WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that it expects to award up to 10 cooperative agreements for flood hazard identification and risk assessment programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The estimated total program funding available was cited as $28 million. The agency said the grant was associated with disaster prevention and relief. The funding is open  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Arnold Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services equipment that once had to be stored and serviced in outbuildings is now more readily accessible after the completion of a roughly 1,500 square foot addition to the FES building. Arnold Engineering Development Complex Civil Engineering Branch oversaw the roughly $1.1 million project, which also included the replacement of overhead doors for the vehicle ba  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Arnold Engineering Development Complex leadership honored military and civilian government annual award winners and nominees during a breakfast Feb. 21 at the Arnold Lakeside Center at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. The award recipients are: Maj. Wesly Anderson, Field Grade Officer of the Year Capt. Jonathan Gutierrez, Company Grade Officer of the Year Master Sgt. James Buoy, Senior Noncommissioned Offi  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: As U.S. Army helicopters one-by-one landed in the center of the running track outside the Administration and Engineering Building at Arnold Air Force Base Dec. 20, several passersby stopped to watch the aircraft, sending a cyclone of leaves flying as they maneuvered to the ground. The helicopters - a MH-6 Little Bird, an UH-60 Black Hawk and a CH-47 Chinook - piloted by members of a U.S. Army unit based   more

ATLANTA, Georgia, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southeast Regional Information Office issued the following report on the alternative measures of labor underutilization in Tennessee for 2019: In 2019, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.8 percent in Tennessee, significantly lower than the 7.2-  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 6 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Arnold Air Force Base has established a web page for all decisions and directives associated with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). AEDC will continue monitoring major command (MAJCOM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's policy and publishing the local impact to the base. Please avoid misinformation and refer to official CDC sources regarding the  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 7 -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District will offer the public an opportunity to tour the largest diesel towboat operating on the Mississippi River. The tours are offered to the public at no cost. Tours will be offered during the Memphis District's Business Opportunities Open House on March 24, 2020, from 9 AM to 3 PM at Beale Street Landing, 251 Riverside Dr., Memphis, TN 38103. The M/V MI  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following Education Review newsletter: COVID-19 Information The Department recently launched a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) information and resources web page for schools and school personnel. This page, which will be regularly updated, features the most current information on COVID-19 (primarily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]), as well as guidance and resources for everyday disease prevention strategies. A  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is currently engaged in an education and enforcement initiative to increase compliance with federal labor laws in the Southeast's agricultural industry, educate stakeholders, employers and employees, and to provide employers with compliance assistance. Working with stakeholder organizations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia  more

ROCKVALE, Tennessee, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division issued the following news release: After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Outdoors Unlimited Inc. - a landscaping company based in Rockvale, Tennessee - will pay $52,000 in back wages to 21 employees for violating labor provisions of the H-2B visa program. WHD also debarred the employer from participating in the H-2B temporary non-agricultural labor certification  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Arnold Air Force Base issued the following news: Store separation testing on a 1/15th scale model of an F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 4-foot transonic wind tunnel, or 4T, at Arnold Air Force Base was completed weeks ahead of a scheduled facility maintenance outage, saving the test customer more than $1 million. According to Jimmy Williams, an Air Force project manager for the   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release on March 3: Four staff members from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been named fellows of the Neutron Scattering Society of America. ORNL's Bryan Chakoumakos, Christina Hoffmann, Thomas Proffen and Lee Robertson were among nine new fellows. Mark Dadmun, joint faculty at ORNL and the University of Tennessee, also received the honor. NSSA  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: It turns out two systems developed to serve separate purposes were made for each other. The pairing of an aerial refueling apparatus and instrumentation that could be used to boost its functionality was successfully tested recently in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex in a full-scale demonstration that effectively combined these two Small Business Innovat  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 54438) involving the Sequoyah power reactor in Tennessee: EN Revision Imported Date : 3/4/2020 EN Revision Text: MANUAL REACTOR TRIP DUE TO A LOSS OF HEATER DRAIN TANK PUMP FLOW "At 0432 EST, on 12/12/19, Sequoyah Unit 2 experienced a manual reactor trip. The trip was initiated due to a loss all number 3 Feedwater Heater Drain Tank pump flow; plant procedures directed a manual reactor trip if  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Three technologies and one commercialization program developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have won National Technology Transfer Awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium. FLC Awards recognize significant accomplishments transferring federal laboratory technologies to the marketplace. ORNL's innovations are among 33 award winners   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: In the most comprehensive, structure-based approach to date, a team of scientists may have discovered a new family of antidotes for certain poisons that can mitigate their effects more efficiently compared with existing remedies. Poisons such as organophosphorus nerve agents and pesticides wreak havoc by blocking an enzyme essential for proper brain and nerve functi  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed a modeling tool that identifies cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities in existing buildings across the United States. Using supercomputing, the energy modeling method assesses building types, systems, use patterns and prevailing weather conditions. "Manually collecting and organizing data for energy   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used Summit, the world's most powerful and smartest supercomputer, to identify 77 small-molecule drug compounds that might warrant further study in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 disease outbreak. The two researchers performed simulations  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release on March 2: Joe Paddison, a Eugene P. Wigner Fellow at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, believes there's more information to be found in neutron scattering data than scientists like himself might expect. Paddison, who completed his PhD in inorganic chemistry through a joint project of Oxford University and Britain's neutron source in Oxfordsh  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Biological membranes, such as the "walls" of most types of living cells, primarily consist of a double layer of lipids, or "lipid bilayer," that forms the structure, and a variety of embedded and attached proteins with highly specialized functions, including proteins that rapidly and selectively transport ions and molecules in and out of the cell. Artificial membran  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: On the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), located in East Tennessee, more than 1100 vascular plants, 72 fish, 34 mammals and over 200 bird species have been observed. This year the public is invited to nine nature walks designed to highlight not only the rich flora and fauna diversity of the reservation, but also to demonstrate the work being done to  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: On the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), located in East Tennessee, more than 1100 vascular plants, 72 fish, 34 mammals and over 200 bird species have been observed. This year the public is invited to nine nature walks designed to highlight not only the rich flora and fauna diversity of the reservation, but also to demonstrate the work being done to  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Large trucks lumbering through congested cities could become more fuel efficient simply by not having to stop at so many traffic lights. A proof-of-concept study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory shows promise of a potential new system to direct traffic lights to keep less-efficient vehicles moving and reduce fuel consumption. In collaboration with traffic-managemen  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: Hundreds of community members and former workers weathered subfreezing temperatures Feb. 27 to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new K-25 History Center. DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor UCOR hosted the grand opening for the history center, located next to the original foundation for the K-25 Building. The c  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The White House issued the following news release: President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Tennessee and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding on March 3, 2020. The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in Davidson, Putnam, and Wilson Counties. Assistance can include grants for tem  more

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee, March 7 -- President Trump issued the following remarks on March 6 after surveying tornado damage: THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. This is Governor Bill Lee, and he's done a fantastic job of working with FEMA and the federal government and state government and everybody, Bill. And this is real devastation like you'll never seen, hopefully, again. This was about as big a tornado as you can have. It was 50 miles long, which is extraordinarily long, and a very wide one.   more

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee, March 7 -- President Trump issued the following remarks after visiting with those affected by the tornado: Q Mr. President, what's your impression of how the people have reacted to this (inaudible)? THE PRESIDENT: Incredible. The people are incredible. We spoke -- what they've done with the first responding and all of the care -- emergency, fire, every aspect of it. The law enforcement was really not law enforcement. They just went out, and they went out and did a great   more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- President Trump issued the following remarks on March 3 at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference: THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. What a nice group. And thank you, Mary Ann. I think you like Mary Ann a lot. I was listening. I said, "Who is out there that they like so much?" It was Mary Ann. (Laughter.) Please sit down. Please. Before I begin, I want to send my warm wishes to the great people of Tennessee in the wake of the horrible and very vi  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- President Trump issued the following remarks on March 6 at the signing of Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074): THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Good morning. I'm going to Tennessee to meet with the governor and a lot of people. And it's something. It's really something. I guess some of you are coming along, I assume. Is that right? Q No. THE PRESIDENT: You going? Q There's a crew out at Andrews waiting on you. THE P  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 3 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Five robotics teams sponsored by the Arnold Air Force Base Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program attended the regional Tennessee FIRST(R) Tech Challenge, or FTC, competition in February at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. The Tennessee Robotics Club from Murfreesboro was one of the Arnold STEM-sponsored teams to walk away with several accolades. As the Inspire Award-w  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued the following news release on March 3: Natural disasters - such as the tornados that devastated Tennessee - can be overwhelming and can seriously affect emotional health. The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, can provide immediate counseling to anyone who is seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects caused by natural disasters. Th  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 7 -- The Tennessee Valley Authority issued the following news release: The Tennessee Valley Authority is planning to remove coal ash stored at the former Allen Fossil Plant site in Shelby County, Tennessee to an approved offsite landfill. This is an important step toward making the site avaialble for future economic development. As part of the National Environmental Policy Act, TVA evaluated options for closure of the ash impoundments at Allen to include, but not limi  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, March 6 -- The Tennessee Valley Authority issued the following news release: The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Thursday that eight employees received prestigious Technology Transfer Awards from the Electric Power Research Institute for their achievements in collaborative research and development projects. EPRI's annual Technology Transfer Awards recognize industry leaders and innovators who help companies transform research into results and solutions that can impro  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 6 -- The Tennessee Valley Authority issued the following news release: Tennessee Valley Authority transmission crews joined operators and linemen from local power companies to assess and restore power to thousands across Davidson, Wilson and Putnam counties after an EF-3 tornado ripped through the area. By mid-afternoon, TVA had restored power to all but three customer substations. Local power companies are working around the clock to repair hundreds of broken poles  more

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tennessee, March 5 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: Store separation testing on a one-fifteenth scale model of an F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 4-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel, or 4T, at Arnold Air Force Base, was completed weeks ahead of a scheduled facility maintenance outage, saving the test customer more than $1 million. According to Jimmy Williams, an Air Force project manager for the test, the tes  more