June 2007 News
June 30 am From the email bag:
Happy 28th Anniversary to our parents Karl "Kimbo" and Janet Fitzwater!!!
Love, Jeromy, Amanda, April, Amy, Andrew and Cole
June 30 am Happy 60th birthday to Ell
Deems Sr.
June 30 am With new govt checks
in hand, Clayberry is a buzz once again.
June 30 am Today we are Yard Sale Central.
Get out and find some deals today.
June 30 am On the Jeff Boggs vs Big
Otter FD, as of 2pm Friday, no decision yet from Judge Johnson.
June 30 am When Senator Rockefeller
was here last Spring one guy asked him to restore habeus corpus. He said
he would. We might not have to wait that long. The US Supreme Court
accepted such a case
Friday.
Wonderful!
June 30 am Today is the Small Town
America Independence Day Celebration. The latest fatalities took US losses
in Iraq to 82 this month alone. With the oil war death count at an
all time high, it's tough to celebrate.
June 30 am Today is the last
day on the job for Mayor Arthur Jarrett. King Arthur will lead off today's
1pm Independence Day parade. Someone call up Jack Brown and get him to
ride along with Jarrett at the front of the parade.
June 30 am Jack, it'll be fun!
June 29 am Thursday nights brief rain
helped a little but man we need a bunch more. 75% of the county are without
municipal water service. Many in the county depending on wells and cisterns
are in big trouble.
June 29 am If you have cattle and need
help with water sources, see the ADVISORY page.
June 29 am If you take a look
at our EVENTS page, there's tons going on this Independence Day weekend.
Don't sit at home all droopy lipped. Get out and have some fun with the
family.
June 29 am Last year the
Independence parade lasted around 5 minutes. We're trying to grow it a
little this year. Hope to double it's size. Why not dress up your goat,
dog, wife, or kid and be a part of the parade. Staging area will be in
front of the Library at 12:30 Saturday.
June 29 am Want to make some $? The
Independence Day Town Yard sale begins Saturday morning at 8am on the old
Fas Chek of Clay parking lot. It's first come, first served. No fee and
only one requirement, what you don't sell, you have to take back with you.
June 29 am 11 years ago
the Business Development Authority discussed the need for a Farmer's Market
in the county. Discussion was about it back then.
June 29 am With the need still here,
the BC&G RR folks are setting up a Farmers/Flea Market the first full
weekend of July, August, and Sept. at the JG Bradley Campground at Dundon.
Finally some progress in Clay!
June 29 am We've got a
new book coming on the market. It's the story of John and Elizabeth Starcher
and their 15 kids on Sugar Run. For info dial 304 286-2031 or 304 927-5949.
49 pages of great reading on how it used to be in 342 square miles.
June 29 am From the Beckley Register-Herald:
Four men were arrested Saturday morning after allegedly breaking into a
home in Mount Nebo. Nicholas County Sheriff's Deputy J.B. Bailey said Matthew
Dwayne Williams, 24, of Elkton, Md.; Tony Darrel Blosser, 19, of
Jane Lew in Lewis County; Kenneth L. Duncan, 37, of Indore in Clay
County; and Jackie Lynn Collins, 24, of Pax, conspired to commit
grand larceny and were arrested after they allegedly broke into the
Summersville Lake Road home. Bailey said police recovered stolen
property from that incident as well as property taken from Fayette
County. The men were charged with daytime burglary, conspiracy to
commit grand larceny and attempted grand larceny.
June 29 am Ever wonder how that
little computer mouse works? Check out this
link for a cut away view.
June 29 am Bachelor hood Day
5: Return of the Neda. Wifey is returning this afternoon. That means several
hours of getting rid of ants, dog poop, newspapers, dishwashing, and cans
of spray to get rid of the stink. So much for the good life for another
year.
June 28 LATE pm Somewhere out there
is cyber land are the files for the last four days. If anyone can help
retrieve, please email. Hate to lose the the stuff. Thanks in advance
June 28 LATE pm From Wednesday's
County Commission meeting. As the meeting was winding down came word of
raw sewage being dumped into Buffalo Creek. That's in addition to the logs
from Widen at the head of the stream.
June 28 LATE pm You know the place?
Buffalo Creek flows into the Elk just below the Dundon bridge. It's also
one the most popular swimming spots in the county. You might want to think
about the next time you take in a little wa wa while you're swimming
there. Back to the meeting....
June 28 LATE pm What ta
do What ta do... Nothing! According to those at the meeting,
since the homes were built before 1970, there is nothing that can be done
to force the home owners to install septic systems.
June 28 LATE pm A month ago the
JG BRadley Campground put up signs saying NO SWIMMING. They've got
good reason for doing so!
June 28 LATE pm From Tuesday, Tonya
Salisbury went before Judge Jack Alsop with felony indictments against
her. The trial lasted abut 2 minutes before all charges were dismissed.
June 28 LATE pm Based on what
we could decipher.... Braxton County Asst Prosecutor Dan Dotson brought
the evidence to the grand jury and sought the indictments. During
that two minutes of trial time, turns out the charges were not the right
charges, the paperwork was all botched up, and the lady walked free and
clear. More scuttle butt comes , how did this thing ever get to court
in the first place since witnesses were not questioned?
June 28 LATE pm Sounds like a
big Hmmmmmmmmmmm is in order.
June 28 LATE pm Bachelor hood
Day 4. Just after the current news page crashed and with the
power blinking off and on, it was time to try the TV. Cooling temps
brought open the front and back doors for some fresh air.
June 28 LATE pm Five minutes
into CNN, in almost a nap trance, the dog starting barking. With
one eye open, I something gray running across the room. It was an opossum
with something in his mouth, maybe a piece of bacon, couldn't tell
for sure. Right around the couch and out the front door hightailing as
quick as he could.
June 28 LATE pm I think it's
time clean up the mess in the kitchen floor.
Houston, we have a problem....
June 28 pm Wednesday evening around
11:38pm, just as the Current News post was being uploaded to the web site,
the power blinked off and on a couple times. That loss of power sent the
new post and all the old stuff from this week into cyber land of unknown
destination.
June 28 pm We're working to find those
files and restore.
June 28 pm Sorry for the
loss. Working on the problem now.
June 28 pm Did we tell you about
the floaters in Buffalo Creek. Coming soon.
June 22 LATE pm And Yes, we heard the
Somber Super asking for police escort today while on his way to the Ivydale
Elem School Church House.
June 21 pm Virgil H. McCune,
see OBITUARY page
June 21 pm We're working on a story
about life at High Street Apartments as well as meeting coverage from the
last two weeks.
June 21 pm Our lead story gets into
a planned exploration for oil and gas reserves in Clayberry.
June 21 pm The BDA was suppose to convene
a special meeting today at 5pm to open bids on mowing the now brown
tot he root grass over at the industrial site near Ovapa. Didn't happen.
One Boardster showed up wondering what the heck was going on. His cell
phone call to Fran King revealed her vacationing in So Carolina.
June 21 pm Until we get the Communicator
to bed, no new updates
June 21 am Donna Joyce Boggs,
see OBITUARY page
June 21 am See ADVISORY page for stolen
ATV
June 21 am The best of Wedding Day
wishes (6pm Spread park) extended to Mark and Laura Beth.
June 21 am Deadline for this week's
Communicator is noon today. Get your stuff emailed over ASAP.
June 21 am More coming before we shut
down for typing duties.
June 20 am It's West Virginia day .
Summer school programs as well as the Courthouse are closed today.
June 20 am Yesterday three engineers
clad in kaki pants and white shirts toured the historic Elkhurst Swinging
bridge. Most of us thought that the rotting boards and rust were the main
problems with the still in use structure. According to the engineers, with
a suspension bridge, the most important part are the cables. If the cables
are good, there may be hope in restoring the thang.
June 20 am Judge
Johnson from Nicholas County heard a land dispute case here in Clay Tuesday.
Magistrate Boggs brought the case against the Big Otter Fire Dept. At issue
is a pie shaped piece of BOFD land about 20 feet wide at its widest point.
The Judge's decision may affect that old adage, it's what's on the deed
that count.
June 20 am The meets and bounds
on the deed call for a 150.43 foot Rt 16 frontage. The original owner
Woody Boggs says the deed is all screwed up since he only intended to give
them 120 feet of frontage.
June 20 am The trial Judge could
come up with all kinds of answers including: if there wasn't a meeting
of the minds when the deed was signed 10 years ago, the land, now owned
by Jeff Boggs, could revert back to the owner. Wouldn't that be interesting!
June 19 am Virginia Opal Elmore
Dunlap, 86, of Pond Gap, see OBITUARY page
June 19 am Big Otter Fire Dept. has
been torn apart over a land dispute for 18 months. The squabble is over
a pie shaped 30 foot wide at its widest part piece of flat land right beside
their firehouse. One side thinks the land should be given back to the original
owner while the other side is equally convinced the land was meant to be
apart of the original donated land.
June 19 am Jeff Boggs, that's Magistrate
Boggs, is on the side that thinks the land should be returned. Returned
to Jeff.
June 19 am The land dispute trial begins
Tuesday morning at 9am before Judge Johnson in the Circuit Court room in
the new Courthouse.
June 19 am We'd like to say last
night's School Board meeting was a real juicy affair. It wasn't. They spent
much of the night behind closed doors with Clay Elem parent followed by
even more time with a personnel matter. No mention of the many problems
with rights of ways and poop plant at the new Valley Dale Elem school slated
to open in August.
June 19 am The municipal election canvas
was held Tuesday. No changes after the affair. Jack Brown and the new Council
will take office July 1st.
June 19 am Did you know that Colgate
toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns.
June 19 am Listerine therapy
for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your
toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails
looking healthy again.
June 19 am Uhhhhh don't dump the Listerine
back in the bottle. Makes your breath reaaal funky!
June 18 pm The Clay Bd of Education
is suppose to meet the first and third Monday of each month. They are suppose
to provide the public with an agenda three days in advance of the meeting.
June 18 pm As of today
at noon, the Board has not posted their meeting agenda on the clay schools
web site. Kenneth Tanner has confirmed the meeting will held tonight.
June 18 pm Clay Town Council
"canvassed" the vote from last week's municipal election. No changes.
June 18 am For those attending
summer school, stuff like Camp Mustang, here's the link to the school
bus schedule.
June 18 am Ever wonder
what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
June 18 am A dime has
118 ridges around the edge. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. A dragonfly has a
life span of 24 hours. A shark is the only fish that
can blink with both eyes. A snail can sleep for three
years. Almonds are a member of the peach family. An ostrich's eye is bigger
than its brain. Butterflies taste with their feet.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt". February
1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
June 18 am Aren't you glad you checked
the site today?
June 17 pm Happy Father's Day to each
and every dad.
June 17 pm Over in DC, Seymour M. Hersh
revealed more details on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal run by American
forces. No doubt when the new
details get out, their civil war will grow even uglier.
June 17 pm Fully four years into
the Shrub's oil war, American
forces control just 40 percent of Baghdad. And that's with the 30,000
new soldiers in the effort!
June 17 pm The U.S. military,
which just days ago completed its latest troop buildup in Iraq, has launched
a large offensive operation in several al-Qaida strongholds around
Baghdad, the top U.S. commander said Saturday.
June 17 pm There have been 3,798
coalition deaths -- 3,519 Americans, two Australians, 150 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian,
33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 20 Poles, two Romanians,
five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians
-- in the war in Iraq as of June 15, 2007, according to a CNN count.
June 17 pm Here in the county of Clay
......
June 17 pm We're ready for new owners
over at Telford Chevy. Early last week a guy went to the new car dealership
in need of a backup light for his shiny new SUV. He was told they didn't
have the light bulb and couldn't order from GMC. Help Dave help!
June 17 pm Last Tuesday Clay
Co PSD water men Harold Allen went before the Board and asked why a written
reprimand had been put in his file folder. The answers given seemed to
be completely different from what was said during an earlier secret time.
Earlier while we listened in on the secret time, it seemed the Board was
steamed over a water leak that ran all night. During the public time this
week, it seemed their defense of the reprimand was work orders going unattended.
Hearing only Simpson Neal in support of tossing the letter, Allen resigned
from the PSD.
June 17 pm We saw a changing
of the guard during Tuesday's Municpal election. Jack Brown beat out King
Arthur by 10 votes. With a new Mayor and two new Council persons,
Jeremy and Llyn, beginning in July, we might see some changes in the county's
only town.
June 17 pm Its not very often you hear
elected officials doing smart thangs in Clayberry. Happened Wednesday morning
when the County Commission held up a vote on changes to the controversial
Flood Plain Ordinance. Written in some of the worst jiberish imaginable,
Commission Prez Triplet and Slinky (Fran absent) both said they couldn't
makes heads or tails of the change.
June 17 pm Also from the CCC meeting,
Helen Jeffers brought to their elected folks attention a serious problem
with ambulance service in the county. According to Jeffers, when she needed
a Clay County Ambulance a couple weeks ago, none were available. In the
life threatening situation, she had to be driven by car to the interstate
before a Braxton County ambulance would transport her to a hospital. Answers
to her questions were in short supply.
June 17 pm The annual metal recycling
days got underway Thursday morning. The three day affair netted thousands
of tires and a big pile of junk metal. The haul was smaller than in years
past. Most figure that high scrap metal salvage prices are the reason.
June 17 pm Our drought continued. Gardens
have turned into dust bowls. Potatoes appear to be doing OK but the tomato
crop is about non existent. The county swimming pool is doing a heck of
a business.
June 17 pm The outdoor music show Summer
Jam drew even bigger crowds Saturday night. THe place was packed to hear
the Possum Holler Pickers and Adam Burdette. The station is working to
complete an acoustically balanced ceiling above the stage. With what's
done, the sound was already improved.
June 17 pm Why isn't the number
11 pronounced onety one?
June 16 am Mary Daphene
Belt, 84, of Widen, WV, see OBITUARY page
June 16 am There's a change on the
list of items you can bring over to the recycling center today. No gas
tanks. Yes they advertised they would take em but , nope, no you can't
June 16 am Today is the last day for
the annual metal recycling days. People are asking if they will take dead
beat teenagers. Answer, No.
June 16 am Lots of new job postings
over on t he JOB page including one from Clay Roane PSD.
June 16 am Here's an interesting nugget.
Friday a week ago in Circuit Court land, the Judge had our top badge search
attorney Kevin Duffy. There was concern that Duffy may have a weapon
on him. Getting irate at the treatment he more than called a Bailiff
a poop butt.
June 16 am So why the special treatment.
Word had it that day that Duffy pulled a gun on a client/potential client
in his office on Main Street when the guy wouldn't leave.
June 16 am Anybody seen Mr Bean Pole
since the incident in the Courtroom. We haven't.
June 16 am Don't let the construction
at the radio station concern ya. Tonight's Summer Jam is a Go!
June 16 am Clay County is in
a drought. Gardens are starting to shrink up and wither. Lawns are growing.
Those wanting those bright red tomatoes may have to wait awhile.
June 16 am No rain predicted this weekend!
June 16 am Thinking about being a lifeguard?
See the ADVISORY page ASAP.
June 15 am First an oops. Our
top badge said he and Commissioner King went to the WV PSC building for
the big awards ceremony Wednesday am and not the Governor's office. We
stand corrected.
June 15 am Now an update on the metal
recycling days. You can bring tires on the rims today. Now
is the time to get rid of that junk laying around the yard.
June 15 am It was a real interesting
Clay Roane PSD meeting last night. Michael Childers was fired by the Chair
a week or more ago. Last night Childers was present and asked for open
meeting discussions. The Chair was less than forthcoming on why the field
man was fired. Later in the discussion, after some convincing, Childers
agreed to a secret time.
June 15 am At the end of the
meeting the PSD went secret but without the fired guy. When they reopened
to the public, they told the public that was it and it was time to go home.
June 15 am Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...
June 15 am Lets see now. First
, when someone says they want to remain in open session, the public body
has to do just that. As a matter of fact, they can only go secret IF the
employee asks to do so! That's the way it is, no exceptions.
June 15 am If Childers was fired
a couple weeks ago, is he still an employee? Answer: Yes. Reason: The Board
does the hiring and one Board member did the firing, wouldn't the Board
have to motion and agree to the actions of one board member? There
was no such vote during last night's meeting.
June 15 am Ever hear of a time
when an employee was coerced into a secret time and then not allowed into
the secret time? Me neither.
June 15 am Clay Roane PSD has asked
for another rate increase stealthily called a Rule 42 request. Because
the paperwork for the increase has not been completed by the PSD's accountant,
the Punkin Ridge extension project remains on hold. When the WV PSC
OK's the increase that local PSD has no choice but to except it and
raise wa wa bills.
June 15 am Currently Clay Roane PSD
can claim the third highest water rates in West Virginia ( if you exclude
a private health resort in Pocahantas County). With a rate increase we
can finally be at the top of something.
June 15 am Increased debt load increases
the chances of getting a rate increase. Last night the PSD added another
$1500 per month on the debt load. The 6 months of payments will cover the
cost of pump repairs at the plant.
June 15 am A 26% water loss last month
will also help.
June 15 am Hot and muggy? Head
to the Clay Swimming Pool!!!
June 14 pm That Boil Water Order
issued last week by Clay County PSD has been lifted. It's safe to consume
the wa wa once again.
June 14 am Tonight at 7pm the
Clay Roane PSD meets in regular session at the Courthouse in the County
Commission room. Agenda items include: Michael Childers –Employment- request
of open discussion; Water Projects Amma Project-
Pumpkin Ridge Project ; System Operations;
Review of Invoices/Payment Resolution; Approval of Monthly
Report; Approval of Monthly Adjustments;
Maintenance Man Position; State Employee Retirement plan
information; Customer Request for Tap -Oak Hill Ridge
Rd; Engagement letter for Accountant/Audit
06-07; Policy Amendments; Purchase
of lock box/briefcase for Closed Personnel Files;
Quotes for Camp Booster fencing; Quote from CI
Thornburg- Plant repair; Case No. 07-0272-PWD-C/ PSC
recommendation); Approval of Newton Fire Dept letter-
hauling public water; Purchase of Digital Camera;
Connection Cable for Generator; Letter to County Commission-
Dump Truck; Security Grant for Water Plant;
Telemetry printer cable
June 14 am Do you use credit cards?
Might want to check out the savy consumer column over on the ADVISORY page.
June 14 am There were three Indian
squaws. One slept on a deer skin, one slept on an elk skin, and the
third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant,
and the first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on
the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This goes to prove that
the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the
other two hides.
June 13 pm Down in our Southern border
colony Clendenin, voters wiped out the entire Town Council during yesterday's
municipal election.
June 13 pm Since getting elected last
election cycle, Mayor Bob Ore has had his hands full with the warring council.
About everything he tried to do was stymied by the opposition. Yesterday,
330 some voters ousted the entire Clendenin Council and Recorder. Ore was
successful in his reelection efforts.
June 13 pm One of the more outlandish
Council persons, Gary Bledsoe, ran for Mayor and came up well short.
June 13 pm Beginning July 1st, Clendenin
will begin again with fresh new faces. Good, maybe the occupation forces
will leave now and Clendenin will get back on track.
June 13 pm Let's talk about Tuesday's
Clay Co PSD meeting. There was the usual blah blah blah and then
some good stuff.
June 13 pm Harold Allen is the
PSD's Field Supervisor. He's been off work for two weeks with back/neck
problems. During the May meeting of the PSD, the Board (Greg Fitzwater,
Simpson Neal, and Ted Underwood) went into secret time and decided to reprimand
Allen. During that secret time we were able to hear bits and pieces of
the conversation. What we heard was something about a big time water
leak that went without repair all night on May 15 2007. Lots of wa wa lost.
June 13 pm During yesterday's meeting,
Harold Allen (in open session) asked the Board to reconsider the
letter of reprimand and toss it out. During the discussions, Office Manager
Bev Duffield produced a whole stack of unattended to work orders , some
as old as Sept 07, and said Allen was derelict in his duties... the angle
was, not doing work orders was the reason Allen was reprimanded.
June 13 pm Seeing the bologna, Allen
getting fired up quite a bit and asked: if theses work orders are so critical
, why haven't they been done while I've been off theses last two weeks?
The angle was shot all to pieces.
June 13 pm After Simpson Neal said
he was willing to toss the reprimand if Allen would agree to improve
his performance, something real happened.
June 13 pm Boardster Ted Underwood
staying mostly silent finally asked: Was he given a verbal reprimand
prior the letter as required by the Policy and Procedures Manual. Answer
from Bev, uhhhhh, ahhhhh, well, No
June 13 pm After sometimes barbed
discussions that revealed other PSD transgressions kept away from the public,
the Board with a 2 to 1 vote, confirmed the letter of reprimand .
Harold Allen resigned his position on the spot and left the PSD office.
June 13 pm Time after
time, in court case after court case, Judges have ruled, the only thing
that counts are meeting minutes and policy and procedures rules. If the
PSD doesn't revisit this item reaaaal soon and Allen takes this to Court,
he has a real shot at costing the cash strapped PSD real money after
they admitted they didn't follow their own P&P manual.
June 13 pm Of course, here in
Clayberry, what's a few more expenses, just ask for another rate increase!
June 13 pm More coming... Oh, this
morning the Clay County Commission decided to table efforts to modify the
existing Flood Plain Ordinance until they know more about the hot button
topic.
June 13 pm Hello Mr Perry.
June 13 pm This morning County Commissioner
Fran went to the Governor's mansion to receive an award from King
Joe for her efforts in getting gas service to Clay County reisdents during
the cold snap last February. Should be lots of smiles,
pictures, and handshakes galore.
June 13 pm Of course back
in Feb it was the Governor's office that did the very least for the county
and at one point told King to quit nurse maiding us. That's politics clickers.
June 13 pm More coming on the PSD and
CCC meeting late tonight.
June 12 LATE pm Hello Shonnie Brinson.
Glad to have you back online
June 12 Late pm From the email
bag: A very Happy Birthday to Amanda Fitzwater of Hurricane,
WV for June 13th. Love Mom from Clay Co
June 12 LATE pm Town residents
voted to change the Mayor and Council during the June 12th election. With
about 94 voters turning out to cast ballots..... Mayor King
Arthur Jarret 53; challenger Jack Brown 63 votes. We have new leadership
in the Town of Clay.
June 12 pm Council results: Incumbents
Jerry Stover 85 and Betty Murphy 63; Newbees Llyn Drake 61, Jeremy Hanshaw
58. and incumbent Joyce Gibson coming in fifth with 55 votes. Coming
up short: Incumbent Glen Nichols 45, Mary Lou Clark 35, and one time Mayor
Okey Burroughs 43.
June 12 pm Two new Council persons
and a new Mayor, change is here! Winners take office July 1st.
June 12 pm Of the 90 some
voting, 63 came during early voting days.
June 12 pm Wednesday morning
County Commission meets at 10 am. The agenda calls for a vote on changes
with the Flood Plain Ordinance. Hmmmmm....
June 12 pm A blonde's car gets
a flat tire on the Interstate one day. So she eases it over onto
the shoulder of the road. She carefully steps out of the car and
opens the trunk. Takes out two cardboard men, unfolds them
and stands them at the rear of the vehicle facing oncoming
traffic. The lifelike cardboard men are in trench coats exposing
their nude bodies to approaching drivers.... Not surprisingly,
the traffic became snarled and backed up. It wasn't very long before
a police car arrives. The Officer, clearly enraged, approaches the
blonde of the disabled vehicle yelling, "What is going on here?"
"My car broke down, Officer" says the woman, calmly. "Well, what
the hell are these obscene cardboard pictures doing here by the road?!"
asks the Officer... "Oh, those are my emergency flashers!" she replied.
June 12 pm
June 11 pm Stealing has been going
on since the beginning of time. What makes small town America so special
is the laid back life style. Many of us still leave keys in the ignition
and our houses unlocked.
June 11 pm Last night someone stole
the hanging baskets off the front porch of Dwana Murphy's Main Street Clay
residence. She was inside but never heard a thing. Being the snoop that
she is, Dwana followed the petal trail across the lawn of a neighbor until
it stopped along the sidewalk.
June 11 pm You never know where a web
cam may be pointed!
June 11 am Big Independence Day Pageant
coming June 30th. Pageant rules now on the ADVISORY page.
June 11 am Missed a birthday... Happy
Birthday to Earl McCune.
June 11 am Tuesday at 5pm Clay County
PSD will hold their monthly meeting. The agenda notes an item on their
Field Manager Harold Allen. During last month's meeting the appointed folks
went into secret discussions. Although Felicia kept talking we were able
to hear bits and pieces, Sounded like a big water leak out Adair with the
monkey being placed on the back of Mr. Allen. Based on scanner
traffic, sounds like the PSD has other problems like.... the telemetry
equipment not working resulting in storage tank overflows. Might
be a good meeting to attend... if they don't go into secret again
June 11 am The biggy of the week will
be Tuesday's Town Election. Polls close at 7:30pm Tuesday. Early voting
is over. Look for election results by 11pm on this site.
June 11 am Wednesday morning the County
Commission is looking to make changes in the hot button Flood Plain Ordinance.
No we don't think they're ready to do something that dumb . Maybe just
maybe, when they voted NOT to implement a one size fits all
ordinance a couple months ago, they stepped on someone's toes and it's
pay back time for Clay County. Just a guess clickers.
June 11 am County Clerk Connie Workman
has the changes in her office
June 11 am Thursday evening at
7pm Clay Roane PSD will hold their regular monthly meeting. With Michael
Childers getting canned last Thursday, this too might be an interesting
meeting to attend.
June 11 am Bring your own popcorn folks.
Public meetings, Clayberry's best entertainment value and FREE
June 11 am By the way, there is NEVER
a time government groups are required to go behind closed doors. Never!
There are certain circumstances when they can if all parties agree but
NEVER a time they are required to do so. To go into secret time they
have to give a specific reason for doing so. Saying "personnel issues"
is not one of the allowed reasons.
June 11 am Look around your yard, shed,
garage, basement, the Clay County Solid Waste Authority is hosting the
annual metal recycling days this THursday thru Saturday. No reasons to
have that crap laying around the house, it's time to recycle! See EVENTS
page for details
June 11 am Are you a Clay County Crafter?
Like a little exposure and a chance to sell your wares? WYAP is looking
for area crafters that want to set up a booth during WYAP's outdoor
music show on Saturday nights. If you're interested call the station and
leave a message, 587-8353. No charge to the crafters!
June 11 am Dubbya was briefed this
morning on three Brazillion soldiers killed in Iraq. To everyone's amazement,
all the color ran from the Shrub's face, then he collapsed onto his desk.
With head in hand, visibly shaking, and whimpering, he composed himself
and asked, " Just how many is a brazillion?"
June 10 pm Ever hear of lawn tractor
racing? See ADVISORY page.
June 10 pm Mid June and flowers
are blooming. The first of the little red cherry tomatoes are ready for
salad duty. Around the county people have been holding yard sales.
Gas prices are down a little. Kids are the swimming pool and playing in
the Elk River.
June 10 pm With the Town election
just two days, 63 people came in and voted early. Interest seems to be
up this time around.
June 10 pm Get out and vote June 12th.
June 10 pm During the CAEZ meeting
Tuesday, the Board said yes to continuing efforts to turn the old Dundon
bridge into a part of a 3 mile walking/biking loop thru downtown
Clay. Another pipe dream according to some. Time will answer that
question.
June 10 pm Also from Tuesday,
Town Council succumbed to election year heat and voted unanimously to
restore fluoridating wa wa. The addition of the EPA deemed "waste
product" won't begin until new equipment can be purchased.
June 10 pm The BDA labored over what
to do with their hay field Thursday night. Behind the scenes people went
to various BDA Boardsters and asked for the straw. In the end, the vegetation
will be bid off to the highest bidder. Resigning BDA Chair Leonard Williams
was not present.
June 10 pm Check out the ADVISORY page
for details on turning in a bid on the green cash crop
June 10 pm Michael Childers
was fired by Clay Roane PSD Chair Dave Grigsby Thursday after work. They
said his work ethics was the problem.
June 10 pm That's hard to imagine.
Michael grew up in scouting and has always been a straight shooter.
June 10 pm Sometimes behind the scenes,
away from the public dealings, weigh into such decisions.
June 10 pm We had some crummy
stuff happen in Clay this week. Like... what kind of thug would steal American
flags? Answer: the slimiest! In addition to swiping 4 flags on utility
poles, several trash cans were turned over.
June 10 pm On Friday, the Communicator
came out and made public rumors of Dave Pierson taking over the county's
only new car dealership. If all goes as planned in Telford's Bankruptcy
filings, Dave will take over on July 7th.
June 10 pm School officials were
told to vacate the Ivydale Elem School building by today. The original
agreement called for the School system to maintain control and use of the
building thru August or until the new Valley Dale Elem was built. Instead
the Board caved .
June 10 pm Taking of the new
school, talk about a plan gone bad.... Eminent domain proceedings were
OK'd by the Courts last week. Let's see now, the clerk of the works said
everything was going peachy except, there is a problem getting rights of
way for utilities... there's no place to put the poop factory.... they
need another $700,000 to get back on track.. and now nasty eminent
domain proceedings.
June 10 pm A storm ripped thru
the county Friday morning leaving many without electric and internet services.
Power was restored to most by Friday afternoon. Not so for the DSL service.
June 10 pm Community radio WYAP
uses DSL to send their signal to the Triplett Ridge transmitter site. Without
DSL, the independent sounds of YAP radio remain off 101.7FM.
June 9 am We got the Communicator
out the door around 2pm Friday. 24 pages of info found no other place.
Included is the latest on Dave Pierson buying out Telford Chevy and Thursday's
BDA meeting. What's the difference between a Chair and Prez? Read the Communicator
for details.
June 9 am Don't sit at home with
a big droopy lip, get out and have some fun this weekend.
June 9 am For those with a RV
or pull behind camper, the JG Bradley Campground now has a working dump
station. 587-6055
June 9 am We posted a link to
the Amsterdam web cam a couple weeks ago. Try
it again now for a different view. Works best with Windows media player.
Pretty cool.
June 7 pm Sherry Marie Adkins,
37, of Clay, see OBITUARY page
June 7 pm Jerry D. "Squeek" Robinson,
66, see OBITUARY page
June 7 pm We're in shut down mode until
we get the Communicator out the door around 3pm Friday.
June 7 am From the email bag:
Decendents of Henry Clay Ellison & Judy Ann Scott please share your
family history information with me. I am working on a family tree
and and will be glad to share. E-mail victoriaplane@yahoo.com or write
Vicki Lane 5900 Obrien Av Nasvhille TN 37209
June 7 am Clay Development Corp rarely
makes headlines these days. So bad was the news on CDC not so long ago,
they changed their bylaws to bar the public from attending Board meetings.
During court battle after court battle, they fought hard to keep their
government built empire top secret. When members of the group spoke out
against the group, they were told to leave and never come back.
June 7 am Today at 1 the CDC will be
holding another of their scripted meetings. Scripted? Yep, during those
annual meetings, in order to make sure things go as desired, employees
were given written scripts with what they were suppose to say. How do they
insure employees show up for the dog and pony shows? In years past, employees
were told to attend and then paid on their way out the door.
June 7 am Now well into Summer,
the BDA has tried to get a fence around one corner of the old Filcon site
without much luck. They've also tried to get some kind of professional
building built. Most importantly, they're trying to get the Filcon property,
all of it, back in their name.
June 7 pm Tonight at 5pm, they'll try
again for progress.
June 7 am Just got this email from
WorkForce WV: Manpower is needing…Welders, Laborers, and Auto mechanics-they
must apply at Manpower
June 7 am Might wanta contact Pat Black
in the CAEZ office if you're interested!
June 7 pm During Tuesday's
Town Council meeting, a couple dentists and others spoke in favor of flouriding
the public water supply. One dentist said the American Dental Association
(ADA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other trade groups were
in favor of flouriding the water, the process reduces cavaties in kids
and the major groups never said anything bad about flouridation.
June 7 pm From that quack CDC web site:
"It now appears that the amount of the fluoride contained in the water
used for mixing infant formula may influence a child’s risk for developing
enamel fluorosis, particularly if the child’s sole source of nutrition
is from reconstituted infant formula." “If tap water is fluoridated or
has substantial natural fluoride (0.7 mg/L or higher), a parent may consider
using a low-fluoride alternative water source. Bottled water known to be
low in fluoride is labeled as purified, deionized, demineralized, distilled,
or prepared by reverse osmosis.” “Using only water with low fluoride levels
to mix formula will not eliminate the risk of enamel fluorosis…Other factors
that contribute to developing fluorosis include swallowing of toothpaste
and use of dietary supplements that include fluoride (tablets or drops).”
The CDC reports that, “formula itself has low amounts of fluoride,” [and]
“when infant formula concentrate is mixed with fluoridated water and used
as the primary source of nutrition, it may introduce fluoride at levels
above the amount recommended to minimize the risk for fluorosis.”
June 7 am From 1990 to 1992,
the Journal of the American Medical Association published three separate
articles linking increased hip fracture rates to fluoride in the water.
In the March 22, 1990 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Mayo
Clinic researchers reported that fluoride treatment of osteoporosis increased
hip fracture rate and bone fragility.
June 7 pm Surprisingly, the most
recent studies do not even show that water fluoridation is effective in
reducing tooth decay. In the largest U.S. study of fluoridation and tooth
decay, United States Public Health Service dental records of over 39,000
school children, ages 5-17, from 84 areas around the United States showed
that the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth per child was virtually
the same in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas.
June 7 pm 98% of Europe does
NOT flouidate public water supplies. Why do we do so in the USA? From the
Schachter Center for Complementary Medicine:
Prior to 1945, fluoride was properly regarded as an environmental pollutant.
It was responsible for many lawsuits against industries, such as the aluminum
industry and the phosphate fertilizer industry, whose waste products contain
large quantities of fluoride. This fluoride destroyed crops and animals,
leading to the lawsuits. The limited public view was that fluoride was
an environmental pollutant that needed to be reduced or eliminated from
the environment.
As a result of clever public relations campaigns, fluoride was transformed
from an environmental pollutant to an essential nutrient necessary for
producing healthy teeth. The science was poor, but the P.R. campaign was
great. Being against fluoride was like being against motherhood or apple
pie. Industries not only made millions from selling this environmental
pollutant to water companies and toothpaste companies, but more importantly,
it saved billions of dollars that would be required to clean up this environmental
pollutant.
June 7 pm Mayo Clinic.... US Public
Health Service..... CDC... there is something to be said for the
other side of the flouride debate.
June 7 pm In Clayberry, it's election
time and every vote counts.
June 7 pm As of Tuesday evening, 33
residents had cast their ballots during early voting. Have you?
June 6 pm Got some good news clickers.
Sam and Samantha, the two lost dogs out Triplett Ridge were found this
morning.
June 6 pm From the email bag:
Would it be possible for you to put an article in the news section asking
if there is anyone related to my grandfather, Jacob Simmons, and my uncle
Bill Simmons, both deceased.. I am trying to find information about the
genealogy of the Simmons' family. My family is related to the Samples,
Jenkins, Shamblins and Underwoods of Clay County. Jake and Bill had
other brothers but I can't remember their names. If you can
help, please contact me at: gerald_simmons@verizon.net Thanks,
G. Simmons
June 6 pm There's been talk for
some time on saving the old Dundon bridge after the new Dundon Bridge Ski
Slope is built. The new bridge over the Elk will not have side walks making
foot traffic treacherous.
June 6 pm Behind the scenes CAEZ Director
Connie Lupardus has been working on the project. Lupardus wants to make
the old iron bridge part of a three mile walking loop.
June 6pm Last night during the CAEZ
Board meeting, Lupardus was given the green light on pursuing the bridge.
From the meeting: There is a good chance the old bridge will not be completely
removed, only the "wings" will be taken out leaving the main span as a
standing eye sore; there is money available to repair the bridge for foot
traffic including a fence along the edges for safety; the old pavement
on the Dundon side could be taken up making room for a small park along
the hiking trail; the CAEZ would take ownership of the bridge while the
trail and repairs are made; later they would work to get some other agency
into the ownership reigns; and, no it will not be painted (cost $1m)
June 6 pm There's been talk of Dave
Pierson buying the Telford Chevy dealership on Main Street.
June 6 pm Online Bankruptcy Court documents
confirm the deal set for consummation July 7th.
June 6 pm Full details in Friday's
Communicator.
June 6 pm Hello Dave Metheney
down in VA
June 6 pm Hello to Avis down
in sunny Florida
June 6 pm Yesterday Clay Co PSD issued
a Boil Water Order after finding low levels of chlorine in their water
system. That was around noon and remains in place today. The Town of Clay
supplies wa wa to the PSD
June 6 pm The Town issued it's own
BWO which lasted about a half an hour according to water operator Dwana
Murphy. She said the plant's water chlorinater had been on the fritz off
and on over the last few days BUT BUT, chlorine levels coming out of the
plant met mandated state standards.
June 6 pm Chlorine levels leach
out of the water the further the product goes down the line..AKA the PSD
June 6 pm Speaking of wa wa, during
Tuesday's Town Council meeting, the elected folks reversed an earlier
decision to quit flouriding the water. Two dentists and others spoke on
the need to include the additives. With the election less than a week away,
it made sense to appease the public.
June 6 pm The fluoride pump is in disrepair
and will take a while to start working again.
June 6pm RB Legg advanced the
notion that health issues created by fluoride was just "quackery" and not
based on good research.
June 6 pm It was noted that some water
providers at West had stop fluoridation of municipal water supplies for
health reasons.
June 6 pm The CAEZ is on board to try
and save the old Dundon bridge. Details later today
June 6 pm Deadline for Friday's Communicator
is Thursday at noon. Email in those classifieds, pics, notices etc
ASAP.
June 6 am Betty Zink, 58, see
OBITUARY page
June 5 pm Clay County PSD issued a
Boil Water Order for all customers of the system at noon today. Low chlorine
levels reported. Boil It First please
June 5 am Just got another birthday
girl notice in the email bag. Happy Birthday extended to Sue Whiteley over
at Magistrate Court
June 5 am Happy 60th birthday to Terri
Kerns
June 5 am Lookin for a job? See the
JOBS button for info on Thursday's job fair
June 5 pm Early voting continues for
residents of the Town of Clay. and things are heating up too. Wanda Chambers
called up over the weekend to report that a Council person had been rumoring
that voted during the early voting time this year. One problem, Chambers
has lived in Gilmer County for three years. She was a... upset to say the
least. And no, she's not voted.
June 5 am Town Council meets tonight
at 6pm. Might be a good one clickers.
June 5 am There's been
talk of saving the old Dundon bridge to serve as a walkway on a three
mile walking path around town. That topic should come up during tonight's
CAEZ meeting. The eco/dev committee meets at 4 followed by the full Board
at 6pm
June 5 am I met an older woman
at a club last night. She was OK for 57. We drank a bit, danced
a song and she asked if I'd ever had the sportsman's double -- a
mother/daughter threesome. I said no. We drank
a bit more, and then she says that tonight was my lucky night. I
went back to her place. She put the hall light on and shouted upstairs:
"Hey Mom! You still awake?"
June 4 pm Happy Birthday Jan Derby
and Connie Sizemore
June 4 pm Some things are always confusing.
Like: If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then
doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted,
cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry
cleaners depressed?
June 4 pm The first week of each month
is full of public meetings.
June 4 pm Tonight at 6pm the Clay County
School Board meets at the Standard Bryant Annex building on Gump Street.
Here's the link
to their online agenda.
June 4 pm Tuesday afternoon at 4pm
the Central Appaalchia Empowerment Zone economic development committee
meets followed by the full board of directors at 6pm. Both public meetings
will be held at the CAEZ office beside the DHHR building on Main Street.
June 4 pm For those of us that like
to see the world without leaving the county, here's
a web link full of web cameras around the world. Thanks CWJR
June 4 pm Here's a web
cam in Amsterdam complete with sound. Pretty cool.
June 4 pm For those outside of Clayberry
and wanting to see Main Street Clay looking West, the link is at the bottom
of our homepage.
June 3 pm Dubbya announced a
new plan to address global warming mid week. Truth is, he said nothing
new, certainly nothing he couldn't have said when he took office 7 years
ago. With his oil war effort in the gutter, the Shrub may have just
been creating a diversion.
June 3 pm Speaking of the Oil
War, national media mentioned that the White House continues to spend $10
million per year on trying to find weapons of mass destruction. Before
the war, those same inspectors concluded Sadamn had no WMD. That's $70
million spent looking for nothing more than the chemicals our government
gave Sadamn years ago when he was our ally.
June 3 pm Insurgents in Iraq
are growing
more sophisticated and deadly in their techniques as the US "surge"
pushes forward. They're not saying inaccurate . Maybe just untimely.
June 3 pm Can you believe
the Feds? What about believing a plot to blow
up JFK airport?
June 3 pm ABC News has apparently
pulled
a story alleging that they had discovered US plans to keep troops in
Iraq beyond 2009.
June 3 pm Averaging
more than 3 American soldiers a day, There have been 3,749 coalition
deaths -- 3,473 Americans, two Australians, 149 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian, 32 Italians,
one Kazakh, three Latvian, 19 Poles, two Romanians, five Salvadoran, four
Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq
as of May 31, 2007, according to a CNN count.
June 3 pm Without one public
meeting in the last seven days, there was still a bunch going on Clayberry.
Like....
June 3 pm There was a changing
of the guard at Clay Development Corp as long time Director Betty Stalnaker
retired. The undercover organization had to find the "right" person to
ensure that "family traditions" continue.
June 3 pm Since the 1960's Head Start
was a model for something the government got right. Last Thursday, Clay
Head Start was taken over by the School System. Office equipment was put
into storage. Anything more than 5 years old was thrown out. After years
of trying, the School System was successful in their quest to get those
kids into official school numbers.
June 3 pm If the BDA can do anything,
they can grow straw. Hydro-spraying at the old Filcon site resulted in
a beautiful stand of grass. Locals in the community want to bale the stuff.
The problem is, can the BDA sell it? Can they give it away?
June 3pm The Town election is just
9 days away. Behind the scene, calls have been made to the Sec of State's
office over Town Recorder Dwana Murphy being at the polling place during
early voting. Dwana is up for reelection as are all Town office holders.
Sounds like a council person is worried about the council race.
June 3 pm This past week was
a hot one with temps well into the 90s. Without life guards at the
pool weekdays (school is still open), the wet, cool spot stayed closed
Monday thru Friday. Instead kids took to the river. Canoes and paddle
boats were seen on the Elk.
June 3 pm With the beginning of a new
month and new government checks in hand, scores of yard sales were set
up along roadways. The economy picked up.
June 1 am Marceline Nichols
King, 75, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page
June 1 am Last night brought
the second full moon in May, a Blue Moon.
June 1 am Hello June, Glad
you made it once again!
June 1 am Clayberry will
boom today. With Govt checks in hand, old bills will be paid, gas tanks
will be filled up, kids will get small dollar store treats. And...
June 1 am It's the start of yard sale
season. They're everywhere! Deals galore.
June 1 am The radio station kicks
off it's outdoor music show Saturday night at 7pm. Info is on EVENTS page
June 1 am For those wanting to bust
out of Clay, Harold Allen (Clay Roane PSD, the Water Man) will be performing
down at Taylor Books on Saturday, June 2, 2007 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Easy to find on Capitol Street. Free too
June 1 am Mike Arcuri and Keith
Lahti will b performing at Capitol Roasters Saturday night just around
the corner from Capitol Street, on Summer Street beginning at 8:30pm
June 1 am Don't sit at home all
droopy lipped. Get out and have some fun. Better yet, make some money Saturday.
Set up a lemonade stand on Main Street!
June 1 am From the email bag......
Why Men are Happier: Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt
to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell
you the truth.. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another
gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have
to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more
pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100 People
never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered
belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle
your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds
flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one
suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the
slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or
she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap
problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything
on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years,
maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play
with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet
and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts
no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. You can do Christmas
shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.