Latest Wisconsin Headlines

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

Wisconsin Bill Requiring Fire-Safe Cigarettes Passes Assembly

Mar 24 2008 // All cigarettes sold in Wisconsin would have to be the type that automatically extinguish when they’re not being smoked under a bill that has passed the Assembly. Wisconsin would join 22 other states in requiring that...

New Markets

Mar 24 2008 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com.Contractors Nuts & Bolts: Lemac &...

Insurers Could Pay Up to $730 Million to Cover Costs of PCB Cleanup in Wis.

Mar 19 2008 // Nine insurance companies should cover the costs assessed to the former Appleton Papers Inc. for cleanup of the industrial chemical PCBs in the Lower Fox River, a jury decided Monday.After a five-week trial, the jury took...

Wisconsin Bill Would Tie Drunken Snowmobiling to Driving Record

Mar 19 2008 // Snowmobilers caught operating their sleds while drunk are fined, but the offense doesn’t show up on their regular driving record.The Department of Natural Resources’ snowmobile safety administrator wants to...

Wis. High Court Reinstates Asbestos Violations in Theater Renovation

Mar 17 2008 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reinstated penalties against a firm accused of violating asbestos management rules in the renovation of the Milwaukee Theatre. The court ruled 4-3 that Harenda Enterprises Incorporated is...

Wisconsin Official Suggests Flood Insurance Necessary as Spring Arrives

Mar 11 2008 // Wisconsin residents whose communities received heavy snowfall this winter should consider buying a flood-insurance policy before the spring thaw arrives, a state insurance official said.“With spring on the way there...

Wis. Snowmobile Accidents, Deaths Increase

Mar 10 2008 // A state safety expert says snowmobile crashes on Wisconsin trails have killed 24 riders so far this winter, considerably more than a year ago.But Gary Eddy says he expected the casualty figure to be higher by now given the...

Wisconsin Bill Requiring Fire-safe Cigarettes Passes Assembly

Mar 7 2008 // All cigarettes sold in Wisconsin would have to be the type that automatically extinguish when they’re not being smoked under a bill that has passed the Assembly. Wisconsin would join 22 other states in requiring that...

Wisconsin’s Straka Named Young Agent of Year by PIA National

Mar 6 2008 // Bart Straka has been named the 2008 PIA National Young Insurance Professional of the Year. The award was presented March 1, 2008 by the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA).Straka is vice president...

Wis. Snowmobile Accidents, Deaths Increase with Record Snowfalls

Feb 28 2008 // A state safety expert says snowmobile crashes on Wisconsin trails have killed 24 riders so far this winter, considerably more than a year ago.But Gary Eddy says he expected the casualty figure to be higher by now given the...

OSHA Fines Wis. Company for Safety Violations after 4 Workers Die

Feb 27 2008 // A federal agency has cited Lakehead Blacktop & Materials for safety violations in the deaths last fall of four men who were overcome by toxic fumes after going in a manhole at the company’s landfill.The...

Insurers Testify Against Wis. Zip Code Ban Proposal

Feb 20 2008 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) today testified against Wisconsin SB 348, a bill that would ban zip codes as an insurance rating factor, saying it is unfair and hides the real cost of insurance.“SB 348...

Wis. Senate Squeaks Through Bill to Ban Credit Scoring

Feb 10 2008 // With the 2008 legislative sessions now in full swing, many states are taking another look at the issue of insurers using credit scoring to underwrite or rate auto or homeowners insurance. Insurance trade groups are...

Colo. Legislation to Ban Use of Credit Scoring in Underwriting Defeated

Feb 10 2008 // As the issue of credit scoring continues to be the subject of state legislative proposals, insurance agents in Colorado are celebrating the defeat of a bill that would have prohibited property/casualty insurers from using...

Southern Wis. Gets Hit with 20-inch Snowstorm

Feb 8 2008 // A storm that dumped some 20 inches of windblown snow on southern Wisconsin earlier this week left hundreds of motorists caught in a massive traffic backup while bringing schools, buses and airports across the region to a...

Wis. Senate Passes Bill to Ban Use of Credit Scoring by Insurers

Feb 1 2008 // Insurance groups are criticizing passage of Senate Bill 259 by the Wisconsin Senate late on Thursday, Jan. 31st. Senate Bill 259 would forbid insurers from considering information in an individual’s credit report for...

Colo. Agents Praise Credit Scoring Ban Defeat; Next Up: Wisc.

Jan 31 2008 // As the issue of credit scoring continues to be the subject of state legislative proposals, insurance agents in Colorado are celebrating the defeat of a bill that would have prohibited property/casualty insurers from using...

Farmers to Add 400 Agents in Wis.

Jan 31 2008 // Farmers Group Inc. says it plans to recruit and train 400 new agents in the Milwaukee and Madison areas in an expansion that the insurer says could ultimately create 1,000 new jobs in Wisconsin.The company will invest...

National Trade Group Urges Wis. Senate to Reject Credit Ban Proposal

Jan 30 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) recently announced that it is opposing legislation scheduled for a vote by Wisconsin Senate Thursday, Jan. 31st, that would prohibit insurers from using...

Accused Wis. Arsonist Found Not Mentally Responsible

Jan 30 2008 // A man who admitted setting fires that caused an estimated $500,000 damage has been found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect after a defense expert said he suffered from pyromania.Bayfield County Circuit Judge...