Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Insurance Commish Kreidler Going for 4th Term
Apr 12 2012 // State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said he’s seeking a fourth term in office. The Democrat officially kicked off his campaign on Wednesday and began collecting campaign funds, something that by Washington law...
Melting Arctic May Redraw Global Geopolitical Map
Apr 3 2012 // This year’s frenzy of oil and gas exploration in newly accessible Arctic waters could be the harbinger of even starker changes to come. If, as many scientists predict, currently inaccessible sea lanes across the top...
Regulators and the Business of Climate Change-Related Risk
Apr 2 2012 // For more than three years, a handful of insurance regulators and global warming activists have been trying to prod the insurance industry into taking unspecified action to address the “risks” associated with...
It’s Tsunami Preparedness Week, Now Go Sell a Policy
Mar 27 2012 // It’s Tsunami Preparedness Week, and that means states that border the Pacific Ocean may be hearing more buzz about the rare but deadly act of nature that poses catastrophic risks to coastal regions. If you’re...
Washington Mutual Sues Its D&O Insurers, Seeks Up to $250M
Mar 26 2012 // Washington Mutual Inc. recently filed a lawsuit against a dozen insurance companies that had provided directors’ and officers’ coverage. The troubled bank holding company that just completed its Chapter 11...
Washington Governor Signs Insurance Exchange Bill Into Law
Mar 26 2012 // Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday signed into law a bill setting rules for insurers preparing for the state’s online insurance exchange. Online insurance exchanges are key to the federal health care overhaul signed into...
Washington Lawmakers Vow To Push Abortion Insurance Bill
Mar 22 2012 // Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday that they will try to pass a bill during the current special session requiring insurers who cover maternity care – which Washington insurers are mandated to provide – to also pay for...
Stoned Driving Epidemic In Colorado, Washington Puts Wrinkle In Pot Debate
Mar 19 2012 // Angeline Chilton says she can’t drive unless she smokes pot. The suburban Denver woman uses medical marijuana to ease multiple sclerosis symptoms and says she’d never get behind the wheel right after smoking....
Bell-Anderson in Washington Acquires Michael J. Girias
Mar 14 2012 // Washington-based Bell-Anderson Agency Inc. has acquired Michael J. Girias Insurance of Renton, Wash. This is Bell-Anderson’s third acquisition in the past 18 months. Terms of the deal were not...
Former Agent in Washington Sentenced For Stealing $1 Million-Plus From Clients
Mar 9 2012 // A former insurance agent who stole more than $1 million from elderly clients has been sentenced to 75 months in prison. Jasmine Jamrus-Kassim was arrested in March 2011 after an investigation by the state insurance...
11 Washington Counties to Get Federal Disaster Aid
Mar 8 2012 // President Barack Obama on Monday signed a federal disaster declaration for 11 Washington counties for damages and costs suffered during January’s snowstorm. The storm of snow, ice and freezing rain caused power...
States Won’t Oppose Honda Hybrid Settlement
Mar 1 2012 // News sources are reporting that five states that were given a deadline to oppose a class-action settlement between Honda Motor Co. and owners of its cars over fuel efficiency will not do so. The states are California,...
Equipment Failure Blamed For BP Washington Refinery Fire
Feb 29 2012 // The manager of BP’s Cherry Point refinery in Washington says a fire earlier this month was most likely caused by equipment failure. A failure in the “crude vacuum unit” led to the release of some heavier...
12.8M Verdict for Washington Firefighter’s Fall Upheld
Feb 28 2012 // The Washington state Court of Appeals has upheld a verdict of nearly $13 million for a Seattle firefighter who was severely injured when he fell down an unmarked, unsecured pole hole at a fire station in the Rainier Beach...
$1M Damage in Washington Propane Tank Explosion
Feb 27 2012 // The fire department estimates property damage at $1 million from a propane tank explosion during construction work at a water treatment plant near Mukilteo. Snohomish County Fire District 1 says the explosion Thursday left...
Judge Strikes Down Washington Law Mandating Pharmacists Sell Contraception
Feb 23 2012 // A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Washington state cannot require pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives if to do so violates their religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton declared the...
State Investigates Cause of Washington’s Refinery Blaze
Feb 21 2012 // State safety inspectors are investigating the cause of a dramatic blaze at Washington’s largest oil refinery Friday near Blaine, as BP launched its own review into why it happened. The fire broke out in the sole...
Washington Senate Passes $100 Annual Electric Car Fee
Feb 20 2012 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill to charge electric car owners a $100 annual fee to compensate for the lack of gas taxes they pay. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Camano Island Democrat who sponsored the bill,...
Washington Tribe OK’d to Move Out Of Tsunami Zone
Feb 20 2012 // The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that will allow the Quileute tribe to move its school and other buildings out of a tsunami zone on the Washington coast to higher ground in Olympic National Park. The...
Washington Senate Passes $100 Annual Electric Car Fee
Feb 14 2012 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill to charge electric car owners a $100 annual fee to compensate for the lack of gas taxes they pay. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Camano Island Democrat who sponsored the bill,...
