The California Department of Industrial Relations awarded 25 construction apprenticeship programs $26 million in Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship grants to increase access to construction careers for women and disadvantaged communities. This is the second round of ERiCA grant funding. …

Two adults and four children perished in a house fire Sunday morning in Waldorf, Maryland, according to state officials. Two other adults escaped and one more was not home when the fire broke out, . The cause of the fire …

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced settlements in two cases her office prosecuted on behalf of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Agri Star Meat and Poultry, LLC has agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and come into full compliance …

A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles has forced thousands of evacuations, becoming one of two ongoing blazes of concern in California. The Canyon fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which started on Thursday afternoon, …

As some Minnesota cities fret over regulating newly legalized and normalized marijuana sales, others see an opportunity. Elk River is among 13 Minnesota cities considering opening municipally owned cannabis stores. They would be blazing new trails in this regard, as …

Tesla Inc. has been granted a rideshare license in Texas, paving the way for the electric-vehicle maker to operate its robotaxi service under new regulations governing autonomous vehicles in the state. Tesla Robotaxi LLC is now listed as a transportation …

As flooding becomes an increasingly common and destructive feature of Texas life, housing experts are calling for the creation of a statewide, voluntary buyout program to move residents out of the most high-risk areas. The experts say Texas needs a …

Zurich Insurance Group reported some record numbers during the first half: business operating profit (BOP) was up 6% to a record US$4.2 billion and core return on equity hit a best-ever number of 26.3%. What is the reason for Zurich’s …

Long-time industry leader Kevin H. Kelley has died. Kelley was last in the industry with Liberty Mutual Insurance, where he was vice chairman, Global Risk Solutions after joining the company in 2017 when Ironshore was acquired by Liberty Mutual. He …

Two South Carolina women filed an auto accident claim with First Acceptance Insurance Co. in May and were paid more than $25,500 for bodily injury medical expenses. Then investigators found out that the women had fabricated the entire incident, the …

Last year’s sub-100 combined ratio for the homeowners line broke a five-year string of 100-plus figures for the U.S. insurance industry in aggregate—and homeowners insurers are sticking to rate increases to keep profits going, a new report says. According the …

Connecticut-based Smith Brothers Insurance announced it acquired Moscato & Associates of Ithaca, New York on August 1, 2025. Moscato & Associates, an independent agency specializing in employee benefits, individual health, and Medicare, will maintain its location in Ithaca. Edward Moscato …

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Individuals in central North Carolina counties whose homes and belongings were damaged by massive rains last month from Tropical Storm Chantal can now seek state-funded financial grants for temporary assistance. The aid for residents in eight …

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two deputies shot and injured in a training exercise in South Carolina were wounded by ammunition taken from a plastic bag in a desk drawer and not property tested to see if they were blanks, a …

California-based insurance brokerage ALKEME announced its acquisition of Innovative Insurance Group, one of Virginia’s largest insurance agencies. This acquisition marks a significant expansion of ALKEME’s commitment to the East Coast, according to Curtis Barton, CEO of ALKEME. The Innovative team …

The Great Barrier Reef has experienced its greatest annual loss of live coral across most of its expanse in four decades of record-keeping, Australian authorities say. But due to increasing coral cover since 2017, the coral deaths — caused mainly …

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has signed a definitive agreement to sell its stake in Diot-Siaci, a Paris-based corporate insurance brokerage group, to French private equity firm Ardian. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. As a long-standing shareholder of …

Kingstone Companies Inc., headquartered in Kingston, New York, appointed Randy L. Patten as chief financial officer (CFO), effective August 25. Patten joins Kingstone Companies, Inc. from NEXT Insurance Inc., where he most recently served as vice president, chief accounting officer, …

An Australian regulator has sued Optus, alleging the Singapore Telecommunications-owned carrier breached privacy laws during a 2022 cyber attack that compromised the personal data of millions of customers, both parties confirmed on Friday. Optus, one of Singtel’s largest overseas investments, …

Global miners BHP Group and Vale have offered around $1.4 billion to settle a class action lawsuit in the United Kingdom tied to one of Brazil’s worst-ever environmental disasters, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The lawsuit stems from the …