Thursday, January 8, 2015
The
Volume 146 Issue 1 50 Cents
Putnam Standard
Monsanto site near completion By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com
The ex-Monsanto site in Nitro, infamous for its production of Vietnam-era Agent Orange and the subsequent release of poisonous dioxin into the community, is nearly finished with its required rehabilitation after almost two years. The site is owned by Solutia, once a subsidiary of Monsanto but now a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical, and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, encompasses approximately 116 acres. The EPA became involved in 2002 when a member of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Hazard-
“We deal with prospective businesses that we’re trying to attract to the area and it’s really nice to, instead of showing them a hillside with trees on it, now we can take them and show them that we have some flat land ready to bid out.”
Drew Dunlap PCDA Executive Director ous Waste group found a discolored substance leaking into the Kanawha River, kick starting an investigation that ultimately ended in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. See Monsanto, Page 6
Poca council members and representatives from Rivers to Ridges pose in front of the new mural designed and painted by Rob Cleland.
Read Aloud starts in Putnam
Mural brightens Poca riverfront
By Amanda Smythers
By Michael Circle
amanda@theputnamstandard.com
Putnam County students will be starting the year off with a special treat as Read Aloud West Virginia begins going into classrooms using its recently formed Putnam County chapter. Read Aloud West Virginia, based in Charleston, is active in 25 counties across the state and enables volunteers to read in classrooms in local elementary schools. “Our mission is to change the literacy climate in West Virginia,” said Laura Boggess, who is helping organize the Putnam chapter. “Our
goal is to start young and implement programs and strategies to help children learn to want to read and to make it enjoyable so it’s not just something they have to do.” Boggess is holding a volunteer training at the main branch of the Putnam County Library at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15. She invites all who are interested should stop by. Boggess said West Virginia has a harder time than most states across when the country when it comes to literacy, mostly due to the poverty that is rampant around
michael@theputnamstandard.com
Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail added a new stop on the scenic byway through W.Va. Rt. 62 in Poca to educate residents and tourists alike of the area’s rich coal-mining history. The coal tipple in Raymond City was painted by Charleston artist Rob Cleland and dedicated by Rivers to Ridges and the City of Poca. “We’re trying to have sites along the byway in Putnam and Mason counties so people can
drive the byway and learn about the area,” said Rivers to Ridges Project Coordinator Lowell Wilkes. “This is how we hope people can learn about what’s around them.” Cleland’s mural depicts the scene from generations ago. Incorporated in the design is a steam locomotive waiting for coal from the tipple and the conveyer system that brought coal to the site from miles away, Wilkes said. “If you moved in here, I’m a transplant, I wouldn’t have known this was a coal mining
See Read Aloud, Page 5
area,” Wilkes said. “I’ve lived here long enough to know now, but if you’ve lived here a short amount of time, you’d never know about it.” Poca officials were on the scene to celebrate the dedication and the ribbon cutting for the mural and its historical significance. “I’m real proud of this,” said outgoing mayor Jim Caruthers. “Getting this built was a big thing. It was just an eyesore. It’s hard to explain just how cruddy it was. [The mural] really turned out great. I look forward to seeSee Mural, Page 4
Winfield Elementary students help children in need By Zach Cumberland zach@theputnamstandard.com Winfield Elementary student council members had an idea which they named ‘backpack buddies.’ “It’s what we call “backpack buddies,” said school counselor Vicki Dye. “Where we send food items home for kids who need them.” The student council held its food drive for needy children from Nov. 10 to Dec. 19. The student council, which is made up of 24 members in the third, fourth and fifth grades, meets once a month
with a focus on children helping children. “We have one boy and one girl from each third, fourth and fifth grade class,” Dye said. “We come up with ideas on things that we want to do each month and we try to be very service oriented. “The student council members came up with the idea of trying to help others with the backpack program. We have a church that helps us right now, so they bring food items over to us each month and then I have a leadership team in fourth grade which helps me pack all the bags
every week.” The students fill the bags with individual items. They usually include a couple breakfast, lunch/dinner and snack items and sometimes toiletry and school supplies as well. Whatever isn’t used from the food drive for the school is sent out to other See Winfield, Page 4 Winfield Elementary student council members, left to right, D.J. Grant, Kennedy Briscoe, Allie Alderman, Anna Whitney and Ian Johnson held a food drive to help local children.
INSIDE THIS EDITION: Coalition recognizes people, pg 3 n Putnam High School sports, pg 4-8 n