West News

Former Idaho Councilman Gets Jail Time For Insurance Fraud

A former councilman from the eastern Idaho town of Rigby has been sentenced to 150 days in jail and 10 years of probation for insurance fraud. The Post Register reported Lawrence Blackburn was sentenced on Monday. Prosecutors said he defrauded …

Insurer Sues Over 2011 Hawaii Wind Farm Fire Losses

The insurance company that paid $2.4 million to cover losses from a wind farm fire in Hawaii is suing manufacturers that built parts of its battery system. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London paid to cover losses …

Heffernan Names Catanese Assistant Vice President in Southern California

Heffernan Insurance Brokers named Zach Catanese assistant vice president in its Orange County, Calif. office. Catanese will focus on new business development for all commercial lines. He has a background as a marketing representative for a national insurance carrier. Catanese …

Northern California Man Sent To Prison After 8th DUI

A Northern California man has been sentenced to five years in prison following his eighth conviction for driving under the influence. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported 34-year-old Barton Riley Shafer will also be unable to get a driver’s license …

Governor: Disaster Cited For Alaska Area Hit By Storms

Governor Sean Parnell has declared coastal western Alaska areas ravaged by storms state disaster zones. The governor made the announcement after meeting with residents in the Northwest Arctic Borough, Bering Straits Regional Education Attendance Area, and Lower Yukon. A series …

SCM Names Paganas Vice President in Southern California

SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services LLC named John Paganas a vice president in its Irvine, Calif. office. Prior to joining SCM, Paganas was a business development associate at National Insurance Brokerage of New York and a project manager at Turner Construction. SCM …

California’s State Fund Board Declares $100M Dividend

The board of directors for California’s State Fund Compensation Insurance approved a $100 million dividend to qualifying policyholders for the 2013 policy year. The dividend represents roughly 8.6 percent of policyholders’ 2012 estimated annual premium. “State Fund has made significant …

Jury Awards $100,000 In Oregon Malpractice Suit

An Oregon gynecologist who removed a patient’s healthy ovary and left a piece of plastic in her body after a 2007 robotic surgery has been ordered to pay more than $100,000. The Mail Tribune newspaper reported that U.S. District Court …

Mom Of Fallen Arizona Firefighter Files $36M Claim

The mother of one of 19 wildland firefighters killed in north-central Arizona has filed a $36 million claim against the state, Yavapai County and the city of Prescott, saying their negligence led to the death of her son. An attorney …

At Least Two Killed In Colorado Silver Mine Accident

Two miners were killed and 20 injured on Sunday in an accident at a silver mine in southwestern Colorado, authorities said. The cause of the accident at the historic Revenue-Virginius Mine in Ouray County, about 330 miles southwest of Denver, …

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