A round of changes impacting Washington workplaces now that 2026 has arrived include higher worker pay and several workplace safety alterations. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries year calculates new wage standards, including the minimum wage. L&I makes …

The US Department of Agriculture unveiled long-awaited details of its $12 billion aid package for farmers, with American growers of rice and cotton standing to get the biggest payments. But while the payments were welcomed by farmers and industry groups …

New laws in Southeastern states took effect this week, impacting several aspects of property and casualty insurance. In Georgia, Senate Bill 69 puts new restrictions on third-party litigation financing, a lawsuit funding practice that has raised growing concerns for insurers. …

A Fort Worth business owner who received nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge on Dec. 30, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern …

Cornerstone National Insurance Company, a Missouri-domiciled property and casualty insurance company, was placed into receivership by the Circuit Court of Cole County. Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Director, Angela L. Nelson, has been named receiver of Cornerstone, which allows …

Berkshire Hathaway shares closed slightly lower on Warren Buffett’s final day as chief executive, with the legendary investor set to hand the reins to Greg Abel on Jan. 1. The price of Berkshire Class A shares edged down $600, or …

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt this week announced a Sedgwick county man has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for insurance fraud. Shawn Gales, age 37, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2025, in Sedgwick County District Court to one …

Aon Corp. said it has extended its contract with President and CEO Greg Case through 2030. Case’s contract was previously set to end on April 1, 2028. Case has led the brokerage, among the world’s largest, since he took over …

An Idaho-based company is recalling nearly 3,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The recall involves 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef.” Affected packages were produced Dec. 16 and …

Definity Financial Corp., the Canadian property/casualty insurer, announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of the personal insurance business and the majority of the Canadian businesses of The Travelers Cos. The deal, which was first announced in May 2025, …

A derailed CSX train leaked a flammable chemical and sparked a fire in a rural part of southern Kentucky on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order that was later lifted for nearby residents. No injuries were reported after …

Two men who died after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey last weekend both earned their private pilot licenses over a decade ago and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site before taking to …

A Walt Disney World worker in Florida was injured while attempting to stop a large runaway prop boulder from rolling into seated spectators at the Indiana Jones live show. The worker at the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” at the …

With the second-oldest population in the country, Vermont needs its nursing homes. Yet, while Vermonters rapidly age, the state’s long-term care capacity has dwindled, losing 900 beds in the last two decades. To keep the struggling system afloat, the state …

Critically injured victims of the deadly fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are being treated in specialist burns units as far afield as Stuttgart, Milan and Paris, underscoring the scale of the tragedy. The …

The world is now moving into the latter half of a critical decade to fight climate change. Scientists have warned that nations need to cut carbon emissions nearly 50% by 2030 to stave off 1.5C temperature rise. The world is …

Authorities are investigating damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland early Wednesday that occurred between the capitals of Finland and Estonia. Finnish authorities seized and inspected the vessel suspected to have caused the damage, the country’s …

Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response center running as it monitored Chinese naval maneuvers, the coast guard said. The exercises named “Justice …

The Trump administration stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control …

The European Space Agency said a cybersecurity issue may have impacted a “very small number” of external servers. In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, ESA said it was conducting a forensic analysis and had implemented …