Latest Kansas Headlines

All the headlines from our Kansas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

$5.7M Awarded to Kansas Crash Victims’ Family

Apr 11 2011 // A southeast Kansas man whose wife and daughter were killed when a fleeing driver hit their car has been awarded $5.7 million in damages.The Joplin Globe reported that assistant Pittsburg State University football coach...

People

Apr 4 2011 // Ohio-based Westfield Insurance promoted Joseph C. Kohmann to group finance leader (CFO) and treasurer. He replaces Robert Krisowaty, who retires with more than 10 years of service.In July 2010 Kohmann assumed the position...

Whalen Named Producers Division Director at Kansas Insurance Dept.

Mar 31 2011 // Kansas Commissioner of Insurance Sandy Praeger named Tom Whalen as the Kansas Insurance Department’s new Producers Division director.The division qualifies and supervises Kansas insurance agents and agencies. It...

Whipps Named President of IMA’s Kansas City Office

Mar 30 2011 // IMA Inc., a retail insurance brokerage, announced that Michael Whipps has joined as president of the company’s Kansas City, Kan., office. IMA of Kansas City is part of the IMA Financial Group Inc., a financial...

Judge in Kansas Upholds Ruling in Boeing Age Discrimination Suit

Mar 30 2011 // A federal judge in Wichita, Kan., has refused to reconsider his earlier ruling siding with The Boeing Co. and Spirit AeroSystems in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by former workers in the wake of Boeing’s 2005...

Kansas Workplace Injuries Drop by 12% in 2009

Mar 22 2011 // Kansas labor officials say nonfatal workplace injuries in Kansas fell by 12 percent in 2009, the most recent year the statistics are available.The Department of Labor says the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses...

Signature Select Promotes Elgas to VP in Kansas City

Mar 14 2011 // Signature Select LLC, a retail insurance broker subsidiary of The IMA Financial Group Inc., has promoted Chad Elgas to vice president of the Kansas City, Kan., market. Elgas will manage strategic growth in Kansas City and...

Insurer Group Testifies in Support of Kansas Bill Banning ‘Crash’ Taxes

Mar 10 2011 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) announced it testified in favor of legislation in Kansas — House Bill 2119 — that would prohibit municipalities from adopting accident response fees or “crash...

Marsh Appoints Kern to Lead Kansas City Office

Mar 7 2011 // Insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh, has appointed Mike Kern as its new Kansas City, Mo., office head. Kern brings to Marsh more than 20 years of insurance brokerage and underwriting experience. In his new role, he...

Kansas Studying Impact of Health Insurance Act on Agents, Insurers

Mar 3 2011 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger will conduct a public fact-finding hearing March 14 regarding the impact on Kansas insurance companies and agents of a medical loss ratio (MLR) provision in the federal...

Signature Select Hires Three in Kansas City

Mar 1 2011 // Denver-based Signature Select LLC, a retail insurance broker subsidiary of The IMA Financial Group Inc., has expanded its commercial lines insurance practice in Kansas City, Kan., by adding vice presidents Larry Laubach...

People

Feb 21 2011 // Kansas City-based insurance broker Lockton Companies expanded its St. Louis, Mo., office with the addition of Ryan W. Brown as producer. Brown, a mining and energy expert, comes to Lockton from Peabody Energy, where he...

Agriculture, Energy Help Bolster Mid-America States Economy

Feb 2 2011 // The economy is gaining strength in nine Midwest and Plains states because global growth and continued low interest rates have provided a boost to agriculture and energy businesses, according to a new survey released Feb....

Model Boasts Good Track Record Predicting Political Hotspots

Feb 1 2011 // The forecast for predicting the next political hotspots could be much more accurate because of a model developed by two Kansas State University professors and a colleague in New York.The model, named the Predictive...

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Names Birdsall Chief Actuary

Jan 28 2011 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger appointed Mark Birdsall, a veteran life insurance actuary, as the chief actuary for the Kansas Insurance Department (KID).Birdsall, a former Utah resident, has 31 years’...

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Appoints New Staff

Jan 25 2011 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger has named a new general counsel, a new consumer assistance director and made title changes for two staff members at the Kansas Insurance Department (KID).Praeger named Zachary...

Business Moves

Jan 24 2011 // Combined Agents, Elliott Insurance, HC&H InsuranceAustin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) has added two new agency members, one located in Kansas and one in North Texas. With the addition of the two...

Anderson Re-joins Lockton in Kansas City

Jan 24 2011 // Commercial insurance executive Doug Anderson has re-joined Lockton as senior vice president and producer in the insurance broker’s property and casualty operation in Kansas City, Mo. Anderson will be responsible for...

Kansas Insurance Department Recoveries for Consumers Drop in 2010

Jan 12 2011 // The Kansas Insurance Department is reporting that it recovered 32 percent less money for consumers last year than it did in 2009.But the agency says the number of complaints from consumers about insurance companies also...

Combined Agents of America Expands with Agencies in Texas, Kansas

Jan 11 2011 // Austin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America, LLC (CAA) announced it has added two new agency members, one located in Kansas and one in North Texas.With the addition of the two new members of the group — Elliott...