Declarations

More Work to Be Done

“We have a lot more work that we need to get done. Despite Florida’s history of hurricanes, people are slow to make changes to improve their situation.”

Lisa Lindsay, president of the Private Risk Management Association, which focuses on the high net worth segment. She commented on a recent PRMA survey that showed the majority of responding agents believe less than 50% of their clients have a comprehensive hurricane preparedness plan.

Plenty of Blame

“There’s plenty of blame to go around.”

Patrick Regan, a lawyer representing about 70 survivors and family members of those killed in an explosion at a suburban Maryland apartment complex, said. Regan was commenting on the National Transportation Safety Board’s findings that a gas company’s faulty equipment is the most likely cause of the explosion that killed seven people in 2016. A lawsuit against the utility and the company that manages the apartment complex has been held in abeyance as the NTSB conducted its investigation.

High Photoperiod

“It’s honestly expected and fairly routine in the sense that it is really hard to grow a plant that is 0.3% or below, and it is also really difficult in Hawaii because we have a really unique climate and photoperiod as compared to other states.”

Shelley Choy, Hawaii’s agriculture department hemp program coordinator, tried to explain why more than half of hemp crops cultivated in Hawaii in the past year were unusable due to high THC levels.

Wisconsin Hands-Free Law

“My hope is to jump-start the push for a Wisconsin state law in Madison so we can get a law later this year.”

Thomas Goeltz, a Wisconsin man who successfully lobbied Minnesota lawmakers to ban the use of cellphones or other electronic devices while driving, said he wants his home state to adopt similar legislation. Goeltz lost his pregnant daughter to an alleged distracted driver in February 2016 near Stillwater, Minn. Minnesota’s hands-free law took effect Aug. 1.

Oklahoma Opioid Settlements

“The bottom line is that if we’re not setting up an infrastructure that’s all-inclusive for behavioral health and addiction services, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure.”

Ryan Hampton, who has battled opioid addiction and wrote a book on the crisis titled “American Fix — Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis and How to End It,” says he has concerns over Oklahoma’s plans for spending the nearly $1 billion in settlements and judgments it has won in the states’ legal fight against the opioid industry.

Topics Hawaii Wisconsin