Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Top West Insurance Journal Stories of 2023
Dec 29 2023 // Insurers pulling back from an increasingly risky California market grabbed the attention of Insurance Journal readers this year. This was the subject of the top four most popular stories in Insurance Journal’s West...
Firefighters Battled Blaze in Historic Firehouse Near U.S. Capitol
Dec 18 2023 // Firefighters in Washington, D.C., on Friday battled a three- alarm fire that started in a three-story former firehouse under renovation near the U.S. Capitol. DC Fire and EMS said one firefighter declared mayday and was...
Washington Insurance Commissioner Issued $305K in Fines
Dec 18 2023 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines in November totaling $305,694 against insurance companies and insurance producers for violations of state insurance laws and regulations. Following are the...
Washington College Student Dies, Others Sickened in Apparent Carbon Monoxide Leak
Dec 15 2023 // Authorities brought in outside experts to find the source of carbon monoxide believed to have killed one student and sickened two others at a college in Washington. The experts, from a forensic engineering firm that...
NOAA: Arctic Summer Surface Air Warmest on Record
Dec 15 2023 // A report out this week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the Arctic summer surface air temperatures were the warmest on record, with some areas, including northern Alaska and Canada, 7.2...
Crews Work to Contain Gas Pipeline Spill in Washington
Dec 13 2023 // Responders set up a containment boom after a gasoline spill from the weekend failure of part of a pipeline in northwest Washington, but federal regulators reported no signs of any fuel reaching the Skagit River. About...
Washington Cancer Center Patients Get Threatening Emails Following Data Breach
Dec 12 2023 // Some patients of a Seattle, Washington-based cancer center received threatening emails following a data breach last month. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center officials said a Nov. 19 hack hit a portion of the health care...
Six Killed, Businesses Destroyed as Severe Storms Hit Central Tennessee
Dec 11 2023 // NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Severe storms that tore through central Tennessee killed six people Saturday and sent about two dozen to the hospital as homes and businesses were damaged in multiple cities. Three people,...
Washington Fruit Grower Fined After Workers Die in Tractor Rollovers
Dec 11 2023 // A Yakima, Washington, fruit grower and processor was fined nearly $300,000 by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries after two orchard workers died in tractor rollovers almost exactly a month apart. The...
Violations Against Washington Roofer Bring Fines to over $3.5M
Dec 4 2023 // A Snohomish, Washington roofing company faces more than $400,000 in fines for reportedly disregarding safety rules it has violated 60 times over the past four years. The Washington State Department of Labor &...
Ohio Settles Lawsuit With Chemical Companies For $110 Million Over PFAS Contamination
Dec 1 2023 // DOVER, Del. (AP) – The DuPont Co. and two spin-off firms will pay $110 million to the state of Ohio to settle a lawsuit over environmental threats from toxic chemicals used at a former DuPont facility in neighboring West...
Washington Workers’ Comp Premium Rate Going up an Average of 4.9% in 2024
Dec 1 2023 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced a 4.9% increase in the average workers’ compensation premium rate for 2024. The increase, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, means employers and...
Alleged Leader of Multi-State Auto Fraud Ring Arrested in Florida After 4 Years in Hiding
Nov 29 2023 // A Washington State man, on the lam for four years and wanted in connection with $6 million in auto insurance fraud schemes and staged accidents across the country, has been arrested in Florida. The U.S. Marshals Service...
Business Moves
Nov 20 2023 // National Arthur J. Gallagher, Clements Worldwide Global insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Washington, D.C.-based Clements Worldwide. Clements is an international insurance broker serving expats,...
US Sanctions Maritime Companies, Vessels for Shipping Oil Above Russian Price Cap
Nov 17 2023 // The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on maritime companies and vessels for shipping Russian oil sold above the G7’s price cap, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for...
US Political Violence Driven by New Breed of ‘Grab-Bag’ Extremists
Nov 16 2023 // Before he committed mass murder in Colorado late last year, Anderson Lee Aldrich was a lively presence among a group of friends who regularly assembled online for hours to chat, play video games and trade internet...
Washington Commissioner Issues $607K on Fines for Violations
Nov 14 2023 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines in October totaling $607,613.35 against insurance companies and insurance producers that reportedly violated state insurance laws and regulations. Following are...
Violations Against Washington Roofer Bring Fines to over $3.5M
Nov 13 2023 // A Snohomish, Washington roofing company faces more than $400,000 in fines for reportedly disregarding safety rules it has violated 60 times over the past four years. The Washington State Department of Labor &...
Right Turn on Red? With Pedestrian Deaths Rising, US Cities Are Considering Bans
Nov 7 2023 // Sophee Langerman was on her way to a bicycle safety rally in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood in June when a car turning right rolled through a red light and slammed into her bike, which she was walking off the curb...
Three Passengers Sue Alaska Airlines After Off-Duty Pilot Accused of Trying to Cut Engines
Nov 6 2023 // Three passengers sued Alaska Airlines, saying they suffered emotional distress from an incident last month in which an off-duty pilot is accused of trying to shut down the engines of a plane while catching a ride in the...
