West News

Anchorage Building Getting $41M Upgrade After Quake

A building in Anchorage that once housed a Key Bank office is undergoing a $41 million renovation inspired by Alaska’s glaciers. The project developer said the former Key Bank Plaza will be modernized and draped in glass instead of concrete, …

Washington Insurance Commissioner-Backed Bill to Ban Use of Credit Scores Amended

A Washington bill to ban insurers from using consumers’ credit scores to determine auto and homeowner insurance premiums was gutted by an insurance industry amendment in the Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee on Feb. 15. Senate Bill 5010, …

California Commissioner Wants More Group Discounts for Lower-Income Drivers

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday released revised draft regulations to expand drivers’ access to group discounts. The revised draft regulations will extend discounts to previously underrepresented drivers in the first major reform of group discounts since voters approved …

Cannabis Broker Spotlight: Lockton’s Devey Helps Clients Battle ‘Insurance Fatigue’

Editor’s note: This part of a series of profiles on cannabis brokers, in which Insurance Journal explores why and how these folks got into the business, the ups and downs of insuring cannabis, as well as a few tips for …

Captain Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter in California Dive Boat Fire

The captain of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, pleaded not guilty this week to manslaughter charges. Jerry Boylan was arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on 34 counts of …

Earthquake Warning System Rolling Out in Oregon, Washington

The earthquake early warning system known as ShakeAlert will be capable of delivering alerts directly to wireless devices in Oregon on March 11 and to Washington state in May, completing the West Coast rollout, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The …

Wife Sues Husband’s Employer Over COVID-19 Infection

A federal judge is weighing what she called a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that would hold an employer responsible for a worker’s spouse getting sick with Covid-19. Plenty of families have sued businesses, from retailers to meatpacking plants, claiming that unsafe workspaces …

Newfront Insurance in California Adds AmTrust Surety’s Spruill-Iqbal

San Francisco, Calif.-based Newfront Insurance has named Lindsay Spruill-Iqbal a principal and surety producer. Spruill-Iqbal joins Newfront from AmTrust Surety. Spruill-Iqbal has more than 15 years of marketing and underwriting experience within the surety industry. Newfront is a tech-enabled insurance …

NTIS Transportation Insurance Services in California Moves to Las Vegas

NTIS Transportation Insurance Services has relocated from Laguna Hills, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nev. The California staff will now work remote. The firm has also added new staff and additional truck insurance markets. NTIS is a wholesale broker and program …

Montana Governor Lifts Mask Mandate, Virus Liability Protections in Place

Montana’s statewide mask mandate that had been in place since July was lifted by Gov. Greg Gianforte. But some cities and counties are keeping local mask requirements because they think the governor’s move was premature. Gianforte, a Republican, promised the …

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