NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Feb. 17 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-New Orleans District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host public scoping meetings for the Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study (LMR Comp) at venues throughout the study area between Feb. 27 and March 11. The meetings will consist of a remote overview presentation and followed by an on-site open house to meet with and collect input from the public. The meeting dates, ti  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 16, 2024, entitled "Average Energy Prices, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin - January 2024": * * * Gasoline prices averaged $3.326 a gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in January 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were down 33.2 cents c  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 16, 2024, entitled "Average Energy Prices, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn - January 2024": * * * Gasoline prices averaged $3.062 a gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in January 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were down 36.7 cents com  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 17 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Feb. 16, 2024: Francisco Sanchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration today reminded small nonfarm businesses in 13 Missouri counties and a neighboring county in Illinois of the March 18, 2024, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economi  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 17 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release on Feb. 16, 2024: Francisco Sanchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration today reminded small nonfarm businesses in 13 Missouri counties and a neighboring county in Illinois of the March 18, 2024, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-inte  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving the Department of Central Management Services. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Department of Central Management Services' (Department) Financial Audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. A digest for the Department's Compliance Examination for the two years ended June 30, 2023 will be released at a later date. * * * FINDINGS, C  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving the Department of Central Management Services, Community College Health Insurance Security Fund -- Financial Audit. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Department of Central Management Services (Department), Community College Health Insurance Security Fund financial audit as of the year ended June 30, 2023. * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving the Department of Central Management Services, Local Government Health Insurance Reserve Fund. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Department of Central Management Services (Department), Local Government Health Insurance Reserve Fund's financial audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. There were no material findings disclosed durin  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving the Department of Central Management Services, Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Department of Central Management Services (Department), Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund's financial audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023. There were no material findings disclosed during our audit. *   more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following compliance examination on Feb. 15, 2024, involving the Illinois Literacy Foundation. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION The Illinois Literacy Foundation (Foundation) was created to promote literacy among the residents of the State of Illinois by supporting literacy programs and enhancing Statewide literacy awareness, to make grants and gifts in aid and support of the goal, and to engage generally in other   more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving Illinois Literacy Foundation. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION The Illinois Literacy Foundation (Foundation) was created to promote literacy among the residents of the State of Illinois by supporting literacy programs and enhancing Statewide literacy awareness, to make grants and gifts in aid and support of the goal, and to engage generally in other lawful ende  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving Illinois Power Agency. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION The Illinois Power Agency's (Agency) goals and objectives are (1) to oversee the electricity planning and procurement processes to ensure adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest cost over time for the residential and small commercial custome  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, Self-Insurer's Security Fund. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the financial audit of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (Commission) - Self-Insurers Security Fund as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023, and the findings arising from the financial audit reported pursuant to Government   more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following financial audit on Feb. 15, 2024, involving Teachers' Retirement System, Report on Allocation of Pension Amounts. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Financial Audit of the Schedule of Employer Allocations as of and for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 and the related notes. In addition, the digest also covers the Financial Audit of the totals for all entities of the columns tit  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Energy has announced a second round of grant funding with $2 million available for the development of local strategic energy plans. Under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), grant awards ranging from $25,000 to $150,000 will assist eligible municipalities or counties in implementing strategies t  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: To assist long-term homeowners from being priced out of their neighborhoods, State Senator Natalie Toro has introduced legislation that would expand eligibility for the long-time occupant homestead exemption. "Historic communities should not be disrupted because of greed," said Toro (D-Chicago). "This measure will give established homeowners more opportunity to keep their homes, preserving communities th  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Rachel Ventura filed legislation in Illinois that would legalize psilocybin for adult-supervised use in a licensed service center. The legislation, known as the CURE ACT (Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act), aims to tackle treatment-resistant conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions. Additionally, it fac  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois issued the following news release: During the third day of former Illinois State Senator William Samuel McCann Jr.'s bench trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless, McCann pleaded guilty to nine counts of the indictment which charged him with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of tax evasion related to his alleged misuse of campaign funds for perso  more

PADUCAH, Kentucky, Feb. 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky issued the following news release: A federal grand jury in Paducah, Kentucky, returned an indictment on February 12, 2024, charging a Paducah man with distributing methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis of the DEA St. Louis Field Division, Director Brendan F. Kelly of the Illinois State Police, and Chief Bri  more

LANSING, Michigan, Feb. 17 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take urgent action to protect babies and young children nationwide from lead and other toxic metals in baby food. In a letter, AG Nessel and the coalition urged the FDA to act on their October 2021 petition (https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/nyoag_e  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following no-action letter on Feb. 16, 2024: * * * To: Kevin T. Hardy, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, 155 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606-1720 Re: Nuveen Real Asset Income and Growth Fund, Nuveen Multi-Asset Income Fund, and Nuveen, Core Plus Impact Fund Omission of Shareholder Proposal Submitted by Saba Capital Management, L.P., on behalf of Saba Capital Master Fund, Ltd., Pursuant to Rule 14a-8   more

PEORIA, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois issued the following news release on Feb. 16, 2024: A Peoria, Illinois man, Richard Weiss, 62, of the 1500 block of North Knoxville Avenue, pleaded guilty today to one count of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentencing for Weiss will be scheduled following the conclusion of proceedings against a co-conspirator. At the hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonatha  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois issued the following news release: A Springfield, Illinois, man, Denziel Witherspoon, 32, was sentenced on February 15, 2024, by Senior U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough to twenty years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release, for his role in a wide-spread drug conspiracy lasting from approximately May of 2020 through November of 2020. At the sentencing hearing, Witherspo  more

FORT MADISON, Iowa, Feb. 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey issued the following news release on Feb. 15, 2024: * * * Scientists are assessing whether the bait can reduce the effort and cost required to manage invasive grass carp. * * * From March to May 2024, scientists from the USGS will install baiting platforms for invasive grass carp and equipment for monitoring fish movement in pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River. Pool 19 contains 30,466 acres of aq  more