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Tips to avoid scams during Medicare Open Enrollment

Older adults should be on the lookout this time of year for scams and high-pressure sales tactics during the annual Medicare Open Enrollment period, which starts Thursday and extends through Dec. 7, the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services advised. “The Medicare Open Enrollment period is an important time for Michigan older adults to review their health insurance and prescription drug coverage options,” DIFS Director Anita Fox said in a news release. “Unfortunately, it also opens the door for bad actors ...

Upper Peninsula fire risk is high; be careful

Warm, dry weather and windy conditions are expected in the Upper Peninsula over the next few days, boosting the risk of a wildfire. “Grasses have dried out and leaves are starting to drop, which adds a layer of fuel that can feed and speed the spread of a wildfire,” Paul Rogers, fire prevention specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said in a news release. “Make sure to check for a burn permit before you burn any yard debris and be careful of heat or sparks from equipment and off-road vehicles.” Unseasonably warm temperatures reaching the 70s and strong ...

Focusing this week on fire prevention

For Fire Prevention Week this week, the National Fire Protection Association has chosen the theme of “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower,” stressing safe practices for rechargeable batteries. This has added resonance locally, as a house fire April 21 in Kingsford that killed 45-year-old Deanna Juranek is thought to have been caused when an electric bicycle recharging exploded on the enclosed front porch. “Many devices used in our daily lives — phones, tablets, laptops, tools, toys, e-bikes and scooters — run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which ...