« AREA September 2020 FYI

Welcome to AREA -

Androscoggin Retired Educators Association - Many thanks to Crystal Ward, Mona Ervin and Gina Fuller for the contributions this month. 

Newsletter Notes!

Please feel free to contribute to your newsletter.  You can send contributions to me by emailing them to - area@mainenet.org  or  rfuller@mainenet.org

It's great to hear from our membership!! 

Please note - MEA Retired now has a Facebook page - You can follow us there. 

MEA Retired - Facebook

BOOK CLUB ANYONE?

As we power past the pandemic, and everything else, and there sure is a lot of "else," is anyone interested in forming an AREA Book Club?  Mona Ervin suggested this might be a good way to stay in touch, stay informed, and stay up-to-date.  If interested, drop me a line at rfuller@mainenet.org.

From the President -Jo Dupal

Happy Fall to all of the AREA members. I hope all of you are doing well.

REMEMBER to get your flu shots as soon as possible.

Thank you for paying your dues.

As we have no auction this year our treasury will need your donations so we can give a scholarship to a deserving student. As there was no convention this year I was told that Barbara Jabut got a certificate for increasing her physical activity and Jackie Strong got one for her volunteer hours. I will get those to them as soon as I can.

Remember to keep track as they will be asking for those items in March of 2021. With the pandemic these things will be difficult this year but keep up the good work.

Wear your maskand practice social distancing and STAY HEALTHY!

If you want up-to-date information on the pandemic and its impact, consult this link -

Washington Post Update

or directly at -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-death s/?itid=h p_hp-top-table-main_web-gfx-death-tracker%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

This is the best resource for daily updates on both the national and international situation. If you follow the links, you can even get a state by state analysis.

Stay isolated to stay well.  This is a tough and tedious assignment - we can do it!

AND REMEMBER - THE ENHANCED FLU VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE.  GET VACCINATED EARLY!!

from Mona Ervin

We have been keeping you aware of the many scams that are out there. This month we are alerting you to some of the recent product recalls issued by the Food and Drug Administration. One of the items that we all use in abundance is hand sanitizer, yet all hand sanitizers are not created safely or actually sanitize.

Here is a partial list of the brands that have been recalled; for the complete list please go to https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawls-safety-alerts.

Brand names for recalled hand sanitizers – M, bio aaa, Leafree, Always Be Clean, Harmonic Nature, Zanilast+ and V-Klean Medical Minded Sanitizer.

Some of these names may not sound familiar but if you purchased on-line when the local stores had limited amounts of sanitizers or if you ordered on line to avoid going out, you may have purchased one of these products. They contain drugs that they should not.

Here are some food recalls –

Hostess Raspberry Zingers – potential to contain mold
Back to Nature Organic Rosemary & Olive Oil Stoneground Wheat Crackers -undeclared milk
Signature Select Chewy Granola Bars, Chocolate Chip -undeclared peanuts
Ronzoni Smart Taste Extra Wide Noodle – undeclared egg

For your pets – Family Pet, Heartland Farms, Paws Happy Life dog food contains elevated levels of aflatoxin.

POLITICAL UPDATE

from

Crystal Ward

AREA VOTING Information 2020

Voting is one of the fundamental rights we have as citizens of this state and country. Everyone should do everything possible to cast a ballot at each election. By voting, you are keeping our democracy strong and continuing a long history of citizen participation in the governing of our state and nation.

Election Day is Tuesday November 3, 2020, but because of the pandemic, voting by absentee ballot is the best way to keep you and your family safe. Voting by absentee is very simple, just follow the directions carefully.

• Get your ballot
• Any registered voter may cast an absentee ballot instead of voting in person at a voting/polling place on Election Day. If you or someone you know isn’t registered to vote, they must do that first by contacting their local clerk or go to the Secretary of State voter registration link.
• Link: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html
• Voting by absentee ballot is safe, easy, and has been done reliably in Maine for many years. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap predicts that as many of 80% of Maine voters will vote by absentee ballot in this election. You don't need to have a specific reason or be unable to vote at the voting place on Election Day to receive an absentee ballot.
• You can also contact your city/town elections clerk. In October you can go to your city/town building and vote in person. Call ahead for dates and times.

You can go to the polls on November 3 , All CDC safety guideline are to be followed.

Volunteer ---All candidates can use help at this time .You can find information on the internet.

Health

Remember to get your high dose Flu shot .This is even more important this year because of both the Flu and Covid 19 happening at the same time.

New Hearing Aid law is now in effect!!! Coverage is $3,000 per hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every 36 months.

From MePers----- Does the Market Volatility Change My Retirement Check?

Your monthly retirement payment does not change with market volatility. Your benefit is fixed when you retire, and is increased after that by cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). The way your COLA works depends on which MainePERS defined benefit retirement plan you are in. Your COLA is 0.6% starting in Sept.2020.

MainePERS defined benefit plans are pre-funded. That is, money is set aside in a trust fund today to pay your benefit in the future. Currently, all of the pension plans MainePERS administers are pre-funded at 82% or higher, which place our plans as some of best funded public plans in the country. While we are always working toward having our plans 100% funded, market ups and downs do change the pre-funding level of the plans. Market downturns such as the one we are currently experiencing do not change our ability to pay your retirement benefits. Your benefits will continue to be paid.

BEWARE-- there is an increase in telephone calls saying they are from Social Security -- Apple –Microsoft--Credit cards DO NOT ANSWER! THESE ARE SCAMS!

Treasurer's Report

Gina Fuller sends along the Treasurer's Report as a downloadable PDF.  Remember that you can send your dues for this year by sending a check to -

Gina Fuller

36 Elliott Ave.

Lewiston, ME  04240

Please note - On June 1. 2020 we had 119 active members. This takes into consideration the death of several members and the addition of new members.

Treasurer's Report

We invite you to follow us on Facebook:
MEA Retired - Facebook

Be well. Stay well.