After responding to the COVID-19 crisis with a successful shift to virtual classes this spring, Houston Ballet Academy announces its new online summer programming open to the public. During this time when dance enthusiasts are not able to gather in the studio, the Academy strives to reach new students near and far through Summer Saturdays.

“Our doors are closed at the Center for Dance, but our virtual classes are wide open for the community to experience what makes Houston Ballet Academy so special,” says Houston Ballet Academy Director Melissa Bowman. “Come dance with us!”

Through Summer Saturdays, the Academy invites all ages to partake in live, virtual dance classes via Zoom. Summer Saturdays is comprised of two class series, Online Creative Movement and Online Master Classes.

“Our weekly Creative Movement classes are designed for young children and their families, to use their imagination to explore movement and music while building strength, flexibility and balance,” says Bowman.

The Online Creative Movement class series is geared towards children ages two to six, and the whole family can join. The five-class series begins Saturday, May 30, 2020, with the thirty-minute dance class at 10:30 a.m. CST. The cost is $10 per class per household and students can sign up for one or all five classes.

“The Saturday Master Class series gives dancers 14 and older an opportunity to take classes and learn from Houston Ballet’s world-renowned faculty and artists,” says Bowman.

Held each Saturday in June, Online Master Classes will be taught by former Houston Ballet Principal Dancer Lauren Anderson, Houston Ballet II Ballet Master Claudio Muñoz and guest teachers, to be announced at a later date. These virtual drop-in classes will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST and cost $15 per class.

Houston Ballet Academy’s Summer Saturdays are open to all, bringing world class ballet to living rooms across the globe. To learn more about each class series and to register, please visit https://bit.ly/36c7gRi.

El crédito de retención de empleados (en inglés) está diseñado para alentar a las empresas a mantener a los empleados en su nómina. La cantidad del crédito es del 50 por ciento de los salarios pagados hasta un límite anual de $10,000, lo que equivale a un monto máximo de crédito de $5,000 por cada empleado durante el año.

¿Quién es elegible para el crédito?

El crédito está disponible para todos los empleadores, independientemente del tamaño del negocio, incluyendo organizaciones exentas de impuestos. Las agencias federales, estatales y locales y negocios que reciben préstamos del programa de protección de pago de cheques no califican.

Los empleadores elegibles son empleadores que operan un comercio o negocio y han experimentado uno de los siguientes:

• Operaciones suspendidas total o parcialmente debido a una orden del gobierno debido a COVID-19
• Una disminución significativa en los ingresos brutos en un trimestre calendario en comparación al 2019

¿Cómo se calcula el crédito?

• El monto del crédito es la mitad de los salarios calificados pagados hasta $10,000 por todos los trimestres calendarios. El crédito máximo para cualquier empleado es de $5,000
• Los salarios pagados entre el 12 de marzo de 2020 y antes del 1^ro de enero de 2021 son elegibles.  
• Los salarios no se limitan a pagos en efectivo. También incluyen una parte de la atención médica brindada por el empleador.  

¿Qué salarios califican?

Los salarios que califican se basan en el número promedio de empleados a tiempo completo de una empresa en 2019.

• Empleadores con menos de 100 empleados, pueden recibir el crédito por los salarios pagados a los empleados, independientemente de si trabajaron o no.
• Empleadores con más de 100 empleados podrían solo recibir el crédito por los salarios pagados a los empleados que no trabajaron durante el trimestre calendario.

Si un empleador es elegible debido a una suspensión total o parcial de operaciones, solo los salarios pagados durante el tiempo que el negocio estuvo cerrado cuentan como salarios calificados.

¿Cómo reciben los empleadores elegibles el crédito?

Los empleadores deben reportar sus salarios calificados total en sus declaraciones trimestrales de impuestos sobre la nómina, usualmente mediante el Formulario 941, Declaración de impuestos federales trimestrales del empleador (PDF, en inglés).

También pueden reducir los depósitos requeridos de impuestos sobre la nómina retenidos de los salarios de los empleados por el monto del crédito. También pueden solicitar un adelanto de los créditos del empleador al presentar el Formulario 7200 (SP) (PDF). Los empleados elegibles pueden usar el crédito de retención de empleados con otro alivio, como el aplazamiento del impuesto sobre la nómina que puede afectar los depósitos y anticipos.

Más información:

• Página sobre el Coronavirus en IRS.gov.
• Sobre el Formulario 7200 (SP)

Access and equity are the focus of the Houston Health Department’s COVID-19 testing strategy moving forward, Mayor Sylvester Turner and COVID-19 Recovery Czar Marvin Odum announced Thursday. The health department will also significantly increase its contact tracing workforce to monitor and contain disease.

“COVID-19 is a real and present danger in all our lives and will be so for the foreseeable future,” Odum said. “As we continue navigating this new reality together, it’s important we become even more strategic in our efforts to lessen the spread through ubiquitous testing and robust contact tracing.”

Using test saturation information from CDC and vulnerability data from UTHealth, the health department identified 20 priority Houston communities to address our most vulnerable and at-risk neighborhoods. These areas have limited access to testing and higher rates of underlying health conditions, making them more vulnerable to severe health outcomes from COVID-19.

“We are still facing a public health crisis. The virus is still in our City and we are working strategically to manage its spread,” Mayor Turner said. “The newly announced plans for more testing and contact tracing will allow us to move forward in a way that will save lives and prevent a resurgence.”

The health department is working with partners on a testing strategy that includes fixed sites, mobile sites and strategic outreach teams.

• Fixed sites include Houston’s two large-scale testing sites at Butler and Delmar Stadiums, in addition to expanding testing capacity at Federally Qualified Health Centers.
• Mobile sites include the Houston Health Department mobile unit and sites established through partnerships with the Texas Division of Emergency Management United Memorial Medical Center.
• Strategic outreach teams are deployed within 48 hours to address immediate needs in congregant settings like nursing homes, long-term care facilities and detention centers. The teams will also respond to people who are homebound or experiencing homelessness.

The testing strategy currently includes up to 24 sites that will be announced as they are established throughout May.

The health department will also hire an additional 300 contact tracers to meet the growing demand to monitor and contain COVID-19 cases. Currently, the health department has about 125 people in this role, most of whom are temporarily deployed from other areas of the department.

“We are tapping into the talent of our local educational institutions and will conduct hiring fairs to meet this staffing need,” said Stephen L. Williams, director of the Houston Health Department. “Not only will this allow us to meet the current need of COVID-19, it allows us to train our future public health workforce.”

Testing and contact tracing accounts for approximately $56 million of the Houston Health Department’s $125 million COVID-19 response plan. The funding will be made available through $404 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act received by the City of Houston.

Houstonians should visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 to find out how to get tested.