Annual Quilting 101 event in Troy
Submitted by
Tender Lovin’ Quilters
Tender Lovin’ Quilters of Troy would like to announce their annual Quilting 101 event to be offered on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Troy United Methodist Fellowship Hall. This is an all day event and all are welcome, the morning demonstrations are offered free to the general public with no sign up needed. The event is intended to maintain and promote the art of quilting.
Beginning at 9 a.m., a variety of short demonstrations will be given all morning on numerous quilting-related subjects including, but not limited to, How to get started, Applique, Stack n Whack, Dresden Crazy, Cathedral Windows, Binding Basics, Dimensional patchwork, Versatile half square triangles, Scraps and more.
Door prizes will be given out randomly and the guild will have a Treasure Trove table with quilting related items for sale.
A pot luck potato bar luncheon will be served at noon followed by an afternoon hands on class.
During the afternoon class, participants will be making a charm pack tote bag. This class will require supplies, sewing machine, and preregistration, anyone interested may sign up by sending an email to pksargent70@yahoo.com or by calling Pattie at 295-8007.
Montana individual income tax filing season is open
Submitted by
Montana Department of Revenue
“We encourage Montanans to get started early with their returns, and to file electronically,” said Montana Department of Revenue Director Gene Walborn. “E-filing is the easiest and most secure way to file your returns and the best way to get your refund as quickly as possible.”
Tax software providers and tax professionals have been accepting and preparing tax returns since Jan. 28, and they will submit those returns with the IRS and state systems.
Montana filers should allow up to 90 days to receive their refunds.
Free and low-cost help is available for Montanans who qualify, with tax help events in dozens of communities across the state.
Taxpayers will see a few changes this year.
For those who file on paper, the federal Form 1040EZ has been discontinued, and with that change the corresponding Montana Form 2EZ is also discontinued. Filers who would have used form 2EZ can now file just the first page of the new, streamlined Form 2.
Copies of the 1099-G form will not be mailed. This form documents payments from Montana, such as income tax refunds, for use in federal returns. Starting this year, filers can find the information online at Get1099.mt.gov.
The former separate paper form for the Elderly Homeowner/Renter Tax Credit (Form 2EC) is now included in Form 2. Those with no obligation to file can still claim the credit online at tap.dor.mt.gov, or on Form 2, using just Pages 1 and 9.
The department also urges those filing a Montana return for the first time to keep their mailing address current with the department to avoid possible delays in receiving their refunds. Visit revenue.mt.gov or call (406) 444-6900 for more information.
Tax returns must be filed by April 15.
Proposed changes to some region 1 deer hunting regulations
Submitted by
Montana FWP
Wildlife managers are requesting to change white-tailed deer regulations in two hunting districts in northwest Montana.
FWP Region 1 biologists have submitted a request to the Fish and Wildlife Commission to limit hunting opportunity to antlered bucks only in hunting districts 122 (the Thompson River area in Sanders County) and 130 (the Swan area in Lake and Missoula counties).
For the last three years, hunters have been able to harvest a white-tailed deer of either sex during the first week of the general hunting season, as well as the last week of the season on private lands only.
The commission will review the proposal at its Feb. 13 meeting in Helena. The commission will accept public comment on the proposal before taking final action. If approved, the changes would take effect this fall.
Commission meetings are streamed live via video to FWP regional headquarters. The FWP Region 1 headquarters is located at 490 N. Meridian in Kalispell. Meetings are also audio streamed online at fwp.mt.gov. Members of the public can comment at FWP regional headquarters during the meetings.
FWP regional staff recently hosted four meetings across northwest Montana – in Kalispell, Libby, Trout Creek, and Eureka — and presented information about deer population trends and harvest data, and discussed deer management with sportsmen. The overall crowd at these meetings totaled nearly 150 people and generally expressed support for the tentative antlered-buck only proposal.
Several factors can contribute to the health of game populations, including winter weather that impacts fawn recruitment, predation, habitat changes and hunter pressure. Northwest Montana experienced two recent winters with heavy snowfall that persisted well into early spring.
For a list of reports detailing wildlife populations and more in northwest Montana, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/regions/r1/.
CPMC sleep center receives Accreditation
Submitted by
Kate Stephens
The Sleep Center at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby recently received program accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine congratulates Cabinet Peaks Medical Center’s Sleep Center on meeting the high standards required to earn accreditation as a sleep disorders center,” said Dr. Douglas Kirsch, AASM president. “Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Sleep Center is an important resource to the local medical community and will provide academic and scientific value in addition to the highest quality care for patients suffering from sleep disorders.”
To receive accreditation for a five-year period, a sleep center must meet or exceed all standards for professional health care as designated by the AASM. These standards address core areas such as personnel, facility and equipment, policies and procedures, data acquisition, patient care, and quality assurance. Additionally, the sleep center’s goals must be clearly stated and include plans for positively affecting the quality of medical care in the community it serves.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredited a sleep disorders center for the first time in 1977. Today there are more than 2,600 AASM-accredited sleep centers across the country.
Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Sleep Center is directed by Deborah Hoffman, MD, and is located at 350 Louisiana Ave.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is a professional medical society for clinicians, researchers, and other health care providers in the field of sleep medicine. As the national accrediting body for sleep disorders centers, the AASM improves sleep health and promotes high quality, patient-centered care through advocacy, education, strategic research, and practice standards.
Jeremy Canary, BSRT, RRT, and Manager of the Sleep Center at Cabinet Peaks is proud of his team. “AASM accreditation is voluntary and shows the commitment of CPMC and the Sleep Center staff to ensuring the highest level of quality care to the patients we serve.”
For more information on the Sleep Center at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, please call 283-7191.