 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rick Williams brought the message at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.
A big crowd gathered at the head of Pete's Run at the Ground Hog (Mt. Pleasant) church for the annual homecoming. Bert Marks, who just celebrated his 92nd birthday was the oldest one there. He noted that he had been "vacationing" at one of those facilities that serve breakfast in bed but that he was much better now.
The Annamoriah Cowpoke came in for the Kerby reunion and was visiting family & friends including brother Bob at the Miletree Center in Spencer. It was noted that his wife now has purple hair.
Old Brer Bear was seen on the Richardsonville Road and one day a trash bag was carried quite some distance from the approved container.
The benefit for Becky Belt will be Saturday, September 12 at the Baptist Church in Elizabeth. She is suffering from cancer.
The legislature will have a hearing on taxes involving oil and gas in the chambers under the golden dome at the Mouth of the Elk starting at 9 A. M. on Monday, September 14th. At 1 P. M. there will be a "stakeholder" meeting on the big boys' forced pooling bill that they want the legislature to pass to allow theft of oil and gas from state residents.
The out of state firms continue to use the court system to intimidate local residents and take their minerals from them if they "do not cooperate" and refuse to sign bad leases that pay low royalties and allow all sorts of deductions. The "boys" have split up the territory so that landowners are forced to deal with only one company which is generally known as collusion or restraint of trade. West Virginia is in the middle of the largest oil & gas field on the planet and the new pays are among the best in the world. Fields of lesser value command bonuses of $10,000/acre or more and a 1/4th gross royalty and the boys, in cahoots with either gullible or ignorant legislators want to pay West Virginians far, far less and prohibit accountability and transparency.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) stated that the federal judge's rule in North Dakota only impacted 13 states and there only for a time so West Virginia is now subject to their new [draconian] rules which will be incrementally enforced. While the federal agency says it is "protecting the water" it is actually taking over complete control of almost all the land the nation since socialists and communists do not believe in the private ownership of property anyway. Any ditch or mudhole or anywhere water stands or any land that is in the "flood plain" is now under government control. One would hope that new leaders will come along to toss this part of the "fundamental transformation" into the garbage can of history. Recently the EPA told two farmers in the northern panhandle that their farm ponds, built by an oil & gas company, were "too big" and had to be either filled in or removed.
There are lots of squirrels which should make for lots of skillets full of fried squirrel and gravy to go with biscuits and fresh sweet potatoes. Also there are lots of deer to fill canning jars and go into the jerky making dryers.
Nancy & Alvin Engelke, along with Betty Welch, Richard & Judy Martin, motored to Beloit Wisconsin to inter the ashes of Harold & Gladys Martin.
The State Department of Education continues to make news and very little is good. They seem to be just as adamant as little Jebbie Bush in supporting Common Core and now the agency, that seems to answer to no one, is involved in a scandal over an attempt to torch the old Normantown High School. The fine folks are also involved controversies over huge no bid contracts for the construction of new consolidated "bigger & better" schools.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude is $45.05 with condensate fetching $22.05 and Marcellus & Utica light bringing $39.05 and medium $45.05/bbl. Many have been hoping that the crude price would rebound as thousands of oil field workers have been laid off. Saudi Arabia started the "oil war" to shut down the shale fields that were shifting the world's energy market and perhaps making them of far less significance and importance. Some feel that the Arabs made a miscalculation as they have had to borrow money as they burned through their foreign currency reserves faster than calculated and their costs in fighting terrorists and the proxy war with Iran in Yemen has escalated.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hur Herald. | 
