News

AMAC Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor Association of Mature American Citizens MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH; WHEN SHOULD I CLAIM SOCIAL SECURITY? I will be 62 on November first and I have chosen to take my benefi ts early. I know that my benefit will be less than it would be if I waited and that does not concern me, but I don’t want to be without income for a long period of time.

by Sara Bauder, Agronomy Field Specialist, sara.bauder@sdstate.edu, 605-995-7378 South Dakota State University of Brookings Mitchell Regional Center Extension Events and Updates As harvest begins to wind down, the South Dakota State University of Brookings Extension agronomy team will be kicking off programming across the state. Winter is a great time for us to keep in touch with you and discuss topics of interest as we plan for the coming spring.

The top two primary election initiative recently passed the halfway point in signature gathering. The non-partisan South Dakota open primaries ballot committee has collected 25,797 signatures to put their initiative on the 2024 ballot.

Given this season of recordbreaking travel, AAA is reminding anyone making plans to get away to take every precaution against identity theft, including the protection of personal documents and credit cards that are at increased risk of being lost or stolen.

The 2023 South Dakota State Fair generated $222,108.58 in tax collections. During this year’s State Fair, we saw a big jump in vendors with 607 booths rented to 322 different vendors.

Severe storms have impacted South Dakota several times. From ooding to tornadoes to derechos, impacts and aftermath of these events can be stressful.

Registration is now open for the 2023 Purposeful Retirement Online Book Club, hosted by South Dakota State University Extension and North Dakota State University Extension. Leacey Brown, SDSU Extension Gerontology Field Specialist, and Jane Strommen, NDSU Extension Gerontology Specialist, will host the online book club.

Prepare a Winter Storm Plan • Have extra blankets on hand. • Ensure that each member of your household has a warm coat, gloves or mittens, hat, and water-resistant boots.

Sarah Sperl smoked for 20 years before she quit. “I started at 15, and all my friends did it,” Sperl said.

Back by popular demand. Join the Bassett Arts Council in celebrating the area’s greatest artists at the Jane Keller Memorial Art Show. Enjoy the beauty of local talent or let us admire your hard work. There will be three age groupings available to enter: youth, adult, and professional. Of the seven total categories in which to enter original works, six of them will be judged. Prizes will be given to the top three creations in each category per age group, as well as a Best of Show award, and two Judges Choice awards. There will also be a People’s Choice award. The public will be invited to vote for their favorite piece. The winning artist will receive the money collected from the voting. That’s a total of 22 prizes to be given away. Encourage your kids to come and enter. If there are no entries in a category, then no one wins that prize money. Take a chance, because all Sandhills artists are welcome to participate in the Jane Keller Memorial Art Show. Do you get a lot of compliments on your works as an adult artist? Consider entering as a professional, as this is not the time to be modest.