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Boos and applause

-Applause to the Elkins Rotary Club, which is celebrating its 95th anniversary. The club has made many positive differences in the community. Here’s wishing the club many more years of activity.

-Applause to all those honored at the annual Randolph County Relay For Life cancer survivors breakfast held at the Steer Steakhouse in Elkins last weekend. More than 100 people attended the event, which also helps raise awareness for the June 8 Randolph County Relay For Life at the Elkins Town Square.

-Applause to everyone who helped present Thursday’s Taste of Home Cooking School, a full evening of amazing recipes and awesome prizes. This is the third year The Inter-Mountain has brought the popular event to the Elkins area, and all help in putting the show together was greatly appreciated.

-Applause to the West Virginia University baseball team for demonstrating the Mountaineer spirit of giving during this week’s Big 12 Conference tournament in Oklahoma City. While there, the team purchased necessities for the victims of Monday’s deadly tornado. The players reportedly filled shopping carts with clothes, shoes, toiletries and other items for the families affected by the disaster. We’re proud of the team for what they’ve accomplished on the field this year, but even more proud of this inspirational generosity off the field.

-Boo to whoever was behind the string of break-ins at six Elkins businesses Wednesday morning. Both property and cash were stolen, and the thieves left behind plenty of damage as well. The West Virginia State Police ask anyone with information about the break-ins to call 304-637-0200.

Boos and applause

-Applause to Terry George, the longtime Randolph County schools administrator and teacher who was chosen this week to be the school system’s new superintendent. It’s good to see his decades of hard work recognized, and we believe he is committed to leading the county schools forward.

-Applause to Elkins City Council and Mayor Van Broughton for making a serious effort to work with other agencies to purchase the former National Guard Armory in Elkins. Buying and maintaining the structure will be an expense proposition, but it’s an idea that deserves a good, long look.

-Applause to the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce for unveiling a new study of commercial space in downtown Elkins Wednesday. The Randolph County Building Inventory will be placed online, and officials hope it will serve as an aid to bring new business to town.

-Boo to Belington Town Council for not letting the media know about a Friday morning emergency meeting to consider Mayor Jody Haller’s resignation. Though a notice was apparently posted at City Hall, as required by the state Sunshine Law, Inter-Mountain reporters spoke to several city officials Thursday asking whether Haller had resigned; all of them said he had not. None of those officials mentioned the emergency meeting had been scheduled for 9 a.m. the next morning – or called, texted or emailed to inform the media later. No matter how much elected officials would like to deal with touchy issues without reporters present to ask questions, taxpayers have a right to know what is being done with their money. That’s one of the reasons we have newspapers. And keeping information hidden is one of the reasons we vote to replace elected officials.

Boos and applause

Applause to the many volunteers who worked together to present the fifth annual Ramps and Rail Festival in downtown Elkins last weekend. Ramps are known for their distinctive odor, but the festival is always a welcome breath of fresh air in the community each spring.

Applause to Davis Memorial Hospital’s volunteers, who were honored during a weeklong celebration. The volunteers donated 9,887 hours of service in 2012. “Volunteers are the first people patients see, and usually the last as they are discharged,” DMH?CEO Mark Doak told the hospital’s volunteers during an appreciation luncheon. “I just want to thank you for all you do.” So do we.

Applause to American Mountain Theater in Elkins, which is now airing weekly on West Virginia Public Broadcasting Service. The theater is already one of the jewels of our area, and the new show will only increase its reputation throughout the state.

Applause to the renovation efforts at the former First Ward Elementary School in Elkins, which should be completed by the end of the month. The 106-year-old building will soon serve as apartments for senior citizens. The first tenants are scheduled to move in June 1, and the building will hopefully be completely occupied by Sept. 1, Randolph County Housing Authority Executive Director Karen Jacobson said this week.

Boo to the copper thieves who snipped cable and telephone wires in the Beverly area Wednesday, resulting in service outages for 5,000 Suddenlink Communications customers. The selfishness of local copper thievery has reached new heights during the last year, as bandits have pilfered copper from the radio tower at Rich Mountain and the AES Laurel Mountain Windmills property. Here’s hoping the legal system deals sternly with this week’s thieves once they are caught.

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