Monthly Archives: <span>November 2020</span>

Analysis: Mississippi Pump Proposal Evokes Strong Reactions

JACKSON, Miss. — Farmers, rural shopkeepers and Mississippi politicians from both major parties are speaking out to support a proposed flood control project that would pump water from parts of the south Delta. Environmental groups remain opposed to the Yazoo …

State Farm Pilot Uses Sensors to Detect Wiring Defects That Can Cause Fires

State Farm is sending sensors that can detect hazards in electric wiring to 40,000 homeowners in California, Arizona and Texas as part of a pilot project that will measure potential savings and customer acceptance. Mike Fields, a State Farm vice …

Zurich Insurance Plays Down Impact of COVID-19 Claims

ZURICH — Zurich Insurance Group does not expect property claims triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic to materially affect the group, Europe’s fifth-largest insurer said on Thursday, adding that it planned to maintain its dividend policy. Insurers have been hit across …

Parents Say Employers Are Illegally Firing Them During Pandemic

Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working parents have filed at least 40 lawsuits accusing …

Outdoor Dining Tents Raise Questions of Virus Safety as Winter Nears

As temperatures cool, many of the outside dining options that have sprung up across the U.S. in reaction to pandemic restrictions have become a little less open-air. The new structures come in varying forms, from clear plastic tents that allow …

Iota Set to Become 30th Named Storm in Historic Hurricane Season

A system swirling across the central Caribbean is expected to become Tropical Storm Iota Friday as it heads toward hurricane-ravaged Central America. Iota is forecast to reach hurricane-strength and approach Nicaragua and northeastern Honduras as early as Sunday night, the …

Appeals Court Clears Harvard of Racial Bias in Admissions

BOSTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling clearing Harvard University of discrimination against Asian American applicants. Two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that …

Kentucky High Court Upholds Governor’s Powers To Fight Virus

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the governor’s authority to issue coronavirus-related orders putting restrictions on businesses and individuals to try to the contain spread of COVID-19. The ruling delivered a victory for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear …

5th Circuit: Oil Platform Worker’s Longshore Act Claim Barred by Exclusive Remedy

Exclusive remedy bars a lawsuit filed by a mechanic against the owner of an offshore oil platform where he worked, even though he was employed by different company, a federal appellate court ruled. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected …

Fired Amazon Worker Files Discrimination Lawsuit Over Pandemic Conditions

NEW YORK — A former Amazon.com Inc worker who protested conditions at his New York City fulfillment center sued the retailer on Thursday, accusing it of discrimination for firing him and for putting Black and Hispanic workers at heightened risk …