West News

Berkshire Unit Liable for Millions in Damages Over Oregon Fires

A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit is liable for destruction caused by the 2020 Labor Day Fires in Oregon, a jury concluded, exposing energy company PacifiCorp to potentially more than $1.5 billion in damages. Following a seven-week trial, a state court …

Youth Environmentalists Bring Montana Climate Case to Trial After 12 Years

Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal …

Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line

Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities said. The Dec. 30, …

Report Looks at Long COVID Claims in California Workers’ Comp

Roughly 13% of COVID-19 claims with medical payments received treatments for long COVID symptoms in the workers’ compensation system, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released an updated COVID-19 report, Medical Characteristics of COVID-19 …

Man Sues Alaska Troopers, Says His Job Offer Yanked After HIV Status Revealed

A Salt Lake City man who says his job offer to become an Alaska State Trooper was rescinded after he disclosed he was HIV positive filed a lawsuit in state court Thursday to get his position on the statewide police …

New Mexico Sues Manufacturers of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Amid Health Concerns

New Mexico’s attorney general and its Environment Department filed suit against the manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals,” commonly referred to as PFAS, seeking monetary damages to defray the costs of environmental monitoring and cleanups that they say are inevitable. Attorney …

Hawaii’s Active Kilauea Begins Erupting After 3-Month Pause

Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, began erupting on Wednesday after a three-month pause, displaying spectacular fountains of mesmerizing, glowing lava that’s a safe distance from people and structures in a national park on the Big …

Black Workers at California Tesla Factory Allege Rampant Racism, Seek Class-Action Status

Tesla may face a class-action lawsuit after 240 Black factory workers in California described rampant racism and discrimination at the electric automaker’s San Francisco Bay Area plant, including frequent use of racial slurs and references to the manufacturing site as …

Insurer Group Reacts to California Department of Insurance Musing on Cat Modeling

Insurer groups may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with a hint of a possible change in a regulator’s attitude toward the use of catastrophe modeling in the California market for wildfire insurers. The California Department …

Washington Commissioner Issues $398K in Fines

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines in April and May totaling $398,500 against insurance companies for violations of state insurance laws and regulations. Following is a list of reported violations the commissioner’s office issued: Insurance companies LifeWise Health Plan …

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