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Construction of a government-supported broadband network in Key Peninsula has been completed ahead of schedule, according to officials.  The project has expanded Comcast’s Internet service to 600 homes and businesses in the north end of the peninsula — 70 more than planned.
Pierce County is heading the expansion of broadband infrastructure to underserved areas of the county. The program partners county funding with service providers to build infrastructure for the benefit and quality of life of residents and to enhance economic opportunities for local businesses, said County Executive Ryan Mello. 
The approximately $5 million project was funded as a public-private partnership between Comcast and Pierce County, with the county contributing $3.75 million of federal funding allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 
Similar work by Comcast and the county is planned for the county-owned Thun Field (Pierce County Airport) in South Hill near Puyallup.
Comcast will offer low-income families and individuals access to the Internet Essentials program, which has provided connectiond for more than 500,000 low-income Washingtonians, according to the company. 
“Broadband is more than just infrastructure – it’s a connection to opportunity,” said Mello. Access to the Internet is necessary for residents to live, learn, and work across Pierce County.” 
More information is available at PierceCountyWa.gov/BoostingBroadband.
The Senior Scene by — July 1, 2025 in News

Operators of food banks in King and Pierce counties are protesting federal cuts of funding for programs that help put meals on the tables of people struggling to get enough food, including seniors.

As of May 15, U.S. House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee was considering a new round of changes to the SNAP (food stamps) program that would reduce federal funding to administer the program, and also cut actual food benefits. States would be called on to make up for the federal reductions. 

In Seattle, elderly adults, families with children, and disabled persons “trying to make ends meet will bear the impact of these proposed changes,” said Otis Pimpleton, interim director of Rainier Valley Food Bank. He said food banks and other organizations “will need to step in to support our neighbors feeling the brunt of cuts. But these organizations are also feeling economic pressures.”

Nourish Pierce County, a network of food banks that serves 67 percent of food-insecure people in the county, has said in earlier statements that cuts in government funding would have “devastating consequences” for its clients.

“The people we serve—working families, college students, military members, and seniors on fixed incomes—are already making tough sacrifices. Federal food assistance exists to ensure that no one goes hungry,” and cuts in the funding “will leave our most vulnerable neighbors with fewer options,” said Sue Potter, chief executive officer of Nourish Pierce County. 

Half of all Nourish Pierce County clients are children or seniors. In 2024, the agency’s 21 food bank sites and mobile services helped 66,807 people who visited an average of six times.

The Senior Scene by — July 1, 2025 in News
‘It can’t be taken lightly’

(Pictured: Radio and TV personality Danny Bonaduce needed brain surgery to cope with an often wrongly diagnosed brain disorder.)

Danny Bonaduce is known for being a cut-up on television and radio. He has something way more serious on his mind these days.

Bonaduce, whose most recent entertainment gig was as a radio personality in Seattle and still with a fan-following from his days as a child actor in the 1970s TV sitcom “The Partridge Family,” has become a poster child for efforts to understand and treat hydrocephalus.

The chronic brain disorder is caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid. The incurable condition can affect anyone at any age, and the only treatment available is brain surgery. 

More than 1 million Americans are living with hydrocephalus. Bonaduce, 65, is one of them.

In 2023, Bonaduce was hosting a morning show on KZOK-FM, as he had been since 2011, when he started noticing that his memory was failing. He thought he had suffered a stroke. Doctors told him he hadn’t. “But they didn’t necessarily get it right,” he said.

After specialists eventually diagnosed his case of hydrocephalus, surgeons placed a shunt in his head. The result: “I feel in better shape now than in the past 10 years. My memory is back. I did have to retire. I don’t memorize as much as when I was doing a radio show. But everything seems to be back to normal,” Bonaduce said in an interview with the Hydrocephalus Association.

Dana Gray, the association’s president, noted shunts are the standard treatment. “They save lives,” she said, adding there are other treatments, including shots. The shunts have one of the highest failure rates of any medical device, however, often requiring multiple brain surgeries throughout a patient’s life. Many patients undergo dozens or even more than a hundred surgeries in their lifetime, underscoring the urgent need for better treatment options.

Often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, hydrocephalus can be successfully managed with proper diagnosis, helping patients regain a higher quality of life. Gray said Bonaduce “brings a much-needed personal and public face to this under-recognized condition, with a message that calls for greater awareness and research.”

Bonaduce, now living in California, said his advice to anyone experiencing potential symptoms of the condition is “to find the right doctor—an expert on what is happening to you. Find out through the process of elimination what it can be. It can’t be taken lightly.”

World Hydrocephalus Day, which is observed in September by the Bethesda, Md.-based Hydrocephalus Association (HA) to create global focus the need for increased awareness, research, and support for people living with the condition. The goal is to “make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by hydrocephalus,” Gray said. 

Since 2009, HA has invested over $15 million in research, making it the largest non-profit and non-government funder of hydrocephalus research in the United States.

The association was founded in 1983 by parents of children with hydrocephalus.

The Senior Scene by — June 18, 2025 in Food, People
Crack the QR code scams before they crack you

(Pictured: Phony QR codes are one way scammers try to trick you on various devices.)

TECHNOLOGY

Ancient civilizations had hieroglyphics. We have QR codes: The patterned graphic boxes prompting you to access restaurant menus, pay for parking, find out information about a package, and so on.

Generally, quick response (QR) codes are safe, but they can be used to redirect you to malicious websites, so caution is important. Here’s how scammers want it to work:

• You get prompted to use your device’s camera.

• You scan the code and a link pops up.

• You click the link, exposing you to threat actors.

• You’re directed to apps, websites, locations using your maps and much more.

Bad actors understand people are in a rush, so this is an appealing form of attack. It’s a cost-efficient scam because the QR codes are easy to generate and distribute. And the fraudsters are creative in finding new ways to make them appear legitimate. In public places, criminals can cover an official code with a sticker or printout showing a fraudulent code. Some of the more prevalent and convincing scams include:

Parking ticket scams.

Criminals place fake parking tickets with QR codes on windshields, causing unsuspecting victims to scan the code and click the link to learn of their offense and digitally pay the alleged fine.

Brushing scams.

A criminal will ship goods you never ordered, then require you to scan the QR code and click the link to see who sent you the gift.

Payment scams.

Criminals cover a legitimate QR code with a sticker that has a fraudulent code that directs to a malicious site. This can happen at gas pumps, bank windows, parking lots, etc.

• Crypto scams.

Crypto transactions are often made through QR codes associated with crypto accounts, making this an appealing target for fraudsters–specially since once crypto payments are made, it’s unlikely those funds will be recovered.

To stay safe when using QR codes:

• Check the URL. Once you scan and the link pops up, stop! Examine it for unusual domain names or shortened URLs before clicking.

• Verify the source. Only scan QR codes from trusted sources, like official websites or apps. Codes from unfamiliar sources are more likely to be malicious.

• Check for tampering. Look for signs such as altered graphics, design flaws, or stickers placed atop original codes.

• Be suspicious. Treat sites asking for a password or login information as a red flag.

• Beware “promotions.” Be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.

• Use a secure connection. Look for a HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) at the start of a web address, which protects passwords, credit card details, and other personal data from being intercepted; or a padlock.

• Confirm validity of a request. Before taking action, like making a payment or entering personal information, confirm a request to scan with the company. If you receive a QR code from someone you know, reach out to them through a known number or e-mail to verify they sent it.

• Protect your device. Use antivirus and anti-malware software.

• Report. If you identify a suspicious QR code or fall victim to a QR code scam, notify your bank and report it to law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission.

If you scan a fake QR code, your bank account, e-mail and identity could all be at risk.

Cyber criminals are always finding new ways to defraud their victims, and QR codes are no exception. With a little caution however, you can better protect yourself.

Source: StatePoint Media

The Senior Scene by — June 18, 2025 in Personal Finance/Consumers