Published: May 15, 2009 10:06 pm      

Thumbs, Saturday, May 16, 2009

Thumbs up ... to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the REAP program which staged an annual Fayette County tire collection event at the Super Wal-Mart in Fayetteville. According to the DEP, 3,709 tires were collected from county residents and hauled away.



Thumbs up ... to James Ralph McKinney of Maple Meadow, who celebrated his 96th birthday recently. McKinney retired from Slab Fork Coal Co. in 1978 after more than 41 years. He still enjoys gardening, cutting hay and mowing the yard.



Thumbs up ... to Shady Spring High School teacher Jane Laraba, named Key Club Adviser of the Year. It’s the fifth time Laraba has garnered the award.



Thumbs up ... to Bernice Acord of Bolt, who recently celebrated her 86th birthday by taking a week-long vacation to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.

Thumbs up ... to the Wal-Mart Foundation, which says it will award $75,000 in academic scholarships to help ease financial concerns for 25 college-bound students in West Virginia this year. Each student will receive a $3,000 Sam Walton Community Scholarship to use toward tuition, fees, books and on-campus room and board for the 2009-10 academic year.



Thumbs up ... to 63 West Virginia teachers honored at a ceremony at the Clay Center in Charleston for achieving National Board Certification, the teaching profession’s highest credential. Several local teachers were among the honorees: Fayette County teacher Linda Boley, Greenbrier County teacher Shannon Wykle and Raleigh County teachers Teresa Epperly and Sandra Shaw.



Thumbs up ...to Fayette County Assessor Eddie Young, re-elected to the board of directors of the West Virginia Association of Counties. The 32-member body governs a statewide organization of 442 elected county officials.