CRESTON NEWS

(05/11/2009)
By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com

While it has been very dry out in California with wildfires the local area has been damp to say the very least. While the tree frogs (toads) have been celebrating others have not been so pleased. There was high water with flooding. The West Fork went somewhat wild and then the main river came up causing Creston area roads to be closed, no mail service, etc. Some had to stay with relatives and friends who were out and couldn't get home. Then the water went down but the junior dam builders up at Burnsville opened the floodgates and caused the road to Spencer from Creston to be blocked again.

Nearby counties and elsewhere in the state also had flooding and damage. Locally a new slide came in W. Va. 5 at red cut (near the Lucy Reynolds driveway), the road is giving away at Burning Springs were piling was drilled and set in concrete and a slide is being worked on near the old Tom Alec Hopkins place. In addition a mudslide came into the road across from the McFee log cabin as a result of an old Westvaco timber job on the former Bill Spellman farm. The weather also caused power outages.

Jack Newell, age 72 of Munday passed away. Burial was in the Big Bend cemetery.

Frances Boggs Vandale, age 88, passed away. She was a daughter of Mart and Blanche Boice Boggs who lived in Rock Camp. Frances worked 33 years at the sweater factory. Burial was in the Snyder (McCray) cemetery at Creston.

Rev. Carlos Nutter filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.

Charles I. Russell & Nancy Engelke were both consulting their health professionals in Spencer.

Glennie Edward Arthur celebrated his 51st birthday and everyone knew about it as someone put up signs advising the world. He has been turkey hunting.

Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ferrell were visiting family and friends in North Carolina over the weekend.

A number of local residents attended the big ramp feed at the Hartley Community Building at Brohard. All the food was delicious.

The postal service raised postage once again reflecting, perhaps inflation and the costs incurred when the big wigs buy million dollar spreads to facilitate their top 'management' in moving about from place to place. Postage is now 22 times higher than in 1928 which would mean that one dollar back then is now only worth about 5 cents. Many fear that the trillions and trillions in "stimulus" will make past inflation 'look good'.

It was announced that the claims administrator in the Chesapeake/CNR fraud case has mailed out letters advising royalty owners the amounts that they are to be paid. Those who have studied such advise that one check carefully to be sure that all wells and leases are listed. Also one should write David Epperly, Claims Administrator at P. O. Box 849, Hurricane, W. Va. 25526-0849 to request a spread sheet showing details on the payments.

The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude oil rose to $51.75/bbl and the price of gasolene seems to have skyrocketed. A contract land man for Equitable said they wanted to lease land but they were only paying $5/acre delay rental and apparently 1/8 net royalty with no bonus payments. Equitable pays some royaltyies based on 12 cents natural gas and holds a straight face. Dominion noted in their annual report to stockholders about the $3000/acre they received for a farmout with a 7 1/2% override on Marcellus shale acreage. Chesapeake received $5,666.66/acre from the Norweigen government for part of their Marcellus acreage.

A coalfield slickster reported that he bought the Greenbrier resort. He always kept his companies in bankruptcy so he wouldn't have to pay what he owed.

The flyover of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty by Air Force One continues to raise questions as the "official answer" with the "firing" is obviously fishy. Did Achmed, Farouk & Saeed want to have the thrill of flying low & scaring the willies out of American citizens? For certain the bank "stress tests" were for diversion as the big eared one plans to take them all over. After all the FDIC routinely examines banks and all the data would have been already in hand. Government takeovers are sometimes called "expropriation for the benefit of the masses". Such is routinely done in places like Cuba, Venezuela, etc.

Susan Myers & Nancy Engelke were attending to business up in Ohio Amish country.

There is a bumper crop of locust blossoms this year. They are tasty when dipped in batter & deep fried. A year with a heavy locust bloom is said to be a good corn year.