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FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 3 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 3 For seniors, life can change in the blink of an eye if they trip on a rug or slip on a wet floor. Injuries from falls represent a significant source of pain, disability, loss of independence and early death in order adults, according to the World Health Organization. About 1 in 4 Americans age 65 and older -- more than 14 million -- reports falling every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the rate is increasing, the CDC says. "Every second of every day, an older adult (age 65+) suffers a fall in the U.S -- making falls the leading cause of injury and injury death in this age group," the agency says. And the National Institute on Aging reports that "the risk of falling -- and fall-related problems -- rises with age." In late March, former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's death at age 82 due to complications from a fall at his home cast the spotlight on serious injuries that can affect seniors. Another celebrity who endured falls was the late Nancy Reagan. The former first lady stumbled multiple times in her senior years, fracturing her pelvis, tailbone and ribs. The reasons people are more likely to fall as they age stem in part from agerelated changes in gait, strength and balance, said Dr. Elizabeth Phelan, a falls expert and founding director of the Fall Prevention Clinic at UW Medicine in Seattle. "However, falls are not inevitable," said Phelan, who also is a professor of geriatrics. "They are largely preventable. Awareness of what contributes to falls is critical to preventing them." Vision and hearing impairments contribute to falls. So does the accumulation of chronic conditions that affect cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and neurological systems. And a drop in blood pressure -- which may happen when someone stands up after lying down or sitting -- also raises fall risk, Phelan said. Medications that cloud people's thinking or make them feel sleepy or offbalance are another major risk factor for falls. People who die from a fall tend to take multiple medications -- six on average, she said. "It's important for people to understand the link between medications and falls, and to initiate conversations with their doctors about whether there is an ongoing need for each of their medications," Phelan said. "There are safer alternatives to medications for many symptoms." Alcohol use also is a risk factor that can be controlled. Recent research has found an increase in alcohol consumption among older adults and a rise in emergency department visits for alcohol-related fall injuries, she said. Identifying and addressing modifiable risk factors reduces the chances of falling. Among people who fall repeatedly, falls "are not purely accidental," Phelan said. "This is a commonly held, but false belief. In fact, falls result from the interaction of a person with their environment." People who experience fatal falls may have had preceding decline in their functional ability -- physical, cognitive or both -- that led them to limit their outdoor mobility, so their falls occur indoors, Phelan said. While hip fractures are associated with more advanced age and an underlying neurological condition, she noted that head injuries are more common among men, people who take blood thinners and those without a musculoskeletal diagnosis. Even improper footwear can play a role in falls, said Dr. Amanda Lathia, a geriatrician who helps manage the interdisciplinary falls clinic at University Hospitals in Cleveland. "Wearing slippers or socks in the home increases the risk for falling," Lathia said. "It is best to wear shoes with good support in the home and outside the home." Other hazards include a lack of handrails, clutter, stairs, poor lighting, ice, snow and pets, Lathia said, noting that "the bathroom is the location of most falls as we get older." She suggested installing handrails in the bathroom and along all stairwells, using a raised toilet seat, and avoiding going outside in bad weather. Although most falls don't cause injury, potentially serious ones can occur. Fractures are the most common. Having a hip fracture increases the risk of dying, particularly within the first year afterward, Lathia said. Fall-induced head trauma, such as a brain bleed, can lead to death if left treated. And if older adults fall and remain stuck on the ground for a long time, they can suffer a traumatic breakdown of muscle, which can lead to serious kidney failure and even death, she Falls by seniors represent serious health concern High-dose Vitamin D may not prevent falls in seniors High doses of vitamin D may increase seniors' risk of falls, rather than reduce it, according to a new study. Preliminary studies suggested vitamin D may increase muscle strength and improve balance, so Johns Hopkins researchers investigated whether high doses of vitamin D might reduce the risk of falls in people aged 70 and older. But the investigators found that large doses of vitamin D supplements were no better at preventing falls in this age group than a low dose. "There's no benefit of higher doses but several signals of potential harm," study author Dr. Lawrence Appel said in a Hopkins news release. "A lot of people think if a little bit is helpful, a lot will be better. But for some vitamins, high-dose supplements pose more risks than benefits. There's a real possibility that higher doses of vitamin D increase the risk and severity of falls," said Appel, a professor of medicine with joint appointments in epidemiology, international health and nursing. Taking 1,000 or more international units per day, or IU/day, equivalent to 25 micrograms/day of vitamin D, was no better than 200 IU/day at preventing falls, according to the study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. The results were published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers also found that vitamin D supplement doses of 2,000 and 4,000 IU/day seemed to increase the risk and severity of falls compared with 1,000 IU/day, a relatively common dose for a pure vitamin D supplement. Another finding was that serious falls and falls that required hospitalization occurred more often in older people who took 1,000 or more IU/day than in those who took 200 IU/day -- about half the typical dose found in multivitamins. Older folks should talk with their doctors about their fall risk and vitamin D levels in order to determine whether or not to continue taking vitamin D supplements, Appel recommended. By Susan Kreimer About 1 in 4 Americans age 65 and older reports falling every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the fall rate is increasing, the CDC says. Smart Reader is published bi-weekly by Carmichael Communications Editor & Publisher/Frank J. Carmichael Assistant to the Publisher/Reanna Stockdale Sales/Kim Carmichael, Elaina Myers Editorial Manager/Jason Hedman Ad Design & Layout/Kristin Monticelli, Glen Kelly Reception/Sarah Coleman Carmichael Communications 1420 63rd St. Kenosha, WI 53143 April 18, 2024 Volume 22 Number 8 262-564-8800 • 1-800-568-6623 • www.hap2it.com story continues on next page Trust Your Local Expert! [email protected] INDEPENDENT AGENT LORI WALUSHIS (262) 212-5284 GoPioneerTravel.com 041824 Helping You See YOUR World YOUR Way! It’s Time to TRAVEL! TORCASO And So Much More... Purses • Backpacks • Belts and most leather goods 3305 60th Street • 262-654-3839 Now Open Mon. - Fri. 9:30am-5pm • Sat. 9:30am-1pm Full Service Repairs Done In House SR042122 Paula Ray 0
4 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F e mo i y c t a t A h a a S t t SMART READER April 18, 2024 4 Study finds dancing helps seniors avoid falls Preventing falls in older age could be as fun as dancing them away, new research shows. Researchers found a 31% reduction in falls and a 37% reduction in fall risk for those aged 65 and older when reviewing clinical trials on "dance-based mindmotor activities" from around the world. "We were positively surprised by the consistency of our results," said study author Michèle Mattle, a movement scientist and doctoral candidate at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. "Although previous research in the field of falls prevention and exercise was suggesting that interventions, including multitasking activities, are promising fallsprevention strategies, it was unclear if dance-based mindmotor activities would lead to comparable results," she said. Dance-based mind-motor activities are those that have upright movements that emphasize balance and use music or an inner rhythm, such as breathing, according to the study. They include instructions or choreography, as well as social interaction. Tai chi meets those criteria, in addition to a variety of dance-based activities, including ballroom and folk dancing. Though dance was often suggested as a good fallprevention activity for older adults, there was not previously evidence for that, Mattle said. The review only found an association between dance and mobility, balance and lower body strength, not a cause-andeffect relationship. It also concluded there is a need for more high-quality trials on dance. Tai chi is an activity that has been studied more often, but it's not as popular in Europe, Mattle said, where many people engage in ballroom and folk dances. The 29 trials reviewed in the study were from many countries on several different continents. They included trials from the United States and Canada, as well as countries throughout Asia, Europe and South America. "Our findings now lay an important base for the further development of public health strategies in the field of falls prevention that are accessible for cultures that are not familiar with tai chi but have a cultural bond toward different dance styles," Mattle said. Impaired balance and gait are important risk factors for falls in older adults, Mattle explained. The ability to multitask with two movements at once, such as talking while walking, can diminish with age. Many falls happen during walking when something unexpected happens and the person needs to react quickly, Mattle said. Balance training helps a person react faster when losing control. "The movements in dancebased mind-motor [activities] are intentional, focused and involve the constant attention control for the shifting of body weight," Mattle said, calling it good training for keeping dynamic balance in unexpected situations and for enhancing reaction time. Falls are the leading cause of accidental death and injury in people over 65, said Dr. Allison Mays, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Cedars Sinai, in Southern California. Mays is involved in another study that looks at the impact of exercise classes on older adults. Causes of falls can range from reaction time slowed by aging, vision changes that affect balance, blood pressure changes and medication, Mays said. "Falls are not normal, even in older adults," Mays said. "It always should deserve a conversation with your physician." In addition to death and injury, falls can increase fear of future falls, which can cause a person to limit activities. The number one change an older person can make to prevent falls is exercise, Mays said. Walking is a good activity for those who are just starting to be regularly physically active, Mays said. A person's doctor can suggest other exercise classes designed for seniors that are still available even in the time of COVID-19 on YouTube or Zoom. Both the type of exercise and consistency matter, Mays said. To prevent falls, a class should challenge a person's balance and require shifting weight. In the trials reviewed in this study, they saw a good degree of adherence, Mays noted, with people attending their classes 80% of the time. Having something that's both healthy and fun makes a difference, she said. By Cara Robert Murez said. Once an older adult falls, the risk for future falls rises. This "unfortunately leads to the double-edged sword of people starting to restrict their activities because they're afraid to fall," said Dr. Laurie Theriot, chief of geriatric medicine at Prisma Health's upstate region in Greenville, S.C. "It's counterintuitive, but we actually want to see that patient walk more, create a support system and get more active to improve balance and mobility," Theriot said. "In the hospital, we consult on so many falls that involve broken hips," she said, cautioning that health professionals need "to be really careful how we obtain [a patient's] history because, especially with osteoporosis, we may find that you fractured your hip before you fell." That's because "osteoporosis is often undiagnosed because gradual loss of bone density is not painful until the bone actually breaks," Theriot said. Falls that lead to death are most often due to hip fractures or head injuries. People who die after a fall that results in a hip fracture tend to be older and have an underlying neurological condition, Phelan said. On the other hand, she noted that fatal falls stemming from a head injury are more common among men, people who take blood thinners and those without a musculoskeletal diagnosis. Another problem arises when people forget if they took their medications, said Andrea Fleischman, an assistant professor in the department of occupational therapy at Creighton University Health Sciences Campus-Phoenix. "Sometimes, older individuals will double up on their medication regimen, which can make them increasingly lethargic or dizzy," Fleischman said. She said she recommends that older adults regularly review medications with their clinicians and family members, especially if they have memory issues. Fall prevention strategies include regular exercise to maintain muscle mass and bone density. Routine physicals and vision checkups are also important, Fleischman said. She also cited the importance of ensuring the home is safe from tripping hazards, such as throw rugs. That's because older adults may not be able to catch themselves or cushion a fall as easily as younger or middle-aged people. But whether injuries lead to death depends to a large extent on the person's age and overall health status, Fleischman said. Even so, "the unfortunate statistic is that the morbidity rate for a person who falls and breaks a hip is upwards of 50%," she said. "It's due to decreased mobility." Older adults often hit their head because protective reflexes -- which prompt people to put their hands out to stop or cushion a fall -- diminish with advanced age, Fleischman said. After a fall, timely medical care and follow-up can make a difference. "Hopefully you're able to recover, but you need that additional support to determine your risks and prevent future falls," Theriot said. She added that "physical therapy, occupational therapy and interventions like a fall risk assessment in your home environment are all important." By Susan Kreimer Falls by seniors continued from page 2 STARTING AT Stop in and slect the fabric of your choice! Steelcase Chairs $ 369 RESTORED Stop in and slect the fabric of your choice! $ 369 We Restore Steelcase Think, Leap & Amia Chairs - Includes New Foam Scat & New Fabric Of Your Choice. Steelcase Chairs Locally Owned & Operated for Over 30 Years 5403 52nd Street • Kenosha Phone (262) 656-1717 www.bandlofficefurniture.com 022224 A CUSTOM MADE QUALITY CHAIR WITHOUT THE CUSTOM PRICE! A CUSTOM MADE QUALITY CHAIR WITHOUT THE CUSTOM PRICE! Kenosha Funeral Services and Crematory Prepay for your funeral now and the price will be guaranteed. 8226 Sheridan Rd. 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0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 5 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 5 For me, spring is an exciting time of year in the Kenosha Area because so many seasonal attractions open back up! What are you interested in doing? Would you like to crawl, swing, climb, balance, or zip-line through a forest? You can do all that – plus go axe throwing – at Boundless Adventures. A new season has started at this outdoor aerial adventure park in Bristol Woods Park. Or climb to new heights at the Southport Light Station Museum. There are two parts to the museum: the 1866 Southport Lighthouse tower and the keeper’s house, which is a maritime museum. The tower stands 55 feet above the lighthouse grounds. The 72-step spiral staircase inside the lighthouse will take you to the lantern room for an amazing view! Lighthouse climbers must be 8 years old or older; there is a fee. It’s free to tour the maritime museum; donations are appreciated. Open Thursday through Sunday; the new season starts May 2. See if your golf skills are up to par after the winter months at Brighton Dale Links, Petrifying Springs Golf Course, or Washington Park Municipal Golf Course. Try for that hole in one! The car races get going on May 4 at Wilmot Raceway, which is located at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds. This is a 3/8- mile clay, semi-banked oval. Enjoy motorsports entertainment on select dates (primarily on Saturdays, but other days as well). Always popular is the Monster Truck Throwdown, which happens June 1. Enjoy transportation of another kind when you book a time with Lakeshore Pedal Tours. This is a multipassenger, open-air, pedalpowered, memorable rolling party. You can reserve the entire pedal bike for your group and pick two to three locations in Downtown Kenosha to stop at. It’s market time! Season 17 of the Wilmot Flea Market is now underway on Sundays at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds. The family friendly open-air market offers unique treasures from both loyal and new vendors each week. No experience is needed to become a vendor yourself! There is a nominal admission fee. On May 11, the yearround Saturday farmers markets move back outdoors. Kenosha HarborMarket can be found at Second Avenue and 56th Street, near the Civil War Museum and Kenosha Public Museum. Kenosha Public Market can be found at 625 52nd Street, by the City of Kenosha Municipal Building and Veterans Memorial Park. Enjoy a charter fishing excursion on Lake Michigan with the Kenosha Charter Boat Association. No fishing experience is necessary. Your captain will assist you with using the provided equipment. Up to six passengers can go on a boat – and multiple boats can be booked if you have a larger group. Your catch will be either gut-gilled or filleted – and feel free to ask your captain for tips on how to prepare your fish. Fin and Ale, on Seventh Avenue, offers the Shore Lunch. Bring your fresh catch in and let the staff prepare it for you to eat fresh in the restaurant, or they can smoke it for you to bring home. Book your outing now! If watching fish play baseball is more in your wheelhouse, single game tickets for Kenosha Kingfish games are now on sale. The first home game of the year is May 31 when the Waterloo Bucks come to historic Simmons Field. Find fun faster! Be sure to use our website VisitKenosha.com when looking for #KenoshaFun. You’ll find the Visit Kenosha Events Calendar; the FUN 101 list; information on attractions, shops, restaurants, and hotels; blog posts, articles, and itineraries; and more on our website. Visit Kenosha has been Kenosha’s official travel resource since 1986. Seasonal attractions re-open by Meridith Jumisko, Visit Kenosha Meridith Jumisko is Public Relations Director at Visit Kenosha. Contact her at [email protected] C O M E D Y E V E N T S 5125 6th Ave. Kenosha 125 6th Ave. Kenosha If It ’ s N o t Liv e , Yo u ’ r e N o t Livin g! If It’s Not Live, You’re Not Living! FOR EVENT TICKETS & MORE ACTS VISIT HAP2IT.COM, STOP IN 1420 63RD ST. M-F 10AM-4PM OR CALL (262)564-8800 PLAY & STAY! Don’t go home, stay with us! Call now to book a room at a great rate! (262) 658-3281 041124 CHRIS BARNES RICH GUZZI MIKE BALL TAMMY PESCATELLI MAY 31 JUN 1 Kevin Hart’s LAUGH OUT LOUD! Hypnotist Comedian MIKE TOOMEY FRED RUBINO PRESENTS STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA JULY 19/20 APRIL 19/20 APRIL 26/27 MAY 3/4 MAY 10/11 No Drink Minimum! No Drink Minimum! Live Comedy EVERY Friday & Saturday! Live Comedy EVERY Friday & Saturday! JAMES CAMACHO MAY 17/18 MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! THAT’S HOW SURE WE ARE THAT YOU’LL ENJOY THIS SHOW! “The King of Brooklyn” & The Voice of American Italians MAY 24/25 MIKE PALASCAK AUG 23/24 4 d t d d n t a r d r n t e n s y t y A t s e e r e s s s g d d s g . h a zay 0 o 042023
6 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F c w c s t t m f w r p a m e g s r l i a h w d o w i m I c p r d t p r s n m t c s J D a r S q a m m a f h o u s G a Wwc c f g g r g . x t e r r e e r e o , r y r e e r e o o e . a , g r s Expensive home prices and soaring mortgage rates have nearly two in five U.S. renters believing that they will never own a home because of the overall cost, according to a new survey released by Redfin last Friday. The survey found that 38% of renting respondents said they will never own a home is up sharply from 27% in 2023. Of the more than 3,000 respondents, 1,000 said they were renters in 2024. Some 44% of the renters who said they don't believe they will own a home cited that the homes on the market currently are too expensive. After that, 35% said they could not pay for a down payment, followed closely, by 33% who cited high mortgage rates and 32% pointing to. An additional 14% said they are not interested in owning a home. The Mortgage Bankers Association weekly report released last Wednesday said purchase applications were down 5% to its lowest level since February with the 30-year-fixed rate increasing to 7.01%, the highest in more than a month. "Mortgage rates moved higher last week as several Federal Reserve officials reiterated a patient posture on rate cuts," said Joel Kan the MBA's vice president and deputy chief economist. "Inflation remains stubbornly above the Fed's target, and the boarder economy continues to show resiliency. "Unexpectedly strong employment data released last week further added to the upward pressure on rates." By Clyde Hughes Help wanted: Child care workers. Free housing provided. Survey: 38% of U.S. renters believe they will never own a home There’s a new type of community being built in New Haven, just a 10- minute drive from Yale University. From the ruins of an old rock quarry, a village of multifamily houses is sprouting on 2 acres of land. An open, shared courtyard will tie together the families, most of whom have young children. However, what sets this community apart is whom these homes are for. The budding village is only for child care workers. Friends Center for Children is building rent-free workforce housing as a salaried benefit for employees. After five years working with young children, Paris Pierce was searching for ways to keep doing the work she loves. The 20- something had found her calling in caring for children under 3 years old, but her job came with challenges. The mother of three was spending an entire paycheck, plus half of another, on rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New Haven. After groceries and utilities, she was left with close to nothing. “That’s still before anything the kids might need,” adds Ms. Pierce. “We made it work, but it was tough. I was always looking for ways to make more money while staying in child care.” Workforce housing is being explored in the United States as a recruitment and retention strategy across the education sector. However, the potential solution is so new that most evidence of its effect is still anecdotal. In Daly City, California, a school district built a 122- unit affordable housing complex to assist its educators and staff with below-market-rate housing. In Los Angeles, the school district built three housing projects and gave leasing priority to teachers to address rising housing costs and low wages in education. “This is still an innovation and an experiment that requires further study,” says Kim Anderson, executive director of the National Education Association, a teachers union. Ms. Anderson applauds the efforts to overcome economic barriers. She thinks it’s wise for school districts and employers to think about other benefits like workforce housing that can be added to a professional salary. But make no mistake, “there’s no substitute for a professional wage,” says Ms. Anderson. “We don’t have an absence of qualified individuals and educators in this country. We have an absence of fairly paid education jobs.” Still, early signs are promising. In Santa Clara, California, the unified district’s affordable housing complex – built in 2001 – has shown promising results. Since the 70-unit, below-market-rate housing opened, the attrition rate for teachers with the housing benefit has been less than one-third that of teachers with comparable experience. Youngest children, least paid The situation is even more acute for child care providers working with children under age 5. In Connecticut, early educators with a bachelor’s degree are paid 31.3% less than their colleagues in the K-8 system, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. The poverty rate in 2020 Jefferson Union High School District administrative assistant Taylor Garcia walks through her children's playroom in Daly City, California, July 8, 2022. story continues page 10 SMART READER April 18, 2024 6 5125 6th AVE. KENOSHA May 4th • 7:30PM May 11th • 7:00PM Pat McCurdy at McCurdy We are always adding new acts! For the latest updates go to Yesterday’s Children Bringing his unique style of comedy, music & audience intaction, Pat McCurdy has been entertaining throughout the Midwest, and across the nation for decades. The Midwest's legendary 10-piece horn group, now celebrating over 50 years of making memorable music! S o o 6:30pm - 9:30pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm All Star Join Us Every Wednesday! Karaoke S S S o o Yesterday’s Children May 17th & 18th • 7:30PM HARMONIX HARMONIX ROCK & ROLL BINGO FREE 041124 FOR EVENT TICKETS VISIT HAP2IT.COM STOP IN 1420 63RD ST. M-F 10AM-4PM OR CALL 1-262-564-8800 We are always adding new acts! For the latest updates go to In Residency In Residency Returns for Two Big SHOWS! April 27th • 5:30PM Bill Serritella & Elliot Wimbush Bill Serritella & Elliot Wimbush Sinatra, Sammy, Soul & Such! An A Cappella Event You Won’t Want To Miss! Singing The Hits From Yesterday & Today! Call 262.653.9132 SR121423 JR PROPERTIES 2409 52nd Street, Suite 3 • Kenosha 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms Available In Kenosha & Racine John and Shelley Rogowski, Owners $28 Eye Exam 262 - 554 -1121 • 3701 Durand Ave. Racine $18 Eyeglasses Place SR090822 Eyeglasses exam $49 without purchase of eyeglasses. See store for details.
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 7 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 7 Now that Caitlin Clark has changed the future of women’s basketball, the challenge is on. Can the tidal wave of support for women’s sports that she set off continue off the court? Can this feel-good momentum be harnessed in favor of change for how all women fare? There are plenty of reasons to be dubious of the prospects. Clark’s well-deserved accolades won’t necessarily mean that women everywhere are suddenly going to see their value in society recognized, rewarded, or cheered. That much is obvious, but let’s insert a hopeful asterisk. Sports have long been an important component, an accelerator, to society’s hesitations. Think Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph in track striking at antiBlackness sentiment and the stark segregation and racism that was so prevalent during their eras of Olympic performance. We think of Jackie Robinson for breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, leading to denouncements of hate and bias. Billie Jean King’s impact on women’s sports only accelerated after she trounced Bobby Riggs on the tennis court i n 1973. She was a huge force in arguing for equal payouts between male and female winners of major tennis tournaments. Still, most women aren’t being measured for their skill in such high spectator arenas. They’re showing up at work daily for far less celebrated schedules. They’re playing by far more nebulous rules and are being judged with more wide-ranging conclusions. As the Barbie movie made painfully clear in that much repeated dialogue delivered by America Ferrera, women are often labeled as “too” as in too aggressive, too meek, too persnickety. Or, they’re simply challenged and Let women’s sports be a tailwind to a better society with Mary Sanchez Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn. Another day, another dead New York City police officer, another grieving widow. The familiarity of these incidents should breed more than contempt. Instead, we get meaningless condemnations from politicians who are responsible for putting district attorneys in office that do not protect the public. Too many of them release career criminals, some of whom commit new crimes, including the murder of cops. The latest, but likely not the last if things don’t change, is the widow of slain New York City cop Jonathan Diller. Officer Diller was gunned down by a criminal with a lengthy rap sheet. Diller’s widow, Stephanie Diller, 28, asked a question that has been asked by other widows of murdered officers: “How many more police officers and how many more families (she and her husband have a one-yearold son) have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them”? Good question. And the answer is? (see below). In 2022, the widow of another slain NYPD officer, Dominique Luzuriaga (her husband was Jason Rivera) spoke during his memorial service: “The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore. Not even the members of the service.” Who is responsible for “the system”? It’s not only the people mishandling it, though they deserve plenty of blame. System members include New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg seems more concerned with “getting” Donald Trump rather than keeping dangerous criminals off the streets so New Yorkers feel safe and protected. Other big cities with “woke” prosecutors are experiencing similar tragedies and disrespect for law enforcement in the wake of the “defund the police” movement. In Los Angeles, George Gascon is another failed DA who regularly gives getout-of-jail-free cards to violent criminals and other dregs of society. There are others. Some of their campaigns were financed by billionaire lefty George Soros, who seems to have bought the view that criminals are unfortunates who haven’t had good breaks in life. Most people who might be said to have had bad breaks have not turned to crime, so that is a weak argument. The ultimate responsibility (and therefore they have blood on their hands), are the people who vote for governors and district attorneys who believe that criminals are victims of (name your excuse) and deserve second, third, even fourth chances. Too many use those multiple chances in ways any rational person could predict. What are voters thinking, especially when they have the power to change things by voting for law-and-order candidates? If Republican Lee Zeldin had won the last New York governor’s race it is likely he would have ousted Bragg and others who coddle criminals. Too many people vote for a party label and not the policies of the candidate best positioned to fight crime. If voters don’t like what is happening, they should try something else. Otherwise, the blame is on them. We now have what C.S. Lewis called a “humanitarian theory of punishment” in which the criminal is treated better than the victim and the victim’s widow and children. The fundraising campaigns, while helpful, can never make up for the loss of a husband and father no matter how much is raised. These women should not be widows. Their husbands should be home with them and their children. They might not be widows if the criminals were in jail and people felt the streets (and subways) were safe as they once were under previous governors, mayors, and prosecutors. Every Republican should make replacing soft-oncrime prosecutors, mayors, and governors a top issue in the November election. If not, expect more widows and fatherless children. When will it end? with Cal Thomas Readers may email Cal Thomas at [email protected]. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" my turn Iowa's Caitlin Clark, right, releases a secondhalf against South Carolina during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. Stephanie Diller, the widow of New York City Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, carries her son Ryan at the funeral of her husband at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Massapequa, New York. story continues on next page g e e n f e n e h y s s e e f t. 0 06 SR121423 sSR090822
8 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F Cwo a h f e i a e T a s o wo y c c s wi a t s i h p a s g mT Y d l o f s s w s t r o p t d r F U C t r m t p u s F igSMART READER April 18, 2024 8 In providing for the common defense, a common theme and article of faith among many commentators and most members of Congress persists: America's military power must be rebuilt and restored; the solution is spending more money. However, that is not the correct answer. But even challenging this hallowed premise about the virtue of spending more money risks provoking incredulity and scorn. Consider this contrarian view. Without a fundamental revision of U.S. defense strategy, spending more money will shrink, not grow American military power. This unpleasant reality is ignored at our peril because, if or when Congress finally approves this year's defense budget, it will be close to $900 billion. Surely nearly $900 billion is sufficient to sustain and increase U.S. military power. Yet, it is not. Why? The reasons rest in uncontrolled real annual cost growth, calculated by the Congressional Budget Office, as 5%-7% for every defense item from precision weapons to people to pencils. Inflation of 3%-5% exacerbates this shortfall. The consequence is that another $75 billion-$100 billion is needed this year just to sustain current force, operational, modernization and readiness levels. Absent extra spending, the force will and must contract. One historical example vividly underscores this cost growth paradox. In 1940, the lead Navy fighter was the F4F Wildcat. Each cost $30,000 then. The most expensive Cadillac sold for about $3,000 meaning that for each F4F, 10 cars could be bought. Today, the Navy's lead fighter is the F-35. It costs about $100 million. The most expensive Cadillac sells for just under $100,000. One F-35 could purchase about 1,000 Cadillacs. Today, the first Columbia class nuclear ballistic submarine will cost $20 billion. The B-21 Raider bomber and the Sentinel ICBM programs have cost and time overruns measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars and several years delay. A 20mm cannon round costs $1,000. And in the Red Sea, the United States is firing $5 million SM-6 anti-air and $2 million Tomahawk cruise missiles against cheap Houthi drones and cruise missiles. Are these costs sustainable? Furthermore, three of the services have failed to reach recruiting goals again this year. Only the Marine Corps made its numbers by retention. The downside is that an older force is a more expensive force. And those costs will accrue. Since the Obama administration's "four plus one strategy" released in 2014, subsequent administrations have been consistent in following it. Aims were to compete, contain, deter and, if war arose, defeat five specific enemies, headed by China and Russia. Today, the aims are compete, deter and prevail. And no one believes a nuclear war can be fought and won. Where, however, are these criteria defined? What does each mean, whether directed against China's Communist Party or Russian President Vladimir Putin? China has not relented on its military expansion or threatening its neighbors. Russia was not contained or deterred in seizing Crimea and then invading Ukraine. Iran is supporting and supplying its Hamas and Hezbollah surrogates and providing advanced weapons to Russia. North Korea's Kim Jong Un has embarked on increasingly belligerent actions toward his neighbors to the south. Each of these strategies retains the same weaknesses. Their aims are not achievable or affordable. None can be fully manned. Yet, has this alarm been sounded, other than by decrying a weakened military and pleading for more defense spending in the face of growing and welldocumented threats posed by adversaries? The answer is no. At the beginning of World War II, Winston Churchill was on target when he realized that because Britain was out of money, it must think its way clear of danger. Today, the United States must follow that wise counsel. That begins with defining a strategy that fully and objectively assimilates these realities and states clear objectives that can be achieved, are affordable and can be manned without the need for a draft. Unfortunately, since the end of the Cold War, no administration has had the courage or confidence to challenge the defense status quo seriously and c o m p r e h e n s i v e l y . R e q u i r e m e n t s overwhelmed resources, producing a strategy-force level-budget mismatch. Too many constituencies in government and the private sector opposed or feared change. And White Houses usually had higher political priorities that could be jeopardized in the massive disruption that would accompany any such attempts at a rigorous defense review. Hence, a decades-old strategy remains the foundation for today's, confirming an implacable truth. On the current course, and even with modest defense increases, U.S. military power will not be sustained. Is anyone listening? Spending more on defense does not mean more defense -- quite the opposite with Harlan Ullman my turn Dr Harlan Ullman is senior adviser at Washington's Atlantic Council, the prime author of "shock and awe" and the book "The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large." Harlan Ullman joins Happenings Q&A on Thu., April 25th at 9:20am on AM1050 WLIP Without a fundamental revision of U.S. defense strategy, spending more money will shrink, not grow American military power. This unpleasant reality is ignored at our peril. assumed to be lacking in skills, especially if they’re women of color. This type of scoring is tabulated in office politics, around the proverbial water cooler, in performance reviews and within office gossip. This harsh summary of the work experiences of too many women is no shade on Clark, as well as the phenomenal attention that she, the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the triumphant NCAA winners, the South Carolina Gamecocks, helped bring to women’s collegiate basketball. The championship game between South Carolina and Iowa drew an average of 18.7 million views (as people tuned in and out), topping out at 24 million people watching, according to reports of early data by Nielsen. That’s more eyes on a game than on any NBA game in recent years, going back to 2019. Clark is expected to be the top pick in the April 15 WNBA draft. The anticipation is that she’ll join Indiana Fever. ESPN is reporting that the team is already seeing an uptick in people wanting to purchase tickets. Presumably, they want to watch Clark play and hit some of those longdistance three-point shots. To cash in, the Fever front office is pre-selling individual tickets to some games. That’s money for the owners, but is not necessarily an indicator that the massive gap between men and women’s professional basketball salaries is closing. The highest paid WNBA woman is Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces. She earns $252,450 per year. The lowest paid NBA player is Mouhamed Gyueye of the Atlanta Hawks. He just signed a four-year contract worth $7.64 million. And yet, the cheers for Clark, for so many women in sports, is a moment to build upon. My own city just built the first soccer stadium for a professional women’s team, the Kansas City Current. Every game has been sold out for the season. It’s just as common to see men and boys wearing the team’s teal colors and emblem as it is for women and girls wearing the apparel. Yes, there are plenty of statistics to douse the enthusiasm. Virtually everyone can nod at the often-cited numbers that women earn about 84 cents on every dollar that men earn. We can also point to the fact that the U.S. has never elected a female president as well as the statistics about who controls the c-suites of corporate America or sits on the most powerful boards. But the present moment, coming off the enthusiasm generated by Clark and other female athletes, combined with the excitement about the Summer Olympics, does matter. This opportunity hasn’t been this widespread, this teed up, for several decades. At the upcoming Olympics in Paris, more women athletes will certainly be highlighted. Allowing the goodwill, the applause and support to spread to women outside of sports can happen. We either squander the opportunity or leverage it. Because there is another factor: Younger generations of girls saw Clark and other female athletes rightfully glorified. Clark’s amazing talents fed their souls, aspirations, and expectations of fair and equitable treatment. Let’s meet them with the respect that all women and girls deserve. Sanchez continued from page 6
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 9 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 9 DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am a 64-year-old woman, happily married for over 30 years. My husband and I have always had a healthy sex life. However, a few years ago, I began experiencing pain during intercourse. My doctor said I am postmenopausal and in excellent health otherwise. The pain makes me want to avoid intimacy. Is pain during sex a normal part of getting older? What can I do, as I still want to enjoy this part of our life together? ANSWER: I am so glad you're asking this question. Many people, including clinicians, don't always connect menopause and sexual health. So many women I see think pain with intercourse is normal for aging. I'm here to tell you that is not the case. You should not have pain with intercourse. Due to the changes in hormones, however, postmenopausal women are at risk of developing something called genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM. Typically, GSM symptoms start about two years after the final menstrual period, so they lag behind other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. GSM is where there are changes to the skin of the vagina and the vulva that can result in dryness and then pain with intercourse due to a lack of lubrication. These symptoms are typically the result of falling estrogen levels. GSM also can increase your risk of urinary urgency, as well as your risk of urinary tract infections. Your clinician can diagnose GSM with an exam of the vulva and vagina. It is essential to undergo an examination by a trained clinician because sometimes other things can cause vulvovaginal symptoms and pain with intercourse, and your clinician can diagnose them. The great news is that there are many safe and effective treatments for GSM. Low-dose vaginal estrogens work exceptionally well for women with vaginal symptoms such as dryness and urgency. These are very effective and safe despite what you may have read. Many patients ask about the risk of estrogen since the Food and Drug Administration includes a warning for all estrogen products, including low-dose vaginal estrogen. However, published research studies indicate that these products will not increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clot or breast cancer. Older women even can consider starting a low-dose vaginal estrogen and continue using it indefinitely, unlike systemic hormone therapy, which is not recommended to begin after age 60. The FDA-approved lowdose estrogen options for GSM are: • Estrace (estradiol) or Premarin (conjugated equine estrogen): A vaginal cream that you insert into your vagina with an applicator. • Estring: A vaginal ring that treats vaginal dryness for three months at a time. • Vagifem: A suppository tablet that's routinely inserted into the vagina. • Imvexxy: A capsule that you insert into the vagina twice weekly with your finger. Another option is intravaginal DHEA (prasterone), which is more similar to an androgenlike testosterone, which can be helpful with vaginal atrophy. This product is available in a vaginal tablet and is inserted with an applicator nightly. Oral ospemifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, can also be used to treat GSM. Recognizing your desire to remain intimate, I recommend investing in a good quality over-thecounter lubricant, which can help relieve discomfort caused by vaginal dryness during sexual intercourse. Also, a nonhormonal, overthe-counter vaginal moisturizer can be used regularly outside of intercourse to help with comfort and provide moisturizer. You may consider using a vibrator to help restore the blood and nerve supply that can be impacted due to GSM changes. If you are not sure where to start as far as shopping, reach out to a women's health specialist who can guide you to safe, quality products that can be purchased online via a medical supply store. Avoid douching as this can worsen dryness and irritation. And make sure you stay hydrated. Lastly, you may need to consider seeking out a pelvic floor therapist. Often, those who experience pain with intercourse find that their pelvic floor muscles are influenced, so pelvic floor therapy can be beneficial. Your clinician can evaluate this on exam and provide recommendations. Some couples also benefit from sex therapy with a trained psychologist if GSM has significantly impacted their sex life. Getting older and going through menopause does not have to be the end of your sex life. Once you find the right treatment, you should be able to resume a satisfying sex life free of pain. Talk to your primary health clinician, gynecologist, or women's health specialist to learn about available options. And if you do not find the information you seek, do not hesitate to ask for a second opinion. — Juliana (Jewel) Kling, M.D., Women’s Health Center, Mayo Clinic in Arizona Mayo Clinic Menopause and sex health Young women often wait weeks to see a doctor about breast symptoms Young women who find a lump or other potential signs of breast cancer often delay for weeks before finally seeing a doctor, a new study shows. On average, young women waited two weeks before seeing a doctor about troubling breast symptoms, researchers found. One-third of young breast cancer patients waited for more than a month to seek care. These delays can be dangerous, said lead researcher Dr. Katherine Fleshner, a doctor with the University of Calgary in Canada. "Because young women typically do not undergo regular screening mammography and because the disease is rare in this population, patients are usually diagnosed at a later stage than older patients," Fleshner said. "They may ignore or dismiss their concerns early on." "However, their cancers also usually are more aggressive, so seeking medical care is important," Fleshner added. For this study, researchers analyzed surveys collected from 1,148 patients between 2015 and 2022 as part of the Reducing the Burden of Breast Cancer in Young Women (RUBY) project. The RUBY study involves young breast cancer patients diagnosed prior to their 41st birthday. The average age of participants was 37. Nearly nine out of 10 patients (89%) in this study had a symptom of breast cancer. Of those, 77% had a lump they could feel in their breast. Other symptoms can include swelling of the breast, skin dimpling, breast or nipple pain, nipple retraction, nipple discharge and swollen lymph notes under the arm or near the collar bone, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients said they delayed seeing a doctor due to lack of concern, waiting for their next menstrual cycle, reassurance from another healthcare practitioner, difficulty accessing care or too many competing priorities in their lives. Practitioner reassurance included informal advice from family or friends in the healthcare field, or a regular doctor's visit that did not diagnose the problem, researchers said. "Some primary care physicians may have difficulty teasing out which symptoms truly need a workup, in part because most young patients present with benign complaints," Fleshner said. "Additionally, potentially some early cancers may be misdiagnosed, or patients who believe they were misdiagnosed may actually have experienced a benign issue and an unrelated cancer develops later on." Young women were most likely to delay seeing a doctor if they had a painful lump or if they had a close relative who'd had breast cancer, results show. In those instances, fear or denial might drive patients to delay their care, researchers said. However, there is good news - once a concerning symptom was recognized by a doctor, only 10% of patients experienced any further delay in care. The findings were presented this week at the American Society of Breast Surgeons annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Fleshner stressed that women must seek follow-up care for any breast symptoms that persist. "Even if you have seen a physician, don't dismiss an ongoing abnormality," Fleshner said in a meeting news release. "Advocate for yourself to ensure you get the help you need." By Dennis Thompson 8 d e e o e o s d . s , e o n e d s l e e d h s d e , e t h , t e s e o f r r r s r y d d d s t s
10 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F A p c w i f t a r h w F ( K i t i r e 2 a M d l f g s a u Ac t a u m H t w c r s s c q w h l i w SMART READER April 18, 2024 10 Tens of millions of Americans have already received tax refunds – and millions more will cash checks before tax season is over. While recipients are usually happy that they have extra money, a tax refund is a lousy deal. Instead of thinking about the money as a windfall, Buzz-Kill Jill is here to tell you that you just made an interest-free loan to Uncle Sam! To make sure that you don’t repeat the refund next year, go to IRS.gov and use the withholding estimator tool and then adjust your withholding at your employer or if you are selfemployed, consider reducing your quarterly tax payments. Once you have addressed the refund issue, the next question is: What are you going to do with your refund? Start with your ‘Big 3’ (1) Fund an emergency reserve that can cover 6-12 months of living expenses (2) Reduce credit card or other high interest debt (3) Fund retirement plans to the best of your ability, especially if you have an employer match Consider a Traditional or Roth IRA The limit for 2024 is $7,000 for those under the age of 50, with an additional $1,000 if you are over 50. The difference between a Roth and Traditional is WHEN you pay taxes. A Roth contribution is made with after-tax dollars, so there’s no deduction today, but when you withdraw funds in retirement, there is NO tax due. Tax experts are encouraging more people to use Roths, even if they are in high current brackets or live in high tax states. The rationale is that tax rates are likely to rise in the future and even if they remain at these historic low levels, it is beneficial to have some retirement money that has already been taxed. With traditional IRAs, you are entitled to a tax deduction today, but when you withdraw the money (as early as age 59½), the government will tax all of the funds as income, at whatever your tax bracket is at that time. The government eventually forces you to take money out of traditional plans in the form of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). If you were born in 1950 or earlier, your RMD age is 72; for those born between 1951 and 1959, the age is 73; and if you are born in 1960 or later, your RMD age is 75. RMDs can often keep people in high tax brackets later in life and can also trigger extra costs for Medicare. Fund a 529 plan If you have children or grandchildren who are bound for college or private high school, funding a 529 plan is a tax efficient way to defray future costs. Your state of residence may offer a tax deduction for 529 plan contributions, so be sure to start with that plan. Open/add to a brokerage account Stocks have been on a massive run recently, but presuming that you don’t need the money within the next few years, investing in a diversified mix of low-cost index funds over the next years and decades makes sense for the long term. As far as using a refund to pay down an outstanding mortgage balance, it depends on your situation and the rate of the loan. When you pay down a mortgage, you lose access to the money – and as you age, that money could provide stability and also be necessary to fund health and medical needs. Beyond liquidity issues, with a long enough time horizon, investing the money that you would use to pay down your home would likely result in higher returns than the rate of the mortgage. With the IRS' deadline for tax filing season 2024 counting down to midnight, the Treasury Department reported Monday that $80 billion additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act meant the IRS had easily exceeded new targets. The federal tax agency's level of service for phone queries hit 88%, topping the 85% target, slashed call waiting times from almost 30 minutes to 3 minutes, saving taxpayers 1.4 million hours waiting on hold and dealt with a million more calls than in the 2023 filing season, the Treasury said in a news release. The introduction of paperless filing and other new technology also was hailed with taxpayers availing themselves of a new and improved "Where's My Refund" online tool 275 million times while the number of taxpayers who received face-to-face help at 70 walk-in assistance centers across the country jumped by 170,000 -- with the centers offering special hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. "Thanks to resources from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has built on the progress made during filing season 2023, delivering world class service in filing season 2024. "This marks a vast improvement over 2022, when, due to a lack of resources, the IRS hit just 15% level of service to taxpayers and millions of refunds were delayed for months," Treasury said. The IRS roundly beat the 5-minute average call-wait time target, one of the goals set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, down from the 2022 season when call wait times were 28 minutes, and answered 17% more calls through April 6 than in Filing Season 2023, even as demand jumped by 13%. In all, the IRS answered nearly 3 million more calls than it did during the 2022 filing season prior to receiving the new IRA resources. However, the 1.4 million hours saved in the time spent on hold was achieved by expanding the availability of a "call back" option to 97% of eligible taxpayers at the beginning of the call when projected wait times exceed 15 minutes. The agency also used the funding to provide more than 11,000 additional hours of assistance to customers in person at 54 new or reopened walk-in help centers, well in excess of the 8,500 hours target and boosted the number of people receiving free oneon-one tax preparation support by more than 200,000 -- mostly through volunteers -- four times the 50,000 target. Treasury also said the IRS' improved and mobile-device compatible refund service expedited the process had slashed phone queries by providing clearer and more detailed updates, including whether a customer is required to respond to a letter requesting additional information. The new service offers practical, personalized steps to help progress taxpayer's refunds such as allowing them to verify their identity and tax return information and proving dates in realtime. Previously, the service offered only a standard message and directed callers to FAQs. The Treasury said the IRS' optional Paperless Processing Initiative was also making progress, enabling digital responses to correspondence and e-filing of an additional 13 tax forms via a document upload tool, up from the nine when it was launched last season, "As of April 12, 2024, the IRS has received nearly 900,000 responses to notices via the online tool. As a result of achieving this goal, the IRS estimates more than 94% of individual taxpayers will no longer have to send mail to the IRS," the Treasury said. "Taxpayers use these non-tax forms to request or submit information on a range of topics, including identity theft and proof of eligibility for key credits and deductions to help working Americans." It added that attaining the milestone would enable up to 125 million paper documents to be submitted digitally annually, with 4.4 million forms filed digitally so far through April 6. By Paul Godfrey Treasury says $80B IRS funding boost improved response in 2024 tax season Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is a CBS News business analyst. A former options trader and CIO of an investment advisory firm, she welcomes comments and questions at [email protected]. jill on money What to do with your tax refund with Jill Schlesinger SR032124 AUGUST 2nd , 3rd & 4 A th UGUST 2nd , 3rd & 4th Summer Is Just Around The Corner ummer Is Just Around The Corner SAVE THE DATE! AVE THE DATE! DT 2024-1 DOCKSIDE CKSIDE SR 030724 If you’re thinking of changing jobs or getting close to retirement . . . . . . you owe it to yourself to meet with a financial professional. If you’re thinking of changing jobs or getting close to retirement . . . . . . you owe it to yourself to meet with a financial professional. We can review and discuss your 401k rollover or help you explore your retirement options I can help you plan for life. Let’s talk. I can help you plan for life. Let’s talk.
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 11 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 11 Nearly a quarter of Americans who lost their pandemic-era Medicaid coverage say they're now without any health insurance, a new survey finds. More than half (54%) of these currently uninsured adults cited cost as the reason keeping them from having coverage. The survey of 1,227 adults was conducted this February and March by KFF (formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation). It included people who said they had Medicaid coverage in early 2023 -- prior to the repeal of pandemic-era eligibility rules on April 1, 2023. About one in five (19%) of all people who had been on Medicaid in early 2023 were disenrolled at some point later that year, the survey found. Seventy percent of that group said they subsequently went through a temporary period of being uninsured. Most did eventually gain insurance: Forty-seven percent managed to re-apply and get reinstated on Medicaid, while another 28% said they found insurance via their work, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act's marketplace or militarybased healthcare. More than a third of people who sought to regain some kind of coverage said they found the process difficult, the survey found, and nearly half (48%) called it stressful. Long phone call wait times, excessive paperwork and trouble figuring out what paperwork was needed were common complaints. Speaking to CBS News, Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, said that millions of people are currently being redetermined for eligibility, and that has swamped some state call centers. According to McEvoy, states did try to reach out to enrollees prior to the post-pandemic changes in eligibility, using media campaigns, texts, emails, and apps. However, "until the moment your coverage is at stake, it's hard to penetrate people's busy lives," she said. Interruptions in coverage can have an almost immediate impact on health: More than half (56%) of those polled by KFF said they'd missed needed healthcare or skipped prescriptions as they waited to regain coverage. Among people who have found a form of health insurance other than Medicaid, worries around cost remain. More than three-quarters (76%) of people with insurance say "they are worried about affording the cost of healthcare services," according to a KFF news release. Only 47% of people who retained Medicaid felt the same By Ernie Mudell Nearly a quarter of Americans disenrolled from Medicaid are uninsured children being taught by the teachers.” Friends Center conducted an internal survey in 2019 to understand its educators’ main financial stressors. Housing, food, transportation, and utilities were the most common concerns. The survey also revealed that of the 29 surveyed educators – mostly single women of color with children – more than threequarters were struggling with rent. Only one owned a house. When Friends Center launched its housing initiative, two properties were purchased with a donation from its Quaker founders. Within three months, four teachers moved in. The tenant teachers meet with a financial adviser every month to discuss their savings goals and an emotional well-being coordinator for weekly regular check-ins. “It takes courage to be the first of something,” says Aundrea Tabbs-Smith, the emotional well-being coordinator. “We’re trying to create something that we hope will reshape and revamp the child care system.” Six teachers and their families currently reside in teacher housing. When the village is completed, Friends Center hopes to house 24 teachers, or 30% of its anticipated 80-teacher workforce, by 2027. In 2023, it penned a five-year agreement with the Yale School of Architecture to build four additional houses. Each home – designed in winter and completed by fall – is created with a teacher’s needs in mind. Jessica Chen, a master’s of architecture student who helped construct the first house, drew her inspiration from “witnessing the chaos of the day firsthand” in the life of a teacher from her mother. She taught in Boston public schools for over 20 years. “We made sure there was enough storage for all the things they need, because teachers are not only teachers in the school but also at home,” says Ms. Chen. In Ms. Pierce’s new home, she and her children have their own bedrooms, a luxury she never enjoyed growing up. With the extra space in her budget, she can afford extracurriculars like cheerleading for her 12-yearold daughter and swimming lessons for her youngest. Ms. Pierce’s main goal now is to build her credit so that she can purchase her own home, inspired by the one she lives in now. By Troy Aidan Sambajon Child care workers continued from page 5 You might be one of the countless homeowners frustrated with the annual or biannual task of cleaning and sealing your wood deck. I’m right there with you, as I have to deal with my wood dock and the stairs leading to it. It’s a wretched job that can span days. It’s no wonder you might be drawn to the composite decking displays at local home and garden shows. Over the past three decades, I’ve been lucky enough to obtain inside information about exterior wood sealers. Add to this the knowledge I discovered while researching my "Roofing Ripoff" book exposing the shingle industry. You probably know that the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are harmful, but you might not know the actual mechanism. Once you do, you grasp why deck sealers are doomed from the get go. The UV rays can contain active photons. Think of these tiny things as miniature cruise missiles. When the photon crashes into your outdoor flag, wood deck, house paint, metal roof or flashings, it splits molecules apart and rips atoms off objects. These photons have so much energy they can blast atoms of copper or zinc from your roof. It’s child’s play for them to destroy thin deck sealer films that sit up on top of the wood. To make matters worse, your deck is horizontal and gets a point-blank blast from the UV rays in the middle of the day. The rays have to pass through the least amount of protective atmosphere at midday. Have you ever wondered why your deck railing balusters don’t look so bad? They receive a harmless glancing blow from the UV rays at noon. In the morning they receive a direct hit from the UV rays, but the photons have to pass through so much atmosphere their energy is dissipated. This is why you struggle to get sunburned at sunrise and sunset. As if this weren't enough torment, the wood you’re using outdoors is hygroscopic. This means it expands and contracts in response to moisture content. Sealers prevent this movement because they don’t allow water to enter the wood. If you stop sealing wood, within a few years it looks like a neglected fishing Deck sealer dilemma Ask the Builder with Tim Carter Subscribe to Tim’s FREE newsletter at AsktheBuilder.com. Tim offers phone coaching calls if you get stuck during a DIY job. Go here: go.askthebuilder.com /coaching story continues on page 15 Paris Pierce, an early child care provider, reads a book to her class at Friends Center for Children in New Haven, Connecticut, March 13, 2024. 0 ,,SR 030724
12 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F h It std c e g o b g b in m a k c p im fi P g r fi r s e c w t c in t [aa b C p “ b H th h th c C m SMART READER April 18, 2024 12 Dear Cathy, My 22-yearold cat died in December. I adopted a 14-month-old kitten from our local shelter. I signed a "No declaw" agreement, but this kitten is crazy in love with clawing me. Why and what should I do? I don't want to live out much more time with big bleeding scratches almost everywhere on my body. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. (I may get the kitty's declaw done regardless.) — No name please, Virginia Dear No Name, I want to extend my condolences for the loss of your 22-year-old cat. Because it’s been so long since you have had a kitten in the house, it’s important to remember that kittens (and puppies) are akin to babies who need to learn manners and the house rules. Before I offer suggestions on redirecting your kitten's behavior, however, it's crucial to understand why declawing is not recommended. Declawing involves amputating a cat's toes at the last joint, leading to long-term pain, phantom pain (like those missing a limb might experience), and behavioral issues. Cats rely on their claws for defense and natural behaviors like stretching and marking territory. Removing their claws can result in frustration at not being able to protect themselves, leading to possible negative behaviors, like biting. A cat may also avoid a litter box due to pain or because it simply feels different under their paws. Through the years, many pet owners tell me they regret getting their cat declawed. I share their thoughts and hope to persuade you not to declaw your cat. Instead, there are humane ways to redirect your cat's natural behaviors. When a cat scratches your arms, it’s usually a sign of anxiety, agitation, or overstimulation. It may come from pent-up energy on their part or over-handling or using one’s hands during playtime on your part. Cats exhibit various body language cues indicating when to leave them alone. Always let the cat initiate contact with you and respect their boundaries. Also, get a feline pheromone collar for your kitty and spray feline pheromones on your clothing each day. These may help your cat relax and learn to accept more contact from you. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention to you and others humane alternatives to declawing in order to protect furniture. First, provide multiple scratching posts made of different materials such as sisal, cardboard, wood, or carpet, accommodating both vertical and horizontal structures, to determine your cat’s preferences. Encourage and train your kitten to use these posts by gently guiding them to the post when they scratch where they shouldn’t, or by enticing them with treats left at the base or rubbing the scratching post with catnip. Reward them with treats or praise when they use them. Second, use Sticky Paws tape on furniture to discourage your cat from use, and Soft Paws nail caps on your cat’s nails to protect you and your furniture. Third, learn how to trim your kitten's claws to minimize their sharpness. Online tutorials are readily available, or your veterinarian can offer guidance. Finally, cats require a lot of physical and mental enrichment. Provide plenty of toys, climbing structures like cat trees, and interactive playtime to reduce mental and physical anxiety. Training a kitten to use appropriate scratching surfaces takes time and patience. So, please reconsider getting your cat declawed and try these suggestions instead. With consistency and persistence, you can successfully redirect their behavior without subjecting your cat to the trauma of this surgery. Pet World with Cathy Rosenthal Choose compassion — Opt for alternatives to declawing your feline friend As well as being a recuring guest on Happenings Q&A, Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 30 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to [email protected]. 'Wacky Pet Names' finalists include ChugChug Pickles, Steph Purrrry A pet insurance company is inviting the public to vote on some of the most unusual animal monikers for its annual Wacky Pet Names prize. Nationwide said the most bizarre names were chosen from the company's currentlyenrolled pets and split into three categories: dog, cat and exotic. The finalists in the dog category are Boots With the Fur, ChugChug Pickles, Lil' Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies, Lord Waddles, Lulu the Conqueror, Molly From Corporate, Mr. Pizza Puff, One Love Tiny Dancer Princess Margaret Rose Windsor, Team "The Bandit" Player and The News. The feline finalists are Balsamic Vin, Car Alarm, Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, Meownnaise, Minerva Meowgonagall, Necronomicat, Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, Skullcrusher, Steph Purrrry and Tony "Scarface" Baloney. The finalists in the exotic category are a rabbit named BeezelBun, a ferret named Boo Boo Bean, a snake named Boop Noodle, a guinea pig named Cowpig, a tegu lizard named Frosted Mini Wheats, a macaw named Magic Nugget, a tortoise named Midsize Sedan, a ferret named Mumbo Jumbo, a pig named Snoop Hoggy Hogg and a rabbit named Thor Odinbun God of Bunder. Bear caught on camera trying to break into parked police car The Florida Highway Patrol posted security camera footage showing a hungry bear attempting to break into a parked patrol car. The FHP's Troop F, based in the southwest part of the state, posted a video to Instagram showing the furry suspect who is "wanted" for "attempted burglary of [an] FHP state trooper car." The footage shows the bear, apparently on the hunt for snacks, approach the parked vehicle and attempt to use its mouth and paws to work the door handle. The attempted break-in by the bear, nicknamed "Teddy" by the FHP, was ultimately unsuccessful, as the doors of the car were locked at the time. Florida wildlife officials recommend keeping car doors locked while parked and keeping vehicles free of any food or trash that could attract the animals, as bruins have been caught on camera in the past opening unlocked vehicle doors in the search for snacks. Fare-dodging horse waits on the platform at train station An escaped racehorse made its way to a train station in Sydney, Australia, and trotted up and down the platform before attempting to board a train and chasing a passenger. Transport for New South Wales posted a series of security camera photos to Facebook, and footage to Instagram, showing the horse, clad in a beige raincoat, wandering onto the platform at the Warwick Farm station amid heavy storms. Transport for NSW said the fare-dodging equine was seen trotting up and down the platform, before watching a train pull into the station and standing as if it was preparing to board. The horse returned to pacing once the train, which had been warned of the horse's presence, refused to open its doors. At one point, the animal chased after a fellow passenger on the platform who was able to evade the horse without injury. Police were called to the station and the horse's owner soon arrived to take the animal home. Transport for NSW quipped the horse was "returned to his residence in a stable condition. No one involved in the incident is intending to take any further action as the individual was only horsing around." 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0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 13 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 13 It’s hotter than the hottest Big Tech companies. It’s more volatile than the stock market. The world’s best-known digital currency – bitcoin – could either permanently eclipse all of today’s government-issued money or sink into oblivion. Amid great debate over bitcoin’s endgame, a middle ground is emerging. As bitcoin takes its first steps into Wall Street’s mainstream and undergoes an important valuation step known as a “halving,” the cryptocurrency is potentially becoming an important hedge against financial disaster. Paradoxically, the more it goes mainstream, the more risk it poses for the larger financial system if things go really wrong. The key to its sustainability is whether enough governments, companies, and individuals will put their long-term trust in a string of computer code. “Bitcoin is money insurance ... backup money that people, companies, [and] governments will always want to keep a little bit of,” says Omid Malekan, a Columbia Business School professor and author of “Re-Architecting Trust,” a book on cryptocurrencies. How much people value that insurance depends on how chaotic they think things will become. Trusting in the value of computer code isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Gold, paper money, and Picasso paintings all hold value because people decided they’re worth something. But bitcoin differs from traditional stores of value such as gold or silver because it also operates as a decentralized ledger, whereby each transaction is independently verifiable by all users in the network. It can bypass trusted intermediaries, like banks. Another selling point: Its total supply will be limited to 21 million coins. That means there’s little danger that a government will step in, create more bitcoin, and stoke inflation. That total won’t be reached for another century, around 2141. Bitcoin are created through a process known as mining, whereby supercomputers solve extremely complicated computational problems to verify other transactions on the bitcoin chain. That total supply of 21 million coins may seem like a lot, but big computer operations that “mine” bitcoin have already created more than 19.6 million digital coins. Bitcoin’s endgame should become apparent long before 2100. This is where the trust in the digital currency begins to get tricky. The reason it will take so long to mine the remaining bitcoin is the halving, which happens about every four years. In a few days, around April 17, the bitcoin miners who validate each new block of transactions will receive 3.125 bitcoin per block, down from the 6.25 bitcoin they currently receive. That’s the opposite of inflationary. On its surface, it’s deflationary, meaning the miners will receive less for the same amount of work. As long as the price of bitcoin doubles, halving is not a problem. The increase in value will continue to earn them a profit. Computer power and energy are costly to validate the chain of transaction blocks (known as the blockchain). But at some point, miners will have to rely on transaction fees rather than new bitcoin for most of their revenues. Lyn Alden, an independent investment strategist who has studied the issue, estimates it will take several more halvings before that happens. The timing is hard to pin down, she explains in an email, so that those revenues could be highly variable. The bitcoin system can process 120 million to 150 million transactions a year. If the average transaction is $10, miners could make up to $1.5 billion a year, she points out. If, in the end, fees average 1% of the transaction amount and transactions average $100,000, miners’ total annual revenues would potentially rise as high as $150 billion. All this will depend on how much bitcoin is worth and how much it changes hands in a year. The history is encouraging to bitcoin enthusiasts. At its first halving in 2012, three years after its inception, bitcoin was worth $12.35. At its second halving in 2016, it was $650; at its third, $8,821. Approaching its fourth halving, it was trading on Monday afternoon at $71,800, not far from its alltime high. But past performance is no guarantee of future gains. And these gains mask bitcoin’s extreme volatility. A year after reaching its last peak, it lost three-quarters of its value in what became known as the crypto winter. Few analysts expect this volatility to abate going forward. Should the rewards of mining fall below its costs for a significant period, miners will no longer mine, the blockchain won’t be validated, and the system’s vulnerability to manipulation will rise. Such downturns have triggered big business scandals in the past, from the bankruptcy of bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox in 2014 to the fraudulent FTX cryptocurrency exchange, which has led to several business and bank failures. Such cryptocurrency earthquakes have had limited impact on the traditional finance world so far. “The crypto-asset world has had few links with and provided few services to the real economy, none of them vital,” the European Systemic Risk Board reported last year. But as those links grow, so do the dangers for the financial system, warns Hilary Allen, a law professor at American University. She says that bitcoin is backed by nothing but faith, like a Ponzi scheme. “All you really own is a computer file, which may or may not have value depending on whether someone wants it from you,’’ she says. “[But] the longer it sticks around, the more intertwined it is going to become with our more traditional financial system.” In January, Wall Street firms began offering retail investors access to bitcoin via exchange-traded funds. They’ve already attracted nearly $30 billion in investments despite warnings from high-profile skeptics that they are inherently risky. Now, major Chinese asset managers are pushing to open their own bitcoin ETFs. There are other technical challenges to bitcoin, such as the hard limit on the number of transactions, says Robert Murphy, chief economist for Infineo, a tech company aiming to transform life insurance through blockchain and artificial intelligence. He says gold, which is trading at record highs, offers the more likely path to a stable currency not issued by a government. So far, the evidence suggests that most investors are not buying into either extreme of bitcoin believers or detractors. A recent study of cryptocurrency investors for the National Bureau of Economic Research found that they come from all income levels and, for the most part, resemble traditional investors. They realize bitcoin is risky, but so are stocks and even the U.S. dollar when inflation is high, says Scott Baker, a finance professor at Northwestern University and co-author of the study. “So this is a hedge against some of those risks.” By Laurent Belsie Can bitcoin, despite risks, make leap from trendy to trusted? As cryptocurrency goes mainstream, the one known as bitcoin raises questions of trust in a non-government-backed currency. 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14 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER April 18, 2024 14 F Ever since its spectacular debut, which made former U.S. President Donald Trump one of the world’s 500 richest people, Trump Media & Technology Group has experienced a series of setbacks that would sink ordinary stocks. But this highly charged social media investment may defy the odds, at least for a time. Some are calling it a “meme stock,” or one that attracts investors for emotional reasons. In this case specifically, some point to Mr. Trump’s followers who buy as a political statement. Whatever it is, Trump Media is banking on trust in a single individual, Mr. Trump, at least as much as on the potential growth of an entire company. Trump Media owns Truth Social, Mr. Trump’s social media network. “I don’t think it has to do with economics,” says Michael Klausner, a professor at Stanford Law School. “It’s all just a cult stock. [And] if the cult following is strong enough ... maybe in the shorter run it isn’t risky, because there’s just such a willingness on the part of these people to keep buying it.” Trump Media first appeared on March 25 on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol DJT, and share prices soared in its first few days of trading – surpassing $79 at one point. Then early Monday, in a regulatory filing, the company revealed it had revenue of only about $4 million last year and posted net losses of nearly $60 million. “The Company’s operating losses raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern,” the filing warned. The stock then tanked, losing 21% of its value in a day and closing just below its initial offering price of $49.95. On Tuesday, the stock rallied a bit, closing at $51.60, just minutes after a Bloomberg report that Mr. Trump was suing two of the company’s cofounders for “reckless and wasteful decisions” that damaged the company. The co-founders, in turn, have sued Mr. Trump for trying to dilute their stakes in the company. Inherent risks test market norms Heavy losses, warnings of possible insolvency, and legal squabbles among the founders would normally send investors running for the exits. As of Wednesday the stock was holding fairly steady, closing at $48.81, down about 5.4% for the day. As an investment, Trump Media was always inherently risky, in part because it used an alternative way of going public, known as a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. SPACs are pools of money raised in the retail and institutional markets specifically to merge with – or acquire – high-growth companies. They allow a quicker and less cumbersome way for those companies to raise money from the public. They also allow individual investors – rather than venture capital or private equity firms that traditionally provide the money for these companies to grow – to get in on the ground floor. The number of SPAC deals skyrocketed in 2020 and 2021, but the boom quickly faded as most of those companies’ share prices fell. Professor Klausner calculates that as of two weeks ago, 92% of SPACs that have come Trump defied political norms. Now he tests the stock market Some call Trump Media & Technology Group a “meme stock.” But in financial markets, confidence tends to hinge on fundamentals of finance, not on the risky ground of emotion or personal trust. story continues on page 15 ELI’S CAFE AND PANCAKE HOUSE 2731 18th Street, Kenosha ( In Pick N Save Plaza) Open 7 Days A Week 7 am-3 pm Complementary cup of coffee off senior menu! Check out for our daily specials! SR040424 262-764-0288 Friday Fish Fry 11am-9pm Scratch Kitchen Serving Food 7 Days A Week 4520 8th Avenue Kenosha Wisconsin WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT UNIONPARKTAVERN.COM Mon. - Fri. 11am - Bar Closing Sat. - Sun. 9am - Bar Closing We offer indoor or outdoor seating and carry out. Call 262-652-6454 or 262-652-0978 to place your order. WEEKLY FOOD SPECIALS Monday: Meatloaf Tues. Trivia 7-9pm, Karaoke 9pm Wed. Open Mic 8pm Thurs. Open Jam 8pm Sun. Cy’s Piano Jam 4-7pm Live Music Every Friday & Saturday Kenosha’s Best Wait Staff Late Risers Breakfast served EVERY Saturday & Sunday from 9am-3pm Tuesday: Of Course Tacos! Wednesday: 1/2 Price Chicken Dinners (2 or 4pc. Chicken, Slaw & Choice of Potato. Dine-in only.) Saturday 3-9pm: Deep Fried Ribs Try them as a combo with our broasted chicken! Sunday 3-9pm: $10 Burger Special Thursday: German Platter (Dine-in only.) $5 RAIL OR SRIRACHA BLOODY MARYS $3 MIMOSAS EVERY SAT. & SUN. Best of Kenosha in Beer, Bar Food, Wait Staff & Fish Fry for 12 years in a row! DT024-1 Happy Hour Mon.-Thurs. 3-6pm Try Kenosha’s Best Bloody Mary! BEST BEER SELECTION IN KENOSHA VOTED Kenosha’s Best Wait Staff Dont Forget About..... Pavle’s Lounge 1724 52nd St. 1724 52nd St. Open Thurs-Sat 6pm-Close Open Mic • Every Thursday • 9pm With Host Rusty Chicken LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND! ‘23 ‘23 Voted Best Bar Food! LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND!
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 15 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 15 The statistics say that 1 in 3 U.S. adults is currently at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The problem is most adults don't know that. For anyone worried about getting Type 2 diabetes, know that there are lifestyle changes you can make to prevent it. Diabetes runs in my family. My grandfather, father and brother all had it. Those statistics always catch my eye. Here are a few of things we can do to lower our risk: No. 1: Lose weight. The goal is for anyone overweight (body mass index over 25) to lose 7% of their starting weight through diet and physical activity. No. 2: Choose a healthier diet. Changing what we eat can dramatically improve blood sugar control. Try a Mediterranean diet that cuts back on refined grains and cereals, added sugars, salt and processed meats and relies more on healthy oils (olive, canola), fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, beans, minimally processed whole grains, seafood and yogurt. Choose red meat less often. No. 3: Make fiber your best friend. Aim for three servings of whole grains every day. Soluble fiber is found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans. Adding soluble fiber to meals reduces blood sugar spikes after a meal. We need 25-35 grams of fiber daily. No. 4: Hit the treadmill. We need to be physically active every day. If it's not the treadmill, find something you love to do to get moving -- biking, rowing, walking outside, jogging -- whatever you love. I recently got a treadmill with an iFit program and love walking all over the world. As our travel has been limited due to COVID-19, this makes me feel like I'm in Zimbabwe or Turks and Caicos or wherever I'm signed up to be with a trainer. I'm learning about the culture, having fun and working out. No. 5: Check your numbers. The way you'll find out if you have diabetes is to check your hemoglobin A1c (every three months) and your blood sugar. It's also a good idea to check your vitamin D, as supplementation may lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes for some. A simple blood test can tell if you're adequate in vitamin D. The good news is with a few lifestyle changes, this disease is something we can all prevent. There's no better time to get started. Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Ill. food & recipes Make a Lifestyle Change Nutrition News with Charlyn Fargo Servings: 2 1 teaspoon butter 1/2 cup rolled oats 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups peaches, diced Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet with butter. In a small bowl, toss the oats with the sugar, cinnamon and olive oil. Put the fruit in the skillet, and then top with the oat mixture. Bake for 35 minutes, until fruit is bubbly and oats are golden. Let cool 5-10 minutes, and top with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt, if desired. Per serving: 220 calories; 3 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated); 4 grams fiber; 15 grams sugar (2 grams added); 0 grams sodium. Easy Peach Crisp Makes 4 dozen 2 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon pepper 4 cups peanut oil, or vegetable oil 1. Whisk 1 cup water and salt together in a bowl until salt dissolves. Pulse potatoes and salt water in food processor until coarsely ground, 10 to 12 pulses, stirring occasionally. 2. Drain mixture in fine-mesh strainer, pressing potatoes with rubber spatula until dry (liquid should measure about 1 1/2 cups); discard liquid. 3. Transfer potatoes to bowl and microwave, uncovered, until dry and sticky, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. 4. Stir flour and pepper into potatoes. Spread potato mixture into a thin layer over a large sheet of aluminum foil and let cool for 10 minutes. Push potatoes to center of foil and place foil and potatoes in an 8-inch square baking pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing it flush to pan. Press potato mixture tightly and evenly into pan. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 30 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until 375 degrees. Using foil overhang, lift potatoes from pan, place on counter, and cut into 48 pieces. 6. Fry half of potato tots, until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally once they begin to brown. Drain on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Bring oil back to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining potato tots. Serve. TO MAKE AHEAD: Cool fried potato tots, transfer to zipper-lock bag, and freeze for up to one month. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place potato tots on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until heated through, 12 to 15 minutes. Crispy Potato Tots We recently found that our nostalgia for frozen tots, like many kid-friendly foods, outshone the reality. Determined to right this wrong, we hit the kitchen in search of potato tots with a golden, crunchy exterior and light, fluffy interior. Many recipes simply mix coarsely ground potato with flour and egg, but these tots fried up into raw, dense nuggets. Parcooking the chopped potato in the microwave was a step in the right direction, but the tots were still too heavy. Reducing the flour and omitting the egg helped, but the tots were still not light and fluffy. To minimize the gluey texture of potato starch, we tried processing the potatoes with water. Perfection. This step rinsed off the excess starch, and a small amount of salt in the mixture kept the interior downy white. Q: Is coffee good to drink? A: Black coffee, yes. Flavored, sweetened coffees, not so much. A review of studies found that men who drink two to nine cups daily are 9% less likely to develop prostate cancer. Each cup was associated with a 1% drop in prostate cancer risk. Researchers say it's coffee's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that may protect against the disease. In addition, one or more cups of black, caffeinated coffee a day is associated with lower long-term risk of heart failure. A study, reported in the journal Circulation, found that for those who drank one or more cups (versus people who didn't drink any), the risk for heart failure over time decreased between 5% and 12% for each 8-ounce cup consumed each day in the study. Drinking two cups or more per day decreased the risk by about 30% in another study. 4
16 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F ttwwWtwtwffAwwSMART READER April 18, 2024 16 n o The French government said Monday that the July 26 Olympics opening ceremonies will have alternative plans if needed amid growing safety concerns. In a recent interview, President Emmanuel Macron stated his confidence that the ceremonies will not only proceed as planned but be successful. He added that a Plan B and Plan C are on the table should anything go awry. "This opening ceremony ... is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it," Macron said Monday morning to French news media sites RMC Radio and BFM-TV. Other alternatives include holding the opening ceremony in Trocadero Square, which faces the Eiffel Tower and where the Seine River route will culminate. And the other would be to go just north of Paris to the Stade de France, where track and field events will play out. "We are preparing them in parallel," said Macron about the possible back-up plans, adding that "we will analyze this in real time." In early March, the French government laid out plans to scale back the Paris Summer Olympics opening ceremonies amid growing security concerns The nautical Olympics opening parade through Paris will include 160 boats - - one for each country participating -- which will carry 206 delegations and 10,500 athletes. It will be the first time an Olympics opening ceremony will take place in a public space, instead of inside an enclosed stadium. The original 600,000 spectators expected along the 3.7-mile stretch from east of Paris to the Trocadéro will be capped at 325,000 on July 26 the day of opening ceremonies and will run until Aug. 11. Slashing the crowd size came at Macron's request, according to a top official with French intelligence services who said there are concerns about security and "the main threat is Islamist terrorism." During the same interview, Macron added the he would do "everything possible" to secure safety amid concerns in Ukraine and Gaza. He said he also spoke with China's President Xi Jinping "We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners," Macron said. He told reporters earlier in the month that he believed Russia would try to target the Olympic games in some way. There are 46 countries aiding 18,000 French military personnel in the significant security effort. From Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 will be the Paralympic Games. By Chris Benson As security concerns mount for Olympics, France outlines alternatives pier with cracks large enough to swallow a handful of BBs. These cracks start off small. They’re very tiny checking cracks. The cracks allow water to penetrate deeper into the wood. As the cracks get wider and deeper, the swelling and shrinking forces become stronger. This is why it’s imperative you keep outdoor wood sealed so water doesn’t rip your lumber apart. I think you can see why four decades ago a new industry was born. That’s when the first composite deck products hit the market. As time marched on, improvements were made and more exterior products were made from plastics so you wouldn’t have the constant job of painting or sealing them. I have 1,700 square feet of composite decking here at my own home. I didn’t build the house I live in now. The homeowner had the original Trex decking installed. I remember when it was introduced to the marketplace. It had an antiseptic appearance and only resembled wood by its shape. Seven years ago, I ripped it all up and installed Trex Transcend for the decking and ralling system. My wife, who dislikes all wood-imitation products, was amazed at how realistic the product looks. I’ve never cleaned the decking, and yet it looks as good as the day I installed it. Algae, pollen and lichens do accumulate in shady areas. The good news is all of these things are easily washed off using a soft brush that you might use to clean your RV. If you decide to free yourself from the chore of cleaning and sealing your wood deck, be aware that composite decking requires great attention to detail when installing it. Add to this the price. The top-line composite deck products are expensive. Composite decking products, while not hygroscopic, expand and contract. The movement can be substantial. You must take this into consideration when installing the decking or you’ll have a huge mess on your hands. Read the installation instructions and follow them to the letter. If you decide to install composite decking on a treated lumber undercarriage, read the installation instructions. The composite decking products can sag if you space the floor joists too far apart. By default this happens if you decide to install the decking at a diagonal on your deck. You’ll also want to protect your investment by using the newer joist tape products. This tape is applied to the top of the joists before the decking is installed. It prevents water from entering the wood. Without this protection, water can enter tiny cracks created by the decking fasteners. As you already know, these cracks can get bigger over time. When this happens, the fasteners holding down your expensive composite decking loose their gripping power. Deck sealer continued from page 10 online since 2019 have fallen below their original offering price. “They’re losers,” he says. “They have systematically dropped in price.” Whether Trump Media can buck the trend is anybody’s guess. Other legal action is swirling around the company and its initial public offering. The company is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors, partly because of two payments from little-known entities with ties to an ally of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, the British newspaper The Guardian reports. On Wednesday, two investors involved in the SPAC taking Trump Media public pleaded guilty to federal charges of insider trading. Two other facts stand out about Trump Media. First, it has a very small base compared with its ambitions to compete with social media giants such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). When they went public, Facebook had over 800 million active monthly users and Twitter had more than 200 million. Using a much looser definition, Trump Media claims some 9 million people have used it at some point. Second, the company is way overvalued for its size. “In terms of fundamentals, this is just crazy and outrageous,” says Minmo Gahng, a professor of finance at Cornell University. Initial public offerings may feature companies with high potential but no profits, which leads to sky-high valuations based on hopes for future profits, but nothing at the level of Trump Media. “The new thing is that this is all about politics.” Some investors believe that Truth Social will someday reach the same level of popularity as Facebook or X, Dr. Gahng says. Others have put their faith in Mr. Trump himself. Still others are using their investment dollars to support him, Dr. Gahng adds, “almost, if you will, a donation.” Share price versus fundamentals This divergence between share price and fundamentals is one hallmark of what people call a meme stock, says Albert Choi, a law professor at the University of Michigan who has studied the phenomenon. But in other ways, Trump Media isn’t acting like a meme stock at all. There’s been no great surge of investors rushing to buy the stock as there was for earlier meme stocks, such as GameStop and AMC. The volume of trading in the stock has not skyrocketed. There doesn’t appear to be heavy coordination of investors via social media, even on Truth Social itself. “I’d be hesitant to call this a meme stock, but we’ll see,” says Dr. Choi. “Bottom line is: This stock is kind of weird.” Ultimately, the future of Trump Media & Technology Group may depend on the financial realities, as well as how much trust and popularity Mr. Trump can generate going forward. By Laurent Belsie Trump media continued from page 13 Are immigrants a boon to the U.S. economy or a drag on it? For urban centers that have experienced a surge of immigrants, the costs are staggering. For instance, the office of the mayor of New York predicted that the city will spend north of $12 billion through fiscal year 2025 to accommodate more than 100,000 migrants. But that’s a microcosm. The macro picture tells a different story. The United States is experiencing a labor shortage, according to Dhaval Joshi, chief strategist at BCA Research, an economic analysis firm. Blame the pandemic. It led many older workers to retire early. Plus, an estimated 1.7 million nativeborn workers ages 25 to 55 have dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic. The surge of people who have immigrated to the U.S. legally or illegally since 2022 has helped fill those job vacancies. That’s helped stave off a recession. “One important way to reduce inflation is to increase the production of goods and services,” says David Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington. “One reason why the economy has adjusted over the last three years is the fact that we have started to get these immigrants into the labor force.” Many foreign-born workers are filling important roles in sectors such as care for older adults and construction. Sometimes, they are invisible, until tragedy strikes. The six workers who died while filling potholes after midnight on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge came from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Immigrants also create a disproportionate share of both patents and companies. Some 55% of U.S. startup companies valued at more than $1 billion were founded by immigrants, according to a 2022 study by the National Foundation for American Policy. The increase in foreignborn labor is vital at a time when U.S. birthrates are declining, economists say. Some Americans fear that an influx of unskilled laborers means lower wages for unskilled laborers. But Mr. Bier says that the increase in competition for those jobs incentivizes workers to jockey for position by becoming more skilled and educated. It has a positive effect on the longterm quality of jobs. “The story of the last 40 years is not declining living standards,” says the analyst. “It’s a shift toward a more skilled, more service-sector economy. Banning immigration would disrupt that change in a very significant way.” By Stephen Humphries Do immigrants help or hurt the US economy? The answer might surprise you
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 17 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 17 books ‘Wandering Stars’ explodes the nation’s myths about Native Americans Tommy Orange’s novels reveal stories that “bring you back better made,” to paraphrase a line from one of the characters in his latest book, “Wandering Stars.” For some readers, the journey may be harrowing, as Orange is unstinting in his depictions of the injustices and violent acts perpetrated against Native Americans. But the novelist also reveals the capacity of tribal identity to sustain and empower families, even amid ongoing struggles. Wandering Stars, a prequel and a continuation of Orange’s awardwinning 2018 debut novel “There There,” tells of the displacement and dislocation of seven generations of a fictional Cheyenne family. Their lives play out against a backdrop of actual historical events. As an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Orange brings authority and authenticity to his writing. Those familiar with his earlier book will recognize some of the characters here, as he explores the consequences of a shooting that occurred at a powwow in “There There.” But readers need not have read the first novel to become absolutely engaged with this one. Part One of “Wandering Stars” begins with Jude Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado, in which U.S. troops murdered 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women, children, and elders. Star, now an inmate at the Fort Marion prison, is forced to learn English and practice Christianity. The prison is run by former U.S. military officer Richard Henry Pratt, who goes on to found the notorious Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The school, and others like it, sought to strip students of their Native identities, embracing, as Pratt did, the motto “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Years later, Star’s son Charles becomes a student at the school. As he struggles with the brutality and the attempts by others to deny his individuality, Charles befriends a fellow student, Opal Viola Bear Shield. In the chapters that follow, the two have a child of their own. These are the ancestors of the characters in “There There,” who had gathered at the powwow. Orange uses the powwow shooting as a powerful pivot in “Wandering Stars,” as subsequent chapters convey how the experience affected this family. Part Two, set in 2018, brings the family’s story into the present and unfolds the experiences of later generations of the Cheyenne tribe, some of whom are dealing with collective trauma, substance abuse, and the dissipation of the tribe. As Orange makes clear, the family’s, and tribe’s, source of strength is still their heritage. Contemporary generations come to understand that theirs is a culture that has endured despite all attempts to eradicate it. One of Star’s descendants puts it succinctly: “It was more than survival. The culture sings. The culture dances. The culture keeps telling stories that bring you into them, take you away from your life and bring you back better made.” By telling this story from multiple perspectives and across generations, Orange provides an expansive understanding of these historical events and the consequences to people’s lives. Tracing the experiences of Star’s family, Orange emphasizes a part of American history that has long been either sanitized or erased. As Lony Red Feather, one of the contemporary characters, observes, “Everyone only thinks we’re from the past, but then we’re here, but they don’t know we’re still here.” Orange has not allowed this effort at erasure, whether deliberate or passive, to succeed. His tool is his exquisite writing talent. Yes, it is a brutal story, and Orange is a remarkable storyteller. By writing of flawed characters and revealing human traits with which most anyone can identify, Orange chronicles difficult events in ways that others may hear and take to heart. By Joan Gaylord It is difficult to imagine what the world would be like today without conservative economist Milton Friedman. In the 1980s, his work was fundamental to the global shift toward free markets. He helped the United States abandon the military draft, spearheaded the world of school choice, spurred a wave of privatization around the world, and was largely responsible for the Federal Reserve becoming something everyday people know and care about. By the end of his life in 2006, Dr. Friedman was praised and protested in almost every corner of the world. The Monitor spoke with Jennifer Burns, author of Milton Friedman: The Last Conser-vative. Who is the Milton Friedman most people know? They know what I call the YouTube Friedman, which is later in life when he’s very famous and he’s a representative of American conservative ideas. He’s very polemical, and he has this sort of ingenious response to any question, which is basically, “We need more capitalism” or “Let’s let the market take over.” Some of the complexity and some of the nuance is lost and also a lot of the context. I’m trying to bring a fuller Friedman into view. How would you summarize Dr. Friedman’s worldview? He liked the phrase “money matters,” which is pointing to the role of the quantity of money or the monetary system in economic prosperity. But ... the other summary I could use is a title of one of the most famous books he wrote with [help from] his wife, “Capitalism and Freedom.” He really believed in individual personal freedom as his ethical standard. And he believed that capitalism was really the only system ... that gave people freedom in their individual lives. A colleague of Dr. Friedman’s once noted his “lack of interest” in nonrational factors affecting economics. Was that a strength? A weakness? Both? It’s a strength insofar as it’s the basic way his mind works. But it’s a weakness in that it doesn’t give us a comprehensive picture of human motivation or human behavior. He did have a very rational mind, and he was a story continues on page 17 PRINT & E-BOOKS NONFICTION PRINT & E-BOOKS FICTION 1. Just For The Summer (Jimenez) 2. The Women (Hannah) 3. Table For Two (Towles) 4. Fourth Wing (Yarros) 5. Iron Flame (Yarros) 6. The Teacher (McFadden) 7. The Housemaid (McFadden) 8. A Court of Silver Flames (Maas) 9. James (Everett) 10. The Rule Book (Adams) 1. The Anxious Generation (Haidt) 2. Age of Revolutions (Zakaria) 3. The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk) 4. Nuclear War (Jacobsen) 5. The Wager (Grann) 6. Sociopath (Gagne) 7. The False White Gospel (Wallis) 8. I’m Glad My Mom Died (McCurdy) 9. Killers of the Flower Moon (Grann) 10. Co-Intelligence (Mollick) NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS Milton Friedman left a complex legacy, says his biographer 6
18 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F Aaf f Aat f AaawgaARE PL FO 3 L G CO - sp tic an Th an arewi Ra gr Ge sk ad tim ar Su B l LI ha 4:0pre7:09t W Se SMART READER April 18, 2024 18 Some book clubs don’t last more than the time it takes to read a book, but the Pleasant Prairie Book Club is coming up on their 25th anniversary. The members of the club remain in awe with how integral it has become interwoven in their lives. Their monthly meetings rotate each month between the homes of all nine members, giving each member the opportunity to host a meeting. The group started nearly 25 years ago when Patti Lee approached Kim Hildreth while picking up their children at Pleasant Prairie elementary school and asked her if she would be interested in starting a book club. The word spread to other moms in the area and this same group of women have been together ever since. Being a member of a book club gives each member a chance to get out of the house and form close female friendships, the ladies have said. With what they call the “perfect dynamic,” at nine members, they have never felt the need to expand the group. The Pleasant Prairie Book Club provides an opportunity for this group of friends to read books they might never would have picked up. Their book of the month includes all genres, with the exception of self-help books There have been numerous times when a majority of the group has begun reading expecting not to like the book, but have been happily proven wrong in the end. One title which recently surprised them was Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Blason. They said they had no set exceptions when choosing it, and it ended up being a great historical novel with multiple members having expressed how hard it was to put down. But they can’t all be winners. Recently the group had a consensus on Elizabeth Wetmore’s book Valentine, which they collectively rated quite low, an unanimity which is atypical of the group. Typically, the ratings for each book fall on a wider scale because each member has their own interests and preferred writing styles that they connect with over others. A favorite author of the club is Krisin Hannah, they said every book they’ve read of hers has been a wonderful experience. One of the groups favorite genres is historical fiction and Hannah does a fantastic job bringing that genre to life. Her book. The Great Alone was agreed on as a group favorite. For April, their book of the month is A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Pernell, and the following month, they will read Martha Molner’s The Secret Life of Sunflowers. Feel free to read along with them if you’d like, but sorry, the group is full. By Elaina Myers Pleasant Prairie Book Club celebrates 25 years From front left: Jennifer Mazzolini, Lisa Bloxdorf, Judy Nehls, Sue Tetzlaff. Back row from left: Kim Hildreth, Ellen Sturycz, Patty Lee, Glenda McFall, Erin Riley. systematic thinker. That enabled him to quickly get to the essence of certain issues and then see things other people wouldn’t see. Where this becomes a weakness is his analysis of civil rights. He looks at discrimination, and he basically says that discrimination is irrational, so eventually it will cease to exist. [But] it doesn’t matter if discrimination is irrational or not ... you can’t just imagine it will slowly fade out. So other things need to be added to the picture. Some would be surprised to learn that Dr. Friedman was a proponent of a guaranteed minimum income. What was his thinking there? [Following the Great Depression] he sees a new demand in societies for governments to do more than they did in the past. At the same time, he doesn’t want the government involved in detailed economic regulation. So the minimum income becomes for him the way you guarantee that everybody has a certain level of cash in society, and they can use that to meet their basic needs. They have a choice in how they use that. He believes that’s compatible with a more liberal economic and social system because it doesn’t require a large bureaucracy, it doesn’t require intervening in people’s lives, and then you can let markets evolve. He argues that this could actually be an incentive to work. And that’s the opposite of what everyone else is saying, which is that if you give people money, they’re going to become lazy ... and never work. We have some research now that’s showing Friedman’s idea may be more accurate. You dedicate a chapter to Dr. Friedman’s “secret weapons.” Who were these women who shaped much of his work? For most of his major works in economics, there was a woman collaborator, either formally or informally. The most well known is Anna Schwartz, who was his co-author on “A Monetary History of the United States, 1867- 1960,” which was one of his big breakthrough books. And then Rose Friedman, his wife, also helped with his popular books, starting with “Capitalism and Freedom” and then “Free to Choose.” Then I was looking at one of his more technical works of economics, and I found a bunch of other women he was in correspondence with. Friedman was not a feminist, but he treated these women much more as equals than men of his time, and it paid enormous dividends for his work. If you took all these women out of the story, I’m not sure you’d have an economist that people would be writing a biography of 20 years after his death. What do you hope readers will take away from this book? Friedman had a set of ideas and principles, and he really followed them. He did not pay attention to what the majority said if his own analysis led somewhere different, and he was unafraid to be unpopular. If he didn’t change his ideological orientation or his basic values, he did admit when he was wrong. I also think he articulates the values of individualism in a way that remains important in an age when we are thinking about collective identity and collective guilt. He brings us back to the importance of the individual and the individual’s ability to make choices in his or her life. By Erika Page Friedman biography continued from previous page Jennifer Burns, author of “Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative” 041824 060123 6:30pm - 9:30pm All Star Non-Stop Music Non-Stop Fun Every Wednesday Karaoke ROCK & ROLL BINGO FREE S S S S o S o o o S S o 7:00pm - 9:00pm 5125 6th Avenue Kenosha WI
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 19 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 19 The biggest players in the American commercial aviation industry asked the Biden administration to restrict the number of flights between the United States and China. Failing to limit the number of flights to and from China would hurt more than 300,000 American workers because of China's "existing harmful anti-competitive policies," the advocacy group Airlines for America wrote in a letter Friday to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The advocacy group counts American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines among its members, as well as the major unions in the aviation industry including the Association of Flight Attendants, Air Line Pilots Association and Allied Pilots Association "We strongly urge the U.S. government to pause additional flights until U.S. workers and businesses are guaranteed equality of access in the marketplace without China's existing damaging anti-competitive policies. We ask the government to take the time to address these significant competitive issues and protect U.S. aviation workers, travelers and airlines," the letter read. Prior to the global pause on aviation brought on in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese carriers were approved to make over 150 flights into the United States on a weekly basis. That figure stood at 35 flights earlier this year, with U.S. officials at the end of March giving approval for an increase to 50 weekly flights. Friday's letter decried the treatment and strict conditions imposed on U.S. aircrews after landing in China. It also pointed to an " a n t i - c o m p e t i t i v e disadvantage" Chinese carriers have, as they are still using Russian airspace, even though much of the international aviation community -- including the United States -- has pledged to avoid the area because of Russia's war in Ukraine. The ability to fly through Russian airspace can shorten routes and save millions of dollars over the course of a year. The letter cautions allowing China unchecked aviation growth into the United States will only hurt the American industry. "If the growth of the Chinese aviation market is allowed to continue unchecked and without concern for equality of access in the market, flights will continue to be relinquished to Chinese carriers at the expense of U.S. workers and businesses," the letter states. China's Foreign Ministry responded to the letter, saying Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed in November to the increase. "It (increase) will help the two peoples strengthen exchanges and enhance mutual understanding," the ministry said. By Simon Druker Airlines urge Biden administration to cap number of U.S.-China flights Expensive home prices and soaring mortgage rates have nearly two in five U.S. renters believing that they will never own a home because of the overall cost, according to a new survey released by Redfin Friday. The survey found that 38% of renting respondents said they will never own a home is up sharply from 27% in 2023. Of the more than 3,000 respondents, 1,000 said they were renters in 2024. Some 44% of the renters who said they don't believe they will own a home cited that the homes on the market currently are too expensive. After that, 35% said they could not pay for a down payment, followed closely, by 33% who cited high mortgage rates and 32% pointing to. An additional 14% said they are not interested in owning a home. The Mortgage Bankers Association weekly report released said purchase applications were down 5% to its lowest level since February with the 30-yearfixed rate increasing to 7.01%, the highest in more than a month. "Mortgage rates moved higher last week as several Federal Reserve officials reiterated a patient posture on rate cuts," said Joel Kan the MBA's vice president and deputy chief economist. "Inflation remains stubbornly above the Fed's target, and the boarder economy continues to show resiliency. "Unexpectedly strong employment data released last week further added to the upward pressure on rates." By Clyde Hughes 38% of U.S. renters believe they will never own a home REMINDER: PLEASE RESUBMIT AD TO RUN FOR EACH ISSUE. Maximum 3 Listings Per Person. MISC G E R M A N CONVERSATIONALIST GROUP - KENOSHA/RACINE If you speak German or are enthusiastic about the German language and culture, come and join us. There are no membership fees and attendance is whenever you are available to join. Meetings will be held in the Kenosha and Racine area. This is an excellent group to practice speaking German as members' language skills are from beginners to advance and we all have a good time. Please contact me if you are interested in joining - Susan Blust at B l u s t s u s a n 0 1 @ m s n . c o m . LIONS CLUB BINGO Come have some fun! Doors open at 4:00. Raffles, pull-tabs and pregames start at 6:45. Bingo 7:00-9pm. Wednesdays. 2700 9th St., Schlader Building, Winthrop Harbor. Food Sales. FOR SALE Sears ZigZag sewing machine and cabinet. Fine condition, All attachments. Model #1750 Asking $60 (262) 657-6049 1946 ZENITH RADIO, FM, and Record Changer. (good condition) $75. Rattan Fan Back Peacock Chair, (very good condition) $375.Call Mark @ 262.859.2364, and leave a message. 3 OUTSIDE ALUMINUM screen doors. 1- 30 in. wide, 2-36 in. wide $ 30.00 each. all hardware call 262-652-2649; leave message ENTIRE CONTENTS OF HOME will be sold. Call or text to see if I have what you are looking for. I will give a price. 262-902-5663 SELLING OLD MAGAZINES! Many titles from the 1930's-1950's. Most in good condition. All subjects! Call Kent at 262-960-0621 or <[email protected]>, the more you buy, the better the deal! CEMETERY PLOTS for sale in Sunset Ridge Memorial Park in Kenosha. Located in Garden of Last Supper, section H, $1000 or OBO. Please contact Mayva at 262-818-1499 HAMILTON MANTEL CLOCK Make an offer on this gem. Ask questions. Call or text 808-359-8474 WINTER SPORTS: Women's Edelweis ski pants $25; Women's ski pants $60; Women's Salomon SX52 Lady ski boots $235; Women's ELAN Downhill skis $140; Tingley Men's Medium Size Rubber Over The Shoe Boots $10; Men's Boots$10; Jeep Jacket $200; Boy's Figure Skates $10; Men's Figure Skates $10; Cross Country Ski Poles- 2 pairs $10 each; Men's Snow Pants $10. Call or text 262- 902-5663. Snow Blower 24” Like New 262-771-7860 Beer Cans For Sale 262-694-7573, Leave A Message. Crystal round platter 12 inch diameter $10.00 perfect condition Great for the holidays 317-764-7662 CHILDREN'S VINTAGE ITEMS: Riding Wonder Horse-$100; Eddie Bauer Beach Sport Bag With Many Sand Play Toys Included-$8; Speedo Dive Snorkel And Mask (Unopened) $15; Mini Indoor Basketball Hoop- $3; Plastic Kitchen Toys- All For $2; Many Legos- All For $3; Star Trek, The Motion Picture Vhs SeriesAll 8 Tapes-$25; Many Toys (Call With What You Are Looking For!) Call Or Text: 262-902-5663. Two Bicycles, Schwinn $100 OBO and Autobike by CSA, 6-speed $175 OBO Call 262-654-6485 Please leave message Original $15 Rockwell Plates $10 each Air Fryer, new $50 Call 262-771-8764 Save 50% ON Burial Plots! Private Owner Of Two (2) (Side By Side) Section H Sunset Ridge Memorial Park Kenosha, Wi. Dont’ Pay $11,390.00... I’ Selling For $5,695.00 Obo! (262)914-5977 Ed Barbie doll, remote control corvette, that fits two Barbie dolls, about 25 in long x 10 in wide, best offer. Other small auto models available from classic days. Ron 847-340-3446. Beanie Babies - large inventory, includes McDonald's line, price varies. Call 262-654-6485 - please leave message Sony Reel To Reel Tape Decks! TC-630 & TC-580 $200 OBO for both. Call Kent 262-960-0621 [email protected] WANTED. Experienced Grill Cook Flexible Hours, Fun Atmosphere. Lakeside Deck At The Wyndham Hotel Call Kim 262-496-7182 Singer and narrator wanted for Roger Miller tribute.Call 262-554- 8205. Ask for Marv. WANTED TO BUY: Vintage Movie Posters, Comic Books, LP Records, Vintage Toys, Horror VHS, Horror Memorabilia, Science Fiction Pulps & Magazines, Video Store Promotional Items. PH 262-237- 0318. WANTED TO BUY: Old Post Cards, B&W Photos, B&W Photo Albums, Vintage Advertising, Old Hunting Licenses & Advertising, Scrapbooks, Old Misc.Paper, Old Automobile Advertising, Fountain Pens, Gillette Razors & More. Local Collector/Neutral Safe & Secure Site to meet if desired. Cash Paid. Call or Text Stan 262- 496-1822 ARCADE DRIVERS SCHOOL is looking for classroom & driver instructors. Starting pay $17.00 per hour. If interested please call 262-637-9193 or email us at [email protected] LOOKING FOR NURSES Aid for in home care. Call Barbara 262-455-3953 SERVICES. “Tax Preparation & Advisory Services. 20+ Years Experience. Virtual Or In-Person. For Appointment Call Or Text 262-496- 2208. I Will Do Seamstress Work, Run Errands, Do Shopping & Dr. Appointments., Etc.If Interested Please Call Gayle At 262-748-4748 I'M LOOKING FOR house to share for reasonable rent in exchange for household needs for a senior vet consideration. 847-340-3446 Ron. Kenosha/Union Grove area. LAWN MOWING SERVICES Reliable lawn care services in Kenosha & Pleasant Prairie. call/text 262-914-9796 [email protected] TAX & MEDICARE EXPERT. Appointments only. Se Habla Español. 262.833.7070 CHINESE LANGUAGE / CALLIGRAPHY LESSONS: Fun, fascinating and very cool. Beginning and advanced - all ages! Text Dr. Tim at 520.704.3832. FOR RENT Finished Suite private, in-home entrance, in Kenosha. For details call between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, 262-843-1630. DRUM LESSONS Private instruction. Band, orchestra, marching and drum set. Rock and many other musical styles. Learn to read music. Call Tom for details. 262-818-2869. PROFESSIONAL LED TEETH WHITENING for a fraction of the price! $99 at cabana tan spa. call to book: 262-843-2411. 20 minute session = a bright white smile! mycabanatan.com NURSING CARE /CONSULTATION: $35.00/hour. Call or text to (262)758-1974 FAST COMPUTER SERVICE including network support, spyware removal, upgrades and PC repair. For friendly service with a smile, call Vikkex today! Phone 262-694-7746 BABYSITTING YOUNG LADY good with kids can watch 1 or 2 children call 262-620-4745 House cleaning woman + a bucket - reliable, dependable. Also clean vacant houses. Call for estimates - Sandy 262-221-2289 Houses And/Or Business Sun Shine Klean Is Having A Special This Month For First Time Customers Free Upholstery Cleaning With At Basic Cleaning For Only $39.95 262-287-5103 CNAS TO JOIN wellness team at Barton of Zion, five star assisted living. Send resume [email protected] apply within at 3500 Sheridan Road Zion, IL 60099 847-872-1500 FREE HOME HEATING Fuel Oil Removal I will remove your unused home heating fuel oil for free..clean and safe . Inquire about tank removal also ... 262 818 1967 ..ask for Dave VEHICLES0 2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN GT SEE IN KENOSHA AT 4121-7TH. AVE. 53140 RUSS 262-237-1343 CALL OR TEXT $7950 LOADED NICE VAN Mercury Cruiser Iron Duke race engine. Best offer. Antioch (224) 518-6491 1940 Ford pick-up (red) Street ride V8 automatic Ready to drive and add to your car perfect collection. 65K 262-620-8230 2011 FORD F150 143K MILES SEE IN KENOSHA AT 4121-7TH. AVE. 53140 RUSS 262-237-1343 CALL OR TEXT. NEWER TIRES AND BRAKES. READY TO DRIVE ANYWHERE $7950 NICE TRUCK 2008 HONDA CRV One Owner Well Maintained See In Kenosha At 4121-7th Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 Call Or Text Very Nice Car $5750 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SEE IN KENOSHA At 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 Call Or Text. Awd 190k Miles 3 Row Seating $9495 3.5 Liter 6 Cly 2003 soft tail Harley Davidson 18000 miles $5000 worth of chrome added in 2006. Perfect condition Asking $7500 Call Lloyd at 262 694 7359 or 262 515 1366. Located In Pleasant Prairie 95 CAMERO convert green/tan top. many newer parts best offer will trade for other vehicle, negotiate price. 847-340-3446 Ron - dealers welcome to participate. FREE CLASSIFIEDS! E-mail your 170 character classified to: [email protected] Please include your contact information in the classified. (Name and Phone number / e-mail address) First 3 words will be boldface type. NO ANIMALS. • NO PERSONALS ALLOWED. CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024 AT 12 NOON FREE CLASSIFIEDS! Employment/Opportunities • Lost & Found • Miscellaneous Real Estate • Rentals • Rummage Sales • Vehicles • Wanted RENTAL/REAL ESTATE LOOKING FOR GOOD CHRISTIAN MAN TO RENT A ROOM IN RACINE. HANDYMAN WORK AVAILABLE. CALL (262) 898-0605 8041824
20 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER April 18, 2024 20 F health lifestyle community Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center news April 18, 2024 Your Kenosha ADRC Update In-person or Virtual Caregiver Coffee Club ADRC offers support group for those caring for someone with dementia Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) offers a support group to help family caregivers who care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia. Join others engaged in helping their loved ones manage day to day living. Relax, chat and learn helpful tips and strategies. The Caregiver Coffee Club meets the first Wednesday of each month from 10-11 a.m., the next meeting will be on May 1. The support group is available inperson or virtually. Facilitated by Susan Johnson, Dementia Care Specialist with the Kenosha County ADRC. To register call 262-605- 6646. 10 pounds of potatoes? Ever try to fit 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound bag? Every day? Maybe you’re caring for a family member, or working at two jobs, or both. It may be time to do something about the stress in your life. April is National Stress Awareness Month. Being aware of the stress we are carrying is vital to self-care. A little stress keeps us on our toes and can help maximize our performance. Too much can take a toll on our health and those around us. Making time for yourself will ultimately give you more energy and patience to deal with all that life throws your way. Relax, Re-Energize • Breathe deeply: When stressed, our breathing often becomes shallow. Make a conscious effort to deepen your breaths by “breathing with your belly.” Place your hands on your stomach and make them rise and fall with each breath. As you exhale, imagine that you are pushing out all of your frustration. • Listen to soothing music: Play music softly in the background while you go about your daily routine or set aside time to just listen to the music. • Have a massage or a back rub • Maintain a healthy diet: Lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains give us energy and keep our body fueled. Limit caffeine, sugar and junk food as these can increase our feelings of stress and leave us feeling “wired.” • Write down your thoughts: You don’t need a fancy journal. Just a notebook to write out your thoughts at the end of each day can do wonders to release negativity and anxiety. • Get regular exercise: It can help you clear your mind and work off feelings of frustration and anxiety. • Stay connected: Stay in touch with your friends and family. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are caring for a loved one and feeling a bit stressed, check out local services and support groups. To learn about available programs call the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center at 262- 605-6646. Going on Medicare? Learn about the decisions you’ll need to make The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) offers no-cost, unbiased, Medicare workshops for those new to Medicare, or who want to learn more. Trained benefit specialists will be available to answer your questions and discuss the decisions you’ll need to make, including the basics of Medicare coverage, options for private health and drug coverage, and public benefits that can help with health care costs. If possible, sign up for a workshop 3- 4 months before your Medicare starts. UPCOMING MEDICARE 2024 WORKSHOPS: Twin Lakes Community Library, 110 S Lake Ave., Twin Lakes Thursday, April 25, 10 a.m. – noon Kenosha County Job Center, 8600 Sheridan Road, Entrance A, Room N2 Tuesday, May 21, 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, June 25, 2 – 4 p.m. Thursday, July 25, 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, August 20, 10 a.m. - noon Due to limited seating, reservations are required. Call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 to make a reservation or to learn more. Memory Cafe The Memory Café is a monthly gathering for persons living with Mild Cognitive Impairment, earlystage Alzheimer’s, or a related dementia, and their care partners to socialize and have fun. Join the Kenosha County ADRC's Dementia Care Specialist for a Memory Café at the Kenosha Neighborhood Southwest Library, 7979 38th Avenue. Meetings are offered the second Tuesday of every month from 1-2 p.m. The next meeting will be held on May 14, 2024. For questions and to register call the ADRC at 262-605-6646.
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 21 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 21 May 2024, Kenosha County Senior Dining MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 1 2 3 MENUS SUBJECT TO CHANGE %%43XOOHG&KLFNHQ &KHHV\0DVKHG3RWDWRHV %URFFROL3DVWD6DODG &KLOOHG3HDUV Grilled Chicken Salad Vegetable Soup Garden Salad/Fruit Salsa Cottage Cheese Chicken Marbella Rice Florentine Country Vegetables Salad/Orange 6 7 8 9 10 .LHOEDVD 'LOOHG3RWDWRHV %HDQ&DVVHUROH )UXLW&XS Pasta Salad w/Chicken Pea Soup/Dinner Roll Garden Salad/Cottage Cheese (JJV/RUUDLQH 3RWDWRHV2·%ULHQ )UXLW&XS2UDQJH %OXHEHUU\0XIILQ Dill Tuna Salad/Roll Soup Du Jour Garden Salad/Pea Salad Cottage Cheese/Peaches 3RWDWR&UXVWHG)LVK $X*UDWLQ3RWDWRHV 3HDV $SSOHVDXFH 13 14 15 16 17 0HDWEDOO0DULQDUD6XE 3RWDWRHV,WDOLDQR ,WDOLDQ*UHHQ%HDQV )UHQFK5ROO 2UDQJH Mango BBQ Pulled Pork Creamy Mushroom Soup Garden Salad Cottage Cheese/Fruit Potato Salad 5RDVWHG 7XUNH\&KHGGDU .DLVHU5ROO 3HD6DODG 3LQHDSSOH Quiche Lorraine Tomato Soup Garden Salad/Banana Beet Salad Cottage Cheese 9HDO3DUPHVDQ 3HQQH3DVWD0DULQDUD %URFFROL )UHVK0HORQ 20 21 22 23 24 &KLFNHQ$OD2UDQJH 9HJHWDEOH5LFH3LODI 1RUWKHUQ%HDQV %UDQ0XIILQ%UHDG &KLOOHG3HDFKHV Fish/Lemon Herb Aioli Broccoli Cheddar Soup Garden Salad Cottage Cheese/Melon /DVDJQDZ0HDW6DXFH 6TXDVK0HGOH\ ,WDOLDQ*UHHQ%HDQV &KLOOHG3HDUV 5RDVW%HHI%HHU&KHHVH /XPEHUMDFN6RXS *DUGHQ6DODG'LOO &XFXPEHUV $SSOH0XIILQ +RW'RJ %DNHG3RWDWR&DVVHUROH 3HDV &DUURWV %DQDQD 27 28 29 30 31 Closed for Memorial Day Cheeseburger Tomato Florentine Soup Garden Salad Macaroni Salad Cottage Cheese/Fruit BLT Chicken Salad Mixed Salad Greens Tomato Wedges 3 Bean Salad Cornbread/Oranges Deviled Egg Salad Creamy Potato Soup Garden Salad Cottage Cheese/Pears Broccoli Salad Herb Baked Chicken Mashed Potatoes & Gravy Green Bean Casserole Bran Muffin Bread/Apple HH Senior COVID-19 lockdowns prompted countless American seniors to become socially isolated. Now, new research finds that many have still not fully rejoined society. More than half of older adults still spend more time at home and less time out socializing in public, even though the pandemic has passed, researchers found. Fear of infection and worries about increasingly hostile interactions between people are the key reasons for seniors' retreat from civic life, results show. "The pandemic is not over for a lot of folks," said lead researcher Jessica Finlay, an assistant professor of geography at University of Colorado Boulder. "We found that the pandemic fundamentally altered neighborhoods, communities and everyday routines among aging Americans, and these changes could have longterm consequences for their physical, mental, social and cognitive health," Finlay said in a university news release. For the study, Finlay and her colleagues surveyed nearly 7,000 people over 55 from all 50 states. The researchers check in with surveys annually, asking open-ended questions about how people are spending their time postpandemic. About 60% of participants said they spend more time in their home following the pandemic, results show. Meanwhile, 75% said they are dining out less and 62% said they are visiting cultural and arts venues less, according to the survey. More than half said they go to church or the gym less than before the pandemic. "[My friends and I] would get together every month for a luncheon at different restaurants. We had been doing that for 15 years," Shirley, a 74-year-old city dweller, told the researchers. "There would be 10 or 15 of us that would go. We haven't gone since the pandemic, and that I do miss." Although these results come from a poll two years ago, the most recent survey taken in spring 2023 showed similar trends, researchers said. More than half of seniors report that their routines remain altered post-pandemic. The findings were published recently in the journal Wellbeing, Space and Society. There are signs that seniors are taking steps to create a "new normal." At least 10% of seniors report exercising outdoors more frequently now, results show. "I like to walk and then we have a weight station out in the barn and a treadmill downstairs," Nancy, a 67- year-old rural resident, told researchers. "Also there's a dead-end road that I can go down. So that's not too bad, but I've never used a gym." Seniors are also taking more advantage of online offerings to attend meetings, concerts and classes. "You find new avenues. There is plenty online. A lot of Bible teachers online and wonderful music," Lisa, a 77- year-old living in an urban area, told researchers. "I'm in a prayer fellowship and the ladies feel very free to share the things that they are really struggling with and also, when you see the way they're struggling with their issues and the outcome, it's very comforting." Overall, though, Finlay is worried that seniors could face serious mental and social health problems by losing spontaneous interactions that normally take place while someone's out and about. "For some older adults who live alone, that brief, unplanned exchange with the butcher or the cashier may be the only friendly smile they see in the day, and they have lost that," Finlay said. The trend might even worsen an increasingly polarized society. "It is increasingly rare for Americans with differing sociopolitical perspectives to collectively hang out and respectfully converse," she said. By Dennis Thompson Older Americans are still feeling the effects of pandemic isolation 20
22 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F wywWt t yf waavt at SMART READER April 18, 2024 22 National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16 was National Healthcare Decisions Day. This movement became nationally recognized in 2008 to help raise awareness of the importance of advance care planning, to empower people to draft advance planning documents, and to encourage discussions with family members and medical professionals about healthcare wishes. The law on advance care planning documents and authority varies by state. In Wisconsin, practitioners typically recommend the following documents: • Power of attorney for finances • Power of attorney for healthcare • Living Will (optional) • Authorization for Final Disposition (burial & funeral arrangements) Advance planning documents can be executed with or without an attorney. While the basic forms are available online for free, an attorney can provide legal advice and counseling regarding the person’s specific circumstances to ensure that their wishes are stated and carried out as desired. It is important that the healthcare power of attorney is signed in front of two unrelated witnesses. While the power of attorney for finances does not technically require witnesses, it is granted important protections under Wisconsin law if it is notarized when signed. Powers of attorney (POAs) provide authority for someone to make financial and/or healthcare decisions for another person. Wisconsin is not a “next of kin” state, meaning that family members do not have the ability to make healthcare decisions on behalf of another person just by virtue of being a relative. Powers of attorney documents are valid once they are drafted and signed, but the agents do not have authority to act on behalf of the principal until the document is activated. Healthcare POAs are usually activated upon subsequent incapacity of the principal. Financial POAs can be activated immediately or upon a future event. A Living Will is a document which on its face may look similar to a power of attorney for healthcare; however, there are several important differences. In writing a Living Will, a person is making a directive to his or her doctor regarding the person’s end of life decisions. There is no authority given to another person to act as an agent on the principal’s behalf, as is the case in the power of attorney documents. Additionally, a Living Will only contemplates and provides for actions in very specific circumstances. By contrast, a power of attorney for healthcare provides for an agent to have broad authority to make decisions in a wide range of situations. A person can have both a power of attorney for healthcare and a Living Will, if desired, or one or the other. It’s important that if a person has both documents that the wishes expressed within them be consistent. Finally, the Authorization for Final Disposition allows a person to indicate his or her funeral and burial preferences in writing and to appoint an agent to carry out those wishes upon the person’s death. This document is recommended as part of a comprehensive estate plan because the authority under a power of attorney ends upon the principal’s death. If no agent is appointed under an Authorization for Final Disposition form, Wisconsin law indicates that a surviving spouse, child, parent, or sibling (in that respective order) can make funeral and burial decisions on behalf of a decedent. For free forms and more information on advance directives, visit the Wisconsin Guardianship Support Center’s website at https://gwaar.org/guardianship-resources. The GSC provides legal information about powers of attorneys, advance directives, and guardianships via a helpline at (855) 409-9410 or email at [email protected]. The Department of Health Services also has the statutory power of attorney and Living Will forms available on its website at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectiv es/adformspoa.htm. Myth-busting false beliefs about POA’s: 1. I do not need a POA because my spouse or family can make decisions on my behalf. a. Wisconsin is not a “next of kin” state, meaning that family members do not have inherent authority to make decisions solely based on their relationship with you. Authority must be specifically given to a person through a POA or a court order. 2. I do not need a POA until I am older or sick. a. Too often, people wait until it is too late to do advance planning. If a person no longer has the capacity to execute a POA document, then a guardianship action in court may be needed. All adults over the age of 18 should consider creating advance directives. 3. Once I create a POA, I’m set for life. a. The POA documents are not locked in stone. They can be revoked or re-executed at any time. The Wisconsin Medical Society recommends that advance planning documents be reviewed if any of the 4 “d’s” occur: i. Death (if any of the agents named in your POA pass away) ii. Decade (if it has been more than 10 years since you drafted or reviewed your documents) iii. Divorce (if you subsequently get a divorce after drafting your POA—in Wisconsin, this invalidates your documents by law) iv. Disease (if you become sick or are diagnosed with an illness) The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center has staff available on Wednesday mornings to assist Kenosha County residents (age 18 and older) in completing the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Healthcare and discuss the considerations and options. Please call 262-605-6646 to schedule an appointment. Reduce Your Falls Risk with Stepping On Free, six-week course to begin May 9 Wisconsin is ranked #1 in the nation for falls that lead to death among older adults. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling. Kenosha County wants to change those statistics with Stepping On! Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center is hosting a Stepping On course beginning on Thursday, May 9. Stepping On is a free, six-week educational series, to help reduce falls in older adults. In Stepping On, you’ll learn how to build and maintain the physical strength and balance you need to walk confidently. From footwear to prescriptions, you'll learn what increases your risk of a fall, how to avoid it, and make an individualized action plan to stay on your feet and living life the way you want. The in-person sessions will be held at Kenosha County Job Center, 8600 Sheridan Road, on Thursdays, May 9 – June 20, 2 – 4 p.m. Registration is required by Thursday, May 2. For questions or to register call the ADRC at 262- 605-6646. Your Kenosha ADRC Update
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 23 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 23 Dear Amy: I’m a widower, and my significant other, “Siena,” is a widow. Long ago, we dated in college (semiseriously) for a couple years, but “life” got in the way and we drifted apart. We married other people. Both of our spouses are deceased. Decades later, we are now in a wonderful relationship. Last year I brought Siena to my daughter’s big annual family gettogether. We had a great time. We felt welcome (we thought); but this year, it all changed. I received a text from my daughter inviting me, but not Siena, to the party. I texted-back, “What about Siena?” She replied that some of her husband’s family members were uncomfortable with Siena’s attendance. Here’s the “kicker” … Siena had Polio long ago (as a child), completely paralyzing both of her legs; and she uses longleg braces and aluminum forearm crutches to walk. I was told that “some” of last year’s attendees were “worried” that she’d trip over the young children scurrying about, but we believe that wasn’t the real reason. At last year’s party, somebody asked Siena if she had been vaccinated against polio as a child. She replied that her mother would not allow her to get the polio vaccine. She described it like this: “Even way back then, some people were crazy anti-vaxxers.” Evidently, there are some (or at least one) anti-vaxxers in my sonin-law’s family; and Siena’s comment must have offended one or more of them. Or perhaps they just don’t like being around people with disabilities. We’re just fine not attending the party, but do you think I should have a discussion with my daughter about Siena’s “banishment,” or should I let it slide by to ensure peace with the in-laws? Siena is convinced that we (I) should just let it go. What do you think? – Undecided Dear Undecided: You could ask your daughter for further clarity regarding “Siena’s” banishment from her home for this event. (It is possible that these in-laws who are anti-vaccinations are also too delicate, frightened, or offended to confront the consequential reality of a world without vaccination?) Your daughter might not admit that one or more of her husband’s relatives are in the “crazy anti-vaxxers,” category, but I do think it would be helpful to try to discern how open your daughter is to having a relationship with your partner. You and Siena are together and so Siena is (basically) coming into your daughter’s family. The same dynamic that has you wanting to keep the peace with your inlaws also extends to your daughter, who should extend kindness toward your partner. After you ask about this, you should listen to your daughter, and – assuming that she won’t supply a satisfying response, you and Siena should stay home together on this day and then, yes – let it go. Dear Amy: My brother-in-law of 20 years has always been rude, hateful, disrespectful and in a perpetual bad mood. My sister always made excuses for his bad behavior and so my family "turned the other cheek" and treated him with love and kindness, anyway. One day at a party I overheard my brother-inlaw telling his friend how he never liked me or my family. He then proceeded to make fun of us. A few days later I confronted him and my sister about it. My brother-in-law confessed to hating me and my family. He said we had done nothing bad to him personally – he just hated us. My sister knew how he felt all along and now she's acting like it's not a big deal. We don't want anything to do with my brother-in-law ever again. We are all feuding, and I don't know what to do or how to save my relationship with my sister over this betrayal. – Shocked Dear Shocked: Your reaction to this insult seems to blame your sister – presumably for tolerating her husband’s long-standing hatred and disrespect of your family. Your sister is not responsible for her husband’s atrocious behavior. But it seems as if he has pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it into the middle of your family. You might look on this weird episode of brutal honesty as a liberation of sorts. You are under no obligation to spend time with him, interact with him, or worry about his estimation of you. Declining to spend time with him will relieve him of any obligation or expectation to be in the presence of people he hates. In this context, “turning the other cheek” might translate into accepting that your sister has chosen to be with him and seems to be staying with him. Perhaps you could adopt a loving and understanding attitude toward her. Her situation does not sound easy. Dear Amy, I am a 62- year-old man, needing advice regarding my daughter and 11-year-old granddaughter, who live across the country. Eighteen months ago, I flew out to visit. My granddaughter wanted a "yes" day where I would take her for a fun-filled day. We had a fantastic time. I tried to shower her with love and attention. Feeling a reconnection, with my daughter’s blessing, I purchased her a cellphone so we could stay in touch. After the trip, I tried to reach out, only to be ghosted by my granddaughter. I brought this up with my daughter, who cynically informed me that my granddaughter is quite busy and perhaps we could arrange for a monthly Zoom meeting. But I really had visions of talking one-on-one with this child, as I felt a growing bond which I wanted to nurture. My daughter obviously wanted to supervise her phone calls, which I thought was controlling. She mailed me the phone back with a nasty letter. This upset me greatly. It has been 18 months with no contact. A Christmas or birthday present is always acknowledged with a short, curt text from my daughter – never my granddaughter. My relationship has always been strained due to my divorce 25 years ago, but it was a fantastic visit and we got along quite well, so I am at a loss, Amy. I go with the flow and am not a curmudgeon in any way. Any advice on how to proceed? – Distant Grandpa Dear Distant: This visit went very well. But you live across the country. To your granddaughter, you are a nice old man whom she doesn’t know very well. I don’t know of many adolescents who would be able to forge a oneon-one relationship with a distant grandfather over the phone. Kids generally prefer texting. Texting photos and funny memes back and forth from your phone to hers would have been a good way to establish a connection. Your daughter’s suggestion for a regular Zoom meeting was a great one. Your immediate assumption that she wants to “monitor” your contact is off-base. Most parents know that kids this age don’t easily dive into relationship-building; the parent’s presence on the video chat helps to move things along because they can prompt both the child and the elder into topics of mutual interest. You have put a ton of pressure on this single visit to build one relationship and heal another, but even close and functioning families go through rough patches and miscommunications. I hope you’ll keep trying to connect, and not take things so personally as you go ask amy Retired man wants to smell, not plant, the roses You can email Amy Dickinson at [email protected] or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook. seniors edition 22 y s r s e s e y n y e d e s n g. s e e l n d u o r n d a n . r -
24 SMART READER March 09, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F N SMART READER April 18, 2024 24 Over the 27 years I've been writing this column, I have probably written a hundred columns directed at divorced women. But after answering emails from men who had questions about benefits for divorcees, it dawned on me that I've never written a column for divorced men. Today, I'll make up for that. I should point out that I will be concentrating on the benefits a husband's ex-wife can get on his Social Security account — and what effects those benefits have on his own Social Security or on benefits due a subsequent wife. Why? Because those are the kinds of questions I get from men. I will briefly cover what benefits a divorced man might be due on his exwife's Social Security record. But frankly, that rarely happens. As I recently pointed out, because women traditionally have earned less than men, and because women take time off from their careers to raise children, there are millions of women getting benefits off a husband's or exhusband's Social Security account. But there are only a handful of men getting spousal benefits from a wife's record. Let me first explain how a divorced woman qualifies for benefits from her ex. First of all, she's got to be old enough, which means at least age 60 for divorced widows and at least age 62 for an ex-wife whose husband is still alive. Second, her marriage to the ex must have lasted at least 10 years. Third, she can't be currently married. (If she remarried after the divorce, but that second marriage ended and she is unmarried now, she's potentially eligible for benefits from the first ex.) And fourth, she can't be due higher benefits on her own Social Security account. There are other qualifying conditions, but these are the main ones. And if you are that rare divorced man whose exwife consistently made more money than you, meaning she is due a higher Social Security benefit than you are, then the eligibility rules for divorced women explained above would also apply to you. In other words, the same rules that apply to divorced and financially dependent wives and widows also apply to divorced and financially dependent husbands and widowers. But as I said, men very rarely qualify for these kinds of benefits. And that's why a divorced man's interest in rules for divorcees almost always have to do with how his ex might qualify for divorced spousal benefits and how it affects his own benefits. Here are some sample questions. Q: My first wife and I were married for 30 years before getting divorced five years ago. I have remarried. My ex hasn't. She is 62 years old. My current wife is 45. I am 65 and not yet drawing Social Security. My ex says she is going to file against my Social Security. Can she do that without my permission? A: Your ex-wife does not need your permission to file for divorced wife's benefits on your record. If the law says she's due benefits, she'll get them no matter what you say. So if she is not currently working, she'll be due benefits on your record unless her own retirement benefit pays her a higher rate. And by the way, your ex can file for benefits on your account even if you haven't filed yourself. Q: My wife and I are about to turn 67. We are thinking of filing for Social Security. My wife's own benefit is so small that I'm sure she will get higher benefits on my record. But I was married once before, and my exwife is already getting divorced wife's benefits on my account. Is that going to reduce what my current wife will be due on my record? A: No, it won't. Any benefits paid to an exspouse are just "add-on" benefits. They don't take anything away from what you are due or what your current wife will be due on your record. Q: I am 76 years old. I waited until I was 70 to file for Social Security. The primary reason I did this is so my wife will get the highest widow's benefits possible when I die. But I just learned that my first wife, to whom I was married for 20 years, is going to get half of my benefits upon my death. And my current wife will have to settle for the other half. This doesn't seem fair. A: Well, it might not be fair if it were true. But it's not true. When you die, your current wife will get 100% of your benefit — assuming she is over her full retirement age when you die. And assuming your ex hasn't remarried and is over her full retirement age and isn't due higher benefits on her own record, she also will get the 100% widow's rate. As explained above, any benefits paid to your ex do not offset any benefits due your current wife. Q: I can't believe my ex-wife is getting my Social Security. When we divorced in 2018, I very specifically added a clause to the divorce decree stating that my soon-to-be ex-wife would not be able to get any of my Social Security. And yet now I learned she's telling her friends she is getting benefits on my account. I'm going to call my lawyer to stop this! A: You can call your lawyer if you want. But you aren't going to stop this. That clause you added to your divorce decree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Federal law overrides anything you or your lawyer might scribble onto your divorce papers. And if that law says your ex is due spousal benefits on your account, she's going to get them. Q: I've been married and divorced five times. Is each of my ex-wives going to get some of my Social Security? No wonder the system is going broke! A: Actually, it's pretty uncommon for more than one ex to get benefits on your account. Why? Because the only way all your ex-wives would collect on your record is if they all have remained unmarried and if all of them have never worked. Or to put that another way: All your exes who have remarried and all your exes who have worked and will get their own Social Security won't be collecting divorced spousal benefits from you. social security Divorced man's guide to Social Security with Tom Margenau If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has the answer. Contact him at thomas.margenau@comcast. net. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. Tom Margenau joins Happenings Q&A on Mon. April 29th at 10:20 on AM1050 WLIP. and you t r a y r . y a r a r t ; g t f f e FOR EVENT TICKETS CALL (262) 564-8800 STOP IN 1420 63RD 5125 6th AVE. KENOSHA ST., M-F 10am-4pm OR VISIT SR041824 An Acappella Spring Fling you won’t want to miss! Singing the hits from yesterday & today! $15 in advance $18 at the door May 17 & 18 7:30pm Two Nights Only! HARMONIX
0FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 25 SMART READER April 18, 2024 SMART READER March 09, 2023 25 Never Pay Retail! Wholesale Discount Prices Paints and Carpets 2415 - 60th Street • Kenosha,Wisconsin Next to Andreas • 654-5328 Mon. - Fri. 8am - 5pm, Sat. 8am - 4pm Buy where the professionals buy their pain t at discount prices. SR022517 SR040424 GGlloriaoria && JJaayy Our Family has been serving great food and offering warm hospitality here for 50 years. Yes, it’s true the building is for sale... but we are absolutely here to serve you well into 2024. Please stop by & cozy up to the fireplace for a delicious meal, or give us a call to book your next gathering or holiday party! The Tradition Continues - 090723 2205 Washington Road • Kenosha, WI 262-653-4090 041824 Senior Citizens Receive a 10% DISCOUNT SR121720 Your Ticket to Local Events 24 w e r o s s y o s y e t . y s r e r t r o t y g s SR041824 r