Monthly Archives: <span>July 2006</span>

Okla. Tax Commission Must Pay Fine for Truck-Tag Scandal

A federal appeals court said July 25 that the Oklahoma Tax Commission will have to pay a $28.5 million fine because of a multi-state lawsuit over truck tags. Led by Illinois, 13 states filed complaints against Oklahoma, saying they were …

Ark. Defendants Say Industry as a Whole Shouldn’t Be Blamed For Arsenic

Broad references to the “poultry industry” have no place in a case in which specific companies are accused of arsenic pollution in Arkansas, defense lawyers say. They have asked a judge to bar plaintiffs from using such an all-encompassing term …

Insurance Investigators Examining Okla. Funeral Home

Accounting questions surrounding a funeral benefits trust fund operated by a Fletcher, Okla., funeral home have prompted the state insurance department to seize control of the fund. The owner of the funeral home, John W. Hodge, has ignored repeated requests …

Va. Officials to Review Bridge Project’s Role in Flooding

The Virginia Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced plans to investigate whether the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project contributed to flooding last month that seriously damaged about 150 homes in Fairfax County’s Huntington neighborhood. Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer said the …

Ind. WellPoint Inc. Reports 2nd Quarter Profit Up on Higher Revenue

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. said this week that its second-quarter profit climbed 34 percent on increased revenue from premiums and administrative fees. The company also continues to benefit from its December acquisition of rival WellChoice Inc. Net income for the …

Wis. Governor Plans to Expand Healthcare Proposal to Help Farmers

The value of a farmer’s tractor and other equipment wouldn’t count as income when applying for health insurance under a program Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing. At a town hall meeting Tuesday, Doyle said he plans to change how income …

Federal Law Trumps Mass. Oil Spill Law, Judge Rules

A federal judge has thrown out key provisions of a 2004 Massachusetts law aimed at preventing oil spills, ruling that the statute is pre-empted by federal law and therefore unconstitutional. The Legislature passed the Oil Spill Prevention Act after a …

Report: Big Dig Safety Officer Warned About Bolts

The on-site safety officer for a Boston highway commuter tunnel where a motorist was crushed by falling concrete warned his superiors in 1999 that the heavy ceiling panels might collapse because the bolts could not support them, The Boston Globe …

Officials Conclude Arsonist Set Conn. Vacant Mill Fire

The massive fire that destroyed part of a vacant mill complex in Windsor Locks, Conn. earlier this month was set, town officials said Monday. First Selectman Steven Wawruck Jr. said state and local fire investigators have determined the cause was …

French Executive Pleads Guilty in Executive Life Case

A former managing director of a subsidiary of Credit Lyonnais plead guilty Monday to four felony counts of causing the bank to make false statements to the Federal Reserve Bank. Jean-Francois Henin, 62, of Paris, entered his plea in federal …