Latest news with #BrianHardin
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A family affair at the Grand Blue Mile
DES MOINES, Iowa — The 16th annual Grand Blue Mile was a family affair Tuesday night in downtown Des Moines. Over 3,000 runners and walkers participated in one of the seven different races. From young children, to professional runners, it was an event for everyone. WDM Parks and Rec hosts Trash Bash Competition to celebrate Earth Day For the ninth straight year, the USATF 1 Mile Road Championship was held in Des Moines. The top two finishers for both men and women receive an automatic spot to represent Team USA at the world championship later this year. For many of the runners, this was a fun event to enjoy with friends an family. Drake Director of Athletics Brian Hardin is no exception. He and his wife ran alongside his kids, while his parents walked. 'I've got three generations of Hardins doing this,' he said. 'I think what makes it wonderful is you choose the pace you want to go at.' Metro News: A family affair at the Grand Blue Mile Bicyclist hospitalized after being hit by truck in Des Moines WDM Parks and Rec hosts Trash Bash Competition to celebrate Earth Day Polk County autopsies will be done by State Medical Examiner's Office as part of agreement Norwalk police investigating shooting threats that caused care center lockdown Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to plug ‘missing year' of Nebraska property tax relief for schools on pause for now
State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, center, hosts a news conference on property taxes. Behind him are, from left: State Sens. Margo Juarez of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth, Jana Hughes of Seward and Glen Meyer of Pender. Jan. 9, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The effort to plug a 'hole' left behind from Nebraska's 2024 special session on property taxes — a 'missing year' of tax relief — will likely not move forward this year. State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, the sponsor of Legislative Bill 81, confirmed the status of his bill this week. If passed, LB 81 seeks to extend the previous refundable income tax credit for school property taxes paid the previous year for one more year. That program ended with the passage of a bill during the special session that ended in August. 'A missing year': No income tax credits for Nebraskans to offset school property taxes paid in 2024 LB 81's goal is to capture relief for the roughly 85% of Nebraska taxpayers who pay property taxes in arrears, such as property taxes assessed in December 2023 but paid throughout 2024. Hardin said State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, chair of the Revenue Committee, has opted to keep LB 81 in committee and not 'exec' on it, the step toward voting whether to advance the bill. 'Unfortunately there's nothing we can do if they won't exec on it and send it out,' Hardin said this week. 'If they don't exec on it this year and leave it there, this will continue to be something we'll pick at into the next half of the biennium.' If the committee were to vote, von Gillern explained, the state's projected $457 million budget shortfall for the next two years, prior to any legislative action, means LB 81 'would certainly fail.' He and the former chair of the Revenue Committee, former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, have said property tax relief is still coming each fiscal year, just at a different time. Von Gillern added that should the state's fiscal position improve by next year, and Hardin's bill remains in committee for now, 'the bill stays alive.' 'We have an opportunity to potentially move it forward at that time,' von Gillern said. 'The best thing we can do right now is leave it in committee.' LB 81 was spearheaded and later drafted by former State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard before he was term-limited in January. Just weeks after the summer special session, as first reported by the Nebraska Examiner, he found what he blasted as a 'plain and simple retroactive property tax increase.' When lawmakers voted 40-3 in August to approve LB 34, they revamped the previous tax credit program created in 2020 to apply automatically to taxpayer statements. In December, that meant many Nebraskans who did not know or were previously unable to request the tax credits received relief for the first time, which lawmakers and the governor lauded as a major success of the 17-day session of many twists and turns over multiple months. In doing so, lawmakers eliminated the tax credit for any taxes paid in 2024. About 15% of taxpayers who paid 2023 assessed property taxes by the end of that year were able to get relief when they filed their 2024 tax returns. The Nebraska Department of Revenue estimated LB 81 would initially cost $4.5 million for technical changes and to hire nearly 100 temporary staff to handle amended returns and answer taxpayer questions about the change. The new credits that would be distributed under LB 81 would be over a three-year period because most taxpayers would need to file amended returns, the department said, estimated as follows: $102 million in credits during the current fiscal year (ending June 30). $503 million in credits during the next fiscal year (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026). $32 million in credits during the third fiscal year (July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027). 'Given this will likely be a slow process, the majority of the refunds will take place during FY 25-26,' the fiscal note states. With a chuckle, Hardin said he was one of the ones to miss out on the tax credit. Among taxpayers who did pay early: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Hardin, Erdman and their supporters say the tax relief is owed to all taxpayers. 'What is fascinating to me is that at no point have I really had anybody who has ever said, 'No, you're not owed that money.' It's just, 'We can't afford it,'' Hardin said. LB 81 did not receive a 'priority' designation this year, meaning even if advanced from the Revenue Committee, it would head to the back of the line, behind more than 100 other proposals, as well as the budget, unless it hitched a ride on one of those items. Asked whether taxpayers should expect any changes before the April 15 tax filing deadline, Hardin said bluntly: 'No.' Hardin could opt to try to 'pull' the bill from committee, which would require 25 votes, or 30 votes if the Revenue Committee in response voted to 'indefinitely postpone' or kill the bill. Hardin is not planning to file a pull motion at this time but does hope to have some productive conversations in the future. He said advancing the bill would be the most transparent approach for taxpayers who want an answer. 'We made a mistake, and we need to own that mistake,' Hardin said. 'We need to come up with that money for those people that we passed over, and that would be the right thing to do.' Before, in LB 1107 (2020) December 2019 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2020. Income tax credits in 2021. December 2020 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2021. Income tax credits in 2022. December 2021 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2022. Income tax credits in 2023. December 2022 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2023. Income tax credits in 2024. December 2023 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2024. Income tax credits in 2025. After, in LB 34 (2024) December 2023 assessed taxes. No income tax credits available (unless taxes were paid by Dec. 31, 2023). December 2024 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2025. December 2025 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2026. Proposed, in LB 81 (2025) December 2023 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2024. Income tax credits in 2025. December 2024 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2025. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans react to Drake Bulldogs March Madness placement
DES MOINES, Iowa — Hundreds of fans gathered at the Knapp Center Sunday March 16th for a Selection Sunday watch party with the Drake University Men's Basketball team. Fans were excited to learn about the Bulldogs placement in the NCAA tournament. 'We're going to play Oregon or like a better team than Drake, or Missouri. But Missouri is still going to go down' said Isiaih Crouch, a Drake Bulldogs fan. The Latest: NCAA Tournament brackets have been revealed Drake is set to play Missouri in Wichita on Thursday, March 20th. Drake University's Director of Athletics, Brian Hardin, said that fans should buy tickets as soon as possible if they plan on attending the game. 'There's going to be a ton of interest in tickets. I would probably urge fans right now, if they can, to jump on and do like secondary markets and try to see what you can get. We'll probably have well over a thousand ticket requests. We'll probably have maybe 200 actual tickets to give away. So, demand is going to exceed the supply we have.' Hardin said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
