May 2008
May 30 LATE p Forgot to mention
in the morning post, the swimming pool opens Saturday. Not sure if the
weather is going to co operate but, a great way to get rid of those rug
rats for several hours!
May 30 a Hello Chuck Harubin in Cape
Coral, Florida.
May 30 a From the email bag:
Capital Resource Agency's Clay Service Center will be giving out commodoties
on June 4 from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Clients
must be signed up and deemed eligible prior to pick-up on June 4.
If you have any questions, call 587-7720
May 30 a We goofed up distribution
of the latest Communicator. We forgot to drop off the newspaper over at
J&S Wholesale. They will be dropped off today. Sorry.
May 30 a The big election recount starts
this morning at 9am.
May 30 a A summertime tradition
begins today. It's Yard Sale season in the Appalachian Mountains of West
Virginia.
May 30 a The new Dundon Bridge Ski
Slope was suppose to open with much fanfare Wed. Didn't happen. King Joe
was unable to come up for the ribbon cutting and the ceremony was canceled.
Wed evening state road crews on overtime wages were called in to make repairs
on the old iron Dundon bridge. Overtime wages!
May 30 a Thursday evening the new bridge
was opened to traffic without any ceremony.
May 30 a Yesterday we posted an email
about a biting dog on Elkherst. Here's a follow up email: In response to
the post about the vicious dogs on Elkhurst Road. There are quite
a few dogs who "daily" harass hikers, runners and cyclists. The authorities
cannot do anything about this problem if we don't report it.
Please report these dogs to the Local police. The police are very
supportive. You can purchase a pepper spray, especially made
for dogs, it is called Halt and can be bought at local bike shops or on
line at: http://www.nashbar.com. Halt works as
a dog repellant but you have to be accurate with the
spray.
May 30 a What do Clayonians do
when a new bridge opens? Thursday evening vehicle after vehicle crossed
and recrossed the new span just for the heck of it.
May 30 a Gov Smokin' Joe launched a
new
web site yesterday. If you do a King Joe search for Clay County, up
comes
this page. Once you get there click on the link to the official
Clay County web site. Wonderful! Clayberry has made it to the big time.
May 29 a Jessie Marie Boggs Dennison,
78, see OBITUARY page
May 29 a From the email bag: Mika &
Savanna Cadle of Bomont, WV wants to wish their Daddy Michael “David” Cadle
of Procious a Very Happy Birthday on June 1, 2008. We Love You Daddy With
All of Our Hearts. So if you see our Daddy on June 1, 2008, please
Wish Him A Happy Birthday
May 29 a From the email bag: Found
today that we are kinda sure belongs to someone. If you could place
this on your site it would be great. Anyway, he's a male (not neutered),
cream in color, about 25 pounds, very whinny. He cries a lot.
Blue eyes, very pretty. No collar. Very Friendly, may
possibly be collie/lab mix. He was found on the Interstate near the 38
mile marker. If someone thinks it's their's please have them to give
us a call at 286-4222 to claim him.
May 29 a From the email
bag: We have a camp in Clay County and are very fond of the people
we have met so far since we have built. Recently, my 12 year old son and
I were biking along Elkhurst Road and came very close to being attacked
by a large light brown dog who tried to bite both my son and I as we rode.
We were very lucky to escape any harm - my son is very small and this dog
would have killed him if he had the chance. The dog barked loudly
and bared his teeth the entire time and was within 1 foot of our legs.
This dog came from a home about 4 miles down river from the Hartland/Gauley
bridge. Is there anything we can do about this? We would like
to be able to ride along this road in the future.
May 29 a Yesterday the County Commission
met in regular session. No big land mines discovered during the short session
BUT....
May 29 a WV State Technical College
is setting up a campus at Valley Fork. To decide what classes will be offered,
a survey will be sent around. During the Commission meeting, the first
copies of the survey were shown.
May 29 a Three months ago first
word came on the possibility of a county recycling station to be located
in t he old State Road garage at Two Run. Yesterday, Commissioners
penned a letter of support for the much needed BDA project.
May 29 a Tuesday was the recount
of Precinct 37. No one was suggesting ANY hanky panky with those now counted
41 ballots. The reality: There was a screw up plain and simple. Tommorrow,
unless something is changed, will be the recount of every Demorat vote
cast during the May 13th Primary election. Should take hours and hours
if not days.
May 29 a Over two years ago,
the Legislature passed a bill (541 I think) which gave teachers and
service personnel a pay raise, around $225 per year for each person. Instead
of giving the money to employees, the School Board wants to use the funds
for their own pet projects.
May 29 a During a recent board meeting,
many showed up to tell the Board they wanted the money and the Legislature
designated it for pay raises and not bricks and mortar.
May 29 a Word on the street has it,
now the Board is considering offering some kind of benefit increase instead
of a better pay day. Look for that issue to surface during
next Monday's Board meeting.
May 29 a With the Board so adamant
against raises, some are wondering if they haven't already spent the $80,000.
May 28 a Lets see now....
May 28 a Need a job? There's
a couple of openings over on our Jobs page
May 28 a Lots of yard sale info
on the EVENTS page
May 28 a Entering the Ag Fair?
See ADVISORY page
May 28 a Clay Roane PSD:
Boil water advisory that was placed for Rt. 36 from the old Valley Fork
school back towards to Clay to Laurel Creek Road (old Filcon Site), all
of Laurel Creek Road, the Valley Fork side of Hopkins Ridge, and Hansford
Fork Road. May 21, 2009 has been lifted.
May 28 a County Commission meets in
regular session this morning beginning at 10 am
May 28 a As for Tuesday's recount of
Precinct 37. Not much changed ... at least so far
May 28 a County clerk employees
recounted each and every ballot and did so in public. Several people wondered
in and out during the 5 hour process. House of Delegates candidate Ron
Blankenship stayed put the entire recount. Others in attendance were Calhoun
County Commissioner Bob Weaver and Clerk Richard Kirby.
May 28 a Numbers wise, House of Delegate
candidate Dave Walker started the recount with 101 votes. He ended the
day with 136. Calhoun candidate for the same opening started and
ended the day without a change, 5 votes.
May 28 a That ferinor, Calhoun County
Clerk Richard Kirby wanted some answers. Ole what's his name, Super Slinky
wasn't providing any. After a couple questions, Slinky: If you want
to debate legalities, you do it somewhere else!
May 28 a Often when dumb clucks
haven't an answer, they respond in such a manner.
May 28 a Fortunately, a little later,
candidate Blankenship asked questions on why 41 ballots weren't counted;
and, isn't it logical to think, if these 41 weren't counted, couldn't others
be uncounted? Queen King answered plainly: We don't know for sure....
maybe it was the ink on the ballots, maybe the manufacturer?
May 28 a Clerk Connie Workman
added that she planned to confer with the WV secretary of State's office
for answers.
May 28 a Two questions seemed to be
the center of attention. One, Does state law require ballot boxes to be
double locked ( ours aren't). And, two, something about the security of
the ballots (boxes) between the ballot canvass and the day the election
was suppose to be certified. Those two questions COULD be the centerpiece
of an expected court challenge.
May 28 a What's at issue? If some part
of the state code wasn't followed during the counting, canvas, a Circuit
Court could toss out all votes from that precinct. With the 33rd
House race so close, if Dules Creek precinct was tossed and Clayonian Dave
Walker lost that 100 plus votes, Ron Blankenship would win the entire May
Primary enchilada.
May 28 a Think it couldn't happen?
Already has. Not so long ago, a Judge tossed out an entire precinct in
Calhoun County which resulted in one Commissioner being tossed from office
according to Calhoun Commissioner Bob Weaver.
May 28 a 41 ballots uncounted. Yes,
we look bad again.
May 28 a In the mean time, both Blankenship
and Walker have challenged the entire election and both called for a county
wide recount which is scheduled for this Friday beginning at 9 am.
May 28 a Election 08 ain't over
in ANY case. Come Nov, Clayberry has a Republicrat challenger (Larry Cole)
taking on whomever wins the Demorat contest.
May 27 a Willadene Hope
(Nichols) Fitzwater, 74, see OBITUARY page
May 27 a First day back after the long
Memorial Day weekend. With gas and food prices sky high, for most of us,
the holiday weekend was spent close to home.
May 27 a If you're sick of
TV talking heads going on and on about election 08, you might as well head
over to some other web site.
May 27 a What should have been over
May 13th around midnight, ain't.
May 27 a 41 early voter ballots from
Precinct 37 have never been counted. No one is sure of the reason for the
screw up but, it happened.
May 27 a Here's what Calhoun
County's HurHerald
web site has to say about it.
May 27 a This morning at 9 am, the
Clay County Commission will convene to recount Precinct 37. all of em this
time. With that precinct being Dave Walker's home turf, no change is expected
in t he House of Delegates race between Walker and Calhoun County candidate
Ron Blankenship BUT we won't know until later today.
May 27 a In this day of technology,
high speed counting machines, checks and rechecks, any way you look at
it, it mud on our faces............ again.
May 26 a Memorial Day. A day to remember
the 1 million who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and future.
May 25 a Harold Ralph Fields,
77, see OBITUARY page
May 25 a Lookin back over the last
seven days, a couple things stand out
May 25 a How do you miss counting
41 ballots? No one knows for sure. Maybe the printing quality of the paper
ballots was poor. Maybe the programming of the optical scanner was bad.
Maybe some combination of both.
May 25 a Whatever the case, Clayberry
has egg on its face ...... again. Those 41 non counted ballots from Precinct
could have an affect on two races, not likely, but could. For sure, the
margin between Dave Walker and Ron Blankenship in the 33rd House race will
change and most likely in Walker's favor further making the county
suspect.
May 25 a With national averages around
$3.85 for a gallon of gas, Clay County finally made the top on a poll.
Exxon prices in the county busted $.00 per gallon, actually closer to $4.20
per gallon. The Two Run Go Mart held their price at $3.95 and had
a banner business with customers saying, Wow!, less than $4.
May 25 a Saturday morning 133 Clay
High seniors graduated into the real world. After 12 years or 13 or 14
years in some cases, of education, some thought the pimple faced class
was prepared for the world. In any case, those seniors are heading into
the hard reality of the real world. Parents smiled. Educators breathed
a sigh of relief, done!
May 25 a A band of volunteers supported
by local government funding and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation banded
together and hosted the first of three summer time celebrations Saturday.
The idea was to grow tourism and bring new dollars into the county. It
worked. Yard salers, bakers, crafters, and vendors reported making some
extra jingle. Local businesses benefited by some people in downtown Clay
on Saturday.
May 25 a For those in attendance, bright
sun, blue skies and colorful balloons added to the day long family fun.
Little kids held their ears as fire trucks, badges, and ambulances roared
their sirens. Saturday afternoon locals competed in a karaoke competition
followed by Elvis filling the air with memories from 4 decades back. Covered
with blankets or sweaters, those with gray hair or no hair, lip synched
and tapped their feet. Some even danced.
May 25 a Summer time is here. Volunteers,
what makes Clayberry so very special.
May 24 a The Communicator made
it out the door around 4 pm Friday. All the latest news and views bundled
in 24 pages of near excellence.
May 24 a Congrats to the CCHS graduating
seniors. Lets make it a safe day and night of celebration.
May 24 a Clayberry we have a problem.
The election was on the 13th. The canvas of the ballots was held a couple
days later. On Thursday May 22nd the County Commission was ready to certify
the election results. They 't didn't. They couldn't. The numbers didn't
match up
May 24 a Connie Workman found the problem.
There are 41 early voting ballots from Precinct 37 (Dulles Creek) that
have NEVER been counted. The optical scanning machine was suppose to count
those early voters in with the election day ballots. It didn't.
May 24 a Think what a difference 41
votes could make in the Dave Walker House of Delegates race and especially
in the School Board race where Morgy Triplett lost out by 40 or so votes.
May 24 a In that 33rd House race, both
candidates, Blankenship and Walker have called for a recount. With most
of the 41 ballots most likely going toward Walker, would Ron Blankenship
have spent the loot calling for a recount?
May 24 a Bet the School Board is on
pins and needles too.
May 24 a A special audit of precinct
is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9 am. Should be interesting.
May 24 a It's never simple in Clayberry.
Primary 2008 ain't over yet. Not nearly.
May 24 a With gas prices off the chart,
today's Small Town America Memorial Day Celebration may be just what we
need. Good Family fun and close to home. For those coming in for the weekend,
the JG Bradley Campground is open for business.
May 22 Late p Phyllis June Foster Rutherford,
81, see OBITUARY page
May 22 We're getting lots of calls
on Saturday's Celebration. The answer is Yes to setting up a yard sale
in the WYAP parking lot. And, Yes to crafters setting up on Courthouse
Square. There is a $5 per table charge for crafters. See you Saturday morning
for fun in beautiful Clay County West Virginia. Want to stay all weekend?
Great. Bring your camper or tent and stay at the JG Bradley Campground
at Dundon.
May 22 Late p Now back
to typing.
May 22 a Last call for stuff for the
Communicator. If you want the world to know about your event, put it in
Clay County's award winner newspaper. No new updates until we get the paper
out the door sometime Friday afternoon.
May 22 a Today at 5 the CCC meets to
certify election results. But it ain't over yet.
May 12 a With just 12 votes separating
Dave Walker and Ron Blankenship in the 33rd House of Delegates race, Blankenship
has called for a full recount in Clay and Gilmer Counties.
May 12 a A recount actually looks
at each ballot front and back and could reveal errors in the original count.
During previous recounts, the error rate is very very small changing the
total vote by maybe a couple. A change of 12 would be unheard of
but as a long shot, possible.
May 12 a Look for Clay's recount to
be conducted Friday May 30th.
May 12 a With Blankenship calling for
the recount, Dave Walker had to do likewise. Why? If Blankenship
would get ahead during the recount, he could then halt the process. If
Walker had not called for a recount, he would have no say in the process.
May 12 a After the election
we heard a nasty rumor that School Boardster Jim Dawson may give up his
newly elected seat so out of office Dave Pierson could get back on the
Board. We labeled it as street talk rumor.
May 12 a After the web
posting we received an email from daughter Cindy Willis who said, no way!
Details in Friday's Communicator
May 12 a More stuff has been added
to the Memorial Celebration in Clay this Saturday. For those healthy folks,
there's the Walk to Iraq 3 mile hike on the Clay loop . T shirts
involved too. See EVENTS page or the YAP
radio web site.
May 21 Late p Boil
Water Advisory for Clay Roane Public Service District has been placed on
due to a valve and check meter being inserted in Valley Fork area. The
following area needs to boil their water; Rt. 36 from the old Valley Fork
school back towards Clay to Laurel Creek Road (old Filcon site, all of
Laurel Creek Rd., the Valley Fork side of Hopkins Ridge, and Hansford Fork
Rd - ONLY (PWSID# 3300808).
DO NOT DRINK
THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring water to a boil, let it
boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing
teeth, washing dishes, bathing and food preparation until further notice.
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. For
further information please contact Clay-Roane Public Service District at
304-548-5209
May 21 a :
Clay Roane PSD will be working on the water lines in the Valley Fork area
on Wed 21st and Thurs 22nd. There will be water outages for the following
areas, Rt 36 from the old Valley Fork school back towards Clay to Laurel
Creek Rd (old Filcon site), all of Laurel Creek Rd, the Valley Fork side
of Hopkins Ridge, and Hansford Fork Rd. We hope to make these outages as
quick as possible. If you have any questions, please call the office at
548-5209.
May 21 a The Communicator comes out
Friday. Deadline for submissions is Thursday mid day. Email your classifieds,
chatters, articles, and more soon.
May 21 a O Gene King was none too happy
Monday night when he couldn't find where the School Board meeting was being
held. After going to the Board office and then the Middle School, someone
finally told him it was being held at CCHS.
May 21 a Big discussion during that
meeting was a how to spend $80,000 from last year. The $$ came from Senate
Bill 541 and was suppose to be used to give raises to teachers and school
service personnel. Stingy School administrators want to spend the bundle
on bricks and mortar instead of personnel. Full details in Friday's Communicator.
May 21 a From the email bag:
Mika & Savanna Cadle of Bomont wants to wish their Aunt Carrie Coleman
Keen A Very Happy Birthday. She will be 30. So if you see our
Aunt Carrie wish her A Happy Birthday. Love and Kisses to Aunt Carrie,
Mika & Savanna.
May 21 a From the email bag:
Clay High Girls softball went 16 innings against Sherman in the Regionals.
Many fans turned out to watch the Lady Panthers. Alisa Hively hit a homer
over the fence in the top of the 16th. Then Sherman scored 2 in the bottom
to win the game. Excellent season for the Lady Panthers.
May 21 a This Saturday is the big Memorial
Day Celebration in downtown Clay sponsored by WYAP radio and the Apple
Festival Folks. For those planning to attend and have some big fun, why
not spend the weekend? The JG Bradley Campground will be open for tent,
trailer, and motor home enthusiasts.
May 21 a We're getting a lot of calls
on Saturday's Karaoke contest. Complete details are on the radio
station web site as well as on our EVENTS page. Can you Sing?
First place winner receives $75. Not too shabby for little Clayberry.
May 21 a So you're not a singer? They're
having a dog dress up contest as well. Dress Fiddo up and yelp, once again
cash prizes for 1st 2nd and 3rd place winners. One lady has already said
she's dressing her pudgy dog to look like Sheriff Holcomb.
May 21 a No dog and can't sing? The
truth is, the Memorial Celebration is an opportunity to earn money. Bring
your yard sale junk and set up on the parking lot at the radio station,
first come, first served.
May 21 a Saturday night, Elvis will
be in the county for a 7pm show at the radio station.
May 21 a A trucker who has been
out on the road for two weeks stops at a brothel outside Atlanta. He walks
straight up to the Madam, drops down $500 and says, 'I want your ugliest
woman and a grilled cheese sandwich!' The Madam is astonished. 'But
sir, for that kind of money you could have one of my finest ladies and
a three-course meal.' The trucker replies, 'Listen Darlin, I ain't
horny. I'm homesick.'
May 19 Late p Donald Brooks Hall,
87, see OBITUARY page
May 19 Late p Today the
County Commission canvassed the results from the May 13th Primary election.
Center of attention was the 33rd House of Delegates race where Clay County
candidate Dave Walker was in a tie race with Calhoun County contender Ron
Blankenship.
May 19 Late p As a result of
the canvas where challenged ballots were counted, Dave Walker gained 12
votes.
May 19 Late p Looks like Walker will
be the Demorat candidate in Nov., but it might not be over clickers.
May 19 Late p Ron Blankenship could
call for a recount of ballots in one or more counties in the District.
May 19 a The Board of Education meets
tonight at the High School. The big long agenda is posted
on their web site.
May 19 a The 33rd House of Delegates
district is made up of all of Calhoun County and parts of Clay and
Gilmer counties. The dysfunctional district was formed after the last US
Census to insure Calhoun County (more voters) would always have a Delegate.
May 19 a During this last election
cycle Clay County ran one candidate (Dave Walker) while Calhoun ran
multiple candidates which splintered their vote. Normally under those conditions,
Clay County would walk away with a Delegate of our own. Dave Walker finished
the May 13th Primary contest 14 votes ahead of Ron Blankenship. That was
before the state code mandated "canvassing" of the ballot. After Calhoun
canvassed, Blankenship gained 10 votes. Gilmer's canvass added four more
votes to Blankenship making the contest a dead heat. Tie ball game.
May 19 a This morning the Clay County
Commission does their thang at the Courthouse. The process should take
all day. As of right now, there is no winner in the 33rd District.
May 18 p The last seven days have been
eventful in county Clay.
May 18 p Not even on the radar, California
said Yes
to same sex marriages.
May 18 p Not even on the radar: There
have been 4,390 coalition deaths -- 4,078 Americans, two Australians, 176
Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians,
one Fijian, four Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one
Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four
Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq
as of May 16, 2008, according to a CNN count.
May 18 p Gas prices went up to
$4 per gallon. Hitlary, Hussein, McLame and the Shrub gave lip service
but haven't a clue on what that's doing to the working class.
May 18 p Tuesday's election tossed
out hard working and dedicated County Commissioner, Peter Triplett. New
guy on the block Mike Pierson wasted no time in learning the ropes. He
showed up for the Wed May 14th CCC meeting and listened intently. A good
way to learn.
May 18 p Finishing a verrrrrrrrrrrry
distant third in the County Commission race, Dave Pierson was never a contender.
May 18 p Dave Walker won the 33rd House
of Delegate seat by 14 votes over Ron Blankenship. Friday's Calhoun County
election canvas narrowed the lead to just 4. With Clay doing their canvas
Monday and Gilmer's results not released, Walker's victory may, might,
could be, in doubt.
May 18 p Morgy Triplett almost
toppled appointed School Boardster Jim Dawson. It was a close battle up
until the last two precincts came in. About as soon as the election concluded,
word on the street came that as soon as Dawson takes office, he plans to
resign and allow one time School Boardster and Commission candidate Dave
Pierson to have the seat. All speculation and rumor now, but if it comes
true, what a dirty rotten !!### trick to the voters of the county.
May 18 p Wed morning the County
Commission meet and approved the purchase of another new ambulance for
the Clay County service. They also OK'd $10,000 towards upgrading the old
Valley Fork school soon to be a technical college campus.
May 18 p Thursday morning Clay County's
pesky ace cub reporter went under the knife to remove a monster kidney
stone. With the stone went 43 pounds of BS and hot air. Recovery continues
with the once tubby guy seen out and about Saturday evening...... briefly
May 18 p Sunday morning the power was
off again after a brief wind storm. By noon most in the county had electricity
restored.
May 18 p The Communicator often raises
double H over government agencies breaking the rules. Hiding public information
often seeps to the top of the pile. This past week Monongalia
Judge Robert Stone ordered a local health department to pay $2300 in attorney
fees and court costs after losing a battle to keep public opinion comments
private. Such costs may someday force elected and appointed officials,
even in Clayberry, to understand, it's our government and we have a right
to know the fact
May 17 p Here's something interesting.
The House of Hope is a new little church located on Main St in downtown
Clay. Today at 6pm the church is offering some great music and puppett
show in the WYAP parking lot.See EVENTS page. Everyone Welcome. Free food
too. Something nice to do on a Saturday night. Bring your own lawn chair
May 17 p Happy 18th birthday Ariel
Meadows from Dad, Mom, Damian Sidney and Danielle
May 17 p From the email bag:
Clay HIgh Girls softball went 16 innings against Sherman in the Regionals.
Many fans turned out to watch the Lady Panthers. Alisa Hively hit a homer
over the fence in the top of the 16th. Then Sherman scored 2 in the bottom
to win the game. Excellent season for the Lady Panthers.
May 17 p STOLEN! Asplundh
Chipper, color orange, from Big Otter Exxon on Monday, May 12th at
about 9:00 p.m. There will be a reward; if you have any
information contact 587-9927.
May 17 p Never test the depth of the
water with both feet
May 17 p Give a man a fish and he will
eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and
drink beer all day
May 17 p There are two theories to
arguing with women. Neither one works
May 17 a Debbie (House) Burnopp,
41, see OBITUARY page
May 17 a Joseph Carl Fitzwater,
79, of Indore, see OBITUARY page
May 17 a Kathryn Arlene Cloutier,
65, of Wallback, see OBITUARY page
May 17 a We have notice over on the
ADVISORY page from a lady that lost a diamond ring with sentimental value.
The person that called our office and thinks she found the ring, please
try the corrected number over on the page. We had a Clay extension instead
of the correct Procious digits. THanks
May 17 a Now minus the rock garden,
the Mel Gibson look alike is back home recuperating. Slow posts for the
next few days.
May 17 a Noticed something while in
the hospital. Nurses grin from ear to ear when they pull out catheters.
Or at least mine did.
May 17 a NEWS FLASH: CNN reports
that gas stations will start showing PORN movies on the screens of
the pumps so that you can see someone else get screwed the same time you
do!!
May 15 a From the election....
Dave Walker won the Demorat nod in the 33rd House of Delegates race over
Ron Blankenship by just 14 votes. Often close outcomes result in calls
for a recount.
May 15 a Dave's not in office yet.
Come Nov Republicrat challenger Larry Cole will be on the ballot. Both
live along Rt 4 near Procious.
May 15 a Two years ago John Pino
retained his House seat (29th district) by just 6 votes over Tom Louisos.
This time around Louisos beat out Pino. Number one vote getter for the
District, none other than Margaret Staggers 6498; Dave Perry 5779; Louisos
5749; and Pino with 5285.
May 15 a Clayberry has one of
those electronic voting machines for each precinct. No problems were reported
with the oft controversial electronic record keepers. Hard to have
problems when no one used the things!
May 15 a Mike Pierson beat out Peter
Triplett for the County Commission seat. With no Republicrat challenger
in Nov, Pierson is the heir apparent.
May 15 a Yesterday Mike showed
up for the County Commission meeting to learn what goes on.
May 15 a During the 40 minute meeting,
Commission gave the green light for the purchase of a new unit for the
Clay Ambulance Service. Cost: $55,438 with $8500 coming from grant
funds.
May 15 a For those interested in that
new college campus coming to Valley Fork, the CCC provided $10,000 to the
new facility during the Wed morning meeting.
May 15 a Think something is going to
stop the new addition to the county? Not so according to spark plug Connie
Lupardus: the campus is a go; the deed is not completed yet but it's just
a matter of getting the paperwork all done; WV Tech has signed a
letter of intent; and, classes will begin this August.
May 15 a That white Jeep Bailiff Gene
King was driving a couple weeks ago..... the one that got tail ended, it's
a total loss with the insurance company settling for $4300 plus another
$2000 or so in radio equipment.
May 15 a The Mel Gibson look
alike heads over to CAMC this morning to have that Rock of Gibraltor kidney
stone cut out. Some are suggesting the stone really is his brain. Others
say he never had a brain.
May 15 a No new updates for a day or
so.
May 14 a Local Election Results
May 14 a We have a new County Commissioner
coming in Jan. With no Republicrat in the Fall General Election, unofficial
tally: Mike Pierson 1027; Incumbent Peter Triplett 828; and finishing a
distant third, Dave Pierson with just 447. Mike Pierson carried 9 of the
13 precincts. His largest margin came in Lizemores where he more than doubled
Triplett.
May 14 a There was a real battle in
the School Board race right up until the last three precincts came in.
Long time School Boardster O Gene King topped the field with 1695 votes
followed by RB Legg's 1582, and Jim Dawson 1242. The race was with challenger
Morgan Triplett who held a narrow lead over Dawson up until
Harrision and Valley Fork precincts were counted putting retired school
Superintendent Jim Dawson into elected office. A fifth candidate , 18 year
old Ronnie Rogers, did remarkably well garnering 513 votes.
May 14 a There were those that the
thought incumbent Sheriff Randy Holcomb may have some competition this
time around. According to the results, not so. Holcomb with 1515 followed
by Joe Morris 597 and Tom Auxier mustering 198 yes votes
May 14 a As of 12:30 am, the WV Sec
of State's web
site has little in the way of results in the House of Delegates and
11th Senatorial races.
May 14 a About every other place
in the nation have reported record voter turnout. Didn't happen in Clayberry.
Looks like around 2200 Demorats (out of 4500 in the county) came out to
cast their ballot and that includes 665 early voters.
May 14 a With a little over 2200 Republicrats
in the county, around 400 voted this time around.
May 14 a Interesting is the number
of votes King Joe Manchin didn't get in our little bitty county. Manchin
1625, Kessler 679.
May 14 a Lots of folks came out
to watch the results be counted and be a part of the late night festivities.
May 13 p Have you voted? It's time!
May 13 p Voting is more than just a
civic responsibility, it's a social occasion. Some on canes or in wheelchairs,
it's time to see old friends and chit chat. Catch up on news.
May 13 p Many in the county are
still suffering from Sunday's storm. When the power goes out, it affects
water service too. No electric no juice to treat and or fill water storage
tanks. Those in the Queen Shoals PSD service area remain without water.
May 13 p Utility contractors are running
around everywhere in the county replacing power poles and lines. We're
not out the woods to speak.
May 13 p Torture... water boarding....
freezing temps... All legal but this time, even that didn't help. The Pentagon
has dropped
charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was alleged to have been
the so-called "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks, his U.S. military
defense lawyer said Monday.
May 12 p With power restored early
Monday morning, we thought we were in the clear. Not so in Clayberry.
May 12 p More rain and wind stopped
electric service for many living in the Two Run and Maysel areas. Juice
went back off before noon Monday and didn't return until early evening.
Everyone is holding their breath that freezer loads can cool back down
before the next outage
May 12 p It's election eve. Normally
it would be the time for deals to be made. Not so this year with
few contested races. Where are those half pints? Sorry folks, there may
not be any this time around.
May 12 p How we long to see Jack White
across from the bank with that red Chevy pick up loaded down with whiskey.
May 12 p If the power and DSL stay
put, we plan to provide local election coverage via this site by midnight
Tuesday. Earlier if something good happens.
May 12 a Roy H. Neff, 69,
of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page
May 12 a No not like Burma or now China,
but Clay got its share of bad weather Sunday morning. The high winds and
rain wiped out electric and tele service for many by 9:30 am Sunday. Other
residents lost service before noon. No stores, no eat out places. Two gas
stations with portable generators were open. We hunkered down.
May 12 a Haven't heard reports
of major property damage or injuries but downed trees were county wide.
May 12 a Around 10:30 Sunday night,
School administrators called off classes for Monday. With Tuesday a holiday
(schools used for the Primary Election), a five day weekend for the small
fries!
May 12 a With freezers thawing,
Clayberry was on its own and severed from the world. It was quiet.
May 12 a Parts of the county had utilities
restored early Monday morning. Others areas remain without power.
May 12 8:28am Skies are
gray, wind is still blowing about, and most of us wondering, is more in
store?
May 12 a We'll update as power and
DSL allows.
May 10 p Ollivee Camila Moore,
78, of Indore, see OBITUARY page
May 10 p Wesley S. Brown, 66,
of Wallback , see OBITUARY page
May 10 p Roscoe Boggs, 82, of
Big Otter, see OBITUARY page
May 10 p Granville S. "Si" Lyons,
82, see OBITUARY page
May 10 p This is prom weekend for all
the little CCHS seniors. Dressed in their finest, watch out tonight.
May 10 p Yes ! The Communicator
made it out the door nearly on time Friday evening. 28 pages of the award
wining news and views on the outback of Clay County West Virginia. Remember
that online poll we conducted here a couple weeks ago? Results are in this
edition along with great Council meeting coverage, changes at Clay Roane
PSD, and an in-depth look at the last School Board meeting.
May 10 p We're looking for a diamond
ring. Nothing worth a fortune or anything, but one with great sentimental
value. Lost some where between Carol's Restaurant and downtown Clay. If
you find it, one lady will be very grateful. Email findings or dial 587-6007
May 10 p There's always some
minute shenanigans in politics. Delegate Margaret Staggers is under that
scope now. From Delegate Staggers: A big lie doesn't make it true.
I'm under a last minute attack just like the one in the new John Gresham
book about bad politics in WV. The Right to Life Group claims I’m
for abortion on demand. You know I’m pro-life. I may be against government
interference in our private lives and I may, and as a Christian, refuse
to judge those who choose abortion. I’ve spent my whole career as a doctor
preserving and saving lives. I’m asking you to make sure you vote Tuesday
and vote for me. I’m also asking you to pass this on to any one else
on your e-mail list. Thanks and God Bless You Margaret Staggers,
MD, EMT-P Ph: 304-574-1787 Fax: 304-574-3332 36 Barrington Hill Road
Fayetteville
May 9 a Dale Reedy Brown, 82,
of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page
May 9 a Last night much of the county
was without internet service (tele too in some places) for most the night.
May 9 a Even with the DSL down, we're
still trying to get The Communicator out the door today.
May 9 a No updates until that happens.
May 9 a Happy 90th Birthday to Dawn
Mullins.
May 8 a Clay Roane PSD meets tonight
in the Commission room at the Courthouse beginning 7 pm. In time
past, lots of folks have showed up for the public meetings. At other times,
the pews have been nearly empty. Years ago, the WV PSC ordered Clay Roane
to hold meetings in a place to accommodate the public.
May 8 a On tonight's agenda is mention
of changing the place and and time of their monthly get together.
May 8 a We mentioned a bad audit given
to Town Council last week. The info came during an exit interview by the
state auditors. Our plan was to present the findings in Friday's Communicator.
Ain't going to happen. The official report is not yet available.
May 8 a A Spring ritual, Clay
High's prom, will be held this weekend. There's annual ritual each year,
pranksters and destruction.
May 8 a Tuesday evening the gate to
the football field was knocked down, grass was destroyed, and tire burn
out marks were seen in front of the school.
May 8 a Those nasty ACLU folks are
at it again. This time they've stopped
the Feds from looking at library use records.
May 7 late p Bad news from
the email bag: Mo Truman is in the hospital at Lexington, KY in critical
condition. Please pray for his recovery. aldawson98@yahoo.com
May 7 late p From the email bag:
FOUND DOG, HE HAS BEEN HANGING AROUND MY HOUSE FOR A FEW DAYS NOW. HE HAS
A BEAGLE FACE AND A BLUE TICK BODY COLOR. NICE DOG BUT NEEDS SOME CARE
NOW. SHOWED UP WITH SORE FEET AND VERY HUNGRY. PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL IF
HE'S YOURS. 587-7070 or email at mgemind@frontiernet.net.
May 7 late p A week ago today
wayward Mopsy skid addled. The Maysel dog was found and in good shape.
Thanks clickers
May 7 p We're going to get the
Communicator out the door on time this week. We'll, try to anyway. Deadline
for submissions is Thursday at noon. Email your stuff ASAP.
May 7 p How about an update , something
a little more in-depth, for this sunny Wed.
May 7 p Town Council meetings have
been crazy for many months. They've fought over how to do one thing followed
by how to do something else equally misguided. Great for a reporter but
bad for the Town.
May 7 p Last night the troubled group
met in regular session. Instead of bickering and hard feelings it felt
like they were on the same page. One big issue has been covering the cost
of a non used benefits (hospitalization) in the form of pay raises including
a bulk pay pay check for two of the employees. Most of us in the peanut
gallery knew early on, such payment for benefits was illegal. Last night
Council came to that same conclusion.
May 7 p The decision was to provide
$2 per hour pay raises to Drema Thomas and Terry Traub but NOT bind the
$ to any mention of benefits. Smart move and civil too.
May 7 p Newbee Council person Jeremy
Hanshaw resigned from office after moving out of the municipality. Most
of us thought Dawna Murphy would be his replacement. Instead, Council appointed
Glada Lanham to the position.
May 7 p Council also restarted
the water rate increase process last night. Their attempt last month to
raise rates did not provide the public was the needed info on what the
new rates would rise to. Starting fresh means the public will have
a second chance to air their complaints at a public hearing. We'll get
you that date ASAP.
May 7 p Did we mention Town Council
received a "bad" audit last week? They did. Details coming in Friday's
Communicator.
May 7 p Now feeling better, something
from the CAEZ meeting also held last night.
May 7 p Clay County stands a good chance
at getting a new technical college to be located at the old Valley Fork
Elem
school. According to Director Connie Lupardus, the contract for the campus
is a go complete with a signed contract and bidding on contracting the
heating, cooling, and other renovations ready to get underway. West Virginia
State Technical College wants to open for business in August of this year.
The $200,000 needed to actually make the purchase is in the account and
ready. One problem.
May 7 p The deed ain't ready. Hasn't
been ready for months! During the CAEZ meeting, it came to light, a dispute
over a 1/3 acre parcel is holding up the entire process.
May 7 p With gas prices sky high and
a real need for close by college classes, wouldn't it be a shame to blow
such a needed facility over an un needed portion of a hill side.
May 5 p A teenager, wanting to earn
some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a 'handy-woman'
and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood. She went
to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any
odd jobs for her to do. 'Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my
porch,' he said, 'How much will you charge me?' Delighted, the girl quickly
responded, 'How about $50?' The man agreed and told her that the paint
brushes and everything she would need was in the garage. The man's wife,
hearing the conversation said to her husband, 'Does she realize that our
porch goes ALL the way around the house?' He responded, 'That's a bit cynical,
isn't it?' Later that day, the kid came to the door to collect her
money. 'You're finished already?' the startled husband asked. 'Yes, the
she replied, and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats.' Impressed,
the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along
with a ten dollar tip. 'And by the way, 'the girl added, 'it's not
a Porch, it's a Lexus.'
May 4 p No wrap up this time around,
just a couple notes
May 4 p By mid day Saturday 333 Americans
had already cast their votes Clayberry Primary election. Why not
you? Why take a chance on a flat tire or sickness?
May 4 p Our Sheriff's Dept does not
have a web site. Nicholas County does.
Once you make the trip, click on the outstanding warrants list (right side
near top) for a bunch of Clayonians making the grade.
May 4 p With a war raging, homes being
seized, gas nearly $4/gallon, credit card debt at all time highs, Dubbya
decided to make this national watermelon month.
May 4 p There have been 4,373 coalition
deaths -- 4,065 Americans, two Australians, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian,
33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians,
five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians
-- in the war in Iraq as of May 2, 2008, according to a CNN count.
May 4 p We're slowly trying to
get back up to speed. Patience please
May 4 p The School
Board meets Monday evening.
May 4 p The CAEZ and Town Council
meets on Tuesday. It's our understanding that Council has to restart the
water rate increase process after goofing up with the public disclosure
mandates.
May 4 p The Housing Authority meets
this week to work on finding another management company for their two housing
projects.
May 4 p Lots more coming clickers
May 3 p Jerald Ondreal “Big
Jerry” Lewis, 40, of Clay, see OBITUARY page
May 3 p Dell Edward
Kincaid, 58, of Lizemores, see OBITUARY page.
May 3 aMonday night the School Board
meets in regular session. On the big long list is hiring tons of people
for various summer job and learning programs. Contracts and employment
are normal fair for a public meetings. Except one.
May 3 a Each year the School Board
renews the Somber Super's employment contract. Instead of doing that during
a standard meeting where standard business is conducted, the backroom prone
School Board thought it best to hold a top secret meeting April 28th during
the day where they did the high dollar rehire.
May 3 a Last year the public found
out that Larry Gillespie received a humongo pay increase plus an even more
lucrative page two incentive, tax free $$. With benefits, Gillespie takes
more than the Governor and any other government administrator in the region.
May 3 a The outrage was heard around
the county. Sounds like the 28th meeting was a repeat, if they can get
away from it once, why not continue?
May 1 p Gene King had
a tough morning having to be Life flighted out around 9:45am. Seems his
hard heard came in handy since he was back home earlier this evening. Best
of recovery to O Gene King
May 1 p Yes we've got word on all
the drug busts in the last several days. The ace cubster still operating
at about 20% capacity. Look for some info late Friday.
May 1 p Don't get all excited if
you don't see your Classified or Event posted. Still going thru a gaggle
of emails. Hope to have most of 'em up and visible soon. Obits are current
as best we can tell.
May 1 a Finally made it out of the
hospital prison late Wednesday evening. Thanks for all the cards, visits,and
calls. Muchly appreciated. A couple more procedures are coming in
May. Translation: May and the first part of June will be a wash out for
the Mel Gibson look alike.
May 1 a Starting back slow, cleaning
out the email boxes and web updating (will do what we can) will take a
little while. Patience please.
May 1 a First step... washing
out off that hospital smell.