SYRACUSE, New York, June 4 -- The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Antoinette T. Bacon, issued the following news release on June 2, 2021: Stephen Mockler, age 53, of Waverly, New York, Andrew Panessa, age 40, of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, and Sabrina Scott, age 52, of Granbury, Texas, pled guilty to charges related to their roles in a scheme to obtain confidential tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The announcement was made by Acting United Stat  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: By Stephanie Abdullah Retired Lt. Gen. Alcide LaNoue, the Army's 38th Surgeon General passed away earlier this year on the 20th of February. LaNoue served the nation in the U.S. Army for nearly 40 years. LaNoue was commissioned as a Second lieutenant in October 1957. He became a general officer in May 1984 and achieved the rank of lieutenant general in September 1992 when he became the Army Surgeon General and Com  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 28 -- The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Jennifer B. Lowery, issued the following news release: Cloudgen LLC has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit H-1B visa fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Cloudgen LLC is a consulting and strategic solutions company located on South Dairy Ashford Road in Houston. Through its corporate representative Jomon Chakkalakkal, Cloudgen pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit visa fraud from on  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: By Bethany Martin The Air Force recently awarded a $16.6 million contract for a pilot study and engineering evaluation/cost estimate at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. The study could help protect drinking water and accelerate possible long-term actions to address two perfluorinated substances in water supplies near the base. Under the contract, awarded to AECOM  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 5 -- The U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center issued the following news: By Bethany Martin The Air Force recently awarded a $16.6 million contract for a pilot study and engineering evaluation/cost estimate at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. The study could help protect drinking water and accelerate possible long-term actions to address two perfluorinated substances in water supplies near the base. Under the contract, awarded to AECOM/Brice, the Air Fo  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center issued the following news: Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center leaders recently released results of the AFIMSC section of the Air Force Materiel Command Diversity and Inclusion Survey conducted late last year. Nearly 900 members from across the worldwide AFIMSC enterprise took the survey for a 26-percent response rate. Aggregate data from the report confirms a significant organizational co  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: By Joe Bela Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center leaders recently released results of the AFIMSC section of the Air Force Materiel Command Diversity and Inclusion Survey conducted late last year. Nearly 900 members from across the worldwide AFIMSC enterprise took the survey for a 26% response rate. Aggregate data from the report confirms a significant organizational commitment to dive  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 2 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: By Jennifer Schneider Threatened fish at Beale Air Force Base, California, are reaping the benefits of a partnership between the Air Force and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Specialists from Beale AFB, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and the USFWS recently completed a dam removal and creek restoration project there, making it easier for fish, including the Chinook salmon and federally thre  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, June 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: By Jennifer Gonzalez In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast, we explore the Airman's Foundational Competencies. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. "These foundational competencies can only be foundational if they apply to every si  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, June 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news: By Jennifer Gonzalez In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast, we explore the Airman's Foundational Competencies. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. "These foundational competencies can only be foundational if they apply to every single Airman and that  more

LACKLAND AFB, Texas, June 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: By Jennifer Gonzalez In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast, we explore the Airman's Foundational Competencies. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. "These foundational competencies can only be foundational if they apply to every single   more

WASHINGTON, June 4 -- The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) issued the following news release on June 3, 2021: As part of its ongoing recovery following the coronavirus pandemic, Amtrak announced today the restoration of traditional dining service beginning Wednesday, June 23 on the California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle (for service between San Antonio and Los Angeles). Travelers will experience a redesigned menu feat  more

CAMP BULLIS, Texas, June 2 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news: By Anthony L. Taylor 85th Support Command In walking into an Army Reserve 'Stand for Life' suicide prevention training event, one may encounter dancing, stretching exercises, podcast interviews, and a good amount of collaboration taking place. One thing that is minimized is the reliance on "Power Point" slide training where an instructor teaches and students stare endlessly at a presentation. The 85th U.S  more

PLANO, Texas, June 3 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on June 2, 2021: An African American auto salesman was subjected to harassment because of his race and color by AOD Ventures, Inc., doing business as Autos of Dallas, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today. Autos of Dallas is a Plano-based retailer of luxury vehicles. Car salesman Jonathon Sellers, who is Black, attended a December 2019 hol  more

DALLAS, Texas, June 4 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on June 3, 2021, entitled "Houston Area Employment - April 2021": Total nonfarm employment for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area increased by 188,100 over the year in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the local  more

LACKLAND AFB, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Brooke Army Medical Center designated May 27, 2021, to observe the culture and accomplishments of Asian American and Pacific Islander service members. This year's theme was "Advancing Leaders Through Purpose-Driven Service" and highlighted the advancement of Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders within our military and civilian ranks. Army Col. Michael Wirt, BAMC   more

WASHINGTON, June 4 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following enforcement news release on June 3, 2021: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas entered an order granting the CFTC's motion for default judgment against defendant James Frederick Walsh of Boca Raton, Florida. The order finds that Walsh failed to answer the CFTC's complaint charging him with fraud and failure to register with the CF  more

FORT CARSON, Colorado, June 2 -- The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command issued the following news: By Scott Prater Lt. Col. Amy A. Saal assumed command of the 918th Contracting Battalion during a ceremony at Manhart Field May 21, 2021. Col. Joel M. Greer, commander, 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, presided over the ceremony where Lt. Col. James "JB" Burkes relinquished command of the battalion to Saal. "It's always bittersweet to say goodbye to a grea  more

FORT CARSON, Colorado, June 4 -- The U.S. Army Contracting Command issued the following news: By Scott Prater Lt. Col. Amy A. Saal assumed command of the 918th Contracting Battalion during a ceremony at Manhart Field May 21, 2021. Col. Joel M. Greer, commander, 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, presided over the ceremony where Lt. Col. James "JB" Burkes relinquished command of the battalion to Saal. "It's always bittersweet to say goodbye to a great leader," Greer said fol  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: By Jennifer Gonzalez In this episode of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, the Airman's Foundational Competency is explored. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. "These foundational competencies can only be foundational if they apply to every single Airman and that's from E-1 to O  more

DYESS AFB, Texas, June 5 -- The U.S. Air Force Dyess Air Force Base (7th Bomb Wing) issued the following news: By Senior Airman Mercedes Porter Virtual reality has made headway in the Air Force as new innovative ways to train Airmen have been continuously highlighted in the media, but have you heard about augmented reality? Unlike VR that immerses the user into a technologically imagined world, AR users view their physical environment with artificial objects overlaying the scene. This can bec  more

DALLAS, Texas, June 2 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on June 1, 2021: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Chicot County, Ark., is among the 151 communities to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. Chicot Co. plans to use their $300,000 community-wide assessment grant to conduct environmental site assessments, focusing on the cities of Eu  more

DALLAS, Texas, June 2 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on June 1, 2021: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the city of Oklahoma City is among the 151 recipients of 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants. The city plans to use their $300,000 assessment grant to conduct environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans and support community outre  more

DALLAS, Texas, June 4 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on June 3, 2021: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, announced new technical assistance to help 13 communities--including the Wyandotte Nation and the Restoration Collective, Inc., of Tulsa, Okla.-- develop local food system and placemaking strategies. The assistance is provided through Local Food  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, June 3 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Consumer Finance Institute issued a white paper (No. 21-19) in May 2021 entitled "Piercing Through Opacity: Relationships and Credit Card Lending to Consumers and Small Businesses During Normal Times and the COVID-19 Crisis". The white paper was written by Allen N. Berger of the University of South Carolina, Christa H.S. Bouwman of the Texas A&M University, Lars Norden of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, Senior Finan  more

GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Goodfellow Air Force Base (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: By Senior Airman Ashley Thrash The 312th Training Squadron conducted a change of command ceremony at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy High Bay, here, June 1. The 312th TRS welcomed incoming commander, Maj. Samuel Logan, and thanked the 312th TRS outgoing commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Boss, for his hard work and dedication. The 312th TRS trains, deve  more

EL PASO, Texas, June 4 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), have identified the increased use of social media platforms such as Facebook, by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), to recruit and facilitate drug smuggling in the El Paso area. The TCOs advertise various jobs such as money couri  more

LACKLAND AFB, Texas, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: By 2nd Lt. Jasmine Mossbarger An assumption of command ceremony was held here April 10, 2021 as Col. Jennifer Mulder, commander of the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, passed the guidon to Lt. Col. Stephanie "Chappy" Hahn, the new commander for the 23rd Intelligence Squadron. Hahn replaced Lt. Col. Sarah Yoshida, who served as the 23 IS comman  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration issued the following news release: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced its intention to extend the current contract for the management and operation of the NNSA's Pantex Plant (Pantex) in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on June 1. The extension will include a two-month base period with four, one-month option periods whic  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- The National Labor Relations Board issued the following decision (Case No. 28-RC-276077) by Region 28 Director Cornele A. Overstreet: COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES, LLC/1, Employer and INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS LOCAL 351, Petitioner DECISION AND DIRECTION OF ELECTION Comprehensive Health Services, LLC ("the Employer") operates a residential facility for immigrant youth, located outside of El Paso, Texas. International Union of Operating Engineers Local 3  more

WASHINGTON, June 4 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 55278) involving Valero Refining, Texas: EN Revision Imported Date: 6/3/2021 EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK SHUTTERS ON TWO GAUGES The following was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) by email: "On May 26,2021, the Agency was notified by the licensee service provider that the shutters on two nuclear gauges were found stuck in the open po  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- President Biden issued the following statement on a Texas Senate bill (S.B. 7): * * * Texas legislators put forth a bill that joins Georgia and Florida in advancing a state law that attacks the sacred right to vote. It's part of an assault on democracy that we've seen far too often this year--and often disproportionately targeting Black and Brown Americans. It's wrong and un-American. In the 21st century, we should be making it easier, not harder, for every eligible vote  more

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory issued the following news release on June 2, 2021: An intern about to start a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and another University of Texas-Dallas student kicked off their summer with a friendly online chat with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about their plans for the summer. Will Teague, who   more

DALLAS, Texas, June 5 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issued the following news release on June 4, 2021: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas announced today that Roberto Coronado has been appointed the senior officer in charge of the Dallas Fed's San Antonio Branch. Coronado currently serves as senior vice president in charge of the Bank's El Paso Branch, which he will continue to oversee. He replaces Blake Hastings, who left the Dallas Fed to pursue other opportunities. Coronado joined  more

DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB, Arizona, June 3 -- The U.S. Air Force (355th Fighter Wing) issued the following news: By Lt Col Joel Bier Airmen from the 355th Wing participated in exercise Agile Dragon at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, May 21 - 27, 2021. 100 Airmen from the 357th Fighter Squadron, 357th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and 355th Security Forces Squadron deployed eight U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to execute agile combat employment principles in simulated real-world scenarios. "Although  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 4 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Ashley Hoff, issued the following news release on June 3, 2021: A federal judge sentenced 45-year-old Christopher Matthew Meredith of Shawnee, Kansas to 14 years in federal prison today for his scheme to defraud investors of more than $6.8 million. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered Meredith to pay $6,820,510.50 in restitution and to be placed on supervised release for a period   more

HOUSTON, Texas, June 3 -- NASA's Johnson Space Center issued the following news release: NASA astronaut and former U.S. Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy has retired from the agency's astronaut corps after 17 years of service. His last day at NASA was Friday, May 28. In his career, Cassidy accumulated 378 days in space. Of that time, he spent 54 hours, 51 minutes outside of the International Space Station over the course of 10 spacewalks. "It's been an amazing run," Cassidy said in a video posted to h  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 5 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: By Steve Warns and Sarah McNair The Tyndall AFB Program Management Office is hosting its second "Digital Twin" data capture event June 4-6, continuing its path toward becoming the Installation of the Future. Air Force engineers are capturing data by drone to digitally map Tyndall's facilities from an aerial perspective during this event. This data, combined with the d  more

WASHINGTON, June 4 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on June 3, 2021: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $8 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to help the state of Texas prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. "The Biden Administration is dedicated to creating new opportunities to put Americans back to wor  more