High-wind warning in effect until 6 p.m
A high-wind warning has been posted by the National Weather Service for all the main Hawaiian Islands until 6 p.m. today.
A high-pressure system far north of the islands will maintain strong and gusty easterly trade winds.
Winds are expected to be 20 to 35 mph with localized gusts exceeding 50 mph.
These strong winds can bring down tree branches, trigger local power outages and make for difficult driving, especially for high-profile vehicles, the National Weather Service said.
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Free income tax assistance offered
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii is hosting free income tax assistance in Kahului on Mondays through April 8 for those meeting economic requirements.
The Maui branch of Goodwill is located at 250 Alamaha St., Suite N17. The service will be offered Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m., except Kuhio Day.
To qualify for the free tax preparation service, individuals must make $50,000 or less per year and not own a home or business.
Appointments are highly recommended. The Maui number is 442-8908.
Community volunteers, including Goodwill workers, donate their time to help tax clinic participants in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Only certified VITA tax preparers may assist taxpayers in e-filing returns.
Goodwill also is offering a second free option to file taxes online for individuals with adjusted gross incomes of less than $57,000 a year. They may employ the MyFree Taxes url to file federal and state returns. The url is myfreetaxes.com/higoodwill.
For information about this option, email info@myfreetaxes.com.
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Foreign ag investors must file forms
Foreigners with an interest in agricultural lands in the U.S. are reminded that they required to report their holdings and transactions to the U.S. secretary of agriculture.
"Any foreign person who acquires, transfers or holds any interest, other than a security interest, including leaseholds of 10 years or more, in agricultural land in the United States is required by law to report the transaction no later than 90 days after the date of the transaction," said Diane Ley, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency state executive director.
Foreign investors must file Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act reports with the FSA county office that maintains reports for the county where the land is located.
The Maui County office is at 77 Hookele St., Suite 202, Kahului. The phone number is 871-5500, ext 2.
"Failure to file a report, filing a late report or filing an inaccurate report can result in a penalty with fines up to 25 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land," said Ley.
Data gained from these disclosures is used to prepare an annual report to the president and Congress concerning the effect of such holdings on family farms and rural communities in the U.S.
