International Business News - WV http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Gov. Joe Manchin wants the state Supreme Court to review part of a nearly $400 million judgment against DuPont. He wants it to clarify whether defendants have a constitutional right to be heard--not just the right to file a petition--when they are hit with punitive damages. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080702/w-va-governor-seeks-review-of-400m-dupont-case.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:19:34 EDT The West Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to take up several issues in a case involving the state's whitewater rafting industry. The case stems from a September 2004 rafting trip. Five rafts full of Washington, D.C., office workers were taken out on the Shenandoah River, despite dangerous conditions. One rafter was killed and several others say they were injured when all but one of the rafts capsized. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/w-va-supreme-court-to-discuss-fatal-rafting-case.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:35:54 EDT More than 160 companies can begin offering workers' compensation insurance in West Virginia on Tuesday. BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. has been the sole provider of workers' compensation insurance since the Legislature abolished the state Workers' Compensation Commission. That will change on Tuesday, when the market will be opened to other insurers. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/w-va-opens-workers-compensation-insurance-market.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:29:15 EDT Andre Graves doesn't buy Gov. Joe Manchin's argument that another reduction in the state sales tax on food is supposed to help grocers like him in Jefferson County compete with out-of-state stores. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080630/w-va-food-tax-drops-but-still-higher-than-others.htm Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:18:58 EDT Monthly electric bills are going up about $8 July 1 for customers of West Virginia's American Electric Power subsidiaries. The state Public Service Commission on Thursday approved an 11.35 percent rate increase for Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080626/aep-subsidiaries-win-11-35-percent-rate-increase.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:00:05 EDT The West Virginia State Supreme Court declined a challenge Thursday that asserted lawmakers violated the state constitution by voting to give themselves a pay increase during the legislative session. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080626/w-va-court-rejects-lawsuit-over-legislators-pay.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:02:31 EDT Thousands of West Virginians hammered by floods that devastated southern counties in 2001 will get their day in court after all. The state Supreme Court reinstated a pair of lawsuits Thursday, including one in which a trial judge threw out a jury verdict, seeking damages from timber, mining and land companies. The ruling likewise breaths new life into related lawsuits left in limbo until the Supreme Court acted. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080626/w-va-court-reinstates-2001-flood-lawsuits.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:04:19 EDT In a story June 25, The Associated Press reported that Kanawha County Circuit Judge Duke Bloom gave the state Supreme Court 10 days to release e-mails between Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard and representatives of Massey Energy Inc. or its Chief Executive Don Blankenship. The story should have specified that Bloom ordered the e-mails released to him for review. The documents aren't for public distribution. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080626/clarification-foia-complaint.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:50:52 EDT A couple dozen e-mails between West Virginia Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard and representatives of coal giant Massey Energy Co. exist, a state Supreme Court official testified Wednesday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080625/w-va-official-justice-coal-co-e-mails-exist.htm Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:19:53 EDT Russian metals and mining company OAO Severstal says it has an agreement to buy West Virginia-based Esmark Inc. for $19.25 per share. Including the assumption of debt, that puts the value of the deal at $1.25 billion. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080625/esmark-bails-on-essar-agrees-to-severstal-buyout.htm Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:03:28 EDT West Virginia's Legislature began a special session to decide whether to spare motorists from a scheduled gas tax increase, approve last-minute funding, and revive several measures vetoed earlier this year. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080625/gas-tax-relief-highlights-w-va-special-session.htm Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:22:04 EDT Gov. Joe Manchin says West Virginians can avoid a gas tax hike estimated at 6 cents per gallon come Jan. 1, thanks to flush state revenues this year. Manchin says he's asking lawmakers in special session to suspend that scheduled increase for one year. The state would offset the resulting loss of revenue to the State Road Fund with $40 million in general revenue and excess lottery surplus. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080623/w-va-to-suspend-gas-tax-hike-with-40m-surplus.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:44:24 EDT A planned 124-turbine wind farm on West Virginia ridgetops won a second round of approval Monday when the state Supreme Court affirmed a conditional permit from the state Public Service Commission. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080623/w-va-supreme-court-affirms-wind-farm-permit.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:42:24 EDT West Virginia lawmakers routinely request state funds for fairs and festivals held back in their home counties, but some legislators are questioning oversight of the practice. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080623/w-va-looks-closer-at-spending-on-fairs-festivals.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:20:24 EDT West Virginia now ranks second only to Nevada in the share of its state budget that comes from gambling revenues. That's the finding of a new report that also ranks the Mountain State ahead of Nevada and all other states in terms of how much that share of the budget grew between 1998 and 2006. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080619/w-va-leads-in-gambling-growth-as-share-of-revenue.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:42:52 EDT West Virginia is giving bus and taxi companies a break on registration fees to help them cope with high diesel costs. Gov. Joe Manchin said Thursday that the Division of Motor Vehicles is delaying the due date for the annual registration payments for buses and taxis until Sept. 1, if the fees are normally due July 1. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080619/w-va-delays-fees-to-help-bus-taxi-companies.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:53:34 EDT A Clarksburg company has agreed to recover a dust byproduct so the waste can be converted into a fuel enhancer. GrafTech International Holdings has been dumping the dust into landfills. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080619/w-va-firm-to-recover-dust-for-fuel-enhancer.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:32:33 EDT Before oil and gas companies drill in contested areas like an Alaskan wildlife refuge, one West Virginia congressman wants them to use land they already have. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080618/congressman-says-drill-for-on-lands-already-leased.htm Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:16:10 EDT Rising gas prices have led one Kanawha County station owner to ban the use of credit cards at the pump, and it may not be the last to do so. Mr. Ed's Chevron in St. Albans has told customers they can no longer use credit cards to pay for gas, unless they use Chevron or Texaco cards. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080616/w-va-gas-station-bans-most-credit-cards.htm Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:49:50 EDT Persistent overcrowding at West Virginia's two acute care psychiatric hospitals costs the state millions of dollars a year, and has prompted some policymakers to consider a third facility. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080613/w-va-psychiatric-hospitals-routinely-overcrowded.htm Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:18:30 EDT