Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Virginia Lawmakers Approve Creation of Special Business Courts
Mar 12 2010 // Lawmakers hope a new bill will blunt business groups’ criticism of West Virginia’s court system. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the state Supreme Court to create special business courts in...
West Virginia Mine Foreman Pleads Guilty to Faking Safety Records
Mar 12 2010 // A foreman accused of faking a safety inspection report at a Patriot Coal Corp. mine pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of making false statements and certifications under federal mine safety laws. John Renner, 40, of...
Profit Plunges at West Virginia’s Brickstreet Mutual
Mar 11 2010 // Competition and the expiration of federal tax exemption cut BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co.’s profit by 66 percent in 2009. The workers’ compensation insurer says it earned $38.9 million last year, compared to...
Kinsale Formed as Virginia-Based Specialty Insurer
Mar 10 2010 // Kinsale Capital Group has formed a Virginia-based E&S insurer, called Kinsale Insurance Co., that will underwrite commercial property/casualty and professional liability E&S lines in 31 states and the District of...
West Virginia Lawmakers Tackle Vacant Buildings, Insurance Liens
Mar 9 2010 // State lawmakers appear ready to increase the independence of West Virginia’s local governments, and they aren’t waiting on results from an ongoing experiment on the subject. The Senate is expected to take up a...
Insurance Fraud Reportedly Increasing in Virginia
Feb 26 2010 // The number of suspected insurance fraud notifications received by the Virginia State Police are continuing to increase, according to the Insurance Fraud Program’s 2009 Annual Report Last year, the Insurance Fraud...
Collapse Concerns Grow as Snowstorm Slams Eastern States
Feb 8 2010 // Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. were particularly battered by a weekend snowstorm that caused massive power outages and resulted in moderate structural damage to areas in the region. At least two deaths were...
Bills to Raise Virginia Speed Limits Pass
Feb 4 2010 // Virginia lawmakers have passed bills that would boost the top speed limit in the state from 65 mph to 70. In the Senate, the bill passed on a 29-10 vote. Democratic Senator Creigh (Cree) Deeds of Bath County said the state...
Chemical Leaks at West Virginia DuPont Plant Appear Unrelated
Feb 1 2010 // Three recent chemical leaks at a West Virginia DuPont plant, one of which killed a worker, don’t appear to be related, a federal investigator said. U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigator Johnnie Banks promised a...
Mandatory Seat Belt Bills Clear Virginia Senate
Jan 29 2010 // The Virginia Senate has passed a bill to allow police to pull over and ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt. The bill passed 24-16 Wednesday and heads to the House, where similar efforts have died in past...
West Virginia DuPont Worker Dies After Chemical Exposure
Jan 27 2010 // Federal safety officials are investigating a DuPont chemical plant Monday after a series of leaks that resulted in the death of one worker and the operation’s temporary shutdown. DuPont officials put the sprawling...
Business Moves
Jan 24 2010 // Towers Perrin, Watson Wyatt Towers Watson & Co. has completed the merger of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt. The transaction to form Towers Watson, a global professional services company, was announced on June 28,...
West Virginians Producing Film on Dangers of Texting While Driving
Jan 22 2010 // Several young adults from West Virginia are starring in a new educational film on the dangers of distracted driving that is to be released this spring. Charleston, West Virginia-based MotionMasters is producing the film,...
West Virginia Eyes Lien on Fire Insurance to Fight Abandoned Buildings
Jan 21 2010 // West Virginia may be on the path to helping municipalities pay for debris removal of abandoned buildings with insurance payments in a way that insurers can live with. The issue of how to pay for the cleanup has irked...
Virginia County Wants Insurers to Pay for Ambulance Services
Jan 21 2010 // The Board of County Supervisors in Prince William County, Virginia is considering raising the cost of an ambulance trip. The board on Tuesday moved forward with a plan to have insurance companies pay between $400 and $700...
West Virginia Seeking to Restore Confidence In State Supreme Court
Jan 20 2010 // Gov. Joe Manchin and the state Supreme Court hope to shore up public confidence in a West Virginia judicial system that has been scrutinized by the nation’s highest court and branded a “hellhole” by the...
West Virginia Workers Compensation Insurer BrickStreet Approved in Illinois
Jan 15 2010 // West Virginia-based BrickStreet Mutual Insurance said it has been approved to begin writing workers’ compensation insurance in Illinois. The move continues an expansion drive for the company, which was approved to...
People
Jan 10 2010 // New York-based insurance wholesaler Russell Bond & Co. has promoted Margaret J. Arnold to assistant vice president-controller. She is a 20-year veteran of the firm. In addition, the company has also promoted Derek...
West Virginia Court Sides with Insurer on Antitrust Claim by Cancelled Agent
Jan 10 2010 // An insurance company has won a victory over one of its former West Virginia agents who claimed the insurer violated state antitrust law when it cancelled his contracts to sell its life and property/casualty products. The...
HUD Helps Virginia Homeowners with Suspect Drywall
Jan 7 2010 // Some families in Virginia whose homes were built with suspect drywall from China may be eligible for assistance to help rehabilitate their properties. To qualify, families must have insurance through the Federal Housing...
