VICENZA, Italy, June 8 -- The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, a service component of the U.S. Africa Command, issued the following news: By Capt. Billy Lacroix African Lion 24, the premier, annual combined joint exercise conducted by U.S. Africa Command, concluded on May 31, 2024, in Morocco. AL24 is U.S. Africa Command's premier joint exercise, led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and   more

WASHINGTON, June 8 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on June 7, 2024, from Economics Daily: * * * From December 2022 to December 2023, employment increased in 318 of the 360 largest U.S. counties. National employment increased to 154.8 million, a 1.5-percent increase over the year. Hays, Texas (part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area), had the largest percentage increase in employment for the year ended in December 2023,  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Department of the Interior (DOI) officials surveyed the progress yesterday of an offshore project occurring in the Gulf of Mexico region for the decommissioning of orphaned wells in the Matagorda Island area, partially funded by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Dir  more

SACRAMENTO, California, June 8 (TNSres) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release: As senseless gun violence continues to plague the country with an estimated 120 people killed every day, California has reduced gun violence in the state significantly over the last 30 years. Continually ranked as the leader across the country for strong gun safety laws, new findings from the California Department of Justice contribute to the research affirming the state's efforts to i  more

DENVER, Colorado, June 8 -- The Colorado Department of Natural Resources issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced promotions and the addition of new staff members joining its Department to assist with its mission to manage and conserve Colorado's natural resources. Additions and changes include: Carly Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer, Kelly Romero-Heaney, Deputy Policy Director, Nate Pearson, Assistant Director for Water, Al  more

EL PASO, Texas, June 8 -- The U.S. Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division issued the following news release: An Albuquerque man was convicted by a federal jury, after less than 30 minutes of deliberation, of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between February and June 2022, Mike Tomasaour sold an undercover detecti  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, June 8 -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis issued the following news release news release on June 7, 2024: Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis addressed the 80th Florida Professional Firefighters (FPF) Annual Conference, where the CFO addressed issues related to electric vehicle (EV) fires and Florida's insurance market. Portions of the CFO's remarks are available HERE (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/crrz1inimggu  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, June 8 -- The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship issued the following news: The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a herd of dairy cattle in Sioux County, Iowa. Additionally, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is making several requests of USDA to aid affected dairy  more

SAN SABA, Texas, June 8 -- The Lower Colorado River Authority issued the following news release: A $50,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of San Saba will help the San Saba Volunteer Fire Department buy a new brush truck. The LCRA Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $64,387 in matching funds from the San Saba VFD, will allow the department to replace its old brush truck with a new one that can respond to rescue, medical and fire emergencies.   more

KEMPNER, Texas, June 8 -- The Lower Colorado River Authority issued the following news release: The Kempner Volunteer Fire Department plans to equip a fire engine with new equipment that is scheduled to arrive soon, thanks to a $24,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Pedernales Electric Cooperative. The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $8,842 in matching funds from the VFD, will enable the department to add a thousand feet of hoses, nozzles, adapter  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, June 8 -- The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command issued the following news: By Tish Williamson More than 400 in-person and virtual guests attended the Mission and Installation Contracting Command change of command ceremony June 7 in front of the historic Long Barracks at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Maj. Gen. Douglas Lowrey relinquished command to Col. Freddy Adams in the ceremony officiated by Brig. Gen. C  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri issued the following news release: A Grandview, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy that distributed at least 18 kilograms of cocaine. Anthony D. Harris, 41, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. By pleading guilty today, Harris admitted that he distributed at least 18 kilograms of cocaine between 2019 a  more

LINCOLN, Nebraska, June 8 -- Gov. Jim Pillen, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release on June 6, 2024: Governor Jim Pillen traveled Wednesday to Del Rio, Texas, to see troops he deployed to assist in securing America's southern border. He was joined by Speaker John Arch, Senator Tom Brewer, chairman of the Legislature's Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, and Major General Craig Strong, Adjutant General for the Nebraska National Guard. The daylong visit was spent with Na  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Packwell Inc. received the Make More in America Deal of the Year Award today at the Export-Import Bank of the United States' (EXIM) 2024 Annual Conference. The award was presented to Packwell Inc. in recognition of an export transaction authorized as a result of EXIM's flagship Make More in America (MMIA) initiative, designed to reinvigorate domestic manufacturing by providing leveraging  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Today, as a part of its 2024 Annual Conference, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) awarded Penn International Associates, Inc. its Broker of the Year award in recognition of their work as a specialty trade credit and political risk insurance brokerage firm. This is the first time the company has received this award in its 30-year history. Based in San Antonio, Texas, Penn  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas issued the following news release: Amid rising summer temperatures, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) is reminding Texans of its consumer protection rules that prohibit the disconnection of an individual's electricity service for non-payment during extreme weather. PUCT rules also require electric providers to offer deferred payment plans for bills that become due during extreme weather. "Anyone who has experienced a s  more

SACRAMENTO, California, June 8 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release: Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in 38 counties following the amendment to President Biden's May 23 major disaster declaration for Public Assistance as a result of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred April 26 - June 5, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Gu  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- The Texas Education Agency issued the following document on June 7, 2024, from Commissioner Mike Morath: * * * Subject: Accelerated Instruction: HB 1416 Ratio Waiver List for the 2024-2025 School Year Category: Accelerated Instruction Next Steps: Share with district and campus administrators and engage with optional supports * * * Overview Texas students have experienced academic growth post-pandemic, but learning acceleration is still critically needed. Texas Edu  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved 36 additional Texas counties for the Presidential Disaster Declaration for severe weather and flooding that began on April 26. FEMA approved Individual Assistance for 5 new counties, with qualifying Texans in 32 total counties now eligible to apply. FEMA also approved Public Assistance for 31   more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the City of Mineral Wells has been designated by the Texas Music Office (TMO) as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community after completing the multi-step certification process. The Music Friendly Texas program, the first in the nation since introduced by TMO in 2016, seeks to foster music business-related economic development and job creation in Texa  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Governor Greg Abbott today celebrated Texas' continued partnership with Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd. ("Samsung") at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Samsung Highway in Taylor. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Governor received a briefing from Samsung's executives on the ongoing construction of Samsung's new cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication facilities in Central Texas. "  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) today announced the inaugural members of the Healthcare Workforce Task Force. The task force will address healthcare workforce shortages in Texas to meet the demands of our growing state and provide students with the skills they need to succeed. "Health professionals across Texas work tirelessly to meet the needs o  more

AUSTIN, Texas, June 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry. Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 513,100 illegal immigrant apprehen  more

MCALLEN, Texas, June 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A 27-year-old man has been sentenced for importing meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Juan Adame II pleaded guilty March 11, 2022. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Adame to serve 57 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence Adame had  more

HOUSTON, Texas, June 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A 56-year-old Needville man has been ordered to federal prison for his role in an illegal kickback scheme and a commodities insider trading scheme involving natural gas futures contracts. Matthew Clark pleaded guilty March 15 to honest services wire fraud, commodities insider trading and prohibited commodities transactions. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now  more

FORT KNOX, Kentucky, June 8 -- The U.S. Army Cadet Command issued the following news: By Jackson Huston The United States Army Junior Reserves Officers' Training Corps has a mission to "motivate young people to be better citizens" and is the U.S.'s third largest youth program. With 1,734 active programs and another 20 schools approved to open a JROTC program in the next two years, it's clear that JROTC is in high demand. In order to ensure high schools have access to a large and highly-qualifi  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard issued the following news: By Scott T. Price, Chief Historian, U.S. Coast Guard The Long Blue Line blog series has been publishing Coast Guard history essays for over 15 years. To access hundreds of these service stories, visit the Coast Guard Historian's Office's Long Blue Line online archives, located here: THE LONG BLUE LINE (uscg.mil) Among the many historical items kept by the Coast Guard Historian's Office is a c  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The U.S. International Trade Commission issued the following news release on June 7, 2024: The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled into Modules, from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidiz  more