Thursday - November 21, 2024
*Pennsylvania Editor Tipoffs Newsletter for Wednesday November 20, 2024 ( 15 items )  

Assistant A.G. Clarke Delivers Remarks on 15th Anniversary of Enactment of Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following opening remarks on Nov. 19, 2024, by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke at an event on the 15th anniversary of the Enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act: * * * As Prepared for Delivery Good afternoon. My name is Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department. I am honored and proud to be with you for this important comme  more

DCNR's Square Timber Wild Area in Cameron County Inducted Into the Old-Growth Forest Network
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued the following news on Nov. 19, 2024: * * * Spanning more than 5,600 acres within Elk State Forest, these woodlands mark Cameron County's first designated old-growth forest. * * * Emporium, PA - Today, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Deputy Secretary John Norbeck joined Old-Growth Forest Network leadership to announce the induction of Elk State Forest's Square   more

Fitzpatrick, Kildee Continue to Drive Action in Addressing PFAS Contamination
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: Bipartisan Initiative Aims to Strengthen Accountability at the Department of Defense to Protect Affected Communities Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Dan Kildee (MI-8) have introduced bold bipartisan legislation to continue to ensure accountability at the Department of Defense (DoD) for communities impacted by the widespread, ongoing PFAS contamination crisis. The bill would establish   more

HUD Awards $73 Million to Support Grantees With Vital Technical Assistance
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the following news release on Nov. 19, 2024: * * * Funding will provide technical assistance and capacity-building for HUD grantees, local governments, and community organizations nationwide. * * * The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will award $73 million in cooperative agreements under the Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program (Community Compass) to 34 non-pro  more

Justice Department Sues Pennsylvania Over Discriminatory Code Requirements That Restrict Community-Based Housing for People With Disabilities
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release on Nov. 19, 2024: The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department announced today that a lawsuit was filed against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to challenge discriminatory code requirements that deny or limit the av  more

Justice Department Sues Pennsylvania Over Discriminatory Code Requirements That Restrict Community-Based Housing for People With Disabilities
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Nov. 19, 2024: The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit (https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1377406/dl) against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to challenge discriminatory code requirements that deny or limit the availability of community-based housing for people with intellectual disabilitie  more

More Than 75.7 Million People Volunteered in America, AmeriCorps Reports
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (TNSres) -- AmeriCorps issued the following news release: * * * Volunteering and Civic Life in America research shows a resurgence in community engagement and new insights about virtual volunteering * * * AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, released the latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America (https://www.americorps.gov/newsroom/news/via) research, a comprehensive look at how people make a difference in their communities and promote  more

NETL Researchers Convert Coal Tar Pitch Into Graphene for Improved Supercapacitors
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Nov. 19 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory issued the following news: NETL researchers have developed a low-cost process for converting coal tar waste into a high-quality graphene -- material that can increase performance of energy-storing supercapacitor systems by up to 55%. Supercapacitors store electrical energy and, in some ways, are comparable to batteries. One primary difference is that supercapacitors can be charge  more

New Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Installed for Demonstration Tests at NETL
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory issued the following news: NETL researchers took a major step forward in studying how well a new solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) product can work in a micro-grid setting when they installed a cutting-edge SOFC system to help meet power needs at NETL's Morgantown, West Virginia site. According to a U.S. Department of Energy report to Congress, "In a SOFC, electricity is generated thr  more

Pa. A.G. Henry, Pa. State Police Collaboration Nets 'Large-Scale' Philly-Based Cocaine Trafficker and 19 Affiliates
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry issued the following news on Nov. 19, 2024: * * * Search Warrants Uncover 20 Firearms, 12.5 Pounds of Cocaine * * * Attorney General Michelle Henry, along with the Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police, announced charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers, who investigators allege, used firearms to protect their "large-scale" trafficking operation in the greater Philadelphia area. Officials  more

Pa. Environmental Protection Dept.: Shapiro Administration Reduces DEP Permit Backlog by 75 Percent, Completely Eliminates Backlog for Oil and Gas Permits
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news release: * * * Early investments in permit reduction are paying dividends for Pennsylvania businesses and residents as DEP can respond to applicants more quickly and ensure Pennsylvanians' clean air and pure water is protected * * * The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reduced its permit backlog by 75 percent since November 1, 2023 - and has comp  more

Pa. U.S. Attorney: Former Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to 34 Years in Prison for Large-Scale Fentanyl Trafficking and Money Laundering Convictions
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release on Nov. 19, 2024: A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 34 years of imprisonment, to be followed by lifetime supervised release, on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Uni  more

Pa. U.S. Attorney: Lackawanna County Man Convicted of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, Nov. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release: The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Federico Rosario, age 30, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was convicted on November 18, 2024, for the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death following a four-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. According to United States Att  more

Reps. Joyce, Davis Form Congressional Baking Caucus & Introduce Resolution to Create National Bread Month
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- Rep. John Joyce, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release on Nov. 19, 2024: Today, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) launched the Congressional Baking Caucus, a bipartisan organization dedicated to addressing the issues that face the American baking industry. Further, the congressmen introduced a resolution to name November as National Bread Month; the text of the resolution can be found here. "Pennsylvania is home to the ba  more

U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory: Webinar To Discuss Opportunities for Students Through the University Training and Research Program
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Nov. 19 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory issued the following news: NETL and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) will post a pre-recorded webinar to provide information on the University Training and Research (UTR) Program (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/university-training-and-research-utr-program) and a grant writing discussion. The UTR Program supports the FECM mis  more