F5 PROJECT OPENS WOMEN’S TRANSITIONAL HOUSING UNIT
FARGO – F5 Project has opened a women’s transitional housing unit in Fargo, ND. The expansion of F5 Project’s housing program will provide a home for women that typically face barriers in finding housing after incarceration or treatment. This unit can house up to three women.
64% of people seeking services from F5 Project are either homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Because of this, the F5 Housing Program has become a crucial component to create supportive communities for individuals in need. F5 Project currently has various houses and units across the state of North Dakota that can support up to 43 males. By developing a women’s transitional housing unit, F5 Project aims to bring the same quality of services to women in need.
FIRST FREE PARK DAY OF 2024 AT MINNESOTA STATE PARKS AND RECREATION AREAS JAN. 15
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on Monday, Jan. 15.
If sufficient snow arrives before Jan. 15, visitors can also partake in popular winter activities like sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Most parks offer snowshoe rentals, and select parks offer ski rentals. Visitors looking for rental equipment or certain recreational opportunities can use the ParkFinder tool (mndnr.gov/parkfinder) to find the best park for their trip.
This “Free Park Day” is one of four days each year on which the DNR waives the requirement for a vehicle permit at state parks and recreation areas. There is one fee-free day for each season of the year, giving Minnesotans a free of charge opportunity to experience the parks and recreation areas at different times of the year.
Four free park days are scheduled for Minnesota state parks and recreation areas in 2024 including:
Monday, Jan. 15
Saturday, April 27
Saturday, June 8
Friday, Nov. 29
Visitors are advised to check for updates in the visitor alert section of individual park webpages (mndnr.gov/parks) before leaving home. Visitors may also download free maps from park webpages, which can be used in the free Avenza maps app, available in the Apple App Store or Google Play. Visitors who prefer a paper map can pick one up at the ranger station; look outside the station if it’s closed when you arrive.
The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities like camping or equipment rentals.
2024 RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING CALENDAR
MOORHEAD – If you’re a Moorhead resident and are wondering what your home recycling pickup calendar looks like for 2024, you can enter your address to find out if you are “A” or “B” schedule and also print out a calendar here.
https://www.cityofmoorhead.com/departments/public-works/sanitation/recycling
LAKE AGASSIZ REGIONAL LIBRARY TO CLOSE JANUARY 15 FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
MOORHEAD – All Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) branches and LINK sites will be closed on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, with regular hours of operation resuming Tuesday, January 16.
MINNESOTA INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX FILING SEASON OPENS JANUARY 29, 2024
The Minnesota Department of Revenue will open the state Individual Income Tax filing season on Monday, January 29, 2024. This date matches the opening day for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The filing deadline to submit 2023 Minnesota income tax returns is Monday, April 15, 2024. This date matches the filing deadline for 2024 federal income tax returns.
Tax software providers and tax professionals may be accepting and preparing tax returns before January 29 and will submit those returns when the IRS and state systems open.
“With the passage of the Minnesota Child Tax Credit, this filing season will be vitally important for hundreds of thousands of Minnesota families,” said Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart. “The most convenient and secure way to claim the money from the Child Tax Credit and any other refund you may be entitled to is choosing direct deposit when you’re filing your tax return. Filing electronically is still the most secure and accurate way to file your return.”
Minnesota Child Tax Credit
Beginning with tax year 2023, you may qualify for a Child Tax Credit of $1,750 per qualifying child, with no limit on the number of children claimed. This is a refundable credit, meaning you can receive a refund even if you do not owe tax. You must file a 2023 individual income tax return in order to claim the credit. Learn more about income requirements and qualifications on the Child Tax Credit webpage.
Track the status of your refund by using the Where’s My Refund? system.
www.revenue.state.mn.us
Concordia College hosts playwright, comedian for MLK Jr. Day
MOORHEAD — The community is invited to Concordia College for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reflect on and engage with King’s work and efforts toward civil rights on Monday, Jan. 15.
The theme will be “Communities in Action, Empowering the Dream,” and author Funmilola Fagbamila, whose viral poem “Black Girl Fly” achieved massive success online, will give the keynote address at 10:30 a.m.
The acclaimed Nigerian-American playwright’s “The Intersection: Woke Black Folk” has been performed all over the world, and her work has been featured on NPR, the BBC, Netflix, FOXtv, and the Guardian. Fagbamila is also a professor of Pan African Studies at California State University in Los Angeles.
Writer, actor, and comedian Chinedu Unaka will kick off the event early during a performance at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, in the Centrum at the Knutson Campus Center. Unaka started doing stand-up comedy while attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. For six years, he taught and entertained students with special education needs.
Monday’s events begin with concurrent breakout sessions from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., followed by Fagbamila’s address at 10:30 a.m. and a break for lunch at noon. A panel focusing on “Our Campus in Action” will run from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. in the Centrum, followed by another round of breakout sessions from 3 to 3:45 p.m. Dr. Michael Chan, executive director for faith and learning, will speak about Concordia’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at 4 p.m. in the Centrum.
In addition, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission is offering free rides to the “Umoja 55: Dreamers Unite” event from campus. The performance celebrates King’s legacy through an Afro-Futuristic lens, showcasing the power of dreams, unity, and hope.
Campus Ministry will follow up the event with an MLK Day Chapel service from 9:50 to 10:20 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Centrum.
“Communities in Action, Empowering the Dream” as a theme grew out of the MLK Day Planning Committee’s reflection on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at Concordia following a period of transition.
“We need our campus community to be courageous, compassionate, and committed in our efforts to learn, reflect, and take action to realize MLK’s dream of our country and communities,” the planning committee wrote. “We hope you will join us in ensuring our campus commits to being ‘Communities in Action, Empowering the Dream’ for MLK 2024 and beyond.”
Visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/mlk for more information.