Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
High Levels of Mold, Carbon Dioxide Close West Virginia High School
Sep 21 2017 // A West Virginia high school will close for the rest of the week after high levels of mold and carbon dioxide were found inside nearly a third of its buildings. News outlets report Capital High School in Charleston...
Ex-Coal CEO Asks Supreme Court to Toss West Virginia Mine Blast Conviction
Sep 18 2017 // Attorneys for former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship have made a last pitch to the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out his conviction connected to a 2010 West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 miners. Attorneys for Don...
NCCI Files 10% Reduction in Workers’ Comp Loss Costs for West Virginia
Sep 18 2017 // West Virginia employers will see a projected $21 million reduction in workers’ compensation premiums in the coming year, according to a recent statement from Gov. Jim Justice. The National Council on Compensation...
Virginia Man Who Stole $19M from IT Firm Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison
Sep 12 2017 // A corporate controller who stole more than $19 million from the information technology firm that employed him has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison. Forty-eight-year-old Jon Frank of Nokesville, Virginia, pleaded...
Element Risk Finalizes Acquisition of Virginia’s Russell Insurance Agency
Aug 30 2017 // Element Risk Management, a West Chester, Penn.-headquartered, privately held insurance firm, has finalized the acquisition of Russell Insurance Agency Inc., based in Front Royal, Va. The acquisition will be Element...
West Virginia Doctor Gets 20 Years in Prison for Illegally Distributing Painkillers
Aug 30 2017 // A West Virginia doctor accused of illegally distributing painkillers to three patients who later died has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Dr. Michael Kostenko, who faced 22 charges, admitted at the second day...
NCCI Files 10% Reduction in Workers’ Comp Loss Costs for West Virginia
Aug 29 2017 // West Virginia employers will see a projected $21 million reduction in workers’ compensation premiums in the coming year, according to a recent statement from Gov. Jim Justice. The National Council on Compensation...
West Virginia Miner Who Survived 2006 Sago Blast Dies on Job
Aug 28 2017 // A coal miner who died on the job in West Virginia was the brother of one of the 12 killed in the Sago Mine disaster of 2006. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that authorities identified the miner found dead Friday as...
IIAV ‘Redoubling’ Hurricane Preparedness Efforts Since Following Harvey’s Texas Impact
Aug 28 2017 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia (IIAV) is motivated to “redouble its efforts” around hurricane preparedness, particularly as it relates to flood damage, since following Hurricane Harvey’s...
Family Settles Suit Against Perdue, Trucking Firm Over Virginia Crash
Aug 24 2017 // A family has settled a lawsuit against Perdue Farms and a trucking company over the death of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy whose tractor was struck by a semi-truck carrying chicken. The Virginian-Pilot reported...
West Virginia to Use $22M from Drug Distributor Suit for Addiction Treatment
Aug 24 2017 // West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources says it will use $22 million in settlement money from drug distributors to help address the addiction epidemic in the state. Legislation passed this year...
How Civil Immunity Lawsuit Led to Limits on Taser Use: Reuters Report
Aug 23 2017 // One of the biggest commercial threats to Taser International’s signature weapon could come from a lawsuit the company won. Across the United States, wrongful death lawsuits involving Tasers have created a body of...
Gas Leak at West Virginia Restaurant Sends 7 to Hospital
Aug 23 2017 // A fire official says seven people have were sent to the hospital after a suspected gas leak at a West Virginia restaurant. Media outlets report the incident happened Monday at a Buffalo Wild Wings outside the Huntington...
Federal Funding Available to West Virginia Flood Victims
Aug 22 2017 // President Donald Trump has made federal funding available residents in four West Virginia counties dealing with severe flooding, landslides and mudslides. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the money is...
People – East
Aug 21 2017 // Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc., headquartered in East Providence, R.I., has promoted Sean Cottrell and Elizabeth Lowe to senior vice presidents. Cottrell is the practice leader for the Human Service...
GOP Facing Resistance to State Bills Shielding Drivers Who Hit Protesters
Aug 18 2017 // Republican lawmakers in six states have pushed this year for legal protections for motorists who hit protesters blocking traffic. Fairly or not, they’re facing an intense backlash now that violent images of a car...
Drug Company Deflects Blame in Lawsuit Over West Virginia Opioid Crisis
Aug 18 2017 // A West Virginia city’s lawsuit against a drug company has led to a dispute over which is at fault in the opioid epidemic. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported last week that one of the nation’s largest drug...
A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co.
Aug 17 2017 // A.M. Besthas revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B (Fair) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bb” of West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co.,...
Businesses Owned by West Virginia Gov Settle Flood Clean Up Suit for $550K
Aug 16 2017 // Three businesses owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his family have agreed to settle for $551,420 a lawsuit that claimed they had not paid for $771,268 of cleanup work after the Greenbrier resort was hit by severe...
North Carolina Study Shows Coal Plants Might Be Even More Toxic Than First Thought
Aug 16 2017 // Scientists studying the aftermath of a massive coal-ash spill in North Carolina have discovered a byproduct of the fossil fuel that may pose human health risks. Duke Energy Corp. announced in early February 2014 that...
