WASHINGTON — As many as 350,000 households are not getting the $300 per child refund owed as part of economic stimulus rebate payments, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.
The IRS says taxpayers’ error and problems with commercial tax preparation software were responsible for the problem affecting some taxpayers expected to benefit from the refunds the government began sending out last month.
An IRS spokesman said the agency was confident it had identified all the people affected by the mistake. Checks for the missing child credit will be mailed in July.
White House may allow power plants near parks
The Bush administration is on the verge of implementing new air quality rules that will make it easier to build power plants near national parks and wilderness areas, according to agency scientists and park managers who oppose the plan. The new regulations, which are likely to be finalized this summer, rewrite a provision of the Clean Air Act that applies to federal lands with the highest level of protection under the law. Opponents predict the changes will worsen visibility at many of the U.S. most prized tourist destinations.
California: ‘Cyber-bully’ indictment
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a woman for fraudulently using a MySpace.com account to “cyber-bully” a Missouri teenager who later hanged herself because she believed she was being rejected by a 16-year-old boy she met on the social networking Web site. Lori Drew, 49, of O’Fallon, Mo., faces three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on the girl and one count of conspiracy. The case set off a furor when it was revealed that Megan Meier, 13, was the victim of a hoax perpetrated by Drew, who was the mother of one of the girl’s former friends.
Zoo tiger mauling victims’ parents sue
The parents of a teenager killed by an escaped tiger at the San Francisco Zoo filed a claim against the city Thursday, seeking monetary compensation for the mauling of their 17-year-old son. Carlos Sousa Jr. died Dec. 25 when a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped its enclosure and attacked the San Jose teenager and two of his friends. Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal were injured before police shot the tiger dead. City Attorney Dennis Herrera declined to comment on the claim filed Thursday because he had not seen it.
New York: Landlord charged with bombing tenant
Prosecutors say a New York landlord who tried to kill a tenant with a bomb has been indicted on attempted murder and other charges. The tenant lost a leg in the blast. Prosecutors said Thursday that 38-year-old Yung Tang placed the bomb in a bag next to Israel Halberstam’s minivan while it was parked outside his Brooklyn home in March 2002. The bag exploded when Halberstam tried to move it. They say Tang wanted his tenant dead because Halberstam owed him about $100,000 in rent on a showroom for his electronics business.
Gender-neutral West Point songs?
The head of the U.S. Military Academy thinks it’s time to replace the “men” and “sons” in West Point’s two most beloved songs with more gender-neutral lyrics. Lt. Gen. Franklin “Buster” Hagenbeck, superintendent of the nation’s oldest military academy, told a congressional oversight committee Wednesday that he wants to change the words to the military academy’s alma mater and its companion piece, “The Corps.” In “The Corps,” the proposals include changing “The men” to “The ranks,” and “We sons” to “The Corps.”
Ohio: Firefighter convicted of three killings
A Cleveland jury convicted a city firefighter Thursday of fatally shooting three people and wounding two others during a late-night Fourth of July celebration, rejecting defense claims that he was angered by the noise and snapped. Terrance Hough Jr. was convicted of three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of attempted murder. The jury is to return Tuesday to hear evidence on whether to recommend the death penalty.
Canada: ‘Morning-after’ pill should go over-the-counter
Canada’s national pharmacy regulation body is recommending that “morning-after” contraceptive pills be sold over the counter. The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities decided Wednesday to support sales of the drug known as Plan B from drugstore shelves instead of from behind the counter. Under current rules, women who want to buy Plan B have to ask pharmacy staff for the drug, a condition critics say may discourage some women from using it to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The system is the same in the United States.
Britain: Cops scan for hidden knives
A surge in violent knife crimes prompted London police to introduce a new program Thursday that will rely on mobile, airport-style scanners and hand-held metal detectors for use against people suspected of carrying concealed weapons. The new program started this week in one borough and should be in place in all 32 London boroughs within the next few months, said a Metropolitan Police spokesman.
From Herald news services
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