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

Google Views Stranded Seniors as Big Market for Self-Driving Cars

Florence Swanson has lived through every American car from the Ford Model T to the Tesla Model S. Now, at 94, she has stepped into what Google hopes will be the automotive future: self-driving vehicles. After her painting of a …

In St. Louis, Lead Poisoning Concerns Center on Old Paint

While lead in the tap water in Flint, Michigan, caused national outrage, many older cities, including St. Louis, have battled a more severe threat from lead for decades. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that at least 3,300 kids in St. Louis …

Auto Safety Agency Head Says Total Takata Recall Won’t Make Cars Safer

The nation’s top auto safety regulator says an immediate recall of all Takata airbags wouldn’t provide significant safety benefits and could exceed the government’s legal authority. A recall of all Takata airbag inflators also would strain the network for replacement …

Scalia’s Death Seen as a Blow to Businesses Dealing With Class Action Lawsuits

Dow Chemical Co’s agreement to pay $835 million to settle a price-fixing dispute provides evidence that Justice Antonin Scalia’s death is a blow to businesses that have had success recently in challenging class action cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. …

Sophistication Makes Ransomware Harder to Spot

Ransomware is expected to continue to be an increasing threat in 2016, according to McAfee Labs 2016 Threat Predictions report, issued late last year. The report stated that with “new variants and the success of the “ransomware-as-a-service” business model, we …

Pennsylvania Announces Workers’ Comp Insurance Rate Decrease

Pennsylvania businesses will see another decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates, while benefit levels for injured workers will be maintained, according to an announcement by Gov. Wolf’s office. Workers’ comp insurance rates will drop 0.90 percent, effective April 1, reducing …

Storm Battered Passenger Cruise Ship Faces First Lawsuit

A passenger from a cruise ship that was battered by a major storm in the Atlantic Ocean filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in Miami federal court, his lawyer said Thursday. The lawsuit filed by attorney Michael Winkleman …

New Auto Insurance Monitoring System Now in Effect in Some Parts of Louisiana

A new real-time auto insurance monitoring system is now being used in some parts of Louisiana to help police enforce the requirement that drivers are up to date on paying their premiums. The American Press reports the new monitoring system …

East Coast Warmth to Put a Garden Stake in Heart of U.S. Winter

If you live in the eastern U.S., it’s almost time to put that snow shovel away and get out the gardening tools. After a slight hiccup later this week – which could bring a little sleet and even a few …

Google Self-Driving Vehicle Crashes Into Bus in California

An autonomous vehicle being tested by Google hit a bus earlier this month, the first time the company said it’s self-driving technology is partly to blame for an accident. The car, a Lexus sports utility vehicle, hit the left side …