Missouri sets one firm date each year for the state’s homestead-style Property Tax Credit: April 15. But the Department of Revenue’s rules leave that window open for three more years after the date passes, for homeowners and renters alike. Many filers never learn that second part. Some Missouri counties also slap the word “homestead” on…
North Carolina and Oregon grow more than half of the roughly 14.5 million evergreens cut and sold each year, according to the latest federal agriculture census. We’re not even in October yet, and some families are already negotiating whether they need one of those trees at all. The argument rarely stops at the tree. These…
State investigators traced a hacker getting into South Carolina’s tax computers after a Department of Revenue worker opened one email. That one message exposed Social Security numbers for more than 3.6 million people who had filed a South Carolina tax return. One email did all that damage, and everyday password habits can leave accounts just…
A single mature red imported fire ant colony can hold more than 200,000 ants, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Without ever meaning to, some Texas households invite thousands of them inside, along with spiders, roaches, and mice. These are the household habits Texas pest control technicians say invite bugs inside. 1. Stacking Firewood Against…
Nevada regulators have pushed back the start date on a new NV Energy charge twice. The utility says it needs more time to help customers understand how their bill will work under it. That’s telling. NV Energy isn’t alone, and these are the services that profit from making things confusing for Nevadans. Note: This is…
Your dog may be the first one to greet your pet sitter at the door. But Fido isn’t the only thing getting their attention. While you’re explaining your routine, the sitter is already picking up on details you may never have noticed. These are the things professional Louisiana pet sitters spot as soon as they…
Every Minnesota county board has until Wednesday, September 30, to send the state next year’s proposed property tax levy, under Minnesota’s Truth in Taxation law. That single filing kicks off a budget season where many of the county’s biggest financial calls never go before voters. These are the financial decisions Minnesota county boards make without…
At a grocery store, someone else has made every decision before you buy meat. But walk into a South Dakota meat locker with your own animal, and the questions start coming your way. These are the things a South Dakota meat locker asks you to decide that a grocery store never will. 1. Picking Your…
A shopper filling a cart from Harris Teeter to Walmart can pay more in nearly every aisle by picking the package with fancy words on it. Those words don’t always mean what they promise. The FDA and USDA let many of these claims reach a shelf on paperwork alone, not a lab test. These are…
A Wake County plumber feeds a drain snake fifteen feet into a clogged kitchen line, then pulls back a wad of shredded wipes marked flushable. Nothing about that surprises a North Carolina plumber. These are the things North Carolina plumbers wish homeowners would stop putting down the drain. 1. Coffee Grounds Coffee grounds poured down…
