Monthly Archives: <span>September 2021</span>

U.S. Court Upholds Ohio Hospital Employee COVID-19 Vaccine Rule

A federal judge on Sept. 24 ruled that a Cincinnati, Ohio-area healthcare provider could require its employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their job, in what appears to be the first ruling of its kind for a private …

AgCenter: Ida Damage to Louisiana Agriculture at Least $584M

Hurricane Ida’s winds and floods did at least $584 million in damage to agriculture in Louisiana, experts at the LSU AgCenter estimate. More than half of that — $315.9 million — is timber damage, with another $207 million, or 35% …

Feds to Texas: Tougher Rules Needed to Protect Power Plants

Federal officials made more than two dozen recommendations aimed at further safeguarding power plants and natural gas supplies to prevent a repeat of the February blackouts that caused more than 200 deaths in Texas. Staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory …

NTSB: Poor Communication Led to Fatal Towboat Crash in Louisiana

A fatal head-on crash between barges pushed by two towboats in Louisiana was caused by inadequate communication and failure to broadcast their total sizes, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The RC Creppel overturned and sank after the collision with …

BNSF Railway Sued for Sexual Harassment at Nebraska Railyard

A federal lawsuit alleges women working at a Nebraska railyard were subjected to sexual harassment and managers failed to do anything about it, in violation of federal law. BNSF Railway Company (BNSF), a major North American freight transportation company, violated …

Chicago Suburb to Pay Ex-Cop $275K in Discrimination Lawsuit

A Chicago suburb will pay $275,000 to a former police officer who says colleagues discriminated against him because of his Assyrian and Iraqi heritage. Anfiny J. Eshoo sued the village of Arlington Heights last year, saying he was subjected to …

Mexican Insurtech Startup Offers Quick Claims Payments for Earthquake Damage

Mexican startup Super, which offers coverage for earthquake property damages, plans to expand into hurricane insurance and possibly raise a fresh funding round next year, according to chief executive officer and founder Sebastian Villarreal. The company, which launched in 2019, …

New York Announces New Consumer Protections in Public Adjusters Regulation

New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Acting Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris announced new consumer protections in New York’s public adjusters regulation, which will become effective October 8. The protections help insureds by clearly defining the duties of insurers …

Connecticut Woman Charged with Workers’ Compensation Fraud, Larceny

A Wallingford, Connecticut, woman was arrested and charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation benefits while being employed as a teacher for the City of Bristol Board of Education. Ann Marie Barros was arrested by inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud …

New Jersey Weighs Expanding Flood Buyback Program After Ida

Liz Sawyer called Manville, New Jersey, home for more than two decades when Ida became the latest storm to send flood waters crashing into her house. For her and her family it will – she hopes – be the last …