County commission handles business

The Lawrence County Commission at its Thursday meeting approved the following action:

• Terminated the medical director agreement with Huntington, W.Va.-based Dr. Robert Hess as director of the county’s EMS effective Oct. 31;

• Appointed County Engineer Doug Cade to the KYOVA Planning Commission and the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission;

• Received correspondence from Cade that Private Drive 6586 does not meet the requirements of a public road;

• Approved the weekly dog warden’s report where 21 dogs were destroyed; none were sold or redeemed. Currently there are 70 dogs in custody.

Marshall student group wants to bulk up parade

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Marshall University’s Student Government Association wants to add bulk to the university’s annual homecoming parade.

The association is inviting student groups, high school bands and local organizations to participate in the Oct. 13 parade in downtown Huntington.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three floats and bands, including $750 for first place.

This year’s grand marshal is Maj. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Rucker, Ala. He’s a 1982 Marshall graduate.

Free healthy heart and EKG screening Oct. 7

PROCTORVILLE — King’s Daughters Medical Center is offering a free healthy heart and EKG screening on the KDMC Mobile Health Unit beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at the Kroger Plaza, 6306 County Road 107, Proctorville.

Screening results will be read by Kentucky Heart Institute cardiologist Tina Sias, M.D.

The screening includes an EKG, total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood oxygen levels, and is sponsored by King’s Daughters in cooperation with the Kentucky Heart Foundation. Appointments are required and may be made by calling 1.866.HEART.KY (432-7859). No fasting is required.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for more than 34 percent of all deaths annually. Every 38 seconds, an American dies of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Early detection is key to reducing the impact of heart disease, said Tracy Woods of King’s Daughters Community Relations department. “When it comes to heart disease, knowledge is power,” she said.

An EKG is a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart. It also is used to check the health of the heart, especially when conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are present.

To be eligible, participants must be at least 50 years of age and not participated in a KDMC heart/vascular screening in the past 12 months. Additional screening criteria may apply, which allow us to see those at greatest risk for heart disease.