West News

People Moves: Insurance Office of America Hires Leland to Western Division

Insurance Office of America (IOA), headquartered in Longwood, Fla., hired Zack Leland to its western division team. Based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Leland joins IOA as a commercial lines producer, focusing primarily on staffing, contractors, warehousing and logistics. Before joining …

Wind-Driven Hawaii Wildfire Destroying Maui Tourist Town

A wildfire erupted in Maui on Wednesday fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, destroying homes and businesses in a tourist town and forcing some residents to jump into the ocean to escape the flames. The Associated Press is reporting …

Bursting Ice Dam in Alaska Highlights Risks of Glacial Flooding

The gray, two-story home with white trim toppled and slid, crashing into the river below as rushing waters carried off a bobbing chunk of its roof. Next door, a condo building teetered on the edge of the bank, its foundation …

Glacial Dam Outburst in Alaska Eroded Riverbanks, Destroyed at Least 2 Buildings

Raging waters that ate away at riverbanks, destroyed at least two buildings and damaged others had receded Monday in Alaska`s capital city after an outburst of weekend flooding from a glacial lake, authorities said. Levels along the Mendenhall River had …

2 Southern California Firefighters and Pilot Were Killed in Helicopter Collision

Three people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided in Southern California while fighting a blaze in Riverside County, emergency officials said. One of the helicopters landed safely. ” Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished …

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Wigmore Insurance Agency in California

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Costa Mesa, California-based Wigmore Insurance Agency Inc. Tim Wigmore and his team will remain in their current location under the direction of Scott Firestone, head of Gallagher’s Southwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operations. Wigmore …

Oregon OSHA Cites Contractor for Multiple Job Safety Violations

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division fined Hillsboro contractor Arm & Hammer Construction Inc. $66,420 for multiple violations of workplace safety rules. In one violation, the company repeatedly failed to protect workers from fall hazards that could seriously injure …

Takeaways from Our Conversation on Cannabis Operators Custom Fortifying

Dispensary entrepreneur Adam Fong got tired of having his San Rafael, California operation being broken into. The business suffered five break-ins starting in 2019, with the biggest loss coming from the first theft – $10,000 worth of product and $20,000 …

2 Killed, 3 Hurt When Pleasure Boat Catches Fire in Southern California Bay

Two women were killed and another woman and two men were hospitalized with burns after a weekend fire on a pleasure boat in Long Beach, California, authorities said. The blaze was reported around 5:15 p.m. Saturday on a 35-foot motorboat …

Compensation for New Mexico Wildfire Victims Tops $14M and is Climbing

More victims of a devastating wildfire sparked last year by the U.S. Forest Service in northern New Mexico are getting compensated, with payouts to landowners totaling more than $14 million as of early next week, federal emergency managers said. Congress …

West News Archives by Month