Latest Virginia Headlines

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

Massey Says West Virginia Mine Was Clear of Gases Before Explosion

Apr 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...

Relatives of West Virginia Mine Blast Victims Will Be Compensated

Apr 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...

Safety Violations Found at Massey Mines Since Blast

Apr 20 2010 // Federal inspectors have found more than 60 serious safety violations at Massey Energy operations since the explosion that killed 29 miners, adding to fallout from the disaster that includes a wrongful death lawsuit by one...

West Virginia’s Martinsburg Reports Spike in Arson

Apr 20 2010 // A Martinsburg, West Virginia official says arson is on the rise in the Eastern Panhandle city. Lt. Greg Hoover said the Martinsburg Fire Department investigated 10 arsons in the first three months of 2010. That’s...

Federal Judge Awards $2.6M in Chinese Drywall Case

Apr 19 2010 // A federal judge in New Orleans has awarded seven plaintiffs from Virginia more than $2.6 million in a consolidated case involving damage to their homes as a result of the installation of substandard drywall from China. In...

Who’s Going to Pay?

Apr 19 2010 // Things are heating up in the world of Chinese drywall. Courts are issuing opinions, a U.S. consumer products safety agency is recommending gutting homes with the product, and a consumer watchdog group is insisting that...

Investor Suit Targets Massey Directors, Execs Over West Virginia Mine Blast

Apr 19 2010 // A trust fund that invests in Massey Energy wants the board of directors and top executives held personally accountable for the recent explosion that killed 29 coal miners. The Manville Personal Injury Trust sued last week...

West Virginia Doctor Probed Over Workers’ Compensation Prescriptions

Apr 19 2010 // Investigators have seized a small fortune from a Mingo County, West Virginia doctor in a case that parallels a previous raid of a Williamson pain clinic, court filings show. The U.S. District Court papers disclose that...

Who Pays?

Apr 19 2010 // Things are heating up in the world of Chinese drywall. Courts are issuing opinions, a U.S. consumer products safety agency is recommending gutting homes with the product, and a consumer watchdog group is insisting that...

Massey Officials Meeting with West Virginia Miners’ Families on Benefits

Apr 16 2010 // Massey Energy Co. said its officials are meeting with families of the 29 miners killed the April 5 blast at its Upper Big Branch mine to describe the benefits the firm will provide them and denied it was trying to stave...

West Virginia Mine Panel Seeks Greater Role in Massey Investigation

Apr 14 2010 // The West Virginia panel that writes mining safety rules wants to join state and federal inspectors underground as they work to figure out what caused last week’s explosion that killed 29 men. Typically, the state...

Minor Earthquake Reported in Southwest Virginia

Apr 14 2010 // There are no reports of damage from a minor earthquake that struck Southwest Virginia. The National Geological Survey’s Web site says the 2.5-magnitude temblor struck at 12:12 a.m. Tuesday. The epicenter was 8 miles...

West Virginia Mine Death Toll Reaches 29; Grieving Begins

Apr 12 2010 // Time stopped five days ago for the families of 29 coal miners killed in the devastating explosion at Upper Big Branch mine. As thousands waited, hoping for any word someone might have survived Monday’s blast, life in...

West Virginia Mine Accident Could Spur New Regulations

Apr 9 2010 // The U.S. mining industry may face additional regulations following this week’s deadly explosion at a West Virginia coal mine. Key lawmakers have vowed to look into the accident at Massey Energy’s Upper Big...

Federal Judge in New Orleans Awards $2.6M in Chinese Drywall Case

Apr 8 2010 // A federal judge in New Orleans has awarded seven plaintiffs from Virginia more than $2.6 million in a consolidated case involving damage to the plaintiff’s homes as a result of the installation of substandard drywall...

West Virginia Hoping for a Miracle in Mine Rescue

Apr 7 2010 // Drills boring into a West Virginia coal mine Wednesday carried hope for a “miracle” rescue of four miners missing after a blast killed 25 people in the worst U.S. mine disaster in a quarter century. The...

At Least 25 Dead in West Virginia Coal Mine Blast

Apr 6 2010 // An explosion ripped through a West Virginia coal mine owned by Massey Energy, killing at least 25 miners in the deadliest U.S. mining disaster since 1984. Governor Joe Manchin said Tuesday morning that four miners remained...

Bayer to Pay $143K Fine Over 2008 West Virginia Plant Explosion

Apr 2 2010 // Bayer CropScience has agreed to pay a $143,000 fine to resolve safety citations stemming from a fatal explosion at its Institute, West Virginia plant in 2008. Bayer said that the citations are principally related to the...

Virginia Man Sues PetSmart for $1M, Says He Slipped in Dog Feces

Apr 2 2010 // A Virginia man who says he fell after stepping in dog feces at a PetSmart store has filed a $1 million negligence lawsuit against the company. Robert Holloway alleges in his lawsuit in U.S. District Court that he badly...

U.S. Safety Chief Pressures Mines to Install High-Tech Equipment

Mar 30 2010 // America’s top coal mine regulator says he will redouble pressure on the industry to meet a 4-year-old congressional mandate to equip the nation’s underground mines with high-tech communications and tracking...