BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: A Haverhill man with multiple prior felony convictions, including manslaughter, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to possessing a loaded firearm and drugs intended for distribution. Ramon Silvelo-Miles, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and one count of possession of a fire  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: A former Massachusetts attorney was sentenced today for engaging in a scheme to bribe the Chief of Police in Medford, Mass. to obtain approval for a client to sell recreational marijuana. Sean O'Donovan, 56, of Somerville, Mass., was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to two years in prison to be followed by three yea  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: A Holyoke man has been sentenced in federal court in Springfield in connection with drug and firearm offenses. Jonathan Mercedes, 31, was sentenced on Feb. 5, 2024 by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release. In July 2023, Mercedes pleaded guilty to one count of possession with inte  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: A Natick man was convicted yesterday following a six-day jury trial in connection with fentanyl trafficking. During a search of the defendant's apartment the body of a missing 24-year-old woman who had died of a drug overdose was discovered. Rafael Ashworth, 29, was convicted of one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more o  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Northeast Regional Information Office issued a report on Feb. 7, 2024, entitled "Changing Compensation Costs in the Boston Metropolitan Area - December 2023": * * * Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.1 percent in the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ended December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced today a settlement with pharmaceutical distributor Morris & Dickson Co., LLC for failing to maintain effective controls against diversion of controlled substances, including failure to report to DEA thousands of unusually large orders of oxycodone and hydrocodone. Morris &   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 31-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for conspiring to traffic cocaine across the border, announced U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Juan Andres Rodriguez-Murillo pleaded guilty Nov. 1, 2023, to con  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two Springfield, Mo., men and two Parsons, Kansas, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after law enforcement officers seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle being transported from California, as well as several firearms found at a Springfield resid  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced an investment of $50 million in initiatives to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Massachusetts. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will increase access to charging infrastructure for more residents, electrify the state fleet, improve operation of public charging stations, manage t  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 8 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua L. Kaul, co-led a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to authorize needed 2024 bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund (VOCA Fund). The VOCA Fund supports essential direct serv  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 8 -- The Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced that she joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in a letter to Congress, urging it to provide critical bridge funding for crime victims. The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 ("VOCA") is the main funding source for victim services across the country. With a 41% decrease projected in payments to the VOCA fund this year,   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: LAREDO, Texas - A 47-year-old man has pleaded guilty to possessing over 800 grams of cocaine, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The investigation began in September 2022, when law enforcement learned Homero Flores was selling  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced an investment of $50 million in initiatives to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Massachusetts. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will increase access to charging infrastructure for more residents, electrify the state fleet, improve operation of public cha  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 8 -- North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: Attorney General Josh Stein today joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to authorize much-needed 2024 bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund (the "VOCA Fund.") The VOCA Fund supports essential direct services for crime victims and survivors across the country. Without prompt action by Congr  more

HANSCOM AFB, Massachusetts, Feb. 8 -- The U.S. Air Force's Hanscom Air Force Base issued the following news: By Patty Welsh, 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs Lt. Gen. Donna D. Shipton, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center commander, spoke about why the Air Force will be re-optimizing and the Air Force Operational Imperatives during a "State of the Center" address, Feb. 5, in Burlington, Massachusetts. After talking about her background, including previous assignments, Shipton, who became   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- NASA issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: NASA will honor the next generation of Artemis astronaut candidates to graduate at 10:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, March 5, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. After completing more than two years of basic training, these candidates will earn their wings and become eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, future commercial destinations, missions to the Moon, and eventua  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: NEWARK, N.J. - A Newark man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in the area of Lincoln Park in Newark, and for possessing five firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the DEA New Jersey Field Division and U.S. Attorney Phili  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 8 -- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the following news release: Joined by a bipartisan coalition of 41 other state attorneys general, Ohio Attorney General Yost is spearheading an effort calling on Congress to authorize much-needed bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund (also known as the VOCA Fund). Funding for the victim-service grants is projected to be $700 million lower this fiscal year than in fiscal year 2023 - a 41% decrease, according to the U.S  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Feb. 8 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: Attorney General Gentner Drummond is leading a pair of efforts - one a bipartisan group of attorneys general across the nation, and the other an Oklahoma coalition of tribal leaders and district attorneys - asking Congress to provide adequate funding to the Crime Victims Fund so states can properly serve victims of crime. In one letter sent today to U.S. House and Se  more

SALEM, Oregon, Feb. 8 -- Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2024: Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, along with 40 attorneys general nationwide, sent a letter today urging the United States Congress to authorize much-needed 2024 bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund (the "VOCA Fund.") The VOCA Fund supports essential direct services for crime victims and survivors throughout the country, including in Oregon. These services can includ  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Feb. 8 -- The Pennsylvania Senate Republicans issued the following statements on Feb. 6, 2024: * * * The massive $3.2 billion increase in state spending in Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed 2024-25 state budget raises concerns for Senate Republicans, said Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-39), Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin (R-13). * * * Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-39) "Gov. Shapiro's   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C. Malcom A. Shorter has been named Assistant Secretary for Administration Malcolm Shorter is an accomplished administrative and financial professional who has offered his expertise in government relations and operational management at USDA for over a decade. In February 202  more