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Md. comptroller shares red flags to identify fraudulent tax preparers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

Though many are taking a breath after tax season, Maryland officials advise to look out for red flags if you worked with an accountant or tax preparer.Maryland State Comptroller Brooke Lieberman told WTOP’s Mike Murillo that her department is on the lookout for tax preparers who file fraudulent returns, often targeting those who are more vulnerable.“We see that there are tax preparers who are taking advantage of people with lower incomes, sometimes people who … English is not their first language, and overcharging them or submitting filings that are fraudulent,” she said.“We do not regulate the tax preparers in the state of Maryland, but we are able to flag those [fraudulent] preparers for taxpayers to know … And then we’re able to block access to electronic filing for those preparers as well,” she said.For example, Lieberman said, when clients agree to pay for their filing using their expected refund, fraudulent preparers will sometimes manipulat...

Affiliated Managers: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (AMG) on Monday reported first-quarter profit of $134.5 million.On a per-share basis, the West Palm Beach, Florida-based company said it had profit of $3.47. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were $4.18 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $4.15 per share.The asset manager posted revenue of $517.4 million in the period, which did not meet Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $546.8 million.Affiliated Managers shares have dropped roughly 9% since the beginning of the year. The stock has climbed 15% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AMG at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AMGSource

WEC Energy: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — MILWAUKEE (AP) — WEC Energy Group Inc. (WEC) on Monday reported first-quarter net income of $507.5 million.The Milwaukee-based company said it had profit of $1.61 per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.59 per share.The electricity and natural gas provider posted revenue of $2.89 billion in the period, which fell short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2.92 billion.WEC Energy expects full-year earnings to be $4.58 to $4.62 per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WEC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/WECSource

Global Payments: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — ATLANTA (AP) — Global Payments Inc. (GPN) on Monday reported a loss of $11 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Atlanta-based company said it had a loss of 4 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $2.40 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.30 per share.The electronics payment processing company posted revenue of $2.29 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $2.05 billion, also surpassing Street forecasts. Nine analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2 billion.Global Payments expects full-year earnings in the range of $10.32 to $10.44 per share, with revenue in the range of $8.64 billion to $8.74 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on GPN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/GPNSource

Ref’s error casts pall on Bundesliga race; no help from VAR

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A refereeing error has became the focus of attention in the Bundesliga after it helped Bayern Munich regain the lead from Borussia Dortmund with four rounds of the league remaining.The video assistant referee didn’t intervene to award a penalty in Dortmund’s game on Friday as the team was held to a 1-1 draw with Bochum on Friday night, a result that could have a major impact on the title race. The German soccer federation acknowledged Saturday that referee Sascha Stegemann should have given the penalty “without the need for support from the video assistant.” However, it did not say why there was no support from the video assistant.Stegemann failed to spot the foul in the area in the 65th minute when Bochum’s Danilo Soares plowed into Karim Adeyemi from behind and brought the Dortmund forward down without touching the ball. Soares was already booked and could have been sent off with a second yellow card.“We would probably go in front and you’re playing again...

14 heridos en Ohio tras el colapso del techo de una casa donde había demasiados estudiantes parados

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

(CNN) — Al menos 14 personas resultaron heridas y fueron trasladadas a hospitales cercanos después de que un techo se derrumbara en una casa de Columbus, Ohio, cerca de la Universidad Estatal de Ohio porque demasiadas personas estaban de pie sobre el techo, según las autoridades.“Parece que el techo estaba sobrecargado de estudiantes, hemos escuchado números entre 15 y 45 estudiantes en un techo que no fue diseñado para tener a nadie en él, y cedió”, dijo Steve Martin, Jefe del Batallón de Bomberos de la División de Columbus el sábado por la noche.La sección del techo del porche delantero de la casa se derrumbó alrededor de las 7:40 p.m. hora del este del sábado por la noche, dijeron las autoridades.Un niño de 13 años muere en Ohio tras participar en un ‘reto’ de Benadryl en TikTokLas pocas personas que quedaron atrapadas debajo de la estructura derrumbada pudieron soltarse de debajo del techo con la ayuda de otros estudiantes que ayudaron a levantar partes del edi...

Police find parents of 2-year-old found wandering alone in Miramar’s Riviera Isles community

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

A 2-year-old child was found wandering alone in the Riviera Isles community early Monday morning and, according to local authorities, her parents were found.Authorities found her around 3 a.m. and she is currently in good health and speaks Spanish.Miramar Police requested the public’s assistance in identifying the child, who was found wandering without adult supervision, but police said around 8 a.m. that the parents were located.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

JPMorgan Chase to buy troubled First Republic Bank

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

The FDIC said Monday that JPMorgan Chase has purchased First Republic Bank, the embattled lender that has struggled for weeks after being slammed with massive deposit outflows.Regulators had scrambled all weekend to complete a deal to sell San Francisco-based First Republic to head off any further market turmoil following the collapse last month of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. California’s state bank regulator shut down First Republic overnight and appointed the FDIC as receiver. That cleared the way for a sale to JPMorgan, which will take on all deposits and substantially all assets.First Republic, until this year one of the more envied banking franchises in America with over $200 billion in assets, surpassed SVB to become the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, behind only Washington Mutual.The bank’s demise is the latest fallout from the stunning fall of SVB, which sparked runs at similar institutions, including Signature. These banks all had an unusually larg...

Hollywood braces for writers strike with two sides far apart

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

(CNN) — The clock is ticking toward a costly strike that could shut down production on most television shows, pushing back the return of many programs now set for the fall.Last month, members of the Writers Guild of America voted 98% in favor of going on strike if no new deal is reached before their current contract expires at 11:59 pm PDT Monday. With less than a day left before the deadline, the two sides appear far apart.The talks come at a time both sides are feeling pain. Many of the media and tech companies producing shows that use the writers have seen drops in their stock price, prompting deep cost cutting, including layoffs. But the writers, many of whom can’t support themselves with writing alone, are suffering from reduced job opportunities and the loss of some sources of income due to an industry shift from traditional broadcast and cable programming to streaming services.“The companies have used the transition to...

Man arrested after $3M worth of drugs shipped to Maine restaurant

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:53 GMT

AUBURN, Maine (AP) — Employees of a Maine restaurant got a surprise when they opened a large wooden crate that they thought was a shipment of mugs they had recently ordered.Instead, they found a plastic tote that contained what law enforcement suspect is 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl with an estimated street value of $3 million, Auburn police Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said in a statement Saturday.The tote had a shipping label with the restaurant’s address but the name of someone who did not work there. Employees who opened it saw what they thought looked like drugs, so they contacted police, Cougle said.The crate from Arizona that arrived in the Maine town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Portland was taken to the police department, where a chemical field examination confirmed it contained fentanyl.About an hour later, the man whose name was on the shipment showed up looking for the crate and was arrested, police said.Jeremy Mercie...