HUD Rejects Helene Relief Grant for Asheville Due to DEI Program Mention
President Trump’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has rejected a $225 million relief plan for the city of Asheville, North Carolina, due to its inclusion of funding for minority and women-owned businesses. The Hill, the Asheville Citizens Times …
NTSB ‘Urgently’ Recommends Alternative Route for Helicopters at DC Airport
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday urgently recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permanently prohibit helicopter operations near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport when certain runways are in use for arrivals or departure. The NTSB …
Meta Faces Legal Challenge by French Publishers Over AI Training
French publishers and authors are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for copyright infringement, accusing the tech giant of using their books to train its generative artificial intelligence model without authorization. SNE, the trade association representing major French publishers including Hachette and …
Dutch Marine Services Provider Boskalis to Salvage UK Ship Collision Tanker
Dutch marine provider Boskalis will salvage the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate, which was struck by a container ship off northeast England on Monday, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, confirming earlier Dutch media reports. He could not give a time frame …
Unexplained Ship Collision off UK Coast Triggers Race for Clues
A collision involving a tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military and a container ship off Britain’s coast is an unusual incident that raises questions over what went wrong despite safety measures in place, three shipping and insurance sources …
Lloyd’s Said It Will Lose $2.3B From LA Wildfires
Lloyd’s this week said it will lose $2.3 billion from the Los Angeles wildfires in January, adding to the number of companies that have paid out more than $1 billion in losses from the catastrophe. The company revealed the losses …
Attempt to Make S’mores Blamed for Long Island Wind-Driven Brush Fires
Multiple brush fires that burned across a wooded area of Long Island over the weekend were accidentally caused by a family’s attempt to make s’mores, Suffolk County police said Monday. Commissioner Kevin Catalina said detectives traced the cause to a …
Most Ransomware Claims Begin With Compromised Perimeter Security: Coalition
More than half of ransomware claims in 2024 started with threat actors compromising perimeter security appliances, according to a new report from Coalition. In its Cyber Threat Index 2025, the insurance provider reported that 58% of claims began with such …
Oakbridge Names Ledyard Chief Operating Officer; Hub Hires Nashville Advisors
Atlanta-area-based Oakbridge Insurance, one of the largest privately owned agencies in the Southeast, named John Ledyard chief operating officer and executive vice president. Ledyard spent almost 11 months at Higginbotham, a Texas-based insurance brokerage and agency, much of that time …
AM Best Revises Outlooks for Members of Grange Insurance Group in Washington
AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “bbb+” (Good) of Grange Insurance Association and its reinsured subsidiary Granwest Property & Casualty. …
Kennedy Wants FDA to Close Food Manufacturers’ ‘Self-Affirm’ Safety ‘Loophole’
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. directed the Food and Drug Administration on Monday to revise safety rules to help eliminate a provision that allows companies to self-affirm that food ingredients are safe. This would increase …
School Owner Sentenced for Falsifying Asbestos Removal Training Documents
The owner of a Rhode Island asbestos abatement training center who falsified documents attesting individuals paid for, attended, and successfully completed an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)-approved abatement training program has been sentenced to two years’ probation, announced Acting United States …
Viewpoint: The Evolution of Homeowners Insurance in California—From Niche to Necessity
For many years, the homeowners insurance market operated as a relatively stable and predictable sector in California. Changes were incremental, and the market largely catered to established patterns of risk and pricing. This stability, however, has been disrupted recently, with …
Girl Scouts Sued Over Alleged Metals, Pesticides in Thin Mints, Other Cookies
The Girl Scouts have been sued by consumers over the alleged presence of “heavy metals” and pesticides in its popular Thin Mints and other cookies. A proposed class action was filed on Monday night in the Brooklyn, New York federal …
People Moves: TFI Announces Executive Team Promotions; Brown & Riding Adds Murphree to Transportation Practice
Texas First Insurance announced the promotions of Jerry Blystone to Chief Executive Officer and Bryan Burkhart to President. Having celebrated 100 years in business earlier this year, these promotions position the independent insurance agency for continued growth and success over …
Justice Dept. Says Ending La. Petrochemical Case Helps Dismantle ‘DEI Programs’
The Justice Department on Friday celebrated its decision to drop a federal lawsuit against a Louisiana petrochemical plant accused of worsening cancer risks for residents in a majority-Black community, saying the dismissal showed that officials are “delivering on President (Donald) …
Wisconsin Voters Seek Damages Over Uncounted Ballots
Four Wisconsin voters whose ballots were not counted in the November presidential election initiated a class-action lawsuit Thursday seeking $175,000 in damages each. The voters were among 193 in Madison whose ballots were misplaced by the city clerk and not …
World Insurance Acquires Archambault Associates of Connecticut
World Insurance Associates LLC reports it acquired the business of Archambault Insurance Associates of Putnam, Connecticut in December. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Archambault was founded in 1928 by Joseph A. Archambault. Today the third-generation, family-owned, full-service agency …
AM Best Assigns Excellent Rating to MEM
AM Best has assigned Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” (Excellent) to Previsor Insurance Company (Centennial, Colo., MEM Protect Insurance Company, MEM Shield Insurance Company and MEM Secure Insurance Company. The outlooks assigned …
South Dakota Law Raises Questions About Future of Massive Midwest Pipeline
A new law in South Dakota prohibiting the use of eminent domain to acquire land for carbon capture pipelines raises questions about the viability of a proposed 2,500 mile (4,023-kilometer) project snaking through five Midwest states. Summit Carbon Solutions, the …

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