Latest Virginia Headlines

All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.

West Virginia Seeks Input on Proposed Business Court

Feb 22 2012 // The West Virginia Supreme Court is seeking comment on proposed rules for a new court system for business-related lawsuits. The court is reviewing draft rules presented by a committee led by Wayne County Circuit Judge...

Va. Medical Cost Per Workers’ Comp Claim Higher Than Most States

Feb 20 2012 // Broad metrics of worker’ compensation costs show that Virginia is a lower cost state, largely due to a lower frequency of claims, according to a new report from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). But...

Virginia High Court to Rehear Global Warming Coverage Case

Feb 20 2012 // The Virginia Supreme Court has granted rehearing of a closely followed legal case involving climate change coverage, The AES Corp. vs. Steadfast Insurance Company. The court said on Jan. 17 that its previous decision on...

Virginia Bill to Ban Unauthorized GPS Tracking Advances

Feb 10 2012 // The problem encountered by Del. Joe May’s constituent seemed simple enough to solve. The citizen had taken his car in for service and was shocked when the mechanic found a GPS device attached to the undercarriage....

West Virginia Lawmakers Urged to Hold Mine Operators Accountable

Feb 9 2012 // West Virginia must hold coal operators accountable for any negligence or misconduct to prevent another Upper Big Branch, the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in four decades, the state’s special investigator of that...

W.Va. Governor Issues Flood Disaster in Jackson County

Feb 8 2012 // Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has declared an agriculture flood disaster in Jackson County stemming from heavy rains in late November. The declaration, made on Tuesday, means the state Department of Agriculture can apply for...

OSHA Investigates Virginia School After Lead Found

Feb 7 2012 // Federal safety regulators are investigating a Roanoke school following the detection of lead in some paint chips. Roanoke City Public Schools deputy superintendent Curt Baker tells media outlets that the amount of lead...

West Virginia Firm Develops ‘Guardian Angel’ for Miners

Feb 7 2012 // A West Virginia company is working on a piece of equipment designed to keep miners safer. Trinity Resources, headquartered in Putnam County, demonstrated its a mobile mine safety chamber this week at the West Virginia...

Virginia Court Grants Rehearing of Global Warming Claims Case

Feb 3 2012 // The Virginia Supreme Court has recently granted rehearing of a closely followed legal case involving global warming, The AES Corp. vs. Steadfast Insurance Company. The court says its previous decision on the case has been...

West Virginia Candidate Maloney Denies Profit Over Safety Charge

Feb 3 2012 // West Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney said Democrats’ accusations that he values profits over safety are untrue. The founder of North American Drillers was among those who helped rescue 33...

Coal Mines Becoming Safer But Some Still ‘Don’t Get It,’ Says U.S. Regulator

Feb 3 2012 // Coal operators across the country are changing the way they work, and mines are becoming safer, but the head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Thursday there are still too many who...

WCRI: Virginia’s Medical Cost Per Workers’ Comp Claim Higher Than Most

Feb 2 2012 // Broad metrics of worker’ compensation costs show that Virginia is a lower cost state, largely due to a lower frequency of claims, according to a new report. But the report from the Workers Compensation Research...

West Virginia Mutual Names Wallace President, CEO

Feb 2 2012 // Physician insurer West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. is under new leadership after naming R. Austin Wallace to serve as president and chief financial officer. Wallace served on the Charleston-based insurer’s board of...

Deadline Feb. 2 for Quake-Related Jobless Benefits in Virginia

Feb 1 2012 // People in five counties and the city of Fredericksburg who lost jobs as the result of a powerful Aug. 23 earthquake face a deadline this week. The Thursday deadline is to file for disaster unemployment assistance. Besides...

Virginia High Schools Join in Safe-Driving Campaign

Feb 1 2012 // Nearly three dozen Virginia high schools are participating in a safe driving campaign starting this week. The Virginia State Police is teaming up with Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety to increase awareness...

Safety Groups Say Teen Traffic Deaths Rising in Virginia

Jan 27 2012 // Safety groups are urging teenage drivers in Virginia to wear seat belts and slow down following a sharp increase in fatal wrecks. Preliminary statistics show that traffic accidents killed 11 people ages 16 to 20 between...

Virginia, New Jersey Get High Marks in Building Code Report

Jan 23 2012 // The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, an industry group, issued a new report this month that analyzes residential building codes in the 18 hurricane-prone coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico and the...

Virginia Mom of Boy Left on Bus Sues School Officials for $500K

Jan 20 2012 // Richmond school officials are being sued by the mother of a 4-year-old autistic boy who was left on a bus. Nyheim Butler’s lawsuit accuses Richmond Public Schools, the district’s transportation director, a...

Virginia Man Accused of Faking Death to Get Insurance

Jan 18 2012 // A Virginia man has been charged with faking his death to collect on a $750,000 life insurance policy. A federal grand jury indicted 38-year-old Jamie Dwayne Long of Lunenberg on three mail fraud counts last week. U.S ....

More Than $25.2M in Virginia Quake Aid OK’d

Jan 18 2012 // More than $25.2 million in federal disaster aid has been approved to help residents, businesses and local governments in Virginia recover from last summer’s earthquake. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says...