IRS to offer free tax prep and filing

The Internal Revenue Service and a coalition of tax software companies will offer free, step-by-step online tax return preparation and filing, as well as a wide range of free online tax forms beginning Friday.

The free preparation help and filing at www.irs.gov/freefile is for people earning $58,000 or less, while the forms are free to all with no income restrictions.

The IRS and the Free File Alliance estimate that 70 percent of American taxpayers are eligible for the services.

The program has saved taxpayers $1.2 billion since its inception in 2003, according to a statement by the coalition.

New bistro opens in former Le Guignol spot

W Bistro at 1010 is open for business at 1010 S. King St. and is preparing for a Jan. 30 grand-opening celebration.

Owners Richard and Judy Weinstein established R. Weinstein Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products 30 years ago, a business in the same building as the restaurant.

Chef Erick Omick has trained under luminary Hawaii chefs, including Roy Yamaguchi and Chai Chaowasaree.

A signature dish dubbed The W Bistro comprises house-made flatbread topped with roasted duck, cilantro, caramelized Maui onions, mozzarella, salted black bean barbecue Hunan sauce and pineapple salsa.

The restaurant, across the street from the Blaisdell Concert Hall, serves lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Sundays. It offers BYOB dining in partnership with The Wine Stop nearby, where owner Liane Fu will suggest wine pairings to complement the restaurant menu.

Le Guignol closed at the end of April after 14 years of operation in Honolulu.

PKF Pacific Hawaii to buy accounting firm

Honolulu-based public accounting firm PKF Pacific Hawaii LLP is expanding its services by acquiring RH Associates, CPAs Inc. The deal is due to close Feb. 1.

"This acquisition is a continuation of our strategy to grow our business both organically and through targeted acquisitions that support our objective of having outstanding local teams in the Hawaii marketplace supported by strong national and international expertise," Patrick Oki, managing partner of PKF Pacific Hawaii, said Wednesday.

PKF Pacific Hawaii, which took over the Honolulu office of accounting firm Grant Thornton in August 2010, provides audit, tax and advisory services and specializes in high expertise and creative solutions for midmarket businesses and organizations across the islands.

RH Associates, formerly known as Lum & Hiromoto, Certified Public Accountants Inc., was founded in 1988 and is led by two partners, Karen Remigio and Lynn Hiromoto, and employs three professional staff and one administrative staff member. All four RH Associates employees will remain with PKF Pacific Hawaii, which has more than 50 people in its workforce.

HEI, CEO give $100,000 to Cancer Society

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. employees were part of a more than $100,000 contribution made to the American Cancer Society Hawaii Pacific, HEI•said Wednesday.

The money will be used for Hope Lodge Hawaii, a temporary home for adult cancer patients seeking treatment on Oahu. The lodging facility is due to be completed in 2015.

Constance Lau, HEI’s president and CEO, made a significant personal donation, the company said.

BofA earnings jump nearly fivefold

NEW YORK » Bank of America Corp. said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit jumped sharply from a year earlier, as the loans on the bank’s balance sheet continued to improve. The nation’s second-largest bank earned $3.44 billion in the October to December period, up from $732 million a year earlier.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose to $22.32 billion from $19.6 billion, exceeding analysts’ forecasts of $21.2 billion.

J.C. Penney to ax 2,000 jobs, shut stores

NEW YORK » Struggling department-store operator J.C. Penney announced it will cut 2,000 jobs and close 33 stores as it tries to get back on the path to profitability.

J.C. Penney Co., based in Plano, Texas, said earlier this month it was pleased with its holiday results but would not give sales figures. The cuts announced Wednesday should save more than $65 million annually. The company will take $26 million in pretax charges in the third quarter and $17 million in future quarters. Penney has 116,000 staffers and operates more than 1,100 stores. All the job cuts are related to the store closings.

ON THE MOVE

Debbie Lindsey has been named hope po‘o kula (assistant head of school) at Kamehameha Schools Kapa­lama. She fills a new position that will work closely with Earl Kim, the po‘o kula,  and the campus faculty and staff. Lindsey is a 1974 graduate of KS Kapalama and has experience as a staff development specialist, teacher, curriculum developer and principal.

Wimberly Interiors has made the following announcements:
>> Terry Henriksen has been appointed studio director in Singapore.
>> Tomoko Day will join Henriksen in the Singapore studio as design director.
>> Ralf Sebecke is the creative director for the Honolulu studio, joined by Ari Suryanto as a senior designer and Shaleah Soliven as a designer.
>> Mark James has joined the company’s London studio as a senior associate.
>> Tim Zebrowski has been appointed creative director in the Los Angeles studio.  

The Hawaii Employers Council Board of Governors has elected the following executives: Joseph A. Bradley, Kurt Fey, Jon A. Gersonde, Sylvia M. Hussey, Janna Nakagawa, Paul Saito and Michael Yamane. They will serve three-year terms, to end on Dec. 31, 2016.

 

Central Pacific Bank has donated $25,000 to Aloha for Philippines. The monies will support the American Red Cross and Filipino Community Center’s relief efforts.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: