WASHINGTON — With the 2023 tax filing season in full swing, the 
Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers to gather their necessary 
information and visit IRS.gov for updated <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">resources</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">tools</a> to help with their 2022 tax return.

This news release is part of a series called the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>, a resource to help taxpayers file an accurate tax return. Additional guidance is available in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>.

Taxpayers should wait to file until they receive all their proper <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">tax documents</a>, or they risk making a mistake that could cause delays.

They should also review their documents carefully. If any of the information is inaccurate or missing, taxpayers should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc154">contact the payer</a> right away for a correction or to ensure the issuer has their current mailing or email address.

Creating an IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a> can help taxpayers securely access information about their federal tax account, including payments, tax records and more.

Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier and may help taxpayers find overlooked <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions-for-individuals">deductions or credits</a>.

Taxpayers with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/individual-taxpayer-identification-number">ITIN</a>
 may need to renew it if it's expired and is needed on a U.S. federal 
tax return. If they don't renew an expiring or expired ITIN, the IRS can
 still accept their return, but it may delay processing or credits owed.

Changes to credits and deductions for tax year 2022

Unlike 2020 and 2021, there were no new stimulus payments for 2022, 
so taxpayers should not expect to get an additional payment in their 
2023 tax refund.

However, taxpayers may still qualify for temporarily expanded eligibility of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics">Premium Tax Credit</a>,
 a refundable credit that helps eligible individuals and families cover 
the premiums for their health insurance purchased through the Health 
Insurance Marketplace. To get this credit, taxpayers must meet <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/eligibility-for-the-premium-tax-credit">certain requirements</a> and file a tax return with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8962">Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit</a>.

Also, eligibility rules changed to claim a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/plug-in-electric-vehicle-credit-irc-30-and-irc-30d">Clean Vehicle Credit</a> under the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/news-on-the-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022">Inflation Reduction Act of 2022</a>.

Some tax credits return to 2019 levels. This means that taxpayers will likely receive a significantly smaller refund compared with the previous tax year.

Changes include amounts for the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit">Child Tax Credit (CTC)</a>&nbsp;and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-and-dependent-care-credit-information">Child and Dependent Care Credit</a> will revert to pre-COVID levels.

Finally, taxpayers that don't itemize and take the standard deduction cannot deduct their charitable contributions this year.

There are no changes to what counts as income or how tax is 
calculated, including income from the sale of personal assets. Taxpayers
 must report all their income on their tax return unless it's excluded 
by law.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-k">Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third-Party Network Transactions</a>,
 is an IRS information return used to report certain payment 
transactions and helps to improve voluntary tax compliance. Taxpayers 
use this information return with their other tax records to determine 
their correct tax liability. 2022 Forms 1099-K should have been 
furnished to the payee by Jan. 31, 2023.

The American Rescue Plan of 2021 changed the reporting threshold for 
third-party settlement organizations, including payment apps and online 
settlement organizations. The new threshold requires reporting of 
transactions in excess of $600 per year; changed from the previous 
threshold of an excess of $20,000 and an excess of 200 transactions per 
year. Third-party settlement organizations are required to report 
payments for goods and services.

On Dec. 23, 2022, the IRS announced that calendar year 2022 will be treated as a transition year for the reduced reporting threshold of $600.

Even though the Form 1099-K reduced reporting requirement for 
third-party settlement organizations is delayed, some individuals may 
still receive a Form 1099-K who have not received one in the past. Some 
individuals may receive a Form 1099-K for the sale of personal items or 
in situations where they received a Form 1099-K in error (i.e. for 
transactions between friends and family, or expense sharing).

Money received as a gift or to reimburse shared meals or rent should 
not be reported on a 1099-K. Payments should indicate whether they are 
personal to family and friends or a business transaction for goods and 
services.

If the information is incorrect on the 1099-K, taxpayers should 
contact the payer immediately. The payer's name appears in the upper 
left corner on the form. The taxpayer should keep a copy of all 
correspondence with the payer with their records.

If a Form 1099-K is received in error and a corrected Form 1099-K can't be obtained, follow the IRS' updated guidance at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/understanding-your-form-1099-k">Understanding Your Form 1099-K</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — With the 2023 tax filing season in full swing, the 
Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers to gather their necessary 
information and visit IRS.gov for updated <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">resources</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">tools</a> to help with their 2022 tax return.This news release is part of a series called the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>, a resource to help taxpayers file an accurate tax return. Additional guidance is available in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>.<h2>Things to consider before filing</h2>Taxpayers should wait to file until they receive all their proper <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">tax documents</a>, or they risk making a mistake that could cause delays.They should also review their documents carefully. If any of the information is inaccurate or missing, taxpayers should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc154">contact the payer</a> right away for a correction or to ensure the issuer has their current mailing or email address.Creating an IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a> can help taxpayers securely access information about their federal tax account, including payments, tax records and more.Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier and may help taxpayers find overlooked <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions-for-individuals">deductions or credits</a>.Taxpayers with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/individual-taxpayer-identification-number">ITIN</a>
 may need to renew it if it's expired and is needed on a U.S. federal 
tax return. If they don't renew an expiring or expired ITIN, the IRS can
 still accept their return, but it may delay processing or credits owed.<h2>Changes to credits and deductions for tax year 2022</h2>Unlike 2020 and 2021, there were no new stimulus payments for 2022, 
so taxpayers should not expect to get an additional payment in their 
2023 tax refund.However, taxpayers may still qualify for temporarily expanded eligibility of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics">Premium Tax Credit</a>,
 a refundable credit that helps eligible individuals and families cover 
the premiums for their health insurance purchased through the Health 
Insurance Marketplace. To get this credit, taxpayers must meet <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/eligibility-for-the-premium-tax-credit">certain requirements</a> and file a tax return with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8962">Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit</a>.Also, eligibility rules changed to claim a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/plug-in-electric-vehicle-credit-irc-30-and-irc-30d">Clean Vehicle Credit</a> under the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/news-on-the-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022">Inflation Reduction Act of 2022</a>.Some tax credits return to 2019 levels. This means that taxpayers will likely receive a significantly smaller refund compared with the previous tax year.Changes include amounts for the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit">Child Tax Credit (CTC)</a>&nbsp;and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-and-dependent-care-credit-information">Child and Dependent Care Credit</a> will revert to pre-COVID levels.<ul>
 <li>For the EITC, eligible taxpayers with no children who received roughly $1,500 in 2021 will now get $500 for the 2022 tax year.</li><li>Those who got $3,600 per dependent in 2021 for the CTC will, if eligible, get $2,000 per dependent for the 2022 tax year.</li><li>The Child and Dependent Care Credit returns to a maximum of $2,100 in 2022 instead of $8,000 in 2021.</li>
 </ul>Finally, taxpayers that don't itemize and take the standard deduction cannot deduct their charitable contributions this year.<h2>Transition year for 1099-K reporting</h2>There are no changes to what counts as income or how tax is 
calculated, including income from the sale of personal assets. Taxpayers
 must report all their income on their tax return unless it's excluded 
by law.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-k">Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third-Party Network Transactions</a>,
 is an IRS information return used to report certain payment 
transactions and helps to improve voluntary tax compliance. Taxpayers 
use this information return with their other tax records to determine 
their correct tax liability. 2022 Forms 1099-K should have been 
furnished to the payee by Jan. 31, 2023.The American Rescue Plan of 2021 changed the reporting threshold for 
third-party settlement organizations, including payment apps and online 
settlement organizations. The new threshold requires reporting of 
transactions in excess of $600 per year; changed from the previous 
threshold of an excess of $20,000 and an excess of 200 transactions per 
year. Third-party settlement organizations are required to report 
payments for goods and services.<h2>On Dec. 23, 2022, the IRS announced that calendar year 2022 will be treated as a transition year for the reduced reporting threshold of $600.</h2>Even though the Form 1099-K reduced reporting requirement for 
third-party settlement organizations is delayed, some individuals may 
still receive a Form 1099-K who have not received one in the past. Some 
individuals may receive a Form 1099-K for the sale of personal items or 
in situations where they received a Form 1099-K in error (i.e. for 
transactions between friends and family, or expense sharing).Money received as a gift or to reimburse shared meals or rent should 
not be reported on a 1099-K. Payments should indicate whether they are 
personal to family and friends or a business transaction for goods and 
services.If the information is incorrect on the 1099-K, taxpayers should 
contact the payer immediately. The payer's name appears in the upper 
left corner on the form. The taxpayer should keep a copy of all 
correspondence with the payer with their records.If a Form 1099-K is received in error and a corrected Form 1099-K can't be obtained, follow the IRS' updated guidance at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/understanding-your-form-1099-k">Understanding Your Form 1099-K</a>.

Tax Time Guide: Things to consider when filing 2022 tax return

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

NEW YORK — On Dec. 22, 1985, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/1aa23991920be67a37fcb1908001dc0a">reported the following from Blue Ridge, Georgia:</a>

“Investigators
 searching for cocaine dropped by an airborne smuggler have found a 
ripped-up shipment of the sweet-smelling powder and the remains of a 
bear that apparently died of a multimillion-dollar high.”

Police 
found a sad scene. A 175-lb. black bear dead near a duffle bag and some 
$2 million worth of cocaine that had been opened and scattered over a 
hillside. The parachutist, a former Kentucky narcotics investigator, had
 fallen to his death in a backyard in Knoxville, Tennessee. His unmanned
 airplane crashed into a North Carolina mountain. Back in Georgia, the 
bear, examiners said, had overdosed.

The story is in many ways too
 much. Too absurd. Too ’80s. Even the screenwriters of the “Fast &amp; 
Furious” movies would think it far-fetched. The stranger-than-fiction 
tale quickly receded from the headlines and, before some began to stoke 
the myth of “Pablo Escobear,” it mostly stayed buried in news media 
archives.

That changed when screenwriter Jimmy Warden delivered to
 producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller a script titled “Cocaine 
Bear.” They were on board from page one.

“When the movie’s 
pitched, you hear the word ‘Cocaine,’ you’re like I’m not sure what to 
think of this,” Lord says. “Then when you hear the word ‘Bear,’ you’re 
like: I’m all in.”

Yes, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuWEEKeJLMI">“Cocaine Bear”</a>
 is a real movie. And after it opens in theaters Friday, it might even 
be a hit. Since the trailer first debuted for Elizabeth Banks’ very, 
very loosely based-on-a-true-story R-rated comedy has stoked a rabid 
zeitgeist. At a time when much in Hollywood can feel pre-packaged, the 
makers of “Cocaine Bear” think it can be an untamed exception.

“Hopefully the film lives up to the title,” Banks says, smiling. “That was the goal.”

Little
 on the movie calendar has captured the public imagination quite like 
“Cocaine Bear.” Its trailer, watched more than 25 million times, 
immediately went viral. The movie, itself, is like a meme sprung to life
 — a kind of spiritual heir to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkckhcqiwM8">“Snakes on a Plane”</a>
 crossed with a Paddington Bear fever dream. Everything about it is 
propelled by a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and 
can-you-believe-this-is-a-real-movie wink. “I’m the bear who ate 
cocaine,” reads <a href="https://twitter.com/cocainebear?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">one of the film's official tweets</a>. “This is my story.”

While
 most studio movies are driven by well-known intellectual property and 
few original comedies manage to attract audiences in theaters, “Cocaine 
Bear” is here to strike a blow to business-as-usual in Hollywood. 
“Cocaine Bear” is here to be bold. “Cocaine Bear” is here to party.

“You
 have to demonstrate theatricality to get the greenlight. It just means 
you have to swing the bat a little harder,” Lord says. “In this world 
that’s increasingly mechanized, things that don’t feel mechanized have 
really special value.”

Miller and Lord have in recent years shepherded some of the most vibrant and irreverent films to the screen, including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ed131a86a96848228dd1c58ac29c0f99">“The Lego Movie,”</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/caf272445f4c426797e6093b2b3c7945">“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/reviews-technology-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-d0fe967abc7b9e6ac51979b7bbfe3679">“The Mitchells vs the Machines.”</a> They like to take apart old conventions and give them an absurdist, post-modern spin.

“Certainly,
 this movie was not mandated by a corporation,” Miller says, laughing. 
“It’s a thing we somehow snuck through the system. That’s how we love to
 make all our movies, like: ‘I can’t believe they let us get away with 
this.’”

Warden had been a production assistant on their 2012 
action comedy “21 Jump Street." After hearing about the 1985 story, 
Warden wrote the script on spec and hoped his old bosses would like it. 
Intrigued at the screenplay's possibility, the producers found an 
unexpectedly open reception from Universal Pictures chief Donna Langley.

“What’s
 funny is that we thought it would be difficult because of the subject 
matter. But surprisingly, they were excited right from the jump and 
didn’t shy away from the movie, its tone or even its title,” says 
Miller. “We thought at some point, someone was going to say, ‘Well you 
can’t call it ‘Cocaine Bear.’ You have to call it ‘A Walk in the 
Woods.’"

Since her directorial debut in 2015's “Pitch Perfect 2,” 
Banks has carved out a second career behind the camera. She last helmed 
2019's “Charlie's Angels." With Universal's backing and Lord and Miller 
producing, “Cocaine Bear” struck her as not just a viable, 
actually-happening project but one where she could marry a gory animal 
attack movie with comedy.

“Most people are surprised that it is a 
real thing, and very surprised that I’m the person that made it,” says 
Banks, laughing. “I just got a text from someone who was like, ‘I’ve 
been hearing about this movie and I had no idea you made it.’”

Though
 the title meant “Cocaine Bear” would be limited from some advertising 
platforms, the filmmakers describe the studio as interested in leaning 
into what made the film distinct from the all the options viewers are 
inundated with. Nothing, it turned out, could cut through all the noise 
like “Cocaine Bear.”

“They love things with strong flavor. That’s 
the word I hear a lot in my marketing meetings," Banks says. “It’s 
harder and harder to find things that are theatrically exciting. The 
hope was that we were making something people needed to leave their 
house to see.”

The film, itself, takes the basis of the real story
 and imagines what might have transpired if the bear didn't quickly die 
but went on a coke-fueled rampage through a national forest, terrorizing
 park wardens, campers and drug dealers seeking the lost shipment. After
 an initial taste, the bear goes after more cocaine with all the zeal of
 Yogi pursuing a picnic basket.

The bear, named Cokie, was a CGI 
concoction created by Weta FX with Allen Henry, a stunt man and student 
of Andy Serkis, performing motion capture. He wore all black and walked 
on all fours with prosthetic arms. The rest of the cast includes Keri 
Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson and Ray 
Liotta. It's one of Liotta's final performances before his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ray-liotta-dead-46f9582dce224a3e51d3bba1663b3c05">death last May</a>, and one that connects back to his similarly cocaine-laced performance in “Goodfellas."

“I’ve
 said that this film felt very risky. The risk was: I was never going to
 have the lead character of the movie on the set of the movie,” Banks 
says. “That was truly what scared me the most. If the bear didn’t work, 
the movie falls apart.”

Lord and Miller hope that there's a rising
 realization within the film industry that movies that are audaciously 
original can pack theaters. Lord points to the Academy Awards favorite 
"Everything Everywhere All at Once” as recent proof.

“It could win
 best picture and it’s the zaniest idea out there,” Lord says. “For the 
scale of that movie, it’s a huge hit. What we’re after is demonstrating 
that these movies can be original and fun and surprising and they can be
 hits.”

“I can’t think of a movie that came out last year that 
wouldn’t have been maybe a little bit better if there had a been a 
cocaine-fueled bear on a rampage as part of it," adds Miller. "Imagine 
if ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ had a big bear just running through 
biting that guy’s fingers off.”

If it's successful, “Cocaine Bear”
 could, of course, become a franchise of its own. A sequel isn't out the
 question. “LSD Armadillo”? “Quaalude Tortoise”? Banks, for now, is 
deferring.

“Somebody will put something into the AI chat bot and 
it will spit out something ridiculous and the internet will write it for
 us.”

By JAKE COYLE AP Film WriterNEW YORK — On Dec. 22, 1985, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/1aa23991920be67a37fcb1908001dc0a">reported the following from Blue Ridge, Georgia:</a>“Investigators
 searching for cocaine dropped by an airborne smuggler have found a 
ripped-up shipment of the sweet-smelling powder and the remains of a 
bear that apparently died of a multimillion-dollar high.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1572956883313.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Police 
found a sad scene. A 175-lb. black bear dead near a duffle bag and some 
$2 million worth of cocaine that had been opened and scattered over a 
hillside. The parachutist, a former Kentucky narcotics investigator, had
 fallen to his death in a backyard in Knoxville, Tennessee. His unmanned
 airplane crashed into a North Carolina mountain. Back in Georgia, the 
bear, examiners said, had overdosed.The story is in many ways too
 much. Too absurd. Too ’80s. Even the screenwriters of the “Fast &amp; 
Furious” movies would think it far-fetched. The stranger-than-fiction 
tale quickly receded from the headlines and, before some began to stoke 
the myth of “Pablo Escobear,” it mostly stayed buried in news media 
archives.That changed when screenwriter Jimmy Warden delivered to
 producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller a script titled “Cocaine 
Bear.” They were on board from page one.“When the movie’s 
pitched, you hear the word ‘Cocaine,’ you’re like I’m not sure what to 
think of this,” Lord says. “Then when you hear the word ‘Bear,’ you’re 
like: I’m all in.”Yes, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuWEEKeJLMI">“Cocaine Bear”</a>
 is a real movie. And after it opens in theaters Friday, it might even 
be a hit. Since the trailer first debuted for Elizabeth Banks’ very, 
very loosely based-on-a-true-story R-rated comedy has stoked a rabid 
zeitgeist. At a time when much in Hollywood can feel pre-packaged, the 
makers of “Cocaine Bear” think it can be an untamed exception.“Hopefully the film lives up to the title,” Banks says, smiling. “That was the goal.”Little
 on the movie calendar has captured the public imagination quite like 
“Cocaine Bear.” Its trailer, watched more than 25 million times, 
immediately went viral. The movie, itself, is like a meme sprung to life
 — a kind of spiritual heir to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkckhcqiwM8">“Snakes on a Plane”</a>
 crossed with a Paddington Bear fever dream. Everything about it is 
propelled by a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and 
can-you-believe-this-is-a-real-movie wink. “I’m the bear who ate 
cocaine,” reads <a href="https://twitter.com/cocainebear?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">one of the film's official tweets</a>. “This is my story.”While
 most studio movies are driven by well-known intellectual property and 
few original comedies manage to attract audiences in theaters, “Cocaine 
Bear” is here to strike a blow to business-as-usual in Hollywood. 
“Cocaine Bear” is here to be bold. “Cocaine Bear” is here to party.“You
 have to demonstrate theatricality to get the greenlight. It just means 
you have to swing the bat a little harder,” Lord says. “In this world 
that’s increasingly mechanized, things that don’t feel mechanized have 
really special value.”Miller and Lord have in recent years shepherded some of the most vibrant and irreverent films to the screen, including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ed131a86a96848228dd1c58ac29c0f99">“The Lego Movie,”</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/caf272445f4c426797e6093b2b3c7945">“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/reviews-technology-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-d0fe967abc7b9e6ac51979b7bbfe3679">“The Mitchells vs the Machines.”</a> They like to take apart old conventions and give them an absurdist, post-modern spin.“Certainly,
 this movie was not mandated by a corporation,” Miller says, laughing. 
“It’s a thing we somehow snuck through the system. That’s how we love to
 make all our movies, like: ‘I can’t believe they let us get away with 
this.’”Warden had been a production assistant on their 2012 
action comedy “21 Jump Street." After hearing about the 1985 story, 
Warden wrote the script on spec and hoped his old bosses would like it. 
Intrigued at the screenplay's possibility, the producers found an 
unexpectedly open reception from Universal Pictures chief Donna Langley.“What’s
 funny is that we thought it would be difficult because of the subject 
matter. But surprisingly, they were excited right from the jump and 
didn’t shy away from the movie, its tone or even its title,” says 
Miller. “We thought at some point, someone was going to say, ‘Well you 
can’t call it ‘Cocaine Bear.’ You have to call it ‘A Walk in the 
Woods.’"Since her directorial debut in 2015's “Pitch Perfect 2,” 
Banks has carved out a second career behind the camera. She last helmed 
2019's “Charlie's Angels." With Universal's backing and Lord and Miller 
producing, “Cocaine Bear” struck her as not just a viable, 
actually-happening project but one where she could marry a gory animal 
attack movie with comedy.“Most people are surprised that it is a 
real thing, and very surprised that I’m the person that made it,” says 
Banks, laughing. “I just got a text from someone who was like, ‘I’ve 
been hearing about this movie and I had no idea you made it.’”Though
 the title meant “Cocaine Bear” would be limited from some advertising 
platforms, the filmmakers describe the studio as interested in leaning 
into what made the film distinct from the all the options viewers are 
inundated with. Nothing, it turned out, could cut through all the noise 
like “Cocaine Bear.”“They love things with strong flavor. That’s 
the word I hear a lot in my marketing meetings," Banks says. “It’s 
harder and harder to find things that are theatrically exciting. The 
hope was that we were making something people needed to leave their 
house to see.”The film, itself, takes the basis of the real story
 and imagines what might have transpired if the bear didn't quickly die 
but went on a coke-fueled rampage through a national forest, terrorizing
 park wardens, campers and drug dealers seeking the lost shipment. After
 an initial taste, the bear goes after more cocaine with all the zeal of
 Yogi pursuing a picnic basket.The bear, named Cokie, was a CGI 
concoction created by Weta FX with Allen Henry, a stunt man and student 
of Andy Serkis, performing motion capture. He wore all black and walked 
on all fours with prosthetic arms. The rest of the cast includes Keri 
Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson and Ray 
Liotta. It's one of Liotta's final performances before his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ray-liotta-dead-46f9582dce224a3e51d3bba1663b3c05">death last May</a>, and one that connects back to his similarly cocaine-laced performance in “Goodfellas."“I’ve
 said that this film felt very risky. The risk was: I was never going to
 have the lead character of the movie on the set of the movie,” Banks 
says. “That was truly what scared me the most. If the bear didn’t work, 
the movie falls apart.”Lord and Miller hope that there's a rising
 realization within the film industry that movies that are audaciously 
original can pack theaters. Lord points to the Academy Awards favorite 
"Everything Everywhere All at Once” as recent proof.“It could win
 best picture and it’s the zaniest idea out there,” Lord says. “For the 
scale of that movie, it’s a huge hit. What we’re after is demonstrating 
that these movies can be original and fun and surprising and they can be
 hits.”“I can’t think of a movie that came out last year that 
wouldn’t have been maybe a little bit better if there had a been a 
cocaine-fueled bear on a rampage as part of it," adds Miller. "Imagine 
if ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ had a big bear just running through 
biting that guy’s fingers off.”If it's successful, “Cocaine Bear”
 could, of course, become a franchise of its own. A sequel isn't out the
 question. “LSD Armadillo”? “Quaalude Tortoise”? Banks, for now, is 
deferring.“Somebody will put something into the AI chat bot and 
it will spit out something ridiculous and the internet will write it for
 us.”

REVIEW: 'Cocaine Bear' is here to strike a blow to staid Hollywood

Singer/songwriter Lisa Brokop in her warm, rich voice and 
accompanying band will pay homage to one of country music’s greatest 
ladies, Patsy Cline, with many of her classic hits including “Sweet 
Dreams” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

This Golden Belt Community 
Concert featuring Brokop and the Patsy Cline Project is set for 7:30 
p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and 
Stone. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Brokop created The Patsy Cline 
Project in 2016 as a collection of Cline’s well-known country and pop 
music hits of the 1950s and 1960s. She also will sing a couple of her 
own songs that she has composed in Cline’s well-known vocal style.

“I’ll
 be coming full circle with this project,” Brokop says, “When I started 
singing, I would sing some of Patsy’s songs because I didn’t have my 
own. They are still some of my favorites today and I am so excited to 
have the opportunity to honor this amazing lady and the incredible music
 she gave us.”

Program highlights will also include “I Fall to 
Pieces,” “Your Cheating Heart,” “Strange,” “Faded Love,” “Back in My 
Baby’s Arms,” and “Blue Moon Over Kentucky.”

This GBCCA event is 
open to association members. No single concert tickets are available. 
Anyone who is not a member and wishes to purchase a season membership 
may do so at this concert. Because the concert association encourages 
music education in the schools, full-time students of any age will be 
admitted to the concert for a $5 donation at the door.

Season 
memberships are $50 per adult; $10 for any full-time enrolled student; 
$110 for a Family Membership (two adults and all dependent children 
living in the same household); and $110 for a Grandparent Package (two 
adults and up to four minor grandchildren).

The GBCCA 2022-2023 
season will continue with Forever Simon and Garfunkel, March 14, and 
Beginnings, the ultimate Chicago Tribute Band, April 22.

For more 
information about GBCCA and to see video previews of the new season’s 
concerts, go to the website, www.goldenbeltcca.org, or call 
620-793-2748.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677018098017.jpeg" alt="Lisa Brokop will sing the music of Patsy Cline in the Golden Belt Community Concert presentation, The Patsy Cline Project, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, at the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and Stone. The performance is open to GBCCA members. Memberships will be available for purchase at the concert." />
 <figcaption>Lisa Brokop will sing the music of Patsy Cline in the Golden Belt Community Concert presentation, The Patsy Cline Project, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, at the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and Stone. The performance is open to GBCCA members. Memberships will be available for purchase at the concert.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy Great Bend PostSinger/songwriter Lisa Brokop in her warm, rich voice and 
accompanying band will pay homage to one of country music’s greatest 
ladies, Patsy Cline, with many of her classic hits including “Sweet 
Dreams” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.”This Golden Belt Community 
Concert featuring Brokop and the Patsy Cline Project is set for 7:30 
p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and 
Stone. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.Brokop created The Patsy Cline 
Project in 2016 as a collection of Cline’s well-known country and pop 
music hits of the 1950s and 1960s. She also will sing a couple of her 
own songs that she has composed in Cline’s well-known vocal style.“I’ll
 be coming full circle with this project,” Brokop says, “When I started 
singing, I would sing some of Patsy’s songs because I didn’t have my 
own. They are still some of my favorites today and I am so excited to 
have the opportunity to honor this amazing lady and the incredible music
 she gave us.”Program highlights will also include “I Fall to 
Pieces,” “Your Cheating Heart,” “Strange,” “Faded Love,” “Back in My 
Baby’s Arms,” and “Blue Moon Over Kentucky.”This GBCCA event is 
open to association members. No single concert tickets are available. 
Anyone who is not a member and wishes to purchase a season membership 
may do so at this concert. Because the concert association encourages 
music education in the schools, full-time students of any age will be 
admitted to the concert for a $5 donation at the door.Season 
memberships are $50 per adult; $10 for any full-time enrolled student; 
$110 for a Family Membership (two adults and all dependent children 
living in the same household); and $110 for a Grandparent Package (two 
adults and up to four minor grandchildren).The GBCCA 2022-2023 
season will continue with Forever Simon and Garfunkel, March 14, and 
Beginnings, the ultimate Chicago Tribute Band, April 22.For more 
information about GBCCA and to see video previews of the new season’s 
concerts, go to the website, www.goldenbeltcca.org, or call 
620-793-2748.

The Patsy Cline Project with Lisa Brokop in Great Bend

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue 
Service today issued final regulations amending the rules for filing 
returns and other documents electronically (e-file). These regulations 
will require certain filers to e-file beginning in 2024.

<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2023-03710/electronic-filing-requirements-for-specified-returns-and-other-documents">T.D. 9972</a>
 affects filers of partnership returns, corporate income tax returns, 
unrelated business income tax returns, withholding tax returns, certain 
information returns, registration statements, disclosure statements, 
notifications, actuarial reports and certain excise tax returns. The 
final regulations reflect changes made by the Taxpayer First Act (TFA) 
to increase e-filing without undue hardship on taxpayers.

To help with this process, the IRS created a new, free <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-opens-free-portal-to-file-information-returns-new-electronic-option-can-reduce-millions-of-paper-forms-1099-estimated-to-be-filed-by-businesses-in-2023">online portal</a>
 last month to help businesses file Form 1099 series information returns
 electronically. Known as the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), 
this free electronic filing service is secure, accurate and requires no 
special software. Though available to any business of any size, IRIS may
 be especially helpful to any small business that currently sends their 
1099 forms on paper to the IRS.

In recent years there has been tremendous growth in the availability 
of e-file services and the use of e-file across the tax filing spectrum.
 In 2021, about 82% of all corporate income tax returns were e-filed, 
and almost 90% of partnership tax returns were e-filed. Further reducing
 the volume of paper returns filed frees up staff and resources to 
further enhance services for taxpayers and improves overall efficiencies
 while reducing postage, printing, shipping and storage and their 
associated costs and burdens.

In 2021, about 82% of all corporate income tax returns were e-filed, 
and almost 90% of partnership tax returns were e-filed. The IRS receives
 nearly 4 billion information returns per year and expects to receive 
nearly 5 billion by 2028. In 2019, the IRS still received nearly 40 
million paper information returns, even though approximately 99% of all 
information returns for that year were e-filed.

The final regulations generally provide hardship waivers for filers 
that would experience hardship in complying with the e-filing 
requirements and administrative exemptions from the e-filing 
requirements to promote effective and efficient tax administration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue 
Service today issued final regulations amending the rules for filing 
returns and other documents electronically (e-file). These regulations 
will require certain filers to e-file beginning in 2024.<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2023-03710/electronic-filing-requirements-for-specified-returns-and-other-documents">T.D. 9972</a>
 affects filers of partnership returns, corporate income tax returns, 
unrelated business income tax returns, withholding tax returns, certain 
information returns, registration statements, disclosure statements, 
notifications, actuarial reports and certain excise tax returns. The 
final regulations reflect changes made by the Taxpayer First Act (TFA) 
to increase e-filing without undue hardship on taxpayers.Specifically, the final regulations:<ul>
 <li>reduce the 250-return threshold enacted in prior regulations to 
generally require electronic filing by filers of 10 or more returns in a
 calendar year. The final regulations also create several new 
regulations to require e-filing of certain returns and other documents 
not previously required to be e-filed;</li><li>require filers to aggregate almost all information return types 
covered by the regulation to determine whether a filer meets the 
10-return threshold and is required to e-file their information returns.
 Earlier regulations applied the 250-return threshold separately to each
 type of information return covered by the regulations;</li><li>eliminate the e-filing exception for income tax returns of 
corporations that report total assets under $10 million at the end of 
their taxable year, and</li><li>require partnerships with more than 100 partners to e-file 
information returns, and they require partnerships required to file at 
least 10 returns of any type during the calendar year to e-file their 
partnership return.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>To help with this process, the IRS created a new, free <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-opens-free-portal-to-file-information-returns-new-electronic-option-can-reduce-millions-of-paper-forms-1099-estimated-to-be-filed-by-businesses-in-2023">online portal</a>
 last month to help businesses file Form 1099 series information returns
 electronically. Known as the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), 
this free electronic filing service is secure, accurate and requires no 
special software. Though available to any business of any size, IRIS may
 be especially helpful to any small business that currently sends their 
1099 forms on paper to the IRS.In recent years there has been tremendous growth in the availability 
of e-file services and the use of e-file across the tax filing spectrum.
 In 2021, about 82% of all corporate income tax returns were e-filed, 
and almost 90% of partnership tax returns were e-filed. Further reducing
 the volume of paper returns filed frees up staff and resources to 
further enhance services for taxpayers and improves overall efficiencies
 while reducing postage, printing, shipping and storage and their 
associated costs and burdens.In 2021, about 82% of all corporate income tax returns were e-filed, 
and almost 90% of partnership tax returns were e-filed. The IRS receives
 nearly 4 billion information returns per year and expects to receive 
nearly 5 billion by 2028. In 2019, the IRS still received nearly 40 
million paper information returns, even though approximately 99% of all 
information returns for that year were e-filed.The final regulations generally provide hardship waivers for filers 
that would experience hardship in complying with the e-filing 
requirements and administrative exemptions from the e-filing 
requirements to promote effective and efficient tax administration.

IRS, Treasury issue final regulations on e-file for businesses

K-State horticulture expert gets you ready for planting this year’s crop

K-State Research and Extension News Service&nbsp;

MANHATTAN –&nbsp;It’s still nearly three months before Kansas gardeners begin to put tomato plants into the ground. Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham says that’s an opportunity for gardeners to set themselves up for a bountiful season.&nbsp;

“Most of the varieties available to home gardeners are either indeterminate or semi-determinate,” Upham said.&nbsp;

Indeterminate plants are traditional tomatoes that never stop growing. They are capable of producing fruit throughout the season unless disease stops production or frost kills the plant.&nbsp;

Semi-determinate plants are more compact, but also are capable of producing fruit throughout the season. Another classification is known as determinate, or those varieties that produce one large crop but then virtually nothing afterwards.&nbsp;

“Gardeners with limited space will likely prefer indeterminate or semi-determinate types to stretch out the harvest season,” Upham said. “If there is space, you may want to grow a combination of all three, with the determinates used to produce a large harvest for canning or tomato juice, and the remainder for fresh eating.”&nbsp;

In Kansas, tomatoes are generally planted in early- to mid-May, or when daytime temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the state has passed the frost-free date. In some areas, such as the northwest part of the state, conditions might not be right for planting tomatoes until the middle of May or a bit later, according to Upham.&nbsp;

Even though indeterminate and semi-determinate varieties produce fruit throughout the season, “our hot Kansas summers often cause a dry spell in production in both types,” Upham said.&nbsp;

Tomatoes are less likely to set fruit when night temperatures remain above 75 F and day temperatures are above 95 F. Hot, dry winds make the situation worse, Upham said.&nbsp;

Each year,&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/master-gardeners/" target="_blank">Kansas Master Gardeners</a>&nbsp;plant and rate a number of tomato varieties. Upham noted that a subsequent trial is conducted by a colleague with the University of Missouri extension service.&nbsp;

Results of trials conducted by Kansas’ Master Gardeners vary by county. Interested persons are encouraged to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/stateandareamaps.html" target="_blank">contact their local extension office</a>&nbsp;for more information on varieties that perform well in their area.&nbsp;

Upham said the University of Missouri trials also give valuable information on varieties that perform well in this region. The data from Missouri’s extension service showed that the top 10 varieties (based on pounds of fruit harvested per plant) are:&nbsp;

Upham and his colleagues in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for maintaining home landscapes. The newsletter is&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/index.html" target="_blank">available to view online</a>&nbsp;or can be delivered by email each week.&nbsp;

Interested persons can also send their garden- and yard-related questions to Upham at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:wupham@ksu.edu">wupham@ksu.edu</a>, or contact your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/stateandareamaps.html" target="_blank">local extension office</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612708754292.jpeg" alt="It's time to start thinking about tomatoes.&nbsp;Photo courtesy KSRE" />
 <figcaption>It's time to start thinking about tomatoes.&nbsp;Photo courtesy KSRE</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>K-State horticulture expert gets you ready for planting this year’s crop</h2>K-State Research and Extension News Service&nbsp;MANHATTAN –&nbsp;It’s still nearly three months before Kansas gardeners begin to put tomato plants into the ground. Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham says that’s an opportunity for gardeners to set themselves up for a bountiful season.&nbsp;“Most of the varieties available to home gardeners are either indeterminate or semi-determinate,” Upham said.&nbsp;Indeterminate plants are traditional tomatoes that never stop growing. They are capable of producing fruit throughout the season unless disease stops production or frost kills the plant.&nbsp;Semi-determinate plants are more compact, but also are capable of producing fruit throughout the season. Another classification is known as determinate, or those varieties that produce one large crop but then virtually nothing afterwards.&nbsp;“Gardeners with limited space will likely prefer indeterminate or semi-determinate types to stretch out the harvest season,” Upham said. “If there is space, you may want to grow a combination of all three, with the determinates used to produce a large harvest for canning or tomato juice, and the remainder for fresh eating.”&nbsp;In Kansas, tomatoes are generally planted in early- to mid-May, or when daytime temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the state has passed the frost-free date. In some areas, such as the northwest part of the state, conditions might not be right for planting tomatoes until the middle of May or a bit later, according to Upham.&nbsp;Even though indeterminate and semi-determinate varieties produce fruit throughout the season, “our hot Kansas summers often cause a dry spell in production in both types,” Upham said.&nbsp;Tomatoes are less likely to set fruit when night temperatures remain above 75 F and day temperatures are above 95 F. Hot, dry winds make the situation worse, Upham said.&nbsp;Tomato trials&nbsp;Each year,&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/master-gardeners/" target="_blank">Kansas Master Gardeners</a>&nbsp;plant and rate a number of tomato varieties. Upham noted that a subsequent trial is conducted by a colleague with the University of Missouri extension service.&nbsp;Results of trials conducted by Kansas’ Master Gardeners vary by county. Interested persons are encouraged to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/stateandareamaps.html" target="_blank">contact their local extension office</a>&nbsp;for more information on varieties that perform well in their area.&nbsp;Upham said the University of Missouri trials also give valuable information on varieties that perform well in this region. The data from Missouri’s extension service showed that the top 10 varieties (based on pounds of fruit harvested per plant) are:&nbsp;Anna RussianCherokee PurpleGerman JohnsonBeef MasterEarly GirlBig BoyBrandywine BlackJet StarCelebrityBig BeefUpham and his colleagues in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for maintaining home landscapes. The newsletter is&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/index.html" target="_blank">available to view online</a>&nbsp;or can be delivered by email each week.&nbsp;Interested persons can also send their garden- and yard-related questions to Upham at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:wupham@ksu.edu">wupham@ksu.edu</a>, or contact your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/stateandareamaps.html" target="_blank">local extension office</a>.&nbsp;

It’s February: Are you thinking about tomatoes yet?

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — At age 103, Sister Jean awakes daily at 5 a.m. She 
sits up quickly to avoid going to sleep again — "I’ve got too much to 
do,” she says. After prayers for the day ahead, she reads the Gospel on 
her tablet.

“I guess there aren’t too many 103-year-old nuns using
 iPads these days – there aren’t too many 103-year-olds, period,” she 
writes in her memoir that will be published Feb. 28. “But I’m pretty 
comfortable with modern technology. I’ve always said, ‘If you’re not 
moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick.’ 
Adaptability is my superpower.”

In “Wake Up with Purpose: What 
I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years,” Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt 
tells her life story, offers spiritual guidance and shares some of the 
lessons she's learned.

The beloved Catholic nun captured the sports world’s imagination and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jean-north-america-ap-top-news-basketball-college-sports-d9353b1405bc46e2be0b9506d2fb23a9">became something of a folk hero</a> as the chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018.

She has been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/5039ad4aaf5d4fb5b7dfda18a13e0f5f">featured by newspapers and TV stations</a> across America. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jean-north-america-ap-top-news-mi-state-wire-college-sports-c3e72770c49645af8da02971e170b16b">Her NCAA news conference</a>,
 she was told, had more journalists than Tom Brady drew at the Super 
Bowl. Her likeness appears on socks, bobbleheads, even a Lego statue at <a href="https://www.luc.edu/luma/collections/srjeandoloresschmidtbvmgallery/">her gallery in Loyola’s art museum</a>.
 She sees the attention as a holy opportunity to tell her story and 
share what she’s learned; to help others wake up with purpose. Among her
 priorities, there’s little that she enjoys more than talking with young
 people.

“I love life so much and enjoy being with young people,” 
she told The Associated Press. “They’re the ones who keep me going 
because they bring such joy into my life -- and they keep you updated on
 what’s happening in their world.”

She arrived in a wheelchair for
 the interview at her office in the university's student center. She 
wore purple Nike Air Max sneakers with the words “Sister” and “Jean” 
written on the back, and her maroon and gold Loyola scarf that often 
gets compared to Harry Potter’s. She smiled warmly and waved to 
prospective students and shook hands with current students, asking them 
about their classes.

“What’s your dream?” she asked some of them.

Samuel
 Grebener, a 19-year-old freshman, told her he was thinking about 
medical school. They then talked about their shared love for the Loyola 
Ramblers. “She knows more about basketball than me,” Grebener said.

It
 was 9 a.m. and by then, she had already written her usual scouting 
report and emailed the players on the team to congratulate them on a 
victory.

“I believe this was a turning point and that we’re now in
 a winning streak” she wrote. “Our next game will be challenging, but 
just keep working hard. I will be there in prayer and in spirit and 
bless your hands virtually.”

In her office — surrounded by 
bobbleheads, posters and pins with her image — she studied game stats 
carefully in preparation to meet with the team at practice. Before a 
pizza lunch at the nearby cafeteria, she met other students.

Catharina
 Baeten, a 20-year-old-junior, told Sister Jean she had decided to 
attend Loyola because of its excellent programs in psychology and 
women-and-gender studies. “And also because of you,” she told the nun.

“Everyone
 loves Sister Jean,” Baeten said later, recalling that she first met the
 nun during a tour of Loyola when she was in high school. “There’s not a
 single unkind bone in her body and she represents our values… she’s the
 embodiment of compassion.”

Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister 
Jean grew up in a devoutly Catholic family. She witnessed the impact of 
the Great Depression, World War II and the building of the Golden Gate 
Bridge, which she recalls crossing on foot when it opened in 1937.

Her
 religious calling, she said, came at the age of 8. She was in third 
grade when she met a kind, joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of
 Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brimming with admiration, she would
 pray every day: “Dear God, help me understand what I should do, but 
please tell me I should become a BVM sister,” she recounts in her 
memoir, co-written with sportswriter/broadcaster Seth Davis.

“I guess God listened to me on that one,” she writes.

She
 followed her calling to the order’s motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where
 she made her vows. She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago 
and southern California, where she also coached girls’ basketball, 
before she ended at Mundelein College — on the Chicago lakefront —in the
 1960s. The school became affiliated with Loyola in 1991, and Sister 
Jean was hired to help students with the transition.

In 1994, she 
was asked to help student basketball players boost their grades – “the 
booster shooter” she called herself, and later that year she was named 
chaplain of the men’s basketball team. The role, she writes in her 
memoir, became "the most transformational and transcendent position” of 
her life.

“Sports are very important because they help develop 
life skills,” she said. “And during those life skills, you’re also 
talking about faith and purpose.” Her motto: “Worship, Work, Win.”

“I know that God will call me when he wants me. So, I just feel I have a lot more work to do,” she said.

During
 a recent practice, she watched from the sideline in her wheelchair. On a
 break, the players on the men's and women’s teams took turns shaking 
her hand.

“Her consistency is incredible,” said senior forward Tom
 Welch, 22. “She does it every day, every game. She brings the same 
energy to our pregame prayers.”

She also breaks down the strengths
 and weaknesses of the rivals in her scouting report. She’s “letting us 
know who’s good at shooting, who to send to the free throw line… pretty 
in-depth details,” Welch said. “And then sometimes, you know, she’ll 
make us laugh, feel good for a game.”

The laughter has been needed this season. The team is 9-16 overall and last in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 3-10 record.

Allison Guth, the women’s basketball coach, called Sister Jean a legend.

“Every
 day I walk in the office and she’s in her office. You talk about being 
there at 103. It’s because it’s a passion for her. It’s about love,” 
Guth said. “I think they should be telling stories about her forever.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676641480416.jpeg" alt="Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola University men's basketball chaplain and school celebrity, sits for a portrait in The Joseph J. Gentile Arena, on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The beloved Catholic nun captured the world's imagination and became something of a folk hero while supporting the Ramblers at the NCAA Final Four in 2018. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)" />
 <figcaption>Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola University men's basketball chaplain and school celebrity, sits for a portrait in The Joseph J. Gentile Arena, on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The beloved Catholic nun captured the world's imagination and became something of a folk hero while supporting the Ramblers at the NCAA Final Four in 2018. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)</figcaption>
 </figure>By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated PressCHICAGO (AP) — At age 103, Sister Jean awakes daily at 5 a.m. She 
sits up quickly to avoid going to sleep again — "I’ve got too much to 
do,” she says. After prayers for the day ahead, she reads the Gospel on 
her tablet.“I guess there aren’t too many 103-year-old nuns using
 iPads these days – there aren’t too many 103-year-olds, period,” she 
writes in her memoir that will be published Feb. 28. “But I’m pretty 
comfortable with modern technology. I’ve always said, ‘If you’re not 
moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick.’ 
Adaptability is my superpower.”In “Wake Up with Purpose: What 
I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years,” Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt 
tells her life story, offers spiritual guidance and shares some of the 
lessons she's learned.The beloved Catholic nun captured the sports world’s imagination and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jean-north-america-ap-top-news-basketball-college-sports-d9353b1405bc46e2be0b9506d2fb23a9">became something of a folk hero</a> as the chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018.She has been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/5039ad4aaf5d4fb5b7dfda18a13e0f5f">featured by newspapers and TV stations</a> across America. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jean-north-america-ap-top-news-mi-state-wire-college-sports-c3e72770c49645af8da02971e170b16b">Her NCAA news conference</a>,
 she was told, had more journalists than Tom Brady drew at the Super 
Bowl. Her likeness appears on socks, bobbleheads, even a Lego statue at <a href="https://www.luc.edu/luma/collections/srjeandoloresschmidtbvmgallery/">her gallery in Loyola’s art museum</a>.
 She sees the attention as a holy opportunity to tell her story and 
share what she’s learned; to help others wake up with purpose. Among her
 priorities, there’s little that she enjoys more than talking with young
 people.“I love life so much and enjoy being with young people,” 
she told The Associated Press. “They’re the ones who keep me going 
because they bring such joy into my life -- and they keep you updated on
 what’s happening in their world.”She arrived in a wheelchair for
 the interview at her office in the university's student center. She 
wore purple Nike Air Max sneakers with the words “Sister” and “Jean” 
written on the back, and her maroon and gold Loyola scarf that often 
gets compared to Harry Potter’s. She smiled warmly and waved to 
prospective students and shook hands with current students, asking them 
about their classes.“What’s your dream?” she asked some of them.Samuel
 Grebener, a 19-year-old freshman, told her he was thinking about 
medical school. They then talked about their shared love for the Loyola 
Ramblers. “She knows more about basketball than me,” Grebener said.It
 was 9 a.m. and by then, she had already written her usual scouting 
report and emailed the players on the team to congratulate them on a 
victory.“I believe this was a turning point and that we’re now in
 a winning streak” she wrote. “Our next game will be challenging, but 
just keep working hard. I will be there in prayer and in spirit and 
bless your hands virtually.”In her office — surrounded by 
bobbleheads, posters and pins with her image — she studied game stats 
carefully in preparation to meet with the team at practice. Before a 
pizza lunch at the nearby cafeteria, she met other students.Catharina
 Baeten, a 20-year-old-junior, told Sister Jean she had decided to 
attend Loyola because of its excellent programs in psychology and 
women-and-gender studies. “And also because of you,” she told the nun.“Everyone
 loves Sister Jean,” Baeten said later, recalling that she first met the
 nun during a tour of Loyola when she was in high school. “There’s not a
 single unkind bone in her body and she represents our values… she’s the
 embodiment of compassion.”Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister 
Jean grew up in a devoutly Catholic family. She witnessed the impact of 
the Great Depression, World War II and the building of the Golden Gate 
Bridge, which she recalls crossing on foot when it opened in 1937.Her
 religious calling, she said, came at the age of 8. She was in third 
grade when she met a kind, joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of
 Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brimming with admiration, she would
 pray every day: “Dear God, help me understand what I should do, but 
please tell me I should become a BVM sister,” she recounts in her 
memoir, co-written with sportswriter/broadcaster Seth Davis.“I guess God listened to me on that one,” she writes.She
 followed her calling to the order’s motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where
 she made her vows. She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago 
and southern California, where she also coached girls’ basketball, 
before she ended at Mundelein College — on the Chicago lakefront —in the
 1960s. The school became affiliated with Loyola in 1991, and Sister 
Jean was hired to help students with the transition.In 1994, she 
was asked to help student basketball players boost their grades – “the 
booster shooter” she called herself, and later that year she was named 
chaplain of the men’s basketball team. The role, she writes in her 
memoir, became "the most transformational and transcendent position” of 
her life.“Sports are very important because they help develop 
life skills,” she said. “And during those life skills, you’re also 
talking about faith and purpose.” Her motto: “Worship, Work, Win.”“I know that God will call me when he wants me. So, I just feel I have a lot more work to do,” she said.During
 a recent practice, she watched from the sideline in her wheelchair. On a
 break, the players on the men's and women’s teams took turns shaking 
her hand.“Her consistency is incredible,” said senior forward Tom
 Welch, 22. “She does it every day, every game. She brings the same 
energy to our pregame prayers.”She also breaks down the strengths
 and weaknesses of the rivals in her scouting report. She’s “letting us 
know who’s good at shooting, who to send to the free throw line… pretty 
in-depth details,” Welch said. “And then sometimes, you know, she’ll 
make us laugh, feel good for a game.”The laughter has been needed this season. The team is 9-16 overall and last in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 3-10 record.Allison Guth, the women’s basketball coach, called Sister Jean a legend.“Every
 day I walk in the office and she’s in her office. You talk about being 
there at 103. It’s because it’s a passion for her. It’s about love,” 
Guth said. “I think they should be telling stories about her forever.”

At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketball

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that 
taxpayers who receive certain notices requiring them to send information
 to the IRS now have the option of submitting their documentation online
 through IRS.gov.

This new secure step will allow taxpayers or their tax professional 
to electronically upload documents rather than mailing them in, helping 
reduce time and effort resolving tax issues.

In this stage of the ongoing effort, nine notices will be available 
for this feature. This potentially can help more than 500,000 taxpayers 
each year who receive these notices, which include military personnel 
serving in combat zone areas and recipients of important credits like 
the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

"This capability is another step forward by the IRS to help taxpayers
 and improve service," said IRS Acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. 
"This provides immediate benefits to taxpayers, who have nearly instant 
confirmation that documents were received by the IRS. In turn, this will
 dramatically speed up the resolution of issues by removing a 
time-consuming step in the process. This means people can have their 
issues resolved much faster, including getting refunds to affected 
taxpayers faster. We will continue to look at improvements like this as 
we work to transform the IRS following passage of the Inflation 
Reduction Act last year."

Initially, the online correspondence feature will be available to 
taxpayers who receive one of nine IRS notices. For the most part, the 
IRS sends these notices to individual tax filers claiming various tax 
benefits, such as the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit</a> for low- and moderate-income workers, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit">Child Tax Credit</a> for families with dependents, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics">Premium Tax Credit</a> for those who obtain health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace and members of the military claiming <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/military/tax-exclusion-for-combat-service">combat zone tax benefits</a>.

Taxpayers receiving these notices can respond securely to IRS online, regardless of whether they have an IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>.

IRS information technology specialists developed a prototype for the 
Document Upload Tool in 2021. Since then, the IRS has been testing this 
feature on a limited number of exam-related notices, and 38% of the 
responses to these notices have used the agency's secure electronic 
communications rather than traditional mail.

Language on the notice informs the taxpayer to, "Send us your 
documents using the Documentation Upload Tool within 30 days from the 
date of this notice." It includes the link and a unique access code.

Taxpayers who receive one of the following notices with the link and access code can choose to upload their documents:

In the coming months and years, the IRS plans to expand this 
capability to dozens of other notices. In addition, the IRS will offer 
digital correspondence on a variety of other taxpayer interactions. 
During live interactions such as phone calls with taxpayers, IRS 
employees will be able to grant upload access by providing the link and 
unique access code.

With secure digital correspondence, everybody wins

For taxpayers and tax professionals working with the IRS, this new 
capability reduces the correspondence burden, ensures tax compliance and
 improves the customer experience. For IRS employees, this reduces paper
 correspondence, decreases processing time and speeds case resolution.

For more information, see the Fact Sheet 2023-05,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-secure-digital-correspondence-for-taxpayers">IRS expands secure digital correspondence for taxpayers</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that 
taxpayers who receive certain notices requiring them to send information
 to the IRS now have the option of submitting their documentation online
 through IRS.gov.This new secure step will allow taxpayers or their tax professional 
to electronically upload documents rather than mailing them in, helping 
reduce time and effort resolving tax issues.In this stage of the ongoing effort, nine notices will be available 
for this feature. This potentially can help more than 500,000 taxpayers 
each year who receive these notices, which include military personnel 
serving in combat zone areas and recipients of important credits like 
the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit."This capability is another step forward by the IRS to help taxpayers
 and improve service," said IRS Acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. 
"This provides immediate benefits to taxpayers, who have nearly instant 
confirmation that documents were received by the IRS. In turn, this will
 dramatically speed up the resolution of issues by removing a 
time-consuming step in the process. This means people can have their 
issues resolved much faster, including getting refunds to affected 
taxpayers faster. We will continue to look at improvements like this as 
we work to transform the IRS following passage of the Inflation 
Reduction Act last year."Initially, the online correspondence feature will be available to 
taxpayers who receive one of nine IRS notices. For the most part, the 
IRS sends these notices to individual tax filers claiming various tax 
benefits, such as the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit</a> for low- and moderate-income workers, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-tax-credit">Child Tax Credit</a> for families with dependents, the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/the-premium-tax-credit-the-basics">Premium Tax Credit</a> for those who obtain health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace and members of the military claiming <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/military/tax-exclusion-for-combat-service">combat zone tax benefits</a>.Taxpayers receiving these notices can respond securely to IRS online, regardless of whether they have an IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>.<h2>IRS created the Document Upload Tool</h2>IRS information technology specialists developed a prototype for the 
Document Upload Tool in 2021. Since then, the IRS has been testing this 
feature on a limited number of exam-related notices, and 38% of the 
responses to these notices have used the agency's secure electronic 
communications rather than traditional mail.<h2>How it works</h2>Language on the notice informs the taxpayer to, "Send us your 
documents using the Documentation Upload Tool within 30 days from the 
date of this notice." It includes the link and a unique access code.<ul>
 <li>The taxpayer can open the link in any browser and then input 
their unique code, their first and last name and their Social Security, 
Individual Taxpayer Identification or Employee Identification number.</li><li>The taxpayer can then securely upload scans, photos or digital copies of documents (maximum of 15MB per file, up to 40 files).</li><li>The taxpayer receives a confirmation that the IRS received their 
documents, and the IRS employee assigned the case can manage the 
transmitted documents.</li>
 </ul><h2>What notices qualify?</h2>Taxpayers who receive one of the following notices with the link and access code can choose to upload their documents:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp04-notice">CP04</a>, relating to combat zone status.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp05a-notice">CP05A</a>, information request related to a refund.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp06-notice">CP06</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp06a-notice">CP06A</a>, relating to the Premium Tax Credit.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp08-notice">CP08</a>, relating to the Child Tax Credit.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp09-notice">CP09</a>, relating to claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp75-notice">CP75</a>, relating to the EITC.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp75a-notice">CP75a</a>, relating to the EITC.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp75d-notice">CP75d</a>, relating to the EITC and other credits.</li>
 </ul><h2>Future expansion planned</h2>In the coming months and years, the IRS plans to expand this 
capability to dozens of other notices. In addition, the IRS will offer 
digital correspondence on a variety of other taxpayer interactions. 
During live interactions such as phone calls with taxpayers, IRS 
employees will be able to grant upload access by providing the link and 
unique access code.<h2>With secure digital correspondence, everybody wins</h2>For taxpayers and tax professionals working with the IRS, this new 
capability reduces the correspondence burden, ensures tax compliance and
 improves the customer experience. For IRS employees, this reduces paper
 correspondence, decreases processing time and speeds case resolution.For more information, see the Fact Sheet 2023-05,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-secure-digital-correspondence-for-taxpayers">IRS expands secure digital correspondence for taxpayers</a>.

IRS: New online options available for filing 2022 taxes

Susan Wojcicki, a longtime Google executive who played a key role in 
the company's creation, is stepping down as YouTube's CEO after spending
 the past nine years running the video site that has reshaped 
entertainment, culture and politics.

In an email to YouTube employees that <a href="https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/a-personal-update-from-susan/">was shared publicly</a>
 Thursday, the 54-year-old Wojcicki said she is leaving to “start a new 
chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m 
passionate about." She didn't elaborate on her plans.

Neil Mohan, who has worked closely with Wojcicki for years, will replace her as YouTube's CEO.

Although
 she became one of the most respected female executives in the 
male-dominated tech industry, Wojcicki will also be remembered as 
Google's first landlord.

Shortly after Google co-founders Larry 
Page and Sergey Brin incorporated their search engine into a business in
 1998, Wojcicki rented the garage of her Menlo Park, California, home to
 them for $1,700 a month.

Page and Brin — both 25 at the time — 
continued to refine their search engine in Wojcicki's garage for five 
months before moving Google into a more formal office and later 
persuaded their former landlord to come work for their company.

“It would be one of the best decisions of my life," Wojcicki wrote in the announcement of her departure.

In
 2006, Google bought Wojcicki's home to serve as a monument to the roots
 of a company now valued at $1.2 trillion. During Wojcicki’s career at 
Google, Brin became her brother-in-law when he married her sister, Anne,
 in 2007. Brin and Anne Wojcicki divorced in 2015.

Wojcicki's 
departure comes at a time when YouTube is facing one of its most 
challenging periods since Google bought what was then a quirky video 
site facing widespread complaints about copyright infringement in 2006 
for an announced price of $1.65 billion. The all-stock deal was valued 
at $1.76 billion by the time the transaction closed.

Although 
Google was initially derided for paying so much for a video service 
whose future appeared to be in doubt, it turned out to be a bargain. 
Besides becoming a cultural phenomenon that attracts billions of 
viewers, YouTube also has become a financial success with ad revenue 
totaling $29 billion last year. That was up from annual ad revenue of $8
 billion in 2017 when Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., began to
 disclose YouTube's financial revenue.

But YouTube's ad revenue 
during the final six months of last year dropped 5% from the previous 
year — the first extended downturn that the video service has shown 
since Alphabet peeled back its financial curtain. Analysts are worried 
the slump will continue this year, one of the reasons Alphabet's stock 
price has fallen by about 10% since it released its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-alphabet-inc-business-41aace747d296cf45df82aee2821590b">most recent quarterly report</a> two weeks ago.

Wojcicki
 is also leaving just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to
 hear oral arguments in a case threatening the freewheeling style that 
has long been one of YouTube's biggest advantages.

The case stems 
from the 2015 death of an American woman killed in Paris during an 
attack by Islamic State in an incident that spurred the victim's family 
to file a lawsuit alleging YouTube’s algorithms aided the terror group’s
 recruitment. If the court decides that tech companies can be held 
liable for material posted on their sites, experts say the effects could
 not only destroy YouTube but shake up the entire internet.

That’s
 because under the U.S. law, internet companies are generally exempt 
from liability for the material users post on their networks. Section 
230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act — itself part of a broader 
telecom law — provides a legal “safe harbor” for internet companies — a 
protection that YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen seized 
upon as an opportunity to launch as video site to “broadcast yourself."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676581335502.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressSusan Wojcicki, a longtime Google executive who played a key role in 
the company's creation, is stepping down as YouTube's CEO after spending
 the past nine years running the video site that has reshaped 
entertainment, culture and politics.In an email to YouTube employees that <a href="https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/a-personal-update-from-susan/">was shared publicly</a>
 Thursday, the 54-year-old Wojcicki said she is leaving to “start a new 
chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m 
passionate about." She didn't elaborate on her plans.Neil Mohan, who has worked closely with Wojcicki for years, will replace her as YouTube's CEO.Although
 she became one of the most respected female executives in the 
male-dominated tech industry, Wojcicki will also be remembered as 
Google's first landlord.Shortly after Google co-founders Larry 
Page and Sergey Brin incorporated their search engine into a business in
 1998, Wojcicki rented the garage of her Menlo Park, California, home to
 them for $1,700 a month.Page and Brin — both 25 at the time — 
continued to refine their search engine in Wojcicki's garage for five 
months before moving Google into a more formal office and later 
persuaded their former landlord to come work for their company.“It would be one of the best decisions of my life," Wojcicki wrote in the announcement of her departure.In
 2006, Google bought Wojcicki's home to serve as a monument to the roots
 of a company now valued at $1.2 trillion. During Wojcicki’s career at 
Google, Brin became her brother-in-law when he married her sister, Anne,
 in 2007. Brin and Anne Wojcicki divorced in 2015.Wojcicki's 
departure comes at a time when YouTube is facing one of its most 
challenging periods since Google bought what was then a quirky video 
site facing widespread complaints about copyright infringement in 2006 
for an announced price of $1.65 billion. The all-stock deal was valued 
at $1.76 billion by the time the transaction closed.Although 
Google was initially derided for paying so much for a video service 
whose future appeared to be in doubt, it turned out to be a bargain. 
Besides becoming a cultural phenomenon that attracts billions of 
viewers, YouTube also has become a financial success with ad revenue 
totaling $29 billion last year. That was up from annual ad revenue of $8
 billion in 2017 when Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., began to
 disclose YouTube's financial revenue.But YouTube's ad revenue 
during the final six months of last year dropped 5% from the previous 
year — the first extended downturn that the video service has shown 
since Alphabet peeled back its financial curtain. Analysts are worried 
the slump will continue this year, one of the reasons Alphabet's stock 
price has fallen by about 10% since it released its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-alphabet-inc-business-41aace747d296cf45df82aee2821590b">most recent quarterly report</a> two weeks ago.Wojcicki
 is also leaving just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to
 hear oral arguments in a case threatening the freewheeling style that 
has long been one of YouTube's biggest advantages.The case stems 
from the 2015 death of an American woman killed in Paris during an 
attack by Islamic State in an incident that spurred the victim's family 
to file a lawsuit alleging YouTube’s algorithms aided the terror group’s
 recruitment. If the court decides that tech companies can be held 
liable for material posted on their sites, experts say the effects could
 not only destroy YouTube but shake up the entire internet.That’s
 because under the U.S. law, internet companies are generally exempt 
from liability for the material users post on their networks. Section 
230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act — itself part of a broader 
telecom law — provides a legal “safe harbor” for internet companies — a 
protection that YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen seized 
upon as an opportunity to launch as video site to “broadcast yourself."

YouTube CEO steps down, severing longtime ties to Google

WASHINGTON — With the nation entering a peak period for filing taxes,
 the Internal Revenue Service urges taxpayers to use online tools to get
 answers quickly and avoid phone delays during a traditional peak period
 for IRS phone lines around Presidents Day.

Presidents Day weekend, when many people prepare their taxes, 
historically marks a peak period for IRS phone lines. During the two 
week February period following Presidents Day, the IRS recommends 
turning first to the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">self-help tools</a> available online on IRS.gov to avoid delays.

"The IRS continues to see improvements this tax season compared to 
previous years, including better phone service," said IRS Acting 
Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "But we always see a significant surge in 
phone traffic around Presidents Day. With the calendar advancing, 
millions of people turn their attention to taxes during this period. To 
avoid potential delays, we encourage people to check IRS.gov first, 
which can provide much of the same information instantly to taxpayers."

Easy-to-use and available anytime, the IRS website can help taxpayers <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing">file</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">pay taxes</a>, find information about their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">accounts</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">determine eligibility for tax credits</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">get answers to tax questions</a>.

And when it comes time to file, taxpayers are encouraged to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">e-file</a> and choose <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> to get their refunds as quickly as possible.

Available IRS tools to help taxpayers through tax filing season

The IRS recommends trying the following self-help resources available
 to taxpayers 24/7 for a smooth and easy tax filing experience.

For those who need to talk to someone, the IRS has hired an 
additional 5,000 customer service representatives to help staff its 
toll-free customer service line. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers or TACs
 are another resource for individuals who need more than online tools or
 the IRS toll-free customer service line to solve a tax matter. Anyone 
who needs face-to-face service should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/contact-your-local-irs-office">make an appointment</a> or check for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/irs-face-to-face-saturday-help">special Saturday hours</a> before visiting.

Taxpayers should call employers for missing Forms W-2. Those who did 
not receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from one or more 
employers by Jan. 31 should contact the issuer to inform them of the 
missing form.

Those who do not get a response from an issuer must still file on time and may need to use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4852">Form
 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, or Form 1099R, 
Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing 
Plans, IRA's Insurance Contracts, Etc.</a>

For a copy of Form 1099 or 1042 to report Social Security income, 
visit the Social Security Administration's website. These forms can be 
downloaded through <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/">my Social Security&nbsp;account</a>. It's fast and secure.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — With the nation entering a peak period for filing taxes,
 the Internal Revenue Service urges taxpayers to use online tools to get
 answers quickly and avoid phone delays during a traditional peak period
 for IRS phone lines around Presidents Day.Presidents Day weekend, when many people prepare their taxes, 
historically marks a peak period for IRS phone lines. During the two 
week February period following Presidents Day, the IRS recommends 
turning first to the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">self-help tools</a> available online on IRS.gov to avoid delays."The IRS continues to see improvements this tax season compared to 
previous years, including better phone service," said IRS Acting 
Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "But we always see a significant surge in 
phone traffic around Presidents Day. With the calendar advancing, 
millions of people turn their attention to taxes during this period. To 
avoid potential delays, we encourage people to check IRS.gov first, 
which can provide much of the same information instantly to taxpayers."Easy-to-use and available anytime, the IRS website can help taxpayers <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing">file</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">pay taxes</a>, find information about their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">accounts</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">determine eligibility for tax credits</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">get answers to tax questions</a>.And when it comes time to file, taxpayers are encouraged to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">e-file</a> and choose <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> to get their refunds as quickly as possible.<h2>Available IRS tools to help taxpayers through tax filing season</h2>The IRS recommends trying the following self-help resources available
 to taxpayers 24/7 for a smooth and easy tax filing experience.<ul>
 <li>IRS.gov offers a variety of online tools to help taxpayers answer common tax questions. For example, taxpayers can search the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics">Tax Topics</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</a> to find answers. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant">Earned Income Tax Credit Assistant (EITC)</a>&nbsp;allows
 taxpayers to check eligiblity for this valuable credit. Taxpayers can 
also calculate how much EITC they may get and find answers to EITC 
questions. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>
 gives taxpayers secure access to personal tax account information 
including balance, payments and tax records with previous year's 
adjusted gross income information. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The IRS offers basic tax information in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/languages">several languages</a> to help taxpayers get the information they need to file a federal tax return and pay any tax owed. 
	&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a> provides eligible taxpayers who want to prepare their own returns free tax preparation and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/find-a-location-for-free-tax-prep">Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs</a> offer free tax help from certified volunteers at thousands of sites across the country. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a>
 app allow taxpayers to check the status of their refund within 24 hours
 after the IRS accepts their e-filed tax return. Where's My Refund? 
updates once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so taxpayers don't need 
to check more than once a day. Tax law prevents the IRS from issuing 
refunds that include the EITC and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit 
before Feb. 15. But not to worry, Where's My Refund?&nbsp;should provide an 
updated refund status for most early filers by Feb. 18 and EITC/ACTC 
related refunds should be available in taxpayer bank accounts or on 
debit cards by Feb. 28 if they chose direct deposit and there are no 
other issues with their tax return. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator">Tax Withholding Estimator</a>&nbsp;can
 help taxpayers determine&nbsp;the right amount of tax to have withheld from a
 paycheck. Taxpayers should submit a new Form W-4 to their employer if 
an adjustment is needed. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5136.pdf">IRS Services Guide</a>PDF and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance">Let Us Help You</a> page on IRS.gov can help taxpayers find additional ways to get help.</li>
 </ul>For those who need to talk to someone, the IRS has hired an 
additional 5,000 customer service representatives to help staff its 
toll-free customer service line. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers or TACs
 are another resource for individuals who need more than online tools or
 the IRS toll-free customer service line to solve a tax matter. Anyone 
who needs face-to-face service should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/contact-your-local-irs-office">make an appointment</a> or check for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/irs-face-to-face-saturday-help">special Saturday hours</a> before visiting.<h2>Missing information?</h2>Taxpayers should call employers for missing Forms W-2. Those who did 
not receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from one or more 
employers by Jan. 31 should contact the issuer to inform them of the 
missing form.Those who do not get a response from an issuer must still file on time and may need to use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4852">Form
 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, or Form 1099R, 
Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing 
Plans, IRA's Insurance Contracts, Etc.</a>For a copy of Form 1099 or 1042 to report Social Security income, 
visit the Social Security Administration's website. These forms can be 
downloaded through <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/">my Social Security&nbsp;account</a>. It's fast and secure.

IRS: Get your tax help this month to avoid delays

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced it is committing over $24 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.  Today’s funding commitments support applications from the third application window, benefiting approximately 50,000 students across the country, including students in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

“We need all our students to have access to digital tools for connecting with teachers and keeping up with homework assignments,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  “This program continues to make progress in our ongoing work to close the Homework Gap.”

The Emergency Connectivity Program, which launched in 2021, has provided schools and libraries three different “application windows” for schools and libraries to apply for support.  Today’s announcement will support over 140 schools, 8 libraries, and 3 consortia.

The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education.  To date, the program has provided support to approximately 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries, and 100 consortia, and providing nearly 13 million connected devices and over 8 million broadband connections.  Of the nearly $6.6 billion in funding commitments approved to date, approximately $4.1 billion is supporting applications from Window 1; $833 million from Window 2; and $1.6 billion from Window 3.  

More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584977952684.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FCCWASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced it is committing over $24 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. Today’s funding commitments support applications from the third application window, benefiting approximately 50,000 students across the country, including students in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin.“We need all our students to have access to digital tools for connecting with teachers and keeping up with homework assignments,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This program continues to make progress in our ongoing work to close the Homework Gap.”The Emergency Connectivity Program, which launched in 2021, has provided schools and libraries three different “application windows” for schools and libraries to apply for support. Today’s announcement will support over 140 schools, 8 libraries, and 3 consortia.The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. To date, the program has provided support to approximately 11,000 schools, 1,000 libraries, and 100 consortia, and providing nearly 13 million connected devices and over 8 million broadband connections. Of the nearly $6.6 billion in funding commitments approved to date, approximately $4.1 billion is supporting applications from Window 1; $833 million from Window 2; and $1.6 billion from Window 3. More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

FCC announces another $24M in broadband connectivity funding

By WILLIAM F. ZORZI <a href="https://www.marylandmatters.org/2023/02/14/federal-grand-jury-indicts-pair-who-planned-attack-on-baltimore-area-electrical-grid/">Maryland Matters</a>

A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted a Catonsville woman and a 
neo-Nazi residing in Orlando, Fla., on one count of conspiring to 
destroy an electrical transmission substation resulting in damages that 
would have exceeded $100,000, court documents show.

Federal authorities had arrested Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, and 
Brandon Clint Russell, 27, on a criminal information earlier this month,
 alleging that the two conspired to shoot up five BGE substations that 
would cause a “cascading failure” in the power grid, an FBI affidavit 
showed.

Clendaniel specifically mentioned destroying electrical substations 
in Norrisville, Reisterstown and Perry Hall, and two more in and around 
Baltimore City, the affidavit alleged.

Much of the information that led to the charges was obtained from an 
unnamed FBI confidential informant, who communicated with Clendaniel and
 Russell, who was known to authorities for his affiliations with 
pro-Nazi groups.

As part of the indictment, a forfeiture notice was filed for any and 
all assets that could be traced to the crime of terrorism, should the 
two be convicted. The forfeiture notice listed property already seized 
by the FBI, including:

If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676414256052.png" alt="A woman believed to be Sarah Beth Clendaniel is shown wearing tactical gear containing a swastika, holding a rifle and with a pistol in a drop holster on her left leg. Photo from FBI Affidavit. " />
 <figcaption>A woman believed to be Sarah Beth Clendaniel is shown wearing tactical gear containing a swastika, holding a rifle and with a pistol in a drop holster on her left leg. Photo from FBI Affidavit. </figcaption>
 </figure>By WILLIAM F. ZORZI <a href="https://www.marylandmatters.org/2023/02/14/federal-grand-jury-indicts-pair-who-planned-attack-on-baltimore-area-electrical-grid/">Maryland Matters</a>A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted a Catonsville woman and a 
neo-Nazi residing in Orlando, Fla., on one count of conspiring to 
destroy an electrical transmission substation resulting in damages that 
would have exceeded $100,000, court documents show.Federal authorities had arrested Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, and 
Brandon Clint Russell, 27, on a criminal information earlier this month,
 alleging that the two conspired to shoot up five BGE substations that 
would cause a “cascading failure” in the power grid, an FBI affidavit 
showed.Clendaniel specifically mentioned destroying electrical substations 
in Norrisville, Reisterstown and Perry Hall, and two more in and around 
Baltimore City, the affidavit alleged.Much of the information that led to the charges was obtained from an 
unnamed FBI confidential informant, who communicated with Clendaniel and
 Russell, who was known to authorities for his affiliations with 
pro-Nazi groups.As part of the indictment, a forfeiture notice was filed for any and 
all assets that could be traced to the crime of terrorism, should the 
two be convicted. The forfeiture notice listed property already seized 
by the FBI, including:<ul>
 <li>A Kral Av Sanayi semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun;</li><li>A P80 Glock-style handgun, with no serial number or manufacturer;</li><li>559 rounds of 9-mm ammunition;</li><li>953 rounds of 7.62-mm ammunition; and</li><li>77 shotgun cartridges.</li>
 </ul>If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

Pair who planned attack on Baltimore-area electrical grid indicted

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man” films have generally served as a kind of 
palate cleanser to the world-ending stakes of the larger Marvel 
Cinematic Universe. Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is just an ordinary dude, or 
so they keep telling us, who still can’t really believe that he’s part 
of the Avengers at all. He gets to be the wide-eyed middle-aged fanboy 
of the group in those films. In his own films, he’s just living a 
blue-sky life in San Francisco as an affable single dad and ex-con who 
was once fired from Baskin Robbins and who has occasional enemies to 
defeat.

In this third film, “ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlNFpri-Y40">Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania</a>,”
 in theaters Thursday, he’s coasting on his own post-Blip celebrity with
 a best-selling memoir out, lots of fans around town and a generally 
sunny disposition — when he’s not breaking his teenage daughter Cassie 
(now played by Kathryn Newton, always an enjoyable presence) out of jail
 for civil disobedience.

There is a fun, light, sitcom-y touch to 
these early scenes in which he and his makeshift family, Hope Van Dyne 
(Evangeline Lilly), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym 
(Michael Douglas) sit around the table for takeout pizza. They use their
 particle technology to blow up the tiny pie.

“I just saved us $8,” Pym declares proudly.

But
 Ant-Man is part of the larger chess board of the MCU, so naturally he’s
 doomed to be sucked into the multiverse mess, setting up pieces for 
more Avengers films to come with the introduction of a new villain, Kang
 (played with a maniacal sorrow by the great Jonathan Majors). And the 
results are mixed. Reed has returned to direct with a new writer, Jeff 
Loveness, who has also been tapped to write “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”
 and it’s hard not to empathize with both for the logic gymnastics 
required to back Ant-Man and his gang into this conflict.

Loveness,
 who cut his teeth in comedy and has an affinity for comic book and 
B-movie absurdities, gives Ant-Man his own “Star Wars”-adjacent 
adventure. There’s quite a bit of unrest in the Quantum Realm, with 
scrappy rebels battling against a powerful ruler with an army of 
faceless soldiers. But he takes that conceit further and gives the 
rebels some personality and humor, including William Jackson Harper as 
the mind-reading Quaz. The villain's a killing machine, M.O.D.O.K., that
 looks (knowingly) straight out of a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” 
movie and it is quite entertaining. It’s both a nod to the fun of the 
ridiculousness in sci-fi and a reminder that Serious Superhero Films are
 sometimes just one crazy special effect away from being Silly Superhero
 Films.

“Quantumania” also gives Pfeiffer a lot more to do as we, 
and Hank and Hope, learn a little bit more about Janet’s 30 years in the
 Quantum Realm and the various compromises and allegiances she made to 
stay alive. Pfeiffer is an unambiguous delight and the real center of 
the movie despite what the title might claim. Ant-Man just finds himself
 in the middle of the mess, which starts to drag on in a muddle of 
sci-fi furnishings that individually are probably quite inspired and 
interesting but together just blend into a dreary mess.

It’s a 
shame because Reed’s films are generally so crisp and styled and are 
best when focused on characters, not worlds and Quantum Realms. 
“Quantumania” shines when it is keeping things light and quippy.

But
 Kang, for what we can assume are bigger story needs, needs to be more 
serious. Majors is certainly chilling and captivating, but Kang seems 
like a mismatched foe for a standalone Ant-Man film and the result is a 
“Quantumania” that is trying to be too many things. One thing it is not 
is a Wasp movie, though. Lilly gets a lot to do but not a lot of — or 
any — character development.

“Quantumania” sticks the ending, 
however. Without giving anything away, we'll just say that Reed and Rudd
 get to return to their sweet spot, with a bit of a twist.

“Ant-Man
 and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a Walt Disney release in theaters Thursday,
 is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “some sci-fi 
action violence.” Running time: 122 minutes. Two and a half stars out of
 four.

MPA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film WriterPeyton Reed’s “Ant-Man” films have generally served as a kind of 
palate cleanser to the world-ending stakes of the larger Marvel 
Cinematic Universe. Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is just an ordinary dude, or 
so they keep telling us, who still can’t really believe that he’s part 
of the Avengers at all. He gets to be the wide-eyed middle-aged fanboy 
of the group in those films. In his own films, he’s just living a 
blue-sky life in San Francisco as an affable single dad and ex-con who 
was once fired from Baskin Robbins and who has occasional enemies to 
defeat.In this third film, “ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlNFpri-Y40">Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania</a>,”
 in theaters Thursday, he’s coasting on his own post-Blip celebrity with
 a best-selling memoir out, lots of fans around town and a generally 
sunny disposition — when he’s not breaking his teenage daughter Cassie 
(now played by Kathryn Newton, always an enjoyable presence) out of jail
 for civil disobedience.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667933757340.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>There is a fun, light, sitcom-y touch to 
these early scenes in which he and his makeshift family, Hope Van Dyne 
(Evangeline Lilly), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym 
(Michael Douglas) sit around the table for takeout pizza. They use their
 particle technology to blow up the tiny pie.“I just saved us $8,” Pym declares proudly.But
 Ant-Man is part of the larger chess board of the MCU, so naturally he’s
 doomed to be sucked into the multiverse mess, setting up pieces for 
more Avengers films to come with the introduction of a new villain, Kang
 (played with a maniacal sorrow by the great Jonathan Majors). And the 
results are mixed. Reed has returned to direct with a new writer, Jeff 
Loveness, who has also been tapped to write “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”
 and it’s hard not to empathize with both for the logic gymnastics 
required to back Ant-Man and his gang into this conflict.Loveness,
 who cut his teeth in comedy and has an affinity for comic book and 
B-movie absurdities, gives Ant-Man his own “Star Wars”-adjacent 
adventure. There’s quite a bit of unrest in the Quantum Realm, with 
scrappy rebels battling against a powerful ruler with an army of 
faceless soldiers. But he takes that conceit further and gives the 
rebels some personality and humor, including William Jackson Harper as 
the mind-reading Quaz. The villain's a killing machine, M.O.D.O.K., that
 looks (knowingly) straight out of a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” 
movie and it is quite entertaining. It’s both a nod to the fun of the 
ridiculousness in sci-fi and a reminder that Serious Superhero Films are
 sometimes just one crazy special effect away from being Silly Superhero
 Films.“Quantumania” also gives Pfeiffer a lot more to do as we, 
and Hank and Hope, learn a little bit more about Janet’s 30 years in the
 Quantum Realm and the various compromises and allegiances she made to 
stay alive. Pfeiffer is an unambiguous delight and the real center of 
the movie despite what the title might claim. Ant-Man just finds himself
 in the middle of the mess, which starts to drag on in a muddle of 
sci-fi furnishings that individually are probably quite inspired and 
interesting but together just blend into a dreary mess.It’s a 
shame because Reed’s films are generally so crisp and styled and are 
best when focused on characters, not worlds and Quantum Realms. 
“Quantumania” shines when it is keeping things light and quippy.But
 Kang, for what we can assume are bigger story needs, needs to be more 
serious. Majors is certainly chilling and captivating, but Kang seems 
like a mismatched foe for a standalone Ant-Man film and the result is a 
“Quantumania” that is trying to be too many things. One thing it is not 
is a Wasp movie, though. Lilly gets a lot to do but not a lot of — or 
any — character development.“Quantumania” sticks the ending, 
however. Without giving anything away, we'll just say that Reed and Rudd
 get to return to their sweet spot, with a bit of a twist.“Ant-Man
 and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a Walt Disney release in theaters Thursday,
 is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “some sci-fi 
action violence.” Running time: 122 minutes. Two and a half stars out of
 four.MPA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Review: A Marvel villain comes into focus in ‘Ant-Man 3’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic Sen. <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/dianne-feinstein">Dianne Feinstein</a>,
 whose groundbreaking political career shattered gender barriers from 
San Francisco's City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill, said Tuesday
 she won't seek reelection in 2024.

The senator, who turns 90 in 
June, is the oldest member of Congress and has faced questions in recent
 years about her cognitive health and memory, though she has defended 
her effectiveness representing a state that is home to nearly 40 million
 people.

The announcement came after several prominent Democrats, including U.S. Reps. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-california-dianne-feinstein-united-states-senate-172759fa83faa0a70a2195a91dedb6f3">Katie Porter</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/adam-schiff">Adam Schiff</a>,
 already had declared Senate campaigns. With Feinstein a now 30-year 
veteran of the Senate, there hasn’t been a wide open competition for her
 seat in decades.

Feinstein plans to remain in Congress through 
the end of her current term. Speaking to reporters in Washington on 
Tuesday, she said “there's times for all things under the sun.”

“I think that will be the right time, towards the end of next year," she said.

Feinstein
 is one of the Senate's few remaining veterans of the so-called Year of 
the Woman, referring to several women who were elected to the 
male-dominated chamber during the 1992 election. But even before she 
moved to Washington, Feinstein was one of the most prominent women in 
American politics.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic Sen. <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/dianne-feinstein">Dianne Feinstein</a>,
 whose groundbreaking political career shattered gender barriers from 
San Francisco's City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill, said Tuesday
 she won't seek reelection in 2024.The senator, who turns 90 in 
June, is the oldest member of Congress and has faced questions in recent
 years about her cognitive health and memory, though she has defended 
her effectiveness representing a state that is home to nearly 40 million
 people.The announcement came after several prominent Democrats, including U.S. Reps. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-california-dianne-feinstein-united-states-senate-172759fa83faa0a70a2195a91dedb6f3">Katie Porter</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/adam-schiff">Adam Schiff</a>,
 already had declared Senate campaigns. With Feinstein a now 30-year 
veteran of the Senate, there hasn’t been a wide open competition for her
 seat in decades.Feinstein plans to remain in Congress through 
the end of her current term. Speaking to reporters in Washington on 
Tuesday, she said “there's times for all things under the sun.”“I think that will be the right time, towards the end of next year," she said.Feinstein
 is one of the Senate's few remaining veterans of the so-called Year of 
the Woman, referring to several women who were elected to the 
male-dominated chamber during the 1992 election. But even before she 
moved to Washington, Feinstein was one of the most prominent women in 
American politics.She was the first woman to serve as president of the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/san-francisco">San Francisco</a>
 Board of Supervisors in the 1970s and the first female mayor of San 
Francisco. She ascended to that post after the November 1978 
assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey 
Milk by a former supervisor, Dan White. Feinstein found Milk’s body.In
 the Senate, she was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence 
Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committee’s top 
Democrat. She gained a reputation as a pragmatic centrist who left a 
mark on political battles over issues ranging from reproductive rights 
to environmental protection.Feinstein is particularly closely 
associated with efforts to broaden gun restrictions. Early in her 
career, the Senate approved her amendment to ban manufacturing and sales
 of certain types of assault weapons as part of a crime bill that 
President <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bill-clinton">Bill Clinton</a>
 signed into law in 1994. The ban expired 10 years later and was never 
replaced, but it remained a trademark issue in a career that was molded 
by gun violence.She was also known for reaching out to 
Republicans to find middle ground. While that may have helped her notch 
legislative accomplishments in Washington, it chafed some in a 
Democratic Party that has moved increasingly to the left in recent 
years.That frustration was on display during her last reelection 
campaign in 2018. The California Democratic Party endorsed a liberal 
rival for the seat over her, with some delegates complaining Feinstein 
had been in Washington too long and hadn’t stood strong enough for 
immigrants.She <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-confirmation-hearings-amy-coney-barrett-dianne-feinstein-voting-rights-366d70dcde6aa681e540dd6a0e3a25de">infuriated liberals</a>
 in 2020 when she closed out confirmation hearings for Justice Amy Coney
 Barrett with an embrace of Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey 
Graham, a Republican, and a public thanks to him for a job well done.Liberal
 advocacy groups that had fiercely opposed Barrett’s nomination to 
replace the late liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were furious 
and called for her to step down from the committee leadership. A month 
later, she announced she would remain on the Judiciary Committee but 
step down as the top Democrat.But such tension was forgotten on 
Capitol Hill on Tuesday, where Democrats praised Feinstein's career. At a
 closed door lunch of Democratic senators, the lawmakers broke into 
rounds of applause for Feinstein after Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sen-chuck-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a> announced her decision.“She’s
 a legend,” Schumer later told reporters. “A legend in California as the
 first woman senator; a legend in this Senate. She was the leader on so 
many different issues, assault weapons, environment, women’s rights, and
 so much else. She approached everything studiously and carefully.”At
 the lunch, Feinstein told her colleagues how hard her husband’s death 
was and that she would be ready to step away from public life after 
finishing this term, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said afterward. 
Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, died last year.“Senator 
Feinstein made history,” said Warren. “She changed this country and she 
was a woman on the front lines in fights, like access to assault 
weapons, and national security and intelligence.”Warren added: “Every other woman in public office owes a special debt to Dianne Feinstein.”In
 her home state, where Feinstein is the longest serving U.S. senator, 
she was lionized for her historic tenure in public service.Democratic
 U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, called her San 
Francisco neighbor “a titan” of the Senate who, among her 
accomplishments, steered billions of federal dollars to California for 
environmental protection. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called Feinstein a
 mentor and credited her with “blazing a trail for a new generation of 
female lawmakers.”

Misc