Latest West Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our West Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
West Virginia’s Drug Overdose Rate Highest in Nation, Again
Jan 22 2018 // West Virginia still leads the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in West Virginia is 52 per...
West Virginia College Ordered to Pay $250K in Discrimination Suit
Jan 18 2018 // A judge has entered a $250,000 judgment against West Virginia Wesleyan College in a discrimination lawsuit. The Exponent Telegram reports a circuit judge in Upshur County made the ruling recently in a lawsuit filed by a...
West Virginia Proposes Comprehensive Drug Plan to Address State Opioid Crisis
Jan 16 2018 // State health officials are proposing a multifaceted plan for confronting the drug crisis killing hundreds of West Virginians each year, one that would require action by everyone from lawmakers to doctors to judges to...
West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort Sued by Maryland Event Company for $800K
Jan 9 2018 // A Maryland company has filed a lawsuit against companies tied to The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for failure to pay for services and equipment claims. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Select Event Group Inc....
A.M. Best Withdraws West Virginia National Auto, Downgrades Ratings
Jan 8 2018 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” from “bb” of West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co. (Morgantown, WV)....
West Virginia’s Drug Overdose Rate Highest in Nation, Again
Jan 4 2018 // West Virginia still leads the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths. The Register-Herald reports the latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in...
Insurers Off The Hook for West Virginia Hole-in-One Tournament Payouts
Dec 29 2017 // A federal appeals court says Gov. Jim Justice’s charity is stuck with almost $200,000 in payouts made to fans at the 2015 Greenbrier Classic tournament after two golfers aced the 18th hole at his resort in southern...
A.M. Best Withdraws West Virginia National Auto, Downgrades Ratings
Dec 28 2017 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” from “bb” of West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co. (Morgantown, WV)....
West Virginia Nursing Home Owes $124K in Back Pay to 500 Workers
Dec 27 2017 // A West Virginia nursing home and rehabilitation company has agreed to pay nearly $124,000 in back wages and damages to about 500 workers to resolve allegations that it violated overtime rules. The U.S. Department of Labor...
New Lawsuit Over West Virginia Warehouse Fire Targets Chemical Manufacturer
Dec 5 2017 // A new lawsuit over the industrial fire that burned for a week in West Virginia targets the chemical manufacturer who sold products stored in the building. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the case filed last week says...
West Virginia Planning Response to Fight Statewide Opioid Epidemic
Dec 4 2017 // As West Virginia sees record numbers of drug overdose deaths, state officials say they’ll submit plans for responding further to the opioid epidemic to Gov. Jim Justice by mid-January. “There is a critical need...
Family of 4 Indicted for $550K Insurance Fraud Scheme in West Virginia
Dec 4 2017 // A man, his ex-wife and two sons are accused of burning down two West Virginia homes and pocketing over $550,000 in insurance claims. Windel Lester, his ex-wife Georgetta Lester, and his sons Gregory A. Lester and James...
Miner Dies on Blackhawk Mining Property in West Virginia
Dec 1 2017 // West Virginia mining officials say that a 28-year-old equipment operator for a coal mining company has died. The Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training says the incident occurred about 3 p.m. Tuesday on...
Ex-Coal Boss Blankenship Announces U.S. Senate Run From West Virginia
Nov 30 2017 // Donald Blankenship, the former Massey Energy chief executive who went to prison in the wake of a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29, plans to run for the U.S. Senate from West Virginia. Blankenship is filing election...
$4M West Virginia Diesel Spill Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval
Nov 28 2017 // A judge has given preliminary approval to a $4 million class action settlement over a January 2015 tanker truck diesel fuel spill in southern West Virginia that briefly shut down tap water supplies for about 12,000...
Lawsuits Filed Over West Virginia Warehouse Fire
Nov 28 2017 // Three lawsuits seeking damages following the industrial warehouse fire that burned for a week in Parkersburg have been moved from state to federal court. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the defendants sought the...
Family of 4 Indicted for $550K Insurance Fraud Scheme in West Virginia
Nov 22 2017 // A man, his ex-wife and two sons are accused of burning down two West Virginia homes and pocketing over $550,000 in insurance claims. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports 66-year-old Windel Lester, his ex-wife, 41-year-old...
Officials: Warehouse Fire Could Cost West Virginia County $1.5M
Nov 9 2017 // County officials say the cost of the response to a warehouse fire in West Virginia is already more than $1 million. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel quotes Wood County Commission president Blair Couch in a Tuesday report...
West Virginia Cities Sue Health Care Accreditors for Downplaying Opioid Risk
Nov 7 2017 // Several West Virginia municipalities are suing The Joint Commission, claiming the Chicago-based health care accreditation group downplayed the dangers of prescription painkillers and helped fuel addictions. The Charleston...
Large Warehouse Fire in West Virginia Finally Extinguished After 8 Days
Oct 31 2017 // West Virginia emergency officials say a large warehouse fire is fully extinguished more than a week after it broke out. The state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety says it was informed by Lubeck Fire Chief...
