Carol Brooks Ball

If you’ve ever had dreams of going to MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), now’s your chance!

Leslie Sipers is an Advocacy Specialist for AARP Massachusetts

As the government shutdown continues and as the countdown to the Thursday, Oct. 17 deadline on the debt-ceiling looms ominously, what can the average citizen do?

Attention Massachusetts voters in Congressional District 5: It’s time to vote (yes, again). We’ve anticipated some of your questions about the special state primary today, Tuesday, Oct. 15—and subsequent election on Thursday, Dec. 10—and have provided answers below:

In 1994, Sec. William Francis Galvin was elected as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state’s top third constitutional office, where he has served ever since. The 28th elected secretary in the Commonwealth’s history, Galvin serves as the state’s elections officer, and is one of the top election law specialists in the state. With a special primary election and special state election coming up soon in the Fifth Congressional District of the state, we posed "3 Questions" to Sec. Galvin about elections, special elections…and voter fatigue.

Are you concerned about the future of Boston for the city’s 50+ population? Would you like to have a hand in shaping that future?

By Leslie Siphers, AARP Massachusetts Outreach Specialist

By Carol Brooks Ball

What does the "government shutdown" really mean, and what does it mean to you, here in Massachusetts? First, rest assured that while so-called non-essential federal workers aren't going to work today--both in Washington, D.C. and here in the Bay State--the programs you may rely on most--Medicare, Social Security, and unemployment--remain open (though new applications to Medicare may be delayed).

By Carol Brooks Ball