WASHINGTON, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest about $138 million of financial assistance from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act--the largest climate investment in history--in 138 new climate-smart conservation easements, through which farmers and ranchers are conserving wetlands, grasslands and prime farmlands. These selected Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) projects ar  more

BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, March 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: By Col. Brus E. Vidal, Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Commander, Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, held a virtual town hall Feb. 23 with current and former missile community members currently serving throughout several organizations to provide updates on environmental sampling results, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) mitigation efforts, and t  more

EDWARDS AFB, California, March 14 -- The U.S. Air Force's Edwards Air Force Base issued the following news: By Giancarlo Casem, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs While 412th Test Wing has been known to fly unique aircraft throughout the years, it has also relied on a unique unit within their squadron to accomplish the ever-changing flight test mission: the 370th Flight Test Squadron. The 370th Flight Test Squadron is an Air Force Reserve unit at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The unit is un  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on March 13, 2024: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a 32-pound marijuana load that one passenger attempted to smuggle to London from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on February 25. The passenger, a 22-year-old California woman, has not been charged, however the criminal investigation is ongoing. CBP officers   more

DALLAS, Texas, March 14 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on March 13, 2024, entitled "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation for the Regions - December 2023": * * * Private industry employer costs for employee compensation among the four regions of the country ranged from $38.48 per hour in the South to $52.32 in the Northeast in December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- The U.S. Army News Service issued the following news on March 13, 2024: By Christopher Hurd The Army released its fiscal year 2025 presidential budget request of $185.9 billion on Monday, detailing how the service intends to man, train and equip the force into the future. The request includes approximately $3.9 billion for military construction supporting a total of 45 projects across the total Army. That includes $2.4 billion for barracks restoration, construction and  more

SACRAMENTO, California, March 14 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on March 13, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Tyler Sadwith, of Oakland, has been appointed State Medicaid Director at the California Department of Health Care Services. Sadwith has served as a Deputy Director of Behavioral Health at the California Department of Health Care Services since 2022 and was an Assistant Deputy Director of Behavioral Health the  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, March 14 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release: Jairo Tomas Santos was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,191,638.64 in restitution for bank fraud in connection with a scheme to embezzle funds from his former employer, a San Francisco-based law firm, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The  more

FRESNO, California, March 14 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California issued the following news release on March 13, 2024: Huu Tieu, 61, of Porterville, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Tieu was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical Inc. and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical Inc. (collectively, "Golden Sunrise"). Golden  more

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following remarks on March 12, 2024, by Chairman Rostin Behnam at the FIA Boca 2024 International Futures Industry conference at Boca Raton, Florida: * * * There may be a few FIA Futures Hall of Fame members in the audience who know or can recall the origin of the CFTC. This October, the CFTC will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act of 1974.[1] The Act establi  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, March 14 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut issued the following news release on March 13, 2024: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL LEE, 26, of Windsor, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Accordin  more

MONTEREY, California, March 14 -- The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center issued the following news: By M. Zachary Sherman In the heart of America's melting pot, Irena Anokhin stands as a testament to the power of language and the resilience of the human spirit. Her story, a blend of multiculturalism and dedication, stretches from the bustling streets of Moscow to the academic halls of the United States, where she now serves as a bridge between cultures in her role with the Defe  more

MONTEREY, California, March 14 -- The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center issued the following news: By M. Zachary Sherman In the halls of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California, you'll find an unassuming figure whose passion for languages has shaped an extraordinary journey. "I learned English as my first foreign language in kindergarten and continued it with my studies at school," said Dr. Nikita Kuzmin, a Russian-born national raised i  more

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release: KEY POINTS Infertility affects millions of Americans in the United States at some point in their life. Difficulty conceiving can be caused by a variety of factors such as age, health conditions, and for couples who are same sex or individuals without a partner and cannot otherwise conceive. In addition, some couples experience unexplained infertility where tests reveal no obvious causes  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following statement on March 12, 2024, by Commissioner Allison Clements on a decision (Docket No. ER23-2917-001) involving California Independent System Operator Corp.: * * * I fully support the Commission's approval of California Independent System Operator Corporation's (CAISO) proposed Subscriber Participating Transmission Owner (Subscriber PTO) model. As CAISO notes, the Subscriber PTO   more

SACRAMENTO, California, March 13 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on March 12, 2024: Today, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom released the Equal Pay Playbook, in partnership with the California Partners Project to provide companies with strategies for creating a more equitable workplace by identifying and eliminating their internal wage gap. To mark National Equal Pay Day, the First Partner also announced that more than 200 California-based com  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 14 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following news release: Attorney General Ashley Moody's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit secured nearly $150,000 through a multistate action against Lincare Inc., a durable medical equipment supplier. The action resolves allegations that Lincare knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims to various government health care programs, including Medicaid, for conduct related to its rentals of non-invasive  more

LIVERMORE, California, March 14 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has received $1 million to explore technologies that stimulate hydrogen production from mineral deposits found in the subsurface, including developing our understanding of hydrogen-producing geochemical reactions and how to enhance or control the rate of hydrogen production. The use of hydrogen fuel to offset  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, March 14 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 21 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief (https://ilag-dev.dotcms.cloud/dA/31f8d957-5af8-4c17-8d24-9eb6799a575d/fileAsset/Poe%20v.%20Labrador%20amicus.pdf) today in support of a challenge to an Idaho law that blocks transgender youth from accessing critical, lifesaving gender-affirming care. The plaintiffs in Poe v. Labrador, two tra  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, March 13 -- The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus issued the following newsletter on March 12, 2024, by State Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe: * * * Friends and neighbors, Electric vehicles (EVs) are often advertised as a clean, environmentally-friendly alternative to gasoline-powered cars. However, recent reports suggest that EVs may actually produce more harmful particulate pollution than their gas counterparts. The Wall Street Journal recently published a terrific a  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, March 13 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release: Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin is co-leading a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the federal government's request for review of a lower court decision invalidating commonsense "ghost gun" regulations - regulations that are already showing every indication that they are working as intended to get these deadly weapon  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southwest Fisheries Science Center issued the following feature story: * * * Chinook in three creeks may be vulnerable alone, but resilient together. * * * Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study shows. The researchers looked at threatened spring-run   more

WASHINGTON, March 14 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center issued the following feature story: * * * A new study highlights marine heatwaves' complex and cascading effects on marine ecosystems. While some species may benefit from these changes, others are likely to struggle. * * * Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense in our oceans, disrupting ecosystems and impacting everything from plankton to fish. Researchers at NO  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 13 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release: Attorney General Gentner Drummond and a coalition of 39 other attorneys general are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to update and strengthen the rules technology companies must follow under the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Drummond said the update is necessary because the rules governing online privacy protections for children under the age o  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 14 -- The Pennsylvania House Republicans issued the following statement on March 13, 2024: * * * In response to Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed energy plan, released today, March 13, in Scranton, Reps. Tim O'Neal (R-Washington) and Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) issued the following statement: "Once again, Gov. Shapiro is pushing extreme California policies that will cost Pennsylvanians more. After campaigning on pulling out of RGGI, Gov. Shapiro is pushing anoth  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 14 -- The Pennsylvania Senate Republicans issued the following statement on March 13, 2024, by State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland: * * * Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) issued the following statement regarding Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposal to implement a carbon tax, which would stifle Pennsylvania's energy potential: "There is room in our Commonwealth for all types of energy. We should incorporate the different ene  more

AUSTIN, Texas, March 13 -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas issued the following news release: The Public Utility Commission of Texas is pleased to welcome Jeff McDonald to his new role as the Director of the Independent Market Monitor (IMM) for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. As IMM Director, McDonald will collaborate with the PUCT to detect and prevent market manipulation and identify potential design improvements for the ERCOT market. "Jeff is uniquely qualif  more

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following news release: As Prepared for Delivery in Johannesburg, South Africa Thank you for the warm welcome. I want to express my gratitude to Consul General Spera and the American Chamber of Commerce for hosting me. I am honored to be joined today by South African Entrepreneurs that are building companies to unlock the economic potential of their country. I owe my own presence here today to the inspiration I drew from   more

MENLO PARK, California, March 14 (TNSres) -- The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory issued the following news feature on March 13, 2024: * * * Researchers have uncovered new insights about tungsten's ability to conduct heat, which could lead to materials advancements for fusion reactor and aerospace technologies. * * * In the pursuit of clean and endless energy, nuclear fusion is a promising frontier. But in fusion reactors, where scientists attempt to make energy by fusing atoms together,  more

WASHINGTON, March 12 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the following news release: As a part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $450 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2024 funding through MARAD's Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). Investments made under the PIDP focus on modernizing the Nation's coastal and inland waterway ports as   more

SEATTLE, Washington, March 14 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington issued the following news release on March 13, 2024: A 32-year-old citizen of Mexico pleaded guilty today to drug trafficking and firearms charges related to his distribution of narcotics at a Bellingham homeless encampment, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Rigoberto Vasquez-Martinez has been in federal custody since he was arrested on August 29, 2023, following a traffic stop near Br  more