Wednesday, April 30, 2025

BEETLE BAILEY, BLONDIE AND ZIT! Let’s keep it going!

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Loved all the entries. Let’s do it again! We have an ALL NEW CARTOON PAGE! Beetle Bailey, Blondie and Zit will be gracing our NewsMagazine and your job will be to locate TOONS related to those cartoons! You already know the routine. TOONS are scattered throughout this issue. Count the related TOONS and TEXT the total number, with your name and phone number, to 405-631-5100. 1st and 2nd texter with correct number, WINS a free one year subscription to SN&L ($43.75 value each) PLUS a $25 gift card! 3rd place wins a $25 Gift Card! All entries will receive a free copy of our digital Flip Page Edition of SN&L each month (you must provide an email address)! Everyone’s a winner! TOONS are not hidden, but look in stories, ads and features!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Contest begins January 5th and ends January 31! No entries will be accepted prior to 01/05/24.

* No purchase necessary * Must provide email address for digital edition. * FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS – Even with more than 500 locations to pick up a copy, you just can sit back and wait for your personal
copy – mailed first class directly to you!

VA Delivered More Than $2.2 billion

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VA delivered more than $2.2 billion in earned benefits to Veterans and survivors since President Biden signed PACT into law

Today, VA announced that Veterans and their survivors have filed more than one million claims for toxic exposure-related benefits under the PACT Act since President Biden signed it into law Aug. 10, 2022. VA has processed more than 551,000 of these claims, granting 77.9% of them and awarding more than $2.2 billion in earned benefits to Veterans and survivors. Supporting Veterans and their families is a core pillar in President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation, and today’s announcement helps deliver on his promise to comprehensively address military related toxic exposure.

Thanks to the largest outreach campaign in VA history, Veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates. In this fiscal year alone, Veterans and survivors have submitted 2.29 million total claims (PACT and non-PACT) — 40.4% more year-to-date than last fiscal year, which was the previous all-time record. Veterans have also submitted more than 2.1 million “intents to file” during this fiscal year — 53.1% more than all of last fiscal year and also an all-time record.

The PACT Act is the biggest expansion of Veteran health care and benefits in decades. VA encourages all eligible Veterans and survivors to file a claim — or submit their intent to file a claim — for PACT Act-related benefits now.

“Thanks to President Biden, the heroes who fought for our country are now getting health care and compensation for the conditions that followed them home from war,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We’re proud that more than one million Veterans and survivors have applied for their hard-earned benefits to date, but this is just the beginning — and we won’t rest until every Veteran and every survivor gets the VA health care and benefits they deserve.”

Partly due to the PACT Act, VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before. Key results to date include:

  • Delivering benefits to Veterans and their survivors: VA has processed 1.85 million total Veteran claims (PACT and non-PACT) thus far in this fiscal year —15.7% more to date than last fiscal year and already surpassing last year’s all-time record total of 1.7 million claims processed.
  • Increasing Veteran access to health care: Since Aug. 10, 378,995 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care. This includes more than 158,691 enrollees from the PACT Act population (Vietnam, Gulf War, and Post-9/11 era Veterans).
  • Screening Veterans for toxic exposures: More than 4.4 million enrolled Veterans have received 5-minute screenings for toxic exposures from VA under the PACT Act.

Right now, there is also a special enrollment period for Veterans to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Specifically, until 11:59 p.m., local time, Sept. 30, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, are eligible to enroll in VA health care without first applying for disability compensation benefits. VA encourages all of these Veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and sign up for VA health care before the deadline.

VA is delivering health care and benefits at record rates partly due to a dramatic increase in hiring at VA. For the first time in VA’s history, the Veterans Health Administration has over 400,000 employees and the Veterans Benefits Administration has over 31,000 employees — and both organizations are growing at the fastest rates in 20 years. Moving forward, VA will continue to modernize and expand capacity to deliver health care and benefits to Veterans as quickly and effectively as possible.

For more information on VA’s implementation of the PACT Act, visit the PACT Act Dashboard. VA is publishing this dashboard every other Friday to document the implementation of this legislation and showcase its impact on Veterans and survivors. The next dashboard, which will reflect the data in this release, will publish on Sept. 15.

Veterans and survivors may apply or learn more about the PACT Act by visiting VA.gov/PACT or calling 1-800-MYVA411.

SNL CENTENARIANS OF OK

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Albert “Al” Hair

(Right) 100 years old. WWII Veteran Wm. Albert “Al” Hair of Ada was born on August 22, 1922. After the war, he worked for IBM & Boy Scouts, ultimately ending up in Chickasha where he worked for Washita Valley Community Action Agency & became a self-employed carpenter & painter.

Wilma Marie Goodwin

(Left) 100 years old. Wilma Marie Goodwin of Enid attended Enid Business College & was a bank teller. She has 6 children, 12 grandchildren & 20 great grandchildren. She enjoys the good food & family being together. Fried chicken is her favorite food. Her words of wisdom to younger people: “Have the Lord in your life and love your family!”

Hattie Powell

(Right) 100 years old. Hattie Powell lived most of her life in Beggs & celebrated her 100th birthday in Tulsa today. She graduated from Beggs HS, worked OSU Extension nutritionist & library assistant at Beggs schools. Her words of wisdom to younger people: “Be honest with yourself and others. Respect yourself and others. Recognize & acknowledge your faults & work to correct them. Obey God!”

Eula Mae Stewart

(Right) 100 years old. Eula Mae Stewart of Yukon was born on the 15th of December, 1923. She graduated from Red Oak High School and from secretarial school in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Eula Mae had a 30-year career as an administrator with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, retiring in 1989. Her words of wisdom to us are: Know that Jesus Loves You and Learn to Depend on Him. Respect Your Parents and Authority.

SNL TINSELTOWN TALKS Joyce Bulifant’s Ups and Downs of Marriage and Career

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Joyce Bulifant displaying cover of her book, My Four Hollywood Husbands. Provided by publicist

By Nick Thomas

For those who keep track of Hollywood nuptials, the title of Joyce Bulifant’s 2017 autobiography may not represent a marital world record, but it’s certainly an attention grabber. The actress, who co-starred in TV series such as “Flo” and “Mary Tyler Moore,” recounted her life and career in “My Four Hollywood Husbands.”
Bulifant describes how alcohol influenced her four hubbies: “Hawaii Five-O” star James (“Danno”) MacArthur; TV/film producer, director, and screenwriter William Asher; “Days of Our Lives” actor Edward Mallory; and her last husband actor Roger Perry who died in 2018.
“It was never my intention to marry famous Hollywood men, it just happened that way,” said Bulifant from Los Angeles. “I was 14 when I first met Jimmy (MacArthur) while we were at boarding school together and we started dating a couple of years later.”
She remembers her spouses as unhappy men especially MacArthur in their decade-long marriage.
“When he wasn’t working, he would drink more and it became a terrible situation,” she said. “I thought if I just loved them enough they wouldn’t need to drink and would become happy, but it just didn’t work that way.”
She remained happily married to her last husband Roger Perry although he too experienced some early rough patches. “He wanted to get better, so that’s why this marriage worked,” she said.
Career-wise, Bulifant has been successful on stage as well as in film and television, and was a frequent game show panelist in the 70s and 80s. She even appeared briefly in the classic 1980 comedy “Airplane!” as the mother of the sick little girl with the intravenous drip.
“I didn’t want to do that dadgum movie, I thought it was so silly,” she recalled. “I was married to William Asher at the time and he told me ‘You’re an actress – you act!’ Now it’s been called one of the 100 funniest movies ever made.”
But one major TV role did slip past.
“I was all signed, sealed, and delivered to play Mrs. Brady on ‘The Brady Bunch,’” she recalled. “One Friday, I was showing the director and producer (and writer, Sherwood Schwartz) my wardrobe but they were acting very strange. When I asked what was wrong they sat me down and said the executives at ABC in New York wanted Florence Henderson for the role.”
Schwartz called that evening confirming the bad news. “That’s the way it goes in this business,” said Bulifant. “Florence was a wonderful actress and a lovely lady.”
Concentrating on TV work, Bulifant only appeared in about a dozen films. Her first main feature role was in the 1967 Disney musical “The Happiest Millionaire,” memorable for her “Bye-Yum Pum Pum” song with Lesley Ann Warren. It would be the last live-action feature produced by Disney, who died a year before the film’s release.
Bulifant’s radiant cheerful on-screen personality and distinctive youthful voice made her a favorite comedic actress with audiences. Despite some missed career opportunities and the marital challenges, she has always remained optimistic.
“When you’re in the entertainment business, you have to deal with disappointment and rejection so if you don’t feel strong and confident about yourself it can be very disheartening,” she says. “That’s true for anyone with self-doubt which is why my book resonates with people from all walks of life. So I’m very pleased when I hear from people it has helped.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous newspapers and magazines.
See https://www.getnickt.org/.

NEW SNL COMIC!

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Nursing Home Advocates Endorse New Federal Legislation

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Care Providers Oklahoma today announced their support of the “Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act,” a federal bill that would block implementation of a new staffing mandate proposed by the Biden Administration.

The bill, cosponsored by U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), states: “The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not implement, enforce, or otherwise give effect to the proposed rule entitled ‘Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting’ published by the Department of Health and Human Services on September 6, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 61352–61429), and may not promulgate any substantially similar rule.” Similar language has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Health and Human Services budget bill.

The rule proposed by the Biden Administration would require specific nursing home staff to spend a minimum number of hours with each resident – 2.45 nurse aide hours per resident per day (HPRD) and 0.55 registered nurse (RN) HPRD – as well as have a 24-hour registered nurse (RN) on site.

Nursing home professionals have argued that the rule ignores the staffing crisis occurring in Oklahoma and across the nation and imposes impossible to meet goals and crippling financial penalties on a field that is already struggling to recruit and adequately compensate qualified staff.

An analysis of the Biden administration mandate by professional services firm CLA CliftonLarsenAllen, LLP (CLA) drew the following conclusions:

  • If implemented, the proposed mandate would require Oklahoma nursing homes to hire an estimated 1,253 additional full-time employees, including 538 nurse aides and 715 RNs.
  • The proposed mandate would cost Oklahoma nursing homes approximately $76 million per year.
  • Over 99 percent of nursing homes are currently not meeting at least one of the three proposed staffing requirements: the 2.45 nurse aide HPRD, the 0.55 RN HPRD, and the 24/7 RN.
  • If nursing homes are unable to increase their workforce to meet these new requirements, more than 5800 nursing home residents could be impacted by census reductions.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has already signed a letter, along with 14 other governors opposing the mandate.

Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Buck thanked Oklahoma’s elected officials for opposing the mandate, which he said would be incredibly damaging to senior care in Oklahoma.

“As I have said for months, this mandate makes the federal government seem completely oblivious to the dual threats impacting seniors receiving care in nursing homes: a severe staff shortage coupled with chronic underfunding,” said Buck. “The Biden administration is quite literally demanding that our facilities hire staffers who do not exist with money we do not have. That is a recipe for disaster. My thanks go out to Sen. Lankford, Gov. Stitt and others who have worked to block a policy that will negatively impact senior care in Oklahoma and elsewhere.”

Buck went on to say the mandate would ultimately hurt vulnerable seniors the most.

“We can’t hire the number of staffers this mandate is proposing because they don’t exist,” said Buck. “What facilities can do and will do to avoid new penalties is to reduce the number of seniors they are caring for by ceasing to admit new residents. That means vulnerable seniors will be left without the care they need. That is a terrible outcome for these seniors, and it is why we continue to oppose this unworkable, unwise mandate.”

  • Read the full CLA analysis and the impact of the proposed mandate on each state here.
  • Download a PDF of the Oklahoma-specific analysis here.
  • Download the text of the Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act here.
About Care Providers Oklahoma:

Previously the Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers (OAHCP), Care Providers Oklahoma represents the interests of more than 18,000 residents and 19,000 professionals that work in Oklahoma’s long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, assisted living homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Care Providers Oklahoma’s mission is to assist its members in providing the highest quality care to the seniors, individuals with disabilities and vulnerable Oklahomans who live in our facilities. We advocate for the enhancement of that care so that Oklahoma long-term care residents may live in the comfort and dignity they deserve. Learn more here.

 

Topics You Need to Discuss with Aging Parents

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Dear Savvy Senior, My siblings and I don’t know much about our elderly parent’s financial situation or their wishes if and when something happens to them. They are both in their mid-eighties. What’s the best way to handle this and what all should we know? Apprehensive Daughter

Dear Apprehensive,
Many adult children don’t know much about their elderly parent’s financial situation or end-of-life plans, but they need to. Getting up to speed on their finances, insurance policies, long-term care plans and other information is important because some day you might have to help them handle their financial affairs or care, or execute their estate plan after they die. Without this information, your job becomes much more difficult. Here are some tips that can help.
Have the Conversation
If you’re uncomfortable talking to your parents about this, use this column as a prompt or see https://theconversationproject.org/, which offers free guides that can help you kick-start these discussions.
It’s also a good idea to get all your siblings involved too. This can help you head off any possible hard feelings, plus, with others involved, your parents will know everyone is concerned.
When you talk with your parents, you’ll need to collect some information, find out where they keep key documents and how they want certain things handled when they die or if they become incapacitated. Here’s a checklist of areas to focus on.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Contacts: Make a list of names and phone numbers of your parent’s doctors, lawyer, accountant, broker, tax preparer, insurance agent, etc. Medical information: Make a copy of their medical history and a list of medications they take. Personal documents: Find out where they keep their Social Security card, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc.
Secured places: Make a list of places they keep under lock and key such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. Digital assets: Make a list of their digital assets – everything from social media accounts to online banking. It should include usernames and passwords. Pets: If they have a pet, what are their instructions for the animal’s care? End of life: What are their wishes for organ or body donation, and their funeral instructions? If they’ve made pre-arrangements with a funeral home, get a copy of the agreement.
LEGAL DOCUMENTS: Will: Do they have an updated will or trust, and where is it located? Power of attorney: Do they have a power of attorney document that names someone to handle their financial matters if they become incapacitated? Advance directives: Do they have a living will and a medical power of attorney that spells out their wishes regarding their end-of-life medical treatment? If they don’t have these documents prepared, now’s the time to make them.
FINANCIAL RECORDS: Financial accounts: Make a list of their bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts, and any other financial assets they have. Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debts they have – mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. Company benefits: Make a list of any retirement plans, pensions or benefits from their former employers including the contact information of the benefits administrator. Insurance: Make a list of the insurance policies they have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents and phone numbers. Property: Make a list of the real estate, vehicles or other properties they own, rent or lease and where they keep the deeds, titles and loan or lease agreements. Taxes: Find out where they keep copies of past year’s tax returns.
You’re probably not going to get all this figured out in one gathering, so it’s important to keep the conversation going to ensure your parent’s wishes will be accurately executed.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Jan Brett Brings Winter Magic to Belle Isle Library

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Holiday magic was in the air Dec. 7 at the Belle Isle Library, when bestselling children’s book author/illustrator Jan Brett stopped by on her Winter Wonderland tour to give a presentation and visit with library guests. The event, presented with support from Best of Books in Edmond, saw between 800 and 900 guests, and 726 pre-ordered copies of Jan’s books. Some guests drove over 2 hours to attend the event. Best of Books was on hand during the event for purchases at the door, as was a hot chocolate stand provided by the Gold Dome, that served a delicious and cozy way for guests to warm up. The library’s mascot, Spoticus, and one of Jan Brett’s beloved characters, Hedgie, made several appearances together throughout the evening, meeting their fans and taking photos with children and families.
Jan is the author and illustrator of 40 winter-themed children’s books, with over 43 million copies sold. While at Belle Isle Library, she gave an illustration demonstration and discussed drawing techniques with the engaged audience. She also signed books for the more than 200 guests that waited in line to meet her. The Belle Isle Library stayed open until 10:00 p.m. to accommodate those wanting to get a book signed and get a photo with Jan.
Upcoming events at the library
Upcoming Metro Library events include Literary Voices happening April 9-11, 2024, which features James Patterson, Kevin Kwan, and Kwame Alexander. Learn more by visiting
https://www.metrolibrary.org/literaryvoices.
The Metropolitan Library System provides library services for more than 800,000 residents of Oklahoma County. We have 19 physical locations as well as 24/7 access to our digital resources at https://www.metrolibrary.org/.

McRaniels Named to Lead RSVP of Central Oklahoma

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Beth Patterson

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Central Oklahoma has named a new executive director. Laura McRaniels will fill the position following the retirement of Beth Patterson on Dec. 31.
McRaniels, who was named as the organization’s assistant director in 2022, joined RSVP in 2018 and served as the organization’s volunteer coordinator linking more than 500 older adults to volunteer opportunities with 124 local nonprofit organizations.
“It is an honor to pass on the reins to Laura,” Patterson said. “In addition to Laura’s genuine compassion for people through her words and actions every day, she has such insight, problem-solving skills, follow-through, and attention to detail that make her an excellent person for this role.”
Prior to joining RSVP, McRaniels owned her own in-home childcare business, and served as a direct care specialist with the J.D. McCarty Center. She joined RSVP as the administrative assistant and was appointed to volunteer coordinator in 2018. She completed all tiers of the Nonprofit Management Certification program through the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. McRaniels has a long-time dedication to volunteerism, serving since 2008 with D-Dent, Inc. and West Wind Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
Since 1973, RSVP of Central Oklahoma has helped older adults continue to live with purpose and meaning by connecting them with rewarding community volunteer opportunities. RSVP is a partner of AmeriCorps Seniors and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. To learn more about RSVP of Central Oklahoma, call 405-605-3110 or visit https://rsvpokc.org/. You can also follow RSVP on Facebook at facebook.com/RSVPokc.

SNL CROSSWORD CORNER

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Across
1 Concern when merging
10 Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir
15 Museum download
16 Dippy
17 Stranger in many a family holiday photo
18 Cake made from ground nuts
19 “While I Was Gone” novelist Miller
20 Becomes, finally
22 “High Anxiety” actress
23 Say further
24 Corps member
26 Metered fleet
29 Treatment plant input
32 “The Cube” network
34 Delighted toddler’s demand
36 “Jinkies!”
37 Time worth studying
38 Gruff prescription for a minor injury
41 “Glad to hear it!”
42 Aspect
43 Branch of Islam
44 Org. whose members take hikes?
45 Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie
47 Benefit
48 Irredeemable
50 Word of invitation
52 Cheese paired with kalamata olives
53 Do more than listen
56 __ diavolo sauce
59 #LiveUplifted sneakers brand
61 Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee
63 McNairy of “Halt and Catch Fire”
64 Ride between runs
65 Buttonlike flower
66 Setting for some unboxing videos

Down
1 Some carpentry noises
2 Party with poke
3 Between jobs
4 Bupkis
5 Gave a shot, say
6 Efforts at resistance
7 Spot for a koi or a decoy
8 Ballpark figure
9 Emergency gear
10 Depression
11 Miso soup mushroom
12 Road show necessity?
13 Flirting with
14 Camille Pag n’s “Woman Last __ in Her Thirties”
21 “Your table’s ready” device
23 Warts and all
25 Relies (on)
26 Whoopi’s birth name
27 Drink often flavored with hibiscus
28 Aveeno product
30 Peer-to-peer sharing?
31 Add capacity to, in a way
33 French composer who influenced Ravel
35 Diet food choice
39 Some mechanical connectors
40 Dethrone
46 Egyptian god invoked in “The Magic Flute”
49 __ al pastor
51 Disinclined to form compounds
52 Media __: unplugged period
54 Sign of hollowness
55 “Proof” or “Doubt”
56 “Point taken”
57 Abounding (with)
58 Review-heavy newspaper section
60 Trough spot
62 Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords

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