Latest West Virginia Headlines
All the headlines from our West Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Coal Firms Owned by Family of WV Governor Sued Over Unpaid Penalties
Jun 2 2023 // Thirteen coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are being sued over unpaid penalties for previous mining law violations that the federal government says pose health and safety risks or...
West Virginia Fumigation Facility May be Barred by Zoning Rules
May 9 2023 // A West Virginia logging company hoping to locate a log-fumigation facility in the picturesque Allegheny Mountains won’t be allowed to build in that particular spot due to a zoning issue, a local official...
Court Affirms $2.5M Penalty for West Virginia Governor’s Coal Mines
Apr 11 2023 // A federal appeals panel has affirmed $2.5 million in penalties against Appalachian coal mines owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice over claims they violated a settlement meant to prevent pollution. A three-judge panel...
Coal Miner Killed in West Virginia, Second Fatality This Year in the State
Mar 24 2023 // A coal miner died Wednesday in an accident at a northern West Virginia mine, Gov. Jim Justice said. Cecil Barker, 62, of Philippi, was working as a surveyor at Century Mining’s Longview Mine in Barbour County. Two...
WV Lawmakers Cap Damages for Deliberately Putting Workers in Harm’s Way
Mar 13 2023 // A bill that would cap some of the damages West Virginia workers and their families can receive if their employer deliberately puts them in harm’s way on the job is headed to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice. The...
West Virginia House Backs Cap on Workers’ Damages in Deliberate Intent Cases
Mar 6 2023 // Republicans in the West Virginia House passed a bill last week that would cap some of the damages workers and their families can receive if their employer deliberately puts them in harm’s way on the job. The 52-45...
Kentucky Man Dies in WV Coal Mine, First U.S. Mining Fatality This Year
Mar 1 2023 // A coal miner has died in an incident in a southern West Virginia mine, Gov. Jim Justice said. William Mapes, 73, of Freeburn, Kentucky, died Sunday, Justice said Sunday in a news release. Mapes had 53 years of mining...
WV House Approves $105M for Gates-backed Green Energy Battery Plant
Feb 14 2023 // Lawmakers in West Virginia’s House of Delegates on Friday greenlit an investment of $105 million in taxpayer dollars to support a Bill Gates-backed company that is building a renewable energy battery plant in the...
Ohio Train Derailment Prompts West Virginia Utility to Take Water Safety Steps
Feb 14 2023 // A West Virginia water utility is enhancing its water treatment process as a precaution following the derailment of a train hauling chemicals that later sent up a toxic plume in Ohio. West Virginia American Water said...
Three College Students Killed in West Virginia Auto Accident
Feb 9 2023 // Three Virginia college students were killed when their vehicle left a road and struck a tree in West Virginia, authorities said Friday. The single-vehicle accident occurred Thursday night along West Virginia Route 259 near...
West Virginia Puts All DMV Transactions Online, Speeding Process for Motorists, Insurers
Dec 16 2022 // West Virginia plans to speed up the process for motorists doing vehicle registrations and other transactions with the state. Gov. Justice Jim Justice said Wednesday that the Division of Motor Vehicles will expand its...
Update: Florida Consultant on Demotech Alternatives Faced Issues in Other States
Dec 1 2022 // A Mississippi-based consulting firm hired to figure out Florida’s insurance company financial rating conundrum has faced scrutiny in other states after audits found improper disbursement of funds, long delays in...
West Virginia High Court Issues Slew of Rulings – Some For, Some Against Insurers
Nov 22 2022 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has handed down four decisions that could affect insurers’ payouts in auto, homeowners and worker injury claims. Non-employee Covered In Ball vs. United Financial Casualty Co., the...
Temporary Bridge Planned Over Giant Sinkhole on West Virginia Road
Nov 21 2022 // Highway crews plan to build a temporary bridge over a giant sinkhole in southern West Virginia that has overtaken a road and threatened a nearby police department’s building. The 125-foot (38-meter) temporary bridge...
Walmart, CVS Agree to Settle West Virginia Opioid Suit for $147 Million
Sep 22 2022 // Walmart and CVS Pharmacy have settled with the state of West Virginia for a combined total of $147 million in a lawsuit over the companies’ roles in contributing to the oversupply of prescription drugs that fueled...
West Virginia Cities, Counties Reach $400M Settlement with Drug Firms
Aug 3 2022 // West Virginia cities and counties reached a $400 million tentative settlement with three major U.S. drug distributors, lawyers announced Monday. In a lawsuit in state court, the cities and counties accused the distributors...
Three Charged in Arson of Historic West Virginia Church
Jul 15 2022 // Three people have been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed a historic church in West Virginia, state police said. Braxton Allan Miller, 18, of Charleston; James Dean Elmore, 19, of Beckley; and a juvenile boy...
West Virginia Governor Pushes Back After Feds Deny Flood Assistance
Jul 7 2022 // West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said he plans to appeal a ruling that denied federal assistance for flooding in three counties. Justice said Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency ruled that May 6 storm damage...
West Virginia Requiring New Notices, Info on Workers’ Comp Claims Decisions
Jul 6 2022 // West Virginia’s insurance commissioner is reminding workers’ compensation stakeholders about statutory changes that took effect this month on claims and adjudication of claims. “As a result of these...
Drug Distributors Prevail in $2.5 Billion West Virginia Opioid Case
Jul 5 2022 // Major U.S. drug distributors McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp., and Cardinal Health Inc. are not responsible for fueling an opioid epidemic in a part of West Virginia, a federal judge ruled on Monday. U.S. District...
