Monthly Archives: <span>March 2019</span>

Pfizer Agrees to Settle in Oregon Probe Over False Advertising

Pfizer has agreed to shell out $975,000 after Oregon’s Department of Justice found the pharmaceutical giant misled consumers with deceptive coupons. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced details of the six-figure settlement on Monday, saying the pharmaceutical giant was “taking …

Former Nevada Test Site Guard Sues Over Assault, Harassment

A former security guard at the Nevada National Security Site is suing her former employer over allegations she was sexually assaulted and harassed by colleagues and then retaliated against for reporting the incidents. Jennifer Glover said in her lawsuit filed …

Earthquake Survey Finds Thousands of Washington Buildings a Concern

Washington state’s first statewide inventory of buildings prone to crumble or collapse in an earthquake has found there are thousands of unreinforced masonry buildings that could be dangerous. The Northwest News Network reported Friday that the survey combined various databases …

Aon, Insurtech Zesty.ai Partner to Enhance Property Underwriting with AI Data

Aon has formed a strategic alliance with Zesty.ai, a San Francisco-based insurtech startup, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance insurers’ property underwriting. Zesty.ai’s technology provides access to more than 130 billion data points on buildings and their surroundings which …

Moderating Auto Insurance Rates Help Explain Low Inflation

The latest culprit for cooling U.S. inflation: safer driving. A measure of underlying price pressures watched closely by policy makers continued to moderate in February, missing forecasts, according to data published Tuesday by the Labor Department. The gauge of consumer …

Startup CEO Exonerated from Crimes, Seeks Compensation for Firing

Zain Jaffer’s charmed, Silicon Valley life was about to collapse beneath him. It was October 2017 and Jaffer, founder of a promising mobile ad startup, was suddenly arrested and charged with a series of crimes, including assault and sexual abuse. …

Massachusetts Shop Owners Frustrated with Natural Gas Disaster Response

More than six months after natural gas explosions rocked Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley, small business owners in the region say they’re still reeling. Convenience store, grocery and salon owners complained at a forum in Lawrence, Mass., on March 6 that the …

Trump Budget Would Cut Crop Insurance Subsidies

President Donald Trump’s “I LOVE YOU!” tweet to farmers is facing another challenge: Budget cuts that will slash subsidies for crop insurance and small growers. Trump’s 2020 budget, released Monday, calls for a 15 percent funding drop for the Department …

As It Prepares IPO, Uber Settles Driver Classification Disputes for $20 Million

Uber Technologies Inc. will pay $20 million to settle California lawsuits challenging the company’s classification of drivers as independent contractors, and not employees owed the benefits of traditional employment. Resolution of the long-standing fight over benefits and pay comes as …

Virginia’s Genworth Financial to Layoff About 80 Employees

A company has announced the layoff of about 80 employees, including 35 in a Virginia city. The News & Advance reported Monday that Genworth Financial announced the layoffs of 35 people in Lynchburg, Va., and 21 people in Richmond, Va. …