Latest Illinois Headlines
All the headlines from our Illinois Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Illinois’ Cost per Workers’ Comp Claim Grew 1-3% Per Year: WCRI
Jun 4 2018 // The average total cost per workers’ compensation claim in Illinois grew annually between 1 percent to 3 percent since 2012, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The growth was...
Kepperling Named Illinois Branch Manager for Erie Insurance
May 30 2018 // Rob Kepperling will step into the role of Illinois branch manager for Pennsylvania-based Erie Insurance on June 7, the company announced. Kepperling began his career with Erie Insurance in 2004 in the Claims division. In...
Illinois Lawmakers Send Governor Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp
May 25 2018 // The Illinois House has sent the governor a measure legalizing industrial hemp. The House voted 106-3 this week to allow hemp cultivation for commercial use. Hemp is a form of the cannabis plant distinct from marijuana. It...
WCRI Study: Illinois’ Cost per Workers’ Comp Claim Grew 1-3 Percent Annually
May 22 2018 // The average total cost per workers’ compensation claim in Illinois grew annually between 1 to 3 percent since 2012, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The growth was due to...
Data Privacy Risks as Digital Identity Moves to Biometrics, Blockchain
May 21 2018 // A retail store’s ability to authenticate customers by scanning their unique ear or retinal patterns may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this type of identification technology isn’t...
Judge Scolds Facebook for ‘Faulty Proposition’ Over Privacy Claims
May 15 2018 // A judge scolded Facebook Inc. for misconstruing his own rulings as he ordered the company to face a high-stakes trial accusing it of violating user privacy. The social media giant has misinterpreted prior court orders by...
Strehmann Retires as CFO of Agent Support Network in Illinois
May 14 2018 // Barb Strehmann, chief financial officer at Burr Ridge, Illinois-based Agent Support Network of America (ASNOA), has retired. Strehmann was the first employee hired upon the creation of ASNOA in 2003. She began at ASNOA as...
State Labor Agency Rebuked Illinois VA Over Legionnaires Outbreak
May 14 2018 // Illinois workplace safety officials reprimanded state veterans’ officials for how the agency told staffers about a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a Quincy veterans’ home, according to...
Password Stolen; Create a New One. What If Your Retina Scan or Fingerprint Is Stolen?
May 11 2018 // A retail store’s ability to authenticate customers by scanning their unique ear or retinal patterns may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this type of identification technology isn’t...
Family of Illinois Mom Who Died After Child Birth Awarded $4M
May 10 2018 // The family of a woman who died in 2012 after giving birth to twins at a suburban Chicago hospital has been awarded $4 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. The family of 36-year-old Evelyn Robinson contended in a lawsuit...
The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.
May 8 2018 // Michigan has three and Florida two in a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the U.S. produced by a security industry group using FBI crime data. Based on average rate of violent crime per 100,000 population, the...
Chubb Subsidiary Fined $1.3M for Underwriting NRA-Branded Insurance
May 7 2018 // The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has fined Chubb Ltd. and its subsidiary, Illinois Union Insurance Company, $1.3 million for underwriting the National Rifle Association (NRA)-branded Carry Guard...
Marsh & McLennan Agency’s Blue Named President of Illinois’ Alera Group
May 7 2018 // Deerfield, Illinois-based Alera Group, a national employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firm, has appointed Jim Blue as president. Blue’s responsibilities will involve working...
Alliant Insurance Services Acquires Illinois’ Engel Agency
May 4 2018 // Newport Beach, California-based Alliant Insurance Services has acquired Engel Agency Inc., located in the Chicago area. Family owned and operated, Engel Agency, led by President Paul Engelhard, has a strong institutional...
A.M. Best Upgrades Issuer Credit Rating of Illinois Casualty
May 1 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb+” from “bbb” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) of Illinois Casualty Co. (Illinois...
Illinois House OKs Development of State-Financed Workers’ Comp Insurer
Apr 30 2018 // Illinois’ House of Representatives has passed a bill that would create a state-monitored insurance company with the intention of driving down workers’ compensation insurance costs in the state. The House voted...
Walgreens, Illinois Hospital Sued by Prince Heirs Over Overdose Care
Apr 25 2018 // Prince’s heirs have sued Walgreens and the Illinois hospital that treated the music superstar after he suffered from an opioid overdose, alleging that a doctor and various pharmacists failed to provide Prince with...
Illinois Senate Again Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Measure
Apr 19 2018 // The Illinois Senate has approved restrictions on insurance companies writing workers’ compensation policies. The plan that passed 34-21 on April 17 is identical to one Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed last year. The...
Facebook Facing Potential Multi-Billion Dollar Liability in Biometric Litigation
Apr 17 2018 // Facebook Inc. may have to pay a real price for claims it invaded users’ privacy: billions of dollars. A federal judge ruled Monday that millions of the social network’s users can proceed as a group with claims...
Weather Service Confirms Tornadoes Slammed Illinois, Ohio
Apr 6 2018 // National Weather Service survey teams have confirmed at least four tornadoes slammed through parts of Ohio. The NWS also confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in southern Illinois after a round a storms Tuesday. In...
