The next 16 days look wet, a little further north than the last month.
It stays cooler than normal, though with a brief break.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
How Long Will It Keep?: Preserving Meat
It doesn’t matter if you’re storing
supplies away for winter or for a power outage—knowing how long meat will keep under certain circumstances could be the difference between a balanced or unbalanced diet in uncertain times. Knowing a wide variety of ways to keep meat from spoiling will greatly boost your chances of maintaining your food supply for as long as possible. Consider a few possible ways to prepare meat for storage and how different types of meat will hold up under those conditions.
To read the complete article, click HERE
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
MAGGIE DEAN EVANS - BLACK OBITUARY
Dates:
Birth date: July 10, 1933
Death date: March 4, 2013
Obituary:
Maggie Dean Evans-Black,
age 79 of Athens, passed away Monday, March 4, 2013 at Huntsville Hospital. Mrs. Black was born July 10, 1933
in Limestone County to
Clayton Haney and Bertha Webb Haney.
age 79 of Athens, passed away Monday, March 4, 2013 at Huntsville Hospital. Mrs. Black was born July 10, 1933
in Limestone County to
Clayton Haney and Bertha Webb Haney.
Services will be Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 2:00 p.m., at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 6, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Athens City Cemetery with Bro Dusty McLemore officiating.
Mrs. Black was a member of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, she received her Master’s degree from Athens College, and went on to retire from teaching in Limestone County Schools for over 30 plus years.
Preceded in death by her husband, Charles Black; her parents, Clayton and Bertha Haney and a brother, James (Buddy) Haney.
Survived by three sons, Jesse Price Evans III and wife Dawn of Birmingham, AL, Clayton Webb (Buzz) Evans and wife Debbie of Elkmont, AL and Boyd Haney Evans of Ardmore, AL; four grandchildren, Jesse Price Evans IV, Martin Whitfield Evans both of Birmingham, AL, Clayton Maxwell Evans (Max) and wife Katie of Pelham, AL and Bonnie Baker Evans and fiance’ Joe Pierce of Auburn, AL; one great-grandchild, Carden James Evans of Pelham, AL; brother, Clayton (Bink) Haney of Elkmont, AL and several nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Don Lauderdale, Michael Haney, Max Evans, Bro. Steve Hargrove, Mike Haney and Clayton Haney III.
WHAT GOING ON IN DOWNTOWN ELKMONT
Have you noticed one of the old stores in the middle of town has a fresh coat of black paint? Hill Spirit is always curious and dropped by earlier this week to find out what was going on. Found out that Belle Chevre, an award winning local goat cheese creamery is relocating to downtown Elkmont and has decided to open a tea/taste shop
where you can buy their wonderful cheese.
Their Grand Opening announcement will be coming soon!!
SOFTBALL FUNDRAISER WAS A SUCCESS
Pizza Inn was overwhelmed by the huge crowd and often there was standing room only. However you still came, laughed, visited, and ate good pizza. Pizza Inn had agreed to let the girls work and in return our softball players got 10% of last night's gross sales and all tips. Elkmont 1 ended up with $510 at the end of the night to go toward their uniforms.
Elkmont people are the best!!!!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR NEW TAX RATE
ENTITLEMENTS ARE COSTING MORE
What You Need to Know About Social Security and Medicare
The year 2013 is bringing new changes to the rate of tax we pay for both Social Security and Medicare. We already know that the Medicare surtax of 3.8% on capital gains went into effect beginning in 2013. But there are other changes as well and both employers and employees need to know what they are. I address two key changes here, one made by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the Act), and the other, a temporary tax code provision that is now expired. These changes mean increased taxes for every wager earner in the country.1. New Medicare Tax
In addition to the 3.8% surtax on certain capital gain income, the Medicare tax also increases for employees. Beginning in 2013, the tax goes up by 0.9% on earned income over $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for joint filers. This hike is referred to as the “Additional Medicare Tax.” The Medicare tax rate for employees is 1.45% of wages up to the threshold and 2.35% of wages over the threshold. The employer portion of the Medicare tax remains at 1.45% of wages. For self-employed persons, the rate is 2.9% of wages up to the threshold and 3.8% above the threshold.
According to the IRS, employers must withhold the Additional Medicare Tax from wages in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year, regardless of the person’s filing status or the amount of wages paid by another employer. Given this directive, there are sure to be situations where this rigid withholding rule leads to either an underpayment or overpayment of the tax.
For example, suppose one spouse has salary of $170,000 and the other spouse has salary of $105,000. In that case, each spouse’s employer will treat its employee as earning below the Medicare tax threshold. As such the employer will withhold using the lower rate of 1.45%. However, because this couple has combined earned income of $275,000, they are over the threshold ($250,000) by $25,000. This means they are subject to the 2.35% rate on $25,000.
If this is your situation, you can fix the problem of under-withholding and avoid penalties and interest by either making an estimated tax payment using Form 1040ES or by requesting additional wage withholding using Form W-4. I suggest the former strategy as it is a much more precise way to pay additional taxes without creating a substantial overpayment.
An overpayment could arise in a situation where a married couple has a combined income below the threshold, but one spouse has income over $200,000. For example, say one spouse’s salary is $225,000 and the other’s is $15,000. The employer of the first spouse will withhold the additional tax based upon $25,000 even though the couple’s combined income is less than $250,000.
In that case, you will end up with a credit for the overpaid Medicare tax. That credit is then claimed on Form 1040. However, employers are not permitted to reduce Medicare withholding if they are otherwise required to withhold it.
2. The Social Security Tax “Holiday” is Over
For tax years 2011 and 2012, Congress reduced the Social Security tax rate for employees from the usual rate of 6.2% to 4.2% of wages. The employer rate of 6.2% of wages did not change. This naturally led to reduced Social Security tax withholding from the paychecks of every employee in the nation. But that was merely a temporary measure. It was designed to help Americans weather the financial storm. It was referred to a Social Security tax “holiday.”
Well, the holiday is over. Congress did not extend the payroll tax cut. Therefore, effective January 1, 2013, the Social Security tax rate for all employees jumped back up to the rate of 6.2% of wages. This hike is effective for 2013 and the years following, unless another “holiday” is declared. Don’t hold your breath.
This explains why every paycheck in America was smaller beginning January 2013. Despite all the talk about how the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was going to reduce everybody’s taxes, many overlooked the Social Security tax hike. President Obama made it clear that he was not in favor of extending the reduction through 2013. As such, we all knew that the taxes of every worker in American would rise despite the hollow promises that the American Taxpayer Relief Action of 2012 saved us all from tax hikes.
Source: Pilla Talks
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
FACEBOOK IS SPYING ON YOU - SIXTH WAY
A billion people worldwide use Facebook to share details of their lives with their friends. Trouble is, they also might be unintentionally divulging matters they consider private—to friends…coworkers, clients and employers…marketing companies…and even to competitors, scammers and identity thieves.The first way Facebook could be compromising your private information is FACEBOOK FRIENDS and this is how to protect yourself…
6. Your Facebook friends—and those friends’ friends—may reveal too much about you.
Even if you’re careful not to provide sensitive information about yourself on Facebook, those details could be exposed by the company you keep.
Example: A 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found it was possible to determine with great accuracy whether a man was gay. This was based on factors such as the percentage of his Facebook friends who were openly gay—even if this man did not disclose his sexual orientation himself.
If several of your Facebook friends list a potentially risky or unhealthy activity, such as smoking or bar hopping, among their interests—or include posts or pictures of themselves pursuing this interest—an insurer, college admissions officer, employer or potential employer might conclude that you likely enjoy this pursuit yourself.
What to do: Take a close look at the interests and activities mentioned by your Facebook friends. If more than a few of them discuss a dangerous hobby, glory in unprofessional behavior or are open about matters of sexual orientation or political or religious beliefs that you consider private, consider removing most or all of these people from your friends list or at least make your friends list private.
Click your name in the upper right, then click “Friends,” then “Edit” and select “Only Me” from the drop-down menu.
Source: John Sileo, president of The Sileo Group, a
Denver-based identity theft prevention consulting and education provider
that has worked with the Department of Defense, the Federal Reserve
Bank and many other clients. He speaks internationally about online
privacy, social-media exposure and digital reputation. He is author of Privacy Means Profit: Prevent Identity Theft and Secure Your Bottom Line (Wiley). www.Sileo.com
Even if you’re careful not to provide sensitive information about yourself on Facebook, those details could be exposed by the company you keep.
Example: A 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found it was possible to determine with great accuracy whether a man was gay. This was based on factors such as the percentage of his Facebook friends who were openly gay—even if this man did not disclose his sexual orientation himself.
If several of your Facebook friends list a potentially risky or unhealthy activity, such as smoking or bar hopping, among their interests—or include posts or pictures of themselves pursuing this interest—an insurer, college admissions officer, employer or potential employer might conclude that you likely enjoy this pursuit yourself.
What to do: Take a close look at the interests and activities mentioned by your Facebook friends. If more than a few of them discuss a dangerous hobby, glory in unprofessional behavior or are open about matters of sexual orientation or political or religious beliefs that you consider private, consider removing most or all of these people from your friends list or at least make your friends list private.
Click your name in the upper right, then click “Friends,” then “Edit” and select “Only Me” from the drop-down menu.
Monday, March 4, 2013
HOW DID YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE VOTE?
| March 4, 2013
In this MegaVote for Alabama's 5th Congressional District:
Recent Congressional Votes
Upcoming Congressional Bills
| |
| Recent Senate Votes | |
Hagel Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (58-41, 1 Not Voting) After months of being hammered by conservative media outlets and activist groups and a wobbly performance in his confirmation hearing, Chuck Hagel was confirmed last week to become the 24th Secretary of Defense. The 58-41 vote fell mostly along party lines, with Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Richard Shelby of Alabama and Hagel’s fellow Nebraskan Mike Johanns the only Republicans joining all Democrats and independents in voting to confirm him. The confirmation vote followed a successful, and much more lopsided, cloture vote (Roll Call 23) – itself an unusual hurdle to clear on a Cabinet nomination (though not, strictly speaking “unprecedented,” as some commentators and Democratic officials have stated). Sen. Richard Shelby voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jeff Sessions voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Lew Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (71-26, 3 Not Voting) Receiving much less attention – and generating much less controversy – was the nomination of Jacob J. Lew to be the next Treasury Secretary. Though Lew did receive some criticism for compensation packages he received from former employers New York University and Citigroup, as well as for his Cayman Islands investments, his nomination sailed through committee and received healthy bipartisan support on the Senate floor. Sen. Richard Shelby voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jeff Sessions voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Republican Sequester Alternative – Cloture - Vote Rejected (38-62) The last day of February saw both parties in the Senate make a show of attempting to avert the budget sequester that went into effect the next day. The Republican proposal would order the President to submit a sequester replacement plan by March 15, which would cut roughly the same amount of funds in the same 50-50, defense-non-defense proportion as the sequester, but would allow the White House discretion in allocating the cuts within each budget function. Separately, the bill would allow the Defense Secretary to transfer previously-appropriated funds between departmental accounts. President Obama threatened to veto the bill, and it saw more Republican defections (nine) than Democratic recruits (two). Sen. Richard Shelby voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jeff Sessions voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Democratic Sequester Alternative – Cloture - Vote Rejected (51-49) The Democratic sequester replacement plan – and it should be noted that both this bill and the Republican bill only deal with year one of what is scheduled to be a decade-long budget squeeze – would fully repeal the $85 billion in cuts and replace them with several policy alternatives. These include ending direct payments to farmers, a proposal the Senate approved overwhelmingly last year in its version of the farm bill that never became law. The bill would also enact a 30% minimum tax rate on individual incomes over $5 million and would change the tax law definition of crude oil to include tar sands. Though the bill had no chance of garnering 60 votes, its chances were further damaged when the Congressional Budget Office reported that it would have increased the deficit by $7 billion. Sen. Richard Shelby voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jeff Sessions voted NO......send e-mail or see bio | |
| Recent House Votes | |
|
Gender-based Violence Prevention – Final Passage - Vote Passed (286-138, 7 Not Voting) Appearing to decide that the issue simply was not worth fighting over any longer, House leadership allowed the Senate-passed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA) to come to the floor and pass with majority-Democratic support. Both chambers passed reauthorization measures in the 112th Congress, but no extension became law due to a variety of disagreements between the Senate and House leadership. These mostly centered on Senate efforts to expand the law’s reach, for example by granting Indian tribal courts authority to prosecute non-Indian offenders and by extending protections to victims of gender identity- and sexual orientation-based violence. Democrats made much hay of the GOP’s resistance, labeling it part of a broader “war on women” that also included attacks on contraceptive coverage in Obamacare. Senate Democratic leaders made it a priority to re-pass VAWA quickly at the beginning of the 113th Congress, thus placing the onus back on House Republicans. Republicans offered an alternative bill as a replacement amendment, but it failed when 60 GOP members joined nearly all Democrats in voting no (Roll Call 54). The bill also extends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a law aimed at thwarting human trafficking. VAWA is now cleared for the president’s signature. Rep. Mo Brooks voted NO......send e-mail or see bio | |
| Upcoming Votes | |
|
Authorizing Expenditures by Senate Committees
- S.RES.64 The Senate is scheduled to take up this resolution that would authorize expenditures by committees of the Senate for the period March 1, 2013, through September 30, 2013. Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Continuing Appropriations - HR____ The House is scheduled to work on this bill that would continue providing funding to government programs. The current funding expires March 27. | |
ELKMONT HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
Elkmont Golf Schedule 2013
MARCH
11th
vs Ardmore VB/VG Away
14th
vs East/Tanner VB/VG Home
18th
vs West VB/VG Home
21st
vs Clements/Tanner VB/VG Home
APRIL
2nd
vs West VB/VG Away
4th
vs East VB/VG Away
8th
vs Clements VB/VG Away
16th
Limestone County Tournament VB/VG Canebrake
18th
vs Ardmore VB/VG Home
29th
Sectionals VB/VG TBA
*Home Course: Southern Gales
Coach: Levi Terry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)