Latest Michigan Headlines
All the headlines from our Michigan Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Michigan Highways Closed Due to Crashes, Whiteout
Jan 28 2019 // Authorities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have closed a highway because of a large multi-vehicle crash and whiteout conditions. Michigan State Police said Sunday afternoon that M-28 in the central UP would be closed...
Icy Blast in Midwest Recalls 2014 ‘Polar Vortex;’ Worst to Come
Jan 27 2019 // An arctic blast spread painful cold across the Midwest on Friday, closing schools, opening warming centers and even intimidating ice fishermen in a taste of the even more dangerous weather expected next week. Forecasters...
Michigan Senate GOP Priority: Cutting Car Insurance Rates
Jan 17 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have signaled their intent to make lowering high auto insurance premiums a top priority in the two-year session, proposing legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy...
Fox Takes Over as Michigan Insurance Department Director
Jan 16 2019 // Anita Fox officially began her tenure as director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) after being sworn in on Jan. 14. Director Fox was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Dec. 27, 2018....
Michigan’s AF Group Promotes 5 in Leadership Positions
Jan 15 2019 // Lansing, Michigan-based AF Group has promoted five in key leadership positions across the organization. Abel Travis has been promoted to vice president, Underwriting & Product Innovation. Prior to joining AF Group in...
Michigan Recalls Some Medical Marijuana Products
Jan 14 2019 // A Michigan agency has issued a recall notice for several medical marijuana products that officials say failed laboratory testing. The products were sold Dec. 27-30 at HG Lansing on East Oakland Avenue in the city of...
Medical Marijuana Patients Admit Driving While Under Influence
Jan 9 2019 // More than half of people who take medical cannabis for chronic pain say they’ve driven under the influence of cannabis within two hours of using it, at least once in the last six months, according to a new study. One...
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Michigan’s First Agency
Jan 8 2019 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Kalamazoo, Michigan-based First Agency Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1959, First Agency Inc. is a broker and managing general agency specialized in...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
Declarations
Jan 7 2019 // Caution Advised “I encourage New Yorkers to exercise caution when disclosing sensitive personal information.” — New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood warned in a press release announcing that a...
States Surprised with Burst of Insurance Fraud-Related Legislation in 2018
Jan 7 2019 // Lawmakers Debated More Than 100 Fraud-Related Bills and Passed 33 into Law The introduction of new bills slows down during years when legislators tend to be more concerned with reelection. That’s why 2018 was such a...
Insurance Journal Midwest’s Top Stories for 2018: From Agent Fraud to Ruby Slippers
Dec 31 2018 // The most-read stories in Insurance Journal’s Midwest region in 2018 covered agent fraud, a fatal tourist boat sinking in Missouri, court cases and opinions, and even a pair of stolen — and returned — ruby red...
Whitmer Taps Fox to Lead Michigan Insurance, Financial Services Department
Dec 28 2018 // Michigan Governor-Elect Gretchen Whitmer has selected Anita Fox to head the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Fox brings more than 30 years of experience in the legal field to the role, having...
Damaging Hail in August Leads to Disaster Designation, Help for Michigan Farmers
Dec 21 2018 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a portion of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula has been designated as a natural disaster area following a summer hailstorm that damaged crops. Agriculture Secretary Sonny...
Michigan Company Sues 3M over Chemicals Linked to Tainted Water
Dec 21 2018 // A western Michigan-based footwear company has sued a chemical manufacturer linked to contaminated water detected at military bases and industrial sites. Wolverine World Wide filed the federal lawsuit on Dec. 19 against 3M,...
Michigan Business Index Shows Hiring, Retaining Talent Still Challenging
Dec 13 2018 // Acquiring and retaining talent remains the top challenge for Michigan’s small- to mid-sized business leaders, according to a survey commissioned by Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and the Michigan Business...
Michigan’s Kaufman Group Named a BEST for Workplace Training and Development
Dec 11 2018 // The employees and agent/broker clients of Farmington Hills, Michigan-based H.W. Kaufman Group may be pleased but not surprised to learn that the specialty insurance organization has been recognized as one of the best in...
Firms Increasing Investments in Michigan Insurance Brokerage, Acrisure
Dec 10 2018 // Three firms are increasing their investments in Acrisure LLC, the Caledonia, Michigan-based insurance brokerage announced. Acrisure said a group of investors led by funds managed by Blackstone’s GSO Capital Partners...
Curti Elected to National Assoc. of Professional Insurance Agents Executive Committee
Dec 5 2018 // Anthony (Tony) Curti, a partner with Acrisure LLC in Caledonia, Michigan, and a member of the Michigan Association of Professional Insurance Agents (MIPIA), has been elected to the executive committee of the National...
School’s Insurer to Cover Michigan Runner’s $4.5M Injury Lawsuit Settlement
Nov 19 2018 // A runner who sued his Michigan high school cross-country coach after he was severely injured during a dark early-morning practice has settled the case for $4.5 million. In 2011, Kersch Ray was a 13-year-old member of the...
