MONTEREY, California, April 13 -- The Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security issued the following story on April 12, 2024: More than two dozen homeland security professionals graduated from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Master's Program, earning Master's of Arts Degrees in Security Studies during a ceremony at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, on Friday, March 29. Master's Program cohort 2205/2206 included a range of federal, regional,   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced that California resident Donald Franklin Huegel was convicted and sentenced for his part in a romance scam that defrauded two elderly Arizonans. Huegel participated in the criminal enterprise for two years by funneling money from victims to his co-conspirators in Africa. The victims were each contacted by someone posing as a romantic   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) today announced the rollout of a new housing program to increase homeownership across the state called 'Arizona is Home.' The $13 million program consists of enhanced down payment assistance and mortgage interest rate relief to qualifying low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers and will assist approximately 500 hom  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: Today, amid chaos and confusion following the Arizona Supreme Court upholding the draconian 1864 total abortion ban, Governor Hobbs made clear her Executive Order preventing extremist county attorneys from prosecuting Arizonans for abortion-related crimes applies to women, doctors, and any member of the public who helps a woman obtain an abortion. The statement comes after healthcare  more

TUCSON, Arizona, April 13 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona issued the following news release: Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, 56, of Buckeye, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 18 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Passapera pleaded guilty to Bribery of a Public Official and Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Heroin on June 23, 2023. On August 9, 2020, while   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release: Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature are celebrating the recent passage and signing of House Bill 2173, a bipartisan bill sponsored by House Education Committee Chairwoman Beverly Pingerelli to correct school district property taxes in rural Arizona. The measure was introduced after mistakes identified in the current fiscal year caused dramatic tax increases in several rural school districts,   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release on April 11, 2024: Arizona State Representative Quang Nguyen announced today the signing of HB 2818, the "Dan Ari Act," by the Governor. This legislation, which Representative Nguyen sponsored, requires the governor to direct state agencies to lower their flags to half-staff in honor of servicemembers from or stationed in Arizona who have died in action. "The Dan Ari Act's signing into law marks a sol  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 12 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release: Arizona's Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed HB 2393, simple commonsense legislation sponsored by State Representative Alex Kolodin aimed to safeguard the voting rights of disabled individuals and members of the uniformed services or citizens residing overseas during Arizona's Presidential Preference Election (PPE) when administered by a state political party. Political parties may choose to op  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: Arizona House Education Chairwoman Beverly Pingerelli responded today to Governor Hobbs' decision to veto House Bill 2793, a measure which would have directed public schools to adopt policies and enforce procedures to limit access to cell phones during the entire school day, except for emergencies or as directed by a staff member. The bill would also have directed schools to limit ac  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 12 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release on April 10, 2024: Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin announced that the Governor has today signed HB 2178 into law. This bipartisan legislation grants public university students the authority to direct their tuition and fees away from student organizations and clubs that call for their genocide. "With the enactment of HB 2178, we're upholding the cherished American values of freedom and p  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: State Representative Jacqueline Parker, Chairwoman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Executive Oversight (CEO), and Vice Chairman Austin Smith today sent a letter to Attorney General Kris Mayes seeking answers concerning her refusal to defend state laws. Since assuming the office over a year ago, Attorney General Mayes has refused to defend Arizona laws and disqualified her office fro  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 13 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release: Arizona State Representative Barbara R. Parker is pleased that legislation to improve the safety of group homes was signed into law. HB 2480 is a bipartisan bill that mandates that the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) develop and implement a program for random quarterly drug screenings for employees in group foster homes. The new law aims to ensure the safety and welfare of children in group   more

WASHINGTON, April 11 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following news release: The Biden-Harris Administration announced today the approval of $7.4 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 277,000 borrowers. These discharges are for borrowers who signed up for President Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan and are eligible for its shortened time-to-forgiveness benefit and as a result of fixes made by the Administration to income-driven repayment (IDR) fo  more

SACRAMENTO, California, April 13 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: Francisco Sanchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration, today reminded small nonfarm businesses in 10 New Mexico counties and neighboring counties in Arizona and Texas of the May 13, 2024, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low interest loans are to off  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, April 13 -- Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, issued the following news on April 12, 2024: Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has appointed retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Alice Briones, DO, to serve as Maine's Chief Medical Examiner. A native of Hampden, Dr. Briones returns to Maine after a distinguished military career culminating as the first woman to lead the U.S. Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES). As Director of AFMES, Dr. Briones was the Chief Medical Exami  more

CLEVELAND, Ohio, April 13 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio issued the following news release: Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials announce the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging 15 members of the Fully Blooded Felons, a criminal street gang that was active in Northeast Ohio and in the Ohio prison system. The gang members were charged for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving their importing and distributing fentany  more

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Internal Revenue Service issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service today corrected Appendix A (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/appendix-a-list-of-2015-census-tract-boundary-30c-eligible-tracts-v2-1-4-2024.pdf) and Appendix B (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/appendix-b-list-of-2020-census-tract-boundary-30c-eligible-tracts-v2-1-4-2024.pdf) of Notice 2024-20 (https://  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the following news release on April 11, 2024: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced more than $21 million in Boating Infrastructure Grant funding to support construction, renovation and maintenance of marinas and other boating facilities for outdoor recreation and waterway access. This year's grants will support projects in 21 states, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The funding wil  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service today announced it is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency's Secure Rural Schools program. As the Biden-Harris administration invests in ways for forests to generate more economic opportunity in rural areas, it also aims to support the quality of life in those communities throu  more

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service issued the following news release on April 12, 2024: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service today announced it is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency's Secure Rural Schools program. The program was reauthorized for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Fiscal year 2023 funds will be   more