Local

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – The Federal Government is trying to refund a tax that's older than the IRS, if it can get taxpayers to sign up for the refund.

IRS officials say only about 2/3 of taxpayers have claimed the telephone tax refund on their filings this year, despite it being open to anyone who paid for long distance service in the past three years.

Federal courts invalidated the tax last year, which the government originally enacted in 1898 to fund the Spanish American War.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – Designs for a pair of high rises planned for the Wilmington side of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge are making their way through Wilmington's planning department.

The Gateway project goes before the city's Technical Review Committee Thursday morning for its first review.

The waterfront buildings will rise like bookends, surrounding the bridge with a roughly 230-foot tall condominium/hotel on the south side of the bridge, and a 178-foot tall condo rising on the north side.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – On Capitol Hill Wednesday Congressman Mike McIntyre called for the nation to pray for the country and its leaders.

McIntyre and 40 other members of congress have formed the Congressional Prayer Caucus, asking people, synagogues and religious organizations to pray for the nation five minutes a week.

Congressional Prayer Caucus members from the North Carolina delegation include Robin Hayes, Heath Shuler and Virginia Fox.

By Star-News & WHQR

Wilmington, NC – A conversation about the week's news with Star-News and WHQR reporters.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – State Representative Carolyn Justice introduced legislation Tuesday helping hog farmers pay for new technology to replace their lagoons.

Researchers out of NC State have rolled out five alternatives to the lagoon, but those options come with a price tag of up to $300,000. Hog farmers have said that's too expensive. So the Pender County Republican has filed a bill offering a pool of money that she says farmers can apply for to help pay for the cost.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – The Office of the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks is looking into whether so called pre-filing tax loans are legal.

Commercial tax preparation companies make the pitch that pre-filing tax loans are a way to grab immediate cash right before the holidays. By looking at a client's pay stub, tax preparers estimate future tax refunds and make loans of up to $500.

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – Desirable multi-use property in quiet residential neighborhood. Lakefront view. Convenient access to shopping, public transportation, and recreation options.

All you have to do is convince the City of Wilmington you'd be the best tenant.

A subcommittee of City Council members is currently weighing proposals to take over the Naval Reserve Center at Greenfield Lake, which the military declared surplus property in the last Base Realignment and Closing process.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – State officials say beware of tax refund loans that come with interest rates as high as 300%.

IRS statistics show more than a 500,000 taxpayers in North Carolina signed up for the short-term loans in 2004.

The selling point is getting an on-the-spot refund instead of waiting two weeks for the IRS, says Mark Pierce, North Carolina Deputy Commissioner for Banks.

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – Oak Island mayor Johnnie Vereen says he isn't trying to start a tax rebellion.

But Vereen is making sure his counterparts around Brunswick County know exactly what Oak Island is doing to protest its tax revaluation.

Vereen and the town council meet tonight to vote on a resolution asking Brunswick's tax office to review the entire community's property tax revaluation and urging similar scrutiny for the rest of the county.