AARP Connecticut está aceptando solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos de mejora comunitaria en todo el estado.

El programa "Comunidades Habitables" otorga subvenciones de hasta $5.000 para proyectos que puedan completarse rápidamente y beneficien a personas de todas las edades. Los proyectos anteriores incluyen el parque de bolsillo de Thrive 55, las canchas de bochas cerca del Centro Comunitario Riverfront y un espacio verde al aire libre en el Centro para Personas Mayores de Plainfield.

Nora Duncan, de AARP Connecticut, dice que las subvenciones pueden financiar buenas ideas que brinden alegría a muchas personas mientras los pueblos y ciudades se aprietan el cinturón.

"Podrías estar sentado en tu centro comunitario, tu biblioteca, tu centro para personas mayores, como empleado municipal, incluso un departamento de policía ganó recientemente, y pensar: 'Oh, nunca conseguiremos financiar esto'. Ve la oportunidad de subvención, usted solicita, obtiene la financiación y el trabajo está en marcha," enfatizó Duncan.

Los proyectos deben tener un impacto positivo en los residentes locales y deben cumplir uno de los ocho criterios de "habitabilidad", desde vivienda hasta participación social, pasando por servicios comunitarios y de salud. Las solicitudes deben entregarse antes de las 5 p.m. el 16 de agosto. Para más información en línea, visite el sitio web 'AARP.org/CT.'

El grupo ve entre 50 y 75 solicitudes, pero Duncan menciona que están descalificadas por no haberse completado correctamente. Señala que las personas deben prestar atención a los detalles de los requisitos de la subvención y recordar qué no se considerará. En los siete años de historia del programa, Duncan añade que tiene algunos favoritos.

"Iniciar un festival de cine abierto para personas de todas las edades durante un verano; ha habido una biblioteca de préstamo de dispositivos, por lo que es posible que las personas quieran probar dispositivos tecnológicos antes de comprarlos para poder envejecer en el lugar; quiero decir, hay muchísimos," insistió también Duncan.

Otros favoritos incluyen proyectos para hacer que los senderos sean más completos y accesibles, o el programa de arte intergeneracional de Simsbury y la búsqueda del tesoro en toda la ciudad. Duncan argumenta que los ganadores de las subvenciones se anunciarán en algún momento de septiembre, dependiendo de cuántas solicitudes reciban.

More than 6,000 volunteers who support New Mexico's Roadrunner Food Bank are being recognized during National Volunteer Week, which starts today.

Barbara Guenther, manager of volunteer programs for Roadrunner Food Bank, said the organization relies on unpaid community members to assist with things like sorting, packing and distributing food. She noted last year alone, they provided about 8 million meals across the state.

"Our volunteers donated 55,547 hours," Guenther pointed out. "It's the equivalent of about $1.5 million worth of work that those volunteers contribute to support the food bank."

According to AmeriCorps, a federal agency for national service and volunteerism, nearly 76 million people volunteered in America in 2023. Guenther added Roadrunner is always grateful for more because 150 to 400 volunteers often are needed for a single day food distribution event.

Guenther believes pitching in to support neighbors can serve as a reminder of your own good fortune when you are loading up your cart at the grocery store.

"Not everybody has that ability to do that and that recognition that, oh my gosh, you've just made this person's day," Guenther emphasized. "We have volunteers who say, 'It's all about just helping people.'"

About 75% of Roadrunner's volunteers work side-by-side in the Albuquerque warehouse. Guenther added many come weekly to meet up with friends they have met through the food bank.

"I had a great volunteer one time say, 'You know, when we volunteer here, we don't care about politics or religion, or who you voted for or what your values are. The one thing that we all value here is that everyone deserves food to eat and no one should be hungry,'" Guenther recounted.

Roadrunner hopes to expand volunteer opportunities in the southern part of the state this year. Among countries, the U.S. has the highest portion of its population actively volunteering, at nearly 42%, according to the nonprofit Volunteer FDIP.

The latest trade war under the Trump administration is stirring debate about whether tariffs are effective, and a South Dakota business is arguing a 1936 antitrust law should be embraced to boost the fortunes of smaller domestic companies.

The White House has said its aggressive approach with tariffs could lead to more American manufacturing and production. Still, skeptics countered it would take too long, forcing businesses and financial markets to grapple with uncertainty for now.

RF Buche runs six grocery stores in South Dakota and feels the long-standing Robinson-Patman Act is not getting enough attention. The little-used law prohibits charging lower prices when companies buy products in bulk.

"When my wholesaler's truck backs up to General Mills and Walmart backs up to General Mills and both are getting a truckload of 18-ounce Cheerios, the price is not the same," Buche pointed out.

He suggested larger retailers often get a bigger price break, while he has to charge his customers more money for the same item. During the final days of the Biden administration, the Federal Trade Commission moved to revive the law in some cases. But the FTC's ideological balance has shifted to a Republican majority, leaving questions about whether this law will sit dormant again.

Some think tanks feel the law is redundant in the current regulatory landscape and could actually harm small businesses and their customers if widely enforced. But Buche emphasized businesses like his have little advantage, noting some of his stores are situated near the poorest Native American communities in the country.

"My customers, they don't have the transportation to get to a Walmart, so why are my customers forced to pay 20% to 50% more for their groceries? It's not fair," Buche stressed.

Policy experts have said the Robinson-Patman Act became weaker around the 1970s when lobbyists convinced lawmakers it was hurting competition. But backers of reviving it consistently said there have been too many corporate mergers since then and fairer prices for smaller chains could give customers more choices.


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Tuesday is National Medal of Honor Day, celebrating the thousands of service members since 1861 who have been awarded the country's highest military honor.

Of more than 40 million Americans who have served in the armed forces, fewer than 4,000 have received the Medal of Honor. Maryland is credited with more than 60 recipients. Alumni of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis account for more than 70 medal holders.

Chris Cassidy, CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, said it is common for a recipient to receive the honor decades after their service.

"Over time, they get relooked and it's called a medal upgrade from, say, a Navy Cross to a Medal of Honor," Cassidy explained. "That happens frequently. It's not rare that you might see they're reviewing a Vietnam award and the person's still living and they get an award decades after their action happened."

In January, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act. The bill would put a national monument for Medal of Honor recipients near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Today also is set for the grand opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas.

Cassidy pointed out given limited real estate on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., it made sense for the museum to be built outside the nation's capital. He added the museum will be a place where people can hear stories of ordinary people going above and beyond.

"Our museum is going to be a repository of amazing stories," Cassidy emphasized. "Stories of courage and sacrifice of normal people, just like you and I, who did something extraordinary when the nation needed them to do it."

Among the recipients of the honor, 19 service members have received it twice and 14 of those were awarded for two separate actions. In 1917, laws were changed, ending the award of multiple Medals of Honor.


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