Latest West Virginia Headlines

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

W. Va. Gov. Justice’s Coal Firms to Pay $1M in Fines, Penalties in Mine Contract Dispute

Apr 28 2020 // A federal judge in Kentucky has ordered companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay more than $1 million in fees and expenses in a lawsuit that accused them of defaulting on a mining contract. U.S. District...

West Virginia Governor’s Coal Companies to Pay $5M in Fines for Safety Violations

Apr 6 2020 // Billionaire West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies have agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The civil case brought by prosecutors...

Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Involving Wyoming Coal Workers

Apr 6 2020 // Attorneys representing Wyoming coal miners reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit against a bankrupt coal operator. The settlement with Blackjewel LLC of West Virginia requires final approval by a federal judge,...

West Virginia Nursing Home Now ‘Ground Zero’ for Virus

Mar 27 2020 // A West Virginia nursing home with at least 20 coronavirus cases has become “ground zero” for the state’s growing virus caseload, officials said Wednesday. Carl Shrader, medical director for the Sundale...

Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Involving Wyoming Coal Workers

Mar 26 2020 // Attorneys representing Wyoming coal miners reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit against a bankrupt coal operator. The settlement with Blackjewel LLC of West Virginia requires final approval by a federal judge,...

What State Insurance Regulators Have Asked of P/C Insurers to Address Coronavirus

Mar 25 2020 // As state insurance regulators monitor and respond to the coronavirus impact on insurance, property/casualty insurers are calling on them to coordinate their requests for data and ease up on some requirements. David A....

West Virginia Couple Get 3 Years in Renter’s Insurance Fraud Case

Mar 24 2020 // A West Virginia couple were sentenced to more than three years each after pleading guilty in a scheme to fraudulently collect renter’s insurance benefits. Jimmie Thompson, 27, and Thanikwa Thompson, 25, of...

Southeast Insurance Regulators Issue Industry Guidance for Coronavirus Outbreak

Mar 20 2020 // Insurance departments across the Southeast are notifying industry representatives of updated procedures and expectations in response to the coronavirus outbreak, while also acknowledging the potential for a serious impact...

West Virginia Lawmaker Loses Suit Blaming Indiana Bar for Blindness

Mar 12 2020 // The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled against a lawsuit filed by a West Virginia delegate over a 2006 parking lot brawl that left him blinded years before he was elected to office. The lawsuit said Cavanaugh’s Sports...

Trial Date Set for August in $1.25B West Virginia Opioid Settlement

Mar 11 2020 // West Virginia communities seeking a $1.25 billion settlement with the opioid industry are set to go on trial against the companies in late August, a federal judge said Thursday. The Aug. 31 trial date will serve as a...

Drug Industry to Pay $1.25B to Settle Opioid Suits with West Virginia

Mar 5 2020 // Communities in West Virginia say they would get $1.25 billion from the drug industry in a proposed settlement that would end most of the litigation stemming from the opioid crisis in the state. The deal would be the first...

West Virginia to Receive More Funds for 2016 Flood Recovery

Feb 26 2020 // President Donald Trump has increased the federal share of costs to help West Virginia recover from floods that ravaged the state in June 2016. Gov. Jim Justice’s office said Friday that Trump approved his request to...

Soaking Rains Cause Rock Slide in West Virginia, Prompt Flood Warning Along Ohio River

Feb 14 2020 // Soaking rains caused part of a hillside to collapse in southern West Virginia and prompted a flood warning along the Ohio River. Highways officials said high water forced road closings in multiple counties Thursday. Near...

FEMA Grants $131M to Flooded Schools in West Virginia

Feb 3 2020 // Gov. Jim Justice’s office announced on Friday that West Virginia will receive more than $131 million (118 million euros) to replace schools in Nicholas County that were destroyed by flooding in 2016. The money comes...

West Virginia Construction Co. Agrees to Pay $242K in Back Wages, Damages

Jan 30 2020 // An oil and gas industry construction company has agreed to pay $242,039 in back wages and damages to 243 employees in West Virginia, the U.S. Labor Department said last month. Apex Pipeline Service Inc. entered into a...

West Virginia to Receive $866K Grant for Flood Recovery

Jan 15 2020 // The U.S. Labor Department awarded $866,675 for flood recovery in West Virginia, the state’s U.S. senators announced. The funding is through the Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant Program. Flooding in...

Severe Storms Leave Thousands Without Power in West Virginia

Jan 14 2020 // Thousands of customers remained without electricity in West Virginia on Sunday after severe storms swept through the state. Appalachian Power said on its website nearly 6,600 homes and businesses had no service Sunday...

West Virginia Coal Miner Killed in Beltline Accident

Dec 27 2019 // A West Virginia coal miner died while working at a Murray Energy mine, Gov. Jim Justice’s office said Tuesday. Raymond Leonard Starkey Jr., 21, of New Martinsville, was fatally injured Monday while helping to repair...

Train Worker Killed in West Virginia Derailment

Dec 18 2019 // An employee for a freight transportation line was killed in a train derailment in West Virginia, a sheriff’s office said. The CSX train went off the rails near a Chemours chemical plant in Washington, West Virginia,...

West Virginia Labor Report Finds 500 Violations of State Jobs Act

Dec 18 2019 // A legislative report says West Virginia’s Division of Labor cited more than 500 violations of a jobs act intended to give local laborers the majority of roles on state-funded public works projects. The Charleston...