Author: completebodyneeds

Novatae Risk Group, the wholesale insurance business of World Insurance Associates, announced that Brian Voorhees will be joining the company as its new managing director of personal lines. In this role, Voorhees will lead Novatae’s personal lines with responsibility for setting strategic direction, driving growth and delivering strong operational and financial performance. He will oversee the expansion of product offerings, strengthen carrier and broker partnerships and guide the evolution of underwriting and placement capabilities to support scalable client-focused growth. Voorhees is a seasoned insurance executive with extensive experience across underwriting, business development, product management and operational leadership. Most recently, he…

Florida’s governor has signed House Bill 803 into law, dropping building permit requirements for construction work valued at $7,500 or less. The law takes effect July 1. “A local government that issues building permits shall exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner’s contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner’s property,” the bill reads. The exemption does not apply to property in a flood hazard area. A sponsor of the changes said it was designed to help speed up minor projects, such as fences…

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping after the US and Iran clashed overnight near the waterway, attacking each other’s assets in the area. US forces targeted missile and drone launch sites and other military assets in the Islamic Republic that they said were responsible for attacking three US warships transiting the strait. The clashes risk undermining talks over a US-proposed deal to end the war, with Iran expected to send a response shortly. President Donald Trump again threatened more intense strikes if Iran refuses his terms. Tehran responded, saying on X that the continued hostile action…

As the Sackler family worked through a plan to pay $6.5 billion to resolve their liability over Purdue Pharma LP’s production of addictive opioids, the epidemic hit even closer to home. Joss Sackler, the wife of former Purdue board member David Sackler, admitted deleting WhatsApp messages showing she was the intended recipient of a shipment of prescription drugs seized by US border agents in 2024. Sackler, who said she was addicted to opioids at the time, pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the transaction. “I am so truly sorry that when I was suffering from my…

Nissan Motor Co. is canceling plans to make a pair of fully electric SUVs at a factory in the US, citing waning demand among American consumers for all-electric vehicles. The decision, which was relayed Thursday to dealers and parts suppliers in the US, comes as part of a broader recalibration of its product strategy as the Japanese carmaker seeks to conserve cash. Nissan had previously frozen plans to start manufacturing EVs at the plant in Canton, Mississippi, where it expects to build a V6 engine-powered hybrid version of its Xterra SUV. “Canton does have a future that will include diverse…

Two Orlando contractors have been sentenced to at least two years in federal prison after orchestrating a decade-long scheme to pay workers off the books and avoid taxes and workers’ compensation insurance premium payments. Rene Maricio Escobar, 55, and Juana Nelida Escobar, 36, of Escobar Plastering, should also try to pay $37 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, a federal judge said this week. Court documents and testimony showed that from 2015 through 2024, the Escobars ran a program that accepted a fee equal to about 7% of subcontractors’ payroll. The firm would then provide false certificates of…

The United States said on Friday it expected an Iranian response as soon as later in the day to its latest proposal to end the war in the Gulf, even as U.S. and Iranian forces clashed in the Gulf and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed attack. Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the contested Strait of Hormuz since a ceasefire began a month ago, even as the United States and Iran have indicated they are closer than ever to a deal to end the war. “We should know something today,” U.S. Secretary…

Don’t pop the champagne yet. That is effectively what New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie advised Gov. Kathy Hochul, who yesterday declared victory in the lengthy negotiations over the 2026-2027 state budget. Hochul claimed her office and lawmakers in Albany had agreed on the major policy issues including her auto insurance reforms that had stood in the way of a final budget deal. But fellow budget negotiator Heastie threw cold water on her claims of a budget agreement by pointing out that the money issues have yet to be decided. After all, he suggested, there is no budget agreement…

Lloyd’s executives are debating how much information to release about the findings of a probe into former Chief Executive John Neal and his relationship with a woman who was promoted to a senior role during his tenure, according to a report from the Financial Times. “The probe has focused on whether John Neal had an undisclosed romantic relationship with a female employee, who was promoted to the group’s executive committee in 2023 in a newly created role as corporate affairs director…,” said the FT report, quoting people familiar with the matter. John Neal The investigation is being led by London-based…

Rabbi Amy Bernstein says the wind-whipped fire in January 2025 that scorched much of the Pacific Palisades, destroying her home and damaging her synagogue, “blew everything open” for the community’s faith leaders. “If our hearts must break, let them break open,” said the rabbi, who leads Kehillat Israel where 300 families out of 900 lost their homes. “This tragedy has really pushed us closer to one another. We’re working to change the things we need changed.” Faith leaders both in the Pacific Palisades and in Altadena and Pasadena—devastated by the pair of fires that tore across Southern California—have relied on…