Director's Message: We're Open!

Dear Library Patrons, We are pleased to announce that today, Monday, June 8, your Miami-Dade Public Library System is again open to the public.  We have implemented COVID-19 safety and protective measures that will be required of our patrons and staff – such as the wearing of face coverings to enter and while in the library, hand sanitizing/washing upon entry, and occupancy limits to help maintain social distancing – so that everyone can again enjoy the in-library services that so many of you are accustomed to and rely upon.  You can find more details and information about our safety measures in our Reopening Plan. We are especially excited about our new expanded operating hours and additional days of service that will allow most of our locations to be open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, including 13 locations where an additional day of service has been added.  The 345 weekly hours of service that have been added to our open hours will provide you with greater access to our services throughout the week.  A full list of our operating hours can be found here. During the time our library buildings were closed for public visits, we were never really “closed.”  Our library team continued to adapt and serve our residents in new and creative ways, including: Responding to more than 7,000 calls and emails for assistance, resulting in the issuance of over 3,200 new library cards and a nearly 50 percent increase in our eContent usage compared with the same time last year. Providing walk-up services for patrons to pick up materials using our online catalog or mobile app or by calling their nearest branch. Experimenting with different service delivery models, including an expanded “books-by-mail” program with over 5,500 items mailed directly to library patrons, a service that we will continue to refine for the future. Extending due dates for library materials until further notice. Patrons don’t have to worry about returning items or late fees. We encourage you to hold on to your materials for now, but if you’d like to return them, please place them in the library’s book drop. Transitioning our Homework Help & Tutoring Program from in-person to online, providing approximately 4,000 virtual tutoring sessions to K-12 students from certified teachers, which will continue in the summer beginning June 13. Visit mdpls.org/tutor for more information. Reaching residents in new ways by providing virtual storytimes and programs such as STEAM, meditation and book talks, which will continue to be available on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and YouTube channel. Supporting Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 response to help residents in need of obtaining economic assistance. Since April 8, we have distributed more than 115,000 state Reemployment Assistance applications and more than 21,000 Department of Children and Families Food (SNAP), Medical (Medicaid) and Temporary Cash (TANF) Assistance applications at our libraries to residents and will continue to do so. With the reopening of our libraries, residents will now also be able to use library computers and Wi-Fi to access these and other assistance programs, as well as complete the 2020 Census online, pick up Vote-by-Mail Ballot request forms and copies of the County’s 2020 Hurricane Guide, and more. By now, I think we all understand that keeping each other safe is a shared responsibility. The entry requirements and other safety measures in our reopening plan will take time for all of us to get used to.  Although we are open, we do encourage you to continue using the options mentioned above for express pickup of library materials at your preferred library location or by continuing to use our eContent to help us maintain social distancing and occupancy limits during this phase of our reopening. We’re glad to have you back in our libraries and look forward to continuing to provide access to essential information and services for everyone in our community. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at customercare@mdpls.org or contact any library location. Sincerely,

Ray Baker, DirectorMiami-Dade Public Library System

IRS reminder: June 15 tax deadline postponed to July 15 for taxpayers who live and work abroad

IRS reminder: June 15 tax deadline postponed to July 15 for taxpayers who live and work abroad

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today reminded people who live and work abroad that they have until Wednesday, July 15, 2020, to file their 2019 federal income tax return and pay any tax due. The usual deadline is June 15.

This extension was included in a wide range of Coronavirus-related relief announced in early April. The extension generally applies to all taxpayers who have an income tax filing or payment deadline falling on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15, 2020.

This means that anyone, including Americans who live and work abroad, nonresident aliens and foreign entities with a U.S. filing and payment requirement, have until July 15 to file their 2019 federal income tax return and pay any tax due.  Visit IRS.gov/Coronavirus for details.

Need more time beyond July 15?
Individual taxpayers who need additional time to file beyond the July 15 deadline can request a filing extension to Oct. 15 in one of two ways:

Filing Form 4868 through their tax professional, tax software or using the Free File link on IRS.gov.
Submitting an electronic payment with Direct Pay, Electronic Federal Tax Payment System or by debit, credit card or digital wallet options and selecting Form 4868 or extension as the payment type. The automatic extension of time to file will process when taxpayers pay all or part of their taxes, electronically, by the July 15 due date. An extension to file is not an extension to pay. Taxes are still due by July 15.

Businesses that need additional time to file income tax returns must file Form 7004, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File Certain Business Income Tax, Information, and Other Returns.

Combat zone extension
Members of the military qualify for an additional extension of at least 180 days to file and pay taxes if either of the following situations apply:

They serve in a combat zone or they have qualifying service outside of a combat zone or
They serve on deployment outside the United States away from their permanent duty station while participating in a contingency operation. This is a military operation that is designated by the Secretary of Defense or results in calling members of the uniformed services to active duty (or retains them on active duty) during a war or a national emergency declared by the President or Congress.

Deadlines are also extended for individuals serving in a combat zone or a contingency operation in support of the Armed Forces. This applies to Red Cross personnel, accredited correspondents, and civilian personnel acting under the direction of the Armed Forces in support of those forces.

Spouses of individuals who served in a combat zone or contingency operation are generally entitled to the same deadline extensions with some exceptions.

Extension details and more military tax information is available in IRS Publication 3, Armed Forces’ Tax Guide

IRS.gov assistance 24/7
Tax help is available 24/7 on IRS.gov. The IRS website offers a variety of online tools to help taxpayers answer common tax questions. For example, taxpayers can search the Interactive Tax Assistant, Tax Topics, Frequently Asked Questions, and Tax Trails to get answers to common questions. Go to IRS.gov/payments for electronic payment options.

How Minneapolis, One of America’s Most Liberal Cities, Struggles With Racism

The Midwestern city that has been the site of unrest views itself as embracing multiculturalism. But it also struggles with segregation and racial gaps on education.

Volunteers helped clear water on Saturday, from the interior of a Wells Fargo Bank that was destroyed the night before during protests in Minneapolis.Credit...Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

By John Eligon and Julie Bosman

Mr. Eligon is in Minneapolis covering the protests. Ms. Bosman is based in Chicago.

• June 1, 2020Updated 11:55 a.m. ET

MINNEAPOLIS — Residents of Minneapolis swell with pride over their city’s sparkling lakes, glassy downtown, beautifully kept green spaces and bicycle-friendliness that draws comparisons to Copenhagen. They see themselves as public spirited, embracing of multiculturalism and inspired by Minnesota’s liberal icons, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone.

The Minneapolis City Council, made up of 12 Democrats and a member of the Green Party, includes two transgender members, both of whom are black. The city has for years held a popular community celebration and parade for Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery.

But there remains an extraordinary racial gap for Minnesotans when it comes to education outcomes and health care. Black families own their homes at far lower rates than white families, among the largest such disparity in the country. And the city’s predominantly white police force, which has been accused of racist practices for decades, rarely disciplines officers with troubled records.

“Minneapolis has ridden this reputation of being progressive,” said Robert Lilligren, who became the first Native American elected to the City Council in 2001. “That’s the vibe: Do something superficial and feel like you did something big. Create a civil rights commission, create a civilian review board for the police, but don’t give them the authority to change the policies and change the system.”

Events of several long days and nights, as Minneapolis was rocked by protests, destruction and overwhelming police crackdowns, were forcing a reckoning over the city’s complicated identity.

Markers of sophistication in the city of 430,000 people draw newcomers: an enviable landscape of food, arts and public radio, a robust business and philanthropic community, and a growing diversity boosted by immigrants from East Africa and Asia. From one angle, Minneapolis has been booming, a Midwestern magnet for transplants seeking job opportunities and culture.

With a range of industries including health care, agriculture and finance, residents are immensely proud of their distinction as one of the cities with the most Fortune 500 companies per capita.

Listen to ‘The Daily’: A Weekend of Pain and Protest

Dispatches from cities across the U.S. being rocked by protests over police brutality after the death of George Floyd.

Minneapolis residents view themselves as welcoming; the state took in nearly 110,000 refugees from 1979 to 2018, a resettlement effort that is largely the work of Lutheran and Catholic social services agencies.

Hurricane season is here. Are you ready?

The 2020 hurricane season officially begins today, June 1 and runs through November 30. The City of Miami Beach wants to ensure the safety of all of its residents and visitors, and urges everyone to have a hurricane plan. Visit our hurricane webpage for tips on how to stay safe this hurricane season and watch our hurricane special below, which will also be airing regularly on MBTV (Channel 660 on Atlantic Broadband or Channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse) through the end of November. Stay Connected and Informed Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates. Download the Ready Miami-Dade (Ready MDC) mobile application from the County's Office of Emergency Management, available via Google Play and the App Store store. Text MBTraffic to 888777 for traffic text updates and then MBAlert to 888777 to receive emergency alerts via text. Visit www.mbalerts.com to sign-up for text/email/phone call alerts to receive emergency notifications and automatic weather alerts. Register Vulnerable Populations Is there someone in your family who is unable to evacuate on their own? Maybe they're elderly or have special needs. We encourage you to have them sign up for the Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program (EEAP) provided by Miami-Dade County. Do not wait until an evacuation order is issued, register today at www.miamidade.gov/fire/eeap.asp Hurricane Season Forecast An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season.  NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a likely range of 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes. Para ver este video en español, haga clic aquí.

Latin People News LPN: County Issues Curfew at Request of Law Enforcement...

Latin People News LPN: County Issues Curfew at Request of Law Enforcement...: At the recommendation of law enforcement, Leon County is issuing a curfew effective at 11 p.m. Saturday (May 30) night until 6 a.m. Sunda...

County Issues Curfew at Request of Law Enforcement

At the recommendation of law enforcement, Leon County is issuing a curfew effective at 11 p.m. Saturday (May 30) night until 6 a.m. Sunday (May 31), and which will repeat Sunday (May 31) 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Monday (June 1). To protect individuals and property, the countywide curfew was requested by the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the City of Tallahassee, and the State Attorney's Office. During the curfew, County residents should remain home; individuals may go to and from work, seek healthcare or emergency veterinary care, or walk a pet on their premises. "While we respect the right of individuals to peacefully protest, our first obligation is to ensure the safety of our community," said Leon County Commission Chairman Bryan Desloge. A proclamation establishing the curfew will be posted on the Leon County Emergency Information Portal (www.LeonCountyFL.gov/ei) shortly. Additionally, the proclamation is attached to this news release. Proclamation - Local Emergency - Curfew - Signed.pdf Follow Leon County Government on Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube |  Instagram |  Nextdoor 850.606.5300  |  cmr@LeonCountyFL.gov  |  www.LeonCountyFL.gov 301 S. Monroe St., Suite 502, Tallahassee, FL 32301