Monthly Archives: <span>March 2017</span>

Many Still Reeling From Northwest Louisiana Flood a Year Later

Floods a year ago took everything from Vivian resident Gwen Smith. “I lost my home completely,” she said. Before the flood hit on March 9, 2016, Smith had lived most of her adult life in the mobile home. For two …

Intel Spends $15B on Mobileye in Race to a Driverless Future

Intel will buy Israel’s Mobileye in a deal valued at about $15 billion, instantly propelling the computer chip and technology giant to the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology. The deal announced Monday combines Mobileye’s market-leading software that processes information from …

Gatlinburg, Tenn. Wildfire Hits Home With Adjuster Born and Raised in the Area

Residents and tourists were unprepared for a devastating wildfire that whipped through Gatlinburg, Tenn., last fall. Winds topping 87 miles per hour fanned the flames that began in the Smoky Mountains and quickly spread through the mountain town, destroying homes …

U.S. Push to Avert Plane Battery Fires Stalls Under New Administration

A year ago, the U.S. government was campaigning for an international ban on shipments of rechargeable batteries on passenger planes because the batteries can self-ignite, creating intense fires capable of destroying an airliner. “The risk is immediate and urgent,” Angela …

Massive Midwest Winter Storm Joins Stella, Targets East Coast

Several cities are cleaning up after a massive winter storm dumped several inches of snow across a wide swath of the Midwest. More than 10 inches of snow fell in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Now, according to the National Weather …

Nevada’s Lake Mead Ranked Deadliest U.S. Park

Visitors to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area enjoy ample sunshine and miles of open water but also have a 1-in-307,000 chance of dying, according to a popular outdoor publication that ranks it as America’s deadliest national park, an outdoor …

Illinois Bill Seeks Stiffer Sentences for Impaired Wrong-way Drivers

The mother of a Chicago Ridge, Ill., police officer killed in a 2015 crash with an intoxicated, wrong-way driver is pushing for legislation that would increase penalties for people convicted in such crashes. Lisa Smith is supporting a bill in …

New York Arson Dog Awarded Top Fraud Fighter Award

A remarkable arson dog, whose nifty nose earned dozens of arson convictions, was named New York’s top fraud fighter for 2016. Scooter, a trained yellow Labrador Retriever had a memorable 10-year career before passing away in October 2016. She investigated …

Better Understanding of Cyber Threats, Policies Needed

An increase in spearfishing and ransomware, coupled with weakened data security due to more connected and mobile devices, means businesses and insurers need to understand and protect against these threats. That’s according to an expert panel discussion held during the …

N.J. Transit Tops U.S. Commuter Railroads in Most Accidents Logged

New Jersey Transit, under state and federal inquiry for violating safety rules and operating protocols, logged the most accidents last year among the 10 biggest U.S. commuter railroads, federal records show. The 21 accidents disclosed online by the Federal Railroad …