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The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 20, 2021 — Page 3
I TODAY |
| THURSDAY I
1 FRIDAY |
S SATURDAY f§
SUNDAY
BURKE
COUNTY'S
FIVE-DAY
FORECAST
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Cloudy
30% Chance of Showers
Mostly Sunny
60% Chance of Showers
Sunny
Sunny
60°39°
58° 49°
60°I40°
56° 34°
56°I42°
Forecast of the National Weather Service
Tips for trusting your tax preparer FriendlyCare Companion
KELVIN COLLINS
Most people get help filing
their taxes, either from com
puter software or a profes
sional tax preparer. In addition,
some filers may have questions
regarding COVID-19’s impact
on their personal taxes. But
horror stories in the media
about tax service rip offs and
scams have some consumers
concerned about who they can
trust with their financial data
and private information.
A paid tax return preparer is
primarily responsible for the
overall, substantive accuracy
of your tax retum(s). If there
is a problem with your return
or you are audited by the In
ternal Revenue Service (IRS),
the tax preparer can help you
address the issue and can often
represent you. The preparer
is required to sign your tax
forms (paper or electronic)
and provide their preparer tax
identification number (PTIN),
a number assigned by the IRS.
Better Business Bureau ad
vises taxpayers to be extra
cautious when choosing a tax
preparer, since that person or
company will have access to
your personally identifiable in
formation (PII). Here are some
BBB tips to help you find a tax
preparer you can trust.
Get Referrals. To find a
tax preparer, start by asking
friends and family for recom
mendations, then check BBB
Business Reviews at bbb.org.
Look beyond the letter grade;
complaint details and Cus
tomer Reviews will tell you
about others’ experiences.
Make sure they are properly
registered. A tax preparer must
obtain a PTIN from the IRS.
Never let someone work on
your taxes unless they have
this number. Don’t be afraid to
ask about this or other qualifi
cations; a capable professional
does not mind questions.
Look for credentials. Any
one with a PTIN can prepare
your tax forms for you, but
some tax preparers have more
training and qualifications than
others. Enrolled agents, certi
fied public accountants (CPAs)
and attorneys have unlimited
rights to represent their clients
to the IRS on all matters. Other
preparers can help you with
forms and simple IRS mat
ters, but are limited otherwise,
and they can’t help you if
they didn’t prepare your form.
Learn more about tax preparer
credentials on the IRS website.
Keep a watchful eye for
promises. Be wary of any tax
preparation service that prom
ises larger refunds than their
competition and avoid tax pre
parers who base their fee on a
percentage of the refund. Also
be wary of “refund anticipa
tion loans,” which can take a
hefty chunk of your refund in
commission. Refunds are pro
cessed quickly these days, so
it’s a better bet to just wait for
the real thing rather than pay
a premium to get it now. Re
fund Anticipation Loans also
created some delays for many
individuals receiving stimulus
payments within the last year.
Search for free tax programs.
There are several free govern
ment programs that prepare
taxes free of charge if you meet
an income requirement; go to
the IRS’s Free File page for
COVID-19 Convalescent
Plasma drive is Saturday
Burke Medical Center, in
conjunction with Shepeard
Community Blood Center, will
hold its first COVID-19 Con
valescent Plasma (CCP) drive
to help treat patients against
the pandemic. The drive will
be this Saturday, Jan. 23, from
10 a.m.- 6 p.m. at the hospital.
Every CCP donor will re
ceive a $100 Visa gift card
for donating, compliments of
Shepeard Community.
Want to donate?
To qualify, donors must meet
the following criteria:
• Proof of a positive CO-
VID-19 test
• Be symptom-free for 14
days
• Meet FDA eligibility to
donate
more information. Most will
also hie your state return as
well. If not, check with your
state’s Department of Rev
enue to find out about their
programs.
Tax Software and Apps. If
you plan to hie yourself, use
tax software or an app that
provides both excellent data
security and good customer
service. Some of the top names
in tax prep software are BBB
Accredited Businesses, so
check with bbb.org hrst.
New tax laws can help cre
ate confusion that dishonest
preparers will capitalize on,
so taxpayers should always
review their return before sign
ing, ask questions on entries
they do not understand. Also be
sure to get a copy of the return
for your records. Finally, do
not ever sign a blank tax form
or one filled out in pencil!
For more trustworthy con
sumer tips, visit BBB.org.
Kelvin Collins is president
& CEO of the Be tter Business
Bureau serving the Fall Line
Corridor.
• Female donors may require
additional screening before
donating.
Anyone with questions or
who would like to donate
should call Jacqueline Clem
mons at 706.339.9970 or email
Shepeard at ccpdonor@she-
peardblood.org.
like us on
facebook
“Great Care from Friendly People”
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'Bathing ’Accompaniment to
'Toileting Doctor's Appointments
V 'Grooming 'Respite Care
' Meal Preparation 'Veteran Care
’ Shopping/Errands' Expectant L New Mother Care
Accepting Private Pay, MecScaid, Insurance
Cal 706-901-4899 infa8friendycarecompiinion.com vww.friendlycarecompanion.com
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Community Development Block Grant
The County of Burke is considering applying to the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs for a Community
Development Block Grant of up to $750,000.00. These funds
must be used to primarily benefit low- and moderate-income
persons. The activities for which these funds may be used
are in the areas of housing, public facilities, and economic
development.
More specific details regarding eligible activities, plans to
assist displaced persons (if any), the estimated amount of
funds proposed to be used for activities to benefit low- and
moderate-income persons, and the rating system will be
provided at a public hearing which will be held at Burke
County Board of Commissioners Office, 602 Liberty Street,
Waynesboro, Georgia on January 27, 2021, at 1:30 pm.
The purpose of this hearing will be to obtain citizen input into
the development of the application and to review progress on
the previous CDBG grant. The County of Burke is committed
to providing all persons with equal access to its services,
programs, activities, education and employment regardless
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status,
disability or age.
Persons with special needs relating to handicapped
accessibility or foreign language shall contact Merv Waldrop,
County Administrator at 706-554-2324 prior to January 25,
2021. This person can be located at Burke County Board
of Commissioners Office, 602 Liberty Street, Waynesboro,
Georgia between the hours of 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday
through Friday, except holidays.
Persons with hearing disabilities can contact
the Georgia Relay Service, at (TDD)
1-800-255-0056 or (Voice) 1-800-255-0135.
CROSSWORD
LETTERTO THE EDITOR
Editor:
The publisher-editor/writer-
delivery boy of this weekly ga
zette is a friend of mine. I like
to think, like most Americans,
we have more in common than
not. We both like good barbe
cue, an adult beverage every
now and then, and we both love
our wives and our country. We
do, however, have a singular
difference - Roy is a Democrat
while I am a Republican.
We don’t yell at each other.
We don’t get all bug eyed red
faced foaming at the mouth
with each other. What we do is
respectfully agree to disagree
on certain political issues. On
many issues we can find a com
mon ground on which we can
both agree.
If only the leaders of BOTH
parties could follow the courte
sies we have established. Dur
ing the 75 years I have been on
this celestial rock I have never
seen the national leaders of
BOTH parties so diametrically
opposed to any idea put forth
by the other. There was a time
when our elected officials were
called statesmen. Today we just
shake our heads in wonder at
their duplicity.
Make no mistake, I am still
a Republican and Roy is still
a Democrat and we are still
FRIENDS.
Rex E. Gerlinger
COVID
Continued from front
are antigen positive or individuals with compatible illness and known close contact to a case
that were either reported to DPH as deceased by healthcare providers or medical examiners/
coroners, identified by death certificates with COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death, or
there is evidence that COVID contributed to the individual’s death OR individuals with a
death certificate that has COVID-19 indicated as the cause of death and there is no laboratory
evidence for SARS-CoV-2.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is COVID-19? What is SARS-CoV-2?
A: Novel Coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19, is the official name of the
disease caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Q: How is the county assigned to a person or case?
A: This comes from information reported to DPH and represents the county of residence,
when known. If county is not known, it is reported as “unknown” and is not included in
county case data.
Q: Is a test the same as a confirmed case?
J
□ FreeDatlyCrosswords.com
across -
I) Word with "age" or "race"
6) Flower that blooms in the
fall
II) Number cruncher
14) Archer's missile
15) Wind-borne item
16) "Bobby Hockey"
17) Sports broadcast VIP
19) Extinct bird of New
Zealand
20) Spread a rumor
21) Evening meal
23) Mexican snack
26) Dry, as bubbly
28) First name of a Sally Field
character
29) Blood classification letters
30) Fond du , Wise.
32) League division, often
33) Closemouthed
34) Phone number parts
38) Everlasting
40) Panting for a potable
43) Poetic Emily
45) Letters from the hole?
46) Belated to the ear
48) Southwest info
49) It's nothing in soccer
50) ”... finest hour"
52) Very large birds
55) Eyeball, in a way
56) Bronzed from the beach
58) Ornithological
60) Bristle on barley or rye
61) Capable of igniting and
burning
66) Mighty small
67) Chat room persona non
grata
68) Blue expanse
69) Staples in magazines
70) Breathing interruption
71) More than desires
Copyright (c)2015 udick.com
Edited by Timothy Parker
r DOWN
1) Yolk (egg part)
2) Seasoned veteran
3) Upper limb
4) Small band
5) Painting pitcher
6) Up and about
7) Pancake flipper
8) Day care attendee
9) Archer on Olympus
10) What many incumbents do
11) Applying pressure
12) Literary prefaces
13) Ark landfall
18) Well-used pencil
22) Type of line or plant
23) Break from the wild side?
24) Share a border with
25) Funny females
27) Diplomacies
31) Salmon variety
34) Mandela's org.
35) Leave leaveless
36) Upper class "type"
37) Racket
39) Poisonous protein in the castor bean
41) Labor strenuously
42) Time of "comfort and joy”
44) Can be identified
46) Home of senators
47) Ceased to be frozen
51) Cyma (molding type)
53) Throat dangler
54) Potential aunt, for short
55) Reserved or preserved
57) Village or hamlet
59) Like of bricks
62) Day of many a fed. holiday
63) One that serves the queen
64) Young fellow
65) Widths of some spaces
ANSWERS ON 7
A: No. A confirmed case means an individual had a positive molecular test. An individual
may have had one or more molecular and/or serologic tests.