| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev. Paul Williams filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
Many local residents and folks from afar went to the annual Ground Hog homecoming held at the church high on the hill at the head of Pete's Run.
Jeff McFee who had been living over near Smithville is in the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh as a result of an automobile catching on fire. For a time they thought they would have to amputate his hands and there is lung damage. Presently he is on a respirator and is in a drug induced coma.
Mark Shimer is now able to talk again but only in a whisper. He may be transferred to the Arbors in Marietta so he can receive skilled nursing care.
Tommy Gay Wright was spending some time at his place down below Creston.
Josemite Sam did a bang up job mowing the Creston area roadsides. This was the second mowing. In other bigger counties many roads are not mowed at all. The pothole with the wire with the red flag was filled with cold mix although the flag on the wire was left in it. Some wondered if Dallas would have to call down at the Mouth of the Elk to get permission to remove the warning flag as such may not have been on the work schedule submitted 18 months back as required.
The big Creston ATV poker run is scheduled for Saturday, September 23 starting at 9 A. M. It should be a great ride and a lot of fun for everyone.
Charles Powell, husband of the former Hazel Vandall noted that he had been spending a lot of time in the Camden Clark hospital and he noted that the size of the facility currently is being doubled. He said, " While I do not mind helping pay for the expansion it seems that I am, single-handedly, paying for the whole thing."
Andrea and Brandon Ferrell were visiting Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ferrell and Amy over the weekend.
Johnny Miller is now home after his hospital sojourn. Joe Miller has been carrying the mail for him.
While not local news, local residents were left with the idea of what other lie is being told us when it was learned that Colin Powell's deputy Richard Armitage was the one who told the reporters that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA. All the big wheels including the media & the special prosecutor knew all along that Carl Rove and Scooter Libby were not "the leaks". Powell and Armitage now work for would be presidential hopeful John McVain and perhaps Madame Hillary. Since the woman only was a desk person there was no leak of cover as was done some years back by a "famous" senator.
The price of local Penn grade crude oil fell Saturday to $65/bbl and gasoline can be purchased for less than $2.60/gallon. One might take bets when the "global warming crowd" starts crying for higher prices to cut consumption. Someone noted that back during the middle ages there was a time when it was much hotter than it is now. Likely the reflection on all the body armor caused such, along with all the arrows that were shot into the air by the royal archers.
Chesapeake noted that they are doing seismic studies on 58,000 acres in Roane County. In some instances they will be acquiring data from owners without their permission so that property owners will not know the value of their holdings while the company will. Back years ago the Big Abbot well was in that area and was the biggest well at that time. The owners of the land received the vast sum of $50/year as royalty. The well was so big a special eight-inch line had to be laid to ship the gas to market.
It was learned locally that the class action suit against Equitable Gas has been removed to federal court on a motion by Equitable since they are a foreign corporation. Equitable and their affiliated companies have many many flat rate gas wells as well as "sanctified contracts" that pay 12 cents/thousand for natural gas when the market has been as high as $15/thousand (MCF).
Kathryn Ellison who lives in Florida indicated she wanted to visit the Hopkins - dePue cemetery on Yellow Creek next month. She is the great granddaughter of Malinda Campbell who married Pierce Lough. Malinda was the daughter of Virginia dePue Campbell Vandall and William Campbell.
Lessie Ann Hursell, age 86 passed away August 31 at Stow Ohio. She was the daughter of Willie Jude & Vienna Mace Boggs and the granddaughter of James King & Margaret Boggs of Beaver Dam. Her son Don maintains contact with area relatives and friends and owns the old Jim "Banty " Boggs home place. Burial was in Ravenna Ohio.
Joe Cunningham is in the process of making a big jar of pickled corn. Joe reported that Hallie Cunningham is doing much better and has put on some pounds.
M. C. "Sleepy" Mills who now lives on Flatbush Avenue in scenic Brooklyn keeps up with the Creston news and was concerned that the fellow whose picture is there with it looked like a foreign terrorist "with latent hostility". "Sleepy" noted that when he was at the road garage he was worked "like a borrowed mule". Could it be that billionaire currency manipulator George Soros hired Evil Eye Fleagle, a famous Flatbush resident from the days of Pappy & Mammy Yokum, to fill poor Sleepy's brain full of left leaning propaganda?
Roane County gendarmes were calling in Creston and took away some members of the local Spot & Steal Division of the Midnight Supply Corp. in relation to crimes committed in other communities. It was understood that the local folks were part of a large network of folks who "have no visible means of support" or what used to be called "Wonder Bra men" although some may draw SSI for various supposed ailments including now, illiteracy.
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Bingman were doing some family history research.
The Burning Springs M. E. Church will have a homecoming on Saturday, October 21 starting at noon. Bring a covered dish, dessert, a chair, songs, music and a willing heart. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. Of course, all are welcome.
The local area received some more rain and local residents were somewhat amused at the media hype over the big hurricane that was to "flood out the eastern part of the state". Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me as someone once said.
Mr. & Mrs. Garry Anderson whose trailer burned under mysterious circumstances the same night other non-occupied structures went up in smoke are building a log home next to the residence of the comely Blue Eyes on Wells Lock road.
Dorothy Lynch's cactus had another bumper crop of beautiful flowers the other morning.
Charles Russell reported that a big tree fell across the road up at Coal Bank and the road crew had to come cut it out. Bessie Arthur was forced to walk to work that morning.
It was understood that Hardesty the head honco at the university up at Morgantown really stepped down so he would be available for a political position. Either he is to fill in for the elderly senator who is, most of the time, out to lunch or else the congressman who might be obliged to spend quality time in a secure facility where one learns "how to do better".
Deputy Peck, Andy and several others were in Creston one day last
week back in the Ground Hog area. A helicopter was also heard so it was
assumed that some "not traditional" agricultural crops were being
"harvested". The Midnight Supply crew that was picked up the other week had
pictures of them proudly standing by their last year's harvest.
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