Eleven months ago, Houston had a deadly flood. This week, the city had another. Events like these are often called “100-year floods,” and that can be misleading. The U.S. government began using the term in the 1960s to describe a … Source: Claims Journal

Plaintiffs leading a lawsuit against online dating website Ashley Madison over a security breach that exposed the personal data of customers must publicly identify themselves to proceed with the case, a U.S. judge has ruled. Forty-two plaintiffs, seeking to represent … Source: Claims Journal

Uber Technologies Inc. resolved the biggest threat to its business by settling with California drivers suing to be treated more like traditional employees, a move that could have broad-ranging implications for companies across the sharing economy. The agreement calls for … Source: Claims Journal

A bid to repeal Louisiana’s motorcycle helmet requirement narrowly failed in the state House. The measure fell shy Wednesday of the 53 votes needed to advance to the Senate for consideration. Lawmakers voted 49-46 in support of the measure. Rep. … Source: Claims Journal

President Rafael Correa said Ecuador’s worst earthquake in decades caused billions of dollars of damage and he is raising sales taxes and putting a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction. The damage from 7.8-magnitude quake adds to … Source: Claims Journal

Scientists say the Sierra’s eastern front is long overdue for a large earthquake along the California-Nevada line, where a magnitude-7 event expected on average every 30 years hasn’t occurred in six decades. Nevada Seismology Laboratory Director Graham Kent says the … Source: Claims Journal

As more than a foot of rain deluged the nation’s fourth-largest city, inundating homes, shutting down major highways and leaving at least five people dead, Houston’s mayor said there was no immediate solution. Heavy flooding has become nearly an annual … Source: Claims Journal

The first time Jason Ebert needed an air ambulance, it saved his life. The second time, it nearly broke the bank. Both times, Montana doctors ordered Ebert flown 150 miles from Bozeman to Billings for treatment. But while insurance covered … Source: Claims Journal

A newspaper analysis has found that while some safety steps have been taken across Texas following the deadly 2013 explosion at a plant in West, tons of the same kind of fertilizer that exploded there can still be found near … Source: Claims Journal

Organizers of a major Gulf Coast sailboat race are making changes to improve safety a year after the regatta ended in chaos and death when a powerful storm struck Alabama’s Mobile Bay while dozens of boats were on the water. … Source: Claims Journal