INSURANCE NEWS
Wildfire Threatens Homes, Cabins Near Lake in Idaho
Roughly 200 people were told to evacuate and sheriff’s deputies were trying to track down campers and other recreationists after a wildfire exploded in Idaho’s scenic Sawtooth National Forest over the long holiday weekend. Lightning sparked the Ross Fork Fire …
Rains Insurance Acquires Sunbelt Agency in Tennessee
Rains Insurance Inc. has acquired the operating assets of Chattanooga-based Sunbelt Group, marking the first acquisition of an independent insurance agency by Rains. Rains, also an independent agency, is a subsidiary of Knoxville-based SmartBank, a commercial bank with operations in …
Judge Tosses Charge Against Dive Boat Owner in California Fire That Killed 34
A Los Angeles federal judge threw out an indictment charging a dive boat captain with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 people in a 2019 fire aboard a vessel anchored off the Southern California coast. The ruling came on the …
Huge Los Angeles Unified School District Hit by Cyberattack
The huge Los Angeles Unified School District’s information technology systems were targeted by an external cyberattack during the Labor Day weekend, officials said. Despite the disruption, schools in the nation’s second-largest district were scheduled to open as usual Tuesday morning, …
Pennsylvaina Auto Body Shop Owner Accused of $426K in False Insurance Claims
The owner of a Chalfont, Pennsylvania auto body repair shop submitted 289 false insurance claims over several years to four insurance companies, pocketing more than $426,000 in payouts, according to the Bucks County district attorney. District Attorney Matt Weintraub said …
Hartford President Doug Elliot to Retire
The Hartford said Doug Elliot will retire as the company’s president effective Dec. 31, after more than 11 years with the company. “Doug was instrumental in expanding the company’s suite of products, developing industry-specific verticals within our property/casualty business and …
Pro Soccer Returning to Jacksonville, New Stadium Planned
An ownership group including former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow has acquired the rights to form a new franchise within the United Soccer League, aiming to return professional soccer to Jacksonville in 2025. Pending successful progress on establishing a home …
Pakistan Looks ‘Like a Sea’ After Devastating Floods: Prime Minister
SEHWAN, Pakistan – Parts of Pakistan seemed “like a sea,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday, after visiting some of the flood-hit areas that cover as much as a third of the South Asian nation, where 18 more deaths …
China Reopens Roads to Earthquake Epicenter, as Death Toll Rises
China has reopened roads leading to the epicenter of Monday’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the southwestern province of Sichuan and traffic has resumed, state media reported on Wednesday, while the death toll has risen to 74. In addition, a total …
Connecticut Police Investigate Death of Man Days After Stun Gun Shot by Trooper
Connecticut state police are investigating a man’s death four days after a state trooper shot him with a stun gun, authorities said Friday. Ryan Marzi, 38, of Hebron, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Aug. 28, according to an obituary …
Lawsuit Charges South Carolina Coaches Sexually Abused Cheerleaders
Multiple cheerleading coaches in South Carolina _ including a coach who recently killed himself _ sexually abused at least six boys and girls and provided them with drugs and alcohol, a federal lawsuit alleges. A “coven of sexual predators” surrounded …
EU Plans Price Cap on Russian Gas as Putin Threatens to Halt All Supplies
BRUSSELS/VLADIVOSTOK, Russia – The European Union proposed a price cap on Russian gas on Wednesday hours after President Vladimir Putin threatened to halt all supplies if they took such a step, raising the risk of rationing in some of the …