WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). These sanctions include suspending the businesses' PACA licenses and barring  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, March 27 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center is harnessing the power of data to improve Department of the Air Force installation mail services. The center is using Automated Military Postal System, or AMPS, data to expand Intelligent Lockers to more bases, incorporate parcel lockers and streamline mail centers with online mailing subscript  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: Projects Funded by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act Will Lower Energy Costs and Create Revenue for Rural Business Owners and Farms OMAHA, Neb., March 28, 2024 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing $124 million in renewable energy and fertilizer production projects in 44 states to lower energy costs, generate new income and create   more

OAKLAND, California, March 29 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: California Attorney General Rob Bonta led 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY), et al. v. United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), et al. in support of the plaintiffs' motion to vacate the Trump Administration's 2020 federal rule (the Rule), which strips nondiscriminati  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Yesterday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Anna M. Gomez and Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, hosted a roundtable at the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) with Veterans Affairs (VA) social workers and community stakeholders to discuss the positive impact of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) on Ve  more

WAKULLA, Florida, March 28 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Today, First Lady Casey DeSantis joined nonprofit organization Wakulla Giving Hands, Inc. to serve Florida seniors at a food distribution event at the Wakulla County Senior Center. The First Lady also awarded Wakulla Giving Hands, Inc. with $20,000 through the Hope Florida Fund. First Lady Casey DeSantis launched the Hope Florida Fund in July 2022 to harness the charity of the priva  more

MIAMI, Florida, March 29 -- Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: On Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 9:30 a.m., the 2024 Serving the Arts Awards will be held at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, 2901 West Flagler Street. The awards ceremony will celebrate 27 cultural leaders and organizations for their continued commitment to advancing arts and culture in Miami-Dade County. This year, the inaugural Miami-Dade County Mayor's Legacy in Arts   more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading a multistate coalition of state attorneys general in probing whether MSCI, Inc., a large investment company, is embracing the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, movement against Israel. At least 38 states in the U.S. have taken actions to oppose the BDS movement. Attorney General Ashley Moody said, "Israel is our greatest  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 28 -- The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson highlighted the Florida Forest Service's recording-setting 2023-2024 prescribed fire season to combat and mitigate catastrophic wildfires in Florida. In the current fiscal year -- which runs through June 30, 2024 -- the Florida Forest Service has treated 164,915 acres of state forests with pre  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following financial and federal single audit (No. 2024-171) on March 25, 2024, involving DeSoto County District School Board. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY OF REPORT ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Our audit disclosed that the basic financial statements of the DeSoto County District School Board (District) were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with prescribed financial reporting standards. SUMMARY  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following financial and federal single audit (No. 2024-173) on March 25, 2024, involving Hendry County District School Board. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY OF REPORT ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Our audit disclosed that the basic financial statements of the Hendry County District School Board (District) were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with prescribed financial reporting standards. SUMMARY  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following financial audit (No. 2024-172) on March 25, 2024, involving Pasco-Hernando State College. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY OF REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Our audit disclosed that the basic financial statements of Pasco-Hernando State College (a component unit of the State of Florida) were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with prescribed financial reporting standar  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following operational audit (No. 2024-170) on March 25, 2024, involving Pinellas County District School Board. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This operational audit of the Pinellas County School District (District) focused on selected District processes and administrative activities and included a follow-up on findings noted in our report No. 2021-062. Our operational audit disclosed the following: Finding 1: Distr  more

ORLANDO, Florida, March 28 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 621, which protects property rights, provides homeowners remedies against squatting, and increases penalties on squatters. "We are putting an end to the squatters scam in Florida," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system."  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 28 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 26, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Craig Mateer to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Craig Mateer Mateer, of Orlando, is the founder of CCM Capital Group and was the founder and owner of Bags, Inc., which he sold to a publicly-held company in 2018. He was named the 2014 "CEO of the Year" by the Orlando Business Journal. Mateer earned his bac  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 28 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 26, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announces seven judicial appointments: one to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court, one to the Broward County Court, one to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, two to the Hillsborough County Court, one to the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court, and one to the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court. Christopher Wigand, of Plantation, to serve as Judge on t  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 28 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis received the following bills from the Florida Legislature. The Governor has until April 11, 2024, to act on these bills. CS/CS/HB 217 - College Campus Facilities in Areas of Critical State Concern HB 523 - Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program CS/CS/HB 883 - Short-acting Bronchodilator Use in Public and Private Schools HB 7043 - OGSR/Agency Personnel   more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 29 -- Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd issued the following news release: A federal three-judge redistricting panel unanimously upheld Florida's 2022 congressional redistricting maps. This decision follows a four-day bench trial in Tallahassee in late September 2023. "This decision is vindication that Florida's redistricting maps comply with Florida law and the U.S. Constitution," said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. "We are very pleased with the outcome of this e  more

MIAMI, Florida, March 29 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: The Justice Department announced today that its long-running investigation into international commodities trading companies that paid bribes to win business with state-owned and state-controlled oil companies in Latin America and Africa has resulted in six corporate resolutions, 20 convictions of individuals, and total fines, forfeitures, an  more

MIAMI, Florida, March 29 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Trafigura Beheer B.V. (Trafigura), an international commodities trading company with its primary operations in Switzerland, pleaded guilty today and will pay over $126 million to resolve an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), stemming from the company's corrupt scheme to p  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida -- Northeast Florida law enforcement leaders announced the results of the first year of the Northeast Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (NEFL INTERCEPT) during a joint press conference March 27, 2024, in St. John's County, Florida. One year ago, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonvill  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $173.8 million in new grant and loan awards under its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), bringing the total funding awarded under this program to a total of $544 million, or more than 50 percent of funding being awarded through this program. The announcement was made today by HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne   more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: The Justice Department today urged taxpayers to choose their return preparers wisely as the April 15 federal tax filing deadline approaches. Unscrupulous preparers who include errors or false information on a tax return could leave a taxpayer open to liability for unpaid taxes, penalties and interest. "Taxpayers must look out for unscrupulous preparers, who often will promise refunds tha  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: The Justice Department filed a civil injunction suit today to permanently bar Dexter Bataille and his tax return preparation business, Capital Financial Holdings LLC, from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The United States also seeks an order demanding Bataille disgorge his ill-gotten gains earned by preparing fraudulent tax returns. The complaint, filed in the U.S. Distr  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Aggregate Fines, Forfeitures, and Other Penalties Total More Than $1.7B The Justice Department announced today that its long-running investigation into international commodities trading companies that paid bribes to win business with state-owned and state-controlled oil companies in Latin America and Africa has resulted in six corporate resolutions, 20 convictions of individuals, and tot  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Trafigura Beheer B.V. (Trafigura), an international commodities trading company with its primary operations in Switzerland, pleaded guilty today and will pay over $126 million to resolve an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), stemming from the company's corrupt scheme to pay bribes to Brazilian government officials to s  more

TOPEKA, Kansas, March 28 -- Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued the following news release: Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is leading a coalition of all Republican attorneys general in asking the Environmental Protection Agency to drop a proposed regulation that would cost meat and poultry processors millions. Under the proposed rule, the EPA will regulate meat and poultry processing plants with indirect wastewater discharges, or wastewater that goes through a city sewage treatment  more

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida, March 27 -- The U.S. Central Command issued the following news release: TAMPA, Fla. - Between 2:00 and 2:20 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 27, United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four long-range unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. These UAS were aimed at a U.S. warship and engaged in self-defense over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. It wa  more

BUFFALO, New York, March 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jeshua Lion Myers a/k/a Dually, 28, a citizen of Canada, the United States, and the Bahamas, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with trafficking in firearms, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, sta  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, March 28 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Approximately 50 percent of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio's military and support personnel is comprised of women. Therefore, it is fitting that the 2024 theme of Women's History Month be "Women Who Have Made Great Achievements." One of the highly professional women within Navy Medicine is Cmdr. Rachel Werner, Dental Corps, NAMRU Sa  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- NASA issued the following news release: NASA is awarding approximately $3.7 million to 17 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions as part of an initiative to ignite STEM excitement. The money will go toward projects that inspire students and their learning support systems to take an active role in the wonder of science, technology, engineering, and math. "We're excited to grow the community of informal education organizations through these a  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southeast Fisheries Science Center issued the following feature story: * * * Scientists find evidence of critical feeding grounds for endangered leatherback turtles along the U.S. Atlantic coast by studying movement behavior with satellite tags. * * * Leatherback sea turtles are known to travel thousands of miles to move from warm, tropical and subtropical nesting areas to cooler, prey-rich feeding grounds  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: * * * The nationwide Nursery Value Select program serves as great alternative as the Nursery Field Grown and Container program ends. * * * The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has expanded its Nursery Value Select (NVS) crop insurance program to all counties in all states, and the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is encouraging interested nursery   more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency issued the following news release: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Frank V. Benak, 24, of Scottsville, Michigan, killed during World War II, was accounted for on February 2, 2024. In December 1942, Benak was assigned to Cannon Company, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea. As part of an attempt to ne  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman today announced that, with the approval of the Board, he has appointed members to the newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC). The new members of the PRAC will advise the Board on issues impacting passenger rail service during their terms. "I am pleased that the Board received so m  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 29 -- Gov. Roy Cooper, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Following his declaration of 2024 as the Year of Public Schools, Governor Roy Cooper is illustrating the risks the extreme Republican voucher plan poses to children and public schools, where more than 8 in 10 North Carolina children attend school. Today, the Governor released a new video walking through the problems with this voucher plan on steroids, along with a new fac  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, March 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: A Florida man admitted his role in a conspiracy to receive kickbacks and bribes from laboratories in exchange for referrals of patient DNA samples and genetic tests, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced today. Jeffrey Tamulski, 50, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal co  more

ORLANDO, Florida, March 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced E'Chavion Semaj Flewellen (24, Cocoa) to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison for distribution of 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Flewellen entered a guilty plea on January 4, 2024. According to court documents, from June through August 2023, Flewellen dis  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 29 -- Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined an 18 state coalition of attorneys general probing whether Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI, Inc.), a large investment company, is embracing the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. "Investment companies making political stands with consumers' money in the name of 'environmental, social,  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a press gaggle by National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby on March 28, 2024: * * * MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining. Kirby has a few words at the top, and then as always, we'll get through as many questions as we can. Thanks. MR. KIRBY: Hey, everybody. Good morning. I just wanted to -- I got a couple of things here at the top. First, I want to just take a moment to respond to the -both the nons  more