Friday, Sept. 21, 2012
EXTRA ONLINE EDITION LOCAL ATTORNEY HELPS CLIENTS UNDERSTAND BANKRUPTCY. PAGE 5
Mountain View custodian named employee of the year HURRICANE -- Don Thornton, Head Custodian at Mountain View Elementary, has been named Putnam County Schools 2012-13 Service Employee of the Year. He was chosen from among all service employees who were selected by t h e i r schools as outstanding employees. Thornton has worked at DON THORNTON Mountain View Elementary since 2009; prior to that he was custodian at West Teays Elementary and Hurricane High School. He has been an employee of Putnam County Schools since 2004. “You can’t ask for a better worker than Don Thornton,” said Superintendent Chuck Hatfield. “He takes great pride in his school and makes significant contributions to this district.” Besides performing the duties required of caring for a large school, Thornton is often asked to accommodate other groups from the district, especially when summer school classes and teacher staff development take over the school. SEE THORNTON ON PAGE 3
HOW TO REACH US PHONE: (304) 743-6731 FAX: (304) 562-6214
Local website promotes healthy eating for kids HURRICANE -- She has a fouryear-old and a six-year-old, "and we just blew it," Mandy Curry told the Putnam Rotary Club at its Tuesday, Sept. 18, meeting. "We knew that we needed to make a healthy transition, but we didn't know how. "We totally messed it up with the first kid," she said. "We did everything wrong possible -- fed him all the frozen chicken nuggets, and canned corn, and everything we shouldn't have done. "And, thank goodness, after the second one came along, we kinda came to our senses and figured we needed to make some changes. But we didn't know how the heck to do it. "We grew up in the microwave age," she said, eating "whatever you could make as quick and as easy as possible. My mom was the microwave queen. "I've seen firsthand how strong this 'epidemic' is. My son started in preschool. There were six kids who started as babies, and by the time they got to kindergarten, three of them were overweight. And one was obese. "It just breaks your heart," said Curry, "because, if they are obese as kids, it often carries over into
adulthood. Healthy eating habits "West Virginia is one of the unhealthiest states in the country. We've got a real problem on our hands and it starts with young kids. If we can start with small, little changes -- and these changes aren't hard -- we're going to see a major impact. "The first one is 60 minutes of activity a day for our kids. And that's a challenge because when everybody in this room was growing up you were just outside playing until somebody called you in for dinner. But it's not that way anymore. Sixty minutes a day is tough, and we don't get that in schools now. "My six-year-old is in the first grade and he gets one gym class - a week. Sometimes, two. And then, they have time to play outside. That's great, but what about the winter months?' "So, we as parents have to get outside with the kids. We've got to give them a place where they can ride their bikes. We've got to get them physically active. "I'm also becoming known as the sugar-nazi because these sugary drinks are packing on the pounds for the kids.
In response to poor eating habits in the area’s children, Mandy Curry and her husband started Healthy Kids Inc., an Internet site that promotes healthy eating. Photo by Sam Sentelle "I've seen the kids gulping down McDonald's sweet tea -- 45 grams of sugar. The kids are
asked to limit their sugar to 12 grams of added sugar a day. That SEE HEALTHY ON PAGE 3
Chamber, Standard sponsor Candidate Forum STAFF REPORT HURRICANE -- The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, Generation Putnam and The Putnam Standard are hosting a Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club.
“The Chamber of Commerce does not endorse candidates, but does encourage its members and the public to acquaint themselves with the candidates in order to become better informed voters,” said Marty Chapman, Chamber of Commerce President.
Candidates for all contested State Legislature and Putnam County offices have been invited to address the public and respond to questions taken from the audience attending the forum. Reservations are requested and seating is limited.
There is a $15 charge for lunch. For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Chamber office at 304-7576510, Chamber@putnamcounty.org or visit www.putnamchamber.org to register.
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