IRS

Tax Day for individuals extended to May 17: Treasury, IRS extend filing and payment deadline

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— press release courtesy of the IRS

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced (this week) that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.

“This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds. Filing electronically with direct deposit is the quickest way to get refunds, and it can help some taxpayers more quickly receive any remaining stimulus payments they may be entitled to.”

Individual taxpayers can also postpone federal income tax payments for the 2020 tax year due on April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. This postponement applies to individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax. Penalties, interest and additions to tax will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of May 17, 2021. Individual taxpayers will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by May 17.

Individual taxpayers do not need to file any forms or call the IRS to qualify for this automatic federal tax filing and payment relief. Individual taxpayers who need additional time to file beyond the May 17 deadline can request a filing extension until Oct. 15 by filing Form 4868 through their tax professional, tax software or using the Free File link on IRS.gov. Filing Form 4868 gives taxpayers until October 15 to file their 2020 tax return but does not grant an extension of time to pay taxes due. Taxpayers should pay their federal income tax due by May 17, 2021, to avoid interest and penalties.

The IRS urges taxpayers who are due a refund to file as soon as possible. Most tax refunds associated with e-filed returns are issued within 21 days.

This relief does not apply to estimated tax payments that are due on April 15, 2021. These payments are still due on April 15. Taxes must be paid as taxpayers earn or receive income during the year, either through withholding or estimated tax payments. In general, estimated tax payments are made quarterly to the IRS by people whose income isn’t subject to income tax withholding, including self-employment income, interest, dividends, alimony or rental income. Most taxpayers automatically have their taxes withheld from their paychecks and submitted to the IRS by their employer.

State tax returns
The federal tax filing deadline postponement to May 17, 2021, only applies to individual federal income returns and tax (including tax on self-employment income) payments otherwise due April 15, 2021, not state tax payments or deposits or payments of any other type of federal tax. Taxpayers also will need to file income tax returns in 42 states plus the District of Columbia. State filing and payment deadlines vary and are not always the same as the federal filing deadline. The IRS urges taxpayers to check with their state tax agencies for those details.

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SportsTalk 03-18-21 Hunter Jenks, Vance Co. Vipers Head Football Coach

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Even though Vance County is 0-2 after a 20-0 loss at Southern Durham last Friday night, Coach Hunter Jenks praised his teams defensive effort citing a goal line stand and the pressure that was constant in the Southern Durham backfield throughout the game. In reviewing last Friday’s game, Jenks said that if events had unfolded slightly different that the Vipers could have come away with a win. Coach Jenks continues to see improvement with the Vipers. “Every day when we come off the field after practice we collectively say we’ve gotten better,” Jenks said of his team.

While Jenks is focused on playing well this season he is also looking ahead to the future of the program as well.  With only three seniors starting on defense this year he will have multiple seasons with many of the underclassmen on the Vipers squad.  “It bodes well for the future,” Jenks commented when discussing the defense. Jenks says that while the defensive unit may be undersized they make up for it with effort and speed. Jenks acknowledges that the defense is ahead of the Vipers offense. Jenks said “We’ve to be realistic and look for small victories,” when asked about the unit’s on field progress. The key is limiting turnovers, sustaining drives and limiting mistakes.

As for Saturday night’s game against Orange at 6 p.m., which was rescheduled from Friday, Jenks says that Orange lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season, and he expects for Orange to have a similar style to Vance Co. meaning it’s likely to be a defensive battle, something in which both teams excel.

Kickoff for the game at Orange High School in Hillsborough is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday and can be heard in its entirety on WIZS Radio. Bill Harris will have the call of the game.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 03-18-21 – Parenting Style Summary

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 2 PM Monday – Thursday.

TownTalk 03-18-21: Vance County Comprehensive Architectural Survey to be Conducted

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Local history buffs, take note: Vance County is one of six counties chosen to have a comprehensive architectural survey conducted over the next couple of years. A state historic preservation expert was on Town Talk Thursday to discuss the project with Bill Harris and Mark Pace.

Elizabeth King, architectural survey coordinator with the NC Department of Cultural Resources, said the next step – after selecting field workers – will be to have a “scoping phase” which could start as early as this summer. This phase should take about six months and includes examining the 300-plus properties already identified in Vance County, most of which are in Henderson. The second phase involves conducting a complete evaluation of rural Vance County, including Kittrell and Middleburg, she said. Then the final phase, which should start in early 2023, will take a thorough look at yet-to-be-identified properties in Henderson.

King said this project is “long, long overdue” for Vance County.  The project is scheduled to be completed by late 2023.

The most recent architectural survey was conducted in 1974 and was meant to be merely an information-gathering project rather than a comprehensive record of buildings and places with historical significance, she said.

Back in 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act, whose mission was to create a national inventory of historic buildings and historic places, King noted.

As coordinator of the survey in her role with the State Historic Preservation Office, she said she is “standing on the shoulders of giants” because North Carolina is recognized for having one of the best architectural survey programs in the nation.

Click play for 3-18-21 TownTalk broadcast.

In the early 1970’s, young people, many fresh out of college, were hired to do a county-by-county inventory of historic buildings, King said. They interviewed residents in the communities and created a record of historic places that were beginning to disappear from the landscape and from people’s memories.  “These young surveyors were going out and capturing local history from some of the last people who were living that agrarian lifestyle,” she said of the work done back then.

The migration from rural to city life after World War II, as well as the creation of Kerr Lake in the 1950’s are a couple of factors that contribute to fading memories and disappearing buildings that could be considered architecturally and historically significant.

King said she and her colleagues in the historical preservation field use “the 50-year rule” when talking about historical significance of buildings and places. This year, a building built in 1971 could be considered as having historical significance, she explained. “But it may not be ‘historic’ with a Capital H,” she said. “We have to continually be moving that needle to be capturing younger aspects of our history,” King added.

What makes or breaks projects such as the survey is local involvement, King said. “We want to raise awareness at a local level of what is special and regionally unique” to the area, she said. A public meeting will be held closer to the beginning of the field work phase to exchange information with the community. King said the project will certainly have a technical component to collect information such as window patterns, roof lines and the like, but another component is “to listen and absorb” information from the community.

And rest assured, she said, that nobody associated with the survey will visit a property without permission. “We do not trespass. If we aren’t invited on someone’s property, we will attempt to make contact,” she said, adding that all workers would be clearly identified and will carry business cards and official letters stating the purpose of their visit.

To learn more, contact King at elizabeth.king@ncdcr.gov or 919.814.6580.

NC Rural Center’s 2021 Rural Summit Featured Granville County

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The 2021 Rural Summit featured Granville County in its recent virtual conference, designed to discuss and share policy actions, education and successes with advocates for rural issues.

“The Secrets of NC’s Down-Home Tycoon” featured Granville County native Pratt Winston and Harry Mills, the county’s economic developer. The two Granville county men joined writer Billy Warden to discuss the intersection between entrepreneurship and living in a rural area.

During the 45-minute featured session, the three discussed various topics with a panel of facilitators, including conducting business in a rural area. “They asked what I thought about rural living and (whether) you can do business in a small town,” Winston said Thursday. “And I said ‘absolutely’ you can.”

The session began with a video clip and other pictures highlighting Winston’s life and business career. Although he lived for a few years in the New York suburbs and commuted to the city, Winston said there’s no comparison between there and Granville County. “For one thing, you don’t have to fight a whole lot of traffic” to get to work, he said.

“It really is an interesting story,” said Mills, of Winston and his decades-long career which includes work in far-flung areas across the world and the invention of a quirky looking radio that has maintained somewhat of a cult following since it first appeared on the scene in the early ‘70s.

Warden wrote a story about Winston’s storied career that appeared in the September 2020 issue of Our State magazine. Find the story at https://www.ourstate.com/a-space-age-oddity/

The Rural Summit, a production of NC Rural Center, was held virtually this year. Mills said the summit is just one way to show those who live in more urban areas just what rural areas offer.

In describing the workshop, the agenda stated that Winston is “arguably North Carolina’s most colorful business success you’ve never heard of –and a living testament to the vibrancy and potential of rural entrepreneurship.”

Being an entrepreneur in a rural community may not be that different from being an entrepreneur in a more urban area – it’s really just depends on the individual, Winston noted.  He added that what he hoped listeners, especially young people, learned from him telling his story is to have a goal, and then get about the business of accomplishing it.

“We’re no different (than anybody else),” Mills said. “We just reside in Granville County.” Increased exposure outside the immediate area tends to attract more people to visit and maybe to relocate. The NC Rural Center’s mission is “to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians.” The Rural Center serves the state’s 80 rural counties, with a focus on communities with limited resources and low- to moderate-income individuals.

Highlighting rural areas, he said, can have multiple effects. In addition to noting the positives, it also sheds light on what rural areas need “and what we should have,” Mills noted.

According to information from the NC Rural Center, about 700 people from 85 counties across the state – from 12 US states and even one international participant – attended the three-day event.

See more online – https://www.ncruralcenter.org/advocacy-and-research/advocacy/rural-summit/

“The Local Skinny!” March 18; Eddie Ferguson VGCC Foundation and more

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It may seem like a small detail, but Vance-Granville Community College officials have decided to change its fundraising arm from an endowment to a foundation.

Eddie Ferguson, executive director of the VGCC Foundation, said that changing one little word could make a big difference in fundraising opportunities.

Ferguson spoke with John C. Rose Thursday on The Local Skinny and said the move to become a foundation opens up additional opportunities for funding. The community college awards more than $250,000 each year to more than 350 students on the four campuses, he said.

“We’re very excited about becoming a foundation,” Ferguson said, as a way “to broaden our appeal to many more businesses and particularly other foundations that may want to support community colleges.”

Ferguson cited a recent example: VGCC secured a grant from the Cannon Foundation to repurpose some space at Main Campus and also to purchase equipment and truck driving simulators at the Warren Campus. Some foundations, he said, do not give to endowments, but by becoming a foundation, VGCC could receive additional grants like this one.

“The name change allows us to offer not only the ability to raise money for scholarships but also to help the college raise additional funds for the different types of initiatives and program that we need to create and enjoy,” he said.

Another advantage of a foundation is to raise funds for the college itself, the same way a capital campaign works, he said. “We have many programs that we’d like to expand upon and start and repurpose,” Ferguson said.

There are several ways to give to VGCC, including individuals writing checks and donating appreciated stock to churches and businesses establishing scholarships in memory or in honor of others. VGCC is still a 501c3 entity, which means that contributions may be tax deductible. Over the last 30 years or so, he said, the community has created hundreds of scholarships for VGCC students. That support has not wavered during the pandemic, he added.

“It’s an indication of support the community has provided to Vance-Granville,” he said. “They see the value of Vance-Granville in the community,” and Ferguson said the foundation name will enhance the giving opportunities for individuals, churches and other community businesses.

He estimated that between 15 percent and 20 percent of students receive scholarships. “In a rural community like ours, money is important, so we try to help students as best we can,” tuition, books and other fees can be costly, so “the more we can reduce the cost of education, the more a student can take advantage of education and improve their lot in life with economic mobility.”

To learn more, email Ferguson at fergusone@vgcc.edu or phone him at 252.738.3264.

Visit www.vgcc.edu and click on “Giving” to make a contribution online.

(THE LOCAL SKINNY! ON WIZS AT 11:30 A.M. MON-THURS ALSO TYPICALLY FEATURES CALLS FROM LISTENERS, ITEMS FOR SALE AND THE VANCE COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION REPORT.  CLICK HERE FOR THOSE “TRADIO-LIKE” ITEMS AND CLICK HERE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION REPORTS.)

buy, sell, trade items.NC Coop Extension

Vance County Schools Asynchronous Remote Learning Day Thurs, Mar 18 Due to Weather

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— courtesy of Vance County Schools

With the threat of inclement weather on Thursday, March 18, Vance County Schools will operate as an asynchronous remote learning day for all students and staff. Assignments will be posted to student’s learning platforms for completion. All buildings will be closed. Safety continues to be our priority. We encourage all of our families to keep a close eye on the weather tomorrow (Thursday) and stay safe.

VGCC Law Enforcement Training Division Receives Reaccreditation

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— VGCC Press Release

Vance-Granville Community College’s Law Enforcement training division received word last week that three programs have been reaccredited until May of 2026.

Last month, a field representative from the Criminal Justice Standards Division of the State Department of Justice conducted an audit of Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET), Speed Measuring Instrument Training, and General Instructor Training programs. The audit included a review of program-related files campus facilities, and program equipment to ensure compliance with guidelines set by North Carolina Training and Standards Commission.

Law Enforcement Training Coordinator, Glen Boyd, said, “Our training and administrative staff work tirelessly to maintain the integrity and proper documentation of our programs. We would like to thank our partner agencies for trusting us to provide training for their agency.”

VGCC’s Law Enforcement Training program has been providing training at all levels for over 40 years. The program partners with and serves law enforcement and corrections agencies in Granville, Vance, Franklin and Warren counties.

For more information about VGCC law enforcement­­ programs please visit https://www.vgcc.edu/program/blet/ or contact Glen Boyd, Coordinator of Law Enforcement Training, at boydg@vgcc.edu or Trudy Hargrove, Administrative Assistant, at hargrovet@vgcc.edu.