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

Nearly 80% of Illinois Debris Sites High in Toxins

Four in five Illinois quarries that backfill with concrete and other demolition waste show higher-than-acceptable levels of toxins, according to state sampling results obtained by The Associated Press. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency testing last spring produced levels exceeding allowable limits …

Ohio Bill Would Cut Funding to Cities Using Traffic Cameras

An Ohio lawmaker wants to test the theory that traffic cameras are meant to prevent crashes and not boost municipal budgets by cutting funding to cities that use them. State Rep. Bill Seitz introduced a bill that would offset revenue …

Workplace Disputes in Congress Cost $17M Since 1997

The government has paid more than $17 million in taxpayer money over the last 20 years to resolve claims of sexual harassment, overtime pay disputes and other workplace violations filed by employees of Congress. The Office of Compliance released the …

Unrepaired Takata Airbags Remain in Two-Thirds of U.S. Vehicles

Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. vehicles containing defective airbag inflators made by Takata Corp. remain unrepaired as automakers have made varying degrees of progress addressing the largest auto recall in U.S. history. As of mid-September, 20 million vehicles containing defective …

Some Massachusetts Towns Still Plan to Embrace Pot

They may not be mad about reefer, but a growing number of Massachusetts communities are leaving their borders open to commercial marijuana businesses, bucking a wave of bans and moratoriums that followed voter approval of legal recreational pot. Recent votes …

Insurer Says it Shouldn’t Have to Pay for Mississippi Building Collapse

An insurer says it shouldn’t have to pay for the collapse of a building in a southwest Mississippi city. Hudson Specialty Insurance has sued in federal court in Natchez to nullify its policy, saying the policy was voided after the …

Texas Governor Says Federal Disaster Aid Bill is Inadequate

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday criticized as “completely inadequate” the Trump administration’s $44 billion request to Congress for disaster relief in his hurricane-ravaged state and other areas hammered by storms. The White House shot back that Texas may …

Federal Utility Says $900M to Move Power Plant Ash to Landfill

A federal utility’s top executive estimated Thursday that it would cost $900 million and take 24 years to comply with a court order to move coal ash from unlined and leaking pits and ponds to a lined landfill on the …

Retired Coal Boss to Oversee Mine Safety

The Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s selection of a retired coal company executive to oversee U.S. mining safety. David Zatezalo was confirmed as assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health by a 52-46 vote. Zatezalo, of …

Las Vegas Shooting Lawsuits Stack Up as 14 More Filed

Legal action following the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert is picking up with lawsuits filed on behalf of 14 concertgoers, including some who were shot or injured trying to escape and one woman who is so traumatized that …