March 1, 2012
A father crushed in a roof fall. A former schoolmate suffocated by poisoned air. Sharing stories of loved ones and friends killed in West Virginia’s coal mines, a unanimous House of Delegates passed safety legislation this week that largely seeks …
February 9, 2012
West Virginia must hold coal operators accountable for any negligence or misconduct to prevent another Upper Big Branch, the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in four decades, the state’s special investigator of that deadly 2010 explosion told lawmakers this week. …
January 18, 2012
For two West Virginia lawmakers who lost fathers in coal mining accidents, preventing disasters like the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion has taken a personal turn with Monday’s introduction of a bipartisan safety proposal. House Speaker Rick Thompson was not …
March 10, 2011
The company created by West Virginia to provide workers’ compensation insurance no longer wants to cover state agencies, prompting lawmakers to consider alternative policy options. The Senate Finance Committee learned this week of the possible change by BrickStreet Mutual Insurance …
March 8, 2011
With the Legislature’s minority Republicans already opposing the pending bill, West Virginia’s independent insurance agents are wary of this session’s bid to create a state-run health insurance exchange. The House Judiciary Committee could take up the Senate-passed measure this week. …
November 5, 2010
West Virginians essentially chose a new state chief executive when they voted to send Gov. Joe Manchin to the U.S. Senate, but his Tuesday win has also forced to the forefront questions about the succession process. Senate President Earl Ray …
April 28, 2010
Air samples did not show high levels of explosive gases just before an explosion in a West Virginia coal mine that killed 29 workers, and what caused the disaster remains unknown, the mine’s owner said. Massey Energy Co. board director …
April 27, 2010
Massey Energy says it will provide financial packages providing health care and other benefits for the families of 29 miners killed in the nation’s worst mining disaster in 40 years. Massey officials announced Monday that the Virginia-based company will cover …
April 15, 2010
West Virginia’s governor has asked a former top federal mine safety official to conduct an independent investigation of an explosion that killed 29 miners in his state, and also called for more scrutiny of mines with a history of safety …
April 5, 2010
Investigators have seized a small fortune from a Mingo County, West Virginia doctor in a case that parallels last month’s raid of a Williamson pain clinic, court filings show. The U.S. District Court papers disclose that prosecutors are negotiating a …