Rdj09182013

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www.yourdailyjournal.com

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Rockingham, NC

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Rep. Pierce named to Emergency Management committee

Dawn M. Kurry

Richmond County Daily Journal

State Rep. Garland E. Pierce was appointed this week by House Speaker Thom Tillis to serve as a member of the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee. “I am pleased to have this opportunity to serve as a member of this committee. This appointment will allow me to serve both the House of Representatives and the people of my district who are interested in emergency management changes,” said Rep. Pierce. The committee is charged with makRep. Pierce ing various changes to the Emergency Management Statutes; and establishing the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee, as recommended by the Senate Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Response. Julia Jarema, communications officer with the North Carolina Emergency Management, said this committee will serve as a bridge between local Emergency Management staff and legislators. “All disasters start and end at the local level,” said Jarema. “If there are things (local Emergency Management) needs that they are not getting, that’s where they need to start.” The committee is made up of six members from each house, and are appointed to make ongoing recommendations to improve disaster response and recovery. “They evaluate the state’s emergency response, planning and recovery,” said Jarema. “They monitor resources and general evaluations on public health, natural and man-made disaster response and terrorism response. Our legislative staff will work mostly with the committee.” Richmond County Emergency Management Director Donna Wright said she is pleased to have a legislative connection specifically tailored to her field. “Having a local person there will be great,” said Wright. “I look forward to working with Rep. Pierce, and anything he can help us with will certainly be appreciated.” — Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-9973111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.

FirstCarolinaCare withdraws application Staff Report

In a communication to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, announced this week that it is reluctantly withdrawing its application to participate in the Federal Health Insurance Exchange, also called the “Marketplace.” “This was not a step taken lightly,” said Kenneth J. Lewis, president of FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company. “When we originally proposed participation in the Exchange, we recognized that there were many unknowns for all of us. However, after months of review, there continue to be uncertainties in the Exchange implementation and processes for insurers. After further assessment of the uncertainties related to the Exchange and consideration of our overall business strategy, we reluctantly came to the conclusion to withdraw our application to participate in the Exchange.” Participation in the Exchange would have been the first time FirstCarolinaCare sold to individuals rather than to groups. “FirstCarolinaCare proposed participation in the Exchange to initially ensure coverage options for our local community,” said Lewis. See CARE | 3A

Index Calendar Classified Comics

2A 4B 3B

Obituaries Opinion Puzzles Sports TV Listings

5A 4A 3B 1B 3A

Material inside this edition is © Richmond County Daily Journal. Reproduction without expressed consent of the Richmond County Daily Journal is prohibited.

Iris Hunter | Daily Journal

Students who participated in an invitation-only summer program, which is known as the Summer of Kainotomia — the Greek word for innovation, had the opportunity to explore various advanced technologies, including 3-D scanning and printing.

Epps invites community to open house Iris Hunter

middle and high school students. “We are providing a set of Jeffries Epps, director of skills,” Epps said. “This is information technolan opportunity for the ogy for Richmond community to see that County Schools, will skill set.” be hosting a 3-D open Epps knows that house that will allow businesses have probindividuals in the lems and the students community, both chilcan help them solve dren and adults, to get the problem which hands-on experience is why he would like with using 3-D tech- Jeffries Epps for local and regionnology on Saturday, al businesses to get Sept. 28, from 12 to involved in the pro5 p.m. gram. Epps said that busiAt the open house there nesses will be able to bring will be engineers from 3-D in the real-world component. Systems Geomagic available I think that businesses to do demonstrations and can learn how 3-D technolanswer questions, Epps said. ogy can be incorporated into Epps will discuss various their business, he said. things, including 3-D technol“It is not about what they ogy, how to get kids involved can do for us, it is what we with 3-D technology, how to can do for them,” said Epps. inspire girls to pursue STEM “We are seeking partnerships careers and how 3-D technol- to provide real-world chalogy is becoming a require- lenges for our students.” ment for various jobs. Also, He suggested that those Epps will discuss his work who want to come out to the bringing 3-D to elementary, open house should arrive by Richmond County Daily Journal

12 p.m. because they would not want to miss the opening remarks. Also, Epps said that at the open house there will be another major partnership that will be announced. Epps was recently honored by the White House for being a Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion and bringing technology to public school students in Richmond County. This particular program was created by the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing things that help and inspire their communities. The White House stated that since 2009 Epps has trained students in grades 5 through 12 in the use of 3-D design, 3-D scanning, and 3-D printing technologies in order to prepare them for technology-related careers. During the summer at the Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy in Hamlet, several students participated

in an invitation-only summer program where Epps helped them to explore various advanced technologies, including 3-D scanning and printing. The G.R.E.A.T. (Globally Ready Engineering and Technology Academy) program, a program that was founded by Epps in 2009 with only seven high school students, is sponsored by the school district. The open house will be held at the Richmond Ninth Grade Academy, at 804 County Home Road, Hamlet. Refreshments will be provided for those who attend the 3-D open house. For more information and/ or to view the agenda, visit http://geomagic.com/en/community/beyond-the-box/seehow-3d-is-making-a- difference-in-k-12-education/. If you have any questions, contact Epps at 910-5825860, ext 1288. — Staff Writer Iris Hunter can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at ihunter@ civitasmedia.com.

Weight loss workshop to be offered in Oct. Iris Hunter

Richmond County Daily Journal

Is it time for you to get healthy and lose weight? If so, then you may want to sign up for the Eat Healthy, Be Active, Weight Loss Workshop that Sarah Mammarella, MS, RD, LDN, Family & Consumer Sciences agent with the NC Cooperative Extension, will be offering on Oct. 8. “I offer an eight-week weight loss class. It has a group education component and a one-on-one consultation with me, a registered dietitian,” said Mammarella. Each class has a different healthy recipe that goes along with it as well as a different nutritional message, she said. Mammarella developed this program to access the needs of Richmond County after she researched the obesity and disease rates of the area. After she conducted the research, she discovered that one-third of the residents in the county were obese, so therefore providing the workshop here would beneficial to members of the community. “It is really important here because so many Richmond

Deaths

Frenchy Bernard Leonard Terry Smith, Sr. Lawrence Thomas Steen, Sr.

Obituaries can be found on Page 5A.

County residents are overweight and 10 percent have diabetes and a number of other chronic health conditions like heart disease,” said Mammarella. “A healthy weight can decrease the risk for chronic health conditions.” Mammarella started the program last January and has currently taught three classes. There have been a total of 82 participants in the program and they have lost a total of 500 pounds and 170 inches off of their waists. In the first week, all participants will weight-in and set a personal goal. Throughout the weeks, they will work on their personal goal and at the end of the eight weeks they will be weighed once again and whoever reaches their goal will be able to receive $10 back from the registration fee. “I’ve heard some really good success stories,” said Mammarella. Several of the participants have come off of blood pressure medication, reduced their blood sugar (diabetics) and had overall healthier check-ups with their doctor,

INSIDE NEWS, 5A A Freemason’s testament to longevity

Contributed photo

Toni Byrd is a former participate in the Eat Healthy, Be Active, Weight Loss Workshop offered by Sarah Mammarella, MS, RD, LDN, Family & Consumer Sciences agent with the NC Cooperative Extension. This is a before and after picture of Byrd. In the before picture she is wearing a size 24-26W shirt and a 24W pants. In her after photo she is wearing a large shirt and a size 14 capris.

she said. Toni Byrd, a former participant, was able to make a drastic change with her body image as well as her eating habits after enrolling in the class. She has already participated in the class twice and has managed to lose 78 pounds total in five months. Byrd is currently 38 years old and weights 195 pounds. “This is the first time since I was 15 years

old that I have been under 200 pounds,” she said. Byrd said that she used to be miserable and began to have problems that derived from her weight, but ever since she has lost weight her life has completely changed. “I exercise everyday, ” she said. “I have so much energy.” She truly believes t h at the p ro -

Vol. 82, No. 187

ON THE WEB: www.yourdailyjournal.com E-MAIL: jrobbins@civitasmedia.com The Daily Journal is published with pride five days a week for the people of Richmond County, N.C. The Daily Journal is committed to editorial integrity and excellence. If you spot an error, please contact us at (910) 997-3111, ext. 13.

See WEIGHT | 3A


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