WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (TNSRep) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration issued the following news release: Each year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issues an annual calendar to honor its explosives detection canines from across the country. For the first time ever, TSA is making the 2021 TSA Canine Calendar available to the public. TSA trains each of its explosives detection canines at the TSA Canine Training Center, located at Joint  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Fernando McIntyre, doing business as Morning Star Produce, satisfied an $8,640 reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) involving unpaid produce transactions. The McAllen, Texas, company can continue operating in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached a consent decision and order against 7 S Packing, LLC, dba Texas Packing Company (7 S Packing), San Angelo, Texas, on December 2, 2020, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. An investigation revealed that 7 S Packing failed to pay the full purchase price for livestock purchases totaling $5,544,0  more

MARICOPA, Arizona, Dec. 22 (TNSJou) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service issued the following news: Genetically engineered cotton and classical pest control tactics combined to rid the United States and Northern Mexico of a devastating pest, according to a new study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Arizona (UofA) scientists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For most of the past century, the pink bollworm w  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Dec. 22 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Airmen curious about their level of proficiency in Air Force Foundational Competencies can now take an assessment on MyVector. The Air Force Competencies are foundational, are applicable across all ranks/grades and career fields, and provide total force members a pathway to success in their respective careers. Air Force Competencies are at the heart of readiness a  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Dec. 22 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Airmen curious about their level of proficiency in Air Force Foundational Competencies can now take an assessment on MyVector. The Air Force Competencies are foundational and applicable across all ranks, grades and career fields, and provide Total Force members a pathway to success in their respective careers. Air Force Competencies are at the heart of readiness and lay the foundation for Developin  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, Dec. 24 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: The anticipation for how Air Force Trials 2021 will be conducted can now cease. After much consideration, deliberation, and cross talk between multiple organizations, the decision has been made to have the 7th Annual Air Force Trials go fully virtual. Although this is not what many of our athletes wanted, it is currently the safest option and will still be an amazing competition. "The virtual event  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on Dec. 23: The Federal Communications Commission today announced a settlement with IBM for alleged violations of the FCC's E-Rate program rules in connection with the New York City and El Paso school districts. IBM agreed to return $24.25 million to the Universal Service Fund. In past years, IBM provided communications services to the New York City Department of Education and the El Paso Independent  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 24 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issued the following article from its Southwest Economy publication by Laila Assanie, senior business economist in the Research Department, and Yichen Su, research economist in the Research Department: Business interruption and social distancing mandates because of COVID-19 have disrupted what had been a period of sustained growth within city centers nationally and in Texas. The pandemic-related actions have helped propel a sudden, la  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 24 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issued the following article from its Southwest Economy publication by Jesse Thompson, senior business economist in the Houston Branch, and Camila Holm, research analyst in the Research Department: Natural gas futures plummeted to a historic low in June 2020 only to rebound by late October, with prices more than doubling to $3 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). The main reason for the rebound: a decline in natural gas producti  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 24 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issued the following article from its Southwest Economy publication by Anil Kumar, economic policy advisor and senior economist in the Research Department: Recent analysis suggests that enhanced unemployment insurance benefits implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have helped buttress spending among the unemployed and supported state and local economies. Their economic impact in Texas relative to the nation has been constra  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas, 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 Kun "Bruce" Liu, 40, of Sugar Land, yesterday.  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 4:20-cv-00965; E.D. Tex. filed December 21, 2020): The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Texas-based real estate developer Dike Boone Nerren with fraud in connection with two securities offerings he used to fund a real estate project in McKinney, Texas. According to the SEC's complaint, between 2015 and 2017 Nerren raised approximately $1.4 million through Sapient Fund II,   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 3:20-cv-03676-C; N.D. Tex. filed December 18, 2020): The Securities and Exchange Commission charged TH Wealth Management, LLC, a Dallas, Texas-based investment adviser, and Brian Keat Hobbs, its sole owner and principal, for conducting a cherry-picking scheme that defrauded four of their clients. According to the SEC's complaint, from at least December 2016 through March 2019, Hobbs place  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 4:20-cv-972; E.D. TX, filed December 23, 2020): On December 23, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint against Ronnie Lee Moss, Jr. of Flower Mound, Texas, and Genesis E&P, Inc., Royal Oil, LLC, and Catalyst Operating, LCC, three companies Moss controlled, alleging they raised approximately $5.7 million by selling fraudulent oil-and-gas investments. According to th  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 55033) involving Methodist Hospital, Houston: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - UNRETRACTABLE SOURCE The following report was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via email: "On December 12, 2020, the Agency was notified by the licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) that on December 11, 2020, they were unable to retract a source string composed of 16 strontium -   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following order (Admin. Proc. File No. 3-20136) involving Norman T. Reynolds: In the Matter of NORMAN T. REYNOLDS, ESQ. ORDER DENYING MOTION TO LIFT TEMPORARY SUSPENSION AND DIRECTING HEARING On October 22, 2020, we issued an order instituting proceedings ("OIP") against Norman T. Reynolds, Esq. ("Reynolds"), pursuant to Commission Rule of Practice 102(e)(3)(i)(A) and (B)./1 The OIP temporarily suspended Reynolds, an at  more

SHEPPARD AFB, Texas, Dec. 24 -- The U.S. Air Force's 82nd Training Wing issued the following news: In his action orders to accelerate change in the Air Force, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. challenges each Airmen to harness energy and focus it in a purposeful direction, even at the expense of the status quo, to effect necessary change in the service. "Therefore, if our Nation's military is to remain the best in the world, we need to do our part to challenge the status quo and make ne  more