PORT ANGELES — Cascadia Transportation Enterprises Inc., owned and operated by Willie Nelson of Port Angeles, has begun Northwest Passage Charters.
It operates motor coaches from Bremerton, with a 45-passenger bus and 19-passenger bus positioned in Port Angeles.
The company also has 49- to 59-passenger buses available for charters “going anywhere for any purpose,” Nelson said.
Nelson is a tour guide and provider of charter buses on the North Olympic Peninsula through All Points Charters and Tours, a division of Cascadia.
He said his new step up to larger buses gives him the kind of control and access needed to provide the best service for the community with a growing demand for group transportation.
“I’m very excited to be able to add the large buses to the service I’ve been building over the past 10 years,” Nelson said. “The Olympic Peninsula has been without this kind of service for many years, and I’m happy I can bring it back.”
For more information, phone Nelson at 360-460-7131 or 360-565-1139, or email him at tours@goallpoints.com.
Broker recognized
SEQUIM — Michael McAleer, managing broker with RE/MAX Fifth Avenue, has qualified for the RE/MAX Chairman’s Club Award in 2014, recognizing the most successful RE/MAX agents worldwide.
In 2014, less than 1½ percent of the network achieved this award.
McAleer has been working in the real estate industry for more than 12 years and has extensive experience in the residential and land markets. He has been entered into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame.
In addition, McAleer coaches youth soccer, sits on the board for the Washington State Realtor Association and Sequim Association of Realtors, and is a board member for the local nonprofit group Sequim Family Advocates.
Victoria tourism
VICTORIA — Visitor industry officials in the provincial capital hope to gain on rising 2014 tourism rates by focusing on the U.S. Northwest this year, a top tourism official said last week.
Paul Nursey, CEO of Tourism Victoria, told an economic development breakfast audience that “2014 was a good year [with] very solid business growth and record summer [hotel-motel] occupancy.”
“I think we are in for a period of sustained growth in the tourism sector for the foreseeable future,” said Nursey. “We have seen staggering growth and recovery in the last year.”
Tourism Victoria’s new campaign for the upcoming season aims to attract visitors from the Pacific Northwest area.
The spring campaign is titled “Beyond Words.”
“The idea is that people are speechless . . . they are so excited that they develop their own language around visiting greater Victoria,” Nursey said.
Tax-Aide help
IRS-certified AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are preparing and electronically filing tax returns for free at six sites in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
The service will run through the end of tax season in April.
It is available for low- and middle-income taxpayers of all ages.
Program volunteers are authorized to prepare most basic tax returns and make sure the taxpayer receives all eligible deductions and credits.
They do not prepare returns for taxpayers who have income from rental properties or with complicated business returns.
An appointment is required at most sites.
Here are the sites on the North Olympic Peninsula:
Clallam County
■ Port Angeles Senior and Community Center, 328 E. Seventh St., Port Angeles. By appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays. Phone 360-457-7004 for an appointment.
■ Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.
These sessions are first-come, first-served. No appointment is necessary.
■ Shipley Center, 921 E. Hammond St., Sequim. By appointment from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Phone 360-683-6806 for an appointment.
■ Forks City Hall, 500 E. Division St. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. this Saturday. No appointment is necessary.
Jefferson County
■ Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., Port Townsend. By appointment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Phone 360-385-9007 for an appointment.
■ Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, Chimacum. By appointment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Phone 360-732-4822 for an appointment.
Taxpayers should bring the following with them to the Tax-Aide site: a photo ID; Social Security cards for taxpayer, spouse and all dependents; W-2s from each employer; and all 1099 forms, including 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B, 1099-C, 1099-R, 1099-MISC, SSA-1099 and 1099-G.
These include interest, dividend, stock sale, cancellation of debt, retirement, self-employment, Social Security and unemployment compensation.
What else to bring
Also bring any other documents necessary to complete your return — for example, receipts for energy-efficient home improvements, cost of stock sold, tuition statements and receipts necessary to itemize deductions, if applicable.
New this year, attendees should bring documentation of health insurance coverage for taxpayer, spouse and any dependents (Form 1095-A, if received from the Health Insurance Marketplace).
Attendees also should bring copies of their 2013 tax returns and their bank routing and account numbers if direct deposit of refunds are desired.
The program is sponsored by the IRS and the AARP Foundation.
