Articles by Mike Schneider

Agency Won’t Release SeaWorld Trainer-Killer Whales Safety Protocols

A federal agency is refusing to release SeaWorld’s new safety protocols for trainer interactions with killer whales despite a judge’s ruling that they are not trade secrets. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has refused to make public the …

Travelers Insurance Says Policy Excludes Trayvon Martin’s Mother’s Claim

Trayvon Martin’s mother is asking for at least $75,000 from the homeowners’ association of the gated community where her teenage son was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, court documents show. Sybrina Fulton also has asked for an …

Trayvon Martin’s Parents Seek Help from Florida Victims’ Fund

Trayvon Martin’s mother has asked for an undisclosed amount of money from a state fund set up to help crime victims with things like funeral expenses and counseling, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The documents, obtained through …

Judge Slashes SeaWorld’s OSHA Fine for Death of Whale Trainer

SeaWorld Orlando’s $75,000 fine from the federal job safety agency for the death of a trainer by a killer whale two years ago has been reduced to $12,000, according to a judge’s ruling obtained Wednesday. The Associated Press acquired Judge …

Florida Homeowners Association Could Be Sued in Martin Shooting Case

If Trayvon Martin’s family sues over his death, they might not target George Zimmerman but instead the homeowners association of the neighborhood where the shooting happened and Zimmerman lived. That’s because if Zimmerman’s claim that he shot the unarmed 17-year-old …

Nix the Tape on Home Windows, Say Hurricane Officials

Officials with the National Hurricane Center had a message this week for residents living in hurricane-prone areas: Don’t tape your windows. Center officials are joining with a consumer advocate group at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Fla. this week …

Florida Investigating Cause of Multiple Car Pile-Up That Killed 10

Authorities in Florida are trying to determine what caused a horrific highway pileup where vehicles collided one after another on a dark highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were blinded. At least 10 were killed in the …

Florida’s SeaWorld Fights OSHA Findings in Trainer’s Death

SeaWorld Orlando is fighting $75,000 in penalties from a federal job safety agency following last year’s death of a trainer who was grabbed by a killer whale and dragged under water. A hearing was held for yesterday before an administrative …

Tornado-Hit States Rank High in Uninsured

Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most twister-prone, data analyzed by The …

States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured

Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most twister-prone, data analyzed by The …