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The LeS County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown newspaper of Jesse and Katrina Glover
Volume XXX - Number 43
Leesburg, Georgia - - June 25, 2008
Fifty Cents
Tips To Help Older Georgians
Stay Cool In Extreme Heat
Special to the Ledger
The Georgia Department
of Human Resources Divi
sion of Aging Services is
offering tips to help older
adults stay cool and avoid
heat-related illnesses like
heat stroke and heat exhaus
tion.
“Extreme heat is a problem
for our aging population,’’
said Maria Greene, director
of Division of Aging Ser
vices. “To help them remain
safe and healthy during the
The Lee County Utilities
Authority will meet Thursday,
June 26 at 6:00 p.m. The meet
ing is the authority’s regular
meeting which has been
rescheduled.
The meeting will be held
in the Assembly Room of the
Lee County Administration
summer heat, we are offer
ing guidelines on keeping
cool.’’
Although heat-related
deaths and illnesses are
preventable, many people
still succumb to extreme
heat yearly. In fact, more
than 8,000 people died from
exposure to excessive heat in
the United States from 1979
to 2003. As temperatures
rise, older people and young
children are at a higher risk
of heat-related illnesses be-
Building.
New business includes cus
tomer requests and a review of
the discussion.
Old business listed on the
agenda includes Gary Eller to
discuss access water and sewer
fees, the budget for 2008/2009
and sewer extension resolution.
cause they do not adjust well
to sudden changes in tem
perature. People aged 65 and
older are more likely to have
a chronic medical condition
that affects their normal
body responses to heat.
Here are some tips for stay
ing cool in extreme heat:
If you don’t have air-con
ditioning, stay on the lowest
floor of your residence or go
to a public building such as a
library, school, movie theater
or shopping mall.
Eat regular meals that are
well-balanced and light.
Drink plenty of water. (If
you have a medical condition
that limits your fluid intake
or a problem with fluid reten
tion, consult a doctor before
increasing liquids.) Limit
intake of alcohol and bever
ages high in sugar.
Take a cool shower, bath or
sponge bath.
Wear light-weight, loose-
fitting clothing and a wide-
brimmed hat.
Utility Authority
To Meet Thursday
Public Health recommendations
aim to reduce risk of S.I.D.S.
Submitted Photo
Governor Sonny Perdue and members of the OneGeorgia Authority Board
met on Wednesday, June 11 at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro
where Lee County Chamber of Commerce staff were recognized for the
Entrepreneurial Friendly designation. Pictured left to right are Jade
Arrington, Governor Perdue, and Lesley Barbosa.
Photo by Derryl Quinn
Child Passenger Safety Law Explained
Kim Anderson, fire fighter and Life Fire Safety Educator with the Camilla
Fire Department, presented a program on Georgia Child Passenger Safety
Law to Lee Countians June 19 at the county administration building. Under
the Georgia law, children under the age of six are required to be in a child
safety seat or booster seat appropriate for their height and weight and
used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The law also requires
children under six to ride in the rear seat.
Special to the Ledger
Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome, the third leading
cause of death in newborns
up to age 1 in Georgia,
strikes without warning signs
or symptoms, but parents can
educate themselves to reduce
the risk of SIDS.
“The cause of SIDS is still
unknown, but there are fac
tors that we know increase
the risk of babies dying of
SIDS,” explained Southwest
Georgia Public Health Dis
trict Director Dr. Jacqueline
Grant.
“Reducing the risk factors
associated with SIDS should
reduce the number of SIDS
deaths. Here in our Health
District, we have an above-
average SIDS rate, and bring
ing that rate down begins
with educating parents and
caregivers.”
From 2002 to 2006, 650
babies died of the mysterious
syndrome in Georgia, with
29 of the deaths occurring
in Southwest Georgia Public
Health District’s 14-county
area. During 2006 alone,
SIDS claimed the lives of
150 Georgia babies, includ
ing 10 from Southwest
Health District, Grant said.
“The SIDS numbers
concern us,” she said. “Half
of the SIDS deaths in 2006
were African American
Doherty, Duggan
& Rouse Insurors
AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddrins.com
Lee County
Utilities
Authority
will meet
Thursday,
June 26 at
6:00 p.m.
babies. We know we have
a large African American
population in our District, so
the disparity is worrisome.”
Male babies are slightly
more at risk than females. So
are premature babies (born
before 37 weeks) and low-
birth-weight babies (under
5.5 pounds), Grant said.
Others most at risk of SIDS
include:
- Infants who share a bed
with others
- Babies born to mothers
who smoked while pregnant
- Infants in homes with
smokers
- Babies who are placed on
their stomachs to sleep
- Infants who sleep in un
safe surroundings (beanbag,
carseat, floor, couch, etc.)
- Babies born to women
who receive little or no pre
natal care
- Infants in cribs with
fluffy pillows, blankets,
stuffed toys and baby bum
pers
While some factors may
be beyond parental control,
Grant said, there are steps
caregivers can take to reduce
the risk of SIDS.
“Public health recommends
placing babies on their backs
to sleep, both at naptime and
at bedtime. Statistics have
shown that fewer infants
succumb to SIDS sleeping
on their backs, compared to
babies sleeping on their tum
mies,” said Grant.
Other tips include: breast
feeding the infant if possible;
placing the baby in her or his
own crib or other sleep area
on a firm mattress; keep
ing fluffy pillows, stuffed
animals, blankets and baby
bumpers out of the baby’s
sleep area; avoiding placing
babies on couches, futons,
beanbags, waterbeds or car-
seats to sleep; and avoiding
smoking around the baby.
“Babies who are overheat
ed are also at increased risk
of SIDS, so we recommend
that the temperature remains
between 65 and 72 degrees,”
Grant said. “Also, avoid
over-clothing your baby
while he or she is sleeping,
since that increases the risk
of overheating.”
For more information
about Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome, contact your local
health department or go on
line to www.cdc.gov/SIDS/,
the link to the National
Center for Disease Control
and Prevention’s SIDS Home
Page.
Submitted Photo
Happy 95 Mr. Hoot
R.L. “Hoot” Gibson celebrated his 95th birthday
with his friends - the Breakfast Bunch - as they
enjoyed their early breakfast at a local restaurant
in Leesburg. Sharing a birthday with Mr. Hoot at
breakfast has become a tradition with the early
risers as they enjoy breakfast and swap tales.
Special to the Ledger
Sumter Electric Member
ship Corporation held its
70th annual meeting on June
21 at South Georgia Techni
cal College in Americus.
Members and guests were
entertained by SweetWater,
a local gospel group. Total
attendance, including 366
registered members, is esti
mated to have exceeded 500.
Mrs. Ingrid Hunsicker,
Senior Program Manager for
the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association
International Foundation in
Washington, D.C., was the
keynote speaker. Hunsicker
discussed the efforts of
the NRECA International
Foundation to provide
electric service to villages
in countries where citizens
are still living without lights.
Members were treated to a
video showing the construc
tion of power lines to a small
village in Haiti.
Chairman Jernigan built
upon Mrs. Hunsicker’s re
marks by comparing the role
of the NRECA International
Foundation to early years of
rural electrification efforts in
the United States.
Following the chairman’s
report, Ted McMillan,
President and CEO, reported
upon the climate change
movement and the potential
adverse impact it could have
on future electric power
supply. He encouraged
members of the audience to
join the national cooperative
Submitted Photo
Mary H. Lewis (left) won the grand prize at
Sumter EMC’s Annual meeting.
grassroots effort to contact
our congressional delegation
about the need to balance
environmental concerns
with protecting afford
able, reliable electric power
for everyone. Everyone
was encouraged to contact
their national legislators
by visiting the web site,
www.ourenergy.coop.
Ms. Mary H. Lewis from
Smithville won the grand
prize, a 2001 Chevrolet
S-10 truck, and Ms. Betty
Driver from Americus won
the second prize, a $300 gift
certificate from the coop
erative’s appliance center.
Directors H.K. Harp, Jr.,
Chattahoochee County; Ida
N. Chambers, Lee County;
Charles E. Hart, Schley
County; and Lawrence
Williams, At-large, were re
elected to serve three-year
terms on the board.
^merts
Bank
2627 Dawson Rd.
229-888-5600
1607 Highway 19 S
229-434-4550
Catch the
Reading Bug
at
Lee County Library
Summer Reading
Program
through
July 25, 2008
Stories, crafts, and
lots of books!
Call 229-759-2369
F/M/l
Sumter EMC Annual
Meeting Held in Americus
Crafternoons
at the
Leesburg Library
Fun with art & stage
craft
ages 10 & up
June 24th
July 1st, 8th, 15th
Sponsored by Lee
County Library
Free & Open
F/M/I (229)759-2369
To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413