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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 12, 2025 Page 19 SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 18 beault said. Saugus Youth Cross Country 2025 Grades 1-5 and 6-8 not running for a school team can run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Belmonte; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Breakheart Reservation. The training distances are 1st to 3rd, .7 miles; 4th and 5th, 1.2 miles; 6th-8th, 1.9 miles. Practice races are Saturdays (to be determined) at Frey Park in Lynn at 285 Walnut St. Saturday, Oct. 25: Fun Run practice at Breakheart. Athletes are encouraged to wear a costume. Saturday, Nov. 1: 16th Annual Massachusetts State Middle School Cross Country Championship at Willard Field in Devens (more information to be announced). Tuesday, Nov. 11: 11th Annual Massachusetts Elementary School Cross Country Championship, 8:30 a.m. arrival – 9:30 a.m. start; Lynn Gannon Golf Course, 60 Great Woods Rd.; lunch at Prince Pizzeria following the meet. Ending Thursday, Nov. 13: Wrap-up Session at Belmonte. Cost: $150 for first year, $75 returning from Cross Country 2024. If you have any questions, need further information or want to register, please contact Coach T at 781-8546778 or Christophertarantino24@gmail.com. Free Health Fair Sept. 19 The Saugus-Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee and the Saugus Senior Center are teaming up once again for their 2nd Annual Health, Wellness and Resource Fair to be held on Friday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St.). There will be a variety of health organizations that will offer free health screenings, educational tables, giveaways, raffl es and much more. This is a free event and open to the public for all ages. Jimmy Fund Craft Fair Sept. 21 The Jimmy Fund Craft Fair is set for Sept. 21, from noon to 4 p.m., at the MEG Building, 54-58 Essex St., Saugus. KOC Flea Market Sept. 27 The Knights of Columbus Council 1829 of Saugus will be holding a Festive Indoor Flea Market and Craft Fair on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the KOC Hall at 57 Appleton St. in Saugus. Vendors/dealers will be charged $30 per space; one table and chairs provided. Please submit payment as soon as possible. For details, please call KOC at 781233-9858 or Paul Giannetta at 978-239-1392. Upcoming library events The Saugus Public Library will feature two teen-related events later this month. There will be a Comic Book Workshop for Teens on Monday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. in the Brooks Room on the second fl oor. This program is open to grades 5 and up and requires registration. A program called “Murder Mystery: Everyone’s a Suspect!” is set for Saturday, Sept. 27, from 12:30-3:30 in the Teen Room. Please come if you want to participate in a murder investigation. Visitor Services at Saugus Iron Works The park grounds at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site are open now through Oct. 31, 24 hours a day/seven days a week. Restrooms are open Wednesday through Sunday; 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Monday through Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum and industrial site buildings are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A return of the Halloween Pet Parade on Oct. 19 The Friends of Breakheart are gearing up for their Third Annual Halloween Pet Parade, which is set for Sunday, Oct. 19. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at the Christopher P. Dunne Memorial Visitor Center (177 Forest St. in Saugus). A $10 donation is required to enter your pet. The Friends will use the proceeds for park activities and future events. Cash or check. No Venmo. Prizes will be awarded for Best Costume, Best Silly Pet Trick and Best Personality. Raffl e prizes are open to all who donate. For more information, please call Joyce at 781-233-1855, extension 1019, or Lisa Mirasola at 781-808-7817. Buy-A-Brick for a veteran The Saugus War Monument Committee, once again, is sponsoring the BuyA-Brick Program to honor all those who have served their country. If you would like to purchase one in the name of someone who is presently serving or has served, in the memory of a loved one, or just someone from your family, school, etc., the general pricing is $100 for a 4” x 8” brick (three lines) or $200 for a 8” x 8” brick (fi ve lines). Each line has a maximum of 15 characters. The improvement and upkeep of the monument on the corner of Winter and Central Streets rely on the generosity of donors through fundraising. The brick application must be in by September 10 to ensure the bricks will be ready for Veterans Day. Please contact Corinne Riley at 781231-7995 for more information and applications. About The Saugus Advocate We welcome press releases, news announcements, freelance articles and courtesy photos from the community. Our deadline is 6 p.m. on Tuesday. If you have a story idea, an article or a photo to submit, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a message at 978-683-7773. Or send your press release to me in the mail at PO Box 485, North Andover, MA 01845. Let us become your hometown newspaper. The Saugus Advocate is available in the Saugus Public Library, the Saugus Senior Center, Saugus Town Hall, local convenience stores and restaurants throughout town. Sa nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Is Social Security Still Taxable? Dear Savvy Senior, Do I have to pay taxes on my Social Security retirement benefi ts? I heard that President Trump’s big, beautiful bill eliminated that. What can you tell me? About to Retire Dear About, No, the new law, better known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ did not eliminate Social Security taxes. It did, however, provide a temporary “senior bonus” deduction (starting in 2025 through 2028) of up to $6,000 that will apply to taxpayers, age 65 and older, who earn up to $75,000 for singles or $150,000 for joint fi lers. If you earn over that amount, the deduction starts phasing out. Also note that the senior bonus is a deduction, not a refundable credit, so it will not help lower-earning seniors who owe no income taxes. Who Owes SSA Taxes? Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefi ts will depend on your income and fi ling status. About 40 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefi ts. To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,” which includes wages, taxable and non-taxable interest, dividends, pensions and taxable retirement-plan distributions, self-employment, and other taxable income, plus half your annual Social Security benefi ts, minus certain deductions used in fi guring your adjusted gross income. To help you with the calculations, get a copy of IRS Publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefi ts,” which provides detailed instructions and worksheets. You can download it at IRS.gov/pub/ irs-pdf/p915.pdf or call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy. After you do the calculations, the IRS says that if you’re single and your total income from all of the listed sources is: • Less than $25,000, your Social Security will not be subject to federal income tax. • Between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxed at your regular income-tax rate. • More than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefi ts will be taxed. If you’re married and filing jointly and the total from all sources is: • Less than $32,000, your Social Security won’t be taxed. • Between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxed. • More than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your benefi ts will be taxed. If you’re married and fi le a separate return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefi ts. You can also fi nd out if any of your benefi ts are taxable through the IRS online tax tool that asks a series of questions that will help you determine your status. To access this tool, go to IRS.gov/Help/ ITA – click on “Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefi ts - Are mine taxable?” To limit potential taxes on your benefi ts, you’ll need to be cautious when taking distributions from retirement accounts or other sources. In addition to triggering ordinary income tax, a distribution that raises your gross income can bump up the proportion of your Social Security benefi ts that are subject to taxes. How to File If you fi nd that part of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxable, you’ll need to fi le using Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. You also need to know that if you do owe taxes, you’ll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, or you can choose to have it automatically withheld from your benefi ts. To have it withheld, you’ll need to complete IRS Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request (IRS. gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf), and fi le it with your local Social Security offi ce. State Taxation In addition to the federal government, nine states – Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefi ts to some extent too. If you live in one of these states, check with your state tax agency for details. 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. nior ior

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