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

Uber Focuses on Safety, Will Check Up on Idle Cars

If you sit in an Uber car for too long, the ride-hailing company plans to check up on you to make sure all is OK. That’s one of several new features Uber Technologies Inc. unveiled on Wednesday meant to make …

Hiscox: Sex Harassment Tops List of Most Common Form of Employee Misconduct

More than one-third (35%) of employees feel they’ve experienced workplace harassment, 50 percent of whom said it was on account of their gender or sex, according to a new study by Hiscox, an international specialist insurer. These findings are according …

Insurers Dive into Private Flood Coverage

Recent hurricanes have highlighted the flood insurance gap. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused a record $135 billion in damages, according to Munich Re estimates. Remarkably, less than half were insured losses. “There were a lot of losses that occurred …

State Farm Avoids Racketeering Trial With $250M Settlement

State Farm agreed to pay $250 million on the brink of a trial to customers who claimed the company tried to rig the Illinois justice system to wipe out a $1 billion jury verdict from 19 years ago. The customers …

Blame Game Begins Over Who is at Fault for Rio Museum Fire

Smoke rose Monday from the burned-out hulk of Brazil’s National Museum, as recriminations flew over who was responsible for the loss of at least part of Latin America’s largest archive of historical artifacts, objects and documents. The museum’s director said …

Climate Change-Driven Wildfires Reshape West

Wildfires in the U.S. have charred more than 10,000 square miles so far this year, an area larger than the state of Maryland, with large fires still burning in every Western state including many that are not fully contained. Whether …

FEMA Slammed for Puerto Rico Hurricane Response by Government Watchdog

The federal government’s chief watchdog slammed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the hurricane that killed thousands of people in Puerto Rico last year, saying it was unprepared and failed to deploy enough qualified staff. The U.S. Government Accountability …

Hawaii County Needs $800M for Volcano Recovery

Hawaii County officials say they need $800 million to recover from the Kilauea volcano disaster. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports Managing Director Wil Okabe said last week that the county needs that amount to ensure the island’s long-term recovery from the …

Lake Shore Drive in Chicago Sees Most High-Speed Tickets

Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive is a hot spot for high-speed ticketing, according to city police data. The scenic highway along Lake Michigan accounts for more than half of all such citations in the city, the Chicago Tribune reported. The number …

Injured Pedestrian to Get $2M Settlement From City of Honolulu

Honolulu officials have agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to a woman who was hit by a car while crossing a street in 2014. The Honolulu City Council approved the payment last month to Mariah Tinay, who claimed that …