Lyle Halvorson

RaeAnn Johnson of Grand Forks and Cindy Yale of Burlington have been appointed to the AARP North Dakota Executive Council.

What’s the best way to protect yourself from con artists’ latest tricks? Learn how a scam works. What’s the best way to do that? Go to the source.

Starting in April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin mailing new Medicare cards to all people with Medicare, including 126,000 in North Dakota.

To recognize their integral work to support family caregivers in North Dakota, AARP named Senator Judy Lee, West Fargo, Representative Kathy Hogan, Fargo, and Representative Jay Seibel, Beulah, as 2017 “Capitol Caregivers,” a bipartisan group of nearly 100 elected officials from more than 30 states. These leaders have advanced policies to support family caregivers, who help their parents, spouses and other loved ones live independently at home and in the community.

As bitter cold temperatures settle in, most families are turning up their thermostats to stay warm. For some low- and fixed-income households, cranking up the heat is not always an option. The North Dakota Department of Human Services reminds people that help is available through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

We are encouraging AARP members in North Dakota to sign up to receive email from AARP North Dakota about upcoming events and other news. Go to http://www.aarp.org/yes2emailND. If you don’t already have an account on the AARP website, you’ll have to create one (by entering a user name and password) before you can opt in to receive our email.

AARP North Dakota has joined forces with the AARP Fraud Watch Network and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for Operation Protect Veterans -- a campaign to warn those who have served in the military about scams and fraud schemes that target veterans. The major educational campaign will reach out to veterans in communities across North Dakota and nationwide.

Montana-Dakota Utilities has another natural gas rate request proposal that includes a 5.9 percent increase for residential users. The North Dakota Public Service Commission is holding public hearings on the rate increase at 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Marlys Hlavinka of Mayville will be presented with the 2017 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service during a volunteer recognition luncheon Oct. 12 in Fargo.

The City of Bismarck is the recipient of an AARP grant totaling $12,610 as part of the AARP Community Challenge, aiming to create change and enhance quality of life for people of all ages at the community level.