Monthly Archives: <span>December 2020</span>

Hammond, Indiana, to Pay $80.75K to Resolve Disability Discrimination Charge

Hammond, Ind., has agreed pay up to $80,750 and furnish other relief to resolve a federal disability discrimination finding. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said an investigation found reasonable cause to believe that the City of Hammond subjected …

Iowa Police Chief Sues Law Enforcement Academy Over Toxic Gas Leak in 2018

A police chief is suing the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for injuries he suffered from a 2018 carbon monoxide leak that exposed dozens of recruits to unsafe levels of the toxic gas. Justin Lyman, police chief in the northwestern Iowa …

2 Die in Louisiana Salt Mine Ceiling Collapse

Two people died when the ceiling in a salt mine fell in Louisiana, authorities and the mine operator said. A portion of the ceiling in a part of the underground mine on Avery Island came down on Dec. 14. Sixteen …

9 Appeals Court Judges Recuse Themselves in Louisiana Church Sex Abuse Suit

All nine judges in Louisiana’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal have recused themselves from a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport and a late priest. Following the full court recusal, the Louisiana State Supreme Court reassigned the …

Lawmakers: Insurance Disputes, Slow Response Hinder Louisiana Storm Recovery

Southwest Louisiana lawmakers on Dec. 16 criticized the insurance industry’s handling of claims from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, describing slow responses, low-balled damage estimates and drones used to assess destruction instead of people. “We’re almost four months ago (since Laura), …

Report: Despite Pandemic-Driven Emission Redux, We’re Headed to 3-Degrees Warming

A new report finds that despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the pandemic, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3Β°C this century, a mark that is well beyond the Paris …

Alabama Eases Licensing Rules for Out-of-State Doctors as Virus Surges

Regulators have loosened rules to make it easier for out-of-state doctors to work in Alabama as the coronavirus pandemic both fills hospital beds and strains medical staff by sickening doctors and nurses, officials said Monday as the first doses of …

Oklahoma Housing Agency Faces Federal Race Discrimination Lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the affordable housing agency in the western Oklahoma town of Lone Wolf for allegedly denying housing to a Black mother and her 5-year-old daughter because of their race. The Justice Department’s civil rights …

Alera Group Acquires Todd Associates in Ohio

Alera Group, an employee benefits, property/casualty, retirement services and wealth management firm based in Deerfield, Ill., has acquired Todd Associates Inc. (Todd Associates), headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio. The transaction is effective Dec. 1, 2020. Todd Associates, founded in 1939 and …

Storm Lake, Iowa, Tyson Plant Sued Over Worker’s COVID-19 Death

The family of a man who died from COVID-19 while working at a Tyson pork plant in Storm Lake, Iowa, has filed a lawsuit accusing the company and several plant executives of gross negligence. Michael Everhard, 65, of Fonda, died …