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Fifteen years ago, when I first moved to Wheeling, I had to go to Ohio to get a lot of the necessary things for my house, the one that I actually shared with Jamie Bordas when the two of us were bachelors. There were a couple of items that we could purchase at businesses in Wheeling, including some couches I still have, and a washer and dryer that eventually went with Jamie. But many things were simply not available in Wheeling at the time. A lot of that shopping had to be done in Ohio, at the Ohio Valley Mall. That has really changed in 15 years and the Highlands in Ohio County has been one big change for the better. The dozens of businesses that have sprung up in The Highlands are a great credit to our Ohio County Commissioners and the leadership that they showed in developing the area. By working with major occupants like Cabela’s, along with a host of smaller operations, the County Commission established a site in Ohio County that produces commerce and tax revenue to improve our county, keeping money in and bringing money to our State. People complain a lot about government, and I suppose I’m no exception. So it’s important to give a pat on the back when our public servants do something right. There was little to speak of on those properties 15 years ago – people called it a road to nowhere – and a lot of business for Ohio County was indeed “going down the road.” With foresight, determination, hard work, hundreds of folks now have jobs here in our county, and, at any given time, thousands of people are at The Highlands shopping, eating, banking and contributing to progress in the area. Randy Whorton, Dave Sims (now Judge Sims), Greg Stewart, Tim McCormick and their staff deserve a lot of credit for that work. It’s a difference so large you can see it from space:

By now, you have probably heard and/or seen these two words on television or in advertisements: “gluten free.”  We are bombarded with advertising about everything that is gluten free.  I have known about these two words for approximately 17 years.  I first discovered this big bad word, gluten, when my cousin was also diagnosed with celiac disease a few years prior to my diagnosis in December of 2000. You can be diagnosed via a blood test called the TTG Antibody Test. If that test is positive–that is, if the results are abnormal or elevated—then you should also have a procedure described as an upper endoscopy performed to officially diagnose this disease.  The upper endoscopy consists of a scope that is inserted down your throat; you are sedated of course, so you do not feel anything.  This allows the doctor to obtain a sample of your small intestine to be biopsied to verify the celiac disease diagnosis. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye which makes gluten in a plethora of different foods.  The advertising community is now inundating us with “GLUTEN FREE” packaging.  For example, Rice Chex & Corn Chex cereals are gluten free, hence the names rice and corn.  The packaging is now marked with very large lettering stating that they are GLUTEN FREE – SEE BELOW.  I guess that is good marketing!! In general, you need to avoid the following foods or drinks:  beer, bread, cake, pie, some candy, some cereal, communion wafers, cookies, crackers, croutons, gravies, imitation seafood, matzo, pastas, processed luncheon meats, salad dressings, sauces, including soy sauce, seasoned rice mixes, seasoned snack foods, such as potato and tortilla chips, self-basting poultry, soups and soup bases and vegetables in sauce, unless any of these are labeled as GLUTEN-FREE. Just be DILIGENT and always check under the INGREDIENTS to see if the first ingredient is wheat, barley or rye.  If the first ingredient is corn, rice or other gluten-free grain, YOU ARE SAFE. If you accidentally eat a product that contains gluten, you may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. There are some people who experience no signs or symptoms after eating gluten, but this doesn't mean it's not damaging their small intestines. Even trace amounts of gluten in your diet may be damaging, whether or not they cause symptoms.  In some cases, if left untreated, people with celiac disease can develop other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, thyroid disease and cancer. One of the risks with celiac disease is that your body is not absorbing nutrients from the food you consume.   If you have celiac disease and follow a gluten-free diet, you may have lower levels of certain vitamins and nutrients.  Ask your dietitian to review your diet to see that you're getting enough of these key nutrients: iron, calcium, fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate. Some people have what is called non-celiac gluten sensitivity. People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity may benefit from a gluten-free diet-it is just trial and error for them.

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine a more horrific crime than child abuse. It is truly sad that over the past few months, we have had to hear about young children--infants in some cases-- who were seriously injured or killed by parents who abused them.  We read of the mother who sold her 11 year-old daughter for drug money.  We heard of the boyfriend who beat a crying infant to death.  As a parent, I have felt that instinct to protect my children at all costs, regardless of the circumstances.  I think that instinct is what caused me to devote a significant portion of my legal career to the representation of abused and neglected children.  It is also what drives me to do whatever I can to help reduce the instances of child abuse in West Virginia. In 2013, I became a member of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network, otherwise known as WVCAN.  WVCAN is an alliance of all local Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in West Virginia.  CACs are dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient—and which put the protection of the child victims first.  In order to understand the importance of WVCAN and the CACs throughout our state, you have to first understand the concept behind the CAC model. CACs, which exist throughout the country, are designed to fundamentally change the way communities respond to child abuse.  At its core, the model is about teamwork—bringing the agency professionals involved in a case together at the outset.  Prior to the creation of CACs, a child who had been victimized would first have to tell his/her story to a parent or trusted adult, who would usually report the matter to law enforcement.  The investigating officer would interview the child, and report his findings to a prosecutor.  The prosecutor would then interview the child again, and pass along his findings to the welfare department, who would interview the child again. . . .   I think you can see the problem.  The old system required the child to re-live the nightmare sometimes four, five times or more, which served no purpose other than to perpetuate the harm.  Under the CAC model, all of the interested parties are brought together at the outset.  Law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective service workers, therapists, etc. are all a part of the process from the beginning.  An interviewer with extensive training in dealing with abused children conducts an interview which is recorded and transcribed, and which provides the basis for all that comes next, from therapy for the victim to prosecution of the offender.  The result is effective, efficient, child-centered casework.  Fortunately for residents of the Ohio Valley, we have one of the most efficient CACs in the state right here:  Harmony House Children’s Advocacy Center in Wheeling. Last year, CACs in West Virginia provided services to nearly 2,900 children who were alleged victims of child abuse.  75 percent of those cases involved sexual abuse, while the remaining cases consisted of physical abuse, witness to violence, drug endangerment, and psychological abuse.  The estimated lifetime cost of treatment and services to a single victim of child abuse is $210,012.00.  A recent study revealed that annual medical costs for victims of child abuse in that year amounted to $43,178.00 per victim. Take a minute to do that math, and the lifetime cost of child abuse becomes absolutely staggering. WVCAN and its CACs strive to restore the lives of abused children by preventing the abuse from happening to begin with.  When a CAC intervenes early and effectively, we help to break the cycle of abuse by protecting the child victim, other children, and generations of children to come.  Our success stories are many, and our growth rate is impressive.  When WVCAN began in 2006, there were a total of two nationally-accredited CACs in our state.  Today, there are 21, serving both rural communities and major cities.  Over the past five years, we have seen a 60 percent increase in the number of children we have served.  The model is working. If you would like further information on WVCAN, Harmony House, or any of the other CACs throughout West Virginia, feel free to contact me through our firm’s website.  I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

It’s strange how a story can actually become a little too familiar. We have the outline of the story committed to memory and sooner or later it’s reduced to nothing more than a series of people, places and things.  We lose touch with the heart of the story.  With the real life emotions that lie behind the story and make it so powerful. I think that’s what happens with the Easter story.  We know the cast of characters--Jesus, the disciples, even Pilate, Caiaphas and the crowd of mockers.  We remember how the story moves from the Passover, to the cross, and finally to the empty tomb.  But we forget how those three fateful days impacted the disciples and changed their lives forever. Thursday was a day full of doubts and questions.  The disciples gathered with Jesus in the upper room, expecting to enjoy the Passover meal together.  Instead, Jesus said that one of them--one of his closest friends--would betray him.  Then he shocked them by saying that he was going away and that none of them could follow.  How the questions must have filled their hearts!  Peter tried to show off his faith, only to be told that he would actually deny Jesus three times before the sun rose the next morning.  Then off they went to the garden, where Jesus prayed fervently while the disciples slept.  Jesus woke them up, only to announce that a detachment of temple guards had come to arrest him.  Utterly panicked and afraid, the disciples ran off into the night. Friday was a day of broken hearts and shattered dreams.  Jesus was beaten, whipped and crucified.  The one who claimed to be the promised messiah was hanging on a cross--cursed, mocked and humiliated.  Then he died, and a Roman soldier drove a spear into his heart to prove it.  Jesus was dead.  There was no denying it.  And for the disciples, all of their hopes and dreams died with him.  There would be no more teaching.  No more miracles.  There would be no messiah righting wrongs and restoring the glory and honor of God’s people.  There was just a dead man and a tomb. The Bible says nothing about Saturday.  That seems very fitting to me.  I imagine the disciples felt nothing but numbness after everything that had happened.  Numb from grief.  Numb from shock and worry.  Numb from fear.  I see them huddled together behind a closed door, locked for their safety.  I hear weeping and wailing.  Their lives had been transformed in an instant.  Only a few days before they had been sitting under the teaching of Israel’s greatest teacher.  Sharing his life.  Following in his footsteps.  Now there was nothing… But thank God for Sunday! It was on Sunday that Jesus fulfilled the scriptures by rising from the dead--literally, bodily and with witnesses to confirm it.  Jesus was alive!  Their hopes and dreams were alive!  The tomb that only yesterday had stood as a symbol of death and despondency was now a symbol of life, hope and endless joy.  The risen Jesus not only filled them with a sense of hope and wonder, he also charted a new path for their lives.  In barely a month and a half the Holy Spirit would come, empowering them to proclaim the risen Jesus to the world.  In the beginning, they were nothing but fisherman.  Then they were followers learning at the feet of Jesus.  Now they were full-fledged missionaries, sharing the story of their Lord’s life, death and resurrection and the hope that only he can bring. I pray that Easter will be as meaningful and life changing for you this year as it was for the disciples 2000 years ago. Thank God for Sunday!

As a child, I always thought that the Easter Bunny was somewhat creepy. Aside from him being much larger than the average bunny, bunnies do not lay eggs. Also, I always imagined the Easter Bunny being male.  I guess I equate this to the bowtie and vest he sports much of the time. So, since the Easter Bunny is male (I think) it makes it even more unlikely that he hops around laying colorful eggs.  Of course, as I grew older and wiser, some of those questions were answered.  However, I find myself asking this question—what is the association between the egg laying Easter Bunny and the holiday itself? With my curiosity getting the better of me, I went in search for the answer to my question.  What I found was that spring festivals were celebrated within the pagan culture.  One of the most popular festivals being held in honor of Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility ( and where Easter eventually derives its name).  The spring goddess, Eostre, was linked to the hare and the egg which are both symbols of fertility; the hare because of its known ability to reproduce in vast quantities and the egg—a symbol of life.  Eostre was solely responsible for bringing in the spring season each year.  Apparently, one year she was late and in order to make up for not being on time, she found an injured bird who could no longer fly and transformed the bird into a hare.  However, in its transformation from bird to hare, it had not lost its ability to lay eggs—thus, the emergence of the egg-laying hare. In the 1700s, German immigrants brought the tale of the hare—known to them as Oschter Haws—to America.  As Christianity spread, the Oschter Haw, Americanized its name to the Easter Bunny, became a part of their Easter celebration.  As for the egg—according to an article in The Digitial Universe, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah (01-2015), it is the Christian belief that the egg is a symbol for renewal and rebirth that ties back to Christ’s resurrection.  The egg itself is a representation of the tomb which is evidenced by its shell.  Cracked, it imitates the resurrection of Christ and his emergence from his resting place.  It also mentions that the tradition of rolling eggs represents the rolling away of the stone covering Jesus’ tomb. I am sure there are many other tales as to how the infamous egg-laying bunny emerged but I found this one interesting.

Almost a quarter century ago, the Autism Society “launched a nationwide effort to promote autism awareness, inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with ASD is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of life.” Autism is a topic close to my heart for many reasons, and I have been blessed to be able to watch a family member grow up with autism and blossom into an outstanding young man. Instead of focusing on the spectrum or other aspects associated with autism, I want to focus on the amazing accomplishments of my younger cousin who has autism, the blessing he has been in my life and reflect on the mission of the Autism Society and National Autism Awareness Month. It was just last night that I was talking with my mother about the fact that my younger cousin was accepted into a local community college where he will start taking classes next fall, after he graduates from high school.  While this may not seem like a big deal to some people, to his parents, my mother and myself, this is an amazing accomplishment and yet another example of the great things someone with autism can accomplish if given the opportunity. From the time my cousin was born, his parents were determined to treat him the same way they treated their other children.  While there has obviously been challenges, they wanted him to have as normal of a childhood as possible and, because of their efforts, he has gone on to achieve much more than anyone could have ever imagined.  His family’s drive for him to succeed, combined with his own effort and determination, has allowed him to take classes with the rest of the students in high school and become successful within those classes. Many times people with autism struggle socially or in other specific aspects, but can be very intelligent in others.  However, if they are not given the opportunity to succeed, their talents may never be noticed or developed. Moreover, at least in my experience, autistic people become focused on specific subjects and, despite their limitations in other aspects, become incredibly intelligent within the areas they focus on.  For my cousin, his focus has been on trains since he was a young boy and a train conductor would be amazed at his knowledge.  Even at a young age, he would walk up to me and start analyzing the type of train that he was playing with, how the engine worked, when it was made, the type of cargo it would normally carry and many other details that I did not expect a child of his age to know or understand.  As he has grown older, he has expanded his knowledge into many different areas. Despite his accomplishments in the classroom, the most impressive aspect of my younger cousin is his love for life and genuine care for other people.  During his childhood, he had to undergo many operations due to various issues with his health, but, if you ever talked with him, you would never realize the challenges he has gone through.  Both of my cousin’s younger brothers have been successful in sports and many other areas that he was not able to participate in growing up.  This would lead many people to become angry or jealous; however, my cousin is the exact opposite, he is genuinely proud of his family’s accomplishments and loves and cares in a way that is rare in this day and age where many people are too focused on what is in it for themselves. The autism society has the goal of raising awareness, funds and support for people with autism and their families.  Without organizations like this, many people with autism may not be able to showcase their unique personalities and abilities to the world.  Autism Awareness uses a ribbon with a puzzle pattern as their logo to reflect the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum.  The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families autism effects, while the brightness of the ribbon signals hope—hope that people with autism will live fuller and more complete lives through the increased awareness of autism, which could lead to early intervention and appropriate treatment. Autism Awareness ribbons can be purchased online at: http://www.autism-society.org/about-the-autism-society/history/autism-awareness-ribbon/. Moreover, the website outlines many other areas where people can help by donating their time to the cause.

In the United States we value our rights established in our Constitution. We value our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We value our Second Amendment rights, our right to keep and bear arms. We hope we never have to use our Fifth Amendment rights, like the privilege against self-incrimination, or the “right to remain silent,” but we value that right. The right that doesn’t get as much attention is our Seventh Amendment right. The Seventh Amendment includes our right to trial by jury. The right to trial by jury was just as important to our Founding Fathers in the original structure of our Constitution as these other rights. Before trial by jury was an established right, the King of England, or other government officials, could hold summary trials that were favorable to the government and against the rights of the people. The Seventh Amendment changes that. It establishes that in our civil and criminal courts, citizens should be the finders of fact and the key decision makers, rather than being judged by a bureaucrat, official, or a servant of the King. We as Americans, have the right to be judged by one another. Our Seventh Amendment right is under persistent attack. It turns out that not just the King, but other powerful interests, don’t like being judged by citizens. They prefer to be judged by someone that they pick, that they influence, or that they control. We see this sort of thing all the time when cases are forced into arbitration at the behest of wealthy corporations that write contracts favorably to them as a method for taking away your right to a jury trial. We also see it when laws attempt to prejudge cases by trying to decide for the jury in advance what is a fair and just penalty for a wrongdoer. People go back and forth debating the wisdom of these types of laws or the utility of arbitration, but that really isn’t the issue. The point is these laws are unconstitutional. They impinge on the right to trial by jury, as established in our West Virginia and United States Constitutions. Unless and until we decide to change that Constitution, that should be answer enough as to why some laws are not being enforced.

Traveling for depositions is not one of my favorite things.  It’s usually a quick in and out trip with no time for fun.  Trips to the west coast are especially hard due to flight schedules and time zone changes.  But, when I recently learned I needed to attend an expert deposition in Los Angeles the wheels in my brain immediately started to spin.  A little California sunshine would be a welcome break from the long, cold winter that we’ve had; a winter that just doesn’t seem to want to end.  I was going to need to be there at least two days: one to meet with our expert and one for the deposition.  I started to think that I might, just might, be able to make this into a little mini-break depending on the day the deposition took place.  I got lucky.  The party taking the deposition chose a Tuesday and I decided to look into making a weekend out of this trip if the airfare cooperated. Once I started checking on flights and realized airfare as actually cheaper if I went on Friday instead of Sunday and spent the weekend, I knew I could make it happen and I started contacting the people I know in Southern California to see who might be up for a visitor.  Samantha Winter, my former Bordas & Bordas colleague, is temporarily residing in San Diego and immediately extended an invitation for me to stay with her for the weekend and have a little Southern California fun.  So, on a recent cold, rainy and gray Friday afternoon, I boarded a flight to sunny California. Samantha had a prior commitment Saturday afternoon so I spent the day wandering around the San Diego Harbor area and exploring what San Diego had to offer.  I even took a harbor cruise where I got to see a good portion of our Pacific fleet and some sea lions lounging in the bay.  Once Samantha was free from her prior commitment, we watched the sunset from the Sunset Bar at the world famous Hotel del Coronado while we enjoyed one of “the Del’s” signature cocktails before dinner at a local seafood restaurant. Sunday started with a short stroll to one of Samantha’s favorite spots for an outdoor brunch.  One thing that struck me on Saturday and even more so on Sunday was how dog-friendly San Diego is.  Pups are allowed everywhere and are everywhere: in stores, in restaurants and on just about every street.  There is even an area of beach on Coronado Island reserved for dogs.  As I sat enjoying brunch in the sunshine, I thought about how much my own Cassie and Tripp and the Bordas pups Barley, Guinness and Caroline would enjoy being able to go everywhere with their people.  I could see them all making friends with each passerby they encountered. One thing about Samantha is she can be just as big of a kid as I can be.  Destination of choice for our Sunday afternoon: the San Diego Zoo.  I know Samantha was just as excited to be there as I was.  One of our first animal interactions was seeing Kalluk the polar bear having a grand time playing in the water and putting on a show for the tourists while we took the guided bus tour of the park to get our bearings.  When we got off the bus, we just so happened to pass the giraffes during the one hour that day when park visitors were given an opportunity to hand feed them.  What an experience that was! The giraffes were so beautiful, friendly and gentle.  You can barely feel it when they take the “treat” from your hand and they appeared to be smiling for the cameras -LOL. As we wandered the zoo grounds, we could not figure out why the various flocks of flamingos were so upset.  In one area, they were “barking” at the trees; in another, they appeared to be fighting with each other.  The wait to see the pandas was well worth it.  Not only did we see a full grown panda; but there was a baby panda roaming around another area playing and showing off for the crowds.  I very much enjoyed the zoo visit and can see why the San Diego Zoo is as famous as it is.  However, I think we both left questioning whether some of the animals, particularly the larger ones and apes, could really be happy there. After a walk on the beach and another wonderful dinner, my time with Samantha was drawing to a close.  Early Monday morning, I started the drive north to Los Angeles.  The view was amazing and the traffic not quite as bad as I had imagined it would be.  Once there, I met with our expert in preparation for the following day’s deposition and had a little time left over to visit the famous Santa Monica pier and walk around a little.  As I sat in the deposition on Tuesday, I could look out the conference room in the Century City tower where we were and see the Pacific Ocean in the distance.  I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to have sunshine, mild weather and views like that on a daily basis.  On the other hand, the traffic and inflated costs of EVERYTHING in Los Angeles is not something I would like to deal with each day. A quick dinner after the deposition and it was time to head to the airport for my flight back.  I had the “brilliant” idea that I should take a red-eye back instead of spending another night in the hotel and sitting on a plane the majority of the following day.  Why sit on a plane during the day when you could sleep on a plane at night? Right?  Wrong.  I slept very little on the plane and struggled through a two and a half hour layover in Washington before finally arriving back in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning to more cold and rain.  By the time I got home, I was exhausted and my plan to shower and head to the office quickly gave way to a much needed nap. A taste of the California sunshine was just enough to help me through the remnants of winter.  It also inspired Samantha and me to start planning a trip to Walt Disney World.  Like I said before – we are both still big kids at heart.

I came across a new study recently that suggest that sugar hidden in junk food is eight times more addictive than cocaine. A separate study ranked the top five most addictive foods as ice cream, chips, chocolate, cookies and pizza. Pizza was actually ranked at the top of the addiction list, due largely to the amount of sugar added to the pizza sauce, with one slice having more sugar, on average, than an Oreo cookie. That made me recall another article I read a while back suggesting that Oreos have a chemical reaction in the brain similar to opiate drugs. I suddenly realized I was seeing a trend. Food “addiction” has been a somewhat controversial subject over the last few years, but seeing these recent studies has only reinforced what I have recently discovered over the course of the last couple months, namely that I am an addict. A sugar and junk food addict. I learned a great deal about myself and my relationship with food over the past couple months and gained a new perspective on eating and its effect on my health.  I have had plenty of interest in health and healthy eating over the years and have tried tons of different plans at various times (Zone, Body for Life, Schwarzbein Principle, Weight Watchers, etc.), but inevitably I would always return to my old ways, which basically meant I would eat and drink whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it.  Stress eating?  Check. Celebratory eating? Check. Down in the dumps eating?  Check.  Late night pop and chips 5-7 nights a week?  Check.  Eating junk food because I just happened to pass by it?  Check. Eating fast food every day for weeks on end?  Check.  Whether ignorant or living in denial, I never really appreciated that my relationship with food contained many hallmarks of addictive behavior.  I thought addiction was reserved for drugs and alcohol, but this winter I came to realize that there was very little difference between my behavior and relationships with food and that of someone struggling with addiction to those substances. So how did I come to this realization?  By giving it all up - for 30 days.  I’d like to say this was a conscious decision on my part, a concerted and focused effort to take back control over my health and well-being. But the truth is that I owe this newfound realization entirely to my wife, Jessica, who decided to start a program called Whole 30 If you’re a guy like I, you eat what your wife makes, so I was sort of unwittingly dragged into this Whole 30 journey with the option to either eat whole foods or starve. Whole 30 is a program set out in a book called It Starts With Food written by physical therapists Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, who is also a certified nutritionist.  The Hartwigs’ underlying philosophy is that what we put into our bodies is either nourishing or harmful, and the Whole 30 directive is to consume only nutrient-rich, nourishing food for 30 days. In the Whole 30 world, sugar is known as “The Dragon” and the program is designed, in part, to allow us to gain control over sugar-cravings. By eating Whole 30, we reduce chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalance, autoimmune disorder, and thereby greatly reduce our incidence of chronic disease and food-driven malaise.  Whole 30 is not a weight loss program, although weight loss is a side effect of the program.  While the book goes into great detail about the reasons for eating the foods recommended and avoiding those that are not, in a nutshell, the program requires you to quit sugar, grains, dairy, legumes (i.e. beans, peanuts, etc.), alcohol and all processed foods for 30 days.  There is absolutely no cheating allowed.  If you have a bite of an Oreo, a sip of pop or a nibble on a piece of cheese, you have to start all over. Cold Turkey is the only way to go on Whole 30. After 30 days, you begin to add legumes, grains and dairy back into your diet under certain guidelines in order to determine your particular sensitivity to these food categories, so you can eat accordingly moving forward after completing Whole 30.  So for 30 days my wife and I ate some combination of meat, eggs, vegetables, some fruit, certain nuts and lots of healthy fats (i.e. avocado, coconut, olive oil, ghee, etc.) for every meal. Now, please appreciate that going into this, it was simply inconceivable to me that I would be able to give up all the foods that I absolutely loved.  No DiCarlos?  No Figaretti’s? No Golden Chopsticks?  No Mountain Dew?!?! Are you kidding me?  Yeah right! If I can’t have those things, what’s the point of life?  That lifestyle was never going to be practically feasible for me. In fact, the first thing I said on Day One was, “I just can't comprehend the fact that I can never eat pizza again.” I was simply trying to be a supportive husband in the beginning, humoring my wife while harboring every intention of returning to my old ways within a week at the latest. But something happened once I started. I quickly found that it was much easier to eat Whole 30 than any other program I had ever tried.  The food was delicious, because it was mostly protein and fat which are incredibly satiating. So I didn’t find myself hungry 30 minutes after I ate. I also quickly discovered why I could eat a whole family size bag of chips and drink a Big Gulp in one sitting.  Junk “foods” don’t satiate, but instead insidiously trick the brain into being able to eat way more than the body is otherwise equipped to handle, which happens to be great for business if you’re a junk food producer. My wife, Jessica, had more difficult days in the beginning (she’s way more food sensitive, in general, than I), but also quickly found it easy to eat Whole 30. But although eating the food was easy enough, this is not to say the program was a breeze. Two things made it tough. The first hurdle was shopping.  I quickly discovered that if it’s at the store and is not a fruit or vegetable, it has added sugar in it.  I was absolutely floored to discover that literally every packaged food on the grocery store shelves is laden with added sugar in one form or another.  From lunch meat to canned vegetables to beef and chicken stock, even nitrate-free bacon, it all has sugar.  So there was a bit of a learning curve, and a lot of label reading, to find foods that were Whole 30-compliant in those first couple of weeks.  But this was a very manageable challenge and fortunately, Kroger and Riesbecks’ now offer a lot of organic options.  Trader Joes in Pittsburgh is also your friend (it’s like the Aldi of organic food).  Their prices are amazing, and it’s well worth a trip to stock up on staples like tuna, cashew butter and coconut products (all good on Whole 30). The second, and bigger, challenge was meal preparation. There are very few options for eating out on Whole 30, although it can be done (Thank you, Cilantro Grill. But meal prep. is a must, and that is time consuming any way you slice it. Recipes are no problem. We have found tons of delicious options and have a list of things to try that will last us years. But we have had to diligently plan, prep on weekends, and do dishes twice a day. Jessica did the cooking almost exclusively, while I helped with prep and was in charge of clean-up, and to be honest we are still challenged to find the best balance for this lifestyle. But here’s the thing. Hardly anyone simply has the time for dedicated meal prep in today’s society, so we have to make the time. Attention to your health simply has to become a top priority in your life.  Difficult I know, but if we can do it so can you.  We have tremendous demands on our time, young kids, and a steady helping of unanticipated monkey wrenches like everyone else, but so far, we have been managing to make this work by making it a focal point of our daily lives. Plus by eating healthy, you should have much more steady energy throughout the day, be better able to focus and concentrate and, as a result, the quality and timeliness of your work will hopefully improve to more than make up for diverting an extra hour or two a day to food prep. And there are so many free resources on the net to help with planning and preparation that it really is easier than ever. By and large, the meal preparation has actually been a fun and enjoyable, albeit challenging, experience. I have learned new ways to cook and am way more attuned to the particular health benefits of different foods. I’ve been eating “Whole 30” now for a couple months, and I can say it has made a tangible difference. By the end of that first month, I found myself no longer craving the things I thought I could never, ever give up. I mean, I truly cannot imagine anyone craving and loving junk food more than I, and I was as skeptical as they came in terms of believing I could ever stem these cravings. So I truly believe that if I can do this, so can anyone else. I sleep much better now, my energy levels are consistent all day – no more mid-afternoon Cokes to stave off the inevitable post-lunch crash, and I feel much improved physically and mentally.  Oh, and I also lost 20 lbs. in that first month.  I can honestly say that my taste buds have changed.  Foods that I was previously lukewarm (i.e., sweet potatoes, olives) or completely averse (i.e. tuna) to have now become favorite staples in my diet. Since completing Whole 30, we’ve basically just continued the lifestyle.  It’s feeling more and more like a part of our household, which is perhaps the biggest difference I’ve noticed over other programs I’ve tried in the past.  Those other programs always felt like short term solutions, whereas this feels more sustainable. Think of Whole 30 as a precursor to a paleo-type lifestyle. After Day 30, “cheating,” or in Whole 30 parlance “nutritional off-roading,” is allowed when something just absolutely seems worth it to not pass up. So I’ve had some offroading during my second month. DiCarlos and I still hook up occasionally.  But the big difference so far for me has been that, instead of an “off-road” meal triggering a fast-track return to old habits, these choices now make me want to quickly return to putting healthy food in my body. However, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy these indulgences.  The thing about eliminating the junk from my daily diet is that when I have indulged, I make my decision, savor it, and move on with no regrets or guilt. The biggest difference is that I am now much more selective of what I deem as worthy of my pleasure. Some of our other cheats have been much healthier options of indulgent foods we love – chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour, coconut oil and honey, for instance, which now taste like the most delicious cookies ever.  In contrast, my 3-year-old, who has yet to adopt a Whole 30 lifestyle, thinks those cookies are gross and won’t touch them because he’s used to sugar-laden junk foods. I can’t blame him.  I would have felt the same way two months ago.  Because I was unwittingly riding that Sugar Dragon as hard as I could without realizing the way that the sugar and food processing had reconditioned my brain and taste buds to react to processed foods. Am I in for a relapse?  Probably.  Relapses are part and parcel of addiction.  But I feel like I have finally found a blueprint for good health to which I can return if I do revert to my old habits.  For now, I am immensely grateful to my wife, once again, for dragging me into Whole 30, kicking and screaming, but opening my eyes to a whole new way of eating, living and feeling. Again, it’s difficult to express in words, the skepticism I had towards being able to abandon the comforting food habits upon which I grew so dependent. To be able to undo a lifetime of unhealthy programming in just one month seemed utterly unfathomable to me.  But so far, so good, and the Dragon remains at bay. If you’re interested in a Whole 30/Paleo lifestyle, here are some additional links to learn about these programs.

I am so excited about today’s game against Kentucky!!!! The Mountaineers can beat anyone with their style of play.  A near perfect game is absolutely not out of the question for this team.  They have been focused, their shot percentages are up, turnovers down and foul shot problems are in the past.  If they keep their heads on their shoulders and don’t make any “stupid, stupid fouls”—as my husband calls them—they have as good a chance of winning as anyone.  Keep up that pressure—make Kentucky make mistakes.  Follow your shots and get those rebounds. Congratulations to Coach Huggins on being the Big 12 Coach of the Year and congratulations to the entire team for making it to the Sweet 16. 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StartFragment What do you when it’s the sweet sixteen and your team is playing your fiancé’s team? I’ve been a Mountaineer fan for as long as I can remember. Even when I went to Marshall and graduated from there, I was always a Mountaineer at heart. So needless to say I always root for them to do well, especially during March Madness. Since I met my fiancé, though, I’ve also become a Kentucky fan. I actually really like Coach Cal and find his interviews very entertaining. But let’s be honest, my life is easier when his team wins. This season there has been so much more at stake because Kentucky has been undefeated. We joked all season about our teams meeting in the tournament, but never thought it would actually happen. Now it has and now we have a house divided. He of course will never waver on who he wants to win, but I’m torn. I would love to see my Mountaineers win and move on to the elite eight, but I really think it would be something special for Kentucky to remain undefeated and hopefully go on to win the National Championship. EndFragment I guess I’ll be rooting for both teams because it’s a win for me either way. - Shay Stein

Move over Danica! I’m ready to go racing and the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) is making that possible. Within the next few weeks, I’ll be strapped in a race car in sunny Florida ready to go fast. I really can’t wait! Another item off the bucket list. I guess you could say auto racing is in my blood. My grandfather and my dad raced stock cars at the local level and, of course, were NASCAR fans. This was in the day when Junior Johnson and Rex White were hot shots on the track. While most kids my age were excited about watching the Super Bowl, every February on a Sunday afternoon I couldn’t wait to tune into the Daytona 500. Richard Petty was a very common household name. You can imagine how excited I was to meet him in June 1986 when I attended my first NASCAR race, the Miller American 400 at Michigan International Speedway. I was 14. That day, King Richard made the 1,000 th start of his career, the first driver in NASCAR history to log such, and I was there to see it. And if meeting Richard Petty (and Kyle, too) wasn’t enough, I watched the race from pit wall. There’s nothing like feeling the rumble of the engines beneath your feet and smelling the unmistakable scent of racing fuel. At that time, my family’s towing, truck rental and repair business provided the hauler for James Hylton Racing. (More about Hylton in a minute.) This allowed for access to the garage area and the pits. I also came face-to-face with Harry Gant and Cale Yarborough that day. It was amazing to see it all up close and personal, truly an experience I will never forget. While I’d been around racing in some form my whole life, it was at that time I realized the sport is more than cars just driving in a circle seeing who can get to the start-finish line first. It’s about engineering, mechanics, calculations, timing and athleticism. It all has to come together for a winning team. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to meet Jeff Gordon during his rookie year, Brett Bodine a couple of times and the late Davey Allison. As time has passed, NASCAR has evolved and become more mainstream. The fan base has grown and what began as a southern sport born on a beach in Florida is now big business. The guys I rooted for decades ago have since retired and now have children and grandchildren competing, but for a gal who got a real taste of racing in the 80s, it’s still just as exciting. Instead of Richard Petty, I’m cheering for Jeff Gordon (at least for one more season), Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. One of my high school buddies landed a job on a Stewart-Haas team after getting his engineering degree, so I can’t help but wish good things for a hometown boy. Now, about Hylton. He remains a personal friend of my dad’s and is still toying with racing at 80 years young. Hylton got his start in auto racing as White’s mechanic. The Cup Rookie of the Year in 1966, Hylton is the oldest driver to race in each of NASCAR's three highest divisions and spent the last several years of his career racing in the ARCA series. On January 30, during the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Hylton was brought on stage to present White with the honorary Hall of Fame ring. It made watching the ceremony on TV kinda cool. I played putt-putt golf with that guy! There’s no doubt that I’ve had once in a lifetime experiences as a race fan and those experiences are fueling my excitement for the RPDE. (And of course I just want to go fast!) And a big shout of thanks to my dad, who thought the RPDE would be a great Christmas gift. I’m glad he doesn’t mind having a daughter who is a bit of a gear head. Check back in a few weeks. I plan to share my experience on the track with you through another blog. Now I’m just waiting to hear those famous words, “Gentlemen (and lady), start your engines!” Move over Danica! I�m ready to go racing and the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) is making that possible. Within the next few weeks, I�ll be strapped in a race car in sunny Florida ready to go fast. I really can�t wait! Another item off the bucket list.

Our firm has attorneys who are licensed in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas. The majority of our work is in those states.  However, we have also handled cases in many other states throughout the country, including Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana and New Mexico just to name some of them. People may wonder how it is that we are able to handle cases in these other states. There is a process for being admitted to practice in another state which is called Pro Hac Vice admission.  This is a Latin term (so many legal terms are Latin) meaning “for this occasion.”  As you might gather from this meaning, the admission is on a case-by-case basis. In order to be admitted on a Pro Hac Vice basis, a lawyer must demonstrate that he is in good standing with the highest court of the state in which he practices and that he has a lawyer in the state in which he is seeking Pro Hac Vice admission who is sponsoring him and will be responsible for the case along with him. Our firm is often times asked to represent individuals or companies in other states for various reasons. One such reason may be that an individual or company that is located close to one of our offices is harmed in another state.  The individual harmed knows our reputation and the success we have achieved as a result of living in the local area.  Thus, they ask our firm to represent them.  In this instance, we handle the case and retain an attorney from the distant state to work with us on the case.  The good news for our client is that it does not cost them anymore to do this.  The fee that is paid to the out-of-area attorney is paid by our firm, not the client. Another scenario where we are often times called upon to work in a distant state is where an individual, company or lawyer in a distant state has learned of our success in a particular area of the law and therefore wants to draw upon that experience and success.  For example, a couple of years ago, I obtained a significant verdict of $10 million in an insurance bad faith case in Belmont County, Ohio. Since that time, I have had individuals from other states who have read about that case contact me to ask me to represent them in insurance cases in other states. Again, in that scenario, we work in tandem with an attorney from another state at no additional cost to the client. Of course, we are selective in determining which cases justify us spending our time in a distant location.  However, if a case rises to the level that is justifiable to us, then we are willing and happy to do so. A third type of situation where we are often times asked to represent someone in a distant location is when a current or former client, employee, family member or friend has a friend or relative in a distant location who needs help and they recommend us to that friend or relative.  We are always very appreciative when someone recommends us to one of their friends or loved ones.  We certainly accept it as a very high form of compliment that they would suggest that someone they know place their trust in us. No matter how we may come to be involved in handling a case in a state outside of our office locations, we almost always enjoy it and come away pleased that we accepted the representation and that we were able to help someone obtain justice.  Often times, the experiences that we have in these other jurisdictions are very memorable and we develop friendships that last a lifetime with people we never would have known.  Being able to handle these cases is another reason that I am proud of the attorneys at our firm and the work that we do.