• Direct deposit rebates are the first to be sent out, with the remaining checks being issued according to Social Security number. The closer the last two digits of your SSN are to ‘00,’ the sooner you will get your check.
• The package will pay $600 to most single individuals and $1,200 to married couples, with a $300 per child tax credit for dependents under the age of 17.
• Couples filing joint returns will receive one rebate payment, which will be sent according to the last two digits of the SSN that appears first on the return.
• You don’t have to pay taxes on your economic stimulus payment. According to Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation, the rebate is not included in gross income and therefore is not subject to state or federal income tax.
• The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 will amount to more than $107 billion in rebates being distributed to more than 130 million Americans.

Lines ran out the door at the Department of Public Utilities and Carriers and into the street in Warwick last Thursday to protest the May 1 heating shutoff.

Many of those struggling to pay the rent and bills in a difficult economic climate received a letter last month that said their heat, courtesy of National Grid, would be getting shut off for missing payments. Some elderly and disabled recipients were blindsided by the letter, but when they contacted specific PUC agents as they were told to, many were unable to get through.

"This is open season on the poor," said Henry Shelton, founder of George Wiley Center in Pawtucket. "People are getting restorations for those wrongly terminated."

Shelton and his volunteers were handing out fliers that stated the Rhode Island Public Utility Consumer's Bill of Rights. Read More...

Falcons finishing strong

There was always potential, but for whatever reason, that potential never translated to success for the Cranston West boys’ outdoor track team. From 2001 to 2007, West won a grand total of 12 dual-meets, never winning more than three in a season.

But that era might be over.

The Falcons started building last season and have turned a corner this year. After a split against Woonsocket and Burrillville on Monday, the Falcons closed out the regular season with a 6-3 record, their first winning season this decade.

“It’s been a great season,” said head coach David Barr. “The kids really came together, and we’ve been very competitive. We ended up posting a winning record for the first time in a long time.” Read More...

The pendulum is always swinging, and though it’s at the wrong end this year, the Cranston East boys’ outdoor track team is hoping to start pushing it back.

The ’Bolts closed out the regular season on Monday with losses to Lincoln and Mount St. Charles, which dropped their record to 1-8. For a program that always fields relatively strong teams, results like those are a bit surprising.

But considering how much East lost, it’s not so surprising.

The team was thin in numbers last year but still had good showings because of a talented core of sprinters. That group culminated their season with a fifth-place finish in the 4x100 at the state meet. But two of the runners who competed on that relay team graduated and two more didn’t return to the team. Read More...

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