Latest Virginia Headlines

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

Today Is Court Deadline for West Virginia Chemical Spill Claims

Aug 1 2014 // Time is running out for residents and businesses affected by a January chemical spill in Charleston to file claims in federal bankruptcy court. Claims must be filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Charleston by today, Aug.1...

Freedom Industries Pays $11,000 Fine in West Virginia Chemical Spill

Jul 30 2014 // The company that spilled chemicals into West Virginia’s largest water supply has paid an $11,000 fine for a pair of violations. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Freedom...

West Virginia Drawing Up List of Dangerous Animals

Jul 29 2014 // A board tasked with compiling a list of animals that are illegal to keep as pets in West Virginia will consider one that’s shorter than a list suggested earlier. Media outlets report the state Wild and Dangerous...

Obesity Linked to Increased Fatigue in the Workplace

Jul 29 2014 // U.S. workplaces may need to consider innovative methods to prevent fatigue from developing in employees who are obese. Based on results from a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene...

Insurers File for 9.1% West Virginia Workers’ Compensation Loss Cost Decrease

Jul 25 2014 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has filed a proposed reduction in workers’ compensation loss cost rates in West Virginia – the tenth reduction in 10 years. NCCI, West Virginia’s rating...

Supreme Court Could Get Obamacare Subsidies Question

Jul 23 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court may not be done with Obamacare yet. With appellate courts reaching opposite conclusions on the same day about a crucial financing provision of the 2010 law, a third showdown before the justices is...

West Virginia Fire Department Members Accused of Forging Documents

Jul 23 2014 // The West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office is accusing members of a volunteer fire department in Wharton with forging state documents. The office said it has filed felony criminal complaints against fire officer Ira...

Same Day, Different Court Obamacare Subsidies Upheld

Jul 22 2014 // Two U.S. appeals courts reached opposite conclusions on the legality of a key financing provision of the Affordable Care Act, increasing the chance of another showdown at the Supreme Court over President Barack...

Freedom Industries, West Virginia Businesses Seek $2.9M Insurance Payout for Chemical Spill

Jul 21 2014 // At least $2.9 million could fuel studies in a proposed settlement between West Virginia businesses and residents and the company that contaminated their water supply. The deal between lawyers for Freedom Industries and...

Mine Safety Agency Settles with 2 West Virginia Miners’ Widows

Jul 18 2014 // The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit over the deaths of two miners in a 2006 fire at an underground coal mine in West Virginia, according to court documents. Under...

Former West Virginia Gov. Caperton Joins USI

Jul 15 2014 // Former West Virginia Governor W. Gaston Caperton, III, has been joined USI Insurance Services as a senior advisor to help the broker expand in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. The 32nd governor of West Virginia will...

No Air Quality Testing During West Virginia Chemical Tank Demolition

Jul 14 2014 // State and federal environmental officials say they don’t have a way to monitor air quality as chemical storage tanks are taken down at the industrial site that fouled public drinking supplies for 300,000 West...

6.5 Million Homes from Maine to Texas at Risk for Storm Surge: CoreLogic

Jul 10 2014 // More than 6.5 million homes along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of storm surge inundation, representing nearly $1.5 trillion in total potential reconstruction costs. More than $986 billion of that risk is...

West Virginia Mine Disciplines Managers After Black Lung Risk Exposed

Jul 9 2014 // Rhino Eastern LLC changed management at its Eagle Mine 3 after inspectors warned that coal miners faced the risk of deadly explosions and developing black lung disease. The company acknowledged falling short of safety...

AssuredPartners Acquires Ramsey Insurance in West Virginia

Jul 3 2014 // AssuredPartners has acquired Ramsey Insurance Agency Inc., in Charleston, West Virginia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Ramsey Insurance Agency reports revenues of approximately $1.5 million from selling...

GEICO Appoints 5 to Officer Posts Across Country

Jul 2 2014 // GEICO has announced a number of officer appointments: Michelle Trindade, vice president of the competitive advantage leadership group at the company’s corporate offices in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Kevin Kawa, assistant...

Virginia’s Monitoring Program Fights ‘Doctor Shopping’ for Prescription Drugs

Jul 1 2014 // The fidgety patient stood a bit too close to the counter at DownHome Pharmacy in Roanoke, Virginia, and chatted a bit too eagerly. She had no insurance, she said, and would be paying cash for her prescription for Norco, a...

Judge Tells Freedom Industries to Keep West Virginians Informed

Jun 27 2014 // Freedom Industries Inc., the chemical company that filed for bankruptcy after a leaky storage tank tainted the water supply in West Virginia, was ordered to do a better job of keeping the public informed. In a court filing...

Lawsuit Blames West Virginia Airport for Role in Chemical Spill

Jun 26 2014 // A federal lawsuit blames a Charleston airport runway project for the January chemical spill that left 300,000 residents without clean water for days. The lawsuit says Yeager Airport’s completed runway extension never...

Missteps Ongoing at West Virginia’s Freedom Industries

Jun 24 2014 // For the West Virginia company that sullied 300,000 people’s drinking water to start the year, slip-ups like not reading emails and leaving the company chemical headquarters unattended have produced problems for...