WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- The Alliance of Community Health Plans issued the following news release: The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) member companies continue to lead the nation in key health measures, setting nonprofit, community-based health plans apart from other payers. The National Committee on Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Health Plan Ratings for 2022-2023 show that across commercial, Medicare and Medicaid products, ACHP member companies continue to outperform the industry, scoring   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The Berkshire Bank issued the following news release: Berkshire Bank, a leading community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, is proud to announce a new down payment assistance program to help first-time homebuyers achieve the dream of homeownership. Rising home prices and low inventory are creating affordability challenges for potential homebuyers, especially those looking for their first home. The new offering from Berkshire will help make  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Boston man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl.  Alexis Radhames Diaz Tejeda, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Jan. 5, 2024. Diaz Tejeda was  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Boston man pleaded guilty today to attempting to prevent a victim, to whom he exposed himself, from testifying against him in a federal proceeding. Defendant was on federal supervised release for sex trafficking at the time of the offense. Mark Pinnock, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of witness intimidation. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton sched  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- Boston University issued the following news on Oct. 4, 2023: By Doug Most Melissa L. Gilliam, the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University and a distinguished educator, scholar, research scientist, and physician, will be Boston University's 11th president, the University trustees announced on Wednesday. She will assume the post on July 1, 2024. A national leader in faculty recruitment and student success and a champion of diversity and  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Chelsea man was arrested yesterday for allegedly selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Legal Permanent Resident cards, often referred to as "Green Cards."  Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego, 40, was charged with one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. Sandoval Mazariego was arrested near his residence yesterday and, following   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 38-year-old local man has been ordered to federal prison for drug trafficking and weapons charges, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Raul Cedillo Jr. pleaded guilty Jan. 3, 2022, to possession of meth  more

BROOKLINE, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The Environmental Business Council of New England issued the following news: EBC is pleased to announce that Todd Bridgeo, Team Leader at Weston & Sampson has joined the Leadership Team of the EBC New Hampshire Chapter. Please join EBC in welcoming Todd to this position. The members of the EBC Chapter Leadership Team meet routinely with the Chair and Vice Chairs to identify topics for future EBC programs. As part of their responsibility, members of the leade  more

BROOKLINE, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The Environmental Business Council of New England issued the following news: EBC is pleased to announce that Christine Dieter, Partner at Hinckley Allen is now leading the EBC Rhode Island Chapter as Vice Chair. Please join EBC in welcoming Christine to this position. Christine's Bio: Christine E. Dieter Partner Hinckley Allen 100 Westminster Street, Suite 1500, Providence, RI 02903 401-457-5388 cdieter@hinckleyallen.com Christine is a partner in the   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: NEW YORK CITY - Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Billy Ortega, a/k/a "Jason," was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for running a drug delivery service that distributed dangerous drugs for over seven years, including the fentanyl that killed three New Yorkers on a single day:  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A California resident pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to sending more than one kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent in Massachusetts.  Hagen Dunphy, a/k/a "Molly Ruin" and "~Haley," 36, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District  more

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- Mass Humanities issued the following news on Oct. 5, 2023: In September, Mass Humanities concluded its third round of the Expand Massachusetts Stories initiative by providing grants to 42 cultural nonprofit organizations across Massachusetts. The grants support projects that collect, interpret and share narratives about the Commonwealth, emphasizing the voices and experiences of residents that too often go unrecognized, or have been excluded from public co  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development issued the following news release: The Massachusetts' Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (EACC) has approved 13 projects for participation in the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), which seeks to create new jobs and help businesses grow by offering credits to lower taxes in exchange for job creation. The projects are expected to create 343 net new jobs and retain 415 jobs throughout Ma  more

WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The New England First Amendment Coalition issued the following news release: The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce that a select group of student journalists from Rhode Island will be joining its annual Institute. Now in its 13th year, NEFAC's New England First Amendment Institute has trained about 300 local and professional journalists. With the support of the Rhode Island Foundation, the coalition is accepting this year a grou  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * Through community-based research with organizations that work to "ho'omomona hou i ka 'aina," or "restore that which feeds back to abundance," PhD student Aja Grande has embarked on a healing journey of her own. * * * By Laura Rosado, MIT News correspondent Aja Grande grew up on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, between the Kona and Ewa districts, nurtured by her community and   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The Museum of Science, Boston, issued the following news release on Oct. 5, 2023: The New England Museum Association (NEMA) announced today that the Museum of Science, Boston won Best in Show in the 2023 Publication Awards Competition for their Climate Change Poster Suite. The publication won First Place in the Posters category. This competition recognizes excellence in design, production, programming, and effective communication in both print and digital publi  more

WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 (TNSres) -- The New England First Amendment Coalition issued the following news release on Oct. 4, 2023: The New England First Amendment Coalition and more than 50 national press groups wrote to the U.S. Department of Justice today demanding information about the raid of a Florida journalist's home. The FBI raided the home newsroom of journalist Tim Burke in May after he obtained outtakes of Tucker Carlson's interview with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) wh  more

CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 6 -- The National Football League issued the following news on Oct. 5, 2023: To begin his Wednesday news conference, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick complimented a list of New Orleans Saints players and coaches ahead of their Week 5 game. Belichick spent a little extra time talking about Cam Jordan. "Jordan is one of the players I have the most respect for in the league," Belichick said, via team transcript. "He's been a great player for a long time, very dur  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 -- The Naval Sea Systems Command issued the following news: NEWPORT, R.I. - An emerging U.S. Navy technology that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and surface warfare targeting capabilities was on display recently at Defense Innovation Days and was highlighted during the International Seapower Symposium held Sept. 19-22 at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. The Submarine Launched Unmanned Aerial System (SLUAS),  more

JACKSON, Mississippi, Oct. 6 -- Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, a organization that recognizes the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges, issued the following news: Honors in Action combines academic research, problem solving, and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges in our communities. Developed to support student engagement in Honors in Action programming, the Phi Theta Kappa Honors in Action Grant helps bridge the financial gap between idea  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Boston-area man pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number while on supervised release from an earlier federal firearm charge. Dane Mitchell, 32, of Boston and Revere, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: GALVESTON, Texas - A 28-year-old resident of Webster has been sentenced in a meth conspiracy, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Omar Lopez III pleaded guilty Feb. 15 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or m  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Oct. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: SAVANNAH, GA -- Two Georgia men, including one from Bryan County, have been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. Darien Cothern, 34, of Marietta, Ga., was sentenced to 42 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and Javarus McKinney, a/k/a "Jody," 34, of Richmond Hill, Ga., w  more

TURNERS FALLS, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the following news release on Oct. 5, 2023: Federal, state and nonprofit partners convened at the U.S. Geological Survey's Anadromous Fish Research Center in Turners Falls today to celebrate a new chapter in cooperative fisheries management in the Connecticut River watershed. The meeting marked the launch of the new Connecticut River Migratory Fish Restoration Cooperative, which   more

BERLIN, Vermont, Oct. 6 -- Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, issued the following news release on Oct. 5, 2023: Governor Phil Scott today announced he's appointed 180 Vermonters to State boards and commissions during the months of May-September. Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The Governor's office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. Al  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Oct. 6 (TNSres) -- Yale School of Public Health issued the following news: * * * Findings illustrate how drifting wildfire smoke impacts people hundreds of miles away * * * With smoke from Canadian wildfires once again descending on the Northeastern United States, residents of New England and New York are being urged to take precautions to protect their health. While the wildfire smoke is not expected to be as bad as the thick orange haze that permeated the skies ove  more