will cover introduction to flight, flight environment and flight planning.
Attendees must be at least 16 years old, U.S. citizens and able to pass a Transportation Security Administration background check that is done by the FAA. Interested parties should bring a driver’s license or passport to the course. Drone Services will also help students book their Part 107 Operators Certificate Exams after course completion.
To register, contact Drone Services Hawaii at 844-376-6350.
Some Delta Air systems still sluggish
DALLAS >> Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that some computer systems are still working slowly more than a day after an outage crippled the airline and led to more than 1,500 canceled flights. The system the airline uses to check in and board passengers and also dispatch its planes is still sluggish.
A critical piece of equipment failed at the airline’s Atlanta headquarters Monday, causing a loss of power, and key systems and equipment did not switch over to backups as designed.
Delta passengers endured hundreds more canceled and delayed flights Tuesday as the carrier slogged through day two of its recovery from the meltdown.
Americans are glum about economy
WASHINGTON >> Americans, Japanese and many Europeans are glum about their national economies. By contrast, Chinese, Indians and Australians feel positive about theirs.
Those are among the findings from a survey released Tuesday of 20,132 people in 16 countries by the Pew Research Center. Just 44 percent of Americans rated the U.S. economy as “good,” although that proportion has risen steadily from 18 percent in 2011. Since that year the U.S. unemployment rate has tumbled to 4.9 percent from 9 percent.
Muslim attendant sues over suspension
DETROIT >> A Muslim flight attendant has sued ExpressJet, accusing the airline of wrongly suspending her because she refused to serve alcohol to passengers.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Michigan chapter announced Tuesday it filed the lawsuit last week on behalf of Charee Stanley, a Detroit-based flight attendant for the airline headquartered in Atlanta.
The federal court case follows a discrimination complaint filed last year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,which dismissed it without determining whether the airline violated the law.
Stanley alleges ExpressJet didn’t provide a reasonable religious accommodation and seeks back pay and other damages. She was placed on unpaid leave last summer.
ExpressJet said in a statement that it values diversity but cannot comment on specific personnel matters or ongoing litigation.
On the Move
KITV Island News has announced that anchor Lindsey Fukano has joined “Good Morning Hawaii.” She was previously the morning and midday anchor at 23ABC KERO in Bakersfield, Calif., as well as morning anchor and overnight producer for KEPR/KIMA Action News in the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Wash., area.
Corie Tanida has been named the new executive director for Common Cause Hawaii. She served as a project coordinator when she joined the company in May 2013 and was promoted to senior organizer in January 2015.
WATG has promoted Elaine Wong to associate for the Honolulu office. She is also a project architect for the global design firm. Wong joined WATG in 2013.
