Gallipolis Daily Tribune, Ohio, Charlene Hoeflich column

Mar 03, 2013 (Gallipolis Daily Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- After 38 years of operating greenhouses in Syracuse, Don and Linda Hubbard have gone out of business, and the buildings have been demolished.

The couple went into growing plants 38 years ago and, in the beginning, had more than a dozen greenhouses. For many years they were plant providers for K-Mart and Ames Department Stores.

It was a thriving business to the end, and many of us will miss driving up to Hubbards to buy our flowers and shrubbery.

Teen drivers, beware.

You may not remember but about six months ago the governor signed a law regarding penalties for teens who are caught texting and driving or talking on a cell phone while driving to go into effect on March 1.

Well it went into effective Friday. So ... if you don't obey the law and get caught, prepare to pay a hefty price.

Under the new law police officers can pull over anyone under the age of 18 suspected of texting, sending email, or talking on an electronic wireless device and file charges against you. For the first offense the fine is $150 and there is a 60-day license suspension. And, if you don't learn a lesson the first time around, the second offense comes with not only a fine but a one-year license suspension.

It is only through the kindness of others that some of our less fortunate residents have enough to eat.

Zumba enthusiasts and certified instructors Paulette Harrison andJeannie Owen, came up with the idea last year of a way to help the Parish Food Pantry which seems always struggling to have enough food to fill the demand. So they organized a Zumba class at the Mulberry Community Center with the only charge being a contribution of food for the Parish.

It went so successful last year that they resumed lessons again four weeks ago. They have now had a total of 235 people come to the Zumba classes who paid the price for the lessons with 596 food items for the Parish.

In case you don't know, the New Horizons pre-school moved a few weeks ago from the Mulberry Community Center in Pomeroy to the Family Life Center of the Middleport Church of Christ.

Cindy Eblin and Mike Bartrum are the administrators of the school which accepts three- to five-year-olds for morning and afternoon classes Monday through Thursday. This is the eighth year for the program which is geared toward the enrichment of children.

And speaking of enrichment, Bobbie Owen who is the Meigs Elementary art teacher, will be having an art workshop for beginners in March and April. There will be four sessions from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on March 12 and 26, and April 2 and 9, held at the Riverbend Arts Council building on Second Avenue in Middleport. For more detail on the program just call Bobbi at 740-274-1997.

So that you won't have to hunt up the Visitors Guide every time you want to know when certain events are taking place, Luke Ortman of the Chamber of Commerce has listed them all on the chamber's website and on the app so they can be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet.

___ (c)2013 the Gallipolis Daily Tribune (Gallipolis, Ohio) Visit the Gallipolis Daily Tribune (Gallipolis, Ohio) at www.mydailytribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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