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Friday, April 16, last day to mail in the 2010 Census form

Friday, April 9, 2010 – 12:13 pm

2010 Census:    Households that mail in their forms after Friday, April 16, may get visited by Census workers.    Beginning May 1, census workers will begin visiting households that failed to mail back their forms in time.   What to do if a census taker visits you.   Beware of scammers posing as census workers, asking for information you don’t have to give them.    If someone from the Census Bureau has contacted you at home and you have questions, please contact the Regional Census Center in Seattle at 425-908-3000.     If you have not received your Census form, you can call the Census Toll-free help lines.      Or you may look for answers to your questions at this site: Census Question and Answer Center.    You can check this map to see your area’s Census mail participation rate: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map


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New Health Care Laws

Monday, April 5, 2010 – 10:21 am

See HealthCare.gov or try the Whitehouse page on Health Care. For fulltext of both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148; and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, Public Law 111-152: dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-sen_health_care_bill.cfm.
For paper copies, several books are on order; so far our library has received 6 copies of this book: “Landmark : the inside story of America’s new health care law and what it means for us all” by the staff of the Washington Post. In the back of this book you will find the texts of both laws. New Adult Non-Fiction 344.041 LANDMARK


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Have you mailed back your 2010 Census form?

Saturday, February 27, 2010 – 11:49 am

2010 Census forms were mailed beginning March 15.  The form will have 10 simple questions.    The deadline to mail your form back is May 1.   Beware of scammers posing as census workers, asking for information you don’t have to give them.   Census representatives will be available to assist people at libraries: see their schedule at the Hillyard  Library and also at the South Hill Library.    Or you may look for answers to your questions at this site: Census Question and Answer Center.   If you do not receive a Census 2010 questionnaire,  you may call the Questionnaire Assistance Center at 1-866-872-6868. (For a Spanish-speaking operator, dial 1-866-928-2010).  For the hearing-impaired, dial 1-866-783-2010.   Read about How the Census Benefits Your Community.   And in 72 years, your family will be able to look you up for their genealogy research.  You can check this website to see your area’s Census mail participation rate:  http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/


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Student Aid on the Web

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 – 5:04 pm

Welcome to Student Aid on the Web, the U.S. Department of Education’s site for free information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school, whether you are a Non-traditional Student, International Student, or a parent looking for how to help your child prepare for education beyond high school. The Federal Student Aid Gateway: the source for free information, guidance and tools for federal student assistance from the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid. Or you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID. If you cannot access a toll-free number, call FSAIC at 319-337-5665. TTY users can call 1-800-730-8913.


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Deduct Contributions for Haiti Relief on your 2009 taxes

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 – 2:55 pm

New Law to Deduct Certain Contributions for Haiti Relief:   a new tax relief law allows taxpayers who contributed in 2010 to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti to claim these donations on their 2009 tax return. To deduct these contributions, taxpayers must itemize the deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040) or Schedule A (Form 1040NR).  See Notice 1396: Certain Cash Contributions for Haiti Relief Can Be Deducted on Your 2009 Tax Return, which explains the requirements for claiming those contributions.   See also Ten Facts About Claiming Donations Made to Haiti.


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USA Responds to Haiti Earthquake

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 – 8:34 pm

The Whitehouse.gov Haiti Earthquake page includes a Person Finder tool and some ways that you can help. The Center for International Disaster Information offers more ways to get involved. The FBI has some Guidelines for Haitian Relief Fund donation scams.


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Unprecedented Global Aging

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 – 6:39 pm

Global aging is examined in a new Report commissioned by the National Institute on Aging.  In just over 30 years, the proportion of old people will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total world population, according to An Aging World: 2008.  This report examines international population trends:   Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective“.


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Spotting Counterfeit Money

Saturday, December 26, 2009 – 4:48 pm

These US Secret Service pages on KNOW YOUR MONEY are designed to help you detect counterfeit currency and guard against forgery loss, including how to How To Detect Counterfeit Money the old-fashioned way without using the security features of modern bills, and what to do If you Suspect a Note is Counterfeit


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Traveling to the Olympics in Canada?

Saturday, December 12, 2009 – 6:31 pm

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires U.S. and Canadian travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the United States.   Learn about current travel document requirements on the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) website.   An acceptable alternative to a passport for re-entry into the U.S. at land and sea border crossings is the Washington State enhanced driver license (EDL) and enhanced ID card (EID)


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Fake emails about H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profiles

Friday, December 4, 2009 – 5:46 pm

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has received reports of fraudulent emails (phishing) referencing a CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program.   Read this Alert about Health Related Hoaxes.   THERE IS NO PROFILE PROGRAM.   The messages request that users must create a personal H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov website.  The CDC does NOT require  registration on www.cdc.gov.  Users that click on the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their system.  CDC reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of a phishing attack:   Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.    Use caution when entering personal information online.


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