News

NTSB Cites Weak Safety Culture as a Factor in the Sinking of the El Faro

The owner of the sunken cargo ship El Faro had a weak corporate safety culture that contributed to the vessel’s demise and the deaths of 33 mariners, federal accident investigators said on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board said that …

Indiana Board Blocking Residential Carbon Monoxide Detector Rules

A state board dominated by construction industry representatives has been blocking efforts by some local governments in Indiana to require carbon monoxide detectors in residential properties. The Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission voted unanimously last week to reject …

House, Senate Tax Bills Treat Disaster Victims Unequally

If the House Republican tax bill became law, victims of hurricanes in Texas and Florida who’ve yet to account for all their losses could deduct them on their 2018 taxes. Not so for victims of the California wildfires. If the …

Winds Persist as Wildfires Continue to Threaten Homes in California

The winds aren’t changing for Southern California’s wildfires yet. The fifth largest blaze in state history was threatening thousands of homes as it churned through coastal mountains amid persistently dangerous weather conditions. Red Flag warnings for fire danger due to …

Business News: Liberty Mutual, AIG, Consolidated Claims Group

Liberty Mutual Eliminating Over 600 roles in New Hampshire Liberty Mutual has announced it is cutting about 620 positions in New Hampshire. Foster’s Daily Democrat reports the insurance company announced the decision earlier this week. Liberty Mutual says many workers …

Drainage Tunnel Near Mount St. Helens Needs Work to Avert Flood Risks

Long-term strategies are needed to deal with the risks of mudflows and flooding left behind by the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The most serious threat is …

NTSB to Issue Probable Cause of El Faro’s Sinking

Federal accident investigators on Tuesday will determine the probable cause of the sinking of the cargo ship El Faro, the worst maritime disaster for a U.S.-flagged vessel in decades that resulted in the deaths of 33 mariners. The National Transportation …

TWIA Policyholders Still Waiting for Payment After Hurricane Ike

Several school districts, cities and other government agencies are still waiting for a Texas insurer to pay nearly $60 million in claims from Hurricane Ike, adding to more insurance worries in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The Texas Windstorm Insurance …

Gas Driller Wants Pennsylvania Homeowner to Pay for Disparaging Remarks

A gas driller argued in court Monday that it’s entitled to monetary damages from a Pennsylvania homeowner who continued bad-mouthing the company after settling his water-contamination lawsuit against it more than five years ago. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. …

Good Samaritan Exiting Vehicle to Assist Injured Person Still Occupies Insured Vehicle for UM Purposes

The Rhode Island Supreme Court in Hudson v. GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc., 161 A.3d 1150 (R.I. 2017) recently held, as a matter of first impression, that a passenger riding in an insured vehicle who exited the vehicle in order to …

News Archives by Month