(Radio Iowa) Two students the “Starts Right Here” charter school in downtown Des Moines were shot and killed this (Monday) afternoon. Des Moines Police Spokesman Paul Parizek says the shooting happened just before 1 o’clock.

Sergeant Parizek says that person was going into surgery. Parizek says a vehicle that fled the scene was stopped two miles away and three suspects are in custody.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Extension & Outreach will be offering an intake site for VITA this year. The Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to families and individuals with incomes of $60,000 or less, persons with disabilities, limited English speakers, and older adults.

How VITA works: Clients will meet via phone or zoom with an Intake Specialist to fill out paperwork and review information. You will then schedule a time to come in person to our office to submit all required paperwork. Your tax information will be scanned and sent to volunteer tax preparers off site who will prepare your return remotely within two weeks. You will be alerted when your tax return is complete and ready to review the results of the return. You will sign the returns and then we will electronically file your state and federal tax returns for free.

Taxpayers must bring:

• Picture ID for taxpayer & spouse’s if filing jointly
• Income tax documents for all jobs (W-2s, 1099s, 1098s etc.) for all years tax returns to be done
• Copy of last year’s federal and state tax returns
• Social security cards or Individual Taxpayer ID Numbers (ITIN) for each family member named on the return

VITA is being offered by appointment only, you can schedule an appointment by calling the office at 641-747-2276 anytime Monday-Thursday. All appointments will be held via phone/zoom or at our office at 212 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/guthrie/. If you have any questions about the program please feel free to reach out to Krista Downing at the Guthrie County ISU Extension office at 641-747-2276.

(Radio Iowa) –  It may be the dead of winter, but Iowans are looking ahead to spring when they can do some pedal-powered two wheeling. This weekend is the Iowa Bike Expo where all things cycling will be on display and for sale through dozens of exhibitors at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says the Saturday event has become a wintertime beacon for bike riders, a glimmer of hope for the warm weather to come.

“It’s bikes, gear, destinations and events,” Wyatt says, “so if you’re shopping for some recreational activities, this is the place that you want to be this weekend.” For Iowans who are in the market for a new bike, Wyatt says this is a great place to test ride some new options without having to worry about the weather. “We have a large demo area where you can take a bike over from one of the retailers and give it a go,” Wyatt says. “A lot of people like the recumbent trikes or the electric bikes or just trying out what that new bike feels like inside and kind of a temperature-controlled area.”

This is the 10th year for the expo in Des Moines, which Wyatt says has continued to gain momentum each year. “We’ve grown from just to kind of a hallway expo up to filling up Hy-Vee Hall A,” Wyatt says. “Usually, we see somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 people that come to this event so it’s really popular. We’ve kind of gone over the hump for winter and people are starting to look for spring and summer in planning their recreational activities.” The expo runs Saturday from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. It coincides with the route announcement party for RAGBRAI that night, also at the Iowa Events Center.

https://www.iowabikeexpo.com/