Page 25 - Consumer Issues News Today

One Nevada program is aiming to help seniors on fixed incomes pay their utility bills. United Way of Southern Nevada has announced the dates of the annual Project REACH Senior Expo events. Project REACH provides financial assistance to seniors who are 62 years or order and have past-due utility bills and are having a hard time making ends meet. ...

More than 615,000 dollars is going to nonprofit groups in Kentucky working to end opioid addiction. According to state data, more than 2,100 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug overdose last year - the first decline in deaths since 2018. Eligible groups include those working to raise awareness about overdose prevention, reduce the stigma around substance use disorders, and improve access to harm reduction, treatment and recovery support. ...

The Biden Administrations Inflation Reduction Act turns one year old today, directing $370 billion to clean energy efforts through tax incentives, grants, and loan guarantees. The public money has in turn spurred private investment to decarbonize the economy. Stephan Nicoleau, an investor in the Full Cycle Fund, which finances climate critical technologies, talked about the ripple effect of the funding. ...

Kentuckys major utilities, Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities, are asking the states Public Service Commission to approve a plan to build natural-gas power plants in Louisville and Mercer County - and residents can voice their input on the plan at a virtual public hearing tomorrow afternoon. Critics and environmental groups say theyre concerned about the long-term impact on ratepayers - the total cost of the projects are estimated at more than $1 billion - and the environment...

Four Oregon organizations have received grants from AARP Oregon to help make their communities more age friendly. One of the chosen projects is the Sutherlin Library Foundation, in a small community north of Roseburg in central Oregon. The foundation will receive $4,000 to offer classes on digital technology for older people. ...

Projects in six Nebraska communities, large and small, are among this years AARP Community Challenge Grant winners. A total of $3.6 million was awarded to 310 organizations nationwide for projects to make their communities more "livable," especially for people age 50 and older. Todd Stubbendieck, AARP Nebraska state director, said the ongoing mission to improve the health and well-being of older Nebraskans includes improving the places they live and spend time in. ...

Progress Iowa has launched a website, allowing people to track federal money spent on critical projects in the state. The group aims to make it easier to search for this information in one place. Matt Sinovic, executive director of the group, said the first-of-its-kind resource, IowaAtWork.com, allows Iowans to see online exactly where federal tax dollars are being spent in their state. ...

Construction workers are more likely to die by suicide or of a drug overdose than workers in almost any other field, and a St. Louis-based peer support system and hotline wants to change it. According to the American Addiction Centers, those who work in construction have nearly twice the rate of substance use disorders as the national average. ...

Residents age 55 and older can now sign up for inaugural memberships with the first-ever senior center to open in Highlands Ranch, just south of Denver. Jill Hall, senior services manager with the Highlands Ranch Metro District, which will operate the center, said getting older also means losing important relationships, and added senior centers are a place where people can stay connected with their peers, and spend time doing fun and challenging activities that keep them living longer and agin...

Nearly six decades after its creation, Medicare continues to provide a health-care safety net for older Americans. On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid Act into law - providing health insurance for people age 65 and older through the Medicare program. State Director of AARP Oregon, Bandana Shrestha, said the program received an upgrade with the Inflation Reduction Act last year. ...