News published on Federal Newswire in December 2021

News from December 2021


Partners of the Americas awarded $10 million to promote gender equity, reduce workplace discrimination in Mexico

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently awarded $10 million in funding to the Partners of the Americas for promoting gender equity and reducing workplace discrimination and harassment in Mexico.


Augusta man convicted of fraud for taking nearly $3 million in refinancing by using false information

A Georgia man was recently convicted of defrauding a mortgage lender by obtaining nearly $3 million in refinancing for an Augusta apartment complex and filing bankruptcy using false information.


USDA researchers seeks to strengthen cranberry resiliency as climate change affects production

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is working to preserve the production of cranberries in response to growing concerns for the fruit’s future with the looming threat of climate change.


News Release: WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Angus King (I-ME), Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium...


News Release: Baltimore, Maryland - A federal jury has convicted attorney Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, age 61, of Monkton, Maryland, of conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracy charge.


Helena-West Helena man that 'put two hardworking Arkansans in fear for their lives' sentenced to 226 months in prison

An Arkansas man has recently been sentenced to 18 years and 10 months in prison for federal firearm offenses after robbing a Helena-West Helena Dollar General at gunpoint.


Dissolution of International Memorial

Release: The United States condemns today’s decision by the Russian Supreme Court to forcibly close International Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most respected scholarly and human rights organizations. For three decades, International Memorial’s researchers have worked tirelessly to recover the names and ...


Construction at BLM’s Slate Creek and White Bird boat launches to begin Jan. 3

News Release: COTTONWOOD, Idaho - Over the past two years, the Bureau of Land Management’s Cottonwood Field Office has completed improvements at five popular boat launches accessing the Lower Salmon River - Pine Bar, Hammer Creek, Shorts Bar, and the launches at both Lucile recreation sites. These improvements, when...


NOAA researches cause of ‘remarkable’ outbreak of tornadoes in December

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is examining December’s tornado outbreak and gathering data to help explain why it occurred in late autumn.


San Diego Resident Indicted for Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in 15-Year-Old’s Death

News Release: Assistant U. S. Attorneys Vivian Sapthavee (619) 546-7696 and Adam Gordon (619) 546-6720.


News Release: WASHINGTON, DC - A provision authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), Chairman and Ranking Member of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and development into the ways that supply chain vulnerabilities threaten our homeland security has been signed into law as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).


On the Attacks in Kayah State and Throughout Burma

Release: The United States condemns the attacks committed on December 24 by the Burmese military in Kayah State, which killed at least 35, including women and children and two staff members of the international aid organization Save the Children. We are alarmed by the military regime’s brutality across much of...


Release: Three years ago today, Paul Whelan was detained by Russian authorities. He traveled to Russia as a tourist and was imprisoned and sentenced on false charges. Secretary Blinken has been very clear about the need for Russia to release U.S. citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed unconditionally and immediately so they can be home with their families. Their release remains a vital priority for the United States.


News Release: PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.


Release: Washington, D.C., Dec. 28, 2021- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has added the Dominican Republic to the list of regions that the APHIS considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). This action was taken on July 28, 2021, after officials ...


Omaha Man Sentenced for Child Sex Trafficking Offenses

News Release: COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - Earl Jonell Jackson, age 40, of Omaha, NE was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2021 by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 120 months in prison for Transportation and Sex Trafficking of a Child. His prison term will be followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Jackson pleaded guilty to the charge on August 5, 2021.


OSHA finds roofing contractors willfully ignored fall protections that ‘cost a young man his life’

Two Ohio-based roofing companies were recently found by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to have knowingly disregarded fall protections resulting in a 19-year-old employee’s death at Neville Island, Pennsylvania in June.


News Release: Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHNNY ORTEGA, also known as “Clatcho," 39, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.


Federal court orders operators of Massachusetts care facility to pay over $30,000 in legal fees, comply with OSHA subpoena

The operators of a behavioral health care facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts have recently been ordered to pay $30,515.63 in legal fees after failing to comply with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued subpoena for video footage of violent incidents involving employees.


Release: Washington, D.C., Dec. 28, 2021- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has added the Dominican Republic to the list of regions that the APHIS considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF).