North Carolina News

Former Enron CEO Skilling sentenced to 24 years, 4 months

Standing before a federal judge and pleading for his life, Jeffrey Skilling looked contrite, hands folded below his waist, his voice at one point halting as he talked about Enron Corp., the failed company he headed and drove to the …

N.C. Child Safety Coordinator Honored

Director of Safe Kids North Carolina Kelly Ransdell received the Outstanding State Coordinator of the Year award for her work in promoting injury prevention awareness through the state’s child safety program. Insurance Commissioner Jim Long said of Randsell, a Fuquay-Varina …

AFPD Launches Lawyers Professional Liability Program

Administrators for the Professions of Delaware Inc. introduced a new market for law firms with one to 15 attorneys that have disciplinary or frequency/severity issues. Firms performing high risk areas of practice (e.g., intellectual property, securities) will not be considered. …

BB&T Insurance to Acquire Fla. Agency Wyman, Green & Blalcok

BB&T Insurance Services plans to expand its Florida operation with the acquisition of Wyman, Green & Blalock Inc. of Bradenton. Founded in 1908, Wyman, Green & Blalock specializes in personal and commercial property insurance, liability risk management and employee benefits. …

S.C. to Raise Minimum Auto Limits

Starting Jan. 1, drivers in South Carolina who buy the least amount of insurance coverage allowed by law will see their premiums go up as legislatively mandated changes in coverage take effect. Those drivers will begin getting notifications this month …

Safety Board: N.C. Waste Plant Fire Started Near Chlorine

The hazardous waste storage plant fire that led to the evacuation of thousands of residents this month in Apex, N.C. started in an area where chemicals such as pool chlorination tablets were stored, investigators said. An initial review determined that …

Study Identifies High Costs of Doing Business in Mass.

A new study by a Boston-based think tank shows that Massachusetts firms in nine selected industries including financial services have costs that are on average 20 percent to 30 percent higher than similar companies in Texas, North Carolina and New …

Sharing Power Seen as Option for Evenly Split Oklahoma Senate

Democratic and Republican state Senate leaders in Oklahoma may follow the lead of their counterparts in other states and share power if the chamber has a tie in membership after the Nov. 7 general election, officials said. Several states have …

Apex, N.C. Fire Chief Predicted Heavy Loss From Chemical Fire

Apex’s fire chief told a North Carolina state task force this week that he was prepared to lose an entire city block when a chemical fire ignited an industrial waste recycling plant earlier this month because he didn’t know what …

North Carolina Insurance Agent Arrested on Alleged Fraud Charges

A Matthews, N.C. licensed insurance agent was arrested and charged with nine felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense and is under a $50,000 secured bond at the Union County Jail. According to Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, Shawn Robert …