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Catawba Nuclear Station

Q: What type of U.S. power plants were the most productive in 2019?

A: Last year, nuclear plants were the most productive of the nation’s generation fleet: Nine of the 10 U.S. power plants that generated the most electricity in 2019 were nuclear plants, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. These top 10 plants accounted for 5.6 percent of all electricity generation in the country.

“Nuclear generation has been a reliable, safe and affordable energy resource for North Carolina’s electric cooperatives for 35 years,” said Scott Brame, manager of Compliance and Jointly Owned Resources for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “As an emissions-free resource accounting for more than half of the NC electric co-ops’ power, nuclear energy will also play a vital role in meeting co-ops’ net-zero carbon emissions goal as part of their shared Brighter Future vision.”

To learn more, visit: NCElectricCooperatives.com/Brighter Shivalee Patel

Alex Scruggs

NC Students Receive Youth Leadership Council Scholarships

Students representing Randolph EMC and Union Power Cooperative recently awarded two 2020 Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Scholarships to NC students: Shivalee Patel, a student at Piedmont High School in Monroe, representing Union Power Cooperative; and Alex Scruggs, a student at Southwestern Randolph High School in Asheboro, representing Randolph EMC.

“I’m thrilled that we were able to recognize these outstanding students for their achievements despite the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said Paul Mott, Youth Tour coordinator for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives.

Both Patel and Scruggs will receive a $2,000 college scholarship. They will also join the ranks of previous delegates selected to represent North Carolina on the Youth Leadership Council, a national electric cooperative program that seeks to develop strong leadership, presentation and advocacy skills in young leaders. While this year’s council activities have been canceled at the national level, Patel and Scruggs will be invited to attend North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting this spring, pending any COVID-19 cancellations or changes.

Earlier this year, both Patel and Scruggs were selected to represent their local electric cooperative on the 2020 NC Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., which was originally scheduled to be held this past June, but was later canceled due to the pandemic. The annual tour, which brings together close to 1,800 high schoolers from more than 40 states, gives exceptional students the chance to spend a week in our nation’s capital learning about government, U.S. history and the cooperative business model, while building leadership skills and making new friends from across the state and nation.

Typically, North Carolina’s YLC representative is selected on the first day of Youth Tour by a peer vote based on a live speech competition; this year, however, the speech competition was held virtually. Patel and Scruggs were both named as representatives after tying for the most votes received from their fellow Youth Tourists, the first YLC tie in recent memory.

“Thank you to our Youth Tourists for making this year’s competition a success,” Mott said. “Our Youth Tour delegates have been incredibly supportive and resilient during this time, and we appreciate their flexibility as we’ve worked to transition our tour activities to a virtual environment.”

Virtual Youth Tour In lieu of an in-person trip to Washington, D.C., the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association launched “YTO: ShineOnLine” for 2020 Youth Tour participants. The weekly series brings the vast national network of Youth Tour delegates together with engaging speakers, co-op leaders and elected officials.

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Cookie-Making For the Hanes family, Moravian baking traditions run deep Masters Masters By Pamela A. Keene Photos by Revival Creatives

Evva Hanes the woman behind Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies, started baking almost before she could reach the kitchen table. Today, Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies are shipped around the globe, and they are still hand-rolled and hand-cut in a kitchen on the same farm property where she was born.

Evva, a 7th generation Moravian, says “My mother allowed me to actually help take the cookies off the pans and stack them when I was 5 or 6, but I was much older before I was allowed to handle and roll the dough.” Her ancestors immigrated to North Carolina in the early 1700s, from an area east of what is now the Czech Republic. “Even before I was born, my mother Bertha Crouch Foltz baked Moravian cookies to sell as a way to help support our family that included her, my father and seven children, so baking just comes naturally for me.”

It was a big day when Davidson EMC (now EnergyUnited) electric cooperative brought electricity to Clemmons when Evva was 4 years old.

“Until then we had a wood-burning stove, and Mother was very skilled at getting the temperature right so that the cookies wouldn’t burn,” she says. “These days, things are a bit easier, but we still roll, cut and pack all our cookies by hand. Ours are the only Moravian cookies in the area that are still being made by hand.”

A GROWING FAMILY

In 1952, she married Travis Hanes. In the early days of their marriage, Travis attended college while Evva worked at Hanes Hosiery Mill (no relation) and continued to help her mother bake cookies.

“As she got older, Mother couldn’t roll the cookies, so I took on more of the responsibility, helping every day after work and on Saturdays. We were also raising our two children, Mona and Mike, so it was a very busy time.”

“Ours are the only Moravian cookies in the by hand. by hand.area that are still being made

Ten years later at the birth of her third child, Jonathan, Evva left Hanes Hosiery and turned to cookie making fulltime, shifted her baking kitchen to the family’s remodeled basement. They installed air conditioning and two ovens, making it possible to increase the capacity to bake thousands of Moravian sugar cookies to sell each day.

“At that time, I was only making sugar cookies, but I also developed a serious allergy to flour dust, so I had to ask two neighbors to help me,” she says. “Still, I kept baking and soon added molasses cookies to our choices. By the time Caroline, our fourth child, came along in 1968, we decided to hire two fulltime employees to do the work and get me out of the flour dust. Caroline literally saved my life.”

BUILDING A BRAND

It was time for a business decision. In 1970, she and Travis constructed a dedicated building on the family farm. After several additions, it has become the official home of Mrs. Hanes. By 1985, they incorporated and formally named the company Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies/Moravian Sugar Crisp Co. Inc.

The recipe is the exact same one that her great- great-grandmother brought to America more than 200 years ago, when they settled near Winston-Salem with others who founded the Friedberg Moravian Church and one of the two largest Moravian communities in the United States. Baking these special cookies 125,000 pounds of cookies baked annually

1pound of dough when rolled properly, makes 100 cookies

9,000people tour the Mrs. Hanes’ Kitchens each year*

“I’m so proud of our Moravian traditions we can share with others through ourfamily.

Travis and Evva Hanes

30 fulltime employees many of whom are family members, plus an additional 18 seasonal employees

100,000 cookie fans on the company’s mailing list is part of the tradition still honored today in Moravian communities.

Over the years, she expanded the flavors to include Sugar Crisps, Ginger Crisps, Butterscotch Crisps, Black Walnut Crisps, Lemon Crisps and Chocolate Crisps.

“Today, my children and grandchildren are running the business,” says Evva, who will celebrate her 88th birthday this November. “But Travis and I are very much involved in many ways. I’m so proud of our Moravian traditions we can share with others through our family.”

Their daughter, Mona Hanes Templin, who is president of the company, and her son, Jedidiah Templin, are the most actively involved, but others including cousins, nieces and nephews also work there.

Looking back over her memories of growing up on the farm where she and Travis live and where her family’s cookies are still baked, she smiles.

“Never in my wildest dreams as a young girl, did I imagine that I would be baking Moravian cookies and have such a wonderful husband, children and grandchildren,” she says. “I have been blessed beyond measure.”

Pamela A. Keene is a freelance journalist who writes for magazines and newspapers across the Southeast and nationally.

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Bringing Smiles to Others Katie Haynes is remarkable in more ways than one

p Picking up toys from owner Sue Lucey at a drive drop-off point at Page 158 Books in Wake Forest.

By Donna Campbell Smith | Photos courtesy of Tara and Jody Haynes

In addition to having Asperger syndrome, 20-year-old Katie Haynes has a long list of medical conditions, some very rare and serious — but that isn’t what is remarkable about Katie.

A talented, award-winning photographer, Katie also helps with the family business of rabbitry, raising and showing both pedigreed and pet rabbit varieties. Still not the most remarkable thing about Katie Haynes.

What may be most remarkable about Katie, a Wake Electric member in Wake Forest, is her attitude and her desire to lessen the physical and emotional pain of others like her.

“I was blessed to be given a condition called Asperger syndrome, which is like a mild form of autism,” she writes on her Facebook page. “It means I don’t interact properly in certain social situations. I may have been bullied a lot, but I see beauty in my Asperger’s.”

Five years ago, Katie launched an organization named Smiling While Sending Hope (facebook. com/SmilingWhileSendingHope). Her mission is to bring smiles to others who have Asperger’s or other big health challenges in their lives. Through the program, Katie organizes toy drives, distributes care packages for hospitalized children, and plans holiday parties and back-toschool bashes for them. Katie wants to provide hope and happiness to those she encounters and share her story, to show these children they are not alone.

Katie also uses social media to share articles and stories about scientific breakthroughs, businesses that make accommodations for those with autism and other cognitive disorders, and even articles about dealing with bullying, something Katie has experienced. In addition, she brings awareness to Asperger’s and other chronic children’s illnesses through workshops and presentations.

Katie shares her own medical story on her Facebook page, “Katie’s Brave Medical Journey.” She posts about going for tests and treatments for her many chronic illnesses that include postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The long list is mind-boggling to read. With an upbeat voice, she writes about her experiences as she deals with her medical conditions, shares her triumphs, and frankly educates her readers about her challenges.

Katie, through her programs, gives away hundreds of care packets including Vogmasks®, reusable face masks that come in fashionable colors and patterns. She has organized a prom dress donation drive for Joy Prom (a full-scale prom night for special needs individuals). In addition, Katie visits young patients in hospitals and in their homes to let them know, “there is someone else out there who cares.”

A patient ambassador for Duke Children’s Hospital, Katie is featured in its fundraising campaigns. You may have even seen the life-sized cardboard cutouts of Katie in your local Walmart store. There are 15 of the cutouts across the state used in Walmart’s campaign to help raise money for Duke Children’s Hospital.

In 2019, Katie was named a “Hero for Life” by the Me Fine Foundation in recognition of her volunteer work. This organization helps families with medical finances whose children are patients at Duke Children’s Medical Center, UNC Children’s Hospital, and WakeMed Children’s Hospital.

What does Katie see for her future? She hopes to make Smiling While Sending Hope a nonprofit and continue to grow that organization. While attending college, Katie is studying photography and after graduation, hopes to fulfill a dream of becoming a photographer for Disney or NASCAR.

Donna Campbell Smith is a Carolina Country contributing writer who lives in Franklin County.

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MEMBERSHIP matters

November 2020

Tips to manage winter bills

Cold weather is coming! Higher bills can result from heating as well as increased use of lighting since more time is spent indoors as the days get shorter. To manage your winter electric bills, Blue Ridge Energy offers the following tips:

Be energy efficient: Simple steps help! Set your thermostats to the lowest comfortable level. Open curtains on sunny days to let in natural heat; close them at night. Only run full loads in dishwashers. Use cold water for washing clothes. Limit shower times to reduce hot water usage. Turn off unnecessary lights.

FlexPay: Control your payment schedule and amounts with FlexPay! Pay- as-you-use by phone, kiosk or online. No late fees or deposits, but you must maintain a positive account balance to keep electricity flowing. Budget Billing: Equalize your payments for 11 months. In the 12th month, your account is “evened up” with a final payment billed or credit applied.

Help paying your bill: • Be sure to contact your local social services agency for special assistance options, including

Operation Round Up® or state and federal crisis assistance programs. • You can also call Blue Ridge Energy to set up a payment arrangement plan.

Free to members: Usage Tracker! This daily electricity tracker alerts you to high electricity usage, which can help you avoid a high bill! Go to BlueRidgeEnergy.com > My Account > Usage Tracker or click “Usage Details” on the Blue Ridge mobile app to monitor your daily usage.

perspective the

From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson

Why your co-op is preparing for electric vehicles

As an electric cooperative, Blue Ridge Energy exists to benefit the members and local communities we serve. Our most important goal is ensuring you have access to the most affordable, reliable electricity.

That’s why your cooperative is embracing the movement toward electric vehicles, otherwise known as “EVs,” and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or “PHEVs.” Consumer adoption is growing as improved battery technology, lower cost and better range performance make EVs more attractive. And with zero tailpipe emissions, EVs will play a critical role in meeting carbon reduction goals for environmental health.

We’re also preparing to leverage this growing trend with managing rising wholesale power cost. For example, because most EV charging occurs at home, we’re currently studying an option to offer an off-peak charging rate soon. Overnight EV charging will lead to a more efficient electric grid as it creates demand for power at a time when the grid has historically been the most underutilized and electric power is less costly. Electricity is most expensive when demand is highest — on the coldest winter mornings or hottest summer afternoons. Spreading demand across nighttime hours can help fill demand valleys and create new revenue to keep rates lower for all members.

EVs also contribute to a healthier environment due to zero tailpipe emissions, which improves air quality. Even when accounting for generation of the electricity that powers EVs, emissions are lower than those of traditional vehicles. Visit ncdriveelectric.com/co-ops/ blue-ridge-energy to learn how much you can reduce emissions by switching to an EV. Even better news for you: more than half the power that comes to you from Blue Ridge Energy already comes from emissions-free sources!

As we work to benefit the environment and hold down members’ rates by leveraging the growing EV trend, we hope you’ll agree that we’re making life better in the Blue Ridge area.

Looking for more information about EVs?

Check out our podcast episode Plug it in! Plug it in! at www.blueridgeenergy.com/Unplugged. Or visit our blog at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Blog where you’ll find videos including a virtual EV test drive, how to charge an EV and a comparison of the Prius Prime and Chevy Bolt!

Outdoor lighting: security and beauty

Outdoor lighting available from Blue Ridge Energy can enhance the safety, curb appeal, and landscaping of your home! Select from a variety of lighting styles, including LED options. Outdoor security lights can be added to your monthly electric bill. For more information, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com/ outdoor-lighting.

STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/ complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson

EDITOR Reneé R. Whitener

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons

DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell (828) 754-9071 Watauga (828) 264-8894 Ashe (336) 846-7138 Alleghany (336) 372-4646 Wilkes (800) 451-5474 PowerLine® (800) 448-2383 (PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)

Toll Free (800) 451-5474 (for members outside of the service area.)

To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above.

OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Night deposit available.

Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEnergy.com +

Serving Alleghany

Joel Souther, 36-year employee with Blue Ridge Energy, retired in October as operations/district manager of the cooperative’s Alleghany office. John Evans has been promoted to serve in this role.

Souther, who led the Alleghany office the past seven years, joined Blue Ridge Energy in 1984 as an installer of load management systems while attending Wake Technical College to become a line technician. As a line technician, Souther was promoted to crew leader in 1990 where he remained until 2007 when he became a construction layout technician with Joel Souther responsibilities for planning the path of power lines.

Souther has also been heavily involved in the community, including serving on the Blue Ridge Business Development Board and Alleghany Hospital Foundation committees in addition to responsibilities for overseeing the cooperative’s Alleghany Member Advisory Committee and Community Leaders Council. He lives in the Twin Oaks/Elk Creek community with his wife, Pam.

Prior to his promotion, Evans served as crew leader in Alleghany district, and moved into his new position of operations/district manager of Alleghany district office in late August. Evans graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. With responsibilities for electric reliability, power restoration, and member/customer service for nearly 10,000 members in the Alleghany service area, Evans leads a staff of 11 line technicians, technical personnel and energy specialists, along with oversight of sales and customer service for the cooperative’s propane and fuels operations in Alleghany district office. He and his wife, Andrea, live in Piney Creek.

John Evans

More Cooking, More Convenience (and Savings) Finding efficiencies in the kitchen

By Jonathan Susser Q:Like many others, I got caught in a bit of a baking binge during the Safer at Home order. And now with the holidays coming up, how can I avoid higher energy bills if I’m using my oven so much?

A:Cooking and baking have certainly had their moments in the spotlight this year, and that should only continue as the weather gets colder and holidays approach. Fortunately, there is a menu of options to help you save time and money while in the kitchen.

Do you have a convection setting on your oven? Unlike a conventional oven, convection ovens/settings use a fan and an exhaust system to move hot air around the interior of the appliance. This feature helps heat food more evenly and evaporate moisture more quickly. Not all foods benefit from convection, but it can be useful for roasting, toasting or dehydrating, baking pies or pastries and making trays of your family’s favorite cookies (yum).

Convection ovens are less energy intensive than conventional ovens and can produce energy savings for two reasons: 1) your food will cook faster (about 25 percent faster) and 2) you’ll be able to set the oven to a lower temperature (typically, you’ll want to subtract 25 degrees Fahrenheit from a recipe that calls for a conventional oven; your oven may even do this for you).

If you don’t have a convection setting and aren’t in the market for a new oven, do not fear. There are other steps you can take. One is to cook multiple meals/items in your oven at the same time, which will reduce how much it runs overall. While it may take 10 to 15 percent longer to bake several dishes at once, it will be far less time and hassle than baking them separately.

If using this technique with a convection oven, make sure there is enough space for the hot air to circulate and that the fan isn’t blocked. Trays and pans with lower sides are a safer bet for those browned and crispy finishes.

Smaller cooking appliances, such as toaster ovens, can also be swapped in to lend support where feasible. Nowadays these can do much more than just make toast; they can roast vegetables or meat, cook pizza, reheat leftovers and more. They also use less energy and may be easier on your back than your standard oven, and some have convection capabilities.

That reminds me: As tempting as it may be to open the oven door to heat your home or kitchen, let your wholehouse heating system do that job and minimize injuries, hazards and possible poor air quality.

And here’s one final thing to keep in mind, particularly for the holidays: food waste. We waste a lot of food over Thanksgiving — as a country, on the order of 170 million pounds of turkey, 30 million pounds of stuffing and 40 million pounds of mashed potatoes. All this waste hurts our wallets and the environment.

This year, aim to stay on top of your portions by gauging how much food you’ll need based on your guest count. And compost, share or freeze any extras when you can!

Jonathan Susser is a writer and editor for Advanced Energy in Raleigh.