Aug 2, 2014 4 min read

A look at some of the headlines gracing the pages of the Observer-Reporter and Waynesburg Republican this week in Greene County history:

Greene County Day Camp ends six-week run of fun

Greene County Day Camp program ended its six-week run of providing free activities for county children with a pizza and pool party Friday at Wana B Park in Carmichaels.

More than 1,100 children, ages 5 to 15, registered for the program, which started June 22. The county’s Department of Recreation employed 76 people as camp counselors and site supervisors.

The day camp ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at five locations: Jefferson Township Park, Waynesburg Lions Club Park, Mon View Park in Greensboro, Ryerson Station State Park and Wana B Park, which had the most campers each day.

Bobtown Elementary School and Nineveh Community Center served as drop-off and pick-up locations for children attending the Mon View and Ryerson camps, respectively.

Consortium acquires

RAG American Coal

A private equity consortium consisting of First Reserve Corp., The Blackstone Group and American Metals & Coal International, has completed the acquisition of RAG American Coal Holding Inc., the nation’s fourth largest coal producer.

The consortium also announced that it has formed Foundation Coal Corp., headquartered in Linthicum Heights, Md., near Baltimore, to serve as the new parent company.

RAG Coal International AG, based in Essen, Germany, announced in February that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to sell its coal mining operations in the United States to the investment group.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, though reports have indicated the price at about $1 billion.

The new company will operate 12 coal mines and related operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois and Wyoming. The company and its subsidiaries employ about 2,700 people and produce about 65 million tons of coal annually.

Its coal mines include the Emerald and Cumberland mines in Greene County. The two Greene County mines together produce about 13 million tons of coal a year and employ 1,163 hourly and salaried employees.

No changes in the location of corporate offices or management are planned. The company also does not expects to make any changes in current employment levels at its operations, company spokesman Mike Rounds said.

Rain Day spoiled

by clear skies

WAYNESBURG – Once again this year, weather experts were right and Rain Day backers were wrong.

Regardless, the celebration was a huge success.

“Just say it was a perfect Rain Day – no rain,” said 95-year-old Josephine Denny from her wheelchair as she joined hundreds of people watching entertainers perform on the Greene Country Courthouse patio. “Rain or shine, it’s a lot of fun.”

Television weather forecasters said there was little chance of precipitation and backed their predictions with bets.

Waynesburg Mayor Kelce Eddy lost his hat to WPXI forecaster Dennis Bowman and was forced to wash the car of KDKA prognosticator Jan Loughman on High Street.

The mayor also lost a hat to country western star Hank Williams Jr.

It was the third straight year without rain.

Waynesburg College opening football drills; 20 lettermen returning

The 1969 edition of the Waynesburg College football team will begin pre-season drills Aug. 14, according to head coach Darrell Lewis and athletic director Clayton Ketterling.

Lewis, who is beginning his second year at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, said that 50 candidates will be reporting to fall camp on the 13th for physicals and equipment. Included among those prospects are 20 lettermen.

“This may be a questionable year,” said Lewis. “We lost a great deal at graduation time and a few for academic reasons that we were really counting heavily on – so we’ll just have to rebuild.”

Missing this year are 13 seniors, most of whom had a big hand in the past successful campaigns, including the NAIA Championship in 1966. In their four years at Waynesburg, they helped win 32 games while losing five and having one tie.