Endicott College, in Beverly, Massachusetts, has announced its Spring 2022 dean’s list students. Hunter Scholz, of Augusta, a history major, is the son of Kimberly Scholz and Stephen Scholz
Hailey Hobart, of China Village, studies/education major, is the daughter of Deborah Hobart and Daniel Hobart.
Alana York, of Palermo, a business management major, is the daughter of Cheryl York and Andrew York.
Named to the dean’s list at Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester, Vermont, for the Spring 2022 semester was Cambelle Nutting, a junior business administration / gender studies major, from Vassalboro, and a graduate of Maranacook Community School.
Jack Sylvester
Jack Sylvester, 83, was loved by many and affectionately known as “the Mayor of China.” Every person he met was a friend to be made. He passed away Saturday, July 30, at his China Village home, surrounded by family and certain as ever in his annual conviction that “the Red Sox won’t amount to anything this year.”
John “Jack” Adelbert Sylvester was born on October 13, 1938, in Farmington, Maine, to Hugh Shorey Sylvester and Louise Stratton Sylvester, of Eustis. In 1944, the family moved from Eustis to Albion, where Jack graduated from Besse High School in 1957.
Jack and his wife, Ann, owned and operated China General Store, in China Village, for many years. The store, best known simply as Jack’s, was a gathering place and fixture of the community. Jack loved his career and had countless happy memories of his neighbors stopping by the store for a cup of coffee or a game of cribbage. One of his favorite days of the year was Halloween, when Jack would dress up and hand out chocolate milk and potato chips to all the kids who came to the store.
Jack served his community as a longtime volunteer firefighter, including as chief of the China Village Volunteer Fire Department. He was a longtime member and past master of Central Lodge #45 in China.
Jack made those around him feel like family. He was also a devoted family man. He loved his wife, children and grandchildren beyond measure and never missed a chance to spend time together. He taught them how to hunt, fish, garden, golf, work hard, have fun, be silly, treat everyone with respect, yodel and, most of all, to love and care for each other. He was looking forward to becoming a “wicked great-grandfather” this fall.
Jack is predeceased by his parents. He leaves behind his beloved wife of over 57 years, Ann; son, Christopher, and his wife, Jody; daughter, Lori, and her husband, Bob; granddaughter, Amy, and her husband, Alexander; grandson, Nathan, and his wife, Madelyn; and loyal guard dog, Roscoe. He is also survived by his three siblings, Alene Smiley, Betty Shuckrow and Robert Sylvester, as well as many other loved ones and, of course, too many friends to count.
The family so grateful for all the kind words, visits, notes and reminiscences the community has shared with Jack over the past several years. In 2020, after a stint in rehabilitation without visitors due to the pandemic, he was welcomed home with a parade down Main Street, in China Village. He was so touched, and we will never forget that.
All are welcome to join the family for a graveside service to be held Monday, August 15, at 10 a.m., at the China Village Cemetery Extension on the Neck Road. Please come as you are.
In memory of Jack, be kind to each other, sing a song, tell a joke, share a laugh and a hug. His favorite thing was to see others smiling.
In lieu of flowers, please let the family know your favorite memory of Jack or send them a funny joke, maybe one that Jack told you. Please email reminiscences to remembering.jack.sylvester@gmail.com.
For anyone who would like to make a donation in Jack’s memory, please consider donating to China Village Volunteer Fire Department, China Baptist Church or Northern Light Home Care & Hospice.
All are welcome to join the family for a graveside service to be held Monday, August 15, at 10 a.m., at the China Village Cemetery Extension, on the Neck Road. Additional parking will be available at the China Conference Center ballfield. That evening, a gathering will take place at the old store on Main St., in China, from 5 – 7 p.m., with a video presentation. More information is available on the Friends of China Facebook page.
See also: Jack’s: Where everybody knows your name
David M. Carew, author of the new murder mystery/love story Lucy’s in the Neighborhood — set in contemporary Waterville — has launched the “Read a Story, Feed a Child” effort to benefit Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry.
Dave Carew
“For every copy of Lucy’s in the Neighborhood purchased online throughout August, I will make a donation to Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry,” said Carew. “And for every order specifically placed from Monday, August 22, through Wednesday, August 24, I will donate 100 percent of my author royalties to the food pantry.” He noted that the food pantry now serves more than 200 families from Winslow, Waterville (30 percent of clientele), Clinton, and Benton.
Hailed as “a stellar story … engaging, entertaining, and intelligent”, by Roy E. Perry, Book Reviewer (retired) for The Tennessean, Lucy’s in the Neighborhood, set in Waterville, is available online from Maine Authors Publishing.
David M. Carew, of Waterville, is the author of the novels Voice from the Gutter and Everything Means Nothing to Me: A Novel of Underground Nashville, which The Tennessean hailed as “haunting, beautiful, powerful.” He worked for more than 20 years as a publicist in Nashville before returning to Maine in 2016.
For more information, please visit Maine Authors Publishing online or call (207) 594-0091.
by Mary GrowChina select board members had two main items on the agenda for their Aug. 8 special meeting.
China town manager Rebecca Hapgood. (photo by Eric W. Austin)
Board members discussed the CBC request for 20 minutes and Hapgood’s request for more than half an hour. They postponed action on both.
The CBC document is a preliminary step to an agreement between the Town of China and Idaho-based Direct Communications and its local subsidiary, UniTel in Unity. It has been negotiated over several weeks with input from town attorney Amanda Meader. Board members approved it, with Wayne Chadwick dissenting, but did not vote to present it to voters.
Chadwick objects to the whole expansion project, which is intended to provide service to China residents who are “unserved or underserved” – have no internet service or service that is inadequate by state standards.
Many of the areas in town mapped as unserved or underserved are fire roads leading to lakes. Chadwick therefore defines the expansion as “a taxpayer-subsidized internet system for some of the wealthiest people in this town.”
Janet Preston
Janet Preston, who represents the board on the CBC, and Jeanne Marquis disagreed, pointing to the rural areas that would also gain new or better service.
While broadband expansion goes back only a few years, the status of the piece of shoreland in front of The Landing goes back decades, and Hapgood is tired of hearing it debated. Her proposed solution is a Nov. 8 warrant article asking voters to transfer the land to The Landing, LLC, new owners of the restaurant.
Jeanne Marquis
The main road used to go along the shore. When it was moved away from the lake, the legal status of the strip of shoreland was never determined – did it belong to the state, the town, abutting landowners?
Its size and shape are also undetermined, and one topic select board members discussed was whether it should be surveyed, and if so when and at whose expense.
Meanwhile, the town is not collecting taxes on this piece of shorefront.
Attorney Meader, joining the discussion virtually, said she is quite sure the town never owned the land; she thinks it is probably part of the abutting Landing lot. She recommends a quitclaim deed, under which the town surrenders any interest it might have, rather than a warranty deed, by which the town would guarantee the new owner a clear title.
Her opinion led board member Blane Casey to question whether voters should be asked to give away something they don’t own anyway. He had additional questions about the undefined bounds, wondering whether the town really owns the nearby boat landing and how abutters would react.
Chadwick asked what would happen if voters refused to convey the land.
Board Chairman Ronald Breton asked Hapgood and Meader to continue discussion, including the possibility of a boundary survey.
Select board members did three things:
Board members will have two and perhaps three more chances to decide what to ask voters on Nov. 8. Regular meetings are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 15, and Monday, Aug. 29. Hapgood said there might be a special Aug. 22 meeting to set the 2022-23 tax rate, if assessor William Van Tuinen can solve computer problems in time to provide the needed information.
by Mary GrowChina Planning Board members held an Aug. 4 public hearing to explain changes in the town’s land use ordinance that are expected to be on the Nov. 8 local ballot.
At five minutes, the hearing might be the shortest on record.
Four residents were in the audience: Brent and Cathy Chesley, who attend most planning board meetings and were well informed on the draft ordinance; Amber French, wife of assistant codes officer Nicholas French; and The Town Line reporter Mary Grow.
Board member James Wilkens, taking the gavel in the absence of Chairman Scott Rollins, called the hearing to order, explained its purpose and invited questions. When there were none, he closed the hearing.
Those present agreed that planning board members had done a good job of satisfying concerns expressed by the Chesleys and others at a March 22 discussion of the ordinance revisions.
The proposed changes to chapters two and 11 of the land use ordinance are on the town website, china.govoffice.com, with a notice in the center of the page referring viewers to them. Planning board members have asked select board members to submit them to town voters on Nov. 8.
After the hearing, Rollins emailed that the ordinance to govern solar arrays on which board members have worked intermittently for more than a year will not be ready for a November vote.
The next regular planning board meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9.
by Mary GrowChina select board members spent a long Aug. 1 meeting going over a long agenda, with board member Janet Preston presiding in the absence of Chairman Ronald Breton.
Ongoing issues included the proposed local fireworks ordinance; broadband expansion; the planned town office addition; using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to help residents pay fuel bills; and town office hours.
Select board members disposed of the fireworks ordinance relatively quickly. They voted 3-1, with Jeanne Marquis dissenting, to drop the idea and stay with state law.
Sheldon Goodine
Select board members and Sheldon Goodine, chairman of the Municipal Building Committee, talked at length about the need for more storage space at the town office. As board member Wayne Chadwick pointed out, the original suggestion of a small room for storing permanent records has expanded into a sketch plan for a larger room with work space.
Goodine said the new proposal is based on his interviews with town office staff, who told him what they see as space needs.
The initial cost estimate, very rough, was less than $200,000. Goodine offered an equally uncertain estimate of $300,000 for the larger building. The price assumes the building does not include a second-story meeting room that was discussed at an earlier select board meeting, and that Goodine thinks is not a good idea.
Wayne Chadwick
Chadwick suggested minimizing the need to store paper by digitizing more records. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said she will explore possibilities. Her initial reaction was negative, because, she said, digitizing would cost money and staff time, and some state departments require paper records.
A building committee meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, for additional consideration of the smaller option.
Discussion of an ARPA-funded subsidy program for residents’ fuel bills led to Preston’s request to Hapgood develop draft guidelines. Topics should include whether to set income guidelines, and if so how low; residency requirements; minimizing red tape; defining required evidence to support information; and whether to pay residents directly, or fuel companies.
Hapgood offered several alternatives for shortening the hours the town office is open. The current 47.5 hours a week is one of the longest in Maine, she said.
Because of the long hours, staff members are not all there at the same time. Those trying to do office work are frequently also on counter duty and have to keep shifting from one task to another. Shorter open hours would make staff work more efficient by minimizing interruptions.
Hapgood’s information included analysis of busiest and least busy hours – for example, she said, Wednesday is almost always a slow day, and the first and last Saturday mornings are usually much busier than other Saturday mornings.
After discussing sundry alternatives, select board members voted 3-1, with Chadwick dissenting, that effective Sept. 1, the China town office will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8 to 11 a.m. the first and last Saturday of each month. It will be closed Wednesdays.
In new business, Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason, accompanied by County Commissioner Patsy Crockett, explained why he unexpectedly raised the charge to China for “special details” (covering special events) from $65 per officer per hour to $85. There were two reasons, Mason said, that were not anticipated at the beginning of the year: increased fuel prices, and a “well-deserved and overdue” raise for deputies.
(A Kennebec Journal article said the raise is 9 percent.)
Mason said the goal is to break even on special details, so that county taxpayers will not pay for individual towns’ service. Select board members expressed appreciation for the county’s law enforcement services.
Hapgood urged select board members to support more codes enforcement in town, specifically looking into past ordinance violations that have fallen through the cracks as China has had five codes enforcement officers in 14 years.
She said resident Dwaine Drummond is already working on back issues as a consultant. On her recommendation, select board members approved carrying forward unspent money from the fiscal year that ended June 30 to pay Drummond for part-time work.
They also appointed him assistant codes enforcement officer.
Hapgood, who is currently China’s codes officer in addition to her other duties, commended town office staff member Tammy Bailey for her help with codes enforcement paperwork.
Jeanne Marquis
Other appointments were assistant codes officer Nicholas French as building official and local health officer and select board member Jeanne Marquis as China’s representative to the Kennebec Regional Development Agency (KRDA), operator of the FirstPark business park, in Oakland. Blane Casey volunteered to be Marquis’s alternate and was scheduled to be appointed at the board’s special Aug. 8 meeting.
In other business, Hapgood reported two bids for the police cruiser China no longer needs. Board members unanimously accepted the higher, $30,001 from the Town of Wiscasset.
The town schedule includes:
The China Lake Association leadership team, from left to right, Secretary David Preston, Vice President Eric Lind, and President Stephen Greene. (photo by Jeanne Marquis)
The China Lake Association (CLA) annual meeting was held Saturday morning on July, 30, 2022, in the China Middle School, on Lakeview Drive, in China, Maine. The meeting was both a celebration of the alewives return to China Lake and a tribute to the 50-year anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sent video statements to the annual meeting congratulating the association’s positive impact on China Lake and supporting the work ahead to maintain the water quality. Senator Collins expressed that maintaining fresh water lakes such as China Lake is an important investment in our future. Senator King mentioned the connection the Muskie family personally had with China Lake owning a camp on its shore.
Pingree stated, “It was our fellow Mainer, Senator Ed Muskie, who wrote the clean water act half a century ago. Since then, it has been directly responsible for restoring and maintaining waters across the nation including right here in China Lake. Senator Muskie would be proud to see how much progress all of you at the China Lake Association have made to restore and protect the lake’s water to continue implementing the provisions of the Clean Water Act.”
The annual water quality report for China Lake was presented by Robbie Bickford, Water Quality Manager of Kennebec Water District (KWD). According to Bickford, “The results of the testing indicate China Lake is maintaining a steady state with a slight improvement in water quality over the past 10 years.” The full report can be found in the KWD newsletter which can be accessed here on ChinaLakeAssociation.org.
Bickford also provided updates on two projects Kennebec Water District accomplished this past year and are ongoing to protect water quality. KWD, with help from a grant from Project Canopy, reforested six acres on land KWD purchased in the early 1900s. Working with residents down in that area, KWD planted about 6,000 little seedlings with a mixture of black spruce, red spruce and red pine. In the fall of 2021, KWD developed a harvest plan in conjunction with a forest management plan. The goal is to achieve a mixed age, multi-species stand on all KWD land to maintain sustainable erosion control. KWD postponed last winter’s harvest until the winter of 2023 due to the warm conditions. Bickford explained that ideally the ground should be frozen during the harvest to prevent as much soil disruption as possible.
Bob O’Connor
The annual loon count was presented by Bob O’Connor, CLA board member. O’ Connor mentioned he has been counting loons on China Lake for 33 years, a third of a century. He was pleased to announce the count is up from 25 to 34. O’Connor announced another loon project in the works to help increase the loon population.
Karen McNeil, an undergraduate studying wildlife ecology and an intern for Maine Lakes, briefly presented information about the Loon Restoration Project. This project is intended to increase the loon productivity, while decreasing the mortality through establishing nesting rafts in ideal locations. Bill Powell, CLA board member is leading this initiative for the CLA and plans to launch an artificial nesting raft next year on China Lake. They are looking for more volunteers to build and monitor the raft for signs of nesting and chicks. Contact the CLA for more information about how to get involved.
Landis Hudson, executive director of Maine Rivers, made an upbeat presentation about the completion of the alewives restoration to China Lake and what this means to the regional ecology. This nearly ten-years-long project was headed up by the nonprofit organization Maine Rivers, in collaboration with the towns of China and Vassalboro, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the Kennebec Water District, the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust, and the China Region Lakes Alliance. The China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative hopes to reclaim the balance of wildlife in the water, air and land that existed prior to the dams construction centuries ago by restoring alewife passage. For the first time since 1783, alewives are making the trip from the ocean through the Kennebec River to China Lake to spawn. Nate Gray, a scientist with Maine Department of Marine Resources, manufactured a fish counter to get initial counts. The numbers of alewives making it through the fishways at the Box Mill Dam reached expectations.
Eric Lind, vice president of CLA, spoke about the 2022-2031 China Lake Watershed-Based Management Plan (WBMP). The plan outlines management strategies and a 10-year schedule of steps to increase efforts to reduce the external phosphorus load by addressing existing nonpoint source (NPS) pollution throughout the watershed and limit new sources of phosphorus from future development and climate change. The plan significantly reduces the internal phosphorus load through inactivation of phosphorus in lake bottom sediments, and monitors and assesses improvements in China Lake’s water quality over time.
The 2022 launch of the WBMP is the culmination of a two-year comprehensive watershed survey, performed with help from CLA volunteers in partnership with Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and technical leaders. The survey identified sources of pollution, which included an assessment of gravel roads and developed properties in the watershed. The information from the survey was used in China Lake’s ten-year watershed management plan; the plan will help the CLA qualify for federal funding grants under the Clean Water Act. The China Lake Watershed-Based Management Plan is available on the CLA website.
Why is a watershed based management plan important? As reported August 5, 2022, in the Morning Sentinel and the Kennebec Journal, North Pond, in Smithfield, in the Belgrade area, is experiencing extreme algae blooms that have diminished the water clarity to only four feet. People are advised by the state Department of Environmental Protect to limit lengthy exposure to the pea soup green water and to have no exposure when water clarity reaches only three feet. There was no watershed management plan in place for North Pond. The North Pond Association has recently received a grant to establish a plan.
The last speaker of the CLA annual meeting was Judy Stone, Colby College professor and LakeSmart Award property owner, discussing forests, buffers and water quality. Stone provided property owners with sound advice on maintaining a canopy of diverse trees and permeable ground foliage to capture and filter stormwater.
The meeting closed with a strong vote of confidence for the re-election of the current leadership team: President Stephen Greene, Vice President Eric Lind, Secretary David Preston. An opening exists for a treasurer to replace retired treasurer Elaine Philbrook. The board of directors includes Robbie Bickford, Wayne Clark, Bruce Fitzgerald, Marie Michaud, Bob O’Connor, and Bill Powell, all of whom serve with the officers as volunteers managing the business and conducting the affairs of CLA.
The China Lake Association stands for “Preserving China Lake for Future Generations Through Environmental Stewardship and Community Action.” CLA officers and directors hold monthly meetings to drive growth and development of the organization. Stephen Greene invites interested people to attend. Contact him at stephencraiggreene@gmail.com to attend board meetings, become more involved, or discuss your thoughts about CLA.
Property Tax Stabilization for Senior Citizens, also known as the Property Tax Stabilization Program (the “Program”), is a State program that allows certain senior-citizen residents to stabilize, or freeze, the property taxes on their homestead. An applicant must be at least 65 years old, a permanent resident of the State, and must have owned a Maine homestead for at least ten years. As long as the individual files an application and qualifies each year, the tax billed to them for their homestead will continue to be fixed at the amount they were billed in the prior tax year…
VASSALBORO – The Board of Directors of the Webber Pond Association (WPA) is recommending that WPA members approve the Revised WPA Bylaws shown below at the August 13, 2022, Annual Meeting…
CHINA – The China Historical Society’s collection will be open to the public on Saturday August 6, during China Community Days. These artifacts are located in the old town house found directly opposite the present Town Office on Lakeview Drive, and may be viewed between roughly 10 a.m. to 2 p.m…
CHINA – Full schedule of China Community Days events planned for the weekend of August 5-7…
WINSLOW – One of Maine’s all-time most popular, beloved, and downright yummy summer events—Winslow’s annual Blueberry Festival—is coming this year on Saturday, August 13, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., to Winslow Congregational Church, 12 Lithgow Street, Winslow. Admission to the festival grounds is free…
CHINA – The China for a Lifetime Committee is planning a Window Dressers workshop this November 7-13, at the China Lake Camp, off the Neck Road, on the west side of the lake. The initiative is a volunteer-led, barn-raising effort to construct low-cost “window inserts” that can significantly reduce residential energy costs…
CENTRAL ME – In recent weeks, a decline in donations has caused the American Red Cross blood supply to shrink nearly 20 percent. This drop in donations could lead to a seasonal blood shortage, which can negatively impact patient care at hospitals across the country…
CENTRAL ME – Kennebec Valley Tourism Council (KVTC) has elected the following officers to its board of directors for a one-year term from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023…
WATERVILLE – MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Art Committee invites Maine artists to submit proposals to display and sell their work at a MaineGeneral facility. Those selected will have an opportunity to hang their art in the Alfond Center for Health in Augusta or the Thayer Center for Health in Waterville for a period of eight weeks…
RAYMOND – After a successful completion of Phase 1 of its fundraising campaign—which allowed urgent repairs to the foundation, floors, and interior of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home in Raymond—the Hawthorne Community Association has launched Phase 2 of its fundraising campaign…
FARMINGTON – Photos from the Farmington Elks 10U tournament game at the “Joe Toots” Memorial field (from Central Maine Photography)…
WINSLOW – Winslow summer track photos (from Central Maine Photography)…
from Danielle Foster (Albion) – I just wanted to say, how happy I am to live in Albion. I love this beautiful town. I’m so pleased to see the village bustling again. A few years ago Main St. was desolate. Now the village is full of people, new living spaces, and several new businesses are thriving. I’m just so pleased…
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “Play it Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is August 5, 2022…
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Gold is unusual in Maine but not completely lacking. The Maine Geological Survey has on its website a list of streams, all but one in Franklin, Oxford or Somerset county, worth panning for gold. (The outlier is the St. Croix River, separating the United States and Canada; gold has been found in Baileyville, in Washington County)… by Mary Grow [1845 words]
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — “Augusta has been abundantly supplied…with the best of granite, easily quarried, and of convenient access,” Augusta historian James North wrote. He expressed surprise that the resource was not developed earlier; not only did the workers on the 1797 Kennebec bridge and the 1808 jail use boulders instead, but, he wrote, three gentlemen who built houses in the first decade of the 1800s brought granite for the foundations from the Boston area, “at great expense”… by Mary Grow [1858 words]
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Attentive readers will have noted that the previous discussions of brickyards and brick-making have omitted the two cities in the central Kennebec Valley, Augusta and Waterville. Your writer deliberately saved them for last, because they have so many buildings of brick and granite as to deserve extra space… by Mary Grow [1929 words]
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Last week’s article talked about some of the towns in which European settlers found naturally-occurring resources, like stones and clay. Stones were described as useful for foundations, wells and similar purposes on land; another use was for the dams that have been mentioned repeatedly… by Mary Grow [1886 words]
PALERMO — Beginning Friday, August 5, you can read a book while you hike the Palermo Preserve trails, at 1401 Turner Ridge Rd. in Palermo. The featured story is Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit, by Chris Van Dusen… and many other local events!
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
VASSALBORO – Evelyn Ashton, 90, passed away on Thursday, July 14, 2022, in her family home of 58 years, in Vassalboro. She was born on May 17, 1932, to Elizabeth (Scott) and Thomas Graham, in East York, Toronto, Canada… and remembering 11 others.
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!
Previous winner: Marylou Ripley, Oakland
SCORES & OUTDOORSby Roland D. Hallee | While browsing through some old emails recently, I noticed one that I had planned to respond to, but as often happens, I was sidetracked and never got back to it. It was an email with photos of cicadas with an inquiry. I apologize to that person for not getting to this sooner…
SMALL SPACE GARDENINGby Melinda Myers | Poor flowering and misshapen or a lack of fruit on tomatoes, peppers and squash may be due to the weather, not your gardening skills. Temperature extremes can interfere with flowering and fruit set on these and other vegetables in your garden…
I’M JUST CURIOUSby Debbie Walker | I found a few tidbits of information I thought you might be interested in. You know those little gel packets we find in some prescriptions and other things needing to keep the moisture. Well …. They can be reused to keep moisture out of your papers or photographs. I won’t be throwing them away anymore…
PLATTER PERSPECTIVEby Peter Cates | Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) has in recent years become my favorite poet. She wrote with a spiritually transcendent perspective born out of her love of the Creator, of her involvement in the Anglican Church, of her fascination with nature and of her acute awareness that life in this world is very brief…
LIFE ON THE PLAINSby Roland D. Hallee | Growing up on The Plains in the 1950s and ‘60s brought about some revolutionary, and exciting, changes in our way of life. Modern conveniences were beginning to pop up in our humble homes…
by Gary Kennedy | These past couple of years have been very problematic, depressing and a terrible weight on the shoulders of the American people. I personally have had a difficult time of it, but even more so for our veterans. My phone rings every day and most of the time it’s not for pleasant reason. It’s usually because a veteran is in trouble…
(NAPSI) | Life today often seems to be in overdrive, leading many Americans to make snack and meal decisions quickly without really thinking about the nutritional makeup of what they’re consuming—but it doesn’t have to be that way…
submitted by Sasha FitzpatrickIn just a few weeks, students will be heading off to college – and parents will be getting out their checkbooks. Without a college-bound student in your home right now, you might not be thinking much about tuition and other higher education expenses, but if you have young children, these costs may eventually be of concern – so how should you prepare for them?
It’s never too soon to start saving and investing. Unfortunately, many people think that they have a lot of “catching up” to do. In fact, nearly half of Americans say they don’t feel like they’re saving enough to cover future education expenses, according to a 2022 survey conducted by financial services firm Edward Jones with Morning Consult, a global research company.
Of course, it’s not always easy to set aside money for college when you’re already dealing with the high cost of living, and, at the same time, trying to save and invest for retirement. Still, even if you can only devote relatively modest amounts for your children’s education, these contributions can add up over time. But where should you put your money?
Personal savings accounts are the top vehicle Americans are using for their education funding strategies, according to the Edward Jones/Morning Consult survey. But there are other options, one of which is a 529 plan, which may offer more attractive features, including the following:
Possible tax benefits – If you invest in a 529 education savings plan, your earnings can grow federally income tax-free, provided the money is used for qualified education expenses. (Withdrawals not used for these expenses will generally incur taxes and penalties on investment earnings.) If you invest in your own state’s 529 plan, you may receive state tax benefits, too, depending on the state.
Flexibility in naming the beneficiary – As the owner of the 529 plan, you can name anyone you want as the beneficiary. You can also change the beneficiary. If your eldest child foregoes college, you can name a younger sibling or another eligible relative.
Support for non-college programs – Even if your children don’t want to go to college, it doesn’t mean they’re uninterested in any type of postsecondary education or training. And a 529 plan can pay for qualified expenses at trade or vocational schools, including apprenticeship programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Payment of student loans – A 529 plan can help pay off federal or private student loans, within limits.
Keep in mind that state-by-state tax treatment varies for different uses of 529 plans, so you’ll want to consult with your tax professional before putting a plan in place.
Despite these and other benefits, 529 plans are greatly under-utilized. Only about 40% of Americans even recognize the 529 plan as an education savings tool, and only 13 percent are actually using it, again according to the Edward Jones/Morning Consult study.
But as the cost of college and other postsecondary programs continues to rise, it will become even more important for parents to find effective ways to save for their children’s future education expenses. So, consider how a 529 plan can help you and your family. And the sooner you get started, the better.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC.
Investors should understand the risks involved of owning investments. The value of investments fluctuates and investors can lose some or all of their principal.
