West Des Moines-based Bearence Management Group doubled its assets and number of employees when it acquired two Minneapolis-area insurance brokerages. Bearence announced today that it closed deals May 31 to acquire Rosenbloom & Rosenbloom Inc., a property and casualty broker based in Minneapolis, and Tousley Financial Benefits Inc., which specializes in employee benefits, of Burnsville, Minn.

The Elevator Safety Board is recommending new rules temporarily exempting lifts in wind towers from the standard provisions for elevator inspections, fees and requirements and establishing inspection fees, permit fees and safety requirements specific to wind tower lifts. The lifts necessary in wind towers serve a different purpose than standard elevators, said Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil. The new wind tower lift rules went into effect on May 28, and public comment will be accepted through July 9.

The national average for a gallon of gasoline finally reached more than $4 today to a record $4.023, which is 29 percent higher than a year ago, when the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.09, according to AAA figures. Fuel prices are expected to keep rising as oil prices continue to surge.

Gannett Co., Inc., is providing a live webcast of its presentation at the Deutsche Bank Media & Telecommunications Conference. The webcast took place at 10:50 a.m. today. To listen to the live webcast, go to www.gannett.com and click on the link.