The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) stopped the biggest gas rate hike in Illinois history, cutting a proposed $314 million increase from Nicor Gas by almost 50 percent, on the heels of months of public outcry and advocacy by AARP Illinois, including 35,000 petitions signed by AARP members.
Shirley Sgouros, 63, of Baltimore, is AARP Maryland’s winner of the Andrus Award for Community Service, based on her dedication to her Upper Fells Point neighborhood and its residents. From picking up trash and planting flowers, to organizing culturally rich events, she brings neighbors together to celebrate the community.
AARP Pennsylvania is pressing state lawmakers to enact a state-facilitated “auto IRA” program for private-sector workers without access to employer-sponsored retirement savings accounts.
AARP Vermont in 2026 will advocate for a tax credit for the state’s 70,000 family caregivers, as well as focus on cryptocurrency kiosk-related fraud to see whether lawmakers extend a moratorium on new crypto ATMs.
The AARP Community Challenge grant program funds quick-action projects for nonprofits, local governments and community groups to make neighborhoods more livable for people of all ages. In 2025, the program gave $4.2 million for 383 projects nationwide, including projects in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Fitness coach Carl Powell, owner of Body and Brain Health in Wailuku, is offering monthly hour-long brain health webinars, each focused on a “pillar of the month” such as exercise, stress reduction, sleep or diet.
With the legislature in session, all eyes are on the state budget. AARP New York will push to protect funding for home- and community-based services that help people age in place. Keeping utilities affordable is also on the docket.