Q&A on the News

Q: How long do they think it will take to clean up the Georgia Dome? Are they going to turn it into a parking lot? —Eddie Webster, Douglasville

A: It will take about three months to clear the site and grade it, according to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The Georgia Dome was imploded on Nov. 20.

A luxury convention center hotel with an expected 1,010 rooms is expected to break ground in early 2019 on the site, according to the authority. The site also will have a parking deck with 600 spaces and a 13-acre greenspace, called the Home Depot Backyard, for tailgating at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and community events.

Q: I know prize winnings won on game shows such as “The Price is Right” are taxable. If you have no interest in a speedboat or Jet Skis, can you decline a prize and keep your taxable winnings at a minimum? —Pat Mell, Norcross

A: Yes, if winners decline a prize, “there is no income to report, and no tax bill owed,” tax consultants have told MarketWatch. “Wheel of Fortune” winner Andrea Carla Michaels won $68,000 in cash and prizes, including a motor home valued at $50,000 and a trip down the Amazon valued at $7,000, according to an AOL report.

“As Michaels discovered with her motor home and Amazon trip, non-cash game show prizes aren’t just considered income, but they’re often overvalued at that. And taxes will have to be paid on that inflated valuation,” the AOL article stated.

Michaels declined the Amazon trip.