WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Navy's U.S. Fleet Forces Command issued the following news: The ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) exited the Mediterranean Sea after conducting operations in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, March 6, 2024. In the coming weeks, Sailors and Marines will sail across the Atlantic Ocean and return home to Norfolk, Virginia and Camp LeJeune, North Car  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news story: The ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) exited the Mediterranean Sea after conducting operations in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, March 5, 2024. In the coming weeks, Sailors and Marines will sail across the Atlantic Ocean and return home to Norfolk, Virginia and Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Since December,  more

NAPLES, Italy, March 7 -- The U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa - U.S. 6th Fleet issued the following news: STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR - The ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) exited the Mediterranean Sea after conducting operations in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, March 5, 2024. In the coming weeks, Sailors and Marines will sail across the Atlantic Ocean and return home to Norfolk, V  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 6 -- The White House issued the following remarks by First Lady Jill Biden on March 5, 2024, at the National PTA 2024 Legislative Conference: * * * Thank you, President Johnson. PTAs help raise up the voices of families and educators - giving us a place where we can stand together on the common ground we share: our love for the children we teach and raise. Your work helps kids access the education they need - the one that will set them forward on a path of success.  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 7 -- The National Credit Union Administration issued the following remarks on March 6, 2024, by Board Member Tanya Otsuka at the 2024 Governmental Affairs Conference: * * * I am honored to be here at this year's Governmental Affairs Conference. It has been a dynamic two days and I have enjoyed speaking with so many people dedicated to the credit union movement. Conferences like these give me the opportunity to hear directly from you about the challenges facing cred  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: A resident of New York City was sentenced in federal court in West Virginia to 16 months' imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction for threatening a federal official, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge Gina M. Groh of the Northern District of   more

FORT BELVOIR, Virginia, March 7 -- The Defense Threat Reduction Agency issued the following news: By Andrea Chaney, Defense Threat Reduction Agency The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) met with the Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) and representatives from the American Embassy to Moldova and the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to discuss the Moldova National Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) Network (MNTTN) projec  more

MARTINSBURG, West Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Russell Dane Crown, age 54, of Falling Waters, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for a drug trafficking charge. According to court documents and statements made in court, Crown was selling methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base from his home in Berkeley County. Investigators found fentanyl cap  more

CLARKSBURG, West Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia issued the following news release: James Edward Breeden, age 30, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, has admitted to selling fentanyl in Upshur County. According to court documents, during a traffic stop, deputies were told Breeden was selling fentanyl in the area. Investigators searched Breeden's motel room and found 277 fentanyl stamps. Breeden faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A  more

MARTINSBURG, West Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Two men were sentenced to federal prison for the distribution of methamphetamine in Hampshire County. Jimmey Lee Lambert, age 37, of Hampshire County, was sentenced today to 188 months for methamphetamine trafficking. Wes Allen Barrett, age 33, of Springfield, West Virginia, was sentenced to 140 months for conspiracy to possess wi  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the following news release: Big Cove -- the heart of one of the most intact landscape corridors and biodiversity hotspots in West Virginia -- is now conserved in perpetuity for the benefit of wildlife and people as part of Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Increasing access to public lands and waters is a central component of the Biden administration's approach to conservation under the Ame  more

RESTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is now soliciting proposals for fiscal year 2024 cooperative agreements to collect data on mine waste. Mine waste represents a potentially valuable source of critical minerals and rare earth elements that were not targeted in prior mining operations and that can be developed without impacting sensitive and undeveloped lan  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The U.S. Trade and Development Agency issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) signed a grant agreement with Indonesian national utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) for a feasibility study to support of the development of two cross-border power interconnections between Indonesia and Malaysia. The project, which advances a key power sector objective for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: A Leesburg man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for his scheme to defraud a federal COVID-19 relief plan. According to court documents, Russell Laraway, 56, an Army Reserve officer, incorporated two business entities in Virginia that he purported to operate out of his home in Leesburg: Loudoun Innovation LLC ("LI LLC") and Commonwealth Comm  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for fentanyl trafficking and firearm offenses. According to court documents, on March 26, 2023, a Prince William County Police Department officer observed a vehicle matching one described leaving the scene of a shooting at which a victim was struck by a stray bullet in her apartmen  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Michael Allen Roberts Jr., 40, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. Roberts admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston ar  more