WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued the following news release: * * * ATF, Chicago Police Department announce results of enforcement initiative Initiative used crime gun intelligence to target offenders illegally possessing, trafficking firearms and machinegun conversion devices * CHICAGO - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chicago Police Department announce results of a two-month enh  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- The Attorneys General of Washington, California, New York, Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, D.C., and Harris County, Texas, have submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, expressing their staunch opposition to the agency's recent Interim Final Rules, which rescind vital regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration has announced its acceptance of the noise exposure map for Chicago Rockford International Airport. Submitted by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority, the map has been deemed compliant with all necessary statutory and regulatory requirements. This determination became effective on July 31, 2025. Airport operators can submit noise exposure maps to the FAA under federal law. These maps illustrate   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- A public comment letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expresses alarm over proposed changes affecting access to Head Start programs for lawfully present and undocumented immigrants. Luisiana Melendez, a clinical professor at the Erikson Institute, emphasizes the potential negative impacts of restricting access to early childhood education for vulnerable populations. The letter highlights research indicating that early childhood services yiel  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, issued the following news: * * * Cornyn Urges FBI to Investigate & Hold Fleeing Texas Legislators Accountable * AUSTIN - U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel encouraging federal cooperation with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and state law enforcement to investigate potential criminal acts, including bribery, and hold accountable legislators who have fled the state in a shameful  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Duckworth Demands Answers from FAA Amid Troubling Series of Commercial Aircraft Runway Fires and Emergency Evacuations * After authoring the provision in the FAA Reauthorization Law requiring an updated emergency evacuation standard, the Senator pressed the FAA on implementation Amid a series of commercial aircraft emergency evacuations, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)--Ranking Member of th  more

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. 4 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Hall Roberts' Son * RED OAK, Iowa - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Hall Roberts' Son of Allamakee County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa's 99 counties. "Since opening in 1864, Hall Roberts' Son has co  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Aug. 6 -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2025: * * * Funding Available for Water Quality Management Program Projects through Illinois EPA's Section 604(b) Grant Program $750,000 in Total Funding Available * Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Acting Director James Jennings is announcing a $750,000 funding opportunity through the Agency's Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) P  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Aug. 6 -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2025: * * * Funding for Green Infrastructure Projects Now Available from the Illinois EPA Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities Program Offers $5 Million in Funding * Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director James Jennings today announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity with a total of $5 million available for projects that will improve water qual  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Justice Department Publishes List of Sanctuary Jurisdictions * WASHINGTON - Today, the Justice Department published a list of states, cities, and counties identified as having policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws. "Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "The Department  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- The Latino Policy Forum, a non-profit public advocacy organization based in Chicago, Illinois, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expressing grave concerns regarding a proposed policy change. This change could restrict lawfully present and undocumented immigrants from accessing the Head Start program, which is vital for early childhood development. In its letter, the organization highlights extensive research demonstra  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The National Science Foundation issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2025: * * * NSF invests over $74 million in 6 mathematical sciences research institutes From improving medical care to detecting planets in other solar systems, the institutes will explore mathematical sciences with a broad range of applications * The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing over $74 million in six research institutes focused on the mathematical sciences and their broad a  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- An annual report by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) details persistent racial disparities in statewide traffic stops throughout 2024, highlighting both enduring challenges and the complexities in addressing racial bias and profiling on Illinois roadways. Compiled from more than 2 million police stops across large cities, small towns, and highways, the 2024 data show that Black and Latino drivers continued to be stopped at significantly higher rat  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a new report, "Nonstationary Flood Frequency Analysis Using Regression in the North-Central United States," which introduces an extension of a method for flood frequency analysis (FFA). The report, authored by Sara B. Levin, is designated as Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5034 and was prepared in cooperation with the departments of transportation and natural resources of nine states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, M  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey have released 'Hydroclimatic and Land-Use Factors Affecting Peak Streamflow in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin,' a report issued in 2025. This publication, Circular 1557, was authored by Karen R. Ryberg, Mackenzie K. Marti, Nancy A. Barth, Thomas M. Over, Sara B. Levin, Hannah L. Podzorski, Steven K. Sando, Tara Williams-Sether, Padr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- A report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) titled 'Select Elements of Concern in Surface Water of Three Hydrologic Basins (Delaware River, Illinois River, and Upper Colorado River)--Data Screening for the Development of Spatial and Temporal Models' has been issued. The authors of the document, identified as Open-File Report 2025-1033, are Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, R. Blaine McCleskey, Samantha L. Sullivan, Jonathan Casey Root, Serena M. Seawolf, Katherine M.  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (TNSLrpt) -- A report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and coauthored by Hannah L. Podzorski and Karen R. Ryberg explores how subsurface agricultural drainage systems affect water flow in downstream waterways. Titled 'A Framework for Understanding the Effects of Subsurface Agricultural Drainage on Downstream Flows,' the document, identified as Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5023, was prepared in cooperation with the transportation departments of Illinois, Iowa, Mi  more