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Tax Enforcement
WASHINGTON (AP) — As millions of Americans race to meet Tuesday's tax deadline, their chances of getting audited are lower than they've been in years.
Budget cuts and new responsibilities are straining the Internal Revenue Service's ability to police tax returns.
This year, the IRS will have fewer agents auditing returns than at any time since at least the 1980s.
Taxpayer services are suffering, too, with millions of phone calls to the IRS going unanswered.
Last year, the IRS audited less than 1 percent of all returns from individuals, the lowest rate since 2005.
This year, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen (KAHS'-kihn-ihn) says the numbers will go down.
The IRS budget is down nearly $1 billion from a few years ago, just as the agency is gearing up to enforce the president's health law.
Boston Marathon Bombing-Charity Run
BOSTON (AP) — Runners in a monthlong coast-to-coast relay of more than 3,300 miles to raise money for a charity aiding Boston Marathon bombing victims have crossed the finish line.
One Run for Boston began March 16 in Santa Monica, Calif., and ended Sunday evening in Boston.
More than 2,000 runners were in the uninterrupted relay through 14 states. Each ran at least one seven- to 20-mile segment.
The relay raised more than $425,000 for the One Fund, which supports people who were directly affected by the bombings last year.
An organizer says runners raced through deserts and survived tornadoes and were upbeat as they neared the finish line.
On the relay, runners also visited the 9/11 memorial in New York City and a memorial for victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Marilyn Monroe-Earrings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A pair of rhinestone earrings Marilyn Monroe wore to a 1955 Hollywood film premiere have sold at auction for $185,000.
Julien's Auctions said in a statement Sunday that the actress wore the jewelry when she attended the opening of "The Rose Tattoo."
Monroe did not appear in the film based on a Tennessee Williams play.
The price included a 20 percent commission for the auction house.
The buyer was a foreign collector. The auction house does not release the names of buyers.
The sale was part of a two-day auction of Hollywood memorabilia Friday and Saturday at Julien's Beverly Hills gallery.
A lighter used by Humphrey Bogart sold for $19,200, and a 1986 Pontiac Firebird owned by David Hasselhoff was purchased for $152,600.
I Am a Bully-Sentence
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man ordered to spend five hours at a street corner with a sign declaring he's a bully says his sentence was unfair and the judge who gave it to him ruined his life.
The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that 62-year-old Edmond Aviv for the most part ignored honking horns and people who stopped by to talk with him Sunday in South Euclid.
But he wasn't happy with the punishment, saying, "The judge destroyed me" and "This isn't fair at all."
The judge ordered the sign to say: "I AM A BULLY."
Aviv had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. A neighbor said he had bullied her and her disabled children for the past 15 years.
A court probation officer monitored Aviv on Sunday.
Challenged Books
NEW YORK (AP) — The "Captain Underpants" children's books and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" topped the list of books last year that some parents, educators and others said were too offensive and should be restricted or removed from library shelves.
The American Library Association published a report Sunday, which included its list of works that most frequently drew written complaints last year at schools and libraries.
At No. 3, 4, and 5 on the list were: "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian"; "Fifty Shades of Grey"; and "The Hunger Games."
Rounding out the top 10 were "A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl"; "Looking for Alaska"; "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"; "Bless me, Ultima"; and the "Bone" series.
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