West News

Arizona Sees Recreational Cannabis Sales Start

Legal sales of recreational marijuana in Arizona have started, a once-unthinkable step in the former conservative stronghold that joins 14 other states that have broadly legalized pot. The state Health Services Department on Friday announced it had approved 86 licenses …

California May Prioritize Age Before Essential Workers for Vaccine

Advocates for farmworkers, teachers, grocery store clerks and other essential workers are worried they will have to wait until this summer to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as California considers giving priority to older residents. State officials said the move …

Propel Insurance in Washington Names Hub’s Fusaro CFO

Tacoma, Wash.-based Propel Insurance has named Angelo Fusaro chief financial officer. Fusaro succeeds Pete Hendrick, who has announced his retirement after serving as CFO since 2004. Fusaro has more than 20 years of experience in financial and operational management. He …

Man Pleads Guilty to Deaths of 36 in California Warehouse Fire

The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a 2016 dance party pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung …

Las Vegas Gym Sued over Gymnastics Coach Abuse Allegations

Eight women who were taught by a former USA Gymnastics coach now facing lewdness and sexual assault charges are suing the Las Vegas gym where he trained them from 2009 to 2015. A civil negligence and liability lawsuit filed Tuesday …

California Construction Worker Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud

Jose Zepeda, 45, of Fresno, Calif., self-surrendered this week on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and attempted perjury after filing a workers’ compensation insurance claim and allegedly misleading the insurance carrier regarding his employment status in order to collect …

Jumpstart Parametric Earthquake Firm on Move in West

Jumpstart Insurance Solutions Inc. is on the move in the earthquake-prone West – and the company is now working with insurance agents. Jumpstart, a licensed surplus lines insurance broker using Lloyd’s capacity, began offering earthquake insurance in California a little …

California OKs Using Moderna Vaccine After Illness Reports

California says it’s safe to resume using a batch of Moderna coronavirus vaccine after some people fell ill and a halt to injections was recommended. The decision frees up more than 300,000 doses to counties, cities and hospitals struggling to …

Pardon for Ex-Google Exec Who Took Self-Driving Car Secrets to Uber

A long-running Silicon Valley soap opera took an unexpected twist on Wednesday after outgoing President Donald Trump pardoned a former Google engineer for stealing self-driving car secrets shortly before joining Uber. Trump’s surprise pardon of Anthony Levandowski enables him to …

George Petersen in California Names Five New Principals

George Petersen Insurance Agency has promoted Joseph Feierabend, Jack Fess, Sean Parsons, Colby Ritch and Mindy Sehon to principals within the agency. The agency now has 20 principals across eight of the agency’s 10 locations in Northern California. Feierabend, a …

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