Latest West Virginia Headlines

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

Kentucky Reduces Number of Coal Mine Safety Inspections to Cut Costs

Jul 11 2017 // Kathy Bartlett watched helplessly this spring as Kentucky lawmakers cut back on mine safety inspections and replaced them with coaching sessions on miners’ safety habits.She knows more than most what’s at...

West Virginia City Sues Liberty Mutual for $20M Over Claim Denial

Jun 28 2017 // A West Virginia city has filed a federal lawsuit seeking a $20 million insurance claim to cover damages at its hydroelectric plant.The Intelligencer reports that the lawsuit was filed this month in U.S. District Court in...

Cardinal Health Seeks Dismissal of Drug Suits in 6 West Virginia Counties

Jun 16 2017 // A pharmaceuticals distributor has asked a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by six West Virginia counties over the opioid crisis, arguing that they were filed too late and the matter was already addressed in a state...

West Virginia Supreme Court: No Workers’ Comp Benefits For Inmates

Jun 13 2017 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that inmates participating in work-release programs do not qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the court unanimously affirmed a...

West Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Staging Accident For Insurance

Jun 5 2017 // Federal authorities say that a 56-year-old Fairmont woman has pleaded guilty to fraud, admitting she participated in a staged vehicle accident, faked injuries and filed a false insurance claim. Prosecutors say Robin...

2 Killed in Explosion at West Virginia Industrial Plant

May 30 2017 // An explosion at a West Virginia industrial plant has killed two people and injured a third.Officials say the explosion was reported last week at Midland Resource Recovery, a company based in Ontario, Canada, that odorizes...

West Virginia Gov Orders State to Step-Up Cybersecurity Efforts

May 26 2017 // Gov. Jim Justice has directed the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management to take steps to protect personally identifiable information collected and kept by state agencies, including health information...

Feds Grant Additional $3.2M to West Virginia for Flood Recovery

May 19 2017 // West Virginia will receive an additional $3.2 million from the federal government for disaster recovery efforts for last year’s major floods. U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the community...

Ex-Coal CEO Blankenship Urges Trump to Probe 2010 Mine Blast in West Virginia

May 18 2017 // A former coal executive who last week finished a yearlong prison sentence for conspiring to violate safety standards at a mine where a deadly blast occurred, has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to “get to the...

Business Moves

May 15 2017 // Validus Holdings Ltd. has completed its acquisition of Crop Risk Services business (CRS), a primary crop insurance managing general agent, from Archer Daniels Midland Co.In the deal that was announced in January, ADM...

Feds Grant $5.9M to West Virginia for Drug Addiction Fight

May 15 2017 // West Virginia will receive $5.9 million from the federal government to help fight drug addiction.U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Health...

New Law Encourages Flood Protection in West Virginia Communities

May 2 2017 // A new law in West Virginia aims to help parts of the state better prepare for major flooding.A new state resiliency office will receive funds, coordinate efforts and update plans annually against disasters like the...

Feds Grant $5.9M to West Virginia in Drug Addiction Fight

May 1 2017 // West Virginia will receive $5.9 million from the federal government to help fight drug addiction.U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grant Thursday from the U.S. Department...

Mine Owned by West Virginia Gov Faces Fines for Safety Violations

Apr 28 2017 // A West Virginia mining operation owned by Gov. Jim Justice faces fines of more than $10,000 for six safety violations following a workers’ fatal fall in February. The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health,...

Motorists Mutual, BrickStreet Mutual Finalize Joint Venture

Apr 24 2017 // Ohio-based property/casualty insurer Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. and West Virginia-based workers’ compensation insurer BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. Inc., have been granted regulatory approvals to affiliate...

Feds Grant $5.9M to West Virginia for Drug Addiction Fight

Apr 24 2017 // West Virginia will receive $5.9 million from the federal government to help fight drug addiction.U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grant Thursday from the U.S. Department...

West Virginia Overdose Deaths Up 15% in 2016

Apr 17 2017 // The number of reported overdose deaths that occurred last year in West Virginia has continued to rise.Citing data released March 22, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that at least 844 people died in the state of drug...

West Virginia to Spend Opioid Lawsuit Funds on Addiction Treatment Facilities

Apr 13 2017 // With more than 30,000 West Virginians already in drug treatment, lawmakers struggling with the state’s addiction crisis have voted to spend $24 million from recent court settlements with opioid distributors to...

Weather Service Warns of High Fire Risk in West Virginia

Apr 11 2017 // The National Weather Service says warm, dry conditions and gusty winds have increased the chances for wildfires in West Virginia.The weather service says in a news release Sunday that outdoor burning is considered...

U.S. Judge Tosses Lawsuit Over 1968 Mine Blast in West Virginia

Apr 6 2017 // A federal judge in West Virginia has tossed out a lawsuit filed by relatives of 78 miners killed in a 1968 mine explosion in the state. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley in Clarksburg...