Animal abuse case gets dismissed

CHESAPEAKE — The case against a Rome Township man accused of animal abuse has been dismissed.

David L. Brammer, 57, of Daisy Drive, Proctorville, was facing trial in Lawrence County Municipal Court Friday on a second-degree misdemeanor animal abuse charge for allegedly mistreating two young horses.

In June a complaint was made to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office that two colts at Brammer’s trailer on Daisy Drive were wrapped up in their leads, unable to get up and were without food and water.

Deputies investigated and reported that there had been numerous complaints about the living conditions of the animals. Charges against Brammer followed.

However since Brammer had met the requirements of the prosecutor, including finding a new home for the two young horses, the charges were dropped with fines and costs suspended.

— By Benita Heath

Man wanted for knife robbery found in Michigan

JACKSON COUNTY, Mich. — A man wanted for aggravated burglary in Ironton has been found in Michigan.

Royce Thacker III was arrested Thursday afternoon by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in Michigan, Ironton Police Chief Jim Carey said.

Thacker, 25, allegedly grabbed two teenagers ages 13 and 14, held a knife to their throats and demanded their money. The incident took place Monday around 8:10 p.m. in the alley behind Granny’s in Ironton.

The police department will be seeking to have him extradited back to Ironton, Carey said.

— By Lori Kersey

Youth orchestras gear up for season

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — The Tri-State Youth Orchestra String Section begins its 13th performance season on Thursday in the basement of ARTS Renaissance Center on Eighth Street in Huntington.

All string students in the Tri-State area are welcome to join.

There are two orchestras.

The Youth Strings whose members have two to three years playing ability on orchestral string instruments are encouraged to participate in the ensemble that rehearses from 5:30-7 p.m. every Thursday night.

The other group is the Tri-State Youth Orchestra Strings that rehearses from 7:30-9 p.m. every Thursday evening.

Auditions for brass, winds and percussion will be later in October, after marching band.   For more information on these orchestras please contact Ron Caviani at tsyo@aol.com, 304-743-7425, 304-528-6462 or 304-972-7501.

Those interested are urged to leave a message at any of the phone numbers or contact via e-mail for a quicker response.

Walk to raise awareness for celiac disease

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Walkers can help raise awareness and funds for celiac disease at the Making Tracks for Celiac Awareness Walk on Sunday, Aug. 29 at Ritter Park in Huntington. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and Treasure Hunt Walk steps off at 2 p.m.

The event offers free entertainment beginning at 1 p.m. that includes inflatables for children, a dunking booth and music. Proceeds from the event will be used to offer free screening opportunities to high-risk patients, provide doctors with educational materials, provide care packages to newly diagnosed patients and expand the celiac disease awareness campaign.

For more information or to register, please visit www.orgsites.com/wv/wvgig A pig roast with gluten-free side dishes and other food and entrees will also be available beginning at 3 p.m.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting 1 in 133 Americans. Celiac affects the small intestine when wheat, barley or rye are consumed.

Most of the symptoms associated with celiac disease are non-specific and may include anemia, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis and other symptoms. Patients with autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or other syndromes are at a high risk for celiac disease.

The event is sponsored by Cabell Huntington Hospital and the West Virginia Gluten Intolerance Group.

Allstate recognizes South Point entrepreneur

SOUTH POINT — Allstate Insurance Company is recognizing local Allstate agency owners for outstanding customer service and business results in 2009.

Area Allstate agent Jennifer Conley was awarded the President’s Conference Award for outstanding achievement.

The President’s Conference Award is a prestigious designation that recognizes 13 percent of agents nationally who demonstrated high standards in customer satisfaction, customer retention and profitable business growth in 2009.

“We’re proud of Jennifer for exceeding expectations of customer service while maintaining profitable sales during one of the most challenging economic environments in our country’s history,” said Thomas F. Clarkson, vice president, Allstate Insurance Company.

“This level of professional represents the very best Allstate has to offer — our people and their unrivaled expertise.”

This award-winning agency is located at 604 Fourth Street, Suite E in South Point. The phone number is 740-377-2300.

The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer.

The company and its agents serve more than 17 million households.

Supervisor program offered at Shawnee

PORTSMOUTH — An effective leader establishes good interpersonal work relationships and has the ability to spark action in others.

The seven courses in Supervisory Certification Program at Shawnee State University will teach people to identify, understand and work with different personalities and strive to be strong leaders and communicators.

Tamara Moore, known as “The Personality Professional,” will present the course at OSU South Centers, Endeavor Center, 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon.

All the classes are on Tuesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. beginning Sept. 14 and ending on Oct. 26. The seven classes are:

Essentials of Leadership teaches how to multiply employee effectiveness by motivating the team and helping others be more effective and accomplish more in interactions in less time, while enhancing interpersonal relationships with employees.

Understanding and Maximizing Employee Strengths teaches how employees fit into one of four different personality types. Learn how to communicate differently with each type and how to work with the most difficult employee in order to maximize his or her strengths and increase productivity.

Resolve Conflict teaches how to handle workplace challenges by using coaching and reinforcement.

Learn the secret to helping teams perform at their best in Leading High Performance Teams. Learn how to focus team’s efforts on high-priority actions.

Learn how to Delegate for Results. Leaders overcome their hesitation for delegation by learning skills for successfully matching people, responsibility and authority.

Learn how to Understand Harassment in the Workplace, learn the law standards and what to do if an allegation is made.

Learn the Essentials of Personnel Law and how to stay legally safe when making personnel decisions that will impact your organization.

The cost is $459 for all seven courses, $109 for each course, and price includes a workbook for each session.

For more information, contact SSU University Outreach at (740) 351-3274 or toll-free (866) 672-8778 Ext. 3274 or e-mail dschwamberge@shawnee.edu.

Ashland Petland operators named among top in chain

ASHLAND, Ky. — Dwight and Cathy Burk were recently named among the top Petland store operators chain-wide. The Burks operate the Petland store in Ashland Plaza.

The Burks received their Store of the Year runner-up award at the 2010 Petland Trade Show held Aug. 12-15 at the Hyatt Regency & Columbus Convention Center in Columbus.

Store of the Year awards are based on a number of business operational factors including excellence in store presentation, customer service and animal husbandry.

The Burks acquired the Petland in Ashland in 2008.