BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 24 -- The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Nathaniel R. Mendell, issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: A Fitchburg man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for trafficking fentanyl. Sebastian Batista, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 63 months in prison and four years of supervised release. In November 2020, Batista was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams  more

CONCORD, Massachusetts, April 24 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-New England District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District announced today that repair work on the Sagamore Bridge is ahead of schedule and expected to be complete by Sunday, April 25, 2021. All lanes on the Sagamore Bridge are expected to be open for travel starting Sunday. Based on this accelerated timeline, the same team will move their equipment over to the Bourne Bridge  more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: Yale New Haven Hospital received $2,700,432 from FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program at a 100% reimbursement for the costs of COVID-19 emergency response. The costs were associated with procedures conducted through April 30, 2020 under the major disaster declaration issued for the State of Connecticut. The grant for the private nonprofit teaching hospital  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 17 (TNSRep) -- The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review issued the following announcement on April 16, 2021: The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released a Final Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of belimumab (Benlysta(R), GlaxoSmithKline) and voclosporin (Lupkynis(TM), Aurinia) for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN). The FDA approved belimumab on December 17, 2020 and voclosporin on January 22, 202  more

BERKELEY, California, April 23 (TNSOps) -- The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute issued the following news: By Mark J. Palmer The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute, joined by Shark Stewards, another Earth Island Project, watched with grave concern as the Trump Administration weakened protections for National Monuments. We had prepared a lawsuit to file had the Trump Administration taken actions against Pacific Marine National Monu  more

WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts, April 24 (TNSPol) -- The New England First Amendment Coalition issued the following news release on April 23, 2021: New England First Amendment Coalition testified today against a Maine bill that would require news organizations to publish updates to certain stories and limit the use of mugshots in reporting. LD 923 -- similar to failed legislation in New Hampshire and Rhode Island last year and a new bill in New Hampshire earlier this year -- is "not only unconstit  more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a news briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on April 23, 2021: * * * MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Happy Friday. We have another very exciting guest today: our new Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, who made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. She is the member -- she is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th-generation New Mexican.   more

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a news briefing on April 23, 2021, by the White House COVID-19 response team and public health officials with COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients: * * * MR. ZIENTS: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. Today, Dr. Walensky will provide an update on the state of the pandemic, Dr. Fauci will highlight the latest science, and Dr. Murthy will share an update on our efforts to strengthen vaccine confidence. But   more