As the federal filing deadline approaches for 2017 taxes, the Internal Revenue Service is asking you to be sure everything is in place for this year’s taxes. I-R-S spokesman, Christopher Miller, says you should do a “paycheck checkup” to make sure your are having the right amount of tax taken out of your paychecks. “You can do a paycheck checkup rather easily by going to our website I-R-S-dot-gov (irs.gov) and using a special tool called a withholding calculator,” Miller says.  He says it is an easy tool to use. “You put in some information from your pay stub and your tax return and it’ll help you determine whether or not the right amount of taxes is being withheld for your paycheck for your particular situation,” according to Miller.

Miller says changes in the tax law may have made the withholding amount you’ve been using the wrong one for you to use now.  “We always encourage taxpayers to check their withholding regularly. But it’s even more important now because of the new tax law,” Miller says. “The new tax law will change the way many of us calculate our taxes. And that change may mean we want to adjust our withholding.” He says if the withholding is wrong you could end up taking out too much during the year. “People may not realize that the typical refund these days is topping out at about 28-hundred dollars,” he says. “And there may be families who want to have that at the front end in their paychecks, rather than waiting until tax time to get that in the form of a refund.”

Miller says those who have a more complicated tax return may find the tax law changes have a bigger impact on their withholding. “More complicated situations include: two-income households, people who have more than one job at one time, people who have a job for only part of the year, individuals who itemize deductions, people who have children or dependents and who file the Child Tax Credit,” according to Miller.

Miller says it’s important to check your withholding now so you have time to make an adjustment before we get too far into this tax year. He says some one-point-five million Iowans are expected to file federal tax returns this year.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rural Iowa communities are struggling with a housing shortage even as many areas also deal with long-term population declines. The Des Moines Register reports that developers are often wary of building in rural areas because of their declining population and significantly lower home values. Now, some communities are offering financing or incentives for new homes and renovations.

The Stanton Industrial Foundation is investing in new homes and rehabilitations in Stanton. The housing initiative is coupled with other investments to improve the area such as a walking trail, daycare and multipurpose complex. Forest City’s economic development group has used investments, a workforce housing loan and tax credits to finance a $4 million apartment complex.
Hobart Historic Preservation has also created loft apartments in a 160-year-old building in downtown Mount Pleasant.

Glenwood Police report two men were arrested, Saturday. 24-year old Levi Henderson, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for OWI 1st offense. His cash or surety bond was set at $1,000. And, 44-year old William Weis,  of Glenwood, was arrested on a Pottawattamie county warrant for probation violation. His cash or surety bond was also set at $1,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 71-year-old woman whose body was found in her home on the north side of Des Moines. Police identified her as Nancy Heimbaugh.
Officers were called Friday afternoon to the home for a report of a death, which police have deemed suspicious. No arrests have been reported. Police have not said how Heimbaugh died. An autopsy was ordered
Police say the woman’s car was missing from her home when officers arrived but it was later found elsewhere.

A man wanted on a U-S Marshal’s warrant and other charges, being sought following an incident early Sunday morning. Council Bluffs Police say that around 12:14-a.m., a Council Bluffs Police Officer attempted a traffic stop on a 2004 black Mercedes E320 with Nebraska plates. The vehicle pulled into the White Oak Station parking lot at 2024 5th Avenue. As the officer approached the vehicle, the female driver exited, and a male passenger jumped into the driver’s seat. The officer ordered the man, identified as 33-year old Jesse Robert Berry, of Council Bluffs, to stop, but he put the vehicle in reverse and backed into the front of the police cruiser. The officer was not injured. His vehicle sustained functional damage.

Berry took off in the car, headed north on S. 21st Street. In addition to the U-S Marshal’s warrant, warrants were applied for Berry, charging him with Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, Eluding, and Disobedience to a Peace Officer. Authorities say the black Mercedes, with NE license plates VNU 355, will have damage to its left rear corner and tail light. Anyone with information on Berry’s location, or who has seen the vehicle, is asked to call 911. DO NOT APPROACH Berry, as he is considered to be armed and dangerous.

The Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Session 7:30-a.m. Tuesday, in their Board Room, at the High School. On their agenda is personnel matters, including: Accepting a letter or letters of Resignation; Approval of a transfer request or requests, and Approval of a Teaching Contract or Contracts.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — A famed bald eagle watched worldwide on the internet is sharing her nest with her first new eaglet of the year. The Raptor Resource Project says the eaglet cracked out of its shell around 7:25 a.m. on Easter Sunday. The egg was laid Feb. 21. Eaglet D29’s mom is known as Mom Decorah. The nonprofit organization runs the popular bald eagle’s livestream . The nest sits near the Decorah Trout Hatcher in northeast Iowa.