Author: Kim Kalliber

Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

STAGE 1 BURN BAN IN EFFECT FOR KING, PIERCE & SNOHOMISH COUNTIES

Please rely on your home’s cleaner source of heat until air quality improves.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is lowering the air quality burn ban to a Stage 1 in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties effective at 1 PM on January 15, 2013. The ban remains in effect until further notice.

“Air pollution levels throughout the region have dropped, likely due to clouds and warmer temperatures,” said Dr. Phil Swartzendruber, agency forecaster. “The drop in pollution could also be due to the help of our communities following the burn ban.”

Dr. Swartzendruber added, “Calm, cold, and clear weather conditions are likely to continue over the next few days, so ongoing cooperation with the burn ban will help keep our air healthy.”

The Clean Air Agency will continue to closely monitor the air quality and weather situation.

During a Stage 1 burn ban:

• No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
• Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

It is OK to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over age 65).

United Way of Snohomish County, www.uwsc.org

(Marysville, WA) – Last year, volunteers at the free tax preparation center organized by United Way of Snohomish County helped 347 customers file their taxes and brought back $516,974 in refunds. That money gave a boost to the local economy, built up savings and helped people pay off credit card debt.

This year, the free tax preparation center in Marysville will be located at Goodwill’s Marysville Job Training and Education Center on 9315 State Ave. The site will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3.pm from January 22 to April 15.

This service is available for households earning $51,000 or less.

The Marysville site is one of six sites being opened by United Way throughout Snohomish County. The others will be in Everett, Lynnwood and Monroe. All of the sites will be staffed by United Way volunteer tax preparers.

In 2012, 2,511 Snohomish County working families had their taxes prepared for free at a United Way Tax Preparation Site, saving an estimated $414,315 in tax preparation fees. United Way customers had an average refund of $1,700, which amounted to nearly $4.28 million in refunds (including $1.25 million in Earned Income Tax Credits).

Over the past six years, United Way volunteers have prepared 9,181 tax returns worth more than $15 million in refunds for Snohomish County working families.

This year’s sponsors and partners include The Boeing Company, the Washington State Department of Commerce, Moss Adams, LLP, Goodwill, the Walmart Foundation, and the Internal Revenue Service.

What You Should Bring

Although no appointment is necessary, people should bring a picture ID; social security card or tax identification number for everyone on the return; W2s or other income statements from all employers, any 1099 forms; the name, address and tax ID number for your child care provider; records of student loan payments; record of payments for educational expenses such as college tuition; mortgage interest and property tax statements; a bank account number to receive your refund via direct deposit; last year’s tax return – if you have it; and if you’re filing jointly, both spouses must be present to file electronically.

For more information, please visit http://www.uwsc.org/freetaxpreparationcampaign.php or call 2-1-1 for information and referrals.

• No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
• Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

• Updated air pollution data and forecasts
• Frequently asked questions about burn bans
• How to heat efficiently and cleanly