Kokua Line: Where is new TSA checkpoint?

Question: The descriptions of upcoming TSA changes are very confusing as to where or what is going to change. Can an illustrated map be made showing where things will be located and where they are located now?

Answer: The state Department of Transportation has illustrations on its website, at 808ne.ws/newcp, comparing the old and new layouts of Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in Terminal 1 of the Honolulu airport. Link to the illustrations from that webpage.

The changes, being made this week, mean there will be two TSA checkpoints on the second level of Terminal 1, one each on the mauka and makai ends, according to the DOT. The makai location is new.

The new four-lane checkpoint is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Saturday at the makai end of Lobby 3, according to a DOT news release. After a weeklong testing phase, this checkpoint’s regular hours of 4:15 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. are scheduled to begin Feb. 26, it said. The checkpoint is expected to operate fully during the testing phase.

The reconfiguration means that TSA PreCheck passengers now use a designated lane through the mauka checkpoint, DOT spokespeople said. A third checkpoint near the terminal’s midpoint that PreCheck passengers had previously used was dismantled Tuesday, they said.

Q: If a person buys a used vehicle on which the registration is not current, does the buyer have to pay the fees for past years to make the registration current? Or is the new buyer absolved of the back fees so that the registration fees only move forward from the point they purchased the car?

A: Yes to your first question and no to your second. “The buyer becomes responsible to pay all back fees and penalties at the time he or she transfers the title to the vehicle from the previous owner to the new owner. At that point, all back fees and penalties become the responsibility of the registered owner of the vehicle,” said Harold Nedd, spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services.

Q: If I file jointly, does my husband have to be there for us to get our taxes done for free?

A: You should check with whatever community program you hope to use, but the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program, for example, addresses this question on its local website, saying:

“We prefer that both spouses be present during the preparation of a joint return since each spouse is legally responsible for its content. If one spouse is not available, the other spouse can come in alone to have the return prepared, but must obtain the other spouse’s signature on Form 8879 and return the form to the site before the return can be e-filed.”

For more information about free assistance available to help Hawaii residents file their state and federal income tax returns, see hawaiitaxhelp.org or taxaidehi.org. To be clear, these programs help people prepare their tax returns, not pay any taxes due.

Auwe

Oahu has too many people doing what they please, rather than what’s best for everyone. We need to get back to the old days of thinking of others first. — Old-timer

Mahalo

On Super Bowl Sunday, our dog escaped and ran down Moanalua Road. Ian, who was waiting for the bus in front of Our Savior Lutheran School, tried to catch him but when my dog saw my husband, he decided he would bolt across busy Moanalua Road toward Pali Momi. Thanks to Ranger (white, four-door Honda) who saw what was happening, stopped and was able to grab our dog to safety. We can’t thank them both enough for trying and rescuing our dog on such a busy intersection. We’d also like to apologize to the woman who stopped abruptly so my husband could cross the road. — Mahalo from “the Skis”

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.