| By Alvin Engelke
The local area had a snowy weekend with slippery roads and
beautiful winter scenery, trees covered with snow, etc. There had
been some water in the river after an extended rainy period but
nothing significant, except that the ice ran out. The rain then turned
to snow and everything remains white.
A number of area residents have been on the sick list. Glenna
Jean Westfall came down with pneumonia fever while her sister, Donna
Sue Ferrell, has been sick for almost two weeks. Others have missed
work, coughed, ached, participated in "forced weight loss programs"
and other problems.
Fannie G. Snyder age 95 of Parkersburg passed away January 4.
She was a daughter of the late Adam D. and Mahala V. Wright Lucas.
C. Romeo Griffin, Jr. was calling on the Spocks at the Burning
Springs Space Dock.
Juanita Lockhart filled in for Rev. Chuck Furbee last week at
the Burning Springs M. E. church. Rev. Furbee, it was learned, had
been on the sick list for some time.
It was big celebration time in Elizabeth last Saturday night
when former Creston resident Sue Wyers White celebrated the one half
century mark. Barb, Burl, Ronnie, David and Gloria were all there
along with a host of friends and husband, O. Eliot White, also a
former Crestonite. Old Red Beard reported that the high light of the
occasion was when Sue was diapered. One would assume that it was
placed over her regular garments.
Debbie Griffin was calling on Irene and Linda Lynch.
Anna Engelke spent the weekend at home. She and Keith Collins
went four wheeling in the snow.
J. P., R. P. and A. C. Marks were among the local scouts
attending the annual Pinewood Derby at the Primary Center (lower
graded school) cafeteria, Thursday evening.
Charles Russell went back for a checkup on his cataract
surgery and obtained a good report.
The national media had made a lot of noise about who Billy
Clinton would pardon at the last minute so it wasnt much of a
surprise, for example when the CIA director who played fast and loose
with national secrets was forgiven but then when the name of Mark Rich
came up it meant that the local area was involved.
Mark Rich was a fugitive that lived with a private army in
Switzerland. He had been indicted for one of the biggest swindles in
world history and skipped the country. He was unknown in this area
until the United Steelworkers noted that he actually owned the
aluminum plant in Ravenswood, along with Ormet. It was stated that
he, on occasion, flew into the Jackson County airport to check on his
local holdings. For some reason all the highways around the plant had
to be spruced up, brush cut, new pipes, guardrail, blacktop, etc.
While on the lam, he continued to trade in commodities worldwide, and
perhaps locally, and, it would seem, he had protection. There can
only be one reason for such a pardon and such was discussed, relating
to another matter in The Year of the Rat.
The price of Penn grade crude oil rose to $28.50 and natural
gas prices remain high. With the price increase there has been the
most drilling since "the 1981 bust" when things went kerfluey in the
oilfield. At last report Junior Hildreths well at Millstone had a
swab stuck trying to get frac sand out and various reports on his
other wells. Harry Clay Boggs is said to be shut down and there is a
hearing scheduled over the Sload well in Roane County. The biggest
news locally is the report that Columbia is bringing the ENDRIL rig
from Webster County to start on a hole in Wirt County.
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