FIRST PERSON
electric utility industry. We are seeing rising costs as we work to comply with new regulations meant to address environmental, financial and reliability concerns. Utilities face the cost of replacing aging infrastructure and modernizing the grid. The continued lack of a national energy policy creates uncertainty in an industry that must plan decades in advance. All of this comes at a cost, a cost that trickles down to you and me. As cooperatives, we will meet these challenges together to serve our members. Cooperatives take many forms, often to fill a community need, giving a voice to folks that profit-driven businesses often overlook. This year has been declared the International Year of Cooperatives. There are 252 cooperative organizations in North Carolina, 29,000 in the U.S. ACE is a locally owned hardware store on the Outer Banks that utilizes the power of a purchasing cooperative and national brand. ElecTel Cooperative Federal Credit Union is a cooperative bank, and membership is now available to members like you. As a cooperative, members are the whole reason for our existence. The International Year of Cooperatives is a chance for us to celebrate our legacy of innovation, and to remind us of what is most important in business: putting people first.
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Susan E. Flythe is executive vice president and general manager of Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, the Touchstone Energy cooperative serving more than 7,400 member accounts on Hatteras Island. These remarks are adapted from her address to the cooperative’s 2012 annual meeting of members.
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All clear Recently a tree fell onto my driveway entrance gate, totaling the gate into a mound of worthlessness. When the tree fell, it also popped the power lines and my power went out immediately. I called Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation in Hillsborough and reported the outage. Within 15 minutes a crew came, and within an hour I had my power restored and the tree cleared out of my driveway. Joe, John and Skip from PEMC were awesome! They went beyond the call of duty and worked diligently with dedication, skill, humor and teamwork to get us back up and running. Thank you, PEMC, for your many years of service to the Bahama area. Laura and Allen Hare, Bahama, Piedmont EMC
Tenderizing fire ant stings I was interested in the article about fire ants [“Carolina Gardens,” June 2012]. I have experienced a number of painful stings over the years and was glad when a friend shared with me the only successful remedy I have found. It is meat tenderizer! No kidding, it really works. As soon as possible after a sting, apply a paste made of meat tenderizer and a very small drop or two of water. It doesn’t take much water to make the paste. Spread the paste over the stings and let it dry. I usually apply it again in about 30 minutes. It may sound crazy, but something in the meat tenderizer breaks down the enzymes in the ant venom. It not only takes away the sting, but it prevents pustules from forming. It works so well that I usually can’t even tell where the sting was. My friend keeps meat tenderizer in her car for stings away from home.
A miracle in a John Deere Molly Elizabeth Harris and her twin sister, Audrey Jane, were born Nov. 20, 2011, to our son Michael Harris and his wife, Julie. Four weeks and two days earlier, their sister Grace Marie was born and lived only six hours. Molly and Audrey weighed less than three pounds each when they were born and lived 60 days in the critical care unit at Chapel Hill. They truly are God’s miracles. Michael, a poultry and cattle farmer, knows Molly loves the John Deere already. Her other grandparents are James and Lois Ritter, also Randolph EMC members, in Ramseur. Steve & Ginny Harris, Carthage, Randolph EMC
Wanda Herring, Murphy
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