Archive for February 2nd, 2010

It’s time to start working on your taxes! If you plan to hire someone to do your taxes this year, BBB recommends you choose a preparer wisely. Tax payers are ultimately responsible for everything on their return, even if it is prepared by someone else.  Reputable tax preparers will ask tax payers several questions to determine whether expenses, deductions and other items qualify and remind clients that they need to keep careful and complete records in order to substantiate information on their tax return.

The BBB offers these tips when choosing a tax preparer:

• Check to see if the preparer has any questionable history with the Better Business Bureau, the state’s board of accountancy for Certified Public Accountants or the state’s bar association for attorneys. Find out if the preparer belongs to a professional organization that requires its members to pursue continuing education and also holds them accountable to a code of ethics.

• Ask family and friends for recommendations.

• Find out what the service fees are before the return is prepared. Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of the amount of your refund or who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.

• Only use a tax professional that signs your tax return and provides you with a copy for your records.

• Avoid tax preparers that ask you to sign a blank tax form.

• Determine if the preparer’s credentials meet your needs. Does your state have licensing or registration requirements for paid preparers? Is he or she an enrolled agent, CPA or attorney? If so, the preparer can represent taxpayers before the IRS on all matters, including audits, collections, and appeals. Other return preparers can represent taxpayers only in audits regarding a return signed as a preparer.

• Before you sign your tax return, review it and ask questions.

You’ll also want to avoid any tax scams. Remember, the IRS will not contact you by phone or email and ask for your personal information. They will contact you by mail, only. Go to www.irs.gov for more information on tax related scams. You can contact the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org or call 1-800-388-2222.

Doss High School Students Job Shadow AT&T Kentucky President and Employees in $100 Million Effort to Reduce School Drop-Out Rate

With 1.2 million American students dropping out of high school every year, AT&T * and Junior Achievement today announced the next phase of the AT&T / JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative. Approximately 60 students from Doss High School will participate in a local job shadowing session today with AT&T Kentucky President Mary Pat Regan and several other local employees.

The event is part of a multimillion dollar, multiyear job shadow program to help strengthen student success and workforce readiness. High school students “shadow” AT&T employees during their regular work day to see the educational background and skills they will need to succeed on the job.

“As a retired high school principal and vice chair of the House Education Committee, I know firsthand how important job shadowing is to our young people,” said State Rep. Charles Miller. “This partnership between our business, education and community leaders provides a great opportunity for learning and gives students a look into what it takes to make it in the workforce.”

“Doss High School is in my district and I want nothing more than to see these students succeed,” said Louisville Metro Councilman Doug Hawkins. “When students see how hard work in the classroom can pay off in the real world, it gives them added incentive to graduate and continue working toward their dreams.”

Recent findings from a report evaluating students who participated in the first year of the AT&T / JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative show the program is making an impact and changing attitudes about staying in school:

• All students felt that it is important to graduate from high school, and ninety-nine percent felt confident in their ability to do so months after participating in the program.
• Eighty-nine percent of students felt that participating in Job Shadow made them realize the importance of staying in school.
• Ninety-four percent indicated that they had improved their ability to set goals as a result of Job Shadow and 90 percent reported that they utilized this skill months after the program.
• Ninety-four percent agreed that their ability to identify occupations that interest them had improved as a result of Job Shadow and ninety-two percent had researched careers that interest them months after the program.

“We applaud Rep. Miller, Councilman Hawkins and Junior Achievement for all the work they do to help students succeed in the classroom and the workforce,” said Mary Pat Regan, president of AT&T Kentucky. “This is all about giving students more of the tools that they need to compete for good jobs.”

Jack E. Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA, noted, “Job shadowing not only provides students with valuable workplace experience, it provides them with mentoring and role models. These experiences help prepare our young people to effectively compete with their peers from the U.S. and around the world as the global economy becomes increasingly interdependent and interconnected.”

“This opportunity to job shadow will help our students make career decisions and better prepare them for the workforce,” said Doss High School Principal Glenn Baete. “Job shadowing is a great way to learn and we are glad to have this opportunity available to our students.”

Many of the students dropping out of high school are dropping out despite the fact they have passing grades.  They simply don’t see the relevance of their school work today to their future life success.

That’s why the $5.5 million Job Shadow initiative is a key pillar of the AT&T Aspire program, one of the largest-ever corporate commitments to high school retention and workforce readiness. It provides a chance for students to explore potential future careers and connect classroom learning to real life opportunities.

The initiative is committed to reaching 100,000 high school students over five years. During the 2008-2009 school year, over 13,000 students in over 100 cities participated in the initiative.

For more information, contact:

Mike Marker

AT&T Public Affairs

317-989-7152

mm8963@att.com

Interactive Snow Map
You can find out which streets around you are cleared during a snow event and get live updates on street clearing progress from the comfort of your own home. Check progress in your area now.

If you have questions or would like to report an issue regarding snow removal, please call Metro Call at 311 or 574-5000.  After calling Metro Call, please call Councilman Hawkins at 574-1125 so that he may follow up with your request.

Questions about Snow and Ice Removal

How do I find out if my street is part of the snow plan? You will find a map on our website that allows you to type in the address of your home or business. You can then zoom in or out to find city snow routes in your neighborhood.

What roads are part of the Louisville Metro snow plan? Snow coordinators in Metro Government review the snow and ice removal plan each year. Some routes are added and others are subtracted, but the goal remains the same – to make sure our city keeps moving and our residents can get to school, work or the hospital. The city clears about one-third of the 3,000 miles of roads in this community, which includes major thoroughfares, school routes, hospital routes and arteries that feed major employers. Another third is cleared by the state, small cities and private contractors, and the remaining third is neighborhood streets that are not cleared. New this snow season: The city will maintain an additional 315 miles of state highways that have been incorporated into the snow plan. As part of a new agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Louisville crews now maintain most state roads and highways in Louisville. While the state will continue to clear interstates, the Louisville Snow Team will take over roads like Breckinridge Lane and Beulah Church Road.

What should I do if my street is not part of the snow plan? If your street is not part of the snow plan, check with your neighbors or homeowner’s association to see if a private contractor may be an option for your block. Generally, this is not an issue for most residents because ice and snow melt before crews can clear neighborhood streets.

Who’s in charge of snow removal? Louisville Metro’s snow-fighting team is comprised of Public Works, Solid Waste Management, Metro Parks and the Metropolitan Sewer District.

What are crews doing when they’re driving in the snow without their plows lowered? Many of our brine distributors and salt trucks are also equipped with plows. So, if you see our trucks in your neighborhood and the plow are not lowered, our crews are likely treating roads with salt or brine. Conditions on roadways can sometimes deteriorate if a snow-covered road is plowed – the pavement may become coated with a compacted layer of ice.

Who is responsible for clearing parking lots? City crews are responsible for clearing government-owned parking lots. Local business owners will require the services of a private contractor to clear their parking lots. The city asks that private contractors refrain from covering fire hydrants and depositing plowed snow in the streets.