Monthly Archives: <span>August 2015</span>

Underwriters Say Hole-in-Ones at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Classic Too Short

Insurance underwriters claim they shouldn’t be responsible for payouts to golf fans for two holes-in-one made during the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic because the shots weren’t long enough. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the tournament’s underwriters filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday …

Man Says Siri Called 911 and Saved his Life

A Middle Tennessee teen is alive, thanks to Siri. Eighteen-year-old Sam Ray says the voice recognition service on his iPhone – famously named Siri – called emergency dispatchers after his truck fell on him while he tried to make repairs. …

Florida Laws Directed at Reducing Opioid Abuse Reveal Positive Impact

Two Florida laws, enacted to combat prescription drug abuse and misuse in that state, led to a small but significant decrease in the amount of opioids prescribed the first year the laws were in place, a new study by Johns …

Audit Finds Millions of Dollars Mismanaged After Joplin Tornado

An audit of Joplin found enough mismanagement over its hiring of a master developer following a May 2011 tornado that devastated the southwest Missouri city that the findings have been turned over to authorities, the state auditor said Tuesday. The …

Part of New Jersey Train Derailment Lawsuit Dismissed

Two rail companies aren’t liable for some claims arising from the 2012 train derailment in southern New Jersey that released a hazardous gas, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler’s ruling published Tuesday in Camden dismissed some …

Oregon Wildfire That Destroyed 36 Homes Billed as Nation’s Top Priority

A fire in remote eastern Oregon that destroyed 36 homes and was threatening 500 more on Wednesday was declared the nation’s top priority for resources. The priority level for the fire about 150 miles east of Portland was based on …

Danny Becomes Atlantic Season’s First Hurricane

Danny became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season as its top winds grew to 75 miles per hour in the seas east of the Windward Islands. The Category 1 storm, about 1,090 miles (1,754 kilometers) from the islands, which …

Massive Western U.S. Wildfires Drain Firefighting Resources

Wildfires are putting such a strain on the nation’s firefighting resources that authorities have activated the military and sought international help to beat back scores of blazes burning uncontrolled throughout the dry West. The situation is so urgent that the …

China Firm’s Connections Used to Obtain Hazmat Permit Despite Safety Violations

The son of a former police chief is one of two silent owners of the warehouse for hazardous materials in Tianjin where explosions killed at least 114 people, and used his connections to help obtain licenses despite safety violations, Chinese …

Researchers Link Amazon Wildfire Risk to U.S. Hurricanes

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and NASA have uncovered a remarkably strong link between high wildfire risk in the Amazon basin and the devastating hurricanes that ravage North Atlantic shorelines. The climate scientists’ findings appear in the journal …