Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/630090
Salt.It'smandatoryin a human diet. We must have it to survive. But salt can be as destruc- tive as it is needful,l due to its ability to destroy and eat holes through metal and remove ev- ery last bit of moisture from leather. DEAR MARY: I have several pair of beautiful winter fashion boots in suede and leather. I'd like to remove salt stains from last winter's misuse but don't want to take them to a cobbler. Any advice on how I can do this myself? — Maha DEAR MAHA: We should be thankful for sidewalk salt in the win- tertime, because it's effec- tive at helping us avoid in- juries from slipping on icy surfaces. Of course, the downside is, these chunky salt particles get on our boots and shoes, causing damage and ugly stains. Cleaning these stains from your leather and suede footwear regularly throughout the winter will help them last and look- ing good for many years to come. LEATHER FOOT- WEAR: Pour cup white vinegar and cup warm water into a small bowl and mix well. Dip a clean cloth into the mixture, then wring it out so it is not dripping. Dab the this wet cloth into the salt stains, wiping at them gently to remove the white residue. Following with a second cloth you've dipped into the clean water and wrung near dry, rubbing gently to rinse away the vinegar solution, then dry with a clean, soft rag. Re- peat the process of dab- bing with vinegar solution, rinsing with a wet rag and drying until all of the salt stains are gone. If stubborn stains re- main despite having fol- lowed the steps above, moisten a clean damp sponge with a good sad- dle soap like Fiebing's Yel- low Saddle Soap. Rub it onto the spots in a circu- lar motion. Following the instructions on the label, buff the leather with a dry rag to remove any residue that remains. SUEDE FOOTWEAR: Brush the stained areas of the boots or shoes with a soft toothbrush to loosen any surface salt or other debris from the suede. Mix 1 teaspoon blue Dawn liquid dishwash- ing detergent into 2 cups of warm water and stir. Dip a corner of a soft clean white rag into the soapy water and squeeze it gen- tly to release excess water. Dab the stained areas of the suede gently. Don't rub or press hard on the suede. Leave the boot or shoe to air dry. If the salt stains remain after the boots dry, repeat the process. When the salt stains are finally gone, brush the dried area with a soft toothbrush or shoe brush until those boots look brand new. AVOID FUTURE STAINS: Once your boots are back to their beau- tiful selves, treat them with a good water and stain protector like Melt- onian Water & Stain Pro- tector for Leather & Suede. Once treated your boots will repel future water and salt stains. You'll save the time of having to remove stains later and you'll save money too because your boots will last for more seasons to come. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Howtogetridofsalt stains on leather, suede Mary Hunt COURTESYPHOTO Morethan70peoplefromeightchurchesfromRedBlufftoReddingturnedoutovertheweekendtoinstall 2,800 crosses south of Red Bluff along Insterstate 5. These crosses depict the number of abortions performed each day in the United States, according to statistical data from the Centers for Disease Control and Alan Gutmacher-research, affiliate of Planned Parenthood. Jan. 22 is the 43rd anniversary of the decision by the Supreme Court legalizing abortion. Organizers of the display say they hope to reduced abortions by helping mothers carry and raise their babies or choose adoption as an alternative. SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE WEEK ATTENTIONTOISSUE By Jennifer Cooper Social Security manager in Redding Everyone enjoys pres- ents, but loved ones don't always know exactly what you want. That sweater that your relative gave you might be a little too festive for your taste. Or someone got you an appliance you already own. That's when those happy returns begin. With gift receipt in hand, you go to the store or on- line to exchange that item for one you really want. Now that the holidays are winding down, you're also probably happy to re- turn to your calmer rou- tine. And part of that rou- tine is planning for retire- ment. That's where Social Security comes in. Your secure my Social Se- curity account allows you to do a number of important things throughout the year, at your convenience: Keep track of your earn- ings and verify them ev- ery year; get an estimate of your future benefits if you are still working; get a let- ter with proof of your ben- efits if you currently receive them and manage your ben- efits such as change your address; start or change your direct deposit; get a replacement Medicare card and get a replacement SSA- 1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season. Signing up for my Social Security at www.socialsecu- rity.gov/myaccount is quick, easy, and secure. We also have another in- valuable tool at www.so- cialsecurity.gov that you can use over and over. The Retirement Estimator al- lows you to calculate your potential future Social Se- curity benefits by chang- ing variables such as retire- ment dates and future earn- ings. You may discover that you'd rather wait another year or two before you re- tire to earn a higher bene- fit. Or, you might learn that you are ready to retire now — which you also can do on- line and often in less than 15 minutes. To get instant, personalized estimates of your future benefits, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/es- timator. It's exciting to see the happy returns you'll be getting when you retire, and returning to my Social Security on a regular basis will ensure you get the right amount at the right time. Give yourself the gift of a secure future at www.so- cialsecurity.gov/myaccount. No ugly sweaters here. SOCIAL SECURITY Many happy returns following the holidays Shasta Regional Com- munity Foundation is ex- cited to announce the open application period for three grant opportuni- ties for local nonprofits and public entities. The application instruc- tions and March deadlines are posted on www.shas- tarcf.org/grants. The foundation will be offering several workshops to explain how best to pre- pare applications for these funds and demonstrate the use of online submis- sion system. Workshops will be held in Yreka and Mt. Shasta on Feb. 17 and again in Bur- ney and Redding on Feb. 18. Space is limited so res- ervations are required. Visit the News section on the home page at www. shastarcf.org or call 244- 1219. Grants from The Mc- Connell Fund will be awarded in the spring to organizations in Tehama, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity counties in the areas of arts and cul- ture, children, youth and education, community vi- tality, environment, health care, recreation and social services. Grants primar- ily fund the purchase of equipment or building-re- lated projects. Grant dollars are pro- vided for small and large projects in each county. All grant requests for the spring cycle must be sub- mitted online by 5 p.m. on March 2. Funding guidelines can be found at www. shastarcf.org. If you have any questions, call Amanda Hutchings at 244-1219. SHASTA REGIONAL Foundation offers funding opportunities Every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights. The "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (www.irs.gov/Taxpayer- Bill-of-Rights) takes the many existing rights in the tax code and groups them into 10 categories. You should be aware of these rights when you interact with the IRS. Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer, high- lights a list of your rights and the agency's obliga- tions to protect them. Here is a summary of the Tax- payer Bill of Rights: 1. The Right to Be In- formed. Taxpayers have the right to know what is required to comply with the tax laws. They are en- titled to clear explanations of the laws and IRS proce- dures in all tax forms, in- structions, publications, notices and correspon- dence. They have the right to know about IRS deci- sions affecting their ac- counts and clear explana- tions of the outcomes. 2. The Right to Quality Service. Taxpayers have the right to receive prompt, courteous and professional assistance in their dealings with the IRS and the free- dom to speak to a super- visor about inadequate service. Communications from the IRS should be clear and easy to under- stand. 3. The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax. Taxpayers have the right to pay only the amount of tax legally due, including interest and penalties. They should also expect the IRS to apply all tax payments properly. 4. The Right to Chal- lenge the IRS's Position and Be Heard. Taxpayers have the right to object to formal IRS actions or proposed actions and provide justification with additional docu- mentation. They should expect that the IRS will consider their timely ob- jections and documenta- tion promptly and fairly. If the IRS does not agree with their position, they should expect a re- sponse. 5. The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an In- dependent Forum. Tax- payers are entitled to a fair and impartial ad- ministrative appeal of most IRS decisions, in- cluding certain penal- ties. Taxpayers have the right to receive a written response regarding a de- cision from the Office of Appeals. Taxpayers gen- erally have the right to take their cases to court. 6. The Right to Final- ity. Taxpayers have the right to know the max- imum amount of time they have to challenge an IRS position and the max- imum amount of time the IRS has to audit a particu- lar tax year or collect a tax debt. Taxpayers have the right to know when the IRS concludes an audit. 7. The Right to Pri- vacy. Taxpayers have the right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examination or enforcement action will comply with the law and be as unobtrusive as possible. They should ex- pect such proceedings to respect all due process rights, including search and seizure protections. The IRS will provide, where applicable, a col- lection due process hear- ing. 8. The Right to Confi- dentiality. Taxpayers have the right to expect that their tax information will remain confidential. The IRS will not disclose infor- mation unless authorized by the taxpayer or by law. Taxpayers should expect the IRS to take appropri- ate action against employ- ees, return preparers and others who wrongfully use or disclose their return in- formation. 9. The Right to Retain Representation. Taxpay- ers have the right to retain an authorized representa- tive of their choice to rep- resent them in their deal- ings with the IRS. Taxpay- ers have the right to seek assistance from a Low In- come Taxpayer Clinic if they cannot afford repre- sentation. 10. The Right to a Fair and Just Tax Sys- tem. Taxpayers have the right to expect fairness from the tax system. This includes consider- ing all facts and circum- stances that might af- fect their underlying li- abilities, ability to pay or ability to provide infor- mation timely. Taxpayers have the right to receive assistance from the Tax- payer Advocate Service if they are experiencing fi- nancial difficulty or if the IRS has not resolved their tax issues properly and timely through its normal channels. 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