Monthly Archives: <span>January 2019</span>

Thorny Questions Could Slow Pot Legalization Efforts in New York

Efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use in New York are gaining steam, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicts a bill will pass this year. But don’t expect to see pot shops opening up from Brooklyn to Buffalo anytime soon. While …

Criminalizing 1st-time DUIs a Tough Sell in Wisconsin

With a new Democratic ally in the governor’s office, a handful of Republican lawmakers are pushing for Wisconsin to join the rest of the country and criminalize first-offense drunken driving. On paper it might look like a can’t-miss bipartisan initiative, …

Louisiana Town Loses 5 Kids in Fiery Florida Crash

It was supposed to be a fun, post-Christmas trip to Disney World for 14-year-old Jeremiah Warren and his friends from a church in this small Louisiana town – “clean fun” as Warren’s aunt described it. But then word came of …

Hedge Fund Holds $1B in PG&E Insurance Claims

Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group has been the poster child of the hedge fund industry’s ill-timed stock-market bets on the troubled utility PG&E Corp., which announced plans for bankruptcy. It turns out, though, that Baupost’s stock purchases, valued at $873 million …

Passenger Train Safety Upgrade Spurs Crash-Halting Tech Feud

Two companies battling for a share of more than $14 billion in mandated safety upgrades on U.S. railroads are set to collide in federal court to resolve a dispute over technology that prevents train accidents. Germany’s Siemens AG accuses U.S. …

U.S. Plan Could Permit Drone Flights Over Crowds

The federal government has unveiled a long-awaited set of proposals to dramatically expand civilian drone flights while also tightening security, critical steps for an industry seeking to expand into robot aerial deliveries and scores of other commercial uses in populated …

Nevada Road Fatalities Hit 10-Year High in 2018

Fatalities on Nevada roads hit a 10-year high last year. Preliminary data from the Department of Public Safety show 331 people died in crashes in 2018, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. They died in 301 crashes and three-quarters of them …

California Storm Could Dump Snow on the Northeast if Jet Streams Collide

A storm that’s swinging into southern California could end up blanketing New York and the rest of the Northeast next weekend, ending Boston’s snow drought, tying up traffic and halting air travel. That’s if everything comes together in just the …

Wisconsin Counties Plan Fix for 2018 Flood Damage

Two neighboring counties in southern Wisconsin are taking steps to address last year’s widespread flooding that drenched streets, damaged homes and caused lakes to spill over. Dane County has budgeted more than $18 million this year to go toward flood …

Missouri Study Criticizes High Costs of Air Ambulances

Sick or injured Missouri residents who need air ambulance services face thousands of dollars in bills and sometimes aggressive collection efforts if they cannot pay, according to a state report. The average bill after insurance for people who needed air …