In Brief

| March 15, 2016 8:38 AM

Astronomy Club meeting March 18

The Kootenai Stargazers Astronomy Club will meet at 6 p.m. March 18 at 324 White Avenue in Libby.

The meeting will include chow, chatter and great fellowship.

This month’s topic is ripples in the cosmic background radiation.

Anyone interested is welcome to attend this informal meeting. No membership is required. More information and resources are on the club’s website at http://www.ksaclibby.org.

STEM scholarships available

The Montana Community Foundation (MCF) is pleased to announce the offering of 20 scholarships of $2,500 each for students pursuing degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Preference will be given for those pursuing degrees or certificates in engineering, computer science, bioscience and healthcare-related fields. The T. Eugene Young Montana’s Promise Scholarship is designed to provide an incentive for Montana high school students to prepare for and enter into post-secondary fields that are important to Montana’s future. The goal of this scholarship is to support Montana’s high school seniors who have decided to study in areas where Montana employers are looking for great talent.

Students can apply for this scholarship online beginning March 4, 2016, by visiting http://www.mtcf.org/applications and clicking on the “Apply Online” link. The closing date for the T. Eugene Young Montana’s Promise Scholarship is May 13, 2016. In addition to the T. Eugene Young Montana’s Promise Scholarship, MCF also has more than 50 other scholarships available totaling more than $350,000 for the 2016-17 academic year. Applications for these scholarships are open now with most closing on March 18, 2016 and can also be found by visiting http://www.mtcf.org/applications.

Only online applications will be accepted. For questions, please contact MCF Grants & Scholarships Program Officer Jenny Lou Stark at (406) 443-8313 or jstark@mtcf.org.

Gas prices on the rise

Average retail gasoline prices in Montana have risen 7.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.84 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 gas outlets in Montana. This compares with the national average that has increased 11.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.93 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Montana during the past week, prices yesterday were 36.9 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 13.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 23.9 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 50.2 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.

Youth Court Easter Egg Hunt March 26

The annual Youth Court Services Easter Egg Hunt has been scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at J. Neils Park in Libby.

Participants will be divided into four age groups: Walking to two years old, three and four year olds, five to seven year olds and ages eight to 12.

Call Youth Court at (406) 293-9715 for more information.

IRS announces quarterly interest rates

The Internal Revenue Service today announced that interest rates will remain the same for the calendar quarter beginning April 1, 2016. The rates will be:

· three (3) percent for underpayments;

· three (3) percent for overpayments [two (2) percent in the case of a corporation];

· five (5) percent for large corporate underpayments; and

· one-half (0.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points.

Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during Jan. 2016 to take effect Feb. 1, 2016, based on daily compounding.