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A legislative session of foundational improvement

As your state senator, I am proud to provide a summary of the transformational legislation that passed earlier this year. Under the leadership of Governor Morrisey and others, we passed an incredible array of bills that will make generational improvements for our Northern Panhandle families. We passed school security measures and protections for our most vulnerable children in foster care. The legislature expanded economic development and exponentially increased the potential for high-paying employment. We passed legislation to unleash West Virginia energy and cut regulations and red ...

Understanding co-owners of stock accounts

John didn’t realize it, but when he added his son’s name to his stock account, he made Tommy a joint owner. John didn’t work well with computers and needed help with keeping all of his records straight because of vision problems. He added his son for convenience’s sake. John decided not to make his son his financial power of attorney. He wanted to handle his own money matters. His will included a provision that his stocks would be donated to his favorite nonprofit organization. After John died, his stocks did not go to the nonprofit, but instead Tommy got them. Why ...

16 years with minimum wage falling further behind the cost of living

When the minimum wage does not go up, it goes down in buying power. The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. For full-time workers that amounts to $15,080 if you are paid for 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. The minimum wage is falling further and further behind the rising cost of living. The federal minimum wage peaked in buying power way back in 1968, when it was worth $15.09 in 2025 dollars, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Inflation Calculator. Too little, too late minimum wage increases are the next best thing to eliminating ...

A beauty that will live through your reflection …

The husband of a friend of mine died unexpectedly on the Fourth of July. Now, that sentence pretty much sums up what happened in about ... what, 12 words? Of course, that sentence is not so simple. First of all, when I say “a friend of mine,” I do not mean someone whom I have ever had the opportunity to meet. Well, not in person, anyway. So, I guess you wouldn’t exactly call us “friends.” Maybe I should have said acquaintances. Although, it’s not as if I know her just in passing. I’m not actually sure what I should call her now that I think about it. It just ...

History in the Hills: What’s in a name?

I come from a long line of men in my family called Paul. My name is Paul, my father and his father, too. My wife and I made it a point to name our son Paul as well, extending the tradition well past the 100-year mark. Maybe if he is blessed with a son at some point in the future, he will continue the tradition, but there is no pressure. Who knows what the future will bring? I enjoy looking back through family history, not only mine but others, too, and seeing how names change with popularity. The year I was born in the 1980s, the most popular boy’s name was Michael, and the ...

A second chance to make the grade?

I’ve occasionally talked in this space about being a college dropout. In the past I used to qualify that statement as being a “proud” college dropout, though as I prepare to turn 43 on Friday, I’m not sure how proud of that I am anymore. I went to St. Marys Elementary School, Pleasants County Middle School, St. Marys High School and graduated from North Pleasants Christian School in 2000. I took a year off to decide my higher education options. I had thought about going to Marshall University at Huntington, but I just wasn’t ready to stray too far from St. Marys. So ...