Hulls win Garden of the Month award

In Lifestyle, Lifestyle - Greenville, The Greenville Pioneer
August 17, 2022
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July’s Garden of the Month. Contributed photo

OAK HILL — The Clematis Garden Club, of Greenville, has awarded the July Garden of the Month to John and Charlene Hull of Oak Hill.

The Hulls’ beautiful garden beds extend on both sides of the entrance to their property, making quite a statement, according to a statement from the garden club. 

“Their perennial collection includes iris, dahlia, cone flowers, bee balm, shasta daisies, various types of bleeding heart, coreopsis, peony and mums, to name a few,” according to the club. “The perennial beds are sprinkled with color during the summer months with super wave petunias, marigolds and sunflowers. They have a variety of huge planters of petunias scattered through their property.”

The Hulls previously owned the Twin Falls Farm of Oak Hill before moving to their current home. 

John Hull has been working and expanding his gardens for the past 20 years. His handiwork can be seen in many locations throughout the area. Hull has been supplying the town of Greenville with ducks at the town’s pond for the past 40 years. His signature planters of “bubblegum pink” super wave petunias can be found in Greenville, Cairo, Oak Hill and Schoharie and at the Grey Fox event.

Here are more photos of the award-winning garden:

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Social Security Matters: Will work earnings affect my Social Security at age 80?

In Lifestyle, Lifestyle - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald
June 22, 2023
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By Russell Gloor

For Capital Region Independent Media

Dear Rusty:

I am 80 years old and I receive monthly Social Security benefits, but I’m thinking about returning to work.

At this age, am I limited in how much income I generate without affecting my benefit? If so, how much can I earn without affecting it?

Signed: Spry Octogenarian

Dear Spry Octogenarian:

Since you have already reached your full retirement age (FRA) for Social Security’s purposes, you can earn as much income from working as you like without your monthly Social Security payment being affected.

Social Security’s earnings test applies only to those who collect benefits before reaching their full retirement age, which is somewhere between age 66 and 67, depending on year of birth.  

However, although the earnings test will not apply to you, it’s important to know that Social Security benefits are subject to income tax if your annual combined income from all sources (also known as your “Modified Adjusted Gross Income” or “MAGI”) exceeds certain thresholds.

Your income tax filing status is an influencing factor — if you file as a single and your MAGI is more than $25,000, or if you file as “married/jointly” and your MAGI is more than $32,000, then 50% of the SS benefits you received during the tax year becomes part of your overall taxable income. And if your MAGI as a single filer is more than $34,000 or, as a married filer more than $44,000, then up to 85% of the SS benefits you receive during the tax year becomes part of your overall taxable income at your standard IRS income tax rate.

Thus, returning to work may result in Social Security benefits unexpectedly becoming taxable income. 

For complete clarity, your “MAGI” is your regular Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on your income tax return, plus 50% of the Social Security benefits you received during the tax year, plus any other non-taxable income (except Roth IRA withdrawals) you may have had. 

So, while your earnings from working at age 80 (and beyond) will not affect your monthly Social Security benefit payment, you may — depending on your total income or “MAGI” — find that your Social Security benefits will become taxable if your combined income from all sources exceeds the above thresholds.

And if your benefits will become taxable, you may wish to consider having income taxes withheld from your monthly Social Security payments, which you can do by submitting IRS form W-4V to your local Social Security field office. 

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Group files amended petition in Bosque lawsuit

In News, News - Greenville, The Greenville Pioneer
April 22, 2022
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By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

A local grassroots group has filed an amended petition in its Article 78 lawsuit against the Durham Town Council. File photo

DURHAM — A local grassroots group filed an amended petition in its Article 78 lawsuit against the town board and the Bosque Development project.

The amended petition was filed by Cornwallville Residents for Rural Preservation on April 15.

An Article 78 proceeding is a legal challenge asking the court to repeal the decision of a governmental agency.

The grassroots group is asking the court to vacate the town board’s decision in the fall to issue a Negative Declaration of Significance determination for the project under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.  

The board in late August and early October conducted the SEQRA review of the project over the course of two lengthy meetings and in October determined the development would have no impact or no significant impact on the surrounding community.

That decision spurred the grassroots group to file the Article 78 in court.

The Bosque housing development would build 12 high-end homes and a community barn in the Cornwallville Historic District. The property includes 95 acres, with two currently vacant plots proposed to be subdivided to make a total of 13 lots for the siting of the 12 homes and the barn.

The project has generated substantial opposition from the local community with critics raising concerns about changing the character of the community, along with the project’s impact on traffic, water supply, lighting and other issues.

The amended petition was filed to include steps the town board has taken since issuing the negative declaration in the fall, including the approval of the preliminary plat and the town council’s decision to not reappoint Durham Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Patrick Ciccone, according to Margaret Doherty, one of the Article 78 petitioners.

The town board granted preliminary approval to Bosque’s plans in a 31-page resolution at its April 5 meeting.

Ciccone was not reappointed to his post earlier this year and said in March he believes the decision was directly tied to a letter from the historic group finding that the development would have significant impacts on the town’s historic district. In the wake of that town board decision, three of the historic commission’s remaining members — Ellen Fried, Rosemary O’Brien and Ken Mabey — resigned en masse in protest, leaving two members remaining on the commission.

Town attorney Tal Rappleyea confirmed at the board’s April 19 meeting that the town had received the amended petition, but said he could not comment on ongoing litigation.

“We did receive an amended petition in the lawsuit brought by the opponents to the Bosque subdivision and site plan,” Rappleyea said. “Obviously, we won’t walk about that in public. It’s just something we can’t comment on for litigation.”

 Members of the group Cornwallville Residents for Rural Preservation own approximately 30 properties within the Cornwallville Historic District, with 12 of the properties directly adjoining the Bosque development site and several others in close proximity to the project, according to the group’s petition.

“CRRP members will be adversely impacted by the visual, noise and traffic impacts during the extended construction period and long-term residential use of the Bosque Development property,” according to the petition. “Moreover, they will be impacted because of the changes to the community character and degradation of the rural nature of the Cornwallville Historic District.”

The project was first proposed by Bosque Development in November 2020 and has been under review since that time.

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