costs News

Vermont School Says Cafeteria Plates Disappearing

A Vermont school district is trying to solve the problem of disappearing cafeteria plates. Trash bins at the Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington often have plates scattered around food and other discarded waste. The plates are disappearing quickly …

Weather Alert Siren Costs to Fall on Alabama Counties

Officials say user fees to maintain the radio system used by public safety agencies to communicate won’t cover the cost of maintaining weather alert sirens. The sirens sound during a tornado threat or other emergency in Calhoun and Talladega counties. …

Intellectual Property Litigation Costs and Claims Are Everywhere

The costs associated with patent infringement litigation are high and rising, according to intellectual property insurance experts. In smaller cases, litigation costs can be as much as the value of the intellectual property (IP) asset being protected. In larger asset …

Health Costs of 6 U.S. Climate Disasters Totals $14B

Deaths and health problems from floods, drought and other U.S. disasters related to climate change cost an estimated $14 billion over the last decade, researchers said Monday. “When extreme weather hits, we hear about the property damage and insurance costs,” …

Exxon Mobil Expects Montana Spill to Cost $135M

Exxon Mobil said it expects that its response to a July oil spill into the Yellowstone River in Montana will cost about $135 million, the company said Friday. Exxon Mobil said it has reached compensation agreements with over 95 percent …

FEMA to Give Illinois Suburb $500K for Blizzard Costs

The Chicago suburb of Naperville will receive more than $500,000 to help pay for the cleanup required after the historic February blizzard that struck Illinois. The Daily Herald reports that the money will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. …

CDC: Add $2 Per Drink for U.S. Excessive Drinking

The toll of excessive drinking works out to about $2 per drink, in terms of medical expenses and other costs to society, according to a new federal research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study calculated societal costs from …

Piracy Costs World Shipping Industry $9B a Year

Piracy is costing the global shipping trade more than $9 billion a year, according to Indian ship owners, who on Monday demanded that the U.N. set up a maritime force to halt pirates operating off the Somalian coast in the …

Pennsylvania Woman Wins 2-Cent Lawsuit Against Wal-Mart

A judge says Wal-Mart must pay up for overpricing sausages by two cents. Consumer activist Mary Bach was awarded $100 in damages and $80 in court costs Thursday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Bach, of Murrysville, says sausages she purchased last …

U.S. Airlines Say Pilot Fatigue Rule Would Cost Jobs

Big U.S. airlines told the Obama administration Thursday complying with a regulation in the works to combat pilot fatigue would cost $2 billion a year and over time cut 27,000 jobs directly tied to the industry. The carriers’ top trade …