Latest Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Long-Time Virginia Insurance Commissioner Gross Dies
Jul 28 2011 // Alfred W. Gross, who served as insurance commissioner for the state of Virginia for 14 years until he retired last year, has passed away, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Gross...
BrickStreet Bids to Keep West Virginia Workers’ Comp Accounts
Jul 27 2011 // BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. has decided it wants to continue providing workers’ compensation insurance to state agencies. BrickStreet had said earlier this year that it wasn’t interested in continuing the...
5 Sentenced in Va. for $100M Fraud Scheme
Jul 25 2011 // Five men who pleaded guilty in a $100 million fraud scheme that claimed about 800 victims nationwide were sentenced Friday to federal prison terms ranging from three years to more than 15 years. The five included the...
Judge Blasts West Virginia Medical Damages Cap
Jul 25 2011 // A West Virginia judge who helped West Virginia’s Supreme Court hear a recent medical malpractice case is blasting the outcome. First Circuit Judge Ronald Wilson dissented sharply on Friday with last month’s...
West Virginia Court Weighs Pollution Liability of Massey Subsidiary
Jul 25 2011 // Three judges hearing a coal slurry pollution lawsuit against Massey Energy are considering whether the parent corporation should be held liable for the actions of a subsidiary it claims operated independently. Massey...
West Virginia Extends Deadline for Insurer Bids on State Business
Jul 19 2011 // The deadline for insurers wanting to submit bids to write the workers’ compensation coverage for state agencies in West Virginia has been extended until October. West Virginia’s primary workers’...
Virginia Judge Nixes Part of $1 Billion Fly Ash Lawsuit
Jul 18 2011 // A group of Chesapeake residents plans to refile a $1 billion lawsuit against Dominion Virginia Power after a judge dismissed claims that fly ash used to build a golf course harmed their health and property. The lawsuit was...
West Virginia Moves Ahead with Plan for Business Court
Jul 18 2011 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has given a committee the go-ahead to design a new court system that would consider business-related lawsuits. Wayne County Circuit Judge Darrell Pratt, the committee’s chairman, said...
Counties Join West Virginia Risk Pool
Jul 18 2011 // In the wake of a decision by a West Virginia workers’ compensation insurer to drop its program for government agencies, more counties are lining up to join a risk pool. County governments throughout the state are...
Man Pleads Guilty to Torching Virginia Motel Twice
Jul 14 2011 // A former employee has pleaded guilty to setting two fires at a motel in Ashland, Virginia that caused $2 million in damage. Media outlets report that 23-year-old Jose Antonio Ramirez faces up to life in prison when...
West Virginia Receives Funds to Demolish Flood-Prone Homes
Jul 8 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded $1.2 million to West Virginia’s Wayne County to acquire and tear down flood-prone homes. Rep. Nick Rahall announced the hazard mitigation grant. The West Virginia...
Report Faults DuPont in West Virginia Worker’s Death
Jul 7 2011 // Chemical maker DuPont failed to promptly inform emergency crews about a phosgene leak that killed a worker last year, according to a U.S. government report released Thursday. The report by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB),...
West Virginia Firefighters Get Insurance Premium Subsidy Check
Jul 7 2011 // A volunteer fire department in Kanawha County has become the first in West Virginia to receive a rebate check to cover the costs of higher premiums for workers’ compensation insurance. The check for $1,638 was...
West Virginia Firefighters’ Relief
Jul 4 2011 // West Virginia’s volunteer fire departments looking to offset increases in their workers’ compensation premiums can now apply for help on a website launched by state Auditor Glen Gainer. “Volunteer...
Federal Report: Coal Dust, Deception in Fatal West Virginia Mine Blast
Jun 30 2011 // The blast that killed 29 men in a West Virginia coal mine last year was probably caused by coal dust ignition, compounded by safety failings, intimidation and deception by the mine’s owner, the U.S. mine regulator...
More West Virginia Counties Join Workers’ Compensation Pool
Jun 30 2011 // In the wake of a decision by a West Virginia workers’ compensation insurer to drop its program for government agencies, more counties are lining up to join a risk pool. County governments throughout the state are...
Virginia County to Charge for Ambulance Trips
Jun 22 2011 // Virginia’s Prince William County plans to begin charging health insurance companies for ambulance trips. On July 1, the county will start billing insurance companies when a patient is taken to the hospital by its...
Riley Named West Virginia Acting Insurance Commissioner
Jun 21 2011 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced that Michael D. Riley will serve as acting state insurance commissioner effective July 1. Current Commissioner Jane L. Cline will retire as of June 30 after 10 years in the...
West Virginia Offers Firefighters Relief on Workers’ Compensation
Jun 20 2011 // West Virginia’s volunteer fire departments looking to offset anticipated increases in their workers’ compensation insurance premiums can turn to a website launched by the state auditor’s office. Auditor...
Coal Industry Blasts Safety Rules
Jun 20 2011 // Coal industry officials have roundly criticized two sets of new safety rules proposed by federal regulators following an explosion that killed 29 West Virginia miners last year. The West Virginia Coal Association and Alpha...
