Selected Questions

The holidays are over, and the W-2s aren't far behind.Once again, a joint service of The Sun and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants will offer readers help with their tax questions. Selected questions will be answered by members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants beginning Feb. 5 in the Business section of The Sun Monday through Friday, through April 15.Readers calling in questions are encouraged to leave their name and a daytime phone number in case a clarification is needed.

A defense attorney for George Huguely V has filed a motion in a Charlottesville, Va., court requesting a retrial for the former University of Virginia lacrosse player convicted of second-degree murder and grand larceny in the 2010 beating death of his former girlfriend, Yeardley Love. The motion to set aside that verdict and schedule a new trial, and a memorandum in support of the motion, were filed Friday, which was the deadline. The motion questions many aspects of the February trial, including the selection and treatment of the jury - which recommended that Huguely serve a total of 26 years in prison for Love's death and the theft of her laptop - and the handling of an illness suffered by one of Huguely's attorneys during the trial.

A joint service from The Baltimore Sun and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants can help you with your state and federal tax returns. Association members, all certified public accountants, will answer selected questions from readers over the ensuing weeks until the April 15 filing deadline.Readers may submit questions by calling Sundial or writing or sending a fax to the Business News Department. Selected questions and answers will appear in the Business section of The Sun and The Evening Sun. Although it is not required, callers are encouraged to leave their names and phone numbers should questions need to be clarified.

Note: First installment of a new weekly baltimoresun.com feature. Frank Martino, North East: Are the state employees going to get anything to cover all they lost to make the state surplus? Nitkin: Salaries and benefits for state employees will largely be determined by the proposed budget for the next fiscal year submitted by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. in January. Health care costs for workers are rising and continue to be a budgetary problem for the state. It is more likely that surplus funds -- leftover from previous budget years and due to higher-than-projected tax revenues -- would be spent on one-time expenditures such as buildings than on ongoing expenses such as salaries or benefits.

It's income tax season, and again this year The Baltimore Sun and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants will offer readers help on state and federal income tax returns. Association members, all certified public accountants, will answer selected questions from readers over the enusing weeks until the April 15 filing deadline.Readers may submit questions by calling Sundial and recording their questions. Selected questions and answers will appear in the Business section of The Sun and The Evening Sun. Although it is not required, callers are encouraged to leave their names and phone numbers should questions need to be clarified.

It's income tax season, and again this year The Sun and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants will offer readers help on state and federal income tax returns. Association members, all CPAs, will answer selected questions from readers over the ensuing weeks until the April 15 filing deadline.Readers may submit questions by recording them on Sundial. Please be sure to state your question in full. Selected questions and answers will appear in the Business section of The Sun.Although not required to do so, callers are encouraged to leave their names and phone numbers should questions need to be clarified.

Lori, Baltimore: Do you think gas prices will spike and then rise after Rita passes through? Dr. McIntyre: Gas prices have recently jumped based on where the futures market (a market where traders buy and sell oil contracts at a specified price in the future, hence the term) thinks oil prices will be over the next few months. The ultimate answer to your question depends on how much (if at all) Rita further disrupts oil production and refining in the Gulf of Mexico. The good news is that foreign suppliers such as Canada and the OPEC group have ramped up production since [Hurricane]

Retired Coach, Cape Coral, Fla.: Is this Hereford team one of the best ever? Pat O'Malley: Certainly in Hereford history, this is one of the Bulls' best teams, but it's a shame they don't get more competition in Baltimore County to really show how good they are. The 2A State playoffs should determine how good they are in terms of being in a class with the top teams ever from the Baltimore area. Lem Satterfield: It depends. Are you asking if they are one of the best ever in Baltimore, or are you asking if they are the best Hereford has ever had?

In a dark, dank high school auditorium Wednesday night, where three out of four hard wooden seats stood upright and empty, those who showed up marked red paper ballots and decided -- perhaps -- who will be the next member of the Anne Arundel County school board. Delegates nominated school board President Paul G. Rudolph for a second five-year term over Crofton educator L. Koh Herlong in a 67-60 vote. A total of 127 people made their choices known for the person who might help steer a 75,000-student school district.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through April 15. My income for 1999 is less than $25,000 and I have a capital gains loss. Can I file a short form? You can not. As noted in the instructions for Form 1040A, a taxpayer is allowed to file that form only if his or her income comes from a limited list of sources. Because income or losses from capital transcations are not included on the list, you will not be able to use Form 1040A (or 1040EZ)