 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The Creston auction will be Saturday, May 5 starting at 6 P. M. at the Creston Community Building. Come visit, brag about how long the beard was on the turkey you killed, how many trout you caught, etc.
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.
Glen Merrill age 77 of Spring Creek passed away after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Norma and three sons. He was preceded in death by his daughter Linda Hall.
Chester Yates had to make an emergency visit with his veterinarian.
A couple "borrowed" the flag from the Creston Community Building. Some folks got a very good description of the fine folks and the chariot that they were driving. It is hoped that they return the flag which has special significance on their own; otherwise the gendarmes will be calling on them with a warrant. Surely they would have no contraband or hot items at their abode.
A fellow was draining the saltwater over the hill and apparently fell asleep so the oil ran over the hill as well. They then used a 'dozer to bury the oil but it came back to the top of the ground.
Charles Boggs & Chares Russell were attending to business in Spencer & Charles Russell was calling on brother Euell & Ray Gumm at Miletree.
The Creston area neighborhood watch picked up litter along W. VA. 5 on Saturday before the rain. Other than some blankets and a pair of underwear [perhaps a story there] most of the litter was beer cans and fast food containers. Afterward the workers were treated to a tasty meal at the Jerry & Linda Poling residence and things were polished off with Ellen Hedge's cake.
"Bo" Wriston spoke Thursday evening to the local neighborhood watch about emergency shelters. No answer was given about the military facility in the Big Bend and the community building won't qualify as a Red Cross shelter but, of course, would work as a shelter, just not an "official" one. He talked about all his activities and that he has two 40 hour/week jobs and is kept very busy. The state people are concerned about the likelihood that the Bluestone Dam will fail and put 7 feet of water in the governor's office and cause the Ohio to flood and back up causing flooding as far upstream as Creston. Seems the big dam which was "built to prevent flooding" [I'm from the government & I'm here to help you.] has erosion under it and the junior dam builders say, "All is well, nothing to look at here!" but a "piddling" $600 million is being spent to try to "fix" the problem which officially the Army Corps of Engineers says doesn't exist. The other problem on the state level is the possibility of a terrorist attack [lots of them are coming in from Mexico and elsewhere] in the Washington Dee Cee area and the outflow of people from that area overwhelming local services. Of special concern are the "entitlement crowd" which will drop off the main roads to find easy, soft places to "hit". Some suggested in that event trees could be cut blocking the side roads and then well armed citizens could deal with the criminal element that is coddled there.
According to reports several fine turkey gobblers have been harvested locally. Teddy Parsons bagged a nice one in the rain opening morning.
Gay Park is on the mend and was able to attend church Sunday morning.
Ted Menefee was calling on Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Young.
The big talk is the election and situations that have transpired with early voting. In at least one place tempers flared and one might even be able to say that there was voter intimidation. According to press reports this is supposed to be restricted to the counties in southern West Virginia while now it has been determined that in 2008 there was massive voter fraud in Ohio & Pennsylvania & efforts to curtail such for this election have met stiff official resistance.
Brandon Ferrell spent the weekend visiting Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ferrell & Jeremy.
A certain court house worker was less than pleased to find that certain 'prominent' citizens who 'patronized' her office were actually relatives.
Jacques Frost made several calls in the Creston area killing some grapevines and fruit while not harming other trees, etc. The local area missed out on the foot or more of snow that hit some mountain communities.
It was reported that there are so many oil & gas abstractors in the Ritchie County Clerk's office that one has to wait 2 hours to get on the computer there. Also it is said that the Nicholas County Clerk's office is full to overflowing. Apparently several concluded that the reason Bluescape is flaring the Marcellus wells they drilled there is because they are producing condensate which means that the Marcellus is "wet".
Landmen are out and about telling folks that their property isn't very valuable and that (well we don't pay West Virginia folks what the property is worth) since they aren't supposed to know what we paid elsewhere. Equivalent property in Louisiana & Texas fetches $10,000 - $25,000/acre in bonus & 25% royalty but local folks aren't supposed to know that now they live in the middle of at least two world class oil & gas fields.
Another former local fellow is now a boarder at the hotel in Flatwoods. His sweetie was trying to raise cash for bail but $70,000 is a bit hard to reach, even on a percentage basis.
The price of gasoline in Parkersburg fell to $3.72/gallon while elsewhere it remained $3.96. The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude rose to $103.98 with Marcellus condensate fetching $89.60, Marcellus & Utica light $93.88 & medium $105.48.
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