Mandatory Seat Belt Bills Clear Virginia Senate
The Virginia Senate has passed a bill to allow police to pull over and ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt.
New York City Traffic Fatalities at Lowest Level Since 1910
Traffic fatalities in New York City fell to the lowest level last year in nearly a century. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday there were 256 traffic deaths in 2009, the fewest since records …
Lawmakers Turn Up Heat on Treasury Chief Geithner Over AIG
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Companies Offer Aid for Haitians; Caribbean Risk Pool Pays $8M
Companies pledged millions of dollars in aid Wednesday to help victims of a powerful earthquake in Haiti that devastated much of the impoverished country's capital and killed thousands. Digicel …
Tens of Thousands Feared Dead, Capital in Ruins From Haiti’s Catastrophic Quake
Tens of thousands of people were feared dead Wednesday in Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, buried beneath demolished schools, hospitals and homes, as traumatized citizens milled in streets strewn …
Sen. Dodd Announces Plans to Retire
Veteran Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd said Wednesday he will not seek re-election in November in recognition that he faced an uphill battle and underscoring upheaval facing President Barack …
Wildfires Destroy Homes in Western Australia
Wildfires roared across a swath of Western Australia on Wednesday, razing almost 40 homes and sending hundreds of people fleeing for their lives, officials and witnesses said. At least three …
Erie, Pennsylvania Bans Cell Phone Use While Driving
Northwestern Pennsylvania's largest city has banned hand-held cell phone use by those driving vehicles or riding bicycles.
Judge Rules for Lloyd’s In Dispute Over Stanford’s Insurance
A federal judge in Houston found accused swindler Allen Stanford and his attorneys in contempt of a court order Wednesday over their attempts to collect insurance policy proceeds to pay defense …
Congress Weighs Restoring Wall Between Banking, Insurance
Financial giants such as Goldman Sachs Group could be broken up under two bills introduced in the U.S. Congress Wednesday, one with the backing of former Republican presidential nominee John …
Safety Board: Citgo Texas Refinery Blast ‘Significant Near Miss’
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Wednesday called a July explosion at Citgo Petroleum Corp.'s Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery “a significant near-miss'' for a widespread release of highly toxic …
Colorado Man Guilt of $21 Million Ponzi Scheme
A former stockbroker accused of running a $21 million Ponzi scheme from his suburban Denver home for 15 years has pleaded guilty to felony mail fraud. Shawn Merriman entered the plea Wednesday in …
House Advances Sweeping Overhaul of Financial Services Regulation
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to give government regulators the power to break up financial firms that threaten economic stability, and to expose the Federal Reserve to …
Pennsylvania’s Erie Weighs Ban on Cell Phone Use By Drivers
Northwestern Pennsylvania's largest city may ban cell phone use by drivers. Erie City Council had scheduled a public hearing Wednesday morning and could vote on preliminary approval of the …
UK’s Darling Backs Stronger European Regulation
The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, backed tougher Europe-wide financial regulation in a Times article on Wednesday, but stressed that the UK's financial services industry must …
House, Senate Healthcare Bills Have Major Differences
The healthcare legislation released by the Senate's Democratic leaders Wednesday resembles a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Nov.
Benmosche Denies He Might Leave AIG; ‘Totally Committed’ Says CEO
American International Group Chief Executive Robert Benmosche said on Wednesday he remains “totally committed'' to staying at the company, countering an earlier report that he was considering …
Chimp-Attack Victim Seeks to Sue State of Connecticut
The family of a Connecticut woman mauled and blinded by a chimpanzee sought Wednesday to sue the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack. Attorneys for Charla …
Allstate Reports Q3 Profit
Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, reported a third qarter profit Wednesday, the improvement from a year ago loss made possible by lower catastrophe and …
Allstate Reports Q3 Profit
Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, reported a third qarter profit Wednesday, the improvement from a year ago loss made possible by lower catastrophe and …
Arizona County Weighs Photo Traffic Fee
Members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors are holding a hearing Wednesday to discuss adding a $20 fee to photo enforcement tickets issued by the Department of Public Safety. Drivers …
House Healthcare Bill Has Public Option, Individual Mandate, Surtax
Democrats in the House finished work Wednesday on a healthcare bill that includes a government-run insurance plan, requires individuals to buy health coverage and imposes a surtax on the wealthy …
House Panel Advances Bill on Credit Rating Agency Liability
Credit rating agencies would be more tightly regulated and more exposed to lawsuits under legislation approved Wednesday by the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
South Carolina Court Hears Wildfire Case This Week
A man fined in the most destructive wildfire in South Carolina history is facing a court date to answer to charges. Court documents show the trial for Marc Torchi is set for Wednesday in …
Supreme Court Notebook: Judges as Umpires of Lawyers’ Compensation
Chief Justice John Roberts once famously and controversially described a judge's role as akin to an umpire who merely calls balls and strikes. This past Wednesday, Roberts offered a new take on …
Supreme Court Notebook: Judges as Umpires of Lawyers’ Compensation
Chief Justice John Roberts once famously and controversially described a judge's role as akin to an umpire who merely calls balls and strikes. This past Wednesday, Roberts offered a new take on …
Delaware City Sees Significant Increase in Kitchen Fires
Dover Fire Chief Sean Christiansen says a substantial increase in kitchen fires may be tied to the downturn in the economy because more people are cooking at home. Christiansen said Wednesday …
Antarctic, Greenland Coastal Ice Thinning Surprises Experts
Scientists are surprised at how extensively coastal ice in Antarctica and Greenland is thinning, according to a study on Wednesday that could help predict rising sea levels linked to climate …
Administration Backs Financial Consumer Agency; Bill Exempts P/C
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California’s Poizner Urges No Iranian Investments
Just ahead of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Wednesday address to the United Nations in New York, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner encouraged his fellow state insurance …
