Articles written by David Washburn

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 By David Washburn    Columns    July 1, 2023

Safety is about awareness and follow-through

In this edition, we present the second in our new series on safety, written by City of Houston Fire Chief Christian M. Hartley. He brings wisdom from years of experience working in safety and emergency management and this month he writes about being...

 
 By David Washburn    Local    March 1, 2021

'If I'd known then what I know now…'

If I could go back in time, what advice would I offer my 21-year-old self? There are obvious things: Save more. Don’t buy that impractical convertible. Wear better shoes (your future feet will thank you). Other coulda-shoulda-wouldas: Write down the...

 
 By David Washburn    Local    April 1, 2020

Center serves Houston seniors under new ownership

After four years of closure, Mid-Valley Senior Center in Houston is under new ownership and providing meals on a regular schedule, although services are severely curtailed for now due to the...

 
 By David Washburn    News    May 1, 2019

State suspends payments to some Senior Benefits recipients

Update, May 3, 2019: Our print edition version of this story went to press as the legislature debated reversing the Senior Benefits cuts discussed in this story. After the paper was printed, the House and Senate both agreed to restore the funding,...

 
 By David Washburn    News    March 1, 2019

Governor moves to end Senior Benefits program

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has introduced legislation to end the Senior Benefits program, the income-based program that provides monthly cash assistance to low-income Alaska seniors. Identical bills, House Bill 60 and companion Senate Bill 58, were introduce...

 

This common fitness tip is a bad idea

I used to have a fitness class instructor who liked to say about workouts, “Once you turn 40, it’s all rehab.” It brought chuckles, but it’s true that over the years we will inevitably subject our bodies to wear and tear. Various mishaps lead to...

 
 By David Washburn    Columns    June 1, 2018

Remodeling, decluttering leads to de-medicating

Our household recently replaced a bathroom vanity cabinet, something long overdue. The process revealed something else long overdue – bottle after bottle of expired, unused, leftover prescription medications. They were in drawers, travel kits, on s...

 
 By David Washburn    Columns    May 1, 2018

Are family blogs over? Long live the hard copy

For years, I kept a blog with updates about my family. School events, vacations, celebrations were written up and posted to the blog, along with lots of photos. The blog was a more convenient way to share with family and friends in the Lower 48 than...

 

Out-smarting the porch pirates

My Anchorage neighborhood had been chattering about packages disappearing from doorsteps. Security camera footage was posted to Facebook of people stealing boxes. So I was not stunned when one of ours went missing late November. The delivery service...

 
 By David Washburn    News    April 1, 2017

Bill requires doctors to post prices

A bill introduced this session in the Alaska state legislature would require health care providers to post medical care price information. The bill, HB 123, was sponsored by Rep. Ivy Spohnholz and co-sponsored by representatives Chris Tuck, Harriet...

 
 By David Washburn    News    June 1, 2016

Alaskans targeted by phone callers posing as IRS agents

April 15 is long gone, but that doesn’t mean tax worries are over, thanks to fraudulent phone callers posing as IRS agents. Better Business Bureau, the Alaska Medicare Information Office and others are reporting a surge in the calls, in which the c...

 
 By David Washburn    News    May 1, 2016

Senior property tax exemption survives session

The Alaska legislature is no longer pushing to remove the mandate for the Senior and Disabled Property Tax Exemption, which exempts Alaskan seniors and disabled veterans from having to pay property taxes on the first $150,000 of the assessed value...

 
 By David Washburn    News    April 1, 2016

Senior programs feel the budget pressure

The budget axe continues to fall on programs affecting low income seniors as lawmakers deliberate where to cut state spending to help offset a huge budget deficit. Although the numbers can be a moving target as legislators debate and negotiate, at...

 
 By David Washburn    News    January 1, 2016

Food box home deliveries available in Anchorage and Mat-Su areas

Food Bank of Alaska is looking for volunteers in the Anchorage and Mat-Su areas to deliver food boxes once a month to homebound seniors. The food boxes are distributed through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, CSFP, and contain about 30 pounds...

 

Alaska Picnic returns to Yuma for 30th year

Started 30 years ago in Yuma, Ariz., as an informal get together for Alaska snowbirds, the annual Alaska Picnic has grown into an enormous annual party. “We have people fly in from Alaska for the two days just for the picnic,” says Ruth Giles, who...

 

Juneau's senior sales tax exemption

Our lead story in last month’s edition on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly’s decision to end the senior sales tax exemption left out a lot of information. This was largely due to the last-minute deadline we were dealing with: we wanted to be...

 
 By David Washburn    News    June 1, 2015

It's official: Older Persons Action Group has moved

The Municipality of Anchorage has followed through on its plan to vacate occupants from the John Thomas Bldg., Older Persons Action Group's home for more than 40 years. The building, located on the...

 

Votes tallied on senior tax exemptions

Voters in the Mat-Su Borough expanded property tax exemptions for seniors in the October election, while voters in Petersburg tightened up the senior sales tax exemption there. The Mat-Su change will increase the Senior Citizens and Disabled...

 
 By David Washburn    Columns    June 1, 2013

Outstanding people performing outstanding work

Congratulations to Rita Hatch, who was announced in May as the winner of this year’s Ron Hammett Award for outstanding service to seniors in the Anchorage community. Rita was presented the award at th...

 

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