BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: A Brooklyn man was convicted today by a federal jury in Boston for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) in which he transported more than 50 kilograms of cocaine from New York to Boston. Dinelson Hernandez-Rodriguez, a/k/a "Gordo," 30, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S.   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: Over 40 members and associates of the Heath Street Gang in Boston were charged today in federal court in Boston with racketeering conspiracy; drug trafficking; firearms; wire fraud; and financial frauds, including COVID fraud, following a two-year investigation into gang violence in Boston. According to the charging documents, the Heath Street   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: A New Bedford man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to his role in a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Jose Santiago, 46, pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Bu  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: A Plymouth, Mass. man pleaded guilty today to his involvement in a COVID-19 relief fund fraud scheme. Ferris Brooks, 41, pleaded guilty to theft of government property. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for May 21, 2024. Brooks was charged in October 2023. From April to December 2020, Brooks submitted mult  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Anchorage man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, subsequent to his conviction by a federal jury of one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the International Mail Facility in Chicago seized a total of 117 weapon-modifying devices since January 1. In the first 43 days of 2024, Chicago CBP stopped 43 shipments carrying various parts used to modify weapons to either make them fully automatic or suppress the sound made by a gun sh  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: BOISE, Idaho - Efren Avilez-Lopez, 81, and Maria Medina-Zeveda, 70, husband and wife, and both Mexican nationals illegally living in Ontario, Oregon, were sentenced for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine in Idaho, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. On February 12, 2024, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Avile  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: BOSTON -- Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested a Brazilian national Feb. 9 in Saugus, Massachusetts, sought by law enforcement authorities in Brazil for failing to serve a 3 year, 9 month prison sentence, which followed his conviction of commercial theft /receiving stolen property. "Foreign fugitives are a threat to our community," said ER  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 15 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, a federal district bank, issued the following news release: The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) is pleased to announce the appointment of Maryann Beerling, Mee Heh Risdon and Andrea Whitsett to its Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council). The three new appointments are the latest additions to the 15-member group. The Advisory Council provides FHLBank San Francisco   more

HANSCOM AFB, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The U.S. Air Force's Hanscom Air Force Base issued the following news: By Mark Wyatt, 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs More than 20 Committed Augmentee Recruiting Effort volunteers partnered with the 319th Recruiting Squadron here to contact more than 1,700 recruiting leads by telephone Feb. 10. The initiative aimed to supplement the work of recruiters and directly connect them with potential candidates. "We developed this volunteer force to help us g  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release: Secretary Becerra announced that six states will participate in a new collaborative effort to address postpartum mortality On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and leaders from across HHS met with state leaders and representatives from the National Governors Association (NGA) to announce the launch of HHS Secretary's   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: ST. LOUIS - A felon convicted of drug trafficking charges that included a 2019 St. Louis murder was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to life plus 10 years in prison. Freeman Whitfield IV, 29, was an enforcer for a large drug conspiracy, evidence and testimony at Whitfield's trial in October showed. The conspirators   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: The Department of Recreation and Conservation (DCR) announced its plans today to help make February school vacation week a walk in the park for parents. From guided hikes to animal tracking, craft making, and maple sugaring, the agency is offering 81 free or low-cost engaging and educational activities for kids and families across the state from Satur  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- Gov. Maura Healey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: Today, Governor Maura Healey signed an Executive Order (https://www.mass.gov/doc/eo-628/download) establishing the Artificial Intelligence Strategic Task Force to study AI and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technology and its impact on the state, private businesses, higher education institutions, and constituents. The Task Force will conduct outreach and collect   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 14 -- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation issued the following news release: The Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has applied for $1 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration's "Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration" Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and authorized to accelerate innovation in highway transportation. The proposal represents the second stage   more

LYNN, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- MassDevelopment issued the following news release: MassDevelopment has issued a $6.9 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of LEO Inc., a nonprofit community action agency, which will use proceeds to renovate its existing headquarters at 156 Broad St. and 2-4 Farrar St. in Lynn to expand access to early education and care for low-income children in the Greater Lynn region. The organization's three-story building will be converted into a preschool housing 15 classroom  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Feb. 15 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 11 Attorneys General to protect farmworkers and construction workers from the dangers of exposure to extreme heat in the workplace. The coalition petitioned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to implement a nationwide emergency extreme heat standard to take effect this summer to protect these work  more

HANSCOM AFB, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The Army and Air Force Exchange Service issued the following news release: By Zach Wright Studying hard yielded great results for two sisters who took second and third place in the Exchange's worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes--the first time in the program's 23-year history siblings won in the same drawing. "I thought it was a joke," said sixth grader Fiona Somarriba, who took second and won a $1,500 Exchange gift card. Her sister, first grader H  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who was dealing fentanyl and fatally shot a 16-year-old with a fully automatic pistol in downtown St. Louis in 2022 to 15 years in prison. Judge Schelp also ordered John M. Whitney Jr., 22, of Bridgeton, to pay $8,341 for his victim's funeral expenses. In March of  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - James Mack, 40, of Syracuse, New York, was sentenced today to serve 15 years (180 months) in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. United States Attorney Carla   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: ALBUQUERQUE - Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division and Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Pragneshkumar Patel and Johnathan Craft were sentenced to 30 and 70 months in prison, respectively, for their part in ru  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia issued the following news release: A Massachusetts man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It is alleged that his actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Thomas J. Method, 57, of Framingham  more

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Feb. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center issued the following news on Feb. 13, 2024: On February 6, 2024, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center and Federal Aviation Administration held the sixth discussion of a seven-part thought leadership series titled International Collaboration in Advanced Air Mobility. "Close collaboration with our international partners is critical to successfully and safely integrate these new   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- The White House issued the following readout of a meeting on Feb. 13, 2024, with county officials on President Biden's Investing in America agenda: * * * On Tuesday, February 13, Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor, and Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, met with county elected officials to discuss how President Biden's Investing in America agenda is spurring historic investments in clean e  more