West News

Emerald Bay Partners with Lightspeed for California Homeowners Insurance Facility

Emerald Bay Risk Solutions is partnering with Lightspeed Specialty Insurance Solutions to launch an insurance facility in California that delivers coverage for homeowners and landlords. The facility will primarily target owner- or tenant-occupied dwellings across the state, providing property and …

Growing Wildfires in New Mexico Destroyed 1,400 Structures

A pair of wildfires in New Mexico continue to rage uncontained, destroying an estimated 1,400 structures, forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people, while rains also flooded parts of the state. The Salt and South Fork fires have burned …

Farmers Adjusters Cry Foul Over Workloads, Claims Handling in Letter to Regulators

Farmers Insurance officials this week said they have spoken with employees after receiving an anonymous letter, apparently from a group of in-house adjusters, accusing the insurer of understaffing and overworking claims professionals. “Farmers Insurance has always been a leader in …

Northern California Wildfire at 15K-Plus Acres, Containment Grows on Fire in South

A wildfire is raging through a large swath of western Sacramento Valley after igniting on Monday and spreading to 15,656 acres. Evacuations were ordered in rural areas around the Sites Fire in Colusa County, which is burning roughly 70 miles …

New Mexico Wildfires Spread to 20,000 Acres, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate

A pair of wildfires in New Mexico have spread to more than 20,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving one person dead. The South Fork and Salt fires have grown to more than 20,000 acres (16,335 for …

California to Change Labor Law That Cost Businesses $10 Billion

California’s largest business and labor groups agreed to change a landmark law that has helped workers sue companies such as Walmart Inc., Uber Technologies Inc. and Google for workplace violations. The deal caps years of efforts by the state’s employers …

Report Says ‘Poor Maintenance’ Led to Deadly Crash of Helicopter in New Mexico

A loss of engine power due to poor maintenance caused a 2022 helicopter crash in New Mexico that claimed the lives of four Bernalillo County first responders as they were returning home from a firefighting mission, according to federal investigators. …

California Labor Commissioner Cites Amazon $6M for Violating Warehouse Quotas Law

Amazon failed to meet requirements of California’s Warehouse Quotas law at warehouses in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, according to the Labor Commissioner’s Office. The ofice cited Amazon.com Services LLC $5,901,700 for violations of the Warehouse Quotas law in two …

New Mexico Town Ordered to Evacuate Due to Large, Uncontained Wildfire

Residents of a New Mexico town were ordered to flee their homes on Monday due to a fast-moving wildfire. The town of Ruidoso, with roughly 7,000 residents, was ordered to immediately evacuate from the South Fork and Salt fires. “An …

California Workers’ Comp Institute Examines Presumption for Ag Heat Injuries

A bill that would give a presumption of compensability to farmworker heat-related injury claims if an employer is found to be out of compliance with Cal/OSHA’s outdoor heat illness prevention standard would likely create more challenges than it would solve, …

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