Social Security 8.7 Percent Benefit Increase for 2023
•October 19, 2022• Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 8.7 percent in 2023, the Social Security Administration announced Thursday, October 13. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. The 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023. Increased payments to more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2022. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits). The Social Security Act ties the annual … Read More
Attorney General Candidates Clash Over SAFE-T Act, Public Health Measures
•October 19, 2022• By Peter Hancock Capitol News Illinois phancock @ capitolnewsillinois.com Attorney General Kwame Raoul accused his Republican challenger Thomas DeVore of making “dangerous” remarks, while DeVore accused the Democratic incumbent of failing the state’s school students by not challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigations. The charges and countercharges came during a nearly hourlong debate organized by the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors and Capitol News Illinois that was conducted Monday via Zoom. Raoul, a former state senator from Chicago, is seeking his second term in the AG’s office while DeVore, a southern Illinois attorney in private practice, is … Read More
Crop Yields Remain Volatile This Year
•October 19, 2022• Harvest seasons vary depending on the crop that was planted, but late summer and fall are busy times of year for farmers. And since the pandemic began, farmers have been working overtime to ensure that their goods make it to market on time. The agricultural sector is affected by a number of variables, including the weather and pests. The pandemic is yet another of those variables, and consumers may want to know how the many factors that affect the agricultural sector could affect what is and isn’t in the grocery store in the months to come. Wheat … Read More
How to Prepare Your Car for Winter
•October 19, 2022• Summer and fall can stake their claim as road trip season, and even devoted drivers may admit that winter is generally a less desirable time to take to the open road. The elements factor heavily into that reputation, as fewer hours of daylight, snow and ice are just some of the variables that can make it less enjoyable, and potentially more dangerous, to drive in winter. In anticipation of adverse driving conditions, vehicle owners can take various steps to prepare their cars and trucks for winter. • Upgrade your wiper blades. Perhaps nothing is compromised more than … Read More
SOV Falls to Central A&M
Halloween Craft Ideas for Kids
•October 19, 2022• Halloween is an enjoyable holiday for all, but particularly for children. Kids enjoy the opportunity to channel their whimsy and imagination, whether that involves choosing a clever costume or helping design the theme and scope of home decorations. Parents, guardians and educators can channel the creativity inspired by Halloween into various craft projects. Crafts can not only keep children busy when the “I’m bored” lamentations inevitably turn up, but crafts also are a way to keep children off of screens. Plus, the items that children create can be used to decorate rooms in the house — helping … Read More
When Can Kids Trick-or-Treat Without an Adult?
•October 19, 2022• Jack-o’-lanterns on front porches and crisp air are signs that Halloween is right around the corner. Costumes have likely been chosen and bags of candy are undoubtedly hidden in the back of pantries ready to delight trick-or-treaters. Trick-or-treating is one of the most anticipated components of celebrating Halloween, and scores of kids venture door-to-door seeking the best chocolate bars and other candies. Children typically are chaperoned by their parents or other adults on trick-or-treating ventures. But some day kids will inevitably ask if they can go out alone with their friends. How can parents know when kids … Read More
How to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween
•October 19, 2022• When Halloween arrives each October, most people are interested in the entertaining aspects of the holiday in addition to the abundance of sweet foods that are there for the taking. Even though fun may be foremost on the brain, it is important for everyone keep safety in mind as well. According to the Florida Law Group, Halloween is a time of heightened injuries and fatalities, and is actually the deadliest day of the year for children. A State Farm insurance study that analyzed four million fatalities between 1990 and 2010 discovered children are twice as likely to … Read More
What’s in a Name?
•October 19, 2022• By Jerry L. Ginther NP Guest Writer Now, when I was a lad and ol’ Shep was a pup my maternal grandparents lived in Sullivan, IL. At the time they were faithful to listen to the evening news broadcasts on the radio. During that era, after WWII, there were a couple of famous news broadcasters/commentators, Walter Winchell and Gabriel Heatter, whose voices were heard daily in the living room. This practice continued for many years after a television set was present in their home. … Read More