Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, FEbRuARy 13, 2026 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: The heat was turned up last week on the more than 1-year debate on Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s right to audit the House of Representatives. In the November 2024 election, voters approved Ballot Question 1 asking them if they favor allowing the state auditor to audit the Legislature. The question passed overwhelmingly by 72 percent of the vote. It has now been 15 months since the voters approved the audit but a current audit has yet to take place. Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Auditor Diana DiZoglio have been at loggerheads about the issue, as DiZoglio has repeatedly requested that Campbell represent her in suing the House or allow DiZoglio to hire an outside lawyer to sue the House for not complying with her attempted audit. Campbell contends that she needs more information from DiZoglio to move forward on either option -- telling “Boston Public Radio” co-hosts Margery Eagan and Jim Braude, “I hope the auditor stops the standoff .” Campbell maintains that she is still awaiting answers to questions about Say nr Sa a the major legal issues of the case, including what DiZoglio believes she can and cannot audit, who she would sue and what the legal claim would be. DiZoglio responded, “She cannot continue to claim that my offi ce hasn’t given her what she needs yet refuse to sue me. She has the power to sue both me and the Legislature, right now, but refuses to do either. These are all stall tactics giving the Legislature more time to destroy documents and records. What we are all witnessing right before our eyes is nothing short of public corruption. Our attorney general has conspired with the speaker and Senate president to secure a very large budget increase for herself as a reward for this cover up. It’s beyond disgraceful.” DiZoglio continued, “It’s incumbent upon the Legislature to ensure evidence is produced to demonstrate that they are not destroying records” and said audits of other entities have shown that documents and records have been either lost or destroyed throughout state government. “The Convention Center Authority and the Settlements audits are the two most salient examples of where records were either lost, destroyed or not maintained in accordance with public records laws by multiple state agencies.” DiZoglio sent Beacon Hill Roll Call a copy of those audits. See those audits at: https://www.mass.gov/audit/ audit-of-the-massachusetts-conBEACON | SEE PAGE 14 y Senior Seni by Jim Miller How To Turn Down the Volume on Tinnitus Dear Savvy Senior, What treatments are recommended to help with tinnitus? I started noticing a subtle ringing in my ears about 10 years ago, but it’s gotten much more bothersome since I turned 60. Ringing Ronnie Dear Ronnie, Tinnitus is actually one of the most common health conditions in the country. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders around 10 percent of the U.S. adult population – over 25 million Americans – experience some form of tinnitus. For most people tinnitus is merely annoying, but roughly 5 million people struggle with chronic tinnitus and 2 million fi nd it debilitating. While there’s no cure, there are SPECIAL OFFER Safety. Style. Stress-Free Installation. CALL NOW 1.877.357.6691 FREE Fixtures and FREE Shower Door Add’l terms apply. Offer subject to change and vary by dealer. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 3/31/26. a range of diff erent strategies you can employ to reduce the symptoms to make it less bothersome. Here’s what you should know. What is Tinnitus? Tinnitus (pronounced TIN-a-tus or tin-NIGHT-us) is the sensation of hearing a ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present. The sounds, which can vary in pitch and loudness, are usually worse when background noise is low, so you may be more aware of it at night when you’re trying to fall asleep in a quiet room. Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of some other underlying health condition. The best way to find out what’s causing your tinnitus is to see an audiologist, or an otolaryngologist – a doctor who specializes in ear, nose and throat diseases (commonly called an ENT). The various things that can cause tinnitus are: Hearing loss, which is the most common cause. Middle ear obstructions usually caused by a build-up of earwax deep in the ear canal. Side eff ects of many diff erent prescription and over-the-counter medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen, certain blood pressure medicines and diuretics, some antidepressants, cancer medicines and antibiotics. Various medical conditions such as high blood pressure, vascular disease, diabetes, allergies, thyroid problems, ear or sinus infections, Meniere’s disease, Lyme disease, fi bromyalgia, otosclerosis, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a tumor, an injury to the head or neck, traumatic brain injury, depression, stress and more. Treatment Strategies There are many ways to treat tinnitus depending on the cause. For example, if your tinnitus is caused by a wax build-up in your ears or a medical condition like high blood pressure or a thyroid problem, treating the problem may reduce or eliminate the noise. Or, if you’re taking a medication that’s causing the problem, switching to a diff erent drug or lowering the dosage may provide some relief. If you have hearing loss, getting a hearing aid can help mask your tinnitus by improving your ability to hear actual sounds. Another strategy that can help suppress or mask the sound so it’s less bothersome is “sound therapy.” This can be as simple as a fan or white noise machine, or you can use sound therapy apps like ReSound Tinnitus Relief, myNoise or NatureSpace. Cognitive behavioral therapy and psychological counseling can also be helpful, as can tinnitus retraining therapy (TNT). This combines counseling and sound therapy to train your brain to ignore the sound in your ears. The new MindEar app off ers TNT. There are even new innovations like the FDA approved device Lenire (lenire.com) that uses electrical stimulation of the tongue to alleviate symptoms. There are also certain medications that may help. While there’s no FDA approved drugs specifi cally designed to treat tinnitus, some antianxiety drugs and antidepressants have been eff ective in relieving symptoms. Your audiologist or ENT can help you fi gure out the best treatment options. Other things you can do to help quiet the noise is to avoid things that can aggravate the problem like fatty foods, salt, artifi cial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, tonic water, tobacco and caff eine. Also be sure to drink plenty of water as dehydration can worsen symptoms. And protect yourself from loud noises by wearing earplugs. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. nior ior
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