Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Apartment Fire in West Virginia Displaces 100 Residents
Apr 6 2016 // Fire officials have confirmed that smoke detectors inside a Huntington apartment complex didn’t go off when the building caught fire, causing more than 100 residents to be displaced. News outlets report that...
Ridesharing Gets Green Light in West Virginia
Apr 4 2016 // Companies like Uber and Lyft can soon start offering rides in West Virginia under a new law approved by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. The Democrat signed a bill in March letting ridesharing companies operate in the state. The...
West Virginia Officials Propose $93K Fine Against Natural Gas Company
Mar 31 2016 // West Virginia environmental officials have proposed a $93,000 fine on an Antero Resources natural gas company for polluting waterways. In a consent order, state Department of Environmental Protection and Antero Midstream...
West Virginia Pharmacists Reduce Hydrocodone Dispensing by Nearly 13M
Mar 31 2016 // West Virginia pharmacies are dispensing significantly fewer doses of the state’s most popular prescription painkiller, hydrocodone. The number of prescribed hydrocodone products dropped by nearly 13 million tablets...
West Virginia Coal Boss Should Face Maximum Sentence, U.S. Says
Mar 30 2016 // Former coal baron Donald Blankenship should face the maximum sentence of one year in prison for flouting mine-safety rules, prosecutors said, urging a judge to send a message to the coal industry. The government asked U.S....
Ames & Gough Hires Sinks as Broker in Virginia
Mar 29 2016 // Cady M. Sinks Ames & Gough, a specialty insurance brokerage based in McLean, Virginia, has hired Cady M. Sinks as a broker. Sinks has more than 12 years of experience in risk and insurance services. At Ames &...
West Virginia Governor Approves Stiffer Penalties for Passing School Buses
Mar 28 2016 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has approved increased penalties for passing stopped school buses. Tomblin signed the bill March 24. On a first offense, drivers passing a school bus that stopped to pick up or drop off...
OSHA Cites West Virginia Saw Mill for Safety, Health Violations
Mar 25 2016 // Federal regulators have cited a Princeton saw mill for alleged workplace safety and health violations, including a lack of protective equipment worn during the operation of a chainsaw. The Occupational Safety and Health...
Virginia to Hold Hearing on Anthem’s Proposed Acquisiton of Cigna
Mar 21 2016 // Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) announced that it will hold a public hearing in May to consider the competitive impact of Anthem Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Cigna Corporation and its...
Ridesharing Gets Green Light in West Virginia
Mar 18 2016 // Companies like Uber and Lyft can soon start offering rides in West Virginia under a new law approved by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. The Democrat signed a bill Tuesday letting ridesharing companies operate in the state. The...
Smoking in Cars With Kids Could Soon Be Illegal in Virginia
Mar 16 2016 // Smoking cigarettes in a vehicle in the presence of young children may soon be illegal in Virginia. The Daily Progress reports that the bill awaiting the governor’s signature would make it illegal to smoke in a motor...
The Hilb Group Acquires Raley, Watts & O’Neill in Maryland
Mar 16 2016 // The Hilb Group, a middle market insurance agency based in Richmond, Virginia, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Raley, Watts & O’Neill (RWO), an independent agency based in the town of California in...
Farm Losses From Virginia Tornadoes Climbing
Mar 7 2016 // Farm losses from a series of tornadoes that battered Virginia last month stand at $1.6 million and counting. The Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. says it has received 126 claims since the twisters swirled from...
The Hilb Group Acquires PriMed Consulting in New Jersey
Feb 24 2016 // The Hilb Group, a middle market insurance agency based in Richmond, Virginia, announced that it has acquired PriMed Consulting, an independent agency in Ocean Township, New Jersey. The deal represents The Hilb...
Ex-Freedom President Gets 1 Month in Prison for West Virginia Chemical Spill
Feb 18 2016 // An executive who appeared unsympathetic when he spoke to the public after a chemical spill sullied tap water for 300,000 people in West Virginia was sentenced to one month in federal prison Wednesday. Ex-Freedom Industries...
Ridesharing Bill Makes It Through West Virginia House
Feb 17 2016 // West Virginia is a step closer to letting Uber and similar companies offer rides in the state. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a 94-4 margin Monday. It next moves to the Senate. The proposal would apply to Uber,...
Ex-Freedom Industries Exec Sentenced to 1 Month for West Virginia Chemical Spill
Feb 17 2016 // A former Freedom Industries executive was sentenced Feb. 11 to one month in federal prison for a chemical spill that fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West Virginians. Dennis Farrell also was fined $20,000 in...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co.
Feb 16 2016 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of West Virginia Mutual Insurance Company (WVMIC)...
West Virginia House Approves Bill Waiving Permits for Concealed Guns
Feb 10 2016 // After the bill was vetoed last year, a proposal to allow carrying a concealed gun without a permit in West Virginia passed its first major test this week. The Republican-led House of Delegates voted 68-31 on the concealed...
Drug Price Transparency Bill Stalls in Virginia General Assembly
Feb 9 2016 // Legislation to make drug makers reveal how much they spend marketing high-priced drugs has stalled in the Virginia General Assembly, at least for this year. Virginia state senators said the bill wasn’t ready for...
