WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service issued the following article: * * * U.S. Obesity Rate Changes Differ for Rural and Urban Areas, as Well as Across Regions By Mariah Ehmke and Brandon J. Restrepo Highlights * Despite a slight decline in the U.S. overall obesity rate from March 2022-2023 to March 2023-2024, rural obesity rates rose 0.5 percentage points during the same time. * The U.S. obesity rates in rural areas were higher than urban rat  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove Virginia sneezeweed, a flowering plant, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants. This action follows a review indicating that threats to the species have lessened, meaning it no longer fits the definition of an endangered or threatened species. If this proposal is finalized, conservation measures under the Endangered Species Act would no longer apply to the plant.  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48607) on July 17, 2025, entitled "FY2023 State Grants Under Title I-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act" by education policy specialist Rebecca R. Skinner and research assistant Isobel Sorenson. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently comprehensively amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95), is the pri  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri, issued the following news release: * * * Reps. Alford, Craig, McDonald Rivet, Messmer Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen USDA's BioPreferred Program, Ensure America Remains the World's Leader in Biomanufacturing * Today, U.S. Representatives Mark Alford (R-MO), Angie Craig (D-MN), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), and Mark Messmer (R-IN) reintroduced the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act to strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (U  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, issued the following news release: * * * Reps. Craig, Alford, McDonald Rivet, Messmer Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen USDA's BioPreferred Program, Ensure America Remains the World's Leader in Biomanufacturing * WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN), Mark Alford (R-MO), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) and Mark Messmer (R-IN) reintroduced the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act to strengthen the U.S. Department of  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued the following news release: * * * The Speedway Slammer: A New Partnership with DHS and the State of Indiana to Expand Detention Space * Following Alligator Alcatraz, this marks the second state partnership to expand ICE detention space WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand ICE detention space by 1,000 beds. U.S. Immigration and Custom  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- A report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency details the hydrogeology of glacial deposits across a multicounty area of southeastern Michigan, northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio. The report, 'Hydrogeologic Mapping and Three-Dimensional Geologic Modeling of Glacial Deposits in a Multicounty Area of Southeastern Michigan, Northeastern Indiana, and Northwestern Ohio' (Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5008), w  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSFR) -- The University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus has finalized an inventory of human remains and items, concluding they are culturally tied to 29 Native American tribes. This conclusion, made under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), will allow for the return of the remains and objects. The remains represent at least two individuals--an adult female and an adult male--that were removed from the Bendon site in Benzie County, Michigan. The  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has released a document titled 'Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program--2023 Year-in-Review,' which highlights a productive year for the program. The report, Circular 1545, was authored by Elise R. Irwin, Caroline E. Murphy, Dawn E. Childs, Donald E. Dennerline, and Jonathan R. Mawdsley. It details the program's successes in conducting research, training conservation pr  more