Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
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Page 10 - Rutherford Weekly 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com Thursday, September 7-September 13, 2023 ©Community First Media Community First Media HANDS ARE FOR SO MANY THINGS: 132 Blanton Street, Spindale Between here: And here: • Holding on • Letting go • Hard working hands • Healing hands • Shaking hands • Busy hands • Helping hands • Time on your hands VOLUNTEER Ask your cashier for an applicaŸ on. The Unclaimed Property Division (UPD) of the Department of State Treasurer (DST) returned more than $108 million to the rightful owners during the 2023 fi scal year, State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, announced today. That eclipsed all previous one-year totals as Treasurer Folwell continues to prioritize handing back missing money that, by law, was placed in the custody of DST's escheats fund, commonly called NCCash. com. "This is the second consecutive year we have set records for the amount of money we are putting back into the pockets of the rightful owners, and for the number of people receiving their missing money. But we are never satisfi ed to sit on our laurels. We're already taking steps to set another record over the next year," Treasurer Folwell said. "We are in the check delivery business. We understand that during this time of economic volatility sending a check to a struggling single mother, a father working two jobs to feed his family, or a nonprofi t organization experiencing a downturn in donations can make a tremendous difference in their fi nancial situation," Treasurer Folwell said. "It's their money, and we are determined to work doggedly to ensure they receive it." NCCash.com is currently safeguarding nearly $1.09 billion in escheated funds, representing 17.7 million properties. The money is awaiting return to the rightful owners after being lost, misdirected or overlooked. More than 19 million owners are associated with those properties being safeguarded by DST. For the 2023 fi scal year that ended June 30, UPD paid 193,319 claims totaling $108,586,650, both historical records for a one-year period. The previous records were set in the 2022 fi scal year, when UPD paid 178,857 claims amounting to more than $105 million. By contrast, Treasurer Folwell has more than doubled the number of claims paid and nearly doubled the amount of money returned to the public since he took offi ce in 2017. UPD paid just 91,912 claims totaling $56.2 million in the 2016 fi scal year. "Thanks to my great staff and technology, we have been able to make some operational changes to increase our efforts in proactively locating owners of unclaimed property," said UPD Deputy Treasurer Allen Martin. "Processing a claim is normally an easy process, and staff keep the system humming and churning out checks in a fast-paced environment to get the money back to the owners as quickly as possible. Occasionally they are like detectives, handling and solving complicated claims and legal questions for their customers," Treasurer Folwell said. As part of his commitment to move more money out of NCCash and into the hands of its owners, Treasurer Folwell successfully pushed for passage of House Bill 1023, which created the NCCash Match program in 2020. NCCash Match allows DST to disburse claims through, a no-hassle, expedited system that eliminated paperwork processing, with a six- to eight-week turnaround target. Due to the fi rst-year success, the treasurer championed another bill that raised the cap on the amount of money that can be returned to a claimant through the special program. Under state law, UPD receives and safeguards funds that are escheated, or turned over, to DST. The unclaimed property consists of bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds and contents of safe deposit boxes that have been abandoned. Unclaimed property can result from a person or entity forgetting they are due money, or from a move of location and forgetting to provide a new address. It also could result from a typing error in a house number or zip code in an address, a name change, or data loss from a business converting its computer system. As society becomes more mobile and steadily moves to electronic transactions, the risk of having unclaimed property has increased. Treasurer Folwell Credits Staff for NCCash.com Record-Setting Year More an $108 Million Returned To Rightful Owners in FY 2022-23 Article Provided By: nctreasurer.com Una Mannion visited the Rutherford County Farmers Market Saturday noting the anniversary of the publication of the book "Hope For The Flowers" written by Trina Paulus. The book written by Paulus, who recently celebrated her 92nd birthday, was published in September of 1972 and has sold over 4 million copies. It is a love story of two caterpillars, Yellow and Stripe. The book has helped people gain courage to leave jobs, change their lives and explore their love for another human being. While singer Pammy Martin took a break Madison Roberts read a few pages of the book for those at the farmers market. After the reading Pammy performed her original song "The Library." Article & Photos Provided By: Pat Nanney "Hope For The Flowers" Book Reading Diet plays an important role in maintaining healthy cholesterol numbers. Although the level of cholesterol in a person's blood is partly due to factors related to heredity, the foods one eats also affect cholesterol levels. When doctors discuss cholesterol with their patients, they may refer to total cholesterol, bad cholesterol and good cholesterol. What does that mean? Total cholesterol is the combined number of cholesterol in the blood, and should be below 200. Good cholesterol is known as HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and ideally it should be above 60. Bad, or LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, should be below 100, says the Cleveland Clinic. A person who has a poor lipoprotein profi le may be instructed to alter their diet. Learning which foods might help is an important tool in managing cholesterol and triglyceride numbers. Oats and more: Individuals likely have heard that oatmeal is good for helping reduce cholesterol numbers. Oatmeal has soluble fi ber, which lowers LDL cholesterol by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Oat bran and other high-fi ber grains also are good to enjoy. Legumes and produce: Eggplant, okra, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, pears, apples, and more also can be effective at lowering cholesterol levels. These foods tend to be lower in calories and saturated fats but high in soluble fi ber. Nuts: Almond, walnuts and other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids can lower cholesterol levels by raising the levels of HDL cholesterol. Nuts like almonds also are high in vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that can keep the body healthy in a number of ways. Since nuts are high in calories, it is important to eat them in moderation. Fatty fi sh: Eating fi sh over other meat-based protein sources helps reduce caloric intake. It also means the body gains the benefi ts of omega-3 fatty acids that lower LDL and triglycerides in the bloodstream. Sterols and stanols: Sterols and stanols are components of plants that gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food, says Harvard Health. Companies add them to foods like margarine and granola bars as supplements. Roughly two grams of plant sterols a day can reduce LDL by 10 %. Avocados and olives: Both of these foods are good sources of fi ber and also monounsaturated fats that can help improve HDL and lower LDL levels. Substitute olive and avocado oils for lard and butter when cooking to improve cholesterol levels. Foods that can help cholesterol Certain foods can be benefi cial for improving cholesterol numbers. Focusing on the positive can help people feel less restricted by healthy eating plans. Answers to Word Search