News Tipoffs - California Editors
'Big Ideas Lab' Podcast Examines Strategic Deterrence in National Security
LIVERMORE, California, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is releasing a two-part episode of the "Big Ideas Lab" podcast, offering an in-depth exploration of strategic deterrence -- a cornerstone of national security that has been pivotal in maintaining global stability. Listen here [View podcast in the link at bottom.] on Spotify or Apple.
Historical context and foundational
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Ariz. A.G. Mayes Adds Racketeering Claims in Heritage Village Lawsuit, Seeks Receivership for Two Additional Assisted Living Facilities
PHOENIX, Arizona, Oct. 3 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
Attorney General Kris Mayes today filed an amended complaint in the state's ongoing lawsuit against Heritage Village Assisted Living, adding racketeering claims and asking the court to take control of Visions Mesa and Visions Apache Junction, two other assisted living facilities controlled by the owners of Heritage Village.
These new claims stem from evidence discovered during the
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Army Reserve CSM Betty touts Global Medic Exercise at AR-MEDCOM visit
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news:
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.
The Army Reserve's top NCO praised the annual Global Medic Exercise when he visited the Army Reserve Medical Command Tuesday for morning PT and professional development with noncommissioned officers assigned to AR-MEDCOM and the AR-Medical Management Center.
"We had a great PT session. It was oh-dark-30, we're in Pinellas Park, Florida, and it's dark. We had some
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Biden-Harris Administration Invests in Rural Projects to Strengthen American Infrastructure and Create Good-Paying Jobs in 30 States
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release:
Funding Will Improve Access to a Clean, Reliable Electric Grid and Safe Drinking Water for Millions in Rural and Tribal Communities
JEANNETTE, Penn., Oct. 2, 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is investing in 116 projects across the nation to expand access to a clean and reliable electric grid, safe drinking water and good-paying jo
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Calif. A.G. Bonta Approves Waiver of Notice and Consent Requirements for Transfer of Control of St. Rose Hospital and Saint Rose Medical Building to Alameda Health System
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta waived the notice and consent requirements in the Corporations Code for the transfer of control of St. Rose Hospital, a California private nonprofit corporation, and Saint Rose Medical Building, Inc. to the Alameda Health System (AHS). The waiver allows the hospital and building to come under the control of AHS. Under California law, any transaction in
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Calif. A.G. Bonta Defends Biden Rule Expanding Healthcare Access to Dreamers
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 (TNSres) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in defending a Biden Administration rule expanding healthcare access to deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) recipients - or Dreamers - by making them eligible for participation in the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplace. According to the UC Berkeley La
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Calif. A.G. Bonta to California Drivers: You May Be Eligible for a Gas Settlement Payment
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
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Eligible drivers can submit claims at Calgaslitigation.com
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OAKLAND -- California Attorney General Bonta today urged California residents who purchased gas in Southern California between February 20, 2015 and November 10, 2015 to submit a claim for a payment under the state's settlement with gas trading firms for tampering with and manipulating prices for Cali
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Calif. A.G. Bonta's Office of Gun Violence Prevention Issues Inaugural Report on California's Fight Against the Ghost Gun Crisis
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 (TNSres) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a groundbreaking report from the California Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) on California's efforts to address the threat of ghost guns. These guns are firearms produced by unlicensed individuals from products sold without background checks, serial numbers, sale records, or other safety pro
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Calif. A.G. Bonta: AHMC Must Maintain Healthcare Services
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
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Sues hospital corporation for failing to comply with Attorney General's conditions
Lawsuit seeks specific performance, civil penalties, and injunctive relief
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SAN MATEO COUNTY -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a lawsuit against AHMC Seton Medical Center, LLC (AHMC), for failing to comply with Attorney General conditions requiring the co
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Calif. Gov. Newsom: With Uptick in Traffic Fatalities, California Makes Record Investment in Enforcement, Road Safety Projects
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
As states across the nation, including California, continue to see an increase in traffic-related deaths, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced new record investments in transportation safety, education and enforcement programs. The record funding complements a slate of new safety measures recently signed by the Governor.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is awardin
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Calif. PUC Issues Decision Involving Environmental Defense Fund
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 3 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following decision (Case No. 24-09-046) on Oct. 2, 2024.
Here are excerpts:
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BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Order Instituting Rulemaking to Establish Policies, Processes, and Rules to Ensure Safe and Reliable Gas Systems in California and perform Long-Term Gas System Planning.
DECISION GRANTING COMPENSATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND FOR SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUT
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Calif. PUC Issues Decision Involving Pacific Gas & Electric
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 3 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following decision (Case No. 24-09-047) on Oct. 2, 2024.
Here are excerpts:
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BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Application of Pacific Gas and Electric Company for Approval of its Electric Vehicle Charge 2 Program. (U39E.)
DECISION DENYING INTERVENOR COMPENSATION CLAIM OF GREEN POWER INSTITUTE FOR SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO DECISION 23-09-005
Intervenor: Green Po
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Calif. PUC Issues Final Resolution for First 5 San Benito
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 2 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following final resolution (No. T-17837) on Sept. 30, 2024:
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Grant of authority to First 5 San Benito to serve as the 2-1-1 service provider for San Benito County.
SUMMARY
This resolution grants First 5 San Benito the authority to use the 2-1-1 abbreviated dialing code to provide information and referral services to San Benito County.
BACKGROUND
For individuals seeking non-emergency community in
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Calif. PUC Issues Final Resolution for Shell California Pipeline
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 3 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following final resolution (No. O-0090) on Oct. 1, 2024:
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Shell California Pipeline Company LLC (Shell) requests Commission approval for a 10 percent rate increase for two specific lines under Public Utilities Code Section 455.3.
PROPOSED OUTCOME:
* Approves Shell's request to increase its rates for transportation of crude oil on the LAX and Van Nuys lines by 10 percent in accordance with the prov
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Calif. PUC Issues Order Involving Issac Adams, Anne Bartoletti Vs. Pacific Gas & Electric
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 2 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following order (Case No. 24-09-053) on Oct. 1, 2024:
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BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Issac Adams and Anne Bartoletti, Complainants, vs. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (U39E), Defendant.
ORDER OF DISMISSAL
Upon request by the Complainants Issac Adams and Anne Bartoletti, Complaint 23-11-007 is dismissed with prejudice under Public Utilities Code Sec. 308 and
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Calif. PUC Issues Proposed Decision Involving Rulemaking Concerning Energy Efficiency Rolling Portfolios, Policies, Programs, Evaluation
SACRAMENTO, California, Oct. 3 -- The California Public Utilities Commission issued the following proposed decision (No. 13-11-005) on Oct. 2, 2024:
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BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Order Instituting Rulemaking Concerning Energy Efficiency Rolling Portfolios, Policies, Programs, Evaluation, and Related Issues.
DECISION ELIMINATING MOTION FOR EVALUATION, MEASUREMENT, AND VERIFICATION DISPUTE RESOLUTION FROM DECISION 10-04-029 Summary
This decision elimi
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Calif. U.S. Attorney: 68 Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of San Fernando Valley White Supremacist Gang
LOS ANGELES, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for Central District of California issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
Federal and local law enforcement have arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs - including fentanyl - illegal firearms
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Calif. U.S. Attorney: Four Leaders of Notorious Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Convicted of Racketeering and Related Crimes
OAKLAND, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release:
A federal jury found David Cervantes (aka "DC"), James Perez (aka "Conejo"), Guillermo Solorio (aka "Capone" aka "Caps"), and George Franco (aka "Puppet") guilty of racketeering, for their roles as senior members of the Nuestra Familia criminal enterprise, which engaged in murder conspiracies, attempted murder, drug distribution, and money laundering. The jur
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Calif. U.S. Attorney: San Francisco Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threats to Assault and Murder Federal Probation Officer
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
Brandon Sims-White pleaded guilty in federal court today to making threats to sexually assault and murder his United States Probation Officer, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Acting United States Marshal Jay Bieber. Sims-White has remained in federal custody since making these threats and following his arrest in Feb
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Calif. U.S. Attorney: Two Fugitive Tenderloin Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Prison After Being Extradited From Honduras
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release:
Two drug dealers who fled to Honduras from the Bay Area while on bond pending federal drug trafficking charges have been extradited to San Francisco and were sentenced to prison terms of 82 months and 34 months, announced U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris.
Victor Viera-C
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CFTC Charges Former CEO of Carbon Credit Project Developer with Fraud Involving Voluntary Carbon Credits
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following enforcement news release:
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against of California, the former chief executive officer and majority shareholder of a based carbon credit project developer, charging fraud and false, misleading, or inaccurate reports relating to voluntary carbon credits. The CFTC also issued orders fili
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Conn. U.S. Attorney: Pennsylvania Man Admits Trafficking Heroin and Cocaine Into Connecticut
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Oct. 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut issued the following news release on Oct. 1, 2024:
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ISRAEL MENDOZA, also known as "D-Nice" and "Israel Mandosa," 44, formerly of Reading, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, heroin a
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Department of Transportation Substantially Increases Grant Funds Supporting State Pipeline and Underground Gas Storage Safety Programs
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued the following news on Oct. 2, 2024:
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is awarding $85.9 million in grants to states to support pipeline and underground natural gas storage (UNGS) inspection activities carried out by state inspectors covering more than 85 percent of the nation's 3.3-million-mile pipeline s
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ERO Seattle removes citizen of Costa Rica convicted of drug trafficking
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release:
SEATTLE ERO Seattle removed Juan Carlos Barrantes, 40, who was convicted of charges related to drug trafficking, to his home country of Costa Rica Sept. 25.
Barrantes was arrested Feb. 7, 2020, about 150 nautical miles south of Costa Rica by the U.S. Coast Guard and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine on board a vessel. He was paroled into the United
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Fla. A.G. Moody's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Secures More Than $700,000 Through Multistate Action From Toxicology Laboratory
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Oct. 3 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following news release:
Attorney General Ashley Moody's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit secured more than $700,000 in a multistate action against Precision Toxicology, LLC d/b/a Precision Diagnostics, Inc. The action comes after allegations that Precision knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs related to urine drug testing that was not medically necessary or tainted by
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From the Battlefield to Biocontainment: Meet Sean Leonard
LIVERMORE, California, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news:
Science at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is what synthetic biologist and postdoctoral researcher Sean Leonard calls a "team sport." This is one of the aspects he enjoys the most about working in a national laboratory environment.
"I'd say my military experience fundamentally shaped how I approach science," said Leonard. "In the Army, I learned that
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Justice Dept.: Former California Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Attempting to Murder Two Jewish Men Leaving Los Angeles Synagogues Last Year
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release:
A former California man who shot and wounded two Jewish men last year as they left religious services in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 35 years in prison.
Jaime Tran, 30, formerly of Riverside, pleaded guilty on June 3 to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
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Justice Dept.: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Injectable Stem Cell Product Manufacturer Sentenced for Distributing Unapproved Drug
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release:
The founder and chief executive officer of a California-based company that marketed stem cell-based products allegedly linked to 19 hospitalizations was sentenced today to 36 months in prison following his conviction under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
John W. Kosolcharoen, 53, most recently of Orange County, California, pleaded guilty last month in the U.S. District Court for the Central Distr
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Justice Dept.: Sixty-Eight Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of California White Supremacist Gang
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
Federal and local law enforcement today arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley, California-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs -- including fentanyl -- illegal firearms possession, and COVID-19 benefits
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Litigation: SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Rari Capital, Its Founders in Connection With Their Operation of Crypto Investment Platforms
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 2:24-cv-07967-PA-MAA; C.D. Cal. filed Sept. 18, 2024) involving Rari Capital Inc., Jai Bhavnani, Jack Lipstone and David Lucid:
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On September19, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered final judgments against Rari Capital, Inc. and its three co-founders--Jai Bhavnani, Jack Lipstone, and David Lucid--for various violations of the securities offering
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N.Y. U.S. Attorney Announces Criminal Charges in Multi-Year Fraud Scheme in the Market For Carbon Credits
NEW YORK, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024:
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced today the unsealing of charges against KENNETH NEWCOMBE and TRIDIP GOSWAMI in connection with a scheme to commit fraud in the carbon
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NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power
PASADENA, California, Oct. 2 (TNSres) -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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The mission has been working to postpone the shut-off as long as possible. Four other instruments aboard the interstellar spacecraft continue to operate.
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Mission engineers at NASA have turned off the plasma science instrument aboard the Voyager 2 spacecraft due to the probe's gradually shrinking electrical power supply.
Traveling more than 12.8 billion miles (20.5 billion kilomet
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Naval Research Laboratory's Paradigm-Changing Instrument Takes the World by ISTORM
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory issued the following news release:
By Mary E. Hamisevicz, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) instrument, the in-Situ Thunderstorm Observer for Radiation Mechanisms (iSTORM), provides paradigm-changing observations of ionizing radiation from tropical thunderstorms aboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft, recently published in Nature.
Thunderstorms are a destructive fo
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Nobel Prize Winner Becomes Soldier After Surviving Holocaust
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news:
Arno Allan Penzias, who served in the Army during the Cold War in 1955 and 1966, is also a Nobel laureate.
In 1964, Penzias and Robert Wilson, using an ultra-sensitive microwave receiving system to study radio emissions from the Milky Way galaxy, found something unexpected.
They detected background noise from outside the Milky Way. They realized that the radio signal was cosmic radiation that had survived from e
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NSF and international partners to invest $82M in Six 2024 Global Centers
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSres) -- The National Science Foundation issued the following news release:
The U.S. National Science Foundation and partner agencies in the U.S., Canada, Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United Kingdom today announced funding awards totaling nearly $82 million in their Global Centers competition.
2024 Global Centers awards focus on advancing bioeconomy research to solve global challenges, whether by increasing crop resilience, converting plant matter
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Proving Credibility: 91st Missile Wing Completes Simulated Test Launch
BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news:
By Senior Airman Alexander Nottingham, 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The 91st Missile Wing successfully performed its biennial Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman (SELM) test, the first phase of testing for the Minuteman III, at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, on September 17th and 18th, 2024.
"This year's SELM, named OPERATION GIANT PACE 24-2M, was conduc
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Surface Transportation Board Issues Notice Involving Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad, CSX Transportation
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following notice (Docket No. FD 36810) entitled "The Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad Co. - Trackage Rights Exemption - CSX Transportation Inc.":
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The Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad Company (POHC), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) to acquire trackage rights over approximately 4,640 feet (0.88 miles) of rail line owned by CS
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Tulsa District Awards $1.8M Construction Contract for Electrical Upgrades at Fort Sill
TULSA, Oklahoma, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Tulsa District issued the following news:
Story by Brannen Parrish, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District
The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a construction contract for electrical upgrades at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Sept. 30.
The district awarded the $1.8 million contract to GCI General Contractors LLC of San Francisco, California, to replace components on powerlines at the historic post.
Tulsa District's M
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