Declarations

No Radioactive Contamination

“From a radiological standpoint, the school is safe.”

— Col. Kevin Golinghorst, St. Louis District commander for the Corps of Engineers, said regarding the possibility of radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, which was shut down amid fears that nuclear material from a creek nearby had contaminated it. Teams from the Corps’ St. Louis office tested the school’s interior after a private firm found levels of radioactive isotope lead-210 that were 22 times the expected level on the kindergarten playground, as well as concerning levels of polonium, radium and other materials inside the building.

Spurs’ Learning Opportunity

“This is a learning opportunity for us, and one that we are certain will make us better moving forward.”

— San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said after Hillary Cauthen, who had worked as a performance psychologist for the team, settled her lawsuit against the Spurs and former player Josh Primo over allegations he had exposed himself to her multiple times in private sessions. Buford said since the allegations against Primo were made, the team has taken measures “to ensure that all parties involved are treated with dignity and respect.” The team collaborated with Cauthen and other experts to “review and improve our workplace processes and procedures,” he said.

Baldwin Suit

“More than anyone else on that set, Baldwin has been wrongfully viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy. By these cross-claims, Baldwin seeks to clear his name.”

— Actor Alec Baldwin is suing people involved in handling and supplying the loaded gun that he was using when it fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a 2021 filming accident in New Mexico.

Missed Opportunity

“The unilateral process Treasury employed thus far is a missed opportunity to work collaboratively with regulators on an issue we have both identified as a priority. … FIO has failed to demonstrate a good faith effort to engage with state regulators and has exhibited their intention to forgo a collaborative effort to identify and collect accurate and useful data.”

— The National Association of Insurance Commissioners said in a letter to the U.S. Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office. The NAIC expressed “deep concern” over FIO’s proposal to collect data on climate-related risks from property and casualty insurers, and its disappointment that insurance commissioners have not been engaged in the effort thus far.

New York Cannabis Coverage

“NYSIF’s mission since 1914 has been to serve businesses across New York State. And that mission includes supporting new businesses and new markets. So, we felt it was important for us to get into the marketplace and let people know that we are able to write them their mandatory coverages of workers’ compensation and disability benefits coverage.”

— New York State Insurance Fund Director Kerry Kirwan said of the fund’s decision to offer coverage to cannabis businesses in the state. New York’s adult-use cannabis market is forecast to reach more than $4.2 billion and to create up to 60,000 jobs in the next five years. NYSIF writes workers’ comp and short-term disability. It began serving the cannabis space in August.

Deep Disagreement

“We deeply disagree with the North Carolina Department of Insurance decision to liquidate these companies — and we’re surprised and disappointed that things got to this point. They didn’t have to.”

— Justin Holbrook, CEO of Global Growth Holdings, an investment group founded by embattled insurance executive Greg Lindberg, said in a statement after North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey revealed a court had approved the liquidation of Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Co. and Bankers Life Insurance Co. The two companies once were owned by Lindberg, a Carolina insurance executive who was convicted, then released, on charges of attempting to bribe Causey.