LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Dec. 18 -- Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release on Dec. 17, 2024: Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced that Colonel (Ret) Robert A. Ator II will serve as Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. Ator is replacing Secretary Kendall Penn, who announced his retirement last month. "Colonel Ator is a rare breed: he speaks the language of government, the military, and the private sector, which explains his succe  more

VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Dec. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story: By Kaley Skaggs, public affairs specialist Monchengladbach, Germany - Recently, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) participated in a railroad exercise aimed at strengthening transportation infrastructure resilience across NATO countries. Dr. Abby Cisko, Jonathan Oldenburg and Gabriel Katzenmeyer from ERDC's Railroad Res  more

DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 18 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southwest Regional Information Office issued the following report on Dec. 17, 2024, entitled "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation for the Regions - September 2024": * * * Private industry employer costs for employee compensation among the four regions of the country ranged from $39.37 per hour in the South to $53.75 in the Northeast in September 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following report (No. USDL-24-2562) on Dec. 17, 2024, entitled "State Job Openings and Labor Turnover - October 2024": * * * Job openings rates increased in 12 states and decreased in 4 states on the last business day of October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires rates decreased in 3 states and increased in 2 states. Total separations rates increased in 5 states and decr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: More than 500 endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles found cold-stunned in Massachusetts over the last 5 weeks were brought to the New England Aquarium. Once stabilized, Turtles Fly Too transported some of them to sea turtle rehabilitation facilities across the Southeast. They brought 40 of the turtles to the Mississippi Aquarium(link is external). They were also given names--each sea turtle is n  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Dec. 17 -- The Illinois Department of Natural Resources issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2024: * * * Grant funding will help 100 parks statewide develop recreational opportunities * * * Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced than more than $55.2 million in grant funding was awarded to 100 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities. For the   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2024: The Justice Department and City of Baltimore filed a joint motion on Friday seeking court approval to declare the city and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) in full and effective compliance with key consent decree requirements related to First Amendment-protected activities, community oversight and coordination with Baltimore City school police. The joint motion is based on BPD's consi  more

ABERDEEN, Mississippi, Dec. 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi issued the following news release: A Greenville man was sentenced today to more than five years in prison for selling illegal drugs. According to court documents, Damien Brown, 48, previously pled guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, a charge which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years. U.S. District Jud  more

PASADENA, California, Dec. 18 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news: Data from the U.S.-European Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission gives researchers a detailed look at lakes and reservoirs in a U.S. watershed. The Ohio River Basin stretches from Pennsylvania to Illinois and contains a system of reservoirs, lakes, and rivers that drains an area almost as large as France. Researchers with the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) mission, a collaborati  more

LAKEWOOD, Colorado, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service - Colorado Field Office issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2024: Total sales of aquaculture products in 2023 were $1.9 billion, an increase of 26% from 2018, according to the 2023 Census of Aquaculture released today by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. In 2023, there were 3,453 aquaculture farms with sales in the United States, up 18% from 2018. Five states - M  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2024: President Joe Biden today established the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine as the 433rd addition to the National Park System at a signing ceremony at the Department of Labor with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and leaders of the labor and women's rights communities. The new national monument reflects   more