Latest Virginia Headlines

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

Officials Announce Two Disaster Aid Centers Opening in Virginia

Jan 6 2012 // Federal and state agencies are opening a new disaster recovery center in Spotsylvania County and reopening one in Louisa County in Virginia to assist victims of last year’s earthquake. The Spotsylvania center at 3960...

West Virginia to Study Ways to Reduce $50M in Deer Collisions

Jan 6 2012 // Every year in West Virginia, motorists and insurance companies pay more than $50 million to fix damage caused when vehicles collide with deer. State wildlife and highway officials hope to reduce that total by finding out...

Attempt to Mediate West Virginia Monsanto Suit Fails

Dec 30 2011 // Another attempt to resolve a West Virginia class-action pollution lawsuit against Monsanto Co. has failed. Media outlets report that several hundred plaintiffs attended a court-ordered mediation Tuesday at a Charleston...

Report Says Virginia Drivers Wrongly Charged Under Insurance Law

Dec 27 2011 // Virginia motorists are being ticketed and convicted of a violation that is not a crime under state law: driving without proof of insurance. According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly, court records show that drivers in several...

West Virginia AG Sues Insurer, Auto Repair Shop

Dec 20 2011 // West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw said last week that his office has sued Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and an auto repair shop. The attorney general says the defendants allegedly repaired vehicles with what...

Louisa, Virginia, Quake Victims Advised to Appeal Aid Denials

Dec 19 2011 // Local and federal officials are telling Louisa County earthquake victims to not give up if they’ve been denied federal disaster assistance. Residents who registered for assistance due to the Aug. 23 earthquake can...

City of Brotherly Love Keeps Its Title of Worst ‘Judicial Hellhole’

Dec 15 2011 // The City of Brotherly Love isn’t so lovely when it comes to the civil justice system, at least according to a national tort reform advocacy group. The Washington, D.C.-based American Tort Reform Association is out...

Va.-based IT Firm CSC Launches Insurance Cybersecurity Council

Dec 14 2011 // Virginia-based IT services provider CSC is forming an advisory board to help tackle cyber security issues in the insurance industry. It’s called the Insurance Cybersecurity Advisory Council. The company says the...

Groups Voice Concern Over Virginia Nuke Plant

Dec 14 2011 // Groups concerned about the safety of Dominion’s North Anna Nuclear Power Station are asking federal regulators to reevaluate their decision to allow the plant to restart. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on...

Questions Raised About Federal Probe of West Virginia Mine Blast

Dec 13 2011 // Newly disclosed records show U.S. Labor Department officials stopped independent investigators from questioning how federal regulators handled methane leaks from the floor of the Upper Big Branch mine several times before...

Virginia Regulators Approve Changes to Workers’ Comp Premium Levels

Dec 9 2011 // The Virginia State Corporation Commission approved on Thursday revisions to the premium levels charged for workers’ comp insurance in Virginia. The changes will become effective April 1, 2012, for new and renewal...

$5M in Aid Approved for Louisa County, Virginia, Quake Victims

Dec 7 2011 // Federal disaster aid approved for earthquake-related damage in Louisa County has topped $5 million. Federal and state emergency officials say most of the aid, $5.1 million, was approved for housing expenses such as home...

Firm to Pay $209M Over West Virginia Blast That Killed 29

Dec 7 2011 // Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources has agreed to pay $1.5 million to each of the families of 29 miners killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia last year. The payments – part of a $209...

Rate of Virginia Workplace Injuries Up in 2010

Dec 5 2011 // The rate of workplace injuries increased in 2010 in Virginia, but still remains below the national rate. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk said a state Department of Labor and Industry report released last Thursday shows that...

West Virginia Man Admits Staging Crashes In Insurance Scam

Dec 4 2011 // A Buckhannon, West Virginia man has pleaded guilty to defrauding insurance companies by staging vehicle accidents and filing fake claims. Forty-two-year-old Christopher John Thrain pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud...

Insurers Win First Round of Climate Change Coverage Litigation

Nov 29 2011 // In light of the economic turmoil currently engulfing the United States and Europe, the Republican sweep in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, the various protests going on around the country and the upcoming...

Best Affirms Virginia Surety Co. Ratings; Outlook Positive

Nov 28 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Chicago-based Virginia Surety Company, Inc, both with positive outlooks. The...

Virginia School Officials Face $31.5M Lawsuit

Nov 28 2011 // Another local school district in Virginia is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over allegations of a child being assaulted on a school bus. The Daily Progress reports that an Appomattox County mother and her 10-year-old...

Insurers Win First Round of Climate Change Coverage Litigation

Nov 21 2011 // But How Significant Is the Victory? In light of the economic turmoil currently engulfing the United States and Europe, the Republican sweep in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, the various protests going on around...

$2.5M in Earthquake Aid Approved for Louisa County, Virginia

Nov 18 2011 // More than $2.5 million in grants have been approved this month for Louisa County homeowners hit by a powerful Aug. 23 earthquake and its aftershocks. Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinating officer Donald Keldsen...