Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
Featured Stories
Smithsonian Releases New Free EBook for Youth Celebrating 250 Years of American Women in STEAM Innovation
WASHINGTON, March 7 (TNSrpt) -- The Smithsonian Institution Science Education Center issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian Releases New Free eBook for Youth Celebrating 250 Years of American Women in STEAM Innovation
To commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary, the Smithsonian Science Education Center today released a new free eBook, Stories of Women in STEAM Innovation: Celebrating America's 250th. The eBook highlights the extraordinary contributions of American women whose ideas, discoveries and leadership have shaped--and continue to shape--American history through science,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 7 (TNSrpt) -- The Smithsonian Institution Science Education Center issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian Releases New Free eBook for Youth Celebrating 250 Years of American Women in STEAM Innovation
To commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary, the Smithsonian Science Education Center today released a new free eBook, Stories of Women in STEAM Innovation: Celebrating America's 250th. The eBook highlights the extraordinary contributions of American women whose ideas, discoveries and leadership have shaped--and continue to shape--American history through science,technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM).
Designed for youth ages 11-18 (grades 6-12), the eBook features 21 American women innovators, past and present, whose work embodies the spirit of excellence, perseverance and ingenuity that have enriched America's weighty history and influential legacy. These biographies include contributions from Smithsonian experts such as Dr. Sanchita Balachandran, director of the Museum Conservation Institute, whose story opens the book, and Smithsonian scientist Mary Hagedorn, whose work is also featured.
The eBook is accompanied by over 95 images and more than 100 artifacts selected from 14 Smithsonian museums and research centers, offering tangible connections to the stories presented. Highlights include:
* A Mary Cassatt photograph from the Archives of American Art and her self portrait from the National Portrait Gallery
* Maria Martinez pottery from the National Museum of the American Indian
* A Gilbreth stopwatch used in early motion study engineering, among others.
Together, these stories and artifacts illuminate the enduring impact of women in STEAM and reinforce the importance of amplifying and learning from the stories of trailblazing innovators who helped shape the country.
The eBook is available as a free PDF download on the Smithsonian website and accessible through Kindle and Apple Books. Download it at: https://ssec.si.edu/women-in-steam-innovation. Looking ahead to America's next 250 years, these stories inspire curiosity and build momentum for what the country will achieve in years to come.
"As students read these stories, we hope they will be inspired by the outstanding accomplishments of these trailblazers and walk away curious to explore the deeper impact and histories of women in STEAM throughout America's 250-year history," said Carol O'Donnell, the Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center.
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About the Smithsonian Science Education Center
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution that is Transforming K-12 Education Through Science in collaboration with communities across the globe. The Smithsonian Science Education Center is nationally and internationally recognized for the quality of its programs and its impact on K-12 science education.
Visit the Smithsonian Science Education Center's website to learn more. Connect with the Smithsonian Science Education Center on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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REPORT: https://ssec.si.edu/sites/default/files/Women%20in%20STEAM%20Innovation%20250th-.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-releases-new-free-ebook-youth-celebrating-250-years-american-women
Paraguay to Expand Business Innovation and Training With IDB Support
WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Paraguay to Expand Business Innovation and Training with IDB Support
The Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $10 million loan to strengthen the innovative capacity of companies and entrepreneurs in Paraguay.
The operation will support the Business Innovation Program II (PROINNOVA II), which will be implemented by the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT). The program aims to increase investment in innovation by established firms,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Paraguay to Expand Business Innovation and Training with IDB Support
The Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $10 million loan to strengthen the innovative capacity of companies and entrepreneurs in Paraguay.
The operation will support the Business Innovation Program II (PROINNOVA II), which will be implemented by the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT). The program aims to increase investment in innovation by established firms,foster technology based entrepreneurship, and promote the development of specialized talent in innovation management and technology transfer.
PROINNOVA II will finance technological development projects, the incorporation of innovation managers, the strengthening of technology service centers, and resources to enable young firms to validate prototypes and business models. It will also support the training of more than 600 private sector professionals in areas such as innovation management, technology transfer, green innovation, intellectual property, and open innovation, as well as capacity building for 500 public sector officials.
The program is aligned with Paraguay's national priorities on productivity, economic diversification, and sustainable development, as well as with the IDB Group's Country Strategy with Paraguay 2025-2029.
The loan has a maturity of 24.5 years, a six year grace period, and an interest rate based on SOFR.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes growth and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website:
https://www.iadb.org/en.
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/paraguay-expand-business-innovation-and-training-idb-support
NASA's DART Mission Changed Orbit of Asteroid Didymos Around Sun
PASADENA, California, March 7 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's DART Mission Changed Orbit of Asteroid Didymos Around Sun
The spacecraft changed the binary system's orbit, confirming that a kinetic impactor can be an effective planetary defense technique for deflecting a near-Earth object.
New research reveals that when NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft intentionally impacted the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September 2022, it didn't just change the motion of Dimorphos around its larger companion, Didymos; the crash also
... Show Full Article
PASADENA, California, March 7 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's DART Mission Changed Orbit of Asteroid Didymos Around Sun
The spacecraft changed the binary system's orbit, confirming that a kinetic impactor can be an effective planetary defense technique for deflecting a near-Earth object.
New research reveals that when NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft intentionally impacted the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September 2022, it didn't just change the motion of Dimorphos around its larger companion, Didymos; the crash alsoshifted the orbit of both asteroids around the Sun. Linked together by gravity, Didymos and Dimorphos orbit each other around a shared center of mass in a configuration known as a binary system, so changes to one asteroid affect the other.
As detailed in a study published (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aea4259) on Friday in the journal Science Advances, observations of the pair's motion revealed that the 770-day orbital period around the Sun changed by a fraction of a second after the DART spacecraft's impact on Dimorphos. That change marks the first time a human-made object has measurably altered the path of a celestial body around the Sun.
"This is a tiny change to the orbit, but given enough time, even a tiny change can grow to a significant deflection," said Thomas Statler, lead scientist for solar system small bodies at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The team's amazingly precise measurement again validates kinetic impact as a technique for defending Earth against asteroid hazards and shows how a binary asteroid might be deflected by impacting just one member of the pair."
High impact
When DART struck Dimorphos, the impact blasted a huge cloud of rocky debris into space, altering the shape of the asteroid, which measures 560 feet (170 meters) wide. Because the debris carried its own momentum away from the asteroid, it gave Dimorphos an explosive thrust -- what scientists call the momentum enhancement factor. More debris being kicked out means more oomph. According to the new research, the momentum enhancement factor for DART's impact was about two, meaning that the debris loss doubled the punch created by the spacecraft alone.
Earlier research showed that the smaller asteroid's 12-hour orbital period around the nearly half-mile-wide (805-meter-wide) Didymos shortened by 33 minutes. The new study shows the impact ejected so much material from the binary system that it also changed the binary's orbital period around the Sun by 0.15 seconds.
"The change in the binary system's orbital speed was about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour," said Rahil Makadia, the study's lead author at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "Over time, such a small change in an asteroid's motion can make the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our planet."
Although Didymos was not on an impact trajectory with Earth and it was impossible for the DART mission to put it on one, that change in orbital speed underscores the role spacecraft -- aka kinetic impactors in this context -- could play if a potentially hazardous asteroid is found to be on a collision course in the future. The key is detecting near-Earth objects far enough in advance to send a kinetic impactor.
To that end, NASA is building the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission. Managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, this next-generation space survey telescope is the first to be built for planetary defense. The mission will seek out some of the hardest-to-find near-Earth objects, such as dark asteroids and comets that don't reflect much visible light.
How they did it
To prove DART had a detectable influence on both asteroids -- not just on the smaller Dimorphos -- the researchers needed to measure Didymos' orbit around the Sun to exquisite precision. So, in addition to making radar and other ground-based observations of the asteroid, they tracked stellar occultations, which occur when the asteroid passes exactly in front of a star, causing the pinpoint of light to blink out for a fraction of a second. This technique provides extremely precise measurements of the asteroid's speed, shape, and position.
Measuring stellar occultations is challenging: Astronomers have to be in the right place at the right time with several observing stations, sometimes miles apart, to track the predicted path of the asteroid in front of a specific star. The team relied on volunteer astronomers around the globe who recorded 22 stellar occultations between October 2022 and March 2025.
"When combined with years of existing ground-based observations, these stellar occultation observations became key in helping us calculate how DART had changed Didymos' orbit," said study co-lead Steve Chesley, a senior research scientist at JPL. "This work is highly weather dependent and often requires travel to remote regions with no guarantee of success. This result would not have been possible without the dedication of dozens of volunteer occultation observers around the world."
Studying changes in Didymos' motion also helped the researchers calculate the densities of both asteroids. Dimorphos is slightly less dense than previously thought, supporting the theory that it formed from rocky debris shed by a rapidly spinning Didymos. This loose material eventually clumped together to form Dimorphos, a "rubble pile" asteroid.
More about DART
The DART spacecraft was designed, built, and operated by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which oversees the agency's ongoing efforts in planetary defense. It was humanity's first mission to intentionally move a celestial object.
For more information about the DART mission visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/dart/
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-dart-mission-changed-orbit-of-asteroid-didymos-around-sun/
Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Celebrates Grand Opening of Brainerd Senior Center
CHICAGO, Illinois, March 7 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news:
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Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Celebrates Grand Opening of Brainerd Senior Center
Representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago), BMO, Full Circle Communities, and community partners joined residents and local stakeholders on March 6 to celebrate the grand opening of Brainerd Senior Center, a newly rehabilitated affordable senior housing community on Chicago's South Side.
FHLBank Chicago awarded a $900,000
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CHICAGO, Illinois, March 7 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news:
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Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Celebrates Grand Opening of Brainerd Senior Center
Representatives from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago), BMO, Full Circle Communities, and community partners joined residents and local stakeholders on March 6 to celebrate the grand opening of Brainerd Senior Center, a newly rehabilitated affordable senior housing community on Chicago's South Side.
FHLBank Chicago awarded a $900,000Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant through member BMO to support the rehabilitation of Brainerd Senior Center, helping preserve long-term affordable housing for seniors, including seniors with disabilities. In addition to the AHP grant, BMO also provided $11.8 million in construction financing and a $2.1 million permanent loan for the project.
Located on South Loomis Street in Chicago's Washington Heights neighborhood, Brainerd Senior Center provides 60 affordable studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments for adults age 55 and older. The six-story building is located steps from the Brainerd Metra Station and has undergone extensive renovations to modernize units, expand accessibility, and improve building systems while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The rehabilitation preserved existing affordable housing while addressing critical building needs, including roof and mechanical system replacements, new unit finishes and fixtures, and upgrades to common areas. Resident amenities include a community room, laundry and storage rooms, outdoor patios, and improved shared spaces designed to support connection and independence.
On-site supportive services are provided by Christian Community Health Center and focus on health and wellness, recreation, and social engagement. Services are voluntary and designed to help residents maintain stability and age safely in place.
"This rehabilitation was about more than updating a building -- it was about ensuring residents can continue to age with dignity, stability, and access to the services they need," said Lindsey Haines, Interim President & CEO of Full Circle Communities. "Brainerd Senior Center has long been home to this community, and we're proud to reinvest in a place where seniors can feel supported, connected, and secure."
"Preserving affordable housing for seniors requires sustained investment and trusted partnerships," said Carl Jenkins, Managing Director and Group Head, Community Capital Solutions, BMO. "We're proud to work alongside FHLBank Chicago and Full Circle Communities to help extend the life of Brainerd Senior Center and ensure these homes remain affordable and accessible for seniors in Chicago."
AHP grants subsidize the acquisition, new construction, or rehabilitation of rental or owner-occupied housing. Delivered in partnership with FHLBank Chicago financial institution members, these forgivable grants help address ongoing housing supply challenges by expanding access to quality affordable housing across Illinois and Wisconsin.
"Brainerd Senior Center reflects the importance of reinvesting in existing affordable housing so it can continue to meet residents' evolving needs," said Katie Naftzger, SVP and Community Investment Officer at FHLBank Chicago. "We value our partnership with BMO and Full Circle Communities and are proud to support a project that preserves affordability while enhancing quality of life for senior residents."
Brainerd Senior Center was developed by Full Circle Communities with support from BMO, FHLBank Chicago's Affordable Housing Program, Cordogan Clark, GMA, Christian Community Health Center, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the City of Chicago, ComEd Energy Efficiency, and other public and private partners.
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Original text here: https://www.fhlbc.com/news/news-detail/2026/03/06/federal-home-loan-bank-of-chicago-celebrates-grand-opening-of-brainerd-senior-center
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Tree Species Discovered in an Indigenous Area is Already Threatened
PANAMA CITY, Panama, March 6 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute issued the following news:
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Endemic and endangered
A new tree species discovered in an Indigenous area is already threatened
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Botanists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) named the new species, Clusia nanophylla, because of the tiny size of the leaves, the smallest within the genus. This species has only been found in Panama.
In 2000, a group of STRI botanists collected samples of all the plants from the genus Clusia they could find in Panama to find out how the different species
... Show Full Article
PANAMA CITY, Panama, March 6 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute issued the following news:
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Endemic and endangered
A new tree species discovered in an Indigenous area is already threatened
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Botanists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) named the new species, Clusia nanophylla, because of the tiny size of the leaves, the smallest within the genus. This species has only been found in Panama.
In 2000, a group of STRI botanists collected samples of all the plants from the genus Clusia they could find in Panama to find out how the different speciesin this group are related.
Twenty-five years later, one of the plant samples they collected in the Ngabe-Bugle Indigenous comarca in western Panama has been formally named as a new species.
But how is it possible that this newly named endemic species is already considered critically endangered?
In a scientific paper published in Kew Bulletin, "Tidying up the small-leaved Clusia taxonomy: description of Clusia nanophylla (Clusiaceae), a new tree species from Panama and comments on its previously used names" (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-025-10287-8), STRI botanist and taxonomy specialist Jorge Aranda and his co-authors describe the new species, named for having the smallest leaves registered within the genus-- 'nano' means small, and 'phylla' leaf.
"It wasn't until around 23 years later that we realized we might have a new and highly endemic species on our hands," explained Aranda, who is the Clusia expert in Panama, and who created a Clusiarium in STRI's Gamboa Plant Physiology facilities, a collection of different species of the genus grown in one place for botanical studies. "But the next time we went to the place where the original plant was collected, there were only a few trees left out of the many we had seen the first time."
Clusia nanophylla is one of the most recent species described within the genus that already contains more than 320 species in tropical America, and around 42 species in Panama, across most climates, from dryer lowlands to humid premontane areas. "In Panama, in less than ten or twenty meters, you can encounter up to ten species, which is more species of Clusia than in any other place," says Aranda.
Commonly known as cope or copey, Clusia plants and trees are easily recognized by their shiny, fleshy leaves growing opposite to one another, the milky yellow latex that oozes out of their stems, and the star-shaped fruits containing yellow seeds wrapped up in an orange fleshy cover or aril. Birds are attracted to this orange aril, and they spread the seeds by eating and pooping them out, helping with the dispersion of the genus across the region.
The genus Clusia is also special because some species switch from regular photosynthesis, involving uptake of carbon dioxide during daylight hours, to a modified photosynthetic pathway known as CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) photosynthesis, which is characterized by uptake of carbon dioxide at night and is typically found in succulent desert plants.
"The Clusias are the only trees in the plant kingdom that are capable of fixing carbon dioxide at night," explains STRI staff scientist Klaus Winter, who studies the ability of plants to perform the water-efficient nighttime CAM photosynthesis instead of normal photosynthesis during the day (C3), including tree species of Clusia that can reversibly switch between the two pathways of photosynthesis.
"Some species perform normal photosynthesis, some almost always fix carbon dioxide at night like a desert cactus, and some species can switch from daytime fixation to nighttime fixation and vice versa, depending on the season and on soil water availability," Winter explains. The ability to switch between C3 and CAM, discovered early in Winter's research career, is one of the finest examples of metabolic flexibility in the plant kingdom. Studying plants that do this can help scientists understand how plants adjust to changing and extreme environmental conditions, such as droughts.
"We have not yet studied the photosynthetic pathway of Clusia nanophylla, the newly named species," said Klaus Winter, "but we predict that it will be a normal C3 plant."
When Clusia nanophylla samples were collected in 2000 as part of a project by STRI postdoctoral researcher Hans Gehrig, there were many specimens found in the pre-montane area of Cerro Colorado, in the region between Hato Chami and Hato Raton.
Aranda and the STRI herbarium team consulted with two world-renowned Clusiaceae experts: plant taxonomist Manuel Lujan from the Royal Kew Gardens, a previous short-term fellow at STRI; and curator emeritus researcher Barry Hammel from the Missouri Botanical Gardens, who previously collected plants in the same area in the comarca and provided essential observations on the genus. Lujan and Hammel helped determine that the tree was a species that had yet to be given a scientific name.
Aranda and STRI research technician Ernesto Campos-Pineda worked on the process of describing the species, dissecting and measuring and averaging the sizes of everything from the leaves to the fruits and flowers.
But part of the process includes going back to the site and collecting more samples; when Aranda and the other researchers went back to Cerro Colorado in 2024, only about five trees remained. All the others were gone, likely cut down to make way for roads and cattle pastures.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Clusia nanophylla could be classified as endangered, which could help organization such as Panama's Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente) to promote its conservation. Right now, the area where this species is found is not an officially protected forest. Official measures could protect the species from deforestation and keep it from disappearing completely.
Aranda highlights that it's essential to have more botanists working on collecting, identifying and the taxonomic classification of new species of plants, and growing the collections in the STRI herbarium and other reference herbariums.
"It's an arduous process, and it takes a lot of time, from collecting samples with all the plant parts, such as the flowers and fruit, measuring everything and describing every aspect of the plant," explains Aranda. "However, the more plants we identify and add to the collections, the better we can understand the true breadth of the plant biodiversity in the country." The team hopes their work will inspire taxonomists across the tropics to keep discovering new plant species in their own countries.
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About the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, STRI is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. Our mission is to understand tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, to train students to conduct research in the tropics and to promote conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Watch our video, and visit our website, Facebook, X and Instagram for updates.
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Aranda, Jorge, Campos-Pineda, Ernesto G., Sumich, Joana S., Virgo, Aurelio, Garcia, Milton, Winter, Klaus, Lujan, Manuel, and Hammel, Barry. 2025. "Tidying up the small-leaved Clusia taxonomy: description of Clusia nanophylla (Clusiaceae), a new tree species from Panama and comments on its previously used names." Kew Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-025-10287-8
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Original text here: https://stri.si.edu/story/endemic-and-endangered
SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Leavenworth
WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Leavenworth
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WASHINGTON -The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Chelan County to assist businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents affected by the 2025 Severe Winter Storms occurring Dec. 5 - 22, 2025.
Beginning Monday, March 9, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center in Leavenworth to
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Leavenworth
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WASHINGTON -The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Chelan County to assist businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents affected by the 2025 Severe Winter Storms occurring Dec. 5 - 22, 2025.
Beginning Monday, March 9, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center in Leavenworth toanswer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.
The center's hours of operation are as follows:
CHELAN COUNTY
Business Recovery Center
Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce
940 US Hwy 2, Ste. B Link is external
Leavenworth, WA 99826 Link is external
Opens at 9:00 a.m. Monday, March 9
Mondays - Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Closes at 6:00 p.m. Friday, March 20
The following locations are also open and continue to serve survivors:
KING COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Auburn Library
1102 Auburn Way S. Link is external
Auburn, WA 98002 Link is external
Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays,
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
KING COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Fall City Library
33415 SE 42nd Place Link is external
Fall City, WA 98024 Link is external
Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays,
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
LEWIS COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Lewis County Courthouse
Room 023, Basement (East End)
351 NW North St. Link is external
Chehalis, WA 98532 Link is external
Mondays - Thursdays, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Fridays, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
LEWIS COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Packwood Community Hall
12935 US-12 Link is external
Packwood, WA 98361 Link is external
Tuesdays - Fridays, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
SKAGIT COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Sedro-Woolley City Hall
Municipal Training Room, 2nd Floor
325 Metcalf St. Link is external
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 Link is external
Mondays - Fridays, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Snohomish Library
Big Study Room
311 Maple Ave. Link is external
Snohomish, WA 98290 Link is external
Mondays - Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fridays, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
WHATCOM COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Sumas Advent Christian Church
125 Front St. Link is external
Sumas, WA 98295 Link is external
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, Fridays, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
"SBA's Business Recovery Centers have consistently proven their value to business owners following a disaster," said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. "Business owners can visit these centers to meet face-to-face with specialists who will guide them through the disaster loan application process and connect them with resources to support their recovery."
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
The SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits, and 2.875% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant's financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is April 27. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Nov. 24.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/03/06/sba-opens-business-recovery-center-leavenworth
Portal North Bridge Video: Cutover Project Update
WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Portal North Bridge Video: Cutover Project Update
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NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak are replacing the 116-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a higher bridge, called Portal North Bridge, that will not have to open and close for river traffic. Beginning February 2026, Amtrak began to "cutover" or transfer one track of rail service from the existing bridge to the new Bridge, which will advance long-term reliability and capacity improvements on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) for
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Portal North Bridge Video: Cutover Project Update
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NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak are replacing the 116-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a higher bridge, called Portal North Bridge, that will not have to open and close for river traffic. Beginning February 2026, Amtrak began to "cutover" or transfer one track of rail service from the existing bridge to the new Bridge, which will advance long-term reliability and capacity improvements on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) foran improved travel experience.
This is the first major bridge cutover project ever on the Northeast Corridor. Between installing new track, finalizing the new catenary, and testing the signal system, our crews are working around the clock since there is so much that is necessary to connect the new bridge to the existing railroad.
The Portal North Bridge project is one of several major infrastructure projects currently ongoing throughout the NEC, thanks to generational investments from state and federal partners.
This project reflects the true power of partnership with Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, as well as USDOT, Federal Railroad Administration, and Federal Transit Administration. It's been a team effort all around, and the Bridge depicts what we can accomplish when we work together.
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Original text here: https://media.amtrak.com/2026/03/portal-north-bridge-video-cutover-project-update/
