Tag: contractor

NASCAR Contractor Dies After Being Electrocuted at Chicago Street Race

CHICAGO—A NASCAR contractor has died after being electrocuted while setting up for the Chicago Street Race. The Cook County Medical Examiner identified the man who died Friday as 53-year-old Duane Tabinski, the founder of an events company hired to install audio equipment for the race, local station WLS-TV reported. NASCAR said in a statement that…


LIVE 10:30 AM ET: NASA Announces Second Lunar Lander Contractor for the Artemis V Moon Mission

U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces the second lunar lander contractor for the Artemis V Moon Mission at 10:30 a.m. ET on May 19. …


Military: Contractor Error Caused Hawaii Toxic Foam Spill

HONOLULU—An investigation found that a spill of about 1,300 gallons of fire suppressant at a fuel facility in Hawaii was caused by a maintenance contractor improperly installing an air vacuum valve, U.S. military officials said Friday. Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which is used to suppress fires caused by flammable liquids, contain PFAS, a class of…


Uber Challenge to California Contractor Law Revived by US Appeals Court

A U.S. appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit by Uber Technologies Inc. and subsidiary Postmates Inc. challenging a California law that would require them to provide more proof that workers are independent contractors, a classification that helps the companies save millions. In a major win for app-based services that heavily rely on contractors, the…


FAA Identifies Contractor Involved In Outage That Grounded Over 11,000 Planes

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the contractor involved in the outage of a safety bulletin system that caused a stop in passenger air travel nationwide. The agency announced on January 26, that it would directly ban contract personnel involved in the incident from accessing its buildings and systems during the investigation, reported Reuters. Federal investigators…


The Games Contractors Play

Among the many columns I’ve written in the 30 years since Ask the Builder came to be, this one will be unique. I think it’s important for you to know why I switched careers from being a full-time builder, remodeler and master plumber to a syndicated newspaper columnist and then video personality. It was always…


Stop Hoping and Trusting Your Contractor. Here’s Why

Over the past five months, I’ve watched the dream of some neighbors I have yet to meet start to take shape on my own street. It started just after the snow melted when two men arrived with a giant machine that wrestles logs and chain saws. Their job was to cut down and haul away…


Police Shortage Prompts Capitol to Begin Using Security Contractors

By Chris Marquette From CQ-Roll Call WASHINGTON—Contract security officers were set to start work on May 2 as part of a new program to help alleviate staffing shortages within the Capitol Police, according to a letter from the Capitol Police Board to lawmakers and staff obtained by CQ Roll Call. The new Capitol security officers…


Former US Marine Killed Fighting in Ukraine as Military Contractor

Willy Joseph Cancel, an American citizen and former U.S. Marine, has died in Ukraine this week while fighting against Russian forces, according to his family. Cancel had been working for a private military contracting company when he was killed on April 25, the 22-year-old’s mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN. The Marine veteran worked full-time as…


Pentagon Says Extreme Consolidation in Arms Industry Threatens National Security

The Pentagon has released a report saying that extreme levels of mergers and consolidation among defense contractors have reduced competition and elevated risks to U.S. national security, while recommending a series of actions to spur increased competition in America’s Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The State of Competition in the Defense Industrial Base report (pdf), released…