Latest News & Insights

Spanish Grid Operator’s First Assessment Rules Out Cyberattack Behind Blackout

Spanish electricity grid operator REE said on Tuesday its preliminary assessment had ruled out cyberattack as the cause of the nationwide power outage that hit most of Spain and Portugal on Monday. Lights went off in most of the two …

Why Restarting a Power Grid After Massive Collapse Is So Hard

It’s a worst case scenario that grid operators plan for but hope never to encounter. After one of the worst blackouts in Europe in more than a decade, electricity grid operators in Spain and Portugal are trying to get networks …

Indiana Steel Mill Processor Fined $190K for Clean Air Act Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act with Phoenix Global, a company in Burns Harbor, Indiana, that processes slag from a steel mill. The company paid $190,860 in penalties. Slag is …

Wastewater Is Polluting Rivers and Streams in Central Texas

Margo Denke set out to rally the town when she learned that a Christian youth camp planned to build a wastewater treatment plant and discharge its effluent into the pristine Hill Country creek that ran through her small ranch. Denke, …

NOAA Risks Loss of Data Network and Web Service

A key contract that supports the network service provider for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to lapse this week, threatening internet access and the transmission of internal data nationwide for much of the agency. The N-Wave …

North Dakota Enacts Law Shielding Bayer from Roundup Lawsuits

A new first-of-its-kind law enacted in North Dakota could shield agrochemical manufacturer Bayer from lawsuits claiming it failed to warn customers that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. Though the immediate effect may be small, given that North Dakota …

Tariff ‘Chaos’ Drags Key Texas Manufacturing Gauge to Worst Since 2020

A widely followed measure of Texas manufacturing activity weakened significantly as executives used words like “chaos” and “insanity” to describe the turmoil spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. A …

Many Snowbirds Looking to Pack Up and Fly North For Good; Florida Hit Hard

The number of Canadian “snowbirds” planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the U.S. Real …

23andMe Bankruptcy Bid Deadline Extended as DNA Privacy Woes Linger

The sale of the bankrupt DNA data bank 23andMe is facing delays as the company tries to find a lead bidder that can quickly clear regulatory hurdles and guarantee customer privacy rules will be honored. The former Silicon Valley startup …

People Moves: Smith Joins Alliant Employee Benefits as VP, Sales Director

Josh Smith has joined Alliant Insurance Services as senior vice president and sales director within its employee benefits group. Based in California, Smith will direct business development activities across the western region. Smith has nearly 30 years of sales leadership …

California Proposes Allowing Testing Of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy duty trucks on public roads. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced proposed regulations last week to allow the testing of self-driving vehicles over 10,001 pounds, …

New Hampshire Settles Second Youth Center Abuse Case for $4.5M

New Hampshire has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a woman who accused a youth detention center staffer of raping her in storage closet just before he handed out candy to other children as a reward for good behavior. Natasha …

FAA Delays Traffic to Newark Airport After Equipment, Staffing Issues

The Federal Aviation Administration said a series of issues prompted it to dramatically slow traffic at Newark Liberty Airport on Monday, prompting United Airlines to divert at least 35 flights to other airports. United Airlines, the largest carrier at the …

Major Automakers Want Congress to Bar California 2035 Electric Vehicle Plan

Major automakers want Congress to bar California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 that has been adopted by 11 other states, warning the rules could begin impacting vehicle shipments in a few months. The U.S. …

Severe Weather Outbreak Threatens Central US With Tornadoes and Large Hail

A multi-day severe weather outbreak is expected to bring heavy thunderstorms, large hail and the threat of tornadoes across the central U.S. Parts of the Upper Midwest – particularly southern and western Minnesota and northern Iowa – is at highest …

CIBA Expands NexEdge in Midwest and Southeast

CIBA, a commercial real estate insurance program, announced the expansion of its NexEdge individual limits property product to the Upper Midwest and Southeast regions. The expansion builds on the success of the program’s initial launch of NexEdge in the Western …

Midwest Trucking Company to Pay $45K Over Discrimination Disability Lawsuit

Mail Hauler Trucking, LLC., which delivers mail for the United States Postal Service in North Dakota and South Dakota, will pay $45,000 and provide other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) disability discrimination lawsuit, the federal …

Brokers Aon and WTW Each Report Steady Organic Growth of 5% in Q1

The brokers Aon and WTW both reported organic revenues of 5% for the first quarter of the year, level with Q1 2024. Aon’s total revenue in the first quarter increased 16% to $4.7 billion compared to $4.1 billion during Q1 …

New SEC Chair Says Crypto Sector Deserves Clear Regulations

The new head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said that the agency has stifled innovation for the cryptocurrency sector by fostering “regulatory uncertainty” in prior years. “Market participants engaging in this technology deserve clear regulatory rules …

New Jersey’s Jones Road Wildfire Now 65% Contained

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has continued to make progress fighting the Jones River wildfire. The service reported the fire was 65% contained by Sunday morning April 27. However, the service repeated a warning from the National Weather Service …

WV Commissioner Posts Guidelines on Insurers’ Use of Aerial Images

After receiving multiple inquiries about the use of aerial images in property insurance nonrenewals, West Virginia’s insurance commissioner has posted guidelines for insurers’ use of the technology. In a bulletin this month, Commissioner Allan McVey reminded insurance companies that aerial …

Spain and Portugal Hit With Worst European Blackout in Years

Most of Spain and all of Portugal were hit by a major blackout that impacted public transport, airports and phone service, leaving authorities scrambling to find the causes for one of the worst outages in Europe in years. Data from …

Trawick International Moves HQ From Alabama to Miami

Trawick International, a longtime provider of travel insurance, student insurance and specialty coverage, is moving its headquarters from the quiet streets of Fairhope, Alabama, to Miami. “Miami is a thriving, diverse, and internationally connected city that mirrors our company’s mission …

Vermont Takes Over Medical Liability Insurer CARE RRG Facing $35.4M Judgment

A Vermont Superior Court has approved a state takeover and rehabilitation plan for a medical professional liability insurer for 1,300 physicians that the state says is in hazardous financial condition as a result of a $35.4 million arbitration judgment against …

Corporate America Boosts Security Spending After UnitedHealth Murder, Filings Show

U.S. corporations have been ramping up their security spending, but following the murder of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson that expenditure is set to rise further in 2025 as more companies see heightened threats to their top brass. At least a …

Cyber Market Continues to Expand as Rates Adjust, Says Guy Carpenter

Those fighting cybercrime and those who insure against it must perpetually race to keep up with the new tech, strategies, methods and goals thrown at them by nefarious actors working from all over the world. After significant compound rate increases …

UK’s M&S Tells Warehouse Agency Staff to Stay Home as Cyber Incident Continues

British retailer Marks & Spencer told agency staff at its central England distribution center to stay at home on Monday, after it stopped taking online orders following a cyber incident last week. Shares in the company, one of the best …

Ukraine Says It Detained Grain Ship From Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’

Kyiv detained a ship it says was part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet” which illegally exports grain from areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. A dry cargo ship was detained in Ukrainian territorial waters as it headed from Moldova along …

Mediobanca Makes €6.3 Billion Offer for Generali’s Wealth Arm

Mediobanca launched a surprise €6.3 billion ($7.2 billion) offer for the wealth management arm of Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA, opening a potential defense strategy for the Milan-based bank amid Italy’s intensifying deal wave. Mediobanca, which itself is facing a …

Uvalde Approves $2M Settlement for Families of Elementary School Shooting Victims

City leaders in Uvalde, Texas, approved a $2 million settlement for families of the victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, marking the first time one of the myriad lawsuits has led to financial compensation. Attorneys for the families …