The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 9

wwrwBbd PHF CHARI OTTE OBSFRVFR I www charlotte com FROM PAGE ONENATION TUFSDAY NOVFMBFR 27 2007 9A mith: Track will be Concord forever WAVE OF OSTEOPOROSIS FEARED iectas warn Ms aft nsk off soffit bonnes SpeedwaymmM Lack of sunshine milk and exercise manifested in recent cases of rickets DAVID FOSTER III dtfostercharlotteobscrver com DeSales Wagster (from left) CEO of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau Speedway Motorsports Chairman Bruton Smith Concord Mayor Scott Padgett and Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert Carruth listen to a question during news conference at the speedway in Concord Helping kids grow strong bones Building strong bones takes a combination of calcium vitamin and exercise starting in childhood Here are guidelines on how much youngsters need: Young children should consume about 800 milligrams of calcium a day But between ages 9 and 18 when bone growth speeds up that requirement almost doubles to 1300 mg about three cups of fat-free or low-fat milk plus additional calcium-rich foods such as broccoli cheese yogurt or calcium-fortified orange juice Children and adolescents need at least 200 international units of vitamin Milk and orange juice often is fortified with the vitamin a few other foods contain it Sunlight is a major source About 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure weekly is enough for many children although skin pigmentation alters sun absorption so black children need more The goal is to get just enough sun for vitamin production while avoiding too much of its skin-damaging rays Babies who are breast-fed only and older children at risk for vitamin deficiency should receive supplements Children of all ages need about an hour of physical activity most days and 10 to 15 minutes at a time can add up Weight-bearing exercises strengthen bone anything from team sports like soccer to simply jumping rope or running around The goal is for the arms or legs to bear all the weight The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for calcium-deficit diets and too little exercise to identify those whose lifestyles put them at risk for osteoporosis later in life ASSOCIATED PRESS population going to be at for osteoporosis Kalkwarf cautions really hard to know what the cutoff is how low is too But almost half of peak bone mass develops during adolescence and the concern is that missing out on the strongest possible bones in childhood could haunt people decades later some early data showing that even a 10 percent deficit in your bone mass when you finish your adolescent years can increase your potential risk of having osteoporosis and frac tures as much as 50 says Dr James Beaty president the American Academy of Surgeons Already evidence US children break their more often today than four ago girls 56 percent more and boys 32 percent more to a Mayo Clinic study Kalkwarfs hospital recently found that kids who break arm have lower bone density than their playmates ho That suggests the fracture due solely to newer forms risky play like inline skates discuss the deal to keep the peedway in Concord As part if the agreement Smith plans to uild a $60 million drag strip nd spend up to $200 million on peedway renovations and up-radcs In return the city coun-v and state will provide about 80 million in incentives most lirough road improvements icar the speedway While it was long on congratulations and short on details lon news conference alle-mted almost two months of inxiety over the ite Smith first threatened to uild a new track elsewhere in he Charlotte region last month ftcr the Concord City Council iiitully thwarted his plans to uild the drag strip Council nembers said they had little in-ormation about the project and icard concerns about the noise But city leaders quickly back-icdaled from their opposition a the face of assertions took it very bhn Cox head of the Cabarrus lounty Economic Devclop-Inent Corp said Monday a as not a game for us at all" As city and county officials nobilized Harris and others valuated other speedway sites or Smith who wanted a new rack to be within 20 miles of harlotteDouglas Interna-lonal Airport the same distance as the existing speedway A new track would have needed at least 700 acres the peedway in Concord has more than 1300 and more than 20 mtial possibilities were narrowed to five or six viable sites Harris said Of the finalists he said some were in large tracts while others would have been assembled from smaller parcels All were near major highways such as NC 16 in Gaston County and Interstate 77 in York County he said with land costs ranging from nothing governments would have bought and donated of Orthopaedic that arms decades according an rise of There also was disagreement or at least confusion on the role Of the roughly $80 million in incentives Concord and Cabarrus will provide $30 million each The state will contribute $20 million Smith said Monday citing assurances by Gov Mike Easley during a nearly hour-long conversation Wednesday Easley spokeswoman Sherri Johnson however said no additional financial incentives were offered The governor told Smith that he would honor existing plans for speedway-area roads already approved by the state Board of Transportation she said Regarding speedway improvements Smith provide details or a timetable for construction saying only that his company has been working on a master plan for 1 'i years Padgett said the plans would help solidify the area as the racing center As for the drag strip that started the controversy Smith hesitate when asked if it would be open in time for a National Hot Rod Association race scheduled for next September in Concord His answer: bet your sweet patootie it will IRS1RROBUEMS7A LET THE JK HARRIS TAX TEAM FIGHT FOR the (Nation s) most successful (in terms of size) tax-resolution company -The Wall Street Journal Fra Special Report Ho to End IRS PioMm 877-451 9111 Tax Settlement Analysis: Interview by Appointment Only Free Confidential 800-450-0487 We Also Negotiate Defaulted Sttnt Ltvris 800-499-0951 wwwlowerbacktaxescom JK Harris Company9 Charlotte not an endorsement by the WSJ By Lauran Neergaard Associated Press Too little milk sunshine and exercise: an anti-bone tri-fccta And for some kids shockingly leading to rickets the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children building as much strong bone as they should a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are potentially is a says Dr Laura Tosi bone health chief at National Medical Center in Washington Now scientists are taking the first steps to track bone quality and learn just how big a problem the anti-bone trio is causing thanks to new research that finally shows just what bone density is for children of different ages Dr Heidi Kalkwarf of the Cincinnati Hospital led a national study that gave bone scans to 1500 healthy children ages 6 to 17 to see how bone mass is accumulated The result published last summer: The first bone-growth guide just like height-and-weight charts for pediatricians treating children at high risk of bone problems Next the government-funded study is tracking those 1500 children for seven more years to see how their bones turn out Say a 7-year-old is in the 50th percentile for bone growth Docs she tend to stay at that level by age 14 or catch up to kids with denser bones? If not if she more prone to fractures? Ultimately the question is what level is cause for concern know if raising a Toasting Flute Pair $150 JLi Ail: Set of Two Footed Bowls The Nation's Largest Tax RaproSantatiori Flm the property to about $90000 an acre Even after Concord and Cabarrus officials worked to appease Smith he said there was a 90 percent chance he would move the speedway On Monday though he acknowledged that discussions with the city and county meant that chance shrinking every With decision to stay city and county leaders expect more investment around the speedway For instance a trio of hotel projects all are moving forward following decision said DeSales Wagster head of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau Most of the $80 million in incentives will go toward road construction widening extensions and other improvements near the speedway Yet it remained unclear Monday how officials planned to finance the projects Increased investment and additional tax dollars from projects such as new hotels could help pay some costs officials said Other options include a 1-ccnt increase in the hotclmo-tel room occupancy tax or half-ccnt sales tax increase Earn Reward 1 jl Subject to crodtt Approval jr And con iH 60 day from trJVV1 A 2007 Collectible Ornaments 2007 Snowstar Ornament $55 2007 Nativity Holy Family Ornament $55 2007 Snow Crystals Pierced Ornament $65 7 Ball Ornament with LED light First Edition $98 More than 25 years of taking women from "Before" to "After? 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