A6 Tuesday, September 2, 2014
NATION/OBITUARIES
US eating habits improve a Sandy-hit towns wrestle bit — except among poor with eminent-domain choice
CHICAGO (AP) — Americans’ eating habits have improved — except among the poor, evidence of a widening wealth gap when it comes to diet. Yet even among wealthier adults, food choices remain far from ideal, a 12-year study found. On an index of healthy eating where a per fect score is 110, U.S. adults averaged just 40 points in 1999-2000, climbing steadily to 47 points in 2009-10, the study found. Scores for low-income adults were lower than the average and barely budged during the years studied. They averaged almost four points lower than those for high-income adults at the beginning; the difference increased to more than six points in 2009-10. Higher scores mean greater intake of hearthealthy foods including vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats, and a high score means a low risk of obesity and chronic illnesses including heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Low scores mean people face greater chances for developing those ailments. The widening rich-poor diet gap is disconcerting and “will have important public health implications,” said study co-author Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health. Diet-linked chronic diseases like diabetes have become more common in Americans in general, and especially in the poor, he noted. “Declining diet quality
over time may actually widen the gap between the poor and the rich,” Hu said. Harvard School of Public Health researchers developed the healthy diet index used for the study. It is similar to federal dietary guidelines but features additional categories including red and processed meats, sugar sweetened beverages and alcohol. The study authors used that index along with government estimates on trans fat intake to evaluate information in 1999-2010 national health surveys that included interviews with people about their eating habits. The results are published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. Hu said the widening diet gap reflects an income gap that deepened during the recent financial crisis, which likely made healthy food less af fordable for many people. Hu also noted that inexpensive highly processed foods are often widely available in lowincome neighborhoods. The overall diet improvement was largely due to decreased intake of foods containing trans fats but the disappointing results point to a need for policy changes including better nutrition education, Hu said. In recent years the government and manufacturers have moved to phase out use of artificial trans fats in foods including processed cookies, cakes, frozen pizza and margarines. T rans fats con-
tribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels and can increase heart disease risks. These fats are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to improve texture and shelf life. The study authors say their results are consistent with an earlier report showing that “nearly the entire U.S. population fell short of meeting federal dietary recommendations.” The federal guidelines are updated every five years and new ones will be issued next year. The current recommendations emphasize limiting intake of trans fats, sodium, processed foods and added sugars. They don’t specify amounts but encourage diets high in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. The Harvard index has a similar emphasis with some specifics; to get a top score would include eating daily more than two cups of vegetables, at least four servings of fruit and at least one ounce of nuts. A JAMA Internal Medicine editorial says the Harvard diet index isn’t perfect because it puts equal emphasis on various foods that may not contribute equally to health. Still, the study highlights a “growing chasm” that is a public health concern, the editorial says. It suggests that government efforts to close the gap with programs including food stamps may be insuf ficient and that limiting government benefits to cover only healthful foods might be a better strategy.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — In some ways, political campaigning has gone to the dogs in South Carolina. Boots McMaster, a bulldog with no chance of being elected, is a well-known political face this campaign season. Then there are the miniature schnauzers Ace and Angel Ervin and a yellow lab with the iconic South Carolina political name of Strom. With almost half of American households owning dogs, a number of South Carolina politicians are featuring their dogs — but nary a cat — in ads, on websites and on Facebook pages. The best-known seems to be Boots, the bulldog who
appears with Republican Henry McMaster in his television ads as he runs for lieutenant gover nor. McMaster introduces Boots as the family watchdog while adding, “I’m proud of my record as South Carolina’s watchdog.”
schnauzers Ace and Angel. Republican Hugh Weathers, seeking another term as agriculture commissioner, is on his website in a photo with his wife, Blanche, holding their springer spaniels, Hub and Baby Girl.
S.C. political campaign goes to the dogs
OBITUARIES
Linda (Cole) Hernes
Funeral services for Linda (Cole) Hernes will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 at Anderson Bethany Funeral Home with Hospice Chaplin, T im Arlett officiating. Burial will follow at South Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 2-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014 at Anderson Bethany Funeral Home. Linda lost her long, hard-fought battle with cancer on Aug. 30, 2014 in Santa Fe. Born Linda Marie Cole on March 3, 1952 to Houston and Margaret Mae (Underwood) Cole in Roswell, Linda grew up in Roswell and ultimately attended Goddard High School. In 1974 she married Gary Hernes, and they moved
On his campaign website, there’s a link directly to the Boots ad in the shape of a dog tag. And for a $100 contribution one can get a picture of the candidate and Boots “signed” by both. When independent guber natorial candidate Tom Ervin ran his first newspaper ads last month, they featured a picture of Ervin and his wife, Kathryn, holding their
to Santa Fe with their daughter, Shauna. Although she had other career aspirations, Linda embraced her new role as a homemaker, mother, family nurse, tutor and many more as she took care of her family. When her daughter grew up and had her own children, Linda adapted easily to the role of loving grandmother. Nothing meant more to Linda than her family. Linda never hesitated to help others — she served as caregiver for Gary’s mother and her own sister, Katherine (Cole) Shanks, after they were each diagnosed with cancer. Linda is survived by her husband Gary, her daughter Shauna Hernes, granddaughters Desiree Montoya and Kaelyn Montoya, exson-in-law Patrick Montoya, her father Houston Cole, step-father Dudley (Junior) Parks, brothers Dale, David, Paul, and Gary Parks, three nieces and their families, and many others too numerous to mention. She was preceded in death by her grandmother Faye Rawdon, her mother Margaret Mae (Underwood) Parks, her sister Katherine, and her mother -in-law Margaret Hernes.
And a cursory check shows a number candidates for the state House of Representatives have pictures of their pet dogs on web or Facebook sites. They include Charleston state Rep. Chip Limehouse with a family picture with their pet dog, Strom.
Americans have long been fascinated by the dogs of political leaders.
Pallbearers include Bill Shanks, Charles Uitts, Earl Hardy, Mark Hendricks, Robert Castillo, and Dwayne Skipper. Honorary pallbearers include Patrick Montoya, Chris Quintana, and David Burton.
Emily Leilani Jensen
Emily Leilani was born with wings at 11:56 p.m., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. She weighed 2 pounds, 4.8 ounces and was 15 inches long. She was a perfect angel to be sent to Heaven. As the days pass, the pain will slowly subside, but the love I hold for you in my heart will never lessen. Private graveside services have been arranged for family and close friends.
Roswell Daily Record
ASHAROKEN, N.Y. (AP) — On a tiny spit of land off Long Island, the wealthy village of Asharoken faces a dilemma borne of Superstorm Sandy. Either it accepts millions of dollars in federal aid to build a protective sand dune and for the first time in its nearly 90-year existence allows the public to use its beach or it rejects the aid and retains its privacy, potentially worsening an erosion problem that saw part of its main road washed out and power lines toppled during the October 2012 storm. But some of the 600-plus residents in the village of million-dollar homes worry opening up the area could lead to traffic problems, trespassing and more garbage. “I think privacy, pollution and safety, these are the three main concerns,” resident Asenneth Elsin said. “I don’t have a problem sharing, but unfortunately there will be people not following the rules.” Asharoken is just one place where the tussle among coastal protection, property rights, public access and federal funding is playing out in New York and New Jersey, both hit hard by the storm. Much of the damage was caused by stor m surge, which flooded or destroyed homes and washed out boardwalks. In some places, such as Surf City on Long Beach Island in New Jersey, dunes held off serious damage while neighboring communities without such protection were nearly wiped out. Now there’s a movement afoot to build or replenish dunes before the next storm. After Sandy, Congress granted the Ar my Corps $5.3 billion to study damaged areas and for projects to build dunes, enlarge beaches and install structures to slow sand movement. Before work can begin, though, property owners must sign agreements allowing access to parts of their property for eternity. And to get the federal funding, communities must agree to provide public routes to the funded beaches. If they decide to keep the beaches to themselves, it’s either find a way to pay for dunes or risk getting flooded again. New York and New Jersey officials have said they’re committed to seeing the
work through, even if it means getting courts involved. They say taking property by eminent domain is a possibility. Asharoken lies between Long Island Sound and a harbor on the narrowest part of a peninsula connecting mainland Long Island with the community of Eaton’s Neck at the tip. It has about 300 homes. Residents who don’t live on the water can buy beachonly lots, and they leave kayaks, patio sets, umbrellas and more on the property. The Corps is studying an estimated $30 million plan to build a dune and berm and enlarge the beach. In a letter to residents, Asharoken Mayor Greg Letica said if the village didn’t accept the federal funding it would cost homeowners up to $100,000 apiece to restore the beach. If the Corps project moves forward, Asharoken may have to take property to create public beach access and compensate homeowners. The problem: Because of its small population, it has an annual budget of just over $2 million, so Letica is asking officials to ease the public access requirement. Asharoken is among several places in New York where the Corps is studying or building dunes. Some structures may be demolished on Fire Island, a barrier island for Long Island that’s dotted with beachside communities and home to a national seashore, to make way for a project. Breezy Point, a cooperative on Queens’ Rockaway Peninsula that flooded and burned during Sandy, was
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A tweet from Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s verified account on Sunday night included a disparaging image of the Democratic district attorney who is at the center of his criminal indictment on charges of abuse of power. The tweet was later deleted, followed by another from Perry’s account that disavowed the post. “A tweet just went out from my account that was unauthorized. I do not condone the tweet and I have taken it down,” the later post said. Perry aides did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Although the tweets were sent from Perry’s verified account, it was unclear who does the actual posting for the feed. The earlier tweet posted an unflattering mock image of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who was convicted of drunken driving in April 2013. Perry vetoed funds to her office when she refused to resign, which led to a grand jury in Austin this month indicting Perry — who is a potential 2016
presidential candidate. The caption on the tweet reads: “I don’t always drive drunk at 3x the legal blood alcohol limit ... but when I do, I indict Gov. Perry for calling me out about it. I am the most drunk Democrat in Texas.” Lehmberg’s office did not lead the grand jury investigation against Perry. It was handled by Michael McCrum, a San Antoniobased special prosecutor who was assigned by a Republican judge. Perry has pleaded not guilty and called the charges a political ploy. His high-powered legal team has asked the judge overseeing the case to dismiss the indictment, claiming that the law being used to prosecute the longest-serving governor in Texas history is unconstitutionally vague. Perry cut off $7.5 million in state funds to the state’s Public Integrity Unit — which is based in Travis County and prosecutes public corruption in Texas — when Lehmberg refused to resign. That veto drew a formal complaint from a left-leaning watchdog group.
AP Photo
In this Aug. 26 photo, a sea wall separates Asharoken Village, N.Y. from Long Island Sound. The wall was washed over during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, causing erosion and and taking down power lines.
Texas’ Perry says tweet Sunday night was not him, unauthorized
given a $1.2 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to study building a $57 million dune with a sea wall. In New Jersey, 11 Corps projects are planned, but it hasn’t gotten all homeowners to sign easements. “We’re looking to make our shores more resilient,” said Bob Considine, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “We’re doing this for the good of the entire shore and New Jersey.” A 14-mile dune project from Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet has some of the most holdouts, with the boroughs of Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach accounting for nearly 200. In Point Pleasant Beach, much of the boardwalk and beach are privately owned to the mean high-water mark, and several large businesses operate amusements there. Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, the largest beachfront property owner, said building a dune would erase beach areas where volleyball, movies, weddings and other events are held. The owners said they don’t believe a dune would stop flooding because properties behind Jenkinson’s weren’t flooded by Sandy’s surge. borough has The approved granting an easement on property it owns, but 69 other property owners haven’t. “I understand their concer ns, and in a per fect world we wouldn’t do this,” Mayor Vincent Barrella said. “But we don’t have that. We live in a postSandy world.”
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