Thursday, December 18, 2014
Volume 145 Issue 50 50 Cents
The
Putnam Standard Spaulding left eternal mark on Putnam County By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com Judge O.C. “Hobby” Spaulding, a leader in Putnam County for over three decades, was found dead outside his home last week of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “There was a 911 call that troopers responded to,” said Lt. Mike Baylous of the W.Va. State Police. “When they arrived at the residence they found Judge Spaulding deceased from a self inflicted gun shot wound. They found Judge Spaulding deceased in a wooded area outside his residence.”
Baylous said Spaulding had been battling with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He said he would remember Spaulding more by how he conducted himself throughout his career rather than his pain towards the end of his life. “I was always impressed with him and the way he carried himself,” Baylous said. “He came across as what you would expect a judge to come across as. He came across as someone you respected and carried himself well.” Spaulding, 69, retired from the bench in 2011 after his diagnosis. Af-
ter 20 years of public service, his mark can be seen throughout the Putnam County community. Debbie Phillips, a former state Delegate and Putnam County Board of Education member, said she was always impressed by the Spaulding’s integrity, whether on the bench or working on community projects. “He participated on a lot of projects people probably take for granted today but what at the time was very difficult to get done,” she said. “He was a community leader during his lifetime.” Dave Hofstetter spoke on behalf of Retired Putnam County Phillips served with Spaulding on the Circuit Judge O.C. “Hobby” Spaulding, winner of the 2013 See Spaulding, Page 5 Mayo Lester award. Both died earlier this month. File photo
Eleanor home to Diamond Electric US headquarters By Kelly Stadelman kelly@theputnamstandard.com Putnam County’s strong work ethic and environment helped Diamond Electric officials decide to move its North American headquarters to the mountain state. “West Virginia has been very, very good for Diamond Electric since we built our factory in Eleanor starting in 1996,” said Hironori Kurita, chief executive officer of the Japanese-owned auto parts supplier. “We are happy to tell everyone that our people make the difference in West Virginia. They make us strong and they give us pride.” The move consolidates the automotive ignition coil manufacturer’s main U.S. office with its existing operation in Eleanor. The parent company, Diamond Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Diamond Electric supplies ignition coils to Ford Motor, See Diamond, Page 15
Norman Schrock, third generation owner of Village Heirlooms, shows off a handmade round edge table highlighted by holiday wares. Schrock’s furniture is built by Amish carpenters in Ohio and is custom made.
Local businesses care for community By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com
FLSmidth PILOT approved
On a rainy day in Hurricane, a customer walked in to Village Heirlooms to take a look at a recent order. Inspecting the piece with a smile on his face, his talk turned to his daughter in Dallas, Texas, who just can’t seem to find high quality furniture. “Would it be worth your time to help me ship it to her?” he said, concern in his voice. Without hesitation, owner Norman Schrock took out a pad, pen and calculator and started dialing the phone, pausing only to wait for an answer on the other line. After jotting down some numbers, he told the customer he can arrange for pickup at another shop in Dallas. This is the type of service Village Heirlooms and other local businesses are known for, going out of the way to help Charles Six, manager of Hurricane Chevy, walks through their customers no matter how far the distance. the interior of one of the display cars. Six is always happy See Businesses, Page 5 to special order a car to the customer’s specifications.
By Michael Circle michael@theputnamstandard.com Putnam County Commission unanimously approved an agreement with FLSmidth to decrease the Putnam based company’s taxes by 20 percent for staying within the state and adding jobs. The PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement states that FLSmidth will only pay 80 percent of the taxes accrued over a 20-year period for building on the 9.6 acres of land in Fraziers Bottom and must add 65 jobs by May 2017. “We sent them a letter of intent that we would do a PILOT agreement if they met those criteria and they have,” Commission President Steve Andes said. “We just honor the intent.” See FLSmidth, Page 4
INSIDE THIS EDITION: n n
Hurricane tops Winfield, pg 2 Poca boys defeat Nitro, pg 15