Tag: Lynn Goya writing

Local Authors Series talking to Lynn Goya

Local Authors Series, We’re talking to Lynn Goya

Posted on by Lynn Goya

In this next installment of our Local Authors Series, we’re talking to Lynn Goya. In case you’ve missed previous articles, we’ve learned that there are nearly two dozen authors locally here in town. But, there doesn’t really seem to be a way to easily find the books they’ve written or any local source for them to promote their work. We created this series to share the authors stories and to let all of you – perspective readers – get to hear about their works. (If you’ve missed our previous columns, we’ve got links for you at the bottom of this page.)

Please share a short bio to introduce yourself.

I’m flexible, love politics, nature, crafts and the outdoors – and Boulder City. Curly hair defined me as a radical by age three – and I never turned back.

My husband and three children moved to Boulder City in 1993, and live in the same house in the historic district. We love walking downtown to eat, listen to music and meet our friends.

Tell us about the books you’ve written and a short synopsis?

Wrote a book for 4th graders (out of print) on Nevada history – started with the earth forming beneath our feet. Ghosted a book on infertility for a local doctor (out of print). Wrote 4 editions of Fun with the Family in Las Vegas (all out of print) visiting every family-friendly attraction in Clark County. Wrote two hiking guides for Falcon Press with oldest son, Alexander Goya: Best Easy Day Hikes Cedar Rapids: Including Iowa City And Cedar Falls/Waterloo (Best Easy Day Hikes Series), Jun 1, 2010 (regional best-seller) and Best Hikes Near San Diego (Best Hikes Near Series), Aug 16, 2011.

What inspired you to write?

We like to explore.

 What do you hope your readers will experience or learn from reading your work?

We believe that travel guides should be fun to read and make one excited to explore while providing new insight into the world around you. These guides fulfill these goals.

When and how did you publish your books.

These guides were published through Falcon Press and other major publishers.

What events in your life contributed to your becoming an author?

I’ve been a professional writer for the past 30 years.

Did you take informal or formal classes or seminars in writing? What would you say to other would be authors about the process of writing?

I have a degree in English. Nothing is better for your writing than sitting down and moving your fingers on your typewriter. I don’t have time to write since I have become an elected official, but there is no better job in the world than that of a journalist.

PGA golfers tee-up for veterans

Top PGA Golfers Tee-Up to Support Veterans and Families

Posted on by Lynn Goya

Top PGA golfers tee-up to support veterans with “Birdies for the Brave,” a free greens admission and golf lessons to active duty military, Guard, Reserve and retired military and their families at PGA Tour, champions Tour and Web.com Tour events across the country. The latest course to host the military families was the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour, headquartered in the plush green and its exceptional military outreach program.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia visited Tournament Players Club Sawgrass to meet officials from “Birdies for the Brave,” which offers complimentary admission, lessons and more for active duty, Guard and Reserve and retired service members and their families at select PGA Tour, Champions Tour, and Web.com Tour events.

The PGA Tour public relations and community outreach director John Flaschner, listed the nine military homefront groups that Birdies for the Brave and PGA Tour players fundraising efforts are supporting this year. The groups and players for 2014 are:

  • Phil Mickelson: Homes for Our Troops and Special Operations Warrior Foundation;
  • Corey Pavin: Operation Homefront;
  • Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh and Frank Lickliter II: Navy SEAL Foundation;
  • Rory Sabbatini: United Through Reading;
  • Ted Purdy and David Toms: Military Warriors Support Foundation;
  • Bubba Watson: Green Beret Foundation;
  • David Duval and Bob Duval: K9s for Warriors; and
  • Rod Pampling: Feherty’s Troops First Foundation.

In 2012 the White House’s Joining Forces initiative recognized Birdies for the Brave as one of the U.S.’s top military-friendly charities. “Our entire mission is just to say ‘thank you’ to military men, women and their families,” said Flascher.

The organization was created by pro golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy for troops who came home with combat injuries. At the time, Mickelson pledged $100 for each birdie and $500 for each eagle he made during his tour to the Homes for Our Troops and Special Operations Warrior foundations.

Now, Birdies for the Brave is in 32 of the 45 PGA Tour tournaments as well as six tournaments each at the Web.com and Champions tours. The PGA Tour has over 100 tournaments within three tours that include the Web.com Tour for young, rising players and the Champions Tour for players ages 50 and above.

And Birdies for the Brave is at 32 tournaments out of 45 on the PGA Tour, with a presence of six each on the Web.com and the Champions tours, Flaschner said. “Our goal by 2018 is to have a presence at all of these tournaments.”

Partner organizations include Operation Shower, a St. Louis charity out that coordinates with base ombudsmen and local stores to host surprise baby showers for pregnant mothers whose husbands are out of the area. Operation shower donates cribs, dressers and other essential baby items.

Battaglia applauded Birdies for the Brave pairing top-level athletes with military veterans and their families. Flaschner said he was also inspired to do something for service members who inspired others with their commitment to freedom and bravery.

Flaschner added, “Whether it’s mortgage-free home donations to wounded service members and their families or the donation of service dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, our fundraising events have raised more than $13 million for military homefront charities that directly benefit military members and their families. To see their gratitude for us when they’ve given so much is just overwhelming.”

By Lynn Goya

5-13-2014

Lynn Goya is a regional best-selling author and Emmy-nominated writer who covers business, people, the environment, and families for regional, national and international publications including USA Today, Audubon and Outdoor Family. With many family members in the military, including an uncle who was a POW in WW II, she has long been an advocate for military men and women.

Tax Tips for VA Loan Borrowers

4 Top Tax Tips for VA Loan Borrowers

Posted on by Lynn Goya

Many people dread it, but it comes like clockwork every year – TAX TIME!  Tax Tips for VA Loan Borrowers can take advantage of many tax deductions that can result in paying less to the IRS, or getting a refund, when filing their taxes.

  1. Veterans who obtained VA purchase loans in 2012 can write off these costs:
  • Mortgage Interest
  • Discount Points
  • Origination Fees

Tax Tips for VA Loan Borrowers

The “big 3” mortgage write-offs can put many veterans who use them well over the standard deduction on their 1040 tax returns for 2012. VA borrowers, like other homeowners, are allowed to write off ALL of the mortgage interest they pay every year.  For the initial couple of years, almost all of your mortgage payments will go toward interest.  Therefore, this deduction is pretty sizable for new homeowners.

Discount points and origination fees associated with your 2012 home purchase can also be deducted – even if you weren’t actually the one to fork over the dough. VA loans allow for up to all closing costs and up to 4% concessions to be seller-paid.  Even if the seller or someone else pays discounts and origination for the buyer, the buyer can still itemize them on the tax return.

  1. Deduct Interest through a VA Cash-out Refinance

A VA Cash-out Refinance Loan can enable veterans with credit card debt to turn their high-interest debt into a low-interest mortgage payment with a tax benefit to boot.  Most credit cards carry an interest rate of around 21%.  The going mortgage interest rate is currently around 3.5 percent.  Veterans benefit twice when using the cash-out program, because they can reduce their monthly payments on their credit card debts and take the tax deduction on the mortgage interest paid.  When the VA cash-out program is used, the mortgage balance increases to reflect the cash taken from the home’s equity.

  1. No Capital Gains for Most Home Sellers

Married homeowners filing jointly can sell a home for up to $500,000 tax free. They must occupy the home for two years.  Capital gains can be avoided even if a different home is sold every two years.  Single filers are permitted to sell a home up to $250,000 with the same tax-free benefits.  As long as the home is used as a primary residence, a requirement for VA borrowing anyway, many veterans avoid paying taxes after selling a home. For active duty military members frequently reassigned, this can be an especially handy tax deduction.

For more on VA loans, contact a specialized lender.

By Lynn Goya

Published in Veterans Journal

1-7-2013

 

 

Lynn Marie Goya, Lynn Marie list veteran resources

Veterans Emergency Resources

Posted on by Lynn Goya

Dear John,

I am attaching some links for emergency assistance.  I’m going to call these tomorrow and do a story on it because you are not the only veteran who has contacted me in the past few days because they are about to lose their home.  I know that there is supposed to be emergency assistance to prevent veteran homelessness.  Please keep in touch. Here is a list of resources I have been able to find.

with great affection,

Lynn

Housing Assistance

“Those who have served this nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope.”
– VA Secretary Eric Shinseki

Housing Assistance For Veterans

Housing assistance for homeless Veterans and their families is available through several federal programs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) partner to provide permanent, supportive housing and treatment services for homeless Veterans.

“HUD-VASH is a collaborative program between HUD and VA combines HUD housing vouchers with VA supportive services to help Veterans who are homeless and their families find and sustain permanent housing.

Through public housing authorities, HUD provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to Veterans who are experiencing homelessness. VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community. Among VA homeless continuum of care programs, HUD-VASH enrolls the largest number and largest percentage of Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness. At the end of FY 2021, over 105,000 subsidized housing vouchers were allocated to HUD-VASH with more than 80,000 formerly homeless Veterans living in their own permanent housing as a result of this partnership between HUD and VA.”

Learn more about the HUD-VASH Program.

Information For the Community

If you know a Veteran who is homeless or at risk of homelessness, you can make a difference. VA provides extensive resources and support for Veterans through community partners and directly to Veterans facing homelessness. Everyone should know VA helps find housing for homeless Veterans.

Be a hero and help connect Veterans with the services they have earned.

More Information

Resources

Ending Veteran Homelessness on Tribal Lands: A Tribal HUD-VASH Grants Guide | Spring 2016

Download Tribal HUD-VASH Grants Guide

Developed by VA and HUD, this guide is designed to familiarize VA medical centers, tribes, tribally designated housing entities and community providers with a new program to permanently house American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans.

The Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program

The Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program funds community-based agencies providing transitional housing or service centers for homeless Veterans. Through the program, each year (as funding is available) VA offers grants that may fund up to 65 percent of the project for the construction, acquisition or renovation of facilities or to purchase vans to provide outreach and services to homeless Veterans.

View the Grant/Per Diem Webpage

Is a Veteran You Know at Risk of Losing Housing?

Is a Veteran You Know at Risk of Losing Housing? Call VA Now. VA has comprehensive programs to prevent and eliminate Veteran homelessness. Contact VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at  1-877-4AID-VET . You will reach a trained VA responder who can connect you with the resources VA offers through these and many other programs.