Monthly Archives: <span>May 2018</span>

Soggy Alberto Triggers Mudslides, Dam Failure Concern

Mudslides triggered by the soggy remnants of Alberto forced evacuations below a dam and closed an interstate highway in the western mountains of North Carolina on Wednesday. Forecasters warned that the leftovers of the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm …

Jury Finds Copperfield Negligent But Not Liable for Tourist’s Injuries

Illusionist David Copperfield was found negligent but not financially responsible for a British tourist’s injuries during a signature vanishing act that used participants from the audience of a Las Vegas Strip show in 2013, a jury said Tuesday. Gavin Cox …

Study Says Hurricane Maria Far Deadlier Than Katrina

Hurricane Maria probably killed about 5,000 people in Puerto Rico last year even though the official count remains at just 64, according to a Harvard University study released Tuesday. Such mortality would far outstrip the 1,833 who died in Hurricane …

Texas School Shooting Victim’s Family Sues Attacker’s Parents

The family of one of the students killed in a Texas high school shooting filed a lawsuit against the alleged gunman’s parents, claiming the shooter’s father didn’t properly secure the weapons and were negligent in entrusting him with firearms. Authorities …

As Hurricane Season Begins Critics Ask if FEMA is Ready

With just a week to go before hurricane season, top jobs at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency remain vacant and critics say that will make it harder for the government to respond to disasters. FEMA lacks a second-in-command and …

Michigan Fire Officials Say They Lack Resources for Safety Inspections

The Michigan fire marshal’s office hasn’t performed annual safety inspections of churches, theaters, restaurants or other places of public assemblage as required by state law, according to a newspaper investigation. The Legislature has never funded the requirement, the Lansing State …

BNSF on Track for Positive Train Control Installation

BNSF Railway is one of the first railroads to fully implement new safety technology that will be required by federal regulators by the end of the year, a company spokeswoman said. The new technology, known as positive train control, is …

From Rocks to Detection Systems, Schools Consider Protection Options

In the wake of several mass shootings this year in U.S. schools, lawmakers have adopted “red flag” gun bills allowing officials to remove firearms from people considered a danger to themselves or others. School districts across the country are also …

WCRI: Little Change in Average Total Workers’ Comp Claim Cost Since 2013 Indiana Reform

The average total cost per workers’ compensation claim in Indiana was stable in the years since the state enacted workers’ compensation system reforms, according to a recent Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study. The study, CompScope Benchmarks for Indiana, 18th …

Deadly Uber Crash Highlights Self-Driving Blind Spot – Night Vision

A few weeks after a woman was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving SUV in Arizona, the crash was recreated using heat seeking, thermal-imaging sensors. With that night vision technology—used by the military and luxury cars for decades—the pedestrian …