Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/455017
Workersmaygetalarger tax refund this year be- cause of the Earned Income Tax Credit. But to get it, you must file a tax return and claim it. Today, Jan. 30, marks EITC Awareness Day, a na- tionwide effort to increase awareness about EITC and free tax preparation sites. EITC is 40 years old this year, and for those 40 years EITC made life easier for millions of workers. Last year, more than 27 million workers received more than $65 billion in EITC refunds. In Tehama County, taxpayer refunds exceeded $649,000 last year through the Tehama County Community Action Agency VITA program. If you worked last year andhad incomeoflessthan $52,427, check out your el- igibility for EITC and for free tax preparation by IRS- certified tax preparers in several locations across the county. Across the US, on average, EITC adds $2,400 to taxpayer refunds. "Wewanttobringaware- ness about the Earned In- come Tax Credit to tax- payers in Tehama County," said Amanda Sharp, Te- hama County Community Action Agency manager. "One-third of the EITC pop- ulation changes each year, and the IRS estimates that eventhough4outof5work- ers claim the credit, it still leaves billions of dollars on the table each year." "We want to get the word out to those who are eligi- ble to file a tax return to claim the EITC. It's money workers can use for grocer- ies, rent, utilities and other bills," Sharp added. EITCiscomplex.Itvaries by income, family size and your filing status. To be eli- gible, you must have earned income or certain disability income. This means you must have income from working for someone or working for yourself. Volunteers – trained by the Internal Revenue Ser- vice – ask you the needed questions to find out if you qualify for the EITC and other refundable tax cred- its. Volunteers at VITA, Volunteer Income Tax As- sistance sites, also prepare and e-file your tax return at no cost to you. A free on- line tax preparation option is also available through partnership with Goodwill Industries. Anyone can use the www.myfreetaxes.com option to file taxes for free. "Our community volun- teers help you get EITC and themaximumrefundyou're due. Our goal is to help you get it and get it right. This is money you can save or use to pay off bills, buy that car to get to work or make adownpaymentonahome. Let us help make your life a little easier, " said Teresa Callis, VITA Volunteer and Tehama County Commu- nity Action Agency Board member. Find a volunteer free tax return preparation site at www.irs.gov/Individuals/ Free-Tax-Return-Prepara- tion-for-You-by-Volunteers, call 527-2611 for more infor- mation or view a complete VITA calendar of sites and dates at www.tehamacoun- tycaa.org. TAXES EligibilityforEarned Income Tax Credit within the College of Hu- manities and Fine Arts at California State Univer- sity, Chico. Robert and Anne Mor- gan moved to Redding in 1971 and were owners of Crown Motors in Red- ding. Among their many interests were music and the arts, which included the North State Sym- phony. Robert passed away in 2009, followed by Anne in 2014. Their estate plans for charitable giving in- cluded support for the sym- phonic music they enjoyed so much during their lives. "This extraordinary gift is going to enhance our symphony in many, many ways," said North State Symphony Executive Direc- tor Keith Herritt. "Thanks to the philanthropic vision of Robert and Anne Mor- gan, we will continue to bring outstanding guest artists and fine orchestral music to the North State." "We are very grateful for this generous gift," said Eu- gene Nichols, chairman of the North State Symphony Board of Directors. "We are so appreciative of them thinking of us, singling us out — this is really going to help." "The North State Sym- phony is one of the jewels of our region," said Robert Knight, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. "At a time when many orchestras are struggling to survive, our symphony con- tinues to provide wonderful classical music and terrific live performances to North State residents. Thanks to the Morgans and many other generous, hardwork- ing supporters, we have this great symphony to en- joy year after year." The North State Sym- phony performs concerts in the State Theatre in Red Bluff, Cascade Theatre in Redding and Laxson Audi- torium on the CSU, Chico campus. The musicians of the orchestra include pro- fessionals from a wide geo- graphic area and commu- nity members as well as students and faculty mem- bers of CSU, Chico. The university provides extensive administrative and production support to the symphony, but finan- cial support also comes from the community, in- cluding those who serve on the advisory Board of Directors or the Board of Regents and other music lovers. The origins of the North State Symphony can be traced back to 1905, when the first orchestra formed at what was then the Chico State Normal School. Thus, 2005 was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of symphonic music in the North State. Symphony FROM PAGE 1 Johnstone:RaymondAllen Johnstone, 86, of Red Bluff died Wednesday, Jan. 28at his home. Arrangements are under the direction of Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service. Published Friday, Jan. 30, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Stewart: Edna N. Stew- art, 90, of Corning died Thursday, Jan. 29at Red Bluff Health Care in Red Bluff. Arrangements are under the direction of Hall Bros. Corning Mortuary. Published Friday, Jan. 30, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Deathnoticesmustbepro- vided by mortuaries to the news department, are pub- lished at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the de- ceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Clas- sified advertising depart- ment. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publi- cation linked to the news- paper's website. Paid obitu- aries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. DEATH NOTICES of county code at 8168 and 8170 Marek Road. As of Thursday the goats had been removed, but the two horses remained on the property. The board had little dis- cussion regarding the need to move forward with the abatement, but one board member and a member of the public raised lengthy concerns about the time it took for the process of deal- ing with public nuisances to move forward. Supervisor Dennis Gar- ton said this particular prob- lem had been on going for at least three years that he was aware of and was critical of the county departments not being able to move quicker through the process. "I don't care what office it's in (the process) has to be streamlined, because the people we serve think we're not doing anything and we don't care about them, be- cause the time frames are ri- diculous," Garton said. "It's not different than our mar- ijuana ordinance that they can harvest before we can abate it — it's ridiculous." County Counsel Arthur Wylene said any process that involves taking away personal property will have built in time frames to ac- count for due process, but suggested there were ways to remove some of the time delays. "Something has to be done so that we protect our people from people who are violating the law. We're not doing that," Garton said. Dean Cofer, a member of the Los Molinos Masonic Lodge, which neighbors Hargrove's property, said for years the county did noth- ing to address the public nuisances on Marek Road. "This ordinance is very clear on it's face," Cofer said. "The problem is we don't have any bureaucrats in this county that have enough be- tween their legs to do any- thing about it." Cofer also said ordinances don't work on scofflaws. "As a citizen if I get a com- plaint from my neighbors on anything, I will comply. So what you're doing is pass- ing ordinances only for the law abiding citizens to obey. That's not good enough. We need to get something done and I'll tell you my patience is at an end," Cofer said. Wylene said the county's public nuisance and mari- juana ordinances are still fairly new as is a dedicated code enforcement official. He said the county was still learning about the pro- cess and encouraged the board to give the process a few more months to sort it- self out. Code FROM PAGE 1 By Rick Pedroncelli and Kristin J. Bender The Associated Press ECHO SUMMIT California's second snow survey this winter found the Sierra Ne- vada snowpack is far below normal after a dry, unusu- ally warm January. The survey on Thurs- day found a snowpack wa- ter equivalent of just 2.3 inches in the scant snow- pack near Echo Summit, about 90 miles east of Sac- ramento. It amounted to just 12 percent of the long-term av- erage for this time of year at the snow course. The snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by state residents, agriculture and industry. A higher snowpack translates to more water for California reservoirs to meet demand in summer and fall. Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, said there were 7.1 inches of snow on the ground Thurs- day. During the first winter snow survey on Dec. 30, there were 21.3 inches of snow on the ground after heavy storms. "January did not bring any joy," Gehrke said. "In December at least we had some (snowfall) whereas in January we've had zilch. Clearly that is a big con- cern because as we move into the spring, the likeli- hood of storms drops off." The National Weather Service said this month is likely to be one of the five driest Januarys on record for Northern California. The latest survey makes it likely that the drought will run through a fourth consecutive year. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Jan. 17, 2014. Brown's office said the latest survey underlines the need for sustained wa- ter conservation. "Today's snow survey is a stark reminder that Cali- fornia's drought is far from over," Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Brown, said in an emailed statement. Water resources man- agers said heavy rain and cooler temperatures in the next three months would be required for the snowpack to build and give Califor- nians hope for beginning to recover from the drought this year. To possibly see an end to the drought, California would have to record pre- cipitation that is at least 150 percent of normal by Sept. 30, state climatologist Mi- chael Anderson has said. The department and other agencies conduct manual snow surveys around the first of the month between January and May to check the accu- racy of real-time electronic readings. Statewide, the snow wa- ter equivalent as measured Thursday by more than 100 sensors was 25 percent of the historical average. Last month, the state- wide snow water equiva- lent was 50 percent of the long-term average for that date. CALIFORNIA Snow survey shows far less snow than last month RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Frank Gehrke, chief of California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the Department of Water Resources, walks past some weeds emerging from the snow pack as he conducts the second snow survey of the season at Echo Summit on Thursday. By Paul Elias The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Resi- dents fleeing a massive blaze that killed a man and injured five people as it ripped through a building in San Francisco's bustling Mission District told offi- cials they did not hear fire alarms and could not get to fire escapes. Authorities are examin- ing whether safety equip- ment, including the sprin- kler system, had been work- ing properly after several people reported that ac- cess to fire escapes was en- cumbered or blocked, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said Thursday as she surveyed the damage with Mayor Ed Lee. The building passed a routine inspection two years ago, city officials said. Four residents and a firefighter were treated at a hospital for smoke inha- lation and dehydration af- ter flames shot out of the building that includes housing, offices, shops, restaurants and the Mis- sion Market. Firefighters respond- ing to the blaze that broke out around 6:45 p.m. PST Wednesday rescued five people from a fire escape one story above the side- walk, Hayes-White said. An elderly resident also was whisked from a balcony two stories up. Authorities evacuated residents and nearby build- ings, while more than 100 firefighters battled the blaze that burned for sev- eral hours before being con- tained. The fire chief said 54 res- idents, including nine chil- dren, were displaced by the fire that also severely damaged several restau- rants and businesses on the ground floor. But the bulk of the dam- age occurred on the third floor, where the man be- tween the ages of 30 and 40 was found dead, the fire chief said. Firefighters found a small dog that was scared and shivering on the third floor about 3 a.m. Thurs- day and reunited it with its owner. No animals were reported injured, the chief said. What ignited the fire and where it began are not yet known, Hayes-White said. "It does not appear foul play/arson was a fac- tor," San Francisco Police spokeswoman Grace Gat- pandan said in an emailed statement. Parts of Mission Street, one of the city's busiest ar- eas, were closed as author- ities investigate. Lee, the mayor, said helping the residents and businesses displaced by the fire is the city's priority. The blaze happened not far from a six-story apart- ment complex being built in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood that sus- tained $40 million in fire damage last March. An accidental spark or hot or smoldering object from con- struction work was blamed for that blaze, which in- jured a few firefighters. SAN FRANCISCO De ad ly b la ze s pu rs l oo k at fi re a la rm s SCOTT STRAZZANT — SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE San Francisco Fire Department members fight a four-alarm fire at 22nd and Mission Street in San Francisco on Wednesday. By Don Thompson The Associated Press SACRAMENTO California must adopt a new process for executing condemned inmates after nearly three years of delays, a state judge ruled Thursday in a lawsuit filed by crime victims. The tentative ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shellyanne Chang does not order the state to re- sume executions, which have been on hold since 2006. But she said corrections officials can't wait any longer to find a new way to conduct execu- tions if they are reinstituted. The lawsuit seeks to force state corrections officials to adopt procedures for a sin- gle-drug, barbiturate-only method of execution. Chang found that the state Department of Cor- rections and Rehabilita- tion has a duty to adopt ex- ecution procedures, but has the sole discretion to decide how the state will carry out the death penalty. The de- partment said it has been drafting new lethal injec- tion regulations, without putting them into effect since Gov. Jerry Brown said in April 2012 that the state would switch to a single- drug lethal injection. No executions can occur until the new rules are ad- opted by the department. CA PI TA L PU NI SH MEN T Tentative ruling: State must adopt execution process FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 9 A