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Youth rescues grandfather after fall

READER– Nine-year-old Holden Rine of Reader has learned plenty of life lessons from both of his grandpas, which include his “Big Pappy” and his “Pappy Buck.” Little did Holden’s family know these lessons would come in handy on July 25.

That day, Holden saved his Pappy Buck’s life.

Holden’s family was at a relative’s birthday party at a Sistersville residence when Holden’s grandfather, Buck Rine, needed to fetch a ladder from his tree stand.

“We just went to ride down to the woods to the tree stand, to get my ladder, and it ended up being a lot more than that,” Buck Rine said. “Luckily, Holden went with me. He kind of insisted he go with me. I’m glad he did.”

While retrieving the ladder, Buck Rine started falling. He plummeted 20 feet from his tree stand.

“I could hear Holden squealing as I was falling,” he said. “I hit and bounced to my knees. By the time I bounced to my knees, Holden was standing right beside me. … I just kind of fell over.”

Holden asked his grandfather two questions:

“The first thing he asked me was, ‘Pap, where is your phone?’ I didn’t have it. I explained it was in my truck. He asked me if I wanted help, and I told him, ‘Yes, I think my back is broke.'”

After confirming his grandfather didn’t have his phone with him, Holden got on Buck Rine’s four-wheeler and rode 600 yards out of the woods, and another half-mile to the site of the birthday party.

“He kept it together. He knew what he needed to do. It was like he was on a mission,” said Holden’s mother, Tresa Rine, describing Holden’s demeanor when he arrived at the house and delivered the news.

While he waited for help to arrive, Buck rine said he laid on the ground and wondered if he would ever see his grandson again.

“I never doubted for one second that Holden wouldn’t be able to make it back to the house,” he said.

As for the emergency response, Tresa Rine noted, “The ambulance was super quick to be there, and everything went smoothly.”

“Everyone involved was just wonderful,” Buck agreed.

From Sistersville, Buck was flown by helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital. There, it was discovered that Buck had two burst vertebrae and multiple other vertebrae fractures. He also has fractured ribs, and he had a pneumothorax. He stayed in Ruby for a week.

Holden is humble and quiet about saving his pap’s life, just agreeing that he did what he had to do.

“There were a few places I probably wouldn’t have taken a bike up over,” Tresa Rine said, noting that Buck’s four-wheeler is a larger, adult-size bike. Holden has been riding a four-wheeler since the age of 3.

“He likes the woods, and he definitely loves the mud,” Tresa Rine said.

Meanwhile, Buck’s recovery is progressing, and Tresa Rine said her grandson has been a good help, “helping his pap get things.”

“They are good friends,” she said. “They are good buddies.”

Greenbrier

River Trail reopens

LEWISBURG, W.Va. (AP) — A year after flooding severely damaged the Greenbrier River Trail in West Virginia, all 78 miles of it has reopened.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the last remaining obstacle was removing debris that blocked an 11-mile section in Greenbrier County. Sam England, chief of the Parks and Recreation Section of the Division of Natural Resources said “the Godzilla of landslides” buried the section under a 600-foot-high, 300-foot-long pile of trees, brush, rock and mud.

With the debris removed and the hillside stabilized, the trail now rises about 18 feet above its original grade and users get a panoramic look at the Greenbrier River.

The trail passes through parts of Watoga and Cass Scenic Railroad state parks, Seneca and Calvin Price state forests, and the Monongahela National Forest.

Ohio beetle

warning issued

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A Purdue University entomologist is urging Indiana residents to scout the trees on their property for signs of a destructive beetle that’s killed trees in several other states.

Entomologist Cliff Sadof says August is the peak emergence season for the Asian long-horned beetle, which poses a serious threat to shade trees. The invasive insect has been found in Chicago and Ohio, but it hasn’t yet been spotted in Indiana.

Sadof says private citizens have been critical to eradication efforts in Illinois, Ohio, New York and New Jersey. He suggests residents with swimming pools also check their water skimmers for the beetles because the insects often fall into pools.

The Asian long-horned beetle has long, black-and-white antennae, which give it its name, and a glossy, black body with irregular white spots.

To Report Asian long-horned beetles, call 1-866-NO-EXOTIC (1-866-663-9684).

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.

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