Arson Causes $100,000 Damage to Yakima School
Someone broke into Robertson Elementary School early Sunday in Yakima, Wash. and set fire to the library. KNDO reports many books were lost. Damage is estimated at $100,000.
Arson At Washington Hair Salon
The Shoreline Fire Department in Washington says the fire that damaged a hair salon Sunday night was set. The fire was extinguished in minutes and no one was injured. The Seattle Times reports the hair salon is in a strip …
Eastern Oregon Man Dies When Train Strikes Grader
A Umatilla County employee was killed when a train struck the road grader he was operating to spread gravel. The East Oregonian reports. the accident on Thursday killed 63-year-old Stanley McCall. The train’s operator told the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office …
10,000 Gallons Of Sewage Spills Into Central California Creek, Ocean
A power outage has sent about 10,000 gallons of sewage into a California central coast creek and to the Pacific Ocean. San Luis Obispo County officials have warned swimmers, surfers and others to avoid Cambria’s Santa Rosa Creek and the …
West Virginia AG Sues Insurer, Auto Repair Shop
West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw said last week that his office has sued Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and an auto repair shop. The attorney general says the defendants allegedly repaired vehicles with what he describes as “junkyard parts” in …
Drought Destroyed Half a Billion Trees in Texas in 2011
As many as 500 million trees scattered across the Lone Star State have died this year as a result of the unrelenting drought, according to preliminary estimates from Texas Forest Service. The Texas Forest Service reports that the numbers were …
Best Upgrades Swiss Re’s Ratings to ‘A+’; Outlook Stable
A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Best has also upgraded the senior and …
Maurice ‘Hank’ Greenberg Wins Leadership Award From Yale University
Maurice R. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Starr Companies, was awarded the Lifetime of Leadership Award from the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, Yale School of Management. The Starr Companies chief received the award at a ceremony held on Dec. …
A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of Austin Mutual Insurance
A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and issuer credit rating to “bbb” from “a-” of Austin Mutual Insurance Company (AM) in Maple Grove, Minn. The outlook for both ratings is negative. …
New Indiana Texting-Driving Ban Yields Few Citations
In its first five months on the books, Indiana’s texting-while-driving ban has led to only a few dozen citations by state troopers — a trend police blame on restrictions in the law that make it difficult for them to enforce. …
