Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/260878
NEC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Butte College is presenting a series of workshops on "Using Pricing & Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business" 8:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 18 through March 11 at 2480 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico. The cost is $60 per per- son pre-paid or $70 per person at the door. Most business owners do not understand how to drive the prices they charge for products or services. This 4-Week Series will teach you how to: under- stand your fixed and vari- able costs and profit; implement strategies through examples and case studies; determine the profits you need to meet your capital, debt service & distribution needs; fore- cast your expected sales volume using trends; target your market using pricing and promotional strategies to drive volumes; and track results based on outcome, measurable individual goals and better business performance. Pre-registration is required. Please register online, call or stop by, NEC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Butte College, 2480 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, 530-895-9017, www.bcsbdc.org to regis- ter and for information. By Jennifer Cooper Social Security Manager in Redding If you've recently begun receiv- ing Social Security benefits or plan to apply in the near future, you may be wondering this tax season: are Social Security benefits taxable? The short answer is: sometimes. Some people have to pay federal income taxes on their Social Securi- ty benefits. This usually happens only if you have other substantial income (such as wages, self- employment, interest, dividends and other taxable income that must be reported on your tax return) in addition to your Social Security benefits. There is never a case when a per- son pays tax on more than 85 per- cent of his or her Social Security benefits, based on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. Now, let's get down to the numbers. If you file a federal tax return as an individual and your income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. If your income is more than $34,000, then up to 85 percent of your bene- fits may be taxable. If you are married and you file a joint return, and you and your spouse have a combined income that is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. If your combined income is more than $44,000, then up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable. Note that your "income" for the purpose of determining whether you must pay taxes on some of your Social Security benefits includes your adjusted gross income, your nontaxable interest, and one half of your Social Security benefits. In January, you should have received a Social Security Benefit Statement showing the amount of benefits you received last year. You can use this statement, or SSA- 1099, when completing your feder- al income tax return to find out whether some of your benefits are subject to federal income tax. If you didn't receive yours, you can request one at www.socialsecuri- ty.gov/1099. So, are your Social Security benefits taxable? Maybe. To learn more, read page 14 of our booklet, Retirement Benefits, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs or visit www.irs.gov/ to obtain more detailed information on the sub- ject. 4B Daily News – Saturday, February 15, 2014 High school board begins budget planning The Board of Trustees of the Red Bluff Joint Union High School Dis- trict took the first steps in meeting the new state requirements for assessing the needs of the district and building a plan to address those needs, according to a press release issued by the district Thursday. It is only after the plan is devel- oped that the budget for next year can be adopted; the budget must be directly tied to the plan. The board adopted a calendar for developing the Local Control Accountability Plan, or LCAP, that includes parental input meetings in March, staff participation, and reg- ular updates during board meetings between now and the June 18 board meeting, the release said. The staff has already been busy developing the information needed to formulate a plan. This change in planning and budget building has been called a sea change because it requires that school district budgets be clearly aligned with local school needs. It has required a major effort on the part of staff to garner good data to paint an accurate picture of the state of the school in various areas, including teacher credentialing, facilities, student achievement and related matters. In January the State Board of Education adopted regulations and a template for these efforts. The hope is that local school boards will not only have more flexibility in using funds, but that they will care- fully direct those funds to support local goals based on the careful self study that will be included in the LCAP. Board President Barbara McIver praised the hard work on the part of staff to make all of this happen. Rubes By Leigh Ruben Local Calendar Submit calendar items to P.O. Box 220, Red Bluff, 96080 or clerk@redbluffdailynews.com. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Red Bluff Celebrate Recovery, 7 p.m., Bethel Assembly of God, 625 Luther Road, 527-0445 or 366-6298 Nutrition Classes, 12:30-2 p.m, Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, 220 Sycamore #101, 528-7947 Red Bluff Rotary Club Sunrise, 7 a.m., M&M Ranch Corning Car Show, 5-9 p.m., Bartels Giant Burger, 22355 Corning,Road, local car clubs welcome, 824-2788 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Red Bluff Frontier Village Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 645 Antelope Blvd. EBT accepted Weight Watchers meeting, 8 a.m., 485 Antelope Blvd. #N, 1-800- 651-6000 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Red Bluff AA Live and Let Live, noon and 8 p.m., 785 Musick St., meets seven days a week Al-Anon New Comers At Heart, 7-8 p.m., North Valley Baptist Church, 345 David Ave., 690-2034 Kelly-Griggs House Museum, 1-3 p.m., 311 Washington St., group tours by appointment, 527-1129 or 527-5895 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Red Bluff Community Band rehearsal, 7-9 p.m., Presbyterian Church on Jefferson Street, 527-3486 English as a Second Language class, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Thursdays, free childcare from 9 a..m. to 12:20 p.m. classes in Richlieu Hall, 900 John- son St. Gastric Bypass Support Group, 6 p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Columba room, 529-3066 Head Injury Recreational Entity, 10 a.m., St. Elizabeth Communi- ty Hospital, Coyne Center, Rusty, 529-2059 Key to Life, 6 p.m., Family Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-8066 PAL Martial Arts, ages 5-18, 3-5 p.m., 1005 Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529-7950 Retired and Active Federal Employees, 11:45 a.m., Cozy Diner 259 S Main St., call Karen at 585-2494 Red Bluff Senior Writing Class, 10: a.m.-noon,,Executive Room at Sycamore Center, 220 Sycamore St., 527-5762 Salvation Army Writing Class, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 940 Walnut St., 527-8530 Sun Country Quilters Community Service Group, 9 a.m. to noon, Family Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-1126 TeenScreen Mental Health Appointments, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, by appointment only, 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, Ext. 3012 Tehama County Military Family Support Group, 6 p.m., Coun- tryside Cafe, 638 Washington St., 529-2416 TOPS Club (take off pounds Sensibly), 8:30 a.m., First Christian Church, 926 Madison Ave., 527-7541 or 347-6120, visit www.tops.org US citizenship preparation class, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tues- day and Wednesday Venture Crew 1914 meeting, 6:30-8 p.m., Moose Lodge on 99W, co-ed ages 14-20 welcome Women's Domestic Violence Information and Support Group, Spanish speaking, call for time and location, 528-0226 Corning Alcoholics Anonymous, noon Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, 783 Solano St., behind the Church Bingo, 5:15 p.m. early bird, 6:30 p.m. regular games, Maywood Grange, Highway 99W just past Liberal Avenue, 833-5343 Exchange Club membership meeting, 7 p.m., Iron Skillet Kirkwood School Board, 5 p.m., 2049 Kirkwood Road Narcotics Anonymous, 7 p.m., 820 Marin St., 824-1114 or 586- 0245, daily through Saturday, noon Mondays, no meeting the third Wednesday Sewing group, 9 a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Spanish Adult Education, 5 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Strategies for Success, Life Skill classes, 1:30 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Weight Watchers, weigh in 5:30 p.m., meeting 6 p.m., Senior Cen- ter, Kayla Deihl leader Los Molinos Friends of the Los Molinos Library, 6 p.m, 7881 SR99E, 384- 2945 Senior Dance, 7 p.m., Senior Center, Josephine Street, 384-2100 Cottonwood Cottonwood Garden Club, 10 a.m., 20595 Gas Point Road, potluck lunch to follow, 347-1281 or 347-3852 Flournoy Flournoy School Board, 6 p.m., 16850 Paskenta Road TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Red Bluff American Legion Mt. Lassen Post 167, 7 p.m., Veterans Memor- ial Hall, 735 Oak St. Antelope School Board, 5:30 p.m., Antelope District Board Room, 22600 Antelope Blvd. Bend School Board, 4:30 p.m., 22270 Bend Ferry Road Book Club, 6 p.m., Tehama County Library Childbirth Class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospi- tal, Columba Room, 529-8026 City Council, 7 p.m. City Hall, 555 Washington St. Cribbage Club, 6 p.m., Cozy Diner, 259 S. Main St., 527-6402 Diabetic Education, 12:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Columba Room, 529-8031 Fun Senior Aerobics, 8-9 a.m., $1, Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. 527-8177 PAL Kickboxing, 6 p.m., 1450 Schwab St., 529-8716 or 200-3950 Penny Bingo, 10 a.m., Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. P.E.T.S. (Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter), 6 p.m., RaboBank, 500 Luther Road, 527-8702 Pinochle for Seniors, 12:30-3:30 p.m., 1500 S. Jackson St., free, 527-8177 Providing Essentials for the Tehama Shelter, 6 p.m., Cozy Diner Red Bluff Derby Girls open tryouts and practice, 6:30 p.m., Tyler Jelly building, Tehama District Fairground Red Bluff Rotary, noon, Elks Lodge Take Off Pounds Sensibly — TOPS, 10 a.m., First United Methodist Church, 525 David Ave., 824-0556 or 529-1414 Tehama County Arts Council Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Tehama County Department of Education Tehama County Board of Supervisors, 10 a.m., board chamber, 727 Oak St. Tehama County Health Partnership, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 1135 Lin- coln St. 527-6824 Tehama County Resource Conservation District, 8:30 a.m., USDA Service Center, 2 Sutter St., Ste. D Tehama County Society for Crippled Children and Adults, 11 a.m., Elks Lodge, 350 Gilmore Road Tehama County Tea Party Patriots, 6 p.m., Grange Hall, 20794 Walnut St. Tehama District Fair board, 1 p.m., Tehama Room, Tehama District Fairground, 650 Antelope Blvd. IRS warns of heavy call volume WASHINGTON – The IRS reminded taxpayers the Presidents Day holi- day period typically marks one of the busiest weeks of the tax filing season for its phone lines. There are other alterna- tives to help taxpayers find answers to common- ly asked tax questions. The Internal Revenue Service has several easy- to-use, online tools on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can check the status of their refund, request a copy of their tax transcript or get an answer to their tax questions around the clock. "The entire week of the Presidents Day holiday marks a peak time in the number of calls to the IRS, and we encourage taxpayers to visit IRS.gov as the best place to get quick help," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Due to limited resources, the IRS has changed the services pro- vided at the toll-free tele- phone number and IRS Taxpayer Assistance Cen- ters. To save time and find answers faster, taxpayers should make IRS.gov their first stop. A good place to start is 1040 Cen- tral for a quick overview. The IRS Services Guide also provides a list of resources. Here are some of the most common reasons people call us over Presi- dents Day holiday week and the faster and easier ways to get answers: Want to know where your refund is? More than 90 percent of refunds are issued in less than 21 days. IRS representatives will not provide individual refund information before then. Taxpayers can easily find information about their refund by using the Where's My Refund? tool. It's available on IRS.gov and on the Smartphone app, IRS2Go. Where's My Refund? provides taxpay- ers with the most up-to- date information avail- able. Taxpayers must have information from their current, pending tax return to access their refund information. Refund information is updated just once a day, generally overnight, so there's no need to check more than once a day. Didn't get a W-2? Employers are required to send to their employees a Form W-2, Statement of Earnings, by January 31. Employees should allow enough time for their form to be mailed to their address of record. If form W-2 is not received by mid-February, employees should first contact their employer to ensure they have the correct address on file. After exhausting all options with the employ- er, employees may con- tact the IRS and we will send a letter to the employer. However, we would urge you to call after Presidents Day week to avoid long wait times on the telephone. Need a copy of your tax return or transcript? Taxpayers can easily order a return or transcript on the IRS.gov website, on our IRS2Go Smart- phone app or by mailing us a completed Form 4506-T. More information on these options is avail- able at IRS.gov. Ordering a tax return or tax transcript does not mean a taxpayer will get their refund faster. The two are not connected in any way. IRS transcripts are often used to validate income and tax filing sta- tus for mortgage, student and small business loan applications and to help with tax preparation. Need answers to tax law questions? Questions about what filing status means, whether to file a tax return or who can be claimed as a dependent? Simply do a keyword search on IRS.gov; use Publication 17, the annual, searchable income tax guide; or the IRS Tax Map, which allows search by topic or keyword for single-point access to tax law informa- tion by subject. Taxpayers can even call TeleTax at 1-800-829-4477 for recorded information on a variety of general and business tax topics. Can't pay a tax bill? For taxpayers whose concern isn't a refund, but rather, a tax bill they can't pay, the Online Payment Agreement tool can help them determine in a mat- ter of minutes whether they qualify for an install- ment agreement with the IRS. And those whose tax obligation is even more serious, the Offer in Com- promise Pre-Qualifier can help them determine if they qualify for an offer in compromise, an agree- ment with the IRS that settles their tax liability for less than the full amount owed. Need help with preparing your taxes? Free tax return help is available nationwide from volunteers and on IRS.gov with Free File. Local community part- ners operate roughly 13,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites nationwide. Find a loca- tion nearby by searching "Free Tax Help" on IRS.gov. IRS Free File is offered by 14 tax software com- panies that make their brand-name products available for free to the 70 percent of taxpayers who earned $58,000 or less last year. Free File Fill- able Forms is available for households whose earn- ings are more than $58,000 and are comfort- able preparing their taxes. Are your Social Security benefits taxable Using Pricing & Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption.