Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Weed Warning: Legalizing Marijuana Tied to Rise in Crashes in 3 States by HLDI
Jun 23 2017 // Legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in collision claim frequencies that are about three percent higher overall than would have been expected without legalization, a new...
WCRI Researchers Compare States on Injured Workers Returning to Work
Jun 21 2017 // From 10 to 18 percent of injured workers never reach “substantial return to work,” according to new research by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) comparing outcomes for injured workers in six...
Cardinal Health Seeks Dismissal of Drug Suits in 6 West Virginia Counties
Jun 16 2017 // A pharmaceuticals distributor has asked a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by six West Virginia counties over the opioid crisis, arguing that they were filed too late and the matter was already addressed in a state...
Rolling Stone to Pay $1.65M to Settle Suit Over University of Virginia Rape Story
Jun 15 2017 // Rolling Stone magazine agreed to pay $1.65 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by a University of Virginia fraternity over a debunked story about a rape on campus, the fraternity said Tuesday. The settlement...
West Virginia Supreme Court: No Workers’ Comp Benefits For Inmates
Jun 13 2017 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that inmates participating in work-release programs do not qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the court unanimously affirmed a...
The Andrew Agency Acquires Wood Insurance in Virginia
Jun 5 2017 // The Andrew Agency, a Richmond, Va.-headquartered insurance broker, has acquired Wood Insurance, effective June 1, 2017. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Also based in Richmond, Va., Wood Insurance specializes...
West Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Staging Accident For Insurance
Jun 5 2017 // Federal authorities say that a 56-year-old Fairmont woman has pleaded guilty to fraud, admitting she participated in a staged vehicle accident, faked injuries and filed a false insurance claim. Prosecutors say Robin...
Virginia Insurance Commissioner to Retire After 30 Years
Jun 2 2017 // Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jacqueline K. Cunningham will retire at the end of the year after serving for a total of 30 years with the State Corporation Commission’s (Commission) Bureau of Insurance (Bureau). She...
12 States Have Advanced Tougher Distracted Driving Bills This Year
Jun 1 2017 // As auto accidents and fatalities increase on America’s roads, a dozen states have taken legislative action this year to further combat distracted driving. According to an analysis by the Property Casualty Insurers...
2 Killed in Explosion at West Virginia Industrial Plant
May 30 2017 // An explosion at a West Virginia industrial plant has killed two people and injured a third. Officials say the explosion was reported last week at Midland Resource Recovery, a company based in Ontario, Canada, that odorizes...
West Virginia Gov Orders State to Step-Up Cybersecurity Efforts
May 26 2017 // Gov. Jim Justice has directed the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management to take steps to protect personally identifiable information collected and kept by state agencies, including health information...
Feds Grant Additional $3.2M to West Virginia for Flood Recovery
May 19 2017 // West Virginia will receive an additional $3.2 million from the federal government for disaster recovery efforts for last year’s major floods. U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the community...
Ex-Coal CEO Blankenship Urges Trump to Probe 2010 Mine Blast in West Virginia
May 18 2017 // A former coal executive who last week finished a yearlong prison sentence for conspiring to violate safety standards at a mine where a deadly blast occurred, has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to “get to the...
Business Moves
May 15 2017 // Validus, Crop Insurance Agency Validus Holdings Ltd. has completed its acquisition of Crop Risk Services business (CRS), a primary crop insurance managing general agent, from Archer Daniels Midland Co. In the deal that was...
Feds Grant $5.9M to West Virginia for Drug Addiction Fight
May 15 2017 // West Virginia will receive $5.9 million from the federal government to help fight drug addiction. U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Health...
Ex-Coal CEO Blankenship Ends Prison Term
May 12 2017 // Former coal executive Don Blankenship jumped back on Twitter on Wednesday, renewing his feud with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on the day Blankenship was to finish a one-year prison sentence arising from the...
New Law Encourages Flood Protection in West Virginia Communities
May 2 2017 // A new law in West Virginia aims to help parts of the state better prepare for major flooding. A new state resiliency office will receive funds, coordinate efforts and update plans annually against disasters like the...
Virginia Tech Scientists: BP Oil Spill Caused $17.2B in Natural Resource Damage
May 1 2017 // The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill did $17.2 billion in damage to the natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists recently found after a six-year study of the impact of the largest oil spill in U.S....
Feds Grant $5.9M to West Virginia in Drug Addiction Fight
May 1 2017 // West Virginia will receive $5.9 million from the federal government to help fight drug addiction. U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grant Thursday from the U.S. Department...
Mine Owned by West Virginia Gov Faces Fines for Safety Violations
Apr 28 2017 // A West Virginia mining operation owned by Gov. Jim Justice faces fines of more than $10,000 for six safety violations following a workers’ fatal fall in February. The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health,...
