September
2007 News
Sept 30 pm We're in typing mode today
working to get the Communicator out the door Monday afternoon around 4pm.
No weekend wrap up this week.
Sept 29pm FOUND: small dog found
on Elkhurst. Very cute. Call to identify and claim 587-2635
Sept 29 am Might find get some
real deals during the BC&G RR Co-Op Auction today over at the campground.
See EVENTS page.
Sept 29 am We're holding up the
COmmunicator until Monday afternoon.
Sept 29 am Clay County hasn't
had a stoplight since the 50's when the little one in front of CCB was
blasted away one evening. When construction crews began work on the Dundon
Ski Slope bridge , they installed stoplights on each end of place. Those
lights have turned us into criminals. When the yellow lights shows, almost
everyone floors it with others "drafting" thru the red light. Late nights
with no one coming, some of us go screaming thru the red light!
Sept 29 am Thursday night when the
electric was off, the stoplights went off as well. Guess what, civility
returned to Clayberry. People slowed down and let one car at a time come
thru and then took their turn.
Sept 29 am By the way, there hasn't
been a lick of work on the bridge in 6 weeks!
Sept 29 am From the mail bag:
My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the
other day so he would be able to monitor my moods. We've discovered
that when I'm in a good mood, it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it
leaves a big f#/!;#* red mark on his forehead
Sept 28 am Kenneth William Church,
50, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 28 am Clay Roane PSD's BOIL WATER
ORDER for the Valley Fork section of the county remains in affect. Boil
it first.
Sept 28 am Interested in fresh apples
and spuds. See the CLASSIFIED page now.
Sept. 28 am Wednesday was a tough
day in Clay. A storm front came in around 3pm Wed with lots of rain, hail
and thunder boomers everywhere. Some areas of the county (like Triplett
Ridge) lost power right away. With the rain gone or maybe just a
drizzle or two left, around 8pm the electric went off in downtown Clay
and Two Run. Maybe other areas too.
Sept. 28 am Leonard Williams is the
Supervisor at Elk Power Co. On several occasions we've given Lenurd
"My Good Buddy" Williams double H, mostly related to his leadership as
BDA Chair.
Sept. 28 am Last night the power went
off at 8pm. At 8:13 Williams was seen coming into town. At 8:17 he had
switched to to the Elk Power truck, had that top mounted white spotlight
on and shining up at power lines as he headed out of town. Not a
bad response time, certainly better than the ambulance service on many
occasions!!
Sept. 28 am We're holding up
The Communicator until Monday. No not storm related but rather moving related.
Delta Communications is moving into new digs over at Two Run. The building
once housed the U Can Restaurant and later the Gypsy Jew Shop where Tattoo
Vince was often seen. Before we can move in, there's a bunch of wiring,
fixing, cleaning painting, etc. to do. We're taking Friday and Saturday
for a work party.
Sept. 28 am The day of delay will also
give us more time to figure out what went on at last Monday's Big Otter
Fire Dept. Board meeting. Sounds like it was a reaaaaaal firey meeting
with many in attendance red faced and blood boiling. In the case of Jeff
Boggs, red clear to the top of his head!
Sept 28 am Deadline for classifieds,
meeting notices, announcements etc is Saturday at noon. Email your stuff
now.
Sept. 28 am Did you know BOFD purchased
an acre of adjoining land for $20,000. The new purchase is on t he opposite
side of the building from the recently settled in court, pie shaped piece.
Many of the FD members were up in arms over the purchase.
Sept. 28 am Sounds like a juicy article
in the making!
Sept. 26 am
Sept. 26 am CLay Roane PSD issued a
Boil Water ORder Tuesday night, 11pm for the Valley Fork area of their
district. Water line break! Be safe, boil it first until further
notice.
Sept. 26 am Ida Maysel
Price, 95, of Fola, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 26 am From a MySpace participant...
You Know If You Are From Clay County If..... You know where Widen is and
you try to avoid it at all times. You always had corn with pizza
for school lunch. You know there is a place called Boogerhole. You
remember Joe Crow and are sad when his name is mentioned. You only think
there is one elementary school until you get to middle school and there
are so many new kids. When band camp was the only way out! Meth Labs are
everywhere but still have no McDonalds. Everyone calls
our sheriff "Poopy". No one gets on the football field. If
it wasn't for football games the field would always be untouched. When
we finally got a Park, it has no Playground! When you know
not to talk about Murder Mt.
You know the
population of Sattler Mountain. You know that the only red
light in the town is portable and wonder why it hasn't been thrown into
the river. You know your in Clay county when you see a line
at the Go Mart waiting on the Communicator to finally hit the shelf.
When a thunderstorm warning brings people out and into town to gossip about
it. When a family members name comes across the scanner you get 20
calls at once to let you know where your kids at. When your
photo album of family members is mostly newspaper clippings of
their mug shot from CRJ. When everyone you talk
to is either on Prozac or Lexapro.
Sept. 25 am Ever seen apple butter
making? Happening today over at the JG Bradley Campground. They're starting
early too. Stop over and see how it's really done.
Sept. 25 am From the email bag:
HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY TO MATTHEW AND ANGELA HAMRICK FOR SEPT. 22, FROM
DAD MOM AND KELLY WE LOVE YOU GUYS AND WISH YOU MANY MORE
Sept. 25 am Families of alcoholics,
need some support? The first Al-Anon Meeting in Clay will be on September
26, 2007, 163 1/2 Main St., Clay, at 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 25 am Help please, from
the email bag: lost dog last seen below the old valley fork elementary
school. Shes mixed and has all four white socks, Brown ears.
Answers to sissy and if you see her PLEASE call Christina or Frank Bennett
@ 304-587-2042 if no ones home please leave a message. Thanks
Sept. 25 am From the email bag:
The Clay County Panthers Intermediate Football took on the Fayetteville
Pirates Saturday at the Clay County High School field. The Panthers took
a full victory sweep with the Flag team up first with a win of 22 to 14.
The C-team took a win with the score of 44 to 22. Next the B-Team took
a win of 24 to 0. Then to finish up the Panther victory of the day was
the A-Team with a score of 44 to 0. Great Job Panthers teams and
coaches !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come out and support these young athletes this
Sunday at Summersville as they take on the Little Bears first game to start
at 12:00.....
Sept. 25 am Here's something that ain't
done, the Dundon bridge ski slope. Hasn't been a lick of work done in three
weeks. It's as if the construction site has been abandoned. One guy
told us the completion date isn't until sometime in 2008. Here's an excerpt
from one email we received: No one has worked on that bridge for weeks
and all summer long many days were missed for some reason with out any
explanations to the citizens of Clay. There is no reason for that contractor
not to be working on that project. There is road work to do on the Dundon
side and much work to do to complete the bridge.
Sept. 25 am Around 10:17 last night,
over the scanner, came word of a coal truck turned over and the driver
needing an ambulance. The Clay Ambulance crew reported being on scene at
10:42 pm. No other details right now
Sept. 25 am The Clay County Schools
web
site did a little updating including this web post: Clay County
Middle School has been awarded a SEEDS grant from Education Alliance.
Their business mentor will be Mr. James Reed. They would like to
thank Education Alliance and Mr. James Reed for this opportunity!
Sept. 25 am Mentor.....
Sept. 25 am Back on August 13th the
guy that owns the builing The Communicator rents told us he was selling
the Main Street building and we had to go. After a bunch of searching,
we\re taking the old U Can Restaraunt building at Two Run. Not quite as
big as our ole digs but off street parking, higher visibility, and a location
in the growth side of the town, we'll be opening in the new place Oct.
15th.
Sept. 25 am Don't get all worried,
even with all the moving mess, we'll try our best to keep up this site
and the paper out the door on time or near on time.
Sept. 25 am There's still a few of
the last edition at Go Mart. You might aughta get one.
Sept. 24 am A blonde was weed-eating
her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat who was hiding in
the grass. She rushed her cat along with the tail over to Walmart!
Why Walmart? Walmart is the largest retailer in the world!
Sept. 24 am Now if that doesn't bring
a grin I don't know what will.
Sept. 24 am Update coming later today.
Sept. 23 pm This was recovery
week in the county of Clay. The Big Apple ended Sunday afternoon but the
work didn't. Clean up crews got busy. Clean up the litter, move the big
stage, move the benches, take down the flags and banners. What about the
stack of unclaimed trophies, banners, and such. By Tuesday evening, most
the remnants were gone. It took the carnival folks until Wednesday evening
to remove the last of the rides. The 34th Apple Festival is now history.
Sept. 23 pm With Fall now officially
here we're thinking of that cracked window glass, that water leak, the
stove pipe that looks a little rusty, and getting those last few red tomatoes
before a frost bites them. Up and down the roads you see pick up trucks
nearly dragging the ground with freshly cut firewood. So much to do before
cold weather comes!
Sept. 23 pm Other than new locks at
the old Telford's Chevy dealership, it's been quiet except for say the
Health Dept. First came the emergency, we can't wait another day emergency
meeting, followed by the we need more room for a RN encounter and the FRN
office. Oddly, it was just last year when that same Health Dept told the
world they had plenty of extra room. So much empty space that the Extension
Office could easily fit into the building without a problem.
Sept. 23 pm Building must have
shrunk over the last 12 months!
Sept. 23 pm The pace has slowed down
if you can imagine that. The coffee house crowd is back wondering: If the
County Dog Warden ain't picking up strays, who is? What's happening to
all those animals? Who's going to file for office in Jan? Will more
charges be filed against Jim Knotts? Will the trial be held here or elsewhere?
Will this be the winter of record snow fall and weeks of freezing temps?
Sept. 23 pm Who would have thunk
it? The Clay High Panthers beat the snot out of Herbert Hoover Friday night,
34 to 12. Last week we were ranked 6th in the state. Darn good
season so far.
Sept. 23 am Roger Nutter is a
great big burly guy that works hard. Nutter has been the BC&G RR President
since inception. It's been his baby long before the group even organized.
Mr Nutter will resign from that position Oct. 6 during the BC&G RR's
quaterly meeting.
Sept. 23 pm True there's been turmoil
in the group but don't get excited. Nutter has to have leg surgery next
month and will be laid up for some time. Nutter says they're looking for
someone with strong organizational skills for the Presidental position,
Sept. 23 pm Before you start saying
the group is falling apart..... Within the next three weeks, windows and
doors will be installed at the campground lodge, a front porch will be
built, and the long awaited metal roof will complete the 07 construction
cycle.
Sept. 23 pm The train is running, the
campground went beyond capacity during the Apple Festival, the Welcome
Center at Two Run continues to grow and now the lodge appears to be ready
for completion reaaal soon. Not too shabby accomplishments for ugly
ole Roger Nutter.
Sept. 23 pm You didn't think
we'd go without a Shrub slam? Ole Betrayus says we're doing very well in
Iraq. So good, we should stay another $300 billion worth. In reality, there
is little progress and they hate us. Here's an example. of what's so
very wrong in the land of sand. Bring em home today!
Sept. 23 pm There have been 4,091
coalition deaths -- 3,792 Americans, two Australians, 169 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian,
33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 21 Poles, two Romanians,
five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians
-- in the war in Iraq as of September 20, 2007, according to a CNN count.
Sept. 22 am From the email bag:
This is coach Kearns from Clay County High School Golf. On 9-19-07 we had
a match at Sandy Brae with Parkersburg Cath. and Roane County. Clay won
the match and came in with a 159. This tied Clay's season best team score
with an average of 39.75. The low round for the match was turned in by
Jacob Hensler - 35 (Par 34) from Parkersburg Catholic. He had 1 birdie.
A close 2nd was Dayton Waddell with a 36. Dayton had 2 birdies. Clay plays
in the Regional Tournament on Monday 9-24-07 at Big Bend Golf Course in
Tornado WV. Clay will have a good chance to get a couple of golfers in
the State Tournament if they play well on Monday. Good luck Panthers.
Last night the CCHS Panther football
team put it all over the Herbert Hoover Huskies 34 to 12.
Sept. 22 am Not so long ago there were
plans for the Extension Agent office to be moved to the Health Dept. building.
At the time and the time after, there was plenty of room for new occupants.
Sept. 22 am Last Friday, Sept.
14th, the Director wanted the Family Resource Network (FRN) office to move
out. Claimed they needed more space for a nurse.
Sept. 22 am Commissioner Slinky to
the rescue and within minutes, plans were changed and FRN's Lynn Sizemore
gets to stay.
Sept. 22 am Two weeks ago Health
Director Linda Klotzbah demanded an Emergency meeting for Jay Carper issues
that just couldn't wait. Our guess is the Director wanted Carper to give
up his Director of Nursing title so another could assume those duties.
Just a guess clickers.
Sept. 22 am 8 days ago, came
a need to toss one agency to expand the nursing staff office space.
Sept. 22 am Hmmmm Seems is up at the
Health Dept.
Sept. 22 am From the email
bag: WHY DON'T WOMEN BLINK DURING SEX? ANSWER: they don't have enough
time.
Sept. 22 am WHY DOES IT TAKE
1 MILLION SPERM TO FERTILIZE ONE EGG? Answer: they don't stop to
ask directions
Sept. 22 am WHY WERE
MEN GIVEN LARGER BRAINS THAN DOGS? Answer: so they won't hump women's legs
at cocktails parties.
Sept. 21 am Shirley Ann
Wolcheck, 62, of Procious, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 21 am Georgia Lee Holcomb,
93, of Indore, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 21 am Happy TGIF. Seven
days ago today, the Apple Festival was in progress. Today promises to be
much quieter. Last week many were way to busy to take in the outdoor drama,
Solomon's Secret up on Triplett Ridge. Repeat performances are now in progress
this weekend. Check out EVENTS page for details.
Sept. 21 am Tonight the CCHS Panthers
take on the Herbet Hoover Huskies over at Schoonover/Bradley Field. Kick
off is 7:30pm For those unable to support the team in person, you can listen
in on 101.7FM and on the WYAP webcast. Joe Jelich and Linda McKinney
provide the play by play and color.
Sept. 21 am Last night the Farm
Bureau invited the world to their regular monthly meeting. Our of the norm,
they provided BBQ'd chicken and pork plus Prosecutor Jim Samples speaking
on landowner rights. The food was good.
Sept. 21 am Well, Samples did well
too.... didn't even drip any sauce on his jacket.
Sept. 21 am Lots of people were in
attendance. Not sure what brought out so many. Maybe a combination
of food and good info.
Sept. 21 am The Town of Clay
is neglotiating with new TV Cable provider, PC One. One of the complaints
of the cable industry is the number of absolutely boring, awlful, throw
away channels included in each package. That may changing. A new
lawsuit was filed yesterday which if won, would allow subscribers to pick
and choose what they want to pay for.
Sept. 21 am Here on the homefront,
we've been setting up a little newer puter for web updates. I think we're
about ready to start using the this century puter.
Sept. 21 am How many of you wear bifocals?
Maybe have a hard time with those pesky little icons on the desktop?
Found something last night. To make those tiny items much bigger:
Go to Start, Control panel, and then to the Display button. Once you get
to the Display button, find the Settings tab near the top and click it.
When that window drops , at the bottom is button labeled Advanced, click
it.
Sept. 21 am Right in the middle
of that page is DPI settings. Click the arrow to the side and highlight
the large setting. OK everything and give it a whirl. Much much easier
reading for us oldsters!
Sept. 20 am Belated from email bag:
Please wish my 12 year old a happy birthday today the 18th of Sept.
His name is RJ Coleman from his Mom and Dad Nancy and James Collins
Sept. 20 am From the email bag:
Found—Black short hair female dog. It came to our house about a week
ago. Very friendly—obviously someone’s pet. Please call 304-587-2354
Sept. 20 am Happy Birthday Helen Morris!
Sept. 20 am From the email bag:
The Clay County Panthers Intermediate Football Teams went to Cowen to face
the Raiders on Saturday September 15, 2007. The temperature took a fall
but the Panthers were on fire. The Panthers Flag team tied with a score
of 26 to 26. The Panthers C-team took a win with a score of 36 to 8. The
Panthers B-team won with a score of 32 to 16. And the Panthers A-team too
a win as well with a score of 20 to 0. Great job to all the teams and coaches.
Come out a support these teams this Saturday as they take on the Fayetteville
Pirates at home on the Clay County High School field. Flag game is scheduled
to start at 11:00am C-team 12:00 B-team 2:00pm A-team 4:00pm......
Sept. 20 am FYI the ace cub reporter
has been trying to set up a little newer puter the last two nights. Something
from this century instead of the last. With his short memory and lack of
organizational skills, some of the needed passwords etc well .. are little
slow coming.
Sept. 20 am Translation: limited web
updates for a day or so.
Sept. 20 am From the email bag:
Haven't seen any coverage on your site for the Varsity Football.
They have been all over the news and in the Charleston Gazette since Friday
night. The Panthers (tied for 11th place last week) beat the Sissonville
Indians (#3) by 1 point last Friday night (22 to 21). Highlights
of the Game were shown on Channel 13 and Channel 11 (Jared Kleman 80+ running
yards touchdown & Allen Tanner's 40 yd catch for a touchdown).
Also, Jared Kleman was named as 1 of 3 AP state players of the week.
Two key players had to leave the game due to injuries (Luke Smith was taken
by ambulance because he was knocked unconscious and Allen Tanner dislocated
his elbow and his parents left with him to go to the hospital).
Sept. 20 am By the way, you can hear
Panther action with Joe Jelich and Linda McKenny Friday night on 101.7FM
or around the globe on the web. See wyap web site for details
Sept. 20 am For those seeking some
big juicy story, ain't here! Since the Big Apple, it's been very
quiet.
Sept. 19 am In the latest edition
of the Communicator comes coverage of Clay COunty's Harry Tanner being
convicted and sentenced to 30 years in the stabbing death of a good Samaritan
down in Florida. You need to get a copy of that edition for the next installment
to make sense.
Sept. 19 am Monday evening Tressy
Moore, Harry Tanner's running partner, was convicted and sentenced to 20
years for each county in that same grizzly attack.
Sept. 19 am The Ocala Star Banner report
is now posted on the ADVISORY page.
Sept. 18 pm When you see Lindy Myers
today, tell her Happy Birthday
Sept. 18 am Otis Camden Mollohan,
84, of Nebo, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 18 am The Communicator
made it to the news stands Monday afternoon before 5pm. Get your copy today.
28 pages of news and views on the county of Clay. Our above the fold article
covers former Senator Randy Schoonover's day in Court where he plead guilty
to selling 12 Oxy's to an informant for $100. Instead of jail time, Schoony
will spend the first year of his sentence in home confinement followed
by parole.
Sept. 18 am Boy that'll be tough...
sitting at home watching TV and talking on the phone. Talk about hard time!
Sept. 18 am Over the course of
a year, lots of folks email questions, comments and such. Back and forth
we text type. It was nice to put a face on many of the emailers
during the Apple Festival. Thanks for your support of this site.
Sept. 18 am It's been a long 36 hours
of typing and putting the paper to bed. Better update coming later today
after some rest.
Sept. 18 am How many clickers turned
on their heaters and furnaces last night in Clayberry, no frost yet but
darn cold these last couple nights.
Sept. 16 am Wilbur D. “Wib”
Samples, 95, of Bomont, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 16 am From Dan Sizemore, and
the winners are: Golden Delicious Dash 5K run / walk
Sunday morning found several runners and walkers braving the 40 degree
weather to tackle the WV renowned 5k course. Winding its way through
the old coal town of Dondon, over the old B&O railroad trestle, and
through the main street of Clay, the route has become a favorite of 4 time
winner Larry Taylor. Larry ran the course in a time of 18:53, his
time is usually faster for a 5k but this years course was a little longer,
about 3.4 miles. The first female finisher was Cathy Hill, Cathy finished
the race at 26:44, and she was also the oldest runner at the age of 51.
The youngest runner this year was Jesse Legg of Fayetteville, Jesse finished
the race with a time of 32.22, and Jesse donated his prize money back to
the festival so we could use the money to advertise the race next year,
Thanks Jesse!! His age is 10. Several people traveled from afar off
to run. Sean Bosley came from Annapolis, Md. To run in his second
race. Renee Whittenberger came from Akron, Ohio to visit family and
enjoy the festival, and decided her morning run would be the Golden Delicious
Dash. Several local people ran and walked and enjoyed the fellowship
shared by all. Our many thanks to this years sponsors who make this
event and all events at the festival possible. Clay Primary
Care, Systems Pierson Lumber Company Sizemore
Farms
Go-mart Pepsi Cola
of Flatwoods Corey Brothers Produce .
Sept. 16 am The Communicator comes
out Monday afternoon. Deadline for news, views, events, chatters, etc.
is this afternoon at 6pm. Email your stuff. We plan to have
several pages of Big Apple pics in this edition. Our above the fold story
covers Randy Schoonover pleading guilty to selling oxy pills to an undercover
informant. Other than more Apple pictures, no new posts until
we get the paper out. Time to type type type.
Sept. 16 am This was our
first year to host a photo gallery during the Apple Festival. Thanks everybody
that stopped by to view hundreds of photos. If you're interested in buying
a CD with all the photos, cost is $6 per CD. Mail your $ to PO Box 14,
Procious WV 25164. All of the parade images are large format as are
most of the outdoor shots. Large format is suitable for cropping and enlarging.
Indoor and night time pictures are smaller, around 5 by 7 images.
Sept. 16 am Get out and enjoy
the last day of the 34th edition of the Clay County Golden Delicious Festival.
Sept. 15 Late pm Othel Virginia
Morris, 83, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 15 Late pm William
Gary Clifton, 55, of Clay, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 15 am Rosalie Ramsey,
56, of Bickmore, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 15 am A light rain blanketed
Clay Friday afternoon during the Big Apple. Still... many came out with
raincoats and umbrellas. The shows went on. By 5pm the rain was gone
and crowd came back for the second half of the day.
Sept. 15 am Today is the biggy
day at the Apple Festival. Come early and stay late. Good music, fun games,
big parade, fireworks and much more.
Sept. 15 am Don't forget about
the shuttle bus service from CCHS to downtown and back every 15 minutes
or so.
Sept. 15 am This is a pretty
cool clock loaded with interesting stats. Check
it out.
Sept. 15 am Delta Communications,
that's us, will be hosting a photo gallery today in our Main Street Clay
office. We've have a bunch of Apple Festival pics available via CD
and an assortment of photos from the last couple years. Stop in and take
a gander. Free air conditioning too.
Sept. 14 am Happy 23rd Birthday
wishes to Amber Childers
Sept. 14 am Prosecutor Jim Samples
needs some help. No not a new brain... check out the ADVISORY page now.
Sept. 14 am The 34th Big Apple
got underway with a big crowd for the Karaoke Competition. Rebecca Jarvis
took top honors in the teen category with Joy Layne winning the Grand Championship.
Courthouse Square was packed. Maybe the biggest crowd ever for an opening
night. People danced. Kids played. People smiled and cheered.
Sept. 14 am Each year the Applettes
work year around to put on the county's biggest party. Each year they add
and take away some events. Last night's Karaoke night was a keeper for
sure.
Sept. 14 am This morning a new addition
is the Literary Arts show over at the Clay County Public Library. Fun starts
at 9am with book signings and great music. Literary stuff? Arts? Music?
New carpet, new paint, new A/C, that's the library. What a great idea and
great addition to the 34th Annual Apple
Sept. 14 am Something else else
new, community radio station 101.7 FM is hosting the Best of Appalachia
show this afternoon beginning at 5:30pm Featured: 10 year old Levi
Ferrebee, Tif Farmer and from Leon West Virginia, Stephanie Moore.
Sept. 14 am A full day of fun fun fun.
It's not too late clickers, come out and see what makes Clay County so
special
Sept. 14 am So much for the good stuff.....
Sept. 14 am For those with disabilities
an elevator is a must. Yesterday the elevator at Maysel Manor was shut
down after failing an inspection. No word on when it will be back in service.
Some wonder if the management company, Encore, if know they have an elevator
at the public housing units???
Sept. 14 am Jim Knotts was to have
his hearing before Magistrate Boggs Tuesday at 3:45pm. Knots was charged
with 48 counts of sexual assault two weeks ago. The hearing didn't happen.
Instead a request was made to the WV Prosecutor's Institute for a a Special
Prosecutor to handle the case. Here's the skinny
Sept. 14 am Jim Knotts remains on the
Clay County Business Development Authority, an arm of the County Commission.
Legal counsel for the CCC and the BDA is Prosecutor Jim Samples.
See the conflict of interest? As long as Knotts stays on the BDA, our Prosecutor
can't handle the case. Sure hope some gringo from Braxton doesn't get it!
Sept. 13 am Tonight Prez Shrub will
be on the boob tube telling us how well his oil war is going and for us
to stay the course. For those can't stomach such crap....
Sept. 13 am Tonight Clay Roane PSD
will meet at the Procious Water plant beginning at 7pm. See ADVISORY page
for agenda.
Sept. 13 am Without a doubt, the Apple
Festival
is the biggest financial draw for the entire year. It's also a bunch of
fun! The 34th Annual Golden Delicious Festival opens today at 6pm. Check
our home page BIG APPLE button for schedules, changes to schedules, and
more. We plan to add Apple pics to the home page daily.
Sept. 13 am For those attending the
Big Apple, even with flaggers at the Dundon Ski slope construction site,
traffic is going to be a nightmare. The best chance of getting into and
out of town is to come use Elkhurst or Blue Knob roads and then park at
the old Telford's car lot. On Saturday shuttle buses will be running from
CCHS to downtown. With all that's going on, that's you best shot of getting
into town.
Sept. 13 am If all goes well, we plan
to have a photo gallery open Saturday at our 103 Main Street Clay office.
Stop in for air conditioning and chance to see tons of pics from
the last 12 months.
Sept. 13 Yesterday the Clay County
Commission (CCC) met. From that public gathering, a couple notes....
Sept. 13 am Residents South of
the HArtland bridge have long felt like red headed step children, often
left out of the loop and last to receive basic services. One of those needs
is functioning emergency radio service for fire and ambulance communications.
Many parts of that end of the county have "dead zones" where 911 radios
don't work. Promises have been made to make improvements.
Sept. 13 am Yesterday Lizemores Fire
Dept head honcho Earl Elliot asked for help again. That's his third request
this year, this summer. He wants a new radio "repeater" and tower purchased
and oput into service. From the meeting: Yes it's needed, Yes it would
help, a base radio was promised them 18 months ago with no results; and,
be patient it all takes time.
Sept. 13 am For months Connie Lupardus
from the CAEZ has been floating an idea to keep the old Dundon bridge and
incorporate it into the walking trail around town. Some government agency
has to assume ownership within the next few weeks or wrecking crews will
go to work. Lupardus has fears that the contractor will take out
only the entrance wings and leave the main river span of the structure
hanging in mid air.
Sept. 13 am Yesterday the CCC
shot the ownership idea down with Kookla Fran and Ollie all saying No.
The folks up front felt that the entire bridge would be removed from the
location and that would better for the county.
Sept. 13 am With the CCC out of the
picture that leaves just the Town of Clay to look to for ownership. During
the last Council meeting, it appeared that those folks were hesitant to
accept the responsibility.
Sept. 13 am True there are big time
Concerns with owning a bridge but: If the main span is
left hanging there, what an ugly blemish for tourism in the county; if
it's torn down, what a dangerous condition that creates for bikers, hikers,
and walkers getting using the new sidewalkless bridge; and, when gone,
another opportunity all gone.
Sept. 13 am Wouldn't it be nice to
see and hear the BC&G RR once again running the tracks, people walking
a 2 miles trail around town, a couple river access points in town for kayakers;
a mini park across from the Courthouse; and, money laden out of town
travelers make use of the in town facilities. That old bridge could be
a big part of our future in the tourist trade and prosperity.
Sept. 13 am Opportunities are few and
far between in Clayberry. We may be making history once again. Sometimes
history is not kind to our county.
Sept. 13 am Wal Mart is getting into
the wine business. They've picked out some names for their poor folks line
of spirits: Chateau Traileur Parc; White Trashfindel, Big Red Gulp,
World Championship Riesling, NASCARbernet,. Chef Boyardeaux, Peanut Noir,
I Can't Believe it's not Vinegar, Grape Expectations, Nasti Spumante
Sept. 13 am Cool temps and dry
conditions are predicted during the Apple Festival. For those afar, it's
a great time to come visit a great little celebration and see what makes
Clay County West Virginia so special.
Sept. 12 am County Commission meets
today at 10 am. It's our understanding that both Earl Elliot from Lizemores
Fire Dept and 911 Director Pat Beets will be in attendance. Might be a
good chance for some daytime fireworks.
Sept. 12 am Clay Roane PSD will
hold their monthly meeting Thursday evening at the Procious Water Plant.
The complete agenda is over on the ADVISORY page.
Sept. 12 am After yesterday's
rain, it's feeling more like Fall. No humidity and cooler temps.
Dry weather is predicted for the four day Apple Festival. Received an email
from Entertainment head honcho Terri Lively which read: Clay Elementary
School Choir will perform on Friday a.m. at 0900 hours including the National
Anthem. Clay Middle School Choir will perform at the end of the previously
mentioned performance. Live Spoon Playing Performance at the Literary Arts
Show!!!!!!!
Sept. 12 am 9/11 memorials and
remmembrances were all over TV yesterday. Gen Betrayus was still talking.
Couldn't help but think about the 3800 since the attack that have fallen
and the
cost of the oil war to this country. Thursday evening the Shurb is
suppose to say he's
bringing home a few soldiers next year.
Sept. 12 am All this might sit
better if we were fighting a war against the countries that attached us.
Sept. 11 am What do you remember from
your childhood? FDR speeches on the radio? Kennedy's funeral? Shuttles'
blowing apart? Sept. 11th? Where were you? What were you doing around 8:40
am. Today's the day we remember and wear those American flags.
if not now, when?
Sept. 11 am From the email bag: Congratulations
to Josh Lively who was the low medalist for Clay County's recent golf match
with Ritchie, Gilmer, and Roane at Roane County. Josh shot a 38 to lead
all golfers. Clay played a great round but finished 3rd with a total of
170 strokes. Ritchie finished 1st with 161, Gilmer 2nd with 163 and Roane
4th with 192. Great job Clay. Coach
Kearns
Sept. 11am Over on the homepage
, on the right is a new Big Apple button for quick reference to the county's
four day party.
Sept. 11 am Around town we're
cleaning up, washing windows, painting, power washing brick, replacing
burned out bulbs, scrubbing sidewalks and more. It's Apple Festival time
in the Appalachian mountains of Clay West Virginia. And Yes there's going
to be reaaal traffic problems with the Dundon bridge one lane section.
The only question is: Which county official peed off the bridge people
so bad, they haven't worked in two weeks?
Sept. 11 am Last night the Clay County
Health Board convened an emergency meeting. Who called the meeting? No
ones knows. There was no mention of a quorum of the Board asking for the
meeting.
Sept. 11 am Director Klotzbach said
some personnel "issues" had to be addressed right now! Right Now!!!
Center of attention was RN/Sanitarian Jay Carper. Mr.
Carper thought the Board had to operate in secret. The state code on that
topic is over on the ADVISORY page. Wrong Jay, Oh so wrong.
Sept. 11 am With thick oak doors, trucks
roaring passed, and the sound of rain coming thru the building's roof,
it was hard to hear what they were talking about. From street talk it sounded
like the Director and Carper were at it over his two titles, Director of
Nursing and County Sanitarian.
Sept. 11 am 60 minutes of the 70 minute
meeting was held behind closed doors. Afterwards, the Chair said all the
issues had been worked out and no greivance had been filed with the Civil
Service folks..
Sept. 11 am Boardster Herman
Rogers said he resigned from appointed office but it had nothing to do
with the emergency meeting or this matter.
Sept. 10 pm Samuel Townsend,
77, of Procious, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 10 am No it wasn't vacation time
for us. We've been working on the 2007 Tourism map due out during the Big
Apple. Sorry no weekend wrap up this time around.
Sept. 10 am Great big Happy
Birthday wishes to Bill Fisher from Johnnie, Kristie & boys
Sept. 10 am From the email bag:
HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY WISHES TO TAMMY FERREBEE, WE LOVE YOU, FROM: MOM, DAD,
ISAAC, ERICA, TIMMY AND JENETTA
Sept. 10 am Belated, from the
email bag: Happy 29th Birthday wishes for Chris and Christina on September
9
Sept. 10 am Been quiet
around the county of Clay. It's as if something is silently boiling and
ready to explode.
Sept. 10 am Just a couple reminders:
when a government agency calls an Emergency meeting of the Board, an agenda
MUST be posted outside the meeting house. To call an Emergency meeting,
there must be qualified reasons for the gathering as to why the situation
can't wait until the public can be given more notice.
Sept. 8 am Walter “Bob” Pierson
Jr., 70, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 8 am Roy Lee Ellis, 72,
see OBITUARY page
Sept. 8 am Inquiring minds want ta
know... Yelp Jim Knotts attended Thursday's BDA meeting. True, innocent
until proven guilty, but....
Sept. 8 am 14 months ago Clay County's
Harry Tanner stabbed a good samaritan to death. He plead guilty to the
felony and was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. The full write up from
the Ocala Star Banner web site is over on the ADIVOSRY page. His
alleged accomplice, Tressy Beth Moore, 29, also of Clay, has yet to stand
trial or plea.
Sept 8 am We have a beautiful
weekend ahead of us. Check out the EVENTS page for great yard sale opportunities.
Don't forget the Karoke contest at CCHS today beginning at noon. Air conditioned
comfort and soft seats too.
Sept. 7 am Town Council person
Llyn Drake was fuming last night during the rescheduled Town Council meeting.
Here's the skinny...
Sept. 7 am Drake wants to be the Municipal
Judge. Two years ago the Town hired Henry Bear (from Canada) as Municipal
Judge. Drake wanted the post back then. Since getting elected to Council
in June, she has been hard at work laying plans to set up a costly Municipal
Court in Clay. At each meeting she made it clear, she wants the money,
I mean the Judgeship.
Sept. 7am In August she
presented proposed ordinances to implement the Court. Her goal was to quickly
get the law on the books and her in the robe. How quick? Under the Llyn
plan, Council would have approved the ordinance last night, sent her to
Judge school in Nov and then started issuing tickets. Upon taking
the bench $500/mth, she would give up her Council seat ($100/month).
Sept. 7 am The vote on the ordinance
wasn't even on the agenda last night. Each time she brought up the ordinance,
Mayor Brown said they would talk about it later. She demanded to know who
knocked the legs out from under her plan. No answers came. Mayor Brown
had his hands full!
Sept. 7 am It was obvious to
everyone except Ms Drake, there was resistance to her Court and Judge notion.
Sept. 7 am Each time she demanded an
explanation, her face got redder and redder. At one point, just before
a secret time, Councilman Jerry Stover told everybody to put their cards
on the table. Mayor Brown did just that.
Sept. 7 am He said he was in favor
of a Court just not her high dollar affair. He said that he felt the Court,
new police officer, supplies and related expenses might cost the Town as
much as $5000 per month.
Sept. 7 am With the rug pulled out
from under her, Llyn Drake looked like she was going to explode. May have
too! Secret time was called to discuss personal items and the public left
the meeting room.
Sept. 7 am. The Apple Festival also
came up last night. The Mayor hired Paris Workman for Badge duties during
the Big Apple. Volunteer Badges will be helping with traffic control around
the Dundon Bridge Ski slope during the Apple. Thank goodness for that!
Sept. 7 am Connie Lupardus from
the CAEZ addressed Council last night. Lupardus wants the Town to take
possession of the old Dundon bridge. Lupardus wants the iron structure
used as a tourist draw as part of a hiking trail complete with a small
park on the Dundon side of the Elk River.
Sept. 7 am Recorder Dwana Murphy told
Council, the addition of the bridge would not raise insurance rates.
Sept. 7 am No decision made Thursday
evening . Mayor Brown said Council would make a speedy decision on the
ownership issue.
Sept. 7 am Can't you see it clickers?
A two mile walking trail that includes the bridge, a small park, benches
here and there, a place to put in canoes and small boats between the FasChek
store and the Courthouse, and a green space across from the Courthouse
complete with trees, grass, benches and gazebo.
Sept. 7 am Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Much
to nice for us!
Sept. 7 am We're ready for a
weekend folks. Check out the EVENTS page for stuff to do. Tonight the Panthers
take on Ritchie County in home feild action. Listen to the game on 101.7
FM.
Sept. 7 am Sunday is the big 100 Anniversary
celebration at Maysel Baptist Church.
Sept. 7 am Enjoy and check back often.
Sept. 6 pm Clay County Business
Development Authority meets this afternoon at 5pm in the County Commission
room. With agenda posted , the question is: Who will attend tonight's BDA
meeting?
Sept. 6 pm Clay Town Council rescheduled
their monthly meeting for 6pm this evening. Council meets at the water
plant on Main Street.
Sept. 6 pm In Summer 05 former
Senator Randy Schoonover sold drugs to an undercover informant. A
Grand Jury charged him with felony delivery of a controlled subject.
Sept. 6 pm This morning around 11 am
Randy Schoonover plead guilty to the felony charge and received his sentence.
With 15 years of prison time staring him in the face Judge Thomas
Cadle sentenced Schoony to one year of home confinement and the balance
of the time on parole plus pay a little in Court costs.
Sept. 6 pm During the hearing Schoony
said he sold 12 Oxy's for $100.
Sept. 6 pm Did we say 15 years????
Sept. 6 pmHome confinement. Boy that's
going to be tough to handle.
Sept. 6 pm It's 1 in the morning.
Too seepy. Update coming later today
Sept. 6 pm When you see Fred
Sampson today, wish him a Happy 77th Birthday, one day early.
Sept. 5 am A man feared his wife was
not hearing as well as she used to, and he thought she might need a hearing
aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to
discuss the problem. The doctor told him there is a simple,
informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea
about her hearing loss. "Here's what you do," said the doctor. "Stand about
40 feet away from her and in a normal conversational speaking tone see
if she hea rs you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until
you get a response." That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking
dinner, and he was in the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away.
Let's see what happens." In a normal tone he asks, "Honey, what's
for dinner?" No response. So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about
30 feet from his wife, and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still no
response. Next he moves into the di ning room where he is about 20
feet from his wife and asks, "Honey, What's for dinner?" Again, no response.
So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's
for dinner?" Again, there is no response. So he walks right up behind
her. "Honey, what's for dinner?" "Earl, for the 5th time,
CHICKEN!"
Sept. 5 am And one more:
Sister Mary Katherine entered the Monastery of Silence. The Priest said,
"Sister, this is a silent monastery. You are welcome here as long as you
like, but you may not speak until directed to do so. "
Sister Mary Katherine lived in the monastery for 5 years before the Priest
said to her, "Sister Mary Katherine, you have been here for 5 years. You
can speak two words." Sister Mary Katherine said, "Hard bed." "I'm sorry
to hear that," the Priest said, "We will get you a better bed."
After another 5 years, Sister Mary Katherine was called by the Priest..."You
may say another two words, Sister Mary Katherine." "Cold food," said Sister
Mary Katherine, and the Priest assured her that the food would be better
in the future. On her 15th
anniversary at the monastery, the Priest again called Sister Mary Katherine
into his office. "You may say two words today." "I quit," said Sister Mary
Katherine. "It's probably best," said the Priest, "You've done nothing
but B**** since you got here."
Sept. 4 am MAY DAY MAY DAY
Made a mistake yesterday. Town Council will NOT be meeting Tuesday as is
the normal. Turns out they want to partake of the free vittles at
the CAEZ annual meeting at Fairview Baptist Church. No Council meeting
tonight. Their meeting has been rescheduled for this Thursday evening.
My mistake.
Sept. 4 am From the email bag:
The CCHS golf team recently traveled to Cherry Hill Golf Club in Richwood
to take on the Lumberjacks. Clay prevailed with the help of low medalist
Josh Lively who turned in a 38. Congratulations Clay!
Coach Kearns
Sept. 4 am Even with lots of
yellow brochures around the county, lots of folks are wondering about the
Big Apple Festival next week. Wonder no more. They've
got a web site complete with the entire schedule. Just click the link
and have every question answered! When you're over there, take
a look at the prize money. Not too shabby for little ole Clay!
Sept. 4 am From last night's
School Board meeting... just a few parents showed up to ask about the recently
distributed I Hate School book handed out to second graders. No yelling
screaming from either side. The Somber Super said no more of those books
will be distributed.
Sept. 4 am As with many funerals,
it was a cloudy, rainy day. The deceased was a little old lady who had
devoted her entire married life to nagging at her poor husband. When
the graveside service had no more than terminated, there was a tremendous
burst of thunder accompanied by a distant lightning bolt and more
rumbling thunder. The little old man looked at the pastor and calmly
said, "Well, she's there."
Sept. 3 am Happy Labor Day to all that
get the day off from work duties. Despite the holiday, the School Board
is holding their meeting at the Standard Bryant Annex on Gump Street.
Sept. 3 am Town Council
meets this Tuesday. Most likely they will decide the fate of the idea to
establish a costly Municipal Court that will pay for itself with stepped
up parking and traffic ticket enforcement. Oh Brother!
Sept. 3 am Free food at Tuesday Annual
Dinner of the CAEZ. See EVENTS page for details.
Sept. 3 am Marriage is a three-ring
circus: Engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering
Sept. 3 am There are two times
when a man doesn't understand a woman: Before marriage and
after marriage.
Sept. 3 am John was on his deathbed
and gasped pitifully. "Give me one last request, dear," he said.
"Of course, John," his wife said softly. "Six months after I die,"
he said, "I want you to marry Bob." "But I thought you hated Bob," she
said. With his last breath John said, "I do!"
Sept. 2 am Before the weekend wrap
up, some in the county still think putting fluoride in the water supply
is the right thing to do. Here's some web info on what's
wrong with water operators dispensing drugs into your water.
Sept. 2 am Wrapping up another week,
month, and summer time...
Sept. 2 am We can breath a little easier
this weekend. Rove is officially gone from the White House as is Gonezales.
On the down side, Congress returned to Washington.
Sept. 2 am A Marine Sgt. ordering
the killing of 24 civilians... a notorious prison of torture and not one
person held accountable. When history books are written what will be left
out? Was that us?
Sept. 2 am There have been 4,035
coalition deaths -- 3,737 Americans, two Australians, 168 Britons, 13 Bulgarians,
one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian,
33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 21 Poles, two Romanians,
five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians
-- in the war in Iraq as of August 31, 2007, according to a CNN count.
Sept. 2 am Here at home summer ended
and schools reopened. There was the smell of new wax... rules were written
on white boards ..kids carried new backpacks with new three ring binders
and unsharpened pencils ....the biggest challenge for the brats was figuring
out combination locks on lockers .... High Schoolers worked to walk with
their britches down below the crack of their butt.
Sept. 2 am For the administration,
sewers didn't work right sending smelly juices flowing into the playgrounds,
text books didn't arrive on time, and parents raised their voices over
longer bus rides to the new Valley Dale Elem. Of course when you build
$8 million non community schools, that's what you get, longer bus rides.
Where were those irate parents during the public hearings for the new school?
Sept. 2 am Green vines lost their leaves
revealing the last bright red juicy tomatoes. Corn got leathery as the
greenery turned brown. Front porch flower pots were switched from Petunias
to yellow and burnt orange Mums. Trucks were seen carrying loads of firewood.
Schoonover Bradley Field was filled to the brim Friday night as the Panthers
put it all over those nasty Braxton Eagles.
Sept. 2 am The week opened with
the arrest of Business Development Authority member and businessman Jim
Knotts Monday evening. He stands charged with 48 felonies of sexual
abuse of a 10 year old girl more than 16 years ago. As word spread of the
allegations, other stories came ... more charges from other victims may
soon be filed.
Sept. 2 am Mid week, shiney new freebee
books were handed out to all 2nd graders. The book I Hate School
told the story of a little girl with a vivid imagination on what school
would be like on the first day. The message was clear, after attending
school, the little girl liked school and her imagination was just that,
just scary thoughts. The book's message went right over the
heads of many and a ban the books campaign got underway.
Sept. 2 am It might be a good
idea to add a book bonfire to the Apple Festival events. Maybe a Saturday
night bonfire would be perfect to show our dimly lit mindset to the world.
Let's see know, first we'll burn the I Hate School book and then
those pesky, fibbing science books and then the......
Sept. 2 am Now Labor Day weekend. The
traditional end of Summer. Humidity is gone. Three days of time off before
the Big Apple and Fall gets underway.
Sept. 2 am The upcoming week is full
of public meetings. Those meetings including Monday night's 6pm School
Board meeting may be a good chance to take control of what is rightfully
ours, the government.
Sept. 1 am Chessie A. Woods,
84, of Dille, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 1 am Vinita S. McClain
Johnson Ball, 65, see OBITUARY page
Sept. 1 am The Communicator made it
to the stands Friday afternoon. If you want to know about Clay County West
Virginia, you need to read the county's only source for reaaal news and
views.
Sept. 1 am This morning at 10 the BC&G
RR Co-Op will be drawing for the winner of their truck and quilt raffle.
Fun takes place at their Welcome Center at Two Run.
Sept. 1 am Last night the Clay County
HS Panthers put it all over Braxton during the second home game of the
season. Go Clay!
Sept. 1 am Yard Sales everywhere today.
Need a place to set up? Try the radio station in downtown Clay. Ronda is
going to be selling cakes and others goodies like some kind of Oreo cookies
dipped in chocolate and on a stick like a sucker. Yum yum
Sept. 1 am With new government checks
in hand, what's the locals buying? Food? Gas? Rx? Nope, scratch off lottery
tickets!
Sept. 1 am It was mealtime during
a flight on Hooters Airline. "Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant
asked John, seated in front. "What are my choices?" John asked.
"Yes or no," she replied"
Sept. 1 am A college teacher
reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't
tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might
consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness,
or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other
excuses whatsoever!" A smart-arss guy in the back of the room raised
his hand and asked, "What would you say if tomorrow I
said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?"
The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When
silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student,
shakes her head and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd
have to write the exam with your other hand."