 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The DEP will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 1 at 9:30 A. M. at the Civic Center in Charleston [Down at the Mouth of the Elk] over little senator Unger's tank bill and the perhaps unintended consequences of passing a bill that the legislators were not allowed to read before the voted. The DEP folks said "We notified the stakeholders" but no one locally who owns tanks was ever notified by anyone and most, if not all the operators have addresses on file with several state agencies, one of which shows the location of oil tanks. One operator noted that he wasn't going to file anything because no one told him to do anything.
Jack Nutter who retired to the family property on Creston Heights passed away Saturday morning after a protracted illness. He and his wife, Helen, who has to have hip surgery, had been active in the Creston Community Building and was a moving force for many years in the famous Creston ATV poker runs. The Saturday run was named as a memorial run in Jack's memory. He donated his body to the WVU Medical School &, true to his wishes, both Ronnie & Donnie participated in the poker run.
There were 275 riders in the Jack Nutter Memorial Poker Run. Donald E. Butcher won the 50/50, Daniel Miller from Big Springs came in first followed by Lanny Meadows who lives on the Richardsonville Road and Cindy Groves from Elizabeth. The community would like to thank all those that came and rode, those who worked to set up and marked the trail [& take down the signs], the folks who fixed the food, worked the kitchen, did the signups, mailed out the notices, donated the door prizes, cleaned the building, etc. Travis Burdette came down from Ohio & Ted Grimm came from Erie Pennsylvania to help.
Garry Anderson had a close scrape with what might be called a warning that he could have a big stroke. He presently is under the doctor's care.
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
A contingent from the local space dock traveled to Kitty Hawk to see where the Wright brothers did their historic tests in non land based travel.
Adam & Anna Yates spent the weekend in Cape May New Jersey which is said to be a spectacular place to visit.
Gladys Cain & Edith Kittle both reported that reading their names in the newspaper was a pleasant event. Ray Gumm noted that there was to be some drilling near his brother's home at Macfarlan while both Euell Russell & Parris Parsons were unhappy that Charles Russell didn't get to visit them. Charles was drinking the special "cleanout" liquid prior to an examination on Monday.
Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Stutler from Ohio & their son from Michigan were visiting at the Arthur residence on Little Creek and took in the poker run. Bessie Arthur makes the famous Creston hot dog sauce with certain secret ingredients.
Several local oil & gas men and women including Jim Morris and Lynn Gilbert from Grantsville attended the BD Oil Gathering's big pork barbecue at their headquarters at Marietta. Gene Hopkins noted that a different man cooked the meat and that both the pork and chicken were the best they had ever served. Some local folks noted that the beans, cooked in an iron pot over a wood fire were the "best".
Back when there were legal immigrants they went through Ellis Island where medical exams were given and the sick & diseased were sent back to where they came from. When the Big Eared One imported the "Latin American children" or whomever they were not checked out but were sent all over the nation where some schools noted that the "children" had greying temples. Hmmm. Now there is a new respiratory disease which has turned up in both Wirt & Wood Counties. Perhaps this is part of "cutting America down to size".
Freddie Bush & crew baled a lot of hay in the Creston area on Saturday. Dean Miller was also busy wrapping up some fine second & third cutting hay.
The Wirt road crew is using the long arm mower and cutting the banks along W. Va. 5 while the grass mower mowed the berm on the Ann's Run road. It was reported that Jim McIntyre, Jr. is doing the long arm work which has received several complements.
There was a big demonstration in New York to stop global warming which now hasn't happened for 17 years much to the consternation of the charlatans who want more government controls, taxes. True to form, it would seem, the demonstrators left behind tons of trash for others to clean up. Al Gore who flies around in a big jet plane was driven off from the rally in a vehicle he doesn't want ordinary people to own. At the same time the homeland security folks have decided that global warming is much more of a threat than open borders, homegrown Moslem terrorists, ISIS, Al Quaeda, Iran, Russia, China, etc. We may be lucky to survive the next two years.
Magnum Hunter (Triad) announced that their Stewart Winland Utica well which is in sight of Middlebourne in Tyler County tested at 46.5 million cubic feet/day at a pressure of 7,810 psi. This makes this well the best well in the United States beating out a Utica well that had been drilled in Ohio. The well was drilled to 10,825 feet and the lateral is 5,288 feet and there were 22 frac stages. The gas is 97.88% methane & 1.52% ethane with a BTU rating of 1,023. A well placed source noted that the well is being produced at 25 million/day and the pressure is holding steady. Mountaineer Gas paid $2.62/MCF for gas produced in August. Needless to say the results have created a major buzz. It was learned from sources out of the area Cabot planned to plug their Utica test in Wood County regardless of the results so they could get acreage "on the cheap". According to Cabot it was drilled to 8,000' and the bit came up with a black gooey substance. Magnum Hunter also has 3 Marcellus wells drilled and fractured on the same pad as their Utica well in Tyler County. A major firm with an office in Harrison County noted that they were contemplating a well in southeastern Wirt County. In addition "action" is planned for Roane County.
As an added indication that the Cabot report was likely bunkum an outfit with an Ohio address wants to buy mineral rights in Wood County.
Out on Husk Ridge the ground is covered with acorns so there should be lots of fat turkeys and deer and the bushy tails should be fat as butterballs. Japanese stiltgrass needs to be pulled out of flower beds, lawns, etc. before the seed matures. Down in the bottoms of Plum Run the invasive species has grown to be five feet tall. Just like garlic mustard this pest puts out toxins in the soil that stops other plants from growing and now there are acres and acres of solid stands of the pest.
Betty Bish was on the sick list over the weekend.
Local residents have been canning beans and working up hot peppers, hot peppers with hot dogs, etc.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude inched up to $92.54 with mountain high test (drip) fetching $71.04, Marcellus & Utica light $86.54 and medium $92.54/bbl.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hur Herald. | 
