| President | President Elect |
| Carol Adams, MCRI CCR RPR | Amy Cochran, RMR CRR |
| 900 Fifth Avenue | 2709 Grant Avenue |
| Huntington, WV 25701 | St. Alabans, WV 25177 |
| cadams@huntingtonjuniorcollege.edu | AmyCochran@hotmail.com |
| Vice President | Secretary - Treasurer |
| Tracy Herron-Rice | Pam Patterson |
| Berkley County Courthouse | 262 Mapplewood Court |
| 110 W. King Street | St. Alabans, WV 25426 |
| Martinsburg, WV 25401 | patterson_p@frontiernet.net |
| mediccourt@adelphia.net | |
| Board of Directors | |
| Jo Ann Betler, RMR, CRR | |
| Dwayne Price, RPR | |
| Stephanie Hackney, CRI | |
Mountain Ears Editors
Marcy Chandler
Berkeley County Courthouse
100 W. King St., Martinsburg, WV 25401
marcychandler@courtswv.org
Twyla Donathan
71 Pinehurst Drive
Hurricane, WV, 25526
304-357-0484
twyladonathan@hotmail.com
Tracy Herron-Rice
Berkeley County Courthouse
110 W. King St.
Martinsburg, WV, 25401
tracyrice@courtswv.org
Dear Fellow Reporters:
Another incredible spring meeting has come and gone. Thank you Judy Greene and Kathy Davis for organizing the seminar. The speakers were phenomenal.
We heard from Linda Slappe from the state tax department. Court reporters DO need a business license! To get an application for a business license, go to:
http://www.state.wv.us/taxrev/uploads/busappf.pdf
When you fill out the form, put the current date as the start-up date to avoid any penalties.
We had the privilege of having Chief Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard join us. He spoke about working for raises for official reporters. A letter from Chief Justice Maynard is included in this newsletter.
You may have seen David Clayman in the conference room or courtroom testifying in the area of forensic psychology. He gave a dynamic talk about some of the interesting cases he has been involved in, and also what stressors court reporters experience on the job.
Karen Eggleton, ergonomic specialist, got everybody up and moving as she showed up stretches we can do to keep our bodies and wrists healthy.
Lastly, William Foster spoke about the changing environment in the legal field. He showed a YouTube video to emphasize his point that depositions are becoming more heated. To see the video, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td-KKmcYtrM
One additional item came up during Mr. Foster’s talk. He was amazed to learn that court reporters do not require certification in West Virginia. He agreed to assist us in pursuing mandatory certification.
The fall seminar will be in Martinsburg, and chaired by Terry Hamrick. Check the WVCRA website for details as they become available (www.wvcraonline.com). Next spring, the conference will be held in Huntington, where Ayme Cochran will chair.
Great news! Huntington Junior College was successful this year in the quest for federal funding. Thanks to Sen. Robert Byrd and Rep. Nick Rahall, HJC was able to garner $1.034 million to enhance the online realtime reporting program. Thanks to those of you who wrote letters to our legislators.
It’s going to be an exciting year as we work towards mandatory certification. I’m working closely with NCRA on getting the paperwork ready, and the goal is to have it ready for the January 2009 session. We will need your help in the letter-writing campaign to push this legislation through.
So you’ll be hearing from me again very soon, as your input is crucial for the certification process. If you’re not already on the WVCRA listserv, let me know and I will make sure you’re added. My email address is:
cadams@huntingtonjuniorcollege.edu
The listserv is an effective way to discuss some of these issues.
Enjoy Your Summer!
Carol Adams
President
from Justice Elliott E. Maynard
February 13, 2008
I appreciate your recent inquiry regarding pay increases for the court reporters of West Virginia. I agree with you that court reporters play a vital role in the courts. Since I served as a circuit judge for many years, I am especially aware of the importance of court reporters.
So I am pleased to inform you of two pay raise initiatives. The first goes into effect during the middle of February 2008 for all of the court employees (except, of course, for those whose salaries are set by the Legislature and are beyond the control of the Court). By the time you get my letter, you will have received a memorandum from Court Administrator Steve Canterbury detailing this 3.5% raise.
Furthermore, you will be happy to learn that included in next year’s budget is funding for a $2,000 raise for each court reporter and electronic recording operator. No other class of employees in the court system will receive a designated raise this year besides court reporters and electronic recording operators.
That budget will go into effect on July 1, 2008. During the June Administrative Conference, the Court will take up the matter specifically and I have little doubt that your designated raise will be approved. It would then go into effect on July 16, 2008.
The other across-the-board raise enacted by the Legislature to which you refer was approved by the Court for all court employees (except for those I noted above whose salaries are controlled directly by the Legislature) that was effective in January 2006. I have checked with Mr. Canterbury, and he informs me that court reporters and electronic recording operators did indeed receive that raise.
I hope that this answers your questions and that you are pleased with the answers I have provided. Furthermore, please do not hesitate to disseminate this information to your Association members. If it pleases you, you certainly may copy my letter to all of them.
Of course, if you have any other concerns or further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or with Court Administrator Steve Canterbury.
Business Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2008
The following directors present: Dwayne Price, JoAnn Betler, Stephanie Hackney.
The following officers were present: Carol Adams, Amye Cochran, Pam Patterson.
Secretary/Treasurer’s Report: The Minutes from the meeting of November 10, 2007, and the Treasurer’s Report were read and approved.
Old business: Julie Blosser asked what the next steps were in getting state certification. Carol Adams to check with Dave Wenhold and NCRA and report back at the fall meeting in Martinsburg. Carol also stated she has paperwork for certification from the states of Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama.
Carol also reported on the following:
Carol will attend the NCRA national meeting in Anaheim.
NCRA Leadership Seminar is in D.C. in November. WVCRA will pay expenses for those who attend. No one from WVCRA attended Boot Camp this year.
HJC’s online court reporter program continues to grow. Anyone who wants added to List Serv should give the information to Carol and she will add.
Linda Bachman asked for newsletter editors to see if her name is on the mailing list.
Terri Cheslock asked that the minutes from the prior meeting be corrected. The next West Virginia certification test was to be held in Charleston not NVRA test in Huntington as read.
Fall Seminar 2008 will be in Martinsburg. Date to be determined. Terry Hamrick will coordinate with reporters in the Eastern Panhandle.
The Spring Seminar 2009 will be in Huntington. Terri Cheslock and Sharon Vincent will coordinate the Fall Seminair 2009, to be held in Morgantown.
New Business: Discussion of cutoff date to pay dues and if any late fees could be added. Also discussion on sending reminder postcards to pay dues. Pam to check by-laws and report back in the fall.
Twyla made a motion to put newsletter on the website or List Serv and only mail to those who don’t have e-mail. Amye seconded. None opposed.
Meeting adjourned at 2:08 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Pamela Patterson
Secretary-Treasurer
1. Walk or bike to work.
2. Use fat-free milk over whole milk.
3. Do sit-ups (or curls) in front of the TV.
4. Walk during lunch hour.
5. Drink water before a meal.
6. Eat leaner red meat and poultry.
7. Eat half your dessert.
8. Walk instead of driving whenever you can.
9. Take a family walk after dinner.
10. Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
11. Increase the fiber in your diet.
12. Join an exercise group.
13. Replace Sunday drive with Sunday walk.
14. Eat off smaller plates.
15. Don't eat late at night.
16. Skip seconds, and skip buffets.
17. Don’t skip meals!
18. Eat five to six mini-meals instead of 3, to keep metabolism at its peak.
19. Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.
20. Make time in your day for some sort of physical activity.
21. Take stairs instead of the elevator.
22. Eat before shopping.
23. Keep healthy snacks available at all times to help in making wise choices.
24. Choose an activity that fits into your daily life; if it isn’t fun, you’re not going to stick to it.
25. Consider some form of weight resistance exercise program to increase lean body mass, thus burning more calories even while sitting still!
“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”
-- (author unknown)
