December 2016 | Vol
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FREE | Published monthly Eastern Edition | December 2016 | Vol. 42 | No. 12 | 24 pp. fi f t y plus advocate Nicholas Gage Acclaimed author calls Central MA home WEIGL/WEIGL PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO/ANDY page 4 Author Nicholas Gage in his North Grafton writing studio. >ĞŐĂĐLJŽĨWƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐdžĐĞƉƟŽŶĂůĂƌĞĨŽƌ^ĞŶŝŽƌƐ^ŝŶĐĞϭϴϳϰ &ŽƌDŽƌĞ/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶŽŶƚĂĐƚdƌĂĐĞLJ<ŝŶŐĂƚϱϬϴ-ϴϲϴ-Ϭϵϲϳ www.goddardhomestead.orgǁǁǁ͘ŐŽĚĚĂƌĚŚŽŵĞƐƚĞĂĚ͘ŽƌŐ • Worcester MA 2 • fi f t y plus advocate + December 2016 + www.fi ftyplusadvocate.com AARP offers Tax-Aide program By Mike Festa, State Director and deductions they’ve earned AARP Massachusetts because they can’t aff ord to pay for professional tax prepara- ax fi ling season will soon tion. However, AARP Founda- be upon us, and AARP tion Tax-Aide volunteers can Tcan help! Retirement or help eligible residents apply for other life changes may mean credits such as the Massachu- your taxes setts Senior Circuit Breaker Tax are a little Credit, which, under certain cir- more com- cumstances, can be applied ret- plicated now. roactively for up to three years. Th e AARP Th e program runs from Foundation Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, Tax-Aide through early April. A new Mike Festa program of- software program is being used fers free tax this year, and as such, some re- preparation and fi ling help to turns may take up to 90 minutes those in need, especially adults to complete. Clients are asked 50 and older, during tax season. to bring last year’s tax returns, Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP. You do not have to be an AARP Social Security card, photo ID, member nor be retired to use and documents related to in- this free service. come, expenses, deductions, and With the help of our team healthcare coverage documenta- TAKING ON THE tion to their ap- pointment. ISSUES THAT To fi nd an The AARP Foundation AARP Founda- Tax-Aide program offers tion Tax-Aide MATTER TO YOU site in your com- AND YOUR FAMILY. free tax preparation and munity during the fi ling help to those in need, tax season, call the toll-free number especially adults 50 and at 888-AARP- older, during tax season. NOW (888-227- 7669) or visit You’re working hard to realize the American AARP.org/find- dream, and AARP is here to help you achieve taxhelp. your goals. AARP takes on the issues that are AARP Foun- most important to you and your family, from of IRS-certifi ed volunteers, Tax- dation Tax-Aide has grown re- caregiving and community improvements to Aide makes it easier for you. markably since its inaugural health and w nancial security. If you don’t think AARP Foundation Tax-Aide team of just four volunteers in ,i>*ÃÃLÌià when you think AARP, then volunteers receive complete tax 1968. Th e program now involves you don’t know “aarp.” preparation training and IRS nearly 35,000 volunteers and certifi cation prior to working serves 2.7 million taxpayers an- You have a lifetime of experience to offer. with taxpayers. Last year, 675 nually at more than 5,000 sites If you’re looking for a place to share it, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide nationwide with free tax help. AARP can help. Call us at 1-866-448-3621 or volunteers helped more than Taxpayers who used AARP visit aarp.org/ma 44,865 Massachusetts residents Foundation Tax-Aide received fi le their federal and state tax re- $1.41 billion in income tax re- turns. funds and more than $240 mil- Th e program is off ered at ap- lion in Earned Income Tax proximately 220 sites in Mas- Credits (EITCs). sachusetts (and over 5,000 lo- AARP Foundation operates cations nationwide) including the AARP Tax-Aide program Massachusetts senior centers, libraries and oth- under a cooperative agreement er convenient locations. with the IRS. To help you com- Many older, low-income tax- plete your tax forms, AARP’s payers miss out on the credits AARP page 3 www.fi ftyplusadvocate.com + December 2016 + fi f t y plus advocate • 3 Regulations revised for smoke alarms when selling older homes No expired alarms; replacement alarms must have 10-year batteries Submitted by Jennifer Mieth every 10 years,” State Fire Mar- Public Information Officer, shal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a Last winter too many people died in Department of Fire Services press release. “Major manufac- turers of smoke alarms indicate homes without working smoke alarms. REGION - Starting Th ursday, they have a service life of about No one thinks fi re will happen to them, Dec. 1, older one- and two-fam- 10 years and recommend re- ily homes cannot be sold with placement after that because the but a majority of fi re deaths occur expired or out-of-date smoke sensing technology deteriorates in homes without working alarms. alarms. Th e Board of Fire Pre- over time. vention Regulations has revised Smoke alarms page 10 State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey the State Fire Code to require that one- and two-family homes built before 1975 must have working smoke alarms that have AARP offers Tax-Aide program not expired. Working smoke alarms installed prior to that AARP AARP is a nonprofi t, non- community-based long term Continued from page 2 date (that met previous require- partisan membership organi- services and supports, strength- ments) can continue to be used trained and IRS-certifi ed vol- zation for people 50 and over. ening the fi nancial security of until they are 10 years old or unteers will see personal infor- We have approximately 825,000 50+ residents, improving health have exceeded the manufactur- mation that you give them about members in Massachusetts and care access and quality, and mak- er’s recommended life, which- you and your fi nances. Th is in- nearly 38 million nationwide. ing health care more aff ordable. ever occurs fi rst. formation is strictly confi den- Our state legislative priorities “Most people know they tial. We will not share your in- are consistent with AARP’s all Mike Festa is the state director for should have working smoke formation with anyone except as volunteer national Board of Di- AARP Massachusetts. Archives of alarms. Th e one thing many peo- necessary to accurately fi le your rectors and focus on removing articles from previous issues can ple don’t realize is that smoke tax returns or as otherwise re- barriers for caregivers, protect- be read at www.fi ftyplusadvocate. alarms need to be replaced about quired by law. ing and improving in-home and com. AFFORDABLE AMBULANCE SERVICE Don’t tie up an emergency ambulance for non-emergency transport Emergency/ Non-Emergency transportation. Class 1 ambulances and chair vans licensed by Massachusetts. Basic Life Support (BLS). 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A book- shelf with ionic columns runs along one wall. Behind his cluttered desk, photos are dis- played on another. In one, from 1963, President John F. Ken- WEIGL/WEIGL PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO/ANDY nedy stands next to a youthful Gage, who had won the Hearst Award for the best published article by a college student. “I came to America from a remote Greek village. I hadn’t seen an automobile, electric lights or an ocean,” Gage re- called. “I came to the U.S. not knowing a word of English. Twelve years later, I got an award from the president. In what other country can that happen?” A lot more has happened. Gage has written seven books, I came to America from a remote Greek village. I hadn’t seen an been a highly successful inves- tigative reporter for the New automobile, electric lights or an ocean. I came to the U.S. not York Times and the Wall Street Journal, a foreign correspon- knowing a word of English. Twelve years later, I got an award dent for the New York Times, and was an executive producer from the president. In what other country can that happen? and contributor to the script of the movie, “Godfather, Part III.” Worcester, hoping to lay the rillas tortured and executed his earned a reputation as an excel- This afternoon, Gage stands, groundwork for a better life for mother, who they had called lent writer for his school news- and sometimes sits in his office, his family.