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Climate-Friendly Battery Boom Presents Growing Fire Safety Challenge

The explosion ruptured the dusk settling over the desert in Surprise, Arizona. For hours, smoke had poured from a metal shed packed with lithium-ion batteries at a small electric substation. The batteries were tied to the electric grid, and somehow …

Kobe Bryant Copter Company Had 2 Other Fatal Crashes in 35 Years

Island Express Helicopters Inc., the California-based charter company involved in Sunday’s crash that killed retired basketball star Kobe Bryant, has been involved in four previous crashes over the past 35 years, two of them fatal, according to government records. While …

High Mississippi River at New Orleans: Levee Inspections Up, Ban on Nearby Work

The Mississippi River is high enough at New Orleans to prompt daily levee inspections and a ban on subsurface work within 1,500 feet (457 meters) of a levee. The river was 15 feet (4.6 meters) deep at the Carrollton Gage, …

Oklahoma Bill Would Eliminate Third-Party Pharmacy Benefit Managers

If passed, proposed legislation would have Oklahoma joining the growing number of states backing away from using Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to administer prescription-drug programs. Sen. Paul Scott, R-Duncan, has filed Senate Bill 1901 to replace the state’s third-party PBMs …

Texas Security Company Convicted of $51K Workers’ Compensation Fraud

HHDP Security, a Houston-based security company, has been convicted of premium fraud and ordered by a Travis County District Court judge to pay $51,131 in restitution, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation reported. Regulators say that between …

Opioid Victims Can Now File Injury Claims in Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Case

State and local governments have been leading the legal fight against the opioid industry, seeking payouts to help them deal with the fallout from the nation’s addiction crisis. Average Americans are about to get their shot. Last Friday, the federal …

Aadvantage Insurance Group Adds Fricke as Sales Agent

Randy Fricke has joined AAdvantage Insurance Group in Glen Carbon, Ill., as a sales agent, responsible for generating prospects, developing new relationships, handling existing accounts, and creating custom insurance plans to meet the specific needs of property/ casualty clientele. Fricke …

Opioid Kickback Probe Cites OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma: Reuters

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is the unnamed company that surfaced in criminal charging documents filed earlier this week in a probe of illegal kickbacks from drugmakers, according to people familiar with the matter. Purdue Pharma, which faces U.S. Justice …

Rhode Island Judge Says Jury Should Decide if Uber Can Be Liable for Crash

A jury should determine whether Uber ought to be held responsible for a passenger’s injuries, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled. A U.S. District Court judge concluded Jan. 16 that jurors should determine whether driver Claudette Issa is considered …

Group Preparing to Sue EPA Over Chesapeake Bay Pollution

A conservation group announced Monday that it’s preparing to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce the Clean Water Act relating to pollution limits for the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation announced it is preparing a notice …

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