April 2019
Volume 7 • Issue 3
Horse racing on track at Sun Downs
Season set to open April 27 with 3 weekends of races CBD oil stores big business PAGE 7
No pulling wool over eyes of history PAGE 9
All-you-can-eat meat? Check out Boiada PAGE 10
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Senior Times Expo April 16 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Southridge Sports & Events Complex 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick srtimes.com
BY JEFF MORROW
for Senior Times
The snowy start to this horse racing season delayed training for more than a month at Sun Downs Race Track in Kennewick. It also postponed the start of the annual six-day meet at Sun Downs. But don’t despair, horse race fans, the season is galloping near. “We’re now starting one week later, with Saturday, April 27, being opening day,” said Nancy Sorick, who heads up the nonprofit Tri-Cities Horse Racing Association, now in its 32nd year. This year’s season is April 27-28, May 4-5 and 11-12, all Saturdays and Sundays at the Benton County Fairgrounds, 1500 S Oak St., Kennewick. The first race is at 1 p.m. each day. Cost of admission is $5, while parking is free. Race cards – the number of races scheduled each day – vary between seven to 10. Traditionally, the track’s opening weekend always has been busy and well attended, with trial races for the Pot O’Gold Futurity. It’s the same story for the final weekend, with the Saturday Kentucky Derby wagering and the finals of the Pot O’Gold Futurity, as well as the stakes races. But the middle weekend has always been slow, as the faster horses take that weekend off to race in the big-money races on the final weekend. However, with the schedule change, uSUN DOWNS, Page 14
Susan Rimpler, left, leads seniors through a stretch exercise during a recent EnhanceFitness class in Kennewick. The free hourlong exercise class is designed to prevent falls among seniors. Benton County has one of the highest rates of fall-related hospitalizations in the state.
Building Balance EnhanceFitness classes focus on reducing falls
BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz
W
hen Zenaida Myers of Pasco took her 87-year-old mother to a new fitness class, she wasn’t planning to participate. But the 65-year-old said she and her mom both have benefited from the balance and strengthening class called EnhanceFitness. She said her mother Maria Austria of Kennewick fell three times last year, but thanks to the class, she’s
beginning to feel stronger. Falls send thousands of senior citizens to the hospital every year — especially in Benton County, which has one of the highest rates of fallrelated hospitalizations in the state. From 2010-15, the county recorded 1,897 per 100,000 people age 60 and older who were hospitalized after a fall, according to the state Department of Health. That’s why the EnhanceFitness uBALANCE, Page 2
AARP fights for lower drug prices BY SENIOR TIMES
AARP has launched a nationwide campaign to lower prescription drug prices, which have increased faster than inflation rate. Many prescription drugs have had substantial retail price increases every year since at least 2006, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. In 2015, retail prices for more than 750 prescription drugs commonly used by older adults increased by an average of 6.4 percent, more than 50 times higher than the general inflation rate of 0.1 percent. The goal of AARP’s Stop Rx Greed campaign is to help drive down drug prices by advocating for a variety of legislative, executive and regulatory
actions at the federal and state level. “Americans pay the highest brandname drug prices in the world,” said Doug Shadel, AARP state director, in a release. “Congress, the administration, and importantly, our own state legislators must take action now to lower prescription drug prices, the root cause of this problem.” As part of the campaign, AARP Research conducted a national survey of likely voters ages 50 and older. It found that significant majorities of self-identified Republican, Democrat, and independent voters shared concerns about the high price of drugs, and support common-sense policies that will lower prices. uAARP, Page 15
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