JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Aug. 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Innovators across Air Education and Training Command now have an online collaboration tool designed to help them discover, learn, and promote a culture of innovation. Airmen are encouraged to check out the AETC Innovation Community on the All Partner Access Network (APAN) at https://community.apan.org/wg/aetc. The site is designed to connect Airmen in AETC, and acr  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Aug. 5 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Innovators across Air Education and Training Command now have an online collaboration tool designed to help them discover, learn and promote a culture of innovation. Airmen are encouraged to check out the AETC Innovation Community on the All Partner Access Network at https://community.apan.org/wg/aetc. The site is designed to connect Airmen in AETC, and across the Air Force, with information and res  more

JOINT-BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Aug. 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: When Erica Lee was a child, the world outside the door was the place to be. "I would come home with bugs in my pocket and was always curious about the environmental world," Lee said. Now, as an Air Force Civil Engineer Center support program manager for Eglin Air Force Base Natural Resources, Florida, she is one of many environmental professionals partnering to protect endangered species while ensur  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news: U.S. Army Reserve Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force 7454-1, from San Antonio, Texas, joined the Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency response to COVID-19. U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command's Joint Force Land Component Command, is overseeing the military operation in support of federal efforts and the state. The 7454th is one of three U.S. Army Reserve Medical Comm  more

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Aug. 5 on the business employment dynamics in Oklahoma for 4th quarter 2019: From September 2019 to December 2019, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Oklahoma totaled 82,766, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments numbered 80,110, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stati  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 31 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on the changing compensation costs in the Dallas metropolitan area for June 2020: Total compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.5 percent in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK Consolidated Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ending in June 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak  more

DALLAS, Texas, July 31 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on the changing compensation costs in the Houston metropolitan area for June 2020: Total compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.7 percent in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX Consolidated Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ending in June 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirni  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded a contract to construct approximately 17 miles of contiguous new border wall system within U.S. Border Patrol's (USBP) Laredo Sector located in Webb County, Texas. Construction will occur where no barriers currently exist. The contract was awarded to Fisher Sand and Gravel Company, DBA Fisher Industries, for a tot  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 8 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release on Aug. 7: Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded small nonfarm businesses in 19 Texas counties of the Sept. 8, 2020, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused   more

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The Defense Contract Management Agency issued the following news: Sheila Riley said thinking outside the box is what Defense Contract Management Agency Dallas does best. When the administrative contracting officer and others at DCMA's regional office here had a tough question to tackle -- how will they address industry concerns regarding changes in policy and work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic? -- they turned to technology for the answer. Riley, along with s  more

DYESS AFB, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Air Force (7th Bomb Wing) issued the following news: Typically, Air Force training involves a certified instructor providing hands-on training to another Airman who needs to increase their skillsets. As the capabilities of technology have continued to increase, so have the training techniques of the Air Force. Airmen within the 7th Component Maintenance Squadron's Engine Test Cell demonstrated the ability of using an Engine Test Stand virtual reality system  more

EIELSON AFB, Alaska, Aug. 3 -- The U.S. Air Force (354th Fighter Wing) issued the following news: Three new F-35A Lightning II aircraft belonging to the 354th Fighter Wing arrived from the factory line at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, to their homestation on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 30, 2020. The fighter jets were flagships representing the 354th FW and the 355th and 356th Fighter Squadrons. Eielson's newest and youngest F-35A pilot, 1st Lt. Billy Mullis, 356th FS, had the   more

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 8 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality $176,000 to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across the state. The program is designed for watershed management planning agencies and departments to develop and implement water quality management plans. "Protecting our nation's water bodies and providing access to cl  more

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Aug. 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Creating a pilot is not easy. Producing a pilot up to Air Force standards is even harder. But imagine doing that as a FAIP after just completing the 80th Flying Training Wing's 55-week Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. First Assignment Instructor Pilots, known as a "FAIP" in the pilot community, play an important role in the pilot training business. After comple  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news: Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force-7458 is the second Army Reserve Medical Command unit that has mobilized to Texas as part of the Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency response to COVID-19. "The 7458th is prepared to provide skilled medical support to community medical facilities that the Federal Management Agency has identified for assistance," stated Maj. Gen. Jonatho  more

GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Air Force (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: The military has made great strides with diversity and inclusion, and we are making continual progress. 17th Training Wing Violence Prevention Integrator, Donna Casey, is starting a Diversity and Inclusion Team on Goodfellow; their purpose is to identify and remove any barriers that might unfairly impact our service members. According to the Department of the Air Force, the task force is organiz  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division issued the following news release on Aug. 6: The United States filed two civil forfeiture complaints today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging that commercial real estate in Louisville, Kentucky, and Dallas, Texas, both acquired using funds misappropriated from PrivatBank in Ukraine, are subject to forfeiture based on violations of federal money laundering statutes. Acting Assistant At  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Charges were unsealed today against a former official at Citgo Petroleum Corporation, a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned and state-controlled energy company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX  more

TEMPLE, Texas, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Texas office issued the following news release: USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is inviting potential conservation partners to submit project applications for federal funding through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). NRCS will award up to $360 million to locally driven, public-private partnerships that improve the nation's water quality, combat drought, e  more

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: Three new F-35A Lightning II aircraft belonging to the 354th Fighter Wing arrived from the factory line at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, to their home station on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 30, 2020. The fighter jets were flagships representing the 354th FW and the 355th and 356th Fighter Squadrons. Eielson's newest and youngest F-35A pilot, 1st Lt. Billy   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 54805) involving Texas Department of State Health Services, Silsbee: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK SHUTTERS The following information was received via email: "On July 29, 2020, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] was notified by the licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) that during the performance of routine gauge inspections two gauges were found to have shutters that   more

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Aug. 6 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release: Rio Grande Valley Multibank (RGVMB) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have awarded $24,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP) funds to Texas Community Capital (TCC) in Austin, Texas. PGP grants help qualified nonprofit organizations fund a variety of operational and administrative activities that are critical to servin  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 4 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release: Small nonfarm businesses in 20 Texas counties and neighboring counties in New Mexico are now eligible to apply for low interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center-West. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board issued the following statement on Aug. 7 by Chairman Katherine Lemos: * * * The video accounts are stunning. Smoke emerges over the city as yellow flames reach towards the sky. A few seconds later an explosion and its resulting pressure wave leave death and destruction in its wake. This was West, Texas in 2013. This is Beirut, Lebanon in 2020. As details of Tuesday's accident continue to emerge, one thing is clear: we have seen this before.   more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency - Texas Field Office issued the following news release on Aug. 7: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced changes for emergency haying and grazing use of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This includes changes outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill that streamlines the authorization process for farmers and ranchers. "Drought conditions are tou  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, John F. Bash, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: In San Antonio today, Senior U.S. District Court Judge David A. Ezra granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) filed by federal authorities against Living Health Holistic Healing Center d/b/a Living Health New Braunfels (Living Health) and it's owner, Leslie Tatum, to combat alleged fraudulent advertising and testing related to the coronavirus pandemic   more

HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Two Houston-area family members have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions on multiple counts to include conspiracy, bank fraud, false statements on credit applications, wire fraud and mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. A federal jury deliberated for approximately seven hours before convicting Carlos Wydler, 49, and  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 7 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, John F. Bash, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: In Austin this week, an active duty soldier and a former federal government employee at Camp Mabry admitted to stealing and unlawfully selling more than $1 million worth of items from the military installation in Austin, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash. Appearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane, 27-year-old Texas National Guardsman Cris  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 5 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release: Santa Maria Hostel and Family Time Crisis Center have been awarded $500,000 each to provide safe, stable housing and appropriate services to victims of human trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. "Human trafficking is a scourge," said Patrick. "Prosecuting the pimps and enablers is sometimes not the hardest part. The support services for the victim  more

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: A Dallas real estate developer has pleaded guilty to bribery of a Dallas City Council Member, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. Devin Hall, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to conspiracy to commit bribery of an agent of local government receiving federal benefits. "We have repeatedly pledged to tackle public   more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-CHAPMAN TRAINING ANNEX, Texas, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Air Force Special Warfare has refined its rich history of Assessment and Selection for entry into the special tactics and Guardian Angel career fields. A&S is a character-based process that is indexed off of physical performance and mental fortitude, but fuses the cognitive domain to build a unit of action--an agile and adaptive operator. A&S is a high performance system designed to pr  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 2 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: The Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) was presented to Lt. Col. Andrew Currie, Canadian Defense Attache (DATT) Medical Staff Officer and Medical Liaison Officer to Health Affairs/Defense Health Agency (DHA), on July 20. The O2M3 recognizes excellence and promotes esprit de corps among Army Medical Department (AMEDD) personnel. Membership in the order denotes distinguished service which is recognized by the sen  more

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan issued the following news release: The U.S. State Department, through the American NGO partner Meridian International Center and Texas International Education Consortium, conducted an eight-week virtual exchange and training program for a group of journalists from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan who were selected to participate in the Central Asian Journalist-in-Residence program in the United States as p  more