Sandy Mitchell

It's official.

In landslide votes, the extension/expansion of the first time home buyer tax credit passed both houses of Congress and is now on its way to the President's desk for signing tomorrow.

The credit now goes through May 1st, which means you can sign a contract through May 1st as long as you close on the property by June 30th.

It gives up to $8000 for first time buyers (defined as not having owned a home for the past three years) and up to a $6500 credit to move-up buyers who have owned and occupied their current homes for at least five years.

Again, you have to be an owner occupant of this primary residence, no investors here, and there is an income cap for single filers at $125,000 and joint filers at $225,000. Oh, and the home you buy can't be more than $800,000.

This is great news for the economy and all those folks who drug their feet and didn't get in on the credit the first time around. Now with the expanded credit, people will be able to "move up" too!

Yamhill County Public Health is offering vaccine clinics for H1N1 and seasonal flu shots starting today. These clinics are by appointment only and will continue through next week while supplies last.

Seasonal flu clinic
This vaccine includes the flu shot for low-income people and the nasal spray. Cost for the nasal spray is $39.75, which can be billed to Medicaid. For both the nasal spray and the flu shot, people without insurance or unable to pay may be able to receive the flu vaccine for a reduced price of $15.19 or less. For healthy people between the ages of 2 - 49, the live flu vaccine (nasal spray) is a good option according to Dr. Robert Moore, Yamhill County Health.

Moore adds that some medical providers and pharmacies may be receiving additional supplies of seasonal flu vaccine as they become available.

H1N1 vaccine clinic
The H1N1 flu vaccine is in limited supply and only people in these groups will be vaccinated at this time:

• Children ages six months to five years
• Pregnant women
• Parents, household contacts and caregivers of children under six months old

To schedule an appointment or for more information, please call the Yamhill County Public Health information line at 503-434-7443 or 503-55407842. Yamhill County Public Health is located at 412 NE Ford, McMinnville.

So, by now you have received your tax statement in the mail and were surprised to see that instead of your taxes going down like you thought they would, they went up. How could this be you ask yourself, how can the value of my home go down and my taxes increase?

The reason is because property taxes in Oregon are based on assessed value, not real market value. Under Measure 50 which was voted in, in 1997, the assessed value of your home will rise 3% each year, plus any bonds or levies that were voted in.

Even though the market has continued to decline, in part due to the high number of short sales, taxes won't reflect that until next year.

In Yamhill County, here's the breakdown of where your tax dollars go:

The majority goes to fund schools. One Yamhill County property tax dollar gives 55 Cents to education (K-12, community colleges, educational service districts), 28 cents to neighborhood services provided by cities and special districts (police and fire protection, libraries, parks, urban road maintenance, and more), and 17 cents to county government services (public safety, road improvements, electronic, public health and more.)

Taxpayers who feel their assessed or real market values may be too high should call the assessor's office to discuss the basis for their property's appraisal and if they choose, they may appeal. Appeals may be filed through Dec. 31. You can find the information regarding appeal on the back of your tax statement.

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Hosts

Photo Contest

Only two weeks left to submit photos

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Only two weeks remain to submit photos to the first annual "Clicks Away: EASM Photo Contest." All submissions are due by November 1.

Categories include:

People: Individuals experiencing the Museum.

Aircraft: Aircraft, spacecraft or exhibit in the Museum or on the Museum campus.

Event: People or activities at a Museum event (Easter Eggstravaganza, Hall of Honor, Loose Goose Fly-Out, etc.).

Employee: Best photo submitted by an Evergreen employee, Museum employee, intern or volunteer in the previously listed categories.

Winning entries will be displayed in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, featured in an issue of the Museum's member newsletter, Wingspan, and posted on the www.EvergreenMuseum.org. Additional prizes will be announced on Nov. 1. All submissions are due by Nov.1.

For entry forms, model release forms and official contest rules, please visit www.EvergreenMuseum.org, or call 503-434-4006.

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is best known as the home of the world's largest wooden flying boat, the" Spruce Goose", SR-71 "Blackbird", the Titan II SLV Missile and the Grumman F6F-3 "Hellcat". In addition, there are more than 150 historic aircraft, spacecraft and exhibits on display, along with artwork, traveling displays, the Spruce Goose Café, the Cosmo Café, the Rotors, Wings & Things store, the Right Stuff Store and Oregon's largest IMAX® 3D theater. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily except when it is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter. The Museum facility is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Regular visitor admission is required. Call 503-434-4180 for more information, and visit www.evergreenmuseum.org.

Influenza has been reported in Newberg schools. It is not known whether or not this is H1N1 influenza because doctors and emergency rooms are not testing for H1N1 flu.

Anyone with influenza needs to remain at home. Influenza is a viral illness characterized by a fever above 100^o, a cough, sore throat, body aches chills nausea and fatigue. H1N1 flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu.

If students become sick with respiratory symptoms and a fever at school, the school office will notify parents or guardians to pick up their student and take them home or to a health-care provider. Emergency telephone contacts will be made in the event parent or guardians cannot be reached. Please make sure your student's school has current contact information for you at home and at school.

Students should not return to school until they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, for 24 hours without using fever-reducing drugs.

Influenza is highly contagious and is spread mainly from person to person when people with influenza cough or sneeze. We are doing everything we can to keep schools functioning as usual. Here are recommended ways to reduce the spread of illness:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Keep sick children home
• CDC recommends vaccination

Please contact the school office if your child is sick. More information about H1N1 influenza is available on the school district website including links to local and federal health resources.