Monthly Archives: <span>August 2021</span>

Lineworkers Train for One of Most Dangerous Jobs in Hopes of Big Money

With each step up the utility pole, the leather tool belt rattles against Frankie Martinez’ waist. He climbs at a glacial pace. The hooks on his steel-toed boots jam into the wood. A soft, subdued thud. His stomach churns, uneasy …

RMS Says Insured Losses from European Floods Could Rise to $7.7 Billion

RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based catastrophe modeling company, estimates that insured losses from the Western and Central Europe flooding, which occurred between July 12 and 18, 2021, will likely range between €5 billion and €6.5 billion (US$6 billion and US$7.7 billion). …

OSHA Fines Construction Firm $1.3M for 2 Deaths in Massachusetts

Federal workplace safety regulators on Wednesday proposed $1.3 million in penalties for the construction company that employed two men who died when they were struck by a dump truck and pushed into a 9-foot deep trench at a sewer project …

Judge Clears Boy Scouts’ $850M Sex Abuse Settlement Plan With Conditions

The Boy Scouts of America has received a green light from a judge to proceed with its $850 million reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy and settle more than 80,000 claims brought by victims of sexual abuse. The ruling by U.S. …

Calif. Supreme Holds the Line on Homeowners’ Liability for Contractor Injuries

A homeowner who exercised no control over the worksite is not liable for injuries to an independent contractor even though the homeowner had failed to repair an obvious hazard, the California Supreme Court ruled. In a unanimous decision Thursday, the …

New Flames Thwart French Efforts to Fight Riviera Wildfire

LE LUC, France (AP) — Just when fire officials thought a huge wildfire near the French Riviera might be slowing down, a new pocket of flames shot up. And just as a water-dumping helicopter finished dousing one hot spot, another …

Hurricane Grace Makes Landfall Near Mexico’s Tulum Temples

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Grace struck Mexico’s Caribbean coast just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum early Thursday, pushing a dangerous storm surge. Heavy rain and strong winds threatened to destroy flimsier homes and keep …

Data of 40 Million Plus Exposed in Latest T-Mobile Breach

The names, Social Security numbers and information from driver’s licenses or other identification of just over 40 million people who applied for T-Mobile credit were exposed in a recent data breach, the company said Wednesday. The same data for about …

New Jersey Eyes $16B Plan for Gates, Elevations for Flooding

MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) — Huge gates that could be slammed shut when major storms approach would be built across the mouths of three inlets in New Jersey, closable barriers would cut parts of two bays in half, and 19,000 homes …

Rain From Tropical Storm Remnants Closes Roads in New York

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The remnants of tropical storm Fred closed roads and flooded basements Thursday in parts of upstate New York, and forecasters warned more flooding was possible. As much as 4 inches of rain fell in parts of …