 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
There was more than a little excitement when one of the scholars on the Creston school bus got into the backpack of another and took out an "epi pen" and did a self-injection.
Amelia Rose Lockhart Battenhausen, age 19, died Wednesday at a Hurricane hospital. She was the daughter of the former Bertha "Tiny" Nutter & the granddaughter of Pauline Nutter Brumfield and the late Everett Nutter.
Charles Russell has been on the sick list.
Rev. Juanita Lockhart filled her regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
A military type helicopter flew low over the Creston area Saturday.
Local residents were able to watch the entire lunar eclipse the other evening and, as advertised, it was spectacular viewing. There was no requirement for special tools, techniques, modern appliances or such or high ticket costs to view the spectacle. It will be several years before the next one.
The local area had another snowfall Thursday but not near as much as fell in the Parkersburg area. In spite of proclamations from the "Church of manmade global warming", satellite data show that snow cover hit the highest level since 1966 & the temperature has been lower than the average for the 20th century. It has been noted that the sunspots & solar storms that caused the "global warming" have waned and now, Al Gore & the other high priests of the "global warming" religion aside, a cooling cycle can be expected. Also, some folks did study science in school. Sunday evening brought more snow to Creston.
Last summer, when it was winter in the southern hemisphere, Antarctica had the greatest ice buildup since 1979 and there was snow in Buenos Aires and South Africa although the events received little publicity since "they did not fit the template of what people are to be told."
Turkeys are gobbling and robins are visiting along the West Fork.
Lilly the "Mouseketeer" was watching her food bowl and heard what she thought was a chewing noise somewhere around the wall. She didn't realize that the coffee pot was making a noise similar to the sound of a rodent chewing.
Hoppy Kerchival who is a popular talk show host in Morgantown & Charleston recently reviewed the biofuels craze. He compared the embrace by government and "ecological" groups of the new fuels to the middle aged man who recently met up with a young chick and left his wife and his old life to head off into "true bliss" and overlooks all the hazards, pitfalls, moral consequences and financial realities of the new "love" or lust.
The consequences of biofuel production in America (& elsewhere) has caused an increase in food prices, fertilizer costs (almost 7 fold) and, even according to the New York Slimes (of all places) cause even more "green house gases" to be emitted. Of course as long as Archer Daniels Midland can exert political control over national politicians (even presidential wannabes), as they do now and will for the foreseeable future, nothing will change.
There will be an international conference on climate change March 2 through 4 at the Marriott N. Y. Times Square hotel. The meeting is sponsored by various groups including the Congress of Racial Equality and what appear to be some taxpayer funded outfits.
On the world scene crude oil prices rose to $101/bbl and gasoline locally took a big jump. Locally Pennsylvania grade crude rose to $92.50/bbl.
The well Sam McKown drilled on the John N. Menefee place was fracted this week with liquid nitrogen. With snow and mud that should have been quite the job.
Some folks received unsolicited letters from an outfit called Mountain Minerals of Denver, Colorado wanting to purchase mineral rights. As it turned out the minerals they wanted to purchase are unleased interests underlying proposed deep well locations scheduled by Chesapeake, the outfit that, along with Columbia Natural Resources, Nisource, etc. were on the wrong end of a $404 million fraud judgment in Roane County.
For those who are seeking employment there will be an oil and gas job fair Tuesday March 11 from noon until 3 P. M. at 325 Main Street, Spencer. For details call 1-866-420-4531.
A prominent Calhoun resident was approached about leasing some oil & gas property and he said he wanted 1/8th of the gross. The lease man, who represents a well known Pennsylvania based firm that has numerous wells, said, "Oh, nowadays we don't do gross leases! We only give 1/8th net leases." Needless to say there were no agreements signed.
One Calhoun oilman reviewed the lease sent out by the Texas outfit that has been calling area mineral owners and he concluded that it was so bad and had so many things wrong that it could not even be fixed. Those wishing to lease should obtain one of the Judge George M. Scott forms. If the outfit is serious and respectable the terms will be found to be satisfactory. The Texas outfit is obtaining leases for another firm who, presently, chooses to remain anonymous but a search of their web site should make things obvious.
In the discussion over the Surface Owners Rights Bills some folks have made statements that they hope everyone will forget (puts one to mind of Her Thighness trashing Chelsea's line of work before a working class crowd). The proposed legislation had a good solution for situations where free gas went to someone else but that wasn't what the man said . . .
Dominion, which is the current name of Mother Hope, a key part of the Rockefeller Standard Oil Trust, has acquired more coal bed methane (CBM) leases in Calhoun County. Several are recorded as "Memoranda of Lease" which means that those who knew what they were doing did much better than those who signed what was shoved in front of them.
Alvin Engelke motored to Huntington to visit with L. L. Smith, age 95, who recently rolled his pickup truck and is now wearing a neck brace, an oxygen mask, etc. In Huntington there were help wanted signs almost everywhere one looked. "Uncle Lon's" nephews, J. L. Ball & Steve Smith both noted that they read the Creston news each week. Steve who worked 33 years for the former Pennzoil Company noted that reading the column was how he keeps up with his former line of work.
According to letters from the Bankruptcy Court, Carl E. Smith Petroleum is to be sold for $13 million to Base Petroleum. The next hearing in the case will be on March 18 at the Robert C. Byrd Court House & Mausoleum down at the Mouth of the Elk. It was noted that some royalty payments are in arrears back to 2002.
One local resident received 16 letters from an outfit that might be called a friendly finance company (being kind with words). A careful review of the addresses leads one to the conclusion that the only way these addresses could have been obtained was through the W. Va. State Tax Department. Obviously those fine folks down at the Mouth of the Elk have sold West Virginia taxpayer names to "less than savory businesses". One can conclude that they want to help keep W.Va. #50, while, of course maintaining the state university as the #1 party school.
Several local residents are concerned that the Legislature will ban four wheelers from local roads thus putting to an end ATV poker runs and fun rides like those held by the "Oldies Four Wheeler Club", ad hoc groups of friends, family groups, etc.
It was learned that the DNR is building ten new bear traps so that they can catch "problem bears" and then release them in other areas.
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