SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A house fire in Sioux City has left two people dead and one critically injured. Firefighters were called to the fire Thursday morning in the rental home and found residents of the main floor outside. The Sioux City Journal reports that while extinguishing the fire and searching the basement, firefighters found three people and rushed them to a hospital. A man and a woman later died, and another man was in critical condition. Authorities haven’t released their names. Sioux City Fire Marshal Mark Aesoph said fire investigators didn’t find any working smoke alarms in the house. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) reminds Iowans with low to moderate income, Iowans who are elderly, and Iowans with disabilities that they can get free tax preparation services at sites throughout the state. Funding for the initiative comes from a two-year grant through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) grant program. VITA is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiative designed to promote and support free tax preparation services for the underserved, in both urban and non-urban locations.

DHS contracts with the Iowa Center for Economic Success to promote and deliver the tax preparation services through coalition partners across the state. You can find locations and times for tax preparation assistance at: http://theiowacenter.org/taxes/ or at http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/.

Michelle Bartusek with Iowa Center for Economic Success, says “Our volunteers train and certify with the IRS to prepare tax returns for Iowans and ensure they receive the credits and refunds for which they are eligible. Our focus remains on preparing accurate returns at no cost for Iowans who meet criteria for the program. This is money Iowa families can save or use to pay off bills, buy a car to get to work, or make a down payment on a home.”

During the 2018 filing season, over 141,000 Iowa families claimed over $61.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC eligibility can be complex and varies by income, family size, and filing status. By visiting a VITA site, Iowans can access IRS-trained and certified volunteers who can help them determine if they qualify for the EITC and other refundable tax credits, such as the Child Tax Credit or education credits. Volunteers at these sites also prepare and e-file (electronically file) tax returns at no cost. More than 740 volunteers prepared over 19,000 returns during last year’s filing season.

DHS Director Kelly Garcia, says “The Earned Income Tax Credit can be extremely helpful for working Iowans, providing them more money to help them pay for groceries, housing costs and other bills. We want to spread the word and encourage Iowans eligible to file a tax return, even if they don’t owe any taxes, to take full advantage of the EITC.”

Police in Red Oak say there were no injuries, but the driver of an SUV was cited, following a collision Thursday afternoon, at the intersection of Joy and 3rd Streets, in Red Oak. Officials report a 2002 Dodge Durango driven by 67-year old Ronald Lee Lunsford, of Red Oak, was traveling east on Joy Street at around 4:25-p.m., when he failed to yield at the posted intersection. A 2019 Nissan Altima, driven by 44-year old Jeanette Eggerss, of Red Oak, was traveling southbound on the one-way 3rd Street when she was broadsided by the SUV.

Damage from the collision amounted to $8,000 altogether. Ronald Lunsford was cited for Failing to yield at a Yield Sign.

Police in Creston arrested 34-year old Ashlee Willets, of Creston, Thursday morning. Willets was taken into custody for allegedly violating the terms of a valid protective order. She appeared before the magistrate and was subsequently released on her Own Recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) — The Internal Revenue Service is offering a new income tax form specifically for senior citizens, which could become popular in Iowa, as we have a greater percentage of older residents than almost every other state. Norman Penix, a spokesman for the A-A-R-P Tax Aid Foundation, says the new 10-40 S-R form is identical to the traditional 10-40 form, with just one exception. “The new form is really just a larger print version to make it easier to read for seniors to be able to fill out on their own,” Penix says, “however, AARP is willing to do their tax returns for them as long as they’re within our scope of work.”

The S-R, or senior, form is brand new for this tax season and the tax preparer had to give it a close inspection to see if anything else had changed, besides the font size. “Not that I can see,” Penix says. “I’m looking at the 1040-SR right now on the screen and on a paper copy. Really, it’s just a larger print version.” According to the I-R-S, you can use the 10-40-S-R form if you or your spouse were born before January 2nd, 1955. While A-A-R-P initially made a name for itself as being specifically for retired persons, Penix says they offer tax preparation help to a wide range of people, not just seniors. “We do do taxes,” Penix says. “We do not have an age requirement for AARP nor do we have an income requirement, however, we have a scope document that limits what we can do.”

Iowans can enter their ZIP code on the website — www.aarp.org/money/taxes — to find the nearest tax preparation site.