PHOENIX, Arizona, Feb. 27 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and a bipartisan coalition of states, today announced the filing of a lawsuit that challenges the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. These companies are the country's two largest national supermarket chains, and this merger presents a significant risk of reduced competition and higher food prices nationwide.   more

PHOENIX, Feb. 27 -- The Arizona House Democrats issued the following news release: The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has appointed Dr. Elda Luna-Najera to fill the vacant seat in Legislative District 22, which will bring the House Democratic Caucus back to its full strength at 29 members. Luna-Najera is a licensed master social worker and is the current President of the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board. She has spent most of her professional career working with non-pro  more

DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 27 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Arkansas - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force was 6.2 percent in Arkansas, whic  more

DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 27 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Louisiana - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force was 6.8 percent in Louisiana, wh  more

DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 27 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in New Mexico - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force was 7.2 percent in New Mexico,   more

DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Oklahoma - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force was 6.6 percent in Oklahoma, whic  more

DALLAS, Texas, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Texas - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force was 7.4 percent in Texas, significan  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Colorado - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 6.5 percent i  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Kansas - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.2 percent in   more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Missouri - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.5 percent i  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Montana - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 6.1 percent in  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Utah - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.4 percent in Ut  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Wyoming - 2023": * * * In 2023, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.6 percent in  more

LOS ANGELES, California, Feb. 27 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and a bipartisan coalition of states, today announced the filing of a lawsuit that challenges the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. Kroger and Albertsons are the two largest national supermarket chains in the country and this merger presents a significant risk of reduced competition and hi  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 27 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement after filing an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking to reverse a district court decision ruling that California's prohibition on the manufacture, importation, sale, or possession of a "billy club" or baton weapon, under Penal Code section 22210 is unconstitutional under the Second  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 27 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom today highlighted new data from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) which shows a significant increase in the number of Californians applying to join the agency. Following the launch of the CHP 1000 recruitment campaign and other recent recruitment efforts and hiring investments -- including a new recruitment web series, "Cadets" -- CHP reports that Janua  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 23 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following decision denying relief (Case No. 24-02-015): * * * BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Jonathan Marcus, Complainant, vs. Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless (U3001C), Defendant. DECISION DENYING RELIEF AND DISMISSING COMPLAINT Summary Complainant, Jonathan Marcus, alleges that approximately three years ago Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless swit  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 23 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following decision granting compensation (Case No. 24-02-039). Here are excerpts: * * * BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Application of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (U39M) for Authorization of PG&E's Customer Service Office Closure and Transformation Proposal. DECISION GRANTING COMPENSATION TO CENTER FOR ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO DECISI  more

FRESNO, California, Feb. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Marcus Randall, 40, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, on Dec. 16, 2020, Randall knowingly distributed 10 "blues" (fentanyl pills) to K.T. in Bakersfield. Randall knew that the pills he distributed to K.T. contained fent  more

SAN DIEGO, California, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news story: By Seaman Nathan Jordan Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, returned to its homeport of Naval Air Station North Island, Feb. 23, following a four-month deployment to the Western Pacific. Carl Vinson is joined by two other CSG-1 ships, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS  more

TECATE, California, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tecate commercial facility discovered over $2 million worth of methamphetamine and cocaine concealed in hollowed-out cellophane packages. On Thursday, at approximately 8:10 a.m., CBP officers encountered a 56-year-old man, who was the driver of a box truck, with a shipment manifest  more

OTAY MESA, California, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBP) at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility discovered over $3 million worth of hard narcotics hidden in a shipment of limes on Thursday. At approximately 11:22 a.m., CBP officers encountered a 42-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment manifested as Persian limes. The   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a bipartisan coalition including eight states in filing a lawsuit to prevent The Kroger Company (Kroger) from acquiring Albertsons Companies, Inc. (Albertsons). In the District, Kroger operates Harris Teeter and Albertsons operates Safeway. The lawsuit argues that the proposed merge  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety & Health Administration issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections at 15 mines in 10 states in January 2024, issuing 188 violations. The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners. MSHA's impact inspections si  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 27 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with California Resources Corporation (CRC) and Elk Hills Power LLC, a subsidiary of CRC, for Safe Drinking Water Act violations at the Elk Hills Power Plant in Tupman, California. CRC and Elk Hills Power have agreed to pay a penalty of $109,000 for permit violations of the Underground Injection  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: * * * Largest supermarket merger in U.S. history will eliminate competition and raise grocery prices for millions of Americans, while harming tens of thousands of workers, FTC alleges * * * The Federal Trade Commission today sued to block the largest proposed supermarket merger in U.S. history--Kroger Company's $24.6 billion acquisition of the Albertsons Companies, Inc.--alleging that the   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 27 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a bipartisan coalition of nine attorneys general, filed a lawsuit today in federal court challenging the proposed merger between Albertsons and Kroger. "The proposed merger between Albertsons and Kroger would greatly reduce competition in the grocery market while leading to fewer choices for consu  more

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia, Feb. 27 (TNSres) -- The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Jefferson Lab issued the following news release: * * * Measurement of electron beam polarization is sharpest ever reported, sets stage for future flagship experiments at Jefferson Lab * * * Scientists are getting a more detailed look than ever before at the electrons they use in precision experiments. Nuclear physicists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Fac  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: A California man pleaded guilty today to his involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization. Qinliang Chen, 34, of Rosemead, Calif., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2024. In May 2023, Chen was among 12 in  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Feb. 27 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with a bipartisan coalition of eight other states, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced the filing of a lawsuit seeking to block the proposed merger of The Kroger Company (Kroger) and Albertsons Companies, Inc. (Albertsons). Kroger and Albertsons are the two largest national supermarket chains. Together, the companies   more

SHAW AFB, South Carolina, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: By Master Sgt. Dillon White, 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Airmen from the 50th Attack Squadron and Air National Guardsmen from the 163rd Attack Wing conducted a historic first, Feb. 14, by successfully landing an MQ-9 Reaper at Shaw Air Force Base under satellite control. Satellite-controlled landings are becoming standard practice for the MQ-9 community and replace legacy processes r  more

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Feb. 27 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a bipartisan coalition of states, today announced the filing of a lawsuit that challenges the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. Kroger and Albertsons are the two largest national supermarket chains in the country and this merger presents a significant risk of reduced competition an  more

PASADENA, California, Feb. 26 (TNSres) -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news: The day before asteroid 2008 OS7 made its close approach with Earth on Feb. 2, this series of images was captured by the powerful 230-foot (70-meter) Goldstone Solar System Radar antenna near Barstow, California. During the close approach of 2008 OS7 with Earth on Feb. 2, the agency's Deep Space Network planetary radar gathered the first detailed images of the stadium-size asteroid. On   more

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology issued the following news: Glenn Bell, a structural engineer at the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Election to the academy, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to engineers, recognizes outstanding contributions in engineering research, innovation and lea  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The National Labor Relations Board issued the following weekly case summary for Feb. 12-16, 2024: * * * Summarized Board Decisions Borenstein Caterers, Inc. (29-CA-299367; 373 NLRB No. 23) (https://apps.nlrb.gov/link/document.aspx/09031d4583c69f16) Jamaica, NY, February 13, 2024. The Board adopted the Administrative Law Judge's conclusion that the Respondent violated Section 8(a)(5) and (1) by failing to provide the Union with requested relevant information. Charge fi  more

CALEXICO, California, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBP) at the Area Port of Calexico prevented the trafficking of fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, and methamphetamine in a series of three seizures from Feb. 16-19. The estimated street value of all narcotics seized by CBP is $2,176,728. "Excellent work by our CBP officers this past week," said R  more

TRAVIS AFB, California, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Air Force's Travis Air Force Base (60th Air Mobility Wing) issued the following news: Travis AFB will host the 2024 Wings Over Solano Airshow and Open House on March 16-17, 2024. The two-day event is free and open to the public. The headliner for the event is the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Gates open at 9 a.m. on both days with aerial performances beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. While the participating acts and static displays are still being   more

LOS ANGELES, California, Feb. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for Central District of California issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Southern California Edison (SCE) has agreed to pay the United States $80 million to resolve claims on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service to recoup costs and damages associated with the 2017 Thomas Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, the Justice Department announced today. The settlement finalized Friday afternoon is the largest wildfire c  more