| alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev.Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church but still is on the sick list. Next week Bob Sims will bring the message.
Nancy June Hall, age 77, passed away after suffering a heart attack. She had battled cancer for many years. The daughter of "Bung" and Margie Hall of Burning Springs, she will be laid to rest in the Beatty cemetery at Burning Springs.
Some local folks attended the Black Walnut Festival in Spencer. Euell Russell & Ray Gum said they declined participation in the activities but that crowds were big.
Nancy Engelke and daughter Jane attended the wedding of Talia Markham and James Philip Will in Point Pleasant, Saturday. The groom operates a substantial farm in Ohio.
A birthday party was held Friday for Dora O'Dell who just turned a mere 99.
Adam & Anna Yates are touring Vermont and visited the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. Adam is to return to the scenic mountains of Afghanistan soon.
Brogan Richards was attending to some feline matters in Creston recently.
The folks down at the Mouth of the Elk have been 'debating' the proposed new Marcellus or horizontal drilling law but last week it was clear that the the Facemyers, both the Mrs. Senator & the Mr. Senator were going to oppose any really constructive moves although, at times, cooler heads prevailed. After the public hearings one said that a deal was imminent (not anything done publicly) and a special session would be called. It was reported that Earl Ray had promised the big boys that things would be done the way they wanted.
One local fellow who is drilling wells for Enron (they never went out of business) in northern Pennsylvania said that his crew was told that they should be in West Virginia within three years. The lobbyist for one of the big out of state boys said that if the legislature didn't give 'em what they wanted they would go to Ohio to drill. A source close to the Marcellus activity said, "Yeah, sure they're going to leave all those 10 to 14 million/day wells and go elsewhere!"
With the rain, pastures and meadows are unusually green for this time and the usual change in leaf color locally is somewhat mixed although the oaks still have plenty of time to become brilliant.
Those who follow the political scene marvel at how the "powers that be" are maneuvering to put Romney in as the Republican presidential nominee just like they did with Sen. McVain 4 years ago. It would seem that there are those who want to be sure that the Big Eared One gets four more years and that is done by having a a weak and unelectable opponent who might be described as being "a pale pastel".
The street demonstrations in New York, Rome Italy and elsewhere are well organized and controlled by professionals who have called for the destruction of America's economic system. Of course there are, as the Russians used to say, "useful idiots" who follow them with all the toys free enterprise has made available. The sheep bleated bad things about "billionaires" but have and use every item the late Steve Jobs invented and produced. The private park that was trashed near Wall Street belongs to a firm that recently got a big loan for windmills or some such from the Big Eared One so they "were persuaded" not to throw demonstrators out.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude oil rose to $84.35/bbl.
| 
