WASHINGTON, April 2 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release: The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday found that a lack of procedural compliance and complacency were key factors in several marine accident investigations concluded so far in 2021. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the flooding of the towing vessel Alton St. Amant on May 17, 2020, in Harvey Canal, New Orleans, Louisiana, was the absence of shipyard pre-inspection and monitori  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 2 (TNSOps) -- The Nature Conservancy issued the following news: Farmers can soon apply for conservation easements in western Kentucky and western Tennessee. These easements provide financial assistance to farmers who voluntarily take their frequently flooded lands out of agricultural use. The program benefits nature by restoring these wetland areas to bottomland hardwood forest and reconnecting the floodplain to the Mississippi River. Eligible areas include the Obion  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news release on March 31, 2021: NOAA announced two new coastal condition forecast models that will enhance critical decision making for mariners along the West Coast and Northern Gulf of Mexico. The models provide continuous quality-controlled data on water levels, currents, water temperature and salinity out to 72 hours. Forecasts from both models are used by commercia  more

CORVALLIS, Oregon, March 31 (TNSOps) -- Oregon State University issued the following news: The Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences has launched the fifth chapter in the nation, and the first west of the Mississippi River, of a club for agriculture community members identifying as LGTBQ+ and their allies. "This club is an opportunity to acknowledge students who have always been a part of agriculture but perhaps never felt like they had a place that truly accepted them," sai  more

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana, March 31 -- Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release on March 30, 2021: Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) sent a letter today urging Governor Edwards to utilize federal funding from the latest COVID-19 package to address Louisiana's infrastructure backlog. The recent budget reconciliation package provides Louisiana with over $5 billion in federal funding and broad discretion on how funds can be spent. The letter reads, in part, "We have an unprecede  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 30 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Memphis District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District recently nominated Program Manager Derrick Smith as the Program Manager of the Year. Every year the district selects an Army civilian program manager to recognize their outstanding contributions and support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the regiment, including civil works, leadership, and achievements. Highlights from S  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, April 2 (TNSEco) -- Louisiana State University issued the following news release: The LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio and the LSU Center for Coastal Resiliency will be relocating and establishing offices at the Water Campus this month. Including the LSU Center for River Studies, LSU will now have three research groups on the Water Campus working on various complex coastal issues including a large collaborative project for the Army Futures Command led by LSU Department   more

VICKSBURG, Mississippi, March 31 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and partners installed a temporary, experimental underwater Acoustic Deterrent System, or uADS, at Mississippi River Lock 19 between Keokuk, Iowa, and Hamilton, Illinois, Feb. 3. The deployment is part of a study to understand how invasive Asian carp respond to acoustic, or sou  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, March 31 (TNSPer) -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars issued the following news release: * * * Col. Inger Nilsson is #StillServing. A VFW Life member who retired in 2015, Nilsson felt the call of duty as soon as COVID-19 began to spread. She immediately volunteered for the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps and worked briefly with the Alexandria Public Health Department. She's now spent nearly a year with the U.S. Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic (RHC-A). VFW Life member   more