Latest Virginia Headlines

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

Virginia Moves to Address Sharp Rise in Motorcycle Driver Deaths

Jul 16 2008 // With the number of motorcycle-related deaths sharply on the rise, Virginia officials are looking to improve safety.The state is launching a program called Motorcycle 411 at its motorcycle training range in Richmond this...

West Virginia Completes Investigations of 2 Mining deaths

Jul 15 2008 // State investigators have completed investigations of two fatal coal mining accidents in West Virginia. The state Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety is scheduled to be briefed July 15 on the electrocution of a miner at...

N.D. Workers’ Comp Committee Studying Benefits of Privatization

Jul 14 2008 // Complaints about North Dakota’s Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) agency may not translate into support for making WSI a private business and allowing competition from other insurers, state lawmakers say.The...

Judge Reduces Award to West Virginia Surgeon in Malpractice Insurance Case

Jul 14 2008 // A judge in West Virginia reduced by more than half a jury’s multimillion-dollar award to a Charleston surgeon whose hospital privileges were wrongfully revoked.A Kanawha County jury in February awarded Dr. R.E....

Virginia Insurance Agents Create Employment Services Firm

Jul 10 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia (the Big “I”) has created an employment services firm – Agent’s Choice Staffing Services, Inc. – which is designed to specifically serve the...

West Virginia Seeks Lower Boating Blood Alcohol Level

Jul 9 2008 // West Virginia boaters who like a few drinks while out on the lakes or rivers will have to take it easy if a proposed rule change goes through.The state Division of Natural Resources wants to lower the legal blood alcohol...

West Va.’s Open Workers’ Comp Market Attracts 24 New Carriers

Jul 7 2008 // All of West Virginia employers, other than governmental entities, on July 1 gained the advantage of being able to shop their workers’ compensation coverage among carriers in a competitive market.Insurance...

West Virginia Court Revives 2001 Flood Lawsuits Against Loggers

Jul 3 2008 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has revived a pair of lawsuits seeking damages from timber, mining and land companies for devastating 2001 floods.The court reinstated a 2006 jury verdict that improper logging practices...

Labor Talks Resume at West Virginia’s Posh Greenbrier Resort

Jul 3 2008 // Contract negotiations have resumed between The Greenbrier and its unions with a meeting resort spokeswoman Lynn Swann called productive.Representatives of the posh White Sulphur Springs resort and the Council of Labor...

Court Strips West Va. Bank Executive of Punitive Damages Award

Jul 2 2008 // A West Virginia man who says his association with the failed First National Bank of Keystone cost him his banking career should be stripped of a $2.4 million damage award, a federal appeals court has ruled.The 4th U.S....

Insurance Tax not Enough to Support West Virginia Fire Departments

Jun 30 2008 // As gas prices soar, the costs of running a volunteer fire department are rising. Now West Virginia legislature and the counties are debating over who will pay the rising costs of the state’s 424 volunteer...

West Virginia Workers’ Compensation Market Opens to Competition

Jun 30 2008 // All of West Virginia employers, other than governmental entities, can for the first time, shop their workers’ compensation coverage among carriers in a competitive market.Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline said all...

West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. Cuts Remaining Debt in Half

Jun 30 2008 // West Virginia Insurance Commissioner, Jane L. Cline, approved West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co.’s request to repay $8 million on an outstanding balance of the $16 million surplus note it owes the state.The state...

West Virginia Workers’ Comp Insurer Working to Pay off State Loan Early

Jun 27 2008 // The sole provider of workers’ compensation insurance in West Virginia plans to make an early $60 million payment on a $200 million startup loan from the state. Greg Burton, BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co.’s...

West Virginia Suit Seeks Damages from Builder, Subcontractors

Jun 26 2008 // Ten current and former homeowners in a Charles Town, W.Va. subdivision are suing a builder and subcontractors, claiming the company failed to install functional radon removal systems.In one instance, the homeowners contend...

Virginia Regulator Advises Driving Fewer Miles Could Cut Insurance Cost

Jun 26 2008 // The Virginia State Corporation Commission is advising Virginians on how to save money on auto insurance. The SCC Bureau of Insurance says many insurance companies consider the length of daily commutes to work or school...

West Virginia Disaster Aid Includes Hazard Mitigation Grants

Jun 25 2008 // The federal government approved disaster assistance for a majority of the West Virginia counties Gov. Joe Manchin requested after severe weather caused significant damage in the state from June 3 through June 7.The...

10 West Virginia Counties Eligible for Federal Disaster

Jun 23 2008 // President Bush approved federal disaster assistance for 10 West Virginia counties hit by severe weather earlier this month. State Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato said June 19 that assistance to individuals and...

Feds Warn 16 Mining Companies over Safety Issues

Jun 23 2008 // Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration officials said they told 16 U.S. mining companies they have patterns of violating health and safety rules and warned them to clean up their acts or face heightened...

Judge Approves $11M Settlement in Virginia Tech Shootings

Jun 20 2008 // A Virginia judge on Tuesday approved an $11 million state settlement with families of most of the victims in last year’s Virginia Tech slayings that will avoid a court battle over whether anyone but the gunman was to...