BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark announce the actions taken in 2023 in the Eastern District of California to confront the continuing crisis caused by fentanyl. In 2023, large amounts of fentanyl were trafficked in or transported across our distric  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: An East Longmeadow man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for marijuana trafficking. John Americo Pereira, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. In June 2023, Pereira pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilogr  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A former detective sergeant for the Stoneham Police Department was sentenced today for concealing his history of evictions and using a family member's credit report to obtain an apartment lease and then defrauding his landlord by intentionally withholding rent payments. Robert Kennedy, 54, of Stoneham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Maine man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with a fentanyl trafficking operation that spanned across northern New England. Douglas Morris, 33, of Bangor, Maine, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 12.5 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In August 2023, Morris pleaded guilty to one count o  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Jan. 5 -- The Georgia House issued the following statement on Jan. 4, 2024, by State Rep. Mesha Mainor: * * * A year ago, an African-American lobbyist lobbied Black legislators to sign a letter to send to the Biden Administration to ask for support to NOT ban menthol after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a ban in 2022. "Aren't cigarettes cancerous, and if we make them more flavorful, more people will smoke cigarettes," I asked. "Yeah, but it disproportionately  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that LUIS IVAN DIAZ, 25, of Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court before to a narcotics distribution offense. According to court documents and statements made in court, the Connecticut State Police obtained a  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation issued the following news release on Jan. 3, 2024: As part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's "Forests as Climate Solutions" Initiative, today the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) released the Climate Forestry Committee's report containing its recommendations regarding enhanced climate-oriented forest management practices for Massachusetts, based on the latest cli  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending Jan. 4, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 218,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 5 -- The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation issued the following news release on Jan. 4, 2024: The Department of Conservation (DCR) today announced the reopening of the Mohawk Trail State Forest campground, after a temporary closure in the late winter of 2023 to make $1.4 million in improvements and needed repairs to the campground's water system and infrastructure. Reservations for the 2024 winter camping season will open to the public on Januar  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: NEWARK, N.J. - A citizen of Mexico who was extradited to the United States on narcotics trafficking charges had her initial appearance in New Jersey federal court, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New Jersey Field Division Cheryl Ortiz, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA)  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: A New York man has been sentenced for distributing approximately three kilograms of fentanyl and 592 grams of fentanyl analogue in Woburn. Ruben Davila Cardenas, 45, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Sept. 25, 2023, Cardenas pleaded guilty to distri  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: CAMDEN, N.J. - A Philadelphia man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New Jersey Field Division, and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Glenn Long, 29, of P  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: CONCORD, N.H. - A Rhode Island woman has been sentenced in federal court in Concord for her role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Maylerin Urena, a/k/a/ Janet, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe to 27 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: BURLINGTON, Vt. - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont announced that Maria Alvarez, 43, of Rutland, has been arraigned in U.S. District Court in Burlington. Previously, a federal grand jury sitting in Rutland, Vermont returned a one-count indictment on November 15, 2023, alleging that Alvarez possessed cocaine with  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Pat Brady, 53, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty today to murder in aid of racketeering as part of a long-running investigation into the California Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark announced. According to court document  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: SPOKANE, Wash. - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that James P. LeBlanc, age 45, of Spokane, Washington was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sen  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: WATERBURY, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PIERRE JOSHWAN RODRIGUEZ, also known as "Ochy," 42, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 210 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for heading a coca  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a news briefing on Jan. 3, 2024, by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby: * * * (Continued from Part 1 of 2) MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We've got to wrap it up. Go ahead, Marek. Q: Thank you very much. Two questions on Ukraine. Does the President support confiscating Russian frozen assets -- $300 billion -- to help Ukraine? And a second question, how   more