Utah community volunteers needed to provide free tax help in 2019
UT-2018-03, Oct. 15, 2018
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Tax Help, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and the Internal Revenue Service are looking for volunteers to train for the upcoming income tax filing season to provide free tax help and tax return preparation.
“The IRS works closely with key partners like Utah Tax Help,” said Karen Connelly, IRS spokesperson. “People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to volunteer. There is a role for anyone who is interested and wants to help give back to their community.”
The IRS VITA program offers free tax preparation to people with low-to-moderate income that need help preparing their tax returns. This includes those with disabilities and senior citizens. Many sites are able to assist those for whom English is a second language.
During the 2018 filing season, 684 volunteers with Utah Tax Help prepared 19,644 tax returns. This generated $20.2 million in tax refunds and $6.4 million of the Earned Income tax Credit being made available to local individuals and families.
Volunteering can be exciting, educational and enjoyable. Here are a few good reasons to consider signing up to help:
Volunteers greet taxpayers and help organize their paperwork, electronically file both federal and Utah State Tax Commission tax returns, set up and keep computer equipment running, manage tax sites and handle quality control.
Both online and classroom training is available and will take place in late November through January. Once certified, volunteers can spend as little as three to four hours per week volunteering in late January, February, March and April.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the Utah Tax Help website.
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TONKS
Premieres New Single
"Running Downhill"
Debut Album
Windows Down & Dying
Out on November 16th, 2018
"'Running Downhill'...sounds heartbreaking yet hopeful - created by subtle
yet effective guitar work, and Foley's ability to masterfully croon out his lyrics
to paint something delicate and exciting." - Substream Magazine
October 23, 2018 - New Jersey - South Jersey-based singer/songwriter TONKS has premiered "Running Downhill," the first single from his forthcoming debut album Windows Down & Dying. Fans can check it out now, exclusively on Substream Magazine.
The solo acoustic project of Dryjacket bassist Ian Foley, TONKS offers an introspective collection of songs set to brightly shimmering melodies - amidst a quiet and unassuming melancholy. On "Running Downhill, he shares: "Happy to be releasing this song during the season it was intended to be heard. The song is about timing, and was written to sound like the transition from summer into autumn."
Foley, a multi-instrumentalist who recorded the violin, piano, and vibe as well as the guitar and vocals on Windows Down & Dying, will release his debut album on November 16th, 2018. For additional information on the new record, as well as upcoming album release shows, please visit: www.facebook.com/TeamTONKS
For Additional Information, Please Visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamTONKS
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonksnj
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonksnj
Windows Down & Dying Track Listing:
1. The Great Idaho Fire
2. Water Damage
3. Running Downhill
4. You Aren't Missing Anything
5. Pictures of Privilege
6. Through the Daylight, the Moon Appears
7. Garden State Blue
8. St. Charles Place
9. Paris
10. Giles Corey
Upcoming Album Release Shows:
11/16 - Flemington, NJ @ Flemington DIY
11/17 - West Hempstead, NY @ Creative Corner
11/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Pharmacy
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Why Seemingly Unrelated Health Issues
May Be Resolved By A Trip to the Dentist
By Dr. Daniel Klauer, DDS
Let’s assume for the moment you experience these symptoms – headaches, ear aches, ringing in the ears, nausea, fatigue, neck pain, and numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers. What kind of a healthcare provider would you see first
You probably didn’t say your dentist. After all, your teeth and gums don’t seem to be the problem, right? Yet, your dentist could be the person best equipped to solve your problem.
Why? Because the cause of these symptoms could be temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMD. The condition – which is sometimes called TMJ (the name of joint) or TMJD, as in TMJ disorder or dysfunction – is a broad term to describe jaw pain and dysfunction. It is typically related to something structurally off with the hinging joint itself or a problem with the muscles that support it. Or it could be both. Regardless, it will probably be incredibly painful and debilitating.
But people who experience these symptoms rarely make an appointment with their dentist – at least not at first. Instead, they visit a long line of physicians until finally – as a last resort after no one alleviates their pain – they turn to their dentist.
The reason some physicians misdiagnose these cases is because typically they are not well-trained in jaw problems, which are considered a dentist's domain. On the other hand, dentists often lack a solid understanding of the joint because they tend to be passionate about teeth, not orthopedics.
TMD is far from a rare disease. The TMJ Association reports it affects about 12 percent of the population at any given time, and other research by the National Institute of Health finds as many as 83 percent of people in some population segments have at least one TMD symptom.
Clinicians who look at the patient's full medical history, life circumstances, stress levels, and sleep patterns are the most successful in treating TMD, which is usually only completely cured if it's strictly an orthopedic issue. Most TMD patients have some neuropathic pain (meaning its cause is in the brain, not due to trauma to healthy tissue.)
Stress reduction techniques like deep breathing and meditation can help reduce the pain until the issue is resolved.
Other approaches that may work include physical therapy to relax the face and neck muscles, oral-appliance therapy, acupuncture, massage, diet and behavior modifications (such as eliminating gum chewing). These options should usually be considered before deciding on surgery.
That clicking sound some people hear in their jaw may be a precursor to more serious TMD problems around the corner. If you have any of the symptoms I mentioned, you should consider seeing a dentist sooner rather than later.
Many people have been told by health-care providers that they can’t get better, and they will have to live with their pain for the rest of their lives. They’ve been told the way they live now is their norm.
But today’s norm doesn’t have to be tomorrow’s norm. I see patients every day who are ultimately able to turn their lives around. With the right treatment they are able to free themselves of pain and lead a life filled with energy that lets them take on the day.
About Dr. Daniel Klauer, DDS
Dr. Daniel Klauer, DDS, is author of Achieve Your Victory: Solutions for TMD and Sleep Apnea (www.tmjsleepindiana.com). Since 2013, Dr. Klauer has limited his practice to treating patients with craniofacial pain, TMD, and sleep breathing disorders. Dr. Klauer is board certified with the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, American Board of Craniofacial Pain, and the American Board of Craniofacial Dental Sleep Medicine. He is diplomate eligible with the American Board of Orofacial Pain. He attended the University of Notre Dame and was a member of the Big East Championship Varsity Golf Team. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Klauer earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (DDS) from Ohio State University.
