Latest Washington Headlines

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

How ‘Crying Wolf’ in Bad Weather Warnings Erodes Public Compliance

Jan 28 2015 // The public is more likely to trust and comply with bad weather warnings—such as for winter snowstorms and icy roads—if authorities give their warnings as a probability estimate, according to risk researchers.The...

White House Drone Landing Complicates Regulation Debate

Jan 26 2015 // The discovery of a radio-controlled copter on the White House lawn injects a new complication into the debate over the growing popularity of drones used by civilians.The unintentional security breach Monday at the U.S....

Washington Church, Law Firm Settle Legal Malpractice Claim

Jan 26 2015 // The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has settled a malpractice case it filed against the law firm that handled its bankruptcy over priest sex abuse claims.The church and the Paine Hamblen law firm settled Friday, but the terms...

New York, Northeast May Get 3 Feet of Snow in Historic Storm

Jan 26 2015 // A blizzard forecasters call “life-threatening” that may drop three feet of snow from New York to Boston has caused more than 1,800 flight cancellations and will likely block road and rail traffic, close schools...

Work on ‘Tsunami-Proof’ School on Washington Coast Underway

Jan 22 2015 // Ground has been broken for a new school building on the Washington coast at Westport. Officials say the structure is designed to be tsunami-proof.KOMO-TV reported that the planned “vertical evacuation...

Small Tornado in Washington Confirmed by Weather Service

Jan 21 2015 // The National Weather Service confirms it was a small tornado that knocked down some trees and blew around loose objects Sunday afternoon at Gig Harbor in Washington. A Weather Service survey team determined the tornado was...

Report: Liquefaction Had a Hand in Deadly Washington Mudslide

Jan 15 2015 // A study of the Oso landslide in Washington state that killed 43 people in March says the amount of water that saturated a hillside made it especially destructive when it gave way. The soil lost its coherence and flowed...

Cybersecurity Bill Faces Tough Sledding on Capitol Hill

Jan 15 2015 // President Barack Obama’s bid to get Congress to pass stalled cybersecurity legislation is seen as having an uphill fight amid differences between Republicans and the administration over privacy safeguards and other...

Heine Joins Griffin Underwriting Services in Washington

Jan 12 2015 // Griffin Underwriting Services has named Cathy Heine personal lines manager. Heine will be responsible for underwriting a variety of personal lines programs as well as expanding relationships with agency and company...

Washington Seeks Two-Tier System for Driver’s License, IDs

Jan 12 2015 // Washington state officials are seeking to redesign the state’s driver’s licenses and ID cards in order to comply with tougher federal requirements for proof of U.S. residency for government-sanctioned...

2015 Insurance Industry Meetings & Conventions Directory

Jan 12 2015 // Welcome to Insurance Journal‘s 2015 Insurance Industry Meetings and Conventions Directory. The information in this directory is taken from a larger database containing additional information on these and other...

Hub International Acquires Fidelity Associates in Spokane, Washington

Jan 9 2015 // Hub International Limited (Hub), a global insurance brokerage, announced that it has acquired the assets of Fidelity Associates Inc. and Fidelity Associates Financial Services Inc.(collectively, Fidelity), servicing...

Environmental Groups Sue EPA to Force Fracking Chemicals Disclosure

Jan 8 2015 // A coalition of advocacy groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for public access to information on toxic chemicals released by the energy industry through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and other forms of...

Washington Company Fined $199K After Worker Death

Jan 7 2015 // The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has fined an Everett company $199,000 for 16 safety violations related to the death of a worker last July.Nineteen-year-old Bradley Hogue was killed by a rotating auger...

Beaulieu Joins Woodruff-Sawyer in Washington

Jan 6 2015 // Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named Kristin Beaulieu vice president in the property/casualty practice. Beaulieu will focus on developing business in the life science, technology and financial institution sectors. She will...

Family Sues Washington Hospital Over Death

Jan 5 2015 // The family of a Tri-Cities, Wash. man who died after being found bloody and unconscious on the floor of an Eastern State Hospital restroom has filed a lawsuit claiming the hospital is at fault.Misael Rodriguez, 43, was...

Washington Fines Fireworks Company for Safety Problems

Dec 31 2014 // The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries has fined a fireworks plant $1,200 for safety violations after investigating a fatal explosion this past June.Entertainment Fireworks produces professional...

Washington Wildfire Claims Prepared for Lawsuit

Dec 30 2014 // More than 150 property owners are preparing to sue the state of Washington over wildfire damage claims that have been denied by the state Department of Natural Resources. Brewster attorney Alex Thomason told the Capital...

Marijuana Ban in Washington County Upheld By Judge

Dec 23 2014 // A superior court judge on Monday agreed with an opinion issued by the Washington Attorney General’s Office earlier this year, concluding that nothing in a pot legalization initiative overrides local...

Washington Artist’s ‘Angry Birds’ Lawsuit Goes Forward

Dec 17 2014 // A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a Seattle, Wash. artist who designed a line of plush pet toys called “Angry Birds.” Juli Adams designed the plush “Angry Birds” toys in...