All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Apr 13 2014 // Pressure from the water behind Wanapum Dam may have contributed to the big crack that has disrupted operations at the structure, the Grant County Public Utility District said.The cause of the crack remains unknown, but the...
Apr 10 2014 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines totaling $23,050 against insurance companies, agents and brokers who violated state insurance regulations. The disciplinary actions and fines were levied from...
Apr 8 2014 // Two contractors at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington will pay more than $175,000 in fines after an investigation found alleged asbestos violations.The Environmental Protection Agency says CH2M Hill Plateau...
Apr 7 2014 // Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has vetoed a proposed cut of $1.5 million to Washington state’s disaster response fund.This decision was on a list of vetoes applied to the supplement state budget approved by lawmakers...
Apr 7 2014 // An unexplained blast this week at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in rural Washington state, which injured workers, forced an evacuation and raised alarm about a potentially large second explosion, could focus...
Apr 7 2014 // The warnings could hardly have been clearer. One technical report told of the “potential for a large catastrophic failure” of the 600-foot hillside above a rural neighborhood near Oso, on the Stillaguamish...
Apr 7 2014 // On a June morning in 2012, New York bank examiners paid surprise visits to the offices of Ocwen Financial Corp., the biggest non-bank mortgage servicer.That break with tradition — examiners typically set up...
Apr 4 2014 // The number of confirmed deaths in the Washington state mudslide rose to 30 on Thursday with the release of two more victim names.The Snohomish County medical examiner’s office says 67-year-old Gloria Halstead and...
Apr 2 2014 // McGriff, Seibels & Williams Inc. has acquired Caledonian Insurance Group Inc. of Mercer Island, near Seattle, Wash. The deal was completed April 1. Terms were not disclosed. Caledonian specializes in insurance...
Mar 31 2014 // The search for flight MH370, the Malaysian jetliner that vanished over the South China Sea on March 8, has involved more than two dozen countries and 60 aircraft and ships but been bedeviled by regional rivalries.While...
Mar 28 2014 // After Symetra Financial Corp. was formed in 2004, the life insurer set up shop in a 25-story glass tower outside Seattle, put its name on the building and pushed the state to adopt more favorable rules for its business.The...
Mar 26 2014 // Rescuers slogging through muck and rain Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors of a massive mudslide instead recovered two bodies and believe they have located another eight, Washington state officials...
Mar 26 2014 // The U.S. office responsible for monitoring safety defects in cars has had its budget stagnate and its staff cut by one-fifth from highs more than a decade ago, when Congress tried to strengthen it.While no one has...
Mar 25 2014 // If President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law unravels, it could be for want of a single number in crucial passages of the 2,409-page statute.The missing number, 1321, refers to a section of the Patient...
Mar 21 2014 // Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.’s 600 U.S. craft shops close each Sunday, posting a notice that employees are spending the day with their families and at worship. It’s a visible sign that the company is as focused on...
Mar 18 2014 // General Motors Co. took advantage of a regulatory gray area to address an engine defect almost a decade ago, leaving most car owners unaware that their vehicles may have been unsafe.Rather than issue a recall, GM sent...
Mar 13 2014 // The Board of Directors of Renton, Wash.-based Bell-Anderson Agency Inc. named Jason Webb, Matthew Heikkala and Jennifer Lutz as senior vice presidents of sales.Webb is a member of the agency’s Leadership Committee...
Mar 12 2014 // The Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle says some employees and volunteers may be victims of national tax refund fraud because of a data breach.The Seattle Times reported that the archdiocese posted a notice about the problem...
Mar 11 2014 // Brandon Nyberg has joined The Leavitt Group’s Tacoma office. Nyberg specializes in employee benefits for companies of all sizes. His insurance experience includes working with self-funded groups with over 100...
Mar 7 2014 // Colorado is launching a new “Drive High, Get A DUI” campaign to remind drivers that newly legal marijuana should be treated like alcohol and not used before driving.The campaign includes radio and TV ads and...