The Press-Dispatch
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Sweet's Column By Barb Sweet REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS Jacob Hibbs AK A Jason Hibbs quitclaims to Melvin Ta- pley, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Eva Daugherty Everett and John Daugherty, deceased, convey to Kenneth Mann and Daniel Mann, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Marvin L. Goodrid conveys to REF Investment Trust, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Gunner Wellman conveys to Justin Anthony Davis and Joseph Mark Davis, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Robert L. McDonald conveys to Norman Sweet and Bar- bara Sweet, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Myron Blake Myers and Leann M. Myers convey to Fred D. Cook and Sandrea K. Cook, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Kameron T. Birkle and Miranda G. Birkle convey to Na- than W. Gabhart and Elizabeth A. Gabhart, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Brian L. Beane conveys to Thomas J. Dooley and Nyla G. Dooley, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Susan Sullivan PR, Chella Stenftenagle PR and Estate of Roger Willis convey to Mary Willis, real estate as re- corded in Pike County. Kristopher J. Kuebler and Kelsey Michelle Kuebler con- vey to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Seth K. Hadley and Jessica Anne Hadley convey to Al- exander J. Evans, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Aaron Kent Hyneman and Deborah A. Hyneman con- vey to James M. Sallee, Jr. and Angie Sallee, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Janet M. Gray conveys to Brandon L. Huckelby, real es- tate as recorded in Pike County. Sabrina Marie Dotterweich FK A Sabrina Marie Jones conveys to Charles Hyatt, Jr., real estate as recorded in Pike County. Hi stars and welcome to the big stage all lit up color- ful bright lights and decorated to help celebrate with all our stars who will have a birthday or anniversary in the week of February 25 -March 3. Come up onto this stage and take a bow. February 25 -Keshia Wilson Gerber turns 30 ; Les Nixon turns 64; Claira Jayne Dunn; Mike and Lena Truelove cele- brate 11 years; Les and Julie Nixon celebrate 44 years. February 26 -Melissa Mey- er turns 39; Gordon Hadlock turns 95; Eric Hill turns 48; Aurora Grace Rowe turns 7. February 28 -Charity Sul- livan turns 47; David Key turns 64; Noah James Hamil- ton turns 2. March 1-Madison Warner turns 19; Sienna Kay Nowark turns 16. March 2-Emily Carrico turns 22; Lane Michael Cum- mins turns 14; Wrex Eversoll turns 69; Bradley Robert Se- gert turns 33; Nevaeh Mc- Gee turns 11; Della Darrin- ger turns 84. March 3-Rachelle Childree turns 31; Bill and Caroline Perry celebrate 20 years. May all our stars have a re- ally great day and may all your wishes come true. Keep in your heart and in your prayers all our stars who have COVID-19 or are recov- ering, those undergoing sur- geries and therapy after- wards, and those with a cold, flu, allergies or the aches and pains of everyday life. EVENTS March 4-Winslow Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. with the monthly meal at the Gam- bles' house. March 8 -Winslow Town Hall at 6 p.m. March 9 -Winslow Beau- tification at 6:30 p.m. and Winslow Economic at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Cen- ter. March 11-Petersburg Li- ons meet at 6 p.m. at the Vil- lage Inn. March 14-Daylight Saving Time begins. Set your clock ahead one hour. Winslow and Petersburg se- niors will not meet again un- til Governor Holcomb gives the okay. Sweets Column, Winslow, IN 47598 received no post- cards or notes of interest this week. The Winslow Patoka Riv- er, I believe, is still the same as last week until the melt- ing of the 5 -8 inches of snow begins, which won't be un- til warmer temps. Since we talked last week, Winslow has had temps starting in the middle 20s, then dropped into the lower teens; however, the wind chill, especially several mornings, was into the single digits to below zero. The snow lasted for two days on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 15 and 16, and brought with it winds of 10 -25 mph from the north. That made some of the snow- fall leave drifts. Our Winslow town workers spent one day working to scrape the streets and lay down sand all over town for 16 hours. Then anoth- er night, it was after midnight before they got to go home. So, Winslow side streets have been cleared as much as pos- sible for our neighbors to get to where they need to go. With this last heaviest snow, even the town truck had a time as they tried to turn around on one of our corners. We were not the only town, but the whole tri-state, and the coun- ty and state trucks have been out to clear the streets and to rescue those who got stuck. Princeton area got 7 inches of snow. Laura got to her work and she didn't know how long she would have to stay there, but I'm glad she is safe and not on the streets. Where she is, the streets have snow on them, not even one scrape to help the ambulances come in or leave. Also, I heard that on Monday morning, Hwy 57 was impassible and many side roads were the same way. The snow looks really beau- tiful when the sun is shining bright and you can see ev- erywhere on the snow, di- amond-like crystals. With the drifts, I tried to keep the snow away from the doorway on the porch and let the dog and cat out so they could do their jobs then back inside. The water has been checked throughout the day and night, and the doors to the sinks have been open and may not be closed until the middle of spring. I saw some tracks in the snow that ended at a tree and the only animal to do that is a squirrel. Then when he or she came down the tree, the same tracks were used. I heard that Winslow had a Channel 14 news crew film Oak St., by Oak Hill Ceme- tery, which is also called San- dy Hill Road. They were film- ing the sledders, who had some fun on the first inch of snow. That was the only road that the town workers didn't plow off. Sunday was Valentine's Day. Norm fixed breakfast, then Kyana and Laura came over Saturday and Sunday. We had a great time playing games of Yahtzee, Backgammon, Checkers and 500 Rummy. We ate pizza and watched the race until the rain delay. The Daytona race did continue af- ter 10 p.m. and the winner was Michael McDowell. Anyway, Norm got me a big heart box of choco- lates. We got Laura and Kyana a go cup with an initial of K and S, and a small heart box of chocolates. Kyana will soon get her driver's permit, so she can get behind the wheel and in no time after that, she will be driving her own car. Girl Scout cookies are in and I have mine, from Brier, but hope not to eat them all up so I can have some to eat in the springtime. Kyana and Laura also got a box of cookies as an- other Valentine's Day gift. Oh, I almost forgot, Kyana got her hair cut just below the ear and her hair is now black with a red stripe by the part on the side. It does look really nice. I have been staying home and that is okay because all the beauty I see when it snows is still amazing to see. The small flakes turn into large ones, and I see the wind blow the windchimes, and see or hear our neighbors try to get out of their driveway and spin their tires. They do succeed and go on their way. As the lights begin to dim for this week, keep an eye on family and friends to be sure they are keeping warm on those freezing days and nights. Slow down and see all the wonders in your area. Leave early, then you don't have to be in such a hurry. Wear your mask for others' safety and keep your distance. As always, smile, wave and say "hi" to everyone you see this week. SATURDAY, FEB. 27 • 10 EST at the Auction Barn – 2667 E. CR 400 S., Winslow Auction pick-up available! KALEB CLARIDGE AU11700062 Follow on Auctionzip.com • ID# 46613 • AUCTION This estate is very clean and in good condition. Vehicles, golf cart, tools, furniture, pocket knife collection Call Today to schedule your auction! No Buyer's Premium. SHOULTZ ESTATE (125+ Case and others), reloading equipment, taxidermist mounts, Star Wars items, jewelry, comic books, antiques, collectibles, outdoor items, glassware, Precious Moments and much more! Don't miss it! A ruckus occurred last year regarding Burger King and lemongrass. The claim by Burger King was that beef animals they source would be fed with lemongrass, which reduces the carbon foot- print of the cattle by altering the amount of methane each steer emits. Burger King re- leased their commercial with this claim to immediate nega- tive feedback. The article they referenced had not yet been peer reviewed. Many other re- searchers have looked at feed supplements with different results. The cattle were on- ly fed lemongrass additives during the last three months of their lives, so life cycle anal- ysis fans correctly stated that three months at 33 percent emissions decrease totals out to around 3 per cent over the lifespan of a steer. The dis- cussion around cattle and car- bon emissions is complex, but some basic facts do exist from which to form a foundation for discussion on the issue. Ruminants have four stom- achs: the rumen, the retic- ulum, the omasum, and the abomasum. Ruminants in- clude cattle, goats, and sheep. The first stomach, the rumen, serves to ferment the feed for easier digestion later. The fer- mentation process occurs in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Those bacteria re- lease methane. The meth- ane is then emitted from the mouth while the rumi- nant chews its cud. Of meth- ane emissions in ruminants, 95 per cent are emitted from the mouth. Although cows fart, the idea that this is the source of methane for worry is false. According to the Unit- ed Nations Food and Agricul- ture Organization, ruminant emissions in this way account for 39 per cent of total agricul- tural emissions. Agricultural emissions are 14.5 per cent of total global emissions. A lit- tle simple math later, enteric fermentation (ruminant emis- sions from the mouth) account for 5.6 per cent of total global carbon emissions. Five per cent is not zero, but certainly not the main con- tributor to increases in green- house gas concentrations. To reduce the emissions, from cattle mouths, feed addi- tives have to decrease the methane out- put of the mi- crobes in the rumen with- out completely killing the mi- crobes. The pH of the rumen is also critical to be held in the near neutral to slightly acid range. Previous studies have used a range of items, but the most promising appear to be lemongrass, pep- permint, garlic, and seaweed. Of the four, seaweed seems to have the best results, particu- larly based on a paper entitled "Inclusion of Asparagopsis ar- mata in lactating dairy cows' diet reduces enteric methane emission by over 50 percent" in the Journal of Cleaner Pro - duction. Seaweed would also be rather hard to find in south- western Indiana. The consumer would love to have inexpensive meat op- tions that also have less of a carbon footprint. If scientif- ic breakthroughs in feed ad- ditives can give farmers op- tions to do so, they would adopt those practices. Until the atmospheric car- bon profile is more balanced, livestock will feel the effects of climate change as well. According to the Indiana Cli- mate Change Im- pacts Assessment, heat stress and changes in growing sea- son are the two biggest chang- es for southern Indiana. Heat stress duration measured in number of consecutive days about 86 degrees is increas- ing from five to between eight and nine days by mid-century. A lengthening growing sea- son will provide more time to graze for pasture-based sys- tems, but perennial forage species may need to change as traditional grasses and le- gumes become less hardy. For more information on climate and/or cattle, contact Hans at hschmitz@purdue.edu or 812- 838 -1331. Dear Rusty: I am a retired Texas teacher receiving my State pension. I retired in February 2009, before the end of a "loophole" which af- fected my future Social Se- curity. I had earned enough credits to receive Social Se- curity benefits in addition to my Teachers Retirement Sys- tem (TRS) pension. At 62 I began getting my SS bene- fit (reduced by my TRS pen- sion). My husband didn't start his SS until last year, at which time I contacted Social Se- curity so my benefits would "no longer be reduced" as per the TRS loophole. I have spo- ken with the local SS office three times and sent them the documents requested, but my SS payment remains the same. How do I bypass the local office to get my ben- efit increased to the amount I was told when I retired under this Texas loophole? Signed: Wanting My Increase. Dear Wanting: Your ques- tion requires some explana- tion of two SS rules known as the Windfall Elimination Provision ( WEP) and the Government Pension Off- set (GPO). These rules af- fect anyone, like you, with a pension from an employer which did not participate in Social Security, and who is al- so eligible for Social Security benefits. WEP applies to your personal SS retirement bene- fit; GPO applies to any spou- sal (or survivor) benefit you might become entitled to. There are 27 States (in- cluding Texas) which, to varying degrees, have ex- empted some State employ- ees from paying into Social Security. But for employees who, nevertheless, also be- come entitled to SS benefits, either from other SS -covered employment or a spouse, WEP and GPO will affect their SS benefits. Both rules apply to you because you did not contribute to Social Secu- rity while you earned most of your TRS pension. Your SS retirement benefit was reduced by WEP and, since your husband is now collect- ing SS, you might be enti- tled to an additional amount as his spouse, depending on whether the GPO will ap- ply. The GPO did originally contain a "loophole," but the loophole didn't work as you think it did. When the GPO was first enacted in 1977, it included a rule known as the "last day exemption." That rule stipu- lated that if, on your last day of employment prior to re- tirement, you contributed to both your non-covered pen- sion and to Social Security under the same plan the GPO would not ap- ply. State retir- ees in many of the 27 affected States took ad- vantage of that loophole. That is, until Con- gress changed the GPO rule to eliminate the loophole. A change in 2004 elimi- nated the "last day exemp- tion" and replaced it with a rule saying that a GPO ex- emption would occur only if the employee contributed to both the non-covered pension and Social Security under the same plan every day for the last five years prior to re- tirement. A "transition" rule sometimes applied which al- lowed less than five years of contributions to both pro- grams immediately prior to retirement. Each State decid- ed if they would permit em- ployees to take advantage of this option, which Texas did until just after you retired in 2009. Your own WEP-reduced SS retirement benefit is not af- fected by, nor will it change because of any "loophole." Based upon the dates you shared, the "last day exemp- tion" for GPO doesn't apply to you, but the changed rule may. The current rule permits a GPO exemption if you al- so contributed to Social Security un- der your TRS pen- sion plan every day during the last five years of your TRS employment, or if the special "transi- tion rule" applies to you. If that is the case, then you are, indeed, eligible for an exemption from the Gov- ernment Pension Offset and your SS benefit will increase. But if not, the normal GPO spouse benefit reduction of 2/3rds of your TRS pension will be prorated and based only on the months you didn't pay into Social Security. Since you've already con- tacted Social Security sev- eral times and sent them the requested documentation, I know of no way to "bypass" your local SS office. But it might help to ask your Con- gressional Representative to intervene by contacting the SSA and request that your case be expedited. To submit a question, vis- it (amacfoundation.org/pro- grams/social-security-advi- sory) or email ssadvisor@ amacfoundation.org. Dr. Kurucz joining Memorial Surgical associates Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center an- nounce the addition of Gen- eral Surgeon Marcus Ku- rucz, M.D. to the staff of Me- morial Surgical Associates beginning April 1. He will join Dr. Megan Stevenson and Dr. Charles Tollett, Jr. at the clinic located at 1025 1st. Avenue, Suite B, in Jas- per. Dr. Kurucz has been part of Jasper Surgical Associates for the past 15 years. Dr. Kurucz graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a bachelor's de- gree in chemistry and biolo- gy, and received his medical degree at American Univer- sity of the Caribbean in Coral Gables, Florida and St. Maar- tan. His residency in gener- al surgery included train- ing at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine in Roch- ester, Minnesota; West Vir- ginia University in Morgan- town; University of Connecti- cut in Hartford; and Car- raway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Al- abama, where he served as Chief Surgery Resident. Dr. Kurucz is certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Marcus Kurucz B-2 Wednesday, Feburar y 24, 2021 The Press-Dispatch To enter the Birthday Club, email your name, ad- dress, phone number and birthdate to birthdayclub@ pressdispatch.net. Only the person's name, town and birth- day will appear in the paper. As an added bonus, one lucky person each month will re- ceive a free three month Press-Dispatch subscription. This month's birthdays have a chance to win a $25 gift certifi- cate from Silk Designs, in Petersburg. THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS Lilly Onyett ............................... Petersburg ...........2/24 Betty June Swain ....................... Petersburg ...........2/25 Beverly Alexander ....................... Winslow ............2/25 Chloe Blades ............................. Petersburg ...........2/26 Robert Farmer ........................... Petersburg ...........2/26 Ishmael Whitney .......................Mooresville ..........2/27 Matt Robinette .......................... Petersburg ..........2/27 Chloe Willis............................... Petersburg ...........2/27 Rhonda Robinette ......................... Otwell ................3/2 Bradley R.Segert ....................... Petersburg .............3/2 THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR 816 E. Main St., Petersburg 812-789-3046 Down on the Farm By Hans Schmitz, Purdue Extension Educator Animal farms and climate Social Security Matters By Rusty Gloor Avoiding WEP and GPO reductions