Friday - May 10, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving Tennessee Newsletter for Sunday April 21, 2024 ( 26 items )  

26th Annual SOS conference held in Cocoa Beach, FL
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 18 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Some of supercomputing's biggest names recently gathered in Florida for the SOS26 conference to discuss the future of technologies that are reshaping many parts the world. Held in Cocoa Beach, Florida from March 11 to 14, researchers across the computing and data spectra participated in sessions developed by staff members from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge   more

Acting Labor Secretary Su Issues on Volkswagen Plant in Tennessee
WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Acting Labor Secretary Julie A. Su issued the following statement on April 19, 2024: * * * In a statement today, Acting Secretary Julie Su joined President Joe Biden in congratulating Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee who voted to unionize on April 19, 2024: "I want to congratulate the workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga who have exercised their fundamental right to choose to join a union today. As I have said, unions are good for workers - and when workers do  more

Advincula named Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 19 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Rigoberto "Gobet" Advincula, a scientist with joint appointments at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, or AIMBE. Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is a distinction conferred on the top 2% of medical and b  more

Auburn's McCrary Institute, ORNL to partner on first regional cybersecurity center to protect the nation's electricity grid
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 19 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security was awarded a $10 million Department of Energy grant in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a pilot regional cybersecurity research and operations center to protect the electric power grid against cyberattacks. The total value of the project is $12.5 million,   more

Chemists invent a more efficient way to extract lithium from mining sites, oil fields, used batteries
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Chemists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a more efficient way to extract lithium from waste liquids leached from mining sites, oil fields and used batteries. They demonstrated that a common mineral can adsorb at least five times more lithium than can be collected using previously developed adsorbent materials. "It's a low-  more

DEVCOM CBC Partners With Vanderbilt University in Educational Agreement
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 17 -- The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command issued the following news: By Patrick Rodeheaver Vanderbilt University (VU) and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) officially formalized an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) during a signing ceremony that took place at VU in Nashville, Tennessee on March 28, 2024. The objective of the agreement is to officially establish mutually beneficial c  more

DOT IG: 'Quality Control Review on a Single Audit of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Nashville, Tenn.'
WASHINGTON, April 14 -- The Transportation Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. QC2024022) on April 3, 2024, entitled "Quality Control Review on a Single Audit of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Nashville, Tennessee." Here are excerpts: * * * What We Looked At In 2023, we conducted a quality control review (QCR) of Crosslin PLLC's single audit of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) of Nashville, TN, for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022 (OIG Report Number   more

EM Crews Complete Repairs on Oak Ridge's Tallest Stack
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: The iconic 3039 stack has towered over the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since the lab's earliest days, providing ventilation to operations at the site. However, recent inspections revealed portions of the landmark had deteriorated and required repairs. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) performs periodic inspections of th  more

EPA Region 4 Solicits Applications for the 2024 Pollution Prevention Recognition Program
WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 4 is announcing the 2024 Pollution Prevention (P2) Recognition Program. EPA Region 4 encourages Tribal, nonprofit and for-profit organizations that have adopted innovative P2 practices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Tribal lands within the boundaries of Region 4 to apply. "EPA's  more

Hoffman recognized by IEEE as senior member
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Forrest Hoffman, a distinguished scientist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world's largest organization for technical professionals. Hoffman works in the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate's Advanced Computing Methods for Physical   more

Innovation Crossroads helps Shift Thermal keep things cool
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: When Mitchell Ishmael earned his doctorate in 2017, he also gained the technical knowledge to understand surface chemistry, high-precision instruments and materials properties. But what he did not have was the know-how to start a high-tech company, raise venture capital, create business plans and launch a product that could change the future of thermal energy stora  more

Inspection for perfection
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Inspection technology developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory will help deliver plasma heating to the ITER international fusion facility. A camera-and-software system was needed to inspect prototypes of specialized tubes called waveguides. Their precisely grooved inner walls direct microwaves that heat plasma, helping fuse hydrogen isotopes and demonstrate 500 m  more

Ky. U.S. Attorney: Two Western Kentucky Men Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking
PADUCAH, Kentucky, April 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky issued the following news release: Two western Kentucky men were sentenced to federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking yesterday. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Erek G. Davodowich of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Sheriff Ryan Norman of the McCracken County Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff Matt Hillbrecht of the Marshal  more

N.C. U.S. Attorney: Second Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Leasing Fraud Scheme
RALEIGH, North Carolina, April 18 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release: Armando Binelo, 46, of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, pled guilty for his role in a 20-million-dollar leasing fraud scheme. Daniel Raymond, 54, of Mebane, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Binelo faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced. "Our Assistant U.S. Attorneys are  more

Neutrons rule the roost for cage-free lithium ions
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: An international team of scientists found a way to improve battery design that could produce safer, more powerful lithium batteries. The team used quasi-elastic neutron scattering at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to set the first benchmark, one-nanosecond, or one billionth of a second, for a mixture of lithium salt and an organic polymer electrolyte. "It all come  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57077) involving Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Watts Bar Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [1] [2] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: Tony Pate HQ OPS Officer: Sam Colvard Notification Date: 04/15/2024 Notification Time: 14:38 [ET] Event Date: 02/15/2024 Event Time: 22:24 [EDT] Last Update Date: 04/15/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Sectio  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57077) involving Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Watts Bar Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [1] [2] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: Tony Pate HQ OPS Officer: Sam Colvard Notification Date: 04/15/2024 Notification Time: 14:38 [ET] Event Date: 02/15/2024 Event Time: 22:24 [EDT] Last Update Date: 04/15/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Sectio  more

ORNL researchers to present wireless charging technology in OTT's Discovery Series webinar
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 19 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Two researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will present on ORNL's polyphase wireless power transfer system at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. The Zoom webinar is part of DOE's Office of Technology Transitions National Lab Discovery Series. Register online to attend. ORNL's Omer Onar, group leader for vehicle power electronics research,  more

ORNL researchers win Best Paper award for nickel-based alloy tailoring
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 19 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Rishi Pillai and his research team from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will receive a Best Paper award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Gas Turbine Institute in June at the Turbo Expo 2024 in London. The winning paper is "Leveraging Additive Manufacturing to Fabricate High Temperature Alloys with Co-Designed   more

Q&A with Erin Webb: Toward a Tennessee circular bioeconomy
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute in February selected a circular bioeconomy project as one of its newest Convergent Research Initiatives for joint research. Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Erin Webb will co-lead the five-year Circular Bioeconomy Systems CRI with UT's Niki Labbe. Webb is lead for the Bioresource Science and Engineering group  more

Surface Transportation Board Issues Decision Involving R.J. Corman Railroad Property
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. AB 1296X) entitled "R.J. Corman Railroad Property LLC - Abandonment Exemption - In Scott, Campbell, and Anderson Counties, Tennessee": * * * In February 2020, R. J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC (RJC Railroad Property), filed a verified notice under the two-year out-of-service class exemption at 49 C.F.R. part 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a ra  more

Three ORNL researchers receive Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Society of Manufacturing Engineers has honored three Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers with the 2024 SME Susan Smyth Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award. Each year, SME presents the award to engineers 35 years of age or younger who have made exceptional contributions and accomplishments in the manufacturing industry. ORNL research staff membe  more

Three ORNL scientists elected AAAS Fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 18 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Three scientists from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. "Keith Kline, Rigoberto Advincula and Takeshi Egami have delivered significant impact for the sci  more

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia: Tennessee Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia issued the following news release: A Tennessee man was sentenced to prison today for assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Joshua John Portlock, 42,  more

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Announces New Investments in Nature-Based Solutions in Lower Mississippi River Valley as Part of President Biden's Investing in America Agenda
ATLANTA, Georgia, April 19 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the following news release on April 18, 2024: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today the selection of nature-based solutions projects in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMRV) for forestry and wetland restoration across more than 63,100 acres of national wildlife refuges and state-managed lands in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. These projects, totaling over   more

United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee Commemorates National Crime Victims' Rights Week
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 19 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee issued the following news release: The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee and the Department of Justice's Office of Victims of Crime ("OVC") will join communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims' Rights Week and celebrating victims' rights, protections, and services. This year's observance takes place April 21-27, 2024, and features the theme, "  more