From the daily archives:

Friday, September 18, 2009

A lot of Iowans bought their first home this year to take advantage of an $8,000 tax credit. Terry Lemons is a spokesperson for the Internal Revenue Service. He says around 16,000 Iowans have already claimed the credit. There’s still time for first-time home buyers to participate in the program, but time is running out.

“They need to close on their home before December 1,” Lemons said. “It takes 60 to 90 days to close on a home, so we’re really getting into the final window of opportunity for this.” Taxpayers who close on their home before the December 1 deadline can claim the credit on their 2008 returns or wait until filing their ‘09 returns.

“We you file your tax return, there’s a special form for the first-time home buyers credit. It’s form 5405,” Lemons said. There are a number of restrictions on eligibility for the tax credit. Details are available online at www.irs.gov.

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DED director resigns, governor orders suspension of film program

by O. Kay Henderson 09/18/09 8:27 PM

Governor Culver has suspended the state’s film tax credit program and the head of the Department of Economic Development has abruptly resigned.  D.E.D. director Mike Tramontina wrote a memo on Wednesday, telling the board that governs the agency as well as the governor’s top aides that D.E.D. managers were “investigating several reported irregularities in the handling [...]

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Football Friday Night Scores September 18, 2009

by Dar Danielson 09/18/09 7:24 PM

It’s week four of the high school football season and Dar Danielson and Scott Pierce and the rest of the INS Football  Friday Night crew bring you all the scores and highlights. Listen online, or see the scores below.

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Dubuque creates partnership with IBM to monitor utilities

by Dar Danielson 09/18/09 4:18 PM

The city of Dubuque has created a new partnership with I.B.M. to use technology to monitor a number of things including how people use electricity, water, and natural gas. I.B.M. currently uses computer systems to help other cities, including London and Amsterdam, become more environmentally friendly. Dubuque project manager David Lyons
Smarter Sustainable Dubuque is the [...]

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Doodlebugs celebrated in Webster City

by Radio Iowa Contributor 09/18/09 4:16 PM

Plenty of mopeds and scooters are zipping around Iowa’s roadways this summer but only a few were actually built in the state. A convention gets underway today in central Iowa to unite enthusiasts of a particular kind of Iowa-made motorbike that dates back six decades. Vern Ratcliff, of Webster City, is organizing the gathering.
“The Doodlebug, [...]

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Unemployment hits highest rate since 1986

by Pat Curtis 09/18/09 12:59 PM

Iowa’s unemployment rate hit 6.8% in August, up from 6.5% in July. Kerry Koonce is a spokesperson for Iowa Workforce Development, which released the new jobless report today.
“We haven’t been as high as we currently are since 1986,” Koonce said. Iowa’s pool of unemployed workers grew from just over 108,000 in July to 114,000 last [...]

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Jewish groups object to Saturday date for Iowa Caucuses

by O. Kay Henderson 09/18/09 12:46 PM

A coalition of 18 Jewish groups is objecting to the date Iowa’s two major political parties have set for the 2010 Iowa Caucuses. In late July, leaders from the Iowa Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Iowa announced precinct caucuses would be held on Saturday afternoon, January 23.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs organized [...]

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