As the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) begins processing tax returns Tuesday, the agency offers a word of caution for those who will seek help from a paid professional. IRS spokesman Mark Hanson says most preparers are knowledgeable and trustworthy, but sometimes taxpayers can be misled by those who don’t understand complex tax situations – or who mislead people into taking credits or deductions they aren’t entitled to, in order to increase their own fee.

“Each year, it’s not uncommon to find stories around the country where a tax preparer has done something that may not necessarily be right,” says Hanson. “You want to make sure you have somebody who represents your best interests, and does so legally.” Hanson says a reliable tax professional will have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number. He also advises taxpayers to investigate the individual’s professional credentials, review the return before signing, and make sure any refund is sent directly to you, never to the tax preparer.

Hanson also recommends checking the service fees for a professional tax service upfront. “A tax preparer should not be charging you a fee based upon the amount of refund you’re expected to get,” he says. “This could be a red flag, right up front.” Hanson notes you’re still legally responsible for what’s on your return, even if you don’t prepare it yourself.

“If the IRS questions the accuracy of any information, we’re going to ask you the taxpayer – not necessarily your tax preparer,” says Hanson. “So once you sign that return, you’re telling the IRS, ‘This is a complete and accurate return,’ to the best of your knowledge. Once you sign it, you own it.”

Tuesday is the first day taxpayers can file electronically, and also the first day for IRS processing of paper returns.

(Iowa News Service)

A man from Lenox was arrested Sunday afternoon. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 40-year old Matthew Rayhons was taken into custody at around 4-p.m., on a charge of Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $1,000.

One of two Cass County men suspected of illegally possessing more than 100 sets of deer remains has been cited in the matter. 23-year old Sean Chamberlin, of rural Atlantic, is charged with 111 counts of illegal possession of deer remains, plus one count of illegally transporting deer, illegally killing a raccoon, illegally killing a badger, unlicensed harvesting of fur and failure to report a harvested deer. He had earlier been ticketed for littering. State Conservation Officer Brian Smith told the Daily NonPareil Sean’s father, 47-year old John Chamberlin, Jr., also of rural Atlantic, will be cited later this week.

A rookie Republican in Iowa’s congressional delegation has accepted the invitation of the lone Iowa Democrat in congress for tonight’s (Tuesday’s) “State of the Union” address. Republican David Young of Van Meter has agreed to sit next to Democrat Dave Loeback of Iowa City for President Obama’s speech. “I’ll sit with him and we’ll listen to the president,” Young says. But Young says he wants to find out if Obama “understands” what happened during the November 4th election.

“And that was about the American people saying: ‘It’s time to govern. It’s time to come together. It’s time to do the will of the people and the people’s priorities,'” Young says. Rod Blum is Iowa’s other rookie representative in the U.S. House. He’ll also be listening with a critical ear. “I’m all for listening to his ideas and I hope they’re good ideas and I hope they help the economy and I hope they help working families, but I also want them to be constitutional,” Blum says.

Blum, who is from Dubuque, is Iowa’s new first district congressman. Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack, who represents Iowa’s second congressional district, was part of a movement in 2011 to break up the partisan cheering sections for the president’s State of the Union speech. Republican Congressman Steve King has said just finding a seat on the House floor is a challenge with 435 members of congress, 100 senators, members of the president’s cabinet and U.S. Supreme Court justices all crowding into the area.

Iowa’s rookie Republican Senator — Joni Ernst — has a special spot reserved for her tonight (Tuesday) on network television. Ernst will deliver the Republican response to President Obama’s speech.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Iowa say a suspect in the shooting of a woman outside a home in Chariton Friday morning was apprehended Monday night, in Missouri.  At approximately 10:00 PM, 45-year old Robert Eugene Graham was taken into custody without incident at Poosey State Park in Livingston County, Missouri, by members of the Grundy and Livingston County Sheriff’s Offices and the Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT Team.  Graham is currently being held at the Livingston County Jail.

Officials say at approximately 7:13 am on January 16th, the Lucas County Dispatch Center received a 911 in reference to a female being shot outside a residence.  Chariton Police Officers responded to 1701 Court Avenue, in Chariton.  Upon arriving at the residence, Chariton Police officers found a female lying in the driveway by a vehicle with a gunshot wound.  The victim was transported to a local hospital and was then taken by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital.  The victim, 33-year old Gayle Darrah, is still in critical condition at this time.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa State Patrol supervisor is facing criticism for joking on Facebook that he wanted a sniper to shoot a prominent ESPN announcer in the head. Lt. Kelly Hindman, district commander of Post 7 in Fort Dodge, wrote the post about Dan Dakich on Saturday during the Iowa-Ohio State men’s basketball game. Hindman and other Hawkeyes fans used social media to criticize Dakich’s call of the game. Dakich called star player Aaron White “Andrew.” Hindman wrote that he wished “there was a sniper at Carver Hawkeye to shoot the color commentator in the head…cause he is driving me nuts. I’m about to watch the game Helen Keller style in a bit.”

HILLS, Iowa (AP) — Officials say one person has been injured after jumping from a moving party bus in eastern Iowa. Johnson County Sheriff officials say the person was hospitalized after jumping from the vehicle early Sunday morning on Highway 218, south of Hills. The person hasn’t been identified, and their condition was not immediately known.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Agriculture officials say an increase in corn and soybean profit is bringing young Iowans and Nebraskans back to the farm. Charles Wiiest, market president of the Nebraska-based Arbor Bank, says young people are now more likely to start their own farm or join their family’s farming business. Wiiest credits this influx to improved profitability in the agriculture industry in recent years.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport officials have received a $3 million state grant for a Martin Luther King Jr. park. The Iowa Economic Development Authority grant will boost efforts for the $6 million project, which commemorates a speech King gave downtown after receiving an award from the Diocese of Davenport nearly 50 years ago. It also celebrates a former strip of local businesses where jazz musician Louis Armstrong is believed to have performed. Officials said Friday the grant will allow them to begin local fundraising to complete the project.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports a bridge is out at 1400th Street (formally known as the “Hollywood Bridge”), and Orange Road. The bridge crosses the West Nishnabotna River between Shelby County Road M-36 on the West, and Orange Road, to the East, in Douglas Township, Section 33.

The bridge will be closed for construction through the month of September. The bridge work will create considerable detours for residents in the area. PLEASE PLAN ALTERNATE ROUTES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO NEARBY RESIDENTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE COUNTY ENGINEER AT 712-755-5954.

Bruce Heyne, General Manager of Walnut Communications presented a check in the amount of $300 today (Monday) to Carol Rosenbaum with the Walnut Creek Station Questers. The Walnut Creek Station Questers are part of an international group and the local group was established in 1977. Their mission is preserve history through preservation of historical buildings as well as the study of antiques. The building the grant will help to rejuvenate is located in the Layton Township Cemetery in Walnut and is a unique hexagon building, one of only four left in the state of Iowa.

The original building was built to cover an unsightly well or cistern and it was later used on Memorial Day for the ladies to sit inside and collect money for the upkeep of the cemetery. The monies will be used to restore the building, which is part of the older portion of the local cemetery in and eligible for the National Historical Register. Plans include placing the structure on concrete, replacing the roof with wood shingle, replacing the steeple, repair and replace and missing wood, and seal the building against elements.

For more information on this project or to donate in support, contact Carol Rosenbaum at 712-784-3868 or rosie@walnutel.net. The grant from Walnut Communications provides up to $10,000 per year across the eight communities the company supports: Walnut, Avoca, Shelby, Minden, Neola, Persia, Underwood and McClelland. Applications can be found on the web at http://www.walnutcommunications.com.

There will be a special meeting of the Cass County Public Safety Commission, this Thursday, January 22nd 2015 at 6:30-pm, in the basement meeting room of the Cass County Courthouse. Cass County 911 Services Director Rob Koppert says the purpose of the meeting is to discuss and possibly act upon a funding option for the Cass County Public Safety Commission.

All city mayors of Cass County have been invited to attend as well as representatives from the State of Iowa, Shelby County Emergency Management, the Cass County Assessor’s Office and the Cass County Auditor’s Office.

The regular meeting for the Cass County Public Safety Commission will be Monday, January 26, 2015 at 5:00pm in the basement meeting room of the Cass County Courthouse.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Agriculture officials say an increase in corn and soybean profit is bringing young Iowans and Nebraskans back to the farm. Charles Wiiest, market president of the Nebraska-based Arbor Bank, says young people are now more likely to start their own farm or join their family’s farming business. Wiiest credits this influx to improved profitability in the agriculture industry in recent years.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports corn currently can bring in up to $4 per bushel and soybeans $10 per bushel. Wiiest says these numbers show significant profit growth from when he graduated college in the late 1990s. Wiiest says expanding career opportunities in the agriculture industry has also attracted the younger generation. He says chemists and veterinarians are among new careers in high demand.