CLAY COUNTY HAS ROUGH WEEK - Schools, Banks And Foreclosures

(05/24/2002)
Clay County is having a rough week. The State Board of Education has announced two of Clay's schools, H. E. White and Lizemores, are among eleven state schools that have been targeted for improvement, or else, under President George Bushes new education plan.

J. D. Morris, president of the Clay County Bank, suddenly resigned after an audit of the bank in April. Morris is also a member of the State Board of Education. Temporary bank president Scott Legg, who is also a member of the Clay County Board of Education, said Morris just "wanted to enjoy sitting on the porch" drinking coffee.

The banks ratings have reportedly been downgraded after the audit.

Filicon Manufacturing has gasped its last breath and is facing a foreclosure sale, after leveraging about $500,000 for job development in Clay County, much of it at taxpayer expense.

The Clay Bank appears to be foreclosing on a number of long-standing bad debts, including the holdings of Clinton Nichols, who owns the Clay Free Press and numerous properties in Clay.

See CHARLESTON GAZETTE stories on The Herald for details.