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Spring ahead this Sunday

Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. on March 12. You know the drill: Set clocks ahead one hour when going to bed the night before (unless you’re a night owl and will be up when the change comes).

DST will be in effect officially until Nov. 5, when we switch back to Standard Time effective 2 a.m.

As has often been the case in recent years, there is debate again about whether to continue with the twice-yearly switches between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. In the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, legislation was introduced again March 2 by Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Vern Buchanan, both of Florida, that would make DST permanent year-round. No more “fall back” or “spring ahead.”

The legislation also was before Congress in 2022 and was passed by the Senate. It didn’t reach a vote in the House, however, expiring there.

Proponents of DST-only say the longer daylight promotes safety and active lifestyles. Opponents of it claim there are financial costs and less productivity.

Currently, Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that don’t utilize DST. They go with Standard Time, as do more than half of the countries worldwide.

srmedia by — March 8, 2023 in Everything Else

King County is asking voters to allow it to collect $1.2 billion from property taxes to pay for behavioral health services.

The County Council authorized a levy for that amount to be put on the April 25 special-election ballot.

The proposal, which would raise the funds through a levy spread over nine years, would fund creation of five regional crisis care centers, residential treatment beds, growth of the behavioral health workforce pipeline, and immediate services while centers are being built. The cost for the owner of a median-valued home would be about $121 in 2024, the first year of the levy, officials said.

The initial proposal of the levy came from County Executive Dow Constantine and a regional coalition of government leaders.

srmedia by — March 1, 2023 in News

AARP Washington is inviting local organizations and governments to apply for a 2023 AARP Community Challenge by the application deadline of March 15. 

The grant program provides funds for quick-action projects that help communities improve public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Now in its seventh year, the program supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become more livable, especially for people 50 and older.

Grant applications and information are available at www.AARP.org/CommunityChallenge.

Since 2017, more than $12 million has been awarded for 1,060 projects to non-profit organizations and government entities nationwide, AARP officials said. Nineteen of the projects were in Washington, one of them being an elder-focused business program in Puyallup.

This year, applicants must have projects that can be completed by Nov. 30.

srmedia by — March 1, 2023 in News
Cookbook takes healthy hearts to heart

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, affecting an estimated one in four adults. But the good news is that lifestyle changes can lower the risk.

Enter the new, fourth edition of “Cooking a la Heart” (The Experiment Publishing and Hachette Book Group). Authors Linda Harchfield and Amy Myrdal Miller share 500 recipes, as well as tips from medical doctors to promote cardiovascular wellness.

The Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets are explored as ways to help ward off heart disease, stroke, and diabetes through food. Emphasis is on plant-based ingredients, healthy fats, and thoughtful use of dairy, poultry, and lean red meat. The cookbook also includes nutrition facts for calories, protein, total carbs, dietary fiber, added sugars, total fat, saturated fat, omega-3s, sodium, and potassium.

“Cooking With a Heart” has 500 recipes to go along with advice from doctors, all on eating in a way that helps ward off heart disease.
srmedia by — March 1, 2023 in Food, People