CRESTON NEWS

(03/26/2012)
By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com

Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.

The next Creston auction will be Saturday, April 7 and the poker run will be April 21. Mark your calendars.

Orders & Haynes workers have been pouring concrete on the new Annamoriah b ridge.

Mr. & Mrs. Barry Miller have excavated for their new home that is to be built at Annamoriah.

Warm weather and rain have been the order of the day in the Creston area with red buds being at their peak along with trilliums, Dutchman's breeches, blood root, spring beauties and other spring ephemerals. Also the garlic mustard is up and landowners should pull it all up by the roots before it seeds and kills out native vegetation. Also the tent caterpillars are feasting on fruit trees where they have not been killed. Ramps are up big enough to harvest and with the warm weather morels may be early this year.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been in the news again. The longtime spiritual advisor to the big eared one recently, along with advisors from the state department, attended a conference in the Persian Gulf (Qatar) on the retaking of Jerusalem (Al Quds) away from the Jewish people and "returning" it to Moslem hands. Rev. Wright who, in the past, has said unkind things about America said he supported the "March on Jerusalem." Such also seems the be the idea of those living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The American taxpayers are sending money to those who chant "Death to the Jews".

Work continues at the slip at the park at Burning Springs. Where the old pilings were pulled the road has broken off again.

Renee Gray was calling on Dorothy Lynch.

Marcellus well locations have been chosen in the Normantown area and there has been lots of activity in Calhoun County. Mother Hope (Dominion ) purchased part of the former Olga Postalwait property on the West Fork for a new compressor station and a new 16" line is to be laid through Bear Fork to Jones Station at Lockney.

The much sought after ethane cracker plant (where ethylene is made) went to an old industrial area in the Horseheads section of Monaca Pennsylvania. The West Virginia site of choice would require the relocation of a nude dancing establishment and might impact a gambling parlour. Of course the "leaders" in W. Va. determined that they didn't want their feet set in concrete and thus the rackets and vice were more important than the $4 billion petrochemical facility. Up in the panhandle area it was noted that "as part of economic development" the railroad was taken up and a walking trail established. Tycoons will likely walk along and decide "That is a nice place for our new factory!"

A spokesman for Mark West the outfit that separates the goodies from natural gas on the Columbia/Nisource system noted that a cracker would require about 60,000bbl/day of ethane & that within three years there should be enough for 3 or more crackers. At the moment the ethane is going to Canada [It is OK to send raw materials there for manufacture.] by pipeline and to facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. Presently Mother Hope takes out the goodies at the Hastings Station facility and Mark West has several operations, including Cobb Station at Clendenin with more being built to contend with the new Marcellus and Utica drilling.

Work continues on the new fractionation facility at Natrium on W. Va. Route 2. The project had been started by Caiman Energy which has now been purchased by the Williams Companies. Gas from both W. Va. and Ohio will be stripped there. It was noted that the price for ethane is now one half of what it was formerly while the prices for propane & butane have remained steady. With the near record low prices for natural gas many including the W. Va. Farm Bureau have been pushing for an ammonia fertilizer plant to be built in West Virginia. Since the Utica covers the entire state and is said to be mostly "dry" gas there is an abundant supply of raw material. Many have a problem adjusting to the fact that this is now a world class oil and gas field.

A certain fellow was out "junking" and noted that "he didn't steal" but was sent packing and told to never come back.

Charles Russell was calling on Ray Gumm & brother Euell at Miletree and was attending to business in Spencer.

It was learned that the Mothman who is wintering in Florida shot a wild pig recently.

The other evening one local fellow had to hurry home only to find that the West Fork was in the road and that there were no high water signs. "The well I think I can make it" theory got scary when a beaver swam across the road ahead of the chariot.

One local well tender saw mama bear (the sow) and two cubs at the head of Island Run. Those traveling in that area should keep that information in mind.

While this story has been around for a while it was pointed out, that to appease the vegan crowd the "Leader", upon learning that there were over 100,000 federal cattle guards in Colorado said that half should be fired to save money since folks shouldn't be eating cattle anyway but the fellow with the hair plugs said that they should all get six months retraining for "new employment".

Anna Yates attended the cherry blossom festival down on the lower Potomac.

Steve Newton, husband of former local resident Mary Griffin Newton, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude rose to $105.42/bbl while "drip" [formerly called Appalachian light sweet] fetches $90.88, Marcellus & Utica light brings $94.09 and medium is worth $106.92.