NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, June 30 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana issued the following statement on June 29 by Executive Director Alanah Odoms Hebert: The Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in its ruling in June Medical Services v. Russo. The result in the case was dictated by the Court's precedent; the Louisiana law was nearly identical to a Texas law that the Court ruled was unconstitutio  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 3 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas issued the following news release on July 1: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is calling on Houston city and police officials to ensure that the upcoming negotiations over the city's police union contract, which is set to expire at the end of the year, are held in public and allow for input from members of the community. In a letter sent today to Mayor Sylvester Turner, Chief Art Acevedo and Houston Police Officer  more

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, June 29 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico issued the following statement Reproductive Rights Attorney Ellie Rushforth: In a five to four decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in its ruling in June Medical Services v. Russo. Justice Breyer, delivering the opinion of the Court, explained the result in the case was dictated by the Court's precedent; th  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Alliance for Justice issued the following statement on June 29 by President Nan Aron: In a narrow 5-4 decision Monday morning, the Supreme Court ruled against Louisiana's law that limited access to abortion by requiring providers to have hospital admitting privileges. Despite having sided in favor of an identical law in Texas in the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt decision just four years ago, Chief Justice Roberts ruled with the Court's left flank in today's June  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 2 -- The American Heart Association issued the following statement supporting the INVEST in America Act as part of the Moving Forward Act: "The INVEST in America Act will help make bicycling, walking, rolling and taking transit safe and accessible. Providing more affordable active transportation options improves public health and reduces congestion and air pollution in our communities. These investments support safe and equitable active transportation in all communities and   more

DALLAS, Texas, June 30 -- The American Heart Association issued the following news release: Young children with narrow retinal artery diameters were more likely to develop higher blood pressure, and children with higher blood pressure levels were more likely to develop retinal microvascular impairment during early childhood, according to a new study published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. This is the first study to show this connection in children. High blood pr  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 30 -- The American Payroll Association issued the following news: The American Payroll Association's (APA) next "PayTalk" podcast episode coming out on July 3 will share some unique insights into the development, distribution, and impact of the CARES Act, as well as future Economic Impact Payments. For our third episode, The Era of Payments as Policy: Part One, our host Nina Talley is joined by the following guests: * William Sullivan, Nacha's Senior Director & Group   more

NEW YORK, July 2 -- The National Black Justice Coalition issued the following statement on July 1 by Executive Director David J. Johns: Yesterday, Merci Mack, a 22-year-old Black transgender woman in Dallas, Texas, was found murdered from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. She is the 4th Black transgender woman killed during Pride month, and the 19th trans person violently killed, thus far in 2020, that we know of. * * * "What do you do when you don't have the capacity to wrap your head a  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 3 -- The Center for Applied Linguistics issued the following news release on July 2: The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has awarded the University of Houston (UH) a multi-year, $10 million grant to establish a national research and development center for English learners at the University's Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES). The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is one of six other key investigative partners subcontracted by the U  more

WAKEFIELD, Massachusetts, July 1 -- Mentoring Minds issued the following news: Certica Solutions, provider of high-impact K-12 assessment and analytics solutions, announced its partnership with Tyler, Texas-based Mentoring Minds to offer Certica's Navigate Item Bank within its Itematica solution. Mentoring Minds joins the growing list of leading assessment platforms and learning management systems that offer Navigate. Through its partnership with Certica, Itematica will provide educators with   more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Communications Workers of America issued the following news release: Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 6 announced that it has reached a contract extension agreement with AT&T Southwest in early contract negotiations. The term of this extension agreement will begin upon expiration of the current contract on April 11, 2021 and end at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on April 12, 2025. The four-year extension agreement covers 17,000 wireline employees in Arkansas,  more

SANTA BARBARA, California, July 1 -- Direct Relief issued the following news: As coronavirus cases surge across the United States, officials scramble to roll back reopening measures in a renewed effort to contain the spread of Covid-19. The reverse course comes as record-breaking case totals threaten to overwhelm hospital systems in several states, including Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California. While the United States managed to "flatten the curve" in May through nearly universal stay at   more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 1 -- Environment Texas issued the following news release: Leading Texas environmental group Environment Texas announced its endorsement of Sara Stapleton-Barrera in the July 14 primary runoff for Texas Senate District 27. The incumbent is Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. "Sara Stapleton-Barrera is the clear environmental choice for Senate District 27," said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas. "She has made the environment a core part of her campaign, opposing the p  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 1 -- Environment Texas issued the following news release: Led by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Democrats on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a comprehensive report Tuesday detailing policies and programs to tackle climate change at the federal level, including those to address chemical disasters and natural gas flaring. The report is based on twelve pillars of action with the overall goal of achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions in the United States by 205  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 2 -- The Episcopal Health Foundation issued the following news release: Majorities of Texans say improving the economy, reducing pollution, and improving neighborhood safety should be top priorities for state lawmakers to improve health across the state. In addition, two-thirds of Texans say people would be healthier if the state spent more money on non-medical factors that affect health. Those are just some of the results of Episcopal Health Foundation's first-of-its-kind  more

GAINESVILLE, Florida, June 29 -- Forensic Anthropology, a peer-reviewed journal that says it features forensic anthropology and archaeology, published research articles on the following topics in its Winter 2020 edition: * Moisture Content in Decomposing, Desiccated, and Mummified Human Tissue * Examining Differences in Presumed Migrants from Texas and Arizona Using Cranial and Dental Data Technical Notes: * A Simplified Protocol for the Histological Preparation of Cortical Bone Samples for  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 1 -- The International News Media Association issued the following news release: The phaseout of third-party cookies in 18 months is changing the digital advertising ecosystem and prompting news media companies to accelerate first-party data strategies that redefine what makes advertising relevant to users, according to a report released by the International News Media Association (INMA). "The Third-Party Cookie Trigger" report by INMA CEO Earl J. Wilkinson explores the ram  more

NEW YORK, July 3 -- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America issued the following news release: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) called on the Department of Defense to exercise improved transparency in the case of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, a soldier missing from Fort Hood in Texas for more than two months. The organization also calls on its allies in Congress to exercise aggressive oversight of the investigation as to what happened to Spc. Guillen and how the military failed to   more

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, June 30 -- The Association for Information Science and Technology issued the following news on June 26: The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that Jeonghyun "Annie" Kim, PhD of the University of North Texas is the 2020 recipient of the ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award. The award's purpose is to recognize the unique teaching contribution of an individual as a teacher of information science. Professor K  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The League of United Latin American Citizens issued the text of the following letter by National President Domingo Garcia: To: The Honorable Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, P.O. Box 12428, Austin, Texas 78711, VIA FACSIMILE - 512-463-1849 (fax) Governor Abbott, While COVID19 cases have exploded in Texas, the deaths of Hispanics keep growing. Coronavirus is killing Latinos all over the Lone Star State, and that's why we are contacting you today. The League of United Latin  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The League of United Latin American Citizens issued the following statement by National President Domingo Garcia: "Texas Governor Greg Abbott has answered our call for action which LULAC made early Thursday morning and 11.4 million Latinos plus many others across the state will be safer from the coronavirus starting Friday at noon when the order goes into effect. It requires everyone from ten years old on up to wear masks in businesses, buildings and spaces open to the pub  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The National Center for Lesbian Rights issued the following news release on June 29: The United States Supreme Court struck down a draconian restriction on access to abortion enacted by the state of Louisiana, holding that it served no medical benefit and unduly restricted access to abortion care. The Louisiana law at issue - which requires abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges - is identical to a law in Texas that the Supreme Court found unconstitution  more

NEW YORK, June 30 -- The National Institute for Reproductive Health issued the following news release on June 29: The U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, declaring a Louisiana state law requiring physicians who provide abortion care to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic to be unconstitutional. Four years ago, in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the Court ruled that an almost identical Texas admitting privilege law  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The National LGBTQ Task Force (formerly the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) issued the following news release on June 29: In June Medical Services v. Russo, the Supreme Court, held Louisiana Act 620 unconstitutional, which would have required doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Authored by Justice Breyer, this decision agrees with precedent articulated by the Supreme Court four years ago in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The National Parks Conservation Association issued the following news release: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Texas Regional Haze Plan that will continue to allow air pollution from Texas coal plants and other facilities to dirty the air in our national parks, harming the health of communities across the state and Southwest. The pollution from Texas coal plants harms the air we breathe, contributes to hazy skies, and results in missed work an  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 30 -- The National Trauma Institute issued the following information: Announcing its annual research awards on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) approved $1.4 million in funding support to Elliott R. Haut, MD, PhD, FACS, for a project implementing the findings from a previously completed PCORI study. In that study of nurse and patient education modules, Haut and the Johns Hopkins Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Collaborative t  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, June 30 -- The National Wildlife Federation issued the following news release on June 26: The National Wildlife Federation and partners hosted the third in a series of environmental justice and frontline community roundtables, with elected officials joining leaders from Louisiana and Texas. The virtual meeting gathered nearly 20 community advocates, local, county, state and federal officials, faith, youth and nonprofit leaders to explore how people of color in cities lik  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The National Organization for Women issued the following news release: The Supreme Court's decision in June Medical Services v. Russo struck down a Louisiana law imposing targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP laws) that the Court had previously found unconstitutional in Texas. TRAP laws are not designed to protect women's health, but rather to expand the power of patriarchal church leaders and conservative Republicans and to dictate women's most personal healt  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 2 -- Public Citizen issued the following news release on July 1: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Wednesday postponed a decision that could allow Waste Control Specialists (WCS), the operator of a nuclear waste dump in Andrews County, to reduce certain disposal fees from 40 cents per unit of radioactivity to just five cents. The rule was set for passage today with no stakeholder meetings, written comments, or requests for an administrative hearing. TCEQ comm  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 2 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news on July 1: By Larry Adams Contributing Writer, SME Media Fostering human-centered innovation by developing powerful, easy-to-use tools is at the heart of the new products, enhancements and services showcased during the Siemens Digital Industries Software 2020 Media & Analyst Conference, a two-day virtual event hosted by the Plano, Texas-based company on June 16 and 17. Building off of its Xcelerator  more

WASHINGTON, June 29 -- Campaign for Accountability issued the following statement by Counsel Alice Huling: The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's Act 620, a Targeted Restriction on Abortion Providers (TRAP) law that required abortion providers have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The 5-4 decision was written by Justice Breyer with Chief Justice Roberts penning a separate concurrence. The decision found the Louisiana law violated precedent set in the Court's 2016 Whole Women's Heal  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 2 -- Southwest Research Institute issued the following news release: Construction of the building housing the Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) pilot plant, a $112 million 10-megawatt supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) facility at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, TX has been completed after an 18-month construction process. A Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for the first-of-its-kind pilot plant, which will demonstrate the   more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 30 -- Southwest Research Institute issued the following news release: Southwest Research Institute scientists have increased the speed and accuracy of a laboratory-scale instrument for determining the age of planetary specimens onsite. The team is progressively miniaturizing the Chemistry, Organics and Dating Experiment (CODEX) instrument to reach a size suitable for spaceflight and lander missions. "In situ aging is an important scientific goal identified by the Natio  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 1 -- Southwest Research Institute issued the following news release: Southwest Research Institute has developed computer-based techniques to accurately detect crude oil on water using inexpensive thermal and visible cameras. This machine learning-based solution can detect and monitor oil leaks before they become major threats to lakes, rivers and coastal areas. With over 80,000 miles of oil pipelines across the United States, many waterways are at risk for environmenta  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Texas Association of Broadcasters issued the following news on June 29: TAB is introducing new training options for member stations this summer targeting newsrooms, sales teams and managers, with additional programs planned for fall. In addition, TAB's Annual Business Meeting - usually held during the annual convention - is going virtual on Thursday, July 30. The 2020 TAB Show was canceled because of the pandemic. July Training Offerings July 7 Webinar: Your Team's 6  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The National Association of County and City Health Officials issued the following news release: The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has announced that George T. Roberts, Jr. , MHA, FACHE, CEO of the Northeast Texas Public Health District, is now Immediate Past President of the NACCHO Board of Directors. NACCHO is the voice of the nation's nearly 3,000 local health departments. He began his one-year term as Immediate Past President on July   more

DALLAS, Texas, July 2 -- Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a campaign of Everytown for Gun Safety, issued the following news: The Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots network, released the following statements in response to the death of Merci Mack, a Black transgender woman shot and killed in Dallas Tuesday morning. "Our hearts break for Merci's family, friends, and all those who knew her," said Chris Cor  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 3 -- Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: This week, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) released the Healthcare PRICE Transparency Act to make permanent the rule established in the executive order by President Trump. "People avoid needed care because of the secretive pricing of hospitals," said David Balat, policy director of Right on Healthcare at the Texas Public Po  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 1 -- Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: Several top U.S. conservative leaders and organizations, representing tens of millions of members, are amenable to making current beneficiaries of the soon-to-be defunct Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program at least eligible for renewable residency permits (with a lasting bar to U.S. citizenship, due to their initial unlawful entry into the country), but only after the federal government'  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 3 -- Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release: The United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement's entry into force will bolster North American trade, support the American energy industry, and encourage trading partners to meet America's environmental standards as a world leader in clean air. "This trade agreement is a critical move toward maintaining America's status as a global energy powerhouse," said Jason Isaac, senior manager and distingu  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 30 -- The Texas State Teachers Association issued the following statement by President Noel Candelaria on the decision to require State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness testing next year: "We are in the middle of a health emergency, we don't even know for sure what form education is going to take this fall, and the state education commissioner has announced that STAAR testing will resume. The Texas State Teachers Association has a better idea: Let's continue the ti  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The National Women's Health Network issued the following news release on June 29: The U.S. Supreme Court once again upheld the constitutional right of pregnant people to access abortion care without undue burden. But even as we celebrate this important and hard-fought victory, we know we can't depend on the courts to save us. The Louisiana law at stake in today's case was virtually identical to a Texas law struck down by the Court just four years ago in Whole Woman's Hea  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The National Association of Health Underwriters issued the following news release: Kelly Fristoe, a Wichita Falls, Texas-based insurance agent, was appointed vice president of the National Association of Health Underwriters' Board of Trustees at its 90th Annual Convention, hosted virtually earlier this week. "Kelly has spent over two decades supporting and leading his fellow NAHU members," said Janet Trautwein, CEO of NAHU. "I am confident he will continue his excellent t  more