Giving: ‘Tis the reason for the season!
As the holidays quickly approach and we enter the cold days of winter, Christian Help wants to begin the giving season with appreciation, giving thanks to our long-term and generous supporters!
Inspired by a large donation of warm weather gear to provide for our neighbors in need, we encourage the community to give back by donating needed warm weather items, hosting a toy drive to support the 41st Annual Holiday Toy & Food Distribution, putting together blessing bags with your church or civic group or sharing your time and talents through volunteering.
Lend a helping hand today and bring holiday cheer to our friends and neighbors. Needed items during this time are hot hands, survival blankets, men’s winter outerwear, new toys, food, hats, gloves, tents and sleeping bags.
‘Tis the season to be generous and thankful by spreading comfort and joy.
For questions about donating or drop of locations for toys for our upcoming event contact Christian Help at 304-296-0221.
Wishing all the best for you and yours this coming year!
Colleen Lankford
Morgantown
Don’t let orphaned wells be taxpayers’ problem
The Nov. 26 article regarding well plugging by Diversified Energy is a welcome turn-around. The article correctly indicated that significant new funding to close orphaned wells is available thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and that wells owned by existing companies are not “orphaned” but are the responsibility of the private businesses that own them.
One important issue is worth bringing to the attention of readers.
More so than any other West Virginia company, Diversified has acquired so many old declining wells that its current rate of capping and plugging would require hundreds of years.
Over the last few years, it has acquired more of these old wells much faster than it is plugging non-producing ones, which means it keeps getting further and further behind. Thus, there is a real risk that Diversified may join the long list of companies that are bankrupt, dead and gone before all those old wells get capped, creating a large pool of “orphaned” wells that become the responsibility of the taxpayer.
That is why I hope that companies such as Diversified would support legislation to prevent more orphan wells from being created, so their plugging costs would not be passed on to the taxpayer.
The Orphan Well Protection Act would require adequate bonding in an escrow account to assure that, even if large companies go bankrupt, West Virginia taxpayers will not be on the hook to pay the business expenses of a private company. We know that existing orphaned wells will need to be plugged but let’s at least stop the situation from getting worse.
As the old saying goes: “If you find yourself stuck in a hole, stop digging!”
Jim Kotcon
W.Va. Chapter of Sierra Club
Morgantown
Disciplining kids is parents’ responsibility
I’d like to respond about a comment on Hoppy Kerchival’s Dec. 1 “Talkline.”
He stated that a parent said something about their child with behavioral/discipline problems in a local high school classroom. “That’s not my problem,” the parent stated.
Uh — excuse me, that is your problem. Discipline begins at home. The school’s job is to educate the student, and if need be, to do some light discipline.
I was in the sixth grade in 1973. I did something wrong in class. (I may have acted up or smarted off to my teacher.) But on the way home, I thought, “man, oh man, am I gonna get it now” — and I did from both foster parents.
Parents need to love their children, but they also need to discipline them — before school starts.
Glenn Gallagher
Morgantown
Council wrong to buy Defense in Depth
I’m amused to watch Morgantown City Council race to buy the sinking Titanic.
Defense in Depth closed its doors and the city is racing as fast as possible to spend money on a business that’s gonna close. Let it close and sit empty for a while and the city can get it cheaper.
If Mark Nessleroad and Doug Leech can’t afford to keep it afloat, then no one else can.
Who else has got money to burn and waste like the City of Morgantown? This is an inside deal these guys have struck with the city to bail themselves out of a losing business venture.
Once again, taxpayers are picking up the tab for a failing business venture. So let it sit and be vacant. The longer it sits and they continue to pay taxes, insurance and utilities, the cheaper it will be.
City council should have voted as if it was using its own money in its pocket — not the pocket of the citizens — and rejected this purchase.
Dow Jones
Morgantown
