WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) issued the following commentary on Feb. 27, 2024: * * * Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program Update: Initial Demolition Begins By Luigi Rosa, Amtrak Assistant Vice President, Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program; and Danelle Hunter, Senior Director, Community Engagement One of the largest transportation infrastructure investments on the East Coast has begun demolition in Baltimore. Amtrak's $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tu  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following news release: Guidance Advances President Biden's Work to Invest in Early Learning Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released guidance for how states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools can use Title I funds to expand access to high-quality preschool for three- and four-year olds in a range of quality settings including schools, Head Start, and community-based organizations. This g  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mid-Atlantic Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 27, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Pennsylvania - 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 per  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mid-Atlantic Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 27, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Virginia - 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 5.3 percent  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mid-Atlantic Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 27, 2024, entitled "Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in West Virginia - 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 6.3 pe  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol issued the following news: The California Wing's Fullerton Composite Squadron 56 is sending a cadet team to the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition national finals for the fourth straight year and the sixth time in seven years, joined by entries from the New Jersey and Virginia wings. The Raritan Valley Composite Squadron from New Jersey will be making a second straight appearance on the national stage The  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following media advisory on Feb. 26, 2024: * * * On Monday, Feb. 26, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will travel to Union City, New Jersey, to highlight new resources for early school success and tour the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Early Childhood Education Center. Afterward, Secretary Cardona will discuss the need for increased career pathways and career and technical education (CTE) programming and apprenticeships. H  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 28 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that three New Jersey Superfund sites are among the over 100 sites across the country getting more than $1 billion for cleanup projects as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda. This funding is made possible by the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will launch new cleanup projects at 25 Superfund   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: PHILADELPHIA -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Miramar Martins De Brito, a citizen of Brazil with a final order of removal, to Brazil on Feb. 23. Martins is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in Brazil for drug trafficking. "The scourge of drug trafficking is  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: U.S. house prices rose 6.5 percent between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (FHFA HPI(R)). House prices were up 1.5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2023. FHFA's seasonally adjusted monthly index for December was up 0.1 percent from November. "U.S. house prices increased   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory issued the following news: * * * PPPL's plasma know-how can support critical U.S. infrastructure by enhancing satellite thruster technology * * * Thousands of satellites take pictures, gather information and relay internet traffic from high above the Earth. Now, the challenge is making satellites that operate closer to home, in what is called a very low earth orbit (VLEO), where there is ample  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration issued the following news brief on Feb. 27, 2024: * * * Date of action: Feb. 7, 2024 Type of action: Motion for default judgment granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor on June 15, 2023. Defendants: * Marlton Pike Precision LLC 401(k) and profit-sharing plan * Antonio L. Sala Background: A  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Forest Fire Service's annual prescribed burning program is ramping up as part of a proactive strategy to mitigate the risk of more frequent and intense wildfires in a changing climate, enhance habitats for plants and animals, and safeguard ecosystems. As part of that plan, a new online information portal i  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- Gov. Phil Murphy, D-New Jersey, issued the following budget address on Feb. 27, 2024: * * * "Making New Jersey the Best Place to Raise a Family" Lieutenant Governor Way. Senate President Scutari. Assembly Speaker Coughlin. Majority Leaders Ruiz and Greenwald. Minority Leaders Bucco and DiMaio. Members of the 221st Legislature, with special thanks to the bipartisan escort committee that walked me into this chamber. Chief Justice Rabner and Judge Grant. Memb  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- Gov. Phil Murphy, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Governor Phil Murphy delivered his seventh annual budget address on Tuesday, outlining spending priorities for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) that build on the Administration's commitment to ensuring that New Jersey remains the best place to raise a family. The budget proposes investments targeted at expanding affordability, continuing fiscal responsibility, creating economic opportuni  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: A Bronx, New York, man admitted his role in a kickback conspiracy involving COVID-19 testing, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. David Weathers, 61, of Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court on Feb. 26, 2024, to an indictment charging him with conspiring to violate the An  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: An India- and New Jersey-based man who operated jewelry companies in New York City's Diamond District was charged with spearheading a scheme to illegally evade customs duties for millions of dollars of jewelry imports into the United States and with illegally processing millions of dollars through unlicensed money transmitting businesses, U.S. Attorne  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: The shadow chief executive officer of National Realty Investment Advisors LLC (NRIA) today admitted orchestrating a scheme to defraud more than 2,000 investors in a $658 million Ponzi scheme and conspiring to evade millions of dollars in tax liabilities, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Thomas Nicholas Salzano, aka "Nicholas Salzano," 65,  more

BUFFALO, New York, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that James Okolo, 61, of West Orange, New Jersey, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael DiGiacomo, who handled the case, stated that Okolo and others devised a scheme to def  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding crop insurance tailored for nursery producers to all counties in all states. Nursery Value Select (NVS) is a pilot program that enables nursery producers to select the dollar amount of coverage that best fits their risk management needs. Its expansion is part of USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) effort  more

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against a 51-year-old man for unlawfully transporting undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before finding Andrew Rafael Martinez-Peralta, Newark, New Jersey, guilty following a two-day trial. On July 5, 2023, Martinez-Peralta drove a trac  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: A California man was arraigned today on charges relating to his role in a fraud and kickback scheme that caused more than $10 million in losses to Medicare, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced. Adam Wayne Owens, 43, of Riverside, California, is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fr  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (TNSres) -- The White House issued the following fact sheet on Feb. 27, 2024: * * * The Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1.7 Billion in New Commitments Cultivated Through the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing 141 new bold commitments from stakeholders across the nation, including health systems, insurers, companies, non-profits, philanthropic groups, academia, and local elect  more