July 2026 | Baltimore Beacon

Stronger together

Since stepping into the role of publisher this year, I have had a lot on my plate. Running a company is entirely different from being one of its executives.

The best part of ownership is the autonomy — I no longer need clearance to launch new ideas and initiatives. The worst part, however, is the constant second-guessing. While I am lucky to have an exceptional team to strategize with and our retired founders as a resourceful sounding board, the reality remains: “The buck stops here.”

FROM THE PUBLISHER

count, which limited our coverage. By combining both papers, we can provide even more information and resources to the readers of these two great communities. This region is deeply personal to me. My family originally emigrated from Germany to Baltimore in the early 1800s. My parents were both born and raised there, and some may say I still carry a few “Bawlmore” colloquialisms. It’s in my blood.

By Gordon Hasenei

We’re working on some exciting changes to better serve our readers. Among the many ideas we are considering, one is the easiest — and smartest — choice.

Next month, we will launch a new edition, one that merges the Baltimore Beacon with our Howard County Beacon. In the past, both papers were small in page

Being a military brat and a veteran, I have lived in many places and lost some of my accent, but rest assured, if you get me talking, my “hon” will come out sooner or later.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the O’s, and I still refuse to forgive Robert Irsay for moving my beloved Colts in the middle of the night.

When I was young, Howard County was just the rural farm area you drove through between Washington, D.C., and

The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to infor m, serve and enter tain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions ser ve Howard County, Maryland and Greater Washington, D.C.

Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($50) or third-class mail ($20), prepaid with order. Maryland residents: add 6% for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below.

Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

Gordon Hasenei, Publisher, CEO

Steve Gurney, Associate Publisher

Margaret Foster, Editor

Kyle Gregory, Art Director

Roger King, Vice President of Operations

Advertising Representatives:

Jill Joseph, Steve Levin, M.K. Phillips

Ana Preger Hart, Assistant Editor

Tori Cleveland, Editorial Assistant

Stuart & Judy Rosenthal, Founders

The Beacon, 3720 Farragut Ave., Suite 501 Kensington, MD 20895

Baltimore. Much has changed over the decades. Howard County’s growth from a rural landscape to a highly affluent suburban county has been remarkable to watch.

My brother and his family live in Columbia, so I visit often and have witnessed this growth firsthand. Given that Howard County abuts Baltimore County, it simply made sense to combine the papers as geographic neighbors.

When we started the Howard County Beacon 16 years ago, it was our only publication focused on just one county. Over the years, it became apparent that this strategy limited our ability to provide as much compelling editorial as we wanted.

Moving forward, we continue to value our strong partnerships. Our collaboration with the Howard County Office on Aging & Independence remains important, and their newsletters will continue to appear in

this new edition as a useful resource.

Because our readers in both areas have been so loyal to the Beacon, we have decided to repay that loyalty with a more robust publication, packed full of compelling editorial content and relevant advertising.

So next month you may notice something different about the paper. It will have more pages than usual, which means more stories about fitness, nutrition, medical advances, clinical trials, technology tips, scam alerts, financial tips, travel destinations and local artists, authors and plays.

I hope you are as excited about the new Greater Baltimore edition as we are.

Letters to the editor

Readers are encouraged to share their opinions on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, 3720 Farragut Ave., Suite 501, Kensington, MD 20895 or email info@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor Emeritus:

Your musical compositions are charming. As a creative type myself (basilandsage.substack.com), I have to admit that I’ve only listened to two or three of your lovely pieces, not because I’ve stopped, but because once I came upon “Pensive Stroll by a Playground,” I had to immerse myself, listening again and again.

Don’t think of this as too much of a stretch, but who can listen to one of Bach’s fugues once only? The palette of mood and emotion you portray in that little composition just sweeps me away. Bravo!

Of course, by the time you read this, I may have chosen another favorite. What a delight to know that there is more!

Thank you, Mr. Rosenthal, for sharing your talent and the things it discovers.

(301) 949-9766 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com

Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com

Submissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 15 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

© Copyright 2026 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

Jonathan Covington Via email

Dear Editor:

This morning when I stopped at the grocery store, I picked up a copy of the Beacon. As I was thumbing through it, my eyes were drawn to the story on Robert Friedman, still writing books at age 92. It was his sweatshirt that attracted my attention, since it was a green alumni sweatshirt from my alma mater, Ohio University. I’d recognize it anywhere.

Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, was founded in 1804, 66 years before the larger, better known Ohio State University (Ohio State is better known since it

is a Big-10 football power). I couldn’t believe that the writer could make the mistake of saying that Friedman graduated from Ohio State!

I’m sure that if you check with Friedman, he’ll confirm that he graduated as a Bobcat, not a Buckeye. Or else if he did graduate from Ohio State, he decided to play a trick on all of you by wearing the Ohio University sweatshirt.

Bruce Goldberg Ohio University alumnus

From the Editor: You are absolutely correct; thank you for pointing that out.

Dear Editor:

The article in the May issue of the Beacon entitled “BGE bill higher? Data centers are the culprit” did not address that Maryland used to produce all of the electricity we used.

That changed when the legislature and Governor Moore adopted a scheme to jump on the green energy bandwagon and shut down existing generating facilities without replacing them. Now Maryland must import electricity at a much higher cost.

George Banville Catonsville, MD

From the Editor: According to the state’s Office of People’s Counsel, Maryland has been a net energy importer of electricity every year since 1990, long before Gov. Moore took office.

Trust the Home Care Expert

With Tom Smith, Regional Manager, Business Development, Family & Nursing

Care

Planning a Safe and Enjoyable Summer Vacation with Aging Loved Ones

Summer travel offers a wonderful opportunity to spend time together, create lasting memories, and enjoy a change of scenery. When traveling with an aging loved one, a little extra planning can help ensure the experience is not only enjoyable, but safe and comfortable for everyone involved. Whether you are planning a weekend getaway or a longer trip, thoughtful preparation can make all the difference.

Plan Ahead for Health and Comfort

Before traveling, take time to consider your loved one’s specific needs and preferences. Review medications and pack more than enough for the duration of the trip, along with a current list of prescriptions and important medical information. If your loved one uses mobility aids such as a walker or wheelchair, confirm that transportation and accommodations can support those needs.

It is also helpful to schedule travel during times of day when your loved one typically feels their best, and to build in time for rest breaks along the way. Choosing familiar foods, staying hydrated, and maintaining elements of a regular routine can help reduce stress and support overall well-being.

Prepare for Safety Along the Way

Travel often introduces new environments, which can increase the risk of falls or confusion.

Simple steps can go a long way in promoting safety. Request accessible hotel rooms, check for features such as grab bars and adequate lighting, and minimize clutter in living spaces.

If your loved one is living with cognitive changes, consider bringing familiar items from home, such as a favorite blanket or photos, to create a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar setting. Maintaining a consistent daily rhythm can also help reduce anxiety and disorientation.

The Value of Traveling with a Caregiver

For many families, one of the most effective ways to ensure a smooth trip is to have a professional caregiver travel alongside their loved one. A caregiver can provide handson assistance with personal care, mobility, and medication reminders, while also offering companionship and reassurance throughout the journey.

“Travel should be an opportunity for families to connect and enjoy time together, not a source of stress,” said Kelly Salb, Vice President of Client Services at Family & Nursing Care. “Having a dedicated caregiver present allows clients to travel more safely and comfortably, while giving families peace of mind and the ability to fully enjoy the experience.” Flexible Support Wherever

Care needs do not pause when

you leave home. Having access to reliable, flexible support can help ensure continuity, whether you are traveling locally or long-distance. At Family & Nursing Care, we can arrange for experienced caregivers to accompany clients on trips, offering the same high level of support they receive at home. Our team is available 24/7/365 to help coordinate care that fits your plans and preferences.

Making the Most of Time Together

With the right preparation and support in place, summer travel can be a positive and enriching experience for both older adults and their families. By planning

ahead and prioritizing safety, comfort, and flexibility, you can focus on what matters most: spending meaningful time together. To learn more about how Family & Nursing Care can support your travel plans, call 410-697-8200 or visit our website at familynursingcare.com.

Studies show physical activity is linked to increased life expectancy after cancer. See story on page 7.

Genes and illness trigger certain heart diseases

By Howard LeWine, M.D.

Q: I thought heart attacks are caused by sudden complete blockage in a heart artery. But my father’s happened because his blood pressure suddenly got too low. Are there different types of heart attacks?

A: Yes, there are different types of heart attacks. Most often the underlying problem is the same. One or more of the coronary arteries (the vessels that supply blood to the heart) have some or often a lot of fatty plaque buildup. During a heart attack, not enough oxygen-rich blood — or none at all — gets delivered to an area of the heart.

There are two different mechanisms that cause this compromised blood flow. Doctors define them as type 1 and type 2 heart attacks. The distinction is important because they may be treated differently.

Type 1 heart attacks: With a type 1 heart attack, the cap over a plaque deposit ruptures and releases chemicals that trigger the formation of a blood clot. The clot blocks the artery, interfering with blood flow to part of the heart.

Type 2 heart attacks: A type 2 heart attack does not involve a ruptured plaque. Instead, it happens when there is a mismatch between the amount of blood a portion of the heart muscle needs and the blood supply in the coronary artery feeding that area of the heart.

The trigger for a type 2 heart attack can be a condition that puts extra stress on the heart, like the flu or pneumonia,

an abnormal heart rhythm resulting in an accelerated heart rate, or a sudden drop in blood pressure.

With any concern for a heart attack, the doctor will immediately order an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a blood test to measure levels of troponin, a protein in heart muscle cells that spills into the bloodstream when any type of heart damage occurs.

Doctors look for high troponin levels and certain changes in the electrical pattern on the ECG to make a diagnosis. Both tests are used because either one can be normal or show only minimal changes in the earliest stage of a heart attack.

In fact, even with normal ECG and troponin results, emergency department doctors will begin immediate treatment if your symptoms are highly suggestive of a heart attack, especially if you have multiple heart risk factors.

If you’re diagnosed with a likely type 1 heart attack, the doctor will probably send you to the cardiac catheterization lab for angioplasty and stent placement to restore blood flow to the injured heart muscle and minimize permanent damage.

For a type 2 diagnosis, the goal is to improve the balance between blood supply and demand. It’s important to address any medical problem that stresses the heart, such as an infection, an abnormally fast heart rhythm, or low blood pressure.

Q: My brother was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm. Do I need to be

tested to see if I have one?

A: The aorta is the thick-walled vessel that carries blood from the heart’s left ventricle to the rest of the body. It curves up and over the heart in a gentle arc, narrowing slightly as it extends down through the center of the body.

As is true for most heart problems, smoking and high blood pressure can heighten the risk of problems with the aorta.

But so can genes and certain medical conditions, which can weaken the wall of the aorta. As a result, the aortic wall may tear (aortic dissection) or bulge outward (aortic aneurysm) and possibly rupture.

About three-quarters of all aortic aneurysms occur in the center of the body, below the kidneys. Known as abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), most grow very slowly and don’t cause any symptoms. But an undiscovered one can expand rapidly and burst with little warning.

Aneurysms in the chest area (thoracic aortic aneurysms, or TAAs) are classified by location.

Those in the descending aorta (the section after the arch of the aorta) are more common in older people who smoke and have high blood pressure.

Aneurysms in the ascending aorta (the section closest to the heart) usually occur in younger people and may be linked to certain genetic conditions, including a bicuspid aortic valve, in which the valve has only two flaps instead of the usual three. About one in every 100 peo-

ple has a bicuspid aortic valve, and half of them have an enlarged aorta.

You should ask your doctor about getting a screening test to see if you might be developing an aortic aneurysm. But which test you might need depends on the location of your brother’s aneurysm.

Screening for an abdominal aortic aneurysm involves a simple abdominal ultrasound, which the guidelines recommend for people at greatest risk: (1) anyone with a family history of an AAA, and (2) men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.

A heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) or CT scan can be used to screen for a TAA. You should be tested for a thoracic aortic aneurysm if you:

• have a bicuspid aortic valve; have had a bicuspid aortic valve replaced; or have a parent, sibling or child with one

• have had surgery to replace or repair an aortic valve before age 70

• have a parent, sibling or child who has a thoracic aortic aneurysm or who has experienced a rupture of an aneurysm or an aortic dissection

• have Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Turner syndrome or certain other genetic conditions.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, see health.harvard.edu. © 2026 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Hearing aids can improve mental health

By Adithi Ramakrishnan and Shelby Lum Ballerina Sara Mearns

was missing her cues.

She couldn’t hear what her dance partner was saying from across the studio. A New York City Ballet principal dancer, Mearns was late for her entrances because the music sounded too soft.

Without telling anyone, she finally made an appointment to get her hearing checked.

Mearns learned that she had hearing loss. After years of isolation, she got the tools to make sense of a world that had become muffled.

Now, she’s one of the first dancers

with the New York City Ballet to wear hearing aids during performances.

“I feel like it’s a whole new chapter of my life,” Mearns, 40, said in an interview with the AP.

While hearing loss is common in older adults, it can happen at any age and can be caused by things like nerve damage, infection or head trauma. For Mearns, it may have been a blend of factors including genetics, medical conditions and exposure to loud noise.

Signs of hearing loss

According to the National Institutes of

Health, less than a fifth of American adults aged 20 to 69 who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them. That’s due to lack of access, shame or embarrassment and just not knowing the symptoms.

“Hearing loss is often not detected by the person because what they can’t hear, they don’t know,” said Dr. Anil Lalwani, a hearing expert with Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Still, “there are a lot of symptoms of hearing loss that are not hearing less,” said Dr. Maura Cosetti with Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

One thing to look out for is saying “what” more often, and not being able to hear friends and family in noisy settings like restaurants. Other symptoms include ringing, a sensation like something is stuck in the ears or conversations sounding muffled.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mearns couldn’t hear conversations when people were wearing masks.

“I realized that I was reading everybody’s lips to understand what they were saying,” she said.

Get a hearing test

Experts say to let a doctor know if you think you may be experiencing symptoms of hearing loss. They can help you connect with an audiologist or an ear, nose and throat specialist to get a hearing test.

Cosetti with Mount Sinai said the Mimi Hearing Test app can be a useful resource to get a sense of your hearing. Seeing a professional is the best way to figure out what’s actually going on — like whether your ears are just plugged up with wax or fluid.

Hearing aids fine-tune the sound signal that enters the brain, enhancing speech while lowering background noise. They can be expensive, but many are now available over the counter. Some Apple AirPods also can be used as hearing aids. For more severe forms of hearing loss, doctors may recommend a device called a cochlear implant, which converts sounds into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. These include a surgically inserted component and can take months to get used to.

Take time to adjust

Mearns initially felt embarrassed to step into the booth for her hearing test, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear all

BEACON BITS

July

the words. Her audiologist, Dr. Marta Gielarowiec, helped her understand what she was missing and guided her to appropriate hearing aids.

“It’s definitely not a ‘one size fits all.’ There is a lot of adjustment, tuning and calibration involved,” said Gielarowiec, who runs a practice in New York. “Overall, the goal is to maximize the hearing that’s left.”

Addressing hearing loss can help boost mental health, improve communication and slow cognitive decline for people at high risk of dementia.

When Mearns walked out of her audiologist’s office wearing her aids for the first time, she felt overwhelmed. She could hear the pattering of shoes on the ground, the chirping of birds across the street and the billowing of a flag a block behind her. Returning to her dressing room, she cried.

She can now hear the full might of the orchestra when she performs — and take phone calls in her ears.

The life she was living before, she said, was exhausting. At the end of every day she was tired from the strain of asking people to repeat themselves and missing out on conversations and the punchlines of jokes.

“I don’t want people to feel what I felt, where I was embarrassed and I was quiet about it,” she said. “Because now that I’m on the other side, I’m so happy.”

SIGN UP FOR MD SENIOR OLYMPICS

Are you 50 or older? Then it’s time to sign up to participate in the Maryland Senior Olympics (and you don’t even have to reside in Maryland). Cycling, horseshoes and badminton are scheduled for July, while shuffleboard, bowling, volleyball and other events take place in August, September and October. The first event costs $15 to $50; additional ones are $5 each. To register, visit mdseniorolympics.org.

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HEALTHY MEALS & ENGAGING ACTIVITIES Stay active, connected, and nourished

Get Free Housing Information

For free materials about area housing communities, just complete and clip this coupon and mail, or take a picture and email, to the Beacon.

Maryland

o Brightview Senior Living (See ad on page B5)

o Caritas House Assisted (See ad on page B2)

o Catholic Charities Senior Communities (See ad on page B2)

o Charlestown/Erickson (See ads on pages B2, B3)

o Christ Church Harbor Apts. (See ad on page B4)

o Oak Crest/Erickson (See ad on page B3)

o Park View Laurel (See ad on page B6)

o Park View Towson (See ad on page B6)

o Park View Fullerton (See ad on page B6)

o Park View Rosedale (See ad on page B6)

o Pickersgill (See ad on page 10)

o Roland View Towers (See ad on page B7)

o Virginia Towers Apts. (See ad on page B4)

o Warren Place Apts. (See ad on page B4)

o Westminster House (See ad on page B2)

Clinical Health Studies

o Exercise & Sleep Study/mPATH (See ad on page 6)

o Patient First Spring Studies (See ad and article on page 6)

o Smell Test Study (See ad on page 7)

o Spring Clinical Trial (See ad on page 7)

o Weight Loss Clinical Study (See ad on page 6)

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Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, 3720 Farragut Ave., Suite 501 Kensington, MD 20895 or take a picture and email to housing@thebeaconnewspapers.com

Health Studies INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

New drug may help Alzheimer’s patients

By Margaret Foster

When people have Alzheimer’s disease, an estimated 20% to even 50% suffer from hallucinations and delusions; that is, they see or believe things that aren’t real or true.

It goes without saying that these symptoms are upsetting for not only the pa-

tient but everyone around them.

“These symptoms can be distressing for both patients and their caregivers. Researchers are studying whether this medication can safely help manage these symptoms and improve quality of life,” said Ronke Awojoodu, CEO, founder and research director at Patient First Clinical

Improve Your Health with Personalized Activities

Trials in Lutherville, Maryland.

Fortunately, a new drug is being tested that could help. Manufactured by MapLight Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Redwood City, California, the drug passed its phase one safety trials two years ago and is now in phase two of development.

The clinical trial is under way in 40 locations, including in countries like Canada, France and South Korea. One of them is right here in our area: Patient First Clinical Trials on York Road.

which means neither the patient nor staff know if the pill contains the drug or a harmless placebo.

After the seven weeks, staff will follow up with a phone call.

Why participate in a clinical trial?

If the drug successfully reduces symptoms, Awojoodu said, it could change the future for Alzheimer’s patients.

“This study is evaluating whether an investigational medication can help reduce hallucinations and delusions in people living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Awojoodu said.

How the study works

The study requires seven in-person visits. Patients and their caregivers go to Patient First Clinical Trials to take the study drug. Free parking is available, and, for people without a car, free transportation (a ride from Lyft) is provided.

They’ll take a pill once a week for seven weeks. The study is “double-blind,”

Patient First Clinical Trials has other studies underway now for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, asthma and COPD. Participants can make a big difference.

“Every treatment available today exists because someone chose to participate in a clinical trial,” she said.

“By taking part in this study, participants and their families can help researchers learn more about Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and contribute to the development of future treatment options. Their participation may help improve care for future patients and families facing similar challenges.”

For more information, email info@pfctrials.com or call (410) 832-3968.

It’s okay to exercise during cancer care

By Kaye Sturz

Dear Mayo Clinic: I’ve always been active, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer and starting my treatment, I’m a little worried about getting back into my routine. Is it OK to exercise during cancer treatment?

A: It’s well known that exercise decreases the risk of developing cancer. Studies have shown there is a 30% to 35% reduction in the risk of breast cancer among the most physically active women compared with those who are least active. Exercise plays a protective role in many other cancers, including lung, endometrial, colon, kidney, bladder and esophageal.

However, exercise also can be helpful during and after cancer treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, research shows exercise during cancer treatment can improve physical functioning and quality of life.

Moderate exercise can:

• Increase strength and endurance

• Strengthen the cardiovascular system

• Reduce depression and anxiety

• Diminish fatigue

• Improve mood and self-esteem

• Lessen pain

• Improve sleep

Of course, there may be certain issues that prevent or affect a person’s ability to

exercise due to disease or type of treatment, including:

• Anemia — having a low number of red blood cells or quantity of hemoglobin or protein

• Weak immune system

• Some for ms of radiation treatment

• Some surgeries that limit certain exercises

Some people should use extra care to reduce the risk of injury, including older people and those with bone disease, arthritis or nerve damage, also called peripheral neuropathy.

After treatment, keep it up

Exciting studies show that regular physical activity is linked to increased life expectancy after a cancer diagnosis. In many cases, it also decreases the risk of cancer recurrence.

Multiple studies in cancer survivors, with the strongest evidence in breast and colon cancer survivors, have suggested that physically active cancer survivors have a lower risk of cancer recurrence and improved survival compared with those who are inactive.

The American Cancer Society, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the American College of Sports Medicine and the U.S. Department of Health and

or family

Human Services all advocate physical activity for cancer patients and survivors. The American Cancer Society recommends cancer survivors take these actions:

• Par ticipate in regular physical activity

• Avoid inactivity and return to normal

Ongoing smell loss may be one of the most important signals of brain health as we age. A new study from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is exploring this link. We’re calling on everyone with and without Parkinson’s to request a simple scratch-and-sniff test and contribute to important research.

Playwright illuminates hidden history

By Tina Collins

Most playwrights spend their careers trying to create memorable characters. Stephen LaRocque spends his trying to understand them.

That may explain why his plays often linger long after the curtain falls. LaRocque, 74, is less interested in grand historical events than in the individuals who lived through them — ordinary people caught in extraordinary moments.

LaRocque believes history is best understood through the people who lived it. That’s the focus of Declaration, his latest play, which will be performed at Spotlighters Theatre later this year.

It tells the story of Mary Katharine Goddard, the Baltimore printer who published the first broadside of the Declaration of Independence bearing the names of its signers. It’s a story many Americans have never heard, despite Baltimore’s pivotal role during the Revolutionary War.

For LaRocque, that obscurity is precisely the point.

“I’m drawn to people who made a difference and then slipped out of the spotlight,” he said in an interview with the Beacon

The play unfolds during the winter of 1776-77, when the Continental Congress temporarily relocated to Baltimore after fleeing Philadelphia to avoid capture by the advancing British forces.

While textbooks tend to focus on generals and statesmen, LaRocque’s attention falls on Goddard and the workers in her print shop, people whose decisions helped shape history but whose names rarely appear in classrooms.

“Everyone remembers the signing,” he said. “But the printing was its own act of courage. Once those names were published, there was no retreat.”

The groundbreaking play is a classic LaRocque work. Throughout a career spanning nearly five decades, he has consistently sought out the quiet stories hiding in the corners of history.

LaRocque’s characters are rarely comfortable. They are seekers and skeptics caught in the act of becoming or even unraveling. They live at thresholds: between faith and doubt, desire and duty, inheritance and reinvention. His plays ask questions that are at once personal and cultural: What do we owe each other? Who gets to belong? How do we survive the stories we inherit?

“I’m interested in the moment where

From page 7

daily activities as soon as possible after diagnosis

• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week

• Include strength training exercises at least two days per week

certainty cracks. That’s where people tell the truth,” he said.

Almost a decade in the making

When LaRocque began researching Declaration in 2017, he discovered a woman whose contribution to American history far exceeded her public recognition.

“There is no biography of her,” he said. “Not even a portrait that is indisputably acknowledged to be her likeness.”

The oversight was strangely liberating.

“Her obscurity was actually an asset,” he said. “I could imagine her more freely than I could a fully documented historical character.”

During the decade-long project, drafts evolved. Characters disappeared. Entire storylines were cut.

Looking back, LaRocque estimates that he spent years researching and at least six years writing the script.

The final result not only revives an overlooked chapter of the city’s history but also reflects the values that have guided LaRocque’s career: curiosity, persistence, and a deep respect for people history has forgotten. Those qualities have sustained him through 50 years of writing.

The long game

LaRocque’s journey to the theater was not entirely conventional. Before establishing himself as a playwright, actor and director, he spent 29 years on active duty as a U.S. Naval officer.

Much of that writing happened during his daily commute to and from the Pentagon. While other passengers read newspapers or stared out the window, LaRocque filled notebooks with scenes, dialogue and ideas.

“I wrote so many scripts commuting back and forth from the Pentagon on the Metro trains,” he recalled.

The military and the theater may seem like very different worlds. One emphasizes discipline and hierarchy; the other imagination and interpretation. Yet both depend on collaboration, trust and a shared mission. In both settings, individuals must work together toward something larger than themselves.

LaRocque’s military career occasionally intersected with theater in unexpected ways. During one deployment aboard a submarine, he helped stage a parody awards ceremony for the crew.

Not everyone is ready to head to the gym during or after cancer therapy. However, reconnecting with an activity you like to do can help you stick with an exercise program. Exercise may include a bike ride with friends or chasing your dog around the park.

Walking is a great activity for almost

“It filled some of the dead spaces that inevitably occur on a long patrol,” he recalled.

Whether aboard a submarine, in a Pentagon office or later in rehearsal halls and theaters, LaRocque has always looked for stories.

In 1976, LaRocque submitted his first play and received his first rejection letter.

“I have been submitting — and getting rejected — pretty regularly ever since,” he said.

LaRocque jokes that he wishes he had saved the rejection letters because they would have made “a nice collection of theater stationery.”

Powerful works

One of the advantages of a long career is perspective. In the decades since LaRocque first put pen to paper, theaters have changed, audiences have changed, and the culture itself has changed. Entire artistic movements have come and gone.

Perhaps the most abrupt cataclysm was September 11, 2001. Stationed at the Pentagon when it was attacked, LaRocque witnessed firsthand one of the defining events of modern American history. The experience, from moment of impact to seeing a makeshift morgue in the building’s courtyard, eventually inspired his play September 11th Was a Tuesday.

Many of the anecdotes in the play came directly from conversations he had with Pentagon coworkers in the days and weeks after the attack.

What do people do when history arrives at their doorstep? How much courage does it take to stand behind one’s convictions?

For LaRocque, such questions are not confined to other centuries. The best historical dramas are never really about the past; they are about the present viewed through a different lens. The historical settings provide context, but the emotional questions remain familiar: fear, loyalty, ambition, love of country, doubt.

Characters come to life

LaRocque has written more than 30 plays, 16 of which have been performed. He has worked not only as a playwright but also as an actor and director, spending much of his career in the WashingtonBaltimore theater community.

The regional theater world is filled with artists who labor largely outside

everyone, and swimming can be a wonderful alternative for those with joint issues. Yoga is fantastic for strengthening, flexibility and balance concerns.

Kaye Sturz, D.N.P., Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational re-

public recognition, and LaRocque is comfortable in that space. He talks less about success than craft, noting the delight of sitting in a rehearsal room and watching actors discover something unexpected.

“Once actors get hold of a script, they find things you never knew were there,” he said.

His characters are rarely heroes or villains. More often they are people wrestling with uncertainty, trying to do the right thing without knowing exactly what that is. His plays suggest that history is not inevitable but shaped by countless individual choices.

One of LaRocque’s most enduring projects wasn’t a traditional play at all. Fascinated by the work of legendary World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, he created a one-man show drawn entirely from Pyle’s dispatches.

First staged in 2011 and still being performed today, Byline: Ernie Pyle has taken him to libraries, theaters and senior living communities throughout the region.

“I expect that I’ll keep doing it until the memory gives out, or the legs — or both,” he said.

No plans to slow down

LaRocque retired from the Navy in 2005. Today, while many of his peers are contemplating retirement, LaRocque is still creating, researching, revising and filling notebooks.

He’s still fascinated with history because he believes the past remains relevant. The main character of Declaration, for instance, represents the people who quietly keep society moving forward while others receive the credit.

The famous men arrive, make speeches, sign documents and move on. But someone still has to print the declaration. Someone still has to keep the shop running. Someone still has to tell the story.

That, in many ways, has been LaRocque’s life’s work.

As Baltimore prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, Declaration offers audiences an opportunity to look at familiar history from a different angle. It asks them to notice the people standing just outside the frame.

For LaRocque, the production, scheduled to run in December, is more than another staging.

“It’s a chance to bring a Baltimore story home.”

source and doesn’t replace regular medical care. This Mayo Clinic Q&A represents inquiries this healthcare expert has received from patients. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org.

© 2026 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Senior LivingOptions

At some communities, never a dull moment

By Luke Sanelli

LouAnn and Howard Rau didn’t plan on moving into a retirement home until their later years, but after a visit to Oak Crest Senior Living in Parkville, Maryland, that included a hilarious presentation on downsizing and a dinner of steak and lobster, the two of them decided not to put it off any longer. The couple, now 72 and 69, made the move last summer.

“We were coming here, and then it was like, ‘Why are we waiting?’” said Howard Rau. “‘Why don’t we do it now?’ And boom, we just did it. [We decided] not to wait until you’re 80 and 90 to move in — come on in when you’re on the younger side, and live a little.”

The desire to “live a little” is one that runs in LouAnn Rau’s family. Both of her parents spent their final years at Oak Crest, and her mother, in particular, made the most of it. In fact, her mother organized and held a gala with other residents for more than 20 years.

“She said, ‘Sometimes I get the feeling that they think we came here to die, but we came here to live,’” LouAnn Rau said. “So it is your mindset also. And when my dad did pass away, [my mother] had so many friends, and she was still very much involved in things that she enjoyed her life.”

The Raus are in the minority: 60% of older Americans prefer to age at home, while just 19% would like to move into a nursing home or assisted living facility, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.

Yet living at home can be isolating, particularly if driving becomes cumbersome. Loneliness has been found to accelerate aging and exacerbate health conditions.

On the other hand, the Baltimore area has dozens of retirement communities, some decades old, like Charlestown in Catonsville and Pickersgill in Towson, founded in 1802. More are being constructed, like The Gallery at Roland Park, scheduled to open next year.

Activities at Oak Crest

All of these communities provide a full slate of activities and events for their residents. At Oak Crest, LouAnn and Howard Rau both play pickleball; Howard works at the TV studio; and LouAnn takes exercise classes. They’ve both taken part in a pickleball Christmas party and have organized a watch party with other residents for an upcoming pickleball movie, The Dink.

“It’s community to the max, and people helping people and just enjoying being with them,” LouAnn Rau said.

Andrew Lingelbach, fitness manager at Oak Crest, is one of the staff members most responsible for organizing these activities, getting residents involved and helping them to build community. Lingelbach leads a staff of four who help Oak Crest residents safely stay active and moving.

Lingelbach used to work in the commercial fitness industry, where he enjoyed working with older adults most. When he saw a position at Oak Crest, Lingelbach leaped at the opportunity.

“I thought, ‘Oh man, I could just work with them all day long,’” he said. “It’s like having an ice cream sundae for dessert every day.”

Lingelbach said that he particularly likes working with seniors because he enjoys helping them find “day-to-day functionality and interpersonal connections.” With that in mind, he tries to come up

with programs that will be exciting and fun to residents that have exercised their whole lives and to residents who may not have exercised at all — programs like a boot camp-style workout followed by a happy hour.

“Just because people get older doesn’t mean they [should] stop having fun and trying new things and doing something different,” he said.

Get involved

Connecting with people and getting out of your apartment, according to LouAnn Rau, is “critical” to having a positive experience at a senior living community. Having spent 25 years as a homecare nurse, Rau saw how loneliness affects seniors’ health.

“You do have to leave your apartment and get to meet people so that they can

surround you with love,” she said.

Fortunately, Rau has had no trouble getting to know her fellow residents as well as Oak Crest’s friendly employees. She wonders if staff had been trained at the “Chick-fil-A school of customer service,” she joked.

“It’s just that nice of a place to live, and you can’t fake that stuff,” Rau said.

Ultimately, she said, enjoying life at Oak Crest comes by choosing to make the most of it.

“We’ve embraced the lifestyle, because you can’t put this on anybody else,” Rau said.

“You have to be responsible for yourself, too. If you don’t get out of your apartment, you’re not going to [meet] anybody to have fun with. So, we’ve chosen to take the high road on that, and we’ve got lots of friends. We’re doing lots of fun things.”

Neighbors at Oak Crest Senior Living in Parkville, Maryland, share a meal together. Living in a retirement community can make it easier to maintain social connections.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICKSON

I’m young in my senior living community

By James Vandeputte

When I was a boy, I worked at an “old folks’ home” in Washington, D.C. The “old” people seemed fun and mellow. I liked that they didn’t have the cares and woes of the workaday world. I found that old people are young people who aged — some better than others.

When I got older, I wanted to live like them. I moved into Goodwin House in Alexandria, Virginia, just three days shy of my 61st birthday. The average move-in

age is 84.

At the office, I was one of the old guys. Here I’m the youngest resident. I have certainly been the object of curiosity. At first, many people would ask me my age. Or if I worked here.

But now, almost four years later, I am happier than I have ever been in all my life. Every day, at some point, I say to myself, “I can’t believe I live here” — and in a good way.

I could not replicate on my own what I

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have here at Goodwin House. It’s not just the amenities: a library, indoor swimming pool, gym; it’s all the amazing people I’m surrounded by.

In a retirement community, you don’t only get to know the residents; you come to know the employees — they are like family, the family you want to be around. My home is not just my apartment; my home is this community.

Why I started planning early

I’m relieved to be here now, on my own terms, because I’ve seen what happens when other people don’t plan ahead. My grandmother, a great-aunt and a neighbor stayed in their houses too long and weren’t able to make their own decisions about where they moved.

Ever since I was essentially orphaned at age 17, I learned to be self-sufficient. I’ve always wanted to be as prepared as possible; that gives me peace of mind.

When I began planning for retirement about 10 years ago, I moved from my house to an apartment. That meant taking on the exhausting work of offloading many of my possessions. I told myself that if I had separation anxiety from “stuff,” I could buy more later, but that didn’t happen. I’ve learned that if you can’t eat it or wear it, don’t buy it. I have enough stuff — what I need is love, warmth and meaningful relationships.

After the move to what I thought would be my “forever home,” I asked myself, “I have this much energy now, so how much energy would I conceivably have 10 years or more in the future?” I realized that another move could be even more difficult.

So I started planning ahead. I looked around at nearby senior living communities and got on the waiting list for Goodwin House when I was 56. I hoped to move up the list by the time I was in my

60s, but I didn’t feel any pressure because I wasn’t obligated to move in at any particular time.

During those waitlist years, I attended some events at the complex. At open houses and ice-cream socials, residents would ask me, “Are you looking for a place for your parents?”

When I replied that I was looking for my own apartment, the typical reply was, “I should have moved in sooner.” I knew I was doing the right thing.

Retiring here has saved me from social isolation. If I had stayed in my apartment in Arlington, I would essentially be on my own during the weekdays, while most of my neighbors were at work. But I’m not on my own here at Goodwin House.

Life on the inside

There is a new Netflix series called “A Man on the Inside,” starring Ted Danson as a detective undercover at a senior living community, and the show, with its spunky and wise characters, is quite true to life.

My next-door neighbor, for instance, who just turned 100 years old, told me to let her know if her music or football game is too loud so she can turn it down. Yet younger people like me can thrive in retirement communities and contribute to the culture. They can even inspire communities to evolve and add activities that cater to a wider age range.

Then again, when you live here, you can do everything or nothing at all. Participation in group activities is not mandatory. Just because a person moves into a retirement community doesn’t mean that they’re an extrovert. Some are here primarily for the continuing care, not the social life, activities and amenities.

See YOUNG, page B-3

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Call 1-800-989-6981 to request your free brochure or schedule a tour.

Young

From page B-2

Here, I’ve been given the luxury of free time. I haven’t cooked a meal since I moved into Goodwin House, and my apartment is cleaned once a week. Less to do, less worry. The 1989 song “Always Saturday” could be the theme song of where I live. Some of the lyrics are, “I want to live where it’s like today, I want to live where it’s always this way, I want to live where it’s always Saturday.”

How I spend my time

Now that I’m retired, I can choose how I want to live each day. I worked for 45 years, and some of it I found satisfying. But I am

BEACON BITS

finding another type of satisfaction now.

I’ve found that in my own community. I never planned or imagined that I would be volunteering in the healthcare center, or in the nursing care and memory care departments in my community. Now I spend my days reading to a blind woman, a stroke survivor and a woman with Parkinson’s as well as visiting patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Today I have much more meaning in my life. I have made a difference in the lives of others, and vice versa.

I can understand for some the choice and concept of aging in place — the sentimental attachment and memories associated with a place people want to hold onto. I have heard people say that they don’t

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want to live in “one of those places” or they don’t want to be in “dormitory-style living.”

But I didn’t “give up my independence” or anything else to live here. On the contrary, I have gained a great deal.

For me, the expression “Life is a journey, not a destination” isn’t quite true. I’ve found that there are many destina-

Oak Crest

tions along the way, even when you don’t expect them. Destinations, to me, spark delight and joy.

I’m not looking for a fountain of youth. I can and do experience feelings of joy now. Although I’m still a planner, always looking to the future, I enjoy being in the moment and savoring it.

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Long-term care insurance: Buy or not?

By Randy Swartwood

Americans have a good chance of living well into old age these days, which is something to cheer about.

But it also raises serious concerns for those who haven’t planned for the possibility of long-term care needs.

And the demand for those needs has never been greater.

Take a trip back through the history of aging, and the numbers are startling. In 1900, when the 20th century was about to

start, just 100,000 Americans lived to be older than 85, according to the Institute on Aging.

Fast-forward to the 21st century. In 2010, that number was 5.5 million. Projections are that by 2050, the 85-plus age group will number 19 million, making it 24% of older adults and 5% of the total population.

This longevity is wonderful for those who manage to maintain good health in their later years. But an extraordinarily large percentage of people will need some

form of long-term care, which could include in-home assistance, community and assisted living or nursing home care.

According to the federal government’s Administration for Community Living, someone who turns 65 today has nearly a 70% chance of requiring long-term care at some point during their remaining years.

Unfortunately, long-term care is not covered under Medicare, and too many Americans and their families aren’t prepared to pay for that care. Those bills can make a sizable dent in any retiree’s assets, possibly leaving little to nothing for the person’s heirs.

How expensive is long-term care?

The median cost in the United States for an assisted living facility in 2025 is $6,077 a month, according to Genworth and CareScout. A semi-private room in a nursing home is $9,555 a month. Money disappears fast at those rates.

For a long time, one of the most popular ways to prepare was through a longterm care insurance policy. But those policies had a serious downside because they were a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.

If you actually needed care, the policy was there, helping you avoid raiding the entirety of your savings. But if it turned out you never needed long-term care,

then those monthly payments, in a sense, had been for naught.

You or your beneficiaries didn’t receive any kind of refund. (In fairness, that’s much the way car insurance works; it’s there if you need it but provides no benefit if you don’t.)

Hybrid policies

Fortunately, there are alternative longterm care insurance options that are more flexible, allowing you to avoid that use-it-or-lose-it approach.

One option is a hybrid life insurance and long-term care insurance policy. With such a policy, if you end up needing longterm care, you can use the death benefit (the money your beneficiaries would have received when you die) to pay for it.

But if you never need long-term care, then your beneficiaries receive the full death benefit payout when you die.

Some policies also offer a cash benefit that allows you to take money out to use at your discretion for expenses other than long-term care. [Ed. Note: According to AARP, hybrid policies’ “life insurance payouts tend to be modest unless you attach long-term care to a larger, more expensive permanent life insurance policy.”]

See LONG-TERM CARE, page B-6

Find the perfect destination to retire

Dear Savvy Senior,

What resources can you recommend for researching good places to retire in the U.S.? My husband and I are interested in relocating to a warmer climate when we retire next year. —Looking to Relocate

Dear Looking, Whether you’re considering seasonal escapes or a permanent change, there are a wide variety of digital resources that can help you find and research new locations. Here are some tips and tools to help you get started.

Where to retire?

weather information at National Centers for Environmental Information at NCEI. noaa.gov. And to research climate-change factors and the risks of extreme temperatures, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes and drought in different locations, use ClimateCheck. com and FEMA (Hazards. fema.gov/nri).

By Jim Miller

Deciding where to relocate when you retire is a big decision. Consider things like cost of living, climate, taxes, healthcare, housing, crime, access to social and recreational activities, access to transportation and proximity to family and friends.

If you’re at the beginning of your search, a good starting point is BestPlaces.net. This website compiles demographic data from numerous reliable sources, updates it regularly and lets you easily compare cities using different criteria such as housing cost, climate, crime, religious practice, voting patterns and education level.

They even offer a 10-question quiz, which may suggest some locations you may never have thought of.

Publications like U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, WalletHub, Bankrate and The Motley Fool publish “best places to retire” ranking lists on their websites each year.

Once you identify a few good spots, here are some additional resources that can help you dig a little deeper.

Cost of living: Affordability is often the number-one factor when deciding where to relocate.

To research and compare the cost of living with your current home, use the previously mentioned BestPlaces.net, the Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator (EPI.org/resources/budget) and/or Bankrate’s cost of living calculator (Bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator).

And, because housing is a big expense, check real estate listings at Zillow.com and Realtor.com.

Taxes : Some states are more tax friendly than others. To see how states treat retirees when it comes to income, sales, property and other taxes, see the tax guide at Kiplinger.com called “Taxes on Retirees: A State-by-State Guide.” Crime rate: To evaluate how safe a community or area is, the FBI Crime Data Explorer (cde.ucr.cjis.gov) allows you to explore crime statistics at the national, state and local levels.

Climate: You can find U.S. climate/

Healthcare: If you’re enrolled or planning to enroll in original Medicare, check the coverage and availability of providers in your new location. Search by ZIP code for healthcare providers and facilities at Medicare. gov/care-compare.

See IDEAL RETIREMENT, page B-7

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SAVVY SENIOR

Some retirees hit the road permanently

By Alina Tugend

Say you’ve lived in a lovely community for decades. You own your home; you have a great circle of friends and family not too far away. Then you retire — and blow it all up.

You sell and give away everything: the house, the cars, the furniture, most of your clothes and items collected over a lifetime. And hit the road.

That’s what Judy Hoctor, 61, and her husband, Kevin, 64, did in November 2022. They retired from their jobs in San Francisco, where Kevin worked for Apple and Judy for a cybersecurity start-up.

At first they thought they might work remotely, but that wasn’t viable. Retiring in San Francisco and also traveling was just too expensive.

“Pretty quickly we realized that it would be easier to just leave everything

behind, not have responsibilities, like a house and a mortgage,” Judy Hoctor said.

And rather than decide what to sell and what to keep, “we just said it would be easier to leave everything behind and live out of a suitcase and a backpack. We were looking for a different way of living.”

Retirees choosing to live in an RV, camper or boat is not a new phenomenon. Yet more retirees like the Hoctors are opting for a DIY global nomadic life. That usually consists of moving every few weeks or months with no established home base.

These nomads learn from each other about how to navigate health plans, virtual mailboxes and other strategies. It’s not for everybody. But those who have lasted on the road for years often embrace the lifestyle with evangelical zeal.

Choosing to go

For Debbie Campbell, 70, and her husband, Michael, 80, it was their daughter who initially came up with the idea of spending their retirement moving from country to country. She was living in France, and they lived in Seattle.

“We thought that was crazy. Had she looked in our checkbook?” Debbie Campbell said. But “the idea kind of just stuck. We were looking for another adventure, and Michael started doing some budgets and spreadsheets, and we thought, ‘We can’t do this. And then wait a minute, yes, we can.’”

So they sold or gave away everything except for some items stashed in a storage space and took off in July 2013.

“We were boatless, carless, homeless, and we just went,” Campbell said. “We returned every year for the holidays, just

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after Thanksgiving through the New Year, and then we took off again.” They ended their 12-year travel marathon in 2025, after visiting 95 countries, and now rent a place in Seattle. They have a website, SeniorNomads.com and a Facebook page, Senior Nomads. They even published a book, Your Keys, Our Home, about their experience.

Healthcare can be cheaper Healthcare is one overarching concern for those traveling in their later years. Regular Medicare can’t be used overseas; some Medicare Advantage plans will cover treatment — typically only emergencies — in foreign countries. One option is to purchase global health insurance from companies like Allianz,

The savings route

Another option is to self-fund by setting aside a portion of your savings to be specifically dedicated to paying for longterm care. This could be through a separate retirement account.

With this approach, you don’t pay any premiums, and if you don’t need to use the money, it will be there for your beneficiaries.

Something else to consider: Let’s say you buy a long-term care insurance policy using money from a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b). You pay taxes when you withdraw money to pay the premium.

But if you then draw on the policy to pay for long-term care, the portion used to pay for the long-term care is treated as an accelerated benefit and is tax-free.

Putting a plan in place

Each option for addressing long-term care has its own pros and cons. For example, the premiums for a hybrid policy typically will cost more than the premiums for a use-it-or-lose-it policy.

The key is to begin thinking about this early, long before the need arises. A financial professional who works with retirees and near retirees can help you understand the options.

Long-term care is a legitimate concern for anyone in or approaching retirement years, but with the right planning, you can limit the hit to your assets and feel more confident about the future.

Ronnie Blair contributed to this article. This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. Check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

Nomads

From page B-6

AXA, Cigna and IMG; some plans also cover pre-existing and chronic illness.

The Hoctors chose a Cigna Global Health mid-level plan. It cost $5,781 annually for both of them for $1 million coverage outside the U.S. and includes a $3,000 deductible.

They most likely will also sign up for Medicare when they reach 65, to avoid late penalties if they don’t — even though they don’t plan to settle back in the U.S.

Planning ahead is key to a healthy experience, Manisha Santosh Parulekar, a doctor of geriatric medicine, said: “Are you on top of your prevention and screening? Are you up to date with all your vaccinations?”

That said, many nomads rave about the healthcare they receive locally.

“Good healthcare exists everywhere, not just in the U.S., and it’s cheaper,” Hoctor said. Her husband had a hernia repair surgery in Serbia, and both have had checkups in Thailand as well as dental appointments everywhere.

“We’ve felt very comfortable and gotten excellent care at meaningfully cheaper prices than the U.S.”

In fact, nomads say they don’t spend a lot

Ideal retirement

From page B-5

Transportation: If you plan to travel much, or expect frequent visits from your kids or grandkids, convenient access to an airport or train station is a big advantage.

Once you have narrowed down your choices, spend a couple weeks in each location at different times of the year so you can get a feel for the seasonal

of money on the road. The Hoctors, for example, set a budget of $5,000 a month; they estimate they spent about $63,000 in 2024.

One way to cut out the cost of accommodation: house-sit or pet-sit. Trusted Housesitters is one popular global site where people exchange pet-sitting for housing. Annual membership for pet-sitters starts at $129.

Taxes and other logistics

Nomads are still required to pay federal taxes on Social Security, investments and other income and state taxes depending on the state they live in.

Some, who don’t own property and aren’t working, chose to “move” to a state that doesn’t charge income tax and declare that as their tax domicile — in the Hoctors’ case, South Dakota. They were required to show proof that they spent one night in the state before they could apply for their driver’s licenses and register their cars.

And how about mail?

Numerous companies offer services such as forwarding or storing hard copies of mail, shredding, digitally scanning the outside of all mail for the traveler to see it online and then the contents if requested. The cost is typically $120 to $200 annually, sometimes with additional fees.

weather changes, and so you can carefully weigh the pros and cons of living there. You may find that you like the area more as a vacation spot than as a yearround residence.

It’s also a good idea to rent for a year before buying a home or making a commitment to a retirement community.

Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

The downsides

While the photos make the nomad life look like nonstop fun, the lifestyle requires sacrifices.

For the Campbells, one of the problems with living a 12-year-long adventure was being away from their six grandchildren for long periods of time — although they saw the three that live in France more frequently than they would have had they stayed in Seattle.

One of the reasons they decided to end their wandering life — besides the feeling that they had essentially done all they wanted to do — was to be close to their

four-year-old grandson, the youngest. But the couple has no regrets.

“We knew that by traveling, we were giving up some time with grandchildren while they were growing up, but we felt like we were role models for our adult children and for our grandchildren,” Michael Campbell said.

“In retirement, one doesn’t just have to sit in a rocking chair on their porch.”

This item first appeared in Kiplinger Retirement Report © 2026 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION

The best way to see more of Peru is by bus

By Cynthia Washam

Through three decades of traveling together, my husband and I avoided bus tours. We relished our independence, traveling on our own by train, bus or rental car — until we planned a trip to Peru.

Tourists typically fly from Lima to Cuzco, visit Machu Picchu, then fly home. But Bob and I wanted to see more of the country, so we asked Peruvian friends for advice.

Forget public transportation, they said; train and bus routes rarely extend outside major cities. As for renting a car, our friend Andres warned, “Driving there is anarchy.”

Our salvation was Peru Hop, a tour bus for people who dislike bus tours.

Peru Hop operates like a hop-on, hopoff city bus stretched across 700 miles. Passengers buy a ticket that allows them four to 10 stops. Our eight-stop pass cost us $219 each.

We would start in Lima, then travel along a U-shaped route to Cuzco. At every stop, we could choose where to stay, how long, and what tours we would take. English-speaking guides on the bus could help arrange tours and lodging, if we wanted help.

We took several of the paid tours they recommended but handled our own hotel accommodations. Bob and I also took the five free tours Peru Hop offers along our route.

We liked every destination enough to stay at least two nights. Peru Hop stops at each one daily. We could move on whenever we were ready, as long as we reserved our bus seats at least 12 hours in advance.

Galápagos-like wildlife

Our journey took us first to the seaside town of Paracas, known as the poor man’s Galápagos. We understood why as our tour boat floated thrillingly close to sea lions, Humboldt penguins and Peruvian boobies sunning on small, rocky islands.

Then it was on to the Andes. In Arequipa, we signed up for a day-long tour of Colca Canyon. Our group stood in awe atop a cliff as dozens of Andean condors, wings spanning up to 12 feet, soared endlessly overhead.

Only later, looking up from a hot spring we visited at the bottom, could I appreciate the canyon’s 12,000-foot depth, twice that of the Grand Canyon.

Next we rode the bus more than 10 hours from Arequipa to Puno, the longest leg of Peru Hop’s route. Traveling by land had eased the adjustment to Arequipa’s 7,660-foot altitude. Puno, though, would take us almost 5,000 feet higher.

“Dizziness, nausea and lightheadedness is to be expected,” our guide said as the bus started. “The time to take some-

thing is now.”

Bob and I tried chewing coca leaves but preferred drinking coca tea. The tea might have helped some, though we both felt lightheaded and out of breath during our first couple of days at high altitude.

From lakeside Puno, we traveled to Lake Titicaca, our favorite destination in Peru. There we stayed overnight in a wood-frame bungalow on one of the lake’s 125 floating Uros islands. Floor-toceiling windows gave us a panoramic view of the lake and mountains beyond.

Our English-speaking Airbnb host told us that when local men marry, they make an island and house from reeds for his bride and her family. To keep their homes from sinking, they add new layers of reeds to the island periodically.

Bob and I experienced a different culture two days later, when we joined some 30 others on a tour boat to Amantaní, the lake’s biggest island and home to speakers of the Quechua language. The tour included an overnight stay with a family who treated us to traditional meals and an evening of circle dancing for the entire group.

The next morning, we traveled by boat to nearby Taquile Island. Locals captivated us as they danced in the town plaza dressed in brilliantly colored vests, sashes, capes and feather-topped hats.

Inca ruins

Bob and I skipped Machu Picchu and instead explored Inca ruins in the nearby, less crowded Sacred Valley. Peru has hundreds of Inca sites, and about a dozen survive in the valley, including temples and hillside terraces.

Archaeologist guide Wilbert entertained us with his insights on Incan culture.

“You drink 10 soles ($3) worth of corn beer, and you’ll be on another planet,” he said. “But the next day, no hangover.”

Three weeks after starting our Peru Hop tour, I was happy to board a 90minute flight from Cuzco to Lima. But I was happier we could travel between the two cities over land, thanks to a bus tour that beat the heck out of driving in anarchy.

If you go

For information and prices on Peru Hop routes, free tours and recommended paid tours, visit the website bushop.com/peru.

Lodgings offering discounts to Peru Hop passengers are listed on the website, too. We made our own reservations through Booking.com. In general, you pay less if you book while you’re in Peru rather than before you leave.

For information and reservations at the Lake Titicaca Airbnb in Puno, Peru, visit Airbnb.com.

For tips on traveling alone, see story on page 10.

In Peru’s Colca Canyon, tourists watch condors at eye level. An affordable hop-on, hopoff bus provides access to many of the country’s historic sites and natural wonders.

Inhabitants of the manmade Uros islands must keep their homes afloat by replenishing layers of reeds atop Lake Titicaca.

PHOTO BY CAROLINA

How to travel alone without being lonely

By Glenda C. Booth

It may seem like we live in a couplesbased society, or, as Michigander Laura McCort puts it, “a Noah’s Ark world where all are expected to be paired up,” but traveling solo is a growing trend that appeals to many people.

When I travel alone, I have the freedom to choose — my schedule, sites to see, food to eat — without negotiating.

“Traveling alone affords you the luxury of adding or subtracting things from your itinerary to suit your preferences at the time without inconveniencing a travel partner,” said Lynn Thompson from Plano, Texas, who went to Portugal solo.

A solo vacation might also prove more restful. After all, when traveling alone you can sleep in and do nothing, if you choose. You can indulge in idleness without guilt, and recharge. When by yourself, you don’t have to courteously gab.

Then again, solo trips are often a way to meet more people, because you’re more apt to talk to fellow travelers or locals.

For instance, on African safaris, singles are incorporated into the larger travel group, according to Vicky Kohler, a Vermonter.

“Most of the safari camps usually have around 14 people, and usually everyone is friendly to a single person. If not, I don’t

need to talk when viewing rhinos, giraffes and elephants. More often than not, I get invited to sit with others there or someone from the camp will have meals with me.”

New confidence

Taking off alone can mean adjusting your mindset, especially if you’ve been accustomed to a long-term partner or traveling companion.

“My advice on traveling alone is to be open and prepared for new adventures and people,” Thompson said, quoting a widower who said, “This upheaval in our lives forces us to reinvent ourselves and to prepare for novel experiences.”

When you navigate a trip on your own, you expand your comfort zone and learn to adapt to — and even enjoy — unfamiliar situations.

“Traveling alone bolsters my selfconfidence,” Thompson said. “I can care for myself, take calculated risks and find that, in conquering them, you gain the motivation to do and be more.”

Some downsides

Among the top negatives solo travelers cite are feeling lonely, eating alone and being unable to chat as couples do. You won’t have a partner to help analyze situations, suggest new adventures or

make observations.

On occasion, it may be harder to problem-solve on your own. You may be in situations like a train station in another country, unable to speak the language, for instance. You may have to find transportation, a museum or a doctor on your own. Many times, the kindness of strangers may surprise you.

Seasoned solo travelers and travel experts offer these tips:

• To overcome reluctance, take a weekend trip alone not too far away.

• Keep safety and prevention at the top of your mind and in your preparations.

• Be aware. While being safety-minded is important for any traveler, it’s especially important for solo travelers who don’t have a second set of eyes. A person alone can be at a higher risk of petty crimes like pickpocketing. Always be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your belongings. In a bar, don’t leave a drink unattended.

• Buy travel insurance, especially for trips abroad.

• Leave your itinerary and contact information, including hotels, with someone at home.

• Make copies of all important documents and leave a copy at home and another secure in your belongings.

A place of independence

• Research your destination, the logistics and plan ahead. Book reservations ahead of time. Consider buying an international phone plan.

• Pack as lightly as possible so you don’t have to lug heavy luggage.

• If traveling internationally, register for free with the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program before you go. This allows U.S. embassies to contact you if there’s a natural disaster, civil unrest or family emergency. Visit mytravel.state.gov/s/step.

Group trips

If you don’t want to venture out alone, consider taking an organized tour with a company like Intrepid, Smithsonian Journeys or G Adventures.

Road Scholar, which specializes in group travel for older adults, has two types of trips for solo travelers.

On their Go Solo trips, everyone in the group is single (some are women-only) and everyone has their own room, which is included in the trip’s price.

On their traditional group trips, since hotel room and ship cabin charges are based on double occupancy, solo travelers typically pay extra for a room alone, but Road Scholar offers a roommate-matching option.

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Gospel radio hosts boost station ratings

By Timothy Cox

One of the top radio stations in the nation’s capital region is WHUR, 96.3 FM, according to Nielsen ratings during the first quarter of this year.

While the Howard University-owned station has perennially enjoyed high marks as an urban contemporary station, playing secular R&B, jazz and soul music, its gospel programming also manages to earn a significant share of advertising revenue.

That’s thanks to the station’s longtime gospel DJs, Jacquie Gales Webb, 70, and Winston Chaney, 72, who are on the air every Sunday.

“WHUR does very well on Sunday mornings,” said Al Payne, the station’s senior director of programming.

“Those two DJs are killing it. They’re both number one in their time slots. Jacquie is an institution and also does well with folks between ages 25 to 54. And surprisingly, Winston is a hit with listeners between ages 18 to 34, and that’s a very unique audience that loves gospel,” Payne said.

Both Gales Webb and Chaney are D.C. radio veterans, having formerly worked at the Cathy Hughes-owned WYCB radio station, based in D.C., for 40 years.

Radio legend

During her decades-long career, Gales Webb won six local Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, a DuPont Silver Baton and a

Gracie Award. She recently retired from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where she was vice president of radio.

Before Gales Webb moved to the nation’s capital in the late 1970s, she lived in suburban Long Island, NY, where she graduated from Westbury High School. She attended college in Boston at Emerson College, earning a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a focus on radio and television broadcasting.

While still in college, she worked at WILD in Boston, and after graduation she worked for a TV station there.

Soon after learning that an African American business conglomerate had purchased an AM radio station in D.C., Gales Webb was inspired to relocate to “Chocolate City” in 1978 to join a new group of broadcasters.

“This was important time of life. I wanted to pursue what I’d been trained to do in college — and relocating to D.C. provided me a chance to interact and learn from like-minded individuals who were in a startup mode as African American entrepreneurial media owners,” she explained.

She soon met a young Cathy Liggins (now Hughes), general manager of station WYCB. Gales Webb started on the air and six years later became the station’s program director.

After establishing herself as a viable broadcasting personality in D.C., Gales Webb held positions at Smithsonian

Productions, WDVM and WUSA9-TV, where she became a news producer and won six local Emmy Awards for her work.

Now the widowed mother of two adult children, Gales Webb says working part-time on Sunday mornings is quite enough.

“This job is still as rewarding as it was 35 years ago. I still go out into the community and interact with my listeners, and they provide me the feedback I need to incorporate into my future shows,” she said.

Brushes with celebrity

Gales Webb is on the air on WHUR’s “Morning Gospel Experience” from 8 to 11 a.m., while radio host Chaney hosts his early-morning show from 5 to 8 a.m. Growing up in Danville, Virginia, Chaney realized radio was in his blood when he was in his teens. He recalls visiting the radio booth of a Black radio station in his hometown when he was 14 years old. Local DJ Doyle Butch Thomas invited him in, Chaney remembered.

Radio host Jacquie Gales Webb has been on the air for 35 years.

“He let me stay his whole shift, and that was very nice of him,” Chaney said. “He knew even at that age, I had a real interest in the business. Radio was always intriguing to me. The fact that you had control over thousands of listeners — that was real interesting to me, even after all these years,” he said.

See GOSPEL, page 13

For three uplifting summer reads, see page 12.

We can learn about resilience from three books

By Joshua Z. Rokach

These days, some of us may find ourselves increasingly overwhelmed, trying to keep our families secure, economically and perhaps even physically.

Three recent books — two memoirs and a history — show that with luck, pluck and collective imagination, we can prevail.

Misunderstood: A Memoir, by Allen Iverson and Ray Beauchamp, 352 pages, Gallery/13A, 2025

tunately, Gov. Douglas Wilder granted him clemency.

Local basketball fans remember Allen Iverson’s glory years with the Georgetown Hoyas and his outstanding career in the NBA, mostly in Philadelphia.

A six-foot-tall guard, he revolutionized the position into a mainstay of offense. He introduced tattoos (inadvertently) to the NBA scene and had a tumultuous side.

In the pros, he vociferously refused to attend practice. He clashed with coaches and accused referees of picking on him. He stood out.

Born into squalor in Hampton, Virginia, Iverson experienced a rough childhood, losing friends to drugs and prison. He was incarcerated at 17 for a fight that white supremacists instigated and that occurred after he had left the scene. For-

Iverson’s creative talent allowed him to conceptualize plays in football (his preferred sport) and basketball (as a scorer and playmaker).

That grit and an iron will led legendary coach John Thompson to take a chance on him despite his conviction. Thompson became a mentor, not just a college coach, and “saved his life,” Iverson said, paving the way to his many successes.

Now a peripatetic businessman, Iverson paints a fuller and riveting picture of his life in his memoir. Co-written by Ray Beauchamp, a Philadelphia native who is now a criminal defense attorney in New York, the memoir explores Iverson’s determination to live a decent life and the role of luck, both good and bad, in the journey.

pages, Penguin Random House, 2025

The basics of the tragic history of relations between the United States government and Native American tribes in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become well known. U.S. Supreme Court decisions have acknowledged the government’s deliberate attempt to annihilate Native Americans through broken treaties, land usurpations and death marches to inhospitable territories (the Trail of Tears).

Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools, by Mary Annette Pember, 304

In Medicine River, Mary Annette Pember, a member of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Tribe and correspondent for ICT News, reveals new horrors Indian schools inflicted on Native children.

Pember reviews the history at the flagship Carlisle School, focusing on her mother, Bernice Rabideaux, who attended St. Mary’s Catholic Indian Boarding School in Wisconsin. Although Rabideaux enrolled voluntarily, others were kidnapped and sent to the school.

Administrators severed contact with

The Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program gives Maryland residents the opportunity to apply for State-provided telecommunications equipment to independently make and receive calls. The MAT program has a variety of FREE equipment solutions to support clearer communication, including:

*The MAT program benefits Maryland residents who qualify, ages three and older, who are Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, or are living with limited speech, mobility, or cognitive abilities.

families, abused the students, forbade Native languages, cut their hair short (verboten for Native Americans) and gave the children Christian names. Pember underscores this particular insult, noting that Ojibwe believe that, to enter Heaven, souls must recite their Native names.

While her mother never recovered, Pember transcended her legacy of trauma and, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, won numerous awards for her writing.

Gotham at War: A History of New York City from 1933 to 1945, by Mike Wallace, 976 pages, Oxford University Press, 2025

This page-turner depicts the crosscurrents that buffeted the city that never sleeps during the Depression and World War II and the colorful characters — FDR and Mayor Fiorello La Guardia — who managed the maelstrom.

Somehow New York always emerged stronger. In Gotham at War , Mike Wallace, a history professor at CUNY, describes how the city creatively adapted to changing economic times. When

See BOOKS, page 13

From page 11

Chaney had two loves: basketball and radio. After a successful high school hoop career at George Washington High School, Cheney played briefly at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in office administration and landed a job with the Virginia Employment Commission.

After college, Chaney played in semipro summer basketball leagues in D.C. with future NBA players like Adrian Branch, Joe Pace, Eddie Jordan and Larry Spriggs, he noted.

While still in Richmond, Chaney got his first professional radio gig as an R&B music host.

Chaney moved to D.C. in 1980 not only because “it was the largest major city closest to Richmond,” he said, but be-

housing to supplement government projects.

cause of his experience with the basketball scene there.

Drawn to the local radio scene, Chaney immediately befriended legendary TV and radio host Ralph “Petey” Greene and worked as his board operator at WYCB. Greene, who won two Emmy Awards for his talk shows, was an excellent mentor. More than that, Chaney said, “He was my best friend.”

When Greene died of cancer in 1984,

approximately 10,000 mourners lined up for the chilly January funeral.

Once again, Chaney was fortunate to be surrounded by greats, he remembered: He was a pallbearer, along with TV announcer James Brown and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

“Wake Up With Winston Chaney” and “Gospel Spirit” with Jacquie Gales Webb air on WHUR 96.3 every Sunday beginning at 5 a.m.

slums proliferated, the city enabled clothing workers’ unions to build affordable

When World War II drove industries southward and westward, a city program enticed corporations to build their

Classifieds continued from page 15

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headquarters in the city, resulting in better-paying jobs. In fact, when the U.N. did not want to establish its headquar-

Crossword Puzzle

Scrabble answers on p. 13

ACROSS

1. Missile Command missile

5. Peron or Gabor

8. “You are a royal pain in the ___”

11. Some who cross a border into Cambodia

12. Kissers

14. “Who, me?”

15. 2020 movie based on a classic 1903 book (with “The”)

18. One with high step-counts

19. Teacher’s helper

20. Those who work in a labrador laboratory

23. Rows on the back of a baseball card

24. David Lynch’s winner at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival

27. Its top-selling game was Super Mario Bros.

28. Fed. eavesdropping org.

29. Acronym of ERA and EAR

30. ___ and Hare (toon where Bugs Bunny turns into a monster)

33. “Oh no, ___ again!”

36. More like dogs than wolves

38. Billboard’s number one song for 4/28/79

42. Overwhelming assault

43. Feudal estate

44. Best hole cards in Mississippi Stud

48. “I refuse to join any club that would have ___ a member” (Groucho Marx)

50. It usually lets you pick your octane

52. After-dinner cheese accompaniment

56. Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat., briefly

57. Succumb to bacteria

58. Fable

59. “Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried ___ 75” (Ben Franklin)

61. A Redding singer

63. Cruise liner’s refueling location

66. One of the Four Corners states

67. Pillow-case material

68. Son of Zeus and Hera

69. Feline cereal-salesman since 1952

70. “You” in Shakespeare’s time

71. Use a calculator

DOWN

1. Like an irritating sweater

2. Committee head

3. Hall of Famer Steve Carlton holds the record with 90

4. Frequent flyer point unit, often

5. Santa’s assistant

6. Absolutely essential

7. Sap-sucking pest

8. “Who ___? (amnesiac’s panicked question)

9. Fill in all the white squares

10. Pistol or revolver

13. Car and Driver review category

16. “Either they write our story ___ do”

17. Dampens

21. There is one on Maine’s state flag

22. There is one on Arizona’s state flag

25. “Ignorance of the law ___ excuse”

26. Fashion-tops at the Kentucky Derby

27. Jitters

30. Dept. containing the CDC and NIH

31. Thumbs-up vote

32. Firehouse companion

34. Not quite right

35. ___ Fridays

37. “Stat!”

39. Part of a Waffle House All-Star Special

40. Danish toy company

41. In the distance

45. Donut filling

46. Sent through the interwebs

47. H-E-X-E-S

49. Daytime dramas

51. Double ___ (thicker Oreos)

52. It hardens between tiles

53. Numbers game

54. Mixture of ice cream and root beer

55. Capital of Western Australia

60. Org. that has awarded over 100 trophies to UCLA

62. Bashful

64. Fix a shoelace

65. X/X =

CLASSIFIEDS

The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Obituaries; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

The Beacon does not know ing ly ac cept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

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