BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: Rutland, Vermont - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 15, 2024, Jose Luis Maldonado, Jr., aka "Peeto," 33, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey Crawford to a term of 87 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised releas  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued the following news on May 16, 2024: Yesterday while at a meeting at Rome City Hall, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri signed a Declaration of Intent to establish a formal cultural and economic partnership between the cities of Boston and Rome. Recognizing shared academic, cultural, and economic bonds, the goal of the document is to further strengthen this connection, which could lead to outcomes like increa  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued the following news: Mayor Michelle Wu and the City of Boston Reparations Task Force recently announced the appointment of former State Representative Byron Rushing to the Reparations Task Force. With this appointment, the task force members will continue to build and convene around Boston's work regarding research and community engagement around reparative solutions for the descendants of enslaved persons. "Byron Rushing is a gro  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 (TNSres) -- The city of Boston issued the following news: After receiving a strong pool of applications, the City of Boston's Office of Food Justice (OFJ) has awarded Community Outreach Leaders Grants totalling $100,000 to 5 organizations: Allston Brighton Health Collaborative (ABHC), Cape Verdean Association of Boston (CVA), Health Leads, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC), and Maverick Landing Community Services (MLCS). Over the next 6 months, the grante  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JEFFREY THOMAS, also known as "Zig," 51, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 125 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and heroin, and for   more

MONTEREY, California, May 17 -- The Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security issued the following story: Seven years after Center for Homeland Defense and Security alum D. Jeremy DeMar published his groundbreaking thesis on the impact of Incident Related Imagery on emergency communications, his research remains relevant and is starting to gain national traction. A veteran public safety emergency communications official who now works in the private sector, DeMar (Mas  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, May 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut issued the following news release on May 15, 2024: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Connecticut State Police Colonel Daniel Loughman today announced that a federa  more

MIAMI, Florida, May 17 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release: Seven members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel have been sentenced to federal prison for their role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The sentences come after the defendants had previously pleaded guilty in this matter. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment,  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- Gov. Maura Healey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: In response to Governor Maura Healey's appeal in March to President Joe Biden to support the ongoing recovery of Massachusetts communities impacted by severe weather and flooding in September, federal disaster aid will now be available in two counties to businesses and eligible homeowners and renters who incurred storm-related repair costs. Federal Disaster assistance has been authorized by   more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: Seven members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel have been sentenced to prison for their role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The defendants previously pleaded guilty in this matter. Hector Alejandro Apodaca-Alvarez, 53, of Somerton, Arizona; Mark Anthony Roque Bustamante, 33, of Yuma, Arizona; Jorge Moreno, 28, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico; Jonathan   more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: Cape Cod Hospital, based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $24.3 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures that failed to comply with Medicare rules specifying the way in which hospitals were required to evaluate patient suitability for the procedures. Beginning in 2015, Cape Cod Hosp  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending May 16, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,750,   more

PORTLAND, Maine, May 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine issued the following news release on May 16, 2024: U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine Darcie N. McElwee announced today at a press briefing held outside the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse in Portland that three New Bedford, Massachusetts men have been indicted following a February 9 drive-by shooting in Saco. The U.S. Attorney was joined at today's announcement by Saco Police Chief Jack Clements, Assis  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release: The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has entered into a settlement, via a Consent Judgment, with North Andover Auto School, LLC (NAAS) and its owner, Michael J. Larocque. The settlement resolves the AGO's lawsuit against the defendants for allegedly violating the state Consumer Protection Act by failing to refund consumers after NAAS's abrupt October 2020 closure, which followed  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 (TNSres) -- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued the following news release on May 15, 2024: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today released the Fiscal Year 2023 Problem Gambling Helpline report, which highlighted an increase in call volume to the line and included initiatives that served more than 2,000 individuals in communities across Massachusetts in prevention efforts. DPH established the Office of Problem Gambling Services   more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: Cape Cod Hospital has agreed to pay $24.3 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures that failed to comply with Medicare rules specifying the way in which hospitals were required to evaluate patient suitability for the procedures. Beginning in 2015, Cape Cod Hospital  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on May 16, 2024: A Carlisle man has been arrested and charged for allegedly submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of multiple companies he owns and controls. Durgaprasad Rao, 65, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. Rao was arrested yesterday and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2 p  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news release: The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) issued a $15,125 penalty to Avient Colorants USA, LLC, a manufacturer of paints and coatings, for failure to notify MassDEP about releases of hazardous materials. Avient discovered PFAS in groundwater at its property at 85 Industrial Drive in Holden but did not take timely action to contact MassDEP as requ  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- MassDevelopment issued the following news release: MassDevelopment has issued a $400 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Inc. (BILH), which is using proceeds to buy, build, expand, remodel, and renovate facilities at multiple locations across its health care system, including the Klarman Building at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Bond proceeds are also being used to implement EPIC and Workday electronic medical record and inform  more

NEW YORK, May 17 -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued the following news on May 16, 2024: New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that he has appointed long-time New York City civil servant Jean-Claude LeBec as director of the Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance (MORMC). The office -- created by Mayor Adams at the beginning of his administration -- serves to identify systemic and agency-specific risks with the full support of City Hall before they balloon into more costl  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17 -- The Massachusetts Port Authority issued the following news on May 16, 2024: The Preliminary Screening Committee of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board of Directors today recommended two candidates to the full Board for consideration as the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The finalists are Eulois Cleckley, the the Director and CEO of the Department of Transportation and Public Works for Miami-Dade County, and Richard Davey, President of New York  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: BOSTON - A Providence man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for selling oxycodone pills on multiple occasions to an undercover officer. Brandon Jones, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2023, Jones pleaded g  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The White House issued the following news release on May 16, 2024: This week, President Biden took action to protect investments in America by increasing tariffs on $18 billion of imports from China. This action will combat China's unfair trade practices and support the President's historic investments in American steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, solar, and other strategic sectors. President Biden's actions are pro-worker, pro-union, and pr  more