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

NTSB Says Mississippi Railroad Crossing Not on Tour Bus Route

The Texas tour bus hit by a freight train in a deadly crash wasn’t supposed to have taken the road where it got stuck at a rail crossing earlier this week, a federal official said Thursday. National Transportation Safety Board …

Hoverboard Eyed in Pennsylvania Fire That Killed Girl, Injured 2

A fire that killed a toddler and critically injured two others, and also led to critical injuries to a responding fire official, appears to have been sparked by a recharging hoverboard, authorities said. Fire officials in Harrisburg said one victim …

NOAA Says Climate Change Aided Warmer Than Normal February

A freakishly balmy February broke more than 11,700 local daily records for warmth in the United States, but it didn’t quite beat 1954 for the warmest February on record, climate scientists said. The average temperature last month was 41.2 degrees …

Iowa Train Derailment Prompts Call for Faster Replacement of Old Cars

A fiery train derailment in rural Iowa that burned for more than 36 hours has at least one group suggesting that the industry should move faster to upgrade aging rail tankers. A Union Pacific train hauling 100 tankers full of …

Waymo, Escalates Claims Uber Stole Tech Trade Secrets

A self-driving car company founded by Google is presenting new evidence to support allegations that a former manager stole technology sold to Uber to help the ride-hailing service build its own robot-powered vehicles. Waymo, a project hatched by Google eight …

Social Media Can Warn of Impending Natural Catastrophes

Social media can warn us about extreme weather events before they happen – such as hurricanes, storms and floods – according to new research by the University of Warwick. Nataliya Tkachenko, with her supervisors in the Department of Computer Science, …

Commentary: Technology Will Save the Insurance Industry, Not Mergers

Insurance companies are running out of ideas. They’ve bolstered their balance sheets since the financial crisis but have few racy growth prospects in a world of low interest rates, pricing pressure and regulatory hassles. Big mergers may be the most …

Utah Governor Likely to Sign Bill That Would Lower DUI Limit to 0.05%

Utah could soon have the strictest DUI threshold in the nation after state lawmakers on Wednesday night voted to lower the limit for a driver’s blood-alcohol content to 0.05 percent, down from 0.08 percent. The measure heads to Utah’s governor, …

‘Personal Comfort Doctrine’ Applies to Allow Pennsylvania Amputee’s Workers’ Comp Claim

A Pittsburgh Airport ramp agent, who sustained a serious leg injury that required amputation, should receive workers’ compensation for her injury despite an insurer’s argument that the injury didn’t happen while she was on duty, according to an opinion issued …

The Hartford Fire Index: Top 100 Cities With Highest Fire Risk

A new report released by The Hartford highlights the 100 U.S. cities with the highest home fire risk. According to The Hartford Home Fire Index, the top five cities are: Detroit, Mich. Shreveport, La. Boston, Mass. Flint, Mich. Richmond, Va. …