Desert Messenger

By Jackie Deal He's entertaining. He's funny. He's talented. And his South Carolina accent is like butter on bread. If his program is half as much fun as interviewing him was—it will be a whopper! He's Bobby Douglas, a one man show, appear- ing Feb. 26, at 7 pm at the Desert Sky Theater, Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA.) Bobby Douglas is a contemporary of many of Nashville's stars and he loves to spin tales, probably mostly true. Marty Robbins was a big infl uence and a friend of his. He sings the fi rst recording that Marty Robbins ever made. Marty Robbins wrote "El Paso" and Bobby has written a sequel called "Return to El Paso" that he prom- ises to sing. He's also written a tribute to Marty Robbins, called "The Ballad of Marty Robbins". He says his program "is a montage of life" that he plans to dedicate "to the Greatest Generation." He writes songs that "will make you cry, laugh and listen." He's the youngest of 9 children. Of the seven brothers, six play at least two instruments and fi ve are professionals. Bobby says, "I'm just a fl un- ky." His fi rst guitar was a cigar box with 4 strings. He says, "I gave up smoking at age 8 and went back to music." Where has he sung? "Oh, I've sung mainly to the cows but I've traveled all over the United States singing and playing." He says that back stage at the Grand Ole Opry he learned the business end of music. He claims he was a draft dodger during the Vietnam War. "I joined." He and his wife Sharon spend winters here and then drive back about 2100 miles to South Carolina. We're just glad they're here. Don't miss it; this should be an evening of fun and music and well worth $5 each. February 20, 2019 www.DesertMessenger.com 29 Music in the desert with Bobby Douglas New process for claiming credits for public schools, qualifi ed charitable organizations and qualifi ed foster care organizations this tax fi ling season The Arizona Department of Reve- nue (ADOR) reminds taxpayers the process to claim tax credits for pub- lic schools, Qualifying Charitable Organizations (QCOs) and Qualify- ing Foster Care Charitable Organi- zations (QFCOs) has changed. Public Schools An individual may claim a nonre- fundable tax credit for making con- tributions or paying fees directly to a public school in this state for support of extracurricular activi- ties. The public school tax credit is claimed on Form 322. For the purpose of claiming Ari- zona's tax credit for contributions made or certain fees paid to a pub- lic school, ADOR now requires tax- payers report the school's County Code, Type Code, District Code and Site Number (CTDS) on Form 322, which is included with the Arizona income tax return. The CTDS is a nine (9) digit num- ber that the Arizona Department of Education uses to identify Arizona public and charter schools. Taxpay- ers must enter the school code and not the district code.To fi nd the CTDS number for a public school in Arizona, please visit the ADOR website athttps://azdor.gov/tax- credits/public-school-tax-credit. Qualifying Charitable Organiza- tions and Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organizations Arizona provides two separate tax credits for individuals who make contributions to charitable organi- zations: one for donations to Quali- fying Charitable Organizations and the second for donations to Quali- fying Foster Care Charitable Orga- nizations. Individuals making cash donations to these charities may claim the tax credits on their Ari- zona Personal Income Tax returns. Effective in 2018, the Arizona De- partment of Revenue assigned a fi ve (5) digit code to identify each QCO and QFCO for Arizona tax credit purposes on Form 321 and Form 352, which is included with the Ari- zona income tax return. Taxpayers must use the "QCO Code" or "QFCO Code" of certifi ed organizations to claim the tax credits for contribu- tions to QCOs or QFCOs. The department maintains the lists of qualifying charities and assigned code for each organization. A tax- payer can only claim a tax credit for donations made to certifi ed charities.Please note: QFCOs are currently going through the re-cer- tifi cation process for 2019 contribu- tions and not all 2018 certifi ed QF- COs are certifi ed for 2019. To confi rm certifi ed qualifying char- ities and more information on QCO and QFCO tax credits, see https:// azdor.gov/tax-credits/contribu- tions-qcos-and-qfcos. AZ Dept. of Revenue has new process for claiming credits for charities, schools We want dates of your events planned for NEXT SEASON! SUBMIT FOR FREE at www.QuartzsiteCalendar.com Veterans....need a ride to Phoenix VA? Veterans in La Paz County who need a ride to their hospital appointments at the Phoenix VA hospital can take advantage of a free service from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter in Lake Havasu. The DAV has been operating a shuttle service from Lake Havasu to Phoe- nix VA for many years. Stops are along SR 95 and include Parker Dam, Parker, Quartzsite and Vicksburg Road and I-10. To take advantage of this service, you must have an appointment at the hospital prior to calling the DAV and it must be a morning appointment. The van runs every Monday and Wednesday. Due to legal issues raised ear- lier this year, DAV can no longer take veterans to "off-site" appointments into the city of Phoenix. This is a statewide decision, not a local one. Anyone wishing to make an appointment, or has further questions, please call the DAV offi ce at 928-855-0356 between the hours of 9:30 AM and 1 PM on weekdays, or call anytime and leave a message on voicemail. DEADLINE : WED. FEB. 27 TH for the march 6 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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