West News

Washington Cabinet Shop Fined $187K for Safety Violations

A Ridgefield, Washington cabinet company has been cited for numerous safety violations including unguarded saw blades, spraying flammable glue next to ignition sources and not taking steps to lock down dangerous machinery. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries …

California Commissioner, Cal Poly Humboldt Working on Public Wildfire Model

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Cal Poly Humboldt plan to form a strategy group to undertake what Lara says will be the nation’s first public wildfire catastrophe model. The plan is for the group to draw from California’s research …

PCF Acquires Insurance Business of Top Insurance Associates in Washington

PCF Insurance Services acquired the insurance business of Top Insurance Associates in Snohomish, Washington. The Top Insurance Associates team will join PCF Insurance’s Fortiphi Insurance. Top Insurance Associates offers personal and commercial insurance services to individual and business clients in …

People Moves: Aspire in California Names Rea Chief Technology Officer

Aspire General Insurance hired Sam Rea as its chief technology officer. Rea has more than 20 years of experience leading IT organizations in the insurance industry. Before joining Aspire, Rea was CTO for the Peak6 InsurTech portfolio of companies for …

California Commissioner Issuing Moratorium on Cancellations for Wildfire Victims

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has identified areas in the vicinity of the several ongoing large wildfires in the state that will be protected by a one-year moratorium on homeowners insurance non-renewal or cancellation due to wildfire risk. Lara’s action …

Hawaii Probe Finds No Single Factor Led to Maui Wildfire Losses

No single factor led a fire in the seaside Hawaiian town of Lahaina last year to rage out of control and kill 102 people, according to a state report that assesses the government’s response to the disaster but not its …

Cooler Weather in Southern California Helping Wildfire Battle

Cooler weather enabled firefighters to make progress over the weekend against three Southern California wildfires. Authorities have started scaling back evacuations at the largest blaze. The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles has burned 54,690 acres, burned at least 33 …

EverPeak Insurance Launches in Arizona

EverPeak Insurance is launching operations in Arizona. EverPeak specializes in workers’ compensation coverage for small businesses and those in hard-to-place industries. EverPeak workers’ comp insurance is written on Attune, which has more than 400 class codes that enable agents to …

Man Charged With Arson in Colorado Wildfire That Destroyed 29 Homes

A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said. Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested last week, Larimer County …

Cooler Weather Helping Fight Large Southern California Wildfire

Cooler weather is aiding the fight against a large Southern California wildfire, one of three large fires in the region. The Bridge Fire exploded in size on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in the communities of Wrightwood and Pinion Hills. Authorities also …

West News Archives by Month