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July 29, 2020

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Looking for an internal medicine provider? Please call 812-885-6990 to schedule your appointment. Good Samaritan 520 S. Seventh Street | Vincennes, IN 5th Floor of Health Pavilion The Internal Medicine Resident Faculty Practice is now accepting new patients! The physician residents are now at Good Samaritan and seeing patients. SAME DAY SERVICE • Complete plastic lab on premises • Quality eyewear by Karen Memering, Optician • Professional eyecare by Dr. Steve Gregory • Most insurance plans accepted WE FILL ALL DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTIONS Complete Contact Lens Care & Service *In most cases **Some restrictions apply. Call for details. 812-254-6594 Corner of Hwy. 50 & 57, Washington, IN VALLEY OPTICAL 812-254-6594 No discussion will be held on Asian jumping worms this time, because an- other potentially invasive worm has been found in Evansville. This one can- not be confused with an earth- worm due to its flat head. The hammerhead worm is a flat- worm in the Bi- palium genus. Most flatworms are parasitic, but the ham- merhead worm is carnivorous to earthworms and slugs. The classifi- cation of these worms has them more related to tapeworms than earthworms. In addition to the flat head, the worm is light to dark brown with black striations running the length of the worm. Unlike Asian jumping worms, these worms do not seem to infest an area. They are unsettling to notice but rare- ly can be found in groups. They feed on earthworms and slugs by covering them in slime and then placing their mouth- part, midway down their body, over a section of the food, beginning digestion in the environment before consumption. They are nocturnal and found more eas- ily while moving at night. The worm probably ended up in In- diana in potting soil or nursery plants brought up from the south. Even in Mississippi, Extension suggests that only the southern portions of the state would remain warm enough throughout the year to allow for year-round surviv- al. Therefore, the worms rely on green- houses in more northern areas to over- winter. In Indiana, the first sighting of this worm was in Evansville two weeks ago. In Missouri, the first news of this worm occurred in mid-June, suggesting some form of infested plant or soil was sold in a widespread manner through- out the region this spring. Despite the initial finding in Indiana, the return to cold temperatures this winter will like- ly stop any wild geographical spread of the worm. Whether this worm is a good or bad thing in the environment is of debate. In its more native range of the far south- east, the hammerhead or land planari- an is considered more of an oddity than a nuisance. The feeding on slugs has some suggest the organism is benefi- cial, while earthworm farmers would be very likely to disagree. Since repro- duction can occur via eggs or by detach- ing the tail, complete eradication of the worm is rather difficult. Tail detachment results in growing a new head over the course of a week. If one would happen to find a ham- merhead worm or land planarian in the landscape, contact your local Purdue Extension office or the EDDMaps web- site to report the sighting. Control of the worm is not necessary, as the worm is not poisonous or parasitic and will likely be taken out by cold weather soon any- way. Reporting is encouraged mainly to track the range of the worm for science sake and prevent anyone from salting the earth to remove the worm. For more information on weird worms, apparent- ly, contact Hans at hschmitz@purdue. edu or 812-838 -1331. Thank You! I would like to thank everyone for helping me celebrate my 90th birthday and also for sending me gis and birthday cards. You made an old lady feel special. Georgia Barrett Something Newsworthy? Give us a call at 812-354-8500 or email news@pressdispatch.net A-8 Wednesday, July 29, 2020 The Press-Dispatch Social Security Matters Collecting Social Security while working By Rusty Gloor Dear Rusty: In 2019 I was out of work for an extended period. I was eligible to begin receiving retire- ment benefits (at age 63) and start- ed to do so in Au- gust. My part-time job was limited so it did not conflict with my Social Security amount, but in October through the end of 2019, I went back to my old industry at four times the pay rate. My understanding is that I will need to pay So- cial Security back about $1.40 for every benefit dollar they have paid me while I worked at the higher wage. When and how is that paid? Signed: Part- Time Again. Dear Part-Time Again: If you started your Social Secu- rity benefits in August of last year at age 63, for the remain- der of 2019 you were subject to the "first year rule," which means you had a monthly earnings limit of $1,470 after your benefit started. If you exceeded that monthly lim- it starting in October of 2019 and for the rest of the year, you won't be entitled to bene- fits for the months of October, November and December. So- cial Security will consider that an overpayment, and they will want you to repay all those benefits to them. However, if it would be to your advantage to do so, you can request that Social Security use the annu- al earnings limit for 2019, in- stead of the monthly limit. For example, if using the 2019 an- nual earnings limit ($17,640) would result in a smaller im- pact to your benefits, Social Security may accommodate your request to use the an- nual limit. Depending upon your total earnings in 2019, you may want to consider asking that the annual earn- ings limit be used, instead of the monthly limit, when deter- mining your 2019 impact for exceeding the earnings limit. Starting in 2020, you'll be subject to an annual limit of $18,240 (limit changes year- ly). If you exceed the annual limit, SS will take back ben- efits equal to $1 for every $2 you are over the limit. If you've again stopped work- ing at the high- er amount, and now only work- ing part-time and won't earn more than $18,240 for this year, you'll not be subject to the annual lim- it. But exceeding the 2019 month- ly limit last year will still affect you. You will receive a form from Social Security asking you to specify your 2019 in- come month by month for the months you were receiving benefits. Since you exceed- ed the monthly limit from October through December, they'll be asking you to re- pay all of the benefits you re- ceived for those months. They will give you the option of ei- ther repaying them in full in a lump sum, or they will re- cover what you owe by with- holding your monthly benefits until the overpayment is sat- isfied. That will mean you'll go some months without ben- efits, the number of months dependent upon your month- ly benefit amount and how much you owe them. Remem- ber, you have the option to re- quest the annual limit if it will benefit you. Though you'll lose benefits for some number of months now, when you reach your full retirement age (66 years and 4 months), they will auto- matically give you time cred- it for the number of months they withheld benefits and move your SS claim date forward. That will increase your monthly benefit amount slightly, and you'll get that slightly higher benefit for the rest of your life. One final point: In the year you reach your full retirement age, the annual earnings limit will go up by about 2.5 times and the penalty for exceed- ing it will be less ($1 for every $ 3 over the limit). And when you reach your full retirement age, the earnings limit goes away entirely. Down on the Farm By Hans Schmitz, Purdue Extension Educator Another, different kind of worm 63rd wedding anniversary Paul and Marcia (Black) Couts, of Oakland City, will be celebrating their 63rd wed- ding anniversary on July 29. They are the parents of two sons, Mike (Kerri) Couts, of Princeton, and Steve (Pam) Couts, of Oakland City, and a daughter, Barb Barr, of Henderson, Ky. The couple have seven grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and eight step-great-grandchildren. With This Ring... FSA county committee nominations deadline August 3 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) re- minds farmers and ranchers that they have until Aug. 3, 2020, to nominate el- igible candidates to serve on local FSA county committees. Agricultural pro- ducers who participate or cooperate in an FSA program, including the cur- rent Coronavirus Food Assistance Pro- gram, may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee. Individuals may nominate themselves or others as a candidate. Amy R. Barber, County Executive Di- rector for FSA in Pike County, said each year an election is held in a Local Ad- ministrative Area (L A A) where a com- mittee member's three-year term is ex- piring. For 2020, an election will be held in L A A 1, which includes Clay, Logan, and Madison. "The Aug. 3 deadline is quickly ap- proaching," said Barber. "If you know of a great candidate or want to nominate yourself to serve on your local county committee, contact your FSA office be- fore the deadline to submit the nomina- tion form. I especially encourage the nomination of beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as women and minori- ties. This is your opportunity to have a say in how federal programs are deliv- ered in your county." Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicat- ed members of the agricultural commu- nity serve on FSA county committees. The committees are made of three to 11 members and typically meet once a month. Members serve three-year terms. Producers serving on FSA coun- ty committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the agency. To be eligible to serve on an FSA coun- ty committee, a person must participate or cooperate in an agency administered program and reside in the L A A where the election is being held. A complete list of eligibility requirements, more infor- mation and nomination forms are avail- able at fsa.usda.gov/elections. To be considered, a producer must sign an FSA-669A nomination form. All nomination forms for the 2020 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA county office by Aug. 3, 2020. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters beginning Nov. 2, 2020.

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