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More than 1M tax returns flagged for potential identity fraud: IRS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

(The Hill) -- More than 1 million tax returns have been flagged for potential identity fraud with more than $6 billion in refunds requiring additional review, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An interim report on the 2023 tax filing season that the IRS composed last week and publicly released on Tuesday states that the agency identified almost 1.1 million returns that need to have additional review because of identity theft filters, as of March 2. The IRS confirmed 12,617 returns to be fraudulent, preventing $105.3 million in refunds from being distributed. The total confirmed to be fraudulent is up about 3,000 from the 9,626 that were confirmed to be fraudulent as of the same time last year.  IRS will launch test run of free online tax-filing system The report states that the agency is using 236 filters to identify possible fraud in returns during the 2023 season, up from 168 filters used last year. It states that the filters include criteria base...

Search underway for missing South Side man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 25-year-old who was last seen on May 5.Ricardo Rojas, 25, was last seen on the 5700 block of South Artesian Avenue near Chicago's Gage Park on Friday, May 5. Boy, 13, missing out of Englewood may be in need of medical attention Rojas is described as 5-foot-8, weighing 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts are asked to contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-747-8380 or call 911.

Police can order bystanders to stay 25 feet away under new Indiana law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — Under a new Indiana state law, you could be placed under arrest if you're standing less than 25 feet away from a police investigation.House Enrolled Act 1186 gives police a 25-foot buffer to perform any of their duties. If a member of the public is asked to provide that distance and doesn't comply, they can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. What’s the ‘best’ home improvement store? Indiana is among the first states to pass such a law, according to Indiana State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville), who introduced the legislation."The encounters, as we've seen, have increasingly [been] getting more and more violent with people who aren't necessarily involved in the situation at all," McNamara said."It was a very good thing for not just the safety of law enforcement officers, but for the safety of our citizens," said Chief Kyle Prewitt of the Plainfield Police Department, who supports the...

114 dogs rescued from 'sickening, unsafe conditions' in North Carolina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

HERTFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) - More than 100 dogs and puppies were rescued Tuesday from a North Carolina property the Humane Society calls a "large-scale alleged cruelty situation."Local authorities served a search and seizure warrant on the dilapidated property, which included a mobile home and several outdoor pens and yards. Even though much of the property was obscured by debris and an overgrown fence line, those who responded described "generally filthy conditions from the road and could smell feces."Over the course of eight hours, 114 dogs, mostly Australian shepherds, were taken off the property. Suitcase ‘moving’ along North Carolina highway leads to animal rescue The Humane Society said the dogs and puppies "appeared to suffer from a lack of basic care and were living in unsanitary, hazardous conditions typically seen in severe neglect situations."A veterinarian at the scene said many dogs appeared thin. Some had visible ribs and hip bones protruding, the Humane Society sa...

Pause on student loan payments about to end for millions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

The Biden administration has given its clearest indication yet that the years-long pause of student loan repayments will come to an end in the coming months.Optimism that the White House would keep offering borrowers relief from making their payments was crushed last week, when Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told a Senate panel that the payments would officially resume due to the pandemic emergency being over. That means borrowers, who have been jolted around since March 2020 with last-minute extensions and uncertainty over exactly when they should expect payments to start up again, will finally have to make payments — many for the first time.President Biden said in November that payments would resume either 60 days after the Supreme Court rules on his student loan forgiveness plan — which would permanently eliminate some debt — or 60 days after June 30, whichever came first.But student loan groups had been optimistic the president was bluffing again, hoping for another ext...

House debates bill requiring transgender college athletes to compete based on biological sex

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- The Texas House on Wednesday is debating a bill that would require transgender college athletes to compete based on their biological sex, barring them from competing among athletes matching the gender with which they identify."It is not fair that young women are watching their records get broken, accolades taken and scholarships awarded, not to other women, but to biological man," State Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, said. "This bill is about fairness."Senate Bill 15 by would prohibit intercollegiate athletic teams sponsored or authorized by institutions of higher education from allowing students to compete on a team designated for the opposite biological sex. That standard would derive from the sex listed on the student's birth certificate.There are no reports from Texas NCAA universities of transgender athletes competing in any sport, let alone stripping awards from female athletes.The bill would allow female students to compete in male leagues if no female al...

Juvenile charged in connection to a threat made targeting Amsterdam High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On May 17, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office received credible information about a potential threat of violence targeting Amsterdam High School. Law enforcement officials investigated the threat and were able to identify a juvenile suspect. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Due to legal restrictions, the identity of the minor will not be released. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has charged the juvenile and assures the community that appropriate legal measures have been taken.Sheriff Smith commends law enforcement officers, school officials, and members of the community who reported the threat promptly. Police urge parents, guardians, and community members to report any suspicious activities or concerns to law enforcement immediately.

42 Degrees closes Glens Falls, Malta locations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - 42 Degrees in downtown Glens Falls is setting down the glassware. Owner Robin Barkenhagen announced the pipe shop's closure on Facebook on Wednesday, effective at the end of May. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "I tried my best to hang on, but ultimately failed," Barkenhagen wrote. "42 Degrees and 42 Degrees Tavern will be closing at the end of May. I want to thank you all for making the last 13 years special, and the 2 years at the tavern magical. Hang on to those memories, good, bad and ugly, it was one of the finest stretches of my long life. This is obviously posted with a heavy heart, I gave both places my all, but it just wasn't good enough.....I love you all.....Peace."42 Degrees first opened at the corner of Park and Elm streets, where restaurant and deli Park & Elm opened last fall. It stayed there for a decade before moving to 206 Glen St. in 2019. A second location opened in Malta...

Hussain guilty of manslaughter in Schoharie limo crash trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The jury reached a verdict in the criminal trial of Nauman Hussain. After the fatal limousine crash that killed 20 people in 2018, officials charged Hussain with 20 counts each of both manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Catch up on everything from the Schoharie Limo Trial The jury read guilty verdicts for second-degree manslaughter. When the first was read, shouts were heard in the courtroom. Sentencing for Hussain is scheduled for May 31 at 9:30 a.m. Till then, Judge Peter Lynch remanded him to the custody of the Schoharie County Sheriff's Office."I want to thank the jury for doing an amazing job and listening to the evidence," Susan Mallery, Schoharie County District Attorney, said. "Today is really about the families.""I'm heartbroken," Lee Kindlon, Hussain's defense attorney, said. "Over the past four and a half years, I've developed a relationship, a close personal relationship with my client, his family, his extended family overseas. B...

Man stabbed in St. Louis after argument over beer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man was stabbed Tuesday evening in St. Louis after an argument over beer, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The stabbing happened around 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 1400 block of North 13th Street in the Columbus Square neighborhood. Top Story: St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigns Investigators say the victim, a 39-year-old man, and the suspect, a 37-year-old man, were involved in a verbal argument. At some point, the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim several times. The victim suffered wounds to his back and arm, and he was treated for injuries at a hospital. The suspect ran away from the scene before police arrived. Police have not yet disclosed if the two were known to each other or if there was any specific motive around the beer that led to the stabbing. SLMPD is handling the investigation.