 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church and on Sunday evening there was a big crowd for the lenton service.
A number of Creston area residents were saddened by the passing of Winnie Murray who died just after the legislature passed the Wirt nursing home bill that she worked so hard to get passed.
The shutting down of the construction of the new bridge at Mineral Wells by the highway department and their reluctance to talk has created some concerns locally as the same contractor is building the new bridge with a curve at Annamoriah. One wonders whether the contractor is the problem or if the 'situation' has to do with other parties, faulty engineering, etc.
One local resident was attending to business in Doddridge County one day last week and observed what had to be a snowy owl. The snowy owl is the emblem of White Owl Cigars which were made famous for being the smoke of choice of Ramona, Sapphire's mother.
Paris Parsons said he read the Creston News each week as did Ed van Deuren, a young at heart oil & gas investor.
Charles Russell was attending to business in Spencer & consulting with his podiatrist. He also dined with brother Euell at Miletree.
The contractor finished up the walking trail at the Creston Community Building and the formal dedication is scheduled for 6 P. M. on Monday, March 12.
Cap'n & Mrs. Spock spent a few days visiting the Mothman & wife at their Lantana Florida winter hideaway.
Fruit trees are starting to bloom, robins are plentiful and the rain crows have been calling. Also some more of the invasive, non-native black buzzards were spotted at the head of Lower Barnes Run on the way to Spencer. One would hope that the residents in that section "resolve the problem" as the black buzzards pick out the eyes of young calves so they wander off and die to provide meals for the unsavory birds.
Finally some of the Big Eared One's college/law school data has been found & released. It seems he was a big fan of Harvard law professor Derrick Bell who was big in the "critical race theory" and was very fond of Khalid Muhammad of the Nation of Islam who is 'famous' for his "Kill all the crackers" speech which is now available on U tube.
Magnum which leased a lot of oil & gas in Wood County announced that they are going to invoke the automatic renewal clauses in their leases which means for $30/acre they will have property tied up for another 5 years. Magnum sold the leases to Sinclair and claimed a 7 1/2% overriding royalty. Equivalent leases in Ohio recently traded for $5,900/acre and Noble paid CNX $7,100/acre for Marcellus acreage in Wood and other W. Va. counties.
The government decreed fast time started early this year. The program was started during the "world wars" so that factory workers could make more armaments to kill the enemy.
Bluescape Resources, Inc. the outfit that has all the MeadWestvaco minerals leased made the news over the gas well flares that they have had burning since August in Nicholas County. The firm said that there were no gas lines and that they "wanted to test the wells". One would think that Westvaco would be on to them for wasting the gas and denying the paper company gas royalties. There are said to be 25 Marcellus permits in Nicholas County. Elsewhere in the nation gas is being flared so that "quick buck oil production" can procede. Of course this wastes the gas and reduces the amount of oil that can be recovered. Over the years many oil and gas fields have been ruined by this short sighted policy. Leaders this time around are said to be Chesapeake & Enron.
One central West Virginia oil & gas operator said his company was having an awful time with the low natural gas prices since his firm had almost no oil production. It was also reported that one of the "biggies" was given six months unless they pulled the rabbit out of the hat. Should that collapse happen it will be very interesting to see which vultures pick the corpse.
Professor Chu, the big eared one's energy secretary, said he wanted gasoline in America to be priced at the level of European nations and apparently he is getting his way (or such is on the way). Low test is now $3.96 in many places and it isn't even spring. Riding mopeds, the suggested remedy, is not really realistic in rural West Virginia.
W. Harrison Schenerlein IV was attending to business in Marietta and motored to Moundsville where he was impressed by "The Big House".
There has been quite a bit of talk about the possibility that brine wells, especially those in Youngstown Ohio & Frametown, West Virginia were responsible for earthquakes. Chesapeake got caught fibbing about their well in Braxton County. A new brine well is presently being drilled near St. Marys.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude rose to $105.95 while the price of Marcellus & Utica condensate, formerly called Appalachian light sweet, rose to $91.33 with Marcellus light fetching $94.56 & Marcellus medium bringing $107.45 which is the top price for Penn grade crude produced in Ohio, New York & Pennsylvania.
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