UNCORK PA: Wineries and other adult beverage-makers are sprouting up all over the place these days.
To see a list of some of the sites in our region, pick up the 2017 Uncork the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Tasting Trail brochure, created by the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau.
The trail list includes businesses in Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest and Jefferson counties.
The brochure can be picked up at the center, located in Brookville, at the stops along the trail or at information racks across the region. See the list, and more information, at uncorkPAGO.com or on the organization’s Facebook page.
STUDENT LOANS: There’s a lot of talk lately about the trouble many new college graduates are having paying back student loans.
According to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), some graduates qualify for student loan forgiveness through the federal government.
Qualifying graduates may include the following, KHEAA states:
• Teacher loan forgiveness. To qualify, you must teach at least five full years in a low-income school in an eligible district. Depending on your field, you may have up to $17,500 in student loans forgiven.
• Public service loan forgiveness. You must work full time in a public service job and make 120 monthly payments to qualify. You also have to be working in public service when you make the 120 payments and when you apply for loan forgiveness. All of your remaining loan balance may be forgiven.
• Nursing loan forgiveness. You must be at least a registered nurse and agree to work two years in a critical shortage facility at least 32 hours per week. If you fulfill your agreement, 60 percent of your loan balance will be forgiven. Another 25 percent will be forgiven if you work a third year.
“One thing to remember is that the Internal Revenue Service counts the amount forgiven as income,” the non-profit agency notes. “You should talk with a tax professional to understand the impact it may have on your taxes.”
KHEAA refers people to the U.S. Department of Education page at www.ed.gov for more information on the loan forgiveness program.
