Monthly Archives: <span>March 2016</span>

Louisiana and Mississippi Hit With Unusually Widespread Flooding

As the Leaf River rose north of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 26-year-old Rebecca Bruce and her fiancĂ© grabbed what they could and left the shed where they live. The water was more than 2 feet deep indoors when they left, she said. …

Drone Research Aims to Help Fight Wildfires

In a rare ruling, the FAA has granted Olin College a research exemption to fly unmanned aircraft systems, (UAS) or drones as they are commonly called, to “conduct research on its own behalf and on behalf of other research groups.” …

Regulators Say Human Drivers Key to Self Driving Cars Moving Forward

Existing U.S. laws pose few barriers to adoption of autonomous vehicle technology so long as cars and trucks stick with existing designs allowing humans to take control, the agency overseeing traffic safety said Friday. It’s only when manufacturers push the …

Moment of Silence Marked Japan’s 5th Anniversary of Quake, Tsunami

Japanese gathered in Tokyo and along the country’s ravaged northeast coast to observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. Friday, exactly five years after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck offshore, triggering a devastating tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people …

Insurance Agency Owner Requires Workers Carry Firearm at the Office

The decision by the owner of a small insurance company to require his employees to carry firearms at the office has sparked a debate: Would having a gun on the job make you safer, or is it inviting violence into …

Scientists Predict Termite Risk in South Florida to Grow

Termites? If you’ve ever had your house treated for them, you know it can be expensive. But the potential damage they can cause should never be ignored. Now, though, University of Florida entomologists are predicting that subterranean termite activity will …

Homeowners Lose as Florida Legislature Allows AOB Lawsuit-For-Profit Scheme to Fester

With the 2016 Legislative Session completed, the Florida legislature has failed to pass a meaningful solution to the assignment of benefits (AOB) crisis that is now rapidly spinning out of control. Organized and carried out by a handful of vendors …

New Study Reveals Pothole Damage Costs U.S. Drivers $3B a Year

A new study from AAA reveals that pothole damage has cost U.S. drivers $15 billion in vehicle repairs over the last five years, that’s about $3 billion annually. With two-thirds of Americans concerned about potholes on local roadways, AAA cautions …

Hope for El Nino Drenching Southern California With Rain Continues

Even though Southern California hasn’t gotten the drought-busting rainy windfall some might have expected from El Nino, federal scientists hold out hope for the next several weeks. Central and Northern California have gotten more heavy rain, especially in recent weeks. …

Japan Vows to Bolster Tsunami Reconstruction by 2020 Olympic Games

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Thursday to bolster reconstruction efforts in tsunami-hit northern Japan and the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the disaster, Abe promised to rush …