JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center issued the following news: The Air Force will host a virtual meeting for the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) on Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 5 p.m. EST. The virtual meeting is a collaborative effort between the Air Force's Base Realignment and Closure Program (BRAC), and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to maintain open communicatio  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news: The Air Force will host a virtual meeting for the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base Restoration Advisory Board on April 15, at 5 p.m. EST. The virtual meeting is a collaborative effort between the Air Force's Base Realignment and Closure Program, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to maintain open communication with the local co  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: The Air Force is postponing promotion boards for the CY20B Colonel Biomedical Sciences Corps and Chaplain; CY20C Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain and Nurse Corps; and CY20B Chaplain Central Selection Boards, originally scheduled to convene here June 8. The boards are now tentatively scheduled to convene June 29. Previously, the Air Force announced the Master Sergeant (20E7) promotion bo  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Air Force Personnel Center issued the following news: The Air Force is postponing promotion boards for the CY20B Colonel Biomedical Sciences Corps and Chaplain; CY20C Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain and Nurse Corps; and CY20B Chaplain Central Selection Boards, originally scheduled to convene here June 8. The boards are now tentatively scheduled to convene June 29. Previously, the Air Force announced the Master Sergeant (20E7) promotion bo  more

DALLAS, Texas, March 31 -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division announced today that their Fort Worth District will begin providing planning and assessments for possible conversion of existing buildings into alternate-care-sites in Texas. The actions, officials said, are being done under the direction of FEMA in support of the state. "We are working closely with state officials and our partners to ensure this cr  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the following news release: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) announced a settlement with Cottonwood Financial, Ltd., which does business under the name Cash Store. Cash Store is based in Irving, Texas and owns and operates roughly 340 retail lending outlets in Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. The Bureau found that in the course of marketing, servicing, and collecting on high  more

GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Air Force (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: March 31, 2020, marked a moment of positivity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, announced new grants benefiting multiple bases in Texas. Goodfellow and Tom Green County are one of the bases and communities to receive grant money. Goodfellow Air Force Base and Tom Green County have a long-standing relationship of working together, proven through their many agr  more

DALLAS, Texas, April 4 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: * * * - Action clarifies area's status under revoked 1979 and 1997 standards * * * The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved the state of Texas' clean-air plan for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area under the Clean Air Act's 1979 1-hour and 1997 8-hour ozone standards. EPA determined the nine-county area in North Texas continues to comply with both of these older stan  more

DALLAS, Texas, April 4 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the state of Texas $1,543,710 to monitor air quality for fine particulate matter, also called particle pollution or soot. The grant is provided under a cooperative agreement with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to develop and maintain monitoring programs under requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. "Monitoring  more

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, March 31 -- The U.S. Air Force's 82nd Training Wing issued the following news: An important aspect of pilot training is the use of simulated flights, or computer-based, instructor-controlled training programs that artificially recreates the flying environment, where the instructor can cause plane malfunctions and the students are able to see how they react. Thankfully after "ejecting," the student and instructor can walk away physically unharmed, however some eg  more

SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, March 30 -- The Transportation Department's Federal Railroad Administration has issued a proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on March 30, entitled: "Texas Central Railroad High-Speed Rail Safety Standards". The proposed rule was issued by John Karl Alexy, Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer. DATES: The public hearings that were scheduled on the following dates are postponed: Dallas, TX: March 31, 2020. Navasota, TX: April 1, 202  more

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 31 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Worth District issued the following news release: Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has assembled field assessment teams tasked with evaluating existing sites for the possible conversion into alternate-care-facilities in Texas. The Corps' teams, at the request of FEMA and the State of Texas, are evaluating facilities across the state. They are working closely with FEMA, state and local partners to best facilit  more

GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, March 31 -- The U.S. Air Force (17th Training Wing) issued the following news: The 312th Training Squadron's Special Instruments Training course instructors have begun using their skills to 3D print prototypes to supply the medical facilities in the area with N95 face masks and face shields. A neurosurgeon in Billings, Montana, worked with a dental company to create reusable plastic N95 masks using 3D printers. In an effort to help protect those caring for si  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior issued the following news release on March 30: * * * - $138 million increase in payments demonstrates energy agenda success * * * Today, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced that the Department disbursed almost $353 million in FY 2019 energy revenues to the four Gulf oil and gas producing states - Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and their coastal political subdivisions (CPS) - an increase of  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 1 -- NASA's Johnson Space Center issued the following news release: After nearly 30 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center supporting human spaceflight, including 20 years as an astronaut and two spaceflights totaling 180 days in space, Astronaut Karen Nyberg is retiring from NASA. Her last day is March 31. Nyberg is from Vining, Minnesota. She received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Dakota, and master's and doctorate degrees in   more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: The Department of Justice announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Southwest Key Programs (SKP), an organization that operates detention centers in several states, including Texas. The settlement resolves a claim that SKP retaliated against a former employee in violation of the antidiscrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). "Employers should never retaliate agai  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, April 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Despite the changes and preventative measures that are part of COVID-19, students from the 637th Training Group, also known as the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC), have innovated and transferred to a digital learning environment during the past two weeks. The current COVID-19 pandemic generated rapid growth and innovation at DLIELC, wit  more

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, April 3 -- The U.S. Air Force (47th Flying Training Wing) issued the following news: Not many customers interact with their store cashier and think their job is as crucial as a paramedic's, firefighter's or police officer's. As it turns out, they are. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Defense announced on March 25 that all Defense Commissary Agency operations, including the commissary at Laughlin Air Force Base, are mission-critical. Col.  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, April 2 -- The U.S. Army Special Operations Command issued the following news: The Mission and Installation Contracting Command is answering the call to one of our nation's greatest challenges as we aggressively fight to kill the enemy we all know as Coronavirus, or COVID-19. All of our teams are collectively engaged with COVID-19 contract requirements, while staying ahead of our primary mission of contracting support to the Army enterprise. Wheth  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Army Special Operations Command issued the following news: No sooner than returning from deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve did members of the 902nd Contracting Battalion turn around to join the fight against coronavirus by strengthening healthcare capabilities in downtown Seattle. Members of the battalion conducted a site visit to the Seattle Field Hospital located at the CenturyLink Field Event Cente  more

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release: * * * - Until Further Notice * * * The National Park Service (NPS) announced that effective 8:30 a.m., April 3, Big Bend National Park and Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River will be closed to all visitors until further notice in response to letters from the Brewster County and Texas State Health Services departments. No entry will be allowed into the park, exce  more

TEMPLE, Texas, March 31 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Texas office issued the following news release on March 30: The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting grant applications until May 29, 2020, to establish gardens, rainwater harvesting systems and high tunnels through Project G.R.E.E.N. (Growing Roots for Education, Environment and Nutrition) and through the Texas NRCS Urban and Rural Conservation Project. Grant fundi  more

TEMPLE, Texas, April 2 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Texas office issued the following news release: USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to 49 national conservation practice standards through a posting in the Federal Register. The proposed revisions posted this week with the public comment period closing April 23, 2020. The 49 updated national conservation practice standards offsit  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Worth District in Texas announced through a request for statements of interest that it expects to award a cooperative agreement for invasive species support at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Trenton, New Jersey. The award ceiling for this funding opportunity is $903,084. The category of funding activity is science and technology and other research and development. Eligibility: This funding opportunity is ONLY available for C  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, April 2 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: To best support Brooke Army Medical Center emergency operations, the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center Family Emergency Center will scale down its services and temporarily serve as an Urgent Care Center beginning 6 a.m. April 3. The UCC will continue to deliver 24/7 urgent care for JBSA-Lackland active duty members, the base housing community, as well as bas  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service announced that it expects to award up to 20 cooperative agreements for the establishment of vegetable and fruit gardens, rainwater harvesting systems, pollinator habitat and high tunnels in Texas. The estimated total program funding available was cited as $350,000 with a ceiling of $18,500. Additional Information on Eligibility: City or Township Governments, County Governments, For profit organi  more

SHERMAN, Texas, April 4 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Joseph D. Brown, issued the following news release: The Internal Revenue Service will begin making COVID-19 economic impact payments in a matter of weeks. For most Americans, this will be a direct deposit into your bank account. For the unbanked, elderly or other groups who have traditionally received tax refunds via paper check, they will receive their check in this same manner. * United States Attorney Joseph D.   more

DALLAS, Texas, April 2 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox, issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that it is making $850 million available to help public safety agencies respond to the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program, authorized by the recent stimulus legislation signed by President Trump, will allow eligible state, local and tribal governments to  more

DALLAS, Texas, March 31 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 and the U.S. Department of Energy are honoring 20 ENERGY STAR partners for their outstanding contributions to public health and the environment. These enterprises have earned ENERGY STAR Awards for demonstrating national leadership in cost-saving energy efficient solutions. They are among the 192 ENERGY STAR Award Winners nationwide honored this yea  more

GALVESTON, Texas, April 3 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Galveston District issued the following news release: On March 30, the Galveston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $16.9 million contract to Great Lakes Environmental and Infrastructure LLC of Rocklin, California, for repairs and raises to the Port Arthur Coastal Storm Risk Management System. "This contract is a major milestone for the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay, Texas Coastal Storm Risk Management and Ecosyst  more