Vermont News

Vermont Weighs Expansion of Workers’ Comp

Vermont lawmakers will consider a bill that would extend workers’ compensation to cover mental and emotional problems suffered on the job. But the proposal is getting a cool reception from the insurance industry. State Rep. Paul Poirier, who helped create …

New Markets

The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. High-Value Homeowners’ Protection Market Detail: Irwin Siegel Agency Inc. brings agents access to AIG’s Private …

U.S. Lawmakers Vow More Food Safety Funds As Peanut Recalls Set Record

Lawmakers vowed this week to press for stronger food safety laws and more money for inspections as the list of recalled peanut products surpassed 1,000 in an ongoing national salmonella outbreak. “There is an openness to putting together the strongest …

Auto Deaths Decline in 40 States; Less Driving, More Seat Belt Use Cited

Automobile fatalities declined in 40 states in 2008, according to a survey of state highway safety agencies, an early sign that traffic deaths could dip to their lowest levels in four decades. The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state …

Mutual of Omaha Claims Processor Sentenced to Prison

An Iowa woman who worked for Mutual of Omaha has been sentenced to two years in prison for processing false insurance claims on behalf of a Vermont woman. Rachel Lenagh of Neola was sentenced Friday in Omaha, Neb., for conspiracy …

Louisiana Ranks Highly in Highway Safety Report

A report recently released by the Washington, D.C.-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety included Louisiana in list of 15 states to have made progress in enacting key highway safety laws. Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas did not fare so well. …

MSO Makes BOP Available in New England

The Mutual Service Office Inc. (MSO) has made its Businessowners program available in New Hampshire and Vermont. This marks the first time Glen Rock, New Jersey-based MSO has offered a product in either state. Designed for main street type businesses, …

Economic Downturn Driving More Motorists to Ranks of Uninsured

Approximately one in six drivers across the U.S. may be driving uninsured by 2010, according to a recent study from Insurance Research Council (IRC). Although the estimated percentage of uninsured motorists decreased nationally, from 14.9 percent in 2003 to 13.8 …

Vermont Quadriplegic Sues Volkswagen

A Vermont man paralyzed in a 2002 accident is suing Volkswagen AG, saying the Jetta he was riding in wasn’t “crash worthy.” Twenty-nine-year-old Owen Milne’s product liability suit goes to trial Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington. It says …

Nebraska Could Be Next State for Fire-Safe Cigarette Law

Nebraska has fallen out of the mainstream when it comes to smoking-related laws, but that could change. Thirty-seven states have passed laws requiring that all cigarettes sold in their states be fire-safe. Nebraska is not among them, but the state …