Jordan Lake claimed its second drowning victim of the year Saturday evening, July 4, when a rising senior from N.C. State University tried to swim across a cove with a buddy.

And in an unrelated incident Tuesday afternoon, authorities located another body in Jordan Lake near the intersection of Beaver Creek Road and Lower Pea Ridge Road.

Chatham County’s emergency operations center telecommunicators received a phone call from a concerned citizen at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday when he found some personal items on the lake shore while fishing, according to authorities with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office..

Deputies arrived and found a Gray Pontiac near the area. Fire and rescue personnel were summoned and began a search of the lake and the body was found in the water at approximately 4:20 p.m.

The name of the victim was being withheld at the time the newspaper went to press pending notification of the victim’s next of kin.

No other information was available.

On July 4, Stephen Russell, 23, started the afternoon with friends on the shore of a cove adjacent to the Farrington Point boating access area, according to Sgt. Reggie Barker of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Russell and a friend decided to swim across the cove about 7:30 p.m. At some point, Russell began to feel fatigued and held onto the friend for support. The friend tried to call to the shore for aid.

When no one heard him, and he couldn’t hold onto Russell any longer, the friend swam back to his friends and called for emergency responders.

Barker said there was some evidence that there was alcohol consumption among the group.

Divers, summoned by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the NC Wildlife Commission, got the call for help that evening. They searched for Russell until after midnight but didn’t find the body until the next day about 10 a.m.

Russell’s death was the second drowning at Jordan Lake this year. On May 25, 17-year-old Javier Castro drowned at the Seaforth Beach Recreation area after becoming separated from a friend in about 100 feet of water.

There have been 47 accidental drownings in the lake since it first reached normal pool level in February of 1982.

For some local viewers, the switch from analog to new, nationally mandated digital television reception has been frustrating.

The digital conversion, which went into effect June 12, has left some people who, before the switchover received a variety of local channels with an antenna, now with uneven reception or no reception at all.

But the change isn’t all bad. Others have found the digital switch beneficial, providing clearer signals and more channels to watch on a digital television or an older television hooked up to a digital converter box.

It seems to depend, like the old adage about real estate, on three things: location, location, location

"I’ve done everything I know to do," said one frustrated Chatham resident who contacted the newspaper. She lives about 10 miles outside of Siler City and commented that before the conversion she received more than half a dozen regional television stations with good, clear reception.

But the digital switch, she said, has been frustrating because the new reception is inconsistent.

"You can’t depend on receiving the stations now," she said. "The signals are unpredictable.".

Summertime is often a fun time of year, especially for children when the sound of that last school bell signals the start of long, lazy days with little responsibility.

But there are also risks associated with the heat and sun. Too much of either can have serious health consequences and prudence and common sense can help avoid potential health problems.

For those exercising in hot weather, the need to drink fluids and the right kind of fluids is perhaps most important.

"The first concern would be dehydration," said Holly Coleman, Health Director for the Chatham County Public Health Department. "Make sure you are taking in more fluids than you are losing."

Some fluids are better to drink in hot weather than others, she said. "Water is good, sport drinks are o.k., but things that include caffeine don’t help as much."

Avoiding heavy exercise during the middle of the day is also important.

"Schedule physical activity early or late in the day," she advised. "Mow the lawn early in the day if possible, and take in a lot of fluids. If you have job where you work in sun, take breaks and go to the shade when you can.