Quote of the Month - December 2013

Notes from Nubi - Mom Said I Could Host Some Christmas Trivia Questions!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I asked Mom when I would be coming back to the library to work.  She said that I probably won't be back except for the occasional visit.  :(

The main reason is because in cold, damp weather my back legs don't always want to work the way they should and can be painful.  Besides, at the age of 15 dog years (which works out to about 83 human years for a medium size dog - http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/how-to-calculate-your-dogs-age) it's time for me to go into at least semi-retirement.  So I will only be going to the library on special occasions.

But, she did say that I could post Christmas trivia questions to test your knowledge of movies, books, and songs.  Once a day between today and Christmas I'll post some trivia and then the next day I'll put the answer and another bit of trivia.  Here's the first one, and I'll make it easy.

What movie did this line come from?

"Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."

- Enjoy yourselves, Anubis

Christmas Tree Lighting at Norwayne Field on December 6th

From the North Judson Park and Recreation Board Facebook page:

Decorating at Norwayne Field is underway. The Tree Lighting will be on Friday evening, December 6, at 6 PM. At 5:45 PM, the Christmas Parade will begin at Lane and Sycamore streets, proceed down Lane to Main, and to Norwayne Field, where Santa will help light the trees. The North Judson-San Pierre High School Band will be in the parade, and the NJ-SP Choir will sing at the lighting. Parade participants should line up on Luken Street near Sycamore at 5:30. Following the tree lighting, join Santa at the Community Building (old firehouse) for cookies and hot chocolate, where Back Stage Studio of Dance will also perform. The Christmas spirit arrives in North Judson in a big way December 6.

Great American Smoke Out; Quit Smoking Now

By: Ben Haut

Published: November 21st, 2013

The American Cancer Society’s 38th Great American Smoke Out is approaching, and on Nov. 21, Starke County residents are encouraged to drop the habit in celebration of the event. Linda Molenda, coordinator for Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County, said now is the perfect time to quit with the holidays just around the corner.

Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County chairperson Judy Jelinek said the goal is to give smokers the initial push they need in order to beat their nicotine addictions.

“I really think that the Great American Smoke Out is to draw attention to the smokers the need to quit and to set apart one day where they actually try to not smoke and to see how they feel about it. Usually, they realize that they can quit for one day; maybe that will lead to them trying to quit for good,” Jelinek said.

Jelinek has been involved with “Tar Wars,” a program about Tobacco Prevention geared toward 4th and 5th graders – a program that she said aims to cut down on a startling statistic.

“Two percent of all 4th graders nationally smoke,” Jelenik said. “And there’s a program called Tar Wars that directs the prevention education towards 4th graders because these are children that are starting to make choices and decisions about their life. With two percent smoking nationwide, you would want to reduce that and keep them from smoking any more than that.”

Molenda said there is help available for those who want to quit. With nearly one million smokers in the state who wish to quit, the free Indiana Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, is available seven days a week, 365 days a year to provide tips and counseling on how to quit for any Hoosier 18 years and older.

Molenda said the quitline is staffed with professional tobacco cessation coaches, training on helping people quit using tobacco.

Molenda said quitting smoking is critical to improving one’s life at a time when tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the country. Smokers who quit smoking at age 35 gain an average of eight years of life expectancy, while those who quit at age 55 gain about five years.

For more information or to get help with tobacco cessation, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit www.QuitNowIndiana.com.

11/22/2013 Celebrate National Adoption Day

There are more than 3,200 children in Indiana, living in foster care, who are freed for adoption and waiting for a forever family.  To raise awareness of these children, Starke Circuit Court will be hosting a National Adoption Day celebration from 1:00 to 1:30 pm on Friday, November 22, on the third floor of the courthouse in Knox.

Those whose lives have been affected by adoption and those interested in exploring that possibility are encouraged to attend.

12/12/2013 United Methodist Church Blood Drive

There will be a blood drive Thursday, December 12th from 1 to 6 p.m. at the United Methodist Church Hall, 210 West Central Avenue, North Judson.

You can schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by going to redcrossblood.org and entering the sponsor code "umcnj".

11/14/2013 Reduction In Indiana State Tax Forms To Libraries

Indiana libraries have received a letter from the Indiana Department of Revenue regarding the popular Indiana state income tax forms and online services. They reported their intentions to provide tax forms and booklets to Indiana libraries, along with downloadable forms and booklets. Many libraries make these files available to their patrons by saving the files, or linking them directly to the desktop of each public access computer. This makes it easy for patrons to access and print whatever form they need.

Because the department offers so many electronic options to taxpayers, fewer people are filing by paper (only about 20 percent). Due to the decline in paper filings, the department will mail forms and booklets based on last year’s orders with a reduction of 10 percent.  Please note the IT-40PNR Booklet will not be included in the library shipments this year due to a very limited number of taxpayers who filed it last year. Taxpayers can download the IT-40PNR as well as other forms or booklets online or call 317-615-2581 to have an IT-40PNR Booklet mailed to them. For other tax filing questions, please direct patrons to www.in.gov/dor/3392.htm.

"Reorders online will be very limited this year. To make the forms and booklets your library receives last longer we ask you to encourage patrons to file electronically and to limit the number of tax forms taken to one per patron. Indiana will again offer INfreefile as a free electronic filing alternative."

The benefits to using INfreefile include:

• Receiving refunds as quickly as possible
• Allowing Hoosiers to file both federal and state tax returns at no cost assuming certain income criteria are met
• A simple question-and-answer format from professional tax companies

11/13/13 Notes from Nubi - Starke County Humane Society Receives Lowe’s Volunteer Grant

I heard some great news today about the Starke County Humane Society.  This is one of my favorite charities because they took such good care of me until I found my forever home 13 years ago.  Mom and I try to make a donation to them several times a year, and especially around Christmas, to help other animals looking for their special people.  

But the folks at Lowe's are taking their giving one step further by volunteering to replace, scrub, repaint, and do other needed renovations.  Can't wait until their open house in December so I can see it all sparkly!

Here is a copy of the article by Ben Haut from WKVI.  I bet he loves animals too.

By: Ben Haut
Published: November 13th, 2013
 
The Starke County Humane Society will be undergoing renovations for a week beginning today, thanks to a grant from Lowe’s Heroes volunteer program. Suzanne Crider from the Starke County Humane Society said the volunteers in the program will be replacing windows and faucets, and scrubbing, degreasing and repainting the big kennels and floors, and as a result, Crider encourages patrons to call ahead before dropping off any animals. 

Crider said anyone wishing to contact the Humane Society can still call, as employees will be present to take care of the animals they currently house. 

“We are going to be closing for a week, not permanently, and people can call us, we will still be here taking care of the animals we have, but we are asking that people not bring anything in without calling us first and checking because we are going to be very, very limited on what we can accept for that week,” said Crider. 

Crider said the volunteers will be replacing five windows and a couple faucets, and on top of that, they’ll be repainting the kennels and floors in the building. She said this grant came just in time, as the Starke County Humane Society will be celebrating its 23rd anniversary in just a few short weeks. 

“It’s going to be phenomenal because we have a very, very limited building budget and to have this much done all at one time for us is just going to be truly a blessing from God. We’ve scraped along and talked about having painting done and then this came up and was truly a blessing that they accepted it and agreed to do it for us and we thank everybody at Lowe’s,” said Crider. 

The materials and labor will be supplied free of charge by Lowe’s through their employee volunteer program, and Crider said the Humane Society hopes to hold an open house on Dec. 7. 

Material, labor will be supplied by Lowe’s through their Employee Volunteer program.

Nominate Your Favorite Charity for a $1,000 Donation

By: Anita Goodan
Published: November 11th, 2013
 
1st Source Bank is celebrating 150 years in business and officials are giving away 150 $1,000 donations to your favorite not-for-profit charity. Two $15,000 donations will be given away as well.

All you need to do is nominate your favorite 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Go to 1stsource.com and fill out the form provided and give a brief description of the organization and why you believe they are deserving of a $1,000 donation. You may submit more than one donation and you may even vote for the same charity if you desire. Charities will be selected on the quantity and quality of entries received.

You may also submit a nominations at any 1st Source location now through Nov. 30.

Each $1,000 recipient will be selected and announced weekly and two $15,000 recipients will be selected from all entries received and announced the week of Dec. 14, 2013.

Send in Nominations for the Henry F. Schricker Award

By: Anita Goodan
Published: November 11th, 2013

It’s time to submit your nominations for the prestigious Henry F. Schricker Community Service Award.

Henry F. Schricker was a Starke County native who lived by the attitude of “service before self”. This is the foundation for the Schricker Award and nominees should share that attitude.

You may nominate a candidate for consideration for this award by submitting a resume, along with a cover letter, outlining the qualities and deeds of the candidate. Resumes should be delivered to and received by the Starke County Chamber of Commerce by Dec. 13. The entries will be reviewed by the selection committee which is comprised of former award winners.

The name of the winner will be released by Dec. 26. The recipient will be honored during the Chamber’s Annual Henry F. Schricker Award Dinner to be held on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. The location of the dinner has not yet been decided.

For more information, call Debbie Mix at (574) 772-5548.

Starke County Community Foundation Announces New Endowment Fund

By: Anita Goodan
Published: November 11th, 2013
 
The Starke County Community Foundation has announced a new endowment fund to help preschool students obtain the education they need before entering kindergarten.

The new Starke County Preschool Education Fund was established by Peggy Shidaker, the director of curriculum and instruction at the Knox Community School Corporation. The fund was created to honor her parents, Arthur and Carolyn Shidaker, and to support early childhood education in Starke County.

Carolyn Shidaker taught in many schools in northern Indiana before retiring from South Bend Community Schools. Like her mother, Shidaker is dedicated to providing children with the skills needed to be successful in school.

The fund will help make preschool scholarships available to families whose children would benefit from a preschool curriculum.

Parents may apply for a scholarship by contacting Starke County Community Foundation Director of Development Sarah Origer at (574) 772-3665. If you would like to contribute to the Starke County Preschool Education Fund, call Origer or visit the Foundation’s website at www.nicf.org.

11/23/2013 WKVI Food Drive Coming Up; Live Broadcasts from Five Star, Sander’s

By: Ben Haut
Published: November 11th, 2013
 
After raising more than 375 pounds of food for the food pantry last year, it’s time again for the WKVI Five Star Food Drive and this year features a new addition to the event as WKVI General Manager Jerry Curtis will be broadcasting live and accepting donations at Sander’s Foods in Winamac. This is fourth consecutive year for the food drive event, and Curtis said he has been involved in three of them, doing live remote broadcasts from the store.

Curtis said the food drive event is something WKVI is proud to do to help their community.

“Number one, there’s a need in the community; it’s a need that we can fill,” Curtis said. “By being able to do the live remote broadcasts, that’s just something unique that local radio can do that maybe other organizations are not able to with the same kind of flare and excitement and motivation for people to come in and make donations.”

Curtis said this year’s addition of Sander’s Foods in Winamac to the effort will go a long way in helping the local food pantry meet their needs. This is the first year Sander’s Foods has been a part of the WKVI Food Drive event, and as the local radio station for Pulaski County as well, WKVI will also be broadcasting from their location.

“WKVI, of course, is based in Starke County but we are also the local radio station for Pulaski County, and we’ve had calls from Pulaski County saying, ‘Can’t you come and do some similar event for us with our organization?’ So this year we’re going to do a team, we’re going to have broadcasting live from Five Star in Knox and at the same time, we’ll have live broadcasting the same day at the same time from Sander’s Foods in Winamac,” Curtis said.

Curtis said WKVI has always been involved in community events to help local organizations. Hosting events such as the Starke County Youth Club Radiothon and other fundraisers or radiothons for different organizations has long been a part of WKVI’s history.

“This is the kind of thing that is in our history, part of our corporate DNA, if you will. This is just the kind of thing that WKVI has done throughout its history,” Curtis explained.

Once the event is underway, Curtis said he anticipates making Sander’s Foods a part of the annual food drive.

WKVI’s Tom Berg and Lenny Dessauer will be in Starke County at Five Star, while Curtis will be at Sander’s Foods in Winamac. The broadcast starts at 9 a.m. CT on Nov. 23 and ends at noon.

2014 Tax Season to Start Later Following Government Closure; IRS Sees Heavy Demand As Operations Resume

IR-2013-82, Oct. 22, 2013  

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced a delay of approximately one to two weeks to the start of the 2014 filing season to allow adequate time to program and test tax processing systems following the 16-day federal government closure. 

The IRS is exploring options to shorten the expected delay and will announce a final decision on the start of the 2014 filing season in December, Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. The original start date of the 2014 filing season was Jan. 21, and with a one- to two-week delay, the IRS would start accepting and processing 2013 individual tax returns no earlier than Jan. 28 and no later than Feb. 4. 

The government closure came during the peak period for preparing IRS systems for the 2014 filing season. Programming, testing and deployment of more than 50 IRS systems is needed to handle processing of nearly 150 million tax returns. Updating these core systems is a complex, year-round process with the majority of the work beginning in the fall of each year. 

About 90 percent of IRS operations were closed during the shutdown, with some major workstreams closed entirely during this period, putting the IRS nearly three weeks behind its tight timetable for being ready to start the 2014 filing season. There are additional training, programming and testing demands on IRS systems this year in order to provide additional refund fraud and identity theft detection and prevention.

“Readying our systems to handle the tax season is an intricate, detailed process, and we must take the time to get it right,” Werfel said. “The adjustment to the start of the filing season provides us the necessary time to program, test and validate our systems so that we can provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation’s taxpayers. We want the public and tax professionals to know about the delay well in advance so they can prepare for a later start of the filing season.”

The IRS will not process paper tax returns before the start date, which will be announced in December. There is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date, and taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file with direct deposit. The April 15 tax deadline is set by statute and will remain in place. However, the IRS reminds taxpayers that anyone can request an automatic six-month extension to file their tax return. The request is easily done with Form 4868, which can be filed electronically or on paper.
IRS processes, applications and databases must be updated annually to reflect tax law updates, business process changes, and programming updates in time for the start of the filing season. 

The IRS continues resuming and assessing operations following the 16-day closure. The IRS is seeing heavy demand on its toll-free telephone lines, walk-in sites and other services from taxpayers and tax practitioners.
During the closure, the IRS received 400,000 pieces of correspondence, on top of the 1 million items already being processed before the shutdown. 

The IRS encourages taxpayers to wait to call or visit if their issue is not urgent, and to continue to use automated applications on IRS.gov whenever possible.

“In the days ahead, we will continue assessing the impact of the shutdown on IRS operations, and we will do everything we can to work through the backlog and pent-up demand,” Werfel said. “We greatly appreciate the patience of taxpayers and the tax professional community during this period.”

12/7 & 14/2013 Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum Santa Trains

Tickets are on sale for the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum Santa Trains this December. These trains always sell out, so make sure you get your tickets early!  The dates for this year are December 7th & 14th; trains will run at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.

To purchase ticket visit Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

11/16/2013 Friends of the NJ-WT PL Annual Cookie Walk

The Friends of the North Judson-Wayne Township Library will have their Annual Cookie Walk on November 16th at Bailey's Discount Center.  We will start selling cookies at 8:30 a.m. and stay until we sell out.

You get to mix and match your favorite cookies.  Stop in and stock up on delicious homemade cookies for the holidays.  You might want to buy extra to hide in the freezer!

11/11/2013 NJ American Legion Veterans Day

Join North Judson American Legion Post #92 at Norwayne Field on Monday, November 11th, at 11 a.m to honor our Veterans, especially those that are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.  All Veterans and the public are invited to attend.

Quote of the Month - November 2013