Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Virginia Lawmakers Urged to Ignore Asbestos Proposal
Jan 8 2008 // A leading expert on the way West Virginia’s courts handle asbestos claims urged legislators Sunday to avoid proposed changes to the system. “Not only is it a mistake, it would be unnecessary,” retired...
W. Va. Lawmakers Resume Move Toward Oversight of Workers’ Comp
Jan 8 2008 // West Virginia’s insurance commissioner still objects, but lawmakers continue to pursue some role overseeing the privatization of the workers’ compensation system. A joint Judiciary Committee panel voted Sunday...
Virginia Governor Seeks ID Theft Protection, Credit Freeze Measure
Jan 7 2008 // Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said last week that he will ask the General Assembly to pass legislation guarding against identity theft and credit fraud. Kaine made the announcement at the Virginia headquarters of the...
Court Reduces Damages Award for Virginia Identity Theft Victim
Jan 3 2008 // A federal appeals court has reduced the damages awarded to a Virginia woman in an identity-theft suit against Equifax Information Services. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit last Thursday reduced the mental...
Virginia Legislator Wants to End Texting While Driving
Jan 3 2008 // Text-messaging while driving could be outlawed if a northern Virginia lawmaker gets his wish. Delegate James Scott, a Falls Church Democrat, has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for people to send text messages _...
After Fire Code Violations, West Virginia Fraternities Struggle with Costs
Jan 3 2008 // At least four West Virginia University fraternities still can’t move back into the houses they were evicted from last spring. Houses for Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi and Phi Sigma Kappa were...
Top Insurance Stories in 2007 in East
Dec 31 2007 // New leaders tackled old issues and the region battled fire and rain. 1. No day at the beach Insurance markets for coastal properties continued to challenge insurers, agents, policymakers and property owners, despite an...
Virginia Nears Third Year without a Mine Death
Dec 28 2007 // With the end of 2007 days away, Virginia is nearing a third consecutive year without a coal mining death. Virginia, ranked No. 10 in the nation in coal production, saw its last coal mining fatality on Oct. 23, 2004. Mike...
Judge Orders W. Va. Malpractice Claims to Proceed Amid Bankruptcy
Dec 27 2007 // Eight lawsuits alleging medical malpractice by a former West Virginia doctor can continue toward trial while he settles his debts in bankruptcy court, a judge has ordered. Dr. John A. King consented to the rulings issued...
West Va. Privatization of Workers’ Compensation Not all Smooth Sailing
Dec 23 2007 // Gov. Manchin at odds with lawmakers over system as it prepares for more private insurers The latest power struggle between W.Va. Gov. Joe Manchin’s administration and lawmakers spilled out into the open recently. Led...
West Virginia Privatization
Dec 23 2007 // The move to privatize the state’s workers’ compensation fund and rebrand it as BrickStreet Mutual has received mostly positive reviews, even from injured workers and their attorneys. The next phase in the...
Yes, Virginia, There is Road Rage
Dec 23 2007 // Virginia passed a landmark “abusive driver” law designed to curtail egregious behind-the-wheel behavior, and it immediately became the target of court challenges and public outrage. The law was intended to make...
W.Va. Delays Deployment of Steel-Shelled Mine Shelters
Dec 21 2007 // West Virginia’s mine safety chief has delayed deployment of steel-shelled shelters in underground coal mines because they could not meet a state standard for internal temperatures during testing. Ron Wooten, director...
Va. Completes Installation of Hurricane Gates on Highways
Dec 18 2007 // The last of the 440 hurricane evacuation gates between Norfolk and Richmond, Va. have been installed. The Virginia Department of Transportation says the last 298 gates of the $8.7 million project finished a week early and...
Companies Suing West Va. Insurer BrickStreet Over Agent Commissions
Dec 17 2007 // Two companies are suing West Virginia’s workers’ compensation writer BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. over agent commissions. Aero-Fab Inc. and The Bunch Co. allege that Brickstreet is billing companies for the...
Workers’ Comp Hits Rocky Patch in W. Va. on Road to Full Privatization
Dec 5 2007 // The latest power struggle between W. Va. Gov. Joe Manchin’s administration and lawmakers spilled out into the open last week, and those who attended the final meeting of the monthly interim session got a front-row...
Insurance Related Fraud Results in Arrest and Arraignment for 2 in W. Va.
Dec 4 2007 // West Virginia Insurance Commission officials arrested two Logan County women last week for alleged computer fraud and forgery. Lisa K. Hall, 26, of Man, and Cynthia B. Hall, age unknown, of Mitchell Heights, were charged...
Supreme Court Lets Stand Virginia Viatical Insurance Law
Dec 4 2007 // The Supreme Court declined this week to rule on a case that tests whether states such as Virginia can regulate the sale of life insurance by policyholders to investors, a practice known as “viatical” or life...
Another Suit Filed Over Fatal West Virginia Mine Fire
Dec 3 2007 // Massey Energy Co. is facing another lawsuit over a fatal fire at one of its mines in West Virginia. Wyatt Robinson’s lawsuit claims Richmond, Va.-based Massey and a subsidiary, Aracoma Coal Company Inc., failed to...
3 Arrested in W. Va. on Insurance Fraud Charges
Nov 30 2007 // West Virginia Insurance officials arrested three individuals in Putnam County for alleged insurance fraud. The Insurance Commissioner’s Fraud Unit arrested Diana K. Phillips, 52, of Hurricane, Charles Keith Phillips,...
