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

Warming-Fueled Wildfires on the Rise

Alberta’s unusually early and large fire is just the latest of many gargantuan fires on an Earth that’s grown hotter with more extreme weather. Earlier this year, large wildfires hit spots on opposite ends of the world – Tasmania and …

Early April Ohio Storms Cause $52.6M in Insured Losses

An early April storm caused significant property losses in Ohio and several other states. According to the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) and Property Claim Services (PCS) high winds and accompanying rains across the Buckeye state caused between $52.6 and $57.8 …

Commentary: The Failure of No-Fault Insurance

The Future Of Auto Insurance In No-Fault States In its widest sense, “no-fault insurance” is a term used to describe any auto insurance coverage under which policyholders are paid for personal injuries and property damage they sustain in accidents through …

Fraud News Around the Nation

Veteran Vegas K-9 Police Officer Denies Fraud, Arson Allegations A veteran Las Vegas police K-9 officer is denying that he burned his recreational vehicle trailer in January for insurance money. Defense attorney Andrew Leavitt said Wednesday that Jeff Lynn Harper, …

Colorado Officials Discuss Moratorium on Building in Landslide Zones

Colorado Springs, Colo., officials are eyeing a moratorium on building in landslide zones as owners of about 80 homes participate in the city’s third landslide-related buyout since 1995. Heavy rains that plagued Colorado Springs during spring and summer 2015 saturated …

Budget Cuts Affect Alaska’s Food Safety Division

The latest round of budget cuts in Alaska could leave residents vulnerable to dirty restaurant kitchens, foodborne illnesses and scummy pools. As lawmakers grapple with an estimated $4 billion budget deficit, the state agency tasked with ensuring the safety of …

NOAA’s Forecast Model Improved Yet Again, Now in 4-D

NOAA’s powerful new supercomputers paved the way for another upgrade to the U.S. Global Forecast System (GFS), NOAA’s primary model for weather prediction. The upgrade builds on last year’s significant boost to the GFS, which more than doubled the resolution …

OSHA’s Final Rule to Improve Injury Reporting/Transparency Takes Effect August 10

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final rule to modernize injury data collection to better inform workers, employers, the public and OSHA about workplace hazards. With this new rule, OSHA is applying the insights …

Auto Club Says Marijuana Blood Test Not Reliable

Six states that allow marijuana use have legal tests to determine driving while impaired by the drug that have no scientific basis, according to a study by the nation’s largest automobile club that calls for scrapping those laws. The study …

Colorado Theater Shooting Civil Trial Started This Week

Nine months after the Colorado theater shooter was sentenced to life in prison, some victims returned to the same courtroom Monday in hopes of holding the company that owns the suburban Denver movie theater accountable for not doing more to …