Riverdale Elementary School student Georgia Byrd Ward recently wrote First Lady Michelle Obama, praising her for encouraging youth to be active and eat healthy.

“In the morning, my dad likes to watch the news,” the 9-year-old wrote. “I watch it with him and you are amazing. Hopefully I will be like you some day.”

Georgia said she never buys lunches at school because she believes they are unhealthy.

“I think we should get a salad and a real turkey breast, and for breakfast we should have a fruit salad and some granola cereal,” she wrote.

Georgia also would like children to be more active instead of staying inside playing video games.

She told Mrs. Obama she exercises at the YMCA, jumps rope every day and does yoga.

“Sometimes I am the only kid in the workout room and (doing) yoga,” she wrote. “I used to weigh 100 pounds; now I weigh 81 pounds.”

• During the Sept. 7 NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway, Surry County High School Jr. ROTC presented the colors.

Christopher Marshall from Courtland is a member of the color guard.

His father is Bob Marshall, who works at Lowe’s.

• Kevin Schrack, regional director and physical therapist with Tidewater Physical Therapy in Franklin, and his 25-year-old daughter, Margaret, competed in the Tough Mudder event in Frederick, Md., on Saturday.

The 10-mile run included military boot-camp-style obstacles every half-mile. They included crawling through mud under barbed wire, wading through a container of ice water, scaling a 10-foot wall and carrying a large log for about 200 yards.

Kevin got involved with the event after Margaret and a few of her friends from Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke decided to participate.

The 56-year-old said he was pretty tired and sore come Monday.

“I got a fair number of scratches on my arms and legs, more like abrasions,” he said.

Proceeds benefited the Wounded Warrior Project.

• Bobby Harrell was surprised to find six butter beans in a single sprout.

A grower of butter beans for nearly his entire the life, the 72-year-old normally finds there to four beans per pod. The seed he’s been using consistently for 25 years produces five beans per pod.

“This is the first time I’ve seen six,” Bobby said.