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An invasive bug called the lanternbug is causing several counties in New Jersey to go under quarantine.Officials with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said the bug is not harmful to animals or humans, but it is potentially harmful to more than 70 plant species, including fruit trees, vegetables, and vines.“We have been working diligently to slow the advance of this bug,” Secretary Douglas Fisher said in a press release. “We are targeting areas where severe infestations have been confirmed, and we also encourage residents to destroy the Spotted Lanternfly if possible when they see it. It will take a combined effort to help keep this pest from spreading.” 678

An American Christian missionary is thought to have been killed by tribespeople from one of the world's most isolated communities on a remote island hundreds of miles off the coast of India, according to officials.The 27-year-old American, identified as John Allen Chau, came to India on a tourist visa but came to the Andaman and Nicobar islands in October with the express purpose of proselytizing, Dependra Pathak, Director General of Police of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, told CNN."We refuse to call him a tourist. Yes, he came on a tourist visa but he came with a specific purpose to preach on a prohibited island," Pathak said.Chau did not inform the police of his intentions to travel to the island to attempt to convert its inhabitants.The island, North Sentinel Island, is inhabited by the Sentinelese people, who are protected under Indian law. Just more than a dozen people are officially thought to live on the remote island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. 989

As a 58-year-old woman on disability, Robin Short of Wallingford, Connecticut, relies on her tax refund to catch up on bills. She filed her return electronically in February, opting for direct deposit so she could get her 3 refund quickly.She’s still waiting, as are millions of others. The IRS is slowly resuming operations after pandemic-related lockdowns, but delayed refunds are devastating some people’s finances.Tax refunds have become a lifelineTax refunds, which last year averaged ,979, are the largest single infusion of cash for about 30% of U.S. families, says Fiona Greig, consumer research director at the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which researches economic issues. While many Americans use refunds to save or to pay down debt, significant numbers rely on the money to cover bills or to get needed medical care — and that was true even before millions lost jobs and income during the COVID-19 pandemic.Delayed refunds can lead to evictions, hunger, creditor lawsuits and health problems from postponed medical care, among other ill effects. Many households live so close to the edge that they can experience hardship when a refund is delayed by two or three weeks, let alone several months, says John Thompson, chief program officer for the Financial Health Network, which researches financial challenges facing low- and moderate-income households.“Not everybody has got the kind of flexibility or resilience to just be able to hold on,” Thompson says.Pandemic shutters most IRS operationsThe IRS started shutting down tax return processing centers in March, along with its taxpayer help line, local offices and volunteer assistance programs. Soon after, it focused on sending out more than 159 million payments as authorized by the coronavirus relief package. By mid-May, the agency faced a backlog of 10 million pieces of unopened mail, including paper tax returns.People who filed electronically generally got their refunds unless those returns were flagged, commonly because of identity theft concerns or a mismatch between the information on the return and what was provided by employers or financial institutions.In Short’s case, the TurboTax software she used counted a ,800 annual pension payment twice, as both 1099 income and as W-2 income. The IRS sent her a letter about the error and advised her not to contact the agency for 60 days while the issue was resolved. Then, the lockdowns happened.Short says her pension and monthly Social Security disability checks don’t cover her expenses. She makes arrangements to pay overdue bills, such as her power bill, when her refund arrives. Otherwise, she says, the math of living on a low fixed income gets grim.“Either you miss a payment on the electric bill, or you don’t get your medicine,” says Short, a former facilities manager and insulin-dependent diabetic who was severely injured when her car was hit by a drunk driver.Using refunds to catch upPutting off bills, then using tax refunds to catch up, is a common practice among strapped households, Thompson says. A survey of people who used free filing methods for lower- and moderate-income taxpayers last year found roughly half said they needed their refunds for bills, rent, groceries and other everyday expenses, according to Prosperity Now, a nonprofit that promotes financial security.People also increase their health care spending significantly after refund checks arrive. A 2018 study of 1.2 million checking account holders found health care spending rose 60% in the week after people received refunds, indicating many were catching up on care, Greig says.It’s not clear how long it will take the IRS to address the backlog or when taxpayers can expect their money. People can try using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on the IRS site or call the taxpayer help line, but getting through to a human is difficult even in normal times. Congress has cut the IRS’ budget by 20% since 2010, leading to a 22% reduction in staff, according to acting National Taxpayer Advocate Bridget Roberts. Without adequate staff, the agency answered less than one-third of its calls last year. Another option is to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which has representatives in each state.Rather than wait for the IRS to return their money each year, taxpayers can adjust their withholding so they get more money in their paychecks. But many don’t feel comfortable changing their withholding in case they wind up owing big sums, Thompson says.“You’d have to predict how the year is going to go,” Thompson says. “And what could we possibly predict about this year?”This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.Liz Weston is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston. 4782

Another nationwide retailer is filing for bankruptcy amidst the pandemic.Stein Mart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections Wednesday, citing the current situation in retail during the coronavirus pandemic.“The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business,” said Hunt Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer of Stein Mart, Inc. in a statement from the company. “The Company lacks sufficient liquidity to continue operating in the ordinary course of business. I would like to thank all of our employees for their dedication and support.”Stein Mart says they expect to close most, if not all, of their 281 stores and they have launched a “store closing and liquidation process.” The first store opened in 1908 in Mississippi.The discount department store says they are looking at possibly selling their website and intellectual property during the Chapter 11 process.Stein Mart adds to the list of several retailer who have announced bankruptcy filings or closings, including Tuesday Morning, JCPenney, Sur La Table, Mens Warehouse, Ann Taylor and Lord & Taylor. 1199

Andrea Constand, the key witness in the retrial of Bill Cosby on indecent assault charges, testified Friday morning that she drank wine and took three blue pills at Cosby's urging in January 2004, then lost consciousness and, sometime later, was "jolted awake" to find the entertainer sexually assaulting her."Were you able to verbalize and tell him to stop?" state prosecutor Kristen Feden asked Constand."No," she replied. "I wanted it to stop. I couldn't say anything. I was trying to get my hands to move, my legs to move and the message just wasn't getting there. I was weak, I was limp and I couldn't fight him off.""I was really humiliated. I was in shock. And I was really confused," Constand added.Constand's testimony came on the ninth day of Cosby's retrial on three charges of aggravated indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty.Leading up to Constand's recollection of the alleged assault, the former Temple University employee traced her relationship with Cosby, whom she said she met while handling operations of the school's women's basketball team. Cosby was an active Temple alumnus.Constand offered brief details of seven social encounters she had with Cosby before the alleged assault, including one in which she said he put his hand on her thigh and another when she said he tried to "unbutton my button on my pants.""I mentioned that I wasn't here for that, and he respectfully stopped and we never talked about it again," Constand said of the latter incident. "He got the picture."After that encounter -- but before the early 2004 incident -- "I had no question about my ability to fend off a person that was hitting on me or making a sexual advance on me," Constand testified.Constand began her testimony Friday as prosecutors this week opened their case: by acknowledging that Cosby paid Constand .38 million as part of a civil settlement. She said she has no further legal action pending against Cosby, who, in that case, admitted he got prescription sedatives to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex.Feden is expected to continue questioning Constand early Friday afternoon, after a short court recess.  2157

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