JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: In episode 40 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast we discuss Air Force Foundational Competencies with Mr. Jamal Qaiyym, Branch Chief of the Foundational Competencies, and Dr. Laura Barron, Industrial Organizational Psychologist. These foundational competencies are categorized into four major groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas and Devel  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: In episode 40 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, we discuss Air Force Foundational Competencies with Jamal Qaiyym, Foundational Competencies branch chief, and Dr. Laura Barron, Industrial Organizational psychologist. These foundational competencies are categorized into four major groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas and Developing Organizations, and benefits Total Force  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Army Environmental Command issued the following news: Employees of the U.S. Army Environmental Command granted holiday wishes for several families whose students attend Fort Sam Houston Elementary, their partnered school. The wishes were granted as part of the command's annual Angel Tree program and the demand this year mirrors the hardships others are facing. "Christmas is all about the kids and anything we can do to make children have a little better   more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Dec.17: Private industry employer costs for employee compensation among the four regions of the country ranged from $31.59 per hour in the South to $40.82 in the West during September 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In the other two regions, hourly employer costs for employee compensation stood at $34.14 in the Midwe  more

TEMPLE, Texas, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Texas office issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Texas State Conservationist Kristy Oates has announced her selection of Chad Reed as the Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations for the agency's Zone 1, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. In this position, Reed will oversee 50 NRCS Field Service Centers a  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: The Air Force chief of staff's direction of accelerate change or lose and the accompanying action orders, outline why and how the service must rapidly change in order to remain the most dominant and respected Air Force in the world. While technology and modernization are important, the Department of the Air Force must educate, train, trust, and empower a diverse group of Airmen  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: The Air Force chief of staff's direction of accelerate change or lose and the accompanying action orders, outline why and how the service must rapidly change in order to remain the most dominant and respected Air Force in the world. While technology and modernization are important, the Department of the Air Force must educate, train, trust, and empower a diverse group of Airmen  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Worth District issued the following news release: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Officials announce today the extension of the comment period for the Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the River Road Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study in San Antonio, Texas to January 12, 2021. The comment period extension was requested to provide time for stakeholders and members of the public t  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 19 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issued the following news release: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has announced the following staff changes: Marvin Dagg has been promoted to assistant vice president in the Banking Supervision Department and will assume responsibility for the supervision of a community bank portfolio and all foreign banks operating in the Eleventh Federal Reserve District. Dagg joined the St. Louis Fed in 1999 as an assistant bank examiner. He l  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency issued the following news: DARPA recently awarded five contracts and selected one Government partner to develop technology to capture potable water from the air in quantities sufficient to meet critical DoD needs, even in extremely dry climates. GE Research, Physical Sciences Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and U.S. Naval Res  more

TYLER, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release: Southside Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have awarded a $300,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) subsidy to Habitat for Humanity of Smith County (HFHSC) for critical home repairs for rural residents. "Our program, which we call Rural ReHabitat, provides critical home repairs to low- and very low-income homeowners l  more

SAN ANGELO, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Goodfellow Air Force Base (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: Goodfellow Security Forces members volunteered with the San Angelo Coalition of Police for the 13th Annual Operation Blue Santa Shop with a Cop at a local store in San Angelo, Dec. 12. This is a national program with local police working with local school districts to help children in need during the holiday season to enhance the children's holidays. For the SACOP, this me  more

GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Air Force Goodfellow Air Force Base (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: In April and May 2020, GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE TX2260027 violated the treatment technique requirements set by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Title 30, Texas Administrative Code (30 TAC), Section 290, Subchapter F. Public water systems are required to properly disinfect water before distribution, maintain acceptable disinfection residuals within th  more

GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Goodfellow Air Force Base (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: In order to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Presidential Memorandum was issued on August 8, 2020 and guidance followed from Internal Revenue Service on August 28, 2020, to temporarily defer Social Security (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI)) tax withholdings. This change is effective through the end of the 2020 calendar year. "The bene  more

BURLINGTON, Vermont, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, Christina E. Nolan, issued the following news release on Dec. 17: Schneider Electric Buildings Americas, Inc. (Schneider Electric), a nationwide provider of electricity solutions for buildings and data centers with its principal place of business in Carrollton, Texas, will pay $11 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations relating to kickbacks and overcharges on eight federally-funded energy savings perfor  more

LIVERMORE, California, Dec. 17 (TNSRes) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news release on Dec. 16: Texas A&M University's Department of Nuclear Engineering on Dec. 10 announced it has honored Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Kelli Humbird with its 2020-21 Young Former Student award for her work at LLNL in combining machine learning with inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. A design physicist at LLNL, Hum  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command issued the following news: As we celebrate what is typically one of the most joyous times of the year, the coronavirus has forced all of us across the Army and nation to endure a number of challenges both at work and home that has truly tested our physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family resilience. There's no question this has been a hard year. It has required us to f  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) and the Corporate Dental System (CDS) Program Management Office (PMO) have successful deployed the Tri-Service Encounter Module (TEM) which is a web-based Mass Event Module (MEM) that documents Soldier Readiness and dental care across the Army, Navy, and Air Force dental. The TEM merged the three Service's dental interfaces into a single platform that standardizes workflows, impr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (TNSRep) -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release: A mortgage industry data analytics company will be required to implement a comprehensive data security program as part of a settlement resolving Federal Trade Commission allegations that the firm failed to ensure one of its vendors was adequately securing personal data about tens of thousands of mortgage holders. In its complaint, the FTC alleged that Texas-based Ascension Data & Analytics, LLC vio  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 19 (TNSPer) -- NASA's Johnson Space Center issued the following news release: NASA's Director of Flight Operations Steve Koerner has appointed veteran astronaut Reid Wiseman as chief of the Astronaut Office. Wiseman takes the place of astronaut Pat Forrester, who has held the position since June 2017. "Pat has provided a bedrock of steadfast, forthright leadership in the astronaut office during a crucial time for NASA as we launched the first commercial crew flights and la  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (TNSRep) -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release: The National Transportation Safety Board issued a safety recommendation report Tuesday, regarding placement of Department Transportation-111 rail tank cars in high hazard flammable trains and the use of buffer cars for the protection of train crews. The recommendation requires all trains have a minimum of five non-placarded cars between any locomotive or occupied equipment transporting h  more

TEMPLE, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Texas office issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public input on Nonindustrial Private Forest Land (NIPF) related to technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "We want to ensure we continue program consistency across USDA agencies with how we are definin  more

SAN DIEGO, California, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations issued the following news release: The U.S. Navy has identified the deceased Sailor assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), who went missing Dec. 10, as Texas native Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Ethan Garrett Goolsby. Goolsby reported to Theodore Roosevelt in July following initial training as an aviation ordnanceman in Pensacola, Fla., and was promoted to his current rank Sept. 16. He reported to Recrui  more

SAN DIEGO, California, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news release: The U.S. Navy has identified the deceased Sailor assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), who went missing Dec. 10, as Texas native Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Ethan Garrett Goolsby. Goolsby reported to Theodore Roosevelt in July following initial training as an aviation ordnanceman in Pensacola, Fla., and was promoted to his current rank Sept. 16. He reported to Recruit Training Command, Great L  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 55025) involving Valero Refining Texas, Texas City: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - SHUTTER MALFUNCTION The following information was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via email: "On December 8, 2020, the Agency received an e-mail from the licensee stating that during routine testing the shutters on two nuclear gauges were found stuck in the open position. The   more

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news on Dec. 12: The nation's first vaccines for the deadly COVID-19 virus that has plagued most of 2020 will be distributed Monday, following yesterday's emergency-use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna said in a press briefing today. Perna is the chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed -- an effort led b  more

RICHLAND, Washington, Dec. 17 (TNSRes) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following news release: Urban landscapes and human-made aerosols--particles suspended in the atmosphere--have the potential to not only make gusts stronger and hail larger; they can also start storms sooner and even pull them toward cities, according to new research exploring the impact of urban development on hazardous weather, led by scientists at the U.S. Department of E  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- The White House issued the following news release: President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President's Advisory 1776 Commission for terms of two years: Larry Arnn, of Arkansas, Chair Dr. Carol M. Swain, of Tennessee, Vice Chair Brooke L. Rollins, of Texas Vincent M. Haley, of Virginia Victor Davis Hanson, of California Phil Bryant, of Mississippi Mike Gonzalez, of Maryland John Gibbs, of Michigan Sc  more

FORT BELVOIR, Virginia, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Contract Audit Agency issued the following audit guidance: Sharon Richman, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Office, Fort Worth, Texas, is DCAA's Professional Support Staff Supervisor of the Year. Sharon supervises the support staff in three offices located in three states. She is dedicated to the smooth day-to-day operations of the office and does so by prioritizing duties, exhibiting outstanding leadership skills, and demon  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Stephen J. Cox, issued the following remarks on Dec. 15: * * * United States Attorney Stephen J. Cox addresses the North Texas Crime Commission (NTCC) today via a Zoom meeting for their regular monthly meeting. U.S. Attorney Cox was introduced by Assistant U.S. Attorney Camelia Lopez and NTCC Chair David Dean: "Thank you, David, for that introduction, and thank you to the North Texas Crime Commission for hosting   more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox, issued the following news release on Dec. 17: United States Attorney Erin Nealy Cox will resign from the Department of Justice, the office announced today. "Serving as United States Attorney has been the privilege of a lifetime. Representing our nation is a tremendous responsibility - one I have tried to undertake with integrity and with accountability to the rule of law. I am grateful to President  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release on Dec. 15: A federal grand jury in Houston has returned a criminal indictment against eight individuals, while a related civil complaint has charged 14 individuals and one company relating to international trade fraud violations stemming from a decade-long scheme involving tires from China. Law enforcement arrested Zheng "Miranda" Zhou, 53, of Missouri City, and  more

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release on Dec. 16: A corporate executive has been ordered to prison after his conviction related to falsely telling thousands of patients with long-term incurable diseases, such as Alzheimers and dementia, they had less than six months to live and subsequently enrolling them in hospice programs. A federal jury in McAllen convicted Rodney Mesquias, 48, San Antonio. T  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release on Dec. 17: Apnix Sleep Diagnostics LP has paid the United States $154,824 to resolve claims that it improperly billed the Medicare program for sleep studies, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. A proactive review of claims data demonstrated that Apnix was the one of the area's highest paid sleep labs. In addition, the investigation revealed there had been s  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Ryan K. Patrick, issued the following news release on Dec. 15: Two home health agency owners are set to appear in federal court on charges they fraudulently billed more than $10 million to Medicare, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Authorities arrested Tataw Charlz Bisong and Angela Bisong, both 57 and from Stafford, today. They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Fr  more

KINGSVILLE, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations issued the following news release: Training Wing 2 (TW-2) Reserve Component held a change-of-command ceremony aboard Naval Air Station Kingsville, Dec. 11. Cmdr. Stuart A. "Stu" Ashton III relieved Capt. David W. "Aubie" Reynolds as commanding officer. Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Reserve Component Commander Capt. Rigel "Pep" Pirrone presided over the virtual ceremony. He praised Reynolds for his steadfast leader  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: Sgt. Maj. Larry White II, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) G3 Operations Sergeant Major, organized a panel of senior and junior officers and enlisted personnel to focus on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). The forum offered an open discussion regarding ACFT lessons learned and performance and improvement tips from Soldiers who have successfully passed the test. On Octo  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: Before she was "Mom-mom" Mills to her grandchildren, Gertrude Indoe Mills was born 27 November 1920 in New Jersey. Last month she celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family. In that celebration came stories of service to the country. Military service was not foreign to the family. Her grandfather served in the Army and her father, who also served in the Army, commanded the local Patterson, New Jersey Ame  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Gregg N. Sofer, issued the following news release on Dec. 18: With murders in Austin up 55% over the previous year, U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer, joined by dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement officials, announced in Austin today the implementation of Operation Undaunted, a program designed to tackle the rising violent crime rate, interrupt violence, protect innocent life and restore peace to Austi  more

BEAUMONT, Texas, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Stephen J. Cox, issued the following news release on Dec. 18: With millions of people waiting for their turn to get the new COVID vaccine, it is expected that scammers will use that opportunity to prey on those willing to pay for it. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've seen fraudsters taking advantage of public programs and supply shortages - we expect the new vaccine to provide similar platforms for decei  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: History was made at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Dec. 10 as the first seven people to enlist directly into the U.S. Space Force graduated from basic military training. The five men and two women were among the 414 recruits who completed seven and a half weeks of training. Assigned to the 320th Training Squadron, their training began Oct. 20. The new Space Professionals are: Amy Biggers, Virginia  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Each year, the Internal Revenue Service places limits on the dollar amount of contributions that can be contributed to the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP. For 2021, the annual elective deferral and catch-up limits remain from 2020. Additionally, on Jan. 1, 2021, TSP will implement a new method for catch-up contributions called the "spillover" method. T  more

GALVESTON, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Galveston District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, Real Estate Division will be going door-to-door in Port Arthur on Dec 15 and on Dec 16 in the Houston and Galveston areas (landowners from Port Arthur, Freeport and Orange County whose contact address is in Houston and Galveston areas), to secure rights-of-entry (ROE) from individual landowners in order to access propert  more

GALVESTON, Texas, Dec. 14 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Galveston District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District and our non-federal sponsor, the Velasco Drainage District, are co-hosting a public information session Monday, Dec 14, 2020, to provide an update on the Freeport Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Project. The Freeport CSRM is component of the larger Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay CSRM Project. Due to COVID-19, this publ  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- The White House issued the following news release on Dec. 17: NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Terrence M. Andrews, of California, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years, vice Edward J. Damich, term expired. Romolo A. Bernardi, of New York, to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service for a term expiring December 8, 2023, vice Carolyn L. Gallagher, term expired. Daniel Z. Epstein, of Texas, to be Chairman of the Ad  more