WASHINGTON, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release on March 15, 2023: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Tennessee for more than $4.1 million to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs. Through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), the Tennessee Department  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: The first fully electric vehicle quietly pulled into a parking space in Oak Ridge last week. The new addition to the site is part of a broader transition to an electric vehicle fleet across the EM complex. The cleanup program aims to add 150 electric vehicles to its fleet this year. Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup contrac  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: Following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville, former MLB player Luther Hackman, 48, pled guilty to money laundering and conspiring to distribute cocaine March 9. In the same case, a federal judge convicted Paul Seib, age 46 and a Canadian citizen, of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms o  more

OWENSBORO, Kentucky, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: Last week, a federal judge sentenced a Kentucky man to 20 years in prison for producing, distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville investigation. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. of the Kentucky State Poli  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has entered a strategic research partnership with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, or UKAEA, to investigate how different types of materials behave under the influence of high-energy neutron sources. The $4 million project is part of UKAEA's roadmap program, which aims to produce electricity from fu  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 15 (TNSper) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education issued the following news release: Margaret Scheiner, Ph.D., wears many hats in her role with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education--all to support education and scientific research initiatives. As an ORISE STEM Workforce Development (STEM WD) senior project manager for U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory educational programs, she administers internship  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: A DNA editing tool adapted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists makes engineering microbes for everything from bioenergy production to plastics recycling easier and faster. The Serine recombinase-Assisted Genome Engineering, or SAGE system, lets scientists quickly insert and test new DNA designs in a variety of microorganisms. Engineered microbes hold promis  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 17 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: A tool developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers gives building owners and equipment manufacturers and installers an easy way to calculate the cost savings of a heating and cooling system that utilizes geothermal energy and emits no carbon. Ground source heat pumps, or GSHPs, operate with a heat exchanger that extracts heat from the ground in winter an  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 17 (TNSper) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Jeremy Busby has been named associate laboratory director for the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective April 1. "Jeremy is an accomplished leader with a considerable background in nuclear science and operations. These traits will help him successfully lead the laboratory's isotop  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 18 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Center for Bioenergy Innovation has been renewed by the Department of Energy as one of four bioenergy research centers across the nation to advance robust, economical production of plant-based fuels and chemicals. CBI, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is focused on the development of nonfood biomass crops and specialty processes for the production of sustai  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Autonomous Systems group at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is in high demand as it incorporates remote sensing into projects needing a bird's-eye perspective. When it comes to collecting data for environmental and national security research, the team sends its specialized drones to places difficult for a person to reach, improving the   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 15 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have confirmed that bacteria-killing viruses called bacteriophages deploy a sneaky tactic when targeting their hosts: They use a standard genetic code when invading bacteria, then switch to an alternate code at later stages of infection. Their study provides crucial information on the l  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Although sunshine can be harnessed to slow climate change, it rarely inspires dancing in the streets. Yet that's exactly what's expected in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, as it celebrates the completion of two new community microgrids equipped with solar panels and batteries. Solar energy could boost quality of life in the mountain town, which often loses power for weeks to  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 14 (TNSper) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Balendra Sutharshan has been named chief operating officer for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He will begin serving as ORNL's deputy for operations and as executive vice president, operations, for UT-Battelle LLC effective April 1. He will succeed Alan Icenhour, who is retiring this spring after serving in the role since 2021. UT-Battelle operates ORNL for   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 18 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Kevin G. Ritz, issued the following news release on March 17, 2023: Former Memphis attorney, Leigh M. Chiles, 49, pled guilty in connection with a scheme to defraud an estate over which she was appointed to serve as executrix. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the guilty plea today. According to U.S. Attorney Ritz, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Chiles in July 2022. Based   more