BWC proposal

BWC proposal

COLUMBUS

A proposal presented Thursday to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Board of Directors would reduce overall average rates for the state’s private employers by 8.6 percent and decrease projected annual premiums by $113 million next year.

In presenting the recommendation during the Board’s Actuarial Committee, BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer said if adopted, Ohio private employers will be paying $463 million less annually than they were at the beginning of 2011, representing a combined 28.2 percent decrease.

The board of directors will vote on the proposal during its next meeting, which is scheduled for March 17.

Glimcher posts loss

COLUMBUS

WP Glimcher, the Columbus-based company that runs Southern Park Mall in Boardman, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $97 million compared with net income of $33.6 million a year ago.

The year-over-year difference was attributable primarily to a noncash impairment charge of $138.1 million.

For fiscal year 2015, net loss attributable to common shareholders was $101.3 million compared with net income of $170 million for the same period in the prior year.

The decrease in income primarily relates to the noncash impairment charges in fiscal year 2015 of $148 million and the increase in depreciation expense of $134.6 million associated primarily with the acquired properties from Glimcher.

Federal judge wants answers from VW

WASHINGTON

A federal judge overseeing hundreds of class-action lawsuits against Volkswagen says he wants a firm answer within a month about how the German automaker plans to bring nearly 600,000 diesel cars into compliance with clean-air laws.

U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer told Volks-wagen’s lawyers at a hearing in California on Thursday that he expects them to report back by March 24. By then, the judge wants to know from the company about available technical solutions to fix the cars and the status of negotiations on a potential settlement with affected owners.

SeaWorld: Workers posed as activists

ORLANDO, Fla.

SeaWorld acknowledged that it sent its own workers to infiltrate an animal-rights group that opposed the practices of the theme park.

The development comes months after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accused a SeaWorld employee of trying to incite violence while posing as a fellow animal-rights activist.

SeaWorld Entertainment CEO Joel Manby vowed Thursday to end the practice but said that it had sent its employees to protect the safety of its employees and customers.

However, the company refused to say who had authorized the infiltration, how long it had been going on, or how many workers were used to infiltrate animal-rights groups or other opponents.

The employee at the center of the accusations by PETA, Paul McComb, still is employed by SeaWorld but working in another department, the company said Thursday.

Staff/wire reports