 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Verizon the baby bell that provides telephone service to part of the Creston area announced that after May 31 they would no longer be providing "call forwarding". Verizon which has allowed the lines to deteriorate and, in fact, become obsolete is trying to sell out to Frontier. While there has been a lot of lip service on the national level to make broad band available to everyone with taxpayer money (& Chinese loans) financing the improvements. However, it seems that ski resorts and developments whose promoters are politically connected get the federal funds that "are to help the poor & downtrodden". Just like in Animal Farm, some are 'more equal' than others.
Spring continues to plod along with peach and apple trees blooming as well as blue bells and skunk cabbage up in the mountains.
Redbud is now in its glory as are trilliums, white & yellow violets, dog toothed violets, etc and dogwoods are nearing their peak. Likewise the tent caterpillars are busy eating fruit trees.
It was reported that a 16 year old wrecked a four-wheeler over near or at the mouth of Rock Run where there was once a bridge.
The big Creston ATV poker run will be Saturday, April 17 with signup from 9 A. M. until noon. In addition to a fun run there will be 50/50, door prizes and goodies including a 'cholestorol free' breakfast of biscuits (made by a local expert chef) and gravy. Signs will be posted and the fun begins at the Creston Community Building. Poker runs are not races -- one can take one's time, view the wild turkeys, flowers, check out fishing spots, old graveyards, scenic vistas, deep mudholes, etc.
Some area residents have been called for jury duty.
Brandon, Donna & Carl Ferrell & Charles Russell were among those calling on Euell Russell. Brandon had a sleepover the other evening at his grandparents home.
Calhoun County Commissioner Bob Weaver and former Wirt County Commissioner Roy Copen were both attending to business in Creston recently.
Anna Engelke & Adam Yates were married Saturday at the Bavarian Inn in Shepardstown, W. Va. The weather was ideal and those who came from out of state were impressed with the beauty that W. Va. has to offer. They will reside in Strasburg Virginia and currently are honeymooning in Athens Greece, Petra in the land of the Edomites and the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.
One of Anna's cousins from Illinois has an Obama countdown program on her hand held computer. The program has it down to the second when the new president will be sworn in in 2013.
The Big Eared One's talk about America's doing away with nuclear bombs and not using them against those who attack us have many shaking their heads. From 1945 on the fact that America had (& would use) the bomb has sobered numerous two bit tyrants. A comparison is the current problem with pirates off the coast of east Africa. The tourist boats hired Israeli security who equalized one boat of would be pirates and now the tourist cruise boats are avoided at all costs. In the real world force works & is respected.
Local Toyota owners have been worried about all the talk about unsafe Toyota vehicles but now even some liberals are convinced that most of the talk and almost all of it concerning the Lexis is a hoax promoted by Obama Motors the government competitor of the company that employs numerous West Virginia residents. Now that the government owns GM (now sometimes called "Gross Mismanagement) the prosecutor and the judge have a vested interest in eliminating the competition and with the help of "their friends" in the media they have been trying hard, to say the least.
Back during a famous campaign promises were made that taxes on those making less that either $200,000 or $250,000 would not be raised one dime. Shortly thereafter the taxes on cigarettes went up even though most Creston area smokers make significantly less than $200,000. Now, in addition to the health care taxes and the phase out of the Bush tax cuts, a European style VAT (Value Added Tax) is being proposed since the Chinese apparently are balking at loaning much more money. The VAT is a federal sales tax and in Europe it runs around 20% on almost everything. Also in the plan is the "global warming" tax which has been calculated at 77cents/gallon of gasolene.
It was learned that Calhoun County's highway department is working on FEMA money and will be using that until up in the fall - fixing snow damage.
The price of local Penn grade crude oil dropped to $78/bbl.
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