(Radio Iowa) – A deadline is coming up for those who may have unclaimed tax refunds from 2020. I-R-S spokesman, Christopher Miller, says there is a chunk of unclaimed money out there. “The I-R-S estimates there is nearly 11 dollars million waiting for around 10-thousand people in Iowa who did not file a 2020 tax return,” he says. There is a three-year deadline for each tax filing year for you to claim your refund. The deadline for filing for 2020 refunds is May 17th, which gives you a little more time as the normal tax filing deadline was extended by the pandemic.

“So we issued a notice at that time letting folks know that the regular deadline for taxes had been postponed to May 17th which is why it’s the deadline to get those old refunds,” Miller says. Miller says the pandemic left a lot of people in different situations and that is why they may not have filed a return in 2020.

“Perhaps these folks that fall into this category had a part-time job or a small job, and they made money but didn’t make enough to legally require them to file a tax return. So they didn’t,” he says. “But what they may not realize is if your employer was withholding money from your check for taxes, you could get that back in the form of a refund.”

Miller says many low and moderate-income workers also may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2020 as well.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a man was arrested today (April 1st), on an OWI charge. 18-year-old Ethan Kiefer, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and possession of a controlled substance. Kiefer was released from custody after posting a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff/Jail Administrator Jesse Swensen, has issued a report on jail inmate statistics for the month of March, 2024. Swensen said March “Was a decent month.”  He said the County “Processed 71 inmates through the facility,” and “held 25 out of county inmates for different periods of time.” The holding of other inmates in the Guthrie County Jail, Swensen said, “Brought-in $26,140.”

You can see all the Guthrie County Jail stats by clicking on the PDF links below:

March Average Population

March Billing

March Monthly Summary

(Radio Iowa) – Waterloo leaders are considering moving one of the city’s rail-yards to help make the predominately-black Smokey Row neighborhood safer and more equitable. The Canadian National rail-yard creates noise and air pollution, which has driven down property values for generations. Waterloo’s community planning director Noel Anderson says a 750-thousand-dollar study to move the rail-yard could be the first step toward fixing the problem.”It’s a matter of looking at the larger impact on the whole neighborhood,” Anderson says, “and how eliminating some of these problems could help the larger area.”

The rail yard has been in the neighborhood for nearly a century and it physically divides residents there from the rest of the city. The average home in the Smokey Row area is priced at about 60-thousand dollars, less than half of the rest of the city. Anderson says the rail-yard also poses daily safety risks.”It’s an unsafe situation with having a very active railroad yard in an older neighborhood,” he says. “There’s a lot more pedestrians there than you’d find on the average.”

The two-year study is underway to see how feasible it could be to move the rail-yard to an industrial part of town.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – An Iowa mother is overcoming her battle with addiction to get her son back. Now, she’s trying to help other mothers in the same situation. Katey Rascon says she was addicted to methamphetamine for six years. During that time, she was reported to the Iowa Department of Human Services.

She says she hit rock-bottom the day her son was taken from her. Since then, she’s managed to get clean and regain custody of her son. Now she’s heading to Washington, D.C. as part of the Strolling Thunder Rally, a nationwide event taking place on April 30.

Families will meet with lawmakers about the need to invest in children and families. Rascon says she wants to see changes with how DHS cases are handled, especially how visitations are scheduled.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The Des Moines community is mourning the loss of the longest serving Des Moines School Board member on Sunday morning. Des Moines Public Schools was informed by family on Sunday morning that Teree Caldwell-Johnson passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer.

Ms. Caldwell-Johnson just stepped down on March 5 amidst her battle with cancer. She was the longest-serving member of the Des Moines School Board, going back to when she was elected in November 2006.

A biography of Ms. Caldwell-Johnson can be found on the district’s website, along with a video tribute for her after she had stepped down earlier this month.