 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rick Williams brought the message at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.
There were well over 300 riders at the spring Creston ATV poker run. One rider, a friend of a famous & comely abstractor, came all the way from New Jersey to ride while Ted Grimm came down from Erie to help set up the route along with Sonny & Travis Burdette from the Akron area. Many riders came back completely covered with mud while others traversed the route relatively clean although all got to go through the water in the rock bottomed streams of Thorn's Run & Rock Camp Run, always fun areas for everyone. The community would like to thank all those who came & rode, those who set up the route, including a newbie from Bridgeport, those who fixed desserts & food, worked the kitchen, sold tickets and processed the paperwork, sold shirts, cookbooks, ATV Poker Run quilt chances, cleaned the building, picked up the signs, parked the vehicles, donated door prizes, put up the posters, worked the stations,mailed the cards sold the 50/50 tickets, etc. Arianne Hartman came in first and she left on "cloud nine" while Russell Selman came in second followed by Brandon Workman. Garrett Arthur won the light up squirrel door prize and he was a very happy camper. Jerry Campbell brought his special pineapple upside down cake, always a favorite. A famous Jackson County landman rode as did lawmen, elected officials, oilmen, state road men, retired folks, very young folks, a prominent banker lady & [as the Tee Vee ad says] just everyday people. The next ride is July 30.
Roger Grim came up to Creston for the ATV poker run but he is still on the puny list & didn't participate. He had gall bladder surgery at the VA hospital & hasn't been doing well. Also on the sick list was Sue White.
Charles Russell was calling on Ray Gumm, Paris Parsons & brother Euell at the Miletree center while Ted Grimm was calling on Charles.
A slide just came in the Ann's Run road along the West Fork of the Little Kanawha just above the Newman Addition to Creston. A dangerous situation can quickly occur if matters are not quickly taken in hand. The Wirt road crew mowed several area roads.
The dogwoods are still spectacular while the federal government's autumn olive has now quit emitting it sick sweet smell from the bloom although the USDA's multiflora rose is growing and the noxious garlic mustard is blooming and needs to be pulled up by the roots wherever it is growing as it inhibits the growth of native species. Cucumber trees are coming into bloom. A hawk family moved into the Creston eagle's nest and passers by can watch as the parents feed the little ones in the nest.
Even though her thighness Madame Hillary said she was going to bankrupt the coal companies and put coal miners out of work she &/or Slick Willie planned to come and give a speech at Logan, Charleston & Williamson. However, the civic leaders at Logan told her front man, Broadway Joe that they were "thankful for all that he had done" but that the Clintons were not welcome in the Logan city limits. Earlier she had said that she planned welfare programs for laid off miners, perhaps now she has a training program to teach how to set up tattoo parlours & such. Meanwhile more of the taxpayer funded "alternative energy" companies have gone belly up but, since they all made donations to the nice people, all is "fine" & the criminals will not be prosecuted.
The "Environmental Quality Board" ruled that the DEP had the legal authority to make designations concerning the so called "tank law" that was enacted after the well connected boys who owned the old tank farm above the Mouth of the Elk water intake had a major chemical spill because the DNR, DEP, EPA and other alphabets declined to do their job to note that there were and had been for some time holes under the dikes where the chemicals were stored. The legislative action has made matters difficult for oil & gas operators who do not have toxic materials stored in their oil tanks. Crude oil is biodegradable and salt brine will make grass grow green.
Bob Ashley, the longtime back bencher legislator from Spencer who is trying to remove popular State Sen. Donna Boley from her position, had earlier made it clear that he was on the side of the big out of state oil companies that want to take property away from local residents and pay them low royalties and no lease bonuses but now it has been learned that he was one of the small minority in the senate that voted against gun rights although he proclaims himself as a supporter of the Second Amendment. Perhaps he could get a job working for Hillary or Nancy Pelosi.
Early voting is now happening and records are being set in all parts of the state. One must remember that to vote for president one must also vote for each of the delegates. Also all the judges, supreme court judges & magistrates, as well as school board members will be elected in the primary. As they say, elections have consequences. In Calhoun County for practical purposes, the primary is the election so one must turn out to vote for one's favorite county candidates. Johnny Boehner, the former speaker of the US House make a speech out in California and called Sen. Cruz the devil while obviously saying nice things about the Big Eared One, Harry Ried & Mrs. Pelosi with whom he liked to work. What he said makes it clear that the nation republican "leadership" despises conservatives and loathes the Republican voters. No wonder there is an uprising and support for "outsiders" in both parties. The cartel gets very rich and the ordinary people are not even considered.
Likely the best example is the Arkansas grafter couple who are now part of the 1% of the 1% of the richest people in the nation.
Gas produced on Owl Hill in March fetched just 60 cents and one Calhoun producer noted that his old Cabot 20 cent perpetual gas contract was starting to look pretty good. In some instances the big boys pay royalty based on 12 cent gas or one & 1/2 cents per mcf. The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude is $44.92/bbl. with condensate fetching $27.92, Marcellus & Utica light $39.42 and medium $44.92/bbl.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hur Herald. | 
