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

California Wine Country Fire Began Near Damaged PG&E Tower, 2,000 Flee

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — A wind-driven wildfire that forced some 2,000 people to flee homes in Northern California’s wine country on Thursday erupted near the base of a damaged high-voltage transmission tower owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co, utility and …

Advocates Push Model Law for Private Flood, Quibble about Education Mandate

An organization of state lawmakers is moving ahead toward adoption of a “model law” designed to encourage the sale of private flood insurance, even though insurers don’t think any new state laws are necessary and agents think the current draft …

Misuse of Alphabet’s Virus Scanner is Exposing Sensitive Files

Companies are misusing Alphabet Inc.’s virus scanner and similar products, and are unwittingly leaking data such as factory blueprints to intellectual property online, Israeli cybersecurity company Otorio Ltd. said. The firm said it discovered thousands of unprotected files from companies …

London Insurance Case Puts Focus on Industry Poaching, Racism

Insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher Group lost a 10 million-pound ($12.8 million) lawsuit against rival Ardonagh Group Ltd. in a case highlighted by racially charged comments that put a spotlight on the cutthroat world of London insurers. Judge Clive Freedman …

Medical Pot on Campus: Colleges Say No and Face Lawsuits

HARTFORD, Conn. — Colleges are becoming a battleground in the conflict between federal and state marijuana laws as students who use medical pot challenge decades-old campus drug policies. In states where medical marijuana is legal, students disciplined for using it …

Woman Charged After Gripe About Ex on Facebook Gets Justice

TENNILLE, Ga. — A Georgia woman who was criminally charged after complaining about her ex-husband on Facebook said she feels like she’s finally gotten justice. Anne King posted in 2015: “That moment when everyone in your house has the flu …

Dallas County Tornadoes Caused $2 Billion in Damage, Insurance Council Says

DALLAS — An insurance industry group says the nine tornadoes that struck the Dallas area during a Sunday night outbreak caused an estimated $2 billion in insured losses. The Insurance Council of Texas said the estimate, which it called “pretty …

Fire Has Industry Rethinking Guidance to Dump Burning Trash

It was a hot, windy day in Southern California when a trash truck caught fire and the driver dumped the burning garbage on the side of the road. Minutes later, powerful winds blew the flames across a hillside and into …

J.D. Power Finds Auto Claims Customers Happier than Ever

A consumer survey found that claims handlers for U.S. auto insurers have the highest customer satisfaction levels ever recorded, J.D. Power said Thursday. The market research firm, based in Costa Mesa, Calif., said the average overall customer satisfaction score of …

California Blackouts Spread South as Fire Risk Follows the Wind

Even as winds subside in Northern California and PG&E Corp. prepares to restore electricity, blackouts are spreading south in a massive effort to keep falling power lines from igniting , . More than half a million people across the state …