California Lawmakers Adjourn Without Voting on Wildfire Bill
The California Assembly adjourned without passing a revamp of the state’s wildfire response, sending up shares in two key power utilities, PG&E Corp. and Edison International. The deal fell apart Tuesday as lawmakers prepared to leave the state capitol. Major …
Report: Medical Service Costs in California Comp Rising With Payments, Utilization
Medical service costs in California workers’ compensation rose 5% last year on the back of growth in both average payments and utilization, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released its Medical Service Cost Trends …
Apple to Pay Virginia Employee $150K in Religious Accommodation Settlement
Technology giant Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $150,000 and update its religious observance policy to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of an Apple store employee who was denied a work accommodation so he could honor the …
People Moves: Sunstar Insurance Group Names Ashby as Chief Information Officer
Sunstar Insurance Group announced it has hired Tod Ashby as Chief Information Officer, where he will lead the company’s technology strategy, enterprise infrastructure and systems modernization as Sunstar continues to build the scalable platform needed to support its growth. In …
‘Cockroaches in My Food’ Claim Leads to Insurance Fraud Charge
A Warren County, North Carolina man has been charged with insurance fraud for allegedly seeking an insurance payment from a restaurant where he claims he found cockroaches in his food. Investigators say it was one of four similar cockroach complaints …
Texas, Louisiana Under Tropical Storm Warning as System Grows
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Texas and Louisiana coast as a potential system gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico. The still-unnamed storm was 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Morgan City, Louisiana, with top …
AM Best Downgrades Financial Rating of Illinois’ Prime Insurance
AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B (Fair) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb+” (Fair) from “a-” (Excellent) of Prime Insurance Company based in Chicago, Illinois. Concurrently, AM Best has maintained the …
American Airlines to Pay $200K for Discrimination Against Worker With Blindness
American Airlines will pay $200,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. According to the EEOC’S lawsuit, American Airlines failed to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee …
Sentry’s Dairyland to Return $30 Million to Florida Auto Insureds
Auto insurer Dairyland announced that it will return $30 million in savings to eligible Florida private passenger automobile policyholders through a one-time dividend. The insurer is crediting legal system changes signed into law in 2023 and “improved market stability” for …
KKR Scores Windfall in $17 Billion Sale of USI Insurance
KKR & Co. is set to reap a $3.3 billion windfall from its deal to sell USI Insurance Services to Aon Plc for $17 billion, a significant exit for a unit that’s invested its balance sheet in long-term private equity …
Wildfire Risks in California and Oregon Worsened by Strong Winds
Northern California and southern Oregon are under red flag fire warnings, as the threat posed by tinderbox conditions is compounded by strong winds. National Weather Service warnings are in place from noon to 8 p.m. local time, while the U.S. …
US Expanding Long-Range Commercial Drone Testing Program
The US government is expanding a program for testing out drones in real-world scenarios, focusing on more advanced use cases involving larger unmanned systems, higher altitudes and longer distances. The Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration said Aug. 27 that …
Poland Probing if Fire at Drone Facility Is an Act of Terror
Poland opened an official investigation into whether a fire at a facility belonging to the country’s largest drone producer WB Electronics SA was an act of terror carried out by foreign spies. The fire at the facility, which produces drone …
Trump Loses Bid to Move NY Hush Money Case to Federal Court
Donald Trump lost another bid to move a challenge to his New York criminal fraud conviction to a federal court as a judge said that payments to an adult film star don’t constitute an official act that would be covered …
FTC Probing YouTube Over Social Media Policies
The US Federal Trade Commission has been investigating whether Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube violated consumer protection laws when it suspended the accounts of users, according to people familiar with the probe. The antitrust and consumer protection agency has been probing YouTube …
Brightline Lands $350 Million Assured Loan in Case of Bankruptcy
Brightline has reached a deal with municipal-bond insurer Assured Guaranty Ltd. that would provide the debt-laden Florida railroad with at least $350 million in new loans if it heads into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to people familiar with the matter. …
Arbella Opens Commercial Lines Office in New Hampshire
Quincy, Massachusetts-based Arbella Insurance Group has opened a Bedford, New Hampshire commercial lines office. The Bedford office gives Arbella its first official brick-and-mortar presence in the state, which the insurer says reflects the company’s growing New Hampshire business and its …
AI-Driven Cyber Risk Is Top Concern for Global Financial Stability, Watchdog Says
Financial Stability Board Chair Andrew Bailey said on Monday that the impact of AI on cyber risk was the most immediate concern for the global financial system, saying the technology could change the speed, scale and economics of an attack. …
China’s Humanoid Robots Aren’t Smart Enough to Take Your Job – Yet
Inside a training center in southern China, more than 100 humanoid robots stand in neat rows. A dozen human trainers wearing headsets guide some of them through simple tasks – sorting crates, packaging noodles, making coffee. The humanoids are slow …
Michigan Houses Are Getting Older, Creating Problems for the State
When the typical Michigan home was built, Richard Nixon was president, US forces were withdrawing from Vietnam and “The Exorcist” would become the year’s highest-grossing film. While pop culture has changed dramatically since 1973, much of the state’s housing stock …

