Legal Advice Blog: Legal Advice, Case Insights, & Local Law Information

I've learned lots of new things as I have moved forward with my campaign over the past year or so. I've learned, for instance, that despite what people may think, most folks are very polite and respectful when you knock on their door to ask for their vote.  I've knocked on several thousand doors in the past months, and I've only had three occasions when people were out-and-out rude to me.  I've also learned that when you knock on a door and a voice from inside tells you to "come on in," you probably should think twice before doing so.  You might not be ready for what awaits you inside.  Most surprisingly, I've learned that the Five Man Electrical Band had it right back in 1971. For the young readers out there, 1971 was the year in which the Five Man Electrical Band released the single titled simply "Signs.” The lyrics to the chorus of that song, in which the band laments the proliferation of signs everywhere one looks, are: "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind, do this don't do that, can't you read the sign?” I have to admit that I am a bit embarrassed as I drive around Marshall County these days.  Pretty much everywhere you look, there is a sign promoting my candidacy, or the candidacy of my opponent.  In many instances, signs from both camps are located within a few feet of each other.  I score a new location, and within a few days he has a sign close by.  I put out a yard sign, so he puts out a bigger one.  He puts out one, so I put out two next door.  Driving through Glen Dale on Route 2, you can't look in any direction without seeing multiple signs for both of us.  Former Miss West Virginia Paige Madden recently lamented that even when she closed her eyes, she still sees the signs. I truly wish that our system worked differently.  I wish that we could rely upon the fact that voters are going to be familiar with all candidates in a race, that they would study each candidate's experience and qualifications, and cast their vote accordingly.  Unfortunately, that just isn't always the case.  In some circumstances, success in an election depends more upon name recognition than it does upon who is the best person for the job.  Candidates therefore feel compelled to get their names "out there" in every way possible, and the signs spring up like weeds in a garden. If there is any consolation here, it is that the signs for the judicial race will disappear in just a few weeks.  The election for this office is now non-partisan, so it will be finally decided on May 10.  Within a few days of that date, it's safe to assume that most of the signs for my race will be gone.  A week or so after that, the 17-year locusts will emerge.  I never thought I would see the day that I was looking forward to the locusts.

When Kris Jenkins buried a 3-point shot at the buzzer to give Villanova its first national title in 31 years last night, I couldn't help but smile. Not because of the great game I had just watched. Not because I thought back to the last Villanova title when I was 10 years old and didn't watch the historic upset over Georgetown because I thought it would be a Georgetown blowout win and went to a movie instead. No, I smiled because I had just watched a memorable sports moment with my 7-year-old son. He struggled to keep his eyes open down the stretch but managed to stay awake until the final shot went through the net. He watched the trophy presentation and then said goodnight and told me he loved me. Shortly after he fell asleep next to me, "One Shining Moment" came on. It's one of my favorite sports moments each year.  Although I was disappointed he didn't get to see it, I smiled as I watched tournament highlights of some of his favorite teams and players--- the Mountaineers, Buddy Hield, Marcus Paige --- and thought about my own childhood and watching the tourney with my dad. It seems like just yesterday I was next to my dad, trying to not fall asleep and making sure I made it to the final bucket.  No matter what, I always wanted to be sure I stayed awake long enough to see "One Shining Moment." Now, life has brought me full circle doing the same thing with my son. Sports has always been something that I have enjoyed with my dad.  So, I couldn't help but enjoy this "One Shining Moment" just a little bit more as I looked down at my own son, happy to know that the little boy lying there had once been me and that perhaps some day, he will have a son of his own who will enjoy the tournament with him. It will certainly be his own "One Shining Moment." Even though he didn't make it long enough to see this year's rendition, it was the best one yet for me.

It's that time of year again! Baseball is officially back and many fans are looking forward to seeing what the 2016 season has in store for their favorite team. People think of many different things when reminiscing on America's favorite pastime. Perhaps it's attending an MLB game for the first time, playing the sport as a youngster, Buctober (Go Bucs!) or even just tossing a baseball in the backyard. When this author thinks of baseball, a famous song comes to mind- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Singing the song while watching the Pirates Opening Day game brought on some curiosity about the history of the iconic song. It turns out that the word's author, Jack Norworth, didn't even like baseball. You're thinking, "Wait, what?" Well,  Norworth was in the show business industry and in 1908, while riding a subway, he saw an advertisement for baseball in the city and pondered if there was a better way to promote the experience that came with the sport. He then thought about a title for the song and wrote his idea down. From there he took it to a music composer, Albert Von Tilzer. Together they created today's iconic baseball song. About 40 years after the song was written and composed, a tradition was born. The unofficial anthem of baseball games ("Take Me Out to the Ball Game") would be played during the seventh inning stretch. Today, the tradition continues and the song is played at every MLB game. In fact, the song is so popular that it is in the top three songs sung by Americans- The National Anthem, Happy Birthday and Take Me Out to the Ball Game. There are different verses to the song, but the chorus is the most popular and preferred. So get your tickets, get your sports gear, pack up your family and friends and head to your favorite baseball game and remember to sing along: “Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Just buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out, At the old ball game.” P.S. Incase you were wondering, Norworth did make it to his first MLB game...40 years after the song was written. Here's to a great year of baseball, and most importantly, LETS GO BUCS!

There are a lot of things to look forward to in the upcoming months. Opening day at PNC Park, Jamboree in the Hills, new television sitcoms and more. However, the most exciting event is the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, also being promoted as Rio 2016! Sure, the winter games can be exciting, but there is just something about the summer games to which many more can relate. The sports that make up the games include many things that most have participated in before such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, soccer and wrestling just to name a few. It makes the games a lot easier and more fun to watch when you have played the sport and know the rules and scoring systems. The summer Olympics brings together 10,500 athletes from 206 different counties. There will be 203 medal events, including 136 women’s events, 161 men’s events and nine mixed gender events. There are two new events being re-added this year, golf and rugby. These games will sell at least 7.5 million tickets. Shockingly, 3.8 million of those tickets will be under $30 (in U.S. currency). The workforce will need at least 45,000 volunteers, 85,000 outsourced staff and 6,500 employees to keep the games running. I personally love to watch the basketball portion of the games. I enjoy this sport because we get to see different players from NBA and WNBA teams start working together in the same United States jersey to bring home the GOLD. It is very interesting to watch the best of the NBA and WNBA playing other opponents that we don’t see every basketball season. The Olympics is a time to take pride in our country and cheer on our fellow Americans. Tune in to the Summer Olympics Games on Friday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Aug. 21. GO TEAM USA!

Throughout your lifetime you will meet people who cross your path for a number of reasons. Some will stay, some will pass through, some you will work with and then there are some who will use you for what you have or what they can get from you. Those are the people my mother called “users” and warned me about. Hopefully the ones who turn out to be your true friends for life will outweigh the ones who use you. True friends are few and far between, and if you find them along the way in life you better keep them forever. Never take friendship for granted. Some of our oldest and dearest friends start out to be our own sisters, brothers, cousins or the soul sisters from a different mother. These are the people in your life who will never sell you out or tell others of your poor choices you may have made in course of your lifetime. (There’s also our dogs who really are the only ones on this planet that know the true meaning of the words “true friendship.”) True friends will laugh with and at you, cry with you, hold your hand and hold you up when you think you’re going down for the count. You know that you can call them day or night and tell them everything and anything and there will be no judging on the other end of the phone, they will always be there to lend you a helping hand without expecting anything in return. True friends know when you are really in need of a hug or just a slap to bring you back to reality. I know this because I have this with my family and true friends, and I wouldn’t trade in one of them for anything. You have to know the difference between a true friend and just a friend.  Sometimes you have to wait for their true colors to come out and you stop and say to yourself, “Why did I ever think this person was my friend?” This is a great life lesson for all. Being blessed with good family and friends is one of God’s greatest gifts he has given us, so pick them wisely and get rid of the people in your life that have nothing but negativity to offer you. Keep the good ones close and you will never be alone a day in your life.  Live, love and laugh-- it’s good for your soul. Laughter really is the best medicine. Thank you to my family, my true friends, and my boys (the two legged and four legged) in my life. I don’t know where I would be without them. Rock on, people. Rock on. Or as Barely and Guinness say, bark on Bordas Dog Nation, bark on.

Imagine that you are safely driving down the road. You are watching for cars around you, driving the speed limit and making sure you are not distracted.  All of a sudden, another car crashes into your driver’s side door because the driver was texting and ran a red light.  During the crash, you break your legs, hit your head on the side window and break several ribs.  You are now on the long and expensive road to recovery.  Not only have your medical bills added up quickly, but you miss three months of work because you cannot walk or lift anything due to your injuries.  This life-changing event has left you sitting at home and stressed, as you try to figure out how to pay not only your medical bills, but also your mortgage, taxes and electric bill. This is the situation I find many of our clients in when I first talk with them.  One of the first things our law firm would do is find out what type of auto insurance the at-fault driver has and request a copy of their insurance policy’s limits.  Many times, the at-fault party may only have the minimum coverage required by law, which is likely a small fraction of the amount to which the person is entitled.  Even worse, the amount of drivers without insurance never ceases to amaze me. So there you are, in pain, unable to work and possibly not able to recover any compensation from the person who permanently changed your life.  This is where uninsured/underinsured insurance coverage is crucial.  This type of coverage is purchased to provide compensation to a driver whose damages surpass the amount the at-fault party is able to pay.  Therefore, even if the at-fault party did not have insurance, the person who was injured would still be compensated for their damages from their own insurance policy. My purpose for writing this blog is not only to inform you about this type of insurance, but also to encourage our readers to purchase it.  Many people either waive their option to purchase underinsurance coverage or purchase a very limited amount.  In my experience, the small fee necessary for this type of coverage is well worth it to insure a person is covered when they are injured.  The time to think about protecting yourself and your family is now; once the crash occurs, it may be too late.

What do I want to be when I grow up?  A question we only think of asking our children.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my job with Bordas & Bordas, but I feel I missed something along the way in my life of 51 years and that is helping animals (mostly dogs).  I wanted to be a vet or a nurse, but I’m not that great with blood and guts. Being dyslexic and not being a bookworm was the real killer for me. The thought of reading something wrong or giving too much or not enough meds always scared me.   I hope in my later years I can do my best to be the voice of reason on why people should spay and neuter their pets, help dogs who are chained outside to dog boxes, tires, etc. I want them to have a life off a chain - I want to help STOP dog fighting and help older dogs that were put in shelters because their families could not take the time to care for them due to cancer or just old age. I want them to live out their last days loved and cared for like they should be. I would do my best to help them cross over with one last look of a loving caring human before they shut their eyes and head over the Rainbow Bridge. I have strong feelings toward the aforementioned and here is why: Spaying and neutering: Why? To help stop the over population of animals that end up in our shelters or running on our streets.  Spaying and neutering also helps them live longer lives and helps them stop roaming. Just a few facts. This list could go on and on. Dogs living on chains, tires or dog boxes:  Why would anyone do this to a dog? If you can’t love them like your own child or interact with them on a daily basis other than to feed and water them, then why have them at all? Living on a chain hooked to a dog box, tree or tire is just insane to me.   I’ll never understand this. Dog Fighting: Why would anyone want to teach a dog to fight to the death? If I need to explain this to anyone, then they are the problem. It’s an awful thing for me to even think about.  When the dog doesn’t win, the owners are known to do awful things that, most of the time, leads the dog to death. What’s wrong with people? Taking care of senior dogs/ terminally ill dogs: If I could, I would love to open a hospice for dogs (volunteers would be needed). Too many dogs are taken to the shelter because people don’t want to care for their aging friends or because they don’t want to deal with the expense of an aging, or a terminally ill dog.  This dog has done nothing but love you unconditionally and still will even after you walk out that door at the shelter.  All dogs do go to Heaven no matter what people have told me.  I’ve lost some very special dogs over the years, and I know they hung around the house for a few extra days before they headed to the rainbow bridge just to make sure I would be okay.  That is true love and devotion.  Why would you not want to do the same for them? With this being said, please think before getting what is supposed to be your “furever friend.” It is truly a life long commitment for them and you. Rock on, Bordas dog nation, rock on.

At the Bordas & Bordas Christmas party, the partners gave their employees a gift that I, along with most of the others, weren’t expecting. A TRIP TO VEGAS!  Everyone was ecstatic and blown away.  Not only was this for each employee, but the employee AND a guest.  For anyone who was married, it was a no-brainer…you take your spouse, right?  But for those of us who are single, you had a choice to make.  Besides my oldest son, Ryan (who was my first choice but due to job responsibilities, couldn’t be my guest), I chose my dearest and closest lifelong friend, Pam McClure. I met Pam when I was 16 years old and began working for Mobay in the Purchasing Department at the beginning of my senior year in high school.  Pam was already an employee in the department.  I don’t know what it was about either of our personalities, but we just “clicked”-- despite an age difference.  From then until this day, Pam has been my very best friend and a huge part of my life.  I have never doubted her friendship or loyalty.  She is always there for me through the most difficult and best times of my life and she never hesitates when I need her.  She was there through both of my parents’ deaths, the birth of my youngest son, Gage, a couple of medical procedures, my divorce, and heck, she even went to a few school functions and posed as my sons’ surrogate grandmother for Grandparents’ Day!  To this day, both of my sons call her “Aunt Pammy.” Pam is the kindest, most loving person I’ve ever known.  She is an amazing mother, wife, grandmother, stepparent, sister and aunt.  She is so adaptable to any environment or situation.  She can be very classy on one hand and yet a tomboy on another. I have learned calmness, compassion, patience, respect and understanding from her. These are qualities I didn’t always have in my younger years.  She has a terrific sense of humor, provides me with some of the best advice I’ve been given in my life and gives me her honest opinion on everything. She has taught me so much- not like conscientious teaching (“this piece of the puzzle goes here”), but just by how she listens to me when I have a problem and things she’ll say or how she’ll react.  I remember her saying one time, “If I’m having an issue with more two people in my life, I might want to take a look in the mirror!”  I have never forgotten that!  Although, she did teach me about the “tool box” and how everyone has one.  It’s all about what you put in yours and how you use each tool as each one serves a different purpose at different times. Pretty deep, right?  But makes perfect sense.  It took me years to understand and utilize my own toolbox. I could go on and on about what and how Pam has been there for me, but this is supposed to be a blog, not a novel. She is just full of life and makes the most out of every opportunity. I’ve never known anyone like her and because she has never let me down, I wanted to show her my gratitude for the past 32 years by taking her as my guest on this trip. When I asked her, she said she was honored that I chose her for the trip. In all honesty, it is me who is honored that she accepted! I am very blessed and fortunate to have met her and to have her in my life.

Easter is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church. The holiday marks the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Everyone has their favorite Easter traditions from attending Mass and eating a big dinner to hunting for Easter eggs and spending time with family. In honor of the blessed holiday, the Bordas & Bordas attorneys and staff have collaborated to share their favorite things about Easter! Jim Bordas: Growing up in the Bordas household, Easter was a holiday second only to Christmas. I have many wonderful Easter memories, some of which are brought back by reviewing old Easter pictures of my brothers and sisters and my mom and dad all dressed up in our Sunday best.  Even though we attended church as a family on a weekly basis, and back in the 50s and 60s, wore dressy clothes, which meant coats and ties for the boys and dresses for the girls, Easter was even more dressy.  We all had new outfits to wear to church on Easter Sunday! Easter Week for my family was one of reverence.  I can’t remember a time in my life that I felt closer to our Lord and Savior than I did Easter Week when I was young.  As a young Catholic boy, I participated with many of my Catholic friends and my brothers and sisters, in observance of all the Catholic Lenten traditions.  We all gave up something for Lent, be it candy, cake, ice cream, whatever it happened to be.  In my family, we not only gave up at least one thing that we really liked and found it difficult to give up, but we also tried to do something positive as often as possible that we normally didn’t do.  The sacrificing I think brought us closer to God and also taught us something about willpower. Some of my fondest Easter moments were listening to the daily sermons that were given during Holy Week and attending the Stations of the Cross.  That’s not to say that all of Easter was so serious.  Certainly my mother made sure that the Easter bunny left presents for each one of us!  We participated in Mom’s Easter egg hunts that I thought were the absolute best.  That is until I met my wife.  She tops them all with not only the presents that she gives to me, our children, our grandchildren and our friends, but also the great Easter egg hunts that she takes charge of almost every year.  These Easter egg hunts involve 60-75 plastic Easter eggs with change inside the eggs.  Some of the Easter eggs even have dollar bills, and one or two have five dollar bills.  So it’s a lot of fun and excitement for the little kids and sometimes even the bigger ones to participate in Linda’s Easter egg hunts. One of the most memorable Easter egg hunts that I can recall is one that was held in Colorado where my youngest son, Ben, was working.  Linda had the egg hunt for his buddies, all of whom were in their early 20s.  We hid the eggs with change and dollar bills.  The participants thought that was the most interesting Easter egg hunt ever! In short, Easter is to me a season whereby I’m able to concentrate more on Christ, where I have a chance to become closer to Christ, and become a better person.  It’s also a season where I take time to reflect on those days gone by that were spent with family and friends and the very special moments where we were for the most part thanking the good God above for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me and my family.  I continue to do that to this day. Jamie Bordas: My favorite thing about Easter has always been going to Mass with my family. This is the one holiday that we should think about its true meaning more than any other. Everything about Easter Mass --- people dressed up, the Gospel reading, the music --- helps me do that. Geoff Brown: My favorite thing about Easter is spending time with some of our closest friends who we visit every year over Easter weekend.  Even though our kids are older now, they still enjoy the Easter egg hunt and going to Mass together at the church near where they live. Zak Zatezalo: As if Easter could get any more miraculous, it will always hold the most special place in my heart, because five years ago on Easter my son was born five weeks premature, with a host of life-threatening complications, after my wife suffered some very serious medical complications. But thanks to God and the heroic efforts of Dr. Bob Wetzel and a host of doctors at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, our son made it.  For us, Easter offers the opportunity to reflect on the profound miracle of the season in the most spiritual and personal way imaginable. Tyler Smith: My favorite Easter memories involved watching my children participate in their first Easter egg hunt and searching and finding their first Easter egg basket. Bryan Pasciak: I enjoy getting together with my family, eating a great meal and celebrating the most important holiday. Laura Pollard: My mother loves to decorate for holidays, and Easter is no exception. Every year, she puts out this statue of a bunny, and it has a really mean look on its face. I always teased her about the “scary bunny,” and even though I have not lived at home for several years now, she will still always text me a photo letting me know that the “scary bunny” is out on display, and the Easter season is upon us. Michelle Marinacci: Growing up, Easter meant my grandfather would make kibbee for our family’s Easter dinner.  He only made kibbee on special occasions and, when he did, everyone was usually excluded from the kitchen except me.  It was one of our special times together.  Some of my most cherished childhood memories are of the hours I would spend with him in my grandparents’ kitchen, just the two of us, while he made kibbee (I “helped” by tasting) and we talked about anything and everything.   Easter was probably his favorite holiday and it just hasn’t been the same since we lost him. Sharon Eubanks: My favorite memory goes way back to childhood and one that I reinvented for my three children:  It was the Easter egg hunt!  My parents would have to hide those eggs at least 20 times, and we would never tire of it.  We did it alI day, after we got home from church.  I did the same for my daughters, only with plastic eggs filled with candy.  On a couple of accessions, we went to the Easter Egg Roll at the White House—an over the top egg hunt in every way! Jodi Cunningham: One of my favorite Easter memories as a child was hunting for eggs on Easter morning before heading to church. Linda Scaggs: I love Easter music.  I never tire of “Up From the Grave He Arose” or “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” with all the Hallelujahs! Corey Pietranton: While growing up in Moundsville, my favorite Easter memories were made at my grandparent’s house on South Highland Avenue.  Their tiny house was always packed with wonderful people, great food and lots of laughter.  They hosted an annual Easter egg hunt for their grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends, which always turned into an epic battle to find the egg with money hidden inside. Jeanne Dedo: Easter was all about getting dressed up in our new dresses, hats, gloves and shoes, and going to Mass first thing in the morning. We would then come home and have the whole family over for dinner. Getting our Easter baskets was a plus, too! Susan Wilson: Easter has been (as a mom) one of my most favorite holidays where you dress your children up—in my case two boys—in their suits for church, the Easter egg hunt on the lawn, and then Sunday dinner at my mother-in-law’s house. The past several years, I have “inherited” Easter dinner from my mother-in-law who hosted my rather large family for many, many years while the boys were growing up.  I am now continuing the tradition and we all enjoy the pretty Easter flowers, the decorated eggs, good food and everyone just being together. Marilyn Bell: I always remember getting a new Easter dress for church, including new white patent leather shoes, white gloves and sometimes a hat, and going to church all decked out!  And especially loved getting up very early on Easter morning and hunting for my Easter basket.  One year, I remember the “Easter Bunny” hid my basket in the oven!!  Today, I have a greater appreciation for Easter.  The greatest gift ever – a Risen Savior! Ellie Wallace: When our children were little, my sisters and I would gather at my mom and dad’s to color Easter eggs.  One year when we were preparing and setting the cups of colored water around the table my daughter, Tonya, who was maybe 1 or 2 at the time reached over, grabbed one of the cups and began drinking it before we could pull it away from her.  She thought it was Kool-Aid. Becky Murphy: Easter is the BEST holiday because JESUS died for our sins and rose from the dead three days later. HOW GLORIOUS IS THAT!? Ryan McQuaid: Fun factoid: The name Easter owes its origin to Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes the hare and egg. Crystal Shaver: It was Easter Sunday.  I was at church sitting in a pew with my family, and it was time to pray.  So I closed my eyes, put my head down, and put my hands in my lap, when all of the sudden, I heard a loud popping sound, and then felt a burning sensation on my right hand.  When I opened my eyes, there was blood coming from my right index finger running down on to my Easter dress.  Of course I screamed, and everyone turned to look.  The light bulb directly above me had burst, and the glass came down and cut my finger.  We had to leave church and go to the hospital.  I ended up getting three stiches in my finger, and I still have the scar today.  And I never close my eyes during prayer ever since that happened. Sherry Sharpsky:. I used to love playing “Easter Bunny” for my kids when they were little…shopping for their Easter baskets and filling them with candy, toys and their favorite things. At night, when they were asleep, I would sprinkle Easter grass on the floor, close to where I would hide their baskets, and they thought that was so neat! Then, as they would sit in the floor eating chocolate bunnies for breakfast, they would talk of how they heard the Easter bunny hopping through the house with their baskets. Sally Blon: A favorite childhood memory of Easter was waking up and running downstairs to find my basket. My mom wrapped our baskets with see-through colored wrap, and all of us kids got our own color so we could tell them apart. I always loved the first look of my Easter basket because it was so pretty–that is until I tore the plastic wrap off to get to the chocolate bunny! Erin Dodd: Sitting at lunch the other day with my husband and my daughter, Aleigha, she said, “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Easter?”  My husband said, “The Easter Bunny.”  I said, “He Has Risen.”  She responded, “You’re right, mamma. That’s what it should be, but most people answer like Dad did.” At that moment, I realized the beauty of Easter that I have held dear all these years has carried over to my daughter just the way I wanted.  That makes this year my best Easter memory ever.  It’s not about the candy, the eggs or the bunny.  It’s not about the bonnet or the spring dresses or the ham on the table and the hunting for baskets, it’s about HIM.  So, knowing and celebrating the true meaning is most important to me. Amy Wilson: Best memories of Easter as a child - the church Easter egg hunts.  As a little tike, I was in awe at seeking the beautiful brightly colored Easter eggs scattered throughout the church lawn. Darcy Springer: As for most, if not all Christians, the crucifixion is the most important element of Easter.  The Easter bunny and eggs and everything else are a nice tradition but Christ dying on the cross is the real celebration. My favorite memories as a kid on Easter was getting a brand new dress, patent leather shoes, a bonnet and best of all, a new little purse!  My favorite memories with my own kids on Easter were hiding their Easter baskets and them running all over the house in their jammies hunting the baskets. Krystal Clark: Since I was a little girl,I have always enjoyed Easter. Probably my fondest memory of Easter growing up was when all of my relatives from my dad’s side of the family would come to our house the day before as they lived out of state and would crash at our house over night for the festivities.  We had a pretty large house growing up, but never enough space to house everyone comfortably.  Therefore I would wake up Easter morning and have cousins sleeping on my bedroom floor.  I would rush downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny brought me. I remember the excitement as I uncovered all of the goodies from my basket.  My mom and dad would spend a greater portion of the day preparing the meal for the entire family.  All of us kids would spend the day eating our candy and playing with our new toys.  Since we have had our daughter, we started a tradition of our own where we leave a candy trail through the house leading to her Easter basket.  We give her a bowl to pick up the candy as she goes along and just watching her face in excitement and anticipation and one of the best feelings in the world.  Then later in the day we get together with all of her cousins and grandma and have an Easter egg hunt and a family dinner.  It is such a joy to watch all of the kids have fun hunting for all of the eggs filled with all sorts of goodies. Tricia Pennell: Hiding my children’s Easter baskets is my favorite Easter memory.  Because they are 7 ½ years apart in age, it was fun to hide one in an easy place and the other in a really hard place!  They both inevitably helped each other look for the baskets. Sheila Cottrell: One Easter when we were kids we got six living, colored (dyed) Easter chicks, which were sold at the old McCrory’s store in Moundsville every year during Easter.  We had a blast playing with them when they were little and thought they would grow up and lay eggs….the only problem is that they ended up being all roosters.  I remember letting them out of the chicken coop to feed in the yard, and they would chase us and peck at our heels!  I really don’t like chickens anymore…unless they are breaded and fried. Jenn Mohney: My favorite memory of Easter when I was younger was waking up in Florida at my grandparents. I got to spend the day with a church service, shuffle board with my grandpa, a big family meal and searching for my basket full of eggs from the Easter bunny. Although this tradition is now a thing of the past, I’ll never forget the great memories it created. Ashley Wharton: I love spending the day with my family and watching my nieces and nephews hunt for their Easter baskets.  If I’m lucky they share some of their sweet treats with me!  Most importantly, I enjoy celebrating the most important holiday by attending Mass with my family. Jenna Tipton: Reminiscing on this special season, I see the sunshine smiling on lilies in my parents’ yard, coaxing them from bud to bloom. I feel the excitement of a child, recalling the search for each of the Easter Bunny’s “clues” that eventually lead to a basket. My Mom's handwriting was remarkably similar to his. I hear the sounds of awakening and rebirth all around us, and they fill my heart with thanks. Most at Easter, I treasure my family. Thank you for reading and have a blessed and happy Easter 2016!

One excursion my husband, Tom, and I have planned for the Bordas firm’s upcoming trip to Las Vegas is visiting the Hoover Dam. I have seen the Hoover Dam.  Passed it on the road to the Wilson family farm many, many times, according to my husband …. Many, many years ago—some here at the Bordas firm weren’t even born yet—I would travel with my then future husband and his father to their farm located in Wileyville, W.Va., down the Ohio River about 35 miles, on Rt. 7 for a good ways, then finally out Rush Run Road—a creek, literally, until a road was built—for another couple of miles to the old farmhouse that was located on 50 acres of land and on one side a hill (go figure) and the other side a small stream.  Beautiful and peaceful.  Tom’s father, Bob, loved his farm. This was his home on the weekends and many, many friends and family traveled to the Wilson farm for some good ‘ol hillbilly fun. So, on one of my first trips to the farm with Tom and his father, we were on Rt. 2 and we passed a dam. I innocently asked the name of the dam.  My future husband very quickly and without hesitation told me the name of the dam.  “That’s the Hoover Dam,”he said.  Needless to say, that had been one of Bob Wilson’s most favorite stories about me—and now my husband’s—that gets a laugh every time. That was the beginning of my understanding that my husband can say anything with a straight face.  It may have taken a while, and he still gets me sometimes, but now I almost never believe anything he says.  I just look him straight in the eye and if he is bluffing he always gives it away. When I told Tom we were going to Las Vegas and started discussing what we wanted to do, of course, the Hoover Dam came up very quickly and I told him innocently, but I have already seen the Hoover Dam …. This always brings a laugh at those memories from a long, long time ago.

With our state’s primary election just around the corner and with this being a Presidential election year, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about many of the reasons why it’s important to vote. I have to admit, I did not run out and register to vote as soon as I turned 18.  In fact, I don’t think I voted for the first time until I was in my late 20s.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize how very important it is that we all vote and take part in the democratic process.  Here are some of the reasons why: 1. So that you have someone representing you who stands for the same beliefs and ideas that you have. 2. To be part of the decision making process.  You do have a voice and you have the right to be heard.  Sometimes we hear that “it doesn’t matter” or “my vote doesn’t count” when, in fact, this is not true, especially if it is an election on a local level such as a school board representative, a sheriff, a mayor, or anyone who will be directing affecting your community. 3. We are privileged to live in a country in which we are allowed to vote and take part in the democratic process.  Men and women fought hard to give us the right to vote.  There are many, many countries whose citizens do not have this privilege or any voice in their government or the decision making process. 4. It affects your future. The representatives you put in office are making decisions now that will impact your future and the future of your children. 5. Voting gives you the opportunity to change something you don’t like in favor of something you do like. These are just a few of the reasons you should vote.  If you are not registered to vote in the upcoming primary, you have until April 19 to get registered.  Registering is easy—you can visit your local County Clerk’s office to fill out and submit a voter registration form, or you can now do it online through the Secretary of State’s office, at the following link: https://ovr.sos.wv.gov/Register. So let your voice be heard and vote!

What do you remember most about Easter? Coloring Easter eggs is one of my most treasured memories. Without fail, my mother would boil a dozen eggs, which she handpicked from my grandfather’s chicken coop, and we would color them.  We would have multiple Easter egg hunts and, on occasion, if it was too cold or rainy, we hid the eggs inside.  Sometimes a really well-hidden egg wouldn’t be found until weeks later, when your nose led you to the stinking hiding place.  Another good memory is family dinners.  Growing up, we lived in Mill Creek, a small town in West Virginia, where it was normal for folks to have a chicken coop in their backyard. My grandfather, most people knew him as “Preacher Brady,” had a very big coop on his property, which included large shade trees and a grape vine.  When it was time to share a family dinner with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, my grandfather and I would go to the chicken coop to find an unsuspecting sacrifice.  After shutting up the rooster in the henhouse (you don’t want to mess with him!), my grandfather would select the plumpest hen and then the chase was on.  He used a long rod with a hook on the end to catch the terrified victim.  I loved my grandfather dearly, but this selection process was barbaric and left quite an impression.  The next step was the beheading.  After sharpening his ax at the sandstone wheel, my grandfather carried out the execution.  For those of you who don’t know where the phrase “running around like a chicken with its head chopped off,” came from, now you will know.   This may sound really cruel and horrible to some people, but for folks who grew up on a farm or in a town like mine, it was how Easter dinner started.  My grandfather’s chickens were cared for and lived a good life, until they were needed for dinner.  I’m sure they were a lot better off than the chickens you buy at the local grocery stores.  Yep, I have a lot of interesting memories of my grandfather, but this is one that really left an impression.