HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Aging reminds consumers the annual open enrollment period for Medicare beneficiaries began Friday and ends Dec. 7. Any new coverage selected or changes to existing benefits takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.

In order to help Medicare beneficiaries sort through their options, the department offers free, objective health benefits counseling through Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI). Through Pennsylvania's 52 Area Agencies on Aging, PA MEDI counselors can assist Medicare beneficiaries with plan comparisons, help with enrollment in a new plan, and evaluate eligibility for any of Pennsylvania's Medicare cost-savings programs.

Individuals can learn more about PA MEDI, events and programs, or becoming a volunteer on the Department of Aging's website or by calling the PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Older adults can also call their local AAA.

GREENSBURG — To keep power flowing for Penn Power and West Penn Power customers through the upcoming winter, proactive helicopter inspections were recently completed along nearly 1,000 miles of 345-kilovolt transmission lines in the greater Pittsburgh area using infrared and ultraviolet (IR/UV) technology.Completed every four years, IR/UV patrols help prevent future power outages by detecting early-stage and often invisible equipment issues within transmission substations and on high-voltage power lines that cannot be observed during regular visual inspections. These comprehensive inspections complement annual aerial patrols that identify visible concerns, like overgrown trees, broken pole hardware or nesting birds on electrical equipment.Penn Power is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. and serves approximately 169,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties.West Penn Power, a FirstEnergy electric company, serves approximately 734,000 customers within 24 counties in central and southwestern Pennsylvania.

Mystery writer Annette Dashofy will visit the Zelienople Area Public Library at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 for an author talk and book signing.Dashofy is the USA Today best-selling author of the Zoe Chambers mystery series about a paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania. Five of her books have been nominated for the Agatha Award. Recent works include the standalone “Death by Equine” and the just-published “Crime in the Country,” an anthology of Zoe Chambers short stories.This event is part of the Zelienople Library Presents ... an Arts & Culture Speaker Series.A second collaborative pop-up event is scheduled for January with children's author Brittany Thurman, author of the children's picture book “Fly.”Tickets for Dashofy's appearance are available at the Zelienople library or on the library website at the “How to Help” tab.