Thumbs up ... to Dave McCollam, winner of the 12th annual Beckley Half Marathon. Sharon Peake, who won the 2006 title, won the women’s division. The Corporate Cup was captured by the law firm of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown and Poe. The firm plans to donate its winnings to the MS Society.
Thumbs up ... to Beulah Foley Mills, formerly of Ghent. Mills celebrated her 107th birthday in Blackshear, Ga., where she makes her home with her son and daughter-in-law.
Thumbs up ... to the Beckley Police Department and Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. They received major financial shots in the arm with the arrival of about $350,000 in federal stimulus funds.
Thumbs up ... to Marquee Cinemas for combining interest in the “Toy Story” movies with a toy drive. New toys brought in will be given to Burlington United Methodist Family Services of Beckley to help make Christmas special for underprivileged children in the region.
Thumbs up ... to three West Virginia artists honored with 2009 Tamarack Foundation Fellowship Awards: Ron Hinkle, a glass artist from Buckhannon; Lori Doolittle, a ceramic artist from Richwood; and Karen Vuranch, a performing artist from Fayetteville.
Thumbs up ... to a new service offered by the Beckley VA Medical Center. A free valet parking service helps patients not only with parking, but any sort of assistance they may need getting in or out of a vehicle of with a wheelchair.
Thumbs up ... to an $83,000 grant for Beckley, underwritten by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program and financed by the Action Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money will be used to replace the windows and lights at city hall as well as replacing bulbs in city traffic lights with brighter LED bulbs.
Thumbs up ... to the Mount Hope High School Alumni Association’s 2009 Hall of Fame honorees. Inducted were Kathleen Leonard Scott, William G. “Bill” Caperton, Jack Stone, George Owens, Patrick J. “Pat” Buffa and Robert F. “Bob” Dorado.
