At the beginning of 2016, Walmart did something unusual. The mega-retailer closed 269 stores, 154 of which were in the United States. While Walmart also opened hundreds of stores around the world last year, keeping its net store count the same, its pullout was devastating for rural communities where smaller retailers had closed their doors when Walmart came to town. [More]
west virginia
Reporter Arrested After Asking HHS Secretary Tom Price About Healthcare Bill
By 5.10.17
While a lot of questions remain about the legislative effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, one reporter’s attempts to get answers from Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price landed him in police custody. [More]
Decades Later, There Are Still 3 McDonald’s Serving Pizza In U.S.
By 5.1.17
Three decades ago, McDonald’s waded into Pizza Hut’s territory adding pizzas to the menu at thousands of stores. But after a brief affair with the cheesy pies, the fast food giant ditched the products — except for two locations, that is. [More]
EpiPen Maker Mylan Sued State That Gave Preferred Status To Cheaper Alternative
By 4.24.17
As the price for the EpiPen emergency allergy treatment soared by some 600%, Medicaid regulators in one state tried to de-prioritize the drug in favor of a less-expensive alternative. EpiPen’s parent company Mylan could have lowered the price on its signature product, but instead it chose to sue the state. [More]
West Virginia Investigating EpiPen Maker Mylan For Alleged Medicaid Fraud, Antitrust Violations
By 9.20.16
On the eve of a Congressional hearing on the soaring price and lack of competition for the EpiPen emergency allergy treatment, the attorney general for West Virginia has confirmed his office is investigating EpiPen maker Mylan for allegations of antitrust violations and Medicaid fraud. [More]
Wells Fargo To Pay $8M To Settle West Virginia Lawsuit Against Company It Acquired in 2001
By 4.26.16
Eleven years ago, West Virginia accused an insurance broker called Acordia of improperly pocketing millions of dollars in commissions. Acordia is now doing business under the Wells Fargo banner, and the big bank has agreed to pay $8 million to settle this decade-old lawsuit. [More]
WV Lawmakers Legalize Raw Milk, Drink Raw Milk, Get Mysterious Stomach Bug
By 3.9.16
In West Virginia, farmers and fans of raw milk celebrated this week as the governor signed a bill that, among other things, legalizes the sale of raw milk to consumers. Some delegates celebrated by drinking cups of raw milk from a local farm, or at least tasting it. Some of them are now sick with a mysterious gastrointestinal illness. Is it a coincidence or deep irony? [More]
West Virginia Sues VW Over Deceptive Advertising For Vehicles Equipped With “Defeat Devices”
By 10.6.15
Since the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that Volkswagen had rigged its “clean diesel” to cheat on emissions tests, a number of consumers and cities have sued the carmaker. Now West Virginia becomes the first state to join the list of those alleging the company tricked car-buyers into paying thousands of dollars more for supposedly environmentally-friendly vehicles. [More]
State Lawmaker Says Cable Company Blocking Broadband Legislation
By 2.23.15
While we all know that companies don’t spend piles of cash on campaign contributions and lobbying just to support candidates they believe in, it’s rare to hear an in-office politician openly calling out his colleagues for bending to the will of a corporate backer. [More]
Frontier Customers Sue, Alleging They Don’t Get Advertised Internet Speeds
By 10.21.14
In a recently filed class-action suit, Frontier Communications customers in West Virginia allege the cable/Internet company advertised high-speed broadband packages but then failed to deliver, only providing a fraction of what customers were promised. [More]
Want To Win The Powerball? Maybe You Should Move To West Virginia
By 6.2.14
I know, I know. Just last week I told you to move to Wisconsin, and I stand by that. But if you want the magic fairy dust that apparently brings big money, maybe you should pack up and set down roots in West Virginia. Because that’s where the Powerball fairy lives. [More]
Gaps In Regulation And Oversight Left West Virginia Chemical Spill Site Uninspected For 22 Years
By 1.13.14
How did 300,000 West Virginia residents end up without clean water for five days and counting? A chain of incomplete regulations and bureaucratic hand-offs allowed the massive chemical leak to happen without notice, largely on nobody’s watch, the Wall Street Journal reports. [More]
Chemical Leak Leaves Up To 300,000 West Virginians Without Potable Water
By 1.10.14
Up to 300,000 West Virginians are facing a massive water shortage after a chemical used in industrial coal mining has leaked into and contaminated their water supply. [More]
Catastrophic LEGO Incident Leaves West Virginia Highway Strewn With Bricks
By 3.6.13
If you thought stepping on a LEGO with your bare feet was bad, imagine the scene in West Virginia, where a tote filled with the tiny bricks spilled across a highway and held up traffic for hours on Sunday. More importantly, it made imaginations run wild, wondering how that many LEGO could end up strewn across a highway on a snowy day. [More]
Trash Crew Helpfully Hauls Away Brand-New Dryer
By 11.22.09
It’s rather nice to live in a city or town where municipal trash pickup will haul away your old, unwanted appliances. When they haul your brand-new appliances away, though, you’ve got a problem. That’s what happened to a West Virginia couple, whose dryer disappeared from in front of their house before they had a chance to install it—at the same time the city hauled away their old washing machine.
The Duct Tape Shoplifters: Coming Soon To A Mall Near You?
By 7.7.09
Watch out for organized, highly trained teams of shoplifters in your local mall. They aren’t small-time operators—they stole $23,000 worth of bras and panties from a West Virginia Victoria’s Secret. No, really.
No, You Should Not Sell Your Five-Month-Old To Raise Money For A New Apartment
By 4.25.09
19-year-old West Virginian Rebecca Sue Taylor is facing felony charges after trying to sell her five-month-old son for $10,000 to raise money for a new apartment. Taylor was in talks to act as a surrogate mother for Leigh Burr, but then realized she could skip a few steps and still turn a buck. When it looked like negotiations weren’t going well, Taylor, who claimed she had been “unable to bond with the infant,” dropped the price of her son to $5,000.
Cops Find "Ball Of Pubic Hair" In Wendy's Sandwich, Act Surprised
By 3.21.09
A pair of West Virginia Wendy’s employees are facing misdemeanor charges after dropping a “ball of pubic hair” into a police officer’s sandwich. 32-year-old Thomas Bender admitted to garnishing the sandwich, and 20-year-old Joshua Monroe “admitted he encouraged Bender to do it.” The officer, though, saw this coming…
