NewzIntel.com

Blog

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Investment in Marine Infrastructure to Support Recovery Through the Florida Disaster Fund

    Source: US State of Florida

    Governor DeSantis also announced discounts on fishing licenses and progress on Florida’s efforts to take over management of Red Snapper in the Atlantic.

    STEINHATCHEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the award of $1,000,000 in funding from the Florida Disaster Fund to the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida to support the rebuilding of fishing and aquaculture infrastructure damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The funding will go toward the rebuilding of boat slips and docks, the repair of fish houses, impacted aquaculture businesses, and other important infrastructure repairs for Florida’s fishing economy across the Big Bend region.

    “The Big Bend’s fishing industry took a direct hit from hurricanes Debby and Helene, and so did the hardworking Floridians who make their living on the water,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today’s investments will help to rebuild critical waterside infrastructure and help get Floridians in the fishing and aquaculture industries back to full operations.”

    To unlock additional resources from the federal government, Governor DeSantis’ administration also initiated the process of submitting a federal fisheries disaster declaration to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. This declaration request would provide access to federal funding, subject to appropriation, for offshore, nearshore, and inshore fisheries to rebuild. Governor DeSantis requested a similar federal fisheries disaster declaration following Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia.

    Governor DeSantis has also directed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to expedite any permits or approvals for businesses impacted on uplands or on the water to ensure the rebuilding of damaged structures is not delayed by bureaucracy.

    “Governor DeSantis has a proven track record of helping communities recover quickly and rebuild fully after storms,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young. “We are grateful for his leadership and support in assisting the fishing industry as it recovers from hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.”

    Additionally, the Governor announced several discounts on fishing and hunting licenses, including lifetime licenses, to get anglers back on the water and provide a boon to the industry that serves them. This includes:

    • Half-off short-term licenses for Floridians from October 25, 2024, to January 3, 2025, for the annual and five-year multisport licenses for fishing and hunting; and
    • A 50% discount on lifetime sportsman licenses for children up to 17 years of age.
      • Age 4 or younger – $200 (normally $400)
      • Ages 5 to 12 – $350 (normally $700)
      • Ages 13 to 17 – $500 (normally $1,000)

    Additionally, FWC is offering annual salt water and freshwater combo licenses for just $5.

    Fishing and Florida are inseparable. Florida leads the nation in the number of saltwater fishing anglers, generating a $9.2 billion impact on the State of Florida’s economy. Additionally, the annual dockside value of commercial fisheries was estimated at $244 million. Today’s announcement will help Florida residents regenerate lost income and rebuild their businesses and infrastructure.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Majority of Eligible New Yorkers Registered as Organ Donors

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that for the first time, more than 50 percent of the eligible New York population has registered to become organ and tissue donors through New York’s Organ Donor Registry.

    “This is a very important milestone for New York and the thousands of New Yorkers who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant,” Governor Hochul said. “It is the result of dogged efforts by advocates and my colleagues at the Departments of Motor Vehicles and Health to raise awareness about the never-ending need for organ and tissue donors. Making that decision to provide the gift of life to someone else is a great example of the giving spirit of New Yorkers.”

    This milestone is particularly significant for New York, which has historically had one of the lowest organ donor registry enrollment rates in the country, leaving thousands of New Yorkers waiting for a life-changing transplant, with about 400 New Yorkers losing their lives each year due to a shortage of donors. While much more work remains to ensure a life-changing transplant for every New Yorker in need, reaching the 50 percent mark is a major achievement considering the State was at just 22 percent a decade ago.

    Today, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder and leadership from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) joined Donate Life New York State, impacted families and elected officials in the Bronx, to celebrate this milestone and to continue to raise awareness in the community, which has one of the lowest rates of enrollments on the Registry.

    DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “I have been working and waiting for this moment since I started this job in early 2019. More than 80 percent of New Yorkers who enroll in the Organ Donor Registry sign up through the DMV, so we have made a concerted effort to educate our staff and our customers about the importance of organ donation. New York has lagged behind so many other states for too long, and through this partnership with DOH and Donate Life, we have been successful in turning that around and giving people waiting for organ transplants a fighting chance at a healthy future.”

    State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “What could be more beautiful and loving than saving a life? I am so proud that more than 50 percent of our New York population has registered to become organ and tissue donors through New York’s Organ Donor Registry. Just one donor can save the lives of up to eight people while tissue donors can make a meaningful difference in the lives of up to 75 people. I thank everyone who has enrolled. These acts of selflessness make me even more proud to be a New Yorker.”

    Executive Director of Donate Life New York State Aisha Tator said, “When I joined Donate Life New York State more than a decade ago, achieving the mark of a majority of New Yorkers registered as organ and tissue donors was an ambitious goal, but thanks to our efforts alongside our partners — including years of work with DMV and DOH — today we are proud to celebrate this major milestone. The growth of the Donate Life Registry helped save the lives of about 3,000 New Yorkers last year. These are parents, children and community members who now lead happier and healthier lives. With 8,000 New Yorkers still waiting for a life-changing organ, our work is far from finished, and Donate Life New York State will continue building a culture of donation to improve the lives of the thousands of New Yorkers in need.”

    This progress, which has nearly tripled the number of lives saved annually through organ transplantation, would not have been possible without the relentless joint effort of DMV, DOH, elected officials across the political spectrum and Donate Life NYS — the nonprofit tasked by the State to lead donor registration enrollment campaigns and education efforts.

    Nearly 8,000 New Yorkers are currently on the waitlist for a life-changing organ. Today, this diverse group of State leaders, elected officials, advocates and impacted families encouraged their fellow New Yorkers to join the Registry and help further Donate Life’s mission of ensuring a life-changing transplant for every New Yorker in need. A single donor can save up to eight lives and heal 75 more through organ and tissue donation.

    New Yorkers can register to become organ donors on the Donate Life New York State website.

    Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “I want to commend the hard work of Donate Life New York State, the DMV and the Department of Health to celebrate this remarkable milestone in organ donor registration. For the first time, more than half of eligible New Yorkers have stepped forward to register as organ donors, a significant achievement that will save countless lives. There is still much more to be done, but today we celebrate the power of education, partnership and the generosity of New Yorkers. Together, we can continue this progress and ensure that every person in need of a transplant has the opportunity for a second chance at life.”

    State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “Achieving over 50 percent enrollment in the Organ Donor Registry is a moment to celebrate the tireless efforts of Donate Life New York State, the Department of Health (DOH), the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), advocates, health care professionals and families who understand the importance of organ donation. As Chair of the Senate Health Committee, I have proudly passed legislation aimed at increasing outreach and enrollment so more New Yorkers can become organ donors. Since New York has one of the lowest organ donor rates in the nation and many people waiting for transplants, we must continue to implement measures to address organ donation and ensure that those in need receive the life-saving transplants they deserve.”

    State Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda said, “As someone deeply committed to improving health outcomes for the Bronx and beyond, I am proud to join Donate Life New York State, the DMV and the Department of Health in celebrating this milestone. Organ donation has the power to save lives, and crossing the 50 percent mark in statewide donor registry enrollment is a major step forward for New York. This is especially important for communities like the Bronx, where the need for transplants is disproportionately high. I look forward to continuing our work to raise awareness, dispel myths and encourage even more New Yorkers to become organ donors. Together, we can ensure that every New Yorker in need has access to the life-saving gift of a transplant.”

    Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “Reaching the milestone of 50 percent organ donor registration in New York State represents hope for thousands of New Yorkers awaiting life-saving transplants. While we celebrate this progress, we must redouble our efforts to further increase enrollment and ensure that every New Yorker in need has the opportunity for a second chance at life. Every new registration has the potential to transform lives, and I thank Donate Life New York State, the DMV and the DOH for their tireless efforts in growing the donor registry.”

    Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia said, “As a mother who spent 16 years watching my eldest son endure the challenges of kidney failure, I know firsthand the incredible, life-changing power of organ donation. I will never forget the joy and gratitude we felt when we received the call that a donor match had been found, giving my son a new chance at life. Today, I am proud to join Donate Life NYS, the DMV and the Department of Health in celebrating this important milestone. Reaching a 50 percent registration rate is a tremendous achievement, but there’s still more we can do. Too many families, especially in communities like the Bronx, are still waiting for that same life-saving call. I encourage every New Yorker to register as an organ donor and be part of this movement of hope and generosity.”

    About New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

    The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is, for many people, their first interaction with state government. It is a multi-faceted agency, serving more than 15 million New Yorkers through driver licensing and non-driver identification, vehicle titling and registration, driver safety and education, regulating businesses that sell, repair and inspect vehicles and administering New York state motor vehicle laws.

    DMV and its more than 3,000 employees statewide have prioritized the safety of New Yorkers through traffic safety initiatives, combating and preventing identity fraud and protecting consumers. The agency is hard at work every day to “Shatter Perceptions” of what people think DMV is by continually adapting and adopting innovative strategies to better provide services to its customers where they are and in ways that are more efficient and convenient for them.

    About New York State Department of Health

    The New York State Department of Health has been overseeing the health, safety and well-being of New Yorkers since 1901 – from vaccinations to utilizing new developments in science as critical tools in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. In the face of today’s new public health challenges and evolving health care system, health equity is foundational to everything the State Department of Health does to help all people achieve optimal physical, mental and social well-being.

    About Donate Life New York State

    Donate Life New York State is the statewide non-profit organization dedicated to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation in New York State. Our goal is to ensure a life changing transplant for every New Yorker in need. Since 2002, we’ve served as the voice for New York’s organ, eye and tissue donation community, bringing together recovery organizations, health professionals, community organizations and people whose lives have been touched by our mission. Donate Life NYS operates the New York State Donate Life Registry under contract with the State of New York, and advances organ, eye and tissue donation through public and professional education, Registry enrollment campaigns, legislative advocacy, social and behavioral research, strategic partnerships and collaborative forums with the greater donation and transplantation community.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: RM of Tache — St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP respond to fatal collision

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On October 23, 2024, at approximately 12:30 am, St. Pierre-Jolys received a report of a collision on Highway 1 and Provincial Road 206. When officers arrived on scene, one vehicle was in the south ditch and two vehicles were on the highway.

    Investigation determined a car and a SUV were travelling eastbound on Highway 1 and were side-by-side when the passenger tire of the car, with the control arm and other mechanical parts, came off and struck the SUV, which was travelling in the south lane. This caused the car to come to rest on the roadway and immediately catch fire. The 25-year-old male driver from Calgary was able to exit the vehicle. He was transported to local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

    After the SUV was struck by the tire and parts from the car, the SUV entered the ditch and rolled. The 59-year-old male driver, from Steinbach, was pronounced deceased on scene. The 45-year-old male passenger, from the RM of Hanover, was transported to local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

    A third vehicle was travelling close behind the collision and struck the tire component of the car, which was left on the highway after the collision, making the vehicle inoperable. The 28-year-old female driver, from Kenora, Ontario, was transported to hospital with minor physical injuries.

    A RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist is assisting with the ongoing investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Postal Employee Arrested For COVID Relief Fraud

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

     Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Marina Tusca Brooks Stewart (61, Groveland) on an indictment charging her with one count of wire fraud related to COVID relief. If convicted, Brooks Stewart faces up to 20 years in federal prison. In addition, she faces a forfeiture order of $10,000, which represents the alleged proceeds she obtained through this offense. 

    According to court documents, during the COVID pandemic, the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) offered Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advances that did not need to be repaid. The advances were for small businesses that were in low-income communities and received a reduction in revenue of more than 30% during an eight-week period. Between June 28 and 30, 2020, Brooks Stewart devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by electronically applying for an EIDL advance and providing false representations in her application. Afterwards, she fraudulently received a $10,000 EIDL advance.

    An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

    This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Secretary Del Toro As-Written Remarks at Future Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine USS Atlanta (SSN 813) Naming Ceremony

    Source: United States Navy

    Introduction/Thank You

    Good morning, everyone!

    It is an honor to be with you this morning in Atlanta.

    Dr. Evans, thank you for that kind introduction and for the important work you are doing here at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

    Mayor Dickens, thank you for welcoming us to Atlanta and for your service to the people of this great city.

    Congresswoman Williams, thank you for your presence today, and for your partnership and support of our men and women in uniform.

    Mr. Carter, thank you for sharing your family’s stories and carrying on their legacy of service.

    Mr. McLaurin, thank you for the work you do, preserving and sharing the rich history of the White House.

    I also want to extend a warm welcome to our state and local leadership, including Senator Orrock, Representative Jones, Representative Evans, Representative Miller, Council President Shipman, and Council Member Amos. Thank you for being here with us today.

    Superintendent Stuckey, thank you for your work at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.

    President Cabrera, thank you for your leadership of the students of Georgia Tech and your partnership with the Department of the Navy in moving our Navy and Marine Corps’ technological innovations forward.

    Captain Hollenbach, I thank you for all you’ve done as the Virginia-class program manager, ensuring our Navy’s warfighting excellence for years to come.

    To all of our service members, distinguished guests and visitors here with us today—welcome and thank you for joining us.

    World Today

    The world is undeniably complex, and while military power helps advance our national security interests abroad, President Jimmy Carter recognized that diplomacy should always play a leading role in achieving lasting peace.

    Our world today looks to the United States as a beacon of hope and freedom around the world.

    We face challenges in every corner of the world—from the Indo-Pacific, to Europe, and in the Red Sea.

    In Europe, we are approaching the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

    For the first time since World War II, we face a comprehensive maritime power in the Indo-Pacific.

    The People’s Republic of China continues to exert its excessive maritime claims through their navy, coast guard, and maritime militia.

    In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we have been working tirelessly alongside our NATO allies and Middle Eastern partners to protect innocent civilian mariners and commercial shipping form Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

    Following the October 7th attacks in Israel one year ago this month, our Navy and Marine Corps were swiftly deployed to the region, forming an integrated force capable of responding to any threat.

    And earlier this month, two of our highly capable destroyers, the USS Cole (DDG 67)—a warship which carries a legacy of standing tall to acts of terrorism—and the USS Bulkeley (DDG 84)—which will always have a special place in my naval carer as her first Commanding Officer—aided our Israeli allies in shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles. 

    I am incredibly proud of the professionalism, dedication, and resilience shown by our Cole and Bulkeley Sailors.

    These brave young men and women illustrate the consistent excellence and effectiveness expected of our United States Navy.

    And we mourn the loss of two trailblazing, combat-decorated naval aviators from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group who passed away during a training event last week: Lieutenant Commander Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lieutenant Serena “Dug” Wileman.

    Our thoughts are with their families and friends as they cope with the loss of their loved ones—a loss which serves as a poignant reminder that what we ask of our Sailors and Marines is anything but routine, and in many cases dangerous.

    We honor their service and sacrifice by reaffirming our commitment to the ideals that inspire us to serve.

    City of Atlanta

    The city of Atlanta shares a storied and historic relationship with the United States Navy.

    Since the very founding of our Nation, Atlantans from all walks of life have answered the call to service.

    The Marine Corps’ first aviator, Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Cunningham, was born in Atlanta in 1882 and pioneered early aviation at a time when there were great risks and little appreciation for the danger involved in flying.

    Launched in 1943, Naval Air Station Atlanta trained Navy and Marine Corps squadrons from Reserve Carrier Air Wing 20 and Marine Aircraft Group 42.

    While Naval Air Station Atlanta no longer serves the Navy, the airfield continues to serve as the General Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center.

    Atlanta is, of course, home to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum and the Carter Center, named after the former Naval Officer, Senator, Governor, and President, Jimmy Carter.

    As a Naval Officer, Lieutenant Carter helped advance our nuclear submarine program alongside Admiral Hymen Rickover, the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.”

    While in office, President Carter advocated for a more robust Navy—growing our submarine, aviation, and surface forces.

    He also fiercely advocated for the recruitment of Hispanic Americans into the Navy and nominated the first Hispanic American to serve as Secretary of the Navy—Edward Hidalgo.

    As Secretary of the Navy, I had the opportunity to rename a building at the Naval Academy after President Carter last year.

    Carter Hall will be a place of learning for Midshipmen at the Naval Academy for generations to come.

    And the city of Atlanta has had five previous Navy ships named after her legacy.

    The first USS Atlanta served the Union Navy throughout the Civil War after being captured from the Confederate Navy.

    The second USS Atlanta served in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico as a barracks ship.

    The third USS Atlanta (CL 51) served as the lead ship of the Atlanta-class of light cruisers and was laid down at the start of the Second World War.

    Weeks after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the United States into war, USS Atlanta commissioned at New York Navy Yard and later served as part of Admiral Halsey’s Fleet.

    Light cruiser USS Atlanta (CL 104) served in World War II with Fast Carrier Task Force where she conducted shore bombardment missions.

    The fifth USS Atlanta (SSN 712) commissioned in 1982, completing multiple deployments and fleet readiness exercises during the Cold War before being decommissioned in 1999.

    Ship Naming and Sponsor Announcement

    For 25 years, the Navy has been without a ship named after the proud legacy of the city of Atlanta.

    And so, it is my honor and privilege to name the next Virginia-class submarine, SSN 813, USS Atlanta.

    Our Navy’s submarine force is a lethal combination of one of the most powerful platforms available today manned by our Nation’s best and brightest—people like President Carter.

    The Virginia-class Fast Attack Submarines bring tremendous firepower to our Fleet and provide our commanders a valuable asset which strengthens our national security.

    And wherever she sails, she will represent not only the legacy of the proud ships who bore the name USS Atlanta before her, but also the thousands of Atlantans who have honorably and faithfully served the United States in uniform, as civil servants, and as activists to better our great Nation.

    And I am also proud to announce that the ship sponsor of the future USS Atlanta is former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

    The ship’s sponsor fills a vital role throughout the life of a warship, serving as the bond between the ship, her crew, and the nation they serve.

    I am honored that Mayor Bottoms accepted the invitation to serve as ship sponsor. As a leader and champion for the people of Atlanta, she represents the best of our Nation, and I thank her for her lifelong commitment to our Navy, to our service men and women, and to the United States of America.

    Closing

    Our maritime services are indeed the most powerful and capable force this world has ever seen.

    Before I close my remarks today, I wanted to draw your attention to the portrait on the stage.

    It is Mr. Evan Karanovich’s grandfather’s portrait of USS Atlanta (CL 51), the lead ship of the Atlanta-class of eight light cruisers.

    On November 13th, 1942, the third USS Atlanta sank while escorting ships during the war.

    The portrait hung in his grandfather’s office for years until Mr. Karanovich received it as a commissioning gift.

    And he always wondered why, of all the pictures, he received this one.

    His grandfather said that despite the ship being lost in battle—like Atlanta, our Navy, and our Nation—we are resilient.

    Atlanta’s motto is “Resurgens,” which means “to rise again.”

    What better mantra for us to embrace as we move forward?

    Mr. Karanovich, thank you for sharing this beautiful portrait and story with all of us to enjoy.

    I thank all of you here for your support of our maritime services—you ensure that America remains the greatest nation in the world.

    And now, it is my great pleasure to introduce a leader who was born in this great state.

    She currently serves Georgia’s 5th Congressional District and is a member of several caucuses including the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Women’s Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Voting Rights Caucus, LBGTQ+ Equality Caucus, and the HBCU Caucus.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Congresswoman Nikema Williams.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Womack Hosts NIH Director Bertagnolli in Arkansas’ Third District

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3)

    Rogers, AR—October 23, 2024…Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) hosted National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., in the River Valley on Monday and in Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday. Congressman Womack, Director Bertagnolli, and Senator John Boozman (R-AR) visited medical organizations, gained a comprehensive understanding of the region’s medical needs, and saw the partnership between the NIH and local healthcare in action.

    Congressman Womack said, “It’s important to bring Washington to Arkansas to ensure Third District Arkansans’ needs are met and their voices are heard. I want leaders in our nation, such as Director Bertagnolli, to see the exciting medical research and advancements happening in the Third District while fully understanding the area’s healthcare needs. I’m grateful Director Bertagnolli took the opportunity to see firsthand the remarkable work of our local health providers, researchers, and partners. Senator Boozman and I look forward to a continued partnership with Director Bertagnolli to improve health outcomes for Arkansans.”

    Director Bertagnolli said, “The entire community – academic institutions, public health departments, health care providers, businesses, and state and federal government – all play a critical role in making health better for everyone. It is so inspiring to see how Arkansas is working to address the needs of their communities on all fronts, and partnering to eliminate the extra health challenges this region is experiencing. I am so grateful to Congressman Womack and Senator Boozman for hosting me. I have learned so much and am eager to bring more health research to Arkansas. The talent and dedication I have witnessed here makes me sure that we will make tremendous progress.”

    Senator Boozman said, “The collaboration in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley as growing hubs for local and regional medical care as well as nationally recognized innovative research is a tremendous asset. NIH plays a critical role in funding this vital work through the grants and partnerships it supports that generate advanced treatments, cures and overall better outcomes in our communities. Congressman Womack and I were pleased to show Director Bertagnolli the impact of these investments and provide our medical professionals an opportunity to share their feedback directly with the leader of America’s premier health research organization.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Panetta Announces New Federal Investment to Further Modernize Monterey Regional Airport

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

    Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced a new federal investment to support Monterey Regional Airport’s initial phase of terminal construction.  Rep. Panetta secured $14.2 million through the Airport Terminal Program (ATP) to fund the construction and replacement of a 70-year-old terminal, including the relocation of a LEED Platinum-certified terminal, improved internal airport access, and enhanced landside road access.  This includes a multimodal bus connection for the Monterey-Salinas Transit Company.  This funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

    “Residents and visitors alike deserve a Monterey Regional Airport that is safe, reliable, and comfortable,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud to ensure that the federal government is investing in local airports like ours to meet the demands of modern travelers with updated amenities and enhanced safety features.  With this federal support, we will continue to improve the mobility, economy, and quality of life in California’s 19th Congressional District.”

    “This new grant will be the first federal funding dedicated directly to the construction of the replacement terminal building,” said Monterey Regional Airport Executive Director Michael La Pier.  “With the design completed, we will be ready to move forward with the start of the construction in the spring with a completion some time in late 2026.  We’d like to thank Representative Panetta for his help and guidance in this process. It means a great deal to the airport to have such strong support in the District and in Washington.”

    Rep. Panetta continues working alongside local partners to ensure the federal government plays its role in modernizing the Monterey Regional Airport.  Previously, Rep. Panetta secured more than $64 million in federal funding to support new terminal design, tarmac improvements, and other modernization and safety initiatives.

    The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $15 billion in airport infrastructure funding.  For more information on projects nationwide, visit: here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Graves: “Morganza Reach A Protects Terrebonne, Benefits the Nation”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Garret Graves (6th District of Louisiana)

    Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) today announced the historic groundbreaking of “Reach A” in Dularge, Louisiana, of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf (MTG) hurricane protection project alongside project partners Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District (TLCD), the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

    “Construction of Reach A plugs a vulnerability gap that otherwise exposes Dularge, Houma, and surrounding communities,” Graves said. “Getting Morganza started and funded has been a top priority. Despite decades of federal inaction, in our short time in Congress we’ve pushed urgently to establish momentum to get the project funded and built as quickly as possible. This project will protect the lives and communities of the Bayou Region who feed and fuel our nation, and we could not leave the field without ensuring Morganza’s path to completion.”

    Reach A of the system was identified by the TLCD as a key vulnerability gap that left Houma and surrounding communities exposed to flood risk and storm surge. Reach A construction will occur over several phases, beginning with levee features to protect the Dularge community.

    “I want to remind you: local folks didn’t wait for the federal government and we didn’t either,” Graves added. “Dating back to 2008 (while serving as the Chair of CPRA) we worked with our parishes and levee districts to pull together hundreds of millions in state funding in addition to the half a billion we set aside from the Deepwater Horizon settlement. Our early and persistent protection measures have saved the American taxpayer billions in disaster recovery costs, while at the same time providing a major service to our nation’s energy security.”

    Morganza background

    Although the project became authorized for federal participation in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007 (with amendments made to the project in WRDA 2014), at a cost of $15 billion, the 98-mile levee was widely seen as too expensive for the federal government to start investing in.

    That changed in November of 2018, when Graves requested the Army Corps revise the original federal role of the project by taking into account investments already made by state and local partners. Within the year, the Corps presented Graves with an Adaptive Criteria Assessment Report (ACAR) which brought the project’s cost down by more than two-thirds of the original estimate. Graves’s intention in officially blessing the work already done by the local levee boards was to increase the project’s benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and make it impossible for the federal government to not invest in the project.

    With a positive BCR secured, Graves correctly identified another hurdle: the annual bill which funds the federal government’s flood control investments not only sets limits on how many “new start” projects could be funded annually, but traditionally included language which limited these new starts to projects authorized within the Corps’ Construction account, while Morganza was part of the Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries (MR&T) account. Graves ensured that the House of Representatives’ funding bill included language which made MR&T eligible to receive a new start designation, and heavily lobbied the Senate to allow the change. The Senate relented and, after years of discussions with the White House Office of Management and Budget, Graves announced that the federal government would begin investing in the project in January of 2021.

    That year coincided with the return of congressional earmarks, and Graves has successfully secured $78.3 million in dedicated funding for the project to date through that process, $376 million in emergency supplemental funding, and another $93 million awaiting approval in the current funding cycle.

    According to the USACE, the MTG project would reduce the risk of flooding due to storm surge to more than 52,000 structures and over 200,000 people in an area.  Deterioration of coastal marshes due to saltwater intrusion, land subsidence and the lack of interchanges from the Mississippi River and Tributaries system have steadily increased storm surge inundation over time.  Flooding of homes occurred in Lafourche Parish with Hurricane Ida, near the proposed alignment that may be alleviated with the Project.

     

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Media advisory: Onehunga bus attack

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Police will hold a stand up this morning in relation to the bus attack in Onehunga yesterday afternoon.

    Auckland City Relieving District Crime Manager, Acting Detective Inspector Alisse Robertson will speak to media at College Hill Police Station at 10.30am.

    Media is asked to gather outside the station by 10.15am.

    Please RSVP to media@police.govt.nz by 10am to confirm your attendance.

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI: Real Estate Split Corp. Announces Overnight Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States.

    TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Real Estate Split Corp. (TSX: RS and RS.PR.A) (the “Company”), is pleased to announce that the Company is undertaking an overnight treasury offering of class A and preferred shares (the “Class A Shares” and “Preferred Shares”, respectively).

    The sales period for this overnight offering will end at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, October 24, 2024. The offering is expected to close on or about October 31, 2024 and is subject to certain closing conditions including approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”).

    The Class A Shares will be offered at a price of $12.90 per Class A Share to yield 12.1% and the Preferred Shares will be offered at a price of $10.10 per Preferred Share to yield 4.4% to maturity. The closing price on the TSX for each of the Class A Shares and Preferred Shares on October 22, 2024 was $13.21 and $10.16, respectively. The Class A Share and Preferred Share offering prices were determined so as to be non-dilutive to the most recently calculated net asset value per unit of the Company (calculated as at October 22, 2024), as adjusted for dividends and certain expenses to be accrued prior to or upon settlement of the offering.

    The Company has been designed to provide investors with a diversified, actively managed, high conviction portfolio comprised of securities of leading North American real estate companies.

    The Company’s investment objectives for the:

    Class A Shares are to provide holders with:

    (i) non-cumulative monthly cash distributions; and
    (ii) the opportunity for capital appreciation through exposure to the portfolio

    Preferred Shares are to:

    (i) provide holders with fixed cumulative preferential quarterly cash distributions; and
    (ii) return the original issue price of $10.00 to holders upon maturity.

    Middlefield Capital Corporation provides investment management advice to the Company.

    The syndicate of agents for the offering is being co-led by CIBC Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, and Scotiabank.

    For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

    A short form base shelf prospectus containing important detailed information about the securities being offered has been filed with securities commissions or similar authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. Copies of the short form base shelf prospectus may be obtained from a member of the syndicate. The Company intends to file a supplement to the short form base shelf prospectus, and investors should read the short form base shelf prospectus and the prospectus supplement before making an investment decision. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy the securities being offered until the prospectus supplement has been filed with the securities commissions or similar authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Netflix’s Territory is a Succession-like drama packed with family rivalry and betrayal, set in Australia’s outback

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communication, RMIT University

    Netflix

    The Australian commissioning team at Netflix has had a pretty good run over the past 12 months. In January, the adaptation of Trent Dalton’s novel Boy Swallows Universe proved to be the most successful Australian-made show to that point, scoring 7.6 million views globally in its first two weeks.

    A few months later, the second season of the streamer’s Heartbreak High reboot debuted at number one in Australia, and stayed on the Global Top 10 English TV Series list for three consecutive weeks.

    Will Netflix’s latest Australian series – one without any ties to a familiar book or TV show – be as well received? Luckily for the streamer, its new six-part outback western, Territory, has already been described as “epic”, “unforgettable” and “rollicking TV”.

    Robert Taylor plays patriarch Colin Lawson.
    Netflix

    Premium bush family drama

    The series takes place in the Northern Territory, on the “world’s largest cattle station”. The fictional Marianne Station is about the size of Belgium.

    The once-great dynasty of its owners, the Lawson family, is thrown into doubt when their heir apparent dies in the first episode. The Top End’s most powerful players – billionaire miners, rival cattle barons, desert gangsters and Indigenous elders – immediately start circling.

    While this is an original concept by creators Timothy Lee and Ben Davies, you’d be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu, as Territory has been described as equal parts Succession and Yellowstone. I can imagine Netflix executives running the numbers on the returns from those two hits and saying, “let’s throw some money into this”. And boy, did they.

    The show could double as a sophisticated Tourism Australia ad.
    Netflix

    No expenses spared on hats and helicopters

    Territory was directed by Wolf Creek heavyweight Greg McLean. According to him, it’s the

    biggest South Australian TV production ever. Possibly one of the biggest TV productions in Australia just in terms of the amount of crew (and) the incredible support that we had to put in place to go to the locations we went to.

    As Netflix put it, Bondi Beach this is not. While the interiors were filmed in South Australia, half of the series was filmed in stunning remote locations across the NT.

    As a result, the show looks like the most ambitious and sophisticated Tourism Australia ad you’ve ever seen. The wildlife! The panoramic drone shots! The hat budget! The rest of the world could go from thinking we ride kangaroos to work, to assuming we’ve all got our own helicopters.

    Overseas viewers watching would be forgiven for thinking the lot of us have our own helicopters.
    Netflix

    The show looks as expensive as it sounds, but is still kind of soapy. The irony in this story is that everyone’s dirty, but no one ever sweats.

    Territory was originally announced as “Desert King”. Changing the name was wise. The landscape is, for the most part, pretty lush – and not in a “look at this oasis we’ve stumbled upon” kind of way. I counted one fly.

    Desert queens

    What’s more, while the male characters are brilliant sources of humour and violence, it’s the ladies in Territory that bring the heart.

    Anna Torv leads the series as Emily Lawson. Emily is the wife to the next-in-line but perpetually drunk Graham (Michael Dorman). She’s also the girl from the property next door, belonging to the rival Hodge family – a slightly shifty bunch who’ve been known to steal the Lawson’s cattle.

    Anna Torv plays Emily Lawson with a keen sense of cunning.
    Netflix

    Torv was the perfect choice to embody Emily as the long-suffering wife, disdained daughter-in-law, loving sister and exasperated mother. Her poker face kept me guessing. She may not be a Lawson by blood, but her cunning makes her a great fit in this powerful family.

    Kylah Day plays Sharnie Kennedy, a young kid kicking (and fooling) around with a couple of Top End bandits. It was fun – if a little frustrating – to watch her figure out her loyalties and her limits.

    Finally, Sara Wiseman plays Sandra Kirby, a disgustingly wealthy and ruthless land developer who doubles as the quintessential villain. Sandra plays everyone – even her own son. Her merciless manipulation of aspiring Indigenous cattle baron Nolan Brannock (Clarence Ryan) stings, even as it feels quite heavy-handed.

    Clarence Ryan is impressive in his role as Indigenous station owner Nolan Brannock (left), who gets caught up in the drama.
    Netflix

    Whose land and whose legacy?

    Territory does a great job of establishing a simmering tension between the traditional owners of the land and the families and businesses that have taken possession of it.

    But for a show that’s so centred on the battle for power in the Top End, the plotlines that deal with the issue of dispossession move at a frustratingly slow pace.

    Perhaps this is to cater to a global audience, which will likely lack the context that local viewers have. And maybe, for Australian viewers, the enduring subordination and struggle of the original landowners is the intended takeaway.

    Ultimately, Territory is an ambitious and attractive series. It was wonderful to see so many resources poured into a new concept, filmed and set in a part of Australia that rarely sees the kind of spotlight it deserves.

    Sam Delich and Kylah Day play petty thieves Rich Petrakis and Sharnie Kennedy.
    Netflix

    Territory is streaming on Netflix from today.

    Alexa Scarlata does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Netflix’s Territory is a Succession-like drama packed with family rivalry and betrayal, set in Australia’s outback – https://theconversation.com/netflixs-territory-is-a-succession-like-drama-packed-with-family-rivalry-and-betrayal-set-in-australias-outback-241896

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Unemployment’s up, house prices are stagnating. But is the Victorian economy doing as badly as it seems?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University

    The early 1990s in Victoria were tough. The economy was contracting severely, the population was shrinking, employment was collapsing and the unemployment rate skyrocketed to the highest in the land.

    A long-term Labor government got the blame for allowing state debt to spiral out of control. Victoria, reckoned a popular joke at the time, was “Australia’s Mexico without the sunshine”.

    Is it happening all over again?

    Some reporting in national media would suggest it is.

    The Australian Financial Review has recently run a series on the state, including a piece last week quoting business leaders saying the Victorian economy was in trouble.

    Reference was made to the latest unemployment figures as supporting evidence. Victoria’s unemployment rate has risen over the last year, and at 4.4% is now the highest in the country. Rising numbers of company failures and stagnant house prices were also cited.

    Earlier in the month, data showing a falling rate of Victorian business start-ups was highlighted, while another Financial Review article examined the decline in the number of conferences. All this was referred to as evidence of a state struggling under the weight of

    $8.6 billion in levies [imposed] in [Labor’s] 2023 budget to curb a mountain of state debt that is forecast to reach $188 billion by 2028.

    The Australian also ran a feature on Victoria echoing the same themes.

    Readers were asked, “What the hell has gone wrong with Victoria?”. Public debt and taxation figured as prominent causes of an economic catastrophe in the making. The Australian deemed the state to be

    at best, trapped in stagnation, forcing it to cover falling private investment and expenditure with ever greater public largesse. And at worst […] as the spending and debt build-up sets off the alarms, a vicious spiral is triggered […] until the whole Ponzi scheme collapses.

    But are things that bad? What does the economic data actually show?

    Some positive signs

    It is true that unemployment in Victoria is rising, and is also high compared to the rest of the country. But it has been stable for the last four months, reflecting the impact of interest rate increases over the previous couple of years.

    Also, looking back over the last 40 years, the increase has been from a very low base, and remains at an historically low level – and a long way off the highs of the 1990s.

    The number of people in the labour force is continuing to grow at a healthy clip. The participation rate is now the highest on record.

    Last month, the labour force increased in seasonally adjusted terms by 20,000, and almost all of these additional people ended up in employment.

    The growth in employment since the end of the pandemic is notable.

    Since January 2023, employment has increased by 268,000, or 8% in seasonally adjusted terms. That’s 37% of the jobs added in the whole of Australia during that time.

    Yes, the share of job growth is falling, but it is still higher than the state’s population share, and it is from an unbelievably high base (55% of all jobs created nationally in July were in Victoria).

    The Australian Financial Review acknowledged that the latest jobs data were indeed “unexpectedly strong”.

    What about business insolvencies?

    Victorian insolvencies are on the rise (up 61% in September compared to the same month last year). But so too are they across Australia, with the national number rising at a higher clip (up 70%).

    What about the number of conferences in Victoria? We simply cannot be sure whether they are up or down, because there is no consistent data base to settle the matter.

    And while Victoria may have fallen behind other states in the number of new startups per 1,000 businesses, the actual number of businesses has increased by more than 31,000, or 3%, since the beginning of the year.

    How are house prices and rents holding up?

    Yes, house prices are tumbling. In real terms, they are around 20% below their pandemic peak, at least partly caused by a bundle of new property taxes introduced in the 2023/24 state budget to help pay for pandemic-related debt.

    But with housing affordability at an all-time low courtesy of high interest rates, that is no bad thing, especially for those keen to buy their first home.

    That fall in house prices stands in contrast to a boom in rents over the same time period.

    Over the last 12 months, median rents in Victoria have increased by 13.3%, and by 4.3% over the last quarter. In the March quarter, the rental stock fell for the first time on record, perhaps supporting those who see an economy in trouble.

    But that fall amounted to barely 10,000 dwellings, or only 2.7% of the stock. Those properties had to be sold to someone, and it is likely many were sold to first time buyers who, in changing tenure, had no net effect on the rental market. A redistribution of wealth like that may be no bad thing.

    Debt is high – but so is infrastructure spending

    There is no doubt the Victorian economy has been slowing, as has the rest of the country. That is exactly the outcome sought by the Reserve Bank when it pushed up interest rates last year.

    But there is little evidence to show Victoria is following the disastrous path of the early 1990s.

    Back then, state debt grew alarmingly because of a savage recession. This time round, state debt has grown strongly, but largely to fund a construction pipeline on a scale the state has not seen before.

    Infrastructure spending is now running close to $25 billion a year, almost five times what it was a decade ago. There’s a lot of jobs in those numbers, and shortly a lot of that infrastructure will come on line, boosting the state’s economic potential.

    There is one other factor driving Victoria’s surprisingly resilient economy. Net international migration increased by 152,000 in the year to March 2024 – almost 30% of the Australian total – driven partly by the return of international students.

    Very fast, migration-driven population growth is not being matched by increased output, and the state’s household income per person is continuing its long-term decline, leading some to argue it has become a “poor state”.

    Treasurer Tim Pallas will hope that the increase stock of debt-funded infrastructure provides the productivity boost sorely needed to turn that around.

    While on several indicators Victoria’s economy is slowing, this largely reflects a national trend. Drilling down into the data shows there are signs of growth, which suggest alarm at this stage is not justified.

    David Hayward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Unemployment’s up, house prices are stagnating. But is the Victorian economy doing as badly as it seems? – https://theconversation.com/unemployments-up-house-prices-are-stagnating-but-is-the-victorian-economy-doing-as-badly-as-it-seems-241762

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: If a Year 12 student gets an early offer for uni, does it mean they stop trying?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew J. Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Sydney

    Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    Early entry schemes for university – where students get an offer before their final exams – are increasingly popular.

    For example, more than 27,000 students applied to the Universities Admissions Centre (which mostly deals with New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory unis) for an early offer in 2024. This was a record number and an almost 19% increase on 2023.

    On the one hand, early offers are seen as a way to reduce pressure on Year 12 students. But they are also increasingly criticised, with concerns students may stop trying once they receive an offer.

    Our new research shows applying for an early offer does not make a significant difference to how hard a student tries leading up to their final exams or their final results.

    What are early offers?

    The main round of university offers is in December-January, after students have done their final exams in the previous October and November and have their final results or ATAR.

    With early entry offer schemes, universities assess students using criteria other than (or on top of) final results.

    Amid concerns about students reducing their efforts, in February this year, federal and state education ministers agreed there would be no university offers until September. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare is pushing for a new, national approach to early entry by 2027.

    Year 12 students around Australia sit their final exams in October and November.
    Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock



    Read more:
    ‘I don’t believe I would have gotten into university’: how early entry schemes help Year 12 students experiencing disadvantage

    Our research

    Our new study investigated the role of early entry offers on Year 12 students’ academic and personal wellbeing.

    We looked at three types of students: students applying for and receiving an early offer, students applying for but not receiving an early offer, and students who did not apply for an early offer.

    We then looked at multiple forms of academic and personal wellbeing, including:

    • the ATAR

    • motivation at school (their interest, energy, and drive to learn) and enjoyment of school

    • how students dealt with academic challenges (also called “academic buoyancy”)

    • study burnout

    • overall life satisfaction, mental health and self-esteem.

    Who did we study?

    The study involved Year 12 students in 2022 from schools in New South Wales.

    The average age for participants was 17, most (68%) were female, the majority (69%) lived in an urban area, just under a quarter (23%) were from a non-English speaking background, and just over half were from government schools (52%).

    We tracked the ATARs of 1,512 students for whom we had early offer data.

    We also surveyed a subset of 525 students from this group. We surveyed them in term 2 of Year 12 and then followed up with a second survey in term 4, about 2 weeks before their final exams.

    The surveys included questions about their academic and personal wellbeing. Both surveys were done online.

    What we found

    In terms of early entry status, 16% did not apply for an early offer, 21% applied but were unsuccessful, and 63% received an early offer.

    Using statistical modelling to control for prior differences in achievement and motivation between the groups, as well as age, gender, school type and learning difficulties, we found an early offer did not appear to have an impact on a student’s ATAR.

    We also found no impact on their motivation, effort, burnout or mental health.

    In fact, the best predictors of students’ final results were their previous results and their efforts earlier in Year 12.

    As our research showed, the findings for these predictors were statistically significant, meaning we can have confidence the results were not due to chance.

    This mirrors other research that suggests you can predict a student’s ATAR from their Year 11 results.

    Students in our study did not stop trying if they had an early offer to uni.
    Jacob Lund/ Shutterstock

    One important difference

    We did find one statistically significant effect. Those receiving an early offer scored about 10% higher in academic buoyancy than the other two groups.

    This means these students reported they were better able to overcome academic challenges, such as difficult assessment tasks and competing deadlines, as they approached their final exams.

    We found this difference even after controlling for any prior group differences in academic buoyancy.

    But we note it was only a relatively small effect.

    Why was there so little difference?

    Some possible explanations about why early offers did not appear to make much difference include:

    • Year 12 is a busy year full of activities (from formals and other events, to plans for life after school). It could be early entry status is quickly absorbed in all the demands of the final year and becomes normalised

    • the joy or relief of an early offer is short-lived and students return to their emotional equilibrium or their typical “set point” in terms of outlook on life

    • the ATAR looms large in students’ lives, so they may still want to do as well as they can – regardless of whether they get an early offer or not.

    What does this mean?

    Our study suggests receiving an early offer for university does not make much of a difference to final outcomes.

    So this suggests students can apply for an early entry offer if they want to.

    But once the application is submitted, they need to return their focus to factors that are influential in final outcomes — such as their learning, motivation, and engagement through Year 12.

    Helen Tam, Kim Paino, Anthony Manny, Mitch Smith and Nicole Swanson from the Universities Admissions Centre helped with the research on which this article is based.

    Andrew J. Martin has received funding from the Australian Research Council, International Boys’ Schools Coalition, NSW Department of Education, and Commonwealth Department of Education.

    – ref. If a Year 12 student gets an early offer for uni, does it mean they stop trying? – https://theconversation.com/if-a-year-12-student-gets-an-early-offer-for-uni-does-it-mean-they-stop-trying-241787

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cultural burning isn’t just important to Indigenous culture – it’s essential to Australia’s disaster management

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhiamie Williamson, Research Fellow, Monash University

    Toa55/Shutterstock

    Last month, Australia’s newly appointed minister for emergency management, Senator Jenny McAllister, and Senator Tony Sheldon, special envoy for disaster recovery, took part in a cultural burn outside Lismore in New South Wales, as part of the National Gathering on Indigenous Disaster Resilience.

    It was significant to see members of the federal government listening to and taking direction from a cultural burn expert, Oliver Costello of Jagun Alliance, before undertaking a burn.

    Cultural burning is increasingly being used in disaster management. Pictured: Oliver Costello, Senator Jenny McAllister, Bhiamie Williamson and Senator Tony Sheldon at a cultural burn held during the National Gathering.
    Gabrielle Connole, CC BY-NC-ND

    It represented a hopeful sign that cultural burning might be increasingly used as a tool for disaster mitigation. After all, McAllister isn’t the minister for Indigenous affairs or the environment – her role is emergency management. At last month’s meeting, Indigenous peoples spoke of their desire and inherent right to be involved in disaster management.

    Cultural burning is, of course, vitally important to culture. But these gentle, regular burns were one of the main ways Indigenous groups managed land. They created mosaics of burned and unburned land, reducing the chance of megafires by burning fuel loads and creating safe havens in dangerous times.

    Networks of Indigenous groups have begun using fire to once again care for Country all around Australia. These are positive signs. But there is more to do to dismantle remaining barriers to mainstreaming cultural burning – and making it possible to use these ancient techniques to reduce, or avoid, disasters.

    An ancient practice rekindled

    The evidence of Indigenous land management using fire is significant and growing.

    This evidence has emerged through formal truth-telling processes such as Yoorrook, whose commissioners heard about the deliberate suppression of Indigenous land management in Victoria. It has come from ongoing academic research stitching settler accounts of the land and observations of how Indigenous groups used fire. In 1802, for instance, the settler John Murray recorded his amazement at how Boon Wurrung people set and controlled fire in Victoria’s Western Port Bay. The fire, which “must have covered an acre of ground”, was “dous’d […] at once”.

    In Mary Gilmore’s account of 19th-century colonial life in the New South Wales Riverina, she writes:

    As to fire, it was [Indigenous people] who taught our first settlers to get bushes and beat out a conflagration […] Indeed, it was a constant wonder, when I was little, how easily [Indigenous people] would check a fire before it grew too big for close handling or start a return fire when and where it was safest.

    These historical observations are complementary to the work of passing on knowledge of fire to the next generation. Taken together, they reveal a fundamental truth about Australia – it is a land of fire, and Indigenous people are the masters.

    The return of parcels of land to Indigenous groups in recent decades means we can restart these ancient fire regimes, through Indigenous rangers and other organisations.

    The return of ancient practices

    The management of land over deep time by Indigenous groups has meant people and the land effectively co-evolved.

    Since 1788, colonisation and Indigenous dispossession have radically altered many parts of Australia. Land was cleared for farms, cities, roads and infrastructure. Rivers were dammed for irrigation.

    Grasslands and yam fields were converted to livestock farms or cropping. Forested areas in some areas were cleared and in other areas thickly regrew, replacing the park-like mix of grassland and stands of trees produced by Indigenous land management. Thirsty crops such as cotton were planted, siphoning off huge volumes of water from lakes and rivers.

    John Glover’s 1838 painting shows open savannahs and grasslands in the Surrey Hills district of north-west Tasmania. In our time, this area has become temperate rainforest.
    Art Gallery of NSW

    Even the creation of national parks transformed landscapes, as Western practices of more passive management replaced active Indigenous management.

    The suppression of cultural burning brought yet more difficult change to Australia’s plants and animals. Australia now has one of the highest extinction rates of animals in the world. But cultural burning is being applied as a method to help protect vulnerable species, such as the Corroboree Frog.

    Over years, Indigenous groups have worked diligently and strategically to rekindle this ancient practice. But they have also reimagined it. It’s time to ask the question: what would it mean to bring back cultural burning at scale?

    No longer do Indigenous groups apply fire as a normal and everyday rhythm of life, stopping to light small fires as they walk. It’s now much more deliberate, requiring careful planning, creation of fire breaks and management of fire using trucks and heavy machinery.

    Even ignition is done differently. For a ceremony, firesticks will be used, with further lighting done using drip torches. In remote areas, fires are lit from helicopters, making it possible to cover vast areas.

    Combining these ancient and contemporary practices creates something fundamentally new. We require innovative discourses to better describe these developments.

    Indigenous Yika rangers burn using drip torches.
    Rohan Carboon/Indigenous Desert Alliance, CC BY

    New fire season, new hazards

    This fire season is likely to be a dangerous one. The seasonal bushfire outlook released by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Council projects the risk of early fires and a higher-than-usual bushfire risk over vast areas of Australia.

    Large parts of Australia are forecast to have a higher fire risk this spring.
    Australasian Fire and Emergency Council, CC BY-SA

    Recent rainy La Nina years triggered rapid vegetation growth in many areas, increasing the fuel load. Fire authorities are worried about what a forecast hot, dry, windy summer will mean.

    In recent years, Indigenous ranger groups have been undertaking cool burns as much as possible. In arid areas, there are fears of fast-moving grass fires due to the spread of introduced and highly flammable buffel grass.

    As danger from climate change intensifies, making volatile and combustible landscapes safer poses challenges both complex – and urgent.

    Indigenous groups around Australia have begun the work of rekindling cultural burns, but barriers still remain. Responsibility for fire management in state forests, national parks and on private land has long been split between government authorities and landholders. It’s time this disaster management work by Indigenous groups was recognised and magnified by governments.

    To mainstream cultural burning will mean finding ways of sharing the knowledge of when and how to burn, and resourcing Indigenous groups to undertake training and burns. Doing this will not only benefit the land and Indigenous groups, but all Australians.



    Read more:
    Before the colonists came, we burned small and burned often to avoid big fires. It’s time to relearn cultural burning

    Bhiamie Williamson leads the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Program at Monash University. He is also a Director of the environmental charity Country Needs People.

    – ref. Cultural burning isn’t just important to Indigenous culture – it’s essential to Australia’s disaster management – https://theconversation.com/cultural-burning-isnt-just-important-to-indigenous-culture-its-essential-to-australias-disaster-management-241269

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Being mentally flexible might influence our attitudes to vaccination, a new study shows

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Gomes-Ng, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Auckland University of Technology

    Getty Images

    Making decisions about our health is a complex and sometimes difficult process.

    On top of our own attitudes, experiences and perspectives, we are inundated with information from other people (friends, family, health professionals) and from external sources (news or social media) about what it means to be healthy.

    Sometimes, this information is consistent with what we think about our own health. At other times, it may contradict our own beliefs. And to make things even more complicated, sometimes this information is deliberate misinformation.

    How do we make sense of all this when making decisions about our health? What determines whether we hold fast to our attitudes, or change our minds?

    Most of us can probably relate to this. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to change many of our behaviours to slow the spread of the virus. This meant working from home, wearing a mask, staying in our “bubbles”, and eventually getting the vaccine.

    While the decision to get vaccinated was an obvious one for many people, it was not as straightforward for others. Research from the period immediately before the COVID vaccine became available in New Zealand showed a sizeable minority was unsure about or unlikely to be vaccinated.

    These people were more likely to be young, female and less educated, and were primarily concerned about unknown future side effects. Our new research suggests cognitive (mental) flexibility may also have something to do with attitudes towards vaccination.

    A flexible mind

    Past research suggests mental flexibility plays an important role in our decision-making. Imagine changing the way you do something at work, having a discussion with someone with a different opinion, or being told you should make healthier choices (such as exercising more).

    Some people navigate these situations with ease. Others find it more difficult to adapt. Mental flexibility describes this ability to adapt our attitudes, thoughts or behaviours when faced with new or changing information.

    Studies show mental flexibility influences how extreme our opinions are, how likely we are to believe misinformation or “fake news”, whether we make pro-environmental choices or engage in health-promoting behaviours (sun protection or physical exercise, for example).

    To increase vaccination coverage, governments often use education campaigns that emphasise the safety, effectiveness and importance of vaccination. However, these campaigns don’t always succeed in reducing feelings of uncertainty about vaccination.



    Read more:
    Vaccine hesitancy is one of the greatest threats to global health – and the pandemic has made it worse

    We wanted to know why, and we thought mental flexibility might play a role. To test this, we surveyed 601 New Zealanders on their opinions and experiences of vaccination.

    Some questions asked about external factors, such as how easy they thought it was to access or afford vaccines. Other questions asked about internal factors, such as personal beliefs about vaccination, perceptions of their own heath, and how important or safe they thought vaccines were.

    Overall, our participants reported few external barriers to vaccination, with 97% saying they found vaccines accessible or affordable. These percentages are promising, and may reflect the government’s continued efforts to make it easier to get a vaccine.

    In comparison, internal factors played a larger role in vaccine uncertainty or hesitancy. In particular, nearly a quarter (22%) of participants reported concerns about the health risks of vaccines. And 12% said they didn’t trust the processes or people who developed vaccines.

    Health information campaigns don’t always succeed in reducing anxiety or uncertainty.
    Getty Images

    Testing adaptive behaviour

    We also asked our participants to play a game designed to measure mental flexibility.

    This involved matching cards based on a rule – for example, match the cards with the same number of objects. The rule would randomly change during the game, meaning participants had to adapt their behaviour as the game went on.

    Interestingly, people who found it harder to adapt to the rule changes (meaning they had lower levels of mental flexibility) also reported more internal barriers to vaccination.

    For example, when we split participants into two groups based on their mental flexibility, the low-flexibility group was 18% more likely to say vaccination was inconsistent with their beliefs. They were also 14% more likely to say they didn’t trust vaccines, and 11% more likely to report concerns about the negative side effects of vaccines.

    This wasn’t the case for external factors. Mental flexibility didn’t predict whether people thought vaccines were accessible or affordable.

    Information is sometimes not enough

    These results suggest making decisions about our health – including whether or not to get vaccinated – depends on more than receiving the “right” information.

    Simply being told about the importance of vaccination may not be enough to change attitudes or behaviours. It also depends on each person’s unique cognitive style – the way they perceive and process information.

    Declining vaccination rates have been a concern worldwide, including in New Zealand, since well before the pandemic. Our findings suggest health education campaigns may be more effective if they take into account the role of cognitive flexibility.

    One technique is to change the way information is framed. For example, instead of just presenting facts about the safety or importance of vaccination, education campaigns could encourage us to question our own perspectives, or to imagine alternative realities by asking “what if?” questions.

    Research shows this type of framing can engage our deliberative thought processes (the ones that help us to think deeply and critically), increase mental flexibility, and ultimately make us more receptive to change.

    Stephanie Gomes-Ng received funding from the Ember Korowai Takitini Trust for this research. The funders had no influence over the study’s conceptualisation, design, methodology, data collection or interpretation, nor the decision to publish.

    – ref. Being mentally flexible might influence our attitudes to vaccination, a new study shows – https://theconversation.com/being-mentally-flexible-might-influence-our-attitudes-to-vaccination-a-new-study-shows-241559

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Abortion is back in the headlines in Australia. The debates in the United States tell us why

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Prudence Flowers, Senior Lecturer in US History, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Flinders University

    The 2022 news that the US Supreme Court had overturned Roe v Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion sent shockwaves around the world.

    For Australian opponents of abortion who had long looked to the US for leadership and inspiration, it prompted rejoicing.

    As a leader of Cherish Life Queensland put it, “if the USA can do it, with God’s help, so can we”.

    In late 2024, the abortion issue has suddenly erupted in Queensland and South Australia. A subset of local conservatives, energised by the fall of Roe v Wade and the example of Donald Trump, are embracing the divisive “culture war” tactics that dominate US politics.

    Abortion and Australian politics in 2024

    In the 2020 Queensland election, the Liberal National Party (LNP) has promised a “review” of the legislation that had decriminalised abortion two years prior. However, the party has spent most of the 2024 campaign studiously avoiding the issue.

    That is, until Robbie Katter MP, of Katter’s Australia Party, threw a spanner in the works.

    On October 8, Katter announced that if the LNP won, as was widely predicted, he would immediately introduce a private member’s bill to repeal the state abortion law.

    LNP leader David Crisafulli, who voted against decriminalisation, insists that changing the law is “not part of our plan”.

    However, last week Crisafulli was asked 132 times about abortion and the issue of conscience votes and refused to provide a clear answer.

    In the final leaders’ debate on Tuesday night, Crisafulli finally said there would be no change to abortion law and he was “pro-choice”.

    However, that is unlikely to be the end of the issue – opposition to abortion runs deep in the LNP.

    Party policy in 2018 was that abortion should remain a criminal offence. Despite being a conscience vote, the three LNP members who voted for decriminalisation were threatened with “punishment” afterwards.

    In 2024, several new anti–abortion candidates are running for the LNP. Former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker is a particularly high-profile one, having repeatedly addressed the Brisbane March for Life rally.

    The furore over the future of reproductive rights in Queensland occurred in parallel with controversy over anti-abortion legislation introduced by state Liberal MP Ben Hood in South Australia.

    His bill required anyone needing to end a pregnancy after 28 weeks to have labour induced and for the baby to be delivered alive, regardless of the health outcomes for the pregnant person or infant.

    Peak medical and legal bodies condemned the bill, which critics described as a “forced birth” measure. It was narrowly defeated in the upper house on October 16.

    Federally, Senator Jacinta Price has also called for abortion to be back on the “national agenda” and condemned abortion after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Her stance is out of step with abortion law in all Australian jurisdictions.



    Read more:
    Abortion is now legal across Australia – but it’s still hard to access. Doctors are both the problem and the solution

    Public and party opinion

    This sudden uptick in anti-abortion politics does not reflect Australian attitudes.

    A 2024 poll found 75% of Queenslanders agreed that decriminalising abortion had been the right action.

    This view was shared across partisan and geographical lines, held by 73% of LNP voters and 78% of regional Queenslanders.

    Historian Cassandra Byrnes demonstrates that these pro-choice attitudes have deep roots. A majority of the public opposed the police raids on abortion clinics that occurred under Nationals premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

    A 2020 poll of South Australians found 80% supported decriminalisation. And 63% considered that later abortion should be available “when the woman and her healthcare team decide it is necessary”.

    The LNP’s hostility towards decriminalisation was also markedly different from the approach in other states.

    Notably, in both New South Wales and South Australia, prominent Liberals, including premiers, voted to decriminalise abortion.

    In South Australia, two senior Liberals, Minister for Human Services Michelle Lensink and Attorney-General Vickie Chapman, led the cross-party group that achieved law reform.

    Importing the culture wars

    When Australian states and territories debated decriminalisation, anti-abortion opponents relied heavily on tactics, pseudoscientific evidence and outright misinformation that first emerged in the United States.



    Read more:
    How the US right-to-life movement is influencing the abortion debate in Australia

    For example, in 2008, one Victorian group controversially distributed graphic photographs of aborted fetuses, and American diagrams and descriptions of later abortion procedures.

    Now, as Australian conservatives seek to reopen the debate over abortion, American influence underpins the rhetoric and framing.

    For decades, opponents of abortion in the United States focused on chipping away abortion rights and eroding access. They never accepted that abortion was health care.

    Since 1995, their central focus was also on the statistically rare abortions performed after 20 weeks gestation. This focus has been imported wholesale into Australia.

    The anti-abortion activism surrounding Hood’s bill reflects these approaches. Opponents of abortions waged a broad and stigmatising campaign against abortion after 22 weeks and six days, the legal point in South Australia after which two medical practitioners must approve an abortion.

    Hood’s bill is best interpreted as an anti-abortion “messaging” exercise rather than a genuine attempt to amend the law.

    For decades, this was the default tactic motivating Republicans when they introduced extreme, unenforceable bills. The purpose was not legislative change but to amplify their rhetoric and arguments and energise conservative voters.

    Opposition to abortion is also part of a broader rightward shift taking place among some state Liberal branches.

    In South Australia, conservatives launched a power grab after abortion was decriminalised in 2021. This included a significant recruitment drive among Pentecostals.

    A similar recruiting focus on conservative religious faith groups has also occurred in Victoria, triggered by LGBTQI+ victories.

    In South Australia, the party takeover is openly led by Senator Alex Antic. He made a name for himself through his hostility to COVID-19 vaccines and his opposition to trans and abortion rights.

    Antic praises Trump and seeks out connections with conservatives who are or have been close to him, including Steven Bannon and Donald Trump junior.

    Meanwhile, in Queensland, Crisafulli’s desperate efforts not to be pinned down on abortion offer a local version of themes in the 2024 presidential election.

    Because Republicans have experienced significant voter backlash over abortion, Trump has charted an uneasy course.

    Trump claims sole responsibility for the end of Roe v Wade while simultaneously denying any connection to the abortion bans now in place in many states.

    Like Crisafulli, Trump has been unclear about what his victory would mean for reproductive rights.

    Political commentator Mark Kenny concludes that an “ideological battle” is unfolding among Australian Liberals.

    As in the United States, unwavering hostility to abortion is proving central to these politicians as a way to signify their priorities to voters and define themselves against others in their party.

    Prudence Flowers has received funding from the South Australian Department of Human Services. She is a member of the South Australian Abortion Action Coalition.

    – ref. Abortion is back in the headlines in Australia. The debates in the United States tell us why – https://theconversation.com/abortion-is-back-in-the-headlines-in-australia-the-debates-in-the-united-states-tell-us-why-241778

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Prevents Tax Dollars from Funding Anti-Second Amendment Groups

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – To combat discrimination against gun owners, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is supporting theFirearm Industry Non-Discrimination (FIND) Act to stop the federal government from entering into contracts with entities that promote anti-Second Amendment policies.
    Because of her tireless commitment to protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners, Senator Ernst recentlyearned an “A+” rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). 
    This summer, Ernst crushed some clays at Ingawanis Adventure Base in Bremer County.
    “Taxpayers should not be funding groups that are actively working to erode and eliminate their God-given right to protect themselves and their families,” said Ernst. “The Second Amendment is foundational to this country and under no circumstance should the federal government be doing businesses with those looking to infringe upon the Constitution. I will always stand up for gun owners and protect their rights from gun grabbers in Washington.”
    “We’re thankful for Senator Ernst’s focus on protecting the rights of lawful citizens practicing their Second Amendment. Her support of the FIND Act will halt discriminatory practices against the firearm industry in their tracks. We look forward to continuing our work with Senator Ernst to expose and correct the infringement of our Constitutional rights,” said John B. McLaughlin, Iowa Firearms Coalition Chairman.
    “Under the Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination (FIND) Act, ‘woke’ corporations that choose to use their financial might to deny essential services to members of the firearm industry would no longer benefit from taxpayer-funded federal contracts. We thank Senator Ernst for supporting the FIND Act and for her commitment to preserving and protecting the Second Amendment rights of her constituents and the industry that makes the exercise of those rights possible. It is because of her efforts that Senator Ernst earned an A+ on the 2024 NSSF Congressional Report Card, which is a comprehensive analysis of our elected representatives’ positions on firearm and ammunition industry priorities in the 118th Congress,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
    “It’s been a joy to work with Sen. Ernst and her office to protect the 2nd Amendment and to know that we woman have such a strong supporter in her,” said Jeanelle Westrom, Iowa Director of Women for Gun Rights.
    Click here to read the bill.
    Background:
    Senator Ernst has fought back against numerous attempts by the Biden-Harris administration to infringe upon the Second Amendment.
    She led the FIREARM Act to protect gun dealers’ Second Amendment rights in the face of the Biden Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) “zero tolerance” crackdown.
    Ernst worked to hold the ATF accountable by standing up against ATF agents knocking on the doors of private residences, where many law-abiding gun owners live, and asking them to display a recently purchased firearm.
    She has also exposed the ATF’s routine misclassification of administrative positions as law enforcement jobs, improperly costing the federal agency millions in pay and enhanced benefits over a five-year span.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy To Cosponsor Legislation To Hold Georgian Officials Accountable For Corruption, Human Rights Abuses, And Anti-Democratic Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    October 23, 2024

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday announced his intention to join U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Jim Risch (R-Id.) in introducing the Georgian People’s Act, legislation that would hold Georgian government officials and individuals responsible for corruption, human rights abuses, and efforts to advance the foreign influence law or facilitate its passage. 
    The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), Angus King (I-Maine), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and George Helmy (D-N.J.) have also requested to join the Senators’ Georgian People’s Act when the Senate reconvenes in November.
    “Russia’s use of corruption, propaganda and violence doesn’t just threaten Georgia’s future as a strong, independent nation—it puts the entire international order at risk of collapse,” said Murphy. “As Putin and his cronies try to undermine Georgia’s democracy and impose a government that will do their bidding, this bipartisan legislation makes clear the United States stands firmly with the Georgian people who overwhelmingly support democracy and a future in Europe.”
    “I’m pleased that a number of my Senate colleagues recognize the urgency of the situation in Georgia and have agreed to cosponsor the Georgian People’s Act in the U.S. Senate,” said Shaheen. “Together, we’re sending a strong message that there is robust bipartisan support for our legislation and our posture towards Georgia and support for the Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations will remain unchanged no matter which party controls Washington.” 
    “This bill sends a strong message from Congress that the U.S. is united behind the Georgian people as they pursue a future in the transatlantic community,” said Risch. “We recognize the Georgian people’s desire for European integration and are committed to making U.S. policy that supports the opportunity for them achieve it.” 
    “The Georgian government’s embrace of pro-Russian policies and away from a Euro-Atlantic future is concerning,” said Tillis. “I am proud to co-sponsor this bill to hold the Georgian government officials accountable and reaffirm the U.S. support for the Georgian people.” 
    “The Georgian government’s shift towards Russia’s authoritarian regime and away from its European partners is alarming,” said Cornyn. “This legislation would hold Georgia’s corrupt leaders accountable and signal to the Georgian people that the U.S. stands with them in their pursuit of a Euro-Atlantic future.” 
    “While the Georgian people have demonstrated overwhelming support for a democratic future, their government has become increasingly under Russia’s influence—most recently passing a law to restrict civil society and free speech,” said Romney. “Our legislation would hold Georgian government officials responsible for corruption and demonstrate the United States’ commitment to the Georgian people’s fight for democracy and rule of law.” 
    “A free, secure, sovereign Georgia, aligned with the US and its allies is in the national interest, both of Georgia and the United States,” said Sullivan. “Georgia’s apparent drift back into Russia’s orbit is bad for the stability of the region. No one understands this better than the Georgian people themselves. According to polling from the International Republican Institute, 90% of Georgians want their nation to be part of the Western, free World, not the Russian World.” 
    “The United States stands with the Georgian people and their pursuit of a Euro-Atlantic future. The Georgian government’s recent efforts to align with Russia reject the desires of Georgians and pose a significant threat. Our bipartisan bill would hold Georgian government officials accountable for corruption and express our support for the transatlantic aspirations of the Georgian people,” said Young. 
    Full text of the legislation is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Bolstering Food Security in Africa

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    The Australian Government is bolstering Africa’s ability to withstand the escalating impacts of climate change and combatting food insecurity through a new Africa-Australia Partnership for Climate Responsive Agriculture.

    To be announced at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where climate change is a major focus, the Partnership will use Australian expertise to support the climate resilience of farming communities in Africa. 

    Delivered by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) over a six-year period, the first year of $11.9 million in funding will contribute to the development of new bilateral research projects and training programs, in close collaboration with local partners. 

    ACIAR is already supporting impactful research in Eastern and Southern Africa, including the improvement of sustainable crop and livestock systems, and forest management practices as well as plant biosecurity to stimulate commercial options for smallholder farmers.

    The Partnership will allow ACIAR to expand its operations into Northern and Western Africa, as well as deliver capacity development and innovative partnerships across the continent.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong: 

    “Through innovative partnerships and Australian know-how, we are helping build a future where communities are fed, economies are stronger and the environment is protected. It’s about securing a better, more resilient future for all.

    “This initiative will help address food insecurity in regions most exposed to climate change’s devastating impacts.

    “It is another example of the Albanese Government’s commitment to helping our partners across the world in the fight against climate change and our work to shape the world for the better.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for International Development, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

    “Investing in Africa’s food security through climate-responsive agriculture is also an investment in Australian farmers and those throughout our region who are facing similar climate impacts.

    “This will help secure lives and livelihoods for decades to come.”

    Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP: 

    “Australia is a trusted partner in agricultural innovation and this Partnership will further deepen our economic and research ties with Africa.

    “By sharing expertise and resources with African nations, we are helping to build resilient communities that can withstand the interconnected challenges of food security and climate change.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Labrador Joins 25-State Letter to Columbia University Concerning Antisemitism on Campus

    Source: US State of Idaho

    [BOISE] – Attorney General Raúl Labrador joined a 25-state coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to Columbia University to raise grave concerns about antisemitism on campus. The letter also encourages the university not to give in to demands to divest from Israel.
    “Like most Americans, I was dismayed at the antisemitic protests occurring on college campuses across the country,” said Attorney General Raúl Labrador.  “However, despite the demands from pro-Palestinian student groups and others supporting Hamas, I am encouraged that Columbia University has not divested from Israel.  I urge them to continue to resist that pressure.”
    The letter, to Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong, MD, says, “In April of this year, several pro-Palestinian groups staged occupation protests on Columbia University’s campus in New York City, established encampments, and demanded the university divest from Israel. Even after some protesters were arrested, occupations continued, and the school entered negotiations with protesters. The school appropriately declined to divest from Israel. But demands for divestment have not abated. And the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks heralded an escalation in antisemitic rhetoric by pro-Palestinian campus protest groups.”
    The letter goes on to list examples of actions and rhetoric by pro-Palestinian protesters calling for even more violence, including one member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest saying the school was lucky he wasn’t out killing Zionists.
    The letter from the attorneys general commends Columbia University for its decision not to divest from Israel and urges the administration to maintain that position, despite blatantly antisemitic pressure from some pro-Palestinian student groups.
    The letter was co-led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. In addition to Idaho, the letter was joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
    The letter can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: TAG Oil Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Units

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TAG Oil Ltd. (TSXV:TAO, OTCQX:TAOIF, and FSE:T0P) (“TAG Oil” or the “Company”) announces pricing of its previously announced $10 million marketed public offering of units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of $0.17 per Unit (the “Offering”).

    Certain members of management and directors of the Company intend to participate alongside investors in the Offering.

    The Offering is being led by Research Capital Corporation, as lead agent and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of agents, including Beacon Securities Limited, Canaccord Genuity Corp., Haywood Securities Inc., Ventum Financial Corp. and Tennyson Securities (collectively, the “Agents”).

    Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (“Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share (a “Warrant Share”) at an exercise price equal to $0.25 per Warrant Share at any time up to 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

    The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to advance appraisal and development activities in the Western Desert, Egypt, at both the Badr Oil Field and strategic new 512,000-acre concession and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Activities to be advanced with the proceeds include executing re-entry work on multiple existing wells to recomplete and/or drill a sidetrack into existing conventional oil reservoirs, the drilling of new vertical delineation wells in the unconventional Abu Roash “F” (ARF) resource play targeting high intensity natural fractured areas, and the planning of the next horizontal well with multi-stage frac.

    In addition, the Company plans to also complete a third-party resource report on the new strategic 512,000-acre concession that is in the process of being acquired and conduct a potential strategic joint venture partnership process.

    The Company has granted the Agents an option, exercisable in whole or in part, at the sole discretion of the Agents, at any time, from time to time, for a period of 30 days from and including the closing of the Offering, to purchase from the Company up to an additional 15% of the Units sold under the Offering, and/or the components thereof, on the same terms and conditions of the Offering to cover over-allotments, if any, and for market stabilization purposes.

    The Offering is expected to close on or about the week of November 13, 2024, or such other date as the Company and the Agents may agree. Closing of the Offering is subject to customary closing conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the securities regulatory authorities and the TSX Venture Exchange.

    The Company will file an amended and restated preliminary short form prospectus for up to 58,823,529 Units at the price of $0.17 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $10 million (the “Amended and Restated Preliminary Prospectus”) with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada (other than Québec) amending and restating the preliminary short form prospectus filed on October 21, 2024 setting out the terms of the Offering. The Amended and Restated Preliminary Prospectus will be available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com. The Units are being offered in each of the provinces of Canada (except Québec) and may be offered in the United States on a private placement basis pursuant to an appropriate exemption from the registration requirements under applicable U.S. law, and outside of Canada and the United States on a private placement or equivalent basis. Prospective investors should read the Amended and Restated Preliminary Prospectus and other documents the Company has filed before making an investment decision.

    This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

    About TAG Oil Ltd.

    TAG Oil (http://www.tagoil.com/) is a Canadian based international oil and gas exploration company with a focus on operations and opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.

    For further information:

    Toby Pierce, Chief Executive Officer
    Phone: 1 604 609 3355

    Email: info@tagoil.com
    Website: http://www.tagoil.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tag-oil-ltd
    X: https://twitter.com/tagoilltd

    Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release includes certain statements and information that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to the completion of the Offering and the timing in respect thereof, participation by management of the Company in the Offering, the use of proceeds of the Offering, timely receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Exchange, the filing of the Amended and Restated Preliminary Prospectus and the proposed completion of a third party resource report.

    Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of TAG Oil. Such statements can generally, but not always, be identified by words such as “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “schedules”, “prepares”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. All statements that describe the Company’s plans relating to operations and potential strategic opportunities are forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and are reliant on assumptions made by the Company’s management, and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking information, actual results could materially differ from those currently projected, and there is no representation by TAG Oil that the actual results realized in the future will be the same in whole or in part as those presented herein. TAG Oil disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. Readers are referred to the additional information regarding TAG Oil’s business contained in TAG Oil’s reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. For more information on TAG Oil and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review TAG Oil’s filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

    TAG Oil provides no assurance that forward-looking statements and information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

    Exploration for hydrocarbons is a speculative venture necessarily involving substantial risk. The Company’s future success in exploiting and increasing its current reserve base will depend on its ability to develop its current properties and on its ability to discover and acquire properties or prospects that are capable of commercial production. However, there is no assurance that the Company’s future exploration and development efforts will result in the discovery or development of additional commercial accumulations of oil and natural gas.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 23.10.2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    23 October 2024 at 22:30 EET

    Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 23.10.2024

    Espoo, Finland – On 23 October 2024 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows:

    Trading venue (MIC Code) Number of shares Weighted average price / share, EUR*
    XHEL 1,334,469 4.34
    CEUX 394,178 4.34
    BATE – –
    AQEU – –
    TQEX – –
    Total 1,728,647 4.34

    * Rounded to two decimals

    On 25 January 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to return up to EUR 600 million of cash to shareholders in tranches over a period of two years. The first phase of the share buyback program started on 20 March 2024. On 19 July 2024, Nokia decided to accelerate the share buybacks by increasing the number of shares to be repurchased during the year 2024. The post-increase repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 22 July 2024 and end by 31 December 2024 with a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 600 million for all purchases during 2024.

    Total cost of transactions executed on 23 October 2024 was EUR 7,504,921. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 181,887,229 treasury shares.

    Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement.

    On behalf of Nokia Corporation

    BofA Securities Europe SA

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

    Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 40 803 4080
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan Launches 2024-2025 Youth Advisory Council

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Semester-Long District Program Will Give High School Students a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Congress

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) announced the launch of her inaugural Youth Advisory Council District Program to provide high school students with a platform to engage with McClellan, her congressional staff, and current events through monthly meetings. 

    “Active and informed citizens make up the foundation of a thriving democracy. From its inception, young people have played an invaluable role in pushing our nation forward. Our students should be given every opportunity to learn about our democratic process, share their perspectives, and have their voices heard,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Throughout my career in public office, I have worked to demystify our political processes, inform my constituents, and empower them to participate. My inaugural Youth Advisory Council program will give high school students in Virginia’s Fourth the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of Congress, the role of congressional staff, and my work in Washington.” 

    Open to all high school students currently residing or attending school in Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District, the Youth Advisory Council consists of monthly meetings with members of McClellan’s Washington, D.C. and District staff. Council members will delve into the legislative process, constituent casework and district outreach, and congressional communications and media relations. Council members will also have the opportunity to engage directly with McClellan, culminating in a policy discussion and volunteer oppo​​unity with the Congresswoman. 

    The application period is now open. Eligible high school students can submit their applications now until December 30th, 2024. The Council will begin in late January and run through early May. 

    Additional information, including application requirements, program overview, and upcoming deadlines are available on McClellan’s website. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Josh Brecheen, Senator Rick Scott Introduce Debt-Per-Citizen Transparency Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Brecheen (2nd District)

    Washington, D.C. – Congressman Josh Brecheen and Senator Rick Scott(R-FL) introduced the Debt-Per-Citizen Transparency Act, which requires all Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimates to include how much the bill will affect the total debt-to-citizen ratio. 

    “With our national debt at more than $35 trillion, it is essential that lawmakers are made aware of how much legislation will affect the total debt-per-citizen ratio before voting on it,” said Congressman Josh Brecheen. “Every child born today owes more than $104,000 as their share of our national debt. It is long past time we reverse this curse and stop stealing prosperity from our children and our grandchildren.”

    “The national debt has reached an unsustainable $35+ trillion dollars and it is beyond time for some accountability to the American people. When you break it down, that works out to over $104,000 per child born today—we cannot continue to saddle our next generation with this debt. It is taking away their chance at the American Dream right before our eyes. I will not stand for it, and that is why I am introducing a bill that notifies Congress and the American people just how much a piece of legislation will impact the American people’s financial burden before they vote and continue to grow the debt-to-citizen ratio. They have a right to know,” said Senator Rick Scott. 

    Read the full bill text here.

    Original cosponsors include Representatives Greg Lopez (R-CO) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN). 

    Group support includes Heritage Action and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. 

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Smith Working to Secure Funding for Projects for St. Cloud and Surrounding Communities in Year End Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    The Senate and House Appropriations Committees Advanced Funding Bills with Resources for Minnesota Projects Secured and Backed by Klobuchar, Smith

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the Fiscal Year 2025 federal budget bills that passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committees includes projects to benefit St. Cloud and surrounding communities. These projects would invest in public infrastructure, emergency services, and workforce development. On September 26, the Senate and House agreed to avoid a shutdown and continue to negotiate on a final budget proposal. Klobuchar and Smith will fight to ensure these projects are included in that final year-end bill.

    “From upgrading critical infrastructure to investing first responders, we worked with local leaders to secure resources important to St. Cloud and surrounding communities” said Klobuchar. “Once completed, these projects will improve quality of life for Minnesotans.”

    “Those closest to an issue have the best solutions, and these projects were developed and designed to fit the specific needs of St. Cloud,” said Smith. “From expanding opportunities for students at SCTCC or upgrading our water infrastructure, to renovating the Cold Spring Fire Station, fixing Town Line and Heatherwood Roads, or helping Habitat for Humanity build more affordable housing, these projects will help strengthen our communities and I look forward to working with Senator Klobuchar to get them passed and signed into law.” 

    Klobuchar and Smith have successfully secured the following projects in the Appropriations Committee-approved bill:

    • $1,136,000 for the St. Cloud Technical & Community College to develop an Aircraft Maintenance Technician Certified Instructional Program Expansion.
    • $2,000,000 for the City of Big Lake’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN).
    • $7,000,000 for North Central Watab Watershed Flood Mitigation projects. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN).
    • $7,000,000 for the Heatherwood Road Infrastructure and Multi-Modal Improvements Project in St. Cloud. The project extends a major regional roadway and trail, replaces an out of service bridge, and installs new water and sewer infrastructure. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN).
    • $2,000,000 for renovations at the Cold Spring Fire Station. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach (R-MN).
    • $1,500,000 for the reconstruction of Town Line Road to meet current design standards for traffic levels, including six-foot paved shoulders, right turn lanes and safer roadsides and improving structural capacity to 10-ton axle weights. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN).
    • $920,000 for the City of Lake Henry for wastewater infrastructure improvements. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach (R-MN).
    • $750,000 for the City of Princeton’s Mille Lacs County Joint Radio Simulcast Equipment Project.
    • $420,000 for Central MN Habitat for Humanity to build infrastructure for affordable housing projects. 

    Klobuchar and Smith have been actively involved in securing this federal funding for projects benefiting communities across the state through a process called “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS). During the CDS process, Klobuchar and Smith have considered project proposals and advocated for funding in close coordination with leaders from across the state.

    The projects are expected to pass the Senate over the next several months.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Smith Working to Secure Funding for Projects for Pine County in Year End Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    The Senate and House Appropriations Committees Advanced Funding Bills with Resources for Minnesota Projects Secured and Backed by Klobuchar, Smith

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the Fiscal Year 2025 federal budget bills that passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committees include projects to benefit Pine County. These projects would invest in public water infrastructure and workforce housing. On September 26, the Senate and House agreed to avoid a shutdown and continue to negotiate on a final budget proposal. Klobuchar and Smith will fight to ensure these projects are included in that final year-end bill.  

    “From upgrading critical water infrastructure in Pine City to investing in workforce housing in Sandstone, we worked with local leaders to secure resources important to Pine County,” said Klobuchar. “Once completed, these projects will improve quality of life for Minnesotans.”

    “Those closest to an issue have the best solutions, and these projects were developed and designed to fit the specific needs of Pine County,” said Smith. “From updating Pine City’s wastewater treatment system to redeveloping the Historic Sandstone School into affordable workforce housing, these projects will help strengthen our communities and I look forward to working with Senator Klobuchar to get them passed and signed into law.”

    Klobuchar and Smith have successfully secured the following projects in the Appropriations Committee-approved bill:

    • $750,000 for Pine City’s Wastewater Treatment Pond System Upgrade Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $850,000 for the Sandstone School Workforce Housing Project to develop 31 units of workforce housing. 

    Klobuchar and Smith have been actively involved in securing this federal funding for projects benefiting communities across the state through a process called “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS). During the CDS process, Klobuchar and Smith have considered project proposals and advocated for funding in close coordination with leaders from across the state.

    The projects are expected to pass the Senate over the next several months.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Smith Working to Secure Funding for Projects for Benton County in Year End Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    The Senate and House Appropriations Committees Advanced Funding Bills with Resources for Minnesota Projects Secured and Backed by Klobuchar, Smith

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the Fiscal Year 2025 federal budget bills that passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committees includes projects to benefit Benton County. These projects would invest in public infrastructure. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN). On September 26, the Senate and House agreed to avoid a shutdown and continue to negotiate on a final budget proposal. Klobuchar and Smith will fight to ensure these projects are included in that final year-end bill.

    “We worked with local leaders to secure resources important to upgrading critical wastewater infrastructure in Benton County,” said Klobuchar. “Once completed, these projects will improve quality of life for Minnesotans.”

    “Minnesotans deserve to have safe, clean water,” said Smith. “Benton County is no exception, and this investment will update the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure system, directly impacting all of its residents.”

    Klobuchar and Smith have successfully secured the following projects in the Appropriations Committee-approved bill:

    • $2,000,000 for the City of Foley for Water Treatment Plant and Well 6 Construction Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN). 
    • $2,000,000 for the City of Gilman to replace its wastewater collection pond and stormwater infrastructure. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN). 

    Klobuchar and Smith have been actively involved in securing this federal funding for projects benefiting communities across the state through a process called “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS). During the CDS process, Klobuchar and Smith have considered project proposals and advocated for funding in close coordination with leaders from across the state.

    The projects are expected to pass the Senate over the next several months.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Smith Working to Secure Funding for Projects for the Iron Range in Year End Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    The Senate and House Appropriations Committees Advanced Funding Bills with Resources for Minnesota Projects Secured and Backed by Klobuchar, Smith

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that Fiscal Year 2025 federal budget bills that passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committees include projects to benefit the Iron Range. These projects would invest in public infrastructure and local law enforcement. On September 26, the Senate and House agreed to avoid a shutdown and continue to negotiate on a final budget proposal. Klobuchar and Smith will fight to ensure these projects are included in that final year-end bill.

    “From upgrading critical infrastructure to investing in better tools for law enforcement, we worked with local leaders to secure resources important to the Iron Range,” said Klobuchar. “Once completed, these projects will improve quality of life for Minnesotans.”

    “Those closest to an issue have the best solutions, and these projects were developed and designed to fit the specific needs folks on the Iron Range,” said Smith. “From updating our water infrastructure in Ely, Hibbing, Keewatin, Coleraine, Eveleth and Mountain Iron to fixing Nashwauk’s infrastructure plans, these projects will help strengthen our communities and I look forward to working with Senator Klobuchar to get them passed and signed into law.”

    Klobuchar and Smith have successfully secured the following projects in the Appropriations Committee-approved bill:

    • $750,000 for the Mountain Iron/Eveleth for Watermain Loop Project. The funds would be used for the installation of five miles of water main from Mountain Iron to Eveleth, MN. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $1,000,000 for the City of Coleraine for reconstructing sewer, water, storm sewer, and street infrastructure. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $750,000 for the City of Keewatin for replacement of water/sewage infrastructure. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $2,000,000 for the City of Ely for Water Intake and Burntside Lake Water Main Replacement. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $2,000,000 for the City of Hibbing for Water Treatment Improvement and Expansion Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $1,000,000 for the City of Nashwauk’s Third Street Infrastructure Improvements Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).
    • $315,000 for the City of Cook’s Wastewater Treatment Pond Reconstruction Project. Klobuchar and Smith requested the funding along with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN).

    Klobuchar and Smith have been actively involved in securing this federal funding for projects benefiting communities across the state through a process called “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS). During the CDS process, Klobuchar and Smith have considered project proposals and advocated for funding in close coordination with leaders from across the state.

    The projects are expected to pass the Senate over the next several months.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Protecting Albertans’ rights and freedoms

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    In response to increasing concerns that regulated professional bodies may be going too far in limiting individual freedom of expression and imposing compulsory training beyond the scope of their professional practice, Alberta’s government is launching an engagement this fall that will include hearing directly from affected members.

    As part of the province’s commitment to protecting the civil liberties of all Albertans, the government is considering legislative changes to clarify that professional regulatory bodies are limited to regulating members’ professional competence and behaviour. The engagement will ensure that professional regulatory bodies uphold the rights and freedoms of their members, and that Albertans can share their experiences and opinions. 

    “Freedom of expression is a bedrock in a democratic society. We’re committed to standing up for Albertans’ freedom and that includes ensuring Albertans are not coerced into self-censorship because of threats from their professional regulated bodies. Organizations that regulate professionals must strike a balance that upholds competence and ethics without restricting members’ rights and freedoms and we are working to ensure that balance is met.”

    Danielle Smith, Premier

    “We have heard from professionals receiving complaints from regulators, and in some cases facing actual disciplinary action for expressing personal beliefs and opinions unrelated to their professional competencies. This situation could result in self-censorship and infringe on their ability to speak and express opinions freely. We are initiating this review to ensure members’ rights and freedoms are protected.”

    Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

    Eleven ministries with regulated professions in scope for this review will collect information and engage with professional regulatory bodies and other relevant groups as needed to inform policy decision-making.

    The review will be informed by input from professional regulatory bodies, regulated professionals and other organizations, associations or experts. These groups will be invited to share their views on whether regulatory oversight goes beyond professional competence and ethics in areas such as freedom of expression and opinion, training not related to professional competence, vexatious and bad faith complaints, third-party complaints and protection for those holding other roles in addition to their role as a regulated professional.

    Quick facts

    • Professional regulatory bodies protect the public interest by setting standards of competence and conduct for their members and disciplining those who fail to meet them.
    • The right to freedom of expression is protected under Section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
    • The review will include 118 regulated professional bodies under the mandates of 11 ministries.
      • These 118 professions and trades are governed by 67 different regulatory bodies. This number includes some provincial government ministries that directly regulate professions.
    • Each ministry did an inventory of the regulated professions under their mandates and determined which should be included in the review. Professions may be excluded from the review if:
      • They are not self-regulating.
      • Regulation for the profession is not yet in force.
      • There is no regulatory body or means to handle public complaints or disciplinary action against any member.
      • There is little or no regulatory role beyond certification.

    Related information

    • Regulated Professions Engagement

    Multimedia

    • Video with Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman DeSaulnier to Present Federal Funding to Benefit Transit in Livermore and Community Safety in Dublin on Tuesday, October 29th

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier Representing the 11th District of California

    Walnut Creek, C.A. – Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) announced he will present federal funding to improve transit in Livermore and public safety in Dublin on Tuesday, October 29th. This funding was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 4366), which included a total of $15.2 million in federal funding Congressman DeSaulnier secured for 15 projects across Contra Costa County and Alameda County.

    These events are open to press and photographers. Media interested in attending the event should RSVP to Mairead Glowacki at (202) 760-1365 or mairead.glowacki@mail.house.gov.

    First Event (Transit)
    TIME:      11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT
    WHERE: 875 Atlantis St., Livermore, CA 94551
    WHAT: Congressman DeSaulnier will present funding he and Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-14) secured for the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) to add an extra hydrogen fueling tank to support their entire fleet of zero-emission buses.
    WHO:
    U.S. Congressman Mark DeSaulnier
    LAVTA Executive Director, Christy Wegener
    LAVTA Board of Directors Chair, Evan Branning (City of Livermore) 
    Alameda County Supervisor, District 1, David Haubert
    Mayor of Dublin, Michael McCorriston
    Mayor of Pleasanton, Karla Brown

    Second Event (Public Safety)
    TIME:     12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT
    WHERE:     Dublin City Hall – 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, CA 94568
    WHAT: Congressman DeSaulnier will present funding he secured to the City of Dublin to increase community safety through purchase and installation of situational awareness cameras near public parks and schools.
    WHO:
    U.S. Congressman Mark DeSaulnier
    Mayor of Dublin, Michael McCorriston
    Vice Mayor of Dublin, Sherry Hu
    Dublin Councilmember, Jean Josey
    Dublin Councilmember, Kashef Qaadri
    Dublin Councilmember, Janine Thalblum
    Dublin Police Chief, Nat Schmidt
    Dublin City Manager, Colleen Tribby
    Superintendent of Dublin Unified School District, Chris Funk

    MIL OSI USA News –