IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: Lisa Scott, an INL postdoc administrative assistant, grew up next to Russell L. Heath. "Our backyards touched," Scott said. "As a young girl, I never knew the extent of Russ' education and contributions to the INL research. He was always a kind, genuine neighbor and family friend. He had a talent for restoring old Model T type cars." Deborah Heath, Russell   more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). These sanctions include suspending the businesses' PACA licenses and barring the  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: By Debbie Aragon, AFIMSC Public Affairs The Air Force is launching new and improved Force Support Contingency Training at Silver Flag locations to better prepare services Airmen for their missions in deployed environments. While still conducting deployment training at other venues, Silver Flag training was paused for a short time to better align training requirements  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSfact) -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance issued the following fact sheet on May 1, 2024: * * * PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT Solicitations and Funding The Advancing Women Officers in State and Local Law Enforcement: Technical Assistance and Microgrant Program The Advancing Women Officers in State and Local Law Enforcement: Technical Assistance and Microgrant Program supports the collaborative administrat  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: Today, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Yelovich, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud federal health care benefit programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The charges   more

DENVER, Colorado, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado issued the following news release: The U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado announced that a jury found a former Colorado resident guilty of 31 counts of defrauding the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of nearly half a million dollars. Shambrica Washington, 39, now a resident of Parker, Texas, was found guilty on 31 counts including wire fraud, br  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration issued the following news release: * * * Outdoor Furniture Refinishing faces $338K in penalties for 44 total violations * * * A federal workplace inspection at a metal refinisher in Houston found the company exposing employees to more than 40 safety hazards with the potential to cause serious health concerns, including birth defects, respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancers. I  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate issued the following news on July 1, 2024: * * * Fire departments interested in participating can apply in July to test an innovative, helmet-mounted device that aims to protect firefighters and help save lives. * * * Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced that interested fire departments across the country can now apply to te  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today the 2024 recipients of the Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence. The Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations. The six recipients of this highly competitive presidential awar  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 2 -- The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) First Vice President and Vice Chair Judith Pryor traveled to Houston, Texas last week to tour Packwell, Inc.'s packaging and warehouse facility to see how EXIM support under EXIM's Make More in America Initiative (MMIA) will expand their operations and boost competitiveness. "It is wonderful to see firsthand how EXIM support for Packwell  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is announcing a seventh round of Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) totaling $289 million to 129 airports across 40 states, improving the safety and efficiency of air travel. The projects are funded under President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's AIG program, part of t  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following public funding document on July 1, 2024: * * * On June 26, 2024, the Commission certified that Jill Stein is eligible to receive federal matching funds in connection with seeking the Green Party nomination for president for 2024. To become eligible for matching funds, candidates must submit Candidate and Committee Agreements and Certifications as well as raise a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 d  more

TAMPA, Florida, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces criminal charges against nine individuals in connection with alleged schemes to defraud programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, and to obtain controlled substances through fraud. The charges filed in the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) are part of the Department of Justice's 2024 National Health   more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center director of the A9 Studies, Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned Directorate has a unique perspective on the Air Force few others can match. Leaving her hometown of Westside, Iowa, for the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996 and graduating in 2000, Jaydee Purdy served a decade on active duty before transitioning to   more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 2 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: Governor Greg Abbott today announced Robert Black as Chief of Staff, effective July 22, 2024. This announcement follows the departure of the Governor's current Chief of Staff, Gardner Pate, effective July 26, 2024. "With over three decades of political, government, and corporate experience, Robert Black's wealth of knowledge and deep understanding of Texas will be instrumental in our efforts   more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 2 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following joint statement on July 1, 2024: * * * Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick today issued the following statement concerning the future of the Texas Energy Fund: "In recent testimony before the Senate Business and Commerce committee, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas testified that Texas may need 150,000 megawatts of power to power our grid by 2030. That is only six years away. Currently, Texas typically has appro  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 2 -- The Illinois Senate Republicans issued the following news: A new Illinois State Police (ISP) partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety trained officers to better protect at-risk Illinois children. This joint venture allowed ISP officers to participate in the Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) training program. The goal of the IPC training is to help officers identify signs of child exploitation, victimization, and abduction. The Illinoi  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: Guardian Health Care Inc., Gem City Home Care LLC and Care Connection of Cincinnati LLC, home health agencies operating in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, along with their owner Evolution Health LLC (together, the Companies), have agreed to pay $4,496,330 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing illegal kickbacks to assisted living facilities and physicians in exchange f  more

LUKE AFB, Arizona, July 2 -- The U.S. Air Force's 56th Fighter Wing issued the following news: By Senior Airman Dominic Tyler, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason Rueschhoff, 56th Fighter Wing commander, relinquished command to Col. David Berkland, during a Change of Command ceremony, July 1, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Berkland is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours, including over 900 combat hours. He arrived at Luke AFB following a posi  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: The owner of an Olathe, Kansas, business pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a money-laundering conspiracy to transfer the proceeds of heroin and methamphetamine trafficking to Mexico. A Kansas City, Mo., woman also pleaded guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Ana Lilia Leal-Martinez, 48, a citizen of Mexico   more

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: A St. Louis, Missouri man on Monday admitted receiving drugs shipped to St. Louis and mailing out the resulting drug proceeds. Timothy Carter, 35, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. His co-defendant, A.D. Harris, 31, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to the same ch  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSres) -- NASA issued the following news release: NASA has selected 23 minority-serving institutions to receive $1.2 million to grow their research and technology capabilities, collaborate on research projects, and contribute to the agency's missions for the benefit of humanity. Through NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award, selected institutions will receive up to $50,000 each for a six-mon  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The National Mediation Board issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce that Ms. Loren E. Sweatt has been named Chair of the National Mediation Board, effective July 1, 2024. Ms. Deirdre Hamilton and Ms. Linda A. Puchala remain as Members of the Board. Loren Sweatt was confirmed as a Member of the National Mediation Board by the United States Senate on March 7, 2024. Ms. Sweatt transitions to the Board from  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory issued the following news release: By Mary Hamisevicz, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Remote Sensing Division intern, Amaris McCarver, along with a team of astronomers, discovered the first millisecond pulsar in the stellar cluster Glimpse-CO1 and recently published findings in the Astrophysical Journal. Pulsars are natural laboratories for studying the behavior of matter und  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57079) involving Paragon Energy Solutions, Fort Worth, Texas: * * * Rep Org: Paragon Energy Solutions Region: 2 City: Fort Worth State: TX Agreement: N NRC Notified By: Richard Knott HQ OPS Officer: Bill Gott Notification Date: 04/16/2024 Notification Time: 23:29 [ET] Event Date: 02/15/2024 Event Time: 00:00 [CDT] Last Update Date: 06/29/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR S  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57201) involving South Texas Nuclear Plant: * * * Facility: South Texas Region: 4 State: TX Unit: [1] [2] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: Randall Maus HQ OPS Officer: Ernest West Notification Date: 06/30/2024 Notification Time: 16:13 [ET] Event Date: 06/30/2024 Event Time: 12:22 [CDT] Last Update Date: 06/30/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: 50  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release on July 1, 2024: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected Erin Allen as the new resident inspector at Arkansas Nuclear One nuclear power plant in Russellville, Arkansas. The plant is operated by Entergy Operations. "I know that Erin will be an invaluable asset to the resident inspector office at Arkansas Nuclear One," said NRC Region IV Administrator John Monninger. "She brings valuable experience f  more

HOUSTON, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: An Indian national is set to appear for his detention hearing on charges related to his alleged sale and shipment of counterfeit cancer pharmaceuticals into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Authorities arrested Sanjay Kumar, 43, Bihar, India, June 26. He is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray at 10 a.m. According t  more

AUSTIN, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas issued the following news release: A former senior policy advisor to an Austin city official was sentenced in federal court to three years of probation and ordered to pay $21,375 in restitution for conspiring to misapply federal funds and to falsify records in an investigation within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States. According to court documents, in June 2015, Frank Rodriguez, 73, of Dr  more

VICTORIA, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A 38-year-old Sugar Land resident has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a synthetic cannabinoid and a separate charge for failure to appear, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Naveed Rasheed Shike pleaded guilty April 2. U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey has now ordered Shike to serve 208 months in federal prison for conspirac  more

MCALLEN, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A 24-year-old resident of Reynosa, Mexico, has been sentenced for attempting to smuggle multiple firearms to Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Guadalupe Mendiola-Urbina pleaded guilty March 21, 2023. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Mendiola-Urbina to serve 38 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Mendiola-Urbina is expe  more

MCALLEN, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: Two Starr County residents, one a former justice of the peace (JP), are now headed to federal prison for their roles in a drug-trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Roel Valadez Jr., 33, and Diego Alberto Reyes-Roiz, 43, both of Rio Grande City, pleaded guilty March 18 and March 25, respectively. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane h  more

DEL RIO, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas issued the following news release: A Texas man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 37 years in prison for conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, Joseph Ivy, 45, and his spouse, Yvette Contreras, 35, imported and sold large amounts of methamphetamine. Deputies from the Dimmit County Sheriff's Office conducted a search warrant on their home in Catarin  more

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, July 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A 46-year-old Aransas Pass resident has been taken into federal custody for smuggling merchandise into the United States and illegal transfer of merchandise, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Jennifer Mayo turned herself in to authorities June 27. She is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Hampton at 9:45 a.m. A  more