Monthly Archives: <span>June 2008</span>

Northern California Wildfires Forces Hundreds to Flee Homes

Firefighters struggled to gain control of a series of wind-driven wildfires burning across Northern California, including a raging forest fire that forced hundreds to flee their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The fast-moving blaze in the Bonny Doon area, …

Hundreds of Trucks Taken off Georgia Roads for Safety Violations

Georgia officials grounded 245 commercial trucks as part of a 72-hour inspection effort. The Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety conducted the inspections between June 3 and June 5. Public Safety Commmissioner Col. Bill Hitchens …

Texas Chemical Plant Explosion Leaves 1 Dead, 6 Injured

An explosion at a Goodyear chemical plant in Houston killed a worker and injured six others on June 11. The body of the worker, whose name was not released, was found under debris about seven hours after the 7:30 a.m. …

Private Firms Take Homeowners Policies From Louisiana Citizens

Private insurers are taking more than 26,000 homeowners policies from Louisiana’s state-backed insurance company in return for millions in taxpayer money, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said. Donelon credited Louisiana’s financial incentive program, which provides public money to private firms that …

North Carolina Holds its Largest Hurricane Evacuation Exercise

Lenoir Community College in Kinston hosted North Carolina’s largest hurricane evacuation exercise this year. The eastern North Carolina town suffered through hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the 1990s. The exercise, called Medical Evacuation Triage and Treatment Assessment, took place June …

AMS Parent Vertafore to Acquire Licensing, Compliance Vendor Sircon

Vertafore, Inc., a provider of software and services to the insurance industry including AMS Services, has agreed to acquire licensing and compliance software maker Sircon Corp. Michigan-based Sircon serves carriers, agencies and brokers, education providers and state regulators through online …

Emotional Distress Claim Allowed in New Jersey Crash Lawsuit

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that a woman who saw her mother die in a car crash can sue the other driver for negligently inflicting emotional distress. The 4-3 decision released Tuesday said such a claim can be …

Former Judge’s Insurance Fraud Trial Moved to Pittsburgh

Former Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce’s insurance fraud trial is going to be held in federal court in Pittsburgh, not Erie. Senior U.S. District Judge Maurice Cohill has granted a defense request to move the trial from Erie because of …

Willis Partners With University of Bologna to Study Floods

The Willis Research Network (WRN), part of Willis Group, has announced the formation of a partnership with the University of Bologna “to include the renowned Italian institution’s flood research as part of more a robust risk modeling offering for clients. …

Industry Apprenticeships are Growing Says UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute

“A growing number of insurance companies, including R&SA, Equity, JCB Insurance Services and Direct Line, have enrolled staff in Apprenticeship programs, taking advantage of the financial benefits of Apprenticeships that allow them to maximize their training budgets,” said the UK’s …