JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, July 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: A unit focused on quick and accurate payments to Airmen turned a workplace challenge presented by the Coronavirus pandemic into an opportunity to showcase AFIMSC's value of responsiveness. With COVID-19 quickly impacting its base and local community, Travel Pay Processing - Ellsworth encountered a critical 24-hour deadline to develop a plan to implement socia  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: Air Force officials have selected 4,649 technical sergeants for promotion to master sergeant out of 22,286 eligible for a selection rate of 20.86 percent in the 20E7 promotion cycle. The average overall score for those selected was 390. Selectees' average time in grade was 3.58 years and time in service was 13.77 years. The master sergeant promotion list is available on the Enlist  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: Air Force officials have selected 4,649 technical sergeants for promotion to master sergeant out of 22,286 eligible for a selection rate of 20.86 percent in the 20E7 promotion cycle. The average overall score for those selected was 390. Selectees' average time in grade was 3.58 years and time in service was 13.77 years. The master sergeant promotion list is available on the Enlist  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: The Air Force Civil Engineer Center welcomed its new leader during an assumption of leadership ceremony here July 13. Brig. Gen. John Allen is the unit's first commander since the organization activated in 2012. Previous leaders were senior executive service civilian directors. Allen took command following the June 26 retirement of former Director Terry G. Edwards.   more

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Worth District issued the following news release: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Officials announce the availability of the Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Lower Colorado River Basin Phase I - Wharton, Texas and draft Finding of No Significant Impact. The SEA and the original 2006 Lower Colorado River Basin Phase I, Texas Interim Feasibility Report and Integrated Environmental Assessment - Final are available at ht  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 14 -- The U.S. Army Environmental Command issued the following news: Army Environmental Command offers courses to ensure Army environmental professionals worldwide remain trained and mission-certified during COVID-19. Environmental work continues on Army installations to avoid noncompliance, violations and penalties associated with more than 100 environmental laws, statutes and executive orders. Keeping up to date on certifications and environmental requirements is a c  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on the consumer price index in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land for June 2020: Prices in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), rose 1.1 percent for the two months ending in June 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak n  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the following news release: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, and Texas General Land Office (GLO) have entered into a memorandum of understanding to address coastal restoration in Texas. This effort is intended to streamline and synchronize Gulf of Mexico sediment resource identification for Texas coastal protection and restor  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 17 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: Brock Services, LLC, has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced. According to the EEOC, Brock Services forced an employee to take three eye examinations after learning he had a vision impairment related to glaucoma in one eye. Despite his glaucoma, the eight-year employee coul  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 14 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: CBS Stations Group of Texas will pay $215,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to settle a federal age discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced. CBS Stations Group of Texas is a division of New York-based CBS Corporation. CBS Corporation owns and operates a group of 29 television stations throughout the United States, including a Dall  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the following news release: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) filed a complaint in the federal district court for the Central District of California against GST Factoring, Inc., which runs a student-loan debt-relief business in Texas, and two of its owners, Rick Graff and Gregory Trimarche, as well as Champion Marketing Solutions, LLC, a customer service and marketing company, and its owner, Scott Freda. The   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Corporation for National and Community Service issued the following news release on July 14: The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service, awarded nearly $2 million in AmeriCorps funding to 12 American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and entities. The grants awarded today will support more than 150 AmeriCorps members in Alaska, Arizona, California, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and   more

DYESS AFB, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Dyess Air Force Base (7th Bomb Wing) issued the following news: The C-130 community rewrote history July 14, 2020, successfully piloting the largest formation flight ever of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in support of a Joint Forcible Entry exercise over Dyess Air Force Base and Big Bend, Texas. In total, the "Herk Nation Stampede" featured a formation flight of 24 aircraft from the 317th Airlift Wing based at Dyess AFB and nine aircraft from th  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 14 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: The Woodlands Psychiatry and Counseling Company, a hospital in Conroe, Texas, violated federal law when it fired an employee for making a discrimination charge to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. According to the EEOC's suit, the hospital fired a chemical dependency counselor after it learned she had filed a discrimination charge with   more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Justice, and the state of Texas have announced a settlement with E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) to resolve alleged hazardous waste, air, and water violations at its former La Porte, Texas chemical manufacturing facility. In 2014, the La Porte facility was the site of a chemical accident where the release of nearly 24,0  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following statement on July 16 by Commissioner Richard Glick on a decision (Docket No. CP20-37-000) involving Texas Eastern Transmission: I dissent in part from today's order because it violates both the Natural Gas Act[1] (NGA) and the National Environmental Policy Act[2] (NEPA). The Commission once again refuses to consider the consequences its actions have for climate change. Although neith  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 11 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release: Frost Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have awarded $63,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP) funds to Harmony Community Development Corp., Notre Dame Place and Texas Community Capital (TCC). PGP awards are offered through FHLB Dallas member financial institutions to help qualified nonprofits fund a variety of   more

DALLAS, Texas, July 11 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release: Horizon Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have awarded a $36,000 Partnership Grant Program (PGP) award to Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp. to assist people whose livelihoods were impacted by COVID-19. PGP grants help qualified nonprofit organizations fund a variety of operational and administrative activities   more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: What began as a project to improve land surveying, floodplain mapping, vegetation classification and endangered species management has become a revolutionary innovation that could save the Air Force millions of dollars and countless hours of labor. The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's Unmanned Aerial System, or UAS, project was initiated in  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: What began as a project to improve land surveying, floodplain mapping, vegetation classification and endangered species management at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis has become a revolutionary innovation that could save the Air Force millions of dollars and countless hours of labor. The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's unmanned aerial system project was initiated in late 2019.  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, July 16 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: What began as a project to improve land surveying, floodplain mapping, vegetation classification and endangered species management at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis has become a revolutionary innovation that could save the Air Force millions of dollars and countless hours of labor. The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's unmanned   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division issued the following news release: A Texas man was taken into custody on allegations he fraudulently obtained more than $1.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick for the Southern District of Texas. Joshua Thomas Argires, 29, of Houston, Texas, is charged in a criminal  more

LAUGHLIN AFB, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force (47th Flying Training Wing) issued the following news: If you're flying a heavy in the Air Force, chances are you trained in the T-1A Jayhawk with the 86th Flying Training Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The 86th FTS creates the best mobility pilots in the Air Force, and when they're called back to carry on the mission, they bring experiences from previous assignments and numerous aircraft to the classroom--and the cockpit. Some i  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, July 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory issued the following news: NETL's work to meet the nation's demand for reliable, affordable, and secure domestic supplies of energy will be presented during the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC). Scheduled for July 20-22 in Austin, Texas, URTeC is the premier event focused on the latest science and technology applied to exploration and development of unconventional re  more

WASHINGTON, July 13 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release: National Park Service Regional Director Mike Reynolds announced the selection of Oralia Fernandez as superintendent of Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park in Texas. This position will report to the superintendent of Padre Island National Seashore. Fernandez has more than 24 years of National Park Service experience and currently serves as the Palo Alto Battlefield Nat  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release on July 14: The National Transportation Safety Board determined during a public board meeting held Tuesday that Atlas Air flight 3591 crashed in Trinity Bay, Texas, because of the first officer's inappropriate response to an inadvertent activation of the airplane's go-around mode, resulting in his spatial disorientation that led him to place the airplane in a steep descent from which the crew did n  more

PORTLAND, Oregon, July 14 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy J. Williams, issued the following news release on July 13: U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Texas man has been charged with assaulting a U.S. Marshals Service deputy with a construction hammer during weekend protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. Jacob Michael Gaines, 23, a Texas man currently residing in a recreational vehicle in Portland, has been charged by   more

SHEPPARD AFB, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Air Force (82nd Training Wing) issued the following news: Airman 1st Class John C. Lofton III left Sheppard AFB in 1991 as a power production specialist after completing his technical training. Almost 30 years later and multiple opportunities at growth and advancement, he has returned to the foundation of him impressive career, this time as the commander of officer and enlisted aircraft, munitions and missile maintenance training for the Air Force. Col  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, July 10 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency - Texas Field Office issued the following news release: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced the acceptance of more than 1.2 million acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands during the recent signup period that began March 16 and ended May 15. The number of acres offered during this signup period was 1.9 million acres, over 3 times the  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release: A local man has been taken into custody on allegations he fraudulently obtained more than $1.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick and Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Joshua Thomas Argires, 29, Houston, is charged in a criminal complaint with   more

BEAUMONT, Texas, July 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Stephen J. Cox, issued the following news release on July 15: U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox announced today that eight individuals have been arrested in the Eastern District of Texas pursuant to a federal indictment which alleges drug and money laundering violations. A federal grand jury returned the 24-count indictment on June 3, 2020, charging the following individuals with drug trafficking and money laundering c  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, John F. Bash, issued the following news release on July 14: In Waco today, a federal grand jury indicted 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar in connection with the disappearance of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command (USACID) Special Agent in Charge Vanessa Neff at Fort  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox, issued the following news release on July 15: A four-person cabal has been charged with plotting a hit on a DEA task force officer, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. A federal grand jury indicted Manuel Garcia Gomez, 22, Jorge Humberto Velazco Larios, 27, Eva Denisse Gomez Garcia, 38, and Alicia Yuritzi Juarez Martinez, 31, for conspiracy to use interstate co  more

TEMPLE, Texas, July 16 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development - Texas office issued the following news release: The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $153 million to build and improve critical community facilities to benefit nearly two million rural residents in 23 states. State Director Edd Hargett announced this includes two projects in Texas totaling $2 million. "USDA Rural Development is pleased to provide  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration issued the following news release: Officers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport have detected three firearms in travelers' carry-on luggage in the first two days of this week, during X-ray screening of traveler belongings at the security checkpoints. On Monday at around 6:30 a.m., TSA officers discovered a Rossi .38 Special load  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million grant to the city of Crockett, Texas, to make critical broadband and natural gas infrastructure improvements at the city's industrial park. The EDA grant, to be matched with $500,000 in local investment, is expected to create or reta  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $397,671 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Southern Plains Economic Development District, Lubbock, Texas, to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. "The Trump Administration is eager to allo  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding an $800,000 grant to the Coastal Bend Council of Governments, Corpus Christi, Texas, to support the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) database for Aransas, Bee, Refugio, and San Patricio counties that will aid in the study of economic risk and resilience in those   more

PETERSON AFB, Colorado, July 14 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Northern Command issued the following news release: At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials, approximately 740 Department of Defense medical and support professionals from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are assigned as part of DoD's ongoing COVID-19 operations in Texas and California. As part of the whole-of-America response, U.S. Northern Command is leading military operations  more

GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas, July 15 -- The U.S. Air Force (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: The Department of the Air Force is tackling the issue of systemic racism in the same way as it does many others: by standing up a task force. The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, created June 9, will look at how racial, ethnic, and other demographic disparities affect the Air Force and Space Force, USAF said in a July 8 release. A group of Airmen from various demographic groups and at differ  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign a Shared Stewardship agreement to establish a framework for federal and state agencies to improve collaboration in responding to natural resource concerns and ecological challenges in Texas. The agreement, also referred to as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), is between the Forest Service and Natural Resources Conserv  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 17 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue lauded the achievement of its Meals to You partnership, which has now delivered more than 28.5 million meals to the doorsteps of low-income kids in rural communities across America during the COVID-19 health crisis. Perdue announced the milestone during a visit to McLane Global, one of USDA's partners in the initiative, which has served ki  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, July 15 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, G. Zachary Terwilliger, issued the following news release: A former leader of the white supremacist group Atomwaffen Division pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in a conspiracy that conducted multiple swatting events targeting journalists, a Virginia university, a historic Virginia church, and a former cabinet official. According to court documents, John Cameron Denton, 26, of Montgomery, Texas,  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, July 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, Mike Stuart, issued the following statement on July 14 regarding violence against law enforcement: "Sadly, our law enforcement officers and police have become the target of terrible attacks. Two nights ago in McAllen, Texas, two police officers were fatally shot while responding to a domestic disturbance. Yesterday, in Bothell, Washington, two police officers were shot, one fatally, after a brief  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- The White House issued the following readout of Vice President Mike Pence's briefing with the governors on COVID-19 response and best practices: Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with the chief executives of approximately 50 States, territories, and the city of Washington, DC, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to discuss local, State, and Federal Coronavirus response and recovery best practices. Vice President Pence highlighted the Federal government's   more