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Many Phoenix, AZ residents are still reeling from storm damage caused by multiple heavy rainstorms during the first week of September, but some homeowners are realizing that their frustrations are just beginning. Contrary to popular belief, damage caused by flooding is often not covered by most insurance policies. And while a good rainstorm or two tends to remind homeowners about the importance of having both homeowner or renter and auto insurance, checking up on one's insurance policies after a big storm occurs may result in some unpleasant surprises. As Russ Wiles notes in a recent azcentral.com article, homeowners -- like many Phoenix residents at the moment -- don't realize (or remember) that their insurance policies have complicated rules regarding water damage coverage. A spokespers...

Businesses in North Carolina will soon have a new way to advertise, and it's coming straight from the Department of Transportation. A new sponsorship program will allow businesses to attach corporate messages and logos on DOT property, starting with the DOT's yellow Incident Management Assistance Patrol Trucks and expanding to ferries, shoulders, websites and rest areas. Even the DOT helplines may eventually be sponsored by a business. Officials are hoping that the deal will generate millions of dollars a year for the Department of Transportation. The yellow IMAP trucks are a common sight on busy North Carolina freeways, serving as responders to stranded motorists and major accidents. Now, when residents see them arriving in their rear view, they might catch a glimpse of an advertise...

In Norristown, PA, residents may have noticed that the streets were a little less clean this past June. That is because one of the area’s street sweepers was out of commission for 19 days for repairs. The 2007 Elgin Pelican street sweeper had to be in the repair shop from June 9 to June 27. Norriston, located just six miles North of Philadelphia, is home to 25,000 residents. “We had to replace a number of different motors that operate the brooms. One was the main broom motor and some of the other motors run the side brooms,” explained Norrison public works director, Robert Glisson. “Grand Turk in Bridgeport, the manufacturer’s authorized repair facility, did the repairs for $24,000.” While the Pelican was out of commission, the second street sweeper attempted to handle some of its route...

David Lee, a 76 year old veteran who was collecting disabled veterans donations for other local disabled vets, had nearly $1,000 in donations stolen from right under him in front of a Massachusetts supermarket last week. The suspect is a homeless white male in his late 20s or early 30s. The man was riding a bicycle, when he approached Lee and asked him, "What's that?", while pointing in another direction. When Lee looked where the man was pointing, the suspect proceeded to grab the donation bucket and pedal away on his bike. The man is known by other area homeless people. Police are still investigating. However, Lee was not at all discouraged or deterred. In fact, this event simply fueled his resolve to help other veterans. He was back outside the supermarket where he was robbed the ...

Michael Pritchard saw two things: a running bus with its door open, and a small child riding by on his bike. What happened next might sound like a scene ripped right out of a family comedy."I looked in my mirror and I saw a little head in the driver's seat of the bus," said Pritchard. Yes, a 9 year old boy from Canada stole a bus and then took it out for a joyride while still in his pajamas -- because he could. "He had an opportunity to take it," said police spokesman Sgt. Ryan Smith said. "And he did." The littlest bus thief, who had to stand to operate the vehicle because his legs were too short to reach the pedals, joyrode the bus for about three blocks, turning right at least twice. "My wife looked out her window and saw a city bus and said, 'There's a boy driving that bus,'" ...

The drought in California is hitting everyone on the east coast hard, but are homeowners associations doing enough to help their residents save water? A resident of the San Ramon neighborhood in Twin Creeks is locked in a battle with her HOA for a surprising reason, given the current situation. The association is objecting to her installation of a drought-resistant yard. Fran Paxton was met with resistance when she replaced her sod lawn with a type of mint that requires much less water to stay green and healthy. She claims she's just trying to be a good citizen. Her HOA claims that she's damaging the appearance of the neighborhood. The local water district was so pleased with the landscaping job that they gave her a rebate on the lawn makeover, but the Twin Creeks Homeowners Assoc...

This past Labor Day, a Sacramento family escaped the fire consuming their house. Fire rescue crews were still inside when the inferno, whose flames shot 50 feet into the air, caused the roof to collapse. Around one o'clock in the morning, Jesse Chan heard a noise from outside. He opened the front door to find a small fire on the porch. Chan immediately ran to tell his parents, who were asleep. “My dad ran through the front door while the flames were still small," said Chan. "He ran through the front door and grabbed the hose. I went through the garage and opened the garage door." As Chan's father tried to use the hose to douse the flames, neighbors look on in disbelief. “We felt the heat from our balcony, just standing up there”, said Jocelynn Tupou. “It was scary, especially f...

With summertime comes summer events, with weddings, graduation parties, and family get-togethers being among the most popular. Using party tent rentals to shelter guests is just one choice that hosts have, along with renting tables, chairs, linens, and decorations, too. Yet with renting a tent comes a certain amount of risk. Although a tent can provide protection from wind, rain, and hot sun, there are safety precautions party hosts most take when relying on one of these structures. Having the right area for an event is one concern: This August, in Dorset, Vt., a man was cited for crashing into two party tents and a tree at a church. The man claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel. He drove away from the scene only to report it to police later. No injuries were reported. Yet...

For years, graffiti has slowly been transitioning from a renegade act of defiance to a nearly mainstream form of art. Graffiti pieces are selling at contemporary art auctions, and the internet is making it easier for images to proliferate, allowing artists to make a name for themselves. Of course, no transition this big comes without it's share of hurdles, as demonstrated by several major lawsuits filed this month. First, three graffiti artists targeted Terry Gilliam for violating the copyright they hold on a large scale Buenos Aires mural called Castillo by including the mural in his newest film, The Zero Theorem. Then Maya Hayuk took singer Sara Bareilles and Sony Music to task for using her Bowery Street mural to promote a concert tour. She's also in a legal battle with Coach over...

In the midst of a historic drought, a new analysis of state records has revealed that the Bay Area of California has been losing as much as 23 billion gallons of water a year. Due to a variety of problems experienced by the region's water providers, including aging and broken pipes, the counties have leaked enough to submerge all of Manhattan with five feet of water. This news has been ill-received by area residents attempting to conserve their water usage. According to research conducted by the San Jose Mercury News, Bay Area water agencies have lost anywhere from three to 16% of their treated water. This news comes in light of area residents who have been forced to reduce their water use by up to 20% and abide by California's first statewide restrictions on outdoor watering. However, ...