News briefs

Assistance available for residents

Manatee County is accepting applications for the Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the elderly grant, which offers financial help to residents ages 60 and older who have an economic hardship.

Manatee County may approve up to $600 in state grant assistance for a household twice a year.

Assistance is available to a household once during the cooling season, now through Sept. 30, and again during the heating season, Oct. 1 to March 31. Manatee has approximately $4,500 per month to distribute to eligible customers through March 31, 2016.

Recipients must have a final notice, past due amount or have their power disconnected in order to get the financial assistance, according to a news release.

Assistance is available to residents who earn a gross household annual income equal to or less than 150% of federal poverty guidelines.

Libraries celebrate namesake week

To celebrate National Library week and encourage local residents to read more, local libraries are hosting a series of events.

The theme of this year’s National Library Week event, which continues through April 18, is “Unlimited Possibilities.”

Five of the county’s six libraries — with the exception of Central Library, which is still closed for renovations — will host programs for every age group, such as movie showings, book discussions, cooking demonstrations, Build Your Own Robot lessons and more.

For more information on the lineup of events this week, visit mymanatee.org/library.