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IRS moves forward with free e-filing system in pilot program to launch in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Most taxpayers are interested in filing their taxes directly to the IRS for free, a new report says, and that option will be tested next year.The IRS has spent the past nine months studying whether U.S. taxpayers want to see a free, e-filing system run by the government — and is now preparing to launch a pilot program.The prospect of a free, government-run, online tax filing system has been debated for a long time. Supporters argue that the option would make tax return services more equitable and accessible for taxpayers nationwide. But there’s also been pushback from some big tax-prep companies.Now, the IRS plans to launch a pilot program for the 2024 filing season to test a “direct file” system and help the federal government decide whether to move forward with potentially implementing it in the future, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel and the Treasury’s Chief Implementation Officer Laurel Blatchford said Tuesday.There are still few details available about the p...

UN: Africa’s Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Africa’s Sahel region has become a hot spot for violent extremism, but the joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to the Islamic State, al-Qaida and others has failed to stop their inroads, and a senior U.N. official warned Tuesday that without greater international support and regional cooperation the instability will expand toward West African coastal countries.“Resolute advances in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime in the Sahel desperately need to be made,” U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee told a U.N. Security Council meeting.The counterterrorism force, now comprised of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger, lost Mali a year ago when its ruling junta decided to pull out. Pobee said the force hasn’t conducted any major military operations since January.She said the force is adjusting to new realities: France moving its counterterrorism force from Mali to Niger due to tensions with t...

Pennsylvania House control up for grabs again in special elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats’ narrow majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is on the line Tuesday with two special elections that will determine which party controls the chamber.One of those contests is expected to swing Republicans’ way, but the other in Delaware County, in the Philadelphia suburbs, will be more competitive. It’s the second time this year that Democrats have sweated the outcome of House special elections, and they hope to be just as lucky as before.The stakes are high: A Democratic victory in Delaware County would give first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro at least one chamber to aid his agenda going into the final month of budget negotiations. The results could also affect a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights that legislative Republicans are one House vote away from putting before voters as a referendum.In that race, Democrat Heather Boyd, a former congressional and state legislative aide, is competing against Republic...

Brazil’s Bolsonaro questioned in fake vaccine card investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was questioned Tuesday by Federal Police in an investigation into allegations that COVID-19 vaccine cards were falsified to get around U.S. vaccine requirements.Police haven’t publicly named the targets of their investigation, but local media reports have said authorities are looking into the vaccine cards of Bolsonaro, his advisors and members of his family and whether they were altered ahead of U.S. visits.Bolsonaro, who arrived Tuesday afternoon at the police headquarters in Brasilia to give a sworn deposition, has denied wrongdoing, saying he never claimed to be vaccinated nor presented documentation saying that he was. Vehicles thought to transport Bolsonaro were seen arriving around 1:30 a.m. local time and left over four hours later.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the former president spent months sowing doubt about the efficacy of the vaccine. A police statement about the investigation alleges that alterations to t...

'Pneumonia Front' to send temps crashing Tuesday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

A Pneumonia Front will send temps crashing Tuesday evening.A 20 to 30 degree drop in temps is expected over just a few hours Tuesday eveningA strong southbound cold front is to shift winds NNE in Chicago with the flow arrived after a "full fetch" trip down the length of Lake Michigan over its still chilly waters. Temps will dive here--likely falling from the low 80s to the low and mid 50s by 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.While Wednesday is to be cool--hovering in the low to mid 60s inland but in the 50s along Lake Michigan, temps are to recover to more seasonable levels (normal highs this time of year are in low 70s; normal lows in the upper 40s and low 50s) the remainder of the week and through the coming weekend.Dry Spring continuesShowers are expected Friday but the overall pattern over the coming two weeks is to remain dry. This will continue the "much drier than average" spring trend observed to date. To date, May 2023 ranks among the 19% of driest Mays of the past 151 years and the meteoro...

Funeral services set for slain CPD officer Aréanah Preston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

CHICAGO — Visitation and funeral services will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday for fallen Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston.Visitation began at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, located at 4727 W. 103rd St in Oak Lawn.The 24-year-old officer had just returned from a shift in the 5th District when she was shot and killed in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue. Four suspects have been charged in her fatal shooting.Preston's mother told WGN she was a smart and driven woman who was looking forward to her graduating with her master's from Loyola University. On Saturday, Loyola posthumously awarded Preston's degree to her mother.Her law enforcement colleagues said she was brave and compassionate. Preston's last arrestee, taken into custody just hours before her death, reportedly wept when they heard the news.Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Department Interim Superintendent Fred Waller both attended Tuesday's visitation. ‘It was my work’: Teen bragged to...

'Head-spinning hypocrisy': Democrats renew calls to expand Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – Democrats are renewing their push to expand the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, saying it would be a more accurate reflection of the country.Senator Ed Markey and Representative Hank Johnson are leading the effort to expand the high court.“Let's start with undoing the Republican’s thievery and adding four seats to the court,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) said.“A six-three far-right super majority on the United States Supreme Court threatens our rights our democracy and our planet,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) added. “Republicans captured the court against the will of most Americans.”Democrats say expanding the court would restore balance.In 2016, Republicans blocked President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court because it was an election year but didn't use the same standard for President Trump's nominee in 2020.“With head-spinning hypocrisy, Senate Republicans and Donald Trump stole the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat, forcing Amy Coney Barrett on...

MedWatch Digest: The effects of cannabis products on pregnancy, plus more headlines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

Med Watch Digest News for May 16, 2023Study looks at pregnancy and cannabisA new study says if you're pregnant, consider not taking any cannabis product.The study was done by the College of Medicine at Central Michigan University.It found that even in the first trimester, there was a significant birth weight loss, about a third of a pound to the fetus.Even such a slight decrease the study reports, can be linked to health problems as the child grows.Continued use of marijuana after the first trimester can result in a smaller head circumference and could mean the brain didn't develop properly.New drug approved to treat hot flashesThe Food and Drug Administration approved a new medicine to help treat menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.Veozah is the first drug of its kind to be approved.It blocks receptors in the brain that influence body temperature regulation.The drug offers an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy, which can increase the risk of blood clots and ...

New Mexico police ID victims, suspect in 'purely random' mass shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico investigators have identified the three deceased victims, the shooter, and the two officers injured in Farmington during a mass shooting Monday. Farmington Police said the shooter killed three elderly women and wounded six others in what they believe was a “purely random” attack. Farmington community in mourning after deadly shooting Police identified the three women as Shirley Voita, Melody Ivie and Gwendolyn Schofield. Two of the women were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the third died at the hospital. Two of the victims were in their 70s, while the third victim was in her 90s.Farmington Police Sergeant Rachel Discenza and New Mexico State Police Officer Andreas Stamatiadis are among the wounded victims expected to survive their injuries. Stamatiadis has been treated and released from the hospital, while Discenza is still said to be hospitalized with a wound to her pelvis. Four other victims who survived their inju...

APD Chief Joseph Chacon on DPS halting partnership: 'Unfortunate but understandable'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) increased patrols in Austin "has been critical given the staffing shortages APD is experiencing."DPS ceased its partnership with APD over the weekend so troopers can focus their attention on border cities in the wake of the expiration of Title 42, according to law enforcement sources. The initiative, called the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force (AVCTF), began on March 30 as a way to assist APD, as the department faces a staffing shortage. APD currently has about 300 vacancies."This impacts operations, including slower response time to emergency calls," Chacon said about the temporary split in an email. "APD officers are working hard to provide the highest level of service possible, and we ask for the community's understanding and patience as APD works to build back its ranks."Since the program began, there have been “significant decreases in violent crime, response times, and ca...