WASHINGTON, July 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11672) on July 24, 2025, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program envisages procuring 30 replacements for the Coast Guard's 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland construction tenders (W  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- A routine inspection at Hot Shots NM LLC in Loves Park, Illinois, unearthed a serious incident of radioactive contamination and underreporting of worker exposure that occurred back on May 28, 2024. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency discovered that a pharmacist improperly used a standard hot plate instead of a heat block to prepare 2 curies of Tc-99m, causing the glass vial to explode. The explosion led to a major spill, contaminating a clean room and the face and h  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- A critical equipment failure at Isomedix Operations Inc. in Libertyville, Illinois, was reported to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency on July 17, 2025. The company notified IEMA that a radiation monitor, essential for conducting mandated radioactivity measurements of their pool water and for leak testing irradiator sources, had failed. The malfunction was identified on July 16, 2025, during a routine monthly check when the system failed to alarm when tested with a   more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Illinois, posted the following statement in the extensions of remarks section of the Congressional Record on July 23, 2025: * * * Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize James Collins for his extraordinary twenty-year tenure as President of Loras College. As the longest-serving president in Loras college's 185-year history, Collins has left an indelible mark on Iowa's oldest institution of higher education. Collins earned his Bachelor of Science degr  more