CHICAGO, Illinois, June 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release: Two men have been charged in federal court in Chicago with operating "Empire Market," a dark web marketplace that enabled users to anonymously buy and sell more than $430 million in illegal goods and services around the world. THOMAS PAVEY, also known as "Dopenugget," 38, of Ormond Beach, Fla., and RAHEIM HAMILTON, also known as "Sydney" and "Zero Angel," 28, o  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, June 15 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued the following news: Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the appointment of Mathias Weinzen to serve as the manager for Black Moshannon State Park in Centre County. "Mathias has demonstrated strong leadership skills and commitment to supporting positive experiences while at state parks," Dunn said. "We look forward to seeing his stewards  more

MOBILE, Alabama, June 14 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on June 13, 2024: * * * Federal Agency Charges That the Companies Discriminated Against Employees Because of Their Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity * * * Harmony Hospitality LLC, which operates a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Dothan, Alabama, and LAS Hardwoods, a hardwood flooring company in the Chicago area, violated federal civil rights law when they each discriminated again  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, June 15 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: On Thursday, June 20, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold an informal community meeting to discuss cleanup progress at the Bofors Nobel Superfund site, located at 5025 Evanston Ave., Muskegon, Michigan. The EPA will also share upcoming opportunities for community input and the potential formation of a community advisory group. This meeting will be an opportunity to speak with the si  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, June 14 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following compliance examination on June 13, 2024, involving Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Here are excerpts: * * * FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FAILURE TO CONDUCT ADEQUATE SITE VISIT MONITORING OF GRANTEES The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (Authority) failed to conduct adequate site visit monitoring of its grantees in accordance with its Federal and State Grants Unit  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, June 14 -- The Illinois Auditor General issued the following compliance examination on June 13, 2024, involving Northern Illinois University. Here are excerpts: * * * INTRODUCTION This digest covers our Compliance Examination of Northern Illinois University (University) for the year ended June 30, 2023. A separate Financial Audit and a separate Single Audit as of and for the year ended June 30, 2023, were both previously released on March 28, 2024. In total, this repor  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, June 14 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus helped secure funding for local chambers of commerce that will go toward supporting businesses and helping them recover from the lingering economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The State of Illinois' B2B Local Chambers program is critical to helping local chambers of commerce continue moving in a positive trajectory after the devastating effects of t  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending June 13, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending June 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 227,000, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 2  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 14 -- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the following news release: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 42 other attorneys general secured a $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over allegations related to marketing of the company's baby powder and body powder products containing talc. Ohio will receive $27.7 million as part of the settlement. "Transparency is non-negotiable when it comes to consumer safety," Yost said. "Selling harmful products without disc  more

SCOTT AFB, Illinois, June 15 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command issued the following news: By Senior Airman Violette Hosack, 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs The 375th Air Mobility Wing is at the forefront of Air Mobility Command's expectation towards integrating small Unmanned Aerial Systems into daily operations. As such, Scott's sUAS team, Det. X, hosted a pioneering "sUAS Summit" June 12-13, that brought together AMC stakeholders and leading industry vendors to discuss the f  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard issued the following news: 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) Eighty years ago, on June 6, 1944, Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in what was the largest amphibious invasio  more