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Boos & Applause

Applause to Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for seeking donations for its food pantry in order to continue to provide students with food options and personal hygiene items. With almost half — 41.6 percent — of BUMS students coming from low-income families, the school decided to begin a food pantry, offering non-perishable foods and personal hygiene products. Volunteer coordinator Kenna Leonard said through a grant of roughly $1,000 to $1,5000 and a donation from the local Wendy’s restaurant, the school’s food pantry offers B-UMS’ 852 students basic necessity options.

Applause to the Davis & Elkins College community and area residents for coming out to take part in a town hall meeting with Sen. Joe Manchin Thursday. The senator said he enjoys getting input from people in the state, and he is able to take that information back to Washington, D.C. Manchin addressed a number of issues Thursday, including comments made this week by Vice President Mike Pence. Other topics that were discussed Thursday included health care, border security, deaths related to opioids and the relationship between the economy and the state’s environment.

Applause to Buckhannon City Council for unanimously voting to fund the purchase of new turnout gear for Buckhannon Fire Department members. Interim Fire Chief J.B. Kimble noted that, with temperatures dropping below zero this winter and the fire department being called to multiple accidents and structure fires, the current turnout gear has become uncomfortable, as well as dangerous for firefighters. In the summer months, hot temperatures from sweat or water at a fire incident can also create wet and unsafe gear. This causes the inner layer of protection to be vulnerable to steam burn on the city’s firefighters. Council voted to pull $15,000 out of its contingency funds for fiscal year 2017-2018 to purchase six turnout gear outfits for the fire department.

Boo to the low participation in Sunday’s Oratorical Scholarship Program in Elkins presented by the American Legion. Just two students entered the Scholarship Program contest, which was open to students in ninth through 12th grades in the American Legion’s 9th District, which includes Randolph, Tucker, Webster, Pocahontas, Nicholas and Greenbrier counties and part of Barbour County. The speech contest, which focuses on the Constitution, offered winners prize money, medals and, for the first place winner, the opportunity to move on to the sectional oratorical contest, which is scheduled this month in Romney. American Legion officials noted that a student from Wheeling earned third place at the national level last year. The scholarship funding for the national winners this year will be $18,000 for first place, and second- and third-place awards are $16,000 and $14,000. The two local winners who took part on Sunday earned hundreds of dollars in prizes. This is a great program with an important, patriotic theme, and it provides scholarship funding for winners. Why was there so little participation? Amazingly, only two students from a total of seven counties took part. Did someone drop the ball somewhere? We challenge parents, teachers, principals and guidance counselors to convey the importance to our children of learning about the Constitution of our great nation. We salute the American Legion for its their support of the youth and the contributions it makes to the community for this worthy cause. Let’s hope next year’s American Legion Oratorical event will have a crowd and participation of standing room only. The least the kids will walk away with is having the knowledge and understanding of the laws of our country.

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