California News

Eight Homes, 10 Buildings Destroyed by California Wildfire

A wildfire northeast of Bakersfield, Calif. has destroyed eight homes and 10 other structures, authorities said, but residents of some 200 homes under evacuation orders were allowed to return home Wednesday evening. The fire was 15 percent contained after consuming …

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Missouri-Based Travel Insurance Agency

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Trip Mate Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo. Established in 1989, Trip Mate is a full service travel insurance agency that provides a wide variety of travel protection plans and services for their …

California Insurance Broker Pays Off Lawsuit With Buckets of Coins

A California-based insurance broker settled a lawsuit with a Los Angeles man by dropping off buckets full of thousands of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies, his attorney said. Andres Carrasco, 76, filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Adriana’s Insurance Services, …

Wildfires Burn Structures, Threaten Homes In California, Oregon, Washington

Two wildfires that burned or threatened hundreds of homes in Northern California were bearing down on a small town as they plowed through more than 100 square miles of drought-stricken brush, and Tuesday brought a chance of thunderstorms and lightning …

Wildfires Prompt California Governor to Declare State of Emergency

A pair of wildfires burning without restraint about 8 miles apart in northeast California became the focus of state and federal firefighters Sunday as authorities reported that one of the blazes had destroyed eight homes and prompted the precautionary evacuation …

Boating, Rafting Operators at Tahoe Put out by Drought

After first putting a damper on skiing and snowboarding in the winter, the drought now is taking a toll on boating and rafting around Lake Tahoe. Larry Boerner, owner of the paddlewheeler Tahoe Gal, said he can offer sightseeing cruises …

California Wildfire Destroys 13 Homes, Hundreds of Homes at Risk

Firefighters in Northern California made progress Sunday against a wildfire that has destroyed 13 homes and forced hundreds of evacuations in the Sierra Nevada foothills, while a fire near Yosemite National Park that destroyed one home grew significantly overnight. East …

California Firm Issues Fruit Recall Nationwide

A Central California company has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of specific lots of its fresh peaches, plums, nectarines and pluots over concerns of possible listeria contamination. Wawona Packing says on its website that no illnesses have been reported and …

AP Finds That Wildfire Citations in California Applied Unevenly

A review by The Associated Press of California government data has found a wide discrepancy in how state and local fire officials apply fines and citations for failing to clear vegetation in areas prone to wildland blazes. Property owners in …

California Workers’ Comp Officials Continue to Praise Reforms

Touting California’s still-young workers’ compensation reform law as a “pragmatic middle” compromise that seems to be working, two of the top officials responsible for the system talked up some of the reform’s finer points on Thursday. David Lanier, secretary of …