Lisa Autry

The Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting tax returns Jan. 30. The IRS had planned to open tax season on Jan. 22, but had to push back the date because of last-minute tax changes Congress made to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. 

Kentucky IRS spokesman Luis Garcia says the agency has had to re-program its computers and forms to reflect the late changes. 

"A lot of work, but we want to make sure the filing season runs as smooth as possible," Garcia replies.  The majority, 81% of people in Kentucky get a refund and we want to make sure that money gets sent as quickly as possible."

Despite the late start to tax season, the filing deadline remains April 15th.  This isn't the first time the IRS has had to deal with late action by Congress.  Two years ago, President Obama and lawmakers were at odds on many of the same issues.  That delayed the opening of tax season to mid-February.

The state Attorney General's Office says Friday is the last day for Kentuckians to file a claim to receive a payment under the national mortgage settlement.  Thousands of borrowers who lost their homes between 2008 and 2011 may be eligible to receive a payment.

The nation's five largest mortgage servicers agreed to the settlement with the federal government and 49 state attorneys general last year. 

"Basically this settlement settles claims by the attorneys general that during the housing crisis and foreclosure crisis in the United States, these banks had allegedly engaged in fraudulent behavior which included robo signing documents that it filed with the court," said Allison Martin, a spokeswman for the Kentucky Attorney General's Office.

The mayors of Lexington and Louisville believe Kentucky needs a local option sales tax to stay competitive. The tax is levied temporarily to finance public infrastructure projects, but an opinion issued this week by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office says voters would first need to approve a constitutional amendment. 

According to the opinion, local governments nor the General Assembly may enact a local option sales tax without changing the state constitution. The Courier-Journal reports the opinion was requested by the Louisville Metro Council. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Lexington Mayor Jim Gray want counties to be able to locally increase the statewide sales tax and use the additional revenue for public projects.  Voters would have to approve the tax and the projects it would fund in a local referendum.

In an opinion issued Monday by Attorney General Jack Conway, the first step would be amending the state constitution.

Nearly eight months after a western Kentucky guidance counselor and coach was killed, her husband is now formally charged with murder.  A Henderson County grand jury last week indicted 36-year-old Steven Cotter on a charge of wanton murder.

Michelle Cotter was fatally shot in her home on May 15th 2012, the last day of the school year in Henderson county where she was a dance instructor.  The 38-year-old Cotter was also the guidance counselor at College View Middle School in Daviess County.

According to police, the morning of her death, Michelle's husband, Steven Cotter, called 911.  When officers arrived, they found Michelle with a gunshot wound to the chest and her husband in the home with a firearm.

The next generation Corvette is no longer a secret. With much fanfare, General Motors unveiled a revamped Corvette in Detroit Sunday night, the first new version of the iconic sports car in nine years.

"This car is all new from the ground up and it's absolutely the best performance car we know how to engineer and build," said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss. "I will eagerly put this car up against any of the top performance cars in the world. In terms of design, technology, and performance, this car is second to none."

The 2014 model, so new that it shares only two parts with the current model, picks up cues from the 1963 Stingray. It's described as the most powerful standard model ever, but GM promises it will be the most fuel-efficient Corvette. At the unveiling in Detroit, Reuss offered kudos to the Bowling Green plant for bringing the car the life.

"A few weeks ago we traveled to Bowling Green and drove the first cars made at the plant. Their commitment made this Corvette worthy of the Stingray name once again," praised Reuss.