The Brownsville States-Graphic, Thursday, January 13, 2011 -- Page A9

More For You!

www.first-state.net

BROWNSVILLEBanking25 S. Grand Ave. • 779-9199

Finance & Mortgage111 Peachtree Plaza • 772-8787

It’s easy and convenient to do business with First State _ no matter where you go! With every customer, our service starts with exceeding your expectations and then focuses on safe and sound business practices. And equally important is our long-term commitment to this community. Consider Moving to First State today! We’re Right Down the Road! We’re looking forward to the opportunity of serving you today and tomorrow.

Call Us Today!

Union City South Fulton

Martin

DresdenSharon

Greenfield

Milan

TroyRives

Kenton

Dyersburg

Humboldt

Covington

Atoka

Memphis

Collierville

BrownsvilleJackson

Lexington

Henderson

White House

GoodlettsvilleGallatin

Hendersonville

Nashville

Brentwood

Columbia

Murfreesboro

MempMempMempMempeeMemmmemMemMemMempeeemeeeemmmmmmmMemmmpppeeeeeMemeeemeMemempmmmmmMemmmppemppppMemppeMeememememMempempemmmpmpmpMemMemMemMemppppMempMMeeempMemMempMemMemppppMMMMMempMempMempmpmMempmpmpMemppMMMMMMMMemMempMemMememMempmppMMMMMemMemMemmpppMMMMemMempMemMemmpMMMMMMeMempmmmMMMMemMemmMMeemmpe pppphishishishhhhhishhhhhihishishihhihhihishhhhhihhhhihiiihhihhishiiisihhissss

CoCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCollierville

Consider Moving to First State Today!

Bank ing I F inance I Mor tgage I Insurance I Inves tmentsBank deposits are FDIC insured. Bank, Mortgage, and Finance loans are subject to credit approval. Insurance and Investment Services No Bank Guarantee. May lose value. Not a Deposit. Not insured by any Federal Government Agency.

Are you a former college student who didn’t quite get around to graduating? Now the University of Memphis is making it easier for those students to return to school to earn their degrees. The “Back on Track” initiative will hold a public information session Thursday, Feb. 10, between 5:30 and 7 p.m. in the University Center River Room. Nearby free parking is available in the Zach Curlin garage, at the southeast corner of the campus between Central and Walker.Information will be available on readmission, fi nancial aid, advising, academic transition, resources for veterans, adult student services, and more.“Back on Track” is designed for adults who want to complete their degree in their original major or start a new one. Applicants must meet re-admission criteria.

Increasing the college-educated population would raise the educational level of the workforce, in turn boosting economic growth for the area, said Dr. Dan Lattimore, vice provost for Extended Programs. Some 23 percent of adults in Memphis have a college degree. Statistics also

show that individuals with higher educational achievement have a signifi cantly higher income over their lifetime.Reservations for the session are encouraged, but not required. To register, or for more information, go online to www.memphis.edu/backontrack or call 901-678-1327.

Get “Back on Track” to Complete College Degree; Information Session Is Feb. 10

Six Important Facts about Dependents and Exemptions

Some tax rules affect every person who may have to fi le a federal income tax return – these rules include dependents and exemptions. Here are six important facts the IRS wants you to know about dependents and exemptions that will help you fi le your 2010 tax return.

Exemptions reduce your taxable income. There are two types of exemptions: personal exemptions and exemptions for dependents. For each exemption you can deduct $3,650 on your 2010 tax return.

Your spouse is never considered your dependent. On a joint return, you may claim one exemption for yourself and one for your spouse. If you’re fi ling a separate return, you may claim the exemption for your spouse only if they had no gross income, are not fi ling a joint return, and were not the dependent of another taxpayer.

Exemptions for dependents. You generally can take an exemption for each of your dependents.

A dependent is your qualifying child or qualifying relative. You must list the social security number of any dependent for whom you claim an exemption.

If someone else claims you as a dependent, you may still be required to fi le your own tax return. Whether you must fi le a return depends on several factors including the amount of your unearned, earned or gross income, your marital status, any special taxes you owe and any advance Earned Income Tax Credit payments you received.

If you are a dependent, you may not claim an exemption. If someone else – such as your parent – claims you as a dependent, you may not claim your personal exemption on your own tax return.

Some people cannot be claimed as your dependent. Generally, you may not claim a married person as a dependent if they fi le a joint return with their spouse.

Also, to claim someone as a dependent, that

person must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national or resident of Canada or Mexico for some part of the year. There is an exception to this rule for certain adopted children. See IRS Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information for additional tests to determine who can be claimed as a dependent.

For more information on exemptions, dependents and whether you or your dependent needs to fi le a tax return, see IRS Publication 501. The publication is available at http://www.irs.gov or can be ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). You can also use the Interactive Tax Assistant at http://www.irs.gov to determine who you can claim as a dependent and how much you can deduct for each exemption you claim.

The ITA tool is a tax law resource on the IRS website that takes you through a series of questions and provides you with responses to tax law questions.

Got the winter blues? Or perhaps you’re looking to brighten the ambiance in a room.

Indoor gardens are an inexpensive way to lift your spirits, change your decor, and bring a little sunshine to short winter days. And February is National Indoor Gardening Month, offering you the perfect opportunity to learn the basics to growing plants indoors.

Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

Things to Consider

Before buying up the garden section of your local home improvement store, it’s important to decide what you want to grow. House plants can grow under the relatively low light levels, but fresh herbs like basil and cilantro require a more direct sun or artifi cial light to thrive. And fl owering plants like tomatoes and petunias require even more light - either a sunny window or grow lights.

Once you’ve decided what you want to grow, it’s time to decide on a space for your garden. Consider things like potential drafts, fl oor and shelf space, access to water and room for grow

lights, if needed. You should also

consider how much time you have to nurture new life forms in your home. If you travel a lot or work two jobs, you may want to grow plants that need infrequent watering. If you’re retired or a homebody, you can stock your home with more plants of greater diversity.

Elements andExceptions

Just like their exposure to light, different plants need different amounts of water and types of nutrients. Slow growing plants need less nutrients and often less water. Fast growing plants like to be consistently damp. Trial and error and a bit of research will help in determining what’s right for the plants you want to grow.

Or you can use innovation to your advantage. For example, a product called the AeroGarden is a soil-free, indoor growing system that lets you grow anything from tarragon to tomatoes using liquid nutrients, energy-effi cient grow lights and hydroponic technology that eliminates over- and under-watering. These technologies allow plants

and vegetables to grow nearly twice as fast.

“ H o m e - g r o w n vegetables and herbs are great ways for families to save money,” says J. Michael Wolfe, President of AeroGrow, the makers of the AeroGarden. “So it’s even better that families can now grow their vegetables year-round.”

Plants that Grow Best

Indoor planting requires some thought in terms of what to grow and when. For example, you can “force” a variety of spring bulbs to grow by chilling them for a few months before winter sets in. But for most people, it’s easier to grow plants suited for indoor climates.

For fl owering plants, some common favorites include African violets, geraniums and impatients. Or you can grow more hardy plants like cacti, aloe vera and spider plants. For information on growing plants and vegetables indoors in a dirt-free environment, visit www.aerogarden.com.

But regardless of what you grow, indoor gardens can bring new life and a feeling of eternal spring.

Use Indoor Plants To Brighten Your Home This Winter

E n v i r o n m e n t and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke announced the kickoff of Radon Action Month. This annual effort is designed to help educate Tennesseans about the dangers of radon exposure, encouraging actions to identify and to address radon problems in the home.

Environment and Conservation has joined forces with the American Lung Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Health, and various local and county health departments with an outreach program to raise awareness about this health risk and the importance of testing.

“Testing is such a smart and vital step in protecting your home environment,” said Fyke. “I encourage all Tennesseans to take action in protecting the health of loved ones from the dangers of exposure to radon.”

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can seep into homes through cracks and openings in their foundations. It cannot be seen,

tasted or smelled, but in concentrated levels, radon can pose a threat to human health. The EPA estimates that approximately 70 percent of Tennessee’s population lives in high risk or moderate risk radon areas. According to the EPA, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

While radon poses a serious threat to our community’s health, radon test kits are the fi rst step toward a straightforward solution and are easy to use. In Tennessee, radon test kits can be purchased at most local hardware and home improvement stores, or through the American Lung Association.

The best time to test is during consistently cold weather, usually from October to March. This is the time of year when doors and windows are shut, so test results are more representative of in-home exposure. Radon problems can be fi xed by qualifi ed contractors for a cost comparable to that of many common

household repairs, such as painting or installing a new water heater.

“Nationally, about 6 percent of homes surveyed had elevated levels of radon,” said Amy Little of the Tennessee Radon Program. “In contrast, 16 percent of Tennessee homes surveyed had elevated levels and in some counties, 33 to 75 percent of homes being tested have elevated levels of radon.”

Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), and the EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend homes with radon levels at 4 pCi/L or higher should be fi xed. EPA also recommends that Americans consider fi xing their homes for radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.

For more information about the Tennessee Radon Program, please visit Environment and Conservation’s Web site at www.tn.gov/e n v i r o n m e n t / e a /radon or contact the department’s Radon Program at 1-800-232-1139 or TDEC.Radon@tn.gov.

Environment and Conservation Kicks Off Radon Action Month