Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rain Floods Western Washington Rivers
Nov 14 2008 // Heavy rain swelled rivers across Western Washington, causing numerous road closures and prompting authorities to recommend evacuations in some areas. No injuries or serious property damage were reported from the wet...
Euro Zone in Recession as World Leaders Head for Summit
Nov 14 2008 // Recession has struck much of Europe, data showed on Friday, confirming a widespread economic downturn that world leaders hope to tackle at a weekend summit in Washington. The worst financial crisis in 80 years has weakened...
Survey: Washington Cell Phone Law Not So Popular
Nov 12 2008 // Washington drivers may be having second thoughts about the state’s new law governing hand-held cell phone use while driving, a recent poll by Pemco Insurance shows. In February 2008, prior to the law’s...
Washington Launches New Insurance Fraud Web Site
Nov 12 2008 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is using his office’s Web site to help fight insurance fraud. In an effort to protect consumers, the fraud section of the site has been expanded to educate people on...
Montana, Washington To Decide on Insurance Regulators
Nov 4 2008 // Voters in Montana and Washington will decide who will regulate the insurance marketplace in their states. In Montana, the current Insurance Auditor John Morrison is not seeking re-election. Republican state Sen. Duane...
Washington Seeks Tools to Fight Identity Thieves
Oct 24 2008 // Law enforcement officers, prosecutors and private-sector fraud investigators say new technology and laws are needed to help prevent identity theft crimes in Washington and prosecute increasingly crafty and covert...
Washington, Lease Crutcher Lewis Settle Over Crane Safety Violations
Oct 23 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Lease Crutcher Lewis have settled an appeal of the safety violations that were cited following the collapse of a tower crane in Bellevue in November...
Maryland Navy Commander Sued over Funds for 9/11 Injury
Oct 16 2008 // Federal prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against a Navy commander from Maryland’s Anne Arundel County who was granted a Purple Heart for injuries he claimed to have suffered when a plane crashed into the...
Lehman Failure Seen as Straw that Broke Credit Market, AIG
Oct 13 2008 // As finance chiefs gathered in Washington D.C. this weekend to work out what went wrong with the world economy, the refusal of the U.S. Treasury to rescue investment bank Lehman Brothers was being blamed as the straw that...
Global Crisis Claims Japan Life Insurer, Markets Panic
Oct 10 2008 // The global credit crisis claimed its first Japanese financial institution on Friday and the government looked to prop up smaller banks, as Tokyo shares suffered their biggest rout since a 1987 crash. Government ministers...
Washington Commissioner Approves Safeco Sale
Oct 6 2008 // The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner approved the acquisition of the Safeco Group by the Liberty Mutual Group for $6.2 billion. Liberty Mutual indicated that Safeco will keep its name, will remain...
Washington Proposes 3% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates
Oct 6 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has proposed a 3 percent increase in 2009 workers’ compensation rates. Average premiums would go up by under 2 cents per hour worked. “We are...
Washington Group Allowed to Use Workers’ Comp Rebates for Politics
Oct 1 2008 // The Building Industry Association of Washington can continue to spend money on the governor’s race while a court case against the group moves forward, a judge ruled. Thurston County Superior Court Judge Christine...
Lawmakers to Tackle Wall Street Bailout Plan Again Today
Sep 26 2008 // U.S. congressional leaders will try again on Friday to save a $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan after talks broke down in acrimony against the backdrop of the nation’s biggest-ever bank failure. As negotiations...
Untrustworthy Insurance Agents Will Lose Licenses in Washington
Sep 22 2008 // Insurance agents in Washington state can lose their licenses if they are deemed “untrustworthy.” In an important decision, the Washington State Court of Appeals ruled that Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler...
Washington Commissioner Approves Safeco Sale
Sep 22 2008 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler announced that his office has approved the acquisition of the Safeco Group by the Liberty Mutual Group for $6.2 billion. Liberty Mutual has indicated that Safeco will keep...
Washington Proposes 3% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates
Sep 19 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has proposed a 3 percent increase in 2009 workers’ compensation rates. Average premiums would go up by just under 2 cents per hour worked. “We...
Washington Regulator Issues Statement on AIG
Sep 18 2008 // In response to consumer inquiries about insurance companies owned by the troubled financial conglomerate, American International Group (AIG), Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the following statement...
Bristol West Decreases Washington Auto Rates 10 Percent
Sep 12 2008 // Davie, Fla.-based Bristol West Insurance Co. announced it is decreasin automobile insurance rates up to 10 percent for current and new customers in Washington. The rate decrease is effective Sept. 16, 2008, and is based on...
Neary Joins Insurance Broker Lockton in Washington, D.C.
Sep 10 2008 // Brian Neary has joined insurance broker Lockton in Washington, D.C. as a vice president and producer in the firm’s employee benefits consulting practice. Prior to joining Lockton, Neary was a with Mercer Health...
