WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $15 million to help communities recover from coastal infrastructure damage in the Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. The bill was included in the March 8th funding package that was signed into law last week. The legislation includes $10 million through the Atlanti  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 18 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: DALLAS, TX - A Dallas fentanyl trafficker who admitted to dealing more than 142,000 counterfeit pills was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison. Terrill Antwan Ray, 48, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Go  more

NEW YORK, March 19 -- Metropolitan Opera issued the following news release: The Met announces the winners of the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition: tenor Daniel Espinal, soprano Lydia Grindatto, baritone Navasard Hakobyan, mezzo-soprano Meridian Prall, and soprano Emily Richter. Following a season-long series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of varied judges named these five singers as the winners. Each winner receives a $20,00  more

ALBANY, New York, March 19 -- Greenberg Traurig, a law firm, issued the following news release: Doreen U. Saia, chair of the Energy & Natural Resources Practice in global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP's Albany office, was named to City & State's 2024 "Trailblazers in Law" list. City & State notes that Saia "brings to her work an in-depth understanding of the New York Independent System Operator, which oversees wholesale electric markets in the state and ensures grid reliability." According t  more

HOLLAND, Michigan, March 19 -- Hope College issued the following news: For the 19th consecutive year, Hope College has been named one of West Michigan's "Best and Brightest Companies to Work For(R)." The winners were chosen by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR) for having the most innovative business acuteness and human resources practices, and represent industries as diverse as the automotive, construction, financial, healthcare, manufacturing and non-profit sectors. As no  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 19 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A Stoughton man has pleaded guilty to managing a large-scale drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped dozens of parcels containing kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to various addresses throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Patrick Joseph, 41, pleaded guilty on March 14, 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to dist  more

WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts, March 19 -- The New England First Amendment Coalition issued the following news release: The New England First Amendment Coalition and several Massachusetts open government groups recently called on Worcester city officials to continue the Open Checkbook program, an online portal showing municipal expenditures. The city recently announced that it will discontinue the service. "Fiscal transparency is a hallmark of open government," wrote the groups in a March 13 lett  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast Fisheries Science Center issued the following feature story: * * * Understanding how efficiently our survey gear captures bottom-dwelling species is a key improvement. * * * A collaborative study conducted aboard a Rhode Island-based commercial trawler from 2015 to 2017 is bearing fruit. It was led by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and commercial fishermen interested in how catches of the  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 19 -- The Oak Ridge Associated Universities issued the following news release: ORAU announced the election of new members to its board and to its joint board/nominating committee and welcomed six new institutions to its 158-member university consortium. The announcement was made during the ORAU Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D. [hhs.purdue.edu], assistant vice president for research developmen  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news: Powerful Committee is Responsible for Appointing Members to Committee Seats and Shaping Caucus Priorities Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) has been elected by acclamation to represent members of the New England Congressional delegation on the powerful House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. "The New England delegation's diversity of lived experiences, ideological views, and policy prioritie  more