West Virginians are strong, but we shouldn’t have to deal with slow poisoning by chemicals in our drinking water. One in every six West Virginian's lives were disrupted when Freedom Industries’ MCHM leaked into their drinking water. Cancers and deformities were proven in court to be the result of C-8 chemical dumping in Parkersburg. This should be a pretty easy way for our leaders to prove their loyalty to their constituents.

The government shutdown has been a reminder about how West Virginians face crisis by banding together to take care of each other and their communities. Take the government employees in Martinsburg who’ve spent their days volunteering for Meals on Wheels, while not getting paychecks to feed their own families. Or the farmer from Mason County who’s paying out of her pocket to deliver food to low-income seniors, even though her husband is furloughed and the funding for her delivery program has been frozen.

It's bad enough that thousands of West Virginians are not getting paid for their work because of the federal government shutdown.

After the West Virginia’s public education employees made their voices heard during a 13 day strike last year, education has remained in the spotlight down at the state capitol.

Only West Virginians can stop West Virginia from being defined by her problems. We can start prioritizing West Virginians over out-of-state interests to make sure that our beloved state is a place people look to for a healthy, educated, and stable workforce.

Most people agree that growth depends on getting people ready for skilled, higher-paying jobs.  So why are some West Virginia legislators taking the unusual step to try to defund county school systems and transfer the money to large corporations?

When working mom Amanda Estep-Burton decided to run for the state legislature, she was unsure if she would be able to keep her job if she won.

What's it going to take for federal agencies overseeing coal mine safety to stop coal dust from killing more young miners?

One of the biggest promises made by politicians every few years is that they'll fix our healthcare system. There are some serious problems with the system, premiums, copays and deductibles are rising, and coverage is getting more and more limited. It's something that's important to us, and one of the best ways for our leaders to show their loyalty to us would be to make serious progress in this area.

But not only has political leadership in Washington and Charleston have broken their promise to improve our healthcare system, they seem to have actively betray us by increasing the cost of health insurance. 

WV Politicians love to tug on the heartstrings of coal. The coal industry brought money and jobs to West Virginia for decades, and it’s easy to think if someone cares about the coal industry they care about the hard working men and women of West Virginia that make that industry possible, but often as automation and lose tax policies help the coal industry, very little is done to those West Virginians who built their life working in the mines.