Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
State Farm: 4,400 Wind-Hail Damage Claims in West Virginia in 2012
Apr 22 2013 // State Farm says the most common homeowner insurance claims in West Virginia are from wind and hail damage. The insurance company says there were nearly 4,400 such claims in the state last year. State Farm says the average...
West Virginia Supreme Court Fills Business Court Vacancy
Apr 16 2013 // Circuit Court Judge Thomas Evans III has been appointed to the West Virginia court system’s Business Court Division. The West Virginia Supreme Court said Chief Justice Brent Benjamin named Evans to replace former...
Driver Fatigue Causes 20% of Auto Crashes: Study
Apr 15 2013 // A 100-car “naturalistic” driving study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute says that fatigue is a cause of 20 percent of car crashes, rather than the two or three percent previously...
West Virginia Advances Limit on Nursing Home Liability
Apr 15 2013 // The West Virginia legislature has moved to limit the liability that nursing homes can face in potential lawsuits. The bill passed unanimously Saturday by the House explicitly applies the state’s Medical Professional...
Virginia Farm Bureau Ratings Downgraded by A.M. Best
Apr 11 2013 // A.M. Best Co. said Wednesday it has downgraded the financial strength rating of Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. in Richmond, Va., and its subsidiaries to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent). Additionally, Oldwick,...
Strickland Acquires Va.-Based MGA Tower Transportation Underwriters
Apr 8 2013 // Strickland Insurance Brokers Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldsboro, N.C.-based Strickland Insurance Group Inc., announced it has acquired the assets of Palmyra, Va.-based Tower Transportation Underwriters Inc. Tower...
North Carolina’s Strickland Insurance Acquires Virginia Transportation Underwriter
Apr 8 2013 // Strickland Insurance Brokers of Goldsboro, North Carolina has acquired the assets of Palmyra, Virginia-based Tower Transportation Underwriters Inc. Tower Underwriters, owned by Fred Black, is a managing general agency in...
Remembering 29 Miners Lost in West Virginia Blast 3 Years Ago
Apr 8 2013 // As West Virginians marked the third anniversary of an explosion that killed 29 coal miners Friday, congressional Democrats called the lack of action on tougher mine safety legislation “shameful.” Gov. Earl Ray...
BrickStreet Auditor, 4 Coal Contractors Plead Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud
Apr 1 2013 // A workers’ compensation auditor and four coal company contractors in West Virginia have pleaded guilty to federal charges in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors said that Arville Sargent pleaded...
West Virginia Unlikely to Remove Local Guns Laws: Senate President
Mar 28 2013 // West Virginia Senate President Jeffrey Kessler says a bill that would eliminate municipal gun restrictions in four cities is unlikely to proceed. The bill passed the House with overwhelming support and recent rallies have...
West Virginia Vote on Seat Belt Law Due Today
Mar 28 2013 // West Virginia’s House of Delegates is back on track to vote on whether to allow traffic stops for failure to wear a seat belt. Legislation making that violation a primary offense has idled since the House Judiciary...
Markel Appoints Chief Information Officer in Virginia
Mar 27 2013 // Richmond, Va.-headquartered Markel Corporation announced that Mike Scyphers has been promoted to chief information officer. Scyphers is an information technology industry veteran with 23 years of experience who has been...
PCI Slams Oregon Bad Faith Proposals
Mar 22 2013 // A handful of bills proposed in Oregon could hit consumers with nearly $200 million in cost increases and yield a rash of lawsuits, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, which is urging Oregon...
West Virginia Senate Committee Backs Higher Auto Minimum Limits
Mar 20 2013 // A West Virginia Senate committee advanced a bill this week that would likely increase car insurance premiums for drivers who can least afford it, but also expand liability coverage for the highest-risk drivers. The bill...
West Virginia Bill Would Yank License of Drivers Refusing Blood Test
Mar 15 2013 // Under legislation debated this week, West Virginia drivers could have their licenses revoked for refusing to take a blood test after they’re arrested. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin proposed the bill to try to crack down on...
West Virginia Debates Property Insurance Nonrenewal Rules
Mar 13 2013 // In West Virginia and most other states, an insurer can choose not to renew people’s property insurance policy if a claim is filed over weather damage. A West Virginia Senate bill that would ban that practice was...
Texting While Driving Injuries to Rise Despite Bans, Warnings: Study
Mar 8 2013 // As states take measures to keep drivers from texting and talking while driving, a new report from researchers at the West Virginia University School of Public Health asserts the laws probably aren’t having much...
West Virginia Senate Bill Limits Nursing Home Liability
Mar 8 2013 // A limit would be placed on the amount nursing homes would be forced to pay if sued under a bill passed by the West Virginia Senate this week. The measure explicitly includes nursing homes under the protections of a 2003...
West Virginia Senate Votes to Limit Landowner Liability
Mar 7 2013 // The West Virginia Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ensure that property owners face very limited liability from trespassers on their land. In general, common law states that property owners cannot be sued by...
West Virginia Considers Landowner Liability Bill
Mar 6 2013 // The West Virginia Senate is weighing a bill that would ensure that property owners face very limited liability from trespassers on their land. In general, common law states that property owners cannot be sued by...
