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Realtors oppose elimination of home tax breaks
Annual advertising blitz has date with destiny
By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — State tax deductions for mortgage interest and real estate taxes, worth hundreds of dollars a year to each eligible Kansas household, may be eliminated to help fill the budget hole created by gaps in the state income tax. Officials of Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration argue that the deductions benefit the wealthy and will be less beneficial as the state reduces income taxes. But the Kansas Realtors Association says the mortgage interest deduction is a middle-
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PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON fought off aliens to get his kids more milk in a 30-second ad directed by Peter Berg that aired in the second quarter of the Super Bowl. The spot was one of many with detailed story lines designed to hook viewers. BELOW, AT LEFT, Audi’s 60-second ad in the first quarter, with an ending voted on by viewers, shows a boy gaining confidence from driving his father’s Audi to the prom, kissing the prom queen and getting decked by the prom king. AT RIGHT, PepsiCo’s”Crash the Super Bowl” ads were back for the seventh straight year. Two 30-second commercials made by consumers made it on the air, including this one showing a dad playing princess with his daughter to get Doritos. His buddies catch him, but instead of making fun of him they join in the fun. “Is that my wedding dress?” his wife asks when she sees them playing. Read about the game on page 1B.
class tax break, and eliminating it could cripple the housing market. Approxim a t e l y Brownback 345,000 Kansans, out of 1.4 million tax filers, claim the mortgage interest deduction each year. The average amount of tax relief per homeowner is $433, according to the Realtors Association. Mortgage debt of $100,000 at 5 percent interest will yield a $245 state income tax benefit, assuming the homeowner pays the highest Please see TAX, page 2A
KDOT seeks input from bicyclists to update state plan “
By Nikki Wentling
Special to the Journal-World
During the summer, Matt Stratemeier weaves his bike through Lawrence on bike lanes and city streets to reach the scenic countryside. His 30-mile, one-hour rides give him an appreciation he cannot receive from riding in a car. “Really, it’s just about freedom,” said Stratemeier, 34, Lawrence, who is secretary of the Lawrence Bicycle Club. “When you’re on a bike, you don’t have that same kind of hurry-up-and-get-somewhere perspective. It’s a lot nicer to just get away from the city.” However, Stratemeier’s bike rides are not without peril. He said there are not enough bike lanes in Lawrence, and the few lanes that are in place are not well-maintained. “Sometimes you’ll see the bike lane littered with gravel or debris, and no one wants to ride in that,” he said. “So you end up
Halftime reunion, blackout and — oh, yeah — a game fuel prime-time buzz By Mae Anderson The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Super Bowl ads this year morphed into mini soap operas. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shrugged off aliens so he could get more milk for his kids in a Super Bowl spot for the Milk Processor Education Program. Anheuser-Busch’s commercial told the story of a baby Clydesdale growing up and returning to his owner for a heartfelt hug years later. And a Jeep ad portrayed the trials and triumphs of families waiting for their return of family members.
The reason for all the drama off the field? With 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million and more than 111 million viewers expected to tune in, marketers are constantly looking for ways to make their ads stand out. And it’s increasingly difficult to captivate viewers with short-form plots involving babies, celebrities, sex and humor — unless there’s a compelling story attached. “A lot of advertisers are running long commercials to tell these stories that engage people often in a very emotional way,” said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of
Tear-jerking mini epics Chrysler started the long-format commercial trend last year, with a two-minute spot starring Clint Eastwood that became very popular. This year, Chrysler led the trend again with its two-minute salute to troops and their families. The ad featured Oprah Winfrey reading a letter from the Jeep brand to encourage
families to stay hopeful. Wendy Ochoa, a high school teacher who lives in Novi, Mich., said the ad was very emotional. “It tugs on your heartstrings,” Ochoa, 44, said. “How can it not?” Anheuser-Busch also pulled at heartstrings with a spot about a baby Clydesdale growing up and moving away from his farm and his trainer. Years later, the horse remembered the trainer after returning for a parade. He raced down a street to hug him. “The Budweiser commercial with the Clydesdale made me cry,” said Wendy Ponzo, 49, who Please see ADS, page 2A
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marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. “These spots that tell stories really stand out in the clutter.” Here are some of the ads, play-by-play:
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Sometimes you’ll see the bike lane littered with gravel or debris, and no one wants to ride in that. So you end up riding in the street, and that is dangerous because you have to keep up with the flow of traffic, and if you can’t, it makes you a hazard.” — Matt Stratemeier, secretary of the Lawrence Bicycle Club
riding in the street, and that is dangerous because you have to keep up with the flow of traffic, and if you can’t, it makes you a hazard.” The Kansas Department of Transportation wants to hear from Stratemeier and others like him. In an effort to update the Kansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, Please see CYCLING, page 2A
Tuition break for veterans
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Vol.154/No.35 32 pages
A Kansas House bill providing in-state tuition for all veterans has a better chance of passing this year than it did last year. The GI Bill doesn’t cover education costs for out-of-state students. Page 3A
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