Latest West Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our West Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Virginia Mines Cited During May Safety Inspections
Jun 4 2012 // The Mine Safety and Health Administration says it issued 254 citations, 19 orders and one safeguard during special inspections at West Virginia coal mines last month. Among those targeted was Argus Energy’s Deep Mine...
West Virginia Gears Up for Auto Insurance Verification Program
May 31 2012 // The West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is taking steps to educate motorists about electronic verification of insurance coverage. The DMV said vehicle owners will soon begin receiving an informational insert when...
Mediation Fails, West Virginia Slurry Pollution Case Going to Trial
May 25 2012 // Mediation has failed to settle a lawsuit by hundreds of Boone County residents who blame coal companies for contaminating their water supplies. Attorney Roger Decanio said this week that the case against Massey Energy and...
West Virginia Coal Miner Claims Alpha Fired Him Over Safety
May 24 2012 // A coal miner who says he was fired for enforcing safety standards that slowed down both production and the sealing of the Upper Big Branch mine in southern West Virginia is suing Alpha Natural Resources. The State Journal...
West Virginia Driver Data Access Eased
May 7 2012 // Individuals in West Virginia involved in a traffic accident will soon be able to access the other driver’s insurance coverage before filing a lawsuit under a new disclosure law. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed into law...
Federal Healthcare Law to Aid Black Lung Victims
Apr 16 2012 // Proposed changes to U.S. Department of Labor rules would make it easier for coal miners and their families to obtain black lung benefits, while a West Virginia congressman aims to reduce the amount of paperwork they have...
West Virginia Permits Access to Driver’s Insurance Information Before Lawsuit
Apr 13 2012 // Individuals in West Virginia involved in a traffic accident will soon be able to access the other driver’s insurance coverage before filing a lawsuit under a new disclosure law. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed into law...
West Virginia Mine Blast Survivors’ Cases Still Unsettled
Apr 11 2012 // Nine men who survived West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch mine disaster want to abandon mediation of their personal injury claims and start gathering evidence for trial because they say the mine’s new owner...
New Federal Safety Rules for Mines Finalized
Apr 6 2012 // Federal regulators are issuing a final set of rules for underground coal mine examinations that aim to hold operators more accountable for finding and fixing dangerous conditions — and preventing the deaths of their...
Federal Healthcare Law to Aid Black Lung Victims
Apr 5 2012 // Proposed changes to U.S. Department of Labor rules would make it easier for coal miners and their families to obtain black lung benefits, while a West Virginia congressman aims to reduce the amount of paperwork they have...
West Virginia Residents’ $93 Milllion Settlement with Monsanto Questioned
Apr 3 2012 // An attorney is challenging a $93 million settlement between Monsanto Co. and thousands of West Virginians. Thomas Urban II represents some class members who say the settlement isn’t fair and reasonable, the...
Inspections Improving Mine Safety, Says U.S. Official
Apr 3 2012 // Aggressive inspections at troubled mines are helping create safer working environments for coal miners, the head of the federal government’s mine safety agency said during a visit to Kentucky. U.S. Mine Safety and...
Ex-Mine Chief Pleads Guilty in West Virginia Blast
Mar 30 2012 // The former superintendent of the West Virginia mine where 29 workers died in a 2010 explosion pleaded guilty on Thursday to a federal conspiracy charge that he tipped off employees to safety inspections. Gary May, 43, is...
Judge Won’t Dismiss Massey Shareholder Suit Over Safety
Mar 30 2012 // A federal judge refused Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit by former Massey Energy shareholders who say they were deliberately misled about the company’s safety record before the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West...
Regulators Say West Virginia Mines Warned of Inspectors
Mar 30 2012 // Three times in a month, regulators have caught West Virginia coal companies illegally warning miners that federal inspectors were onsite. Mine Safety and Health Administration director Joe Main says such warnings let...
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds West Virginia Law on Arbitration in Nursing Home Cases
Mar 26 2012 // The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a West Virginia law that allows nursing homes to use pre-dispute arbitration agreements with residents that prevent them from suing in medical malpractice cases. In a recent case, [Marmet...
West Virginia Passes Mine Safety Measure
Mar 19 2012 // West Virginia will update its mine safety laws in the wake of the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in four decades. The House of Delegates sent the measure to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who proposed the legislation. Delegates...
West Virginia Passes Ban on Texting While Driving
Mar 13 2012 // West Virginia lawmakers ended their 60-day legislative session over the weekend by passing agreements on fighting methamphetamine labs and targeting distracted drivers. A unanimous Senate vote and an 80-8 vote in the House...
Judge Combines West Virginia Slurry Pollution Cases
Mar 12 2012 // The claims of hundreds of Boone County residents who blame coal companies for contaminating their water supplies will be heard in a single trial, a judge ruled last week. Circuit Judge William Thompson issued an order...
Lawmaker Halts Effort to Ease West Virginia Motorcycle Helmet Law
Mar 8 2012 // Efforts to ease West Virginia’s motorcycle helmet law have been stopped short by the bill’s advocate, who pledged to fight for legislation making helmets optional next year. The Senate Transportation committee...
