Delaware Voters to Elect Insurance Commissioner
On November 5, Delaware voters will decide who will be the state’s insurance commissioner. Incumbent Trinidad Navarro is running for re-election. He won more than 70% of the vote in the Democratic primary in September. Navarro was first elected commissioner …
Penn Nursing Awarded $3.2 Million Grant to Improve Firearm Storage
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has been awarded a $3.2 million, five-year grant to develop an evidence-based secure firearm storage intervention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The grant is from the National Institute of Nursing Research, part …
Jaywalking Is Now Legal in New York City. It’s Still Risky.
Jaywalking — that time-honored practice of crossing the street outside of the crosswalk or against the traffic light — is now legal in New York City. Legislation passed by the City Council last month officially became law over the weekend …
Court Upholds Firing of Philadelphia Cops Over Offensive Facebook Posts
The Philadelphia police department did not violate the First Amendment rights of several officers who were fired or suspended for racist and violent social media posts, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued her ruling Monday, …
Los Angeles County Sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Over Plastic Pollution
Los Angeles County has sued beverage makers PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accusing them of polluting the most populous U.S. county with plastic bottles and misleading the public about the environmental impact and recyclability of their containers. The county in a lawsuit …
Washington Farm Labor Contractor Fined $140K for Withholding Info From Workers
A Pasco farm labor contractor faces nearly $140,000 in fines for violations uncovered during a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigation that include withholding information from worker. According to the L&I, there are more than 250 licensed farm …
Landmark Admin Reports Data Breach, Exposing 800,000 Users’ Information
Landmark Admin filed a notice of data breach last week after detecting suspicious activities on its system in May. Landmark is a Texas-based company that provides third-party administrative solutions for life insurance carriers. Approximately 800,000 users’ data were exposed in …
Huntington Starts Coaching Program for Insurance Marketing, PR, and Ad Pros
Ted Huntington, a marketing leader with a track record in the insurance, finance, and energy sectors, announced the launch of his new national coaching enterprise, dedicated to helping insurance marketing, communications, public relations, and advertising professionals elevate their careers. Huntington …
OPTIS: Insurance Agency M&A Down 10% This Year
The total of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions as of the end of September was down 10% from the same period in 2023, according to investment banking and financial consulting firm OPTIS Partners. OPTIS Partners’ M&A database counted 535 announced …
Aerospace Startup Partners With NASA, USGS to Monitor Wildfires, Storms From Space
Aerospace startup Sceye has partnered with NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey to deploy climate management tools to monitor wildfires and storms from the edge of space, the company and the government agencies exclusively told Reuters on Tuesday. Sceye’s High …
ICEYE Analysis Shows Wider Florida Flooding From Milton: 185,000 Buildings Hit
Flooding from Hurricane Milton appears to have been more extensive than initially determined, affecting almost 185,000 buildings all across Florida, says a new analysis from ICEYE, a firm that uses satellite images to measure damage for the insurance industry. The …
Ship Owner in Baltimore Bridge Collapse Blames Maryland, Others in Liability Case
As a sprawling liability case takes shape following the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, the owner and manager of the container ship Dali are seeking to deflect responsibility and cast blame elsewhere. Attorneys for Singapore-based …
InterWest Acquires McDermott-Costa Insurance Brokers in California
InterWest Insurance Services acquired McDermott-Costa Insurance Brokers in San Leandro, California. John Johnson and Mike McDermott will remain in leadership roles. InterWest is headquartered in Sacramento. McDermott-Costa Insurance Brokers is an employee owned, regional independent insurance brokerage firm.
California Plans to Rev up Sales of Electric Motorcycles
At New Century Motorcycles in Alhambra, a handful of electric motorcycles are relegated to the back of the store, tucked behind the dirt bikes. The store sells one a month, at most, a salesperson said. Motorcyclists have long loved their …
NTSB Preliminary Report Details Fiery but Safe Emergency Landing of Plane in Las Vegas
Federal investigators say an electrical system malfunctioned, the autopilot quit and some radio communications were disrupted aboard a Frontier Airlines plane shortly before the pilots made a fiery but safe emergency landing in Las Vegas earlier this month. No one …
Allstate Turns in Net Income of $1.2B After Q3 Hurricanes
Allstate Corp. said its net income attributable to common shareholders for the third quarter was about $1.2 billion compared to a loss of $41 million during the same time a year ago. The Northbrook, Illinois-based insurer recorded an improvement in …
Louisiana Fortify Homes Program Waitlist Participants Upgraded to Active Status
The Louisiana Department of Insurance said that the 400 Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) registrants who were placed on the waitlist after registering for the fifth round of grants last month have been moved to active participant status and may …
Missouri Farm Cooperative Fined $241K for Lacking Proper Equipment
A Missouri grain cooperative could have prevented an employee’s fatal engulfment in a storage bin in May 2024 had it followed federal workplace safety requirements, the U.S. Department of Labor determined. Responding to the employer’s report of a worker fatality, …
Farm Bill Becomes Lightning Rod in Wisconsin Senate Race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde has repeatedly defended his self-professed lack of knowledge about the U.S. farm bill in the campaign’s closing days, after first saying in a debate that he is “not an expert” …
AM Best Removes Under Review Status of Iowa’s Pharmacists Mutual
AM Best has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” (Excellent) of Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company (PMIC) and its wholly owned reinsured subsidiary, …