WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the following recall alert on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * Name of Product: Wireless Decorative Tree Light Controllers Hazard: The wireless receiver that plugs into an outlet can overheat, posing a fire hazard. Remedy: Refund Recall Date: December 12, 2024 Units: About 44,600 Consumer Contact: Mr. Christmas at 800-489-6328 any day of the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT, email at recall@mrchristmas.com or online at www.mrchristmas.  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Dec. 13 -- Gov. Brian P. Kemp, R-Georgia, issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: Governor Brian P. Kemp, chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, announced today the formation of a commission bringing together leaders from across the south to improve education pathways that lead to valuable credentials and rewarding careers. Governor Kemp will chair the Commission on Career Pathways and Credentials, and the body of subject matter experts intends to make pol  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued the following order (MDL No. 2873) on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * In Re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation TRANSFER ORDER Before the Panel:* Plaintiffs in the City of Muscle Shoals and Colbert County actions listed on Schedule A move under Panel Rule 7.1 to vacate our order that conditionally transferred those actions to the District of South Carolina for inclusion in MDL No. 2873. Defendants BFI Was  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued the following order (MDL No. 2591) on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * In Re: Syngenta AG MIR162 Corn Litigation TRANSFER ORDER Before the Panel: Plaintiffs in the District of Minnesota Dingmann action listed on Schedule A move under Panel Rule 7.1 to vacate the order that conditionally transferred their action to MDL No. 2591. Defendants BASSFORD REMELE PA, GUSTAFSON GLUEK PLLC, SCHWEBEL GOETZ & SIEBEN PA, LOCKRIDGE GRINDAL NA  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following readout of the Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee's meeting on Dec. 10, 2024: * * * The Justice Department's Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee met yesterday to discuss the significant efforts undertaken by the Department to combat violent crime and the result of those efforts. The Steering Committee is chaired by Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General (PADAG) Marshall Miller and composed of leaders  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that a Nashville automotive aftermarket parts distributor has agreed to pay $320,000 in civil penalties for selling illegal "defeat devices" designed to render automobile emission controls inoperative, in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Under the terms of the consent decree, Diesel Performance Parts   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The ORNL nuclear nonproliferation team contributed to development of the certificate, bringing unique expertise and experience from decades of work in the field and within policy. ORNL's nuclear nonproliferation division and its groups span materials science, treaty verification and physical security capabilities, with work executed domestically and internationally.   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- President Biden issued the following statement on Dec. 11, 2024, on the death of Nikki Giovanni: * * * In 2020, Nikki Giovanni's majestic voice echoed her powerful words, "and sometime, there has to be something called courage. You have it in your hands." Born in segregated Knoxville, Tennessee, she became a renowned activist, professor, and literary legend who had that courage in her hands and in her heart. A pioneering poet of the Black Arts Movement and the Civil Ri  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Project lead Edgar Lara-Curzio said the effort provides three key benefits: Enabling wider adoption of electric vehicles to slow climate change impacts; protecting national security by reducing dependence on foreign materials; and bringing economic development to former coal mining communities. Bishnu Thapaliya, an electrochemist on the research team, said the poten  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Since their establishment in 2020, the five U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers. or NQISRCs, have been expanding the frontier of what's possible in quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials in ways that will advance basic science for energy, security, communication and logistics. The centers have strengthened   more