Thumbs up ... to Bowers Hospice House’s newest addition. The Barrett Children’s Playroom was added to provide a comforting environment for children visiting loved ones with their family members. Hospice also has a one-year goal in the works within its bereavement department to develop a program of support for children dealing with grief.
Thumbs up ... to West Virginia University Press for reprinting important African American texts that have either gone unnoticed for generations or fallen out of print. The initiative, “Regenerations: African American Literature and Culture,” is aimed at encouraging regional research into black history.
Thumbs down ... to the return of catalytic converter thefts. This time, the thieves not only hit a business, Ideal Distributors, but United Methodist Temple and the Red Cross as well.
Thumbs up ... to the Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department, which received a $147,680 federal grant as part of the 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Fire Chief Patricia Cox said the department has already ordered new gear for every volunteer, a generator and a cascade system, which is used to fill up oxygen tanks.
Thumbs up ... to the Frankford Fire Department, which has been awarded $90,858 as part of the 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The grant funding will help the Greenbrier County department improve its response to fires and emergencies.
Thumbs up ... to the GFWC Woman’s Club of Beckley, which received a commendation celebrating 100 years of volunteer service in Beckley during the Jan. 19 session of the West Virginia Legislature in Charleston.
Thumbs up ... to a Beckley Police Department training course designed to help teenage drivers avoid vehicle crashes. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.
Thumbs up ... to the Raleigh County Landfill for joining in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Last year, more than 94,000 checklists were submitted, representing 620 species seen across North America.
Thumbs up ... to Mildred Shannon, who presented John Cooke’s historic rifle built in the mid-1770s to the Wyoming County Historical Museum. Cooke was Wyoming County’s first known permanent settler and the rifle was handed down through the generations to the late U.J. Shannon.
