Opportunity/Business

CONGRATULATIONS TO ANTONIO CAMPOS ON HIS RETIRE-

MENT: Antonio served The City of Lubbock for 28 years; his last position was being a cemetery leader at the Lubbock Cemetery. The City of Lubbock Parks and Recreation held a reception in his honor and wished Antonio the best in his next chapter. Antonio is looking forward to fishing in his free time and traveling to see his grandkids! Congratulations from Latino Lubbock Magazine!

Reducing the Risk of Identity Theft

BY ABRIL ESPINOZA WEAVER FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE

According to the Federal Trade Commission, "Identity theft is the country's fastest growing crime." Identity theft is using someone else's name or social security number without permission. Here are some things that someone can do if they pretend to be you: They can take money out of your bank or investment accounts, they can also take out debt in your name; file tax returns in your name to get a refund, a stimulus payment, or both; and if your passwords are changed or your accounts are closed, you could lose access to your accounts and services. I suggest that you follow these steps to lower the risk of identity theft: Protect your information; shred documents; check your accounts often; get off of marketing lists; don't give out your Social Security number; change your online banking passwords frequently, and check your credit score often. If you are a victim of identity theft, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at Identitytheft.gov. (En español, p. 16)

New Digital Navigators Certification Series Open

The Lubbock Public Library is excited to announce the launch of a new computer class available to Lubbock Area citizens called the Digital Navigators Certification Series. In this eight- week series, a new topic will be taught by our Digital Navigators each week that will focus on free Google productivity tools, such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive and more. The series will also include classes on social media, tablet & phone apps, and creating promotional materials in Canva for free. After attending all eight classes, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion that will help boost resumes, enhance job skills, and improve the application pool for the city of Lubbock. These free classes will be every Thursday from September 15 – November 3 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM located at Groves Branch Library, 5520 19th Street. Space in this series is limited, so please register at www.lubbocklibrary.com/digitalnavigators-certification-series or call 806-775-2835 to secure your place in this class. If you cannot make all eight classes, make-up classes will be available on an asneeded basis, but participants are strongly encouraged to attend all eight scheduled classes. This program is made possible by a $70,000 Texas Digital Navigators Grant the Lubbock Public Library recently received from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Lubbock was one of 10 cities in Texas that received this incredible grant opportunity. This grant will be used to help bridge the digital divide for the citizens of Lubbock through a variety of programs and services- a goal that the Lubbock Public Library has pursued in many different ways over the past several years. It will also be used to bring information about free and no-cost internet services to members of our community in need. In addition to the Digital Navigators Certification Series, the Lubbock Public Library will be loaning Google Chromebook Laptops out to two community partners. South Plains College- Downtown Lubbock Campus and Literacy Lubbock will each be receiving 10 laptops. The Lubbock Public Library will also continue to offer a separate set of weekly computer classes that rotate throughout the other library locations each month. In September these classes will be at Mahon Library followed by Groves Branch Library in October and Godeke Branch Library in November. Times and dates of these classes can be found on our website at www. lubbocklibrary.com. Though no certificate is offered for attending these computer classes, they are an excellent opportunity to learn how to use a computer as well as ask your own technology-related questions. The libraries will also be offering on-site computer classes to area businesses who would like to elevate the level of computer literacy for their employees. If you are interested in your business receiving these computer classes, please contact Stacy McKenzie at smckenzie@ mylubbock.us For more information about these programs, please visit www.lubbocklibrary.com/digitalnavigators-certification-series

Professional Development

FREE GED TEST PREPARATION

CLASSES. Need to study to pass the GED? Literacy Lubbock offers free, flexible, and casual prep classes at various times to fit in with your busy schedule. Call us at 806-7753636 for more information or register for Free classes at www.literacylubbock.org.

FREE GED AND ESL CLASSES

for Lubbock and the surrounding area offered by Adult Education Center. We accept new students on a bimonthly basis. You must be at least 17 years old and not enrolled in public school to be eligible for the classes. For more info call 806-2815750. Open Mon. thru Fri. from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. BASIC ENGLISH CLASS – Clase de Inglés – aprender Inglés básico, 3211 58th Street, (east of Indiana) Lubbock. Horas: Cada Miércoles a las 7:30-8:30 de la noche. 806-239-5352 GRATIS!!

CHILD CARE AVAILABLE FOR INCOME-ELIGIBLE FAMILIES

Families who are income eligible may receive fee assistance to attend one of the Early Learning Center’s five centers for child care. Parents or caretakers must be employed or in school. The program is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (806) 765-9981 for more information.

CLASES DE INGLÉS COMO SE-

GUNDA IDIOMA La Literacia de Lubbock (Literacy Lubbock) ofrecen clases gratis de inglés como segundo idioma (English as Second Language) para la comunidad. Todos los adultos están bienvenido en estas clases. Para más información, llame a (806) 775-3636.

FREE CRIMINAL DEFENSE

ATTORNEY: The Caprock Regional Public Defender Office offers free legal representation to 13 surrounding West Texas Counties. The office handles Felony, Misdemeanor and Juvenile cases for citizens that cannot afford to hire a criminal defense lawyer. Call (806) 742-4312 to see if your county qualifies for this service. IMMIGRATION SERVICES If you need help with immigration issues call 806-741-0409.

SERVICIOS DE INMIGRACIÓN

Si necesitan ayuda con asuntos de inmigración llame a este numero (806) 7410409.

REFERRAL FOR QUALITY

CHILD CARE in Lubbock by the South Plains Day Home Association helps parents with free referrals to licensed or registered day care facilities that are routinely monitored by the Texas Department and Protective Services. Call 796-0606 or 792-1847 for more information.

Business & Opportunity Updates

QUICKBOOKS ONLINE VER-

SION FOR BUSINESSES Learn about Accounting/Budget, COVID-19 General Support. 9/15/22. Time: 1 PM - 4 PM (CDT). Call Becky Castilleja (806) 745-1637 to register.

STARTING YOUR OWN

BUSINESS PART 1 & 2 Learn about a Business Plan, Business Start-up/ Preplanning, Marketing/Sales. SYOB part 1, 9/20/22 6 PM - 8 PM (CDT); SYOB part 2, 9/22/22 - 6 PM - 8 PM (CDT) Call Becky Castilleja (806) 745-1637 to register. TAX FORMS AT LIBRARIES they have forms 1040 and 1040-SR in English and Spanish available at all locations. You can also access all available forms and instructions from home at www.irs.gov. BUSINESS COUNSELING Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can discuss their business ventures and get expert advice from the SBDC staff. All information will be held in strict confidence. For a counseling sessions call (806) 745-1637.

LOW INCOME TAXPAYER CLIN-

IC The TTU School of Law operates a “FREE” Low Income Taxpayer Clinic year around to provide assistance relating to issues involving controversies with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For more info call (806) 834-7972 or toll free (800) 420-8037.

Important Numbers

Police (Non-Emergency) call 763-5333

Fire (Non-Emergency) call 765-5757

Emergencies call 9-1-1 Program/Service info, call 2-1-1

City services, call 3-1-1

Suicide & Crisis Line 9-8-8 City - call 775-3000. www.ci.lubbock.tx.us

County - call 775-1000 www.co.lubbock.tx.us LISD - call 766-1000 www.lubbockisd.org

Latino Lubbock Magazine 792-1212

news@latinolubbock.net www.latinolubbock.net

Update on Your Student Loan Forgiveness

Millions of federal student loan borrowers will soon receive thousands in debt relief under a new plan revealed by the Biden administration on Wednesday. While many aspects about the plan remain unclear, there are a few questions we can answer. One of those is whether forgiveness will be considered taxable income. It’s a reasonable concern – the maximum relief available of $10,000 or $20,000 (depending on if you received a Pell Grant while in college) could be enough to move some borrowers into a different tax bracket if it’s considered taxable income. According to the White House, any relief you receive won’t be treated as taxable income for federal income tax purposes. This is due to the American Rescue Plan. When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan shortly after President Biden took office in 2021, it eliminated taxes on loan forgiveness through 2025. Here are three other things you should know about Biden’s plan to forgive millions of dollars in student loan debt. If your entire loan balance won’t be erased – which is likely for some 23 million borrowers – President Biden has extended the payment pause through the end of the year.

But, come January 1, 2023, interest will begin accruing again, and regular payments will resume. He has indicated the pause will not be extended again. If you’ve voluntarily made payments since March 2020, when payments were paused, you can request a refund for those payments, according to the Federal Office of Student Aid. Contact your loan servicer to request a refund. When and how student loan forgiveness will be distributed hasn’t yet been made clear. According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 8 million borrowers may qualify for relief automatically based on the income data the department already has. If the Education Department doesn’t have your income data, or you’re unsure if the agency has it, there isn’t much to do right now. Instead, you’ll need to wait for the Biden administration to launch an application process, which will be available “in the coming weeks.” The application will be available before the student loan repayment pause ends on December 31. You can register to be notified when the application is available through the Department of Education at www.ed.gov/subscriptions

Labor Day - Sept. 5, 2022

and the Hispanic workforce

Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2022, is the first Monday in September, and is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. A significant portion of the Hispanic population participates in the labor force. In 2013, 66% of the Hispanic population age 16 and older were in the labor force, which was slightly higher than the level of participation for the total U.S. population. Despite comparable rates of labor force participation, Hispanics experienced an unemployment rate in 2013 (9%) which was higher than that of the total U.S. population (7.5 %). The Hispanic population is represented in a wide variety of occupations.

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