FEBRUARY 6, 2026 TAX RESOURCES tax preparation RESOURCE CORNER Tax day is April 15! The IRS is already accepting and processing tax returns; don't wait until the last day! If your total income is less than $69,000 you likely have one or more cash benefits waiting and tax prep services are at no cost to you. Exact details vary based on the specific tax credit, your tax filing status and the number of people in your household. Some, but not all, tax credits require that you or your children have a Social Security Number. FINDING TAX FORMS Ann Arbor District Library branches offer physical copies of various federal tax forms beginning in late January. Librarians can print additional forms for no cost. Call (734) 327-4200 for more information. Ypsilanti District Library offers tax forms, while supplies last, at the Whittaker and Superior branches. Call the library for more information. Whittaker branch: (734) 482-4110, x2411 MARLEY from page 9 member pursued a solo career. Bunny Wailer went his own way and Peter Tosh went his own way. Marley performed with a new lineup still using the band name Bob Marley and the Wailers. Marley had his first international breakthrough in 1975, according to a Jamaican documentary. The collaboration with music executive Chris Blackwell meant that the reggae band from Jamaica had access to cutting-edge musical recording equipment. Bob Marley’s hit song “No Woman, No Cry” came out of the “Natty Dread” album. The next year, in 1976, he released “The Rastaman Vibration” album. Both albums bore themes of poverty, slums, oppression, inequality, injustice and resistance, which were commonplace in the third world. His messages include dreams, hopes, unity, peace, harmony, and above all, love. By 1976, there was no doubt that Bob Marley had become an international superstar. He was in demand for concerts in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, and several more countries. Many reggae music lovers were rediscovering his older songs. On December 28, 1976, there was an assasination attempt on Marley’s life. It happened in his house in Kingston, Jamaica. Marley, his wife Rita, and his manager were all shot. They survived; they were lucky. Marley moved to London at the end of 1976. Marley and his new Wailers band Superior branch: (734) 482-4110, x2431 Download necessary tax forms from the Michigan Department of Treasury website and check income tax refund status. www.michigan.gov/taxes FILING HELP The Housing Bureau for Seniors Offering FREE tax return preparation in partnership with AARP Foundation! Appointments are offered Wednesdays and Fridays from February 4 - April 10. Trained volunteers will be able to provide with a full federal and state return or complete the Michigan Property Tax Credits you qualify for. Past returns can be completed from 2022 onwards. Call Housing Bureau for Seniors to schedule your appointment at 734-998-9341! United Way Southeastern Michigan Tax preparation services are provided by IRS-certified non-profit partners, Accounting Aid Society and Wayne Metro Community Action Agency. Participation requirements include: make less members released a very influential album named “Exodus” in 1977. Its title song was written in response to the campaign slogan of Socialist Party leader Michael Manley, “We know where we’re going.” Exodus is partly vision and partly an anthem with a siren call to all the world to leave the wickedness of Babylon and return to the Holy Place of Ethiopia. “We know where we’re goin’, we know where we're from. We’re leavin’ Babylon, y’all, we’re goin’ to our Father’s Land,” he sings. In 1978, Marley visited Kingston. He brought the concept of reggae for peace and unity. The political disagreements and election campaigns got very violent in Jamaica. Marley wanted Jamaicans to see a symbolic show of peace and unity. What did he do? He gave a concert in a big arena which ended with Socialist Party leader Manley and Conservative Party leader Edward Siega (who both served as Prime Minister) lifting their arms and shaking hands while Marley was standing between the two. It was an important gesture for a peaceful democracy. Siega said the following about Bob Marley after Marley’s passing: “I myself was a minister in the government, responsible for art and culture … Bob Marley captured the popular imagination of the people. Marley internationalized Jamaican music. Bob Marley was successful because of his creative music. He captured public imagination. His songs had a message that transcended race, color and creed. It dealt with the protests of a large section of the world.” than $69,000/year, have a Driver's License or picture ID, have a Social Security Card or ITIN, live in Washtenaw County. Schedule your appointment at unitedwaysem.org/ resources/tax-preparation-assistance/ St. Francis of Assisi Parish Offers tax help to individuals with limited income ($57,000.00 or less) and simple tax returns. Call the parish office at (734) 821-2121 to make an appointment to drop off your return. Services offered February through April. Assistance also available in Spanish. ONLINE FILING MyFreeTaxes.com Free online service provided by United Way for preparing and filing your taxes brought to you by United Way. Must make $67,000 per year or less to use this service. Get started today at MyFreeTaxes.com GROUNDCOVER NEWS 13 Michael Manley commented that Bob Marley’s art was very significant. “He was one of the rare artists to come around in a generation. Bob Marley was able to internationalize his songs and message. Bob could sing about Zimbabwe and Trenchtown.” Robert Marley, according to Manley, was “one of the most articulate ‘troubadours’ of the ghetto.” His caring about social issues such as poverty, inequality and injustice was unshakable and uncompromising. Bob Marley’s final two albums were released in 1979 and 1980. “Survival” (1979) had popular songs such as “Zimbabwe” and “Africa Unite” and “Survival.” Marley’s last studio album, “Uprising,” showcased Marley’s belief that reggae music came out of Africa and people like Marley polished the music and made it famous. Reggae was indeed a reflection of the stories of oppressed people in Africa and the African diaspora. When the End is Near Music historians say that Marley’s last concert performance was at Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pa. on September 23, 1980. That was around the time he found out about his illness — cancer. The diagnosis showed that the cancer, which started on his foot, had probably spread to other parts of his body, and his managers cancelled the rest of his tours so he could get treatment. Because of his religious beliefs, Marley rejected the amputation which was recommended by his doctors. In the final stage of his life, from 1980 to 1981, he sought alternative medicine. It did not work. Treatment at a clinic in Germany did not stop the cancer from spreading rapidly. Marley prepared himself to die in his mansion in Kingston. But while trying to get back home, he passed on at a medical center in Florida, now known as the University of Miami Medical School. Marley’s dead body was flown to Jamaica where he received a state funeral fit for a national hero or a prime minister. They mourned and celebrated Bob Marley’s life and death all over Jamaica. His music, his song lyrics were sung from every corner of the world. There is no question that Marley’s funeral was a triumphant event, as mourners sang and danced to the melodies which brought hope and comfort to masses of downtrodden and poor people across the globe. There is a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “When beggars die there are no comets seen/ The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” Bob Marley was a global Prince of “One Love,” which Prime Minister Edward Siega said meant “the vision of peace and unity” during his eulogy in 1981. Bob Marley’s musical accomplishments are staggering. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Marley’s 1977 album titled “Exodus” was designated album of the 20th Century by Time magazine in December 1999. Marley’s song “One Love” was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC. Marley continues to be remembered all over the world.
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