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Tulia Chamber of Commerce now has a new website!!! We have been working on this for most of year now and are excited it is finally ready to go! The old website will take you to the new, but the new name is tuliachamber.com. LiveJournal would not work with the new system, so we are going to switch. The new site--accessible from the website--is tuliachamber.com/blog. We apologize for any inconvenience for those of you who have bookmarked this Livejournal site, but we think you'll like the other one, too.
I will insert here, that if you have Windstream for your Internet Service Provider, the connection to the blog and/or calendar may not work. I am working on some of these issues.
The new site gives us a more professional look, and will allow us some versatility where we haven't had it before. The email isn't working on the site, but will be soon. There will be other changes, too. I'm just glad to have it up and running.
I don't make a habit of posting "want ads", but the Conestoga is a new chamber member, so I wanted to help them out.
The Conestoga Restaurant is looking for a couple of cooks. If you are interested, please call 995.3407 and ask for Paula or J.C.
All you have to do to get the stimulus payment is file a 2007 IRS Form 1040 or Form 1040A and report at least $3,000 in qualifying income on the form. You can include the amount of your SSA benefits to qualify for the stimulus payment.
Add the amount of your Social Security benefits to other qualifying income, such as wage earnings or certain benefits paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to reach the $3,000 requirement. However, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits do not count as qualifying income for the stimulus payment.
You will enter your name, address, Social Security Number, and filing status on the form. Then just enter the amount of benefits reported to you in January on Form 1099-SSA on Line 14a of Form 1040A or Line 20a of Form 1040. If you don’t have Form 1099-SSA, you can estimate your Social Security benefits by taking the monthly amount you received last year and multiplying it by the number of months you received a check. If you need to include wage earnings to reach the $3,000 qualifying level, enter that amount on Line 7 of Form 1040A or 1040. In addition, you should write the words "Stimulus Payment" at the top of the 1040A or 1040.
Is the stimulus payment taxable next year? No, nor will it affect the amount of SSA benefits you receive. The IRS will begin mailing checks in early May.
In late March 2008, the IRS will mail a packet of information to recipients of Social Security benefits who did not file a tax return last year. The packet will contain guidance to help you claim the stimulus payment. You need not wait for this packet to file your 2007 Tax Return.
AARP Tax Aide Volunteers are available to help file your tax returns. Help will be provided every Thursday by appointment only at the Swisher County RSVP, 321 SW 2nd Street. Please call 995-2104 for an appointment.
The meeting will be in the District Courtroom at Swisher County Courthouse at 7:00 p.m., Monday, March 10. Individuals who require the use of an elevator to the second floor may enter at the north door.
Interested land owners are urged to attend and indicate their land area on a county map. This is an "indication of interest" if a fair deal from a reputable company comes to Swisher County. This is not a "contract" or a "guarantee" to have a wind turbine placed on their land
.The Family Dollar store is making progress. Site work started about a week or so ago. It is slated to open within about three months.
As I update this on 2/29, concrete work has started.
Well, we had hoped the Tulia Herald would run this story--they have the information--but for some reason it has not appeared.
The Tulia United Community Fund had a successful drive the last quarter of 2007, with $26,550 being collected for local projects. While every little bit helps, two events were notable. Tulia Livestock Auction held a special auction to raise money for the Fund, netting over $1000 in the process. Tulia ISD is always a big donor, and this year's kudos go to Swinburn Elementary. Those little guys (along with some help from the staff, I'm sure) raised over $1,000--most of it in nickels, dimes and quarters!!
The funds were distributed to the agencies at a special meeting on January 11.

Principal Scott Burrow accepts TUCF donations from some Swinburn students.
TUCF recipients: Tom Davey, Swisher Area Foundation; Cynthis Zolman, RSVP; Sam Sadler, Tulia Cemetery Assn; Kelly Reusch, Tulia Day Care; Barbara Richardson, CASA; Lauri Rousseau, Love Fund; Marci Brown, Crisis Center of the Plains; Billie Sue Gayler, Swisher County Museum; Bonnie Daniel, Panhandle Community Services; Marshall Ebeling, Good Shepherd; not pictured, Joe Weaver, Chamber of Commerce
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Are you getting tired of the look of the website? I sure am! I would have changed it, but I three months ago I contracted with a company to build and host it. I thought it would be done by the middle of December--the first of the year at the latest. Here we are halfway through February, and still nothing. I get an email from them about once every two weeks saying they are working on it, but still nothing. I have been patient, but my patience is wearing thin!
Tickets to the Annual Chamber Banquet, to be held on March 13, are now on sale!!
The Tulia Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Business of the Year, and Pioneer Soirit Award. Nominations must include reasons why the nominee should be selected, and must be turned in to the Chamber office (in person or by mail) by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 15. An Awards Committee will be selected to read and vote on all nominations.
In previous years, the Chamber has awarded Educator of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, but has opted to discontinue those, as education is not in the Chamber's area of involvement or expertise, and volunteer activites are generally considered in the Man and Woman of the Year nominations. Also, RSVP recognizes a qualified volunteer.
The Pioneer Spirit Award seems to give people some trouble, but I think the key to nominating someone is the word "spirit". The true pioneers--those who settled the county and built the towns--are long gone, but that spirit of working with little, triumphing over adversity, giving selflessly, and building (and rebuilding) is very much alive in Swisher Country residents.
It's tough to say too much about this year's entertainment, but since I have lauded Shiela Phillips in earlier blogs--and will probably do so again--I'll only say here that the evening will be a time of great food and entertainment. We are still working on parts of the program, but things are shaping us. Cost for the evening is $25--one would be hard-pressed to find this combination of great food and entertainment at a better price.
Oh...and we now accept Visa and MasterCard for ticket purchases in advance.
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SPEAKING OF ENTERTAINMENT.....
The Annual Melodrama is back! The performance dates are April 11, 12, and 13, with the Sunday performance being a matinee. There is still time--and room--for you to be a part. The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 31, 7pm at the Gayler Room in the Swisher Memorial Building. We will need performers, stage hands, ticket-takers, costumers, and a lot more!
Chamber Home
ANNUAL MELODRAMA!!
The Tulia Chamber of Commerce Annual Melodrama is scheduled for April 11, 12, and 13. An organizational meeting will be held this Thursday, January 17, 7:00 pm, in the Gayler Room of the
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Shelia Stark Phillips is the keynote speaker for the Annual Chamber Banquet, though that term sounds a little dry for the entertainment Sheila provides. Her resume includes "teacher", "author", and "zookeeper", of all things, which should be enough to provide an interesting repertoire! I have heard Sheila on a number of occasions and always left with my sides aching.| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
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