Published: August 29, 2008 10:13 pm         

Thumbs - Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008

Thumbs up ... to Fayetteville, named one of the top five “coolest small towns in America” by Budget Travel magazine. Paddler magazine also named it one of the 13 best paddling towns in the United States. In addition, Rock and Ice magazine features it as one of the top 10 climbing towns.



Thumbs up ... to the Montgomery Lions Club, honored with first-place plaques for membership growth, activity growth and publicity, as well as a second-place District Governors Gold Award.



Thumbs up ... to Bob Stewart, a 1988 Glen Rogers High School graduate and current junior varsity coach for the boys basketball team at Dundee High School in the Finger Lakes Region of New York state. Stewart is on a 60-game winning streak, having gone undefeated for three consecutive years.



Thumbs up ... to Evangeline Stover of Shady Spring for the fine exhibition of talent demonstrated at the West Virginia State Fair and for the excellent photo of the soldier’s Eisenhower Award representing his bravery in Iraq.



Thumbs up ... to Wyoming County East and Westside high schools, along with Berlin McKinney Elementary, Mullens Middle, Herndon Consolidated Elementary and Middle and Pineville Middle, six of the eight schools statewide recognized as Energy Starts for their efforts at saving energy.



Thumbs up ... to Fayetteville’s James Akers, named Mayor of the Year for 2008 recently by the West Virginia Municipal League.



Thumbs up ... to the state Bureau of Senior Services for providing 17 new trucks that will deliver meals to senior citizens as part of an effort to expand in-home services. The trucks hold 200 meals apiece. In this region, trucks went to Nicholas and McDowell counties.



Thumbs up ... to a $2,500 donation from Food Lion Charitable Foundation to Beckley Dream Center (Fishes and Loaves). The gift will be used to buy food.



Thumbs down ... to the number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in the state being on the rise. West Virginia State Medical Association figures show the number of suits was 130 in 2004 and 174 in 2007.