2011年2月28日 星期一

ormer Anchor Tried To Deduct Thong Underwear, Bedding On Taxes

A former Central Ohio news anchor lost her court battle after she tried to deduct underwear, bedding and teeth whitening expenses on her taxes.

According to court documents, Anietra Hamper claimed expenses on her tax return, including cotton thong underwear, lounge wear, a robe, active wear, bedding, an Ohio State jersey, teeth whitening, gym fees and lingerie.

The documents indicated that Hamper claimed deductions for unreimbursed employee business expenses totaling more than $83,000 for 2005-2008. The deductions included, "expenses for clothing, a cell phone, mileage expenses, professional expenses, subscriptions, union dues, supplies, promotional products, legal expenses, hair, nail, and makeup expenses, office expenses, dry cleaning costs, educational and self-defense class costs, and Internet expenses."

The document stated, "Petitioner's clothing purchases for work consisted of such items as traditional business suits, lounge wear, a robe, sportswear, active wear, lingerie, cotton bikini and cotton thong underwear, and evening wear. She also deducted expenses for an Ohio State jersey, jewelry, bedding, running and walking shoes, and dry cleaning costs."

According to the document, Hamper claimed the expenses were necessary as the result of her job, saying, "Consistent with the requirement that petitioner maintain a neat, professional, and conservative appearance, and as a part of her community appearances, she incurred considerable expenses for clothing and for maintaining her appearance during the years at issue."

The court denied the expense deduction on Feb. 24.

Hamper previously worked as an anchor at both NBC4 WCMH-TV and 10TV WBNS-TV.

The New York Daily News reported the court summary Saturday afternoon.

2011年2月22日 星期二

American Wellness Supply Has Launched New Line of Premium Quality Mattress Protectors and Box Spring Encasements

American Wellness Supply, an online provider of bed bug control products, has

introduced a new line of premium quality mattress protectors for the demanding needs of

the hospitality industry. The "GreenGuard Bed Barrier" line features designs which

exceed strength and features of virtually all previously available products in this

segment. Particular attention was put into an updated fabric design combined with heavy

duty stitching and industrial serging to create a virtually indestructible mattress

cover that will protect mattresses and sleepers for years. A positive zipper closure

combines with a high strength zipper to create what AWS believes is ‘the finest, most

reliable bedding protector ever made.'

AWS carries a full complement of products and information to assist in solving any bed

bug infestation problem or to develop a pre-emptive protection strategy. Their focus on

using Green approaches vs. toxic insecticides is gaining acceptance as the healthiest,

most powerful way to fight this troublesome problem. AWS focuses on the needs of the

hospitality, hotel/motel, and commercial multi-bed industries as primary clients, but

has recently begun to promote its products to consumers as bed bug incidents have shown

an increased trend towards home based infestation.

AWS's green approach promotes dry vapor steam cleaner usage over chemical insecticides

for a toxin free method of bed bug removal. They carry a full line of industrial and

home use steam machines was well as other related bed bug control products.

2011年2月20日 星期日

Bugged by unfilled positions: despite tough economy, Kalamazoo firm has problems attracting workers

KALAMAZOO — For Kalamazoo-based Griffin Pest Control, the pest control market is ripe for expansion.


But owner Linden Griffin Jr. says he can't find the workers he needs to work as service technicians.

"We just want the average guy or girl out there," Griffin said.

The company has about 100 employees spread out across Michigan and northern Indiana, working out of 13 locations. It wants to add more in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. But Griffin said his company has been looking for quite a while, despite the tough economy.

He would not say how many workers the business needs, but said there were good-paying jobs to be filled across the three states and that the company has been advertising for job applicants since December 2009.

"We're a growing company. We've grown every year since 1929," Griffin said of the business started by his father, Linden L. Griffin Sr.

The company, which is headquartered at 2700 Stadium Drive, has worked with the state-supported employment agency Michigan Works, bought air time on Detroit radio stations and even put an advertisement on an I-94 electronic billboard near Ann Arbor, all in the hopes of attracting job-seekers. Those have not yet drawn a significant response, however.

Qualifications aren't beyond the typical requirements for employment: Applicants must pass an alcohol- and drug-screening test, must pass a criminal background check and must have a clean driving record.

Griffin said about one-third of his current work force have college degrees, but high school graduates are welcome, and prior training isn't a requirement. New employees participate in a five-week training program.

Griffin would not specify how much new workers are paid, but a median salary for workers in the industry is about $12.61 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Griffin said he has work for individuals who can write legibly, dress appropriately, work in possibly adverse weather conditions and climb over or under areas where pests may be hiding.

While much of the growth Griffin is hoping for stems from the company's traditional pest control work, such as termite and rodent eradication, some of the growth is being spurred by the recent increase of bed bug infestations across Michigan. And he said the rise in bed bug business has been anything but gradual.

"We're probably seeing a 200 to 300 percent increase (in bed bug

infestations) from last year to this year," Griffin said during a telephone interview from San Antonio, Texas, last week. Griffin was attending a bed bug conference there, the second such conference he said he has attended so far in 2011.

"The bed bugs are quite an issue, and they are not going away," he said.

Unlike other pests that can find their way into a house or a business on their own, bed bugs have to hitch a ride on someone or something to travel from one place to another. And they can become resistant to chemical sprays.