Off the News: Starting over with Ala Wai project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had hit a wall in the Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Project, the kind of wall that even engineers can’t get around. The cost of the project had almost doubled to $651 million, which has prompted a decision to conduct a “general reevaluation.”

Back to Square One, in other words. It’s a tall order to reduce the risk of severe flooding without too much environmental intrusion, and without the Ala Wai losing its scenic value — and yet that’s what affected communities would want.

Federal tax deadline is today

For taxpayers who might have forgotten, or have simply procrastinated, today is Tax Day. The federal IRS had moved back the filing deadline from the traditional April 15, due to the plethora of confusing new tax laws in response to the pandemic.

That extension for tax year 2020 was helpful for many nationwide, but not so much for residents here, since Hawaii’s state government stuck to its April tax deadline. So, for the many Hawaii residents long done with their annual tax filings, sit back and relax. But for others rushing today to meet the federal deadline, you have until midnight.