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 filed an administrative complaint against Atlantic Frozen Foods LLC for alleged violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). The company, operating from Pennsylvania, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to six produce sellers in the amount of $1,176,084 from December 2021 through  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 29 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement on March 28, 2024: * * * Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement after announcing that he and seven other state attorneys general are asking the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas to take additional action against a Texas based robocaller for violating permanent robocall and telemarketing bans: "In March of last year, my office obtained  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 29 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement on March 28, 2024: * * * Following announcements by the attorneys general of Kansas and Missouri that they are each filing lawsuits challenging the Biden administration's latest efforts to cancel student debt, Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement: "Arkansas was part of the original coalition that sued the Biden administration over its first unlawful debt-cancellation   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

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: PHILADELPHIA - Enforcement and Removal (ERO) Philadelphia removed Ulisses De Oliveira Silva, a citizen of Brazil, with a final order of removal, to his home country. De Oliveira is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in Brazil for attempted murder. "The United States is not a safe harbor for noncitizens such as Ulisses De Oliveira Silva   more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration issued the following news release on March 27, 2024: Research teams from universities nationwide are working on a variety of aviation environmental topics including sustainable aviation fuels, aircraft emissions, and noise impacts with support from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants. The FAA is awarding $27.2 million to 11 U.S. universities as part of its Aviation Sustainability Center (ASC  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, March 29 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Consumer Finance Institute issued a working paper (No. WP 24-09) on March 28, 2024, entitled "How Much Does Racial Bias Affect Mortgage Lending? Evidence from Human and Algorithmic Credit Decisions." The working paper was written by special advisor Neil Bhutta and Aurel Hizmo and Daniel Ringo from the Federal Reserve Board. Here are excerpts: * * * Minority applicants tend to have significantly lower   more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending March 28, 2024: * * * SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending March 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 210,000 to 212,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,000, a decrease of 750 from t  more

PINE GROVE MILLS, Pennsylvania, March 29 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued the following news on March 28, 2024: Today, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Rothrock State Forest to highlight plans for more than 50 miles of multiuse, single-track trails as an example of the type of work that will be expanded as a result of Governor Shapiro's budget proposal. Construction will soon begin on 53 miles   more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 28 -- The Pennsylvania House Republicans issued the following news release: Citing the rising number of crimes committed by illegal immigrants and a dramatic increase in overdose deaths nationwide, Rep. Mike Cabell (R-Luzerne) plans to soon introduce legislation that would criminalize unauthorized migration at the state level in Pennsylvania. "While it is undeniable that many entering the United States seek better lives and opportunities, the country has recentl  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 28 -- The Pennsylvania House Republicans issued the following news release: Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, announced the committee approved a bill that would ban non-compete agreements in health care employment contracts. House Bill 1633 now includes an amendment that excludes employers under certain conditions in sixth-, seventh- and eighth-class counties, which includes Warren, Crawford and Forest   more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 28 -- The Pennsylvania House Republicans issued the following news release: State Reps. Shelby Labs, R-Bucks, and Lindsay Powell, D-Allegheny, have introduced the Victims of Violence Relocation Act. Under the legislation (H.B. 2162), eligible violent crime survivors would be entitled to relocation assistance and extend the timeframe for requesting such assistance from 90 to 180 days after the crime occurred. The legislators said this would allow survivors more t  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 29 -- The Pennsylvania Senate Republicans issued the following statement on March 28, 2024, by State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-41: * * * Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) today applauded the Third Circuit Court ruling upholding Pennsylvania State law that voters must date a mail-in ballot in order for it to be accepted: "Safeguarding elections in Pennsylvania has been chief among concerns voiced by voters, election officials and good governm  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, March 29 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory issued the following news: Technology transfer officials from 13 Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories converged on NETL in Morgantown, West Virginia to exchange ideas, share successes related to efforts to move new energy technologies from laboratories to the marketplace, and meet with key NETL leaders. Technology transfer is described as the movement of data, designs, invent  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

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on March 28, 2024: Today, USAID and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) hosted the first Global Summit on Extreme Heat, which brought together leaders and changemakers from across the world to discuss solutions and strategies to protect communities and workers from extreme heat. As part of the Summit, USAID and IFRC kicked off a Global Sprint of Actio  more