News from April 2024
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Giant Construction Corp., a contractor in Tamuning, faces penalties exceeding $1 million after federal inspectors discovered employees working in trenches without the required safety equipment. The company's employees were found installing sewer lines in deep trenches at a worksite in the Palisades Subdivision Project in Tiyan, Guam.OSHA Area Office Director Roger Forstner in Honolulu expressed concern over the situation, stating, “Giant Construction Corp. has shown a flagrant disregard for the safety of its employees and put workers at risk of serious and potentially...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
In celebration of World Book Day, the impact of Netflix adaptations on book sales has been significant, with many original source materials experiencing a resurgence in popularity. According to the article, the sci-fi epic "3 Body Problem" saw a boost in book sales with both "Remembrance of Earth’s Past" and "Silent Spring" appearing on Amazon’s Most Sold Chart shortly after the series' debut. The book "The Three-Body Problem" also returned to The New York Times Best Seller list.Another example provided is the novel "One Day" by David Nicholls, which regained popularity...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
DALLAS, TEXAS (April 23, 2024) - The Biden-Harris Administration has announced that the state of New Mexico will receive over $156 million to deliver residential solar, lower energy costs, and advance environmental justice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that the New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department is the recipient of this significant funding through the Solar for All grant competition.EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan highlighted the importance of this initiative, stating, "Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2024) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has expressed concerns over the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime rule, which increases the minimum salary threshold for exempt employees.In a statement, Beth Milito, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, criticized the rule, stating, “This rule is another costly hoop for small business owners to jump through. Small businesses will need to spend valuable time evaluating their workforce to properly adjust salaries or reclassify employees in accordance...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Bonneville Environmental Foundation has been selected to receive $56,540,000 through the Solar for All grant competition. This grant aims to develop long-lasting solar programs for low-income and disadvantaged communities in Idaho, enabling them to benefit from distributed residential solar.Casey Sixkiller, EPA Region 10 Administrator, stated, “President Biden committed to making the largest investment in our nation’s history to combat global climate change. Our announcement today ensures every community...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the creation of the Environmental Justice Clearinghouse, an online collection of resources dedicated to environmental justice issues. The initiative aims to provide the public with access to federal and non-federal online resources as part of President Biden's ambitious program to ensure environmental justice.Teresa Segovia, Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights, expressed, "The implementation of the ambitious Biden-Harris Administration program for...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a civil settlement with victims of the sexual abuse perpetrated by former physician and USA Gymnastics official Lawrence Gerard Nassar. The settlements are in response to 139 administrative claims arising from allegations of sexual abuse committed by Nassar.Nassar, who was arrested in 2016 by the State of Michigan, had sexually abused hundreds of victims over nearly two decades under the pretense of medical treatments. These settlements aim to address administrative claims against the United States regarding the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled the Environmental Justice Clearinghouse, an online repository of resources aimed at advancing President Biden’s environmental justice agenda. Theresa Segovia, Principal Deputy Assistant Director for The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, emphasized the importance of collaboration in achieving the administration's goals, stating, “Delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious environmental justice agenda requires shared dedication to building strong relationships and...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
NVIDIA and Microsoft have joined forces to enhance the performance of Open Phi-3 mini language models. The collaboration aims to boost the capabilities of these models, making them more efficient and powerful.According to NVIDIA's official statement, "Our partnership with Microsoft on Open Phi-3 mini language models is a significant step towards advancing AI technologies."Microsoft also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "We are excited to work with NVIDIA to accelerate the development of Open Phi-3 mini language models."The partnership between...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco delivered remarks at the ATF's Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors' Summit on April 23, 2024. She expressed her gratitude to all attendees, especially those who have lost loved ones to gun violence, stating, "Your presence honors their memory and fuels our fight for a better, safer future."Monaco acknowledged the courage and commitment of the community gathered at the summit, emphasizing that despite being survivors, advocates, and members of law enforcement from diverse backgrounds, they are bound by extraordinary courage. She highlighted...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The Biden Harris Administration, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has unveiled the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan. This marks the first time in over a decade that a new 10-year strategy has been introduced to tackle the urgent public health crisis of suicide.The National Strategy, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aims to address the growing concerns surrounding suicide in the United...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided a readout of a call between Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps. During the call, Secretary Shapps announced the UK's commitment to increase defense spending, stating that "the UK will also increase its defense spending from 2.3% to 2.5% by 2030."Secretary Austin responded positively to this news, emphasizing that increased defense spending allows for significant investments in modernization and the defense industrial base. He lauded the decision, highlighting the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
DALLAS, TEXAS (April 23, 2024) - The Biden-Harris Administration has announced that two Texas groups will receive over $405 million to deliver residential solar, lower energy costs, and advance environmental justice. The Texas Solar For All Coalition will receive $249.7 million, and the Clean Energy Fund of Texas will receive $156.120 million through the Solar for All grant competition.EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan expressed the significance of this initiative, stating, "Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
A Florida man, Niselio Barros Garcia Jr., has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for his involvement in laundering the proceeds of scams against American consumers and businesses to co-conspirators in Nigeria. Garcia, of Winter Garden, was part of a network that facilitated the laundering of funds from romance scams, business email compromises, and other fraud schemes by supplying bank accounts and using a cryptocurrency exchange to transfer the funds in Bitcoin to Nigeria.According to court documents, Garcia personally laundered over $2.3 million of criminal proceeds...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule modifying overtime regulations, which will raise the overtime threshold to include all employees earning up to $58,656 annually. The rule is set to be implemented in two stages, with an initial increase scheduled for July of this year followed by another in January 2025.In response to these changes, Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association, expressed concerns about the impact on small business restaurant owners. Kennedy stated, "This rule...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The National Retail Federation's Executive Vice President of Government Relations, David French, expressed the organization's views on the Department of Labor's (DOL) final overtime rule. French stated, "NRF acknowledges the steps that DOL took to phase in the full impact of the new rules in response to employer concerns." He also mentioned concerns about the impact of the new rules on retailers' ability to offer flexible benefits packages to lower-level exempt employees.French further raised concerns about the timeline for implementing the new rule, particularly the...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
An Illinois woman, Vervia Watts, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for her involvement in preparing and filing false income tax returns for clients. Watts, operating a tax preparation business, filed over 900 fraudulent income tax returns for clients between January 2017 and June 2023. These returns included false education expenses and business income to inflate IRS refunds, totaling approximately $1.3 million.In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins for the Northern District of Illinois has ordered Watts to serve one...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
DALLAS, TEXAS (April 23, 2024) - The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has been selected to receive $156,129,000 through the Solar for All grant competition, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to advance environmental justice and lower energy costs.EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan expressed, "Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged...
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC (CNS) has agreed to pay $18.4 million to settle allegations of timecard fraud involving the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at the Pantex Site near Amarillo, Texas. The settlement comes after CNS was accused of knowingly submitting false claims for work not performed between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2020.Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton emphasized the government's stance on the issue, stating, “We will not tolerate the misuse of public funds by those who do business with the United States....
By Federal Newswire | Apr 23, 2024
The Justice Department has unveiled charges against four Iranian nationals involved in a cyber campaign targeting U.S. companies, including government entities and defense contractors. Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab are accused of engaging in a hacking scheme that compromised American organizations, as well as the U.S. Departments of Treasury and State.Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, "Criminal activity originating from Iran poses a grave threat to America’s national...
