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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2005)
The INDEPENDENT, January 20, 2005 Page 9 VPD gets grant, buys Powerpoint r Bits & Bites Vernonia Police Department has received a Neighborhood Answers grant, awarded by RadioShack Corporation as part of its continuing effort to improve the quality of life for America’s families. Vernonia Police Department is one of 107 agencies to receive grant money in the latest quarterly cycle of RadioShack’s Neigh borhood Answers grant pro gram. The program funds wor thy causes that help families protect children from abduc tion, violence and abuse. ‘Through the Neighborhood Answers grant program, Ra dioShack has the ability to sup port programs in local commu nities that aim to help keep chil dren safe,” said Laura Moore, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Ra dioShack Corporation. “We be lieve our contributions to agen cies like Vernonia Police De partment will positively impact families across the nation, rein forcing RadioShack’s commit ment to the safety and security of the American family.” Vernonia Police Department used their grant to purchase a Powerpoint projector to be used for both in-house training and community programs and projects. Neighborhood Answers grants requests are accepted year-round and are evaluated quarterly by local review coun cils coordinated through Ra dioShack district offices. Grants are awarded quarterly in February, May, August and November. To be considered for a Neighborhood Answers grant, an organization must be a tax exempt nonprofit designated as a 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service, offer solu tions to help prevent family vio- lence/abuse an/or child abduc tion, and directly impact or ben efit, through programs or serv ices, a RadioShack community. Grant requests should be limit ed to $500 or less. Neighborhood Answers grant guidelines and the appli cation forms are available on line at web site <www. Radio ShackCorporation.com/cr/contr ib_program.shtml>. ___________ Police Chief Matt Workman displays the Seniors Safe brochures being presented to the Vernonia Senior Center. This program, from the National Child Safety Council, was made possible by donations from local business and people. By Jacqueline Ramsay Valentine’s Day isn’t far off. What’s cooking around town? Where to start - Have you noticed the sentinel trees at Washington Grade School have become firewood. It sure opened up their back yard. At the lake, Scout Troop 201 has an Eagle Scout project in progress. There are pale blue painted rectangles and rust col ored paint squiggles around the lake. Lights and water may be for picnicking and night strolling. The ducks put on quite a show while the lake was frozen - skating on the ice. I met a fel low that could not understand why the ducks weren’t interest ed in his offering of bread. Since you’ve been helping us feed cracked corn to them, the ducks are not so eager to rush the walkers. There don’t seem to be as many people out and about town yet this year. Could it be the rain, fog, ice and all the cold bugs floating around? Wednesdays at noon at the Senior Center offers good food and lively music. Those that don’t hang around till 2:00 are missing some very good music. Take time to stop and partake of a slice of life you don’t get in a lot of small towns. Well, after watching Channel 12 for 10 minutes this a.m., I think I’ll put on my jammies, crawl back in bed and wait for next weekend. It’s supposed to be warm. A tidbit from Vernonia Cares. They need small, tightly lidded containers (not glass) for repackaging items they receive in bulk for redistribution to pa trons. Also your clean plastic and paper shopping bags. Keep well and warm. Tax refund loans not always good idea As tax season approaches, the Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities wants to remind consumers that al though refund anticipation loans (RALs) get your tax re fund into your hands faster, there will be considerably less of it than if you file electronical ly and can wait a short time. RALs are short-term, high- cost loans secured by and re paid from the proceeds of a consumer’s tax refund. These loans have become extremely popular for taxpayers who want to access their refunds more quickly than waiting for a paper check or even direct deposit. Nationwide in 2002, consumers took out 12.7 million RALs and paid $1.14 billion in associated fees, according to a recent re port by the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America. RALs target the working poor who receive the earned in come tax credit (EITC). Using data from the Internal Revenue Service for tax years 2000- 2002, the report mentioned above found that in Oregon 192,600 families received the EITC. Of this number, approxi mately 43,000 families got an RAL. More than 18,000 of these families were in small cities or in rural areas of the state. RALs cost the average tax payer from $35 to $300 in fees. The effective annualized per centage rate can range from 70 percent for a $5,000 loan to 700 percent for a $200 loan. Example: A taxpayer due a re fund of $1,000 might pay a $30 loan fee to the lender, plus a tax-preparation fee of $120, and an administrative fee of $25 to the tax preparer. That taxpayer would receive $825, instead of the $1,000 he or she could receive. If instant cash is a desire rather than a need, consider these alternatives to avoid the costs of an RAL: • Go electronic: Abandon the traditional paper return and file from your computer. Last year, around 52 million taxpayers filed their returns electronically. You will get the money in two to three weeks - without paying loan fees or interest. A new In ternal Revenue Service (IRS) partnership with tax preparers and software companies offers free online tax preparation and electronic filing. You can con tact the IRS at 800-829-1040 or visit <www.irs.gov/efile>. • Direct deposit: Electronic filers who opt for a direct-de posit refund do even better. The IRS says the money gen erally shows up in taxpayer bank accounts in 10 to 14 days. Almost 42 million people got their refunds this way last year. To check to see if your tax preparer is licensed or to file a complaint about a tax preparer, you can contact the Oregon State Board of Tax Practition ers, at 503-378-4034 or visit <www.open.org/~ortaxbrd>. llllams General/Custom etal Fabrication & Welding of All Metals ab S pecializing P hone /F ax in S tainless S teel &A luminum : 503-429-8431 Robert Williams Vernonia, Oregon 24 hr R epair e o n e tti’s L P izza & G rill Starting Friday January 2: Join us (or our Nightly Dinner Specials! 721 Madison Ave., Vernonia • 503-429-5018
