Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Va. Mine Survivor McCloy, Families of Deceased, Eligible for Benefits, Officials Say
Jan 6 2006 // Randal McCloy Jr., the only survivor brought out alive from the 260-foot-deep International Coal Group Mine, will be eligible for medical benefits and wage replacement benefits immediately, and will receive workers’...
Escape Blocked: Black Hole Claims 12 in W.Va. Nightmare
Jan 5 2006 // With their escape routes blocked by heavy smoke, most of the 13 miners caught in an explosion in Tallmansville, W. Va. did what they were trained to do: They retreated deeper into the mine and hung a curtain-like barrier...
All But 1 West Virginia Miners Found Dead; Early Reports Said 12 Survived
Jan 4 2006 // Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 3 a.m. EST. News prior to then indicated that early reports were 12 miners in a West Virginia coal mine explosion had been found alive. Hours later, officials said that was...
WellPoint and WellChoice Complete Major Merger
Jan 3 2006 // WellPoint, Inc. and WellChoice, Inc. have completed their merger that they first announced on Sept. 27, 2005. The value of the transaction at that time was estimated to be $6.5 billion. “Our focus as a combined...
Jacobs Financial Group Acquires West Virginia Fire and Casualty Co.
Jan 3 2006 // Jacobs Financial Group Inc. has acquired all of the issued and outstanding stock of West Virginia Fire and Casualty Company (WVFCC) from The Celina Mutual Insurance Company (Celina) of Celina, Ohio. The transaction had...
Virginia OKs Workers’ Comp Rate Changes, Up and Down
Jan 3 2006 // Virginia officials have approved changes that will increase overall workers’ compensation premium levels in the voluntary market for the industrial and federal (F) classes while decreasing premiums levels for coal...
W. Va. Coal Mine Had High Injury Rate, Multiple Safety Violations
Jan 3 2006 // A West Virginia coal mine where 13 miners were trapped after an explosion Monday was cited 208 times for alleged safety violations in 2005, up from just 68 citations the year before. Federal regulators’ allegations...
From New England to Virginia, Courts Made Insurance Headlines in 2005
Dec 30 2005 // From Maine to Virginia, many of the insurance headlines in 2005 dealt with compensation and reinsurance probes, just as they did across the country, casting the industry’s reputation in a bad light. But much of the...
2005, a Year to Remember: Busiest Hurricane Season of the Century for United States
Dec 29 2005 // The hurricane season made 2005 a year-to-remember, with the southeast encountering the busiest hurricane season of the century, with 26 named storms and 13 hurricanes, meteorologists used up the list of 21 proper names and...
W.Va. Bus Driver Sentenced for Workers’ Comp Fraud
Dec 22 2005 // Terry Lee Villers of Wirt County, W.Va. has been sentenced to two felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud according to Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline. Villers was sentenced Dec. 16 in the Circuit Court of...
Insurers Support Va. Red Light Cameras
Dec 22 2005 // The American Insurance Association has added its support to the call of traffic safety advocates to reinstate red light camera enforcement in the state of Virginia. The law that allowed seven Virginia communities to use...
Virginia Considers Tougher Dog Owner Liability Law After Widow’s Mauling
Dec 21 2005 // Lawmakers in Richmond are proposing tough legislation to punish Virginia dog owners whose pets injure or kill following the attack of an 82-year-old widow who was fatally mauled by three roaming pit bulls. Dorothy...
National Newsbriefs
Dec 19 2005 // House Passes Terrorism Insurance Bill: Legislation that will extend the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act for an additional two years passed the House of Representatives floor by a vote of 371 to 49. The Senate already...
Supreme Court Sides With Virginia Landlord in Toxic Mold Lawsuit
Dec 19 2005 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Virginia renters who claimed they were sickened by toxic mold in their apartment, in a decision that clarifies where personal injury cases should be heard. The issue is significant in...
News Briefs
Dec 18 2005 // House Passes Terrorism Insurance Bill: Legislation that will extend the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act for an additional two years passed the House of Representatives floor by a vote of 371 to 49. The Senate already...
Supreme Court Sides With Virginia Landlord in Toxic Mold Lawsuit
Dec 18 2005 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Virginia renters who claimed they were sickened by toxic mold in their apartment, in a decision that clarifies where personal injury cases should be heard. The issue is significant in...
Virginia Authorizes Partial Payments on Reciprocal of America Claims
Dec 13 2005 // Policyholders with a covered claim against insolvent Reciprocal of America can expect a partial payment soon. The Virginia State Corporation Commission is authorizing the deputy receiver of the liquidated reciprocal...
Court Upholds W. Va. Woman’s Coverage, Despite Bounced Check
Dec 12 2005 // A West Virginia Supreme Court ruling upholding coverage for a woman who wrote a bad check to start an auto insurance policy, saying she deserves coverage after she was involved in an accident, has Charleston insurance...
W. Va. Workers’ Comp Chief Warns Employers Failing to Pay
Dec 7 2005 // As it spins off as a private insurance program, West Virginia’s workers’ compensation program will show little patience with employers that fail to pay their premiums, its executive director said Monday. As of...
News Briefs
Dec 4 2005 // ALABAMA Alabama Expects 50,000 Claims More than 50,000 claims are expected in Alabama from hurricane damage, however, complete cost estimates won’t be available until this month. Ragan Ingram, Department of Insurance...
