Thursday, May 1, 2014
County hosts Princess Tea Party, Page 20 Putnam PSD General Manager Mike McNulty, right, thanks Joe Miller for his 10 years of service to the board of commissioners.
Putnam PSD says goodbye to Miller By Kelly Stadelman kelly@theputnamstandard.com
Three times employees, family and friends at Joe Miller’s farewell party heard about Miller’s service, his achievements and his dedication to Putnam County. “Joe, you definitely have put your footprint on Putnam County,” said Paul Callahan, chairman of the Putnam Public Service District Board of Commissioners. “Putnam County is better for your service. “What is West Virginia’s loss is Florida’s gain. I know you’ll be back someday.” The Putnam PSD held a luncheon to say goodbye to a faithful servant. Miller is moving to Florida to be closer to his five children and numerous grandchildren. Putnam PSD General Manager Mike McNulty said that the board of commissioners will “greatly miss” Miller. “This is one of those days that is bittersweet,” he said. “We are here to honor and thank Joe for everything he has done for the Putnam PSD. We are happy for Joe moving on to another phase in his life.” Miller received an outstanding board member award from the Putnam PSD during the farewell SEE MILLER ON PAGE 6
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Lawsuit may allow Panera in Teays Valley l
50 Cents Volume 145
By Kelly Stadelman kelly@theputnamstandard.com
A hearing to resolve a lawsuit the developer of Liberty Square Shopping Center filed against one of its occupants that wants to keep Panera Bread from locating there is expected to take place mid-May. Four-S Development LLC filed the lawsuit against the Kentuckybased Neighborhood Hospitality Inc., doing business as Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, on Jan. 22 in Putnam Circuit Court. “We’ll go before the judge unless we can work it out,” Liberty
Square Manager T.J. Summers said. “I’d like to try and work something out beforehand if we can.” Summers said that Panera Bread bakery and café is looking to build its Teays Valley store across from Magic Mart. “We need more restaurants in the area,” he said. “The location is ideal if we can make it work. It would be great if we could have a Panera Bread operating and serving the community next year.” Emily Lutz, regional marketing coordinator for Panera Bread, said that the franchise has been growing and expanding through-
out the state. “We have looked in the Teays Valley area as we feel it would be a nice location for us to open a cafe, but at this point from what I have been told no lease has been signed,” she said. According to the West Virginia Record, Four-S sold property to the defendant’s predecessor (Apple South Inc.) in 1996. In that covenant, Four-S agreed to not allow any full-service casual dining restaurant similar to Applebee’s to open at Liberty Square. That includes Bennigan’s, Fuddruckers, TGI Friday’s, Houston’s, Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday’s,
Estep continues tradition By Matt Gajtka matt@theputnamstandard.com
When Alexander Chase Estep put pen to paper on a recent morning in the Hurricane High School gymnasium, a long-term desire was brought to life. Estep, who goes by the sportsfriendly nickname Ace, officially committed to play baseball for West Virginia State University on April 23 by signing an NCAA letter of intent. The senior was surrounded by family at a table skirted in Hurricane red, while teachers, coaches and dozens of friends looked on. “It’s been a dream to play for State and college baseball in general,” Estep told the gathering. “It’s become a reality now.” The affectionate ceremony was multifaceted, as it confirmed not only the achievement of a goal, but also the continuation of a family tradition. No fewer than four members of Estep’s immediate family also attended West Virginia State, plus two brothers-in-law. Most notably, Ace’s father Perry played baseball for the Yellow Jackets from 1976-79 and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame. Perry Estep, who still holds State’s second-highest batting average for a single season, was Cal
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O’Charley’s, Max & Erma’s, according to the complaint. It does not include restaurants where at least 51 percent of the menu is related to a single food item such as beef, chicken or seafood, or a single type of cuisine such as Italian, Mexican or Chinese. The West Virginia Record reported that in its complaint seeking to stop construction of a Panera, Applebee’s states, “Defendant will pursue all legal remedies available if Panera Bread is permitted to begin construction SEE LAWSUIT ON PAGE 9
Schools prepare for Westest By Kelly Stadelman kelly@theputnamstandard.com
Seated between his parents, Perry and Judy, Ace Estep of Hurricane High School committed to play baseball for West Virginia State University on April 23 by signing an NCAA letter of intent. Bailey’s first Yellow Jackets recruit. With Bailey set to retire this summer, Ace will usher in Sean Loyd’s coaching career at Institute. Perry is a physical education teacher at Hurricane, but most of his instruction directed at his son has come at home, where he built a pitching wall with the words “work hard” emblazoned upon it. “He’s taught me a lot,” Ace said of his father, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and had a brief pro career. “He says if you work hard, good things will come. Strive to be the greatest and everything will fall into place.” It’s difficult to argue with the re-
sults, as Estep has grown into a two-sport star at Hurricane, serving as a three-year starter on the basketball and baseball teams. When Bailey approached him during last summer’s American Legion season, Estep didn’t have to deliberate too much on his decision. “State is in my family,” he said. Estep, who had a .330 batting average with seven doubles, a triple and a home run as of April 28, said he “feels at home” at a second base position he’s grown to love. He said he would prefer to SEE ESTEP ON PAGE 15
When the Westest 2 starts on Monday, Putnam County schools, staff and students will be ready. “This year all of the testing for Westest 2 will be done electronically,” Superintendent Chuck Hatfield said. “We had practice runs this week and it went fairly well. Just a few glitches. “We booted up all of the computers at the same time to make sure everything is in working order.” The Westest 2 is given to every student from third to 11th grade. The individual content assessments measure a student’s levels of performance on clearly defined standards and objectives and skills. Hatfield said that this year Putnam County chose to give the Westest 2 to its students over the course of four weeks. Last year the county was required to administer the test SEE SCHOOLS ON PAGE 3
Inside This Week: CANDIDATE PROFILES - PAGES 4-5 HURRICANE TENNIS - PAGE 7
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