Relax, it's not Tax Day
Today is April 15 — but it's not Tax Day.
If you've been busting your hump to get your Form 1040 done, relax: You've got until Monday. Lucky folks in Maine and Massachusetts have until Tuesday. It's all due to the observance a couple of holidays that take precedence over taxes. Friday marks D.C.'s Emancipation Day, which celebrates the freeing of slaves in the District in 1862; and Monday is Patriots' Day, a holiday in the two New England states that celebrates the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. If you are planning on finishing your taxes this weekend, check out all of USA TODAY's latest tax news and advice.
Girl in Slender Man stabbing case faces hearing
A Wisconsin girl charged in the Slender Man stabbing case will ask a judge Friday to let her live with her grandparents until trial rather than remain at a juvenile jail. Morgan Geyser, 13, along with Anissa Weier, 14, have been held at Washington County's secure juvenile center since their arrests in 2014 in an attack on a classmate, supposedly to please Slender Man, a fictional internet character. Geyser has been diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia. The two are charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder.
North Korea's missile launch fails
An apparent attempt by North Korea to fire a medium-range ballistic missile Friday failed, according to a defense official and South Korean leaders. The launch appeared to be timed to coincide with the 104th anniversary of the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il Sung. The so-called "Day of the Sun" has been marked by elaborate military events in the past. It's the first test-launch by North Korea of this particular version of the mid-range Musudan missile.
Democrats to sue Arizona over voter access
Arizona's elections practices are the target of a lawsuit that the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee plan to file Friday in federal court. The lawsuit will cite the long lines from last month's voting, as well as other practices the DNC claims disenfranchise voters (especially minorities). The lawsuit is aimed at influencing plans for the November general election, where Democrats say they fear unfair voting practices could suppress the vote.
Woodstock-'69 Santana members reunite for first album in decades
After 45 years apart, how do you just pick up where you left off? If you're Santana — the band, that is, in the classic incarnation last featured on the 1971 album Santana III — you do it with wailing bursts of guitar and a lean, deep groove. Santana IV (*** out of four stars), out Friday, was a reunion decades in the making. "We got a second chance, we know more, we feel more," Carlos Santana told USA TODAY in a recent interview. "It took nearly 45 years to reignite this chemistry. Because it’s really chemistry that we’re talking about." Take a trip down memory lane with the band.
And the essentials:
Weather: The two stormiest parts of the U.S. Friday will be the Rockies and the Southeast.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were lower Friday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Darkness and Vinyl/Girls.
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