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Terry Savage: Tips for tax filers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

Terry Savage | Tribune Content AgencyIt’s that time of year again — income tax time. If you’ve already filed your return, pat yourself on the back. But if you’re one of the millions who procrastinate, here are some helpful reminders along with some tax changes that you might not have noticed yet.This year’s tax filing deadline is Tuesday, April 18th.You can get an extension by filing IRS Form 4868 — but you must pay all the taxes you would owe or face stiff penalties.File your return electronically. Not only will you get your refund faster, you will have proof of filing.Electronic filing isn’t more expensive. In fact, if your adjusted gross income is under $73,000 you can use IRS.gov/Freefile — a partnership with well-known tax preparers. Or search IRS.gov for the VITA program, an in-person source of help for elderly and low-income people.Set up direct deposit if you expect a refund. Double-check the bank routing number, and make sure the account you specify is current and open.If y...

Suspect in triple murder arrested following transfer from Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A suspect in a triple murder from 2000 has been taken into custody following a transfer from Mexico, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, 44-year-old Sergio Lopez Contreras was arrested on Wednesday after being brought across the border by efforts coordinated by U.S. Marshals and Mexican authorities. $5.7M in narcotics seized at San Diego port of entries over 3-day span: CBP Lopez Contreras is the prime suspect in an apartment complex shooting that took place at a residence on Bancroft Street in Normal Heights on the night of Sept. 4, 2000, SDPD said. Responding officers located three victims at the home. Michael Plummer, 20, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Adah Pearson, 18, and Julio Rangel, a 21-month-old child, were both transported to local hospitals where they both died from their injuries, according to SDPD.The San Diego Police Homicide Unit responded to investigate the triple shooting and detectives identified Lopez Contreras as ...

LIVE: USS Theodore Roosevelt returns to San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) has returned to San Diego following an 18-month stay in Washington.The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is returning to Naval Air Station North Island after completing a docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, according to U.S. Navy officials.While homeported in Bremerton, WA, Theodore Roosevelt underwent maintenance to modernize the ship's combat efficiency and ensure sustained operational readiness, a news release said. San Diego health professionals quell fears as deadly infection spreads at ‘alarming rate’ nationwide According to Navy officials, upgrades to the ship included:Expanding the ship’s air dominance capabilities to support the F-35C Lightning II, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and CMV-22B Osprey, as well as future platforms such as the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system.Installation of the Mark 38 Mod III Machine Gun System and...

Water contamination in Oregon could prompt EPA to step in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

BOARDMAN, Ore. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is urging Oregon to clean up water contamination from nitrates in the eastern part of the state, warning it could step in under the Safe Drinking Water Act in the absence of sufficient local action.It’s been three decades since state agencies first noted high levels of nitrate contamination in the groundwater in Morrow and Umatilla counties, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported, and residents have long complained that the pollution is negatively impacting their health.Environmental groups say that large-scale livestock and agriculture operations are largely to blame for the contamination. The two counties have a combined population of more than 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller met with dozens of residents, representatives of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the local nonprofit Oregon Rural Action in Boardman, Oregon, on Monday to...

Trudeau, Biden could agree to end ‘loophole’ in Safe Third Country Agreement: source

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could designate all 8,900 kilometres of their shared border as an official crossing under the Safe Third Country Agreement.A Canadian government official with knowledge of the talks says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden will discuss the issue when they meet in Ottawa on Friday. The Canadian Press is granting anonymity to the official to discuss matters not yet made public. Such a deal would not physically close off the Roxham Road unofficial crossing in Quebec, where thousands of migrants have entered Canada so they can make an asylum claim.But it would mean that migrants who continue to cross there, or at any other unofficial crossing, would be treated as if they crossed at an official border checkpoint and returned to the United States to make an asylum claim there.Those travelling into the U.S. from Canada at unofficial crossings would likewise be returned to Canada by American authorities. Und...

Informant didn’t spy on Proud Boys defense, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As revelations that a defense witness was also an FBI informant roil the already contentious Capitol riot trial of members of the far-right Proud Boys group, prosecutors said Thursday that the informant was never told to gather information about the defendants or their lawyers. The FBI, meanwhile, ended its relationship with the informant this past January after it learned that the person had received a subpoena to testify, an agent said in an affidavit filed in court. The government only found out from the defense team that the informant had been communicating with the defense and had participated in “prayer meetings” with relatives of at least one of the Proud Boys on trial, prosecutors said. They called suggestions of government misconduct “baseless.” The revelation came Wednesday when defense lawyer Carmen Hernandez said in court papers that the defense team was told by prosecutors on that afternoon that the witness they were planning to call to the stand on th...

Scientists say mine plan claiming no swamp harm has errors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Scientists for the federal government say documents that Georgia state regulators relied upon to conclude a proposed mine won’t harm the nearby Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge contain technical errors and “critical shortcomings” that render them unreliable.Since 2019, Twin Pine Minerals has been seeking permits to mine titanium less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge east of the Mississippi River. Scientists have warned that mining near the swamp’s bowl-like rim could irreparably harm the swamp’s ability to hold water and increasing the frequency of withering droughts. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division moved the project a big step forward in January by releasing a draft plan for how Twin Pines would conduct mining operations and mitigate any environmental damage. The agency said its own analysis “concluded that water level in the swamp will be minimally impact...

Brampton man charged for fleeing from police in tractor trailer, crashing into vehicle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

A Brampton man is facing several charges, including fleeing from police, after he allegedly sped away from officers during a traffic stop and crashed into another vehicle with his tractor-trailer.Peel Regional Police say on March 10, just after 9:30 a.m., officers witnessed the driver of a heavy tractor-trailer allegedly driving in a “no heavy trucks” zone in the Williams Parkway and Dixie Road area in Brampton.It’s alleged that officers conducted a traffic stop and approached the driver, who fled at a heavy rate of speed in his truck. Police did not pursue the man due to the risk to public safety.Officers observed the truck again in the Airport Road and Queen Street area a few minutes later. Once the man saw the police, he began driving erratically, investigators said.RELATED: Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Brampton, life-threatening injuriesA short distance away at Goreway Drive and Steeles Avenue, police said the tractor-trailer allegedly collided with another ...

Q&A: Chuck D talks rap’s rise through ‘Fight the Power’ doc

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hip-hop became a cultural phenomenon against the backdrop of American history, and now Public Enemy’s Chuck D has committed himself to explore the artform’s origins. Chuck D rounded up several rap greats — including Ice-T, Run DMC and MC Lyte — who offered their firsthand accounts ahead of this year’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Their reflections are explored in the four-part docuseries “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” that aired on PBS and is available to stream on its platforms and YouTube with a premium subscription. The series delves into the history of hip-hop including the genre’s radical rise from the New York City streets, creating a platform for political expression and being a leading voice for social justice“Fight the Power” touches on how the hip-hop has played an impactful role in speaking up against injustice in the aftermath of America’s racial and political reckoning in 2020 after George Floyd’s killing by Minnea...

CP NewsAlert: Boy who shot police previously apprehended under Mental Health Act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:50 GMT

Edmonton police say a16-year-old boy who shot and killed two officers a week ago had been apprehended in November under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment.Police also say the same gun was used in a shooting days earlier at a nearby pizza restaurant that left a man injured. More coming.The Canadian Press