WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The Library of Congress issued the following news: * * * 2026 Tour Dates Announced for National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Mac Barnett * National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Mac Barnett is set to embark on a 2026 tour for his initiative, " Behold, the Picture Book! Let's Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See." Barnett will travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee; Duluth, Minnesota; and Bar Harbor/Milbridge, Maine in the spring, and Cody, Wyom  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 12 [Category: BizEnergy] -- American Electric Power Corp. posted the following news release: * * * AEP Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results, Reaffirms Long-Term Growth Outlook * * Full-year GAAP earnings of $6.70 per share and operating earnings of $5.97 per share * 56 GW of incremental load by 2030, up from 28 GW in October, all backed by signed agreements * Opportunities identified for $5 billion to $8 billion of incremental investment beyond AEP's   more

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Feb. 12 -- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the following news: * * * Attorney General Alan Wilson joins bipartisan letter urging Congressional support for the Kids Online Safety Act * (COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, urging Congressional leadership to protect children from online harm by passing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The letter, signed by 40 attorneys general, wa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands released the following testimony by David Calkin, principal of Calkin Wildfire Consulting LLC, Missoula, Montana, and courtesy faculty in Oregon State University College of Forestry, from a Feb. 3, 2026, hearing entitled "Fix Our Forests: The Need for Urgent Action One Year After the L.A. Wildfires": * * * Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse members of the Subcommittee I am honored to have the opportunity to s  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release on Feb. 12, 2026: * * * Congressman Burchett votes in favor of the SAVE America Act Today, Congressman Tim Burchett (TN02) voted YES on the SAVE America Act. The bill was introduced by Congressman Chip Roy (TX21) and is cosponsored by Congressman Burchett. The SAVE America Act requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and to present photo identifica  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Cohen Questions Attorney General Pam Bondi on ICE Recruitment Priorities and DOJ Accountability * WASHINGTON, DC -Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi during an oversight hearing. Congressman Cohen pressed the Attorney General on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s recruitment effort that ta  more

CLAYTON, Australia, Feb. 13 -- The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation issued the following news release: * * * CSIRO supports AI projects for future-ready agriculture under Quad initiative CSIRO has joined Quad partners from India, Japan and the United States, to support new artificial intelligence projects supporting future-ready agriculture. * The Quad is committed to supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Under the Quad, CSIRO, Aus  more

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, Feb. 13 -- Duke Energy issued the following news release: * * * Duke Energy leverages AI to protect customers and combat scams * AI technology proactively scans websites, social media and paid ads to detect scams * Duke Energy is advancing its commitment to customer safety by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to detect scams targeting energy customers. This innovative technology scans websites, social media and paid advertisements for open-source social engin  more

KINGSPORT, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- Eastman Chemical Co. issued the following news release: * * * Eastman board declares dividend The Board of Directors of Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.84 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable April 8, 2026, to stockholders of record as of March 13, 2026. * * * About Eastman Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products fou  more

KINGSPORT, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- Eastman Chemical Co. issued the following news release on Feb. 12, 2026: * * * Eastman increases Plasticizers prices on March 1st, 2026 Effective March 1, 2026, or as contracts allow, Eastman Chemical Company is announcing a price increase of USD 0.05/lb. (USD 0.11/kg) in NAR for the following products: * Eastman 168(TM) Non-Phthalate Plasticizer, all grades and packages * Eastman(TM) DOP Plasticizer, all grades and packages * Eastman(TM) DOA Plasticizer, a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: * * * EEOC Sues StoneMor Cemetery Management Company for Racial Discrimination and Retaliation * Federal lawsuit alleges company excluded black employees from breakroom and fired supervisor for failing to suppress discrimination complaints MEMPHIS, Tenn. - StoneMor, Inc., a cemetery and funeral management company, violated federal law when it discriminated against black employees, and reta  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of environmental impact statements filed between Feb. 2, 2026, and Feb. 9, 2026. This notice ensures that the public remains informed about infrastructure and resource management projects undergoing federal review. The following agencies submitted filings during this period: * Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): A final statement was filed for the Anderson Dam Hydroelectric Project Exemp  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: * * * First-of-its-kind automated root imaging platform speeds plant discoveries * The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has launched a novel robotic platform to rapidly analyze plant root systems as they grow, yielding AI-ready data to accelerate the development of stress-tolerant crops for new fuels, chemicals and materials. The new platform  more

ALBANY, New York, Feb. 12 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Hochul Announces Completion of Safety Enhancement Project Along Onondaga Lake Parkway in Onondaga County * Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of safety enhancements along Onondaga Lake Parkway in the Village of Liverpool and Town of Salina, Onondaga County. The enhancements are designed to prevent over-height vehicles from striking the low-clearance railroad bridge   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- The Tennessee Bar Association posted the following commentary blog on Feb. 12, 2026, by Julia Wilburn: * * * Individual FEMA Assistance Still Pending After Ice Storm After Winter Storm Fern left more than 300,000 Tennesseans without power and caused widespread damage, President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration on Feb. 6 -- but only for public assistance, not yet for individuals. FEMA is still reviewing whether uninsured or underinsured reside  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences issued the following news: * * * Introducing the School of Medicine Basic Sciences Kairos Lecture Series The School of Medicine Basic Sciences is launching a new lecture series: The Kairos Lectures, research of consequence at the right moment. The Greek word kairos refers to the opportune or critical moment for action and embodies the spirit of this new series. Kairos Lectures are an invitation for our c  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- The Tennessee Bar Association posted the following commentary blog on Feb. 12, 2026, by Julia Wilburn: * * * LSAT Will Revert to In-Person Testing in August Beginning in August, the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) will no longer be offered online in an effort to boost test security. Reuters reports that the move away from remote testing, which the council first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, comes amid escalating concerns over cheating. "We current  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Blackburn Reintroduce Legislation to Strengthen Weather Forecasting * Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Co-Chairs of the Senate National Labs Caucus, reintroduced the bipartisan Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act to authorize a collaborative research partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * McClellan Statement on Passage of the SAVE America Act - A Modern-Day Poll Tax and an Attack on our Right to Vote * Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) opposed (link is external) and issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 7296, the SAVE America Act, a rewrite of the SAVE Act that would further restrict access to the ballot for millions of Americ  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation posted the following news release on Feb. 12, 2026: * * * NFWF Announces $3 Million in Grants through the Southeast Aquatics Fund Eight projects will benefit freshwater species by improving water quality * The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $3 million in grants to restore aquatic habitats to benefit native freshwater species in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. The grants will   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (TNSFR) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission released a final environmental impact statement regarding a license application for the Triso-X Fuel Fabrication Facility. The proposal involves authorizing Triso-X LLC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to possess and use special nuclear material to manufacture high-assay low enriched uranium fuel. The project is planned for a 110-acre site at the Horizon Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This location in Roane County would host the first oper  more

LOS ANGELES, California, Feb. 13 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on Feb. 12, 2026, by senior fellow Rod Crane: * * * Public pension debt should be scrutinized like other types of government debt Without comprehensive pension debt reform, states face continued financial pressures and diminished flexibility for future budgets. * Pension liabilities are retirement obligations contractually promised to public workers. In any sense of the word, an unfunded pension liabil  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- The Tennessee Bar Association posted the following commentary blog on Feb. 12, 2026, by Julia Wilburn: * * * ReferU.AI Launches Attorney-Client Matching Platform Positioning itself as "Tinder for Attorneys," ReferU.AI recently announced the official launch of its AI-driven attorney "matchmaking" platform nationwide. ReferU.AI pairs its AI with billions of court dockets, filings, opinions, transcribed oral arguments, and attorney and judicial analytics to match  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 (TNSjou) -- The Tennessee Bar Association posted the following commentary blog on Feb. 12, 2026, by Julia Wilburn: * * * Report: Tennessee Courts Are Short 22 Judges The Tennessee Comptroller's Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) on Wednesday released the first study of state court resources in 13 years. According to the Tennessee Journal (https://pro.stateaffairs.com/tn/courts/tennessee-judicial-officer-shortage), the study found that 25 of th  more

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, Feb. 11 -- Samford University issued the following news release: * * * Samford Students Earn Multiple Awards at Southeast Journalism Conference * Samford University student media once again earned regional recognition at the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), with students bringing home multiple honors from the conference's annual "Best of the South" Awards this February. Samford students accepted five awards during the competition. The top individual finish for S  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 12 -- Vanderbilt University posted the following news release: * * * Seeds from Svalbard brings the paradox and wonder of the Arctic to Buttrick Hall in immersive installation * Svalbard, Norway, a cluster of islands north of the Arctic Circle, is rich with paradox. A former international whaling base and subsequent site of extractive coal mining, Svalbard is now home to the Global Seed Vault, which stores more than one million seed duplicates to safeguard the worl  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Marshall: USMCA is the Most Important Trade Agreement of Our Lifetime * Senator Marshall highlights the Importance of USMCA Agreement for Kansas Ag Washington - On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), questioned witnesses, including the Honorable Kevin Brady, former Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and Ted Vander Schaaf, Owner of Vander Schaaf Farms, at the   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: * * * Smith elected to National Academy of Engineering * Scott Smith, section head in the Manufacturing Science Division at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his national leadership in manufacturing and his contributions to improving machine tool system performance and the ma  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 12 -- The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance issued the following news on Feb. 11, 2026: * * * Tennessee Workers' Comp Rates Decline for 13th Consecutive Year in 2026 The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) announces that workers' compensation insurance premiums will decline for most Tennessee businesses in 2026 for the 13th consecutive year. "We are proud to announce the latest rate decrease for workers' compensation insurance premium  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 12 -- Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Greg Gonzales issued the following news on Feb. 10, 2026: * * * Commissioner Gonzales Announces Weekly Formula Rate February 10, 2026 Commissioner of Financial Institutions Greg Gonzales announced today that the maximum effective formula rate of interest in Tennessee is 10.75 percent per annum. The rate is based on a ceiling of 4 percent over the weekly average prime loan rate of 6.75 percent as publ  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 11 [Category: Sociological] -- Appalachian Voices posted the following news release: * * * TVA cuts the public out, keeps expensive and dangerous coal plants operating indefinitely * HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. - In a staggering reversal, the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously today to continue operating its Kingston and Cumberland coal plants indefinitely, instead of retiring them as it brings new gas power plants online at the same sites. The   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- Vanderbilt University School of Engineering issued the following news: * * * Wond'ry program aims to help students make a deep-tech impact in key challenge areas Engineering executive Peter Nabhan was looking for a way to help students find real-world technology experience through opportunities he didn't have when he was in college. So, when he was approached about being a mentor in a program at Vanderbilt that helps students commercialize deep-tech prototypes  more