• Is Kauai Coffee in White House? • Jobless rate climbs on Kaua‘i • Aloha fare sale ends July 22 • Tax forms delayed, still due July 31 • Kaua‘i flowers worth $2.3 million Is Kauai Coffee in White House?
• Is Kauai Coffee in White House?
• Jobless rate climbs on Kaua‘i
• Aloha fare sale ends July 22
• Tax forms delayed, still due July 31
• Kaua‘i flowers worth $2.3 million
Is Kauai Coffee in White House?
Agents of the Secret Service are mum, and brand names aren’t divulged for national-security purposes and to avoid appearances of favoritism. But we have information from reliable sources that Gov. Linda Lingle did deliver some samples of Kauai Coffee Company brews to Pres. George W. Bush’s White House during one of her earlier trips to Washington.
Kauai Coffee Company officials are “actively working” to get their products served during White House functions, said Donn Soares, Kauai Coffee Company national sales manager. Stay tuned.
Jobless rate climbs on Kaua‘i
A difference of just 200 additional people out of work caused a jump in Kaua‘i’s unemployment rate from 4.4 percent in May to 5.1 percent last month, according to figures provided by a spokesman with the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. In May, there were 1,300 Kauaians out of work, and last month there were 1,500 unemployed Kauaians. Last month, the Kaua‘i civilian labor force was 29,750 strong, with 28,250 employed.
Graduates entering the job market were identified as the reason both the state and all the counties’ jobless rates increased last month. The state’s June rate was 4.4 percent, the U.S. rate was 6.5 percent, and the Big Island had the highest jobless rate among Hawai‘i counties, at 7.3 percent. The City and County of Honolulu had the lowest rate, 3.8 percent.
Aloha fare sale ends July 22
Aloha Airlines officials announced low summer airfares, but only for tickets for round-trip travel purchased by this Tuesday, July 22. Interisland fares are as low as $59 per person, one way, plus taxes and fees, with discounts on transpacific and Mainland-to-Mainland routes as well. Those booking on the Aloha Airlines Web site, www.alohaairlines.com, receive additional 5 percent discounts and 2,500 AlohaPass bonus miles. Please call 245-3691 for more information.
Tax forms delayed, still due July 31
The printing and mailing of some state tax forms for those required to file semiannual returns was delayed, but those forms are still due to state officials by Thursday, July 31, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Taxation.
As long as certain requirements are met, including one requiring filers to pay all taxes due on or before Thursday, Aug. 21, tax department officials will automatically waive penalty and interest charges for forms received after July 31. The affected forms include general excise and use taxes, transient accommodations tax (hotel-room tax), rental motor vehicle and tour vehicle surcharge tax return forms, and others. For more information, please call toll-free 1-800-222-3229.
Kaua‘i flowers worth $2.3 million
The value of floriculture and nursery-product sales on Kaua‘i last year was $2.3 million, an increase of 24 percent compared to results in 2001, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
There were 55 Kaua‘i floriculture and nursery producers last year, with a majority of the sales ($1,547,000) in a broad “other” category including bedding plants, plant rentals, sod, trees and similar products. Sales of cut flowers were $296,000, and $246,000 worth of Kaua‘i orchids were sold last year.
