Latest West Virginia Headlines

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

West Virginia Trail Derailment Caused by Engineer Error: Report

Jun 30 2020 // An engineer error caused a CSX freight train to derail as it crossed the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, sending two cars into the water and damaging a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail,...

West Virginia Mayor Accused of Taking Flood Relief Money

Jun 23 2020 // A mayor in West Virginia is accused of taking federal flood relief funds intended for her city and paying herself extra money for working with a flood recovery team.Richwood Mayor Chris Drennen was indicted on federal...

Worker Killed, 1 Injured in Collapse of West Virginia Power Plant

Jun 19 2020 // One worker died and another was injured when a structure at an old West Virginia power plant collapsed while being prepped for demolition, officials said.Mason County dispatchers told news outlets that workers were...

Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity for West Virginia Police in Excessive Force Suit

Jun 18 2020 // A federal appeals court has vacated part of a finding that cleared five West Virginia police officers on qualified immunity grounds in an excessive force lawsuit, which was filed by the estate of a homeless black man shot...

Emergency Declared as Southern West Virginia County Hit Hard by Floods

Jun 17 2020 // Gov. Jim Justice has declared an emergency in a southern West Virginia county from severe flooding. Thunderstorms caused floodwaters to rise in Fayette County on Sunday night, prompting Justice to issue the emergency...

National Guard Decontaminates West Virginia Church After COVID-19 Outbreak

Jun 16 2020 // A coronavirus outbreak at a West Virginia church has caused at least 17 virus cases, prompting the governor to call in the National Guard for decontamination work, state officials said Saturday.The Greenbrier County church...

Rite-Aid, Walgreens Sued by West Virginia Over Opioid Rx Flood

Jun 8 2020 // Rite-Aid and Walgreens failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers in West Virginia while inundating their retail pharmacies with tens of millions of pills, according to a state lawsuit.The...

West Virginia Expands State Reopenings Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend

May 20 2020 // West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Monday expanded his plan to lift coronavirus restrictions while acknowledging that cases will likely rise as the economy reopens.The Republican governor has added indoor malls to the...

Workers at West Virginia Poultry Processing Plant to be Tested for Virus

May 12 2020 // The West Virginia National Guard will assist in conducting tests for the coronavirus starting Monday at a poultry processing plant in a small county where cases have increased, authorities said.Testing at the...

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 in...

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, The...

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, The...

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...