Aug. 31 am Clay Roane PSD Boil Water Order remains in place. Boil it First!

Aug. 31 am Hey we've got two BDA meetings this week. This morning at 9 am the Clay County Business Development Authority meets in Special Session to discuss becoming a Certified Business Community. Their regular meeting will convene at 5pm Thursday. Both meetings will be held in the Commission room. On the Thursday agenda is mention of a potential business for the old Filcon site near Ovapa and demolition or sale of the building

Aug. 31 am  Jimmy and Bev Kearns down in Bomont was victimized Monday evening. Stolen were: a 2001 Honda, A.T.V. ( that  looked  brand new), a portable white refrigerator and a brand new Sylvania Television stolen.  Thugs stole personal checks from Ferrell Friend last week.  Clayberry has changed and it ain't pretty!

Aug. 31 am   We receive many emails from clickers ready to kick butt or are nasty in nature. With the volume, most go without fanfare. Here's a dandy one we just received and worth airing: Your web site is nauseating! I can only imagine what a nightmare your ``newspaper'' - a term I use lightly - must be. As a trained journalist,  I found your drivel deplorable and your execution - yes I mean putting to death - of the written word unfathomable.    If you are intending to masquerade as a newspaper, you need to start by purchasing an AP style manuel and a dictionary. In newspapers, there is no such thing as a ``pee'' test. It's a urine test and any minimally talented writer would know that. If your intention was to be ``tongue in cheek'' you clearly have swallowed yours, and cut off the oxygen supply to your brain. Unless you are writing an editorial, the newspaper is no place for personal diatribes.    Since when do people prescribe to a newspaper? If you're pushing prescriptions, instead of ``subscriptions,''  maybe the DEA needs to know about you! At minimum you should be hauled in charges of felonious wordsmithing.   And PLEASE keep your blatant liberal bias to yourself! If you are going to spend your days masquerading as a journalist, at least have the decency to keep the appearance of fairness.

Lorrie Hicks
pslghicks@earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.

Aug. 31 am Sounds like another happy web clicker to us!

Aug. 31 am  Facing a $250,000 bench warrant, Richard Cummings of Murder Mountain fame showed up at the Courthouse Tuesday. His hearing was continued.

Aug. 31 am  The State vs Gerald Thompson trial got under way Tuesday morning. During Jury selection, only one juror admitted to reading or hearing anything about the meth lab bust in the local paper or "a" web site. Only one! The trial continues today and Thursday.

Aug. 31 am The Larry Thomas murder trial begins Sept. 7th

Aug. 31 am Regional media outlets picked up on Sam Murphy's Fed arrest charges. That Fed detainer was for possession and manufacturing of a firearm or explosive device. The detainer was dated Aug. 26th. We think Samuel Murphy is in deep doo doo!

Aug. 31 am  Common Sense Solutions: If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto. The blockage will be almost instantly removed.    Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.     Avoid arguments with the little woman about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.    . A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button!     If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.      Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.

Aug. 31 am  Remember:   Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.  Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.   And finally, be really nice to your family and friends; you never know when you might need them to empty your bedpan.

Aug. 31 am The Communicator comes out this Friday. Email your community event notices, classifieds and such ASAP. Deadline is Thursday at noon.

Aug. 30 am  Happy Birthday to Alice Faye Bragg

Aug. 30 am It rained like crazy Monday afternoon. Heavy down pours. Several roads were flooded as emergency service crews were called out to block and detour the flooded out areas. By dark thirty last night, the rain had ended and the roads were once again passable. Clayberry remains under a national weather service flood watch until 8pm Tuesday night.

Aug. 30 am We've received several emails declaring Sept. 1st as national stick it up their butts day. The emails are calling for a day where no one buys gasoline. Give it a whirl Sept. 1sr and see what happens.

Aug. 30 am We have an update on the Aug. 7th mid day bomb blasts that rocked downtown Clay. First some background

Aug. 30 am  On Aug. 4th, the Sheriff's office received an anonymous tip called in from a gas station at Amma. The tip went something along these lines: Go over to X spot. The X spot was the location of the box full of home made bombs containing nuts, screws and nails designed to mutilate whoever open the box. Holcomb did not read the message until Monday Aug. 8th. Unfortunately,  Ronnie Hamm did and got blasted big time Aug. 7th.

Aug. 30 am    On Aug. 5th, Sam Murphy came in to pee test, a term of his probation after serving 6 months in CRJ for the shooting of Thomas Holcomb. Young Murphy had stuffed in his britches a "whiz master", a look alike winky containing clean urine, urine capable of passing the pee test. When the Deputy had Murph drop his drawers, Shazaaam, two winkys, one real, one fake. Samuel Murphy went back to CRJ as the state readied  plans to revoke his bail. That was Aug. 5th.   On the 7th, the "grenade bombs" went off. On Monday the 8th, Sheriff Holcomb knew what was going on when he read the anonymous note. Feds were called in and for the most part, little new news has been available to the public.

Aug. 30 am We have news now.

Aug. 30 am  Yesterday, Sam Murphy stood before the Judge for faking a pee test. His attorney, Kevin Duffy was ill and Wayne King stood in for Mr. Duffy. King asked the court for locked down drug treatment for Murphy to be paid for by Sam's family. Things may have been leaning toward the treatment deal until Prosecutor Jim Samples made public a Fed detainer on Murphy.

Aug. 30 am With King just the fill in attorney, the request came to see this Fed "detainer".  Samples back tracked and said the Sheriff had informed him of the document and in reality, he, Samples, hadn't seen it himself. Sheriff Holcomb could not produce a copy of the document either.

Aug. 30 am   With no document, an attorney just filling in, no in state lock down drug treatment facility known, and the "talk of a Federal warrant" ready to be executed if Samuel Murphy was housed some place other than jail, the hearing will be rescheduled.

Aug. 30 am Here's the biggie part clickers. Later Monday evening, Sheriff Holcomb confirmed Sam Murphy was  charged with manufacturing an explosive device[s] on Friday Aug. 26th, Federal charges. We now have a named suspect in the Clay County KaBoom case.

Aug. 30 am   So...... Could one person do it all? Figure out a recipe, gather materials, manufacture the bombs, transport the bombs, rig the bombs to explode, and make the anonymous call?

Aug. 30 am So...... Is Murph the only one to be charged? Doubt it. Watch for more to develop and more quickly now that one charge has been made public.

Aug. 30 am  Get well wishes extended to Kevin "Beanpole" Duffy who is recovering from a brain transplant surgery in Cleveland Clinic. Miss you man!  Just kidding about the brain part.

Aug. 30 am   My neighbor discovered her dog could hardly hear, so she took it to the veterinarian.  He found the problem was hair in it's ears, so  he cleaned both ears and the dog could hear fine.  The vet told her if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the  store and get some  "Nair" hair remover and rub it in it's ears once a month.  The lady goes to the drug store and gets some "Nair" hair remover.

          At the register, the druggist tells her "If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days."  The lady says "I'm not using it under my arms."  The druggist says, "If you're using it on your legs, don't shave for a couple of days."  The lady says "I'm not using it on my legs either, and if you must know I'm using it on my  schnauzer."
       The druggist says, "Stay off your bicycle for a week."

Aug. 29 pm Man it's raining felines and canines today. A flood watch has been issued thru Wednesday evening. For the latest on weather issues, use the weather button on our home page.

Aug. 29 pm  Just got this in the email bag: The Clay County High School Dance Team will be making apple butter for their festival booth.  If you have canning jars that you no longer use in quart, pint and 1/2 pint sizes and would like to donate them please call Darlene Cliver at 587-4858 or Patty Caudill at 587-2510.  We will arrange to have them picked up.  Thank you for your support!!

Aug. 29 pm  Take some Thursday to participate in the Red Cross Blood Drive Thursday. Details on ADVISORY page.

Aug. 29 pm  Gertrude was pregnant.  A terrible  car wreck  left  her  in a deep coma for  six months.  She awakens and sees she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby.   The doctor replies, "Ma'am, you had twins - a boy and a girl. The babies are fine. Your brother came in and named them."   Relieved they survived, she rejoices, but then says,  "Oh, no Doctor...I wish you hadn't let Bubba name them.  Anybody but Bubba.  He's an idiot!" Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"  "Denise," the doctor answers.   "Wow! That's a beautiful name! I was wrong about my brother. I really like the name Denise."  "What's the boy's name?" The doctor replies, "Denephew."

Aug. 29 am Clay Roane PSD issued a Boil Water Order Sunday afternoon after that same White Road regulator went whacky. That's same regulator that went South four weeks ago and left the Wallback area without wa wa for three and 1/2 days in the heat of the summer.

Aug. 29 am Hate to say it clickers, but it's over. With school back in full session this week, Summer is gone.  That back to school schedule is over on the ADVISORY page as is the football and volleyball schedules.

Aug. 20 am The end of the month is a bad time for public meeting coverage. There isn't any. For those looking for something to do...

Aug. 20 am  State vs Gerald Thompson comes back before the Court Tuesday. This is the trial that couldn't get started a few days back for lack of jury pool. Should be a pretty interesting one to sit thru.

Aug. 20 am Yes you sometimes get tossed out when they do juvy stuff, but for the most part, Circuit Court trials and hearing are reaaal informative. Pretty cool to watch the suits maneuver.

Aug. 20 am  So who made the bombs a couple Sundays ago? No one has been charged as far as we can tell. How about a bomber update! Mid week, last week, badges including Clay Badges were over at Stinson in Calhoun County questioning a Groves subject at his home. Those in the area said the Badges were asking about some kind of wire used by the bomb maker.

Aug. 20 am  Down in Crawford Texas, the Christian right demonstrated their faith by getting into fights with the the Cindy Sheehan camp. Click does not play well with others for more.

Aug. 20 am Clay County's Hiram Lewis has thrown his hat in the ring to oust Senator Bird in 2006. Does he have a chance? Keep this in mind, Lewis ran for the Attorney General slot in the last election. Hiram, a Republican, nearly toppled Darrell McGraw missing the overthrow of the long time Demorat with 49.8% of the vote. 8000 more votes and Lewis would be in office. Check out Lewis on his web site.

Aug. 20 am

Aug. 28 late pm   Harold Ray Fitzwater, Sr., 55, see FUNERAL page

Aug. 28 pm BOIL WATER ORDER issued by Clay Roane PSD at 1:50pm today. Remember that regulator on White Road in Wallback that went kaput three weeks ago? It's faulty again. No water pressure. If you have wa wa , Boil it before consuming!

Aug. 28 pm Here's a look from the past seven days...

Aug. 28 pm  Dubbya's costly oil war continues. There have been 2,065 coalition troop deaths including 1,873 Americans. While Rove and company tell us, we're winning Haliburton's battle to increase profits 20 fold, the truth is: those home Iraq hometown soldiers, guards and badges,  ain't doing squat;  while our leaders say the war is just and proper, behind the scenes , we've turned lose 1000 Abu prisoners, turns out, they didn't do anything bad?; that oh so important Iraq constitution, well, it ain't workin either;   and, sensing the mood shift, top brass is asking to stay the course too.

Aug. 28 pm Fortunately, after being lied to over and over, America is learning. The most recent Gallop poll documents the rift in this country. Is Iraq our next Vitnam? Sure feels like it.

Aug. 28 pm Good Christians continue yell out "God hates fags" and "God hates you!" Here's how Rev Phelps spreads his message of peace and love.

Aug. 28 pm  Our locals have a hard time staying within home confinement rules. Heck, if Martha Stewart can't stay within the bounds of home confinement, it's no wonder our locals have problems. Yep, Martha received extra time for violating home confinement rules.

Aug. 28 pm Here's the first real volley on the 2006 elction cycle. Wouldn't you think a web site named byrd06.com would be supportive of Senator Robert C? Wrong click on and see the angle the Rove-ittes are heading. The plan: get people thinking, if Byrd is against the war, he must be against our troops. If you think the last election cycle was dirty, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Aug. 28 pm  Here on the home front, Clayberry doesn't care about the war, gas prices, water rate increases, home fuel increases, power bills going up. We don't care! Example: During the last 27% water rate increase hearing, not one person showed to speak out. When gas prices went to $2.70 per gallon, so what. who cares?

Aug. 28 pm This week Deputy Chad Sizemore headed off to greener pastures down in Kanwha County. Can you blame him? We spend more on our jail bill than employee wages.   Two weeks ago, Courthouse employees received a $150 per month pay  increase. This week the ambulance folks received 80 cents on the hour increase during the CCC meeting.

Aug. 28 pm Friday night, the CCHS mud bath football game went to the Nicholas County Grizzlies, 19 to 18. Without times out left to slow the game and do some thinkin', there was little Coach Ron Sirk could do to stem the tide of mud. Go Panthers!

Aug. 28 pm And Summer ended this week. With school starting back, it's all over for another year. Put away the swim trunks and baseball, Fall and the Apple Festival are right around the corner.

Aug. 28 pm  The Lone Ranger was ambushed and captured by an enemy Indian war party.  The Indian Chief proclaims, "So, you are the great Lone Ranger. In honor of the Buffalo Festival, you will be executed in three days. But, before I kill you, I will grant you three requests. What is your first request?" The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse." The Chief nods and Silver is brought before the Lone Ranger, who whispers in Silver's ear, and the horse gallops away.  Later that evening, Silver returns with a beautiful blonde woman on his back. As the Indian Chief watches, the blonde enters the Lone Ranger's tent and spends the night. The next morning the Indian Chief admits he's impressed. "You have a very fine and loyal horse, but I will still kill you in two days. What is your second request?"          The Lone Ranger again asks to speak to his horse. Silver is brought to him, and he again whispers in the horse's ear.. As before, Silver takes off across the plains and disappears over the horizon.   Later that evening, to the Chief's surprise, Silver again returns, this time with a voluptuous brunette, even more attractive than the blonde. She enters the Lone Ranger's tent and spends the night.                 The following morning the Indian Chief is again impressed. "You are indeed a man of many talents, but I will still kill you tomorrow. What is your last request?" The Lone Ranger responds, "I'd like to speak to my horse, ....alone."

           The Chief is curious, but again he agrees, and Silver is brought to the Lone Ranger's tent. Once they're alone, the Lone Ranger grabs Silver by both ears, looks him square in the eye and says loud enough to be heard, "READ MY LIPS, I said, BRING POSSE".

Aug. 27 pm  Happy Birthday to PaPa Buck Coleman and Uncle Randy Townsend from Mika & Savanna on August 28, 2005.  We Love You PaPa and Uncle Randy.

Aug 27 pm This is one of those Saturday's where it feels good to nod off on the couch and catch up on some much needed  ZZZZZzs. Gloomy is the word for today. Overcast and still the drizzle continues.

Aug 27 pm  World's truest and shortest fairy tale:    Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?" The girl said "No."   And the guy lived happily ever after and went golfing a lot.   THE END

Aug 27 pm Saturday night is a tradional night to have some and drink a few beers. Maybe find some little sweetie, a little huggin and suckin face.    After cleaning up, applying the smell good oils, and putting on your Saturday night clothes, be sure to check out this link. Reminds me of the old Coyote date joke.

Aug 27 pm  And for you clickers that get all bummed out on gloomy days, an inspirational story:  There was this man who lost one of his arms in an accident. He became very  depressed because he had loved to play guitar and a lot of things that took  two arms.     One day he had had it. He decided to commit suicide. He got on an  elevator and went to the top of a building to jump off.   He was standing on the ledge looking down and saw this man skipping along  whistling and kicking up his heels. He looked closer and saw this man didn't  have any arms at all.   He started thinking. what am I doing up here feeling sorry for myself, I still have one good arm to do things with. There goes a man with no arms skipping down the sidewalk happy and going on with his life.

       He hurried down and caught the man with no arms. He told him how glad he was  to see him because he had lost one of his arms and felt ugly and useless and  was going to kill himself.    He thanked him again for saving his life and he new he could make it with  one arm if that guy could on with no arms. The man with no arms began  dancing and whistling and kicking up his heels again.   He asked "Why are you so happy anyway? " He said "I'm NOT happy; my butt itches

Aug 26 am  Mary "Mable" Ward Douglas, 90, of Ivydale,  see FUNERAL page

Aug. 26 am  Happy 27th Birthday Marsha Moore

Aug. 26 am  Clay County PSD met yesterday. After years and years of "it's not our fault" the long delayed Lizemores / Tuckers Bottom water line extension project is going to bid. According to the office manager, ads will be in newspapers today. According to Keith "Mr. Happy" King, it will take up to 90 days for the rest of the paper work to be completed and then and then...

Aug. 26 am They can start moving dirt!!!!!!!! Hold your breath but it sounds like reality this time clickers.

Aug. 26 am Sure seems like the PSD Chair would have smiled, grinned, or in some way said, " Finally! This is wonderful for the people of Clay County!"  Well, he didn't. Not a happy wrinkle anywhere and not a mention of the engineering "glitches" glossed over during an earlier Commission meeting.

Aug. 26 am  Did we mention full time Ambulance personnel received an 80 cent on the hour pay increase during the last CCC meeting. They did as well as part  timers moving up the pay scale ladder.

Aug. 26 am  Deputy Chad Sizemore has left the building!  Sizemore finished up his chores Tuesday and is heading to Charleston PD. Life in the big city and a much bigger check too.

Aug. 26 am  Over the scanner , last night, 10:35pm, Sheriff Holcomb  was heard: Heading to DHHR with  6 females and 1 male juvy. Not sure what was going on. A little earlier, a peed off sounding Holcomb: No one was shot, a signal 10, he thought he was being funny I guess.

Aug. 26 am Tonight the Panthers take on Nicholas County Grizzlies at Schoonover/Bradley Stadium beside the high school. Take a portable radio and listen to 101.7 FM play by play with Aaron Shamblin and Brian King. Go Panthers!!

Aug. 26 am   No racing action at O"Brion International Speedway this weekend but it's Ladies Night at Summer Jam. Stephanie Moore and Three of a Kind will be performing. Special treats for the ladies in attendance.

Aug. 26 am It's not too late to enjoy Clay County this summer.

Aug 26 am   Overheard on an airline:    "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments." !

Aug 26 am   "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.  Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants.  Please do not leave children or spouses."

Aug 26 am  And from the pilot during his welcome message:  "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry.  Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

Aug 26 am  Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking.  I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt!"

Aug 26 am    Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day:  During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo.  Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

Aug. 25 am  Paul Harvard Sirk, 89, of Duck, see FUNERAL page

Aug. 25 am Complete update coming this afternoon. In the mean time

Aug. 25 am  Two bowling teams, one of all Blondes and one of all Brunettes, charter a double-decker bus for a weekend gambling trip to Louisiana.   The Brunette team rode on the bottom of the bus, and the Blonde team rode on the top level.   The Brunette team down below really whooped it up, having a great time, when one of them realized she hadn't heard anything from the Blondes upstairs. She decided to go up and investigate. When the Brunette reached the top, she found all the Blondes frozen in fear, staring straight- ahead at the road, clutching the seats in front of them with white knuckles.   The brunette asked, "What the heck's going on up here? We're having a great time downstairs!"  One of the Blondes looked up at her, swallowed hard and whispered......."YEAH, BUT YOU'VE GOT A DRIVER!"

Aug. 24 pm First a belated Birthday wish to Jillissa Ryan

Aug. 24 pm Next, sometime last week we posted that the town had never had a certified bone fide paper trained police officer. Wrong Wrong Wrong. Linda Morehead reminded us, back in the 80's, Frank Carnage received police academy basic training, served in the town a short while and then went for better $ elsewhere. Just a few year back, Deputy Miles Slack served as a part time officer for the Town. Slack is also fully certified.

Aug. 24 pm State Code does NOT require a Chief of Police, a county Sheriff nor the Chief Deputy ( non civil service) to have any type of police training.

Aug. 24 pm Yesterday, 89 year old Paul Sirk died. Mr. Sirk lived just off O'Brion creek road. Each day he drove his garden tractor down to the mail box. Yesterday, somehow, someway, the tractor flipped over ,down  to the creek bed, killing Sirk instantly.

Aug. 24 pm Remember Richard Cummings of Murder Mountain fame? Cummings stands charged with shooting Tommy Young Sr. last Sept. Yesterday, Mr. C was to appear in Court. He never showed. Turns out, no one knows where Richard is. The Court will try again next week. On the QT, watch for all charges to be dismissed before trial date.

Aug. 24 am From the email bag: I want to wish Hunter Dean Sizemore a very Special Happy  Birthday! for August .  we all love you bub!

Aug. 24 am Lets see now... the average water bill for Clay Roane PSD customers is above $60 per month. Ditto for Clay County  and Queen Shoals PSDs. The Town of Clay's is around $40. What time is it? It's time for an emergency rate increase for the municipality.

Aug. 24 am  With the town wholesaling water to Clay County PSD and Clay Roane PSD, they will have to raise rates to keep up with higher expenses.

Aug. 24 am From our knowledge center, true or false, Did Dubbya create a Jesus Day?  Answer is Yes.

Aug. 24 am  How about some biblical info. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalm 117 What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalm 119     Which chapter is in the center of the Bible? Answer - Psalms 118 . Of course the question is, which bible. Here's some answers clickers.

Aug. 24 am Team Bush have maintained that abstinence is the only approach to the teen pregnancy issue. Funding was increased in each of the last three years at the expense of programs that did help. Now the Feds have stopped the program. Here's another check mark for the ACLU guys in DC.

Aug. 24 am Here's an interesting off the wall web site offering thoughts never heard on commercial news outlets. Here's Crooks and Liars. Political? Of course and bookmark it too

Aug. 24 am Are you sitting there eating on a doughnut? A honey bun? Did the doctor tell you to drop 30 pounds?  Don't feel like the lone ranger. The country is getting fatter. Read all about the spread.

Aug. 24 am  Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin." - Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)

Aug. 24 am  Until I  was thirteen, I thought my name was shut up. - Joe Namath

Aug. 23 am The Communicator made it to the news stands Monday afternoon around 4pm. 24 pages chocked full of news and views from the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, Clay County . the above the fold story is cobbled together bomb making story  including an interview with the Sheriff.

Aug. 23 am  Today is the day teachers hate the worst. Today is the first day back to work after summer off. Today they all come together to hear school officials tell them how great things are in school land and how education will again improve to higher levels this year.   Little mention will be made of the West Test results from last Spring. Just as well too. It will take a little longer for the administration to come up with  a good spin on the results.

Aug. 23 am Thursday at noon , Clay Roane PSD will hold their rescheduled monthly meeting  in their Main Street digs across from the Courthouse. The long stalled Lizemore/Tucker's Bottom water line extension project should go to bid next week. Keep your fingers crossed.

Aug. 23 am   Last night's County Commission meeting was packed wall to wall. Reps from the three fire departments and public service districts came together to work out a plan to prevent incidents like the big time water line break three weeks ago on White Road at Wallback.

Aug. 23 am Any organization would be nice and now it sounds like the two groups may put together fire hydrant water pressure reports and make contact lists of each group available to other groups. Wouldn't that be nice! The right hand knowing what the left hand if doing before the right hand screws something up royal.

Aug. 23 am  Well, we've got egg all over our face. That Community Developer spot we referenced yesterday was all washed up. it's not a job but an appointment to some weekend award ceremony this fall for someone that has added greatly to the development of Clayberry. The CCC may be hard pressed to find anyone or anything community development wise in the last 12 months. No one was chosen and the elected folks are searching for the right person.

Aug. 23 am  This young cowboy walks into a seedy cafe in a small town in West Texas.  He sits at the counter and notices an older cowboy with his arms folded staring blankly at a bowl of chili.  after about 15 minutes of just sitting there staring at it, the young cowboy bravely asks,  "if you ain't goin to eat that, mind if I do"?  The older cowboy slowly turns his head toward the young wrangler and in his best cowboy manner states "Nah, go ahead".  Eagerly, the young cowboy reaches over and slides the bowl over to his place and starts spooning it in with delight.  He gets nearly down to the bottom and notices a rotten dead rat in the chili. The sight was shocking and he immediately pukes up the chili into the bowl.  The old cowboy quietly says, "Yep, that's as far as I got, too".

Aug. 22 am Happy Monday morning. Parents, just think, in a couple more days those little snot lickers will be out the door for another 9 months!    Tonight the County Commission meets at 6pm. Pretty long agenda too. Here's a couple interesting items

Aug. 22 am Ambulance employees showed up last meeting thinking they would be receiving  a pay raise. Didn't happen. With all other county employees getting $150 per month increases July 1st, look for ambulance folks to go up the scale tonight.

Aug. 22 am  On tonight's agenda is the hiring of a Community Developer. Wonder if that is the Business Development Authority spending some of their $30,000 grant?  Hard to imagine the BDA making a recommendation to the CCC since the group hasn't met in August to discuss and vote a recommendation.

Aug. 22 am  Jacob Nichols resigned from the Library Board. The CCC is to vote in a new member this evening to fill that slot.  Remember Jacob Nichols?

Aug. 22 am  Mr. Nichols was the guy that received a standing ovation July 13th after saying there should only be one religion for this country and Buddhists and Jews should have fewer Constitutional rights than white bible thumping fundamentalists. The crowd loved him! Young Nichols has now left the county of Clay for greener pastures

Aug. 22 am During that stormy meeting in July, some of the good Christians told those in favor of keeping the Constitution in place and abiding by US Supreme Court decisions, to leave the county, that there is no place for "your" kind here in Clayberry.

Aug. 22 am And finally for this quiet Monday morning, a message for Jacob. Maybe your search for greener pastures and more $ will also open your heart and mind to people of other faiths and non faiths. Maybe exposure to the outside world will reveal a a different temperamentto the country that we live in today.  Clay is a place for all people to live, raise kids, and retire,  even those of color and those that believe a faith other than yours.

Aug. 22 am  Don't miss tonight's County Commission meeting. Bring your own popcorn. Judy Moore only supplies the coffee.

Aug. 21 am  With Dubbya telling us the oil war was coming along nicely, there have been 2,053 coalition troop deaths, 1,861 Americans, 93 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Dane, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 26 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of August 20, 2005. Here's the faces of those wasted in Dubya's blood bath. And there are heroes in the struggle. George ain't one of em!

Aug. 21 am Man it was a killer weather wise this past week. Humidity made it all but impossible to do much. Two storm fronts moved thru this week giving those with cisterns a chance to restock water supplies. A Friday morning storm left some without electricity. Parents and kids went about purchasing new outfits for back to school.

Aug. 21 am Gas prices made it to $2.70 per gallon. People complained but filled up just the same.

Aug. 21 am Clayberry made regional news this past week as TV cameras filmed downtown Clay where several locals commented on the need of more than a volunteer cop. Sheriff Holcomb continued saber rattling with threats of forcing the town to hire a paid badge thru court action.

Aug. 21 am Our Health Dept. Board met this week and re-voted the 100% ban on smoking in the work place. Re-voted? The five member board goofed up in the Spring when the Chair made the motion, then seconded the motion and then accepted the 4 to 2 decision.  Remember, that's a five member Board. Without benefit of sealed bids, the Boardsters voted to buy a new 3 wheel drive pick em up truck from Telford's on Main Street.

Aug. 21 am  Deputy Chad Sizemore finished up his last full week  in the black shirt. He head's to higher pay at the Charleston PD on the 25th.

Aug. 21 am  ATF agents were back in the county Thursday investigating the Aug. 7th home made pipe bomb incident inside the municipal boundary. Sheriff Holcomb reassured all that the general public was not in any danger since the target of the kabooms was the law enforcement community. No arrests that we know of, maybe the bomb maker is already behind bars?

Aug. 21 am Saturday evening badges raced over to Maysel to aid a green shirt handling two Mexican individuals. Immigration and Naturalization Feds were called into the county. Saturday night the Queen of Israel made it back to CRJ. Sentenced Bruce Bird spent his first full weekend in CRJ. Just 52 more to go!.

Aug. 20 am Happy Birthday wishes to 68 year old O Gene King. Doesn't look a day over 80!

Aug. 20 am Stephanie Bird won a radio station karaoke contest down in Charleston. As a winner, Stephanie will be singing Saturday, September 3rd at the Sternwheel Regatta. She will be performing right before Patty Loveless.   You go girl!!

Aug. 20 am The plan was to have each local school connected to the internet via a wireless high speed network. That was 18 months ago. Wit the company in bankrupt, the wirelsss thang is dead in the water. While Clayberry can forget about wireless internet, India already has the system in place and operating. They expect to have all 600,000 villages connected in 2007.

Aug. 20 am  Well... we're right in the middle of it again!

Aug. 20 am Earlier this week we posted Bonnie Jarrett comments on Sheriff Holcomb not policing the municipality. Ahhh... Bonnie was peed at the top cop to say the least.

Aug. 20 am Now the Sheriff is peed at her! After getting word of the web posting, Top Badge holcomb typed out a letter for distribution in the county. That letter included: Holcomb will continue to take calls within the township but the town has a duty to provide their own police force;  with Chad Sizemore leaving, the Sheriff's Dept. will be under staffed even more; Holcomb never said he wouldn't provide police protection in the town; and, with the county being large, his dept. will respond to town needs but it might take a while!

Aug. 20 am  Attached to the neatly typed letter is a copy of state code 8-2-1 which mandates what town's must do for the citizens.  Section I reads: provide for police and fire protection;  public water and sewer; and solid waste disposal. Commissioner Fran King maintains that means PAID police protection. Currently Mayor Jarrett serves  as a volunteer officer without charge to the town.

Aug. 20 am Town Council held a special meeting four days back. On the issue of hiring a police officer, King Arthur said afterward, " F" hiring an officer. During that special meeting, Jarrett agreed to continue volunteering as Chief and the consensus was to start looking for an officer. Without a Municipal Judge, the town cannot collect the fines and court costs. There was no mention of setting up a Municipal Court during that special meeting.

Aug. 20 am  On the bomb making... ATF agents were back in the county Thursday snooping around. Holcomb is still not talking about the investigation or what the Feds were looking for Thursday.

Aug. 20 am  Holcomb did volunteer that the county should not be too alarmed at the bomb deal since they were not targeted for the general public but rather law enforcement. Full details, as we know it anyway, in Monday's Communicator. Yes we held off Friday's edition in hopes of gathering a little more info. Might have some too! That'll cost you 50 cents!

Aug. 20 am   If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

AUg 20 am If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?

Aug. 20 am  It's hard to imagine summer is almost over for 2005. Take some time and have some fun this weekend. Don't forget racing action at Obrion Oval Speedway and Summer Jam at the radio station tonight at 6pm.

Aug. 19 am With cooler temps the last 48 hours, last night's rain felt nice. Didn't hurt the beans and tomatoes either!

Aug. 19 am  After canceling their normal meeting last week, no word on when Clay County PSD will convene a Board meeting. Guess there is no big rush to get the long awaited and now fully funded Amma/Left Hand project off the shelf and out to bid.

Aug. 19 am  Yesterday we posted  Randy Schoonover got it in the jaw after a shouting match with a Hodge subject. A Tim Hodge phoned to tell us he never punched Schoony yesterday.

Aug. 19 am  Check Classifieds for  a moving sale. The guy has been in the same house for decades and has tons of junk ready to unload!

Aug. 19 am New posts including the very confusing back to school schedule for next week are on the ADVISORY .

Aug. 19 am Last night, members of the Big Otter Fire Dept. held  a meeting at Valley Fork Elem. They planned  to gather public input for improving service by establishing a satellite station in that community. Only a couple of people showed up for the event. With little public notice in that "little" paper over in Clay, the meeting has been rescheduled for Sept. 8th at 7pm

Aug. 18 pm  James Ray Holcomb, 82, of Clay, see FUNERAL page.

Aug. 18 pm Ex Senator Randy Schoonover was involved in a shouting match and later a scuffle this morning. The shouting match was held in the Dollar Store parking lot and was broke up by Mayor/Chief of Police, Arthur Jarrett. After getting into his truck a Hodge subject followed Schoony South on 16 to a pull off spot where the Ex Senator got it in the jaw.

Aug. 18 pm  Arthur Jarrett's wife Bonnie is none too happy with the Sheriff. Since being elected, Holcomb has been less than enthusiastic about patrolling within the municipal boundaries. A couple weeks back the top badge told Town Council he intended to sue the town if they didn't hire a paid professional badge. Currently Mayor Jarrett serves as a volunteer Chief of Police for the municipality. Bonnie is most peed about the Sheriff running for office saying he would serve the entire county and now, refusing to serve town residents. Bonnie added that several local business owners are just as peed at the Sheriff for leaving the town out of police duties.

Aug. 18 pm Yesterday evening scanner listeners heard traffic about a murder in the Southern end of county. Something about a Green Shirt from So Charleston coming up for the investigation. As of 3:30 this afternoon, the Magistrate Office had heard nothing of  a body, murder or anything of the like. A call over to Clay's Green Shirt Central turned up nothing as well. So much for some big juicy story. Also, we've been getting all kinds of emails on bodies, body parts, etc. turning up. As far as we can tell, nothing to it.

Aug. 18 pm If you want your community event, classified, or notice in the next edition of The Communicator, email it in ASAP. Normally the paper should come out Friday around 4pm. Not so this time. We're holding off until Monday Aug. 22nd. We're trying to piece together several stories including the Aug. 7th bomb blasts.

Aug. 18 pm   Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?    Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?    Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?   Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?   Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?   Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?   Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?  Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?   If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?   Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?   Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?    Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?   Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Aug. 18 am   James Oral Whaling, see FUNERAL page

Aug. 17 pm Here's  a mixed bag of goodies from life in Clayberry action for this rainy hump day

Aug. 17 pm A few months back, the Health Board decided what's good for the people of Clay and voted to ban smoking in all places of employment. They said they were banning smokes for health reasons. The ban applies everywhere except the Lion's Club Bingo Hall on Main Street. Those folks aren't susceptible to lung cancer. The vote came without a public hearing. The Boardsters said they wanted to avoid public dialogue. They said they wanted it that way.

Aug. 17 pm  The vote was controversial for several  reasons. One controversy: those in the peanut gallery heard the Bd Chair make both the motion and the second before the vote and heard a non Board member , Doc Boggs cast a vote. When those actions were brought to the forefront, naaaaay, no problem and nope to revoting.

Aug. 17 pm Last night in addition to voting a 5% pay raise for long time RN Jeannie Perdue, voting to buy a new 4WD truck, and tearing out the shrubs in front of the Health Dept. building, they did something else. Last night, after public question, the Clay Health BD acknowledged the original vote was bogus and revoted in the anti smokers policy for a second time.

Aug. 17 pm With the new vote, it sure sounds another 90 day waiting period should apply and for that matter, a public hearing. Last night's vote was 2 to 2 with Chair Connie Harper breaking the deadlock for a second time. OK civil rights folks, here's your second chance to challenge the powers that be.

Aug. 17 pm Yesterday Gerald Thompsonn Jr. was to have stood trial on drug charges of meth lab and growing pot. Didn't happen. Several of the jurors were no shows ( beat Judge Facemire chews some butt ASAP) and those that did show had some strong opinions preventing them being seated on the panel. Some of the younger ones were classmates, fishing and hunting buddies  with young Thompson. Others had family members eat up with drug abuse. Some felt that those on drugs should be locked up and the key thrown away. When the dust settled, the mandatory number of 20 panelists to draw from, was not available. The court will try again at the end of the month.   With drug use and destruction an epidemic in Clayberry, watch for similar jury pool problems in the future.

Aug. 17 pm  And something sure to get the right wing bible thumper juices flowing. Ahhhh...... might go ahead and get a Rolaid now.

Aug. 17 pm Back in June, the US Supreme Court ruled 10 Commandment displays in local Courthouses were illegal and must be removed. Another case was also decided by default. An appeal from Great Falls, South Carolina was turned down. When an appeal is turned down, that's the final step, the lower court ruling stands.  Here's the case.

Aug. 17 pm  In Great Falls, a Wiccan believer asked Town Council to stop doing an opening prayer which included reference to Jesus Christ. Feeling strongly that the Christian majority should now allow for any belief other than their own , Council thumbed their noses at the Constitution, separation of church and state, and the Wiccan lady. A suit followed. Even in the deep South where evangelicals rule the roost, the case was decided in favor of the Constitution and against the idea of government sponsoring one religion over an other. When the US Supreme Court decided NOT to hear the appeal, the fate of having opening prayers at public meetings was sealed. They are illegal.

Aug. 17 pm Most of us know the opening prayer practice is illegal and have known that for years. Just a couple years back, School Board Chair RB Legg quietly changed the way he opens meetings. Legg skirts the law by saying something along the lines of: I'm going to say a prayer and anybody that wants to join me can. When done, he says, now lets open the meeting.

Aug. 17 pm  Here's the new stuff clickers. The Wiccan lady in South Carolina, Darla Wynne, is now asking the Great Falls Town Council to pay her $65,000+ legal bill. According to an Associated Press article, the Town's liability insurance policy will NOT cover such expenses! Is any of this starting to sound familiar? Down in Georgia, a county had to pay $150,000 to the ACLU to cover legal expenses after losing a court challenge to keep a 10 Commandment display at the Courthouse. Now that small town of 2200 in SC will end up paying $65,000.

Aug. 17 pm Does anyone else see a trend here?

Aug. 17 pm Things run smooth until someone, an attorney for instance,  with a magnifying glass, starts looking around. Here in Clayberry, many public bodies violate the Constitution with evangelical prayers. With an illegal 10 display in the Commission room, a newer religious display has been added to the atrium area of the Courthouse. When Commissioner Sams election year ploy, hanging the 10,  gets into Court, more than his display may be lost in the county of Clay.

Aug. 17 pm Thank you Mr. Sams.

Aug. 17 am   Evalene Friend Ward, (Ma Ward), 82, of Ivydale, see FUNERAL page

Aug. 16 am Hello Jennifer, hello Jessica

Aug. 16 am  Tonight the Clay County Board of Health meets in their Main Street digs beginning at 7pm. Never know what they might get into during a meeting. One agenda item mentions the clean indoor air regulation policy while another brings to a vote making public the restaurant violations The Communicator has printed for years. Beat they say there is some kind of security issue with the public knowing who has maggots in the bread box! Since their building is air conditioned, why not show up and watch them. Sure worries the crap out of them when people watch.

Aug. 16 am  Clayberry made the late night news on TV-3 Monday. The news folks highlighted the town of Clay and their use of volunteer cop Arthur Jarrett. Most interviewed, including Sheriff Holcomb, want the town to hire a paid, full time, certified cop to police the municipal thugs. During the Aug. Town Council meeting with Commissioners King & Sams and Holcomb in attendance, there seemed to be an air of agreement for the hiring of a badge. That didn't last long.

Aug. 16 am So what happens when one group of leaders demand action and give a lawsuit ultimatum? In Arthur Jarrett's case, he tells them to stuff it and not in those same words. While Holcomb demands a trained officer be on duty in the town, there is no such requirement in the state code. A Mayor can hire anybody to be the Chief of Police as can a Sheriff be non trained and his top assistant. Other than when Deputy Slack served as a city kitty for two weeks, the town has NEVER had a certified officer on the job.  What TV-3 covered was just one more peeing contest in the Nation of Clay.

Aug. 16 am What Jarrett didn't say was, the town doesn't have the $ to hire and maintain an officer. For a town to make money on tickets it also must set up a municpal judge and court. With the problems Clendenin has had with Municapal Judge Jack Boone (18 lawsuits so far), the town of Clay sure doesn't want to go down that road and King Arthur knows it!

Aug. 16 am And our thought for the day: Some people are like Slinkies....Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Aug. 15 later pm Often we hear, there is no justice, no one ever goes to jail, the thugs make it back home from CRJ before the Badges do! Not so today. Just ask young Brad Stone.

Aug. 15 later pm  Brad Stone was sentenced to one year in the pen by Judge Alsop this morning. That's the penitentiary not CRJ.  Over the last 4 years, Stone has been in trouble and in the court system. Charged with several offenses, Stone could have received years in the slammer. By pleading down to one charge of larceny, he minimized his jail risk

Aug. 15 later pm  Attorney Kevin "Beanpole" Duffy worked for a home confinement, probation deal but Alsop had had enough of the repeater. Given time served , 119 days, Clayberry should breathe a little easier for at least the next 5 months.

Aug. 15 later pm Lets talk bomb maker...... Who done it?  We've been suggesting that a youngster may be behind the attempt to kaboom the Sheriff. Maybe it's time to rethink that. How could a teen have the means, the transportation, etc. to build and set out 6 home made pipe bombs? It really doesn't jive.

Aug. 15 later pm   Maybe what does jive is a peed off bunch of big time meth producers. The guys that make the high test stuff and ship around the state. Certainly with $, the time, and the transportation, it could very well be that the Feds are looking into a big time meth ring. That could also explain their time taken and no arrest.

Aug. 15 later pm   A Fed Grand Jury met Friday Aug. 12th in the Kanawha Valley. Under Fed rules, the findings are not always made public. The Feds can even use grand jury proceedings to further  investigate a case.

Aug. 15 later pm Maybe instead of thinking small fry stuff as our bomber, we should be thinking bigger, much much bigger.

Aug. 15 pm  Our school board meets the first and third Monday night at 6pm. Although Link and Associates refuse to comply with state open meeting laws and post an agenda in advance, School Boardster Beth Cercone provides an agenda on her web site. Items to be covered this evening include:  Approve the employment of a Special Education Teacher  at Clay Elementary School (job posted through August 15, 2005).   Approve the transfer of Linda Workman from Cook II at Clay Middle School to Cook III at Clay Elementary (Dorothy Stephenson's former job).    Approve the employment of a Cook II @ CMS (job posted through August 15, 2005).   Accept the resignation of Denise Murphy as Volleyball Coach @CMS, effective immediately.  Approve the employment of a Volleyball Coach @ CMS.   Approve the employment of Larry Holcomb as substitute teacher for the 2005 - 2006 school year.    Accept the bid of Caroline Stricker for Contract Bus 7C, at the rate of $13,500 for 175 days.    Approve the overnight trip for Clay High FFA to Morgantown for the State Ag. Ed. Career Development Events Competition, Sept. 28 - 30, 2005.    Approve the out of state/overnight trip for the Clay High FFA to the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky, October 25 - 29, 2005.   Approve the out of state/overnight trip for the Clay High FFA to the National Land, Pasture and Range Judging Competition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 29 - May 6, 2006.    Approve the voluntary removal of Christina Tanner's name from the substitute teacher list.

Aug. 15 pm In Appalachia, we build and use our porches on the front porch. We want to see who's going past, to keep an eye on everything. We notice when things look out of place.

Aug. 15 pm  Last Friday and Saturday locals noticed shiny new pick ups in the Hartland area. Men were seen under and around the Hartland bridge. One resident commented the men were looking at the underside of the bridge and supports.

Aug. 15 pm  Another emailer provided that the pickups and fellows were seen walking the river bank in Hartland bottom.

Aug. 15 pm Pick ups and fishermen are common along the Elk. Fishing is pretty good in the Hartland area but these guys didn't have any fishin poles.

Aug. 15 pm Putting three and two together and coming up with four, the mental alarm was sounded. Neighbors called neighbors and put the watch on em.

Aug. 15 pm Many in that community feel the strangers were out looking for something related to the Aug. 6th bombs that went off. So far, no official word from law enforcement.

Aug. 15 pm And man it feels better to have clean sheets and socks once again. It feels better to finish off that glass of ice water and not see milk circles in the bottom. It's even nicer to reach for a fork and find one, a clean one, in the drawer. Life is good!

Aug. 15 pm Over the weekend parents and kids were seen in area discount stores buying new clothes getting ready for that first day back to school. Some teachers headed back to the schoolhouse today preparing for the new year.

Aug. 14 am This was a  monster week in the land of Clay. Here's our review

Aug. 14 am Hot Man Oh Man HOT! Mid to upper 90s.  Dog day summer in the Appalachian Mountains. Tomatoes, berries, squash galore. Kids played in the Elk to escape the heat. Budding teenyboppers in short short cutoffs paraded around as admirers stumbled over their own feet.  Little ole ladies sat on front porches in house coats fanning themselves. It was sweltering

Aug. 14 am This week investigators roared into the county after mid day Sunday bomb blasts rattled windows and sent emergency response crews a scrambling. 6 blasts were heard. By mid week we knew someone was trying to blow away top cop Randy Holcomb with home made devices laden with nails, nuts, and screws. Instead of snagging the Top Badge, Ronnie Hamm felt the percussion of the sizable detonations. Hamm managed to make it thru the blasting with only cuts and scraps.

Aug. 14 am The search was on, who and where did the guy get his materials? From one end of the county to the other and and across county lines, Badges went to work locating the source of the shrapnel. Local responders tried to keep everything under wraps. It take long for the coffeehouse crowd to put it all together.

Aug. 14 am Due to the stepped up efforts of local badges over the last 7 months, someone was peed and ready to do them in. But who?

Aug. 14 am The official word came Wed when regional news crews aired footage of a State Fire Marshall confirming they knew who did it. Arrests were pending. Was the bomb maker an adult or juvy? Is it the big time meth makers peed or some small fry? The coffee house crowd had it this way: Since no one has been arrested, it must be a juvy without ready means to run.

Aug. 14 am Some media outlets started calling Randy Holcomb, Buford Pusser of Walking Tall fame. Holcomb said he would redouble his efforts even after being targeted for bombing. Thinking back on the real life of Buford, some things aren't so funny after all.    With the investigation turned over to the Feds, local Badges went back to busting pot growers, handling drunks beating up one another and domestics.

Aug. 14 am  Between the heat and bombs going off, Clay Town Council held one of those quicky meetings where they voted to ban four wheelers from downtown Clay from dark to daylight. Clay Roane PSD met and said their finances were improving, said things were improving, ....... Clay Roane and Clay County PSDs lifted their Boil Water Orders.

Aug. 14 am  It was a tough week in Clay County, West Virginia and there's no end in sight!

Aug. 13 am Something else firmed up today during the TV-8 coverage on the Clay County Bomber. Sheriff Holcomb confirmed that he was the intended target of the 6  home made bombs. He said that he wasn't threatened by such things and would redouble his efforts. Sounds like he has peed off some meth lab operators. In Clayberry, there are plenty of meth makers to choose from!

Aug. 13 am Although regional news  reports confirm the Feds know who the bomb maker is, no word on arrests. Since the big boys are involved, the charges will be handled in Fed court down in Charleston. If the bomb maker is a juvenile, the Courts may keep things quiet. Some courts still do that.

Aug. 13 am  The Hurherald over in Calhoun County has been giving some pretty good coverage of the kabooming.  Here's one article and a second.

Aug. 13 am It's summer time clickers. Get out and do something! Check the EVENTS page for ideas.

Aug. 13 am  Online Diary, Last Day before the return of wifey:  Soaking 10 day old green looking plates  in the bath tub helps to loosen the crud. Those that didn't come clean are now under the back porch. Sweeping the floor helps to get rid of fleas. Six flea collars laying around on the carpet also helps. After 10 days, peas in the frig start looking like sauerkraut. How do you know when salsa is bad?  Burning candles improves the smell of the house a bunch. I think we're ready for the return of wifey. Wonder if she will notice all the new socks and shorts?

Aug. 12 pm Clay Roane PSD's Boil Water Order for the Wallback area of Clay was lifted today. They say it's safe to drink drink drink.

Aug. 12 pm  TV-8 news crews descended on Clay today. Their noon time coverage provided any new angles. With the film addition of Jeff Davis comments, the 6 pm news may be worth catching.

Aug. 12 am  Usually when regional news crews come into Clayberry, it's to document some dumb bunny politician or selling babies or equally stupid action. Yesterday was different. Yesterday TV-3 came to Clay and let the world know, Clayberry was being pulled into the 21st century. We've read of bombings in far away places, schools, churches and such. We've read of badges getting blasted with home made bombs. Today we know those same 21st century problems have reached our 342 sqaure miles.

Aug. 12 am According to TV-3 reports: those loud explosions heard Sunday Aug. 7th were homemade bombs. Ronnie Hamm was the unfortunate man that was walking thru the woods and stumbled onto the box of 5 "grenade bombs" as he described them, and got blasted. Hamm was lucky. He received lacerations but no long term damage.

Aug. 12 am During the report, the State Fire Marshall said the devices were intended to harm or kill local Badges and they knew who did it. Sheriff Holcomb reported saying the Feds told him to keep his pie hole shut until the investigation is complete.

Aug. 12 am Even with that so called gag order in place, based on the coffee house crowd, we've been able to report on the 6 explosions, some of the searches for  nuts, bolts, drywall screws, and  nail gun nails, the behind the scenes search for those materials ( Amma State Road garage, Clay Camper Co, and a Murphy trailer at Wallback), and even allude to the bombs being made to blow up the poopster... We mean, Sheriff Holcomb.

Aug. 12 am Big thanks to all the emailers and those that provided us info. You are appreciated.  Continuing in the same tradition of innuendoes and second hand gossip, who done it and why?

Aug. 12 am  Since 1 minute after taking office in Jan 2005, Team Holcomb and our local Green Shirts have been working hand in hand to "knock down" the druggies in Clay County. One time, Holcomb admitted Badges could not eliminate the high dollar yielding meth labs in the area but could, " knock em back"

Aug. 12 am Seems the Badges may have gotten a little too close to somebody's operation and a peed off somebody. The somebody was attempting to protect the operation and operators. So who?

Aug. 12 am  Since the Charleston folks have said they know who made the nuts and screws laden devices and not immediately made an arrest, we can guess: the person is a local, is not a flight risk, maybe somebody young without good transportation, and/or, is somebody aware of his predicament and agreed to stay put. That somebody could be cooperating with the Badges. If that somebody is a juvy, then the parents could be co-operating

Aug. 12 am There could be more. Many in Clay feel there is a two tier system of justice where the have nots get tossed into the slammer post haste while others are allowed time to get affairs (lawyers and bond) in order and come in on more convenient terms.

Aug. 12 am Here's our guess: a young, white, male with good family ties who is peed off at Badges for meddling where they don't belong. Maybe someone with a close friend or family member locked up. Even with books galore on how to do about anything, our guess is an internet savvy youth able to search for quick & easy recipes and ingredients. Just a guess.

Aug. 12 am What was the plan? Call up law and say:  want to make a big bust? Come up the hill at X o'clock where so and so has their stash! With baited breath, every Badge in the county would stake out  the place and possibly get the crap blown out of them when they approached the stash.               While many of us still leave our homes unlocked and are lax with security, even in sleepy little Clayberry, the new world is here.

Aug. 12 am Last night Clay Roane PSD met in regular session. A whole bunch of good info was discussed. We'll start posting from that gathering late tonight. For now, how about a teaser? Remember one time Board Chair and now hard to find Board member, Melissa Postelwait? Postelwait was absent from duty last night as has been the case for the most part since she slapped the snot out of Boardster Susan Beard in April.

Aug. 12 am According to new PSD Chair Dave Grisgsby, auditors have found two more questionable checks made out to Ms Postelwait. Leading up the slap fest in April, allegations of misappropriation surfaced on Postelwait writing her own checks and taking pay advances. According to PSD records, Postelwait has not honored her pay back pledge and can now add the two other checks to the things she has to do.

Aug. 12 am Online Diary, Day 11, Return of the Wifey: Us boys have managed to make it thru the last two weeks without major problems. Other than the dryer so full of fuzzy lint it won't shut, the dogs looking a little thinner, and me & the kid without clean undies and socks, we've made it!  With the wifey returning Saturday afternoon, it's time to go into clean up mode. So far we've broomed all the dirty plates, forks, glasses over to the corner, mashed the catsup a little deeper into the carpet (can hardly see it now with the chair moved above it), and are working to find what's stinking the bathroom up reaaaal bad.  With the maggots and ants sucked up in the sweeper, we still have the flea problem to deal with.  24 hours to go until the Return of the Wifey and counting.

Aug. 12 am  Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker-function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen. MAN: "Hello."  WOMAN: "Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"  MAN: "Yes."   WOMAN: "I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat.  It's only $1,000. Is it OK if I buy it?"  MAN: "Sure, go ahead if you like it that much"  WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2005 CES - They have the one I really liked." MAN: "How much?" WOMAN: "$90,000."  MAN: "OK, but for that price, I want it with all the options."   WOMAN: "OK. I'll see you later! I love you so much!!" MAN: "! I love you, too, Bye."   The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him in  astonishment, mouths agape.....   Then he smiles and asks: "Anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

Aug. 11 pm  Finally our Kaboombings are getting some regional attention.

Aug. 11 pm  TV-3 News crews were at the old Courthouse interviewing Sheriff Holcomb at noon today. Not sure if excerpts will be the 6pm news cast,  but you might want to check it out none the less.

Aug. 11 am Tonight at 7pm Clay Roane PSD meets in regular session in the County Commission Sanctuary.

Aug. 11 am  From the email bag: Dan, Cathy, Steve and John Umanetz of East Hartford, CT are sending out a very special thank you to Jama, Lisa and Jerry of Clay.  Thanks so much for your hospitality.  We had a wonderful time.  We love you guys!   Also, a special hello to Hannah, Jonathan and Jarrod....and wishes for a speedy recovery to Maria!   Hope to see you all again soon.  Sincerest thanks.  Love your web site and visit it often!  The Umanetz Family

Aug. 11 am  Obviously, someone forgot to tell the Umanetz family there is a clayberry.org boycott in progress!

Aug. 11 am We're into day five of the bomb investigation. The search continues for the bomb making materials. Tuesday night a Murphy trailer in the Wallback area was searched. There was a full show of force with Roane County Badges, ATF, and Green Shirts from every which a where there. It appears they're still looking for the source of the nuts, nails, and screws used in the pop can bombs as locals are calling them.

Aug. 11 am The last two nights have been quiet for scanner listeners. Occasionally a brief reference on "the location" or "I've got the package" or "call the base" or something along those lines but with the Feds here, with their own communications, don't expect to hear much. The last time the Feds showed up in Clayberry, they told black shirts to take a hike and stay away.

Aug. 11 am So what's up? Locals have an angle. There are two types of meth labs, the yocal local with a coleman fuel, one can lab, making low grade stuff for personal use and the other.....  The big boys with the perfected recipe who run off large batches of the high test meth which can be sold in our Southern counties. Much like the good ole days where pot, cocaine, and heroin businessmen had layers in their organization, the big time meth folks have developed that same structure. In Clayberry, to date, only the small timers have been caught.

Aug. 11 am Here's what the coffee house crowd has come up with so far:  True some home made bombs went off, but with a little luck and a little time,  the Feds can nab one or more of our big time makers in the process! Get one to flop and the domino effect takes place.

Aug. 11 am  Getting off the blow up the Sheriff theory.... Clay Town Council voted to ban ATVs on municipal streets Tuesday during their special 6pm meeting. Where did that come from? King Arthur.

Aug. 11 am  According to the Mayor, four wheelers will be banned from street use after dark. Of course you have to wonder, who will enforce the ordinance? Green Shirts and Black Shirts enforce state law but not municipal law. In Clay County and W.Va., it perfectly legal to ride an ATV along two lane roads and on single lane roads.   When asked if a second reading was needed to make it all kosher, King Arthur," What the **** for?"

Aug. 11 am Remember when Commissioners and Sheriff Holcomb attended the last legal meeting of Council and demanded the Town hire a certified cop? In response to bowing to the demands of Holcomb, Sams, and King, Mayor Jarrett, once again, "F*** um!"

Aug. 10 LATE pm Early last week week before the Wallback  main line went bad, there was a Boil Water Order already in place for the Camp Creek and Oak Ridge sections of the system. That BWO was lifted today around 1:30pm. Drink Drink Drink!!

Aug. 10 pm We listened and listened last night on the scanner for some kind of word on the bomb investigation. Around 8:20 Top Badge asked for assistance from a green shirt followed by "going to be a while"... Around 9:38 it sounded like they called off the effort and shagged for home. Other than broken transmissions on getting those papers... little more is known.  Keep listening.

Aug. 10 pm When the Sheriff was issuing his no comment statement Tuesday around 3:15, he did not that all the TV stations around the region were also interested in the story. Might want to keep an eye on the boob tube too.

Aug. 10 pm  One other note. Long before Badges showed up, the Clay Fire Dept. was on the scene responding to the 911 call after the first explosions went off. Long gone are the easy days of putting out a fire in Clayberry. Pretty scary!  It's time to get caught up on all the other stuff . The stuff not related to bombs in Clayberry.

Aug. 10 pm  A great big hello to Jim and Judy. Hope your leg heals up quickly Judy

Aug. 10 pm  A Happy Late Birthday To Carl Neal Of Indore

Aug. 10 pm Ed Hall over at BnA Produce on Main Street just got a nice looking load of peaches. 30 pound boxes too!

Aug. 10 pm  Just got this in the email bag clickers. Maybe someone can help: my friend is Richard Triplett III.  He was in the marines with me during the years of 1994 to 2000.  we have lost contact since we got out.  I was wondering if perhaps you can help me locate him.  My wife and i would like to catch up with him and his wife and see where life has taken them in the last five years.  he can contact me at chrislenard1@hotmail.com.  for the person that you find i would believe that he would remember what we called our "tag team" for when we would wrestle and the answer would be the white trash outlaws.  if he doesn't remember that then he will remember my wife's name which is Araceli or "shelly."  thank you for your help.  I am told that he lives in clay west virginia and my wife and i still live in escondido california.

Aug. 10 pm  Big Hello to Dan, Cathy, Steve and John Umanetz of Hardford Conn. from Jama, Lisa and Jerry.

Aug. 10 pm  County Commission did not meet Monday night. Peter Triplett and Fran King were getting paper trained at Cacapon Park for the last several days.  That meeting will be held on the 15th. As for the paper training, Fran squatted fine but Pete had problems get his leg up high enough.

Aug. 10 pm  Last Thursday, the Business DEvelopment Corp didn't meet. Chair Leonard "My Good Buddy" Williams was out of town. With all the progress being made at the Filcon site, why bother with a meeting?

Aug. 10 pm This morning local attorney Barbara Schamberger was to have had her day in Court on the obstructing an officer charge. Not going to happen. According to Magistrate Court Clerk Sue Whitely, the special magistrate assigned to the case called Monday and canceled today's hearing. We'll have to wait clickers.

Aug. 10 pm We posted an interesting story on Lee Marvin and Caption Kangaroo Monday night over on the ADVISORY page.  We were dooped. Turns out, the urban legend bug bit us in the hiney. Thanks to all the folks that keep us straight. Here's the link to Snopes. Darn good site!

Aug. 10 pm   Holly Cunningham has provided an update on the humane society of on the ADVISORY page.

Aug. 10 pm With Boil Water Orders out the wazoooo, Thursday night's Clay Roane PSD meeting could be a good one. Action starts at 7 pm in the County Commission room.

Aug. 10 pm  Online Journal, Day 9: Got the first load of clothes washed. More clothes can be washed by adding them during the wash cycle, after the original clothes are good and wet. Drying time is affected. So far that 80 pounds of wet clothes has been in the dryer for 6 hours and still pretty mushy.  A new safety factor has been added to the bath tub. After a week of showers and baths, the tub is crusted over with hair and a film of brown tacky stuff. Looks like a mohair tub instead of shiny white metal. With it feeling sticky, there is no chance of slipping and falling.

Aug. 10 pm  A drunk gets up from the bar and heads for the bathroom. A few minutes later, a loud, blood curdling scream is heard from the bathroom. A few minutes after that, another loud scream reverberates through the bar. The bartender goes into the bathroom to investigate why the drunk is screaming. "What's all the screaming about in there? You're scaring the customers!" "I'm just sitting here on the toilet and every time I try to flush, something comes up and squeezes the heck out of my testicles.  "With that, the bartender opens the door, looks in and says..."You idiot! You're sitting on the mop bucket!"

Aug. 9 LATE pm   Here's the first official word on the Kaboom investigation from Sheriff Randy Holcomb as of 3:15pm Aug. 9th: Not to impede or jeopardize the investigation or jeopardize  anybody's safety, at this point, we are withholding  all comments until the investigation is complete. Arrests are pending. After the arrests are made we will make a full  public statement to all press that would like it made available to them.

Aug. 9 LATE pm  We've got our ear to the 911 scanner hoping to hear a tidbit on arrests. Nothing as of 9pm. Scanner frequencies are at the bottom of the ADVISORY page if needed.

Aug. 9 pm   We're still piecing Sunday's blasts together. Some are already calling the explosions "bombs". We're not doing that yet.

Aug. 9 pm  We now have an eyewitness account from Sunday just before noon. Long time Prosecutor Jeff Davis was sitting in his porch swing with wifey Kim in the kitchen. Kim's home is right on the river bank just past the Dundon bridge. According to Jeff, the first blast was not one blast but rather four. Just before noon a loud Kaboom, a very brief pause, then boom, boom, and a fourth bomb. So loud was the blast Davis nearly jumped out of the porch swing. Inside the house Kim said the windows rattled violently. Davis said the percussion was very strong.

Aug. 9 pm Looking in the direction of the blast, Mr. Davis saw a big time powder white cloud billow up followed by gray smoke. A call to 911 came next and within minutes the fire siren was heard in Clay. Davis commented that the explosion appeared to have been on the road leading to Eagle's Bend and not in the flat river bottom area itself.

Aug. 9 pm Here's a good un from The Davis'   Right after the noon time blasts a dirty, muddy, black, small pick up came tearing across Dundon bridge. With tires squalling, the pick up rounded the corner heading north on Rt. 16 with loud exhaust pipes  trumpeting.  Related? No one's talking right now. Deputy Belt took statements from the Davis' Sunday evening.

Aug. 9 pm As for the vehicle encampment Monday afternoon at the old Clay Camper Company building at Maysel, a Tobacco and Firearms team was checking the building for materials used in the "bombs". There, we said it!

Aug. 9 pm The plain clothes clad feds were looking for specific types of dry wall screws and 1 inch diameter and bigger nuts and bolts. A neighbor living nearby said the local deputies and Feds were there searching everything including the attic for over two hours Monday.

Aug. 9 pm Here's the best with can cobble together after 36 hours of secrecy. At a roadside dump, a male opened a box lid in search of recyclables and got his hiney blown over the hillside. Two other blasts Sunday were detonated for safety reasons.

Aug. 9 am We've got a real interesting Lee Marvin and Caption Kangaroo story on the ADVISORY page.

Aug. 9 am  The mystery investigation continues. With fire marshall and black shirts running left and right, maybe we're just blowing smoke but some think it's more than just a meth lab gone bad.

Aug. 9 am Loud kabooms were heard across the river from downtown Clay at Eagle's Bend Sunday. Conspicuously absent from all the scanner traffic were the green shirts. With a gag order in place (according to one emergency service worker), ambulances came and went as did cruisers. Twice Dundon Hill Road was blocked briefly as two blasts were heard. That was Sunday

Aug. 9 am   From Monday we can add what we saw and some speculation.  First the unconfirmed.  As one  of the blasts went off Sunday, a vehicle driving on Rt. 16, across the Elk from the blast, was pelted with something. Investigators were at the Amma State Road garage before 4 pm Monday nosing around and asking about galvanized bolts with a powder coating. That's what we're hearing anyway.

Aug. 9 am  What we saw.  Monday afternoon 3 new silver SUV State Fire Marshall trucks along with black shirt cruisers were parked at the old Clay Camper Co building at Maysel. The big sliding doors were wide open. The vehicles and open doors were noticed before 5pm.  As late as 5:30pm, they remained.

Aug. 9 am Mid afternoon Monday, a hot footed Sheriff Holcomb came into the upstairs Court room looking for Prosecutor Samples. When spotted, Holcomb came over and asked to speak to Samples "in private". Out the room they went.     Last night several law enforcement vehicles were seen huddled behind the Courthouse at 10pm.

Aug. 9 am  Yes we could be making a mountain out of a mole hill but we haven't seen this much secrecy since Judson Reid's body was found on Pisgah Ridge a few years back. Sure makes for some interesting coffee house speculation, stuff like, a guy was blown clear out in the Elk with the first blast...... bombs were found and not just a meth lab blowing up..... and the grandest of them all... they're out to get the Sheriff.

Aug. 9 am We'll try again to get some official info Tuesday.

Aug. 9 am   It was a full day in Circuit Court land Monday before Judge Facemire.  Here's some highlights.

Aug. 9 am  In the case where the CCC is trying to toss Clay Roane PSD Melissa Postelwait off the board. After mediation  failed, it's time for discovery and all that background crap. Look for a hearing Nov 15th at 9 am.  Here's a cutey, out in the hallway, Ms Postelwait was overheard commenting on last week's big time water line leak, "Me and Thomas could have had that leak fixed in no time!"

Aug. 9 am As a juvenile, Tommy Young Jr got into some trouble and wound up behind bars. Now as an adult with jail time served, Jr is wanting out with time served. He may get his wish Sept 6th at 2:30 when the court will hear a motion for reconsideration.

Aug. 9 am Bruce Bird Jr  has been in and out of trouble for the last couple years. He's been into everything from stealing to drugs. After pleading guilty to domestic battery & brandishing, Monday his attorney asked for probation, Bird got two 12 month sentences to be served consecutively in CRJ. The Court said depending on how he did in jail and if drug rehab progress was seen, they may reconsider the jail time.

Aug. 9 am Chris Dwier plead to petit larceny and trespass July 8th. On Monday the court ordered a year in the slammer but then changed that to 4 years probation, restitution, court costs, pee testing, etc. Mr Dwier has his second chance. It didn't sound like the Judge was willing to provide a third opportunity.

Aug. 9 am  Remember  Gerald Marty Thompson from April 2004? Firing shots and then badges found pot and a  meth lab in his Reed Fork cellar house bungalow? Turns out the pot samples weren't enough to sample and the meth liquid was a petroleum product. In Court yesterday came issues of the legality of the search. More on that Wed. His trial will come next week.

Aug. 9 am  Online Journal, Day 8 without wifey:  Those dog jerky sticks look just like the ones for people but they're not. They leave a white skummy film in the roof of the mouth and are even stringier than jerky for people. There is a reason why women change bed sheets often. After 7 nights with the dog in the bed, the sheets are starting to feel like sandpaper. Turns out even that vacation spot, Lake Powell, has internet connections. Wifey read the online posts and didn't find them amusing. Something about..... the house better be cleaned up by her return on Saturday or that ace cub reporter may be sleeping at the office!

Aug. 9 am   A woman's husband dies. He had $30,000 to his name.  After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery,  she tells her closest friend that there is none of the $30,000 left.  The friend says, "How can that be? The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost me $6,500.  and of  course I made a donation to the church. That was $500, and  I spent another $500 for the wake, food and drinks, you know. ..  The rest went for the memorial stone."  The friend says, "$22,500 for the memorial stone?  My God, how big is it?"  The widow says, "Three carats."

Aug. 8 pm  We'd like to give some big juicy update on yesterday's hush hush law enforcement activities but as of 1pm, the Sheriff continues to run around in high gear.

Aug. 8 pm We have confirmed the road at the top of Dundon Hill and near the bottom ,at the bridge, were closed down twice Sunday. During the brief closed down periods two loud explosions were heard.

Aug. 8 pm Late late last night badges were still looking for a suspect according to scanner traffic.

Aug. 8 pm Judge Facemire is in the middle of motion day today. All kinds of good juicy stuff including the latest on the County Commission trying to toss Melissa Postelwait off the Clay Roane PSD board. Full details tonight. Stop back by the county's only source for timely news and views.

Aug. 7 LATE pm   Something is going on in Clayberry across the river behind the old Gino's Pizza place.  The scanner has been hopping all afternoon. First notice came of something up before noon today.  Here's what we know:

Aug. 7 LATE pm Across the river there, at Eagle Bend, is a nice big bottom and  are a few homes including Virginia Williams place and several smaller structures used for summer homes, fishing , and such. To get over there you have to cross Dundon bridge and about half way up the hill make a left turn out a dirt road. it's a skinny little goat path prone to falling over the hillside.

Aug. 7 LATE pm Throughout Sunday day light hours,  Black shirts called for back up, fire and ambulances.  A Unit from out of county, maybe Baurborsville was called for support. Usually when a meth lab is the problem, badges are pretty open mouthed about such when they call in a clean up unit.  When a murder is at hand, they often call for the crime scene investigation team over the air.  Not so this time.  Haven't seen this much secrecy since... well.... we haven't seen it ever.

Aug. 7 LATE pm  Fire Dept. crews at the scene said that the Sheriff had put everybody under a gag order. When asked anything... no answers came.  Well.. other than the guy was hungry and hadn't eaten since before noon when he pulled in. Around 6pm  Morgy was seen backing an ambulance out the dirt road. Around 6:15pm Deputy Belt was seen high tailing it back toward Clay.

Aug. 7 LATE pm At 7pm Sheriff Holcomb gave orders to bring that unit from Go Mart "over here".

Aug. 6 LATE pm  By 7:33pm several of the units reported leaving the scene.

Aug. 7 LATE pm Putting third and fourth hand gossip together, here's what we think happened. A male living on that river bottom was injured when something blew up. Speculation is something kaboomed at a dump area. One lady said four kabooms. Another said something in the dump blew up. Another lady said.... well, you get the picture.

Aug. 7  LATE pm  Our guess is, that 7:33pm unit being excorted to the scene was a Green Shirt Bomb Response Team.

Aug. 7 LATE pm  Did you read that gossip part????? Nothing  Gospel here, just what we're hearing so be warned.

Aug. 7 LATE pm  We asked one full time scanner listener if she had heard of an ambulance making an emeregncy run from the scene and she responded "No".

Aug. 7 LATE pm With the gag order in place, probably no updates until we can read a criminal complaint when filed at the Magistrate's office. That's if charges are filed locally. Will try to get with law enforcement ASAP

Aug. 7 LATE pm Hello Dawn, Bre, Dale, NaNa, Karen

Aug. 7 pm  Just got this in. Can you help? : lost in Bomont, gray and black striped tabby cat, 1 1/2 years old, female, spayed and front declawed, small, short haired, missing since last of june. she is an indoor cat who slipped out window, very lovable, likes to lick you. BELOVED PET...Please call 548-4709 or cell 437-9937..Wanda Brown

Aug. 7 pm  Online Diary, day 6 without wifey. With no clean forks or glasses, it was time to do the dishes. It is much much easier to buy new Dollar Store glasses than to clean out the crusty blue green milk rings. I learned that even tho plates licked clean by two dogs, they really aren't that clean. Those little black dog hairs on a plate are reaal hard to clean off. High pressure at Joe's car wash took care of the problem. You can only wear the same dirty socks about 5 days before they get so stiff they're hard to put on without scratching your toes. There is a reason why dogs should not sleep in pink chairs. After 5 1/2 days of being a dog bed, when people sit down in the same pink chair, a cloud of hairs puff out. After 6 days of wifey away on vacation, learned something else. Garbage needs to be taken out often. After 6 days, maggots start living under old, used, full, trash bags.

Aug. 7 am  A look back at the last 7 days....

Aug. 7 am With Carl Rove in deep stuff for his part in leaking the CIA operative's name and King George down in Texas flipping people off, this was a costly week in Iraq. With violence increasing 8 fold, there have been 2,017 coalition troop deaths, 1,825 Americans, 93 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Dane, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 26 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of August 5, 2005.

Aug. 7 am Checks are in. Life is good once again. Time to go pay the debts, buy a little grub, and play the lottery. The back to school displays went up this week. Little kids are clambering to buy 3 ring binders, notebook paper, and dazzling pencils.

Aug. 7 am Gardens are producing left and right. The tomatoes are bright red. Even the peaches are ready.  We're ready to plow the patch and dig up the potatoes. Summer at its best!

Aug. 7 am For much of the county, Boil Water Orders were the talk of the week. Clay County PSD  and Clay Roane PSD had it bad this week. Clay Roane and their customers had it worst. Water went South Monday evening in the Wallback area after fire dept. crews flushed fire hydrants. Those in the Camp Creek neighborhood lost water when a pump station blew out Tuesday night. By Wed all wa wa was was gone from Wallback area after a main line blew on White Road.

Aug. 7 am To make matters worse electricity  shut down Thursday leaving those in the Wallback area without water or air conditioning with the temps in the 90s.

Aug. 7 am By week's end, water service was restored to all Clay Roane PSD customers but the Boil Water Order remains in place. Boil it first. The Clay County PSD BWO was lifted Thursday afternoon.

Aug. 7 am Something else by week's end. Clay Roane PSD was putting the monkey squarely on the Big Otter FD for flushing the fire hydrants, for messing up water supplies, and the resulting water line break. For many  a great big Hmmmmmmmmmm is in order. How could blowing a little water out of 8 fire hydrants deplete the entire storage tank??? Very Interesting don't you think?

Aug.  7 am With the newest Communicator on the stands Friday afternoon, most read about Michael Lanham and brother William blasting away last weekend and their trip to Central Regional Jail. Didn't take long for them to make bail and it didn't take much longer for Michael Lanham to get back in the grease. Around 7 Friday evening Mr. Lanham was yelling and screaming near the High Street Apartments ready to smash a lady with his beer bottle. How much jail time will it take for Michael to learn, alcohol and Michael don't mix.

Aug. 7 am Sam Murphy is back in the slammer after flunking a pee test. Murphy is on probation after shooting Thomas Holcomb. Sam didn't just flunk a pee test, he got caught cheating. Friday the probation office required him to whiz in a bottle. Deputy Belt thought something was up and had the suspect strip down. Black shirt Belt found Murphy had two pairs of underwear under his pants. Inside one pair of shorts was a condom filled with wee wee ready to deceive the urine testing.    Flunking a pee test and faking a test carry the same penalty, back to jail which is where the young man went.

Aug. 7 am We see it often in Clayberry. The Court provides a penalty less than jail time. The Judge  tells you, no drugs, no alcohol. Just stay home and watch the TV until your time is up. For many, back to jail they do go. Sad.

Aug. 7 am It's arson season again. Saturday, over the scanner,  a call to the State Fire Marshall's office for a house fire on Elkhurst Road, possible arson.

Aug. 7 am   One Sunday morning, a priest opened the front doors of the church and looked out into the early day. His eyes dropped down where he spotted a drunk stumbling up the street, weaving from one side of the road to the other as he made his way toward the church.  The Priest watched him with interest as the drunk began to stumble up the church steps and up the aisle toward the confession booths.  The Priest thought to himself, "I'll bet this man wants to repent for his sins and change his ways," so he quickly got in one side of the confessional as the drunk got into the other one.  The Priest waited for a minute, but the drunk didn't say anything.  Finally, the Priest called out, "Can I help you my son?"  The old drunk slurred, "Yah, ya got any toilet paper on your side?"

Aug. 5 LATE pm the Communicator made it to the news stands Friday afternoon around 3pm. 20 pages of the near award winning coverage of all the goings ons in Clay County West Virginia

Aug. 5 Late pm Man it was hot today. By mid afternoon, the temp topped 96 degrees.

Aug. 5 LATe pm By 3 am this morning the main line water line break on White Road in the Wallback area was repaired. The BWO continues so boil it first. With all the repairs, anything could be in the lines and probably is!

Aug. 5 LATE pm  No reason to sit at home this weekend. Get out and have some fun. The radio station is hosting a yard sale in the am Saturday. Stop over and support a good service.

Aug. 5 LATE pm   One day, JANE met TARZAN in the jungle. She was very attracted to him and during her questions about his life she asked him how he engaged to have sex. "What's that?" he asked.   She explained to him what sex was and he said, "Oh, I use a hole in the trunk of a tree."      Horrified, she said, " Tarzan, you have it all wrong but I will show you how to do it properly." She took off her clothes, lay down on the ground . "Here", she pointed.  Tarzan removed his loincloth, stepped closer and then gave her an almighty kick in the crotch. Jane rolled around in agony. Eventually she managed to gasp, "What the H did you do that for?"                                                                                                                                                                                 "Just checking for bees," said Tarzan.

Aug. 5 LATE pm  Online Diary, Day 5 With wifey still away, the forks that we can find are all crusted over. Licking them clean no longer works. Sometime soon, someone is going to have to do dishes. My kid is complaining of no clean socks or underwear. Those ants in the sink now appear to be line dancing. First cock roaches were seen Thursday around the dinner plates laying over in the corner. The bread has green spots.

Aug. 5 am  We're still working on the Communicator but here's a brief update on the Clay Roane PSD water line break on White Road near Wallback.

Aug. 5 am Volunteers, employees and even the Commissioners worked well after midnight to make repairs. People ran left and right picking up everything from fuel, to generators to run lights, to finding repair parts. It was a massive effort.

Aug. 5 am Around 1:30 am, over the scanner, came traffic of : wait just another minute;   turn it on very slowly,  which valve are we talking about, is it the one with all the other pipes on it?

Aug. 5 am By 2:30 am it was all quiet.  Our guess, guess mind you, is they got the water line break fixed.

Aug. 5 am   The Boil Water Order for Clay Roane PSD remains in place. Don't drink it unless you boil it first.

Aug. 5 am By the way, the Clay County PSD boil water order was lifted Thursday afternoon.

Aug. 4 pm 12:45   The Clay Office of Emergency Operations has kicked into gear. Here's the situation. Of the 600+ Clay Roane PSD customers, 3/4 are under a Boil Water Order. Over half of the 600 are without ANY water. Fire hydrants in the Wallback area are NOT working.

Aug. 4 pm 12:45  There is an 8 foot deep main water line break. It appears that the break is a result of a regulator imploding after the Big Otter FD flushed fire hydrants on Monday afternoon. Parts to repair the regulator are now are being mailed (overnight) to Clay Roane. The problem with repairing the main line break is the need for a back hoe. The Queen Shoals PSD machine is not operational. The truck Clay Roane PSD has to pull  a back hoe and trailer  is without a starter.

Aug. 4 pm 12:45   Last night a back hoe from the Amma Left Hand extension project was used to dig most of the broken line. That unit left this morning at 7:30am to go back to the job site. The Town has a back hoe but the operator is away today. Around noon an operator was found and the back hoe is now being trammed to the Wallback area.

Aug. 4 pm 12:45 Don't look for water service in the Wallback area until LATE this evening at the earliest. In the mean time, be careful. No fire hydrants in the Wallback area.If you have water, don't drink it unless you boil it first.

Aug. 4 pm  During the morning we noted no new posts until we get the paper out Friday. We said unless an emergency popped up. We have that now

Aug. 4 pm According to the 911 disptacher at 11:00am this morning, there are NO working fire hydrants in the Wallback area of the county due to no water. Now just think about that for a minute. With creeks dry, the Elk River too far away, and no fire hydrants in operation from Valley Fork school to I-79, things could go bad real quick.  Be careful!! Be real careful.

Aug. 4 pm It sounds like the County Commission is out doing their part. Wed and again today, 911 radios were employed to Commissioners Sams and Triplett. Tuesday night the elected folks were out looking for the main line water leaks.

Aug.  4 am  Remember the body they found last week?   Larry Gene(Two Gun) Kelley, Sr, 61, of Ivydale, see FUNERAL page

Aug. 4 am  Are you watching less TV? Those with internet are and those with DSL are really watching less TV.

Aug. 4 am  It has been another costly week in Iraq. Dubbya says we're still doing good. Here's the details on 5 more losses.

Aug. 4  Last night just before midnight dispatch lady said a caller reported a big time crack in the Villanova bridge. The responding DNR badge said he had crossed the nearly new bridge just hours earlier and saw no problem. call Clark Samples.....  Just before midnight, dispatch called for badges, a caller reported a guy in a  blue Chevy at the High Street apartments yelling he was going to kill someone. Green Shirt said to call unit 10.... King Arthur Jarrett.

Aug. 4 pm 11:58 pm Dispatcher called unit 10 that a man was beating on his wife. Unit 10: OK I'm on my way. a few minutes later, Unit 10: I'm looking for him right now.

Aug. 4 pm Mayor Jarrett, Chief of Police Jarrett, King Arthur , is earning his $500 per month.

Aug. 4 am   It's hot. There's dishes and clothes to wash. Beans and corn to can....   When things go bad, they really go bad.

Aug. 4 pm  We've got Boil Water Orders all over the place. Two days back, after the Big Otter FD flushed fire hydrants unexpectedly, the Clay Roane PSD system went dry forcing a BWO. Tuesday an electrical problem shut down pumping and forced a BWO for the Camp Creek and Oak Hill Ridge sections.

Aug. 4 am Yesterday afternoon a water line break in the Wallback area drained the whole thing. No wa wa.

Aug. 4 am   With customers reaaaaal peed, complaints to the County Commissioners came. Tuesday night the CCC was out trying to help find the problem. 911 calls even came over the radio for Commissioner  Triplett.

Aug. 4 am Online Diary, Day 3, With wifey gone on vacation, the kid is out of clean socks. That small stream of ants on the kitchen counter top has turned into a whole ant farm.  Just realized that after dog #1 ate a half gallon of ice cream followed by spaghetti, the dog should have been taken out of doors immediately. Now looking for a steam cleaner for the carpet. Unless the air conditioner is on full blast, there is now a bad, real bad, smell in the house. Learned something new. Milk setting in a glass for three days gets hard as a rock and starts turning blue/green too.

Aug. 4 am No new posts until we get the Communicator out the door sometime Friday afternoon. Well... unless something important comes along. As a teaser, to get you cough up 50 cents.... How about a story on an elected official who told the public he did care how much a Ten Commandments lawsuit cost the county, he would still get paid anyway! And how about the same elected official  finally admitting the 10 Commandment display is what got him elected. his words: they got me elected didn't they!

Aug. 4 am Election ploy and out of his own lips. The rest will cost you 50 cents.

Aug. 3 pm  ANOTHER BOIL WATER ORDER was issued this morning at 10:40am  Clay Roane PSD issued the advisory for the Camp Creek Hill and Oak Hill Ridge Road section of their service area. Something about a power outage at the pump/booster station.

Aug. 3 pm The Town of Clay doesn't have a  full time paid police officer. Haven't had one since Gene King retired. Instead, Mayor Arthur Jarrett volunteers as top cop. Before him, Buckshot Butcher volunteered.

Aug. 3 pm  Often Jarrett drives around in the cruiser and handles the usual stuff like kids throwing rocks,  pop machines turned over, 16 year olds spinning their tires, loud mufflers and drunk husbands trying to kill spouses.   With him knowing every Tom, Dick, and Harry or their parent, and dealing with drunks most every day at the Hotel, Jarrett has some  pluses in his column. Like.... Jarrett can often find out who did what to whom by asking around.

Aug. 3 pm On the down side, with King Arthur's bed time 9 pm, about dark, sometimes stuff gets past him. There are other issues, Jarrett not writing tickets, not even parking tickets, no training, etc.

Aug.  3pm Since taking office in Jan 2005, Sheriff Holcomb and Mayor Jarrett have been at odds. According to Jarrett, the Sheriff doesn't consider the town of Clay part of his territory! Sometimes over the scanner, you can hear the rift between the two.  There have been times when the Chief of Police, King Arthur, would be called to handle tricky domestics by himself.

Aug. 3 pm  Last night during the Town Council meeting, Holcomb along with Commissioners King and Sams gave the town an ultimatum. Either hire a paid professional cop or face a lawsuit demanding the same. He said he knew of a whole bunch of trained certified officers that would be willing to accept work in Clayberry. Holcomb also told Town leaders that he has been keeping track of the time his agency has been handling calls inside the municipal boundary and said he may start charging the town for the work.

Aug. 3 pm Commissioner King added she had been doing some research and found that the town SHALL provide a paid cop in addition to water and sewer services. Ms King mandated hiring an officer and for the elected folks to give that priority over keeping Main Street swept. Siding with Holcomb and King, (Sams sat in the back and said little) Council persons Zeeger and Childers spoke in favor of the hire. Zeeger added the town ought to have its own jail.

Aug.  3 pm With all the thunder upon them, Council appeared to buckle. But, there are questions: Where will the Town get the money for a cop. With Clendenin being sued out the whazoo for pee poor judicial conduct and even worser town cop actions, where do you find a reasonable person(s) that will work for low wages? How can they afford to pay for the trips to CRJ? What happens to law enforcement when the lone cop is off duty? Don't they really need more than one cop? Why not just provide volunteer Badge Jarrett with a ticket book? Why isn't the town within county border? State Police take calls inside town limits? If the Sheriff is willing to bill the town for police protection, why not keep the liability monkey on his back and give the thumbs up for Deputies to do the police work inside city limits?

Aug. 3 pm   Commissioner King was adamant about state code requiring WV town's to provide a paid police force. After some scanning of the code, we don't see that. There are provisions for a town to have paid cops, judges, etc. but nowhere do we read ; it shall be the law of the land for municipalities to have paid cops!. For instance:   §8-14-1. Power and authority with respect to the preservation of law and order; police force or departments. Every municipality shall have plenary power and authority to protect persons and property within the municipality and preserve law and order therein, and, for this purpose, to provide for, establish, equip and maintain a police force or department. The police force or department in each municipality shall be subject to the authority, control and discipline of the administrative authority. For the purposes of this article, the term "paid police department" shall be taken to mean only a municipal police department maintained and paid for out of public funds and whose employees are paid on a full-time basis out of public funds. The term shall not be taken to mean a department whose employees are paid nominal salaries or wages or are only paid for services actually rendered on an hourly basis.

Aug. 3 pm There's lots of passages in the WV code referring to the rights of a town to provide for this or that, but no place where the town SHALL do this and that by PAID anybodys!

Aug. 3 pm Online Diary, Day 2, Wifey and in-laws have been gone one full day. That plate that once held blackberry cobbler on it remains over in the corner but is now licked cleaned by dog#1. A second plate, a spaghetti one, is also clean but the forks are now missing. The plastic container that once held a half gallon of ice cream is now empty, laying near the bathroom door with dog teeth marks all over. Dog # 2 appears more pot bellied and is sleeping on his back in the pink chair. Just noticed a stream of ants near the sink where  the nearly empty spaghetti pot has been setting overnight. Son can't find any clean socks.

Aug. 3 pm The Communicator comes out this Friday. Deadline for community notices, classifieds, anniversaries, etc. is Thursday around 9 am. Get em ASAP clickers.

Aug. 2 LATE pm What impact does a boil water order have on the customer. Ask Don Gill. When the Big Otter Fire Dept. drained the Clay Roane PSD lines Monday while flushing fire hydrants, what was left was the brown, black, and red crud resembling waster products. Ask Mr. Gill what happened to the washer load of good stuff and what color the laundry turned into. Not even mentioning what happened to his hair.

Aug. 2 LATE pm  With Deputy Chad Sizemore heading to greener pastures down in Charleston, we need a new badge. Only one problem. Last year, due to poor finances, the county laid off Deputy Sizemore and Kevin Delk. Sizemore was rehired after a brief time off work. Delk was not.  As some one laid off, Mr. Delk has some call back rights.

Aug. 2 LATE pm  Do we want Delk back on the force? There were a couple issues while Delk was on the force. The decision is being made now.

Aug. 2 LATE   "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:  If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."- Ronald Reagan

Aug. 2 pm Online Diary, Day 1.  Wife and the whole tribe of in-laws left for a 12 day vacation this morning.  At home the house is spic and span. From a shiny white bath tub to towels nicely stacked to all the dishes properly stored, the place was nearly perfect. Last word from wifey: Take care of my son, the dogs and this place better not be trashed out when I get back from out West! With wifey gone 5 hours, one dirty plate with blackberry cobbler remains  on the carpet. No problem, will get it in the sink this evening.

Aug. 2 am Most of us know the problems with water service in the county. Shortages, leaks, and such. Last night before midnight Clay Roane PSD issued a Boil Water Order for their system. Sounds like the Big Otter Fire Dept. flushed out a bunch of fire hydrants and did so without telling anybody. At first the PSD thought there was some kind of big time main line leak. By late late evening, the BOFD actions were discovered and named as  the culprit.

Aug. 2 am  Clay Roane AND Clay County PSD customers, BOIL WATER ORDER is in place.

Aug. 2 am  Last night the school board minus Beth Cercone met in regular session. Without discussion they went thru the paces lickity split. A couple notes....

Aug. 2 am  Remember 18 months ago when the school system hired a contractor to install a new wireless internet system that would connect all the county schools together with high speed wireless service? Remember last summer when the company , Able Soft,  said the system would be working in downtown Clay by mid summer, then Sept., then certainly by Nov.? It still ain't working.

Aug. 2 am  last night School Super Linkinooooooger said the company went bankrupt and is now operating under  a new name. With "WiMax" still a costly pipe dream, maybe blunder, other possibilities include using a T-1 telephone line to link the schools. Without high speed internet service, those zillion dolalr distance learning center computers and computer labs, are uesless and dust catchers.

Aug. 2 am There's problems with the soon to be built ValleyDale Elem. school in Big Otter. Problems with the site will require additional $. Link said without moving the school and access road away from fill areas, $700,000 more might be needed. Never fear, Team Link is studying a "work around" and state board OK.

Aug. 2 pm Today Clay Town Council meets at 4pm in the water plant on Main Street. Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone (CAEZ) holds their economic/development committee meeting at 4pm followed by a full Board meeting at 6pm. They meet in their Main Street Clay digs beside the Welfare office.

Aug. 2 pm Our Southern border colony, Clendenin appears to be in the grease again. Just got this post from our border colony correspondent: As if Clendenin didn't have enough problems, they now have a Police Department which practices racial profiling.  The latest incidents include one of Clendenin's officers detaining a person at the car wash next to Sams Tasty Freeze the first part of June simply because he was of a different nationality.  That gentlemen was a missionary visiting in the area.  The latest incident was when Clendenin officers responded to a reported burglary at the local Catholic Church which was recently closed.  The officers arrived on the scene, saw two Hispanic men carrying furniture from the building.  With guns drawn, the three officers threw the men to the ground and cuffed them disregarding the men's pleas that they were priests.  After awhile it became apparent that the men were indeed priests, they were uncuffed and the cops withdrew like whipped pups.

Aug. 2 pm  Here's a sad story on our war dead and the mortuary that handles it all.

Aug. 1 pm  After some web hosting "tweeks", it looks like we'll be able to update the site on a more regular basis. We hope anyway.  The first week of the month is always a big week in Clayberry meeting wise.

Aug. 1 pm the Clay County PSD BOIL WATER ORDER for the Hartland area remains in affect.

Aug. 1 pm 9 month old  Alexia Tanner competed in the Rainbow Pageant National Competition held in Martinsburg, WV.  Lexi was chosen National Queen in 2 phases of competition on Sunday, July 31, 2005.

Aug. 1 pm This evening at 6pm, the School Board meets at Standard Bryant annex. Agenda items include: Approve  the employment of Justin Holcomb as Tech Ed teacher @ CMS;   Approve the employment of Jesse Runion  as custodian @ CCHS;   Accept the resignation of Dorothy Stephenson as cook at Clay Elementary;   Approve the employment of Dorothy Stephenson as substitute cook;    Approve the transfer of Kristen Shamblin (Grade 12) from Nicholas County to Clay County High School; Approve the transfer of 12 students from Calhoun County to Clay County Schools;   Discuss policy to implement a veteran's honors funeral assistant community service program;  Open sealed bids for Contract 7C;  Update on elementary school site at Big Otter

Aug. 1 pm Tuesday afternoon at 4pm Clay Town Council meets in regular session followed by CAEZ at 6pm. We haven't heard anything new on the BC & G Railroad Co-Op.

Aug. 1 pm Darrell Kent reported his son, Allen Kent, as missing to local law enforcement July 20 2005. According to Mr. Kent, he last saw the 9 year old July 19th on Elkhurst Road.  Others "think" they saw the boy and Mother (Linda) July 25th in a cream colored Chevy Blazer. The husband and wife are separated. Darrell Kent says it's not like his wife to not call and keep him informed about his son.

Aug. 1 pm Anyone seeing Linda Kent or 9 year old Allen Kent, please call Deputy Miles Slack 587-4260. We'll post a picture early Tuesday.

Aug. 1 pm   3:16pm With ambulances racing South on Rt 16, the dispatcher called out for law enforcement to handle a car wreck. None returned the call.  Wait Wait    A few mintues later green shirt 669 said he could take the call. With law enforcement stretched to the limit, wouldn't it be a shame for ANY county dollars to be wasted on say a silly lawsuit!

Aug. 1 pm HealthNet was put on alert.

Aug. 1 pm In 1905, 100 years ago:  Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub;  Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone;   A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven  dollars;  There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads;  The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph;   Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California;   With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union;   The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower;   The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour;  The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year;  A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year.