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For many years, since 2001, in fact, here at our local Bordas & Bordas offices, we have had automated external defibrillator devices, commonly known as AED devices, on-hand.  AED devices are designed to aid in the Chain of Survival when Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs.  The Chain of Survival was developed by the American Heart Association which includes: Immediate recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system Early CPR with emphasis on chest compressions Rapid defibrillation Effective advanced life support Integrated post-cardiac arrest care Immediate recognition and calling 9-1-1 is crucial.  Early CPR calls for starting CPR and continuing until EMS personnel arrive.  Rapid defibrillation is where the AED device comes into play.  The first minutes of an SCA event are critical to helping save a life. Calling EMS personnel to respond is extremely important, however, those first crucial couple of minutes before EMS are on scene are critical in helping to save a life.  Defibrillation, when necessary, can re-start the heart function when a person is in Ventricular Fibrillation (VF).  Effective advanced life support can then be provided when EMS/paramedics arrive and transport to the hospital for integrated post-cardiac arrest care.  When each link in the chain is successful, chances of survival greatly increase. SCA is not the same as a heart attack but calling 9-1-1 and setting into motion a quick response is also vitally important for that type of incident.  The symptoms for sudden cardiac arrest are unresponsiveness, loss of consciousness, lack of pulse and cessation of breathing. The person in sudden cardiac arrest can also present as pale, off-color and sweaty.  CPR in progress and just prior to the use of the AED device works to help ensure that any necessary shock(s) delivered by the AED device will stop Ventricular Defibrillation and restore the heart rhythm.  Any delay, even seconds, in the time interval between CPR and the delivery of a shock diminishes a successful outcome.  The AED device walks you through each step with voice prompts (depending on the device) and will only deliver a shock if necessary, as well as any additional shocks. The final links of advanced EMS/paramedic care which can provide cardiac meds and/or breathing tubes along with transportation to a hospital elevates the chances of survival.   Each successful link is crucial in the chain of survival. Training in CPR and the use of the AED device is critical.  Our firm provides every member with CPR/AED training on a voluntary basis.  This training is provided by our local fire department for a nominal fee.   Training in the use of the AED device is necessary, as is training in CPR, as each link leads to the other in the Chain of Survival.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just classified Internet providers, broadband and wireless, as public utilities. As such, Internet providers will need to follow many of the same federal regulations imposed on telephone companies. The rule's effect is allegedly aimed at providing users equal access to all Web traffic by preventing cable and telecommunications companies from controlling what people see on the Web.  More specifically, the rule bans providers of high-speed Internet access from blocking Web sites they don’t like or auctioning off faster traffic speeds to the highest bidders. Proponents of the rule claim that consumers should not see any immediate changes to what they see on the Internet and that there would be no new federal taxes or fees put on Internet service providers. Opponents claim that the new rule will stifle research and development and could mean new taxes and fees from state governments. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (" WISPA ") is concerned that could have an adverse effect on small businesses. Others claim that it opens the door for the FCC to regulate Internet content. Unfortunately, despite the rule's passage, the precise language of the FCC’s rules has not yet been revealed.  It may take weeks for the regulations to be published in the Federal Register, when they will be made public.  Stay tuned...we are certain that lawsuits will follow.

“War on Coal” Proponents Rejoice! Recently the EPA threw a giant bone to the coal and power industries by regulating coal combustion waste as solid waste instead of the hazardous waste that it actually is. The EPA’s recent implementation of CCW regulations are the culmination of a nearly decade-long political fight over the regulation of coal combustion waste that required a lawsuit to force the EPA to take any action at all. In essence, coal combustion waste, or CCW, is the residual dust and ash that is left over after coal is burned to produce electric power. CCW is an amalgam of heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, chromium (including the highly toxic and carcinogenic chromium VI), lead, selenium, molybdenum, antimony, nickel, boron, cadmium, thallium, cobalt, copper, manganese, strontium, thorium, vanadium and others. In addition to toxic metals, CCW also contains other materials that are hazardous to human health including dioxins, PCBs and radionuclides. CCW is comprised of small and “ultrafine” particles, the very smallest of which are inhaled into the deepest part of the lungs where they trigger inflammation and immunological reactions. Some of these particles gain access to the human circulatory system where they are transported to distant organs like the heart, brain and other organs, where they settle and produce disease and cancer. Here in the Ohio Valley, we are certainly no strangers to coal-fired power plants.  The Ohio Valley has perhaps the greatest concentration of coal-burning plants in the entire country. Ironically, as pollution controls, like electrostatic precipitators and baghouse filters, have become more effective at trapping coal ash from being spewed into the air, and have reduced the coal plant air pollution that blows into neighboring states, the waste being dumped into coal ash waste streams is becoming more concentrated, and hence more toxic for those of us who live in the shadow of these plants.  Whether blown from an uncovered dump site or the back of an open truck or leached or dumped into our public waterways and drinking water supplies, toxic CCW contaminates hundreds of communities across the country and presents significant health risks to the public. On December 22, 2008, 5.4 million cubic yards of coal combustion waste from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant in Kingston, Tenn. spilled over into neighborhoods and waterways near Knoxville. This catastrophic spill prompted the EPA to assess coal ash surface impoundments and gather information from facilities managing coal ash nationwide with an eye towards possibly regulating coal combustion waste as a hazardous material, which would have brought much-needed protection to communities like our Ohio Valley. Of course such regulations were staunchly resisted by big energy, with its billion-dollar war chest and armies of lobbyists and lawyers, who fought tooth and nail to avoid having to clean up its mess.  In the end, Big Energy prevailed, and not only will it not be made to clean up after itself, but the EPA regulations effectively greenlit the energy industry’s current practice of “recycling” this coal combustion waste into products like drywall, toothpaste and winter road cinders that it sells for profit at the continued expense of human health. Coal combustion waste from existing coal power plants causes some 13,200 premature deaths per year, as well as 9,700 additional hospitalizations and 20,000 heart attacks. Sadly, West Virginia, the state with the highest reliance on coal for electricity production, ranks first in mortality risk at over 20 deaths per 100,000 individuals.  The EPA’s decision practically guarantees that we will remain at the top of that mortality list for the foreseeable future.

WVU celebrated its birthday this month on February 7 th. Happy “148” West Virginia University! Hallelujah!!!  I have a new graduate from WVU.  My son, Ryan, graduated in the fall from WVU.  Ryan is out there pounding the pavement looking for a job.  Hopefully, he is going to be successful very soon.  Ryan also celebrated a birthday this month.  Happy 25 th Ryan! My son, Casey, is a freshman at WVU and in his first semester made the President’s List with a 4.0 and has been accepted into the Chemical Engineering program. Casey also celebrated his 19 th birthday with President Gee on February 2 nd.  President Gee graciously invited all students who share his birthday to a party at his home.  What a great memory Casey will have from his freshman year.  Happy Birthday President Gee and Casey! I was at a recent game at the Coliseum against Kansas State.  Thank you Bordas & Bordas for providing the tickets—the seats were great. Congratulations, Mountaineers!!  We won.  But can we talk about the shooting?  We weren’t hitting a lot of our shots… but, geez, the free throws! The game was almost lost because the other team made their free throws.  Please practice those free throws!  But, hey, we won some big conference games since playing Kansas State.  So, way to go WVU basketball! Let’s Go Mountaineers!!! Susan, proud mom of two WVU Mountaineers

February 26, 2015 Contact: Carrie Scanlon Wheelhouse Creative t: 304.905.6005 c: 304.830.1498 carrie@wheelhousecreativellc.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WV SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RULING IN FAVOR OF DALTON WOOD Charleston --- The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals issued its opinion today, delivered by Justice Menis Ketchum, finding that the West Virginia Secondary Schools Athletic Commission (SSAC) rule prohibiting a review of ejections from athletic contests violates the legislative requirement that the SSAC provide a proper review procedure. The ruling rejects the SSAC’s application to the Court for a writ of prohibition, and thus upheld the decision by 2 nd Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David Hummel in September that the SSAC non-review rule did not comply with the state statute. The Supreme Court makes clear in its ruling today that if the SSAC rules are properly within the authority granted to it by the legislature, courts do not review them and must stay out of the SSAC’s internal affairs. However, as in this case, circuit courts do have judicial review to the extent the SSAC exceeds its statutory or its constitutional authority. This ruling comes as a result of a case filed by the law firm of Bordas and Bordas on behalf of Cameron High School football player, Dalton Wood, his mother, and sister and was brought before the Honorable Judge David W. Hummel, Jr. for hearing after Wood was ejected from a high school football contest on September 19 which resulted in immediate suspension. After lengthy arguments by both sides, the Circuit Court ruled in favor of Dalton Wood, his mother, and his sister, and granted the preliminary injunction that resulted in this petition to the Supreme Court by the SSAC. Jamie Bordas, managing partner of Bordas & Bordas, said that he believes this opinion will force the SSAC to fall in line with other states that have functioning and reasonable review procedures. “We are pleased that the West Virginia Supreme Court released an opinion this afternoon in our case challenging the SSAC's failure to have an appropriate review mechanism in place for player ejections in high school athletic contests,” Bordas said. “The Court held that the SSAC cannot simply ignore the West Virginia legislature when it says that the SSAC shall contain a provision for a proper review procedure.” Bordas said the firm was pleased to be able to represent Wood and help other student-athletes in the state. “We are so happy that we were able to Fight for Justice for children who are student-athletes throughout the state of West Virginia in obtaining this ruling,” he said. “Often times doing work at no charge is the most rewarding kind.” Bordas & Bordas is a plaintiff’s litigation law firm consisting of 18 attorneys and more than 30 support staff that has offices in Wheeling and Moundsville, WV, St. Clairsville, OH and Pittsburgh, PA and practices throughout the region in diverse areas of law.  For more information, please contact Carrie Scanlon, 304.905.6005, visit bordaslaw.com, or connect with us via social media. ###

Some members of my church family and I are returning to the small village of Maraita, Honduras this summer to continue our ministry to the people of the country. Through Baptist Medical & Dental Mission International ( www.bmdmi.org), we will be providing medical care as well as eye examinations and administering medication. Last summer, we helped build a church and were able to attend the dedication service of the church.  This year, our team will be building the pastor’s house as well as doing some construction for the village (basketball hoops for the school, etc).  We have an early team leaving before the main group to teach in the church that we built last year. We will be teaching the local congregation as well as pastors from the surrounding area. Two local physicians, E. Fritz Braunlich, M.D. and Kenneth Gainer, M.D., will be returning for their third time as well.  Dr. Gainer has also volunteered much of his time not only in the villages, but also at the Good Shepherd Children’s Home and the Emmanuel Orphanage there in Honduras. We offer “Project Life.”  If we see a person who has a medical need that is beyond our scope of care, we pay for the transportation to a hospital, lodging, and all the medical care they need. Much of this care is provided by volunteer medical and surgery teams who staff the BMDMI Baptist Hospital in Guaimaca. We also provide a clothing distribution.  Last year, we ran out of clothes really fast.  This year, we are doubling up on what we took last year.  If you would like to donate clothes, please send me a message! But most importantly, everyone who enters our clinic hears the gospel!  The needs of the less fortunate people in the mountains of Honduras are overwhelming, but it is amazing to watch such a small team of people work together to share the love of God.  Thank you Rick Harris, team captain, for all your hard work in organizing and equipping our team.  I’m looking forward to another great opportunity to serve the Lord!

This is how one of my Monday mornings started. Some of you might have seen my post on Facebook, but for the rest of you, here’s a funny story. First thing on a Monday morning as I was getting ready for work, I was heading down the steps to let the boys (the dogs) outside while carrying a load of laundry. There was a gathering on the landing of our steps. I guess the boys where holding a meeting on how they would attack the snow and ice outside. I asked them to please move, but I guess the meeting was still in session. I went to step over all of them when they decided to take me down. All I heard was yelping, barking, (telling one another to get out of my way), screaming, running and did I say screaming? Down I went! Laundry went flying, the dogs ran and did I mention I heard a lot of screaming? Well if I didn't mention it, I sure did hear it and a lot of it! I hit like a ton of bricks and came to rest on the tile floor. I jumped up and yelled, Are we all alright? Not one of the boys would come near me. When I opened the door for them to go outside, all three ran out like the dog catcher was after them. (No offense. The dog wardens rock in our area.) And then it hit me. I was in pain. I went out and sat in the hot tub. That didn't help, so I iced my back and that didn't help. I then took Bayer Back and Body aspirin and waited and that finally took the edge off. I'm a little sore and my pride is hurt, but I am feeling a little better with the pain. The boys where all fine. I checked each one of them out, after they would come to me. I think they sent the youngest of the three, Guinness, to test the waters to see if anymore screaming was going to take place. I kept moving as much as I could so I didn’t stiffen up. Since I survived the day after, I’m hoping all will be well. I’m also  hoping that I didn't knock a kidney stone loose. Life lesson learned. When the boys are having a meeting on the landing of the stairs, get them to disband and disburse and don’t trying stepping over one or all of them. Falling at my age is no fun.  Wish I could have videoed this fall, because I feel I could have won a prize on a funny video show. One point for the boys, no points for me. Bark on, Bordas Dog Nation, Bark on.

Every six weeks or so, one of the girls and, yes, it’s usually Marilyn,sends an e-mail out to our fellow staff membershere at Bordas & Bordas about getting together to get something to eat at Drover’s Inn and Restaurant and to (invariably) talk and talk and talk. Not everyone makes it each and every time there is a get-together but it only takes two to say, “I’m in.” I think the anticipation of going is high and since it is usually a week in advance, or more, that this get’s set into motion, someone usually mentions it by asking who’s going, when are we going and then counting down the days. Some of us drive alone but others take turns at car-pooling but once we’re on our way it seems to be non-stop talking to the restaurant, while we’re at the restaurant and even on our way home.  Since our favorite haunt is Drover’s in Wellsburg which takes about 35 minutes or so to get to from Wheeling, there is a lot of chatting going on during our evening out. Once at Drover’s, each of us has our favorite appetizer which we share amongst us.  Some order the exact same thing every time we’re there.  Some of us relax with a drink or two.  A couple of us always have quite a substantial take-out bag stashed in the trunk on the way home.  Mine is for my hungry guys waiting for me to get there. So whether at Drover’s or some other local restaurant, whether it’s a small group of us where the conversation flows on and on, or a larger group with many different conversations happening all at once which can get a little loud—sometimes very loud—it’s always a good time and so much fun!!   And for those of us who share a ride with Becky, the evening is topped off with something frozen from the Dairy Queen. So, here’s to a great group of girls, lots of chatter, our favorite food, Ellie’s good health and the next, Who’s Up for Drover’s?

One morning, I woke up to find three inches of snow on my car and a forecast that predicted another three to four inches by evening, followed by temperatures dipping below zero, then more snow. Wonderful!  This means that the chances of the snow on the ground melting before the next blast of snow was nil.  With a lot of grumbling and whining, I slipped on my heavy coat, gloves and boots and went out to begin the tedious job of shoveling my walkway and then “sweeping” the snow off my car to prepare to go to work. Back in the house, I eat a quick breakfast, shower, get dressed, again don my heavy coat, gloves and boots and trudge out into the blustery morning to go to work, saying a prayer that I would make it down the hill safely as I drive slowly down the treated, but still slippery roads of North Park.  I finally make it to the bottom of the hill with a grateful sigh and turn cautiously onto Route 40 making my way down Wheeling Hill toward my office that is located out the pike.  As I park in the lot, I again say another small prayer that I won’t fall and break a hip or both wrists trying to catch myself when I fall, and begin to walk tentatively along the treated, but still slippery roads and sidewalks into my office. This is a typical winter morning in January or February in Wheeling, W.Va., and it seems the older I get the more I dread it. Safe and settled in my office, praising the Lord that I made it safely, I stood gazing out my office window at the snowy morning and noted that there wasn’t even four inches of snow on the ground! All of this angst and stress over less than four inches of snow! When had winter become so loathsome to me that even four inches seemed like a major blizzard? As I pondered this thought, I ran my tongue over my front right tooth and felt the familiar chip that had been there for years and it brought back memories of a much simpler time in my life when I was a little girl in the late 1950’s, a time when “a snow day” filled me with excitement and wonder.  I remember wintery evenings when I would watch out the window as the snow fell and covered the ground and then, just for fun, lean out our back door and stick a yard stick in the snow to measure how deep it was getting. It wasn’t unusual for the snow to be over a foot. A foot of snow nowadays makes the city stand still! I can’t remember school ever being closed because of snow back then. Of course, most of us went to local neighborhood schools and didn’t have to ride buses as the children do now. On the days when we didn’t have to go to school and I would awake to a beautiful winter wonderland, I remember that feeling of pure excitement as I hurried to put my coat, boots and gloves on to go outside and plow my little body through the untouched snow to make snow angels, build a snowman, to have a snow ball fight and sled ride. I would grab my sled and meet my friends at our favorite sled riding hill. In my neighborhood, it was a dirt road that winded downhill around a parking lot that belonged to a local business. I can’t remember that business owner ever complaining about us using that road for sled riding. He did keep a chain across the entrance on the weekends, but we thought it was just to keep vehicles out of the area!  We would prop the chain up with a stick and ride our sleds underneath it. One of our favorite things to do was to make a train with our sleds. This was accomplished by lying flat on your sled and hooking your feet into the front of the sled behind you. There were usually more kids sledding than we had sleds so we used to buddy up. When we would make the sled train, we would have to pile on top of each other to share a sled. Because I was small I was usually the one who road on top of somebody. One day, I was riding on the back of my one of my older playmates on the second sled. The leader of the sled train was a neighborhood kid who had the kind of personality that made him think it might be funny to yank the stick out and try to knock some of the other kids off of their sleds tailing down behind him. As soon as he pulled the stick out the chain dropped in front of me, caught me right across the mouth and knocked me completely off my friend’s back onto the road. When the others came back up the hill, they found me sitting in the snow, bleeding with a busted lip and near tears. They walked me home where my mom, who no doubt took it all in stride by this time in my childhood and also being the youngest of four kids, cleaned off the blood, examined my wound, discovered my front chipped tooth, comforted me because I was more upset about the chipped tooth than hurting from my busted lip, made sure I wasn’t seriously injured and released us to run gleefully back outside to play in the snow. We would spend the day sledding down that snow covered road and as the day wore on the road became increasingly icy, making each trip down the hill faster and faster until it seemed we were flying down that road just to skid in sideways at the bottom! Then we would walk back up, slipping, sliding and falling, laughing, having fun, just to fly back down again. All day long…nonstop, ignoring the cold…until our mothers would call for us to come in to eat. But we wouldn’t stay inside long before we were putting those damp clothes back on again and running back out into the wondrous snow…to squeeze as much fun out of it as we could before we had to go in for the night.  We didn’t want to waste a minute of enjoying it because we knew that it would be melted away the next day. I suppose enjoying the snow that much is a pleasure that most of us leave behind us as we grow older.  We have jobs and other important things that we need to do during the day that the snow and icy roads interfere with and make it more difficult.  There are more school closings now because of the weather because children are transported to their schools by a bus, from kindergarten through high school. I do admit that I still enjoy the beauty of a new fallen snow as long as I don’t have to leave my house or drive anywhere in it, just stay cuddled up in my easy chair, dressed in my comfy clothes, safe and warm, and only view it from the window. Not as much fun, I know, but at least I won’t break a hip!

Please take a minute to peruse the Central Blood Bank notice I received in the mail yesterday. Check and see if you are available to donate blood at the above blood drive located at Wheeling Hospital, 1 Medical Park, Wheeling, W.Va., in their Auditorium B (Basement Level) during the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. So many lives can be saved when you donate blood for a “life saving” transfusion.  If you have never donated blood before, see the Central Blood Bank’s donation process below.  I have donated blood in the past and it is very easy, but my hemoglobin has not been up to par the last few times I attempted to donate, so I was rejected.  You will be checked out as well to make sure everything is up to snuff before you are approved to donate blood. Step 1: Registration – In the reception area, you will be asked general information, such as name and address.  In order to maintain accurate records, all donors are asked to present proper identification (e.g. driver’s license, personalized Central Blood Bank donor ID card or military ID card, birth certificate and a picture ID with full name, etc.). Step 2: Mini Physical – During the mini-physical, your temperature, pulse and blood pressure will be checked.  Your hemoglobin will be tested as well — which involves a small drop of blood drawn and tested to ensure the donor has enough iron-carrying red blood cells to safely donate blood. Step 3: Medical Interview – Y ou will meet privately with a Central Blood Bank staff member to review your medical history.  This information is kept strictly confidential. Step 4: Pre-Donation Refreshments – Before the donation, you may be asked to drink a glass or two of decaffeinated fluids to help hydration levels. Step 5: The Donation – In the donation area, a trained phlebotomist will sterilize the area of your arm before drawing the blood.  When donating whole blood, one unit (approximately one pint) is removed. An automated or apheresis donation means you are donating the individual component(s) – everything that you are not donating is returned to you.  For example, if you donate platelets, whole blood is withdrawn and spun in a sterile, self-contained centrifuge to separate the platelets; then your red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma are all returned to you through the same needle.  Apheresis and automated processes take longer than the whole blood donation process. All materials used during each donation are pre-packaged, sterile and disposable.  These materials are used only once and then discarded. Step 6: Refreshments and Relaxation – After the donation, you will be directed to the café/canteen area, where you will rest while enjoying light refreshments.  After 15 minutes, you will be permitted to leave that area and resume your daily routine. The average platelet count is between 150,000 and 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. The donation does not significantly decrease the number of platelets in the donor’s body, and the donated platelets are replaced in approximately two days. Platelet donors can donate every seven days and up to 24 times a year. The qualifications for platelet donors are similar to those for whole blood donations. The minimum age is 17 (16 with signed parental consent form*), and platelet donors must weigh at least 125 pounds (110 lbs. with a high-enough platelet count). The WHOLE BLOOD donation process, from registration to refreshments, takes approximately one hour. The DOUBLE RED BLOOD CELL donation process takes a little more than an hour. The PLATELET donation process takes approximately two hours. ThePLASMA donation process takes approximately 45 minutes. So, it is not hard to donate blood and only takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour.  Please consider scheduling an appointment or just walk in on Monday, February 23, 2015, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to donate “life saving” blood. You never know when one of your loved ones may need a blood transfusion for whatever reason and they ultimately survive because of that transfusion – GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT DECISION TO DONATE BLOOD SO YOU CAN POSSIBLY SAVE A LIFE. To schedule an appointment, you can visit www.centralbloodbank.org and click the “make an appointment” link and search with the Group Code W382.  You can also schedule an appointment by contacting Beth Zebick at 304-243-3339 or Cara Poludniak at 304-243-8309.

Did you know that several states have laws on their books that you must remove all ice and snow from your vehicle before moving it or you can be fined? It only makes sense to clear off all of your windows before driving, but I did not know that you must clean the roof and hood as well.  If ice or snow falls from your vehicle while driving and hits another vehicle causing property damage, or hits a pedestrian causing injury, you can be fined. In 2010, a West Virginia delegate from Kanawha County introduced a bill that would get tough with drivers in West Virginia who failed to clear snow and ice off their vehicles, but IT DID NOT MAKE IT INTO A LAW.  Some cities and towns have adopted their own laws requiring snow/ice removal, so check out the ordinances in your city or town to make sure you are abiding by the local laws. For example, here are some laws for the states of Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey. Pennsylvania’s Snow/Ice Removal Law, which went into effect in 2006, requires motorists to remove all snow and ice from their cars before heading out on roads, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike. If snow or ice flies from a vehicle and hits another vehicle or pedestrian, drivers face fines of $200 to $1,000. Pennsylvania law also requires drivers to turn headlights on whenever windshield wipers are in use or they could face a fine of $25. In Connecticut, they have the "Ice Missile Law" for commercial vehicles and non-commercial vehicles.  This law requires drivers to clear vehicles of snow and ice before driving, “including the hood, trunk and roof."  Violation of the law carries a fine of $75. New Jersey – Ice & Snow - Remove It Before You Go – Remember to remove all ice and snow from your vehicle before driving, especially from the hood, windows and roof. It’s the law in New Jersey! Motorists who fail to do so face fines of $25 to $75 for each offense, regardless of whether the ice and snow is dislodged from the vehicle. If flying ice or snow causes property damage or injury to others, motorists face fines of $200 to $1,000 for each offense. Check out this cite from theclda.com for all states with regard to trucking snow removal requirements: Also, most people do not realize this, but more than 50 percent of the reason you have lights on your car is not for you to see, it is so others can see you. Many states require drivers to have their headlights on whenever windshield wipers are in use or you can be fined. A handful of states, however, have more specific laws for headlight use that could catch an out-of-town driver (or a resident not up on current laws) completely off guard. The most common requirement is to use headlights when wipers are in use. More obscure requirements include Pennsylvania, which requires drivers to turn on their headlights in construction zones, while Alaska requires headlights at speeds above 45 mph on designated highways.  Because keeping track of state laws can be difficult, owning a car with automatic headlights (which turn on when it's dark) as well as daytime running lights (which use a low beam headlight during the day) can be handy. Each year, there are approximately 500 fatalities in the United States due to icy road conditions. This winter, please use common sense when driving in tough weather conditions, i.e. remove all snow and ice from your vehicle and turn your headlights on whenever your windshield wipers are in use.  Be Safe!!

All too often we tend to view e-mails and text messages as informal means of communication. We joke with our friends using our work computers and say things that we would probably never say in a written letter.  Just a word of warning about that.  The content of e-mails and text messages can often look very, very bad when examined later on. As an example, an employee of a business wrote the following about a difficult file:   “Burn the files, delete them and pretend we’ve never heard of them – I’m joking.”  When that relationship fell apart, that e-mail was uncovered.  As you can imagine, whatever the “joke” was supposed to be, it wasn’t all that funny anymore and I am sure the author of the e-mail regrets what he or she wrote. Although perhaps an extreme example (destroying important files is not a joking matter under any circumstances), we should all keep in mind that although we think our e-mails and text messages will never come back to haunt us, things that made sense or were supposed to be funny in one context can seem malicious or at least embarrassing in another context. When it comes to e-mails and texts, before hitting send, spare a brief moment to reflect on how that e-mail or text would look under other circumstances and ask yourself if you would be willing to sign your name to the same words in a formal letter.  If not, exercising some care before you hit “send” might be in order.