2015 ONLINE NEWS
 

Dec 31 a  Before 2015 play out, here's one last tidbit from the County of Little

Dec 31 Prosecutor Jim Samples ain't no F Lee Bailey. If he was, he'd be practicing in some New York law firm wearing silk boxers. Samples does show up for work and in the Courtroom, he has a pretty good presence.

Dec 31 a With a limited budget and no investigator, Samples is limited a bunch. Further hindering a more timely prosecution schedule, the Green Shirt Crime Labs in South Charleston are also backed up the ying yang.

Dec 31 a With all that being said

Dec 31 a Wed evening TV-8 aired a segment on our lowly Prosecutor citing two crimes still awaiting resolution.

Dec 31 a Here's the link for those that didn't see the newsless news cast.

Dec 31 a  One of those cases highlighted by TV -8 covered the Clarence Stone murder in the Summer of 2013. Stone was gunned down while gardening in the Hartland community along Elk River. To date, no one has been brought to trial. There's a lot that goes into a case before it goes to grand jury or Magistrate Court.

Dec 31 a As soon as the shot rang out, neighbors and medical personnel tromped all over the freshly turned dirt destroying any chance of foot print evidence. As for a murder weapon, none found, Eyewitness accounts? Nope.

Dec 31 a Many of us think we know which nut pulled the trigger. Thinking something is different from facts and evidence

Dec 31 a There's lots of dismissals when something goes to Court. Many of those toss outs result from crappy Badge work sometimes from veteran Badges and from newbees trying to get some experience. Other toss outs come from witnesses getting cold feet.

Dec 31 a As for a timely prosecution process, there's that other thang, the Green Shirt lab problem

Dec 31 a For those of us that sit thru trials and hearings, time and time again, court cases are delayed due to the back log of cases in the State Lab at 725 Jefferson Road in  South Charleston. Jim Samples has told the Judge over and over, it often takes 18 months for lab results to be returned to the Prosecutor

Dec 31 a That couple minute newsless segment on TV-8 is interesting

Dec 31 a Since nothing new was revealed, something stinks about it.

Dec 31 a We think it's politics leading up to the 2016 election where Samples is up for another nod by the electorate.

Dec 31 a It smacks of using the right wing media to make a push for a Republicrat challenger.

Dec 31 Tea baggers are very artful in using their media control to advance their cause. We think that;s what's going on now.

Dec 31 a More in the next Communicator

Dec 31 a In other happenings.....

Dec 31 a  On Wednesday morning, temperatures over a vast area around North Pole were somewhere between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Read more here.

Dec 31 a As we ready to open a new year, how about a pot story.

Dec 31 a  Small-scale Mexican marijuana farmers say the loosening of marijuana laws across the U.S. has increased competition from growers north of the border and could put them out of business.   Here's a link to America legalizing  pot and how it's affecting commerce to our South.

Dec 31 Enjoy New Year's Eve but but be safe while doing so.

Dec 31 Happy 2016 to each and every.

 

Dec 29 a Tonight at 7:30, the CHS Panthers take on South Harrison in home court action. With dry, warm weathering predicamentated for today, it's a great chance to come out and support the Panthers

Dec 29a For those unable to get their shoes on for that trip, 101.7FM and 106.7FM will be airing the contest. Pregame with TG Griffith gets underway around 7:20pm.

Dec 29 a From the email bag: A male brown and white pit bull. Friendly we miss him. We  need him home. He is our baby. Missing from Big otter WV    Please if u know where he is or if u have him please bring him back to us. or call 304-286-3619

Dec 29 a In three days we say good-bye to 2015.

Dec 29 a In two days we say good bye to Town workers Hawkie Keener.

Dec 29 a Hawkie is the guy you most often see sweeping Main Street in the downtown area of Clay. In addition to those duties, Keener is the helper on meter readings, putting up CHristmas decorations, emptying trash cans and any other duty no one else wants to do.

Dec 29 a He's been at it for decades. Hawkie is hanging up his broom on the 31st and starting his retirement years,

Dec 29 a He will be missed

Dec 29 a In a budget cutting mode, Town leaders have been considering employee cutbacks for four months. Back before Thanksgiving, Town Council called for a special meeting where one feller was to be cutback to part time tasks, That meeting was canceled and nothing has been done on the much needed topic.

Dec 29 a With Hawkie retiring, there's an easy way  to save some $$$$.

Dec 29 a Our guess, they blow that opportunity and put someone in that position.

Dec 28 a  Welcome to the in between week. It's another short week with just beating in time in wait of another three day weekend

Dec 28 a Due to screwing off for the last five day, information wise, we've got none.

Dec 28 a  A bunch of us ole farts wind up talking to ourselves. Sometimes we even answer our own questions.

Dec 28 a Going nuts? Nope. Talking to yourself makes you smarter.

Dec 28 a  For men looking to spend some bucks on tools, Northern Tools have some pretty good clearance sales right now.

Dec 28 a In the Peanuts cartoon strip and TV shows, Franklin is the only black character. His first appearance was in 1968 after MLK Jr was assassinated and the civil rights struggle was in full rage. Here's the background on Franklin.

Dec 28 a  Dumbarss front runner Trump keeps in the spotlight by making some down right ignorant statements

Dec 28 a  Did Donald Trump say the following? "My grandparents didn't come all the way to America from Germany just to see it taken over by immigrants.  Not on my watch."

Dec 28 a Here's the correct answer.

Dec 28a  And those shocking Hillary quotes making all the rounds this time of year, well, how about some truth.

Dec 28 a And for this morning, hopefully on the next Prez, Bernie...  how scary would this guy be for the powers that be?

Dec 28 a Who blocked Bernie's website from all military bases? Find out more right here.

Dec 27 p   Ruby Olive (Fields) West, 83, of Wallback,  see OBITUARY page

Dec 27 p We're back from Christmas break and start updating on Monday

Dec 24 p The very best of Christmas wishes to friend and otherwise alike, this Christmas eve

Dec 24 p Merry Christmas

 

Dec 23 a  Dorvil Harold Taylor, 76, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

Dec 23 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am in the Courthouse

Dec 23 a Be there or be square

Dec 23 a  The Communicator made it out the door Tuesday afternoon around 2pm

Dec 23 a Twenty pages of real news and views on County Clay.

Dec 23 a 80 cents and worth every penny

Dec 23 a We're shutting down till after Christmas

Dec 23 a It's been a good year and it's a better time to spend it with family and friends.

Dec 23 a From our house to yours, the very best of Christmas wishes to you and yours

Dec 23 a Merry Christmas

 

Dec 21 a   Barbara Triplett Blankenship, 79, of Indore, see OBITUARY page

Dec 21 a Ball game Tuesday evening. See ADVISORY page

Dec 21 a County Commission meets Wed morning for the last time in 2015. Start time is 10 am.

Dec 21 a There's two weeks out of the year you can goof off and nobody knows. That's Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks.

Dec 21 a As soon as we get the Communicator out the door Tuesday afternoon, that's what we plan to do. Absolute screw off time for the staff.

Dec 21 a Deadline for submissions is tonight around 5pm. Email your stuff today

Dec 21 a Men, it's that time of year again. The wifey will be less than happy without at least one good and three trinket presents.

Dec 21 a With two WalMarts close by, there's no excuse for getting in the dog house again this year.

 

Dec 18 a Not sure if it's the water or GMO's we eat, but, there's a reason for the mass shootings. Here's a mental health example that helps demonstrate the new world of thinking

Dec 18 a  A homeless man has been charged with property destruction after police discovered a 15-foot-deep cave they say he dug in a public park. Read more here.

Dec 18 a If you're wondering who's the new CHS Football Coach, wonder a little longer

Dec 18 a During last night's rescheduled Sch Board meeting, just about every action item was tabled. One of those was announcing the new Head Coach

Dec 18 a  About the only decision made was approving the minutes from the last meeting

Dec 18 a We're still waiting on the snow

 

Dec 17 a Kids, teachers, service personnel are ready for their two week  break. Today's the last full day of goofing off  in school land. Friday is an early out. Basically, the kids show up, eat breakfast, watch a movie, eat lunch and then turn around and hit the road

Dec 17 a  With Legislation pending to shorten the school year, it might be the last time for a long break.

Dec 17 a  School Board meets tonight at 6pm way up North in Big Otter Elem

Dec 17 a  From the email bag:  I wish to announce that I have parted ways with Community Care of WV.   I appreciated having the opportunity to serve my patients for 29 years in Gassaway.   I will be working at other jobs in the community and hope to be back at 617 River St. serving you at a future date.  Keep reading for an opening announcement.     Doug Given MD

Dec 17 a After two weeks of Summer time temps, snow is in the forecast for Friday evening and Saturday.

Dec 17 a It really is starting to feel like Christmas.

 

Dec 16  a    Denver is covered up with an additional seven inches of the white stuff. For Clayberry, the first snow showers should come Friday in the am

Dec 16 a Nice to day with temps suppose to be in the 60's. Today's the day to get those Christmas decoration hung

Dec 16 a Last night the Lady Panthers earned a big win over Nicholas. 44 to 39. At half time, everything was tied up.

Dec 16 a Around the beginning of each year, Delta Communications honors a Clayonian with the Person of the Year award.

Dec 16 a If you have someone in mind deserving of the high honor, someone who worked their butt off this year for the good of the county, email the name and reasons today. Thanks

 

Dec 15 p Don't forget, both of tonight's CHS Varsity ball games begin at 7pm

Dec 15 p The CHS girls are over in Summersville while the boys are in a home court battle with South Harrison

Dec 15 p With the toss of a coin, the local radio stations will cover the Lady Panthers with TG Griffith at the helm

Dec 15 p Sponsors are still needed to make the season available on the air. Email em at wyaplp@hotmail.com

 

Dec 15 a 9 days and counting. Still no snow. Great!!

Dec 15 a  Schools will be shutting down THREE hours early this Friday. Not two but three.

Dec 15 a Reason? No one gives a rat's patudy about edumacation this time of year

Dec 15 a  Due to the holidays, the School Board has their public meeting schedule all goofed up

Dec 15 a  Instead of Dec 21st,  the next meeting will be this Thursday at Big Otter Elem at 6pm

Dec 15 a The Pentagon even got thier meeting agenda posted last night.

Dec 15 a Some Boardsters know how to liven a meeting. O Gene King was one of those. For instance

Dec 15 a Back in late Summer, 2009, some of our high school coaches hopped in a personal vehicle after an athletic contest and mad a pit stop in the Hooters in Beckley.

Dec 15 a Word was all over the county but nothing was said during a meeting of the School Board

Dec 15 a In August 2009, Gene King made his mark with a comment during discussion of a planned road trip. King: I'll go if we can stop at Hooters on t he way home!!!

Dec 15 a There was silence around the big table. Those in the peanut gallery laughed big time.

Dec 15 a Gene added something about a new Board policy requiring at least two coaches ride back from activities on the buses.

Dec 15 a Back then, as is the case now, getting the munchins home safely is just as important as winning a game.

 

Dec 14 p Down below we mentioned $6 Christmas trees but mis-typed Dave Wayne's name

Dec 14 p Dave Wayne  Dave Wayner   Dave Wayne

Dec 14 early a Hard to imagine things slowing down, but they do this time of year.

Dec 14 a  While standing around last week waiting to snap another picture of the tree decorating,, the ace cub reporter was listening to the little varmits. Three of em were discussing if they had been good enough this year for Christmas presents.

Dec 14 a One girl said she had hit her brother in the head while another was remorseful that he did something else

Dec 14 a The grand prize winner came from a curtain climber that said he had dropped a cat from the porch .

Dec 14 a In response,  why?

Dec 14 a The first one, I wanted to see if could fly!

Dee 14 a Got ta love the learning experience.

Dec 14 a SuddenLink user  Bud White over near Gauley Bridge rubbed it in with this email: As of 10:51 am this Sunday morning my download speed was 32.21 and upload was 5.44.

 

Dec 13 a We're down to 11 days til Christmas but that ain't the talk in these parts. Instead, the talk is on a Dec with temps in the 60's and an expected 70 degrees today. Heck, yesterday some gardeners were tilling their dirt.

Dec 13 a For those tardy with getting their trees up, don't forget, Dave Wayne over at Valley Fork has live trees starting at $6.

Dec 13 a Clayberry just received the best Christmas present of all.

Dec 13 a According to Charleston Gazette info, Frontier DSL has entered into a settlement where they agreed to upgrade their slower than snail speed internet and cough up $150 million to better serve 28,000 customers.

Dec 13 a Not sure if Clayberry is in that number but with people paying high dollar and receiving 1 mbps, surely we are.

Dec 13 a  As a smack on management hands, Frontier is forced to reduce monthly bills to $9.99 a month until speeds are up to the advertised rate of 6 mbps.

Dec 13 a 6 mbps is NOT high speed internet. But, it would be closer to what we are paying.

Dec 13 a  This $150 million is in addition to the Federal government wasted $180 million that was peed away on stuff of little interest or use for the average customer

Dec 13 a While other utilities are important, hands down, dependable and fast internet is the most important one for any business in the 21st century.

Dec 13 a In the latest Communicator, we bring light on the most recent Town Council meeting where the Mayor allowed the meeting to be conducted with just two of the five Council members present. Mayor Whaling's reasoning was, we have two Council persons and Recorder Dwana Murphy here, that makes three voting people and a quorum

Dec 13 a Wrong O!

Dec 13 a  State Code 8-1-2 (b) (4) makes it clear, the Recorder is not a member of Council and can NOT make a motion

Dec 13 a According to the W Va Municipal League and 8-1-2 (b) (1), Town Council is made up of council persons and the Mayor.

Dec 13 a  Since being on Council, JP Helms has wanted to see a true financial report during each monthly meeting. Specifically, Helms wants total pay outs like employee salaries included. So far, the guy has been unsuccessful with his efforts.

Dec 13 a Helms was absent from that last non meeting. He was seen sitting in his vehicle outside the building as he waited to see what other Council persons were coming or not. Others absent included Joyce Gibson and Jerry Stover

Dec 13 a It was Helms who asked for the Municipal League intervention and state code info

Dec 13 a One atta boy for JP Helms

Dec 13 a The only question that remains, will the Mayor and Council do the right thing and 1, throw out all votes from the last non meeting, and 2, tell Recorder Dwana Murphy to sit on her thumbs during Council meetings.

Dec 13 a State Code demands that all discussions be made in public. When the Code was written and revised, they make no mention of cell phones during public meetings

Dec 13 a As an observer during most Clay Town Council meetings, here's a note from the Mel Gibson look alike

Dec 13 a During sticky situations, sure looks like, Recorder Dwana Murphy fires off a text message to the Mayor offering advice

Dec 13 a Why do we think that? A couple seconds after Murphy does the text thang, Mayor Whaling's phone vibrates and she takes a look at it followed by a new look on the matter

Dec 13 a Got ta love small town America!

 

Dec 11 Noel Clark Smith, 83, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Dec 10 a  Tonight's the season opener for the CHS Panthers when they take on Fayetteville in home court action. Tip off is 7:30pm

Dec 10 a New season, new team, new fun. Come out and support the home team tonight. For those that can't or live too far away, community radio plans to carry the match up on 101.7 and 106.7 FM. To get the whole season on the air, they still need sponsors. Call 304 587 6007 if you can help em out

Dec 10 a  During Wed's County Commission meeting, the trio accepted the resignation of Roberta Faile from the BDA.

Dec 10 a Since coming back to Clay to handle family matters, Roberta has been the spark plug behind many of the economic development group's projects. As the cheerleader and taskmaster, Faile came up with growing the Elk River Fest, Snowflake Christmas Saturday, the Northpole Decorating and Halloween contests, and a Fall river themed event

Dec 10 a For around five years, the dynamo was the  arm twister that got sedimentary boardsters off their duffs and into action

Dec 10 a Sometime the best go getters burn out the quickest.

Dec 10 a The BDA and County will miss her efforts

Dec 10 a Also from Wed morning, the CCC voted down a new set of standards concerning the use of community service workers in the criminal court system. One of the stumbling blocks for the Commission was mandatory feeding of the folks, a lunch.

Dec 10 a  In another program, prison workers from Mt Olive are often seen around the county doing a variety of manual labor tasks. That program has nothing to do with the community service standards just voted down by the CCC

Dec 10 a Not sure why the new standards came before the Commission but, they axed em unanimously.

Dec 10 a Sunshine today. Better enjoy!

Dec 9 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 am

Dec 9 a That fire down at the old Procious Exxon had everything shut down yesterday afternoon. Today, the place Jerry Procious spent about every waking hour, it's gone. All that's left is the memories of great service and a smile

Dec 9 a Lead story in the latest Communicator gives some pretty good insight into the thinking and logic of the pickled mind of Mike Lanham

Dec 9 a Welcome to the second day of Hanakah

Dec 9 a  The WVU Extension office is handing out 2016 wall calendars. Better stop in and get yours before supplies dry up

Dec 9a  Suppose to be a sunshine filled day today. Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather while it's here

 

Dec 8 p First the good news. The Communicator made it to news stands across the region this afternoon

Dec 8 p Now the bad. The Procious fire kept us from getting to the Procious Post Office before their 2:30pm closing.

Dec 8 p For prescribers, your delivery will be one day late.

Dec 8 p Sorry

Dec 8 p It's time for a nap

 

Dec 7 a Fellers, let's say you get in the doghouse or as soon as she finds it out, you know you're going to be in the doghouse.

Dec 7 a We have an answer .

Dec 7 a Over at the Clay IGA, they're now selling fresh cut flowers. Pretty little things bursting with color and sure to soften the significant other a bunch. Walk in the front door carrying a bouquet and you're home free!

Dec 7 a For $8,  a great deal

Dec 7 a In the way of public meetings, you've got a bunch to choose from today

Dec 7 a The Business Development Authority convenes tonight at 6:30. Their meeting agenda  doesn't show it but they usually have a Christmas meal during their Dec meeting.

Dec 7 a Although their website doesn't reflect it as of 8:30 this morning, the School Board meets again tonight at 6pm.   What is available online are the specs for the next head football coach. Submit your resume today. Remember, you don't have to be an employee of the school system to be a coach.

Dec 7 a 200 or more Clayonians are served by Queen Shoals PSD in the Southern part of the Clayberry.

Dec 7 a  Queen Shoals PSD wants to be taken over by West Virginia Water Co in Charleston.

Dec 7 a A public hearing will be held tonight at 6pm at H E White Elem to hear comments and suggestions.

Dec 7 a  There you go, three interesting things to do get you out of the house tonight!

Dec 7 a High School basketball tips off tomorrow night. The local non profit radio station hopes to air 22 of the games. To do so, they need sponsors. How about you? Call t he station 304 587 8353. Thanks in advance and Go Panthers and Lady Panthers

Dec 7  a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Now's the time to email your chatters, obits, classifieds and whatever else you would like published in County Clay's locally owned and operated newspaper of choice

Dec 6 a It's been a tough week for the nation

Dec 6 a It feels like our very DNA has unraveled

Dec 6 a  Many are buying more guns while others are in favor of banning everything

Dec 6 a Some on center stage spout off, we can cure the problem by banning every Muslim child from the U S A

Dec 6 a  Is that the land of the free and place for a new start?

Dec 6 a There are extremists in every walk of life be it Muslim or Christians all willing to spew hate and liter the land with bodies riddled with lead or shrapnel.

Dec 6 a  There is no easy answer. Banning firearms is not a solve all nor is tossing people of color from our shores

Dec 6 a The bottom line is, mental health . That's what has changed in this country and others.

Dec 6 a  After several days of boob tube coverage of the most recent mass killing, we saw something close to home Saturday

Dec 6 a A dedicated band of volunteers worked together to pull off Santa coming to downtown Clay

Dec 6 a Quietly the volunteers entertained the rug rats, provided snacks / drinks , and even a healthy treat after visiting with Santa

Dec 6 a This year, we noticed, the kids were better dressed, held in bay a little better by those holding their hands, they seemed very upbeat sporting smiles, and even the parents displayed smiles at every turn.

Dec 6 a Good job all the volunteers and Santa. This season of wonder opened nicely Saturday morning

Dec 6 a For a couple hours yesterday, we were pulled into the good life and away from the scary stuff confronting us every day

Dec 6 a It was a nice change albeit too brief.

Dec 5 a This Saturday morning, the temp is standing at 28 degrees. Without snow, Santa's visit to the Lion's Club building will be in something other than a sleigh. See EVENTS page for details

Dec 5 a Received an email Friday evening for an event this morning

Dec 5 a For those in need, Middle Creek Door of Hope in Bickmore is hosting a Clothing Giveaway today beginning at 9 am. Everyone Welcome

Dec 5 a Sorry for the short notice but we just got it

Dec 5 a Clay High Basketball season gets underway Tuesday evening.

Dec 5 a Both boys and girls schedules are now posted on the ADVISORY page

Dec 5 a The local radio station still needs on air sponsors to make the season happen on 101.7 FM and 106.7FM in Lizemores. Call the station at 304 587 8353 to get signed up

Dec 5 a That Lizemore station went down sometime on Friday. It should be back up and running Saturday before Noon.

 

Dec 3 p Nice job listing for the Sheriff's office now posted on the JOBS page

Dec 3 p The band for Friday night's Big Otter Community Center has changed. See ADVISORY page for more

Dec 3 p  Here's a darling little note

Dec 3 p In August the CAEZ Director told a general member,  that organization is not covered by State Open Meetings Law BUT BUT BUT, because they're nice people, their records are open

Dec 3 p During the CAEZ General Meeting, that persnickety lad asked the CAEZ Bd to approve a resolution adopting, adhering to, and to follow Open Meetings Law. Chair Martin said the topic would be on the next meeting agenda for a vote.

Dec 3 p Remember, there was no mention of changing CAEZ by-laws, just a request for a resolution stating, that they would adopt those practices, follow em, adhere to em and such.

Dec 3 p In Oct., when the resolution came up as a discussion item, many of the Boardster went apeshirt crazed with the idea of voting the resolution of compliance to Sunshine. Even as a discussion subject, they voted down the idea.

Dec 3 p Note: discussion items can NOT be voted upon.

Dec 3 p Then came Nov's gathering of the CAEZ where Director Big Lup stood and firmly stated, the CAEZ follows Open Meeting Law to the T! Once again the Board voted to move on to something important. They wanted no part of any mention of the topic.  As for that part about following Open meetings Law, the question came, is the agenda posted on the meeting house door for this gathering

Dec 3 p The answer was No. One  note from that Nov CAEZ Board meeting. There was not a quorum of the group so no business should have been conducted. One other note, had there been a quorum, the resolution thang was a discussion item only. That means, they could not have voted on it.

Dec 3 p  With that background in hand, the CAEZ met Tuesday evening as usual. This time around they had a quorum.

Dec 3 p  Are you ready ? The Board voted and approved the Oct and Nov meeting minutes.

Dec 3 p They approved minutes for a meeting that could not be a meeting due to lack of quarrel, quorum!

Dec 3 p  One of the action  items on the agenda for the Dec CAEZ meeting read: Adoption of State of West Virginia Open Meetings Law.  Of course the pesky lad was asking for a resolution to follow the darn things!

Dec 3 p Again some sounded furious at just the mention of adopting the transparency.

Dec 3 p With unanimous support, the Board said No to such a notion once again and for it to never be brought up again.

Dec 3 p  Decisions at non meetings. Votes on discussion only items. Approving minutes for meetings lacking a quorum,

Dec 3 p Got ta love that CAEZ. And remember, they follow Open Meetings Law without fail.

Dec 3 p Back in Oct., Commissioner Greg Fitzwater told the CAEZ, until they get their act together, he would not be back.

Dec 3 p Fitz was absent for the Nov and Dec gatherings of the CAEZ

Dec 3p Tuesday night, several topics were discussed and or voted up or down.

Dec 3 p In a nutshell, everything is peachy in CAEZ land

Dec 3 p   What wasn't mentioned is of great concern.

Dec 3p  The CAEZ owns and operates the old Valley Fork Grade School building.

Dec 3 p On the side facing the main two lane, a mud slide took out a portion of the embankment exposing the gas line (at least it's yellow in color) and left part of the sidewalk hanging out over the void left by the wayward dirt slide.

Dec 3 p That's the sidewalk used for years  by many of the parents and kids heading to the Kiddie Patch nursery school in the building

 

Dec 3 a  For businesses of all stripes, Wed was a complete wash out. No not rain, but for lack of power.

Dec 3a Sometime early early Wed morning the power supply down in Hartland went Kapuut. Schools county wide were shut down at 9:30 Wed morning. Dark store fronts closed for the day.

Dec 3 a  With the exception of a couple govt. buildings, Clay was shut down

Dec 3 a   For those of us that can operate on portable generators, even with the power flowing, there was no DSL internet.

Dec 3 a  A long nap kept us from updating Wed night. Sorry.

Dec 3 a Mid morning a couple biggy Appalachian Power trucks rolled thru town with one of em hauling a big time transformer.

Dec 3a By later afternoon, with the business day nearly over, the juice started flowing once again.

Dec 3 a   Be sure to check out this weekend's activities over on the EVENTS page including Santa coming to town Saturday

Dec 3 a  The five member Town Council is an elected body representing residents of Clay municipality. That group along with the Mayor and Recorder hold monthly meetings at the Wa Wa plant.

 Dec 3 a Tuesday afternoon, with a fairly proper agenda posted, only two Council persons were in attendance

Dec 3 a For a quorum you need 51% of the five elected officials. With only two Council persons present ( plus the Mayor and Recorder), the Mayor decided they could hold the meeting.

Dec 3 a We're not lawyers but it sure seems like, if a quorum of the five member body is not available, a public meeting can NOT be held.

Dec 3 a If you don't need a quorum of Council, why have em at all? During Tuesday's meeting, decisions were made and votes taken but without a quorum of Council

Dec 3 a Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Dec 3 a We'll get to the CAEZ meeting update later today. It was juicy too!

 

Dec 1 10am  Clay County Schools are closing early today due to wa wa problems

Dec 1 10am   No after school either

Dec 1 a The good news is, we haven't been snowed in yet. The bad news, it's another day of rain. For those that use cisterns for wa wa , you should be in good shape for a while

Dec 1 a  During last night's Sch Board meeting, Barry Peyton was rehired as a Special Ed teacher at Clay High. after being gone for several weeks waiting for some other job to happen, he's back in the fold with all his sick leave and other benefits restored. He will also serve as Asst Clay Middle Basketball coach this year

Dec 1 a Speaking of B Ball season. The local radio station plans to air 20 some high school basketball games, both boys and girls. To get all the games on the air,  they need on air sponsors.

Dec 1 a Pretty good way to get your business noticed here and around the world

Dec 1 a Give the station a call to get signed up or you can use the PayPal button on the wyap.com site.

Dec 1 a Go Panthers! Go Lady Panthers!!

Nov. 30 p    Harlan Mark Taylor, 44, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

Nov. 30 a Frontier internet service went down (again) this morning for much of the county for around an hour. Last week the service went down for nearly 24 hours. Guess it's not so bad this time around.

Nov. 30 a We've made it thru Nov. without a snow fall. This time last year, there were already several accumulations under our belt

Nov. 30 a Tonight the School Board meets at the Pentagon beginning at 6pm. Their agenda includes accepting the resignation of Clay High Head Football Coach , Steve Ware.

Nov. 30 a Mr Ware is leaving coaching while his son Kyle takes over as a wrestling coach at Clay Middle

Nov. 30 a  Barry Peyton headed to greener pastures about 6 weeks ago. Tonight the well regarded teacher comes back into the fold when the Boardsters  motion to rescind that earlier  resignation.

Nov. 30 a Tuesday evening, Clay Town Council convenes their monthly get together at 5pm. We did not notice any mention of employee cutbacks on the agenda. It was just two weeks ago when Council thought the need was so great to make budget cutbacks, they set up a special meeting to handle those duties. That meeting was canceled so as to comply with  open meeting law requirement

Nov. 30 a Those requirements require giving the public plenty of notice by posting a meeting agenda  three business days before the day of the meeting. Those three days do not include weekends or holidays.

Nov. 03 a Last month CAEZ Head Honcho Big Lup  felt everything was just fine to post their meeting agenda on the day of the meeting and in a place other than the meeting house.

Nov. 30 a She knew better, was trying to cover up a mistake, and thought she could pull the wool over the eyes of her Board.

Nov. 30 a Her efforts were in vain. She was caught in the act.

Nov. 30 a The CAEZ correctly posted their agenda for Tuesday's meeting early last week and in the right place, the meeting house door, AKA the Courthouse

Nov. 30 a  yes we have some pretty crummy weather slated for the next several days but!

Nov. 30 a Come out and enjoy the efforts of our elected leaders at work.

Nov. 30 a Bring your own popcorn too.

Nov. 30 a A charter  bus carrying college students flipped over in Virginia.

Nov. 30 a A blurb from that online article included : At least five engine companies, eight ambulances and an emergency transport bus responded, Elmore said. Parents flocked to the scene and to their children's colleges as word of the accident spread.

Nov. 30 a Our local emergency planning board is trying to come up with a plan such a disaster especially the part about handling parents swarming to the scene of the accident.

Nov. 30 a They've got their work cut out for em!

Nov. 30 a  For those that raced to regional big box stores for Black Friday deals, you may have noticed, the crowds were way down. Here's the reason.

Nov. 30 a Our Republicrat friends are all about registering Muslim church goers. There hasn't been any mention of registering out of control Christians after the terrorist attack on a  Planned Parenthood Center in Florida. Why is that?

 

Nov. 29 a Nobody knows Stihl power equipment better than Norman Johnson.  He can tell you the ins and outs and the history of each.

Nov. 29 a Located way out in the back country of Harrison, his store front is there to serve you seven days a week. To make life easier on us city slickers, the guy even makes deliveries when he's in town.

Nov. 29 a Mr Johnson is celebrating his 88th birthday this weekend.

Nov. 29 a Happy Birthday wishes Norman Johnson.

Nov. 29 a Speaking of ole farts, Steve Butler got one cross wise before Thanksgiving and wound up in the hospital, actually , two hospitals, getting everything back to good.

Nov. 29 a  Tough Love:   When you see The Widen Warrior, tell him to quit eating the grease and to stop smoking cigars.

Nov. 29 a  With rain predicted for all of today, great time for naps!

 

Nov. 26 a Over 23,000 peaky four legged varmints were taken on day one of Buck season. They're dead and hanging ready for butchering.

Nov. 26 a Good

Nov. 26 a A lot of folks listen in to the Steve and Mike in the am radio show on community radio 101.7FM and 106.7FM

Nov. 26 a Got some bad news. Steve, the Widen Warrior suffered some kind of heart attack Tuesday evening and is now housed in CAMC. Prayers are in order.

Nov. 26 a  Even feeling bad, bet Stevey is giving the nurses a handful!

Nov. 26 For many, today is the time when family and friends gather to over eat. You don't have to send cards or buy gifts, we just eat and watch ballgames

Nov. 26 a Nice idea

Nov. 26 a   No updates today nor tomorrow unless something really dumb happens

 

Nov. 25 a Frontier DSL customers lost service Tuesday morning around 10 am. For them (and us), the lifeline to the world stayed black until sometime before sun up today

Nov. 25 a We kept thinking, wishing, oh boy, they're doing some kind of big time upgrade and everything will be wonderful when it returns

Nov. 25 a Wrong O. No improvement at least in the Maysel area of the county

Nov. 25 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 am

Nov. 25 a Communicator made it out the door Tuesday afternoon. Lead story brings front and center the court side reduction of  24 felony charges for two people  down to misdemeanor stuff

Nov. 25 a We're into day three of Buck season. Around town, hunters with big smiles can be seen driving down Main Street with a dead deer with his tongue hanging out on the back of a four wheeler. Ahhhh that's the deer with his tongue hanging out

Nov. 25 a

 

Nov. 23 p Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon

Nov. 23 p Last call for submissions. Deadline is about right now!

 

Nov. 22 p    Teresa Ann Stewart, 54, of Indore see OBITUARY page

Nov. 22 p  Kent Duane Boggs , see OBITUARY page

Nov. 22 a The first snow flurpies started falling around 7:30 this morning. With weather casters predicamentating no accumulation, those light fluff drops remind us, the dread is over. Winter is here

Nov. 22 a Ladies, your significant other has been buying and preparing all week for deer camp. Don't let him tell ya any different!

Nov. 22 a Too wet, Too cold. Too dry. Wind's blowing the wrong direction.

Nov. 22 a Forget all that ladies. Conditions are perfect. Don't let him stay at home in the morning. He spent all your  $$$ on new hunting stuff that he just had to have, Kick him out the door Monday morning at 5am. No excuses.

Nov. 22 a Make sure he doesn't have any of those Tudor's Biscuit coupons stuffed in his pocket either.

 

Nov. 21 a Need a job? New caregiver listing on the JOBS page

Nov. 21 a We were tardy getting a Gospel Sing notice over on t he EVENTS page. Check now please for something nice to do  Sunday night.

Nov. 21 a 30 degrees this morning with our first chance of snow set for tonight.

Nov. 21 a When you add an e to the end of a word, that makes the o a long oooooo.

Nov. 21 a Why isn't snow spelled snoe?

Nov. 21  a Schools are closed for the T Day break. This is the first day for sleep in time for the curtain climbers. For seven days, parents will have to be parents.

 

Nov. 20 a Lookin for something fun to do tonight? Don't forget Big Otter Community Center for great music and vittles

Nov. 20 a This is a special Friday

Nov. 20 a With next week the start of Buck Season, tt's Deer Camp Friday. Some things are important, forget work or at least leave at noon.

Nov. 20 a Forget the bills, work and the other drudgeries of life. it's time to fill up the gas cans, buy beer, ammo , new camo, load up the four wheeler, and head to the outback.

Nov. 20 a Although not listed on any calendar, the week heading leading up to T Day, it's truly an Appalachian tradition like none other.

Nov. 20 a For those wondering, many of those taking the week off, don't hunt. Many head to the woods or some cabin, but for the most part, Deer Camp is  a time for family members to return, tell old stories, see who can fart the loudest and such.

Nov. 20 a Enjoy

 

Nov. 18 p High winds continues to fan area brush fires. Those flames sent fire crews back to the same areas over and over and added new hot spots.

Nov. 18 p You want the good or bad news first?

Nov. 18 p  With three bear cubs in downtown Clay in the last 48 hours, Cub #1 was found yesterday morning in a tree at Clay Middle School. With about 500 kids watching, Sheriff Fields and the cowboys were able to lasso the 30 pound cub, get him in the School System box truck, take him way out Pisgah Ridge and set him free.

Nov. 18 p That's the good news

Nov. 18 p Yesterday afternoon, Brown Shirt Stuart Simms put the loop to a second but smaller bear cub, stuffed him in a tool box and, well, he's in bear heaven now

Nov. 18 p A third cub was seen by Mike Davis near the radio station. If that rascal comes around again, we hope the Sheriff makes contact first.

Nov. 18 p For those seeking an update on Mikey Lanham, well...

Nov. 18 p Instead of being sentenced this morning, nothing happened. With the Prosecutor out Elk hunting and the Asst Prosecutor stranded due to vehicle trouble, everything was rescheduled for Dec.

Nov. 18 p While sitting around the Courthouse, we gleaned a new blurb.

Nov. 18 p Mikey wants to take back his plea and have a trial.

Nov. 18 p Not sure how that works but he was looking at a 1 to 5 year sentence and with one year already under his belt, his prison time might have been fairly short.

Nov. 18 p  To ask to toss the plea, dumb dumb dumb

Nov. 18 p  Usually by mid Nov., the grass, the kind you walk on anyway, has turned brown for the season.

Nov. 18 p  Look around. Not so this year. The darn stuff is still green and growing. Pretty weird.

Nov. 18 p Hunters can expect to find 25 degree temps for the fist day of buck season, Monday.

Nov. 18 p If you don't have your house, garage, lawn mower, wife, winterized, better get at it right away.

 

Nov. 18 a High winds today. At 7am, the temp was already up to 70 degrees. Weird weather in the works today

Nov. 18 a Robin Brown's obituary has been corrected.

Nov. 18 a Court dates get moved around for a number of reasons. When Mikey Lanham plead guilty to his first felony two months ago, his sentencing date was set for this morning at 9:30.

Nov. 18 a We have an update on that wayward bear family seen around downtown Clay. While Mom and one cub headed back across the Elk, one little feller stayed behind and was seen behind Rite Aid Monday afternoon.

Nov. 18 a Tuesday morning the thing was spotted up in the tree on the dow n river side of Clay Middle. Sheriff Samples and his posse of cowboys lassoed Smokey and  moved him to the back country of Pisgah.

Nov. 18 a Tuesday afternoon, a cub was spotted near those piles of poles on  the way to Clay High.

Nov. 18 a Stuart Simms and crew lassoed that playful fur ball

Nov. 18 a Might have been the same cub taken earlier in the day or a second one.

Nov. 18 a That time around, Smokey was taken to Braxton County.

Nov. 18 a A Momma Bear weeps

Nov. 18 a

Nov. 17 a From the email bag:  The American Red Cross will have a Blood Drive in the high school gymnasium from 8:20 AM to 2:00 PM  on Tuesday, November 17, 2015.

Nov. 17 a There's your chance to do something nice today.

 

Nov. 16 p   Robin Dale Brown, 50, of Wallback, see OBITUARY page

Nov. 16 p Pretty interesting time in downtown Clay today.

Nov. 16 p A Mom bear nd two cubs were spotted behind the Clay County Bank. One old guy said that the animals were fed pizza.

Nov. 16 p Later in the afternoon, after the family made its way up the river bank to the Courthouse, the Mom and one cub crossed the Elk.

Nov. 16 p  The lone cub was seen right behind Rite Aid minus its family mid afternoon.

Nov. 16 p Drew quite a crowd too as everybody with a  cell  phone snapped photos and video footage.

Nov. 16 p As the ace cub reporter was walking up with his camera in hand, he could hear stuff like, "He's so cute"

Nov. 16 p The guy had the big head until he realized all the women were talking about the bear cub.

Nov. 16 p If you read Sunday's post, we suggested the new gutters on the Clay Wa Wa Plant were OK'd and installed without Council approval

Nov. 16 p We were right

Nov. 16 p Mayor Whaling advanced today, she gave the green light for the gutters and snow busters on the metal roof. Without the snow busters, " Some one was going to get killed this winter."

Nov. 16p It's about this time of year when we switch from Summer color to Carhartt brown. Some even argue which is tougher, Carhartt or Walls brand.

Nov. 16 p Here's  a  YouTube video showing the strength of Carhartt britches.

 

Nov. 15 a On this chilly Sunday morning, a couple notes from the last few days

Nov. 15 a Wed afternoon, Clay Town Council was suppose to hold a special meeting where they were to vote to cut back worker, workers, to part time status without benefits. Truth is, even with two recent rate increases, the sewer plant operation continues to operate in the red.

Nov. 15 a That meeting was called off when the Mayor realized the agenda did not comply with Sunshine Law.

Nov. 15 a That was great!

Nov. 15 a Here's what ain't great

Nov. 15 a Contractors installed new rain gutters at the wa wa plant Saturday. New gutters and snow guards were installed two years ago when the new plant was built. Those gutters went South real quick.

Nov. 15 a During a recent Council meeting, Recorder Dwana Murphy told Council, one bid came in around $2600. This reporter never heard a vote by Council to buy, install , gutters and snow guards.

Nov. 15 a That costly, out of pocket,  installation came just two days after Council was suppose to be cutting $$$ on the backs  of the employees.

Nov. 15 a Priorities seem to be a problem in municipal land

Nov. 15 a  Clay High football did pretty good this year. Under the direction of Coach Steve Ware, 2015 made two years in a row with a winning season.

N

Nov. 15 a This week, Ware turned in his resignation as head coach at CHS.

Nov. 15 a Can't think of a reason for the change at the helm. Putting two and three together, our best guess.

Nov. 15 a  Just after the Apple Fest in Sept., a drug raid at CHS snatched up some kids. During a Board meeting, Superintendent Tanner said there were substantial drugs found.

Nov. 15 a One meeting later, at least one kid (two actually) was kicked out of school

Nov. 15 a A few days later, and for about two weeks, Coach Ware disappeared from football practice time and even a Friday night ball game.

Nov. 15 a In early October the School Board voted to suspend without pay an employee. They did  not mention a name during the vote.

Nov. 15 a Our best guess, Ware was that tossed from service Coach and his resignation stems from that rocky road

Nov. 15 a Extra duty contracts in the school system are cherished purses. Head Football Coach is even more coveted.

Nov. 15 a Even before an official vote by the Board to accept the resignation,  bet the vultures have already lined up.

Nov. 15 a The bombings,  killings in Paris has been center stage on all the news channels.

Nov. 15 a As soon as the three days of mourning are over, expect talking heads and politicians to talk about the need for stricter gun laws. Before that jaw service gets started....

Nov. 15 a  In France,  civilians are not allowed to possess weapons of war, certain handguns and long guns, automatic firearms, firearms disguised as other objects, and armour-piercing, incendiary and expanding ammunition..... In France, private possession of semi-automatic assault weapons is permitted under license ....   The estimated total number of guns (both licit and illicit) held by civilians in France is 19,000,000 ... The estimated rate of private gun ownership (both licit and illicit) in France is 31.21 firearms per 100 people .... In a comparison of the number of privately owned guns in 178 countries, France ranked at No. 5 ... Here's the basis for those figures. Any way you look at it, France is considered a restricted country on gun ownership.

Nov. 15 a Regulated Yes. Outlawed, nope.

Nov. 15 a  Even with 19 million guns (no handguns) around, clearly, the religious nuts were not deterred. For those thinking more guns is the answer, read here.

Nov. 15 a For those somewhere in the middle, there are no easy answers. When nut jobs get their hand on weapons, they go crazy.    In France and here at home, how do you tell one from some other?

Nov. 14 a We spent the night watching and rewatching the CNN video on the Paris atrocities.

Nov. 14 a With the death toll already nearing 130 people, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and nation of France.

Nov. 14 a  Fingers are pointing at some muslim extremist group Hell bent on religious revenge.  That underground was able to pull off  7 attacks of public spaces using belt bombs and machine guns.

Nov. 14 a Nothing high tech  and planned like commandeering and flying jets into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and another downed by our military in PA.

Nov. 14 a To pull off the Paris attack , all the groups needed.. cell phones.

Nov. 14 a AS we reflect, it's a  much quieter day in County Clay.

Nov. 14 a After five hours of coverage, can't help but think, there's no way a similar small band could have pulled off the 9/11 attack on the U S A.

Nov. 14 a In the way of good news, did you know we have a new body shop in downtown Clay? Elswick Auto opened in the old Chevy dealership building last month. Based on the number of dented up vehicles on their lot, looks like they have plenty of business.

Nov. 14 a Last Saturday, the local radio station did a live remote during Grand Opening Ceremonies at the CLay IGA store.

Nov. 14 a One of the folks that Steve and Mike interviewed said something along the lines of: We've got a good store here now and now it's time to support it.

Nov. 14 a  True words and worth remembering.

Nov. 14 a 32 degrees this morning and the Sun is shining brightly. Put on a jacket and enjoy the day.

 

Nov. 13 a Happy Friday the 13th

Nov. 13 a For the first time in weeks, we're not starting off with some kind of sports notice. Feels kind of empty this Friday morning

Nov. 13 a Our county is poor. The Courthouse budget is in worse shape. To keep the lights on and in hopes the Legislature will help them out during the next session under the Gold Dome, the CCC is not paying the full Jail bill.

Nov. 13 a Each Courthouse in the state  is divided up into departments with an elected official running each fiefdom

Nov. 13 a The Clay County Commission set their budget and it's up to each elected official to make ends meet til the next fiscal year begins.

Nov. 13 a Thursday morning's CCC meeting was done in around 30 minutes. One of the agenda items called for OKing pay raises for the new Chief Deputy, Bailiff, and office staff.

Nov. 13 a After amending the motion to make sure the increases come strictly from the Sheriff's budget only, the motion passed.

Nov. 13 a Seems as tho Sheriff Samples knows how to make  a budget work.

Nov. 13 a While many are waiting for the 5 o'clock hour to get here.....

Nov. 13 a  Let's talk about Turmp's caterpillar that he calls hair. Is it real?

Nov. 13 a  During a fundraiser event, Here's the Don wetting down his coif.

Nov. 13 a After watching parts of several of those Republicrat TV time wasters, the question remains, is that the best they can come up with for Prez?

 

Nov. 12 p Electric service went off in downtown Clay at 10:18 this morning

Nov. 12 p Got some weird weather today. Starting off wet this morning, now the sun's out and even some blue sky showing.

Nov. 12 p The weird part is, strong gusts of wind every few minutes. Each time the wind comes, the sky darkens to gray.

Nov. 12 p Be careful out there clickers.

 

Nov. 12 a  Now rested from getting the Communicator out the door...

Nov. 12 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 am

Nov. 12 a Get your coffee, you're not going to believe this one

Nov. 12 a The whole idea of Sunshine Law is to keep the public, the people that pay for everything, informed

Nov. 12 a In addition to that, the W Va Ethics Commission fine tunes that law and says stuff like, if you follow Ethics Commission opinions, you are guaranteed immune from a lawsuit.

Nov. 12 a  One of those opinions tells public officials, to be legal, you must give the public three business days notice before a regular or special meeting can be conducted. They can't count weekends or holidays and the day of the meeting can NOT be included in that three day rule.

Nov. 12 a  Monday afternoon, the Town posted a special meeting agenda for a meeting scheduled for Wed at 5pm.

Nov. 12 a Wed afternoon , just before the 5pm start time, Mayor Bev Whaling showed up to conduct business.

Nov. 12 a Before coming into Town Hall, AKA WaWa Plant, the Mayor was told about the Ethics opinion and Open Meetings Law.

Nov. 12 a Other elected officials have been told  of the law and make it a  point to ignore or thumb their nose at the law of the land.

Nov. 12 a Not so with Mayor Whaling.

Nov. 12 a After quietly talking with Council persons showing up, Whaling canceled the meeting and said something along the lines of: We are not going to do anything illegal.

Nov. 12 a Give that lady a gold star for following the law, for adhering to her oath of office, and for flat out, if for no other reason, doing the right thang

Nov. 12 a Just when you think nothing changes in Clay, it does.   What a great way to start a November.

Nov. 12 a The purpose of the meeting was to cut expense by reducing some full time employees to part time status.

Nov. 12 a Whaling told those in attendance, the decision will be made during the next regular meeting in Dec.

Nov. 12  Even with  a big rate increase on both wa wa and sewer bills two months ago, the sewer operation is still in the red.

Nov. 12 a Couple that with a $17,000 unpaid fine issued by the DEP for the sewer plant transgressions, the Town is still in trouble

Nov. 12 a Did you know about a DEP fine? We didn't either. That came during the Mayor Clifton regime a couple years back

Nov. 12 a  Some how,  we missed it too.

 

Nov. 11 p  Erma Ann Cottrell, 67,  see OBITUARY page

Nov. 11 a Under a heavy fog and drizzle coming down, much of the county is shut down as we honor our Veterans.

Nov. 11 a Thank you

Nov. 11 a  The Communicator made it to news stands around the region yesterday. Lead story handles the details of the most recent Grand Jury proceedings. Other than one pervert, nothing too exciting from the all Grand Jury

Nov. 11 a For prescribers of the rag of choice, the U S Post Office forced The Communicator to change from filling out forms on paper,  over to a internet based system called Postal One. Yesterday was the first attempt at using the puter based method. We hope we've got it right.

Nov. 11 a  There is something going on today.

Nov. 11 a Town Council posted a a meeting agenda Monday afternoon for a Special Meeting this afternoon at 5pm in the WaWa plant on Main Street. A few minutes before the agenda went up, we asked Town Recorder Dwana Murphy about rumors on the group meeting. She said, she don't known anything about it. Poof, all of a sudden, the agenda was posted on the front door of the meeting house

Nov. 11 a A two day notice for a public meeting is not lawful in this state.

Nov. 11 a And something to scare the begebees out of ya while you're home vegetating:   Faced with the prospect of a massive solar flare that could destroy satellites, spacecraft, and vital telecommunications systems, the White House National Science and Technology Council has released plans to protect vital systems from being devastated.

Nov. 11 a While we're sitting here waiting for life to end as we know it, the best way to keep prices high and without competition , is to buy out your chief competitor. Beer companies are doing that right now.

 

Nov. 10 a   Ellis Opton"Tipper" Harrison, 81, of Groves Creek, see OBITUARY page

Nov. 9 p The vast majority of businesses fail during the first year. Within the first 7 years, many others bite the dust.

Nov. 9 p Check out the ADVISORY page for a class on how to start a business.

Nov. 9 a Notice from the email bag:  The Library will not be having a board meeting for the month of November.  We will be having our next scheduled meeting on December 8, 2015.

Nov. 9 a The Sch Bd starts its travel road show tonight when they travel to Lizemores Elem. for a meeting beginning at 6pm.

Nov. 9 a  For those running on fumes, Go Mart Clay has their new pumps up and running complete with talking videos. $2.19 a gallon ain't too bad either.

Nov. 9 a  Our Panthers took a win from Webster County Friday night, 26 to 14.

Nov. 9 a With a 6 and 4 record for 2015, no post season action for the Panthers this year. Darn good season too

Nov. 9 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon.

Nov. 9 a Deadline for submission is tonight around 5pm

Nov. 9 a The sun's out this morning but 32 degrees reminds us, it's time to get ready for Winter.

 

Zola Sears Triplett, 82, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

Nov. 6 a 68 degrees this morning. Not bad for the first week of November

Nov. 6 a  About a 90% chance of rain for the next 18 hours

Nov. 6 a That should make for a sloppy wet last game of the regular season for the CHS Panthers

Nov. 6  a  101.7 and 106.7 FM plan to air the home field match up beginning around 7:20pm

Nov. 6 a For those listen, Steve and Mike have been hyping the grand opening festivities over at IGA in Two Run.

Nov. 6 a We've received nothing in print from Pam nor Garrett, but according to the radio guys, IGA is giving away 100 bags of groceries, a BBQ grill, and more. Stop in to sign up for the freebees

Nov. 6 a Speaking Steve and Mike in the AM, the dynamic duo plans to do a live remote broadcast Saturday morning beginning at 9 am ish. If it's raining, they'll be inside near the freezer row. Sunshine, out on the porch.

Nov. 6 a  Stop by, say Hey, and get on the radio.

 

Nov. 4 p Sorry for the tardy posts but the weather was toooo nice to stay inside banging on a puter.

Nov. 4 p The Fall Grand Jury finished their tasks before noon on Tuesday. Those indicted include...

Nov. 4 p  Jeremy Gray, delivery of a controlled substance x 2

Nov. 4 p   Trina Morris has been in trouble for many years, She was indicted for failure to appear Tuesday

Nov. 4 p   James Criner,  driving revoked license, 3rd offense

Nov. 4 p Melissa Jarvis 1st degree arson, attorney Kevin Duffy apppointed

Nov. 4 p Larry Cummings, forgery, uttering

Nov. 4 p Larry Joe Cummings forger, uttering, conspiracy

Nov. 4 p  Cindy Craddock, forgery, uttering, conspiracy

Nov. 4 p Jason Collins sexual abuse by parent guardian x 2, sexual abuse 3rd degree x 2

Nov. 4 p  Judge Jack Alsop will handle the load this time around with arraignment day coming Nov. 10th. Action begins at 9am

 

Nov. 3 late p  Mary Louise Brannon Douglas, 87, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Nov. 3 a Town Council has their meeting agenda posted with the gathering slated for this afternoon at 5pm at Town Hall, AKA Wa Wa Plant on Main Street. According to that public notice, much secret time is planned for discussing Town budget cuts.

Nov. 3 a Last month there was big discussion on Council person JP Helms coughing up $$$ to replace a fire hydrant he allegedly ran over with his vehicle. There is no mention on this agenda of the pay back.

Nov. 3 a Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) also meets the first Tuesday of each month. That group normally holds their meetings at the Courthouse. Open Meetings Law requires that a meeting agenda be posted three business days in advance. CAEZ is generally pretty good at posting agendas. At the beginning of each year, the CAEZ office manager emails out the schedule for the year. That schedule (over on the ADVISORY page) reads, they will give notice if the meeting place , time, changes.

Nov. 3 a As of Monday afternoon, we didn't see an agenda posted on the front door of the Courthouse. There's only one reason govt agencies post meeting agendas. Open Meetings Law requires them to do it.

Nov. 3 a Last month, the CAEZ Bd of Directors voted overwhelmingly to NOT adopt, W Va Open Meetings Law

Nov. 3 a With that controversial vote in place, they are not mandated to give the public notice of how they spend your tax dollars.

Nov. 3 a Interesting meeting last night when the BDA held their gathering in the old State Road garage

Nov. 3 a With a light turn out and around $12K to their name, the BDA has spent a bunch of time opening a 21 mile long hiking trail in the county. That work includes rebuilding the old railroad trestles along the BC&G RR spur line along Buffalo Creek. Last night, BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard made public his idea of making one of those remaining trestles a wooden covered bridge.

Nov. 3 a Not sure of the exact location  of the proposed covered bridge but we think it's near the old Adair Cemetery.

Nov. 3 a For the last three years, BDA Vice Chair Roberta Faile has worked to get a property ordinance on the books in the County of Little. The idea is to allow the Govt to tear down your buildings if they look too crappy. All along the way, Faile has met resistance to her non Tea Party notion.

Nov. 3 a Last night, Faile brought up a W Va Property Rescue Initiative  Loan program where tax dollars could be used to purchase dilapidated buildings and then tear em down.

Nov. 3a The part that was interesting to this ace cub reporter was....

Nov. 3 a Ms Faile said she met with the County Commission AFTER a  CCC meeting last month where she discussed the loan program. According to Faile, all three Commissioners said they weren't interested in such a plan.

Nov. 3 a She met with em AFTER a County Commission meeting.

Nov. 3 a If all three Commissioners told her, no. well , if even two of em told her , no, that's a decision made away from a public meeting.

Nov. 3 a The BDA already has a $12K grant ear marked for tearing down dilapidated buildings. That money has to be spent by next June. So far, they haven't spent any of those "free" funds.

Nov. 3 a Last night they talked about rescoping that grant program to rebuild the old fuel building ( State Road garage in Two Run)  for office space

Nov. 3 a One way the BDA makes money (stays alive) is by renting billboards they built over in Wallback. With that revenue stream in place, they're making plans to lease the two signs along Rt 4 coming down Maysel hill. Those panels are owned by Frank Murphy, who once rented to Lamaar Outdoor Advertising, and have been unused for several years. The contract is being worked on now

Nov. 3 a Two weeks ago we linked beginning plans to build a new ATV trail in the region. That report came from the hurherald website and mentioned Clayberry would be a part of that seven county tourism draw.

Nov. 3 a There was no mention of that during the Nov. BDA meeting.

 

Nov. 2 a Clay County's Business Development Authority convenes their monthly gathering tonight at 6:30pm over in the old State Road garage in Two Run. Their properly posted meeting agenda should make for some interesting discussion.

Nov. 2 a If you've nothing else to do, why not attend a public meeting

Nov. 2 a For the yard apes, the place to be is Clay High for their annual block party. That starts at 4pm. Everyone invited.

Nov. 2 a This falling back can be tough. Didn't know we had so many clocks around Tallhouse.

Nov. 2 a On edumacation....

Nov. 2 a  Local administrators put the best spin on dismal standardized test results. Parents don't want to hear stuff like, over 80% of the curtain climbers in many grade areas can not do math on grade level.

Nov. 2 a Charleston Gazette released final results from the State Ed website.

Nov. 2 a Walk over there to see the truth.

Nov. 2 a Monongali County  had some of the best scores in the state. How proud can they be when 60% of their kids can't do math on grade level?

Nov. 2 a And Yes, it's worser here in Clayberry.

 

Oct. 31 a From the get go last night, the Clay High Panthers were in control as they marched over Calhoun County, 34 to 12

Oct. 31 a Looks like we've got a winning season comin this year

Oct. 31 a Last night was Trick or Treat night in the County of Little. Noticed something different this year

Oct. 31 a The kids were actually dressed up in costumes and showed good attention to detail with their outfits. Often, the night brings out kids dressed in camo and black on t heir face calling themselves, hunters. Not so last night.

Oct. 31 a Many of the kids actually said thank you.

Oct. 31 a Ditto for the older teens.

Oct. 31 a What a nice change!

Oct. 31 a  Bogus emails return every year or so with a like amount of people believing rubbish

Oct. 31 a Most recently around Clayberry comes the one where Australia banned guns and residents had to turn in their self defense weapons. The email even lists some huge increase in the murder rate

Oct. 31 a In reality, Australians NEVER had a right to own a gun except in very special circumstances

Oct. 31 a Never!

Oct. 31 a On that big increase in murders.... they went from 9 murders to 15 in one year

Oct. 31 a Before believing anything on the web, check out the facts.

 

Oct. 30 p Got a goof up in the morning post

Oct. 30p Talked to sportscaster TG Griffith who informed us, tonight's Panther v Calhoun game will begin at 7pm!

Oct. 30 p We stand corrected.

Oct. 30 a Welcome to a damp cold last Friday in Oct.

Oct. 30 a Tonight's Trick or Treat night for Clayberry. Watch out for the small fries as they zoom around sucking up high fructose corn syrup candy. Hours for the annual giveaway are 6 to 8pm

Oct. 30 a The CHS Panthers are in away action tonight beginning at 7:30pm

Oct. 30 a  For those unable to make the trip to Calhoun County, 101.7 and 106.7 FM will be carrying the match up.

 

Oct. 29 a Few people attend public meetings. There's many reasons but a big one is, often the things are down right boring

Oct. 29 a Two weeks ago, the Clay County Commission formally asked Queen Shoals PSD to submit regular monthly reports. Stuff  like financials. Didn't sound like much and there was no discussion just a unanimous vote for information. No one said something was up back then.

Oct. 29 a During yesterday's CCC meeting,  Dan Bikerton with W Va Water presented a take over plan of the QSPSD.

Oct. 29 a W Va Water supplies wet stuff to QSPSD. The reason for the take over is..... turns out, QSPSD owes em over $150,000 in unpaid bills for wa wa provided to QSPSD.

Oct. 29 a QSPSD started out as a self help project where locals in that end of the county got out shovels and picks and installed their own water lines. That was at least 25 years ago.

Oct. 29 a As with any self help project, there's problems. Some of the lines were installed poorly. Right of ways were not put in writing. There are many costly leaks. A PSD upgrade just five years ago also has problems.

Oct. 29 a Before W Va Wa Wa would be willing to take over the operation, all kinds of stuff would have to be corrected including, proper rights of way paperwork and a willingness of the funders of that upgrade project to "forgive the debt".

Oct. 29 a  Here's the kicker, whether W Va Wa Wa takes over the place, or if it's merged with Clay Roane PSD, or stays as it is, rates for QSPSD customers will increase greatly

Oct. 29 a Other figures amounted to a 54% increase plus....

Oct. 29 a To pay off that $153,000 debt to W Va Wa Wa, it's going to take another $7 per month surcharge to pay off that debt.

Oct. 29 a If Clay Roane PSD took over Queen Shoals, expect monthly bills to be around $70 per month.

Oct. 29 a According to QSPSD Boardster Ann Anderson, her Board is in favor of WVa Wa Wa taking over the place lock stock and barrel.    No decisions made yesterday. It's going to take a while before any decision can be reduced to writing.

Oct. 29 a To get proper numbers in place for the take over, QSPSD has to get several years of PSC mandated annual reports done.

Oct. 29 a No mater what, two people, Dale Deems and Sarah Anderson will lose their jobs.

Oct. 29 a Serious business clickers. When rates get high enough, more customers will disconnect their service forcing even higher rates for the remaining customers.

Oct. 29 a West Virginia, including County Clay, schools have some of the lowest standardized test scores in the world. For us and the rest, for all intents and purposes, education stops after the third grade.

Oct. 29 a We found a place with worse scores than us. That place is Detroit where  only 11% of the kids can perform on grade level. For us, in high school, we've got around 20% operating at grade level.

Oct. 29 a Did You Know, 2/3 rds of the world's population has herpes. Read all about this real, incurable epidemic.

Oct. 29 a In other happy news....

Oct. 29 a How many of ya have taken flu shots? How many think they are protected from that problem?

Oct. 29 a Truth is, a flu shot is a shot in the dark and only about 20% effective.

Oct. 28 p Much of the county's without good internet service. A big chunk of that waste land is served by Frontier Tele

Oct. 28 p After public outcry and govt reports, Frontier has been updating a few neighborhoods in Clayberry. That new service is more dependable but at 6 mbps download speed, it's far from high speed internet

Oct. 28 p Barry McCune over at the Clay County Bank has been working to get SuddenLink cable service to grow into downtown Clay and Two Run. A month ago he started gathering petition signatures.

Oct. 28 p SuddenLink responded to that outcry but not in a good way.

Oct. 28 p According to Mr McCune, SuddenLink did a study and found it would cost $500K to extend their current service area.

Oct. 28 p  SuddenLink has decided, it's not going to work

Oct. 28 p We're stuck clickers.

 

Oct. 28 a  Ronald Dale “Dozer” Ramsey, 49, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

Oct. 28 a Good Job Listing now on the JOBS page

Oct. 28 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am

Oct. 28 a A lot of people decorate for Halloween. The Sheltered Workshop down in Lizemores has a bunch of seasonal decorations including coffins.

Oct. 28 a New Communicator now available

Oct. 28 a Pretty good all around coverage on life in Clayberry including Monday night's School Board meeting where updates were given on the new budget crunch state aid reductions. Serious business!

Oct. 28 a Strong winds this morning. Be careful out there folks.

 

Oct. 26 a Those Fall colors were in full display this past weekend. Spectacular comes to mind

Oct. 26 a As far as we know, last week's bank robber of the Poca Valley Bank remains at large.

Oct. 26 a Tonight's Sch Bd meeting at the Pentagon may be very interesting. In addition to a vote to suspend an employee without pay, budget cut details will be on the table.

Oct. 26 a Depending on where they're made and the timing of em, the cutbacks could affect a bunch of programs and scheduling.

Oct. 26 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Deadline for submitting articles, classifieds, obits, etc. is tonight around 5pm

Oct. 26 a The Trump feller says there are no TV's made in the U S A

Pct 26 a He's wrong. Here's one we found built in Wisconsin of all places.

 

Oct. 24 a    Peggy Ross, 78, of Duck, see OBITUARY page

Oct. 24 a  We out ran, blocked, scored against Ravenswood last night. Big win for the CHS Panthers, 48 to 16.

Oct. 24 a We may have a chance at the playoffs after all!

Oct. 24 a Go Panthers.

 

Oct. 23 p For those planning to make a trip to the BDA Gun Show Saturday and or Sunday, don't bother. Although they have not released a statement to the fact, the thing has been canceled due to lack of interest

Oct. 23 p With Fall colors nearly at peak, it's still a great time to drive our back roads and enjoy beautiful Fall colors

Oct. 23 p We've got a new Chief Deputy in the Sheriff's Dept. Robert Belt got the nod today.

Oct. 23 p In that Dept., only the Sheriff and Chief Deputy are allowed to run for office, non civil service positions.

Oct. 23 p The move might have been made for Belt to run for office if Garrett Samples decides to sit on the sidelines in 2016.

Oct. 23 p Got a call from the Pentagon this afternoon asking us to pass the word, they're in need of substitute bus drivers in the worst way.

Oct. 23 p Short hours, decent pay and about the only requirements for a job are to be drug free, a clean driving record, and don't wreck the thangs.

Oct. 23 p Interested? Call the Pentagon Monday morning bright and early

Oct. 23 p Enjoy the weekend one and all.

Oct. 23 a For those that listen to Steve and Mike each morning on 101.7FM, they're coming in late this morning with air time beginning at 9am.

Oct. 23 a This afternoon the BDA fundraiser Gun Show kicks off in Two Run, in the old State Road garage. Full details over on the EVENTS page.

Oct. 23 a Tonight the Panthers take on Ravenswood in away field action. Kick off at 7:30pm. With both teams struggling for a W, should be a good match up.

Oct. 23 a The local radio stations will carry the game for those unable to make the trip.

Oct. 23 a Many have read of the Senate McCarthy hearings on un-American activities back in the 50's. We now look on those proceedings as a travesty of justice and consider that whole period as un-American.

Oct. 23 a We saw that same costly, ugly, disgraceful  style of government yesterday but in the House of Representatives. We saw Hilary looking firm and clear as she outlasted the Republicrats in the 10 hour grilling.

Oct. 23 a In the end, the Chair told TV talking heads, they learned nothing new.

Oct. 23 a Americans saw something, they saw the next President of the U S A  in action. We saw her parsing the truth in an effective manner after getting interrupted a gazillion times as she answered unbalanced question after question

Oct. 23 a  Millions more taxpayer dollars down the drain

Oct. 23 a The Legislature carved out an exception to Open Meetings Law to allow local School Boards to vote to toss a juvy student out of school during secret time. No other votes are allowed during such closed door sessions.

Oct. 23 a Notice on the already postedSchool Board Agenda for Monday, the suspension of an employee. First time we've seen such an item in print.

Oct. 23 a Should be interesting to see how that's handled during a public meeting.

Oct. 23 a There was a time when the ace cub reporter spent great effort trying to get a female in bed. They smelled nice, looked better, and we're the subject of much attention.

Oct. 23 a Last night he spent most of the night trying to stay in bed and not freeze to death

Oct. 23 a By 4 am all he had for cover was a sheet wrapped around his neck

Oct. 23 a Over to his left was the wifey wrapped in quilts, clutching, griping them with the strength of Hulk Hogan.

Oct. 23 a No amount of effort could pry the quilts from her strong grip

Oct. 23 a It's going to be a long winter clickers!

 

Oct. 22 p The local non profit radio station is always in need of volunteers to man the mic or do behind the scenes stuff.

Oct. 22 p Their monthly Board meeting is set for this afternoon at 5:15 pm at the station, #6 Carr Street. Everyone is encouraged to attend and be  a part of community radio.

Oct. 22 a Just to our South in Elkview, the Poca Valley Bank was robbed by an armed gunman yesterday just after 9am.

Oct. 22 a With no shots fired , the lad got away with a bunch of cash.

Oct. 22 a After looking at a TV-13 clip of event, some notions...

Oct. 22 a The bad guy was short and stocky.

Oct. 22 a To jump over the bank counter, he had to be fairly young and nimble. To include a pistol in the hold up, he had to also be dumb.

Oct. 22 a Although we couldn't see his face, does anybody else think the guy looks familiar? Like a Clayonian of known fame and just got out of jail?

 

Oct. 21 a After the Derecho three Summer's ago, a local emergency preparedness committee was set up to make plans for better response actions by providers. That LEPC met in the Courthouse for over an hour. As for getting anything accomplished, Zilch!

Oct. 21 a Under the stewardship of Greg Fitzwater, a new LEPC has formed and has met twice this year. The initial work centers around setting up plans, protocol, should a school or church bus or for that matter, a charter bus out on I-79 wrecks, collides, goes off the road, into the Elk, catches fire.

Oct. 21 a The protocol is for mass disaster. Last night the School System presented their protocol for such.

Oct. 21 a It was a God Forbid kind of meeting

Oct. 21 a If the bus driver is conscious, there's one plan. If the driver is incapacitated, everything changes

Oct. 21 a Without a driver, there's problems with kid ID, how many kids are on the bus, what happens when parents arrive and start taking the injured to hospitals

Oct. 21 a With so many listening to scanner traffic, the number on facebook, and common carry of cellphones taking pictures, some one has to deal with out of control fast running, rumors For the School system, that will be Kenneth Tanner.

Oct. 21 a How do you handle crazed Mom's when they think their child is over a hillside or upside down in the Elk River.

Oct. 21 a How do you get enough medical personnel into the county; where would you land helicopters close enough for speedy recovery efforts; how do you close a single road to spectators and still allow for emergency vehicles. Tough questions for sure.

Oct. 21 a The next LEPC meeting is slated for  Nov. 17 , 7pm, in the Health Dept building where the 911 Center and Ambulance Services will present their draft protocols.

Oct. 21 a We'll have the complete coverage in the next Communicator.

Oct. 21 a Get out and suck in some sunshine today.

 

Oct. 20 late p  Barbara L. Williams, 78, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

 

Oct. 20 a  "A federal appeals court on Monday upheld parts of New York and Connecticut gun control laws banning semiautomatic assault rifles and large-capacity magazines"....  See this link for more.

Oct. 20 a  Not so long ago, Dr Rick Magley was appointed County Medical Officer. During his first Board meeting, after the Board and Staff talked about some kind of corporate designed medical program steeped in drugs, Rick replied with a no and offered a natural alternative to main stream doctoring.

Oct. 20 a We knew his days in that position would be short. They were

Oct. 20 a As a chiropractor, Rick was a guy that preached and practiced natural medicines and less invasive treatment methods.

Oct. 20 a For the many with back problems, a quick trip to his office in Nebo and getting your back popped into place, you walked out feeling great.

Oct. 20 a Five years back, the Health Dept. got some kind of grant to encourage people to eat and live healthy. During that first meeting around 25 lardies showed up for the introductory gathering. Rick came too.

Oct. 20 a After 30 minutes of hearing what we should and not be eating, the organizers rolled out free munchies which included mayo laden sandwiches, Ding Dongs, Ho Ho's and soda pop beside fruits and veges. Us with triple chins gobbled up the junk food. The tall trim, health minded, Magley loaded his plate with strawberries and grapes.

Oct. 20a Whether doing acoustic sets or with his  rock and roll band, the very personable guy was also a H of a musician

Oct. 20 a Dr Magley succumbed to cancer late last week.

Oct. 20 a The high mark he set  will be missed by many

Oct. 19 p Looking for a private care giver? See JOBS page now

Oct. 19 a  If you didn't bring in your Mums last night, they're gone today. Low was around 30 degrees this morning at day break

Oct. 19 a Last meeting of the emergency prep committee was interesting with much discussion on what to do, how to handle, a major problem requiring bus evacuations. The next meeting of the group is Tuesday evening at 7pm where the agenda calls for putting together a draft plan for action.

Oct. 19 a It's a public meeting held in the conference room at the Health Dept. on Main Street.

Oct. 19 a There are several online sponsors that make this site possible. Their info is located on the  homepage and others.

Oct. 19 a  Thanks to each and every one of em for their support.

Oct. 19 a More than EBay offer great pricing. Here's a government auction site that's full of interesting stuff.

 

Oct. 18 a   Clem Osburn, 83, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

 

Oct. 17 a 35 degrees this morning on ridge tops.

Oct. 17 a Time to put away window air conditioners / fans, sweep away a Summer's worth of dead bugs, pine needles, feathers and everything else that's accumulated since May.

Oct. 17 a Last night the Panthers got scalped by the Sissonville Indians, 21 to 12. The second half netted just a couple first downs for the Panthers. With Coach Steve Ware back on the job, can't blame management.

Oct. 17 a School Superintendent Kenneth Tanner and crew have their hands full coming up with cutbacks to reduce $122K from the current year's budget.

Oct. 17 a Easiest but most unpopular would be eliminating after school activities and activity buses.

Oct. 17 a About as unpopular would be telling the athletic boosters and band boosters, they have to cover the travel cost of those programs

Oct. 17 a Some dumb bunnies are already saying, get rid of some of those teachers.

Oct. 17 a First, the Pentagon can't even think about that until Feb when contracts expire

Oct. 17 a And second, state rules mandate so many teachers for each curriculum. Ditto for aides.

Oct. 17 a KT has his work cut out for him in the next couple weeks

Oct. 17 a New listing on JOBS page.

 

Oct. 16 a Frost is in the forecast for the weekend but for today, sunshine and 60 degrees

Oct. 16 a Tonight the CHS Panthers are in away action with kick off slated for 7:30pm. Sissonville will be a worthy opponent for the Panthers. After 2 weeks away from action, Coach Ware will be back at the helm for tonight's game

Oct. 16 a For those unable to make the trip, 101.7 FM and 106.7 FM will air the contest

Oct. 16 a Around the region, families are gathering firewood for the winter season. Pickup trucks are seen on the road weighed down to the ground with freshly cut BTU's.

Oct. 16 a  What wood puts off the the most heat and burns the longest? IF you're thinking oak or hickory, think again.

Oct. 16 a Between white oak or red oak, which is hotter.  Here's  the correct answer.

Oct. 16 a For those too lazy to make the trip on the information highway, hard maple has the most BTU's.

Oct. 16 a More important is the condition of the wood. Here's some good reading on how to keep your toes warm this winter.

Oct. 16 a Good luck as we hunker down for the next  four months.

 

Oct. 15 p   Betty Gene Taylor, 76, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

 

Oct. 15 a Oh Man Oh Man, 42 degrees this morning in Clayberry. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Oct. 15 a Birthday wishes to Pam Mullins

Oct. 15 a  For those interested in what's really going on in County Clay, the latest edition of reaaal news is now available, The Communicator

Oct. 15 a Lead story covers Monday night's School Board meeting where state issued cutbacks were discussed

Oct. 15 a FYI you can order your Rx to Clayberry knowledge with PayPal. That info and button can be found by mousing the WHO WE ARE button (to the top left) and then the About Delta.

Oct. 15 a To make sense, you got to read the newspaper of choice for the following post to make sense

Oct. 15 a Last week, during the Town Council meeting, Mayor Whaling pointed the finger at Council person JP Helms as the person that knocked over a fire hydrant and drained the wa wa tank. During that meeting, Helms said, not once but twice, he would come in the following day and provide his insurance card so the damage would be paid for.

Oct. 15 a Here's the update, as of yesterday, he hasn't.

Oct. 15 a During the last CAEZ meeting, the full board voted down formally adopting Sunshine Law as the guiding light for their operation. Once again, see The Communicator for details

Oct. 15 a  In the way of an update, during Wed's County Commission meeting, Greg Fitzwater, also a CAEZ Boardster, told his fellow elected Commissioners...

Oct. 15 a After the CAEZ vote, he told that group, if you don't adopt Open Meetings Law, I will not serve on the CAEZ Board.

Oct. 15 a You got it here first clickers.

Oct. 15 a Need a part time job? The Dog Warden hired by the CCC two months ago turned out to be a no show.

Oct. 15 a Interested in the pooch patrol? Go see  a County Commissioner or the County Clerk now

Oct. 15 a  Friday night's football game is going to be a chilly one!

 

Oct. 12 p  Fonda Gale Butcher, 71, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

Oct. 12 p Thinks got pretty grim Monday night during the Bd of Ed meeting held at the Pentagon.

Oct. 12 p Superintendent Kenneth Tanner announced, Clayberry's school system has been cut $122,000 from this year's budget by the Governor.

Oct. 12 p To make matters worse, our school system and all others in the state can expect an even larger cut come this first of the year. All in all, expect around $300K to be taken from the current year's general budget.

Oct. 12 p Where will the cutbacks come from?

Oct. 12 p That and all the other details in Tuesday's Communicator

 

Oct. 11 p  With the leaves coming down, summer colored skin is about gone as are the days of wearing short pants. We might get another three or four days of sunshine but, there just about over for 2015.

Oct. 11 p For the ace cub reporter, the last seven days have been a gold mine.

Oct. 11 p Take the CAEZ meeting where their Board voted overwhelmingly to shy away from adopting State Open Meetings Law. They followed that up with deciding to hire an attorney and go to battle over the rusting hulk of an old caboose worth MAYBE $4500.

Oct. 11 p Those two topics alone would be enough to fill a page or two of the next Communicator ...

Oct. 11 p But WAIT! There's More!!

Oct. 11 p During Tuesday's Town Council meeting, Mayor Whaling was adamant, Council person JP Helms knocked over a town fire hydrant and by Gummy, Helms was going to pay for the damage. Couple that with a secret time to discuss town layoffs as a way to cut their budget to meet $$$ available, another dandy meeting is on record

Oct. 11 p  Lots of good reading in the upcoming Communicator.

Oct. 11 p Also from the last seven days, the Panthers went down in flames to Roane County Friday night. Oddly enough, Head Coach Steve Ware was nowhere to be seen during the game. Ditto for practices this past week.

Oct. 11 p That may have led to the royal thumping for sure but where was Coach Ware?

Oct. 11 p   Saturday afternoon was warm and dry. Perfect weather for a car show in downtown Clay. When we went past at noon:30, we only saw  8 participants.

Oct. 11 p The Clay Board of Education meets Monday evening at 6pm at the Pentagon

Oct. 11 p Noticed a couple things on the agenda....

Oct. 11 p  Long time teacher and coach Barry Peyton has resigned from the system. Word on the street has it, Mr Peyton is heading over to the prison system for employment.

Oct. 11p Also for the Board meeting, a couple CHS kids are getting tossed out of school. Can't help but think, the two ousters may be related to the recent drug bust over at CHS. Just a guess clickers.

Oct. 11 p Another serious issue to be discussed Monday evening is Brother Earl Ray cutting around $129 K from this year's school system budget.

Oct. 11 p If that ain't a great big Ouch.....

Oct. 11 p Let's talk about something on the upbeat.  Oregon just made legal, the consumption of pot. Yelp, time to take another road trip out West.

Oct. 11 p Why not come out and enjoy a public meeting. It's time to watch our elected and appointed leaders at work.

Oct. 11 p Noticed something cool Saturday night up at the Pizza and Cream store in Tanner Hollow. Outside the place, there were a couple benches surrounding a campfire. a Nice place to sit and wait on a great pizza

Oct. 11 p For those that decorate for Halloween, the Clay County Services Unlimited, the sheltered workshop,  is making a bunch of ornaments and coffins for the season.

Oct. 11 p With many government workers taking a holiday Monday, have a good week

Oct. 9 a It's Homecoming tonight during the Panther v Roane game over at Schoonover / Bradley Field. Clock starts ticking at 7:30pm. 101.7FM and 106.7Fm will cover the game. Go Panthers

Oct. 9 a After two weeks of gorgeous fall weather, rain is in the picture today and tonight. With a 80% shot at the wet stuff for the next 16 hours, better have an umbrella at the ready.

Oct. 9 a Go Panthers!!

Oct. 9 a We got a couple comments along the lines of : What was the CAEZ Board thinking when voting down the adoption of Open Meeting Law?

Oct. 9 a If you haven't been keeping up , drop a couple days back (slide down this page) for the thumb nail accounting of their most interesting public gathering.

Oct. 9 a First, the entire Board was not in attendance. They barely had enough members present to conduct business. Had a full Board been there Tuesday evening,  a different outcome may have come.

Oct. 9 a Second, change never comes easy. The CAEZ Board has been around for 20+ years and with little change. They come, they sit, they listen, and then go home for another 30 days. Other than the eco development committee which does meet regularly, no other sub group meets on a regular basis. Those other committees are on paper only for the most part.

Oct. 9 a Third, the CAEZ, the people's organization, does NOT have to adopt Sunshine. It makes sense to have it at least in writing but as a non government agency, they can be as withholding  as they want.

Oct. 9 a With better weather predicamentated for Saturday, come out and enjoy the Car Show on Main Street in downtown Clay. Hot Dogs too in the Lion's Club building.

 

Oct. 8 a October is breast cancer awareness month.

Oct. 8 a Today at 11 am the Awareness Wreath will be hung at the Courthouse. The public is invited to attend

Oct. 8 a Town Council meetings are normally short and dull with decisions made ahead of time or done in whispers to keep the public in the dark.

Oct. 8 a Here's an example. Council met Tuesday afternoon. Before the opening, a guy asked, when's Halloween going to be held? Town Recorder Dwana Murphy replied we did that last meeting. Halloween is Oct. 30th from 6 to 8pm.

Oct. 8 a Council person JP Helms questioned that with, That's not in the minutes!

Oct. 8 a Murphy: Oh, well we just talked about it.

Oct. 8 a There's an example of another decision made away from a public meeting setting.

Oct. 8 a Let's talk about what happened during the Oct. 6th gathering of the elected body.

Oct. 8 a Blah Blah Blah, this and that. Blah Blah Blah some more

Oct. 8 a Then Mayor Bev Whaling brought to the public, a town hydrant on Back Street had been knocked over recently. The water loss amounted to almost a whole tank of potable wa wa. Where does all the wet stuff go? Over the hill and flooding at least one house would be the correct answer.

Oct. 8 a Whaling put the monkey on Council person JP Helms as the guy who hit it with his truck late one night and the guy that didn't report it.

Oct. 8  a  With Helms denying Bev's words every step of the way, Whaling:  It was hit. It was moved 10 feet... I have pictures of the red paint on your bumper, "If you are representing the Town, you should represent it well!"

Oct. 8 a Faces were turning red

Oct. 8 a  Standing his ground, Helms advanced, a bunch of people turn around in that wide spot [it could have been anybody]

Oct. 8 a Council person Denise Holcomb: I couldn't turn there!

Oct. 8 a  It got better when Whaling said she knocked on Helms door that night, saw that the computer was on, but no one answered her knock. When she did get a response, Whaling said, JP had obviously been drinking.

Oct. 8 a Oh Boy Oh Boy!!

Oct. 8  a With her claws extended, the Mayor would not let up and demanded that Helm's  pay for all the damages.

Oct. 8 a Whaling " If I did something like that, I'd fess up. We have to pay for that hydrant. We couldn't get JP up and alcohol was involved.

Oct. 8 a After much back and forth including Jerry Stover's  He's innocent til proven guilty and he hasn't had a trial yet

Oct. 8 a Never raising his voice but with red on his face big time, JP Helms:  I did NOT do it but I'll pay for it to get YOU OFF MY BACK!

Oct. 8 a With Whaling demanding the councilman pay for damages, JP, "I will.. I wasn't drunk when I came home. I'll bring in my insurance card tomorrow."

Oct. 8 a  We'll provide the full accounting on Tuesday's Communicator including interesting stuff like, that big wa wa leak over at CAEZ's campground.... Yelp, the CAEZ has to pay for it in full. Plus the secret time where budget cuts (lay offs) were discussed.

Oct. 8 a So how much does a fire hydrant cost, late night call out of workers, repairing damages to neighbors, and a gazillion gallons of fresh water cost? $1000's upon  $1000's would be our guess

Oct. 8 a Small Town America. Got ta love it.

Oct. 8 a Now that was a public meeting!

 

Oct. 7 a  Bobby Dale Tanner, 72, of Nebo, see OBITUARY page

Oct. 7 a Peggy Joyce (Hartis) Cassidy, 84, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

Oct. 7 a Public meetings are often down right boring affairs. We've sat thru many of em where it's  hard to even stay awake.

Oct. 7 a That wasn't the case last night during two public meetings

Oct. 7 a Get your coffee cup clickers, this is going to take a while

Oct. 7 a Ready?

Oct. 7 a Govt agencies are required to follow Open Meetings Law. That's sometimes called Sunshine Laws. State Code 29B-1-1 provides their purpose. "..Govt is the servant of the people and not the master of them.... it is hereby declared that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of govt and official acts of those who represent them as public officials... the people do NOT give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know...  to that end, the provisions of this article shall be liberally construed with t he view of carrying out this declaration of public policy.

Oct. 7 a  The Central Appalachian Empowerment  Zone (CAEZ) is not a govt agency. Although it is and there projects are, almost entirely funded by tax dollars, they are called a quasi government agency.

Oct. 7 a After a lengthy and impassioned discussion on how the general membership organization is open to the public in a very way, and they already follow open meetings law, last night the CAEZ coterie voted to NOT adopt State Open Meeting Law as  a matter of policy.

Oct. 7 a An overwhelming majority said no to adopting Sunshine. After the vote to abnegate the public's right to know, CAEZ Boardster and County Commissioner Greg Fitzwater: Wait a second, if you already follow the law, what's the big whoopdy doo to make it official?

Oct. 7 a  Darn good questions often receive darn good answers. Such was the case last night at the CAEZ meeting.

Oct. 7 a Boardster Lydia Watson commented that she wanted to read the law before making a decision.

Oct. 7 a  Based on comments last night, there seems to be an anathema regarding making the public's right to know official

Oct. 7 a  This discussion and request for Open Meeting Law came after one lad asked to see Board meeting minutes from 2005 and 2006. During that request, CAEZ Director Connie Lupardus told the guy, after checking with her attorney, the CAEZ does NOT have to honor the request but they would.

Oct. 7 a  When the CAEZ says they follow Open Meeting Law, they don't. Here's an example

Oct. 7 a Last night's agenda listed the request for adoption of Open Meeting Law as a discussion item.

Oct. 7 a Discussion items can NOT be voted on during that noticed meeting. There's a reason for that rule.

Oct. 7 a The public must be informed ahead of time (an agenda) of ALL votes.

Oct. 7 a  In the end, Big Lup told her Board, she would gather more info and bring the topic back during the next monthly meeting.

Oct. 7 a Until then, the people that own the CAEZ, the residents of the five census tracks are not guaranteed the right to see records of the agency.

Oct. 7 a Refill your coffee cup....

Oct. 7 a Also during the CAEZ meeting, for the first time, Director Lupardus brought the Board up to speed on an ownership dispute between the CAEZ and the Buffalo Creek Railroad Cooperative (BC&G RR). For four months now, the BC&G has been trying to sell their last remaining caboose with t he proceeds going to various non profit groups in the county.

Oct. 7 a Both groups have some sort of Bill of Sale and canceled checks as documents supporting the ownership claim.

Oct. 7 a The old caboose is worth $1000 or so in scrap metal value. When the BC&G bid it off, the high bidder was around $4200.

Oct. 7 a Last night the CAEZ Board voted to high an attorney and pursue legal action to stop the BC&G from selling their asset.

Oct. 7 a Here's the picture:   The caboose is worth no more than $4200; it has to be moved from it's present location; such a move is going to be costly, maybe a couple thousand dollars or so; once moved, it's going to take a bunch more $$$ to restore it into something usable; and, attorney and court cases are very expensive. For the sake of this post, let's guess, another $2000 in legal fees.

Oct. 7 a Add it all up and , if the CAEZ prevails, they're going to have more than $8000 in a caboose worth $4200.

Oct. 7 a It doesn't make sense but they voted to go after the BC&G

Oct. 7 a For those of us in the peanut gallery, hands down , the best comment came from CAEZ Boardster, Mickey Boggs:  I say, get the ball rolling and get this over with ,  It'll go before the Magistrate Anyway!!!

Oct. 7 a Mickey is the wife of Clay County Magistrate Jeff Boggs.

Oct. 7 a Maybe she chose her words poorly or maybe those utterances were a clear indication of how things are really done in the County of Little.

Oct. 7 a We have just touched the tip of the iceberg folks. Full coverage in  the next Communicator. 80 cents and worth every penny.

Oct. 7a We're done for this morning and we haven't even mentioned  last night's Town Council meeting.

Oct. 7 a Oh Boy Oh Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oct. 6 a Noticed on the Clay Town Council meeting agenda (tonight at 5pm) , one of the action items is budget cuts. Not that any of em are getting rich in the municipality, but they've got to cut back. Town employees are about the last ones around that have 100% of their hospitalization paid by the employer.

Oct. 6 a  There was a very light turnout last night for the BDA meeting. One Boardster participated by phone to make the quorum possible. They still got some stuff accomplished

Oct. 6 a BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard has worked for years organizing and making the Buffalo Creek Trail happen. In June of this year, the 21 mile hiking path opened for business. Actually, about a 4 mile section of the creek side adventure was ready to use back then.

Oct. 6 a Since then, three of the old railroad trestles have been rehab'd with new walking surface with handrails.

Oct. 6 a Last night, DeBoard told the group that Dave Pierson has donated more rough cut lumber to make yet another rehab project possible in 2015. Work on bridge 4 will get underway later this month.

Oct. 6 a  The BDA secured  a grant to purchase trail side markers and information signs. The struggle to get the historic information for the information signs has been tough for the last many months.

Oct. 6 a Last night the draft copy for the first "wayside panel" was spread out on the conference table for viewing.

Oct. 6 a For those interested in walking the section between Dundon and Crestmont, DeBoard says, there's some trees blocking easy access to that section of trail and they don't have the horsepower to get the path cleared until next Spring.

Oct. 6 a How about you. Maybe get your neighbors, family, group, together along with a couple chain saws and work some magic for our future. Get ahold of Mitch DeBoard for details.

Oct. 6 a 49 degrees this morning in Clayberry.The smell of chimney smoke is in the air. Are you ready for another battle with Ole Man Winter? He's knockng on our door right now. Be ready.

Oct. 5 a Got a full week of public meetings coming our way.

Oct. 5 a The Business Development Authority (BDA) has a full agenda to tackle this evening at 6:30 pm. In the way of an update, sparkplug DeBoard has secured more donated lumber from Pierson Lumber and Appalachian Timber with plans to re-surface the #4 bridge along the new hiking trail before cold weather puts the whamy on working outside.

Oct. 5 a  CAEZ meets at 4pm and again at 6pm with the full Board, Tuesday evening,  in the Courthouse hallway. The CAEZ paid big bucks a few years ago for their website but do not use the rascal  for much. The "calendar" page is blank while the Board of Director's page list long absent Mike Pierson.

Oct. 5 a Town Council also meets Tuesday at the Wa Wa Plant.

Oct. 5 a  Weather wise, looks like a warm dry week of Fall conditions coming our way.

Oct. 5  Enjoy!

Oct. 5 a Carpenter, Concrete worker? See JOBS page now

Oct. 5 a The Salvation Army's Angel Tree campaign will be taking applications Monday. See ADVISORY page

Oct 3 a Looks like that big storm that was predicted for the East has turned into a long drenching rain.

Oct. 3 a In the lower 50's, rain coming down, wind blowing the dead leaves left and right, know what time it is?

Oct. 3 a There's one sure fire way to handle nasty cold weather, that's a steamy hot bubble bath, One of those that make you feel dizzy when you get out. One of those where your entire body looks red as a lobster.

Oct. 3 a Today is a Bubble Bath Day, a BBD.

Oct. 3 a When the cases are interconnected, more than one person will be tried at a time. Tuesday morning, Steve Duffield, Bernard Buckhannon, Ronald Newhouse, and James McCune were in that boat, all charged with stuff like meth production, conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver.

Oct. 3 a  By Wed around 2pm, the jury had heard all there was to be said and started their deliberations. 6 hours later, they had their decision, everybody, not guilty on of any of the charges.

Oct. 3 a  They had their day in court and the State, that's the Prosecutor, came up waaaay short.

 

Oct. 2 a  54 degrees, gray sky, wind blowing. Yuck Yuck Yuck

Oct. 2 a  No ball game tonight

Oct. 2 a  Weathercasters can't tell if we're going to get some nasty storm this weekend or not

Oct. 2 a This beginning of the month will speak volumes on the future of the new IGA store in Two Run

Oct. 2 a Now open exactly one month, if that parking lot isn't full today, it will definitely indicate, Clay County doesn't support the local business.

 

Oct. 1 a Notice two teeeny boppers this morning standing out waiting for the school bus. Both had on flip flops and both had blue toes.  Darn chilly this morning.  It's getting tougher and tougher to wear short pants

Oct. 1 a Not so long ago, Murder Mountain over in Ovapa was the talk of the town and filled crime reports on a  weekly basis.

Oct. 1 a Tommy Young Sr was the patriarch of that clan.

Oct. 1 a Since the Feds busted Sr and Jr, it's been quiet. Quiet doesn't last forever

Oct. 1 a  Monday night just after 8pm a three wheeled white sedan came down Rt 4 with sparks spewing so much, the night was lit up. After doing coming thru the Go Mart parking lot followed by three doughnuts in the road at the triangle, Venida Young, oldest daughter of Sr, went zooming into the downtown area.

Oct.  1a Details in the latest Communicator

Oct. 1 a The next generation is now up and running.

 

Sept 30 a George Omer Gregorich, 93,  see OBITUARY page

Sept. 30 a Last day of the month and the new Communicator is on newsstands across the region.

Sept. 30 a Lead article is the inside nitty gritty from the Mikey Lanham afternoon in Court Monday

Sept. 30 a Also this time around comes info from Monday's School Board meeting where the Cupcake war continued.

Sept. 30 a Drug dogs regularly sniff lockers at Clay High for drugs. More often than not, nothing is found and School Superintendent Tanner beams proudly.

Sept. 30a Last week that wasn't the case and a stash of weed was found. Tanner wasn't so talky during Monday's Board meeting so checked on social media for info. That's in the Communicator too.

Sept. 30 a For those wanting to know what's really going on in CLayberry, 80 cents and worth every penny

Sept. 30 a  We've got one of those little plastic tube rain gauges in the front yard. Not sure how accurate they are but this morning, the thang shows four inches of the wet stuff in the last 24 hours.

Sept. 30 a National Weather Service is providing warnings for W Va.

Sept. 30 a  Gun control is a hot topic on the campaign trail. Some dimly lit voters think the Feds are capable of making common sense changes in the absolute right to own weapons.

Sept. 30 a  Minnesota courts just decided, BB guns are firearms.

Sept. 30 a  For all us old pot heads, there's finally going to be a place open to smoke weed, drink, gamble and have other merriment. It's a long way to travel but South Dakota is now on the vacation itinerary.

Sept. 28 p This afternoon long time criminal Mike Lanham plead guilty to a felony.

Sept. 28 p Now comes a presentencing report and sentencing in Nov.

Sept. 28 p His first felony conviction and none too soon

Sept. 28 a We had a three criminals plead guilty last week including one former school teacher. Mike Lanham was NOT one of those admitting guilt and accepting a plea. During his lack of plea hearing, Judge Facemire set Sept. 29th for the trial.

Sept. 28 a Sometime since that hearing, Lanham must have changed his mind.

Sept. 28 a Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury says, Iron Mikey has decided to take a plea this afternoon at 2:30 in Braxton County.

Sept. 28 a Lanham has never plead guilty to anything in his 25 years of criminal activity. He always demands a jury trial.

Sept. 28 a Our first memory of Lanham was when he beat the crap out of high school student while riding on a school bus followed by doing likewise to the driver. If memory again serves us correctly, that was the end of Lanham's educational career.

Sept. 28 a  If Mike :Lanham takes a plea today, The Communicator will come out Tuesday on time. If he backs out again and goes to trial in the morning, we plan on holding up the paper so as to include that story in this edition.

Sept. 28 a During the last School Board meeting, much time was spent discussing parents providing rug rats with mid day cupcakes, HoHo's, and Ding Dongs. Such non nutritional hand outs are not allowed in this state. The Teacher's Aide (and parent) that brought the demand for sugar foods didn't seem satisfied with the no response from the Superintendent.

Sept. 28 a While there's no mention of continuing the discussion or vote during tonight's School Board meeting, the topic may come back.

Sept. 28 a  Much of Clayberry is served by Frontier DSL. For the most part, the service is less than stellar. Actually, for the most part, Frontier's offering sucks for dead air.

Sept. 28 a Barry McCune over at the Clay County Bank has started a petition campaign to encourage SuddenLink Cable to extend service into the downtown and Two Run areas. That cmapaign started two weeks ago.

Sept. 28 a So far, McCune has garnered just 29 residential customers and 31 businesses willing to switch over to SuddenLink.

Sept. 28 a Last chance clickers, give Barry a call today.

Sept. 25 p  Even with the rain coming down and temps hovering around 64 degrees, fans got their  money's worth and more Friday night when the Panthers took on Nicholas

Sept. 25 p Back and forth the score went. At the end of regular time, 34 to 34 was on the scoreboard.

Sept. 25 p Bam! On the first play in overtime, Brandon White ran up the middle for a TD followed by Zak Ahart's 2 point dash

Sept. 25p Nothing worked for Nicholas during OT with Clay intercepting their pass to nail it down

Sept. 25 p We won big time over an arch rival. According to Radio Sportscaster TG Griffith, it's our first win over the Grizzlies in 20 years . Others provided it's only the  second or third win since 1962.

Sept. 25 p Nice !!

Sept. 25 p  Saturday is drug take back down in Clay at the Courthouse. See ADVISORY page for details

 

Sept. 24 p  Cecil Burl West, 76, of Wallback, see OBITUARY page

Sept. 24 p Big Otter Community Center will be alive and well tonight with Country Fried bringing on the tunes

Sept. 24 p The final showing of County Clay's outdoor drama is this weekend over at the campground at Dundon. There's still some Solomon's Secret brochures in area convenience stores

Sept. 24 p Don't forget CHS vs Nicholas Friday night. It's a home game beginning at 7:30pm. The match up can also be heard on the local stations. Go Panthers!!

Sept. 24 p  In the way of good things to do, take the family on the Buffalo Creek Trail. Free too.

Sept. 24 p The heaviest volume times for internet providers comes when the yard apes get home from school and start playing games on the web. Couple that with NetFlix  demands and everything falls on its face.

Sept. 24 p Frontier DSL was down for many hours a couple nights ago.

Sept. 24 p Have you checked your download speeds? Thursday evening at 11pm. download was 11 Mbps. That's about twice as fast as before the outage. Maybe they made some upgrades?

 

Sept. 24 a Just as we were ready to post this update last night, the power went off. That was 10 pm-ish

Sept. 24 a Several have asked about copies of the Apple Festival pics on the homepage. All you have to do is right click and then hit the save as button.

Sept. 24 a Better do that save as thang soon. We're taking the pics off the homepage late tonight.

Sept. 24 a For those wanting all the pics, around 150 or more, let us know, we'll put em on a disc for ya.

Sept. 24 a This is the first full day of Autumn. Tan lines are fading, Coats are coming out of the closet. Short pants are starting to feel a little too breezy.

Sept. 24 a Over at the IGA, the watermelon cartons are changed to punkins. Good bye Summer

Sept. 24 a Mikey Lanham was suppose to enter a guilty plea Tuesday morning. A plea deal had been negotiated with the  Prosecutor.

Sept. 24 a Didn't come down that way clickers. Instead, Mikey changed his mind and asked for a jury trial. With Jurors already told to stay home on the 22nd, that couldn't happen that day. Clay County's most costly criminal is now slated for a jury trial next week on the 29th.

Sept. 24 a Judge Facemire was on the bench for the change of mind and will preside over the upcoming trial.

Sept. 24 a As a matter of fact, you ought not pee off a Judge. Mikey did with his last second change of mind.

Sept. 24 a With t he new date set, the dressed in orange Lanham was ready to set back down when Facemire firmly told the Sheriff, Get him out of here.

Sept. 24 a Me thinks the Robe was an unhappy camper.

Sept. 24 a  The average cost for a helicopter trip to a hospital is just North of $30,000. Last year, 79 of those trips came from Clayberry.

Sept. 24 a State and county employees subscribe to PEIA hospitalization insurance. PEIA pays just $4600 of the bill. That means you are liable for the balance.

Sept. 24 a During Wed's Commission meeting, a rep from  AirMed was on hand to discuss a new supplemental policy that would cover the balance. For about $65 a year for family coverage, that sounds like a pretty good deal.

Sept. 24 a Except, the coverage only covers AirMed  bird trips. We'll have a complete run down in the next Communicator

Sept. 24 a From another meeting....

Sept. 24 a What if a school bus loaded with 60 kids overturned, went in the river, involved in a head collision, caught fire?

Sept. 24 a How would the 6 local ambulances handle the task? Where would a  morgue be set up? How do you handle all the parents' questions. Media demands? Which hospitals to send them to. What if the local hospitals are all full, what then?

Sept. 24 a The newly reformed Local Emergency Preparedness Committee discussed that scenario during their Tuesday afternoon meeting at the Health Dept. With 10 in attendance, after much discussion, the group hopes to come up with a plan to handle such things. Full details in the next Communicator.

Sept. 24 a All Spring and into Summer, CAEZ Director Connie Lupardus hyped up a new apple tree orchard venture to be built in the county on some old strip mine site.

Sept. 24 a . Big Lup told us everything was a go. A big Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was planned for Saturday during the Apple Festival.

Sept. 24 a With Apple Festival gear  all put away for another year, there was no such ceremony. During CAEZ's annual meeting earlier this month, there was no mention of a change of plan

Sept. 24 a  Big Lup was on hand for Wed's Commission meeting. When asked, she provided, the supplier of the seedlings changed their mind and to expect a planting this Spring.

Sept. 24 a  Also from 6 months ago and from the same Director, word came of Clayberry becoming the potato capitol of the world. Lup hyped an Agriculture Dept venture where all the spuds grown in the county would be purchased by the State.

Sept. 24 a Now in the Fall, the venture also faded from the spotlight.

 

Sept. 23 a   Rosetta “Rose” Pritt, 88, of Hartland, see OBITUARY page

Sept. 23 a Sometime before 7am Tuesday, the Frontier DSL service went south. For the next 24 hours, at best, only a few websites were visible. As for using Outlook Express to check emails, wouldn't work.

Sept. 23 a This morning, everything seems to be working again.

Sept. 23 a Sorry for no updates

Sept. 23 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am.

Sept. 23 a We've had some Court action in the last couple days.

Sept. 23 a Often those before the Judge are covered with tattoos, look scruffy, and without even a high school diploma

Sept. 23 a Monday morning, before Judge Jack Alsop, one time Clay Elem School Teacher Melissa Koch was sentenced.

Sept. 23 a Ms Koch looked well kept devoid of visible tattoos and properly attired for Court. When she spoke, she enunciated well and in complete sentences. Quite a change from the usual stuff

Sept. 23 a According to the Judge, Clayberry schools allowed her to resign instead of firing her after getting caught stoned at school. Later she worked at Bullards where she dealt drugs while on the job there. That went on for a couple years.

Sept. 23 a Now cleaned up (we hope anyway) Melissa Koch was sentenced to 15 weekends in the slammer, several hours of community service, 5 years probation, weekly whiz tests for 9 months, and given the usual mandate about staying away from other druggies and illicit activities.

Sept. 23 a  Her Court time was over in about 15 minutes. Although she can never again work in education, she has the rest of her life to straighten up and become a good part of the community. We wish her luck.

Sept. 23 a Judge Facemire was on the bench Tuesday morning.

Sept. 23 a Before the Robe were Anthony Metheney and Robert DeMastes.

Sept. 23 a For his part in operating a drug lab out of his vehicle, conspiracy, and such, Demastes plead guilty and is looking at 2 to 10 years behind bars plus a big fine. Sentencing will take place Nov 2nd at 10:15

Sept. 23 a Anthony Metheney did things a little different. for malicious wounding, unlawful wounding, and abducting a person, Mr Metheny entered a No Contest plea.  Metheny will also be sentenced on Nov 2nd but at 10am.

Sept. 23 a We'll get to the life of Mikey Lanham later today.

Sept. 23 a It feels god to be back online!

 

Sept. 21 a It's motion Day in Circuit Court land with two or three sentencing procedures coming this afternoon.

Sept. 21 a In between the bad stuff, there's an adoption ceremony mid day. We understand Batman will be on hand for the event

Sept. 21 a It's been 10 months since Mikey Lanham was last arrested. He's been behind bars since.

Sept. 21 a That career criminal will stand trial Tuesday morning for his act of beating the stuffins out of a local merchant

Sept. 21 a The Big Apple volunteers are putting away their gear for another year. The 2015 version came off under beautiful blue skies and a good turnout.

Sept. 21 a There were bug a boo things like the shuttle bus from Clay to the CHS car show never happened and this year's parade seemed a little disorganized. Even with those blemishes , this year's festival will go in the history books as a good one.

 

Sept. 20 a   Weird O stuff is reported in main stream media at every step along the way.

Sept. 20 a Some of it is hard to believe and certainly, would never go on in Clayberry

Sept. 20 a  Yesterday a lad was arrested "filming" winkies

Sept. 20 a Here's  the skinny

Sept. 20 a The $$##!!! pervert would occupy the sit down for business stall in the rest room in the Courthouse. The stall is beside the urinal.

Sept. 20 a While a guy stood at the urinal unloading a gallon of pop, tea, wawa or whatever, a little camera lens sneaked around the back of the stall panel and began filming

Sept. 20 a  Not sure how long the pervert  was in business but when caught by  a local feller,  they had a serious talk and Badges took him off to the slammer

Sept. 20 a Good

Sept. 20 a When you think things can't , won't happen here at home, you're wrong

Sept. 20 a Fortunately for the Ace Cub Reporter, the camera was not equipped with a magnification lens and Mr One Eye is safe from social media embarrassment..

Sept. 20 a The Big Apple continues today for the final installment of family fun second to none.

Sept. 18 a It's take a year of effort to pull off a big one like the Apple

Sept. 18 a Last night everything came together and on time.

Sept. 18 a With perfect weather on hand, there was a small but appreciative crowd on hand for the festivities.

Sept. 18 a  After checking the jail website late last night and with no new Clayonian faces aboard,  no incidents to speak off

Sept. 18 a We heard something different too. Actually lack of something. During many outdoor fairs and festivals, the PA system ends up screaming feedback. Not so last night when some high school kid was turning the knobs behind the mixer board.

Sept. 18 a If you're doing business in downtown Clay today, better make it this morning before everything grinds to a halt .

Sept. 18 a  Tonight the CHS Panthers are in away field action as they take on  Valley Fayette beginning at 7:30pm

Sept. 18 a  101.7FM plans to air the match up beginning at 7:20 with TG Griffith behind the mic

Sept. 18 a Go Panthers!

Sept. 18 a  Special note, during each football game, at half time, the CLay High Broadcast class is doing special podcasts. Pretty cool stuff.

 

Sept. 17 p  Antoinette Neal, see OBITUARY page

Sept. 17  Happy Birthday wishes to Communicator Stalwart, Lindy Myers.

Sept. 17 It's a time for teens to be seen and hook up with that special wanta be.

Sept. 17 a For old farts, it's a return trip to the Land of Little

Sept. 17 a For those in the local booths, it's a time to earn enough $$$ to make it thru the next year

Sept. 17 a  The once a year celebration is open for business

Sept. 17  Welcome to the 42nd running of the Big Apple Festival.

Sept. 17 a For the next three days, downtown Clay  will be packed.

Sept. 17 a If you've got business to attend to, better do it early each morning.

Sept. 17 a We'll try to get some of the scenes captured and post on clayberry each evening.

Sept. 17 a With the weather cooperating this year, grab the family and have some Big Apple fun.

 

Sept. 15 p  Bessie McClung, 85, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

Sept. 15 p The Communicator made it out the door today just after lunch. Pretty nice edition with the lead story covering the cupcake war during Monday night's Sch Bd meeting.

Sept. 15 p Nap time for the Communicator crew.

 

Sept. 14 p Water tasting a wittle lumpy?

Sept. 14 p The Town of Clay issued a Boil Water Order early this morning after a water hydrant was knocked over on Church Street. Boil the wet stuff before consuming.

Sept. 14 p For those interested in old cars and hot rods, the Big Apple Car Show info is now posted over on the EVENTS page

 

Sept. 14 a We stretch Summer as long as possible. Now mid Sept., we're still in Summer wear but shivering. This morning at 7am, temps were around 46 degrees in Clayberry. Stove pipes are putting up the smell of oak and hickory. Fall is here.

Sept. 14 a School Board meets tonight at the Pentagon.

Sept. 14 a Hard to believe but they actually posted their meeting agenda on time, last Wed evening. Amazing and appreciated

Sept. 14 a Like to say there's some monster story brewing for Tuesday's Communicator but there's not.

Sept. 14 a  Deadline for submissions is this afternoon at 5pm.

Sept. 14 a Signs of the Big Apple are showing.

Sept. 14 a Last week Town crews, community service workers and Courthouse employees spent time cleaning a year's worth of crud off Courthouse Square. New paint was applied to spruce up the place. Over at the Dundon Campground, volunteers were busy getting the stage set for the outdoor drama.

Sept. 14 a The Apple Festival kicks off this Thursday evening. By Wed., Main Street will be packed with vendors setting up shop. The correct link to the Big Apple schedule is now posted over on the EVENTS page. Enjoy

 

Sept. 12 a   Paul Orda Naylor, 74 , see OBITUARY page

Sept. 12 a With a good size crowd in the bleachers, the Varsity  boys put it all over the Ritchie County Rebels last night. Final score, 42 to 6

Sept. 12 a Maybe more important, the Panthers cut way back on the number of their penalties.

Sept. 12 a Rain made it to Clayberry this morning. Good day for nap time.

 

Sept. 11 p We've got a correction clickers

Sept. 11 p During each CCC meeting, Commissioners report on meetings attended in the last couple weeks.

Sept. 11 p  Wed morning Commissioner Greg FItzwater reported on the Business Development Authority (BDA) meeting from "last night".

Sept. 11 p With the BDA's normal meeting date, the first Monday of each month, we raised H over having a meeting without public notice.

Sept. 11 p This morning Fitz corrected the Tuesday thang and said the meeting was held on Labor day, Monday Sept. 7th, as the posted agenda called for

Sept. 11 p We stand corrected

Sept. 11 p In Appalachia, the opening day of squirrel season is a big ta do. It's a chance to get out on the woods and blast away at those ever so quick, bushy tailed, rats.

Sept. 11 p Open day of squirrel time comes tomorrow morning at day break. Have some one and all.

 

Sept. 11 a The Library Board rescheduled their Sept. meeting. See ADVISORY page

Sept. 11 a The CHS Panthers are still looking for the first win of the season. Next try comes tonight when Ritchie comes to Schoonover / Bradley Field. The local radio station will provide play by play for those unable to make it to the game in person. Walk over to wyap.com for details.

Sept. 11 a TIme passes quickly.  Some memories fade more than others.

Sept. 11 a On this date, over a decade ago, this nation was glued to our TV screens as the 9/11 events unfolded. In 2001, it was County Commission meeting morning, a Tuesday. By 9am, with the nation under attack, the place was quiet with many already realizing the seriousness of the day. It was no different than Pearl Harbor except here on the main land.

Sept. 11 a Where were you?

Sept. 11 a By 11am, the old Henry Clay Hotel bar was normally a place filled with laughs and stories. Not so, on 9/11. Even the drunks were paying attention to the big TV screen above the beer cooler.

Sept. 11 a Here's ABC's take on today.

Sept. 11 a  Can we detect a nuclear weapon in the next building, county, country? How about space?  Only here on Earth.

Sept. 11 a  A lot of money is being poured into political campaigns this time of year. Sometimes it pays to take a close look at those super PAC distortion mills before coughing up your $$$$.

Sept. 11 a We've got a new business ready to open in the outback.

Sept. 11 a  According to the Sec of State's website, over in Maysel, the Soggy Bottom  Bar and Grill was licensed on Aug 31st. Manager and organizer for the new place is Shirley Mullins.

Sept. 11 a The new sign is now in place but no dates for the opening available.

Sept. 11 a  Oh I don't care if someone gets ahold of my personal information. Who cares, right? Yesterday, major health insurance providers Lifetime Healthcare Companies and its subsidiary BlueCross BlueShield announced that they had been hacked, affecting a total of 10.5 million patients.....Healthcare data is the cash cow of the hacker world. A hacker will get $10 on the black market for each individual healthcare profile, 10 or 20 times the amount they would receive for credit card information.  To read more, give  a click here.

Sept. 11 a  With rain in the forecast, have a good weekend one and all. Go Panthers!!

 

Sept. 10 a Around 6:45 last night a brief but strong storm ripped thru the county leaving many without power.

Sept. 10 a Sections of the county had power restored by 10:30 pm.

Sept. 10 a Not so in the Northern end like Otter Lick where the juice remains off as of 7pm this morning.

Sept. 10 a County Commissioners will run to Charleston today at 2pm for a photo op with Gold Dome officials as they accept a $760K grant for the water line extension project to serve Independence and Pack Fork areas. An additional $700K + loan is needed to get the project up and digging sometime next Spring.

Sept. 10 a Derreck Glasser made front page news last November when he managed to get arrested and jailed on a trash bags in the back yard citation. Glasser was arrested after a stand off on Main Street where half the county pulled out guns while others were ready to let loose with gallons of pepper spray.

Sept. 10 a Glasser's trial was set for today at 1pm. That process has been cancelled (again) due to the Asst Prosecutor forgetting to subpoena all the parties.

Sept. 10 a During yesterday morning's 16 minute County Commission meeting, Greg Fitzwater mentioned discussion from Tuesday night's Business Development Authority meeting.

Sept. 10 a Did you know the BDA rescheduled their monthly meeting? We didn't either. So much for public notice of a public meeting

Sept. 10 a Anyway.....

Sept. 10 a According to the Gregster, Mike Sizemore with the Greenhouse in Maysel plans to offer a new  service next year,

Sept. 10 a IF all goes well, Sizemire will become a hub for local growers to sell their produce.

Sept. 10 a His idea is to buy all the local goods and resale them to large wholesalers and state buyers.

Sept. 10 a One of the big problems for local gardeners is selling their stuff  close to home. Often a bunch of tomatoes and  squash go to waste in the garden.

Sept. 10 a If Mike's "Hub" idea pans out, gardeners will have a local place to sell everything they pull out of the garden.

Sept. 10 a We'll update you on the most interesting Solid Waste Authority meeting held last night, sometime later today.

 

Sept. 9 a Like to tell some big ole whopper of a newsy story but, there ain't

Sept. 9 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 with a very short agenda

Sept. 9 a Solid Waste Authority meets this afternoon at 5:30 in their Main Street Clay digs. With just a little jingle in their account, the CCSWA mostly known for their annual Clean Up / Recycling Day each Spring.

Sept. 9 a Over the scanner this morning came a call from a bus driver in need of an ambulance for a student having trouble breathing.

Sept. 9 a Clay and Kanawha County units responded in a  timely manner. Scary time for both the driver and student.

Sept. 9 a After 17 days of hot dry weather (98 yesterday) Clayberry has a few sprinkles in the air this morning.

Sept. 9 a Without posters nor brochures in the area this year, the Big Apple Fest is in stealth mode. We've added the link to their web site over on the EVENTS page. Looks like a pretty good lineup of good stuff to do this year.

 

Sept. 7 a Once a year the Feds give us one day off from work, Labor Day is our day to screw off, to do nothing if we so choose.

Sept. 7 a  Tonight the Panthers tale on Braxton in rescheduled football action beginning at 7pm

Sept. 7 a Between now and then, a nap, maybe a road trip to WalMart, fiddle fart in the garage.....

Sept. 7 a Enjoy. This is our day.

Sept. 5 a From Crystal down at Clay Roane PSD:  Our next meeting was rescheduled until September 17th at 6:30pm. I will send out the new agenda on September 14, 2015

Sept. 5 a Drug Take Back Day announced. See ADVISORY page

 

Sept. 4 p  Around 8pm a bolt of lightening streaked across Schoonover Bradley Field tonight. Refs sent everyone to the locker room. The score was 7 to Zip and not in our favor.

Sept. 4 p  50 minutes later, the game was called.

Sept. 4 p The rescheduled game is now set for Monday evening at 7pm.

 

Sept. 3 a When the new IGA opened Monday, they couldn't accept food stamp cards. That changed sometime Tuesday.

Sept. 3 a For those afar, the new grocer's parking lot remains packed. Clayberry is responding to a good operation

Sept. 3 a  There's been an ownership dispute between the BC&G and the CAEZ over the big metal caboose at Dundon.

Sept. 3 a What's probably going to wind up in court, interestingly enough, there wasn't one mention on the topic during the annual general membership meeting Tuesday night. Nothing

Sept. 3 a TG Griffith will provide the play by play during tonight's football matchup with Braxton. You can listen online by going over to wyap.com and clicking the LISTEN ONLINE button

Sept. 3 a Go Panthers

 

Sept. 2 a From the most humble of beginnings, The Communicator published its first edition 20 years ago this week. Thru a multitude of challenges, the locally owned and operated newspaper has endured.

Sept. 2 a The latest edition of your source for local information is now available on news stands across the five county region.

Sept. 2 a Enjoy

Sept. 2 a Talk about a real hoot.. Steve Butler returns to local radio each weekday morning beginning at 8 am.

Sept. 2 a Hear the WIden Warrior on 101.7FM beginning this morning.

Sept. 2 a There are tons of listings for great things to do over on the ADVISORY page. Clayberry really is the capitol of years sales in the Appalachian Mountains

Sept. 2 a During their annual meeting last night, the CAEZ provided tours of their brand new lodge at the Dundon campground. The contractor said the place will be done  and ready for business in the next three weeks, in time for the Big Apple Fest.

Sept. 2 a Speaking of the Big Apple, it must be in stealth mode. We couldn't find one mention of the event over on the state tourism website.

Sept. 2 a They've got everything from milkweed festivals to corn husking but no Apple Festival.

 

Aug. 30 p They've worked for a month cleaning and painting. 8 days ago interviews were given. Last week the shelves were stocked. This weekend they worked training new employees how things will be done.

Aug. 30 p Monday morning bright and early, the new Clay IGA store opens its doors.

Aug. 30 p Welcome Pam and Garrett to Clayberry

Aug. 30 p With the beginning of a new month, new public meetings at every turn of in the road.

Aug. 30 p The CAEZ is a general membership organization. The annual meeting of the general membership is Tuesday evening. Free munchies at 5 followed by the meeting

Aug. 30 p If you're wondering, anyone living in County Clay is a general member

Aug. 30 p Town Council also meets Tuesday at 5pm.

Aug. 30 p With Malcom the Town Badge told, we don't need you any more, might be interesting to see if there's any update on town security

Aug. 30 p Did notice the Town Badgemobile is now parked at Mayor Bev's abode.

Aug. 30p Before Mayor Clifton left office, he told Council that a newer vehicle was being donated to the town. Haven't seen it yet but the hand me down Chevy is pretty ratty for even this tiny Town.

Aug 30 p Communicator, the 20th Anniversary edition comes out Tuesday afternoon.

Aug 30 p Hard to believe but its true. 20 years of informing Clay and giving residents a mouth piece to the world. Salute!

Aug. 29 a  With penalties galore, didn't go so well for the Panthers last night

Aug. 29 a The Fayetteville Pirates got us, 21 to 6

Aug. 28 p Forgot to mention the Health Fair now in progress at the Clay Health Care Center on Clinic Drive in Big Otter.  Massages this afternoon til 2pm too.

Aug. 28 p Sorry for the tardiness of the post

Aug. 28 p From the email bag:This was shared on the Trooper Eric Workman Foundation Page.  They will be doing a candle lighting this evening at the memorial, Wallback at 7:30 PM

Aug. 28 a For those that view Clayberry from afar, it may be hard to imagine living in a place without a grocery store stocked with fresh fruit, meats, and a variety of brands to choose from.

Aug. 28 a County Clay has been without a franchise grocer the entire Summer. Beginning last Fall, the store that was here, really wasn't. For months, inventory was almost non existent. Shelf after shelf was bare. The old Piggly Wiggly was depressing to see

Aug. 28 a IGA owner Pam Widner says, it's a go, the new store will open Monday. Nice way to start Fall

Aug. 28 a Judge Facemire was behind the bench Thursday handling the duties of the Court.

Aug. 28 a James Criner was indicted in July for DUI, Driving Revoked.

Aug. 28 a An indictment means you're caught but nothing more. 100% of the time, when the Judge asks, Guilty or Not Guilty, the guy in orange is suppose to say, Not Guilty Your Honor

Aug. 28 a When asked that question , Criner said Guilty. A quick nudge from his attorney resulted in a I mean Not Guilty

Aug. 28 a Smiles were seen around the Courtroom

Aug. 28 a Another guy made the mistake of opening his pie hole with, That gun wasn't even mine! Smiles were seen around the Courtroom.     There's a reason why your attorney always tell you, don't say anything

Aug. 28 a Anyone can attend an adult case in Circuit Court land. It's interesting to see the wheels of justice roll along.

Aug. 28 a No matter how hard an attorney tries to get the press tossed from a proceeding, that pesky Constitution keeps the big wooden doors open for public scrutiny.

Aug. 28 a  In rural America, Friday night high school football is the place to be. CCHS Coach Steve Ware says we can expect a pretty good season.   Tonight, the Panthers take a road trip to Fayetteville for the season opener. Kick off is 7:30pm.

Aug. 28 a Next week is Braxton at home. The entire schedule is over on the ADVISORY page

Aug. 28 a Clayonians living afar, our military folks and those unable to sit on those icy cold bleachers, depend on the local radio station for game coverage. WYAP volunteer Sportscaster TG Griffith does an excellent job letting us know what's happening on the field.

Aug. 28 a To get the entire season on the air, it still takes some jingle. $50 is the asking donation for your business to get mentioned at least four times during each match up. Interested? It's not too late. Email the station at wyaplp@hotmail.com or call and leave a message at 304 587 8353

 

Aug. 27 p For a short period this afternoon, the homepage was all goofed up. Ooooops. It's corrected now.

Aug. 27 p For those wanting to subscribe online, it's now easy. Just go to About Us page and click the PayPal button.

Aug. 27 p Everybody goofs up once in a while.

Aug. 27 p Take the Pentagon for instance. If you walk over to ther School System web site and click the Senority List, something comes up that looks like Hebrew or some other ancient language. If that's English, I know why our Common Core results were so poor.

 

Aug. 27 later a   Clay High Football kicks off Friday night with an away game over in Fayetteville. Non profit 101.7FM plans to air each Varsity game in 2015. To do so, the station needs on air sponsors. The asking donation is $50 for the entire season. Your name, business name, jingle, short message, will be mentioned at least four times during each contest and during the week when volunteers are behind the mic.

Aug. 27 later a If you can help with the effort, call t he station at 304 587 8353 or email em at wyaplp@hotmail.com

Aug. 27 later a Go Panthers!

 

Aug. 27 a During yesterday's County Commission meeting, our elected folks voted to hire William Lee Adkins as the County Dog Warden. He will be paid a $25 bounty for each stray brought in and held for 5 days.

Aug. 27 a William the Bounty Hunter? Not according to Commissioner Fitz

Aug. 27 a After the meeting we asked about the piece rate approach to rounding up every pouch in the county.

Aug. 27 a Fitz says, Nope. Mr Adkins wil respond to tele calls that come  to the Courthouse

Aug. 27 a As a follow up to Barry McCune's attempt to expand decent DSL into downtown Clay and Two Run....

Aug. 27 a It's not just for residential coverage. If you're a business owner, be sure to contact Mr McCune.

Aug. 27 a As to why SuddenLink stops its coverage South of the Town of Clay, an email:   It appears with a quick phone call to the PSC tele branch that Adelphia operated the lines in and around the clay county area from 2006-2007 then sold to Time Warner around the 08-09 era and then sold to Vital (Vidal) Communications in 2010.  They had what they called three "head ins" in our area, which is where the source broadcasts from.  One was in Frametown, second one was in Clay, and the third was in Bomont.  The PSC records indicate that the first two were closed in 2010 and Bomont was closed in 2011 and has set abandoned since then when Vital closed up shop and left.

Aug. 27 a We remember when Ecoco TV operated the system in Clay over to Maysel. With just a handful of channels offered and old old equipment, they went bankrupt. Following those guys, a couple other fly by nights were given the "franchise" by Clay Town Council. Those two groups operating out of the trunk of their cars, never got off the ground

Aug. 27 a The Econoco's equipment was (is) located out on Cemetery Road in Clay and Guy Mullins Rd in Maysel.

Aug. 27 a Here's another email: I am writing as a concerned citizen, neighbor, mother and grandmother on the speed driving on Maysel Laurel Ridge Road.  This road is like the rest of the county and is growing in population with homes and children.  The traffic on this road has picked up tremendously.  Children are people too.  Please slow down and watch for them.   I am not only talking about our bus stop but all of them.   Watch the end of driveways, you never know how fast a little one can move.  Please slow down and watch whether there is school or not. Sincerely   A Concerned Citizen, Neighbor, Mother And Grandmother Connie Sizemore

Aug. 27 a All emails appreciated. Thanks

Aug. 27 a Fresh spuds will be available at today's Farmer's Market on Courthouse Square.

 

Aug. 26 a  Many. most, in Clayberry, have access to one internet provider, Frontier Tele Co. At best, the provided speeds are less than promised by their sales people and advertising campaigns.There are also serious issues with time outs and other times when pauses come and go one right after another.

Aug. 26 a SuddenLink  cable service is available South of the Hartland bridge. SuddenLink customers often boast of quick service and lower prices. SuddenLink offers TV, DSL, and tele service packages

Aug. 26 a Why SuddenLink stops before the Hartland bridge is not known. It may be a result of the old WV PSC franchise era for cable providers. Up until 10 years ago, the Town of Clay had its own provider and voted on the outfit for service.

Aug. 26 a  Poor internet affects about every business in the county. When it goes down, some businesses might as well close their doors. Unsuccessful efforts to get SuddenLink into downtown Clay have come and gone.

Aug. 26 a  Barry McCune has worked at Clay County Bank for years. McCune is fed up with pee poor service and is doing something about it.

Aug. 26 a   We received this email from Mr McCune: I have been speaking to Suddenlink about expanding their coverage area to include the town of Clay and Two Run.  They have asked if we could provide a list of potential customers that can be contacted and verified.  If you are interested in switching your home or office to Suddenlink for your internet, TV or phone service, please contact me at (304)587-4221 or bmccune@claycountybank.com with your contact information.

Aug. 26 a  OK Clickers, here's your chance to do something. Get off your thumbs and email Barry today.

Aug. 26 a Word came a couple meetings ago that the School System was making plans to hire a truancy coach to handle all the kids that hide away from class time. During those discussions, turns out, the Pentagon would received just $30K from State coffers to help with the expense of having someone on the job. The alternative to that, the $30K could be handed over to the Circuit Court where they would do the hiring and handling of truancy .

Aug. 26 a The problem is, $30K isn't enough for pay and benefits to cover the cost of an employee with social worker credentials. Also, when the five year program is over, what happens to the social worker's job.

Aug. 26 a During the last Board meeting, Aug. 24th, a third option was made public.

Aug. 26 a That third option is to not participate in the program.

Aug. 26 a Some time ago, after hearing about strings attached to free grant money, one appointed officials said: We can't afford any more of this free money

Aug. 26 a School Super Kenneth Tanner has been adding pound after pound. He now sports a substantial pot belly. During that last School Board meeting, during one feisty part of the meeting, KT's neck turned red and then into blue up to his ears.

Aug. 26 a Thinking that's high blood pressure and coupled with that girth a plenty, we had a talk with the lad

Aug. 26 a Here's the deal, if Tanner looses 25 pounds by Christmas, this site will be kinder to the Pentagon in 2016.

Aug. 26 a Instead of saying 86% of Clay High 11th graders are unable to do math at grade level.

Aug. 26 a Instead of saying 58% of 8th graders are able to do grade level english

Aug. 26 a  Instead of saying over 70% of all Clay County students are sub par in math, we'll do something different if KT drops those 25 pounds.

Aug. 26 a  Maybe something along the lines of : WOW! 14% of our 11th graders can do math!! Ain't that Grand!

Aug. 26 a In any case, Kenneth Tanner needs some words of encouragement as he tries to shed the excess pounds

Aug. 26 a  The hurherald website reported, Calhoun County would not release the results from 2015 Common Core testing.

Aug. 26 a Tanner did and those findings are in the latest Communicator.

Aug. 26 a We should have given One Ata Boy to Tanner for making those dismal results, public

Aug. 26 a We do so now Atta Boy KT!

 

Aug. 25 a The question of posting meeting agendas came up last night during the School Board meeting.

Aug. 25 a From the peanut gallery came, you didn't post your agenda online until Monday morning after 8 am. Around 4pm, the agenda was changed. Mr Tanner, what's the latest you think you can change your agenda?

Aug. 25 a KT's response: As late as meeting time. We do that, make changes, before approving the agenda

Aug. 25 a  Make Tanner's answer as a big wrong-o

Aug. 25 a On Jan 4, 2007, our local School Board received a West Virginia Ethics Committee opinion on what's proper and what follows state law. That opinion states, meeting agendas must be posted three business days in advance of the public meeting and agendas can be changed no latter than 2 days prior the gathering.

Aug. 25 a The whole idea is for the public to know what our elected folks are doing before they do it.

Aug. 25 a If a govt agency follows an Ethic's Opinion, it is an "absolute defense" against any court challenge.

Aug. 25 a  Common Core test results were discussed near the end of the meeting. Tanner was upbeat on student performance.

Aug. 25 a Truth is, test results in Clayberry and statewide for that matter, is abysmal. KT is paid well to be upbeat and see the sunnyside.

Aug. 25 a As for bottom of the gutter math scores, Boardster Beth Cercone laid much of the blame on current text books Cercone: No one is tearing up jack in math. Integrated Math I and Math II is a bunch of garbage.

Aug. 25 a We couldn't agree more

Aug. 25 a School enrollment remains about the same this year with enrollment hovering around 2000 kids.

Aug. 25 a Breakdown: H E White Elem 109; Lizemore Elem 122+; Big Otter Elem 260+; CLay Elem 530; Clay High 550; Clay Middle 435

Aug. 24 a The School Board changed their meeting dates in the middle of the Summer. With that change, they're suppose to meet the second and fourth Monday of each month. State law requires each public body to post their meeting agenda three business days before convening the gathering. For the Sch Bd, the thang has to be posted on Thursdays.

Aug. 24 a This is the fourth Monday of August.

Aug. 24 a As of 7am this morning, still no agenda available online.

 

Aug. 22 p We've had a great week in Clayberry

Aug. 22 p In addition to beautiful Summer weather, the yard apes went back to school.

Aug. 22 p On Friday, the operators of  the new IGA conducted job interviews over at that wittle newspaper in downtown Clay. Disputing rumors that no one wants to work in the County of Little, the waiting line stretched out the door and onto the sidewalk

Aug. 22 p  Word now has it, the opening of the establishment will be Monday August 31st. Great!

Aug. 22 p   While we sleep, deer emptied our gardens of about everything but hot cayenne peppers.

Aug. 22 p There's been a dispute between the CAEZ and the BC&G RR Co-Op over who owns the big red caboose parked over at the Dundon Campground. The CAEZ claimed ownership because they contributed several 1000 dollars to the purchase price of $27,000 back in Nov. 2006.

Aug. 22 p After sifting thru stacks of old records, during Saturday's BC&G RR meeting, the original signed, notarized bill of sale was shown to attendees. The document was made out to the BC&G only and states as such in two places.

Aug. 22 p We think, the find will avert any court challenge , saber rattling,  by the CAEZ

Aug. 22 p Bids were opened for the sale of the caboose. Dave Pierson was the high bidder.

Aug. 22 p  Before the BC&G shuts down, they are giving away all their assets ($) to various county non profits. See latest Communicator for details.

Aug. 22 p Two weeks ago, the group voted who gets what on about 70% of their wealth. Once again, see Communicator for details

Aug. 22 p With everything winding down, they also agreed to fund a 4H Tee Shirt request (about $800) for next year's summer camp and 101.7 FM's request ($1500) for help with paying insurance and broadcast royalties.

Aug. 22 p Based on other funds on hand and no CAEZ lawsuit over the sale of that last caboose,, additional recipients will include, Clay Little League for new rest rooms & storage room at Dundon Ball field and a free book program for school kids brought by the American Teacher's Federation

Aug. 22 p It was a great week in this humble little place!

Aug. 22 p Don't set at home clickers, gather the family and do something Sunday.

Aug. 21 a  Some say because it's all new, Common Core test results are particularly bad this year. We have the county wide break down in the latest edition of the Communicator. The local system made the findings public,  Monday, Aug. 17th.

Aug. 21 a That's not the case over in Calhoun County where their Superintendent is keeping em underwraps.

Aug. 21 a How does keeping the results secret improve anything.

Aug. 21 a About as bad as the CAEZ saying ALL their records are top secret

Aug. 21 a Maybe not so much in Clayberry, but there's always some fair or festival going on the state. We've added a few over on the EVENTS page. MArk your calendars for great West Virginia fun.

 

Aug. 20 a After working a day, a night, and then another full day, we took a big long nap

Aug. 20 a We're back at web posting now.

Aug. 20 a  Hard work is put into putting out a Communicator as well as making it as accurate as possible

Aug. 20 a Things change overnight

Aug. 20 a   We listed on the front page , notice of an article on Town Badge Malcomb Cottrell being dismissed by the Mayor a week and a half ago. Somehow, some way, the article got cut from the latest edition of Clayberry's locally owned and operated newspaper.

Aug. 20 a With his cruiser parked behind the wa wa plant and his gear turned in, the Town is without protection once again

Aug. 20 a  We have an update on Jay Carper vs the County lawsuit.

Aug. 20 a Former county public official Jay Carper was fired from the Health Dept  several years ago after they found evidence of porn viewing on Carper's puter.

Aug. 20 a Since getting axed, Carper went thru all the Civil Service appeals followed by time in Circuit Court. In each instance, the guy lost.

Aug. 20 a Last year, suing about everyone that has insurance coverage in the county, Carper took the same case to Federal Court in Charleston. After many costly depositions and a hearing, poor little Jay again came up on the short end of the stick yet again.

Aug. 20 a Jay Carper aided by his attorney Hiram Lewis , has cost the county beau coups. It ain't over yet.

Aug. 20 a Word came this week that Lewis is appealing Jay's case.

Aug. 20 a The quest for a big settlement is still  their hearts.

Aug. 20 a  Today is the first day of school in County Clay

Aug. 20 a Parents have made it thru any Summer. For the most, they didn't pinch the heads off the curtain climbers

Aug. 20 a  Buses ran early, late, kids weren't where they were suppose to be, some didn't show. Teachers went thru the annual ritual of trying to get control of their wards.

Aug. 20 a  Watch out for the small fries as they jump off the buses and take off running this afternoon.

Aug. 20 a For those in need of a food handler's card, see ADVISORY page now

 

Aug. 18 p   Patsy Dorsey, 80, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 18 p  Garry Bullard 78, of Maysel, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 18 p Two guys doing a wheelie wind up on top of a Badgemobile

Aug. 18 p CAEZ claiming they don't have to show their meeting minutes to the public

Aug. 18 p  74% of our 9th graders cannot do math on grade level

Aug. 18 p 80% of our Clayberry students in the 6th grade don't have a basic understanding of math

Aug. 18 p 86% of CCHS 11th graders could not do math on grade level

Aug. 18 p Now that's something to celebrate!

Aug. 18 p Those and a whole bunch more in the latest edition of the Communicator

Aug. 18 p On sale now. Enjoy

Aug. 17 p 60% chance of big thunder boomers tonight with flash flood watch in affect for our Southern border colony, Kanawha

Aug. 17 p We're working the night away to get out the next edition of County Clay's locally owned and operated newspaper, the Communicator

Aug. 17 p For a mere 80 cents, we'll fill you in on a lad that managed to crash the hood of a Green Shirt mobile while pulling a wheelie; the demise of the long awaited downtown Clay StreetScape project, the CAEZ Director stating the her agency's public records aren't public after all;  one time County employee Jay Carper loosing his civil case against many in the county; and, the Town Badge fired by the Mayor. .

Aug. 17 p All that, unless the power goes off tonight, and available around 3:30 pm on Tuesday. Enjoy

 

Aug. 14 p A lot folks call, email or ask, why don't you investigate this that or something else.

Aug. 14 p We do what we can but for the most part, our time is spent attending public meetings and reporting on what the Bozo's have to say..

Aug. 14 p We'd like to welcome a brand new web advertiser to this site, Check out Bonazzo Investigations on the homepage.

Aug. 14 p Note: the am post has been revised three times since 9 this morning. please reread

Aug. 14 p With little humidity weighing us down, it's starting to feel like Fall

Aug. 14 p With Fall comes hunting out of truck windows, off the back porch and on posted land.

Aug. 14 p Before small fries can hunt they have to pass a  Hunter Education Class. Details on the next class over on the ADVISORY page.

Aug. 14 p The last day for the Clay County Pool 2015 season is Saturday with a big pool party beginning at 7pm. See EVENTS page for more.

Aug. 14 p Greg Wagner is the local piano tuner and a web site developer among other things.

Aug. 14 p Those other things now include publishing a book. Check out the ADVISORY page for details

Aug. 14 p Many people, groups, agencies, come to Town peddling an idea that will change the world and somehow turn life in County Clay into something to envy

Aug. 14 p For the most part, actually 100% of the time, the only benefit realized is to the presenter.

Aug. 14 p 6 years or so ago, one of those carpetbaggers worked thru  the CAEZ to come up with a slam bang web site build sure to improve life in these parts and make every child smart and wealthy.

Aug. 14 p That trails are us web site went on line with those promises in hand.

Aug. 14 p Now years later, the site is still there but horribly out of date and now misleads the world on where to eat, sleep, and have fun in Clayberry.

 

Aug. 14 a Decima "Jean" (Boggs) Baker, 87, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 14 a  Neil P  Boggs, 86, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 14 a Last Saturday, during the BC&G RR meeting, discussion turned to checking CAEZ meeting minutes before making a final decision on the Co-Op selling their last caboose. The RR group asked the ace cub reporter for a little research on the CAEZ meeting minutes.

Aug. 14 a  During those discussions, CAEZ Committee Chair, Peter Selich, was firm in his statement, all meeting minutes are public record.

Aug. 14 a A couple days after the meeting, CAEZ Director Connie Lupardus had a completely different take on public records being public. Thursday morning, Big Lup told the Mel Gobson Look Alike, our records are NOT subject to Open Meeting Law since the CAEZ is not a govt agency and they do NOT have to let anybody see anything.

Aug. 14 a BUT, out of the kindness of her heart, Big Lup would allow such record review.

Aug. 14 a At issue is whether the CAEZ donated the last caboose to the BC&G or whether they are a part owner of that last caboose.

Aug. 14 a After reviewing the CAEZ Board meeting minutes of 2005 and 2006, something real interesting

Aug. 14 a There is not one mention of the CAEZ Board of Directors discussing or voting to loan or grant the BC&G RR Co-Op anything on the caboose (2) and locomotive. Not one mention.

Aug. 14 a There is a Nov 9 2006 mention of an engine and caboose setting on the tracks at Dundon

Aug. 14 a There is a May 2 2006 reference to Fola Coal donating a switching engine to the BC&G RR Co-Op.

Aug. 14 a Director Lup as well as Boardster Linda Rhodes  says the CAEZ  provided $5000 (and a second $5K) toward the purchase of two caboose and an engine.   So far, the CAEZ has NOT provided any proof of that claim.

Aug. 14 a $5k is a lot of $$$. $10K is even more.

Aug. 14 a Through out the minutes, there are many references and votes to loans and grant funds to different groups.

Aug. 14 a How could it be that there's NOT one mention of this large pay and for that matter, no mention of even a request for funding,  in the official record of the  CAEZ, their meeting minutes

Aug. 14 a Might be time for one of those long Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Aug. 14 a This is the week that there's suppose to be huge meteor showers in the night sky. Expectations are, up to 90 streaks across the sky per hour.

Aug. 14 a  For the ace cub reporter, Wed night after 11pm and Thursday night around 10pm, the night sky did reveal something

Aug. 14 a After laying in the meadow grass each night, just two meteors were seen.

Aug. 14 a What was revealed was a major pain in the neck. One of those like you get after falling asleep on the couch with your head cocked to one side. The kind so severe, you got to use your hands to lift the head up.

Aug. 14 a Shirt on those meteors!

 

Aug. 13 a Clay Roane PSD does a nice job of keeping media outlets up to date on their monthly meetings. A quick email to all the regional media outlets does the trick.

Aug. 13 a Tonight's meeting agenda can be found over on the ADVISORY page as well as all the back to school info

 

Aug. 12 a Bev Whaling convened her second Town Council meeting on the 11th at 5pm. This time around, she found her stride and brought to the table important items like having maintenance people on call for emergencies and call out pay. Great!

Aug. 12 a During that public meeting the long stalled downtown Clay streetscape project was finally given attention in an attempt to get it back on track. Engineer Brent Spraudling was on hand to give guidance. The guy shed light on the need to have $50K in local funds on hand to meet the "match" requirements.

Aug. 12 a Lots of discussion followed including Recorder Dwana Murphy showing a the elected body a big box of streetscape forms and letters. It was the first time the box had been opened in years.

Aug. 12 a Found in the box was documentation that the Town had been awarded $15,000.00 in Governor's Partnership Grants that were to be used as part of the local match. The grants were issued in 2008-2009.   When the box was opened and the "gold certificates" as they are called, were discovered, jaws dropped.

Aug. 12 a Those grants have a shelf life of around 24 months. After that, the grant dollars go back to Charleston

Aug. 12 a   Here's another example of elected officials NOT staying on top of a free hand out and for all intents and purpose, most likely, loosing those funds.

Aug. 12 a Very sad in Clay.

Aug. 12 a That entire meeting 76 minutes worth, will be aired on 101.7 FM this morning beginning at 9am.

 

Aug. 11 p The 58 minute long School Board revealed nothing new. One thing that wasn't mentioned was the Common Core test results. Counties across the state received results last week. Not a peep last night during the public gathering

Aug. 11 p  The important thing to remember, it's not how we compare to other West Virginia counties but instead, how our educational process stacks up with those across the nation

Aug. 11 p There were a couple quickies last night.

Aug. 11 p During hiring, Dave Pierson raised questions on, are we increasing the number of teachers. Assurances were given that the new hires were just replacements

Aug. 11 p A little harder to hear but it sounded like, during bill paying time, Cheryl White asked for more detailed stats in the future on travel expenses on those that spend about as much time away from school as there

Aug. 11 p On the agenda was discussion to add asst. coaches to for CHS Volleyball and Track teams.

Aug. 11 p General consensus, let's do it

Aug. 11 p They should too. There's right at 6 coaches for CHS Football which has around 27 kids but only one coach for each of the VolleyBall and Track teams which have more athletes involved.

Aug. 11 p Last month several Southern states took down the Confederate battle flag as a way to mend racial ways.

Aug. 11 p Since then, even here in Clayberry, have you noticed all the new Confederate flags, shirts, bumper stickers and the like?

Aug.  11 p If you want to display the real COnfederate flag, it should be the white banner of surrender

 

Aug. 10 p In every edition of the Communicator, Norman Johnson provides a Stihl power equipment ad.

Aug. 10 p Without fail, the thing shows a nice looking male or female performing some task and always covered with protective wear.  Leg chaps, long sleeve shirt, vest, ear muffs, face shield, gloves and such are standard..

Aug. 10 p The ace cub reporter reads the ad each edition as do many weekend outdoors men.

Aug. 10 p With just a small patch of weeds to be whacked, the ace cub reporter went to the backyard this morning armed with his Stihl weed whacker but dressed in shorts and T Shirt.

Aug. 10 p Everything was going well until he sliced thru a yeller jacket's nest.

Aug. 10 p At first it felt like a piece of dirt flying here and there followed by a little ouch.

Aug. 10 p It didn't take long for those little attack animals to find pay dirt on the nipple, behind the ear, in the arm pit, and up and down his bare legs.

Aug. 10 p With the whacker still running at full blast,  the lardy took off running, swatting,  and spinning around.

Aug. 10 p Two pine tree seedlings and nearly a stray cat were beheaded while retreating to the porch.

Aug. 10 p There might be something to those Stihl ads which promote safety first.

Aug. 10 p

Aug. 10 a  Bethel Carol Nichols, 88, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 10 a It's this time of year when the school system kicks into high gear. That's where people bail out and head to other counties and the game of moving positions adds to the headaches of getting school open for another year.

Aug. 10 a Tonight's School Board agenda is another example of the musical chair game.

Aug. 10 a When you want brain surgery from a car mechanic? How about having your taxes performed by a social worker?

Aug. 10 a There's a reason we have degrees in teaching.

Aug. 10 a  For this and many other counties, we're hiring just about anyone to fill positions.

Aug. 10 a Tuesday afternoon is the rescheduled Town Council meeting

Aug. 10 a Wed morning the County Commissioners meet at 10am

Aug. 10 a With rain the forecast, why not attend  a public meeting?

 

Aug. 9 a In the last seven days of so, parents were  getting their kids ready for school opening, buses were seen on the roads, and notices were posted on new year Volley Ball and Cheerleader try outs.

Aug. 9 a With humidity all but gone, feels like Fall. Hostas are blooming. The lawn has turned into broom sage. Monstrous tomatoes are turned into tomato, cheese and mayo sandwiches.  Watermelons are now bright red and juiciest

Aug.  9 a Tuesday morning Sheriff Sample's civil suit against Patriot and Cunningham Energy Companies went as expected, if you owe taxes, you got to pay em. The county netted around $18,000 for his efforts

Aug. 9 a Clayberry got a little closer to having a franchise grocery store as a work crew spent a bunch of time at the old Piggly Wiggly building covering it with fresh coat of gold paint.

Aug. 9 a Saturday morning the Buffalo Creek and Gauley RailRoad Co-Op got together for one of their last meetings.

Aug. 9 a On the 8th, they had their biggest crowd in years as they made plans to sell of assets and award grants to non profits

Aug. 9 a It wasn't all smooth either.

Aug. 9 a The BC&G claims ownership of a Wabash caboose, three metal carports, a small wooden cottage building along with picnic tables and benches. Their plan was to bid  off most of the assets and hand out the $$$ to those just mentioned, non profits.

Aug. 9a One problem. the Central Appalachia EMpowerment Zone (CAEZ) says they own the caboose and carports. CAEZ office manager Michelle Bodkins and Eco Dev Chair Peter Selich (also a BCG RR Co Op member) were in attendance to present their side of the argument.

Aug. 9a And it is an argument.

Aug. 9 a At one point Selich loudly challenged BC&G Chair J R Spencer who was questioning his integrity. CAEZ is basing its ownership claim on a signed, handwritten note that states, both groups owe around $18,000 on rolling stock including the caboose. The BC&G says they have checks where they purchased railroad cars.

Aug. 9 a In the end, the question came, did the CAEZ give all that stuff to the BC&G. Answer, no one knew.

Aug. 9 a Instead of continuing the skirmish, at least one guy will go over to the CAEZ and read the meeting minutes

Aug. 9 a And then there's the three metal carports which were to be sold to the highest bidders. Didn't happen.

Aug. 9 a  Turns out one of the metal units was given to the CAEZ's campground and CAEZ is claiming squatter's ownership for the temporary structures.

Aug. 9 a 8 non profits submitted proposals for around $18 K in hand outs.

Aug. 9 a Before anything  got going, Michelle asked the BC&G to instead give all the $$$ to the CAEZ for use at their campground.

Aug. 9 a Requesters included, CLay High, Clay High Boosters, PeeWee Football x2, BDA, WYAP, 4H Leaders Assoc., and Family Resource Network (FRN).

Aug. 9 a After reading out loud each of the requests, the BC&G decided with a show of hands which would be given priority funding.

Aug. 9 a Highest among requesters was Clay High who wanted around $40K for everything from curtains, drapes, blinds, and after school buses.

Aug. 9 a Based on that show of hands, it LOOKS LIKE the pay outs will include: an educational trip during next year's 4H camp, $2000;  FRN funding for back packs, booster seats, personal hygiene stuff for 6th graders, shoes, socks around $8500;  one half mile 911 markers for the BDA's hiking trail.

Aug. 9 a Depending on how the money flows, if there's any left over, next priority will be given to T Shirts for 4H kids and WYAP radio.

Aug. 9 a Those with empty hands for sure include: cheerleader uniforms for the small fries; new dug outs over at Dundon; brush cutting alone the new hiking trail; upgrading BDA office space; and the multi directional CHS request for $40K

Aug. 9 a The grants will be signed during the August 22nd meeting, 10am, at Spread Park. By then the research on CAEZ meeting minutes should provide a clear picture on who actually owns the big metal caboose.

Aug. 9 a It was a good meeting on a beautiful Saturday morning on the banks of the Elk where the waterway sported a bunch of rafts , kayaks, and canoes. Those folks were laughing and having a great time.

Aug. 9 a Tourism is here whether we organiize it for our best advantage  or not.

Aug. 9 a

Aug. 7 later p The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Co-Op voted a couple months ago to shut down the company and sell of their assets.

Aug. 7 late p Quite possibly their meeting, comes Saturday morning, 10am, at Spread Park. On the agenda Saturday is opening sealed bids on some nice carports and their last caboose. There MIGHT be some picnic tables, benches , and a small wooden cottage available as well.

Aug. 7 late p Perseid's Comet is coming our way this month with up to 80 meteors per hour streaking across the night sky.

Aug. 7 later p  Yard sales continue across the county Saturday.

 

Aug. 7 p  Sally Ann (Ramsey) Holcomb, 62, of Lizemores, WV , see OBITUARY page

Aug. 7 p  John Robert Varney, 65, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 7 a We've got lots of color dotting the county today.

Aug. 7 a Not flowers, but, yard sale signs. At about every intersection there's orange and lime and bright green posters touting good selection and location. Noticed three of those sales  in the Maysel area alone.

Aug. 7 a Slight chance of morning showers followed by cloudy sunshine the rest of the day.

Aug. 7 a Sheriff Samples brought in some bacon Tuesday.

Aug. 7 a It took a total of 40 minutes for the Circuit Court case where a couple oil and gas companies were ordered to pay taxes on the holdings.

Aug. 7 a Total take , right at $18,000.

Aug. 7  Two more gas companies come to court in Dec    We have to pay taxes, corporations should too

Aug. 7 a IGA Alert

Aug. 7 a Now we're hearing, the new IGA store is set to open in early Sept.. This week, a couple fellers have been busy putting a fresh coat of gold paint on the outside of the place

 

Aug. 6 a  We've got a small band of writers that contribute to The Communicator on  a  regular basis. With no money involved, keep in mind, they do it to get their message out to the world.

Aug. 6 a New Communicator is now available and worth every penny of the 80 cents.

Aug. 6 a Thank you

Aug. 6 a Voting is about the most important thing you can do as an American. In these parts, you have to head over to the Courthouse, sign up so many days before an election, and provide the County Clerk with updates every time you move

Aug. 6 a Nationally, Republicrats are working to make it tougher to be a registered voter with ID requirement enhancements. Their idea is to make it tougher for the more common Demorats to voice their opinion.

Aug. 6 a Oregon just changed their thinking. Instead of signing up to vote, Oregon says, you're a registered voter unless you opt out of the system. How refreshing. Here's the right way to include everyone no matter their color or persuasion.

Aug. 6 a  We've had another attack on movie goers. This time, the guy was handling an air pistol and pepper spray.

Aug. 6 a As we've stated time after time, we don't need gun restrictions, we need more $$$ going toward mental health.

Aug. 6 a How about this for a great way to get into a prison.

Aug. 6 a  A small drone remotely flew  over a prison courtyard in Ohio and dropped a nice little care package of drugs and smokes.

 

Aug. 5 p   Mildred Ann Carter, 89, of Nebo, WV, see OBITUARY page

Aug. 5 p  Sally Ann (Ramsey) Holcomb, 62, of Lizemores, WV , see OBITUARY page

 

Aug. 5 a  It's real tough keeping a business alive in this outback place. For most businesses, internet service is as important as electric.

Aug. 5 a Frontier provides DSL for most of Clayberry.

Aug. 5 a For much of Monday, Tuesday and until around 7:15 this morning, Frontier DSL service has been non existent. For the last 24 hours, Zip, nothing.

Aug. 5 a For those wanting to raise cane with Frontier, now's the time to start making notes on when DSL is down or otherwise, impossible to use

Aug. 5 a The Communicator made it to news stands across a five county area Tuesday afternoon. Pretty good one too if you're interested in Badges pulling a non compliant motorcyclist off a moving bike and School Board plans to install time clock software requiring teachers to show up on time and stay on the job for the entire day.

 

Aug. 3 later p   Andrew Keith Truman, 67, of Clay, see OBITUARY page.

Aug. 3 p Uh Oh, the ace cub reporter just screwed up the CLASSIFIED page on this site. They're all gone. For those posting on that page, email over again. We lost everything. Blame it on stupid unthinking fingers.

Aug. 3 a We're starting the last month of Summer with nice sunshine and gardens starting to produce nicely.

Aug. 3 a The Business Development Authority meets tonight beginning at 6:30pm. Their public meetings are held in the old State Road garage building in Two Run. Here's the agenda for tonight's gathering.

Aug. 3 a The Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) gathers their band of Directors Tuesday at the Courthouse. The Eco Development Committee meets at 4pm followed by the full Board at 6pm.

Aug. 3 a We would link to the CAEZ website but  the site appears to be kaput as of this morning.

Aug. 3 a Normally, Town Council meets the first Tuesday of each month. That's been rescheduled to August 11th at 5pm.

Aug. 3 a Don't forget, the School Board changed their meetings to the second and fourth Monday of the month.

Aug. 3 a  Interesting chatter on the scanner late afternoon Saturday up in the Big Otter section of the county. As for a response by the Clay Ambulance Service, Nope, none available. Instead, Calhoun and Roane units were toned for service.

Aug. 3 a  Sounded like some kind of drug overdose situation for two people in a residence along Big Otter Highway.

Aug. 3 a Quick response needed and no Clay Ambulance available.   That happens often in County Clay

Aug. 3 a Every where you look, someone has a cellphone stuck to their face or worse yet, they're wearing one of those little ear pieces with a microphone sticking out. For about 90% of everybody, when they're not looking down at it, the device is stuck int heir front or back pocket. Cellphones cause cancer. Be warned.

Aug. 3 a In the entire U S of A,  Clayberry is ranked 316,542th  according to this ranking service.

Aug. 3 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon if all goies well. We're accepting chatters, classifieds, obits., etc until 5pm. Email now

 

Aug. 1 p   Delmar McCune, 51, of Indore,  see OBITUARY page

July 31 p Tomorrow is hands down the biggest Yard Sale Day of the year. Moms are out looking for back to school clothes for the brats. With kids in tow, they too want to purchase some cheap trinket.

July 31 p Many of the industrious folks were set up today along major roads with bright colored signs stuck on every utility pole coming and going

July 31 p  With good weather expected and based on the number of signs around the county, August 1st is going to be prime shopping time in County Clay.

July 31 p Get out early, bring a couple bucks with ya and enjoy a day in Clay.

 

July 31 a  Larry Gail Caudill see OBITUARY page

July 31 a For those in the Lizemores area, the 106.7 FM transmitter gave up the ghost  and is down for repairs. The plan is to have up and running before CCHS football season. Not sure of the problem for the almost new transmitter.

July 31 a  In the way of news, we don't have any.

July 31 a The biggest excitement for the last couple days, the Gino's parking lot was paved on Thursday.

 

July 30 a Big rain and thunder boomers ripped thru the county last night. Electric blinked off and on . This morning most have juice and even DSL.

July 30 a The Communicator and this website are strong advocates for open govt meetings. Over the years, we've seen all kinds of extremes to cover tracks. At one point, the old Ambulance Authority held a special meeting where they  budgeted $50K to cover lawyer fees in an expected lawsuit on meeting agenda abuses. At issue was not posting meeting agendas

July 30 a  Interestingly enough, the notice for that special meeting was not properly posted

July 30 a That lawsuit never went to court and the Ambulance Authority was disbanded for being inept. Good!

July 30 a The Dominion Post newspaper in Morgantown  ran a front page article Sunday morning on the DOH  efforts keep that newspaper away from a public meeting where road conditions was the topic of discussion.

July 30 a  DOH District 4 Engineer Ray Urse told meeting organizers, he would strongly suggest not to invite The Dominion Post and if you must have them, I will send my written response to question.

July 30 a  50 people showed for the meeting but no Ray Urse.

July 30 a  In that instance, a Govt. worker advocated to exclude the media and did so in a public way.

July 30 a How dumb can you get?

July 30 a In that for instance and here in Clayberry, transparency is vital. So vital, the Constitution gives special emphasis to its importance.

July 30 a Thanks JJ for forwarding the article.

 

July 29 p  Irene Cantrell of Procious,  see OBITUARY page

July 29 p  Robert Graham, 59, of Indore, see OBITUARY page

 

July 29 a Up near 100 degrees yesterday with bright sunshine. It's starting to feel like Summer aughta be. Tomatoes are starting to make their second showing. Great!

July 29 a Five years ago we recommended Malwarebytes anti malware as a great program to have on your puter.  During the last four days, the ace cub reporter was having problems on the machine  used to update this site. Turns out, Malwarebytes was the problem. After a quick re install, everything is back to good.

July 29 a Not sure what happened or why things starting to crash but we still recommend Malwarebytes as a great tool to beat the nasty stuff lurking on the internet.

July 29 a We're way behind on web postings but hope to catch up today.

July 29 a Monday evening at the Pentagon, the School Board met minus Boardster Dave Pierson

July 29 a From that gathering, a couple nuggets....

July 29  a   Superintendent Kenneth Tanner says year end numbers aren't in yet but, he feels certain, the school system finished the last fiscal year in the black and all the bills have been paid.

July 29 a As for teachers and administrators off on conference after conference and running up travel expense bills, that too has been checked and reduced.

July 29 a If that's all true, quite a change and worthy of a big AtaBoy!

July 29 a How many of ya have seen teachers running around Clay during a school day?

July 29 a During the 75 minute meeting Monday, discussion and plans we're laid to install a new super dooper time clock system to check attendance and "tardy" personnel. When the new gear gets installed, the Pentagon will have  an accurate, speedy way to monitor all those that sneak in the back door late.

July 29 a  As for the snot lickers missing school....

July 29 a For the last few years, if a brat missed more than 5 days, they were truant and subject to criminal court proceedings. Ditto for the parents of the wayward ankle biter.

July 29 a That's changing this year when that five day limit changes to 10 days.

July 29 a  Te Pentagon will hire someone to act as a Truancy Czar to go after the little rascals. The Truancy Czar handles the problems before anything makes it over to the Court system

July 29 a State funds will cover about $30K of the new expenses.

July 29 a Social worker needing a job? Go see KT soon.

 

July 27 a Early last week Zak Daniels shot and killed Brian DeBoard.

July 27 a The full criminal complaint is in the latest Communicator

July 27 a After three nights in jail, Zak Daniels was released on Friday, July 24th.

July 27 a Yesterday, Magistrate Jeff Boggs said, he found no  probable cause and all charges were dismissed

July 27 a Magistrate Assistant Vicky Gency provided, she knew of no new charges lodged against Daniels

July 27 a In the community, locals are saying the lad is now somewhere in New York

July 27 a Self defense? Other charges pending?  Indictment down the road?

July 27 a Only time will tell.

July 27 a If you want to hear last night's School Board meeting, the community radio stations will be airing the hour long gathering beginning at 8:45 this morning

July 27 a The radio station is still sorting out the operation after moving to their new Carr Street digs last weekend. During the move their internet connection tot he live stream went down.

July 27 a To listen online, go to www.wyap.com and click the "listen online" button. Some of the links are now active again.

July 17 a We'll provide updates latter today

July 27 a

July 27a  The ace cub reporter is having puter problems, slow or no updates til things get ironed out

July 27 a  School Board meets Monday night at 6pm at the Pentagon. Here's agenda.

July 27a  Email ain't working either. Sorry

July 27 a Birthday Boys for today include Bugs Bunny born July 27 1940 turning 75 today plus more local, Peter Triplett and Gary King.

July 27 a All aging in place very graciously

 

July 25 p  Terry Blaine Tanner, 49, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

July 25 p We've only had about 7 days of warm dry summer weather in 2015 but the back to school info is now posted on the ADVISORY page

 

July 24 a  Eddie Lee Kuhl, 55, of Duck, see OBITUARY page

July 24 a For those that like weather stuff and with a Procious touch, here's Joe Fitzwater's weather site.

July 24 a  County Clay has a bunch of volunteer groups that do good work. Ditto for some of the govt agencies

July 24 a  Tonight and tomorrow is the annual Ag Fair out at Clay County Park.

July 24 a  For the kids, it's big stuff culminating months of hard.

July 24 a The AG Fair is another example of a handful of people pulling off a nice event but forgot an important aspect.

July 24 a They forgot, again, to advertise their effort. No signs were up even a couple days ago.

July 24 a They didn't email notices and enticements to get the public out to Clay County Park

July 24 a Other than those trying to comply with grant requirements, that's common for most good things happening in the county.

July 24 a Communications is real simple these days. Instead of costly mailings, groups trying to grow their event, can quickly email to regional media outlets for a free "nudge"

July 24 a Enjoy the weekend one and all

 

July 23 a Feels like Fall this morning. For Clayberry, Fall means the Apple Fest. Nominations for the Apple Belle have to be in by the end of July. See ADVISORY page today.

July 23 a  We got a little ahead of our self in yesterday's post

July 23 a County Commission did not hire a Courthouse janitor and dog catcher. Instead, they agreed to start the hiring process. Interested in a part time job? Go see the County Clerk . Applications available

July 23 a  The new hiking trail opened June 5th. Based on the trampled weeds, we think people are using it.

July 23 a During yesterday's CCC meeting, Lynn Sizemore updated the folks up front on the trail. Sizemore had a couple folks on the trail when they came upon some broken glass. That stuff is bad but the out of towners were real concerned about some "seedy" characters parked in lawn chairs and hanging out on the Pisgah end of the attraction.

July 23 a During the last BDA meeting, others raised the same issue.

July 23 a Now the bad, there's a new Kid's Count survey released. Those figures show the state has slipped even further to the bottom of the list including, 38% of the rug rats are living in families where no parent has a full time job.

July 23 a Strange bead fellers...

July 23 a Hillary and Bill were at the Don's last wedding. The Don contributed to the Clinton foundation.

July 23 a Weird Facts:   The funny thing about this is that cold germs does not do well in colder weather, but the flu virus thrives in colder air. The only thing that affects you getting a cold is the germ itself and your less likely to come in contact the the germ in colder weather. If you come into contact with someone who has a cold, breathe through your mouth, mouth germs can actually help kill the cold germs.

July 23 a Darn good pizza is at Pizza and Cream up in Nebo. Hands down , the best tasting pizza in the county.

July 23 a The Miller's have added pepperoni rolls to their line up. Not just any pepperoni roll but something wrapped in pizza dough and baked in their wood fired oven

July 23 a Like none other, sort of crispy too.

 

July 22 late p  Brian Jason DeBoard, 33, of Indore, see OBITUARY page

 

July 22 p Just because you get an email or hear it, that doesn't make it true

July 22 p For instance...

July 22 p There are  a bunch of stories on Lee Marvin fighting at Iwo Jima during World War II. True he was a Marine and true he received a Purple Heart after getting shot in the butt but no , he nor Captain Kangaroo were at Iwo Jima. Here's the truth.

July 22 p For instance...

July 22 p There's a bunch of stories on Mister Rogers serving as a Marine at Vietnam and having so many tattoos on his arms, he had to wear his famous sweaters to cover them up. None of that is true.  Rogers was never in the military. How about that rumor  about being arrested as a child pervert. Nope never happened.  Flipping off kids on his last show? Never having kids on his show? Here's the truth on Fred Rogers including being a Presbyterian Minister.

July 22 a  Aubrey Preston Ferrebee, 83, see OBITUARY page

July 22 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 am.

July 22 a Long time janitor / dog warden, Walter Stutler,  the only employee that can be hired by the CCC, quit his job

July 22 a This morning the CCC plans to replace Walter Stutler with most likely, two people.

July 22a Public meeting and always interesting

July 22 a Communicator made it out the door Tuesday afternoon. Get all the details on Clayberry today

July 22 a Ole Kelley Fulkerson just added a new notch today. Happy Birthday to Mr Fulkerson

 

July 20 a Slightly breezy, clouds in the sky and every once in a while, a little sunshine peeps thru

July 20 a For years, the School Board has met the first and third Monday of each month. Last meeting, they changed their regular meeting dates to the second and fourth Monday beginning at 6pm.

July 20 a We were ready to raise H about the meeting agenda not being posted on time. Rats!

July 20 a The meeting is next Monday.

July 20 a The Hur Herald web site is reporting, winds of 110 mph last week in Roane County.

July 20 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon if all goes well.

July 20 a Submit your classified, obits, tips, news, chatters, today by 5pm. Thanks

 

July 18 p  Cora Fugate, 92, of Indore. see OBITUARY page

July 18 p  Lucy Mae McKinney, 83,  see OBITUARY ppage

July 17 a While a bunch of us enjoyed a Thursday full of sunshine, as of noon Thursday, many in the ELkhurst Rd section of county remained without electricity.

July 17 a Zach Daniels was arraigned before Magistrate Jeff Rider Thursday. In a "capitol" case, it takes a Circuit Court Judge to set bail.  As of 9 am this morning, bail has not been set for Mr Daniels who remains lodged in Central Regional Jail.

July 17 a The State Journal publishes a glossy newsy magazine each month highlighting business stuff from around W Va.

July 17 a  This month comes their annual "55 Good Things" in the state where each county gets a full page spread on something going happening

July 17 a For Clayberry, here's the link for our page.

July 17 a With the sun shining brightly, get out and have some fun today!

July 16 p It's a very sad day in Clay.

July 16 p Last night just before 11pm, Zachary  Isaiah Daniels (DOB  12-1-88)  shot and killed Brian DeBoard . The two were roommates in a house at 743 Laurel Fork Rd

July 16 p In the criminal complaint penned by Green Shirt S L Bass and according to statements made by Zach Daniels, the two men were arguing over rent and got into a fight. Somewhere in the scuffle, DeBoard went after a 9mm handgun.

July 16 p The fight resumed with both wanting control of the sidearm. The weapon went off twice before Daniels was able to get the gun. Zach shot Brian in the left leg probably severing the femoral artery.

July 16 p Daniels went to a neighbors house and dialed 911

July 16 p Brian's Father, Mitch, was first at the scene. The body was found in an upstairs hallway. Bass confirmed death at the seen. Green Shirts called the Crime Scene Unit to investigate.

July 16 p  Zachary Daniels was charged with first degree murder.

July 16 p  It is our understanding, when that main artery is cut, a bleed out comes in a matter of minutes

July 16 p  Brian DeBoard worked over at Mt Olive prison and served on the Clay County Business Development Authority Board.

July 16 p Hard worker Brian was also one with a great personality and an easy to come, bright smile.

July 16p Brian will be missed. It is truly a sad day in Clay.

July 16 p Around the county, we are in shock. Many are asking, loss of life over a rent payment?

 

July 16 a Just before 11pm last night, scanner listeners head a call for Badges in the Sycamore area of the county. Something a shooting. The jail website listed a 26 year old Zachary Daniels from Clayberry early this morning.

July 16 a   6 footer,  Zach was a Clay High graduate from around 2008 .

July 16 a Beginning at 9am this morning, lawyers and the Judge will gather for a morning of getting their heads together on upcoming cases, stalled cases and such. Sometimes, there's good entertainment value as the Judge yells at the Suits for dragging their feet.  All free for the peanut gallery and for this morning, almost all the cases are adult dealings

July 16 a  Happened at the end of last week, the Dollar Tree chain purchased all the Family Dollar stores including the County Clay version.

July 16 a Something new today. Weathercasters are predicting, sunshine. For those of us with grass up to our butt, time for yard duty.

 

July 15 a TV Weathercasters got us all hyped up last night. Digital images of this huge storm front screaming across the screen and a 6:04 time frame for the Clayberry arrival.

July 15 a At 6:04 p Tuesday, the scanner came alive with: Call Mon Power, electric is off in Ivydale

July 15 a Lots of thunder boomers, lightening, and sheets of rain came back to County Clay.

July 15 a 6:15 Tuesday came a call of a tree on top of a house with kids within. Fortunately, to injuries

July 15 a At 6:20 the rumbles continued with a  light rain falling

July 15 a There was some rain but for the most part, the big storm must have gone around us. Just another night of rain for the most part.

July 15 a The Summer Grand Jury did their thang in pretty quick fashion yesterday. For the new Class of 2015, here goes

July 15 a Shane Miller, Burglary, Grand Larceny, Conspiracy, $50K bond

July 15 a James Criner, Burglary, Grand LArceny, Conspiracy, $400K Bond

July 15 a Barbara Rose, Forgery x 9, Uttering xx 9, $18K Bond

July 15 a James Asbury, Malicious wounding, Wanton Endangerment w/ with firearm x 3, $100K Bond

July 15 a Anthony Metheney, Kidnapping, Malicious wounding, Abduction, Wanton Endangerment w/ firearm, Attempt, $40K bond

July 15 a Bruce Bird Jr. Robbery, Conspiracy, $200K Bond

July 15 a Robert Demastes, Drug Lab, $75K Bond

July 15 a Dereck Cobb, Drug Lab, $30K bond

July 15 a Bernard Buckhanan, Poss Meth, Drug Lab,

July 15 a Steven Duffield, Poss Meth, Drug Lab

July 15 a Ronald Newhouse, Poss Meth, Lab,

July 15 a James McCune, Poss Meth, Drug Lab

July 15 a And the grand prize winner is Isaiah Todd Murphy with: Burglary, Grand LArceny, Conspiracy, $50K Bond

July 15 a And again, Isaiah Murphy Robbery, Conspiracy, $50K Bond

July 15 a If you're wondering about Mikey Lanham, that lad was indicted back in March. No trial date as of yet

July 15 a At 7am this morning, the rain continues.

 

July 14 a Humongo thunder boomers rocked the county overnight.

July 14 a Another inch of rain further added to our saturated condition

July 14 a With Frontier DSL coming and going, updates as service allows

July 13 late p All H broke loose at 5:45 today as 2 and 1/2 inches of rain hit the county in about 40 minutes.

July 13 late p The MicroBurst blast sent county emergency service workers on the run.

July 13 late p For most of us, electric and tele held together late in the evening

 

July 13 p  Tina Marie (Lennox) Witt, 40, of Procious, see OBITUARY page

July 13 p Beginning around noon, the biggest chunk of Clayberry was severed from the rest of the world when Frontier's internet connection went done. Only the few cable and satellite subscribers have any connectivity as of 5pm Monday

July 13 p For businesses, without use of internet based software and without even  a working landline out of the county, today was a wash

July 13 p With another storm expected this evening which will render satellite operations useless, no new postings til things get back to slow poke normal

July 13 p Somewhere around 11 names will be called on Tuesday as the ever exciting (and caught) 2015 Summer Class of Indicted make if official..

July 13 a  Edgar Warren Donohue, 67, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

July 13a Light rain fell overnight with weathercasters predictamentating,  ##@@!! rain all week

July 13 a It's time for a new class of indictees. Summer Grand Jury meets this week.

July 13 aHow many sodas do you drink each day? Got one at the ready right now? Find out how deadly sugary drinks are by clicking right here.

July 13 a  We've got a brand new drug attacking Appalachia . Check out Flakka.

 

July 11 p Shortly before 11pm, electric and DSL services were restored to a big chunk of Clayberry

July 11 p Great big Birthday wishes to Dave Derby and Mike Mullins.

July 11 p During the outage, downtown Clay was nearly empty with most stores in the dark and closed

July 11 p Volunteers  worked around the clock helping those in need

July 11 p Commissioner Greg Fitzwater was around the county rendering service from the start of the heavy rains. Not a peep was seen or heard from Commissioners LinkyPoo or Queen Smiley

July 11 p And Yes, each has their own 911 radio! They could have got on the radio and at least said, Hey, is there anything we can do? Not a peep was heard

July 11 p Due to no power, rising creeks and such, the BC&G RR Co-Op did not hold their meeting this morning at Spread Park. Those that did slush thru the swampy Spread Park convened an unofficial meeting.

July 11 p On the table today was opening bids on an old metal caboose, three carports, and grant proposals. Deadline for submission was July 9th. One lady suggested, since the closing date was just two days ago, some envelopes may not have had time to arrive in Clay

July 11 p The stack of bids and grant proposals was about 2 inches tall. None were opened.   Instead, the meeting was rescheduled to August 8th, 10 am, at Spread Park under hopefully, dryer conditions.

July 11 p There was one business that came out of the storm with pockets full of $$$

July 11 p Go Mart of Clay has been operating on a generator for over a month as construction crews rebuild the place. With the generator already running, the storm had no affect on the convenience store.

July 11 p Yesterday and today, the parking lot was crammed full of customers. They had a banner business for sure

July 11 p

 

July 10p Due to power outages and and driving conditions, Saturday morning's BC&G RR Co-Op meeting has been canceled.

July 10 p Boat loads of rain came our way today not once but three times.

July 10 p At 11:30 this morning, all H broke loose. Culverts filled up within minutes and over flowed the roads. Main Street Clay looked like a river.

July 10 p Rescue workers went to work getting people out of harms way.

July 10 p Noon:15 Scanner: We're going back to get the boat...

July 10 p Noon:25 Scanner: Wallback Post Office needs help with flooding

July 10 p Noon:35 Scanner: Road at Big Otter School is closed.

July 10 p Many roads including main a artery routes were closed as creeks overflowed their banks

July 10p  at the same time, in the very northern end of the county, only a few sprinkles

July 10 p Ar 1pm, the sun came out. Most thought the worst was over.

July 10 p Mid afternoon, another soaking came our way

July 10 p 6pm yet another big time down pour

July 10 p According to our dinky rain gauge, between 9am and 9pm today, 3 1/2 inches of rain pelted Maysel

July 10 p Many in the county remain without power tonight

July 10 p For the Maysel area, DSL returned around 10:30pm

July 10 p  101.7FM remains off the air not due to the storm but because their moving from Valley Fork to Carr Street in downtown Clay

July 9 p While sitting thru another evening of !!##@@ rain started thinking

July 9 p July 1973 was a wet Summer in Pocahantas County. While working at the Scout Camp at Dilly's Mill, snow came down. Not a big snow but enough to turn the ground white and make for a tuff time for swimming and lifesaving merit badge work

July 9 p While un able to weed gardens or otherwise to play outdoors...

July 9 p States in America where temperatures have dropped to -50 °F.

July 9 p  Places in the United States with the highest annual average temperature.

July 9 p  The driest cities in the U S of A.

July 9 p  Places that have set state records for the heaviest one-day snowfall amounting to three feet or more.

July 9 p  Places in the US with sunshine more than 75% of the time from sunrise to sunset.

July 9 p  Elkins W Va made this listing of the cloudiest places to live.

July 9 p How about a ranking of the five least reliable vehicles out there today. By the way, the Silverado made the list

 

July 8 p With the wetest June on record, we've had more of the wet stuff part of each day in July. This afternoon a heavy downpour blanketed the county around 6pm. On our tiny rain gauge, during a 30 minute period, over an inch dropped from above.

July 8 p Thunder boomers should return to Clayberry around 11am Thursday.

July 8 p Fresh from the election cycle, Town Council with their first elected female Mayor at the helm, met Tuesday afternoon

July 8 p Oddly enough, the new Mayor didn't run the meeting.

July 8 p As all waited around for the last Council person to show up, Mayor Whaling was sort of giddy.

July 8 p When things finally got underway, she asked Joyce Gibson to conduct the meeting

July 8 p Afterwards Bev was asked, why didn't you run the meeting?  Response was, well... I didn't know how

July 8 p With all eyes on her and a gazillion dollar water line project on the table, we think she frooze.

July 8 p Bev got a little more talky near the end of the gathering when discussion turned to Town Badge Malcom Cottrell

July 8 p The Mayor said she wasn't all in favor of keeping the Badge after meeting him in Rite Aid where he was in her face and not so friendly.

July 8 p Keep in mind, the Mayor has sole desecretion on hiring and firing the Chief of Police in a municipality

July 8 p After the meeting, Whaling said she would talk to the certified Badge before making her decision

July 8 p For those waiting on wa wa service out Blue Knob way, present at the meeting were the engineers for the extension project. Those folks told the world, the project is on track without delays in the forecast.

July 8 p With Joyce Gibson at the helm, she pressed the engineering trio for answers and told em, she didn't want a repeat of the fiasco and court time involved with getting the just completed Wa Wa Plant built and operating.

July 8 a For the latest on Clayberry, be sure to pick up a Communicator today

July 8 a Lead story provides a couple examples of dumb bunny itis in the Court system

July 8 a Also included is first mention on the future of Clayberry's only public facility for reunions, picnics, Spread Park

July 8 a According to Commissioner Greg Fitzwater, the CCC is considering giving up the lease due to high cost of maintenance

July 8 a Very sad day for the County of Little

July 8 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am sharp.

 

July 6 a For the first time in weeks, we have some sunshine this morning

July 6 a  We post and hype a bunch but , attendance at public meetings remains next to zilch.

July 6 a Clay County Business Development Authority has their agenda posted online. They meet tonight at 6:30pm

July 6 a With a big long 24 point agenda, the School Board convenes at 6pm at the Pentagon. Lots of hiring and transfers in the works for tonight

July 6 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Now's the time to submit your classifieds, obits, chatters, and such. Deadline is 5pm today.

 

July 5 p Flash Flood Watch continues today.

July 5 p From the week that was....

July 5 p Sometime early Tuesday morning, youngster thugs broke in Rite Aid in Clay. They gained entry via a rear window as they made off with alcohol and cigs. Word has it that the underage kids have been identified

July 5 p Tuesday at 9am, Judge Alsop did the honors as Bev Whaling was sworn in as the Town of Clay's first female Mayor

July 5 p  During Wed's Commission meeting, actually right after, Sheriff Samples made a public a problem with a guy that has 50 dogs in his house. Trying to do good, the Top Badge took some of the canine to a rescue groups. Not such a good idea since the dogs had parvo and had to be put down.

July 5 p The BC&G RR Co-Op is disbanding. As a good will gesture for the county, leadership came up with a plan to sell off their assets and hand out the proceeds to civic and non profit groups. (See ADVISORY page)

July 5 p And then, and then,..... the CAEZ decided they own one of the BC&G assets, a red metal caboose setting over at the Dundon Campground.

July 5 p Director Big Lup fired out an email saying such and she could document ownership.

July 5p  Proving ownership would mean some kind of meeting minutes reflecting a Board vote to buy that caboose.

July 5 p Since the CAEZ check was made out to Roger Nutter and the check signer refused to sign it without Board OK, we think Big Lup is blowing smoke.

July 5 p That topic came up during the CAEZ Board meeting held Thursday evening. When asked, Lupardus would only say, she has documentation. When asked if it's a check, she repeated, I have documentation

July 5 p During that same meeting, made public was CAEZ's intention to double the rent on non profit WYAP radio station housed in the building owned by CAEZ.

July 5 p  Unable to pay increased rent, this week, the YAP radio volunteers started their moving effort to downtown Clay, #6 Carr Street. That's the old house owned by Dave Derby.

July 5 p  This week, last week, and the week before, rain continued. Hands down, the wettest June on record.

July 5 p  This week, we saw some movement in the old Piggly Wiggly building. We hope to see big trucks backing in there soon to remove the old merchandise for Food Bank distribution.

July 5  p County Clay held no July 4th celebration this year. Hopefully with the radio station moving back into the downtown, those holiday parties will begin again in 2016.

 

July 3 a Hattie Rebecca (Robinson) Mullins, 79, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

July 3 a  America's spies and HR offices are going old-school to check people for security clearances after last month's two big data breaches — they're using pen and paper.

 

July 1 p Had a couple callers concerning the carports that the BC&G plan to sell to the highest bidder next week, First, numbers have been added to each unit so you can identify which you want to make an offer on.

July 1 p Another guy asked about bidding on all em. The answer is Yes but each has to be bid individually.

July 1 p Non profit WYAP has been housed in the CAEZ's Valley Fork building for 2 1/2 years, With rent being doubled and attempts to do likewise twice before, the station is moving to Carr Street in downtown Clay thanks to a generous donation from Dave Derby

July 1 p For those thinking about coming into Clayberry for the weekend to kayak and such, the Elk remains slightly muddy but certainly usable. Lake Sampson is looking good. Enjoy

July 1 p Friday is the official day off for the 4th of July. Many places will be shut down for the holiday

July 1p As far as holiday activities in the county, we don't know of any. There was a time when YAP radio hosted holiday celebrations including fireworks.  When they moved out of town, that all ended.

July 1 p Maybe with their return , sometime again, the fun will return

July 1 p Best of Holiday wishes to all

July 1 a 59 degrees this morning at 7 am. Heaters are on. We're wrapped in sweaters and light jackets. Hostas normally bloom in August when other colors are about gone. Not so this year. Hostas are blooming right now

July 1 a We've had three weeks of rain, thunder boomers, and wind. Gardens need water but this Summer, it's time to turn off the spigot.

July 1 a Forgot to say, the rescheduled Thursday meeting of the CAEZ will be held in the County Commission room of the Courthouse at 6pm.

July 1 a The Big Oter Community Center gang are taking the holiday off Friday night. No music this week

July 1 a  During the weekend wrap up Sunday, we commented on the demise of the Confederate flag coming down in So Carolina and other Southern states as well as big box stores removing related merchandise from their shelves

July 1 a Must have struck a cord. We received several emails bad mouthing this site and  the removal of the flag

July 1 a Let's really torque you up.

July 1 a Truth is, that's not the battle flag of the Confederated States of America. The last flag was all white, the flag of surrender

July 1 a  Almost a third of American adults own a gun, but the rate varies widely by state and tops out at almost 62 percent of people in Alaska, new survey data show. See where West Virginia fits in the big picture.

July 1 a And once again, that gun didn't kill those nine worshippers in South Carolina. A deranged mind did the damage. Don't increase gun control, increase mental health funding!

 

June 30 a It wasn't so long ago that the West Virginia Public Service Commission felt our local power company ownership was so rotten, several of their  W Va based providers were taken from em and given to more responsible outfits. During that PSC investigation, surfacing tot he top was word that company funds had been redirected to a casino operation.

June 30 a While there's little going on , we took a few minutes to read a March 2015 WV PSC report on Elk Power, now Black Diamond Power,  request for a  rate increase and without public comment.

June 30 a On Feb 3 2015 Black Diamond asked to increase revenues $1,112,899 or 14.47%. In the report they stated they were in financial distress.

June 30 a On Feb 11th Black Diamond came back and asked for an immediate increase of 8.18%.. In that request, we they said they had a net loss of  $379,698 last year.

June 30 a Black Diamond buys power from AEP. A few years ago Black Diamond was so mismanaged, they got in debt to AEP to the point, AEP was ready to cut off juice to Black Diamond. To correct the past due amount, the PSC ordered Black Diamond (on August 10, 2012)  to pay 72.5% of all their revenues to AEP.

June 30 a As of Feb this year, Diamond has not been making those monthly payments and owes $1,968,185.00 to AEP.

June 30 a Black Diamond is documented (10 years ago), as a company that doctors their books. For this rate increase, they used a questionable pro forma request plan. Catching that, the PSC ran the numbers using a cash flow approach based  on  test year information, Using those numbers, and after making four changes in their books, Black Diamond showed a need for just a 2.3% increase in annual revenue

June 30 a  Last year, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission  ordered Black Diamond to give customers a monthly refund. Instead of doing that, Black Diamond asked for a rate increase to cover the cost of paying off old debt owed to AEP.

June 30 a For the 2015 rate increase, the PSC found sic instances where Black Diamond info did not originate from their records, lack of details in debt owed, cash allowances did not contain necessary details, and paperwork to document the need for a rate increase, well, it just wasn't there.

June 30 a  We call stuff like that, cooking the books. the PSC gave Black Diamond 10 days to resubmit honest records.

June 30 a Because the WV PSC is there solely to see that utility providers show a profit, Black Diamond was given a 5.7% rate interim rate increase last Spring.

June 30 a We're feeling it now.

 

June 29 a Over on the EVENTS page is mention of the Health Dept offering free sports physicals. That posting has been corrected with the correct date and time.

June 29 a Each weekend we try to post a wrap up from the last seven days or so. Sometimes we miss important stuff. Like

June 29 a Last week the confederate flag came down in South Carolina. During the Civil Rights era in the 60's, the flag was raised to show the world, blacks have no place in the state.

June 29 a Fighting it as long as possible, it's finally gone from govt buildings.

June 29 a That's a good thing

June 29 a  By the weekend, Ebay decided not to allow any confederate flag related materials to be sold on their site. That included the Dukes of Hazard TV show related offerings. Other major chains removed battle flag images and offerings. The pendulum has swung to far to the other side.

June 29 a  Today the Big Robes will hand out three more major decisions including whether citizens can take the politics out of the shaping of political districts.

June 29 a Tired of those rug rats? A Day Camp is being offered out at Clay County Park. See ADVISORY page for details.

 

June 28 a Chilly this morning with a bunch of us running to turn on the heater.

June 28 a Most of us have power restored. After outages galore, truth is, the brunt of the storms went around us. Thank goodness for that.

June 28 a Tuesday afternoon during a special session, Town Council voted unanimously to raise water rates 23% and log factory cost by 10%. Only one person showed up for the public hearing.

June 28 a During discussions before the vote, Council was asked what they had done to cut costs. They had nothing to report. On the Sewer rate increase for the log factory which is twice too big for the customers on  hand, Zip.

June 28 a Wed morning, Sheriff Samples made public a real problem with dogs running loose and one feller with around 50 of the canines lodged in his house. Before you get all soft hearted and want to adopt, the animals have parvo and are in need of being put down.

June 28 a  Our Top Badge also referenced state code which mandates each county to have an animal shelter.

June 28 a Clayberry is without such a facility.

June 28 a The Communicator came out in the last seven days. In plain black and white comes word that a couple workers in the Sheriff's Dept have been told, there's not enough in the new year budget to keep you full time with benefits. Part time Badge Chad Sizemore has been told likewise

June 28 a It's tough times in the County of Little

June 28 a Jay Carper use to work for the Clay Health Dept serving as  an RN, Smoking Ban Czar, Septic Tank Badge, and Emergency Plan something or other. He was fired a few years ago after getting caught viewing porn on an office computer. Since then he has gone they the various civil service appeals followed by a trip to Circuit Court. Each time, Carper went down in flames , lost . This site and reporter were brought to court for calling Carper a dumb bunny "if" he was really looking at porn on company time. His attorney was verbous citing that we called the lad DUMB BUNNY not once but three times.

June 28 a No we didn't call him a dumbshirt of dumbarss. We should have!

June 28 a  After loosing in Circuit Court, one time county public official Jay Carper, took the same case to Fed Court for a yet another try. In Fed land, his civil suit included half the county including the ace cub reporter and Delta Communications.

June 28 a During a pretrial hearing on June 25th, Judge Goodwin dismissed the Mel Gibson look alike noting that Carper's attorney (Hiram Lewis) filed the complaint way to late and during the hearing, questioned whether there was any kind of case allowed to go to a Federal Court.

June 28 a As for the other defendants in the slap suit, the Judge was very clear when he looked at Lewis and said, this is not going to go your way.

June 28 a  Trial date is set for August 25th with Lewis still trying to line his pockets with demands for millions of dollars.

June 28 a At week's end, Mayor Ryan Clifton was seen moving his blue desk chair out the side door as he prepares to leave office at the of the month. During his tenure, the town prevailed during many court room battles and saw the opening of the new wa wa plant. Wish there were more accomplishments to report, but alas, there's not.

June 28 a  Republicrats are stomping their feet big time this week when they went down in flames not once but twice before the Big Robes.

June 28 a With their attitude, don't allow Obama De Bama to have any accomplishments, the Supremes said, ObamaCare will remain in place and do good for millions of Americans

June 28 a One day later, the Supreme Court made official the inevitable, like females in the 20's and blacks in the 60's, gay people have the same rights as everybody else.

June 28 a With those two issues off the table, what will FOX Entertainment dwell on now?

June 28 a You got it, the same crap will be regurgitated over and over and...

June 28 a Storms blanketed Clayberry leaving many in the dark and without other vital utilities.

June 28 a Now Sunday morning, most have their TV's on and able to connect the world via DSL

June 28 a We've made thru another week and just about another month

June 27 a Much of County Clay is without power as a result of more rain and wind.

June 27 a This morning volunteers, State Road, and the local Power Company are at work clearing away trees and resurrecting overhead lines. Crews throughout the region are doing likewise

June 27 a For lucky ones, the roar of a generator is a nice sound.

June 27 a Don't have to worry about running out of gasoline this time around. Clay Go Mart has been running on a generator for three weeks as their parking lot is being rebuilt.

June 27 a  Reports of a derecho went thru the area Friday evening getting as close as Spencer to us.

June 27 a It's about this time when elected officials start making noises about crappy maintenance by utility providers. Happening again down in Kanawha County. Sure wish somebody would follow up with some action

June 27 a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for the entire county.

June 27 a At 8:30am, a light rain or drizzle continues to fall today

June 26 a Buckets of rain coming down in Clayberry at 7:30 this morning. This place is saturated after many days in a row of the west stuff.

June 26 a Flash Flood Watch begins this afternoon at 2pm and continues thru Saturday afternoon.

June 26 a Four weeks ago we posted concerns over the BDA allowing pesticides to be applied on the , at the time, soon to be opened, Buffalo Creek Trail.

June 26 a We think "2.4 D" was applied because that's what BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard said the guy was going to use.

June 26 a The World Health Organization (WHO) is heavily influenced by corporate interests. To get them to say anything bad about a chemical , it speaks volumes   Earlier this week, the WHO issued a serious warning on 2.4 D use and the cancer causing results.

June 26 a  From Reuters :   A widely used farm chemical used as a key ingredient in a new herbicide developed by Dow Agro Sciences "possibly" causes cancer in humans, a World Health Organization research unit has determined. The classification of the weed killer, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, known as 2,4-D, was made by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).   The IARC said it reviewed the latest scientific literature and decided to classify 2,4-D as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," a step below the more definitive "probably carcinogenic" category but two steps above the "probably not carcinogenic" category.  IARC's findings on 2,4-D have been awaited by environmental and consumer groups that are lobbying U.S. regulators to tightly restrict the use of 2,4-D,

June 26 a The West Virginia Scenic Trails Assoc. the Allegheny Trails Coalition,  and the US Forest Service do not  spray hiking trails. The tag, probably carcinogenic is enough to stay away from the spray. Poison Ivy is  a lot easier to cure than cancer!

 

June 25 a WalMart is the nations largest retailer. It's the go to store for most of us even tho we know they pay their employees starvation wages and without many labor benefits

June 25 a Now we know, Wally World has been dodging taxes to the tune of billions and billions.

June 25 a If you ever think you can trust Big Corporate America, you aught to spend a few minutes reading this update on corruption.

June 25 a Grocery store update: Building co owner Mike King provided, the new business is not buying the building and, according to King, it should not take them a long time to get in, clean up the place, and get open

June 25 a We hope that's the case.

June 25 a Welcome back, IGA

June 24 p  Electric from Elk Power went off just before noon today and returned sometime after 5pm.

June 24 p Not sure of the reason and no notice was provided

June 24 p Sorry for the delayed posting

June 24p The CCC meeting was short without controversy.

June 24 p After the meeting, Sheriff Samples mentioned that Walter Stutler resigned from his janitor and dog warden job after 17 + years.

June 24 p While mentioning dog warden duties, some guy  with 50 stray dogs at his home, came up.

June 24 p Some of the canines were picked up and given to two rescue groups some time ago. Turns out, the giveaways had parvo and deaseased the rest of animals that were rescued. All had to be put down.

June 24 p Samples told the CCC thats something has to be done and he feels all 50 of the dogs may have the deadly desease

June 24 p A guy in the peanut gallery asked Samples: Doesn't state code require each county in the state to have an animal shelter.

June 24 p The Top Badge stammered a little and didn't provide a solid, Yes that's what it says

June 24 p  A lady in Procious is starting a new dog grooming business and is willing to serve as an animal shelter if the county will help with expenses.

June 24 p Sheriff Samples suggested, instead of hiring a new Walter, use some of his salary to pay the lady to do the same duties.

June 24 p No decision, they were just talking.

June 24 a  Linda Lou Fitzwater, 75, of Procious, see OBITUARY page

 

June 23 p The Communicator is now available across the region. Lead story is an interview with the Top Badge over budget problems that may wind up leaving a couple long time employees on part time status.

June 23 p The Boil Water Order issued by Clay Roane PSD remains in affect thru Thursday. Water samples were mailed out today

June 23 p With just one person in attendance and asking questions, Town leaders voted to raise water rates 23% and log factory rates, 10%. Next step is to send the request to the WV Public Service Commission for an OK

June 23 p With no interest in what elected leaders do, we get what we deserve

June 23 p Muggy hot today followed by a strong storm this evening. Temp is much more manageable by 8pm with fog rolling in

June 23 p County Commission auction Wed morning at 11am. They plan to auction themselves to the highest bidder.

June 23 a If you are involved with a Clay County non profit group and searching for some $$$$, see ADVISORY page today

June 23 a Did we mention the County Commission is auctioning a bunch of junk including an old ambulance and cruiser? They are. Auction starts at 11am, Wed morning, at the new Courthouse.

June 23 a The ambulance would make a fine chicken house or a place to stuff your mother in law.

June 22 a 9:40 am  BOIL WATER ORDER for Wallback, Valley Fork, Newton, Left Hand sections of the Clay Roane PSD service area.   Don't drink it unless you boil it first

June 22 a The biggest event for this week is Tuesday's Water and Sewer Rate increase public hearing at the Wa Wa Plant. The thing starts at 4:30pm.

June 22 a With a 23% increase coming, there's a ot to talk about, complain about, or just vent. It's also the final meeting for outgoing Mayor, Ryan Clifton

June 22 a At the various stores around the county, many complain about many things. That doesn't do a bit of good. What might help is, voicing your thoughts during Tuesday's public hearing

June 22 a Our guess, less than five will show up and make a comment

June 22 a Wed morning the County Commission meets beginning at 10am

June 22 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Deadline for submissions is today around 5pm

June 22 a  After 7 solid days of rain, thunder, and winds , looks like some sunshine is coming our way today. Enjoy it while you can.  %%%$$!! Rain's back in the forecast for Tuesday.

 

June 21 a Without a winter to speak of, County Clay needs some of the wet stuff to replenish wells, cisterns and get crops growing.

June 21 a Around Noon:30 yesterday a huge gush of wind and rain came thru Clayberry ripping down trees and utility lines. Volunteers went to work cleaning up the damage. That effort continued last night.

June 21 a Power remains off in the Wallback , Procious, Elkhurst Rd Hartland areas as of Sunday morning.

June 21 a After 7 days of rain, we're growing web feet and mold . Enough is enough

June 21 a On the 16th, Pamela Widener-Stout filed papers with the Sec of State's office to open a Clay IGA store at  2200 Main Street. Formally called Clay Foods LLC, the new grocery store will be located in the old Piggly Wiggly store building

June 21 a Shortly after we broke that news, word came that the Widener lady had also purchased the building and planned to expand, update, clean up the place complete with new floors and shelving.

June 21 a Friday afternoon we checked in the County Clerk's office for any paperwork to back up the property puchase rumors.

June 21 a As of Friday afternoon, there was no deed change. So much for that rumor.

June 21 a Hope the store opening isn't just shuffling of papers!

June 21 a Mid week came the shooting deaths in a black church down South during a prayer meeting. A white kid pulled the trigger

June 21 a Now four days later, talking heads are once again talking gun control instead of the real problem, mental health.

June 21 a A dozen years ago, Roger Nutter had an idea to grow a tourism train ride on the old spur line going up Buffalo Creek to Widen. At the time he had a summer camp at Swandale where he spent his Summers. Back then he had a rail "jitney", a motorized rail car, which he drove up and down the tracks out there. Often people would stop by and rides were given those folks. A covered music stage was built behind his cmaper where musicians belted out mountain music. It was a fun time.

June 21 a Gathering several of his old acquaintances from the boom then bust days of Widen, they put their heads together and came up with an idea to start a tourism train ride. They formed a for profit company called the BC&G RR Co-Op.

June 21 a Once Roger got something in his head, he ran with it. Good or bad, no one could change his mind.

June 21 a Along the way that small band got together with the CAEZ which had leased a small chunk of land in Dundon. In that partnership, the mission changed from 100% scenic train ride to building a campground. With govt inclusion, things slowed down. Months, years would pass by awaiting paperwork and signatures. The momentum slowed to a snail's pace.

June 21 a  With great fanfare came word from the CAEZ of a $200,000 grant to purchase part of the old spur line.

June 21 a  A few years later and without that fanfare,  that $200K grant was returned to the govt, un-used.

June 21 a With Roger Nutter's passing, so went the dream of a train ride for Clay. In the last five years, the aging group stopped raising money and stopped having events. Instead of a 100+ attending an annual meeting, few came.

June 21 a Saturday morning, the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Co-Op met over at the Dundon Campground. With seven in attendance, after years of struggle, the remaining band voted to disband, to close down the effort.

June 21 a Another great idea is gone. It's a sad day in Clay.

 

June 20 p  Heavy rains continued all day. A little after 3pm a cell of high wind came thru knocking down trees and utility lines along the way. Many areas of the county are without power. A big chunk of Wallback is in the dark.

June 20 a Radio station 101.7FM is off the air too.

June 20 a With the Elk River running high and brown enough to plow, the National Weather Service Flash Flood Watch continues .today.

 

June 19 late p From the email bag late today: Middle Creek Door of Hope Clothing Giveaway, June 20, 9 to 1pm

June 19 a Pulling West Virginia day back one day is providing govt workers a holiday off from work

June 19 a For 20 years this organization has pushed to grow tourism in the County of Little. During that time, there's been many ups and downs.

June 19 a One of the most important meetings come Saturday at 10am when the BC& G RR Co-Op convenes to select new officers, change By Laws and  such. If the BC&G Co-Op could get back on its feet, they could be an important part of growing Clayberry.

June 19 a The public meeting will be at the CAEZ leased campground in Dundon

June 19 a Pot update: Thursday evening Delaware Gov Jack Markell signed into reality a law that eliminates criminal penalties for having less than an once of pot in that state. Without criminal penalties, the worst that can happen to you is a $100 fine.

June 19 a That makes 20 states that have decriminalized weed of choice.

June 19 a Illinois is next and waiting for the Gov to sign his John Hancock.

June 19 a Enjoy your soggy day off from work.

 

June 18 a This Thursday is really Friday for many in the state

June 18 a With West Virginia being celebrated tomorrow,  all govt. agencies will be closed.

June 18 a A Three day weekend for many!

June 18 a Big time thunder boomers last night and more of the wet stuff blanketed Clayberry last night leaving some without power and other utility services.

June 18 a The local radio stations were affected around 7pm.

June 18 a Rain and thunder boomers have hit Clay hard every day this week. Weathercasters are calling for much of the same to continue thru the weekend.

June 18 a When you start looking around the web, you can find all kinds of interesting stuff like...

June 18 a  John Habjan used to operated local natural gas companies in the county. That was before the WV PSC found him not trustworthy enough to operate above board and gave his holdings to responsible providers

June 18 a  The Sec of State's office reports that Mr Habjan set up a Constitutional Conservative Party for W Va. just a  few months ago.

June 18 a Ever hear of McMillion Creek Farm? Located on Center Street? How about it's owner, Robert Duffy?

June 18 a Walk back over to the Sec of State's website for a quick look.

 

June 17 later p  Got some big news Clayonians!!

June 17 later p Over on the Sec of State's website comes word that Clay Foods LLC has set up a license effective June 16th.

June 17 later p As listed, the owner / manager is PAMELA WIDENER-STOUT with the business location as the old Piggly Wiggly building, 2000 Main Street.

June 17 later p The new store will be called, Clay IGA

June 17 later p We don't know the lady but think it's the person that has the Bulk Food Store in the Flatwoods Mall.

June 17 later p If that's the case, darn nice store, clean, well maintained, and a a great Deli.

June 17 later p  Benjamin Clyde Hicks, 97, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

June 17 p  Melba L. Butcher, 88 of Clay, see OBITUARY page

 

June 16 late p Frontier DSL returned around 4:30 pm. We're back in the 21st Century

June 16 late p  Life without internet is costly for local businesses.

June 16 late p No internet, no ordering parts

June 16 latep No internet, no ATM

June 16 late p No internet, no next day pick up of meds

June 16 late p Power was restored to the Wallback Valley Fork neighborhoods a little after 4pm today. One lady told us, the outage was a planned repair deal.

June 16 late p Shame a big company like that doesn't let the local newspaper nor the local radio stations know about such.

June 16 late p The hurherald website has a better description for yesterday's Lloyd Rapp capture and trips to the hospital.

 

June 16 p DSL remains off in much of Clayberry.

June 16 p Electric is off in the Valley Fork, Wallback areas

June 16 p Want to make some $$$

June 16p  Check out the JOBS page for a big time weed whacking job with Clay Roane PSD

 

June 16 a Major storms marched thru Clayberry mid afternoon on Monday. Since then, Frontier DSL service for many in the county has been down. We are cut off from the rest of the world.

June 16 a We're able to get this short post online by using the Wild Blue satellite Internet service at the office.

June 16 a Remember Rapp? He's the guy that escaped custody last month by raising up the holding cell in the old Courthouse and skidaddling. He's been on the run ever since

June 16 a TV-8 reports that the lad crashed and a Green Shirt mobile wrecked to miss the morotcycle riding escapee. To us it sounded more like a chase.

June 16 a Short thereafter came scanner traffic of a blue high rise pick em up truck leaving the Courthouse

June 16 a Jamie Morris's truck was seen parked on Main Street.

June 16 a This first day off school, parents are already wondering, what am I going to do with em for the next 8 weeks.

June 16 a During the Summer break, they can't call the school and say, I can't do a thing with em, you deal with the little turd head!

 

June 15 a  School Board meets tonight at the Pentagon beginning at 6pm. Beth Cercone will be appointed to replace resigned Boardster, RB Legg. Pretty  lengthy agenda with lots of new hires and transfers.

June 15 a  The biggy from last week was Bev Whaling getting elected as the Town of Clay Mayor

June 15 a Four years ago, Ryan Clifton was elected to replace retiring from office Jack Brown.  That night, there was excitement in the air. There was a feeling that new younger blood would make a difference for the future of the County's only municipality.

June 15 a Truth is, it didn't.

June 15 a After an hour of ballot counting, the results were posted on the front door of the Wa Wa Plant June 9th. With his hands in his pockets, Clifton read the numbers and quietly, without even a good luck to Whaling, got his entourage in the big truck and left.

June 15 a We're ready for another round of new management. Time will tell if any improvement will be seen

June 15 a We're into a near perfect Summer for gardeners. As the week ended, much needed rain brought the crops and weeds to life.

June 15 a Today is the last day on the job for the Mel Gibson Look Alike's wifey, the Warden.   After 39 years of heading off to work each morning and leaving the lad to play all day, that all changes today.

June 15 a Already has come words: When are we going to start painting the living room and, we can go everywhere together now!

June 15 a  Life as he knows it, ends today. Play time is over.

June 15 a   It was a good run.

 

June 12a We are tardy in posting a big yard sale over at the Lion's Club Casino on Main Street. It's now posted on the EVENTS page.

June 12 a Looking for something to do tonight? The Country Outlaws are on stage tonight at the Big Otter Community Center

June 12 a Based on the number of bobbing heads in school buses, our guess, around 30% of the curtain climbers are still in school.

June 12 a For those little squirts, stay home if you want, there ain't no education going on this time of year

June 12 a  For parents, better enjoy today and Monday, After that, they're all yours for 7 weeks

June 12 a Grocery Store alert...

June 12 a Senators Mike Romano and Doug Facemire showed up for Wed's County Commission meeting

June 12 a During the meeting, Facemire who owns several Foodland stores in the state, was asked about opening a store in the old Piggly Wiggly building in Two Run

June 12 a The guy was very tight lipped but advanced, discussions are in progress

June 12 a Back in May, Senator Facemire commented that he planned to speak with out of business owner, Drema Clifton, in a  few days.

June 12 a Heck don't listen to us. We thought there was going to be  a big announcment two weeks ago.

June 12 a Even with the rumor that Facemire opened a new checking account in Clay, we are optimistic but without anything solid to base that on.

June 12 a  Hyponatremia, a dangerously low level of sodium or electrolytes in the blood. Drinking too much wa wa can be reaaal bad.

 

June 11 p   Walter W. Stephenson, 85, see OBITUARY page

June 11 p Clay Roane PSD meets tonight at the Procious Water Plant around 6:30pm

June 11 p Theire posted on the front door agenda includes updates on the Amma Industrial and Camp Creek projects

June 11 p There's no mention of raising rates again but no doubt, when the Town raises their's, so goes the other PSDs

June 11 p Up until this year, schools closed the first week of  June. It's this time of year that neither the kids nor tachers give a hoot about edumacation.

June 11 p In Clayberry, the little darlings are suppose to be learning thru the 15th. But, with school letting out three hours early each day, education?

June 11 p Kids show up at 8, have breakfast, take a dump, watch a movie, eat lunch, and it's time to head home at noon

June 11 p So much for a 180 days of edumacation.

June 11 p

June 11 a The Communicator made it out the door Wed afternoon. If you're interested in the Town voting to raise wa wa rates 23%, full details are now in print

June 11 a Last week area media outlets provided, the Clay County Health Dept is in dire financial straits.

June 11 a In an exclusive interview with Clay Health Dept Director Angela Brown, that ain't true.

June 11 a We held the paper one day to include results from Tuesday's Town election

June 11 a  Denise Holcomb, Josh Shamblin, JP Helms, and Joyce Gibson were returned to Council for another term. Newbee on Council is Jerry Stover who has served in the past.

June 11 a Not so Mayor Ryan Clifton who was smashed by a absolute newcomer, Bev Whaling.

June 11 a Loosing his business, Piggly Wiggly, and now the election, it's not been a good year for the guy

June 11 a  As soon as the results were posted on the Polling Place door, without comment, without good wishes to Bev, Ryan and entourage quietly slinked away.

June 11 a Let's talk money.

June 11 a  47% of Americans can’t pay for an unexpected $400 expense through savings or credit cards, without selling something or borrowing money. Raise your hand if you're in that same boat.

June 11 a With thos baby Eagles ready to take flight, something has happened to the Eagle Cam.

 

June 9 late p We have a new Mayor! Full details in Wed's Communicator

 

June 9 p As of 2:30 today, just 21 people had voted  in the June 9th  Town Election

June 9 a Add the 31 or so during early voting, and you wind up with a dismal turnout.

June 9 p Polls close at 7:30 tonight

June 9 a If the Town doesn't care, who should?

June 8 late p   Frontier Tele plans to do a DSL upgrade Tuesday morning around 4 am. Not sure how long it will take to change "cards", but if you're planning to download some big files, there will be a problem

June 8 late p   Expect the two community radio stations to go off the air about that time as well.

June 8 late p  Go Mart in Two Run is doing an electric upgrade Tuesday morning. A big generator is in place to make sure the operation stays up and running.

June 8 late p Not so long ago the Town of Clay sported two Laundromats and two grocery stores. My how times have changed in the last 6 years!

 

June 8 p Big thunder boomer alert is in place for Clayberry this afternoon. By 3pm, the humidity dropped when wind picked up and the rumblings were heard to the South.

June 8p The Town of Clay Election day comes Tuesday. Polls will close at 7:30pm sharp. Up for vote is a Mayor, and all Council persons. With the place drying up, maybe new management is in order. Or , maybe taxpayers don't give a hoot and will stay at home.

June 8 p We're holding up The Communicator to include election results.

June 8 p All three Mayoral candidates were in Saturday's parade. Each had a decorated truck and provided handouts of one shape or another.

June 8 p For this entire year, CAEZ Director Connie Lupardus has told her Board, the JG Bradley Campground will be open for business June 30th.

June 8 p Saturday morning during the opening of the Buffalo Trail, Big Lup provided an update on the campground

June 8 p  Nope, aint' going to be June 30th. Instead, now the date is pushed back to "the end of the Summer"

June 8 p Having a place to camp overnight is real important to growing the county.

June 8 p Those that stay overnight spend lots more $$$.

June 8 p Did notice about half way between Dundon and the closed for business Bradley Campground, there's a nice ledge sticking out about 12 feet.  That's big enough to get under during bad weather and probably large enough to sleep maybe 6 in sleeping bags.

June 8 p As for a river access point between Pisgah and Dundon, we noticed one place the slope is gentle enough to get to the river's edge.

June 8 p Somebody asked about trail rescue and safety.

June 8 p BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard says , they plan to erect mile markers along the trail every 1/2 mile.

June 8 p Problem solved.

 

June 8 a During the last seven days, some pretty interesting stuff went on

June 8 a One week ago tonight, during the BDA meeting, Vice Prez Roberta Faile tried to keep any mention of the recent spraying of chemicals on the just opened Buffalo Creek hiking trail, away from t he public. Faile may think, the public has no right to know what's being done to public easements and by keeping such quiet, everything will be just fine. Especially during  a screw up, transparency is what matters with government agencies.

June 8 a Tuesday afternoon, Clay Town Council made it official with a unanimous vote, they are raising water rates by 23% and sewer rates by 10%. Such increases set back the entire county and trigger other service providers to raise their prices

June 8 a Early voting for the June 9th Town Council election continued last week. Over 30 people exercised their right to vote by Friday afternoon.

June 8 Thursday afternoon the Clay Farmer's Market opened for the 2015 season. 5 or so venders set up shop in the shade of Courthouse Square. Open from noon to 4:30 each Thursday, great opportunity to shop local

June 8 a The biggy for the week was the Elk River Fest in downtown Clay. Volunteers starting setting up the stage Thursday afternoon.

June 8 a From noon Friday thru late Saturday night, the place was full of great stuff to do with  live music belted out from the stage. Saturday afternoon's parade set a record, 14 minutes long!. People smiled. Kids grinned and held their ears as the sirens blasted the air. Sun burn lines were seen.

June 8 a The biggy for the weekend was the opening of the Buffalo Creek Trail. For the ribbon cutting, 50 or so were in attendance. Months ago, BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard announced a $150,000 grant had been secured to do stream restoration on Buffalo Creek. That was made official during the ceremony as was the announcement , Buffalo Creek will be added to the DNR list of trout streams and be regularly stocked.

June 8 a That one announcement, begins in Feb 2016, puts us on the map  for a bunch of anglers from across the state.

June 8 a Saturday morning was also the Elk River Challenge triathlon where more than a dozen healthy people ran, paddled, and biked their way along the Elk.

June 8 a For the most part, the events, games, music was well attended. Awards and cash prizes were handed out left and right.

June 8 a Volunteers worked their butts off making something great happen for the County of Little.

June 8 a One out of towner remarked, this is great and everybody makes me feel right at home. New faces were seen all around the Courthouse. Kids played. Adults greeted old friends and made some new ones.

June 8 a That's what it's all about.

June 8 a Before the 2015 Elk Fest was over, word came that some of the volunteers were saying, this is the last Fest, too much work and not enough volunteers to make it happen.

June 8 a We hope that's not the case.

June 8 a Just the opposite. Clayberry needs two more events thru the year to help with our tourism push.

June 8 a Sunday, the Charleston Gazette ran a full spread on the opening of the trail. Clayberry got a real push from the Charleston based paper.

June 5 a Happy Birthday Rodney Alshire

June 5 a Happy Birthday Terri Kerns and the Ace Cub Reporter

June 5 a 39 years today for Warren and Pam Mullins

June 5 a Today is also the season opener for the 2015 Elk River Fest.

June 5 a Family Fun begins at high noon. Schedule is on the EVENTS page.

June 5 a Before the Elk Fest, Bill Dunn organized and grew a triathlon event called the Elk RIver Pedal and Paddle

June 5 a That biking, kayaking, and run continues Saturday morning at 10am.

June 5 a Between those two and the new Hiking Trail, we're starting to have some offerings for tourism $$$

June 5 a Something else from the CAEZ Bd meeting held Tuesday evening

June 5 a The Bd provided a $15K loan to a lady down in Clendenin to purchase a newspaper.

June 5 a During those discussions, they said there's more micro loan funds available to loan out

June 5 a How about you? Why not start a business today

June 5 a The BDA paid for TV-8's Road Trippin program to come to Clayberry and put our best foot forward. That segmant is now available on line.

June 5 a A new GAO analysis finds that among households with members aged 55 or older, nearly 29 percent have neither retirement savings nor a traditional pension plan

June 5 a  Have some fun this weekend

 

June 4 a The importance of  a Farmer's Market grew after the closing of our only franchise grocery store.

June 4 a Today at noon and each Thursday til Oct, the Clay County Farmer's Market will be open for business on Courthouse Square.

June 4 a Speaking of no franchise grocery store, Sam Payne, a grant funded feller associated with the CAEZ, provided an update during that group's meeting Tuesday night.

June 4 a Payne says he has talked with 2 or 3 parties about opening a store to replace the Piggly Wiggly. One of those parties has great experience in the grocer business according to Payne.

June 4 a So far, no one has signed on the dotted line. One of the problems is the size of the Two Run building. Another is, the prospective operators are more interested in owning a place, not renting it.

June 4 a The local radio stations will air the entire CAEZ meeting beginning at 9am this morning. You can listen on line. Find out how by walking over to wyap.com

 

June 3 a Here's something that will make you happy happy happy

June 3 a During the June 2nd meeting of Clay Town Council, the thumbs up was given for a 23% wa wa rate increase. On the back of that, sewer rates were also increased 10%.

June 3 a The Town plant provides wa wa to Clay County and Clay Roane PSDs. Expect those rates to also increase.

June 3 a Residents will get a chance to speak out at a public meeting in a  couple weeks

June 3 a On top of that vote, Council also voted unanimously to increase log factory rates by 10%

June 3 a  Early voting to replace Town leaders continues this week during the lead up to the June 9th election.

June 3 a Although state law states that early voting places will remain open til 5pm daily, Town Hall stops early voting at 4pm.

June 3 a Call your neighbors and make your voice heard today

June 3 a For the last several months, CAEZ Director Connie Lupardus has told her Board, the J G Bradley Campground Lodge will open June 30th.

June 3 a Last night, the CAEZ Bd held their monthly meeting in the Lodge building. Some of the drywall has been installed but there's no way the June 30th deadline will be met. Ain't going to happen

June 3 a  After a dozen years of snooping, for 40 hours the Feds couldn't listen in on our phone calls. Yesterday, talking heads made notice of a  new Anti Freedom Act passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama De Bama.

June 3 a This distortion of the Constitution provides, the same unlawful data collection will resume but be held by phone companies.

June 3 a  Edward Snowden should have been given some award for revealing the unlawful practices three years ago.

June 3 a Now with the new law on the books, we need another hero to bring forward what the Govt is fibbing to us about

June 3 a Norman Johnson knows everything there is to know about Stihl power equipment. Located in Harrison,  6000 year old Norman is the go to guy for repairs of weed whackers and such.

June 3 a Every time he sells a unit, he tells the new owner, this will not run on regular gas. You have to use 88 octane.

June 3 a Now a full four weeks into the grass cutting season and with our weed whackers running like crap, many are back out to Norman's complaining, this thang ain't running right

June 3 a It's amazing what running  88 octane fuel does for performance

June 3 a  Some of us farts never listen to those ole guys even if they're telling us the truth.

 

June 2 a Jim Ryan has been doing his show on community radio for a number of years. Roho as we call him, is changing his schedule from Wed's at 3pm to Tuesday's around 10am.

June 2 a That new show time begins this morning

June 2 p Roho, another good example of what makes community radio so special!

 

June 1 p A big chunk of the BDA meeting was spent organizing for this weekend's Elk River Fest.

June 1 p It was like pulling teeth to get enough Boardsters to fill the various events, games, and such during the two day event.

June 1 p Volunteers are still needed . Call the BDA office if you can help

June 1 p One feller in attendance tonight told the Board that he had spent a bunch of time weed whacking both sides of the track along the new trail from Pisgah to the Dundon campground. With 10+ hours of sweat and bug bites under his belt, in a way of a compliment, from the BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard, " your weed whacking is sadly lacking".

June 1 p Guess that was a compliment and a great way to get more free work from the public

June 1 p Behind the scenes, away from the public, there's been a rift concerning the new tourism draw, the Buffalo Creek Hiking Trail.

June 1 p The BDA gave the green light for a church group to hose down the tracks with high test herbicides.

June 1 p As soon as the ace cub reporter heard of the dumb dumb dumb decision, he started raising H with the BDA behind the scenes.

June 1 p So what's wrong with the 2,4 D chemical? The healthy people that are attracted to outdoor trails are the same people that stay away from the lethal environment.

June 1 p So bad are the sprays, the National Forest Service has banned them from all Federal trail use. The Appalachian Trail and the Allegheny Trail groups have also banned the practice.   Hikers can easily spot sprayed trails.

June 1 p During tonight's BDA meeting , DeBoard mentioned the controversy and said he was not sure if the Pisgah to Dundon section had been sprayed. He later added that he would not use spray unless it was absolutely necessary.

June 1 p  Based on the dried up and discolored foliage all along the trail (see homepage pictures), it's hard to believe Mitch did not know that the church group had sprayed 2,4-D to the trail just last week and that the sprayer guy told him just last Friday that the defoliant was already turning stuff red and brown..

June 1 p Immediate symptoms to 2,4 D poisoning include: Irritation of skin, eyes and respiratory tract; Inhalation may cause burning sensation in nasopharynx and chest, coughing, and/or dizziness;  Headache, vomiting, diarrhea; Confusion, bizarre or aggressive behavior; Kidney failure, increased heart rate; Metabolic acidosis resulting in peculiar odor on breath according to the PAN pesticide database.

June 1 p And , Yes, 2,4 D was originally part of the lethal ,Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam Conflict.

June 1 p Here's what we think happened.

June 1 p Without giving it much thought, the BDA gave the thumbs up when the church group volunteered to work.

June 1 p The BDA is new to the hiking trail business. They screwed up big time when they allowed the spraying

June 1 p Goof ups happen. It's all in the learning curve.

June 1 p To get peed off at the public for raising a ruckus over the  practice, to not directly answer questions raised at a public meeting, and, to be so mad as to draw up a pact,  "mums the word, don't tell him anything," that's unacceptable and very disappointing for the BDA which has done much for the county in the last several years..

June 1 p George Crabbe: Deceivers are the most dangerous members of our society. They trifle with the best affections of our nature and violate the most sacred obligations.

 

June 1 a There's a buzz around town.

June 1 a Word has it, after two months of doing without, we're about to get a new grocery store.

June 1 a Word may come as early as  Tuesday on convenience returning to Clayberry.

June 1 a Just talk for now but  keep your fingers crossed!

June 1 a Happy new month

June 1 a We've got a full week of public meetings coming this first week of June

June 1 a The School Board meets tonight at 6pm at the Pentagon. Their meeting agenda is full of new hires but not one word on who will be appointed to the Board after the resignation of RB Legg.

June 1 a  Around 6:30pm the Business Development Authority (BDA) convenes. That brief agenda provides updates on their various projects including a push to enact zoning in Clayberry.

June 1 a Come Tuesday, Town Council gets under way at 5pm in the Wa Wa Plant complex

June 1 a CAEZ holds a 4pm and a 6pm monthly gathering on Tuesday. Instead of the Courthouse, their meeting place has been moved to the J G Bradley building in Dundon

June 1 a Early voting continues this week for the upcoming Town election on June 9th.

June 1 a As of Friday, 20 had already exercised their right to vote.

June 1 a Vote Vote Vote, Our future depends on it.

June 1 a Piggly Wiggly update.

June 1 a  Last Thursday a couple vehicles were setting in the empty parking lot. A couple folks could be seen  inside the closed down grocery store.

June 1 a Maybe just maybe, something is quietly happening.

 

May 31 a Steady rain blanketed Clayberry yesterday giving gardens the sustenance they needed. Here at the end of Spring, it's been a  good one.

May 31 a Early voting for the Town of Clay June 9th election got underway on Wed.

May 31 a As of Friday afternoon, 20 had already cast their ballots in the Wa Wa Plant /Office. Before the voter is the future of the Town.

May 31 a That's a darn good start for the hamlet of 500 or so. Early voting continues this week for Mayor, Recorder and five Councilpersons.

May 31 a  Under the stewardship of the BDA with Mitch DeBoard at the helm, a long needed centerpiece for tourism is coming together. Signed April 27th, the Buffalo Creek Hiking Trail lease (22 mile right of way) provides that needed draw for the county to grow away from the long dead , coal based economy.

May 31 a Since signing, behind the scenes, volunteers have quietly worked to clear away brush on some sections while a dozer was used in other areas to make the easement passable. Lots of work ahead of course but things are coming together

May 31 a Saturday morning, two ladies from Kanawha County was seen walking the trail. Near Pisgah. Wearing their back to earth gear and carrying walking sticks, they asked a local, where can we get a burger?

May 31 a That's exactly what tourism is suppose to do, get em in here where they spend fresh new $$$

May 31 a An additional plus, as they went, they picked up trash along the way. They said they were impressed with the trail and would tell their Charleston buddies.

May 31 a How did they know about Buffalo? One of em said she saw the ad in a Charleston newspaper.

May 31 a Clayberry has a way of shooting itself in the foot. So far, the BDA has pulled it together pretty good.

May 31 a Keep your fingers crossed that the band of volunteers don't pull some kind of blunder

May 31 a 105 Clay High students graduated yesterday. After years of Sesame Street telling them , you are special, you can do become anything you want... the reality of life is about ready ready to smack them in the face

May 31 a Best of luck wishes extended to the Class of 2015.

May 31 a Hey, the Eagle Cam is back.

May 31 a  A bunch of us watched the Hatchlings grow and grow until one of em pooped all over the lens.

May 31 a After several heavy rains, most of the distortion is gone. And, boy have they grown.

May 30 a Clay County's Floyd Graham lived over at Pisgah. He worked at the Clay Ambulance Service for a number of years

May 30 a During that time, street talk had him as a pill pusher and druggy. As far as we know, no charges were ever brought against Graham in Clayberry

May 30 a Here's what we noticed in the State Journal dated May 28th:  Floyd A. Graham, 1197 Scenic Highway, Muddlety, had a gun in his hand when officers announced their presence and entered his residence around 11:55 p.m. May 27, authorities said in a news release. They said Graham refused to drop the gun despite being told several times to put it down, then took aim at a trooper.

“The trooper fired his department-issued weapon once, resulting in (Graham) being wounded in the chest,” the release stated. “Mr. Graham then fired his weapon multiple times at the officers before being taken into custody.” He was taken by medical helicopter to CAMC. When he's discharged authorities plan to charge Graham with attempted murder of a police officer, multiple counts of delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. West Virginia State Police and Central West Virginia Regional Drug Task Force members were part of the investigation.

May 30 a He's in trouble now!

May 29 p  After 14 or more years in the Clayberry School System, tomorrow is the big so long. It's graduation day at Clay High

May 29 p Congrats to the 105 Clay High Class of 2015

May 29 p Don't forget, the pool's open Saturday.

May 29 p Jamie Morris has been in the court system more often than not during the last 10 years or so. Friday just before lunch, a Green Shirt saw Morris driving into the Rite Aid parking lot. Knowing Morris had a suspended license, the arrest came. That's the second driving suspended, revoked, in the last couple weeks.

May 29 p  Once in the old Courthouse, Jamie was carted off to Central Regional Jail for violating terms of his parole. In each and every case, the Judge always tell ya, don't break ANY laws.

May 29 p Driving revoked twice for a DUI certainly crosses the line

May 29 p Here's a cute part...

May 29 p  With Morris arrested, a 21 year old Mikayla K. Ramsey showed up to drive the lad's truck home.

May 29 p Turns out Ramsey was also driving suspended as af May 15th.

May 29 p Yelp, she too was arrested.

 

May 28 p TV-8 has  guy that goes around the state and films tourism based shorts.

May 28 p Our BDA paid for one of the segments and the crew is in the county today. Topics will be the Elk and the new hiking trail.

May 28 p Coupled with a couple kayaks on the water and a two horses on the Buffalo Creek Trail, should make for some stunning video.

May 28 p Clayberry, we're suppose to be on our best behavior today. Comb your hair, brush your teeth, and put on a shirt!

 

May 27 p the rest of the nation is finally catching up with us.

May 27 p Waistlines of American adults kept growing last year with obesity creeping up to 27.7 percent, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

May 27 p  Grass cutting is now needed about every ten days. The drudgery of Summer is here. Why not make something of it?

May 27 p Like, why not have striped grass like in ballparks! Pretty easy to do and the cost for a PVC pipe roller is about zero. Here's how.

May 27 p This morning's County Commission meeting went a whole 11 minutes and without any eyebrow raisers.

May 27 p  Mitch DeBoard's home was robbed. He's offering a $1000 reward for a positive proof of the bad person that was there on May 25th.. Call DeBoard at 304 587 2924

May 27 p  Someone stole Kenneth Triplett's 3 pt hitch log splitter about a month ago. the guy is peed big time and has now raised the reward to $500 for info that leads to a conviction. Call Mr Triplett at 304 880 8190

May 27 p The latest Communicator has the mug shots for the 2015 CHS seniors.

May 27 p Get your copy today

 

May 27 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am.

May 27 a For those unable to attend the public session, the local radio stations plan to tape and then air the gathering on the raio this evening around 7pm . Enjoy.

May 27 a The Communicator made it out to news stands Tuesday afternoon. Lead story provided info on the new Axys Project company set up in the basement of the old Fas Chek building. Turn your idea into something 3D, interesting concept and maybe , the future is here now

May 27 a The U S Supreme Court Big Robes will issue more than a  dozen important decisions that will rock the foundation of this nation. Those decisions are normally released before the end of June.

May 27 a How about some happy news. Louisiana lawmakers are one step closer to easing restrictions on pot.  For us ole pot heads, legalized pot is getting closer and closer

May 27 a Utility companies are regulated by state agencies across the nation. Those regs guarantee a profit margin. No other private company gets that guarantee.

May 27 a In return, the companies are required to provide a minimum level of service. For power  companies, that means they have to provide dependable electric. Since the beginning of time, every other year or so, they seek and receive rate increases

May 27 a AEP supplies power directly to some Clayonians. For others, AEP supplies the juice to Elk  aka Black DIamond Power Company.

May 27 a the W Va Public Service Commission just OK'd a 11.8% rate increase for Appalachian Electric, AEP

May 27 a The reason? AEP needs $$$ to trim power line rights of way.

May 27 a Our question, what have they been doing with the proceeds from all the other rate increases?

May 27 a Happy rainy Wednesday

May 24 a Time for family, friends, picnics, and remembering

May 24 a Enjoy the day while we can

May 24 a Communicator Tuesday around 3pm if all goes well.

 

May 23 a While you're sitting at home burning up broadband space...

May 23 a The Pentagon has a new job posting over on the JOBS page.  Deadline for submission is next Thursday.

May 23 a For right at 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has offered a program full of teaching life skills and character.

May 23 a In the last five years, their program has taken it on the noggin over gay rights. A couple years ago, the BDA officially allowed gay youth to join and participate. Now the head honcho of the BSA says it's time for gay leaders to be allowed at the helm of troops.

May 23 a With scout membership dropping by huge amounts, there have been protests on both sides of the issue. WHat's making the change happen? Major corporations have pulled funding for the world wide organization. It's all about $$$$.

May 23 a  Complaints of the sky is falling and the world will end at the forefront, those pathetic pleas sound a  lot like the time when females were allowed to vote & own property and when blacks were allowed full citizenship. The world didn't end back then and truth is, we have a better place to live and grow.

May 23 a Talking heads have spent much time talking about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) scheme which allows Corporations to have secret courtroom advantage offer over what the 12 participating nations can do to regulate. Adding to that debate comes giving the power to Obama De Bama the power to put the whole package together without public input or choice. That's called TPA.

May 23 a Yesterday both our U S Senators voted to provide that fast track authority to the Prez., the TPA part of the deal.

May 23 a What the talking heads aren't talking about is...

May 23 a Did you know, it only takes a simple majority in the Senate to pass the TPP. Just 51 votes is all it takes.

May 23 a Smokin Joe Manchin voted for fast track authority (TPA). Without doubt, Manchin will vote against the full TPP and be able to tell this state, Not me buddy, I voted against TPP

May 23 a  Rotten political  ploy  by Manchin.

May 23 a  It's what corporate controlled media ain't telling us , that's what's killing this nation.

 

May 22 late p The Clay County Swimming Pool opens for the 2015 season on Saturday the 23rd at noon.

May 22 late p The best and cheapest baby sitting service in the county is ready for a new year.

May 22 late p The pool's open on Saturdays only until school lets out.

May 22 late p As for holiday events in the county, say a concert, parade, fireworks, there aren't any

May 22 late p   Being the only county in the state without a franchise grocery store is giving us some regional news attention.

May 22 late p A TV station was in town earlier this week followed by a Charleston Gazette reporter today.

May 22 late p We asked one of the building owners Thursday, is there anything coming for sure?

May 22 late p His response, there's been interested parties call but nothing is in place

May 22 late p   With Monday a holiday, the ace cub reporter made it to the Courthouse late Friday to gather public records.

May 22 late p  With butt clinched, for the two hour gathering session, one thing was on his mind, Don't Fart! Don't Fart!

May 22 late p Merry Memorial Day weekend one and all

May 22 p Last call for candidate announcements and bio for the upcoming Town Election. The Communicator will provide a space for a small picture and five paragraphs or so without charge.

May 22 p Get you info out there before voting starts next week.

May 22 p Like to give a nice long post on this beautiful Friday

May 22 p Can't!

May 22 p There's a nasty virus going around the county . The ace cub reporter managed to get it

May 22 p For the last 12 hours, the guy has been occupied in the bathroom. There's now a trail of the brown stuff from his favorite chair to the throne. Two step thunder squirts would be an improvement for the fat guy!

May 22 p On the mend as of Friday noon but still without energy.

May 22 p Posts coming in a couple days.

May 21 a The new 24 hour per day WalMart in Flatwoods opened for business around 7:30am yesterday

May 21 a  One ole man was sitting in a lawn chair in front of the big doors . He said he wanted to be the first one in the new place. He was

May 21 a A brand new store is special. Like...

May 21 a In the rest room, all the automatic faucets work. While walking pass and  waving your hand across the front of em, they all come on. Toilet paper was actually in place. No build up of crud could be seen in the corners

May 21  Workers were happy to be on the job. They actually smiled and asked if they could help you find something

May 21 a Heck, half of Clayberry was there either shopping or working.

May 21 a The shelves were fully stocked including the food department.

May 21 a Out front a guy carrying a goat in the back of his truck drove past.

May 21 a  Hands down the best.  Coolers poured out chilled air. From five feet away, the cold air filled the place. If was even better for the freezer section. Know what we're talking about guys? Yelp! Nipples galore!!!!!!!!!!

May 21 a  One of most annoying 21st century actions ain't happening in the Flatwoods WalMart.

May 21 a How many times have you been in a store, maybe in a checkout line and the employee is standing there texting or talking on a cell phone. Instead of a hello and doing what they're paid to do, the cell phone takes priority.

May 21 a Not the case in Wally World where we understand, employees were fired yesterday for playing on cell phones. Great!

May 21 a From downtown Clay to Flatwoods, it takes about 45 minutes at legal speeds. To the Elkview Krogers, K Mart, about the same. Spencer and Summersville, right at one hour.

May 21 a  For those without dependable transportation and in need of a grocery store, you're still screwed.

May 20 a For a note: Those larger Dollar General stores are actually called Dollar General Markets.

May 20 a Thanks LS from Florida for the correction.

May 20 a  Last night the Clay High Panthers ended their season with a loss to Herbert Hoover, Darn good effort but were done for the season.

May 20 a The Sch Bd said good bye to several veteran employees during their rescheduled meeting at the Pentagon. It was a time for remembering good times and nothing else.

May 20 a Those good byes included long time Boardster Prez, R B Legg.

May 20 a New top dog is Dave Mullins

May 20 a Instead of Boardsters with decades of service, the longest serving Board members are Mullins and Morgy Triplett each with  just 6 years in elected office.

May 20 a As for a replacement for RB, didn't happen. two time candidate Bodkins was in attendance to keep an eye on the Board but no appointment was made.

May 20 a The WYAP recorded the first 45 minutes of of the three hour plus gathering and plans to air that at 9am this morning.

May 20 a Another good service of community radio. Anyone with an internet connection can listen. Walk over to wyap.com and click the LISTEN ONLINE button.

May 20 a Clay Town Council election get underway on the 27th during early voting time.

May 20 a  The Communicator provides a free spot for candidate announcements in the next edition.

May 20 a If you're a candidate for office, email over your picture and five or six paragraphs of info by Monday May 25th, 5pm

May 20 a Clayonians know this state has some of the worst roads and bridges in the nation. Yesterday, the Charleston Gazette put in black and white the horrible findings of a recent report on our state of disrepair. Overall, we're not ranked worst in the nation, but our non interstate roads and bridges are the 6th worst in the continental U S A.

May 20 a Compliments the lack of roadways, W Va is ranked 7th highest  in rural  roadway deaths.

May 20 a The recent Legislative season did NOTHING on this but instead, spent their Republicrat controlled efforts on political BS. Pitiful!

May 20 a For all the fishing buddies, Buffalo Creek was stocked Tuesday morning with 400 pounds of trout.

May 20 a Finally, a  good reason to spend a weekend in Clayberry.

 

May 19 p   For all our angler buddies, got some great news. Buffalo Creek will be stocked sometime this week. Expect around 400 pounds of the wigglers to be dumped in Clayberry's best looking tributary to the Elk.

May 19 p  We've been without a fully stocked franchise grocery store for over 7 months. For right at a month, we've been without ANY franchise grocery store.. To get someone to come into this county and set up shop. well, it's a long short.

May 19 p Lets move to plan B

May 19 p We have two dollar stores in the county. Both added limited food items last year. Neither has enough space nor parking.

May 19 p How about a citizen led push to get one of those to expand into the Piggly Wiggly building

May 19 p Did you know, the Dollar General empire includes mega stores, about twice as big as what's offered in town now. Those expanded Dollar General Stores includes a bunch of grocery store items.

May 19 p Take a couple minutes and call 1 866 214 5750 today. You can also go online  and make your statement. Use this link, go near the bottom and click the West Virginia line for a direct contact to the W Va field rep.

May 19 p They've got over 11,800 stores right now. This online campaign could result in one more! How about you?

 

May 19 a  William “Jack” Coulter, 73, formerly of Clay, see OBITUARY page

May 19 a The rescheduled School Board meeting convenes tonight at 6pm. Before that gathering, beginning at 4pm, there's a public hearing on the new year's budget. As one old feller said, for the real story, follow the numbers, The State Ed website includes financials for the last several years. Take a look.

May 19 a Last night's Clay High Sectional game against Herbert Hoover was called due to rain. It's rescheduled for tonight at 6pm down at Herbert Hoover High. It's do or die time for the Panthers. For those unable to make the trip, the local radio stations plans to air the contest

May 19 a  The local Health Bd is looking at changes to the clean indoor air smoking ban. Discussed yesterday was inclusion of non smoking E Cigs to the ban. Although no smoke, no second hand smoke is emitted and some of the devices don't even contain nicotine, we're heading down the slippery slope.

May 19 a First word also came on a statewide initiative to combine county health departments around the state into regional organizations. Sounds like another way to the public out of public meetings and local services.

May 19 a  Looks like rain will continue thru the morning. Wear your umbrella and carry your rubbers!

 

May 18 a Friday night the Panthers took it on the nose against Herbert Hoover. It was a completely different game Saturday afternoon when the game against Nicholas county went our way in the bottom of the 7th. Great game Saturday with the final score in our favor, 10 to 9.

May 18 a  Sectional tournament play continues this evening at 6pm when the CHS Panthers take on Herbert Hoover at Herbert Hoover. It's do or die tonight for the Panthers.

May 18 a In rescheduled action, the Board of Health meets today at high noon in their Main Street digs. One agenda item opens discussion on changing smoking restrictions. Right now, if you have to stand in the middle of the road to lit up a torch and be in compliance

May 18 a If Arthur Jarrett did anything right while serving as Mayor, it was passing a Town smoking ordinance which short circuited the county smoking ordinance. Jarrett penned and passed a law that says, it's up to the business owner to decide smoking rules in each private business.

May 18 a  Tonight's School Board meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday evening at The Pentagon. They've got a big long agenda full of people moving from one job to another.

May 18 a The big question is, who will the Board pick to replace resigned Sch Boardster RB Legg? With pesky Cheryl White asking too many questions and now Dave Pierson looking at the financials and asking tough questions, it's important that the Pentagon pick a team player. Our guess, a return of Beth Cercone to the Board. Justa guess.

May 18 a  Sick leave abuse came up during the most recent Board meeting. At issue is record keeping and bringing the "I have a hang nail and ain't going to work" crowd into line.  During Tuesday's meeting, a new time sheet will be made public.

May 18 a What the Board isn't looking at is the undocumented, professional leave taken by the administrators. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

May 18 a Beginning at 4pm tomorrow, the Board convenes a public hearing on the the 2015- 2016 budget. If you want to see what's happening, read the numbers.

May 18 a We have a new Eagle Scout . Yesterday in an hour long ceremony, Troop 123's Jordan Vaughn received his top badge while a big crowd of family and friends smiled and applauded. Good Job, 14 year old Jordan!

May 16 a Cistern users or gardeners, we need some rain in the worst way. 50% chance of the wet stuff this afternoon.

May 16 a Last night the CHS Panthers never got out of the starting blocks. That sectional tournament score against Herbert Hoover, 14 to zip.

May 16 a In double elimination action, the Panthers take on Nicholas County today at 1pm down at Herbert Hoover High School

May 16 a Go Panthers!

May 15 later a How about a job close to home. Check the JOBS page today

May 15 a We lost Blues Boy (BB) King. The thrill is truly gone

May 15 a Sorry for the short notice, from the email bag as of 6:30 this morning: HUGE YARD SALE MAY 15th Rt. 4 Varney Town Straight in Maysel about 1/2 mile toward Procious after passing CrossRoads on the Left/ look for gray double wide with  wooden rail fence and signs!! (Rhodes Family)

May 15 a CHS Panthers are in Sectional Tournament action tonight down at Herbert Hoover High School. Action is suppose to begin at 6pm. The local radio stations will broadcast the match up in real time on 101.7FM and 106.7FM as well as around the globe on the web.

May 15 a Last weekend temps in this area hit 100 degrees. Couple that with  a very dry Spring and something is going on. Scientists are saying, El Nino is at it again.

May 15 a How about some makes good sense news:  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed the government's very first label for foods that do not contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. It's about time.

May 15 a The people that internet are changing from govt to private. Good or bad,  Read more.

 

May 14 late p Day report centers are a new trend dealing with the many non violent prisoners.

May 14 late p The deal is to let them stay at home and report daily to a central location where they are whiz tested, given job skill classes, and then sent out for some kind of work detail.

May 14 late p Counties push for a center as a way to reduce the monthly jail bill.

May 14 late p For County Clay, our jail bill probably averages around $25K per month. Some months, not so long ago, our jail bill went up above $30K

May 14 late p We almost had such a facility five years ago. County leaders were pushing for such and then everything came to a halt. At various public meetings, elected leaders said one person stopped the effort with innuendoes pointing to the then Top Badge, the wittle round guy who had a birthday May 11th.

May 14 late p Maybe the most important gem from the CCC meeting Wed... according to Linky Poo, a meeting was held on May 12th with the  Judge and everything looks good for the effort to get back on track .

May 14 late p Keep your fingers crossed clickers, something good might happen this year.

 

May 14 a  It's 36 degrees this morning but what the heck, we're in Summer mode!

May 14 a For those complaining about lack of Badges in the evening hours, during Wed's Commission meeting, the CCC voted to hire Tyler Caruthers for Black Shirt duties. Before you say, he's got the same name as someone else in the Courthouse!!!, Caruthers was high scorer on the Civil Service exam

May 14 a A few months back, Sheriff Garrett Samples hired Kyle Ware for Badge work. Some are thinking, why isn't Ware in the Badge Academy for training. We have an answer

May 14 a  According to Top Badge Samples, Ware's name has been submitted to the Academy but it's up to those folks to select who goes first  and when.

May 14 a Mike Shamblin provided the elected an update on the almost ready to open , 2015 edition of the Clay County Farmer's Market

May 14 a This year, the Market will be open each Thursday afternoon on Courthouse Square.

May 14 a Now in its 5th year, the Market has switched from Saturday mornings to the work day, Thursday

May 14 a The idea is to be open when someone is actually in town.

May 14 a Five years ago, while the radio station was in downtown and providing Saturday night music shows, the idea was to put the draws on the same day, to give people a reason for coming to town on Saturdays.

May 14 a  With the station operating at Valley Fork and now nothing going on in downtown on Saturdays, makes sense to cater to those that have  some $$$, the weekday workers.

May 14 a Just checked out the online Eagle cam . Still a bunch of poo on the camera lens.

May 14 a  We've got a few pics from last Saturday's beekeeper meeting on the homepage.

May 14 a Did you know:  Since April 2014, beekeepers lost 42.1 percent of their colonies, the second highest loss rate in nine years.

May 13 a  Sadly we report the passing of Helen Morris

May 13 a Helen Morris, see OBITUARY page

May 13 a Whether it was serving on Town Council, raising a family, baking a cake for the kids at the radio station , or just telling a story, Helen Morris did it right. She will be sadly missed by all.

May 13 early a  County Commission meets this morning at 10am.

May 13 early a  For those unable to participate in democracy by attending, the community radio stations plan to broadcast this morning's meeting later today , around 7pm. Sit on your porch, sip a brew, and hear what makes Clayberry so special

May 13 early a The county's longest running locally owned and operated newspaper, The Communicator, made it to news stands across the region Tuesday afternoon.

May 13 early a Lead story is the big drug bust and chase down that came our way Saturday morning.

May 13 a early a While Chris Pritt's drug bust is attention getting, the most important article is the resignation of long time School Boardster, R B Legg.

May 13 early All the details in the latest and bestest yet Communicator and for just 80 cents.

 

May 11 p Thunder boomers are banging thru the county as of 7pm tonight. Much needed rain is here as well

May 11 p Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon.

May 11 p After 30 or so years at the table, RB Legg has resigned from the School Board.

May 11 pm The only real question is, who's the replacement? The  appointee has to reside in C District. Now, who lives in C .... Hmmmmm....

May 11 p Chris Pritt was the lad arrested Saturday morning after fleeing and carted off to jail.

May 11 p Get the full scoop in tomorrow's Communicator. 80 cents and worth every penny!

May 11 a Happy Monday in County Clay. Temps are suppose to be in the low 90's today.

May 11 a Yesterday, while standing on a blacktop parking lot, the tempo read 106 degrees.

May 11 a No Health Bd meeting today. That's been rescheduled for next Monday at noon

May 11 a One of their agenda items will discuss changes in the current law on smoking in public. We're guessing that includes the use of e-cigs. Oddly enough, some of those e-cigs don't even contain nicotine!

May 11a Born in '62, special birthday wishes to that wittle round past Sheriff.

May 11 a The first few days of the month are the most prosperous for local retailers. Govt checks arrive the first few days of each month. Many of those families head off to the grocery stores and stock up for the next 30 days. For many, the shell out over a $100 for starters.

May 11 a With Piggly Wiggly closed down, multiple $100 times a couple thousand families.. that adds up to a lot of $$$ being spent out of Clayberry.

May 11 a Since the Clifton family doesn't own the building, lot, or even the franchise name, about all they have to sell is shelving, coolers, meat cutting equipment and freezers. Considering the age of that equipment, what's that worth?

May 11 a $150,000?  $300,000?

 

May 8 p Forgot to extend 60th wedding anniversary wishes to Fred and Elizabeth Sampson. Salute!

May 8 p We're still a full week to go  before the last frost date for this region

May 8 p Most of us are already buying flowering plants and veggies for the garden

May 8 p At big box stores, all are at least 40 minutes from here, for a 6 pack, price is $2.39

May 8 p Over at the just opened Sizemore Greenhouse in Maysel, the price is $2.50

May 8 p For hanging baskets, big box, $13.99, Sizemore, $15

May 8 p Few of the big stores contribute to life in Clayberry

May 8 p When you add in the travel time and fuel, why not support the local economy?

May 8 p The Bd of Health was planning to meet Monday May 11th. That meeting has been changed to the 18th at high noon

May 8 p Noticed on their agenda a discussion item to change the existing smoke law.

May 8 p Since the Legislature came an inch of eliminating the state ban, our guess, the new law will be stricter and include the smokeless e cigs.

May 8 p The slippery slope is here

 

May 8 a Piggly Wiggly closed its doors a couple weeks ago. This week, civil suit papers were filed over in Magistrate Court against owner Drema Clifton

May 8 a The claim is for $1804.53 in unpaid and reimbursement property taxes and interest at 7%.

May 8  a  Bill Pierson and Mitchel King  (BB&M Trucking Inc.), own the building and lot.

May 8 a We'll have the details in the next Communicator.

May 8 a Over on the hurherald web site comes word of high student truancy rates. Four counties — Gilmer, Lewis, McDowell and Wyoming — had more than half their students truant. Many other counties in West Virginia have nearly as high rates of kids missing school.

May 8 a  Drive In movie theaters are few and far between. For this neck of the woods, the landscape just got fewer.

May 8  a School Boardsters have talked of late on the high cost of school employee absenteeism.

May 8 a For years, a decade actually, this site has been harping about unlawful government intrusion into our personal lives. AT the center of that drive is the amount of personal date like spying on  our puter activities, Badge cameras mounted around every corner and listening in on our telephone calls.

May 8 a Finally, a high court agrees with the U S Constitution and  confirms, the Feds do not have that right under the Patriot Act.

May 8 a When the Prez says, they're not listening in word for word, he's telling the truth but stretching it big time.

May 8 a Instead of listening in, our voices are translated into written words and collected

May 8 a Thank goodness for the courageous Edward Snowden, whistleblowing and the press. Snowden should receive some kind of prize for his efforts.

May 8 a It's a great day for the Constitution.

May 7 early a In Hazel Hanna's life time, Sitting Bull was still alive as were many Civil War soldiers, she lived thru  the Great War and WWII, the invention of a telephone, TV, men on the moon, Negroes grow rights and turn into human beings thru Supreme Court law, and women voting and being able to  own property.

May 7 a Hazel G. (Mathews) Hanna, 103, formerly of Clay, WV, see OBITUARY page

May 7 a  We have a couple accolades from Tuesday's Town Council meeting

May 7 a  Before motioning and voting for raising sewer rates,  Council person Josh Shamblin asked if the increase was absolutely necessary.

May 7 a  During discussion to raise wa wa rates, Mayor Clifton scuttling the process with concerns that nobody knew how much they really needed in the way of a rate increase.

May 6 a Yesterday at 5, Clay Town Council held their monthly public meeting.

May 6 a With just three Council persons present, they voted to raise sewer rates and came a gnats arss to also voting in a wa wa rate increase. The only thing that stopped them was, they didn't know how much to raise. After hearing other providers raising rates by 15 and 25%, Council hovered around the 15% mark.

May 6 a You can hear the entire meeting on 101.7FM  and 106.7FM beginning at 9am.

May  6a With their election coming in June and early voting starting to in just two weeks, we might see a whole new complexion on Council before the final increase is decided

May 6 a A decade and a half ago, the Business Development Authority (BDA) paid twice too much for what's commonly known as the Filcon Industrial Site. Since then, the "boat anchor" as some Boardsters have referred to it, has cost the group and county close to 1/2 million dollars in court costs, buying it back, fill, surveys. and lawsuits.

May 6 a  Several have considered buying the 7 or so acres over the years only to find a "clouded title"

May 6 a Reality companies listed the place for several years without luck

May 6 a Last Fall a guy showed up at a BDA meeting with cash in hand to purchase the place. He offered $60,000 as a starting bid

May 6 a  After years of wanting to sell the place, the BDA told the feller, Nay, we're not interested in selling to you

May 6 a Since then, the BDA has spent much $$$ in newspaper ads soliciting proposals for a bright future for the place

May 6 a Monday night, the BDA voted to sell Filcon to Clay County Services Unlimited, commonly known as the sheltered workshop, for $65,000.00. Payment will come over the next four years.

May 6 a Here's the zinger.

May 6 a The BDA has around $14,000 to its name

May 6 a Without $30,000 on hand, the BDA was turned down for a big lead economic development grant (LED grant).

May 6 a Had the BDA negotiated with the the guy ( Rocky Boggs) last Fall, they would have had the cash on hand for the grant match and received the hard to find grant dollars.

May 6 a  Hindsight.

May 5 a This afternoon at 5pm Clay Town Council meets at the wa wa plant. It's the next to the last meeting before the June 9th

Town election. On the agenda is an action item on a sewer rate increase.

May 5 a Sectional tournament softball starts today over at Schoonover / Bradley Field. The Lady Panthers take the field around 5pm. With double elimination in place, if they lose their first game, they play again around 7ish

May 5 a The community radio station will air the softball game (games) beginning at 5pm this afternoon.

May 5 a The CHS Panthers put the whammy on Nicholas County for 6 innings last night. It all went to H in the 7th where Nicholas scored 10 times. We lost 12 to 3

May 5 a We got a few email questions on our post of Doug Facemire considering taking over the closed Piggly Wiggly store in Two Run. In response, Mr Facemire provided, IF he takes over the business, it will not be a Piggly Wiggly franchise. He mentioned a couple possibilities but the dimly lit ace cub reporter can't remember squat. Sorry

May 5 a  Hey! We've got another happy clicker! From the email bag and edited for potty mouth: You know that you can open up a grocery store that has hamburger and french fries if you would want to dont you?  Why dont you quit b!!!!!ing about others hardships and failures and just open up the store yourself......

May 5 a Had a darn good School Board meeting last night.

May 5 a Often School Boardsters show up and go thru the agenda, our guess, having never read thru the provided materials.

May 5 a Not the case last night. As soon as Dave Pierson sat down, he went over the financials with Dave Mullins. It was obvious he had crunched the numbers and they weren't pretty. During the meeting Pierson put the bottom line in plain English, The Pentagon has $133,000 in checking and owes $312,000. No one disputed his math.

May 5 a Kenneth Tanner: It's coming down pretty tight.    Yikes!!

May 5 a The State Bd of Ed  is asking questions about the high absentee rates of teachers and school service personnel.

May 5 a During last night's discussion segment, local teacher sick leave problems was discussed. Superintendent Tanner provided a list, chart, showing, the cost of using substitute teachers and other personnel is way above the amount provided by the state. In Clayberry, last year (we think), the Pentagon overspent $49K on sub teachers and another $37K on sub cooks, drivers., etc.

May 5 a  When Pierson asked: are we ready for an improvement plan? , KT countered with, it's time to revise out policy.

May 5 a Right now, if you miss X number of days in a row, a MD's excuse is mandatory. BUT! If you keep missing one here followed by a couple days there and on and on, no excuse is needed.

May 5 a Pierson asked if ANYONE had ever been reprimanded for abusing sick leave. Answer: Nope

May 5 a Currently, teachers can apply unused sick days toward retirement benefits etc

May 5 a Our dimly lit State Legislature changed that beginning this July.

May 5 a Under the new rule, if you don't use your sick leave, you lose em. Nothing goes toward retirement time.

May 5 a What do you think that will do to absentee rates? You got it

May 5 a It's either use it or lose it. Thank you State Legislature for your great wisdom.

May 5 a During all the discussion on teachers, cooks, drivers using leave, there was no mention of administrators gone about as much as they are on the job in a school. Hope that comes up some time in the near future.

May 5 a One meeting back, Boardster Cheryl White read a letter from some parent concerning the costly plane rides ($26K more or less)  for CHS TSA students heading to Dallas Texas in June. She aslo asked a volley of questions on the decision making process that went into the travel plans.

May 5 a After that meeting, White received written grief including what sounded like a racial slur, something about better go back to the circus. During the May 5th meeting, Boardster White added that she had received a letter from CHS principal Melinda Issacs and a phone call.

May 5 a Last night, White stood her ground and said she would not be intimidated by anyone. As for her no vote two weeks ago on the TSA travel plans, she provided, that was for procedures done and not a vote against the kids.

May 5 a   Last night, White asked Issacs, were parents included in the TSA itinerary plans. Answer: No

May 5 a White: Do parents know the itinerary now? Answer, again from CHS Principal Melinda Issacs, No

May 5 a May 5 a After about 90 minutes of public time,  then came the real meeting. The School Board went into secret time.

May 5 a We left. We don't how long they spent behind closed doors discussing the real stuff.

May 5 a The radio station taped last night's School Board meeting and plans to air it beginning at 9am this morning.

May 5 a If you live outside of Clayberry, you can listen online. Walk over to wyap.com and click the listen online button.

 

May 4 p Forgot to mention during the morning post, the Business Development Authority convenes tonight at 6:30pm over in Two Run. Pretty interesting agenda too.

May 4 p The Panthers play at 5:30pm  out at Clay County Park. With beautiful weather from wall to wall, why not come out and support the home team!  The local radio stations will broadcast the match up beginning around 9pm tonight.

May 4 a With their properly posted agenda available online, the Sch Bd meets tonight over at the Pentagon.

May 4 a Noticed a couple meetings back, a new "current issues" section was added to the discussion time at the bottom of each agenda. That section is where Superintendent K Tanner can add whatever is on his mind

May 4 a Last meeting, the current issue segment included the part about opting out of the now in progress, standardized testing

May 4 a With Piggly Wiggly devoid of most all food, we just muddled our way thru the first warm weather weekend without a grocery chain open for those last minute hamburger and fresh food purchases. Those last minute cook out burgers... forget it in Clayberry

May 4 a Got some big news clickers!

May 4 a Senator Doug Facemire owns several big box food stores around the region. Facemire was on hand for yesterday's H E White Ramp Feed where he served up some of the fixin's

May 4 a During a break, Facemire said he knew of the pickle the county is in without a franchise grocery store and was considering  the operation of the Piggly Wiggly store. He said he plans to be in Town early this week to talk with Drema and Ryan Clifton.

May 4 a Confirming what has been known before, the building is too small, the Senator said, if he comes to Town, he plans to build a much larger store in the area in short order.

May 4 a Great Great Great!

 

May 3 a   Troy “Tootie” Neff, 74, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

May 3 a From the last seven days....

May 3 a Don't say you can't start a business in Clayberry! Connie's Restaurant opened Monday at 11am to a waiting crowd. Throughout the week, it was standing room only for the Two Run sandwich and dairy stand.

May 3 a Don't say you can't stand a business in County Clay. In the Northern end of the county, the Millers opened a new pizza place on a back road in Nebo and there also, quality products bring out the crowds.

May 3 a We lost Ronnie Haynes who served as a County Commissioner for over a decade. As registered Republicrat and feller born out of county, he was the exception to the rule. In addition to politics, Ronnie was a successful business man but preferred farming and raising animals. Sometimes he would come to CCC meetings still dressed in rubber boots fresh from the barn.

May 3 a Years ago the ace cub reporter sued the Commission for violating open meeting laws. Commissioner Haynes testified during depositions. Afterwards, as he was leaving the room, he stopped, put his hand on AW's shoulder and said: Don't be mad at me and don't stop sending me The Communicator. His attorney frowned

May 3 a On another occasion, during an election cycle, AW challenged election results. At the time, those that did such were charged $300. After the recount, the CCC returned everyone's $$$. Afterward this challenge, the County Commission refused to return the loot to the reporter.

May 3 a Knowing the promise had been made, Haynes knew the right thing to do and returned the $300 out of his own pocket.

May 3 a Shortcomings? Yes, but Ronnie Haynes did his best in everything he tried.

May 3 a  Grocery stores are more than just a business. The community depends on em to stay alive.

May 3 a Three weeks ago, for all intent and purposes, the county's only franchise grocer closed

May 3 a During this past week, the owners, Drema Clifton and her son Ryan,  kept the lights on for part of some days but without meat, produce, breads, frozen goods, Clayberry suffered thru another seven days.

May 3 a  Ryan Clifton also serves as the Town Mayor and is seeking reelection in June. Around the county some are saying, Heck, if he can't run a grocery store , how can he run a town????

May 3 a The BDA came up with  the idea of a Countywide Yard Sale a couple years back. The 2015 edition was held May 1 and 2nd.

May 3 a Around the county, bright colored signs went up and many many folks cleaned out their closets, set up tables, and made some hard to earn extra money. Some report, they hauled in several hundred bucks.

May 3 a In addition to opening up closet space, the vent people people into the county. That's fresh money in the county of little

May 3 a With t he weather cooperating, darn good project.

May 3 a Yesterday, the Clay County Solid Waste Authority held their annual Recycling Day.

May 3 a Due to finances, the much needed event almost didn't happen. Had it not been for others donating funds and coming up with creative ways to cut costs, it would NOT have happened

May 3 a Yesterday, the CC SWA took in tons of junk and trash that most likely would have ended up along some back road or over a hillside.

May 3 a A bunch of us have been watching the Eagle Cam for the last several weeks. Pretty interesting to watch baby Eaglets hatch and grow

May 3 a That was until mid week when one of the parent Eagles let loose a volley of projectile poo and covered the cam lens.

May 3 a Until rain washes the stuff away, the eagle cam is down.

May 3 a Not quite as good mind ya, but there is a Red Tail Hawk cam and Barn Owl cam to watch

May 3 a Both allow about two hours of viewing before you have to refresh. Pretty cool way to screw off while at work.

May 3 a The Barn Owl couple has a couple brand new babies to care for.

May 3 a With three eggs , the White Tail Hawk couple is still waiting for their future to hatch. Yesterday, Dad Hawk brought in a squirming garter snake for a Saturday feast.

May 3 a Cool stuff!

May 3 a  And finally, thanks to generous support from our clickers, we were able to purchase a slightly used but unbroken, replacement Olympus e-510 camera for use on this site and in The Communicator. It'll take a few more days to zero in the settings, but we're back in the picture business for another couple years. Thank you big time

May 3 a And no, the new camera will not help our spelling , punctuation, nor grammar.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

May 1 late p History text books say little about the labor movement. Couple that with poor teaching and few have an inkling on t he significance of May Day in the USA. For those interested in what should be the biggest holiday for the working class, have a look see.

May 1 late p Even with drizzle in the air this morning, yard salers set up what seems like , every 100 feet in the county.

May 1 late p For those wanting something to do Saturday, hop in the car and travel to Yard Sale Central in Clayberry.

May 1 late p A bunch of us have been watching the eagle cam and two young chicks growing quickly. That end yesterday when one of the parents took a dump on the camera lens. Until rain washed away the drips, no eagle watching.

May 1 a With just a 40% of rain this morning and sunshine Saturday, looks like the good stuff planned for the weekend will happen

May 1 a Like...

May 1 a Countywide Yard Sales are a go. That's today and Saturday

May 1 a The Solid Waste Authority's annual Recycle Day comes tomorrow. Here's your once a year opportunity to get rid of all that crap just setting around. Wouldn't hurt a bit to clean out those roadside dump heaps today and haul it off Saturday

May 1 a Hands down, the best tasting ramps come Sunday afternoon during the H E White Ramp Feed. The volunteers at this rural school put together one heck of a feast and serves as a fund raiser.

May 1 a  We ended our once a year online beggin campaign five days ago. We appreciate everyone that donated to keep this portal up and running. With t he funds raised , Delta will be able to pay web hosting bills, keep the clayberry.org name for another 12 months, and purchase a replacement Olympus e-510 camera.

May 1 a It's not a new camera but one that is slightly used and without need for scotch tape to hold the doors in place. Be patient as we get the thang set up and dialed in.

May 1 a  We give the new breed of Republicrats double H on a regular basis. For the most part, their mode of operation is to name a bill something that sounds great for us. The fine print often provides just the opposite.

May 1 a  Over in Washington:  The Republican-authored plan would eliminate deficits by 2024 through deep cuts to social programs while increasing military spending by nearly $40 billion next year. It passed 226-197 largely on party lines.

May 1 a  Over in our border colony, Maryland, a Republicrat entered legislation that cuts food stamps to families if one of the kids gets in trouble with the law.

May 1 a Back in DC:  ...Nothing highlights Washington's skeptical view of the political left like the arrival of Bernie Sanders into the presidential race.

May 1 a  Here at home, did you know, if your car was damaged due to tank trap size pot holes, the West Virginia Court of Claims has $$$ to help cover the cost of damage. Before you get all excited, typical for this state, claims take months, maybe a year, to get settled. Here's a claim form.

May 1 a  Have a great weekend and be sure to eat ramps Sunday.

 

April 30 late p The Lady Panthers did not get to play this evening.

April 30 late p   101.7FM and 106.7FM plan to encore broadcast last night's Panther match up with Herbert Hoover High School beginning around 7pm. To listen any place around the globe, walk over to wyap.com and follow the instructions to listen online.

April 30 late p Most in the county know Kenneth Triplett as a senior seen around Go Mart and Tudor's sipping coffee.

April 30 late p Seems the bad guys knew his schedule too. See ADVISORY page for reward details on his stolen wood splitter

April 30 late p There's also a reward being offered on an antique Ford over on the ADVISORY page

April 30 late p  While it's still nice and dry, quit being lazy. Clean out that barn, closet, yard, porch and set up a Yard Sale during the County Wide Yard Sale planned for Friday and Saturday

April 30 p  Former County Commissioner Ronald Ray Haynes Sr., 71, see OBITUARY page

April 30 p Suppose to have been a juicy trial this morning before Judge Jack Alsop. With a jury waiting in the back room, Howard (better known as Jeff) Lilly took a plea deal with a no contest announcement.

April 30 p Over on the EVENTS page are new yard sale listing. May 1 and 2 is the county wide yard sale dates. Great time to make some $$$ while getting rid of junk.

April 30 p Remember Jeff Lilly from down in the Glen area? Last July Mr Lilly was arrested after taking a camera tri pod to TV-8 News reporter Bob Aaron.

April 30 p The newest, bestest yet standardized testing begins this week in Clayberry. For this county, the process will take around 3 weeks to complete and is getting underway this week..   In other counties, that three week number may stretch to a full month.

April 30 p In other states and counties in West Virginia, parents and students have "opted out" of taking the thing.

April 30 p Now an elected state leader has brought a civil suit  against about everybody in the world to stop the Common Core testing. Here's the West Virginia Record write up.

April 30 p Other media outlets reported,  down in Wayne County, over 200 students from one high school, refused to take the test citing infringement of their civil liberties among other reasons.

April 29 p Don Maurice Estep, 84, see OBITUARY page

 

April 29 a Contributing to the literacy of beautiful Clayberry, the latest, greatest Communicator is now available for your edumacation.  Lead story covers  a major piece of growing our tourism future, a hiking biking horseback trail! Couple that with tons of great pictures from the last two weeks and news from the last School Board meeting.... well worth 80 cents cheap!

April 29 a Ballgame tonight  clickers. Go CHS!!

April 29 a Congrats Zach Horrocks, new member of the W Va All State Fishin Team. Salute!!

April 29 a It's time clickers to clean out the county.

April 29 a This coming Friday and Saturday is the annual county wide yard sale. A great opportunity to thicken your wallet and  clean out the junk in your closet

April 29 a What doesn't sale, take it over to the Solid Waste Authority's once a year, Recycle Day at Pierson Lumber Co log yard.

April 29  a  They'll take just about anything. See The Communicator ad for details

 

April 27  a We can't buy fresh hamburger, fresh potatoes and such in Clay BUT!!!

April 27 a Strawberry milk shakes return today over at Connie's in Two Run. Yaaaahooooooo!

 

April 26 p One last thing from the week that was.

April 26 p During the last Sch Bd meeting, Superintendent K Tanner commented on a national grass roots effort by parents. According to several newspaper accounts, 1000's of parents are refusing to let their curtain climber participate in the new Common Core standardized test. Here in West Virginia we renamed it several ways including Next Gen.

April 26 p Tanner said there is no "opt out" provision in this state but no disciplinary action will be taken for those refusing to be tested.  Testing begins this week in Clay. It will be interesting to see if any of our parents stand up and say to no to national testing.

April 26 p Around the country, parents are saying they don't want their curtain climber under such pressure when it doesn't matter one iota to the student. If the Pentagon is uneasy about the grassroots effort, it's because a bunch of of their funding depends on 95% of the brats participating in Common Core. I'ts all about money and little more.

April 26 p  Under the Gold Dome, the elected want our kids in school longer each day and 180 days out of the year. Some counties will have school until nearly the end of June this year to meet those mandates.

April 26 p Interestingly enough, Common Core testing will take a full three weeks with all of that being done online. That's three weeks of screwed up school schedules where, if it's not your turn to take the test, you can't play on the internet.

April 26 p  So much for educamation in the land of little. For all intents and purpose,the school year is over and it's still April.

April 26 p all together now, pitiful!

April 26 a  James Lewis Woodrum, 50, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

April 26 a  Broadus Markle, 72, of Maysel, see OBITUARY page

April 26 a Basic services are part of the commons. We expect certain things like running wa wa, lights and DSL to be on, and the corner grocery store.

April 26 a We've known for 6 months or more that business was sour over at Piggly Wiggly. With many aisles nearly bare, fresh produce / meats all gone and most employees already laid off, one week ago, owner Drema Clifton announced the place was shutting down.    With little to buy and no new inventory in the wings, during this past week, the doors remained open for part of each day.

April 26 a Not so today with another sign in the window reading, will open on Monday.   For now, forget buying fresh produce and meat in Clayberry.

April 26 a Saturday morning, one business guy in the county noted, the down turn in the economy, it is very tough on keep the doors open. He added, why would anyone come here to set up a new business?

April 26 a It is truly a sad day.

April 26 a  We do have some good news this morning.

April 26 a  After four years of effort, Mitch DeBoard has a deal ready for signing to open a 18 mile long hiking, biking, horseback riding, trail along Buffalo Creek. The lease signing comes Monday morning in Summersville.

April 26 a As of this time Monday, Clayberry will have a center piece for a tourism business. Along that trail is one of the state's most beautiful campgrounds and a second, JG Bradley, supposedly opening at the end of June.

April 26 a One the lease is signed, the state will start trout stockings in Buffalo.

April 26 a Our once a year online begging campaign is over for another year. We appreciate all those that coughed up their hard earned dollars to help us keep on keeping on with news and views of County Clay.

April 26 a Some of the supporters include: D & K G, MK, D N from Elvyria, G & L F of Hurricane, J H from Rowlett TX, and J H down in Charleston.

April 26 a For one last time, that snail mail address for those that think a platform for change is important, Delta; 2278 Main Street, Clay WV 25043

April 26 a Thank you

April 26 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Deadline for submissions is Monday at 5pm. Email your stuff right away

April 24 a It's chilly this morning but the sun's out and no rain so far. Enjoy Friday

April 24 a  Earlier this month, the BC&G RR Co-Op voted to capture oral history from those that grew up in Swandale, Widen, worked the railroad and lumber business. TO that end, they asked the Clay High broadcast class to do the leg work

April 24 a With a new broadcast lab up and running, the six students stepped up to the plate.

April 24 a Their idea is capture short individual little known stories so far unrecorded.

April 24 a The kids have a problem. Many of those contacted for the "Story Time" project for one reason or another, are not able to come to the high school and participate.

April 24 a With our graduating seniors down to about three weeks of class time, they need help

April 24 a If you have a story to share and are willing to come to CHS for recording, please email your contact information today. Use wyaplp@hotmail.com

April 24 a Thanks in advance

April 24 a  Talked to one lady this week who was asking about the BC&G RR Co-Op effort

April 24 a In the way of an update....

April 24 a The group has been floundering since the loss of Roger Nutter. For months the for profit group went without monthly meetings and without any activity

April 24 a  In early April, the remnants gathered and held Board leadership elections. They selected J R Spencer to be the Prez.

April 24 a Spencer immediately said, to survive, they had to come up with attainable goals and get started. The audio story time project is one of the new projects.   A by laws committee is also meeting.

April 24 a For those that contributed to the brick memorial fund, according to Connie Lupardus, in attendance during the April meeting, these bricks have been ordered

April 24 a The BC&G RR's main goal was to operate a tourism railroad like Cass, but in Clayberry. For those wondering, that dream is gone.   Look for the group to have a presence in County Clay but devoid of a steam locomotive.

April 24 a  They also agreed to sell one of their metal cabooses. Deadline for submitting a bid is May 4th. For details, call 304 587 7586 evenings only

April 24 a  DId you know, Henry Ford's first automobiles were NOT designed to run on gas? If you'd like to screw off for a few minutes, here's the history of gasoline.

April 24 a Ted Cruz came to Washington two-and-a-half years ago pledging to be the anti-senator. But he’s been more like the no-show senator.

April 24 a We're down to the next to last day of our annual online begging campaign. The goal is to annoy you... no no no, the goal is to raise enough $$$ to keep this website up and running for another 12 months. Right now it's time to renew the web host, domain name, replace a worn out camera, and take a trip to Hawaii.

April 24 a Just kidding about that last part

April 24 a If you can spare a few bucks for the cause, thanks. Mail your hard earned $$$ to Delta; 2278 Main Street, Clay WV 25043

April 24 a Thank you

 

April 23 a Area merchants have shelf loads of beautiful garden plants ready for planting

April 23 a Here in the outback, it's tough not to buy em and get em in the ground.

April 23 a   A bunch of us have fallen to the marketing strategy. Tonight's expected frost should wipe out all that early garden effort.

April 23 a   Come Saturday, time to rebuy and replant those jewels

April 23 a Clayberry really didn't have much of a winter until mid Feb. We had more snow and cold cold temps in Feb than the rest of the winter combined.

April 23 a That short span of cold seems to have wiped out more shrubs and perennials  than the nasty winter of 2013-2014.

April 23 a Piggly Wiggly remained open Wed but devoid of most common grocery store stock.   If you're in need of something as common as potatoes, forget it, not there.

April 23 a We did get an update on the county's only franchise  grocery store during Wed's County Commission meeting

April 23 a According to the Linkster, Senator Doug Facemire, owner of several well run grocery stores in the state, would love to have the County Clay operation but, the building is too small. Commissioner Fitzwater: Hopefully something will work out over there.

April 23 a Unless a new owner takes up the place soon, Clayberry will be the only county in the state without a major supplier of fresh meats, produce and such. Sad day

April 23 a Also from Wed's CCC meeting...

April 23 a CAEZ has a plan to grow apple trees on a strip mine bench. They also have grant funds for that notion of growing water thirsty trees on land devoid of a water table. What they don't have is $$$ to erect a fence around the orchard to keep deer and beer away from the tasty morsels.

April 23 a According to the CCC, an apple orchard meeting is set for Friday at 1:30 in the old Valley Fork Grade School building.

 

April 22 a Last week we posted links and info on a grassroots initiative against Common Core testing. Across the nation including West Virginia, parents are opting out their kids from taking the standardized tests. For Clayberry, testing begins next week

April 22 a Last night during the Sch Bd meeting, Superintendent Kenneth Tanner provided some insight into the growing parent rebellion. KT referenced a letter, maybe email, from the State Ed Dept. which included a statement that West Virginia parents do not have an opt out right.

April 22 a When pressed for more info from the peanut gallery, Tanner added: allowances are made (opting out) for a student with medical issues (say a car wreck); Federal rules mandate that at least 95% of the curtain climber must participate; and, he plans no disciplinary actions for those  that opt out of the Common Core tests.

April 22 a What he didn't say was, school systems across the state, nation would loose Federal $$$ if parents continue with the grassroots "we ain't doing it" campaign.

April 22 a  Grass root campaigns take big numbers to be successful. We doubt if there's enough parents with backbone to bring down the latest dumb bunny standardized test. Hope we're wrong but....

April 22 a  Every year Middle and High School kids head off to various national conventions. Even if they're not competing for some award, we send them off for a few days of fun in the sun

April 22 a This year, the national TSA convention is being held in Dallas TX.

April 22 a 30 will go from Clay Middle and 20 from Clay High. Travel is always expensive.

April 22 a Last night during the Board meeting, Boardster Cheryl White opened up a can of worms when she brought up parent concerns over those travel plans. Turns out, the CMS group will head to TX via a bus.

April 22 a Not so with the High School delegation who plan to jet their way to Texas..

April 22 a Ms White read from a recently received letter from a parent who raised issues centered around no parent input before travel plans were etched in stone. Sounds like, at least one kid has a fear of flying and wanted to ride a bus instead.

April 22 a  When it's all said and done, the CHS travel expenses will come in around $25,000.00 minus a portion paid  from state funds. There was no mention of the additional $$$ needed to get the kids from Clay up to Pittsburgh where the jet takes off.

April 22 a  During discussions lead by White, turns out, the CHS TSA has only raised $1400 to reduce school system pay outs. There's another $2000 left over from previous TSA fundraisers.

April 22 a The Pentagon hates it when Board meetings go public. As Boardster White was reading from the paper and then asking a raising a bunch of concerns, you could feel the tension as Chair RB Legg tried to get the topic put away to a private setting.

April 22 a Someone has to tell Cheryl White to stop this public discussion crap! She's rocking the boat

April 22 a The locked in stone TSA trips passed with White voting no .

April 22 early a We goofed up the dates the last two morning posts. They're corrected now. Sorry

April 22 a If you're one of the few that's still denying climate change, better stop here.

April 22 a Three-quarters of known fossil fuel reserves must be kept in the ground if humanity is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, a group of leading scientists and economists have said....

April 22 a Forty some years ago, Earth Day was founded to bring awareness to the problem of man's destruction

April 22 a Nice idea but the movement has done little to slow down our ways

April 22 a Welcome to Earth Day

April 22 a County Commission meets this morning at 10am. Agenda items include hiring a Deputy Office of Emergency Services Director

April 22 a And, hiring two Coroners.

April 22 a Might make for an interesting way to spend the morning

April 22 a Someone asked if this site and The Communicator was a non profit endeavor.

April 22 a The answer is, we didn't intend it to be that way. Delta Communications is the parent company of both operations. It is a for profit operation.

April 22 a The only problem is, when you pee off about every other elected and appointed official in the county, there are few that advertise and take advantage of the most read website and paper in the county.

April 22 a Each year, once a year, we asked clickers of this site and readers of The Communicator to help keep the effort alive by donating. And , No, you didn't get to write it off your taxes.

April 22 a For those wondering, in 2014, each of the three partners received $403.00 TOTAL as profit. No we didn't mistype the $403.00 and Yes, the period is in the right place.

April 22 a Using 10 year old computers and software and limping along with a camera held together with Scotch tape, if you like having a daily source of Clayberry knowledge, please donate today: Delta, 2278 Main Street, Clay WV 25043

April 22 a For those wondering, we have two more days left during this begging campaign.

 

April 21 a We've got some sunshine coming this morning, better take advantage of it

April 21 a Herbal American Willie Nelson just announced his  "Willie Reserve" blend of high test pot.

April 21 a Sadly we report, the food we grew up on, Kraft Mac and Cheese is doing away with the chemicals and dye that made it choice one for every kid in America.

April 20 p By mid day, word spread quick that the local Piggly Wiggly had been saved, that a new owner was at the store and signed on the dotted line.

April 20 p What we think happened was, a couple new faces were seen in and around the store and Poof!, the rumor was on a tear. Someone else added that the new owner would be Doug Facemire who already owns several franchises in the region.

April 20 p   As of 3pm today, Ryan Clifton provided, no deal has been reached as of this time. When asked about Senator Facemire as the new owner, Ryan said No.

April 20 p Ryan asked that we tell everyone, Piggly Wiggly remains open for business.

 

April 20 a Board of Education meetings are normally held the first and third Monday evening of each month. Not so this time around

April 20 a Sch bd meets Tuesday at 5:30pm over at Clay High School. Following the meeting will be the big honors ceremony.

April 20 a  In the early 60's, the animated  Jetson's TV show provided insight into the 21st century with new fangled contraptions.  Some of those gadgets are now common fare.

April 20 a If check out the homepage, you will see a bunch of great photos from the weekend just past. For parents, it's a moment in the spotlight. For others, seeing those small fries in action brings a big smile and memories from years prior.

April 20 a Once a year for about 10 days or so, we come begging for $$$. We're doing that right now.

April 20 a If you like seeing those wittle rascals and scenes of Clayberry, how about it. Our snail mail address is Delta, 2278 Main Street, Clay WV 25043

April 20 a Thanks in advance.

 

April 19 p The ups and downs from the last seven days....

April 19 p Each weekday after school, Mr Cartoon told us how to behave, how to treat others, and  to set a good example for kindness. All that was mixed between great animation. Jule Huffman, AKA Mr Cartoon,  baby sat us for two hours daily. His passing this past week brought to a close those notable 60 and 70's TV personalities we grew up with. Folks like Soupy Sales, Romper Room, Uncle Willie, and Steamboat Bill

April 19 p Judge Facemire had the final say this week when he ordered the County Commission to pay Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury's attorney bills. Amounting to $9200.00 , that's one more blow to the leadership of Commissioner Linky Poo.

April 19 p One guy got more girls in the mood for backseat maneuvers than anybody else. With the radio playing, "When a Man Loves a Woman" came thru, temps went up and pants fell down! We lost 72 year old Percy Sledge mid week.

April 19 p We saw citizens take on the government this week. First came word of parents in Wyoming County saying no to allowing their kids to be tested on Common Core standards. We thought it was just one small group of parents saying no to big govt's next , bestest yet, standardized tests that don't mean a thing to the child's education

April 19 p Turns out , across the nation, 1000's of parents are doing likewise and saying no to spending millions more

April 19 p From the Associated Press:  This week in New York, tens of thousands of students sat out the first day of tests, with some districts reporting more than half of their students opting out of the English test. Preliminary reports suggest an overall increase in opt-outs compared to last year, when about 49,000 students did not take English tests and about 67,000 skipped math tests, compared to about 1.1 million students who did take the tests in New York....  Considerable resistance also has been reported in Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and more is likely soon....

April 19 p How serious is this in West Virginia?  What does the govt do anytime private citizens stand up and say No to something. In every instance Big Brother comes back with, that's illegal!!! You can't do that !!! We'll have you arrested!

April 19 p For those wondering, W Va does offer parents an opt out form. Why so important for administrators? It's all about $$$

April 19 p  Closer to home.... Just about every county in the state has at least one franchise supermarket. For County Clay it's the Piggly Wiggly.

  April 19 p For the last 8 months, inventory or lack of inventory at the Piggly Wiggle has been the talk of the town.

April 19 p This week owner Drema Clifton made public, she wasn't stocking or reordering goods. She said at 59 years of age, she's hanging it up.

April 19 p As for a new owner, Clifton said there is nothing ironclad in the works.

April 19 p For the couple of remaining employees, Monday may be it for them

April 19 p Sunday afternoon, cooler after cooler and freezer after freezer were empty. Produce and dairy products were equally lacking. One full aisle has been empty for weeks. In other aisles. you see more shelving than products for sale.

April 19 p Depressing sums it up

April 19 p Besides being a big time employer, a local grocery store is more than just a business. For those without a good car, it's the only place for fresh produce and meats. It's also a local meet and greet place.

April 19 p We don't know if new owners and management will come this week. We hope so. If Clayberry can't keep a franchise grocery store, it truly is time to turn off the light and go somewhere else

April 19 p  There was an upside in the last seven days

April 19 p Saturday morning a band of volunteers pulled it all together for the Lake Sampson FIshing Derby. With great weather, there was a huge turnout. For the preschool age class, there was around 77 participants. Each kid received a gift whether they caught  a fish or not. In the parking lot were booths by the Health Dept., Buffalo Creek Watershed, the Corp of Engineers, and more

April 19 p At each booth came a message of safer lifestyle.

April 19 p Later on Saturday was the opening day of Clay County Little League. Tons of parents and kids showed up for the ceremonies. Just like generations before, parents were ready to get sun burnt while the wittle ones got on the field and felt like they were in some huge stadium.

April 19 p  Nearly 300 kids are signed up for Little League this year. That's a 12% increase over 2014. They're moving in the right direction

April 19 p For those two events, volunteers made, make it happen. Often, that's too few volunteers.

April 19 p How about you? Why not pitch in and help keep the few things we have left in Clayberry

April 19 p Saturday afternoon the old H E White Elementary School closed down. Compliments grant funding, H E White Community School is its replacement.

April 19 p H E White has always been the hub of the community. Now, properly named, funded, painted, and with 10 months of an on site team beefing up education there, H E White might be around for a few more years

April 19 p

April 17 p For at least 6 months, the county's only grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, has been looking bare. Inventory is about non existent.

April 17 p Two weeks ago, one full aisle was empty with a little sign reading, New Merchandise coming

April 17 p This afternoon,59 year old  owner Drema Clifton said she's calling it quits and retiring.

April 17 p As for a new owner for the place, she said she does NOT have one locked in stone

April 17 p  Word on the street has it, employees , all except dept heads, were told to  stay at home Monday.

April 17 p If the place closes up, sad day for Clay.

April 17 p Last person out, turn off the light bulb

April 17 p  James Bowling Nichols, 67 of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

April 17 p    Marissa Diamond Tackett, 15, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

April 17 p  A couple weeks ago we posted the link to the eagle cam up in PA. If you haven't looked in a  couple days, the eaglets have really grown. Yesterday around 7pm, one of the feathery critters was so near the nest edge, he (or she) nearly fell out. This morning one of em is taking his first nibble of fish.

April 17 p Put on your dancin' shoes for tonight's Big Otter Community Center Dance and munchies. Music starts at 7pm.

April 17 p  Without a doubt, the biggest Saturday of the year comes in the morning for Clayberry kids

April 17 p Beginning at 8am sharp, volunteers kick off the Lake Sampson Fishing Derby in Wallback. Youngest anglers go first and everyone gets a gift . A heck of a lot of fun watching parents wish they were kids again.

april 17 p At high noon comes Super Saturday over at Dundon. It's the opening day for Little League baseball and softball. Whether you have  curtain climbers of your own or not, come out and see what real ball looks like

April 17 p At 2pm, the old H E White Elem stops being and the H E White Community School takes over during a ribbon cutting ceremony.

APril 17 p Even the weather is suppose to cooperate Saturday.

April 17 p Don't sit at home. Get out and have some fun.

April 17 a On a rain soaked field, the  CHS Panthers went down to defeat as Nicholas County tromped us, 13 to 5

April 17 a This Friday morning it's already 60 degrees but the wet stuff is still in the air. Not sure if they can play tonight's 6pm game over at Schoonover Bradley Field

April 17 a Just around the corner is the annual ritual of standardized testing.

April 17 a Parents and kids have known for years, the pain the butt test does nothing for the student. Whether Stanford 9, WestTest I or II, or now, Common Core, the purpose of subjecting the student to that rigor, is, see how the administration and teachers are doing.

April 17 a Two years ago, our high schoolers got together and agreed to blow off the test. CHS had about the worst test scores in the state. Last time around the pimple face gang was bribed with extra time off around lunch. Worked too. In 2014, CHS had some pretty good scores.

April 17 a Even with the wittle curtain climbers, they have to be bribed with stuff like: You do good and you'll get a five dollar bill

April 17 a Down in Wayne County, some parent read the pre test sheet and realized, the kids could opt out of Common Core testing.

April 17 a So far, close to 150 kids from Spring Valley High have done just that.

April 17 a Talk about screwing the administrators where it hurts!!! If the brats don't take the test, the system won't get a bunch of their $$$$.    Getting more loot is what it's all about anyway.

April 17 a When TV-3 got wind of the grass roots initiative, and reported the story, bet every school leader in the state got their short bunched up statewide.

April 17 a If other kids and parents decide to follow Wayne County's actions, Common Core will be dead or at least force tea bagger Legislature members to vote for something they say they've been against from the start.

April 17 a What a great way to start a Friday!

April 17 a We get more comments on our pictures than about anything else. Well, except when we bash dumb bunny Republicrats.

April 17 a The ace cub reporter uses an Olympus E510 for most of those shots. That camera is held together with a piece of tape. It is in need of repalcement. To do so is around $500.

April 17 a  To pay the hosting bill for this web portal is another $180 or so.

April 17 a In short order, it all adds up.

April 17 a  We're on day two of our annual online begging campaign. If you can help us out, send your hard earned bucks to Delta; 2278 Main Street; Clay WV 25043

April 17 a Thanks in advance

 

April 16 a  This website has been around for over ten years providing news and views on the good and bad of Clayberry.

April 16 a Yes it's full of typos and grammar terrors but form always follows function

April 16 a Often we get yelled at. Sometimes we deserve it but for the most part, we're right on the money and in a timely way.

April 16 a AS has been said, Barking dogs don't go after parked cars

april 16 a We have several advertisers that help keep us afloat. Thank you

April 16 a Once  a year we comes to you the clicker with our online begging campaign.

April 16 a It's that time of year again

April 16 a  If you're interested in continuing the effort to shed light on the crap that goes on in this withering away county of little, please send your hard earned $$$ to; Delta; 2278 Main Street; Clay WV 25043

April 16 a Thank you in advance

April 16 a Yesterday's Lady Panther Softball game was canceled due to wet conditions.

April 16 a Here in the middle of the season, another game is scheduled for this afternoon at 5pm.

April 16 a With the wind whipping up and drizzle in the air, not sure if the contest will be played.

April 16 a If it is held, 101.7FM and 106.7FM will sportscast the affair

April 14 a A pretty good edition of the Communicator made it out the door on time Tuesday afternoon.  Included is coverage of Monday night's Sch Bd meeting where H E White Elementary School is no more.

April 14 a In a county where upwards of  70% are on the government dole, not that it matters much but, today is tax day.

April 14 a CHS Lady Panthers are suppose to play this afternoon at 5pm over at Schoonover / Bradley Field. With very damp conditions and strong chance of more wet stuff, it's doubtful if they get to play

April 14 a  Hitlery Clinton is making all the news since officially announcing her run for the White House. Here's 15 facts you may not know about here including her time working in a fish cannery in Alaska.

April 14 a

April 14 early a   Flood Watch in effect through Tuesday afternoon... The Flood Watch continues for portions of northeast Kentucky... southwest Virginia and West Virginia... In West Virginia... Boone... Braxton... Clay... Fayette... Kanawha... Lincoln... Logan... McDowell... Mingo... Nicholas... Pocahontas... Raleigh... Wayne... Webster and Wyoming.  Through Tuesday afternoon a frontal boundary will slowly approach overnight and cross on Tuesday. This will result in rain overspreading the watch area tonight and persisting into Tuesday. The rain may be heavy at times Tuesday morning. 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected from this system... with localized amounts to 3 inches possible across southeast West Virginia. This may lead to flooding of creeks and streams.

 

April 13 a After a dry weekend full of sun and and warm temps, we're ready to get Spring underway. Potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli are in the ground. At roadside, ramp sellers have their signs up and continuing their stinky tradition

April 13 a Tonight the Sch Bd meets down at H E White Elem. Here's the meeting agenda. Fun starts at 6pm

April 13 a Freebee blood tests are available Tuesday morning over the Health Dept building. Fasting is required. See EVENTS page for details.

April 13 a Clay County PSD meets Tuesday morning

April 13 a A couple months back, the County Commission voted against paying lawyer fees for Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury in a civil suit against the CCC. A hearing before Judge Facemire to determine who has to pay what comes Tuesday morning as well

April 13 a Lots of CHS baseball and softball action Wed (away)Thurs (away) and Friday (home) after school. The local radio stations plan to cover those match ups.

April 12 a With coal dollars at an all time low, tourism is important for the future of this county. For intent and purpose, it's Clayberry's only future.

April 12 a For over a year, Mitch DeBoard as been the ring leader in growing a walking, biking, horseback riding trail in the county.

April 12 a His idea is to use an 18 mile section of the old BC&G railroad tracks for the location. Truth is, that strip of land along Buffalo Creek is beautiful and nearly flat.

April 12 a Near the beginning of the trail is the long in need of direction, JG Bradley Campground. According that lease holder, CAEZ, that place will be open for business June 30th this year.

April 12 a Around the nine mile marker is the Barrenshe Campground owned by DeBoard.

April 12 a Hands down, second to none, Barrenshee is the most beautiful camping facility in the state.

April 12 a Stats show, if tourists stay overnight in an area, they spend a bunch more $$$.

April 12 a The big news for this past week is, According to DeBoard, all the paperwork is done for the hiking trail. Everybody is in agreement. Everything has been reduced to black and white. All that's left is for the participants to sign their names.

April 12 a That's suppose to happen this week.

April 12 a DOn't expect some mass showing of new faces in the county overnight.

April 12 a As the attraction grows, Clayberry will have a tourist attraction that will bring in the new pocket books we need so much.

April 12 a We finally have a real draw in County Clay.

April 12 a  911 scanner listener ears perked up last night around 9pm when a call came in of  rapid fire gun shots followed  by a loud explosion on Rush Fork Rd in the Northern end of the county.

April 12 a Showing good judgment, fire crews waited for Badges before going in

April 12 a With no local Badges available, Green Shirts from Spencer and Roane County first responded. It took em a while to get over here

April 12 a At first they thought the location of the explosion was a residence visited last Summer where a bunch of bomb making materials was found during a domestic violence investigation.

April 12 a The chatter got murky by 9:30pm with suggestions that the explosion site was not the one from last Summer

April 12 a Not sure what happened but we didn't hear any arrests made. By 10pm fire crews were heading home

April 12 a Will check the Courthouse record on Monday for a complete update.

APril 12 a Communicator comes out Tuesday. Deadline for your submissions is MOnday around 5pm. Got a comment, suggestion,.. be sure to include your name and email over today.

April 9 p  Bertha Rose Elswick, 79, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

April 9a  Posting meeting agendas is an easy thing to do. Some govt. agencies make it even easier for the taxpayer to keep up, they make meeting agendas available via emails or online. Such is the case with Clay Roane PSD

April 9 a  Clay Roane PSD meets this evening at 6:30pm at the Procious Water Plant. Agenda is posted over on the ADVISORY page.

April 9 a Wed's County Commission meeting lasted 10 minutes. As for any discussions, conversations, upset during the Arlene Tucker getting tossed from the BDA agenda item... Nope. There was no discussion, None.

April 9 a With the quicky meeting over in short order, all three Commissioners spent another 50 minutes in their seats talking after the public left the room

April 9  a Here's something that will keep you occupied for days. Here's an Eagle Cam providing real time coverage of a  Momma and her two eaglets in the nest. Thanks GW for the link

April 9 a This year there was a study finding that kids who eat three or more hot dogs a week have a higher than normal rate of leukemia. Other studies found that eating hot dogs during pregnancy can increase the risk of brain tumors in the babies

April 9 a   A study of 190,000 people, ages 45-75, for seven years and found that people who ate the most processed meats had a 67% higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount.

April 9 a  Sodium nitrite is a chemical used to cure meat products and has been implicated as a cancer-causing agent.

April 9 a Do you drink well water? You reaaaally need to check out this study linking well water contamination to high rates of cancer.

April 9 a Day five of life without wifey. The garage  is cleaned out as is the whiskey closet. A big pile of brush has been burnt. Found out the electric fence has been on all winter and ##@@! , it'll fry ya big time.

April 9 a As a safety precaution, the floors are now gritty and sticky to assure no splipping and sliding! Ditto for the bathtub where you couldn't slide if you had to. The ace cub reporter doesn't have to worry about eating too much bread. A ground squirrel is making Tallhouse home and has pretty much laid waste to the loaf.

April 9 a For us diabetics, getting a half gallon of high test ice cream is like heaven. With no one around telling you stop, and covering each bowl with Hershey chocolate, ahhhhh... vacation time!

 

April 7 p Get a cup of coffee clickers. This is going to take a while.

April 7 p   Another word on Clay Town Council holding not so public public meetings

April 7 p Last month during a regular meeting of Town Council, attention was given to cutting expenses. Mayor Clifton mentioned cutting off some, maybe many, street lights, told employees to spend bare minimums, and Council person Josh Shamblin agreed to forgo his salary for serving on the elected body. By the way, no other elected official agreed to forgo getting paid.

April 7 p  They didn't say the Town was broke but sure sounded like such.

April 7 p For a dozen years, the municipality has teetered on the verge of bankruptcy. At one point when Council person Jeff Krauklis was the acting Mayor, he told the world, if changes aren't made right now, bankruptcy would happen in about 30 days. They got out of that financial mess with a forgiveable loan from the Feds.

April 7 p Back then as is the case today, the big money hog is the log factory.

April 7 p Built to serve twice as many customers as they have, the thing costs too much to operate. If the number of customers was double, the expenses would remain the same and the revenue would increase two fold. Problem solved.

April 7 p When built, Council knew the rascal was way too big but did nothing to change the plans.

April 7 p When Arthur Jarrett was Mayor, he asked for more than one wa wa rate increase to cover costs at the water plant.

April 7 p Wait. Those are two separate operations with separate checking accounts. Why ask for a wa wa rate increase when the Log Factory needed the $$$$ ?

April 7 p Answer: The only customers of that plant are town residents. With so few customers, rates would have had to be tripled to pay the bills.

April 7 p Still, how does that affect wa wa rates?

April 7 p The Town has been bailing out the log factory with what they call, loans. Those loans come in major part by drawing from the cash cow,  water accounts.

April 7 p What that amounts to is, all water customers even those from Clay County and Clay Roane PSDs are helping keep the log factory afloat.

April 7 p The keeper of the records is Recorder Dwana Murphy. During each public meeting, Council motions to pay the bills but that doesn't mean the bills are actually paid. Each motion just measn, the bills can be paid if $$$ becomes available.

April 7 p   Dwana Murphy is up for reelection this June. She has no opponent

April 7 p The BDA met last night. In attendance for the first time in ages, was, Commissioner Arlene Tucker. BDA by laws require, if a member misses three meetings in a row, they're automatically off the volunteer agency Board. Ms Tucker is to be booted.

April 7 p That booting comes Wed morning April 8th during the CCC meeting.

April 7 p While at the BDA meeting, Tucker tried to explain why she voted to give that $30K LEd grant to the CAEZ instead of the BDA. In response, came words along the lines of, if you had attended BDA meetings, you would have known better!

April 7 p Somewhere in the oral battle Tucker (Queen Smiley to some) said she didn't have any problem with the BDA voting her off the island.

April 7 p The comeback was: We don't want you off the BDA but we want Boardsters that attend meetings and participate

April 7 p Might make for some interesting dialogue during the CCC meeting

April 7 p In the latest Communicator we reported on rumors circulating that a couple appointed leaders are being investigated by a state agency, maybe the Ethics Commission. Something about double dipping is the story on the street

April 7 p Ever hear of the State Commission on Special Investigations?

April 7 p Here's their mission statement.

April 7 p  Ring any bells? In 2006, the Director of a Wyoming Senior Services program was indicted on a gazillion charges. It was the Commission on Special Investigations that helped with the leg work on those indictments.

April 7 p In 2002, the same agency investigated Pork Chop McClung for his fraudulent use of state funds relating to furniture  sales to the WV Board of Edumacation.

April 7 p  You don't hear much of the Commission on Special Investigations until something major happens.

April 7 p It's kind of like , if 60 Minutes comes knocking on your door, you know you're going to have a rotten day.

April 7 p We think, it may be this group quietly gathering facts on those couple of county leaders.

April 7 p Right now, it's just speculation. Maybe nothing, but certainly worth keeping your ear to the ground

April 7 p If anything is found to be true, look for Clayberry to be in regional news like Wyoming, Mingo and McDowell Counties a couple years ago

April 7 p  Ever think of almonds as good for ya? They are.

April 7 p  Can you eat too much fruit? You bet.

April 7 p  How beneficial is eating oatmeal with blueberries each day.  A Bunch

April 7 p Nutrition Facts dot org is a pretty good online guide to living a little longer and without all the corporate fibs.

April 7 p How about that for an online post

April 7p We try to keep clickers of this site informed. We do so on a daily basis (unless we get lazy) every week of the year.

April 7 p There's no other source for this first hand, down home info.

April 7 p Doing so ain't cheap. How about those 2200 homepage pictures in 2014? Pretty Nice? Truth is the ace cub reporter's camera is now taped together and in need of replacement.

April 7p Online advertisers help keep this effort alive and are much appreciated. But!

April 7 p  If you like being informed, we need your help. We start our annual online begging campaign on the 14th

April 7 p Thanks in advance.

 

April 7 a Town Council and the CAEZ schedule their monthly meetings the first Tuesday of each month.

April 7 a CAEZ convenes at the Courthouse with a 4pm Economic Development meeting followed by the full Board at 6pm. Everyone invited

April 7 a Not so with Town Council.

April 7 a Instead of holding a public meeting, those elected folks  held their meeting last Thursday. They didn't even tell some Council members until that day.

April 7 a As for the state mandated 3 business day  public notice, didn't happen. Truth is, none of em think about following their oath of office nor care about public trust in the municipal government

April 7 a  Fortunately, impeachment laws are on the books. That impeachment is called, an election

April 7 a That comes in June and there's several candidates that have signed up to run for office

April 7 a When elected leaders intentionally and deliberately break the law, it's time to toss them out

April 7 a Most of us old farts grew up with that Govt backed food pyramid to guide us to a healthy life. We now know that was corporate BS to improve dairy and meat sales.

April 7 a How many times have you been told to curtail salt intake? They've said, don't include more than a teaspoon of salt daily. Here's the latest on salt consumption and the problems associated with too little of the good stuff.

April 7 a We're on day three of Life Without Wifey

April 7 a No putting that little wire thing back on the loaf of bread, who cares that there is three coats laying on a chair, and the liquor cabinet is leaning out.

April 7 a Now to find some fresh ramps.

April 7 a Change can be tough . For instance

April 7 a After 33 years of the ring being down, that 3 am trip to the jon, without the lights on, can make for a wet hiney and splash. With 60 + years on his legs, getting out of the bowl can be tough too.

 

April 6 a The Business Development  Authority meets tonight at 6:30 pm over in Two Run.

April 6 a County Commissioner Arlene Tucker has teeth, doesn't stink, smiles a lot, has no visible tattoos, and even combs her hair

April 6 a All that's nice but as a County Commissioner Ms Tucker, some call her Queen Smiley, has contributed little. Her biggest contribution over the last 6 years has been, starting the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each meeting

April 6 a Those that watch the CCC action from the peanut gallery know, Tucker gets her directives from Commissioner Linky Poo.

April 6 a While in office, Smiley has never voted against Linky's wishes

April 6 a  In the latest Communicator comes word that Smiley made the motion to appoint the CAEZ as the recipient of 30K in economic development grant dollars. Before making the motion, she looked over and asked Link if the CAEZ is the one she was suppose to say.

April 6 a A county commissioner sits on the Business Development Authority, the BDA.

April 6 a Tucker is the one that's suppose to show up at those meetings. Unfortunately, she's AWOL, does not attend

April 6 a The agenda for Wed's CCC meeting is properly posted at the Courthouse for the public to see.

April 6  a Item 8 reads, remove Arlene Tucker for not coming to meetings and lack of support

April 6 a That last part is an obvious reference to Tucker motioning and then voting for the CAEZ to get those grant dollars

April 6 a Might make for a great CCC meeting Wed morning.

April 6 a You don't have to put the lid back on the toothpaste

April 6 a Empty pizza boxes add color to a counter top

April 6 a That ##@!! ring does NOT have to be put back down

April 6 a Leaving socks in the middle of the room is just fine as well as work boots

April 6 a The reason you have a double bowl sink is to hold a bunch of plates

April 6 a When you get down to the last fork, it's time to start licking it clean

april 6 a Time for George Dickel, fiddle farting in the garage, and getting in a  good dig without anyone saying, Stop That!

April 6 a You guessed it. The wifey left for a whole week! It's vacation time for  the ace cub reporter

 

April 4 a The BC&G RR Co-Op meets this morning over at the JG Bradley Campground at 11am.

April 4 a  Kids and school employees are done for a full week. It's Spring Break in Clayberry

April 4 a  The wifey is gone for a week. The ace cub reporter is conjatating on special projects and new adventures.

April 3 late p Raining like crazy as of 9pm. Streams have come up but none reported overflowing yet.

April 3 late p National Weather Service reports: Flood Watch remains in effect until 2 am EDT Saturday... The Flood Watch continues for  ... Boone... Braxton...Cabell... Clay... Fayette... Kanawha... Lincoln... Logan... McDowell... Mingo... Nicholas... Pocahontas... Putnam... Raleigh... Randolph... Upshur... Wayne... Webster and Wyoming.  Until 2 am EDT Saturday   total accumulations of 1 to 2 inches... with isolated amounts to 3 inches possible.
April 3 late p School only lasted 2 couple hours today compliments a two hour delay and three hour early out. For Clay High kids, there was excitement.

April 3 late p When they arrived this morning, all were carted off to the gym . In response to a hand scribbled note on a bathroom wall yesterday, all students were subjected to the metal detector wand.

April 3 late p Outside, Facebook devotees reported four Green Shirt mobiles and a couple Black Shirt units.

April 3 late p With all this horsepower, not even drugs were found! About the only transgression was some snuff.

April 3 late p By the time the kids got to class, it was time to go home.

 

April 3 p  Carol Ann Weekley, 61, of Harrison, see OBITUARY page

April 3 p Utilities were restored for most of the county by 8:30 this morning. The rain continues.

April 3 p Over on the home page is a picture of the BC&G RR Co-Op caboose that is to be bid off soon.

April 3 p  If you are thinking of starting a business and need something to attract attention, what would catch more eyes than a bright red caboose?

April 3 p Not sure what the behemoth will sell for nor how much it will cost to move, but, when you consider what it would cost to build a 9 by 35 building, how can you go wrong!

 

April 3 a After a night of heavy rain and thunder boomers galore, around 5 am Friday,  the power went off in a big chunk of Clayberry

April 3 a The Pentagon called a two hour delay around 5:35am

April 3 a Couple the delay with a three hour early out, those that can make it to the lands of education, well, about 90 minutes of educamation this today

April 3a  Welcome to  Good Friday

April 3 a Back when Frontier promised a world class DSL system for Maysel, the ace cub reporter was duped and reconnected to it.

April 3 a Sorry for the slow posting, no internet in Maysel and we guess, no internet for much of the county. DSL returned around 7:45 this morning.

April 3 a  Brush fire last night on Murder Mountain.

April 3 a  For the ace cub reporter, it’s a new day. A day on the public dole. Yesterday the lad signed up for Social Security.   Getting paid to do nothing. What a wonderful feeling. Feels like a bunch of others in Clayberry!

April 3 a Flood watch remains in affect until late tonight. Watch out clickers.

 

April 2 a Yesterday's spoof news on April Fool's Day  went over well.

April 2 a One lady at the Courthouse called to say, she was tired of answering the phone for those wondering if Linky Poo actually resigned.

April 2 a He didn't

April 2 a  Get ready to feast your eyes on an extra special and rare total lunar eclipse Saturday morning that has some Christians worried this Easter weekend

April 2 a Duped by FOX Entertainment (Not News), many continue to say something along the lines of, OBama is killing coal in West Virginia. That ain't anywhere near correct. An I bet, the folks that think FOX is news, never even clicked on that last link for the truth.

April 2 a  Piza has all the main food groups and tasty too. Good pizza is hard to find.

April 2 a Years ago Clayberry had Toby's Pizza in Maysel which put out a excellent vittles. How great was it? Toby's took so much business away from Ginos that the later had to start delivery service. As soon  as Toby's went under, Ginos stopped the delivery business

April 2a More recently, Jesse Sez produced a great pizza from a brick oven

April 2 a Up on Nebo Road, Pizzas and Cream just opened for business. With it's home made brick oven , the locally crafted pizzas are delicious. Don't believe us? Give em a call at 304 286-2985. They're open late Tuesday thru Saturdays.

April 2 a You might want to try out their butterscotch ice cream too.

April 2 a  Indiana has a crop of tea baggers just like West Virginia hired last Nov. With their we hate some people legislation, the Hoosiers have been the lead story for over a week now.

April 2 a Some of our elected corporate puppets tried the same thing this session. Those dumbarss haters included Delegate reps serving Clayberry.

April 2 a Fortunately, those bills didn't make it to the floor this year

April 2 a When a Republicrat says "..will help attract jobs into West Virginia and make West Virginia businesses more competitive", better beware.

April 1 a Sometimes news is hard to come by. Not so this morning. All H broke loose

April 1 a Iran Iraq and Syria have agreed to lay down their arms and stop blowing up civilians

April 1 a In Israel , BB told the world this morning, he will honor the 1947 UN accords and leave Palestine alone.

April 1 a It gets better

April 1 In the middle of the night, the W Va Legislature held an early morning special session where they agreed to repair roads and replace  500 bridges, something they neglected to do during the regular session

April 1 a Toyota has come up with a multi level plant plan that allows building on mountain sides in West Virginia

April 1 a Citing his spitefulness and after bankrupting the county, Commissioner Link turned in his resignation letter this morning at 8am

April 1 a Wow! What a morning and it's only 10am.

April 1 a Happy April 1st.

 

March 31 p Hard to believe but Clay County's source of news and views came out on time today.

March 31 p The lead story provides in-depth coverage on the 12 folks indicted and arraigned during the Spring Grand Jury

March 31 p The paper makes first mention of a rumor of a couple appointed county leaders under investigation.

March 31 p It's our understanding that the County Commission held a private huddle this afternoon at 4pm. Not sure of the purpose but our guess is, cover juicy stuff away from the public's prying eye.

March 31 p The Lady Panthers narrowly lost the softball game tonight against Nicholas. The final was 26 to 7 in the short gamed match up.

March 31 p We say good bye to March today. Good riddance!

March 30 a  We're starting this day with 46 degrees. Temps are suppose to be in the 70's later this week.

March 30 a We're lite on public meetings this week as the month comes to an end.

March 30 a There's a real difference between Hemp and Pot. Pot is the plant that improves Dorito and Frito-Lay stock while Hemp is a plant that has all kinds of manufacturing possibilities. From the HempNews web site, take a gander.

March 30 a CHS Baseball season is underway. Tonight  the traveling Brighton New York team returns to take on the Panthers. The start time has been changed to 5:30pm out at Clay County Park.

March 30 a Tuesday at 5pm, the Lady Panthers play over at Schoonover Bradley Field beginning at 5pm

March 30 a  For those that can't show up in person, the local radio stations plan to air several of the match ups this season.

March 30 a Because there's no land line nor cell phone service at Clay County Park, the Panther games will be aired on a delayed basis, usually beginning about an hour after the games ends. For tonight, that should be around 9pm.

March 30 a Girls' games will be aired in real time

March 30 a The radio station is in need of sponsors to make on air coverage possible in 2015. They're asking for a $50 donation. In return,  your name and particulars will be mentioned several times during each game for the next 6 weeks of action. Email em at wyaplp@hotmail.com or leave a message at 304 587 8353.

March 30 a Go Panthers and Lady Panthers.

 

March 29 a This Sunday morning started out at 16 degrees. Suppose to get up around 50 today. Great!

March 29 a  A small band of volunteers organize and host the annual fishing experience for kids.

March 29 a Each year the event comes off without a hitch with every kid walking away with a nice gift and usually, a slicky shiny trout for the frying pan.

March 29 a That group has one thing wrong. They call Sampson Lake, Wallback Lake.

March 29 a To set matters correct.... The dam is Wallback Dam. The Legislature officially named the body of  water, Sampson Lake a few years ago with Concurrent Resolution 47. Concurrent means both houses under the Gold Dome approved the lake's name.

March 29 a If you've got a few minutes and are interested in how screwed up Elk Power, Black Diamond Power management really is, also to see the upcoming rate increase info. walk over to the WV PSC web portal.

March 29 a From their findings, this example of faulty thinking by Black Diamond: "Staff questioned the general methodology used by Black Diamond in calculating its interim rate....Staff asserted that Black Diamond requested a 30B adjustment is effectively the same as Black Diamond asking to collect cash from its customers to pay the Appalachian Power Co refund owed to its customers.

March 26 p What county in the state lost the most population last year? Yelp, Clayberry

March 26 p  Berkeley County saw the state’s biggest population gain last year.

March 26 p  Last year, Frontier advertised its new super duper DSl service for sections of the county. Promises came of 25 megs down for the highest level of service and 12 down for the not so pricey version.

March 26 p Being easily duped, the Ace Cub Reporter fell for the come on, cancelled his Exede satelite service, ,a dswitched back to Frontier.

March 26 p The new system was actually pretty good for a few months.

MArch 26 p Tonight at 9pm, that new super super system clocked in at  2.70 Mbps down and .087 Mbps up.

March 26 p  Federal standards call for 25 Mbps down to even call itself high speed service.

March 26 p Improved service? Sure didn't last long!

 

March 26 a We've put away the snow shovels and plow. Gardens are turned over. Spuds are in the ground. Spring flowers are blooming. The Carhartt is back in the closet. Suppose to be in the high 60's today.

March 26 a Snow showers return to the forecast tonight, Friday, and Saturday.

March 26 a  !!@@@***

 

March 25 p   Charles Junior Nicholas, 80, of Duck, see OBITUARY page

March 25 p  Shannon Brent Pettit, 73, of Duck, see OBITUARY page

March 25 p  Robin D. Daily, 53, see OBITUARY page

March 25 p  NOTICE: 2014 Clay High yearbooks are now available for pick up on Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday in the  band room during the lunch periods. There's a limited supply of extra books $59.00. Plastic covers are also available for $5.

March 25 p  Jesse Dewayne Keen was offered a plea deal on a grand larceny charge. The lad decided to take his chances with a jury. That trial was held this morning before Judge Jack Alsop.

March 25 p  Maybe not a record but in 10 minutes, Keen was found guilty of stealing Bill Triplett's blue car while parked at the Big Otter Community Center last year.

March 25 p   Mr Keen will be sentenced May 18th.

March 25 p  County Commission passed the new year budget this morning without comment.

March 25 p When it all washes out, the approved budget will be more than expected revenues for next year.

March 25 p The other biggy this morning was the decision to award a $30K grant to the CAEZ.

March 25 p Lets tell you how things work in Clayberry

March 25 p Queen Smiley read the agenda item, a motion to select XXXX for the grant. When she got to the actual agency, she looks past Greg Fitzwater who sits in the middle, and over to Link and said, It's CAEZ right?

March 25 p Immediately, Link's face glowed bright red.

March 25  p Talk about showing your hand in public.

March 25 p Linky is going to have to coach his ward on how to handle secrecy matters in front of taxpayers.

 

MArch 25  a Clay Co PSD customers in Hartland, Indore, Bickmore, Fola, Lizemore, the Boil Water Order has been lifted by the supplier, the Town of Clay

March 25 early a  County Commission meets this morning at 10 am

March 25 early a Unlike most meetings, there's a couple very important votes to be made

March 25 early a  Three groups are vying for $30K in state grant funds and the title of lead economic development group for the next 12 months.  The CCC will decide who gets the loot.

March 25 early a Currently the CAEZ holds the LED title and has for the last 12 months. During those months, raise your hand if you've seen any substantial growth in the land of little.

March 25 early a Other contenders are the BDA and Clay Development, the CDC

March 25 early a The most important vote for the CCC is setting the budget for the new fiscal year. For the 2015-2016 year, all departments have asked for more $$$. At the same time, tax revenues are down. For this current year, there's not enough $$$ to make it thru June 30th. There is a real likelihood, cuts will come in June or invoices will go unpaid.

March 25 early a With fewer dollars coming in, current budget levels will have to be cut back. Forget increasing budgets for each department. It just ain't possible.

March 25 early a Tie all that together with the recent court decision that made it clear, each department must be properly funded and you see, Clayberry has a problem.

March 25 early a Meeting starts at 10 am.  Bring your own popcorn

 

March 24 p The new batch of indictees showed up for Arraignment Day this morning.

March 24 p Each and every said not me Judge, not guilty. Well, one, Mikey Lanham, didn't come into the Courtroom. Our guess, they're doing psych tests on the lad and the results aren't back yet.

March 24 p Turns out, that nearly new tractor trailer that wrecked last night was carrying a gazillion pounds of hams.

March 24 p This morning, those hams were being given away in downtown Clay. Not sure how people found out about the freebees  but a bunch of people showed up at the Courthouse and then CDC, for the giveaways.

March 24 a 911 scanner traffic was abuzz last night beginning around 7:15. Emergency service providers responded to a tractor trailer rollover on I-79 near the 43 mile marker.

March 24 a  The area was congested for nearly 3 hours and at one point, the interstate was shut down.

March 24 a Early on came  a call that a passing motorist in a Cadillac had struck a fireman's personal vehicle

March 24 a It's arraignment time this morning before Judge Jack Alsop. All open to the public and usually interesting to watch from the peanut gallery

March 23 p  Emily June King, 71, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

March 23 p BOIL WATER ORDER  issued for Clay County PSD customers Hartland, Bickmore, Indore, Lizemores, Fola due to the Town of Clay's main line break.  Boil it first folks!

March 23 p Clay High was on a Boil Water Order all day Monday.

March 23 p We received NO notification of that BWO problem

March 23 a Today at noon the Health Dept Bd of Directors meet for a rescheduled quarterly meeting

March 23 a  Tuesday morning all those indicted last week are suppose to show up in Circuit Court and tell the Judge, Not me buddy, I'm not guilty

March 23 a Wed morning the Clay County Commission meets at 10 am

March 23 a How about some happy news!

March 23 a On Saturday, the BC& G RR Co-Op met. Around 20 were in attendance. An overwhelming majority voted to reconstituted the corporation and take a second go at making it work.

March 23 a Not sure how successful they will be but nice knowing, they know, how important growing tourism is for our future.

March 21 a Two things of mention....

March 21 a  Someone's idea starts many groups. Such was the case with Roger Nutter and the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Co-Op. Roger's idea was to grow a tourism train ride  on the rails heading to Widen from Dundon.

March 21 a Hundreds of hours of effort went into the project. With the death of Mr Nutter, so went that spark plug and for the most part, the BC&G RR Co-Op

March 21 a This morning the group meets at 11 am in the old Valley Fork School for what may be a vote to give the group's assets to the CAEZ and close down a great idea.

March 21 a Sad day in Clay

March 21 a On a happier note, tonight is Prom Night for CHS graduating seniors. For the teens, it's a time to dress up and dance the night away.

March 21 a They are down to 70 some days of public education and the real world

March 21 a Watch out for em tonight and Seniors, don't anything too stupid tonight.

March 19 a We've got a new round of criminals as a result of Spring Grand Jury proceedings on Tuesday. From court record....

March 19 a  Crystal Tanner indicted on possession with intent to deliver cocaine, $10k bond

March 19 a Melissa Koch delivery of controlled substance $40K bond

March 19 a Jeremy Gray delivery of controlled substance $40K Bond

March 19 a Joseph Mollahan burglary petit larceny  $5K Bond

March 19 a  Angela Salisbury Grand Larceny, Dest of puter, B&E  $3.5K Bond

March 19 a James McCune poss with intent Meth, operating a lab, conspiracy

March 19 a  Steven Duffield poss w/ intent to deliver, drug lab, conspiracy $30K Bond

March 19 a Bernard Buckhannon poss w/ intent to deliver, drug lab, conspiracy

March 19 a Ronald Newhouse poss w/ intent to deliver Meth, drug lab, conspiracy

March 19 a Perry DeMoss sex abuse by parent or custodian, sex assault 2nd degree x 3  $40K Bond

March 19 a Frankie Phillips poss w/ intent to deliver Cocaine

March 19 a And finally, here they go picking on one of Clayberry's finest, Mikey Lanham

March 19 a Michael Edward Lanham petit larceny x 2, malicious wounding, battery

March 19 a  Arraignment before  Judge Jack Alsop is Tuesday March 24th beginning at 9am

March 19 a Providing you don't make a bunch of noise or wear your hat, anyone can sit it on the court action. Nice soft seats too.

March 18 a The newest bestest yet Communicator hit the news stands across the region Tuesday afternoon.

March 18 a The lead article makes public a civil suit against a Hospice Care provider that serves families in County Clay. At issue is the firing of a Clayonian after she reported seeing some not so good actions by other employees

March 18 a  Did you receive that colorful oversize School System postcard in the mail last week. Ever wonder how many tax dollars it took to produce? Wonder who paid for it? Read all about it and more in the just published Communicator

March 18 a Spring officially arrives Friday around 6pm.

March 18 a Got your cabbage in the ground? It's time.

March 18 a Welcome Spring!

March 18 a  Volunteers with Buffalo Creek Watershed Assoc have stocked Buffalo for a number of years. Their efforts have helped create this county's premier trout stream drawing tourists from across the region.

March 18 a This year, they don't have enough $$$ to do stockings. Their plea is posted over on the ADVISORY along with Delegate Roger Hanshaw's article on how great things went in the House of Delegates this year

March 16 a School Board meets tonight at 6pm in Clay Middle School. The agenda is posted online.

March 16 a Before that public meeting, they're holding a public gathering (also at CMS) for comments on the new year school calendar. If you don't speak up now, don't complain next Fall.

March 16 a You are invited to both

March 16 a Spring Grand Jury convenes Tuesday

March 16 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Today's the deadline for emailing your stuff over to Clayberry's journal of record.

March 15 a What the heck is Ides of March? Find out for yourself right here.

March 15 a From the last few days.....

March 15 a While important stuff languishes in Congress, the elected dummies spent hours talking about Hillary's emails.

March 15 a 47 senators sent a letter to the Republic of Iran. The treasonous act includes W Va Senator Shirley Moore Capito's signature.  Wonder if voters will remember this during the next election cycle

March 15 a  After 60 days of out of control behavior, thank goodness the Legislature is closed for another year. Saturday night when the gavel came down, many of the foundation busting notions were put aside.

March 15 a From that whole mess, Clayberry's democratic Senator, Mike Romano , proved to be a moderate voice full of good thinking skills.

March 15 a Thursday night the Lady Panthers were taken out of State Tournament contention by Sissonville. That team went on to win the top prize. Interestingly enough, during regular season, the Lady Panthers beat Sissonville not once but twice.

March 15 a New businesses are hard to find in the County of Little. The Sizemore family bucked the sit at home crowd and opened  a 140 by 30' greenhouse in Maysel, Saturday, Mike Sizemire Jr, set out the first volley of cabbage and early crops for public sale. Great!

March 15 a Speaking of things that are growing.... The State Road crews are trying their best to get ahead of the pothole filled roads. Seems like overnight,  another 100 pop up at the ready to wipe out a $150 tire.

March 15 a Not nearly as bad as this time last year, but the tank traps are back and ready to bite ya. Beware the potholes of March.

March 12 a The biggy for today happens tonight at 9pm when the Lady Panthers take on Sissonville in state tournament basketball action. A bunch of the kids will be transported to the Charleston Civic Center to cheer on the Lady Panthers.

March 12 a To accomodate that late late night return trip, schools will be operating on a  two hour delay Friday morning.

March 12 a Also this evening is the Clay Roane PSD meeting at the Procious Wa Wa Plant. Their meeting agenda is posted over on the ADVISORY page.

March 12 a  47 mean spirited, slow thinking, Senators have created a reaal problem by sending  their letter to Iran.

March 12 a That just referenced link includes the signatures of those dimly lit elected folks.

March 12 a If you have a hard time reading Shelley Moore Capito's signature, here's the typed list.

March 12 a Based on the Logan Law, many consider such a letter to be a treasonous act.

March 12 a How about you? In less than three days, over 200,000 have already signed the Whitehouse petition to go after the 47 confederates. Here's that link for your input.

March 12 a  For several years, County Commissioners met ahead of time, made their decisions (got in line with Link), and then held a short public meeting where all votes were unanimous.

March 12 a That changed Jan 1st when Greg Fitzwater came onboard

March 12 a Yesterday's County Commission (CCC) meeting went nearly two hours

March 12 a Much of that time was listening and discussing who's going to get a 2015 lead economic development grant (LED).

March 12 a the BDA, CAEZ, and Clay Development (CDC) made presentations on how they can do the most with the $30,000 up for grabs.

March 12 a Current recipient of the LED loot, CAEZ, was first with a long list of accomplishments during the last 12 months.

March 12 a  While it sounded good, many in the peanut gallery were still thinking, how did that benefit Clayberry and if it did benefit us, how come we can't see it or feel it .  Director Connie Lupardus (Big Lup) made that 20 minute presentation

March 12 a Mitch DeBoard handled the duties for the Business Development Authority (BDA).   In a like amount of time, DeBoard provided several accomplishments squarely in County Clay.

March 12 a Jessica Rhodes from the  CDC, came third and provided the CCC with a vague plan to spend the LED money if awarded to the family empire non profit. When asked if  their Board meetings would be open to the public and if they would follow Open Meeting Law if awarded the $$, from the back of the room, Grand Poobah Pam Taylor responded, No, we're not a government agency.

March 12 a One thing did come up during that last presentation. According to the CDC, those senior citizen buses are actually open to everyone. DId you know that? Neither did the CCC and questions came up on why that service is not well known around the county.

March 12 a No decision was made on the 11th. Expect one during the March 25th gathering

March 12 a Up at the top we mentioned not all CC votes were unanimous.

March 12 a The agenda called for a 911 center employee to receive a $1 / hour increase.

March 12 a During discussions, 911 Director Denise Holcomb requested that amount be reduced to 50 cents per hour so another employee could sometime soon get a rate increase.

March 12 a Link and Queen Smiley voted in favor of the reduced pay increase with Fitz voting Nay.

March 12 a Not sure what's behind that split vote but something might be going on behind the scenes

March 12 a  Our County Commission was sued and lost a case in Circuit Court 6 weeks ago. At issue was properly funding two departments in the Courthouse. According to Judge Ric Facemire, the Commission must properly fund each agency do they can get their jobs done

March 12 a  Before and since that decision, the elected folks have made public, more lay offs may be coming and real soon

March 12 a Over in Nicholas County, to meet their budget shortfalls, 24 employees including 1/3 of the Black Shirts, have been laid off

March 12 a  Reference in that Charleston Gazette article is a Nicholas Commission lawsuit that they  lost in Feb 2014. That decision was rendered by Judge Jack Alsop.

March 12 a Here's the link to that interesting reading on how it's not just Clayberry that breaks the law and tries to get away with operating under the radar..

March 11 a County Commission meets this morning at 10 am

March 11 a Clay Roane PSD meets Thursday at 6:30pm Their meeting agenda is posted over on the ADVISORY page

March 11 a Delegate Roger Hanshaw's latest Capitol Update is also posted on the ADVISORY page. Worth taking a look at too. Hanshaw says he voted against the new law that eliminates a big chunk of  prevailing wage law

March 11 a  Just before noon Tuesday, the scanner lit up with a call of a 5 year old that had been shot in the arm, at his home on Carver's Fork.

March 11 a Emergency service providers and Badges responded in short order.

March 11 a Listeners turned their thoughts inward and felt, what a tragedy

March 11 a Word on the street now has it, the whole thing was a hoax brought by an irate female.

March 11 a Someone needs to go to jail for this caper if the hear say  is true.

March 11 a  West Virginians were duped by the millions of out of state $$$ during the last General election. Those colorful but fibbing daily mailings worked like a charm

March 11 a All the new puppets under the Gold Dome continue their assault like kids in a candy store.

March 11 a Everything that big corporations could ask for has been granted compliments the new puppets.

March 11 a  Thank goodness this Legislative session ends this Saturday.

March 9 p James Edward Mooney Jr. 78, of Strange Creek, see OBITUARY page

March 9 p All of Winter came in a four week period. We think, hope, it's all gone

March 9 p Seed catalogs are here as is 60 degree temperature

March 9 p Yowza!!

March 9 p  We've got something big comin Thursday evening at 9pm. Down in Charleston, the Lady Panthers will begins state tournament play when they take on Sissonville.

March 8 p Interestingly enough, Sissonville is ranked higher than Clay High despite us beating them twice during the regular season.

March 8 p School Super Kenneth Tanner wants people to respond to an online survey concerning the coming year school calendar. The  link is here. Take about five minutes to complete.

March 7 a After several days off school and without practices, last night,  the Lady Panthers put it all over Scott to become Regional Champs and on their way to Charleston for State Tournament action. 66 to 56 was the final numbers.

March 7 a Great season Lady Panthers!!

March 6 p  The radio station got their operation up and going again. That means tonight,  7pm, the Regional Basketball game will be heard on 101.7FM and 106.7FM.

March 6 p Go Lady Panthers!!!

March 6 p  A bunch of us have what we consider four wheel drive vehicles. Starting out as great big Amry trucks and traveling just 45 mph, todays 4HD is quite different. Today the new things drive, accelerate, feel, no different from any other caron the road.

March 6 p The question is, does the four wheel drive or sometimes called, all wheel drive mechanisim really work.

March 6 p Got a Subaru or Honda? Check out this u tube video for the truth.

March 6 p With more moderate weather expeted Saturday and the current road conditions deplorable, the decision has been made, tonight's Lady Panther Regional Tournament game if a GO!

March 6 p It's do or die time for the Lady Panthers in their quest to a state tournament championship

March 6 p If you can get to CHS tonight at 7pm, come out and support the home time.

March 6 p As of noon today, 101.7FM is off the air. Those folks are working to restore service by game time.

March 6 p Keep your fingers crossed.

March 6 a After a week that feels more like Dec than March, blue has returned to the sky. Darn cold! This morning, around zero countywide

March 6 a  Down below is our hype on the Town Council meeting held Tuesday

March 6 a Also from Tuesday, the CAEZ held their monthly meeting where, as is the norm, everything is said to be lookin good.

March 6 a From that gathering....

March 6 a  Non profit 101.7FM was on the agenda to discuss their 3 year lease for station space at the CAEZ's Valley Fork Grade School Bldg. Over at Valley Fork many of the rental spaces are setting empty. Just last month, the Parents As Teachers group left their space and set up over in the Pentagon. This time last year, a local insurance claims adjuster left his room due to no heat and dismal internet service.

March 6 a The big loss for the CAEZ was when the Kanawha Valley Community College bailed out of their lease. Currently, three large suites and one small office space are not producing rental income.

March 6 a  Tuesday night the issue was Director Connie Lupradus's plan to double the rent for the radio station's partial room space. The lease allows rent increase but by just 5% annually.

March 6 a It took over 20 minutes to convince the CAEZ that following a bone fide, signed, notarized, legal document, is the right thang to do

March 6 a Maybe what helped convince the group come from a guy way in the back who provided, " Is it cheaper to continue the lease or pay attorneys?

March 6 a With reasoning, thoughtfulness, and using common sense, the Board voted to continue the lease . With the brains of navel lint, one Boardster voted Nay on the motion.

March 6 a With Connie Lupardus showing her rent increase hand, sure looks like WYAP radio will be looking for a new home in 2016.

March 5 late p As of 7pm tonight, 76,000 electric customers are without power around the state

March 5 late p Here in Clayberry power is pretty much on county wide. There was a fire reported on a power line in the Camp Creek area around 5pm

March 5 late p Elk Power customers regularly have power outages. So bad was the service that many families purchased portable generators to maintain life while management drug their feets.

March 5 We've noticed a change in the last 14 months. All of a sudden, the system has better dependability and repairs come quicker. Can't help but think, the great improvement comes in no small part due to a change in local management

March 5 late p Town Council met Tuesday evening. First up was a hearing on getting wawa service into the Blue Knob neighborhood. It's very important for those wanting service to come out and show support for the upgrade. Guess how many were in attendance for the poorly noticed public hearing.

March 5 later p Answer: 3

March 5 late p   Town public meetings often go without comment or discussion. During bill paying time, the elected folks read over the list , then motion and pass to pay the bills.

March 5 late p A motion to pay the bills does not mean the bills are paid. It means the Recorder has the authority to write the checks IF $$$ is available

March 5 late p Tuesday night brought out plans to cut expenses.

March 5 late p  Suggestions included: cut DSL service at the sewer and wa wa plants; turn off street lights; disconnect the FAX tele line;  and, reduce contributions to the Apple Festival and local library.

March 5 late p  How many street lights is the Town paying for? They don't know for sure but think it's around 100 at $13 50 $15 a month each.

March 5 late p Mayor Ryan Clifton finally got around to introducing his pick for Chief of Police, Malcom Cottrell.

March 5 late p In attendance, the guy showed great reserve as the former Mayor and former Chief of Police, Jack Brown was  pretty firey. How firey? His voice was quivering

March 5 late p Brown's first volley was over the new Badge being formerly employed at a speed trap known as Gauley Bridge. Cottrell quietly replied, he worked in Gauley Bridge AFTER the Whipkey brothers raised $1000's by issuing bogus speeding tickets.

March 5 late p Brown also  raised concerns that Mr Cottrell was taking the Badge mobile home to Clendenin. His concern was, the CCC who has donated cruisers to the municipality, might get upset.

March 5 late p  The Mayor responded that his new hire (replacing Brown) was working for next to nothing and has the ability to write grants too Mayor: I understand your quarrel but I don't think the County Commission cares.

March 5 late p  Additionally, Cottrell has a trained, certified, "drug" dog coming soon.

March 5 late p Back to Town Finances....

March 5 late p Council person Josh Shamblin told the group that he would no longer accept pay for coming to the meetings.

March 5 late p Keep an ear to the ground clickers, something is going on.

March 5 late p No other agreed to do likewise

March 5 late p  Council person Cody Nicholas haas been absent from duty for several months. Tuesday night the Mayor announced that Cody has moved from the Town.

March 5 late p  State Code requires a Council person to be a resident of the municipality. Moving is an automatic, you're off the Council

March 5 late p The Town election is in June. There are several candidates seeking the offices except for the Town Recorder slot. Dwana Murphy has no competition in that race.

March 5 late p stay home if you can. Suppose to get down to zero tonight.

March 5 2pm  CLAY COUNTY SCHOLS WILL BE CLOSED FRIDAY!!

March 5 2pm Still snowing with 9 inches on the ground

March 5 p Do you know where your snow shovel is?

March 5a  Last night's Regional Tournament game at CHS is now rescheduled for Friday evening at 7pm

March 5 a The weathercasters got it right this time around. As predicted for Wed., the rain turned to sleet around 7pm followed by a fine snow falling by 9pm. By 10 last night, big fluffy snow had blanketed the land of little.

March 5 a This morning, most of Clayberry had round 7 inches on the ground and above a quarter inches of ice.

March 5 a With the GOvernor declaring a state of emergency, most are staying home today. Roads remain in tough shape.

March 5 a  When the BC&G RR shut down in the late 60'. Some of the rolling stock was offered to the county to be used to build a tourism attraction. In our infinite wisdom, our local leaders chose to say nope, we don't want it

March 5a  19 years ago when the BDA was reformed, their first effort was to try and get such a tourism draw restarted. After several months of effort, the BDA bailed out after learning, the cost of insuring such would be very costly

March 5 a  More recently Roger Nutter formed  the for profit BC&G RailRoad Co-Op. His goal was to get a steam train running again in the county. Nutter's team worked to clear tracks and even purchased an electric locomotive, a couple caboose, and ran a tiny "jitney" ride on the old BC&G tracks

March 5 a There were problems. Maybe foremost, Nutter was a seat of the pants leader that didn't lay necessary groundwork to make the operation legal.

March 5 a With his passing, the Co-Op fizzled. Today the remnants of the grand idea are considering legal ways to officially close down the for profit and give the CAEZ ithe assets .

March 5 a It's a sad time for those that know the future of Clay lies in tourism.

March 5 a But Wait! There's More!!

March 5 a When the original BC&G closed down, some of the engines went to museums and other tourism operations

March 5 a  Old #4  was one of the steamers saved.

March 5 a  The locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in September 1926. This 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotive was built for the National Railway of Mexico as oil burner number 200, but never delivered. Instead, it was converted to coal firing and sold to the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad in West Virginia as number 4. In 1964, the locomotive was sold to the Quakertown and Eastern, a tourist line in Pennsylvania. They later sold the number 4 to the Southwest Virginia Scenic Railroad in Hilton, VA. The NCTHC bought the locomotive in 1978, which was restored to operating condition in 1987 by retired Southern Railway employees who volunteered at the museum.

March 5 a It may never be back in Clay where it belongs but it's coming back to West Virginia .

March 5 a  Thanks CW for the online link

March 5 a Here's the link to the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

March 4  6:30pm  Clay County Schools will be closed Thursday

March 4 The Gov. has declared a statewide state of emergency

March 4 With several inches of snow expected, wouldn't you think there would be a market for snow shovels

March 4 Neither the Dollar Store nor Dollar General  have such a thing

March 4 Batten down the hatches, here comes winter again

MArch 4 10am  Tonight's Lady Panther Regional Tournament game has been canceled.

March 4 Nothing official yet but, the plan to try and get the game in Thursday night at 7pm.

March 4  The 101.7FM is still looking for $125 for the broadcast fee so they can air the game.

March 4 Outside the temp is hovering around 50's, A bunch of last week's snow is still around and the ground is already saturated.  If all that rain hits this afternoon, those around small streams may be in trouble.

March 4  Today is "cross over " day at the Legislature. That means, they can over ride a Gov.'s veto by a simple majority. If you think the new breed of Tea Bagger anarchists are like kids in a candy store, be prepared for worser.

March 4  The Communicator made it to the news rack Tuesday afternoon. The lead story provides insight into Judge Facemire's decision in the Samples v County Commission case. That decision sheds real light and raises real questions into how Commissioner Linky Poo has been running the CCC and the county's future.

March 4  Also included is the latest charges against Isaiah T Murphy and Lyndsey Nottingham.

March 4 Well worth 80 cents of hard earned cash.

March 4  Tip: Never ever put on pants right after they come out of the clothes dryer.

March 4 For the ace cub reporter, learning is painful.

March 4  8:30am  Clay County Schools wil be closing 3 hours early today.

March 4 7am  With heavy rains and sleet  coming our way, school bus drivers  have already been alerted to be on standy by this morning.

March 3 p Your source of great news on Clayberry is now on sale in four counties. For Rxers, The Communicator is on its way.

March 3 p  Flood Watch continues for  Clay County through Thursday morning. A storm system will bring widespread rains and warmer temperatures tonight and Wednesday. One to three inches of rain is possible through the watch period. This rain coupled
with snow melt could cause flooding of streams... creeks... and rivers throughout the region.

March 3 p  Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening...Snow accumulations... 4 to 8 inches. Timing... Wednesday night into Thursday.

March 2 late p From National Weather Service:  Flood Watch remains in effect from Tuesday evening through Thursday morning... a storm system will bring widespread rains and warmer temperatures by late Tuesday night and Wednesday. One to four inches of rain is possible through the watch period. This rain coupled with snow melt could cause flooding of streams...

creeks and rivers throughout the region.

March 2 late p  If you're thinking of Spring, forget it

March 2 late p  Weathercasters are calling for another substantial snow fall  early early Thursday morning and into Thursday evening. Some are reporting 8 inches of the white stuff. And This March!!

March 2 p From John Osborne: registration for playing in Little League during the 2015 season will close on March 5th and no late registrations will be accepted.  Players can be registered at http://www.eteamz.com/claycountylittleleague2/

March 2 p  Nother guy emailed about WYAp needing $125 to air Wed's Regional Tournament game. He asked: what do we do with all that money

March 2 p Answer: The entire $125 goes to the W Va Secondary Schools Activity Commission. The SSAC unfairly forces non profit radio stations to pay the same amount as a for profit commercial flame thrower.

March 2 p By the way, those who donate get their names mentioned several times before during and after the game. Not too shabby a way to get your message out there.

 

March 2 a With a little drizzle in the air and the remaining snow on the ground looking black and gray, here comes March

March 2 a  This afternoon Judge Facemire is scheduled to hear the County Commission's reason for NOT paying a guy for what he's worth. The lawsuit over proper funding of COurthouse offices, the CCC has decided they don't want to pay attorney fees for Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury. No exact time but expect the hearing to be held sometime around 2pm this afternoon. Might be a good one clickers

March 2 a We've got a couple public gatherings tonight.

March 2 a Before the regular School Board meeting, they have a public hearing on the new year calendar. Both sound pretty good and to be held at the Pentagon, action starts at 5:30 tonight

March 2 a Also tonight is the monthly gathering the Clay County Business Development Authority (BDA). Once again on their posted agenda is deciding on whether to rent out office space to another non profit (they need the income yo continue) and the many months stalled, selling of the old Filcon site near Wallback. The BDA does their public stuff at 6:30pm

March 2 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. Email over your stuff today

March 2 a Tuesday is chucked full of opportunities to see our elected and appointed leaders at work.

March 2 a CAEZ's economic development committee meets at 4pm Tuesday followed by the full Bd at 6pm. Both are held in the Courthouse. If you're trying to read their agenda on the CAEZ web site, don't count on it. We can't find it.

March 2 a After a great basketball season and better Sectional Tournament play, the Lady Panthers are heading into regional tournament action Wed night. The game will be held at Clay High

March 2 a The  W Va Athletic Commission demands a non profit radio station pay a $125 broadcast fee for each regional game. WYAP needs some help coming up with the $125.00. How about you? Can you help get the girl's team on the radio?

March 1 a Hot Diggity Dog, Feb. is behind us. In one week, daylight savings time kicks in. Spring is just around the corner. Great!

March 1 a Wed evening the Lady Panthers ran, shot, dribbled, got a nose busted, and otherwise worked their butts off for their sectional win sending them into Regional Tournament Basketball action. Go Lady Panthers!

March 1 We neglected to even mention the strong efforts of our CHS Wrestling team. In state tournament action, Brandon White placed third in his weight class. Wyatt Dawson and Robert Pritt each placed fourth.

March 1 a The CHS Panthers went down in flames last night against Nicholas County. How bad was it? So bad, our team walked off the floor with 9 seconds left on the clock.

March 1 a In the lead up to the Nov. election, corporate bought Republicrats told us, they're here for the working man and to shine up those work boots. What they hid from us was their plan to eliminate prevailing wages for a middle class life style, court protections when a worker is harmed while on the job, and  a horrendous roll back of mine safety rules.

March 1 a If that ain't enough, our three Republicrat Delegates under the Dome are right in the mix to stop the Bd of Education from national testing standards.

March 1 a While for profit Common Core standards are horrible and without teacher input, to bail out just 8 weeks before testing begins, well, it really shows complete and total disregard for school systems, and students across the state

March 1 a How about that voters! You're getting what you deserve and more

March 1 a Welcome West Virginia to the land of corporate America where nothing matters but adding one more dollar to net profits.

March 1 a Nice and smooth and without Crisco. Got ta love em.

March 1 a Citizen Dave Walker has another installment over on the ADVISORY page

March 1 a Rain today is washing away the ice and snow leaving behind a mud glob county wide.

March 1 a Still..... better than the white stuff

March 1 a Ready or not, here comes the month of March.

Feb. 28 p Panthers take on Nicholas County tonight over in Summersville. Both local stations will air the match up

Feb. 28 p Last night the Clay High Lady Panthers became Region 4 Section 1 Champs after a hard fought, blood letting win over Sissonville, 52 to 48

Feb. 28 p The Lady Panthers advance to Regional play Wed night

Feb. 28 p Two days without a post or even a new pic?

Feb. 28 p Maybe it's the crystallized now gray and blackened piles of snow... or day after day of ice cold temps or a driveway still iced over  but for the Ace Cub Reporter, it's been brain fart time.

Feb. 28 p  Earlier we posted something about just a few dumb bunnies left willing to say that climate change isn't real

Feb. 28 p After a few emails, a response

Feb. 28 p If the environmentalists are wrong, we will have a cleaner nicer place to live

Feb. 28 p If the nay sayers are wrong, we all die

Feb. 28 p Why take a chance?

Feb. 28 p Geting closer to home, it's now legal to smoke, grow and poss pot in DC. A weekend of legal , stoned out of your head,  is now just an 8 hour drive away. Twenty-three states still prohibit cannabis outright. The rest have either legalized medical marijuana or decriminalized marijuana possession.    Yowza!!!!

Feb. 28 p Deadline for submitting stuff for Tuesday's Communciator is Monday at 5. Email your stuff ASAP

Feb. 26  4:55 am  Clay County Schools will be operating on a two hour delay this morning

Feb. 26   Looks like about an inch or so of new snow. That's not much but couple that with glaring ice on many back roads and watch out this morning!!

Feb. 25 p One heck of a day for great CHS sports!

Feb. 25 p The Panthers over  Wirt, 59 to 49

Feb. 25 p This evening, the Lady Panthers came out on a run and never stopped for four quarters.

Feb. 25 p Final, Lady Panthers 58, Nicholas, 28

Feb. 25 p the Ladies will be back on t he home court Friday at 7pm

Feb. 25 a County Commission this morning at 10 am

Feb. 25 a CHS Panthers v Wirt at 3:30pm. Also on the radios. This game is a placement game. Very important.

Feb. 25 a CHS Lady Panthers v Nicholas, 7pm. Also on the local radio stations. With a 17 and 3 record this year, it's do or die time for the Lady Panthers in Sectional Tournament play.

Feb. 25 a School bus drivers continue their efforts to pick up the wittle rug rats along icey side roads.

Feb. 25 a After  six days of no school and a two hour delay yesterday, this Wed is the full day of edumacation in a long time

Feb. 25 a Last night, Sissonville thumped the Panthers 99 to 45. Ooch!

Feb. 25 a  There's still lots of white stuff remaining from last week's downpour. After freezing, thawing, and icing over a couple times, the snow ain't snow. It's more along the lines of hard as a rock, shaving cream.

Feb. 24 a  Last night the Panthers handled Braxton County with ease. 7:30 tonight, the home team takes on Sissonville at CHS. Wed at 3:30, the Panthers will be back on the home court when Wirt comes to town for the final match up of regular season.

Feb. 24 a Wed night the Lady Panthers will be in sectional tournament action over at CHS

Feb. 24 a Hard to believe that it's almost time to start registering kids for the new school year. That info is over on the ADVISORY page.

Feb. 24 a Chief Wawa Operator Drema Thomas emailed yesterday to say, repairs to the broken water hydrant in Maysel will mean just lower Maysel customers only will be without the wet stuff during repairs.

Feb. 24 a Larry Darryl and Darryl were very proud of their new Judicial Annex shell building when it opened a couple years ago. That's the building that gutted county finances and left us penniless.

Feb. 24 a About 3/4's of the interior is unfinished and without heat. Currently that area is being used to house junk and discards from the Courthouse

Feb. 24 a Early Sunday one of the fire suppression sprinklers froze up and busted sending wa wa all over the place including the one part of the building that is being used, the 911 Dispatch Center. Maybe no major damage but still, 13 below zero and no one set up a space heater?

Feb. 24 a Still cold but the sun's out and blue is the sky. Enjoy it while you can.

Feb. 24 a Something special today!!!! It's now legal to smoke pot in Alaska.

Feb. 24 a A hot sauna can do you more good than many think.

Feb. 24 a More children are appearing to have allergic reactions to fruits and vegetables, but this has nothing to do with the food. Farmers often use antibiotics to keep pests away and that’s a problem for some children.

Feb. 24 a Fluoride in drinking wa wa has been an issue since the 60's when the practice was first started.

Feb. 24 a Just a few years ago, here in Clayberry, a public hearing on the Town of Clay adding the chemical waste to drinking water brought out doctors, lawyers, and citizens on both sides of the issue.

Feb. 24 a   Fluoride could be causing depression and weight gain and councils should stop adding it to drinking water to prevent tooth decay, scientists have warned.  A study of 98 per cent of GP practices in England found that high rates of underactive thyroid were 30 per cent more likely in areas of the greatest fluoridation.

Feb. 23 late p Patricia Ann Litton, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 23 p Tonight's ballgame is confirmed. Also, it's going to be Senior Night for the Panthers BEFORE the 7:30pm match up with Braxton

Feb. 23 a Clay Health Board meets at noon today.

Feb. 23 a As far as we know, tonight's CHS Panther v Braxton home game is a go

Feb. 23 a CHS Girl's Sectional play begins Wed evening at CHS

Feb. 23 a County Commission meets Wed morning at 10 am

Feb. 23 a Clay County PSD is reporting a bunch of their customers (like Fola Road) have busted water lines. With some of em not at home and 1000s of gallons running on the ground, customers were cut off .

Feb. 23 a The Town of Clay has at least one main line leak. Workers are in the Maysel area (Maysel Hill)  are looking for a leak. Sometime today wa wa will be shut off for repair work.

Feb. 23 a The Town knew they had a big problem on Sunday when storage tanks would not fill up.

Feb. 23 a Without enough wa wa and the chance that CHS, CMS, and Clay Elem would drain the remaining reserves, schools were closed.

Feb. 23 a About 95% of all scientists know that climate change is real. There's a few that think otherwise

Feb. 23 a One of those is Harvard based, Dr. Wei-Hock Soon. Often seen on FOX Entertainment , Soon says, ain't no way that climate change is real

Feb. 23 a It's now documented, Soon is paid millions  from the fossel fuel corporate giants. Tainted!

Feb. 22 6:25 p  Clay County Schools will be closed Monday. Parents, instead of killing the little ankle biters, just throw em out in the snow tomorrow

Feb. 22 Cold temps and some kind of wa wa leak maybe on Main Street appears to be the reason.

Feb. 22 a It was a heck of a week on a couple of fronts.

Feb. 22 a Winter came all at once in the last seven days. School was out the entire five school days. Temps dropped well below zero. Water pipes froze solid. Roads were first snowed under followed by a thick coating of ice.

Feb. 22 a By Saturday, a loaf of bread was not to be found in Clayberry.  Other than Go Mart, a gallon of moo juice was equally absent

Feb. 22 a For us politicos, the big story was the total lack of brains displayed by County Commissioner Linky.

Feb. 22 a  Our senior Commissioner decided it would be better to give attorneys more $$$ instead getting over the hump and getting on with governing the County of Little.

Feb. 22 a With a court order in the Prosecutor /  Circuit Clerk v CCC case, the CCC was forced to sit down with the winning side and restored both departments' budgets and cover the cost of expensive attorneys.

Feb. 22 a Standing firm and strong in the Sea of Stupidity, Link  with Queen Smiley wiping the brown off her nose, agreed to go back to court for yet another costly hearing. Once again, the Big Suits benefit and Clayberry  goes deeper into $700,000  of debt.

Feb. 22 a Judges have the final say. The chances that a Judge would turn down a legitimate bill.... not much

Feb. 22 a We're truly seeing what keeps Clayberry behind the rest of the world and that's leadership

Feb. 22 a  Why would Link lead the charge to lose another battle. Many of saying, nothing but sure spite coupled with dwindling mental capacity.

Feb. 22 a In the lead up to the Nov. General Election, for the first time ever, we saw major sums of $$$ come to the Republicrat side to sway the voter with boilerplate BS   It was a well executed campaign that put em in firm control of the W Va Legislature

Feb. 22 a With plenty of Koch brother dollars left  over, this week, robo calls were employed against the few remaining Demorats under the Gold Dome.

Feb. 22 a Spewing hatred and out right lies, enjoy those robo calls for what they are, bologna

Feb. 22 a Citizen David Walker provided us an update on what's really going on at the Capitol. That note is posted over on the ADVISORY page now.

Feb. 22 a Today we have more moderate temps with the snow disappearing into a bunch of muck and mud.

Feb. 22 a We're waiting for the next blast of winter due us late tonight.

Feb. 21 around 10am, the wind started picking up. With 2 inches of wet snow, that wind could be bad news for power lines.

Feb. 21 On top of the ice, around 8:30am, new wet snow hit County Clay. By 9:30am, the weather was switching back forth between snow to slushy rain.

Feb. 21 Life is different without running wa wa. Dishes pile up, People get ripe after 24 hours without a shower. Worst of all is the unflushed jon. For the ace cub reporter, the wifey proclaimed, if that water doesn't come on, I'm leaving!

Feb. 21 The water pipes thawed out this morning early.

Feb. 21  Welcome to another 33 years

Feb. 21  With the furnace cranking out BTUs,  hot water restored, the ritual of cleaning house is underway. Everybody out of the way!

Feb. 21 Roads are too bad to make an escape. No spot inside the house is safe. The garage playhouse is too cold.

Feb. 21 It's this time of year that domestics run rampant.

Feb. 21 7:30am The good news is, Mr. zero  is gone and replaced with a more moderate, 29 degrees.

Feb. 21 Those frozen water pipes are thawing out. Great

Feb. 21 The bad news is, Clayberry is covered with ice. Everything!

Feb. 21  Roads are slick as snot. Travel conditions are bad.

Feb. 20 4:30p   Saturday's Lady Panther B Ball game has been canceled

Feb. 20 p The BDA was suppose to be hosting wood worker co op workshop meeting Saturday Feb. 21st. According to BDA Chair Mitch DeBoard, that meeting has been cancelled for now

Feb. 20 a Up North, Maine, Vermont, Michigan and those places, those folks deal with lots of winter snow and cold temps.

FEb 20 a Not so down here. We're not use to those extremes.

Feb. 20 a This morning at 7am, in Maysel, thermomometers stood at 13 below zero.

Feb. 20 a Raise your hand if your water lines have frozen? Yelp, thought so.

Feb. 20 a  All of winter has come in Feb. If you're getting tired of this crap, bite your tongue and check the weather report button to the left. 100% chance of 3 to 5 inches coming Saturday.

Feb. 20 a !##@@@

Feb. 19 p Here's an interesting email just received:  If the CCC spent $700,000 last year, where did it go? The 911 center? Definitely not, fighting meth and or drug problems, nor fixing the courthouse grounds, nor any of the suggestions of the What Next group.  I'm not so sure as to why, in the Land of Little, no one has contacted the State Attorney's office about having someone come in and check the books.  The only reason I can figure is, this is the land where murderers go free, drug dealers run amok, and officials answer to none. Clay County will never be more than a Cesspool of Corruption, until we stop playing patty cake with unlawfulness and overlooking those just because of their last name.

Feb. 19 p Communications is what we're about. We appreciate all emails.

Feb. 19 p  The CCC spent a lot more than $700,000 last year. In the 2013-2014 fiscal year, 1,272,000  dollars came in thru taxes.

Feb. 19 p For 2014-2015, the current year, the CCC expects $1,680, 000. in tax dollars.

 

Feb. 20 p  Virgie Mae Brown, 82, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 20 4:30pm This makes a full week of no school for the snotlickers... CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL CLOSED ON FRIDAY

Feb. 19 a Today is Paint the Town Blue day to show support for the families of law enforcement families. Put on your blue sweatshirt and coat.

Feb. 19 a Cold cold coming our way. Slightly below zero this morning around 7 am  With the feels like factor, suppose to be 18 below today and tonight, even worser, around 20 below. You need to take precautions today. Jack Daniels might be order to get us thru the next 24 hours.

Feb. 19 a Other than a transformer that blew yesterday early, as far as we know, power remains on for Clayberry.

Feb. 19 a Even with State Road crews running night and day, side roads remain a real problem.

Feb. 19 a Non profit 101.7FM is off the air due to DSL problems. 106.7 FM remains alive as does their online broadcast.

Feb. 19 a The Communicator made it out the door a day late on Wednesday. For our Prescribers, the bundles of info will not make it the post office until later today.

Feb. 19 a If you ever wonder what people make in the school system, Town of Clay, Clay County PSD, or Clay Roane PSD, it's in there

Feb. 19 a We stumbled in on a meeting of the County Commission Wed morning. As ordered by Circuit Court Judge Ric Facemire, the CCC has to meet with Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury and Prosecutor Jim Samples to correct CCC wisdom two years ago that cut operating  budgets in the Courthouse. Under the leadership of Linky, the CCC removed about $30,000 from the Prosecutor's budget and close to $9000 from the Circuit Clerk's budget.

Feb. 19 a Actually, all departments at the Courthouse saw their budgets cut but only Asbury and Samples challenged the dumb clucks in Court..... and won.

Feb. 19 a Note: Newbee Commissioner Greg Fitzwater was not on the board back when those decisions were being made. Now on the Commission, Fitz has to do clean up work for the blunders in 2013 and 2014.

Feb. 19 a During Wed morning's meeting, Mike Asbury was there with his attorney. Mandated by the Judge, Asbury has his budget restored without question. What was in the center of contention is the attorney fees accumulated by Asbury's attorney, Mark Toor. So far... that amount comes at $11,780.00 for the heavy lifting, around $300/ hour

Feb. 19 a The same pig headed guy that insisted on going to Court two years ago, Linkypoo, right off the bat, said, he would not pay that attorney bill. Queen Smiley was a ditto too.

Feb. 19 a  As they dickered back and forth, By reducing his hourly rate to $250 / hour, Toor's invoice was whittled down to $9000. Link retorted, no way.

Feb. 19 a See what's happening clickers, Larry Darryl and Darryl screwed up in 2013. A Judge forced them to correct their mistakes. And now, the LinkMeister thinks, the lawyers should not be paid for their successful court room efforts. The original budget cut was amounted to $9000. Now, the new CCC has to put back the budget dollars plus pay court expenses like attorney fees.

Feb. 19 a Asbury attorney is Mark Toor at nearly $12K. Prosecutor Samples' attorney, Lonnie Simmons submitted an invoice for around $7080.00. Simmons offered a good buddy discount to Samples ($150 / hour). CCC employed Charleston attorney Bill Murray. The amount Murray is charging was not discussed yesterday. Our guesstimate, at least $10,000 and probably more.

Feb. 19 a   When you add it all up, the stupid lawsuit bill will come in over $30,000 from the CCC budget that is already slim.

Feb. 19 a  Anybody, any agency , can make a mistake. This was a costly mistake but it's now wa wa under the bridge.

Feb. 19 a  WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb. 19 a   Without logic, Link and Queen Smiley decided to go back to court and fight paying attorney fees for the case they lost in Circuit Court.

Feb. 19 a Lets see now, they owe attorney Mark Toor right at $12K. Additionally, they owe him for Wed's work ( 3 hours at $300 plus travel fees). Now they can add another day in Court (with travel time, a minimum of 3 hours) plus all the prep time before the hearing. CCC attorney Bill Murray will be compensated as will Lonnie Simmons for the Prosecutor.

Feb. 19 a That adds up to a big chunk of change with little chance that the Court will go their way. About 99% of the time, Judges think that that those that work, those people should be paid for their efforts!

Feb. 19 a  Today we're paying almost as much in attorney fees as was original taken from the Prosecutor and Clerk's budget.

Feb. 19 a Did You Know: according to County Clerk Connie Workman figures, last year, the County Commission spent $641,361 more than they took in from tax collections

Feb. 19 a Did You Know last year the CCC spent $126,479 more than they took in from coal severance taxes collected.

Feb. 19 a That $760,840.00 is a little tilted because it includes other money that came thru the CCC for grant covered projects.

Feb. 19 a  Today Prosecutor Jim Samples goes before the CCC for his court mandated presentation to restore his budget and pay attorney fees. Not sure of the exact time because Samples is handling other court appointed duties this morning. The Prosecutor was in attendance yesterday and jokingly (we hope) told the CCC that he planned to make a 10 hour presentation.

Feb. 19 a   County Clay has many problems. One of our biggest problems is dimming lit county leadership.  At the top of that stack of dung is none other than Jerry "lets spend it all" LinkyPoo.

Feb. 19 a  With the hole already too deep, Link is still shoveling.

Feb. 19 a Sad

Feb. 18 p Sorry for the tardiness... Clay Schools are closed Thursday

Feb. 18 a This morning at 10 am , the CCC meets with Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury to work out his Circuit Court mandated fully funded budget. That same process comes Thursday for Pros Jim Samples

Feb. 18 a If weather co operates, The Communicator comes out late this afternoon. Our lead story covers the other side of the killing of Richard Dale Kohler during the SWAT invasion in Maysel back in June 2013

Feb. 18 a We waited Nov Dec and Jan for winter. Yes we had a dusting of snow Dec 23rd, but for the most part Clayberry had no Winter until Saturday Feb. 14.

Feb. 18 a Winter is here in full force now. With cold temps keeping the 10 inches of snow all around, another 2 or 3 inches is expected today.

Feb. 18 a Most crippling is the extreme cold. The Weather Service is predicting "feels like" around 15 below tonight and 18 below on Thursday.

Feb. 18 a From the Feds:  The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a Wind Chill Advisory... which is in effect from 9 PM this evening to 4 am EST Friday. Locations... a portion of central West Virginia. Hazard types... snow and low wind chill values.  Snow accumulations... 1 to 3 inches.   Wind chill readings... as low as 10 to 20 below zero.

Feb. 18 a Be careful out there!

Feb. 17 4:45pm  Clay County Schools will be CLOSED Wed

Feb. 17  10 am  No CHS ballgame tonight.

Feb. 17 a Welcome to day two of winter. Overnight Clayberry received another 2 inches of the white stuff. State Road plows worked thru the night. Many, maybe most areas off the main routes remain snow covered and super duper prone to slipping and falls.

Feb. 17 a As for tonight's B Ball game at CHS, not likely but no one has told us otherwise

Feb. 17 a As for tonight's Sch Board meeting, ditto. No word

Feb. 17 a 9 degrees this morning and at 8:30am, more snow falling.

Feb. 17a With 7500 of our 10,000 without jobs, stay home (and safe) is you can

Feb. 17 a The Communicator will NOT come out this afternoon. Three's just too much snow on the roads to make the trip to Spencer this morning. We also are experiencing Frontier DSL problems.

Feb. 17 a  Delegate Roger Hanshaw's legislative update column is now posted on the ADVISORY page

Feb. 16 p Clayberry Schools will be closed Tuesday.

Feb. 16 p Clay County Courthouse will be closed Tuesday due to the weather

Feb. 16 p We've got about 8 inches on the ground and more is falling as of 5:45pm today.

Feb. 16 p Cold as H but truly, beautiful everywhere you look.

Feb. 16 p With cold temps forecasted all week and chance of another blast of the white stuff on Wed. That winter we haven't had, it's here now

Feb. 16 p If you want something in the Communicator, now's the time to email it over.

Feb. 15 p Jerry Duffield was one of those go to guys when you needed something to get done. He was also a true outdoors man with skills second to none. When it came to kids, whether learning to fish or making a whistle, Mr Duffield was a strong asset for County Clay. He will be sadly missed.

Feb. 15 p  Jerry Richard Duffield, 68, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 15 p Kids are off school Monday for Prez Day. Not so Pentagon employees who are coming in at 7:30am.

Feb. 15 p Up to now, winter has been all but none existent. Other than an inch or snow total, not even a chance to try out the snow shovel. This weekend's zero temps have been the coldest this time around.

Feb. 15 p Weather wise, Monday thru Tuesday might be a real mess.

Feb. 15 p From the National Weather Service:  Winter Storm Warning in effect from 7 am Monday to 5 am EST Tuesday... The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow... which is in effect from 7 am Monday to 5 am EST Tuesday.   Locations... portions of southeast Ohio and central West Virginia. Hazard types... heavy snow  Snow accumulations... 6 to 10 inches. Timing... snow will overspread the area Monday morning... heaviest  in the afternoon and early evening.  Impacts... heavy snow will make for hazardous travel. Temperatures... minus 5 to 5 above tonight. Upper teens to lower  20s on Monday.

Feb. 15 p In plain English, stay home if you can. For those with bald tires, don't even try it.

Feb. 14 a With a couple inches of snow on the way, Clayberry is staying close to home today.

Feb. 14 a Last night the Panthers went down in defeat to Nicholas County, 63 to 55.

Feb. 14 a Yesterday TV -8 reported: State troopers are searching for several people who are all connected to a multi-county crime spree. Some of those crimes date as far back as 2013. Troopers have made three arrests thus far, but they’re still looking for several others .The common them in all the crimes, drugs. There was a sigh of relief among customers at the Shafer’s Convenience Store in Clendenin. “I hope they all get caught you know. I just don’t believe in doing all the drugs. There's a lot of family members and stuff and families that are really concerned about the drug problem in the area,” Lepley Building owner Todd Lepley said.  State troopers in Clay County said Bruce Bird, armed with a gun, robbed a 7-11 in 2013, but he wasn’t linked to the crime until recently when troopers said he hit the store again, this time with an accomplice, Isaiah Murphy.

   Continues:  In the robbery in January, a hatchet was used to escape with cash. The following day, police said the duo hit up another convenience store in Big Otter. “We have a ton of burglaries, robberies and b and e’s, grand larcenies. It’s clearing up a lot of stuff in the county as well as other counties,” State Trooper Cpl. R.R. Cervera said.  Trooper said the duo might have been responsible for crimes in Kanawha, Fayette and Braxton Counties as well.  “They’re going for the fastest way they can get cash. They’re going out and finding a place to buy their pills and their drugs and they are using them that night and burning through the money,” Senior Trooper Brian Young said.  Police are no on the hunt for at least ten others who are in Bird and Murphy’s circle. One man said he’s glad the duo is off the streets. “I had a lot of stuff stolen off me in the past and I can’t stand a thief,” Lepley said. Isaiah Murphy is back in court for his second appearance next week.

Feb. 14 a That second charge on Murphy is for alleging stealing the front wheel and tire off Denise Holcomb's vehicle and getting caught with the stolen stuff on his vehicle.

Feb. 14 a We made a pilgrimage ot Nicholas County to pick up criminal complaints on Shane Miller and Lucas B Gallagher who are both laming home in Central Regional Jail (CRJ). Both were over in Summersville and caught by  a Blue Shirt buying stuff to make another batch of Meth.

Feb. 14 a Note: That's 27 year old Luke Galllagher who is 5'7" tall.

Feb. 14 a Clayberry has another guy named Luke Gallaher (notice only one g in his name) who is older, bigger, taller, and a non druggy Dad and hubby. That second person keeps getting pulled over by the Badges as he comes home from work.

Feb. 14 a  Clayonians have known for some time that a handful of local druggies have been stealing left and right to advance their addictions. Sure will be nice when all the thugs are off the street

Feb. 14 a  Bruce Junior (BJ) Bird was arrested Friday morning around 1am. His criminal complaint reads about identical to the one on Isaiah Murphy. Both are looking at felony robbery.

Feb. 14 a Additionally, Joseph Kute was arrested and jailed on domestic battery charges on Friday. There was an interesting one liners which claims Kute had a home made explosive device in his mouth in need of a battery to make it go off.

Feb. 14 a Green Shirts also picked up Brian Welch who took off running out the back door when the Badge mobile pulled into the driveway. It was an easy find since snow on the ground tracked his every step.

Feb. 14 a We'll have the full right ups in Tuesday's Communicator

Feb. 14 a

Feb. 13 later p  Special message for Rex. Take Bev to Japanese restaurant for Valentine's Day.

Feb. 13 late  a  Eleanor Margaret Noveske Davis, 67, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 13 a Happy Friday the 13th

Feb. 13 a We kept expecting that call for a 2 hour delay but it didn't happen

Feb. 13 a Around 7am this morning it was 7 degrees outside

Feb. 13 a Sometimes the internet thang doesn't work

Feb. 13 a Such was the case with tonight's Sweetheart Bingo down at Lizemores Elem. That notice is now posted on the EVENTS page.

Feb. 13 a With Nicholas County schools closed today, not sure about any schedule change with tonight's CHS Panther home game.

Feb. 13 a It's a go as far as we know.

Feb. 12 p  Carolyn Faye Drake, 55, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY Page

Feb. 12 p For the hubby that hates to go shopping, the Clay Library has a Valentine's Day deal. For $5 you can buy a big chocolate and peanut butter homemade kiss for the sweetie. All proceeds go toward keeping the library open

Feb. 12 p Llyn Drake was appointed to the Clay County PSD last month. During that process several spoke out against Linky's choice for the PSD Board.

Feb. 12 p Wed morning, Ms Drake sat on the Board for the first time. At the end of the meeting, Drake apologized for some kind of letter she sent to the office staff prior to the meeting. Although not read in public, sounded like, Drake asked for a bunch of PSD records.

Feb. 12 p All seemed to accept the apology.

Feb. 12 Llyn Drake's first meeting was a smooth one.

Feb. 12 p Around 70% of the county is without municipal wa wa service

Feb. 12 p During yesterday's PSD meeting, engineers and funders met with the Board to discuss the Pack Fork / Independence extension project. For those thinking the wet stuff is just around the corner, think again. Consensus from the meeting, maybe , maybe, everything will be in order by the end of this year to start the work. Maybe!

Feb. 12 p All the funding for the extension is not in place. Middle man funder Terry Martin expressed an urgency to hurrying up $$$ requests since those funds are drying up quickly.

Feb. 12 p Costlier loans may have to be applied for.

Feb. 12 p In that same conversation came word that a rate increase will be applied for post haste.

Feb. 12 p As is the case before any PSD seeks an increase, they add debt. Talk yesterday was to replace a four wheel drive truck with a new, newer, one.

Feb. 12 p That rate increase will come on top of the one the Town of Clay is applying for. The Town supplies Clay County PSD wa wa.

Feb. 12 p Clay County PSD currently has the 21st highest rates in the state. Clay Roane PSD has the fourth highest rate in the state. Clay Roane just applied for a rate increase. Click here to see the rankings chart from the WV PSC.

Feb. 12 p On another topic, here's a map (current as of last Fall) that shows broadband speeds in Clayberry. Notice, about 80% of our 342 square miles has nothing faster than the very slowest dial up speeds. You're paying a monthly bill for high speed internet getting snail speeds. Very Sad.

Feb. 12   6:40am  CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY

Feb. 12 6:40am Here's the link for all closings

Feb. 12 4:40am  TWO HOUR DELAY FOR CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS THIS MORNING

Feb. 12 4:40am  Right at 50 degrees and no snow or sleet. The white stuff is suppose to start around 7am.

Feb. 12 4:40am Go back to bed and sleep in.

Feb. 11  6pm from the Nat Weather Service:  Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 1 am Thursday to 1 am

EST Friday... The National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow... which is in effect from 1 am Thursday  to 1 am EST Friday.  Locations... southwest Virginia... as well as much of the West Virginia lowland counties.  Hazard types... periods of moderate to heavy snow... along with blowing snow.  Snow accumulations... 2 to 4 inches. Timing... tonight through early Thursday night.   Impacts... snow covered roads... and reduced visibilities will make travel hazardous. Winds... northwest 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.  Temperatures... temperatures falling into the teens.

Feb. 11 p What ta do What Ta do.... Run to the store and get the important stuff like toilet paper, Q tips, beer, chips, smokes, marshmallows.. the important things in life

Feb. 11 p Feels like temps expected to be around 5 below zero too

Feb. 11 p Know what that means?

Feb. 11 p Every kid in the county is checking thermometers and for the first snow flakes.

Feb. 11 p The anticipation is for school to be shut down. Yard apes think they have a sure thing and parents are already groaning

Feb. 11 p  At 7:30 pm, temp is holding at 29 degrees

Feb. 11 p Good luck kids!

Feb. 10 late p Lots of talk on whether parents should have control on which vaccines their children should and should not have.

Feb. 10 late p Almost all t he talking heads proclaim, vaccines are safe.

Feb. 10 late p No one on commercial TV has mentioned that our Govt has a secret Court set up to handle all the claims brought by parents against vaccine makers. By the way, the secret Vaccine Court is the only place you can seek justice.

Feb. 10 late p  The Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund (VICF Court) provides funding for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to compensate vaccine related injury or death claims

Feb. 10 late p   Billions have been quietly paid out by to date. the agency's web site stopped reporting pay outs in 2013. You can see for yourself what was paid out during that last available your of records.

Feb. 10 late p For all those  hyping up the need to vaccinate all children, you should know your facts before opening your pie hole.

Feb. 10 a With the  basketball season winding down, tonight the Lady Panthers travel over to Summersville to take on a big time rival. 7:30 is the start time. Pre game on the radio comes around 7:20. Go Lady Panthers!!

Feb. 10 a There's a lady that comes around once a  week hauling fresh strawberries from FL into Clayberry. Each week, locals purchase the fresh morsels of sweetness by the crate. That white van load arrived yesterday

Feb. 10 a For all  of us lard butt diabetic cripples, what goes best with strawberries? Cut em up and lather on a big smatter of vanilla ice cream.

Feb. 10 a One problem. Monday evening, there was no  half gallons of vanilla ice cream for sale at the county's only super market, Piggly Wiggly in Two Run. Not one!

Feb. 10 a  After months with several empty shelves in each aisle, no vanilla ice cream?  This is getting serious.

Feb. 9 p The radio station board meets tonight at 5:30pm over at the old Valley F ork Grade School

Feb. 9 p Clay County PSD meets Tuesday morning  at 11am in their Main Street Clay digs.

Feb. 9 p Clay County Commission holds their first meeting of the month Wed at 10 am.

Feb. 9 p Thursday night at 6:30 the Clay Roane PSD meets at the Procious Wa Wa Plant

Feb. 9 p  All meetings are open to the public.

Feb. 9 p Lets talk lawsuits....

Feb. 9 p  Judge Facemire ordered all parties to meet within 30 days of his decision in the Prosecutor / Circuit Clerk vs CCC. The parties have to sit down and fairly discuss those two agency budgets.

Feb. 9 p Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury goes before the CCC Feb. 18th  with Prosecutor Samples doing likewise on the 19th

Feb. 9 p The Wilkerson family filed a civil suit against the Pentagon over a hazing incident prior a basketball game last year.

Feb. 9 p There's nothing in black and white yet but Circuit Clerk Asbury says, it's his understanding that the case has been settled out of Court. as for dollars awarded, Asbury says it's common for such amounts to be sealed from the public.

Feb. 9 p So much for a good juicy couple days in Court.

Feb. 9 p At 3:30 pm today, there's a mist in the air and temps are dropping. You can feel the weather change a comin'

Feb. 9 a  Susie M. Childers Bailey, 86, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 8 a From the last seven days...

Feb. 8 a Compared to last winter where snow came regular and schools were closed 21 days, this winter. nothing. We had our first snow day on Thursday. Temps were down around 8 degrees followed by in the upper 40s and into the 50s on Saturday and Sunday. The first little buds were seen on the Rhododendron bushes

Feb. 8 a Slimy puke Larry Fernatt (72 year old former postmaster) was sentenced to life and more for sexual abuse of his juvy close relative.

Feb. 8 a Last Summer, Bill Vineyard was nearly killed during a night time robbery. On Monday Feb. 2nd, Brennin Bird and Melissa Postelwait  Thompson were given lengthy sentences for their plan to rob Vineyard.

Feb. 8 a  For Brennin, after a long criminal career, it was the end for his years in the drug trade. Ditto for Melissa who has been out of control for five years

Feb. 8 a Town Council met on Tuesday where they announced a three fold wa wa rate increase. That was followed by passing a motion to increase sewer rates. Selling water has been the cash cow for the municipality. Those dollars have been used to bail out the sewer plant operation for years. The new water and sewer rates should hit our monthly bills about the same time as the June Town election comes around. With a bunch running for office, should make for a good political cycle.

Feb. 8 a The BDA held a rescheduled meeting Thursday night. That agency has been trying to sell the old FIlcon Industrial site for years. Last August, a guy came to their meeting and told them he had cash in hand to purchase the place. The BDA turned him down. During Thursday's meeting, the volunteers continue dragging their feets on an alternate plan to sell the place.

Feb. 8 late Cash strapped and in need of a revenue stream, a non profit wants to rent the BDA building in Two Run for $500 / month. For the third meeting in a row, the BDA has stalled the group.

Feb. 8   a From the outside looking in, feels like BDA insiders have another agenda that has not been made public

Feb. 8 a Saturday morning, the BC& G RR Co-Op held their first official meeting in years. With 17 around the table, discussion centered on what to do with the defunct company and assets.   What started out with great possibilities for the County of Little, is now all but gone. It was a sad meeting.

Feb. 8 a Badges went to work this past week.

Feb. 8 a Most in the county thought that Isiaiah Murphy was one of the two lads behind the Go Mart and Shafer Super Stop robberies last week and stole Frank Murphy's truck one day earlier. Word spread quickly that it was Murphy who tried to break into a home in Maysel early early Friday morning.

Feb. 8 a Mr Murphy has been arrested.

Feb. 8 a Shane Miller was a kid that could have done a lot in this world. Instead, he's back in the slammer for continuing life in the drug world.

Feb. 8 a Even with Murphy out of the picture , someone tried to break into a car parked along Rt 4 Saturday evening.   Small Town America, the outback, remains an unsafe place to live

Feb. 8 a In the lead up to the Nov election, all those full color posters and mailings promised a new day full of jobs and opportunity. Prosperity is just around the corner came the rally cry.

Feb. 8 a Most of those Koch brother backed Republicrats got into office.  Today our W Va Legislature is working to tear down decades of progress

Feb. 8 What brought us a middle class was prevailing wage. This week, prevailing wage requirements for building contracts has been tossed aside by the W Va Legislature.

Feb. 8 a This time last year, 300,000 were without safe drinking water due to a ruptured coal process chemical leak along the Elk River. A Demorat run Legislature enacted new reporting requirements for storage tanks around the state

Feb. 8 a This year, last week, the Republicrats removed nearly all reporting requirements on 1000s of storage tanks

Feb. 8 a On women's right to choose, further restrictions were added.

Feb. 8 a Next is to turn West Virginia into a right to work for less state taking tax dollars away from all and giving them to private charter schools.

Feb. 8 a With plenty time left in the session for corporate AMerica to completely wipe out  the middle class. It's a sad day in West Virginia

Feb. 8 a There's something to be said to limiting voting to those that have a brain

Feb. 8 a At 10 am this morning, the sun is out, the wind is drying up the acres of mud and it's already 50's in Clayberry.

Feb. 8 a Seed catalogs are being searched thru. Cars are being washed. Property owners are adding locks to garages and back doors. More wood is being split.

Feb. 8 a We're making it thru the dead of winter.

Feb. 6 late p  Amos Adkins, 65, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 6 late p  Donald Blankenship, 65, of Clay, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 6 late p Big win tonight. Lady Panthers over Webster,76 to 31

Feb. 6 a 8 degrees this morning. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Feb. 6 a Tonight the Lady Panthers travel to Webster County for basketball action

Feb. 6 a  Last night's Panther game with Roane County has been rescheduled for Saturday evening around 7:30pm or 20 minutes after the JV match up.

Feb. 6 a 101.7 and 107.7 FM will air each game

Feb. 6 a Seven or so BDA Boardsters showed up for last night's rescheduled monthly meeting. The Govt agency leases the old State Road garage and riverside lot. Last summer the BDA remodeled the office area in the garage and holds their meetings there.

Feb. 6 a That $1 per year lease includes a provision restricting the group from sub leasing space to a for-profit company.

Feb. 6 a Two months ago another non profit, EnAct, made a presentation to rent the office space in the BDA building. EnAct is willing to pay $500 /  month for the nicely remodeled office space. EnAct is also very interested in renting the entire building sometime later this year to house a day care center and county wide bus service. Over 20 employees will be hired if those programs come to fruitation

Feb. 6 a With a little over $13,000 to their name, the BDA is cash strapped.

Feb. 6 a  Last night, some Boardsters resisted renting the place.

Feb. 6 a Asst Head Cheese Roberta Faile spoke against renting to another taxpayer funded agency.

Feb. 6 a You'll notice on the ADVISORY page a new BDA initiative to grow a craft co op for the county.

Feb. 6 a Not sure where that plan came from since there was no vote to do such by the BDA during the public meeting.. There was mention of meeting after the regular public meeting with well known local woodworker, Benny Boggs

Feb. 6 a During the public meeting  Faile mentioned "other" ideas to use the garage section of the building. She seemed to be keeping that idea under wraps.

Feb. 6 a  Clayberry has several high quality crafters that may benefit from a Co-Op. Many of those are hobbyists and just do their work for fun.

Feb. 6 a Co-Ops have a hard time making it  in this world. A few years ago Clay County had a Co-Op first housed in the old Seneca Grill building followed by time in the King Jewelry Store on Main Street.  Our Co-Op fell apart after a few months when crafters were unwilling to step up to the plate and produce products on a  regular basis.

Feb. 6 a Over in Gilmer County, Mack Samples helped organize a much larger Co-Op there. That group lasted much longer but finally folded

Feb. 6 Even on the state level  where there is financial backing, such groups struggle. Take for instance Tamarack near Beckley. That gazillion dollar state backed organization lost money for many, many years. Last month, Charleston papers reported that Tamarack was under new direction and plans were being made to eliminate many of the items that do not sale. Mention was made that some of those beautiful pieces had sat on shelves for over two years collecting dust.

Feb. 6 a A big part of making $$$ is overhead expenses. If the foot traffic at Govt paid for Tamarack isn't enough to break even, there's no place in W Va that can do it. To be successful, the Clay County Co-Op has to be an internet only operation with a strong presence on multi level platforms across the web.

FEb 5 later p  The CHS game for tonight has been cancelled.

feb 5 later p  Here in the outback, a bunch of us wear those brown canvas coats made by Carhart, Walls, and others. Darn good long lasting coats that are warm as toast. Noticed over at the Farm Store, they've got a rack of Walls with hoods for less than $40.

Feb. 5 p The BDA has their monthly meeting scheduled for this evening at 6:30pm

Feb. 5 p No word yet on any change

Feb. 5 p At 10am this morning, most of the flurries were on the ground and the sun started peeking through the gray

Feb. 5    6:45 am CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY

Feb. 5 4am Clay County Schools are on a TWO HOUR DELAY this morning.

Feb. 5  We've got about an inch of the white stuff so far.

Feb. 4 late p The Lady Panthers put it all over Calhoun County tonight, 80 - 19.

Feb. 4 late p Panthers play Roane Thursday evening at 7:30pm

Feb. 4 late p The BDA meets Thursday evening at 6:30 in their Two Run digs. Public invited of course

Feb. 4 late p  Clay Town Council met yesterday afternoon. During their public meeting, the vote was unanimous to raise sewer rates.

Feb. 4 late p  That log factory increase is on top of the wa wa rate increase already applied for.

Feb. 4 late p  During that same meeting, the elected folks said the wa wa rate increase will be a three fold deal where additional up charges will be added every few months or so.

Feb. 4 late p Numerous small rate increases are less noticed by the paying public.

Feb. 4 late p That unanimous vote.... those are the same people up for reelection in June of this year.

Feb. 4 late p  Clay Roane and Clay County PSDs purchase wa wa from the Town of Clay. When the Town raises rates, the PSDs have to follow suit.

Feb. 4 late p Clay Roane PSD already has a rate increase into the WV PSD. When approved, that 3% increase will have to be raised still more to cover the Town's increase.

Feb. 4 a In rescheduled action, tonight the Lady Panthers take on Calhoun. Game at 7pm. It's also Senior Night before the game

Feb. 4 a WTUB and WYAP will both carry the game with sportcast beginning a little after 6:30

Feb. 4 a Do you have a pistol beside your bed? Maybe stuffed under your mattress? Do you know the difference with your rights when an intruder comes in unarmed and armed? Better pick up The Communicator today where Sheriff Samples provides answers

Feb. 4 a Our lead story provides coverage of Monday afternoon sentencing work with Judge Facemire behind the bench.

Feb. 4 a One time Postmaster Larry Fernatt is looking at 45 years for his pervert deviations.

Feb. 4 a Darn good reading and just 80 cents cheap!

Feb. 4 a Hard to beleive but it's sign up time for Little League/ Details over on the ADVISORY page.

Feb. 4 a Get those yard apes signed up today!

Feb. 2 1pm Tonight's CHS B Ball game has been cancelled.

Feb. 2 Noon:15  Tonight's BDA meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday Feb. 5th at 6:30pm

Feb. 2 Noon:15 Stay home if you can

Feb. 2 11:45 a  Clay County Schools will be closing two hours early today

Feb. 2 11:45a   Icey roads and snow mixed together is making road conditions rotten! Careful out there, it's greasey.

Feb. 2 a  This morning at 6:30 the temp was 43 degrees. Now at noon, 26 with wind ripping thru the county around 30 mph

Feb. 2 a   Opal Kathleen ( Kathy) Mullins, 84, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Feb. 2 a  Monta Gregorich Clingenpeel (Molly), 88 , see OBITUARY page

Feb. 2 a  Happy Ground Hog Day. With snow coming down and the sky gray and overcast, does anybody think a shadow could be seen today?

Feb. 2 a Tonight the Business Development Authority (BDA) meets over in Two Run. The issue of leasing their building to a non profit and selling the old Filcon Industrial site are on the public meeting agenda.

Feb. 2 a  Also tonight, the School Board convenes their first meeting of the month at the Pentagon. Their 11 point agenda is posted online.

Feb. 2 a Court dates have a way of getting shuffled around due to a variety reasons. For what it's worth...

Feb. 2 a The RIchard Osborne trial is suppose to be held Feb. 4th

Feb. 2 a The Brown v Naylor hearing is slated for Feb. 10th

Feb. 2 a The long running civil case , Wilkerson v Sch Bd is penned in for Feb. 17th.

Jan 30 latest p  Friday night's Basketball game has been canceled due to the weather

Jan 30 latest p No word on new game date

Jan 30 later p  WalMart is hiring 300 starvation wagers. See JOBS page for details.

Jan 30 p Received this info from the schools list serve this morning at 8:14 am:  Near Big Otter in Clay County: Bus 53 will not be running the Hallsburg Hollow;   Near Lizemore in Clay County: Bus 47 will not be running Ripitoe;   Near Widen Ridge in Clay County: Bus 47 will not be running Flat Fork;   Near Widen Ridge in Clay County: Bus 47 will not be running Paddy Ridge; and,  Near Widen Ridge in Clay County: Bus 73 will not be running down into Widen.  Pickup at top of hill.

Jan 30 p From the Town of Clay email bag: Deadline for filing for Pre Candidacy Registration in this office will be Friday, January 30, 2015 at 4:00 P.M. Registration forms can still be mailed but MUST be Postmarked no later than Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Jan 30 p Translation: you can walk in today and get your application to run for office and mail it on Saturday if you like.

Jan 30 p You could have someone else come in today and pick up your application.

Jan 30 p In the race for Mayor, Bev Whaling and Mike Knopp have filed for office. No word on the sitting Mayor, Ryan Clifton

Jan 30 p  In the Recorder's race, current Recorder, Dwana Murphy is the only  person seeking election.

Jan 30 p  For Town Council seeking reelection are JP Helms, Josh Shamblin, and Denise Holcomb have thrown hats in the ring.

Jan 30 p Council persons Cody Nichols and Joyce Gibson are unlikely to run

Jan 30 p Newcomers in that race now include Pamili Runion and returning from retirement, Jerry Stover

Jan 30 p Dwana Murphy said yesterday that she picked up three applications to give to others interested in a  run.

Jan 30 p How about you? Why not?

Jan 30 p Also in Town business....

Jan 30 p Earlier this week, the Town Badgemobile was seen all around the Town. Sometimes parked at the old Connie's Drive In followed by stops near Denny's Auto building and then back over in downtown Clay.

Jan 30 p Many thought volunteer Badge Jack Brown was just getting out of the house or napping behind the wheel

Jan 30 p Wrong O my fellow Clayberrians

Jan 30 p  Turns out, the Town has a new Badge. From the far West, Malcolm Cottrell was Badged up and behind the wheel

Jan 30 p  Actually, we don't have one new officer but two. According to Dwana Murphy, Badge Cottrell comes with a German Shephard canine unit.

Jan 30 p As for the hire or for that matter, the feller getting paid, the topic has never been on a meeting agenda

Jan 30 p  The official 2014-2015 Town Budget calls for just $2500 in the Police Dept line item. With the fiscal year half over, most of that is already spent on fuel. Maybe we have another volunteer Badge.

Jan 30 p  Tonight is Senior Night before the CHS Lady Panther v Calhoun home game

Jan 30 p  The game will begin around 7pm

Jan 30 p The radio stations will go live with their broadcast sometime after 6:30pm

Jan 30 p Area schools are horrible about PR pieces on their many school events. With several media outlets willing to provide the public with important info, it's a shame they do such a poor job.

Jan 30 p It's our understanding that the Bob Stover Wrestling Tournament will take place Saturday Jan 31st.

Jan 30 p Have a good weekend one and all.

Jan 30    5am   CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE OPERATING ON A 2 HOUR DELAY THIS MORNING

Jan 30 a Sleep in you wittle yard apes!

Jan 30 a Outside, looks like the storm front is just arriving. Light snow with lots of wind blowing

Jan 30 a  Here's the link to the state notice for all school systems.

Jan 29 p We've added new Delegate Roger Hanshaw's Legislative Update column over on the ADVISORY page.

Jan 29 a Tonight is Homecoming during the CHS v Calhoun basketball game. Actions begins at 7:30p. The community radio stations will be sportscasting the match up and half time festivities

Jan 29 a Even with the Town Recorder saying she saw no need to tell the public that they can file for office, outside attention is drawing  candidates to the contest.

Jan 29 a Yesterday, Bev Whaling made public her plans to run for Mayor.  Whaling tried elected office a few years ago and was a pretty good vote getter.

Jan 29 a Current Councilman Josh Shamblin says he has his application filled out and plans to seek office again.

Jan 29 a On Council persons Cody Nicholas and Joyce Gibson, no word if they'll try another term. If those two decide against running, that's two vacancies that will be filled by newbees. If one other newbee got elected, that's a whole new complextion for the county's only municipality.

Jan 29 a Need some extra loot? There's a five dollar filing fee and the form has to be notarized.

Jan 29 a If you are a town resident, get off your butt and sign up to run

Jan 28 late p Around 4 am this morning Shafer's Super Stop gas station was robbed. Two hood wearing males carrying  hatchets are being sought by the Badges.

Jan 28 late p  Also, in the early morning hours, the Big Otter Go Mart was robbed by two males. Locals say the thugs made off with $600 in loot from the Go Mart.

Jan 28 late p  A couple days ago Frank Murphy's Chevy truck was swiped.

Jan 28 late p This afternoon the newer model truck was found torched on Pisgah Ridge

Jan 28 late p Not sure if any of the events are connected but all of a sudden, three activities in a short period of time?

Jan 28 late p As of 4pm today, no one has been arrested.

Jan 28 p  Violet Tanner, 87, see OBITUARY page

Jan 28 p During the rescheduled Town Council meeting, the one that was not properly posted, lots of neighbors from the Blue Knob community were on hand. They were there to show support for expanding municipal water service to that neighborhood.

Jan 28 p On the 13th, Town leaders were very optimistic and felt grant funding would be official in just a few days.

Jan 28 p Turns out, the Town did not get the green light on the wa wa extension project.

Jan 28 p One of the problems MAY be, the town does not have an engineer on board and does not have anything more than a very basic outline of what they need funded. The other thing, funding is in very short supply.

Jan 28 p For those in the Blue Knob area, you'll be using frog pee for many months more.

Jan 28 p Sorry about your luck.

Jan 28 a  Sunshine today. Better enjoy it while we got it.

Jan 28 a  It's time to paint the town blue. Darn nice idea and here's the scoop.

Jan 28 a Did you take the time to read that link? If you're reading this site that means you're screwing off. Take a minute and click that link.

Jan 28 a Don't you feel better now?

Jan 28 a Last night the CHS Panthers worked their butts off as they took down Fayetteville 58-52. Great win

Jan 28 a Tonight the Lady Panthers travel to Braxton County for their match up

Jan 28 a With the County Commission meeting this morning at 10am, thinking back on a rumor we started four months ago ...

Jan 28 a In the lead up to the Nov General Election we started a rumor that if Link won in the Sch Bd race, RB Legg would retire as Bd Prez and Link would walk right back into the school system that he truly loves.

Jan 28 a Link lost that Nov contest coming in a distant 3rd.

Jan 28 a So much for saving the county from bankruptcy.

Jan 28 a Based on his commments during a candidate forum where the Linkster said he was making too much $$$ as a County Commissioner, we started another darn good rumor.

Jan 28 a This one provided: Link will resign his CCC position at the end of 2014. Under that rumor, RB would reisgn from office and Poof! Link would be appointed in the land of education.

Jan 28 a Here it is the end of Jan and Link remains on the County Commission

Jan 28 a  So much for coming up with thoughtful rumors!

Jan 27 p Great big 6th birthday wishes to Jesse and John from your Mommy. Salute!!

Jan 27 p Bunch of CHS basketball action this week

Jan 27 p Tonight the boys take on Fayetteville at home

Jan 27 p Wed night the Lady Panthers are in action over in Braxton County

Jan 27 p Thursday night the Panthers will be back in home court action when they take on Calhoun County

Jan 27 p Rounding the week, Friday night the girls play Calhoun County at home.

Jan 27 p Games begin at 7:30pm

Jan 27 p 101.7 and 106.7 FM will sportscast each game providing the weather cooperates.

Jan 27 p To make it thru the end of the season in Feb, the non profit is still in need of sponsors. How about you? Email em at wyaplp@hotmail.com or 304  587 8353

Jan 27 p Go Panthers and Lady Panthers

Jan 27 p Us old farts remember Andre the Giant on World Wrestling. Standing nearly 7 foot tall and weighing in at 500 pounds, he was an imposing star of the ring.

Jan 27 p You didn't want to loose to Andre either. He had a habit of sticking his thumb up the loosers butt crack. He called it checking the oil!

Jan 27 p Born in France in 1946, today is the anniversary of his death.

Jan 27 p See, you learn all kinds of good stuff by reading this portal of Clayberry knowledge

Jan 27 4:15 am Clay County Schools are on a 2 hour delay this morning!!!!

Jan 26 p Much of the North is preparing for what might be a monster winter storm.

Jan 26 p W Va has no advisories at this time. Looks like Randolph County is recording about 7 inches. Elsewhere , there's not much. Hope it stays that way too.

Jan 26 p As of 9:45pm, Clayberry has just a dusting of the white stuff, maybe an inch at the most. With temps around 18 degrees, there is the possibility of ice on the roads. Be careful out there.

Jan 26 p There's just 4 days left to register to run for Town Council, Recorder and Mayor. If you live in Town, you should consider running for office. The duties are light and unless you're Bill Gates, probably the best hourly rate in the county.

Jan 26 p Currently Ryan Clifton is the elected Mayor. He has not filed for re-election.

Jan 26 p Mike Knopp from over at Two Run , has.

Jan 26 p There's five on Town Council. Only Councilman JP Helms has signed on the dotted line .

Jan 26 p Newcomer to politics, Pamela Runnion, threw her name in that hat.

Jan 26 p So far, Recorder Dwana Murphy is the only one to sign her name for re-election in that contest

Jan 26 p How about you? Know a neighbor or friend with a brain? Why not ask them to run.

Jan 26 p Deadline for filing is Saturday. Don't take a chance on the place being open Saturday.

Jan 26 p Head over to the water plant. pay your $5, and get involved today.

Jan 26 a In the Prosecutor / Circuit Court  v CCC case, the Judge ordered a meeting within 30 days to work out proper funding for the two offices.

Jan 26 a County Commission meets this Wed at 10 am. The posted agenda calls for a vote to set a date for that meeting

Jan 26 a Might make for a good gathering. Bring your own popcorn

Jan 26 a How about some screw off time reading....

Jan 26 a Here's a link to the 25 most influential females in DC

Jan 26 a Drug producers have been deceiving the Feds. Imagine that!!  How? By misspelling the names of the drugs, the Feds didn't know how much $$$ was going to the private corporations.

Jan 26 a  here on the home front, many have complaint on CPS workers swiping kids for no good reason they say.

Jan 26 a Not sure about those folks but there's now a case against a CPS worker for sexing it up with a young lad. She's in trouble big time!

Jan 26 a  The Keystone pipeline is creating how many full time jobs? Whatever your answer. your wrong. For the facts, try this.

Jan 26 a Last week our Prez said that the auto makers had paid back all their bail out money. That's not exactly true.

Jan 26 a Obama De Bama also stated that the U S A is number one in generating electric thru wind power. Tho not 100% correct, darn close.

Jan 26 a According to the unpopular leader, the economy is creating more jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. 100% true.

Jan 26 a From the 2007 disaster he inherited from the Republicrats, pretty nice improvement for our first Hawaiian Prez.

Jan 25 a First... We reported , during the Clay Day at the Capitol, new Delegates Fast and Kessinger were no shows. We should have reported, we didn't see the newbees during the show and tell

Jan 25 a Last winter, it was snow after snow and many days of below zero weather. This time around, we're better than half way thru winter and snow has been just about non existent.

Jan 25 a The 2015 Person of the Year was announced on Tuesday. After years of working behind the scenes in many volunteer capacities, Debora Saulsgiver is now receiving the accolades she richly deserves. See The Communicator for more

Jan 25 a  Some of the scariest words were said this week: The Legislature is now in session

Jan 25 a Boiler plate, out of state money made a Republican takeover of the Legislature possible in 2014. The money folks made it clear, if you elect these Republicrats, jobs and coal will return. They told us to polish up our boots and get ready to go to work.

Jan 25 a With the double  oak doors open for business, the first few days of session netted 100's of new bills. Fortunately for middle class West Virginia, most of those documents will never see the light of day.

Jan 25 a Those promises sounded good but one of the first pieces of business was the introduction of a bill to cut out prevailing wage rates on govt contracts. Without a middle class, we can have no economy. Without those decent rates of pay, the middle class is gone

Jan 25 a  It takes a lot of $$$ to provide education in the Mountain State. One of the first bills introduced was to form state funded charter schools. Nothing spells doom like  spooning off the smart kids for enhanced education away from state standards

Jan 25 a  Good teachers are hard to find. Instead of growing new teachers,  a bill was introduced to allow non certified teachers in the classroom.

Jan 25 a Much media attention was spent this week on the Legislature's attempt to reduce clean energy standards. All that rhetoric is window dressing to fulfill campaign promises. Just throw it out there and see if it will stick is the approach.

Jan 25 a If you want to check out all the bills in the Senate, here's a good place to start.

Jan 25 a The biggest piece of local news was Judge Ric Facemire's decision on the County Commission's decision to under fund the Prosecutor and Circuit Clerk offices.

Jan 25 a Way down below is several passages from that decision. Be sure to stroll down below before continuing with this Sunday post

Jan 25 a All done?

Jan 25 a Page 13 of the 23 page court order details the increase of cases handled by the Prosecutor and how the CCC paid no mind to those facts and figures before cutting his budget. From page 14: It appears that the CC wants to look at an earlier period of time when the prosecuting attorney's office consisted of one prosecutor and a secretary without considering the changes, duties, and pole of the prosecutor. It appears that the Prosecuting Attorney's budget was the lowest budget in the county system."

Jan 25 a Here's a reaaaal damning part clickers: ".....[CCC] allocated to itself a 2014-2015 budget larger by a factor of more than 50% over what it actually spent in the 2012-2013 year. At the same time the [CCC] was reducing Samples' budget by about $30k below what it had been in 2012-2013..."

Jan 25 a Get it?  Larry Darryl and Darryl squirreled away $1000's to their discretion while cutting back all other offices.

Jan 25 a Court cases take a lot of time and money. On at least two occasions, the Judge ordered the parties to sit down and work out a deal. On at least one occasion, Judge Facemire told Team Link, you're not going to like my decision

Jan 25 a With Link so spiteful and bull headed, the mediation didn't work.

Jan 25 a from page 21: "The Court ordered mediation and encouraged the parties to attempt to reach a settlement rather than wasting taxpayer dollars in litigation. Unfortunately, the parties were not able to agree. It appears to the Court that the [CCC] has probably spent more taxpayer dollars on legal fees than the budget amount that was controversy. The public would have been better served using the public monies that have been paid to lawyers toward restoring the Prosecutor  / Circuit Clerk budgets.

Jan 25 a  Facemire ordered that the CCC hold a meeting where they have to review the current year budget for those two offices. They have 30 days to have the meeting, record the meeting, and turn those results over to the Court.

Jan 25 a And And And... lawyers that win a civil case often, almost always, ask the loosing side to pay their attorney fees.

Jan 25 a Courts almost always say no to those requests.

Jan 25 a This time , this case, the Judge has demanded that all the expenses incurred by Samples and Asbury, be forwarded to the Court for consideration.

Jan 25 a For us dumb bunny readers, sure sounds like Ric Facemire is considering smacking CCC hands and force them to pay all attorney bills.

Jan 25 a This case was revealing. It documents the pitiful way Commander Link poorly handled some taxpayer dollars and hid other amounts.  It was an eye opening week.

Jan 25 a The bitter, mean spirited, Link has his hand forced. The only question is, how poorly he will handle the court ordered changes.

Jan 25 a Instead of just us reporting those transgressions, now it's official and part of Court record.

Jan 25 a It's a good day for Clay.

Jan 24 p   Ella Faye Martin, 89, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Jan 24 a Not sure what was wrong with Frontier Internet for the  24  or more hours. One thing is for sure. Our feeble little economy sure suffers when debit credit cards can't be used, when parts can't be ordered, and ATMs shut down

Jan 24 a Friday was Clayberry Day down at the Capitol. We haven't had one of those since the days of Senator Shirley Love.

Jan 24 a  Serving the bottom half of the county, Delegates Fast and Kessinger were no shows during the event. Sometimes, learning comes hard for newbees.

Jan 24 a  The idea was to highlight the good and not mention our many shortcomings. With several booths from govt and on profits set up, seemed to work!

Jan 24 a Doesn't it seem like when the county is putting its best foot forward, County Commissioners should be on hand?

Jan 24 a Yesterday, newbee Commissioner Greg Fitzwater shook hands, smiled, and talked to the masses. Link and Queen Smiley were nowhere to be seen.

Jan 24 a Thursday morning the Court made public the decision in the Jim Samples / Mike Asbury v County Commission case. In every for instance, Judge Facemire sided with the Prosecutor's contentions. Before the DSL outage, this site was able to post the first volley of damning facts. Here comes part 2 from the 23 page document.

Jan 24 a We often give Commissioner Slinks A Lot double H. Over the years, we've found the guy to be a back door operator that is often spiteful and vindictive. With just a little time in the peanut gallery, few would dispute our finds that Linky thinks he is greater than thou and his crap doesn't stink. Everybody has an opinion. When the Court speaks, it's different

Jan 24 a Item 27 page 12: "Commissioner  Linky appeared to want to tell the Court what a good job he has done as a Commissioner, and spent a lot of time promoting himself and his own accomplishments rather than providing to the Court the factors the County Commissioner used in determining the budget.... His recitation sounded as if he solely made decisions and the Commissioners had no role in the functions of the County Commission."

Jan 24 a Lets stop there for second.

Jan 24 a Note: The Court uses Link's full name in his instance. We don't.

Jan 24 a  We use the made up stuff. For us, to spell out his real name is more acknowledgment and effort than we care to muster.

Jan 24 a  Second: To my knowledge, Judge Facemire has never attended a CCC meeting with Link, Pierson and Tucker in charge.

Jan 24 a For a person never in attendance, the Judge nailed the situation and was agreeing with our notion, Link runs the show with  Darryl and Darryl having their heads up his hiney. If Link were to stop quickly, those other two would have brown all over their faces.

Jan 24 a We'll be back with another post  soon.

Jan 24 a In the mean time, get out and enjoy the inch or so of snow. Gets those brats off the couch and outdoors too.

Jan 23 p Frontier internet was down and out for much of the 23rd for just about the entire county. On Thursday Frontier was mostly out of service in the Valley Fork section of the county.

Jan 23 p After spending time under the gold dome, the ace cub reporter goofed off for the rest of Friday

Jan 23 p  If the internet holds, expect an update Saturday mid morning.

Jan 22 p For those looking for a diversion this afternoon. Here's a way cool U Tube video on how roads use to be and the cars that made this nation great. Thanks NB for the link.

Jan 22 p There's many Clayonians that don't give a hoot about elections, politics, and the dumb bunnies that run our county. A huge chunk of the county couldn't tell you who our sitting County Commissioners are if you put a gun to their head

Jan 22 p It you're one of those don't care folks, stop reading now and go back to the above video

Jan 22 p For the rest of ya, get a cup of coffee and be ready for what makes Clayberry so very special

Jan 22 p  Prosecutor Samples sued the Commission 18 or so months ago. At issue was , proper funding of the constitutional offices at the Courthouse. Samples (and later Circuit Clerk Mike Asbury) sued Larry Darryl and Darryl for proper funding.

Jan 22 p  The final hearing before Judge Ric Facemire was back around  2014 Apple Fest time. We've been waiting for the court decision since then. Sometimes the wait is worth it. Such is the case this time around. Facemire's decision was made public this morning.

Jan 22 p As was expected, the Court ruled that the CCC  must properly fund those two Constitutional offices.

Jan 22 p What wasn't expected was such in depth  understanding of the behind the scenes world of Linky

Jan 22 p Here's the first volley directly from Ric Facemire's Court Order.

Jan 22 p  "It is very clear that the County Commission arbitrarily and capriciously decided to cut each office holders budget by 10 to 15% without considering any duties or responsibilities of each office or what resources were needed."

Jan 22 p "In 2013-2014, [CCC] was contemporaneously bestowing upon itself a budget windfall by increasing its own share of that budget by over $200,000 -  an increase of almost 80% - over its budget from the previous year." .... the carry over along from the CCC's one 2013-2014 budget (about $77K) could have funded the Circuit Clerk's office for a full half year.

Jan 22p  ..." the court can only conclude that the CCC knowingly padded it's own budget during the 2013-2014 cycle.."

Jan 22 p  "..the court is wholly unable to discern any rhyme or reason to how the Defendant arrived at its own budget.. the CCC miscalculated or manipulated its own budget needs so as to overstate its actual needs over those amounts expended by more than $1.5 million. CCC budgeted for itself more monies during that six year period than what was actually expended. Where are those monies now?... in testimony by LinkyPooo ... it appears that the Defendant is attempting to squirrel away resources to fund other matters including the judicial annex. A reasonable and prudent person would not neglect his current obligation..."

Jan 22 p How about that clickers!

Jan 22p We're still digesting the 23 page document. Going to be much more damning info to come. Check back tomorrow for more

Jan 22 p In the mean time, the County Commission has to properly fund the Prosecutor and Circuit Clerk's office. They have just 30 days to get their heads together and make appropriate changes.

Jan 22 p  Note: All this money shell game was done during the Link, Pierson, and Tucker term in office.

Jan 22p With Greg Fitzwater coming on board Jan 1st, he is now drug into the quagmire we call the Clay County Commission

Jan 22 a The biggy for the week maybe the big show under the Gold Dome Friday. Tomorrow from 9 to 2pm is Legislative District 33 Day at the Capitol. The idea is to spotlight the existing businesses and Govt agencies in Clay, Calhoun and GIlmer Counties. Several local groups plan to set up a booth along with the Clay High Steel Drum.

Jan 22 a Should be fun!

Jan 22 a We haven't heard from the BC&G RR Co Op in a long time. Check the EVENTS page for meeting info

Jan 22 a  Judge Alsop was in Town Tuesday. His endeavors include

Jan 22 a  Remember the meth lab bust in Murphy's trailer park beside the Health Dept.? From that arrest, the Court provided Larry Copen with 2 to 10 years behind bars to turn his thoughts inward. Also from that bust, Jessica Lilly was sentenced to 1 to 5 years in the slammer

Jan 22 a Crystal Brown stands guilty of fraudulent schemes (checks) and has since gone sour with her bond revoked. Ms Brown is now heading into 1 to 10 years of slammer time.

Jan 22 a Around Christmas 2013, Joseph Jarrett along with a juvy buddy stole over 20 laptop computers from CLay High. Jarrett's sentencing was delayed to Jan 30th .

Jan 22 a Live in the Town of Clay? Need a little extra jingle? Have an interest in new leadership for the municpality?

Jan 22 a It's time to run for Mayor, Recorder, or Town Council. Filing fee is $5. Sign up is now in progress over at the Water Plant.

Jan 21 a Today's edition of The Communicator is loaded with great information on the goings on of Clayberry along with the final segment of our look back at 2014.

Jan 21 a  Lots of folks tell us they keep up on County Clay by reading this website. That's cool but unless you read the complete coverage, you don't have the complete story. As a matter of fact, the whole purpose of this site is to grow your interest, a hype, for reading the whole story.

Jan 21 a Each year Delta Communications picks out a person that provided strong leadership and results.

Jan 21 a For 2015, the selection is someone you probably haven't heard of. Debora Saulsgiver is our selection this year.

Jan 21 a  Saulsgiver is one of the persons that works tirelessly behind the scene to make things happen. When her fellow volunteers get all mired down in the mud, it's Debora that calmly brings the group back together to refocus on the correct direction

Jan 21 a Yucky overcast today for sure but with snow and cold temps coming, better get out and get something done today

Jan 19 p The BDA is hosting a special meeting tonight to discuss and maybe vote on two timely topics including renting out the BDA building in Two Run.

Jan 19 p Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. If there's something you'd like included, email your info right away

Jan 19 p  Thanks everyone that submitted ideas on who the 2015 Person of the Year should be. We have our selection and a darn good one too.

Jan 16 a A few specks of snow  falling and temp stands at 21 degrees this morning

Jan 16 a Tonight the Lady Panthers take on South Harrison in over at Clay High. The radio stations are not carrying the game. You're going to have to put on your long underwear and gloves and come out and support the home team

Jan 16 a Go Lady Panthers

Jan 16 a Commercial  TV news outlets are less than complete in their coverage of current affairs. Many are horribly unbalanced and operate on the whim of their corporate sponsors.

Jan 16 a On  the web , ditto

Jan 16 a We have found one online outlet that offers  detailed accounts of what's really going on.

Jan 16 a While you're goofing off waiting for the three day weekend to get started, walk over to  Defense One for real info.

Jan 16 a With our Constitution in shambles, last year the US Senate got their shorts all bunched up when it was revealed that the CIA was hacking in on their office computers. After an investigation, well, no one was at fault and no one will be held accountable. More.

Jan 15 later p From TV-8 website:  Clay County Sheriff Garrett Samples said no criminal charges will be filed against a man who fatally shot an armed intruder in his home Thursday morning. Samples said the shooting happened about 8:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Little Beechy Road in Clay County. Samples said the homeowner, Jerry Quinn, 64, was in bed when he heard an intruder inside of his residence. Quinn fired at the armed intruder, fatally shooting him. Samples said initial evidence suggests it was self-defense. He said Quinn kept a weapon in a bedside table. The victim’s name is not being released, pending the notification of his family.

Jan 15p Got an email from a lady on our coverage of Town Recorder Dwana Murphy's remarks and action during Tuesday's Council meeting. The emailer remarked: Why doesn't someone report this????

Jan 15 p We did.

Jan 15 p  Now it's up to the citizen's of the Town to stand up and demand better

Jan 15 p One good way to show interest is to run for office. Filing deadline for a run is Jan 31st

Jan 15 p Got another email which  complained about our poor typing, spelling, and grammar abilities. Of course we're guilty of those charges but the anom went on to to question the accuracy of reports and to take the writings seriously.

Jan 15 p We certainly understand how people find our  reports unbelievable. Unless you actually attend a public meeting and witness for yourself the antics, doubt could creep in for sure.

Jan 15 p The anom emailer also mentioned a correlation between the reporting and the ace cub reporters recent failed attempt at public office.

Jan 15 p After decades of spotlighting in print pitiful leadership in Clayberry, coming in fourth in a field of 6 is nothing less than amazing and has to be considered a win.

Jan 15 p All emails are appreciated even the ones where the person hasn't got a clue what they're talking about!

Jan 15 p How about an update on Wed's County Commission meeting.

Jan 15 p In Dec, Larry Darryl and Darryl planned to appoint a Boardster to the Clay County PSD. Four names were submitted for the vacancy. As Link advanced Lynn Drake's name for a vote, PSD employees asked that the CCC  do some background checking before appointing Lynn Drake. Linky said such was a good idea and delayed the vote

Jan 15 p  On Jan 14th, the vote to appoint someone was again on the meeting agenda. Again Linky said Lynn Drake was the best candidate for the paying appointment and made the motion .

Jan 15 p From the peanut gallery came comments on Ms Drake's shortcomings while elected to Town Council a few years back. Clay County PSD employees spoke out on the shortcomings and since they have to work for the Boardsters, they should have input on the appointment.

Jan 15 p A smart mouthed Slinky Poo said he wasn't aware he needed to check with any of em before making a decision!

Jan 15 p Over serious objections from the gallery, Motion by Link, second by Queen Smiley to appoint Lynn Drake to the PSD.

Jan 15 p New man on the CCC, Greg Fitzwater called for the vote. Ayes came from Link and Smiley. Fitz was a Nay.

Jan 15 p Fitz served on the PSD for several years. His election to the CCC mandated a replacement on the PSD.

Jan 15 p The only guy that knows anything about the PSD voted nay to hiring Ms Drake

Jan 15 p CCC split decisions are rare. On his first real decision day on the job, Fitz voted against the majority. History being made!

Jan 15 p When the Nay was heard, you could hear a gasp coming from the peanut gallery.

Jan 15 p Final note. In Dec , the CCC was invited over to the PSD office to see the records.

Jan 15 p Larry Darryl and Darryl did not follow up on that offer in anyway.

Jan 15 p Making an informed decision was not important to the old County Commission.

Jan 15 a At 8:30 this morning a shooter called 911 to report a female shot. Location somewhere past the Hartland bridge at a Quinn residence. Sheriff and Black Shirt Belt responded moments later.

Jan 15 a ambulance crew canceled the helicopter at 8:54am

Jan 15  9:13 am Scanner is quiet. Will update when info is available.

Jan 14 a  Clay Town Council  has a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to operating the municipality

Jan 14 a For instance, Council is suppose to meet once a month on the first Tuesday of the month, 5pm. Been that way for several years. Last week , on the 6th, they didn't meet. There was no notice given the public. Not even a post it note saying when the elected body would reschedule. Nothin!

Jan 14 a For instance, state code requires a public agency to post the meeting agenda "on the meeting house door". The idea is to give the public advance notice of what will be voted on. Town Council is no longer posting the meeting agenda on the meeting house door. Instead, the agenda is taped to the inside the water plant office door. In that location, the public is denied 24 hour a day  visibility.

Jan 14 a For instance, the agenda that was posted for last night's rescheduled Town Council meeting did not mention the start time nor the location. Without a proper and timely posted agenda, no business can be conducted. Any that is conducted, is suspect.

Jan 14 a For instance, Town Mayor, Recorder, and Council is up for reelection this year. Sign up for the well paid positions end Jan 31st. Have you seen any notice of the filing window or notice that an election is coming?

Jan 14 a You won't either. According to Town Recorder Dwana Murphy, she can't find any reason to advertise the filing window. Hard to believe but that's exactly what she said when asked about providing public notice. Murphy did say she told all her friends on facebook and since they all read that site, that was good enough public disclosure.

Jan 14 a Ms Murphy is also the responsible party for posting meeting agendas in a timely manner and making sure the agenda complies with state law.

Jan 14 a  Despite all those questionable short comin's, 10 or 12 residents from the Blue Knob area came to voice their support for extending wa wa service to their neighborhood.

Jan 14 a  Based on the 25 minutes of discussion, sounds like,  state funders may OK grant $$$ to do the engineering report for the extension project. Word may come as early as today on who gets the loot.

Jan 14 a When (if) completed, the extension will provide wa wa to 50 or so thirsty Clayberry households.

Jan 13 p  Lots of slicky roads this morning underneath the new dusting of snow. Be careful out there

Jan 13 p County Commission meets Wed morning at 10am followed by a road trip out to Widen where they plan to auction off the old Fire House building at 1pm sharp.

Jan 13 p Yesterday, at a Speedway station in Cross Lanes, gas price was $2.06 per gallon. Next door at the Exxon, $2.09 was the price. Hands down the biggest improvement in the depression comes from cheap fuel. The side bar is, those low barrel prices are killing Russia and efforts to build the Keystone pipeline. WOnderful news

Jan 13 p Here's an online explanation  from Saudi Prince Alli Opp Opp on the low prices and how they will never again be above $100 a barrel.

Jan 13 p  Mental health provider Prestera is getting sued again. This time around a Dad is suing after claims that Prestera did not do a proper evaluation of his druggy and suicidal son.

Jan 13 4:30 am Clayberry Schools are operating on a two hour delay this morning. Time for more seepy

Jan 12 a We'd like to relay some big time newsy tip but... Clayberry has been quiet. Other than cold temps last week a nd rainy sleet this morning, Nothin'!

Jan 12 a WYAP Board meeting is today at 5:15pm at 2278 Main Street. Want something to do? Become a radio volunteer today

Jan 12 a County Commission meets Wed morning at 10am. Two page agenda is posted on the meeting house door.

Jan 12 a The County Commission was suppose to auction off the old Widen Fire Dept bldg. last week. Due to snow and bad road conditions, the sale was rescheduled for Jan 14th at 1pm. $10K is the minimum bid.

Jan 12 a The building is the last vestige of the town long forgotten. When it's sold, there is no chance for a functioning community center in that section of the county. Sad

Jan 9 a Helped in part by some down right rotten officiating, the Panthers went down to defeat as Braxton won by 5 points

Jan 9 a Tonight the Lady Panthers  host Roane County in home court action. Without a JV game prior, the main feature gets underway at 7pm

Jan 9 a Go Lady Panthers

Jan 9 a Both radio stations will air the match up beginning at 6:50pm

Jan 9 a Here's some info on web speeds and which states are the slowest connectivity wise. For once, W Va is not at the bottom of a national study.

Jan 9 a After eating a ton of fruit cake, pastries, and homemade candies galore during the holidays, today the ace cub reporter heads over to the sugar Doc to get yelled at.

Jan 9 a You're on your own Clayberry for the next 6 hours

Jan 8 p According to Clay High, tonight's B Ball against Braxton, it's a go! Tip off at 7:30pm

Jan 8 p Those too far away or can't make the trip, you can listen online. Walk over to the wyap.com site and smash the listen online button

Jan 8 p Confused about ObamaCare? H&R Block on Main Street is providing answers today until 9pm

Jan 8 p We're in a heat wave clickers. At high noon today, we're up 6 degrees. Break out the short pants and sandals!

Jan 8 a  For local buyers of the Communicator, you can't at B&C Mart in Ivydale. Every time we stop there, they're closed. Their tele # no longer works. Our guess, another business bit the dust in Clayberry

Jan 8 a For those in the Northern end of the county, distributors include Go Mart, the Exxon station, and Stinson Grocery

Jan 8 a Don't forget, Rx's are also available.

Jan 8 a Dumbarsses blame Obama De Bama for everything from cold weather to hang nails.

Jan 8 a When Fola shut down a couple years ago, the reason they provided was, bad market conditions.

Jan 8 a With oil barrel prices below $50, don't expect coal to come back anytime soon

Jan 8a There's another reason too

Jan 8 a  36% of all new electric capacity installed in 2014 has come from solar.

Jan 8 a Hate that solar stuff with all their roof cave ins and left over highwalls!

Jan 8 a Yes, School is in session

Jan 8 a Yes, the Pentagon is  playing hard ball this morning

Jan 8 a And, Yes, it's down right chilly

Jan 7 4pm  Clay County Schools will be operating on a 2 hour delay schedule Thurday Jan 8th

Jan 7 p Sleep in

Jan 7 p National Weather Service:  Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect from 9 PM this evening to 11 am EST Thursday... Wind chill readings... -10 to -15 below.   Timing... Wednesday night into Thursday morning.  frostbite and hypothermia are possible if

precautions are not taken.  Winds... west 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.   Temperatures... 3 below to 9 above zero.

Jan 7 p Just three members of the CAEZ economic development committee met yesterday at 4pm. During that gathering Director Connie Lupardus made public a need to hire someone with contractor experience to supervise the prison labor gang for interior work in their lodge building at Dundon

Jan 7 p There's also a need for a block layer to build the new bathhouse over there.

Jan 7 p Give em call at 304 587  2034 for details

 

Jan 7 a This morning at 7am, the temp stood at 17 degrees and the wind whipped up the recent snow dusting. Those tiny specks of white stuff stung like a needle on your face

Jan 7 a The Communicator made it out the door Tuesday afternoon. The front page story covers the last BDA meeting where plans are being made to grow an open til midnight , seven days a week, day care center in Two Run.

Jan 7 a  Finally something that would really help working Clayonians that labor with split shifts and weekend duties.

Jan 7 a We've also got the first 6 months of the year in review wrap up detailing 2014

Jan 7 a Monday night the Panthers put it all over Herbert Hoover. Last night the Lady Panthers did like wise with a huge margin win over HHHS. Two great nights of top notch sports action.

Jan 6 6am Snow around the county and reports of slicky roads

Jan 6 6am Be careful out there

Jan 6 6am  Communicator should be on news stands by 4 this afternoon

Jan 5 late p All schools have rivalries. Much like WVU beating Pitt, for decades, if CHS beat Nicholas or Braxton, that's all you needed for a great season. More recently, to beat Herbert Hoover... that's one to put a smile on your face

Jan 5 late p  Tonight the CHS Panthers put it all over HHHS tonight 52 to 35.

Jan 5 late p  Tuesday night the Lady Panthers try their luck with the Lady Huskies.

Jan 5 late p Also for Tuesday, CAEZ meets at 4 and again at 6pm with Clay Town Council sandwiched in between at 5pm

Jan 5 late p Better get your bread, milk, beer and chips, going to be ice cold for the remainder of the week.

Jan 5 a   Larry K. (Louie) Neal, 58, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page

Jan 5 a Big shout out to Mike R over in Ashland. Hope you're enjoying your retirement time

Jan 5 a With the holidays behind us, it's time to get back into gear

Jan 5 a First Thanks each and every one of our web sponsors for helping to keep this web venture alive and thriving

Jan 5 a When you're at, in,  each business, tell em thanks.

Jan 5 a  We've got two public meetings tonight and each agency, get this, both posted their meeting agendas online, on the meeting house door, and in a timely manner

Jan 5 a  At 6pm the Business Development Authority convenes in their Two Run location. That agenda sounds pretty interesting with the mention that EnAct social provider may be renting the BDA building for office space. The big room in the old garage building is at least three times larger than their current digs on Main Street and may be an indication that EnAct may expand services in 2015.

Jan 5 a  The School Board also meets tonight at 6pm at the Pentagon. With two new Boardsters asking questions in public, you never know what could come up.

Jan 5 a Tonight at Clay High,  the Panthers take on Herbert Hoover. Tip off is 7:30pm. With TG out of town, the local radio stations will not be broadcasting the action. Get out and support the home team.

Jan 5 a Communicator comes out Tuesday afternoon. If you have something you want included, email before 5pm today.

Jan 5 a This edition will include the 2014 Year In Review. If you have something worth mentioning for posterity, be sure to email that  as well

Jan 5 a

Jan 2 a Jackey D. Drake, 81, of Ivydale, see OBITUARY page

Jan 1 p It's time to put away the party hats and get back to work

Jan 1 p  County Commission meets Friday morning at 10 am to organize for the year. On the agenda is selecting a new CCC Prez

Jan 1 p We doubt the newbee, Greg Fitzwater, gets the nod first thing out of the gate. Queen Smiley has yet to hold the top slot.

Jan 1 p When out of office Mike Pierson came on board he had not attended Commission meetings. He was an absolute novice.

Jan 1 p It's different this time around. Greg F has attended CCC meetings for years and has been active in local governing as a OEM Director and PSD Boardster

Jan 1 p He should be able get a quick start on most everything.

Jan 1 p Steve Ware is now a Black Shirt . No not the Steve Ware that 's a coach.. Steve Ware that's on the agenda is better known as Kyle Ware

Jan 1 p The new Badge is already in uniform and on the job. The vote by the CCC is a mere formality. As a matter of fact, each Dept head and can hire whomever they want without ANY CCC thumbs up. Well, or at least, it's been done before.

Jan 1 a  Franklin Delano Given, 72, of Procious, see OBITUARY page

Jan 1 a  Joe Pritt, 55, of Leatherwood,  see OBITUARY page