The deadline to file tax returns is less than one month away, but it appears that most taxpayers – and even the Internal Revenue Service – are having trouble keeping track of the exact date.
A survey of 1,000 taxpayers by H&R Block showed that just 22 percent of respondents knew that the deadline for returns this year is April 17 – two days later than usual.
The reason for the extension: Because April 15 falls on a Sunday, and because the following Monday is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in Washington, D.C., taxpayers have a little extra time this year. The issue even confused the IRS, which listed April 16 as the deadline on many of the paper forms sent to taxpayers.
Ethanol prices race ahead of production
U.S. ethanol prices reached the highest level in more than two months last week as expanding demand from gasoline blenders outpaced domestic production.
U.S. gasoline consumption this year is running almost 3 percent above last year’s levels, according to Energy Department data. That’s resulted in a pinch for near-term ethanol supplies, said Jim Damask, manager with BiofuelsConnect, a Heathrow, Fla.-based alternative energy broker.
“There’s a supply crunch at this particular moment,” Damask said. “What’s available today still isn’t enough. However, we’ll have enough supply long-term.”
The average for ethanol on March 12 reached $2.348 a gallon, the highest price since Jan. 8. The latest average is down 42 percent from a record $3.9757 July 3 and down 3 percent from a year ago.
U.S. ethanol consumption last year jumped 33 percent to 5.4 billion gallons, compared with 4.05 billion the previous year, according to the Renewable Fuels Association.
Puttin’ on the ritz for Turner PR’s 10th
Christine Turner started her company, Turner Public Relations, out of her basement exactly a decade ago last week.
To commemorate the firm’s 10th anniversary, Turner decided to celebrate by paying for her eight-person staff to take a three-day trip to New York.
“We are going to hit all the great restaurants and hot spots,” said Alana Watkins, a principal with the Denver- based firm. “We’ll do all the touristy stuff.”
The trip runs from Thursday to Saturday and will include a stop at the company’s New York office, which opened about a year ago. As part of the anniversary, the company also last week launched a redesigned website that reflects its focus on consumer products, real estate and hospitality, Watkins said.
Postdoctoral praise for National Jewish
National Jewish Medical and Research Center has been named one of the best places in the nation to undertake postdoctoral training.
The Scientist, a magazine of the life sciences, said in its March issue that National Jewish was the sixth-best place in the United States for “postdocs” to work, based on the results of a Web-based survey completed by more than 2,300 researchers.
Postdoctoral researchers usually join an established research lab for a few years after earning their Ph.D.s to get more training in a specific area before starting their own research laboratories. National Jewish employs about 90 postdocs in several research laboratories.
Company abandons “dirty bomb” drug
Days after the government refused to buy its anti-radiation drug, a San Diego pharmaceutical company announced Friday that it’s dropping development of what many considered the most promising treatment for victims of a “dirty bomb” or nuclear attack.
Executives of Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc. said officials of the Department of Health and Human Services effectively demanded last week that the company spend another $40 million to $50 million on final safety and efficacy trials without a commitment to a contract.
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
