WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued the following news release on Feb. 13, 2024: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has exempted or reimbursed more than 143,000 copayments totaling approximately $2.5 million for more than 3,800 eligible American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans. This is a result of VA's new 2023 policy (https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-waives-copayments-for-eligible-native-american-and-alaska-native-veterans/) that eligible  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 14 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 9, 2024, entitled "Changing Compensation Costs in the Chicago Metropolitan Area - December 2023": * * * Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 4.1 percent in the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ended December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 14 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 9, 2024, entitled "Changing Compensation Costs in the Detroit Metropolitan Area - December 2023": * * * Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.8 percent in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ended December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 14 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 9, 2024, entitled "Changing Compensation Costs in the Minneapolis Metropolitan Area - December 2023": * * * Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.6 percent in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ended December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported tod  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 14 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 13, 2024, entitled "Consumer Price Index, West Region - January 2024": * * * Area prices were up 0.7 percent over the past month, up 3.3 percent from a year ago * * * Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.7 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau o  more

DENVER, Colorado, Feb. 14 -- Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, issued the following news release on Feb. 13, 2024: Today, Gov. Jared Polis, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), and Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) announced funding to support the growth of eight modular housing manufacturers across Colorado. Collectively, these manufacturers are projected to create 4,755 housing units per year. "Colorado needs more housing now, and these manufac  more

SEATTLE, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Administration's Seattle Division issued the following news release: An Arizona man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in an international drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska. According to court documents, Joel Rascone, 30, of Yuma, Arizona, was a member of Miguel Guevara's drug trafficking ring that smuggled over a dozen kilos of meth, heroin and cocaine from Mexico into Alaska for six years. As part of his ro  more

EIELSON AFB, Alaska, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Air Force Eielson Air Force Base (354th Fighter Wing) issued the following news: The Eielson Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team held a Leading Inclusively Virtual Experience training on Feb. 8, 2024. This training is a DEIA tool developed by Air University to help participants better understand inclusivity through simulated scenarios with real people behind avatars. Participants are given a scenario in which they need to discuss a situ  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Alaska Fisheries Science Center issued the following feature story: * * * Critical links identified between young pollock survival and changes in habitat and prey availability over a 60-year timeframe. * * * Scientists developed a novel approach that combines information from different types of ecosystem models to help account for data gaps and improve understanding of predator-prey relationships in a chang  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release on Feb. 13, 2024: * * * Existing fleet excluded from FAA proposal * * * The National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday again called on the Federal Aviation Administration to require all existing airplanes that require a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder to be retrofitted with devices capable of recording 25 hours of audio, instead of the current standard of two hours. NTSB inv  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Feb. 14 -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry issued the following news: Attorney General Michelle Henry joined a bipartisan coalition of 41 Attorneys General in urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to authorize much-needed 2024 bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund (the "VOCA Fund"), which provides crime victims a network of care and resources. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime, funding for   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following news release: As Prepared for Delivery Wuykeesuk eeoonooak nuteeooees Soqsqa Mutawi Mutahash, Lynn Malerba, wuchee Moheekanuwak. Kutapatotamawush (thank you) to NCAI Board President Macarro, the entire NCAI Board, and Executive Director Larry Wright for inviting me to speak to this room full of honorable Tribal leaders here with us today. It is a pleasure to provide this update on behalf of the Department of the Tr  more

OLYMPIA, Washington, Feb. 14 -- The Washington State Department of Commerce issued the following news release: Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Aaron Wheeler to serve as director of the Washington State Broadband Office within the Department of Commerce. Wheeler is an information technology professional with 18 years of experience working with the Suquamish Tribe's government. "Rural internet access is a priority in Washington, and Aaron's experience will help everyone get connected no matter where t  more