Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2025 BEACON | FROM Page 17 “MAGA Mike Kennealy is quickly proving that he is not ready for prime time. The fact that Mike Kennealy admits that he didn’t even make a choice for President in three of the most consequential elections of our lifetime is a sad statement on his leadership.” --- Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan on Republican candidate for governor Mike Kennealy’s acknowledgement that he did not vote for a president in the last three elections in 2016, 2020 and 2024, when Donald Trump was on the ballot. “If the MassDems care about strong leadership on issues like housing, the migrant crisis and the economy, their options are support Mike Kennealy or recruit a primary challenger to Maura Healey. She has failed miserably on all of the issues Massachusetts residents care about.” --- Ben Hincher, campaign manager for Mike Kennealy, responding to Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan. HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misBEACON | SEE Page 23 1. On May 2, 1903, Benjamin Spock was born; he is better known by what name? 2. News of the fi rst battle of the Revolutionary War was the inspiration for the naming of what frontier settlement? 3. The mayflower is the floral emblem of Nova Scotia and what New England state? 4. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, some cities hold an annual race of what dog breed? 5. May is Haitian Heritage Month; it was fi rst celebrated in 1998 in what city? 6. What did the “V8” in Frank Constable’s V8 Vegetable Juice come from? 7. What Mark Twain book was banned by the Concord Public Library in 1885? 8. May 3 is World Press Freedom Day; in 2025 the day is focusing on AI, which is what? 9. What emperor whose first name is that of a dessert became associated with violets? 10. On May 4, 1959, the first Grammy Awards were given; how did their name originate? 11. What is Chantilly cream also known as? Answers 12. On May 5, 1973, what horse won the Kentucky Derby whose name relates to clerical staff ? 13. What French general had many USA places named after him (counties, cities, streets, squares, etc.)? 14. On May 6, 1935, FDR ordered the creation of the Works Progress Administration, which did what? 15. During World War II in what country was a catapulting warplanes experiment created? 16. On May 7, 1966, what group had a #1 hit with “Monday, Monday”? 17. In 1969 what canned sandwich sauce was introduced with the slogan “A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal”? 18. What is a “bloody eight” or “eight ball” cocktail? 19. In 1972 who won a Best Soul Gospel Performance Grammy? 20. On May 8, 1980, after worldwide vaccinations, the World Health Organization stated that what had been eradicated? How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Scams Dear Savvy Senior, I am very concerned about Elon Musk and the so-called DOGE team getting access to my Social Security number and personal fi nancial information through their government offi ce raids. What can I personally do to help protect myself from this identity theft mess? Worried Senior Dear Worried, It’s a great question! I’ve been hearing from many older readers around the country that are deeply troubled by the news that the Elon Muskled Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to millions of Americans’ Social Security records that include highly sensitive personal information. The major concern among data privacy experts is what could happen if your Social Security number, bank account information or tax records somehow gets leaked or breeched in all the data shuffl ing. If your information gets in the wrong hands it could lead to identity theft, which means scammers could use your personal information to open credit card accounts, bank accounts, telephone service accounts, and make major purchases — all in your name. If you’re concerned about the privacy of your personal information, the best way to protect yourself is to put a “fraud alert,” or better yet a “credit freeze” on your credit fi le. A fraud alert is a notifi cation placed on your credit report that signals to potential creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit in your name. While a credit freeze completely restricts access to your credit report, essentially preventing anyone from opening new accounts in your name without your explicit authorization. A credit freeze provides much stronger protection than a fraud alert, but there is a drawback. When you freeze your credit, you won’t be able to open new credit cards or get a new loan while the freeze in place. It does not, however, prevent you from using the credit cards you already have open. If you do need to get a new credit card or some type of loan, you can always lift the freeze on your account until you get the card or loan approved, and then refreeze it. You’ll also be happy to know that a credit freeze is completely free to put in place and lift, as are fraud alerts. And neither action will aff ect your credit score. Fraud Alert Set-Up To set up a fraud alert, you’ll need to contact one of the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — either by phone, online or by mail. You only need to contact one of these agencies, and they will notify the other two. Here’s the phone and website contact information for each of the three bureaus. • Equifax: 800-685-1111 or Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services • Experian: 888-397-3742 or Experian.com/help • TransUnion: 888-909-8872 or TransUnion.com/credit-help If you haven’t been a victim of identity theft, you’ll need to set up an “initial fraud alert,” which lasts for one year, although you can renew it for additional one-year periods. Credit Freeze Set-Up To set up a credit freeze you’ll need to contact each of the three previously listed credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A credit freeze lasts until you unfreeze it. But remember, before you apply for new credit card or loan, you’ll need to temporarily lift the security freeze by following the procedures from each of the credit reporting bureaus where you placed the freeze. If, however, you don’t want to set up a fraud alert or credit freeze, you can still keep an eye on your credit fi le by reviewing your credit report regularly. You can get a free credit report each week from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 1. Dr. Spock (author of “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care”) 2. Lexington, Kentucky 3. Massachusetts 4. Chihuahua 5. Boston 6. Its eight vegetables (technically, tomato is a fruit) and the V8 eight-cylinder piston engine 7. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (for moral issues and coarse language) 8. Artificial intelligence 9. Napoleon Bonaparte (After his exile to Elba, he told supporters he would return with the violets in spring.) 10. The award statuette is a gold-plated gramophone (or phonograph — patented in 1887) 11. Whipped cream 12. Secretariat 13. Marquis de Lafayette (the place names are called Fayette, Lafayette, Fayetteville, etc.) 14. Employed jobseekers on public works projects 15. England (the Royal Aircraft Establishment Mark III Catapult — to save fuel and runway space) 16. The Mamas & the Papas 17. Sloppy Joe 18. A Bloody Mary with V8 juice 19. Aretha Franklin 20. Smallpox
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