How does one follow the other? Well, according to an interview Winot did with the Brattleboro Reformer when people burn green wood, as opposed to dried firewood, or have a fire that doesn’t burn hot enough, it creates highly flammable “black glaze,” which builds up inside chimneys. Then, when people shut down their wood stoves because the weather is warm, the sludge catches on fire, closes off the chimney, and spreads into the partition walls.

Already, Winot says, there have been two chimney fires caused by this in the past week.

The solution? Have your chimney cleaned every two or three months, and keep your fire insurance up to date.

This one is from Century 21 – we’re sharing it because we think it’s a great ad, but also because we want to remind you that when you buy a new home, you also have to shop for homeowners insurance – you can’t have one without the other.

In any case, enjoy the video, and the game.

Those numbers are from the Alabama Department of Insurance, and include amounts that state-regulated insurance companies have paid for damage to businesses, cars, homes, and other property, but does not include any claims that were paid by insurers such as Lloyd’s of London that have policies in Alabama but are not subject to state regulation.

State authorities say that if every claim was resolved and tallied, the total would probably be near $3 billion, which, according to State Insurance Commissioner Jim Riding, falls within estimates his department has seen.

Why flood insurance? Because when the wildfires burned away the trees, grasses and other vegetation in the scorched areas, the healthy plant roots that usually soak up a lot of rainwater were also lost. All that charred land means that even normal storm runoff has the potential to cause mudslides, flooding, and severe erosion.

The risk of wildfire-related flood damage is greatest, of course, for property that actually burned, but it houses and other buildings either below or downstream from the burned areas are at a heightened risk of flooding, as well. In fact, it is just this sort of interconnectedness that makes flooding the most common natural disaster in the United States.

Flood insurance can be obtained through the agent who sold your regular homeowners or renter’s insurance policy.

Specifically, about 350,000 homeowners who currently have either Texas Family or Next Generation Home Policies through Farmers will see higher rates, which are set to take effect on March 16th. The last rate hike on Farmers homeowners policies was an increase of 3.9 percent in March, 2011.

Speaking on behalf of the insurance company, vice president and executive director for Farmers in North Texas explained that the higher rates are required in order to offset the fact that claims in Texas tend to be more expensive.

The rate increase was filed with the state insurance department on October 7th.

Earlier this week, the Dallas Morning News also reported another proposal from State Farm, shifting the deductible on homeowners coverage to 1 percent of the home’s insured value rather than the current schedule of flat-rate deductibles that can be as low as $500.

Representatives of State Farm explained that the new deductibles reflect the increased cost to repair homes after claim-worthy damage.

The requested start-date for these changes is October 15th for new customers and December 1st for those who are already State Farm customers.

A recently established Texas law mandates that the state insurance commissioner completes a review of such requests within thirty days.

According to the Alabama state actuary, Charles Angell, this increase is not designed to account for losses caused by a spate of tornadoes which struck the state last April. In fact, he says, all insurers in Alabama will be able to offset only a fraction of such losses via upcoming rate requests.

Nevertheless, according to Alfa spokesperson Jeff Helms, the increase in the severity and frequency of such storms is putting pressure on insurance rates.

Alfa is an affiliate of the Alabama Farmers Federation, and the new, higher rates actually went into effect on September 1st.

Charles Angell insists that his calculations support the rate hike.

The case concerned Dean Patrick Witt, a twenty-five-year-old staff sergeant from the Air Force who died after a nurse in a military hospital inserted a breathing tube down the wrong part of his throat during an appendectomy, an operation generally considered to be “routine.”

A decision made by the Supreme Court in 1950, the Feres Doctrine, blocked Witt’s family from suing the hospital for compensation.

The effort to invalidate the Feres Doctrine has received significant support from veterans groups and active-duty military officers, seven of whom filed briefs in Witts case, in order to demonstrate the public’s interest in this legislation.

After the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey (D – New York) said that later this year he’ll reintroduce legislation to change the law, but he pointed out that it’s already survived more than a few legal challenges and congressional attempts to overturn it, so he’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

Two years ago, a similar bill that Hinchey co-sponsored, proposed in the name of a 29-year-old Iraq war veteran of the Marines who died of skin cancer that his family believes was misdiagnosed, saw some movement, but the Republicans on the Hill opposed the measure claiming it would open up the military to expensive lawsuits that would not service families, but would benefit trial attorneys.

If the law is changed, the federal government would be exposed to billions of dollars in liability claims, which makes it incredibly unlikely that this Congress, already facing sharp partisan divisions and hunting for ways to cut expenses, will pass any such legislation.

The official estimate from the Congressional Budget Office is that the government would have to pay out about $135 million a year in claims, more if the law was written to be retroactive. Hinchey maintains, however, that the cost would be less than that estimate, since his proposed law would mean a better level of care in military hospitals, resulting in fewer negligence claims. He pointed out that federal prisoners have more rights than members of the military and their families when it comes to seeking recompense for medical malpractice.

Speaking to the press about the case, Hinchey said, “It is disappointing that the Supreme Court has again failed to correct the mistake it made 61 years ago when it wrongly decided Feres.”

The Austin, TX-based attorney whose firm represented the Witt famly, Jamal Alsaffar, said that he and other activists had been hopeful that this case would lead to a change in the law. He believes that Hinchey’s proposal in Congress is the best hope now.

“We’re not going to give up the fight for these military families,” Alsaffar said to the press. “We’re going to do whatever we can do to right this wrong.”

Effective July 1, whenever a patient is transported to the hospital via an emergency medical service, the county will bill the patient’s insurance company. This includes both Medicaid and Medicare, but county officials stress that individuals will not be charged.

The fee schedule for ambulance fees is:
– $400 for basic life support services
– $500-$700 for any advanced life support services, depending on the extent of care.

According to the Prince William County fire chief, these fees should generate about $3.1 million each year for the county.

Prince William County is not the only county in Virginia that has imposed such emergency service fees.

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