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  • MIL-OSI USA: Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Enticement of a Minor, Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Enticement of a Minor, Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    lass=”usa-intro”>ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and production of child sexual abuse material following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation.

    Theron Charles Lord, 36, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years and up to life in federal prison for the production offense and a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life for the enticement offense. Lord has also agreed to forfeit the cellphone he used in the commission of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the plea agreement, Lord and a 15-year-old child victim met online and began messaging on social media platforms. The messages quickly became sexual in nature and spanned from March until August 2022. In April 2022, Lord drove to meet the victim for the first time and sexually abused the victim. Between April and November 2022, the victim and Lord met in person at least six times and sexual abuse occurred at each meeting. During these meetings, Lord recorded videos of the sexual abuse. Additionally, Lord caused the victim to record and send him specific videos of child sexual abuse.

    This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and the Rockledge Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

    To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    The FBI released detailed data on over 14 million criminal offenses for 2023 reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program by participating law enforcement agencies. More than 16,000 state, county, city, university and college, and tribal agencies, covering a combined population of 94.3% inhabitants, submitted data to the UCR Program through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Summary Reporting System.

    The FBI’s crime statistics estimates, based on reported data for 2023, show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 3.0% in 2023 compared to 2022 estimates:  

    • Murder and non-negligent manslaughter recorded a 2023 estimated nationwide decrease of 11.6% compared to the previous year.  
    • In 2023, the estimated number of offenses in the revised rape category saw an estimated 9.4% decrease.  
    • Aggravated assault figures decreased an estimated 2.8% in 2023. 
    • Robbery showed an estimated decrease of 0.3% nationally.  

    In 2023, 16,009 agencies participated in the hate crime collection, with a population coverage of 95.2%. Law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 11,862 criminal incidents and 13,829 related offenses as being motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity.  

    To publish a national trend, the FBI’s UCR Program used a dataset of reported hate crime incidents and zero reports submitted by agencies reporting six or more common months or two or more common quarters (six months) of hate crime data to the FBI’s UCR Program for both 2022 and 2023. According to this dataset, reported hate crime incidents decreased 0.6% from 10,687 in 2022 to 10,627 in 2023.  

    The complete analysis is located on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.   

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: B. Chad Yarbrough Named Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    Director Christopher Wray has named B. Chad Yarbrough as assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mr. Yarbrough most recently served as special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office.

    Mr. Yarbrough joined the FBI as a special agent in 2006 and was assigned to the Dothan Resident Agency of the Mobile Field Office in Alabama, where he investigated violent crime and crimes against children. In 2010, Mr. Yarbrough transferred to the Chicago Field Office. As a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, he investigated domestic terrorism matters.

    In 2012, Mr. Yarbrough was promoted to supervisory special agent and worked in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 2014, Mr. Yarbrough was named supervisory special agent of the Mobile Field Office’s Violent Criminal Threats squad. In 2017, Mr. Yarbrough was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, overseeing the criminal, crisis-management, and SWAT programs.

    In 2020, Mr. Yarborough was promoted to section chief of the National Threat Operations Section. In 2021, he was named deputy assistant director in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters, overseeing the Transnational Organized Crime, Violent Crime, and Operational Support sections. 

    In 2023, Mr. Yarbrough was named special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office. 

    Mr. Yarbrough holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Sam Houston State University in Texas. Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Yarbrough served as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Ames Stars of the Month: September 2024

    Source: NASA

    The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Don Sullivan, Serena Trieu, Emmett Quigley, and Zara Mirmalek. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the talent, camaraderie, and vision needed to explore this world and beyond.

    Earth Science Star: Don Sullivan
    Don Sullivan enables cutting-edge research in the Earth Science Division, serving as telemetry and communications lead for the Airborne Science Program. As Principal Investigator, Don led the highly successful and innovative STRATO long-duration balloon flight project in August 2024 with the United States Forest Service (USFS) that demonstrated last-mile connectivity and near real-time infrared imagery to a remote wildfire incident command station.

    Space Biosciences Star: Serena Trieu
    Serena Trieu conducts research in the Bioengineering Branch for projects that develop Earth-independent spaceflight instrumentation, especially for the International Space Station (ISS). She has excelled in coordinating the inventory for 21 spaceflight trash batches sent to Sierra Space, Inc., for ground-unit testing of the Trash Compaction Processing System (TCPS). Tapping into her innovative spirit and technical expertise, she developed a new method to prepare trash batches for the ISS without freezing.

    Space Science & Astrobiology Star: Emmett Quigley
    Emmett Quigley is a mechanical technician with the Astrophysics Branch who goes above and beyond to serve Ames. As a specialist in small precision manufacturing, Emmett has designed and built lab hardware, telescopes, and airborne instruments, as well as small satellites and instruments heading to the Moon and beyond. His collaborative disposition and dedication to problem solving have enabled delivery of numerous projects on behalf of the Space Science and Astrobiology Division and the Earth Science Division.

    Space Science & Astrobiology Star: Zara Mirmalek
    Zara Mirmalek is the Deputy Science Operations Lead for VIPER within the Space Science & Astrobiology Division and has been pivotal in the design and build efforts of the VIPER Mission Science Operations team and Mission Science Center. She has applied her expertise in science team social-technical interactions to recommend discussions, groupings, and timelines that enable the VIPER Science Team to advance pre-planning for VIPER surface operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MEMORANDUM: EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 24-208 (Emergency Management – Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine)

    Source: US State of Florida

    TO:                Members of the Press

    FROM:          Bryan Griffin, Director of Communications, Governor Ron DeSantis

    DATE:           Monday, September 23, 2024

    RE:                Executive Order Number 24-208 (Emergency Management – Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine)

    Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order (EO) 24-208, Emergency Management – Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, declaring a state of emergency in 41 Florida counties ahead of the storm.

    To read the full executive order, click here or read below:

    STATE OF FLORIDA
    OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
    EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 24-208
    (Emergency Management – Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine)

    WHEREAS, as of 11:00 AM EDT on Monday, September 23, 2024, showers and thunderstorms located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and portions of Central America have been associated with a broad area of low pressure, now identified as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine; and

    WHEREAS, based on atmospheric and oceanic data, highly conducive environmental conditions are forecast to organize and develop Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine into a tropical depression or tropical storm during the next day or two over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and southeastern Gulf of Mexico, where further development and strengthening is expected; and

    WHEREAS, forecast models indicate that this system will have a vast areal extent, and its impact will likely extend well beyond its center, along the northeast Gulf Coast; and

    WHEREAS, there is a significant threat of storm surge, coastal flooding and erosion, heavy rainfall and flash flooding, and damaging winds to the Florida Gulf Coast; and

    WHEREAS, due to the impacts from Hurricane Debby, the water tables and riverine levels across North and West-Central Florida remain above normal, and the additional incoming heavy rainfall will likely cause significant riverine flooding for an extended period; and

    WHEREAS, the incoming heavy rainfall, flooding, and gusty winds will cause widespread power outages due to fallen trees and powerlines; and

    WHEREAS,     these conditions could damage the operational capability of major interstates, roadways, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, power grids and other critical infrastructure; and

    WHEREAS, as Governor of Florida, I am responsible to meet the dangers presented to the State of Florida and its people by this emergency.

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ron DeSantis, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution and by the Florida Emergency Management Act, as amended, and all other applicable laws, promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:

    Section 1.        Because of the foregoing conditions, which are projected to constitute a major disaster, I declare that a state of emergency exists in Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.

    Section 2.        I designate the Executive Director of the Division of Emergency Management (“Director”) as the State Coordinating Officer for the duration of this emergency and direct him to execute the State’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and other response, recovery, and mitigation plans necessary to cope with the emergency, including any logistical, rescue or evacuation operations.  Pursuant to section 252.36(1)(a), Florida Statutes, I delegate to the State Coordinating Officer the authority to exercise those powers delineated in sections 252.36(6)-(12), Florida Statutes, which he shall exercise as needed to meet this emergency, subject to the limitations of section 252.33, Florida Statutes.  In exercising the powers delegated by this Executive Order, the State Coordinating Officer shall confer with the Governor to the fullest extent practicable.  The State Coordinating Officer shall also have the authority to:

    A. Invoke and administer the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (“EMAC”) (sections 252.921-252.9335, Florida Statutes) and other compacts and agreements existing between the State of Florida and other states, and the further authority to coordinate the allocation of resources from such other states that are made available to Florida under such compacts and agreements so as to best meet this emergency.

    B. Seek direct assistance and enter into agreements with any and all agencies of the federal government as may be needed to meet this emergency.

    C. Direct all state, regional, and local governmental agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to identify personnel needed from those agencies to assist in meeting the response, recovery, and mitigation needs created by this emergency, and to place all such personnel under the direct command and coordination of the State Coordinating Officer to meet this emergency.

    D. Direct the actions of any state agency as necessary to implement the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Disaster Recovery Framework.

    E. Designate Deputy State Coordinating Officers and Deputy State Disaster Recovery Coordinators, as necessary.

    F. Suspend the effect of any statute, rule, or order that would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay any mitigation, response, or recovery action necessary to cope with this emergency. In accordance with section 252.3611(1), Florida Statutes, any such order, declaration, or other action shall specify each statute or rule being amended or waived, if applicable, and the expiration date for the order or action.

    G. Enter orders as may be needed to implement any of the foregoing powers; however, the requirements of sections 252.46 and 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, do not apply to any such orders issued by the State Coordinating Officer.  No such order shall remain in effect beyond the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.

    Section 3.        I order the Adjutant General to activate the Florida National Guard, as needed, to deal with this emergency.  I further order the Director of the Florida State Guard to activate the Florida State Guard, as needed, to respond to this emergency.

    Section 4.        I find that the special duties and responsibilities resting upon some state, regional, and local agencies and other governmental bodies in responding to this emergency may require them to suspend or waive certain statutes, rules, ordinances, and orders they administer.  Therefore, I issue the following authorizations:

    A. Pursuant to section 252.36(6)(a), Florida Statutes, the Executive Office of the Governor may suspend all statutes and rules affecting budgeting to the extent necessary to provide budget authority for state agencies to cope with this emergency.  The requirements of sections 252.46 and 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, do not apply to any such suspension issued by the Executive Office of the Governor.  No such suspension shall remain in effect beyond the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.

    B. Each state agency may suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business or the orders or rules of that agency, if strict compliance with the provisions of any such statute, order, or rule would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency.  This includes, but is not limited to, the authority to suspend any and all statutes, rules, ordinances, or orders which affect leasing, printing, purchasing, travel, and the condition of employment and the compensation of employees.  In accordance with section 252.3611(1), Florida Statutes, any agency order, declaration, or other action suspending a statute or rule shall specify each statute or rule being amended or waived, if applicable, and the expiration date for the order or action.  The requirements of sections 252.46 and 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, shall not apply to any such suspension issued by a state agency. No such suspension shall remain in effect beyond the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.

    C. In accordance with section 252.38(3), Florida Statutes, each political subdivision within the State of Florida may waive the procedures and formalities otherwise required of the political subdivision by law pertaining to:

    1) Performance of public work and taking whatever prudent action is necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community;

    2) Following local procurement and contracting policies;

    3) Entering into contracts; however, political subdivisions are cautioned against entering into time and materials contracts without a ceiling as defined by 2 CFR 200.318(j) or cost plus a percentage of cost contracts prohibited by 2 CFR 200.324(d);

    4) Incurring obligations;

    5) Employment of permanent and temporary workers;

    6) Utilization of volunteer workers;

    7) Rental of equipment;

    8) Acquisition and distribution, with or without compensation, of supplies, materials, and facilities; and

    9) Appropriation and expenditure of public funds.

    D. All agencies whose employees are certified as disaster service volunteers within the meaning of section 110.120(2)(d), Florida Statutes, may, in accordance with section 110.120(3), Florida Statutes, release any such employees for such service as requested by the employee to meet this emergency.

    E. The Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) may:

    1) Waive the collection of tolls and other fees and charges for the use of the Turnpike and other public highways, to the extent such waiver may be needed to provide emergency assistance or facilitate the evacuation of the affected counties;

    2) Manage the flow of traffic or close any and all roads, highways, and portions of highways as may be needed for the safe and efficient transportation of evacuees to those counties that the State Coordinating Officer may designate as destination counties for evacuees in this emergency;

    3) Suspend enforcement of the registration requirements pursuant to section 316.545(4), Florida Statutes, for commercial motor vehicles that enter Florida to provide emergency services or supplies, to transport emergency equipment, supplies or personnel, or to transport FEMA mobile homes or office style mobile homes into or from Florida;

    4) Waive by special permit the warning signal requirements in the Utility Accommodations Manual to accommodate public utility companies from other jurisdictions which render assistance in restoring vital services; and

    5) Waive the size and weight restrictions for divisible loads on any vehicles transporting emergency equipment, services, supplies, and agricultural commodities and citrus as recommended by the Commissioner of Agriculture, allowing the establishment of alternate size and weight restrictions for all such vehicles for the duration of the emergency.  The DOT shall issue permits and such vehicles shall be subject to such special conditions as the DOT may endorse on any such permits.

    Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to allow any vehicle to exceed weight limits posted for bridges and like structures, or relieve any vehicle or the carrier, owner, or driver of any vehicle from compliance with any restrictions other than those specified in this Executive Order, or from any statute, rule, order, or other legal requirement not specifically waived or suspended herein or by supplemental order by the State Coordinating Officer.

    F. The Executive Director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) may:

    1) Suspend enforcement of the registration requirements pursuant to sections 316.545(4) and 320.0715, Florida Statutes, for commercial motor vehicles that enter Florida to provide emergency services or supplies, to transport emergency equipment, supplies or personnel, or to transport FEMA mobile homes or office style mobile homes into or from Florida;

    2) Waive the hours-of-service requirements for such vehicles;

    3) Suspend the enforcement of the licensing and registration requirements under the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) pursuant to chapter 207, Florida Statutes, and the International Registration Plan (IRP) pursuant to section 320.0715, Florida Statutes, for motor carriers or drivers operating commercial motor vehicles that are properly registered in other jurisdictions and that are participating in emergency relief efforts through the transportation of equipment and supplies or providing other assistance in the form of emergency services;

    4) Waive fees for duplicate or replacement vessel registration certificates, vessel title certificates, vehicle license plates, vehicle registration certificates, vehicle tag certificates, vehicle title certificates, handicapped parking permits, replacement drivers’ licenses, and replacement identification cards and to waive the additional fees for the late renewal of or application for such licenses, certificates, and documents due to the effects of adverse weather conditions; and

    5) Defer administrative actions and waive fees imposed by law for the late renewal or application for the above licenses, certificates, and documents, which were delayed due to the effects of adverse weather conditions, including in counties wherein the DHSMV has closed offices, or any office of the County Tax Collector that acts on behalf of the DHSMV to process renewals has closed offices due to adverse weather conditions.  Recordkeeping and other applicable requirements for existing IFTA and IRP licensees and registrants are not affected by this Executive Order.  The DHSMV shall promptly notify the State Coordinating Officer when the waiver is no longer necessary.

    G. In accordance with section 465.0275(2), Florida Statutes, pharmacists may dispense up to a 30-day emergency prescription refill of maintenance medication to persons who reside in an area or county covered under this Executive Order and to emergency personnel who have been activated by their state or local agency but who do not reside in an area or county covered by this Executive Order.  In accordance with section 465.019(4)(b), Florida Statutes, a hospital that operates a Class II or Class III institutional pharmacy located in an area or county covered under this Executive Order may prescribe and dispense a supply of medicinal drug lasting up to 72 hours.

    H. All state agencies responsible for the use of state buildings and facilities may close such buildings and facilities in those portions of the State affected by this emergency, to the extent necessary to meet this emergency.  I direct each state agency to report the closure of any State building or facility to the WebEOC system utilized by the Division of Emergency Management.  Under the authority contained in section 252.36, Florida Statutes, I direct each county to report the closure of any building or facility operated or maintained by the county or any political subdivision on a daily basis to the WebEOC system.  Furthermore, I direct the Secretary of the Department of Management Services to:

    1) Maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of all such closures; and

    2) Provide that list daily to the State Coordinating Officer.

    I. All State agencies may abrogate the time requirements, notice requirements, and deadlines for final action on applications for permits, licenses, rates, and other approvals under any statutes or rules under which such application are deemed to be approved unless disapproved in writing by specified deadlines.  All such time requirements that have not yet expired as of the date of this Executive Order are suspended and tolled to the extent necessary to meet this emergency.

    J. All agencies shall implement Selected Exempt Services (SES) Extraordinary Payment Plans and Career Service Regular Compensatory Leave Payment Plans for:

    1) All essential agency personnel who are required to work extraordinary hours when state-owned or state-operated facilities are closed in response to an emergency condition.  Employees who are eligible to receive extraordinary pay under the agency’s activated plan shall accrue special compensatory leave credits for work performed during facility closures up to the number of hours in the employee’s established workday.  For these employees, any additional time worked beyond the employee’s established workday during facility closures will result in extraordinary pay;

    2) All agency personnel who are assigned to the State Emergency Operations Center and are required to work extraordinary hours; and

    3)  All agency personnel who are deployed throughout the state in response to an emergency condition and are required to work extraordinary hours.

    K. All State agencies may waive the forty-day time limit to issue a warrant pursuant to section 215.422(3)(b), Florida Statutes.  This waiver applies to invoices and reimbursement requests arising from this emergency that were received, inspected, and approved by the agency prior to the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.  This waiver of section 215.422(3)(b), Florida Statutes, and all waivers based upon this waiver shall expire upon the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.

    L. The provisions of section 934.50, Florida Statutes, excluding subsection (4), are waived for state and local agencies conducting emergency operations arising from the state of emergency for the limited purpose of capturing aerial evidence concerning the amount of damage sustained to private and public property; to assist in search, rescue, and recovery activities; and prevent imminent danger to life or serious damage to property.

    Section 5.        All public facilities, including elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, state universities, and other facilities owned or leased by the state, regional or local governments that are suitable for use as public shelters shall be made available at the request of the local emergency management agencies to ensure the proper reception and care of all evacuees.  Under the authority contained in section 252.36, Florida Statutes, I direct the Superintendent of each public-school district in the State of Florida to report the closure of any school within its district to the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education.  Furthermore, I direct the Commissioner of the Department of Education to:

    A. Maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of all such closures; and

    B. Provide that list daily to the State Coordinating Officer.

     Section 6.        I find that the demands placed upon funds specifically appropriated to state and local agencies for disaster relief or response are unreasonably great and that such funds may be inadequate to pay the costs of coping with this emergency.  In accordance with section 252.37(2), Florida Statutes, I direct that sufficient funds be made available, as needed, by transferring and expending moneys from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.

     Section 7.        All state agencies entering emergency orders, emergency rules, or other emergency actions in response to this emergency shall advise the State Coordinating Officer contemporaneously or as soon as practicable thereafter, and, pursuant to section 252.36(3)(b), Florida Statutes, shall submit the order or declaration to the Division of Administrative Hearings within five (5) days of issuance.

    Section 8.        Medical professionals and workers, social workers, and counselors with good and valid professional licenses issued by states other than the State of Florida may render such services in Florida during this emergency for persons affected by this emergency with the condition that such services be rendered to such persons free of charge, and with the further condition that such services be rendered under the auspices of the American Red Cross or the Florida Department of Health.

    Section 9. Pursuant to section 501.160, Florida Statutes, it is unlawful and a violation of section 501.204, Florida Statutes, for a person to rent or sell or offer to rent or sell at an unconscionable price within the area for which the state of emergency is declared, any essential commodity including, but not limited to, supplies, services, provisions, or equipment that is necessary for consumption or use as a direct result of the emergency.

    Section 10.        Under the authority contained in sections 252.36(6)(a), (g), and (m), Florida Statutes, I direct that, for the purposes of this emergency, the term “essentials”, as defined by section 252.359(2), Florida Statutes, shall be the same as and no more expansive than the term “commodity”, as defined by section 501.160(1)(a), Florida Statutes (hereinafter referred to collectively or alternatively as “essential commodities”).  Accordingly, any person who delivers essential commodities to a location in the area(s) declared to be under a state of emergency by this Executive Order, and when necessary to ensure that those commodities are made available to the public, may travel within evacuated areas and exceed curfews, provided the State Coordinating Officer determines, after consultation with the appropriate Emergency Support Function(s), that:

    A. Law enforcement officials in the declared area(s) can provide adequate security to protect the essential commodities from theft;

    B. The weight of a delivery vehicle will not jeopardize the structural integrity of any roadway or bridge located within the declared area;

    C. Delivery vehicles will not negatively impact evacuation activities in the declared area(s); and

    D. Delivery vehicles will not negatively impact any response or recovery activities occurring within the declared area(s).

    After consulting with the appropriate Emergency Support Function(s), and after consulting with local officials, the State Coordinating Officer may dictate the routes of ingress, egress, and movement within the declared area(s) that drivers must follow when delivering essential commodities.

    Provided he or she is actually delivering medications, any person authorized to deliver medications under chapter 893, Florida Statutes, qualifies as a person delivering essential commodities.

    In order to qualify as a person delivering essential commodities under this section, a person must be in the process of delivering essential commodities only.  If an individual is transporting both essential and non-essential commodities, then this section shall not provide any authorization for that individual to enter into or move within the declared area(s).

    Section 11.        Consistent with Executive Order 80-29, nothing in this Executive Order shall prevent local jurisdictions in any area not declared to be under a state of emergency by this Executive Order from taking prompt and necessary action to save lives and protect the property of their citizens, including the authority to compel and direct timely evacuation when necessary.

    Section 12.         I authorize the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to distribute funds pursuant to section 420.9073, Florida Statutes, to any county, municipality, or other political subdivision located within the area(s) declared to be under a state of emergency by this Executive Order.  The authority of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to distribute funds in connection with this emergency shall expire six months after the expiration of this Executive Order, including any extension thereof.

         Section 13.      All actions taken by the Director of the Division of Emergency Management with respect to this emergency before the issuance of this Executive Order are ratified.

    Section 14.     This Executive Order is effective immediately and shall expire sixty (60) days from this date unless extended.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $38 Million Bridge Project in Albany and Rensselaer Counties

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of a $38.2 million bridge superstructure rehabilitation and resiliency project on the historic Castleton-On-Hudson Bridge over the Hudson River connecting Albany and Rensselaer counties. The project is the final step in the Thruway Authority’s restoration of the more than one-mile blue cantilever truss bridge that is traveled by more than six million vehicles per year and is a vital economic gateway for tourism and commercial traffic traveling from New England into New York State and beyond.

    “The Biden-Harris administration understand the importance of investing in infrastructure to boost and maintain economies, both locally and across the country,” Governor Hochul said. “The Castleton Bridge is among the thousands of bridges in New York crucial for transporting people and goods. I appreciate the Thruway Authority and our federal partners for their support and efforts toward modernizing our transportation system.”

    The project is being partially funded by a $21 million federal grant that was awarded to the Thruway Authority in April 2023 for their 2022 grant application to restore the Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration Bridge Investment Program.

    Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “With the support of our federal partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Castleton Bridge will continue to serve millions of drivers for decades to come. This project will significantly prolong the superstructure’s lifespan and by utilizing the grant funding, it enables the Authority to allocate resources to other vital transformative projects throughout the state.”

    Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “The Castleton-On-Hudson Bridge is a vital gateway in the Capital Region connecting Albany and Rensselaer counties and the New York State Thruway to the Berkshire Spur and the Massachusetts Turnpike, but its deteriorating infrastructure has put Upstate travelers at risk and hindered economic development. I fought to increase funding for the federal Bridge Investment Program when I crafted my Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law with improvements like this in mind. Now, this program is delivering millions in federal support, the final push needed in this project to extend the service life of the bridge by over 50 years, boosting the Capital Region economy and giving travelers a safer, more secure commute. I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s partnership in ensuring this bridge is ready and safe for people to use.”

    Representative Congressman Paul Tonko said, “For the past several years, I’ve been proud to push for federal funding to upgrade our Capital Region’s critical infrastructure and ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across our region. That’s why today, I’m thrilled to celebrate the beginning of the final stage of the restoration of the historic Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge. This project, along with other infrastructure updates across New York State, will provide significant benefits for our local commuters, small business, and our entire regional economy. Investments in our bridges help strengthen the vital connections that keep our communities thriving and moving forward, and I’m eager to see how the completion of this project will support Capital Region residents for years to.”

    Assemblymember William Magnarelli said, “Investing in our Thruway, specifically the Castleton-on-Hudson, reinforces New York State’s commitment to protecting and enhancing our statewide infrastructure thereby strengthening economic development and our quality of life. The safety improvements and renovations will benefit both residents and those visiting the area by improving the reliability of the Thruway.”

    Opened in 1958, the Castleton-On-Hudson Bridge, more commonly referred to as the Castleton Bridge, connects the Berkshire Spur section to the Thruway’s mainline (I-87), and carries traffic over the Hudson River as well as Schodack Island State Park. The Castleton Bridge stands approximately 135 feet above the Hudson River and includes 43 segments and more than 364,000 square-feet of concrete decking.

    The first stage of the project is now underway and includes the construction of two crossover areas that will allow for a traffic shift beginning in the spring of 2025, as well as work under the bridge.

    In the spring of 2025, eastbound traffic entering the Berkshire Spur from the Thruway mainline (I-87) will be shifted to the westbound lanes of the bridge while construction crews remove and completely replace the eastbound bridge deck. During this stage, all traffic on the Castleton Bridge will remain reduced to one travel lane in each direction. The traffic shift is expected to be in place through the fall of 2025.

    The project also includes steel repairs to girders and truss members, replacement of bridge bearings and safety upgrades including bridge rail replacement, new highway signs, mile-post delineators, reflective pavement markings and milled-in audible roadway delineators (MIARDs).

    DA Collins Construction of Wilton, New York was selected as the contractor for the project after a competitive bidding process.

    The project is expected to be complete in Summer 2026.

    Over the last three years, the Thruway Authority has invested approximately $85 million into the restoration of the Castleton Bridge. In 2023, a $47.6 million project was completed on the Castleton Bridge which included the deck replacement of the westbound travel lanes, repairs to the deck on the eastbound travel lanes, replacement of the center median and bridge steel repairs. The project was the first major rehabilitation to the driving surface of the Castleton Bridge since 2009. The massive steel trusses were repainted in 2016 and maintenance was regularly performed by Thruway Maintenance crews to prolong the lifespan of the driving surface. With the completion of these two projects, the anticipated service life of the superstructure will be extended by approximately 50 years.

    Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone.

    To further enhance safety for workers in a work zone, Governor Hochul signed legislation establishing the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program. The safety enforcement program began in April 2023 and is in effect in various active construction zones on the Thruway. Work zones with speed camera enforcement will have clear signage leading up to it and motorists violating the posted speed limit within the work zone will be fined.

    Thruway Authority Federal Grants

    The Authority has applied for and secured more than $64 million of federal funding from competitive grant programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law since 2021.

    In April 2024, the Thruway Authority was awarded a $39 million federal grant for infrastructure enhancements at the South Grand Island Bridges in Western New York. The original Grand Island bridges were constructed in 1935 and will undergo strengthening and essential upgrades to make them more resistant against seismic loading caused by an earthquake.

    The Authority continues to pursue all eligible grant funding opportunities. A full list of grant applications and results can be found here.

    About The Thruway Authority

    The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out-of-state.

    The Thruway is considered one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway’s base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike ($0.11 and $0.31 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.14 per mile).

    The Authority’s 2024 Budget invests a total of $451 million to support its Capital Program, which is expected to invest $2.4 billion into capital projects over the next five years — a $500 million increase following the enacted toll adjustment that went into effect on January 1, 2024. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately half of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 lane miles as well as projects on approximately 90 of Thruway’s 817 bridges.

    For up-to-date travel information, motorists are encouraged to download the mobile app which is available to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic and navigation assistance while on the go. Travelers can also visit the Thruway Authority’s interactive Traveler Map which features live traffic cameras. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert e-mails, which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway.

    For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X and Instagram, or visit thruway.ny.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

                WASHINGTON – An Ohio man was sentenced to prison after he was previously found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                William Dunfee, 59, of Frazeysburg, Ohio, was sentenced on Sept. 19, 2024, to 30 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. Judge Walton sentenced Dunfee on one felony offense of civil disorder and a misdemeanor offense of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.

                Dunfee was convicted of two felony offenses of obstruction of an official proceeding or aiding and abetting and civil disorder and the misdemeanor offense of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds following a bench trial before Judge Walton on Jan. 22, 2024.

                According to court documents, Dunfee, a pastor of the New Beginnings Ministry Warsaw, in Warsaw, Ohio, posted a video to social media on Dec. 27, 2020, via the Ministry’s Facebook page, telling his congregation that “The Government, the tyrants, the socialists, the Marxists, the progressives, the RINOs, they fear you. And they should. Our problem is we haven’t given them reason to fear us.” Later he stated, “As I said earlier in another previous sermon is this, they used to tell us, you know what, you settle your differences at the ballot. How did that work out for us? It’s not over.” He added, “January 4th through 6th … Are you ready?”

                On Jan. 6, 2021, Dunfee illegally entered the Capitol grounds and, using a bull horn, he repeatedly exhorted the crowd. In a video filmed at the Capitol, Dunfee tells the mob: “This election has been stolen right out from underneath of our noses and it is time for the American people to rise up. Rise up. Rise up. Today is the day in which it is that these elected officials realize that we are no longer playing games. That we are not sheeple that are just going to be corralled according to their whims and their wills.” Later in the video, Dunfee stated, “We will stand up for our country. We are standing up for our freedoms. We are standing up for our president. And today is the day these elected officials, these senators and these congressmen, understand that we are not going to allow this to continue any longer.”

                At 1:35 p.m., Dunfee announced: “Mister police officers, we want you to understand something. We want you to understand something. We want Donald Trump and if Donald Trump is not coming, we are taking our house. We are taking our house.”

                Minutes later, at 1:44 p.m., Dunfee pushed a metal barricade against officers with the U.S. Capitol Police, who were attempting to hold the line. He pushed against the barricade a second time at approximately 1:58 p.m. He moved to the front of a crowd of rioters at the East Front entrance to the Capitol. Dunfee walked away from the East Front doors as others moved into the building, but he remained in the area. As rioters exited the building, one stated, “We did it. We shut ‘em all down. We did our job.” Dunfee responded, “Hallelujah,” and told the crowd, “Mission accomplished.”

                Surveillance cameras captured Dunfee’s actions that day. Videos and images show Dunfee physically resisting U.S. Capitol Police by pushing against a metal barricade and subsequently entering the restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol grounds. This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

                This case was investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas “Proud Boy” Found Guilty of Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Action During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

             WASHINGTON – A Texas man and member of the Proud Boys was found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges on September 18, 2024, related to his conduct during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

             Jeffrey David Reed, 49, of Rosanky, Texas, was found guilty of a felony offense of civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

             Reed was convicted by U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg following a bench trial in District Court for the District of Columbia. Chief Judge Boasberg will sentence Reed on December 20, 2024.

             According to evidence presented during the trial, Reed, a member of the Proud Boys’ Hudson Valley chapter in New York, participated in the January 6, 2021, events in Washington, D.C., as part of the group’s organized efforts. Specifically, Reed was part of the group who broke through metal bike rack barriers, and snow fencing with “Area Closed” signs, to push through a line of officers at the first breach of the restricted perimeter near the Peace Circle.

             This forced police officers, overrun by the numbers of the crowd, to run back up the Pennsylvania Walkway toward the Capitol and regroup, forming a second police line between rioters and the Capitol. As the crowd advanced, Reed ran up to the front of the mob and reached the next set of barricades, consisting of metal bike racks. Capitol Police had erected these barriers to protect the Capitol and keep the crowd at bay. Reed grabbed one of the bike racks with both hands, lifted it, and moved it aside, clearing a path for thousands of rioters to push forward toward the Capitol building. The overwhelmed police officers, outnumbered by the advancing mob, were forced to retreat on the West Plaza.

             Reed continued onward toward the Capitol, confronting a third police line formed by officers behind a metal railing that was part of the construction for the Inaugural Stage. At this point, still at the front of the crowd, Reed was face to face with officers—yelling and pointing at them. Despite law enforcement’s efforts to hold the line for over an hour, they were ultimately overrun. The mob, emboldened by their numbers, surged forward once again, overpowering the police and advancing onto the Capitol’s West Plaza. During the crowd’s efforts to stop the crowd from gaining access to a critical access point—the Southwest staircase—Reed physically pulled another metal bike rack with both hands, using his body weight to try to yank the bike rack away from a police officer. This struggle ended in an officer falling to the ground. The crowd, including Reed, stormed the Southwest staircase and the Inaugural Stage before breaching the Capitol building itself.

             At approximately 2:26 p.m., Reed entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door, stepping over broken glass and into the chaos. Once inside, he made his way to the Speaker’s Lobby, just outside the House Chamber. Reed exited the Capitol approximately 16 minutes later, through the East Rotunda Door, at around 2:49 p.m. Once exiting the Capitol, Reed remained on Capitol grounds in the restricted area on the East front—climbing on top of law enforcement vehicles and ripping up a “Police Lives Matter” flag on the East steps of the Capitol.

              This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

             This case is being investigated by the FBI’s San Antonio and Washington Field Offices, as well as the New York Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

             In the 44 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

             Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Men Sentenced for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

              WASHINGTON – Four men from Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia were sentenced to various terms after they were convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to their conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

              Sentenced on Sept. 19, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb are Stephen Chase Randolph, 34, of Harrodsburg Kentucky; James Tate Grant, 31, of Cary, North Carolina; Jason Benjamin Blythe, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas; and Paul Russell Johnson, 38, of Lanexa, Virginia.

              Randolph was sentenced to 8 years in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

              Grant was sentenced to 36 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

              Blythe was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

              Johnson was sentenced to five years of probation, conditions of which include, intermittent confinement on the weekends for the first year, followed by two years of home and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution. 

              A fifth defendant, Ryan Samsel, 40, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, will be sentenced on February 4, 2025

              All five defendants were convicted of civil disorder. Ryan Samsel and Steven Chase Randolph were found guilty of assaulting Officer C.E. with a deadly or dangerous weapon and inflicting bodily injury (a metal crowd control barrier). James Tate Grant, Paul Russell Johnson, and Benjamin Blythe were found guilty of assaulting Officer D.C. with a deadly or dangerous weapon (a metal crowd control barrier). Randolph was convicted of an additional felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding Officer D.C. Samsel was convicted of additional felony charges of civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon (a wooden plank).

              According to evidence presented during the trial, the group participated in the first breach of the restricted Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, and led the initial attack on United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers. Their attack paved the way for thousands of rioters to storm the Capitol grounds.

              At approximately 12:40 p.m., the five men joined with other rioters at the Peace Circle, across from the Capitol grounds. Here, the sidewalk at the edge of the Capitol grounds across the street from the Peace Circle was blocked by linked bike-rack barricades. A second set of bike rack barricades, with signs that read “Area Closed By Order of the United States Capitol Police Board” and reinforced with snow fencing and zip ties, barred the way up the Pennsylvania Walkway, a footpath that runs from the Capitol to the sidewalk across the street from the Peace Circle.

              At about 12:50 p.m., Samsel approached the first barricade, opened a section, entered the restricted grounds, and approached the Capitol via the Pennsylvania Walkway. This marked the first breach of the restricted perimeter. Grant followed closely behind Samsel and waived the crowd forward onto the restricted grounds. Defendants Johnson, Blythe, Randolph, and others in the crowd followed Grant and Samsel past the first barricade and walked toward the officers standing behind the second barricade. At around that same time, Johnson shouted a series of exclamations, including “Let’s go!” “We pay your bills!” and “You back the f— off!” over his megaphone.

              Samsel and Grant then began to forcibly push and pull on the second barricade while officers held it in place. Samsel stopped pushing long enough to remove his denim jacket, hand it to someone off-camera, and turn his red “Make America Great Again” hat around backward. Johnson handed off his megaphone and backpack to someone behind him in the crowd. Randolph began to forcibly push and pull on the fence directly across from USCP officers. Johnson, Grant and Samsel joined Randolph in lifting the linked metal bike rack barricade off the ground. Blythe moved forward and grabbed the barricade with the other four defendants, and the five drove the metal bike rack barricade into a line of USCP officers.

              As they drove the metal bike rack barricade at the police line, one officer was struck in the face. The force of the strike threw the officer backward and caused the officer to slam their head twice: first against a metal handrail, then against the stairs. The officer lost consciousness and suffered a concussion. Another officer was driven several feet backward by the metal bike rack barricade until the back of their body ran into the stairwell and handrail behind them.

              After the five defendants pushed the metal bike rack barricade into the USCP officers, Randolph jumped over the barricade and grabbed an officer. By this point, the barricades were down, and the officers outmanned. The defendants and the rest of the rioters quickly overwhelmed the police line, and the USCP officers retreated backward toward the Capitol building. The rioters, including the five defendants, then walked to the Capitol building.

    Each of the five men continued to fuel the riot on January 6th. Samsel assaulted other officers, Johnson incited the crowd over a megaphone, and Grant entered the Capitol building, while Blythe and Randolph climbed to the Upper West Terrace. The five remained at the Capitol for hours. Samsel’s additional assaultive and destructive conduct included grabbing the riot shield of a law enforcement officer while rioters were attempting to overtake police, tearing through the tarp in the scaffolding on the Capitol grounds, waving a flag in the officers’ faces, and taking a 2×4 plank of wood from the scaffolding and throwing it at a group of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers as they struggled to maintain a police line.

              Defendant Grant climbed through one of the broken windows next to the Senate Wing door and into the Capitol building at approximately 2:50 p.m. He then stormed the halls with other rioters and was recorded with others inside Senator Merkley’s office. Blythe stayed on the Capitol grounds for hours. He climbed the media tower at the steps of the Capitol and joined others in resisting officers who were attempting to clear rioters.

              Johnson moved with rioters to the West Plaza. Using his megaphone, Johnson loudly and continuously shouted commands to the crowd, alerted them to what he perceived to be happening inside the building, and encouraged them to take action to stop the Congressional proceedings from taking place. Randolph also remained on Capitol grounds for hours, eventually climbing onto the Upper West Terrace, where he observed law enforcement engaged in a struggle with rioters inside and outside the inaugural archway, also known as the Tunnel.

              This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of North Carolina, Eastern District of Virginia, Eastern District of Kentucky, and the Northern District of Texas.

              This case was investigated by the FBI field offices in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Norfolk, Louisville, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. Samsel was identified as BOLO #51, Grant #50, Johnson #49, Randolph #168, and Blythe #52 on the FBI’s seeking information photos.

              In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

              Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Last Two Defendants in the Violent Kennedy Street Crew Case Plead Guilty to Narcotics and Firearms Counts

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    The KDY Crew Operated Open-Air Drug Markets in Northwest Washington D.C.

               WASHINGTON – Khali Ahmed Brown, 23, Keion Michael Brown, 21, members of the violent Kennedy Street Crew (KDY), pleaded guilty today to narcotics and firearms charges for their roles in a massive drug trafficking organization that operated open-air markets in Northwest Washington D.C. 

               Khali Brown, aka “Migo Lee,” of Washington D.C., who many view as the face of KDY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, fentanyl, and oxycodone. He also pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and assault with a dangerous weapon for his role in a November 18, 2022, shooting just outside Jackson-Reed High School.

               His brother, Keion Michael Brown, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and oxycodone and a charge of possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell scheduled sentencing on December 12, 2024, for both men. 

               The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge James VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office.

                “The prosecution targeted leaders and key members of the KDY street crew–one of the largest, oldest, and most violent street crews in our city,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “With these guilty pleas, every defendant charged in connection with this investigation has now pled guilty to charges that will ensure that they will be removed from, and no longer driving violence in, our community.”

                “DEA’s top operational priority is combatting the current fentanyl crisis and the drug-related violence that is devastating the very foundation of our community and family structures,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division.  Today’s guilty plea clearly shows that Mr. Brown, aka “Migo Lee,” and his associations with violent criminal drug trafficking networks like the Kennedy Street Crew showed little respect for the wellbeing of the community.  We are taking a strong stance and implementing strict measures to protect every city neighborhood.”

               According to court documents, KDY members operated open-air drug markets on an 11-block stretch of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding streets. Like many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), KDY armed itself with fire power to facilitate its drug trade and defend its territory from rival crews. During the charged conspiracy, from June 2019 to June 2023, on KDY territory there were five homicides, resulting in the deaths of seven and the wounding of six additional individuals, one assault with intent to kill with three wounded, and 19 assaults with a deadly weapon.

               Khali Brown was among the charged defendants who played a key role in smuggling bulk quantities of marijuana from the West Coast to the DMV area, which allowed the crew to sell at significant profits and thereby fuel its operations.

               Both defendants maintained stash houses of KDY’s controlled substances and fire power.  By way of illustration, on January 26, 2023, law enforcement conducted an interdiction at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) in anticipation of several KDY members, including Khali Brown, smuggling marijuana back to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area through BWI via an overnight flight from LAX. During the interdiction, law enforcement seized five of the checked bags containing 39.2 kilograms of marijuana, but Khali Brown and his co-defendant Herman Signou evaded law enforcement with some of their luggage and  traveled to a stash house at the 1700 block of D Street NE.

               Hours later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence, where officers found Khali Brown, Keion Brown, and co-defendants Tristan Ware, Jovan Williams, and Herman Signou, among other KDY associates. Inside, law enforcement seized ten firearms (including two machine guns), assorted ammunition, 21 kilograms of marijuana, 39.5 grams of fentanyl-laced pills, and oxycodone pills in suitcases consistent with those taken from the airport during the BWI interdiction. Among the firearms recovered was the Glock 17 9mm firearm that Khali Brown and his co-conspirators had used in the November 18, 2022, shooting outside Jackson-Reed High School.

               When Khali Brown and two co-defendants were arrested on June 26, 2023, at yet another stash house in the 1300 block of 5th Street NW, inside the residence were approximately 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, $2,710 in cash and five machine guns, and one firearm. 

              Keion Brown was a wanted fugitive when, on November 17, 2023, officers tracked him and his associates, including Jovan Williams, to a laundry room on the 4700 block of Benning Road NE. Law enforcement arrested Keion Brown, Jovan Williams, and an associate and found four firearms concealed within the laundry room, including Keion Brown’s machine gun.

               This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

               It was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office.

               It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Lynch.

    DEFENDANTS

    NAME

    AGE

    CHARGES
    Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga 27 Pleaded Guilty 9/15/2024, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Cocaine Base, and a Detectable Amount of Marijuana; and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Khali Ahmed Brown, aka “Migo Lee” 23 Pleaded Guilty 9/20/2024, to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, Fentanyl, and Oxycodone; Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.
    Miasiah Jamal Brown, aka “Michael Jamal Crawford” 21 Sentenced 8/16/2024, to 60 Months for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Keion Michael Brown 21 Pleaded Guilty 9/20/2024, to Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Cocaine Base; Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Tristan Miles Ware, aka “Greedy” 23 Pleaded Guilty 7/11/2024 to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilos of Marijuana and Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Jovan Williams, aka “Chewy” 19 Pleaded Guilty on 9/5/2024, to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilos of Marijuana and Armed Carjacking.
    Herman Eric-Bibmin Signou, aka “Herman Signour” 23 Sentenced 3/22/2024, to 40 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of Marijuana.
    Cameron Xavier Reid 26 Sentenced 5/31/2024, to Five Years for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of Marijuana.
    Aaron DeAndre Mercer, aka “Curby” 27 Sentenced 9/13/2024, to 120 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Marijuana, and Cocaine Base.
    David Penn, aka “Turtle” 30 Pleaded Guilty 6/27/2024, to Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams of Fentanyl and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Ronald Lynn Dorsey, aka “Ron G” and “HBGeezy” 29 Sentenced 9/13/2024, to 30 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
    Antonio Reginald Bailey, aka “Boy Boy,” and “Fellow King” 22 Sentenced 2/8/2024, to 24 Months for Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment.
    Anthony Trayon Bailey, aka “Fat Ant,” and “Bizzle” 27 Sentenced 4/26/2024, to 15 months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base.
    Angel Enrique Suncar, aka “Coqui” 29 Pleaded Guilty 6/12/2024, to Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense.
    Warren Lawrence Fields, III, aka B-Dub 26 Sentenced 5/16/2024, to 90 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense and for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
    Juwan Demetrius Clark, aka “Juan” and “Squirrel” 28 Pleaded Guilty 9/17/2024, to Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.
    Adebayo Adediji Green 30 Sentenced 8/16/2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense.

    Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA. Green is from Hyattsville, MD. All remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.

    23cr0202

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Susanville Nurse Practitioner Charged in Superseding Indictment with Additional Counts of Sexual Crimes Against Children

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today against Bradley Earl Reger, 68, of Susanville, charging him with seven additional violations of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and coercion and enticement, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    According to court documents, Reger sexually abused more than a dozen victims under the guise of conducting purported medical examinations at his nursing clinic in Susanville, and in hotel rooms and camp sites all over the world. Reger was a licensed nurse practitioner with the California Board of Registered Nursing from 2003 until Oct. 18, 2023, when the Board of Registered Nursing revoked his license.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina McCall and Roger Yang are prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Reger faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison for the most serious charged count and a $250,000 fine per count, plus up to a lifetime of supervised release. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Division and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are seeking to identify potential victims of Bradley Reger. If you believe that you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Reger at any time, in the United States or abroad, or have information relevant to this investigation, please complete the online form available at: www.fbi.gov/RegerVictims. Additionally, if you know of someone else who may have been victimized by Bradley Reger, please encourage them to complete the form.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mount Pleasant — Mount Pleasant man arrested on child pornography charges

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The Nova Scotia RCMP’s Provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has arrested a Mount Pleasant man for child pornography offences.

    On September 11, ICE and RCMP Digital Forensic Services, assisted by Cumberland County District RCMP and the Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit, executed a search warrant at a home in Mount Pleasant.

    Investigators were directed to the residence after an electronic service provider notified law enforcement that child pornography was being shared using their service.

    As a result of the search and subsequent investigation, Winston Kechego, 31, has been charged with two counts of Transmitting Child Pornography and three counts of Possessing Child Pornography.

    Kechego was released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Amherst Provincial Court on November 4.

    In Nova Scotia, it is mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography. This means that anyone who encounters child pornography material or recordings must report it to police. Failure to report could result in penalties similar to failure to report child abuse under the Child and Family Services Act. The RCMP encourages citizens to be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting suspected offences to their local police or by using Canada’s national tip line: www.cybertip.ca.

    File #: 2023-1855956

    Note: The Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit includes members of the Cumberland County District RCMP and the Amherst Police Department.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Brompton Funds Declare Distributions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSX: DGS, ESP.PR.A, GDV, GDV.PR.A, LBS, LBS.PR.A, LCS, PWI, PWI.PR.A, SBC, SBC.PR.A) – Brompton Funds announces distributions payable on October 15, 2024 to class A shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2024 for each of the following funds:

    Fund Name Ticker Amount Per Share
    Dividend Growth Split Corp. (“DGS”) DGS $ 0.10
    Global Dividend Growth Split Corp. (“GDV”) GDV $ 0.10
    Life & Banc Split Corp. (“LBS”) LBS $ 0.10
    Brompton Lifeco Split Corp. (“LCS”) LCS $ 0.075
    Sustainable Power & Infrastructure Split Corp. (“PWI”) PWI $ 0.06667
    Brompton Split Banc Corp. (“SBC”) SBC $ 0.10
           

    Brompton Funds also announces distributions payable on October 15, 2024 to preferred shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2024 for the following funds:

    Fund Name Ticker Amount Per Share
    Brompton Energy Split Corp. ESP.PR.A $ 0.20625
    Global Dividend Growth Split Corp. GDV.PR.A $ 0.1250
    Life & Banc Split Corp. LBS.PR.A $ 0.18125
    Sustainable Power & Infrastructure Split Corp. PWI.PR.A $ 0.1250
    Brompton Split Banc Corp. SBC.PR.A $ 0.15625
           

    The funds noted above offer distribution reinvestment plans (“DRIP”) for class A shareholders which provide class A shareholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Class A shareholders can enroll in a DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor or dealer.

    About Brompton Funds
    Founded in 2000, Brompton is an experienced investment fund manager with income and growth focused investment solutions including exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) traded investment funds. For further information, please contact your investment advisor, call Brompton’s investor relations line at 416-642-6000 (toll-free at 1-866-642-6001), email info@bromptongroup.com or visit our website at www.bromptongroup.com.

    You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell shares of the investment funds on the TSX or other alternative Canadian trading system (an “exchange”). If the shares are purchased or sold on an exchange, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying shares of the investment fund and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them.

    There are ongoing fees and expenses associated with owning shares of an investment fund. An investment fund must prepare disclosure documents that contain key information about the funds. You can find more detailed information about the funds in the public filings available at www.sedarplus.ca. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

    Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to matters disclosed in this document and to other matters identified in public filings relating to the funds, to the future outlook of the funds and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the future financial performance of the funds. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “continue” or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Actual results may vary from such forward-looking information. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NSF and philanthropic partners invest more than $18M to prioritize ethical and societal considerations in the creation of emerging technologies

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Awardees will contribute to the responsible advancement of emerging technologies to promote the public’s well-being and mitigate potential harms

    The U.S. National Science Foundation announced an inaugural investment of more than $18 million to 44 multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams across the U.S. through the NSF Responsible Design, Development and Deployment of Technologies (NSF ReDDDoT) program. NSF ReDDDoT invests in the creation of technologies that promote the public’s well-being and mitigate potential harms by seeking to ensure that ethical, legal, community and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s creation and use. NSF launched this program in collaboration with leading philanthropic partners including the Ford Foundation, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Siegel Family Endowment.

    “NSF is committed to creating mutually beneficial research collaborations among diverse partners who contribute their expertise and resources to accelerating technology innovation that positively addresses pressing national, societal and geostrategic challenges,” said Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. “Through a robust public-private partnership with philanthropies, NSF’s investment in ReDDDoT aims to ensure that TIP advances the design, development and deployment of new technologies responsibly. This investment is consistent with the ‘CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,’ in which Congress called upon TIP to invest in exactly this approach when pursuing the key technology areas listed in that law.”

    NSF awarded 30 teams Phase 1 funding: 21 teams will receive planning grants of up to $300,000 each for up to two years to facilitate collaborative transdisciplinary and multi-sector activities to plan for submission of larger proposals, while an additional nine teams will receive Phase 1 funding of up to $75,000 each to plan and host workshops designed to raise awareness and identify relevant approaches and needs in the key technology areas identified in the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.”

    Additionally, NSF awarded Phase 2 funding to 14 teams that demonstrated maturity in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, or natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation, key technology areas in the statute that TIP emphasized for ReDDDoT funding. Each Phase 2 team will receive up to $1.5 million over three years to expand upon their identified experience in use-inspired and translational activities in responsible design, development and deployment of innovative technology.

    The ReDDDoT program invited proposals from teams that examined and demonstrated the principles, methodologies and impacts associated with ethical, legal, community and societal considerations of technology’s creation and use, especially those specified in the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.”NSF anticipates issuing a second ReDDDoT funding opportunity in the future that will build on this round of funding to ensure ethical, legal, community, and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s creation.

    NSF ReDDDot Awardees

    Awardees are grouped by award type and then listed in alphabetical order by organization. The full award list can be found on NSF Award Search webpage.

    Planning grants:

    • Carnegie Mellon University: Responsible AI Across the Transportation Sector (NSF award 2427699).
    • Case Western Reserve University: Designing a Responsible AI-enabled Digital Service Ecosystem in Finance and Healthcare (NSF award 2427505).
    • Data & Society: Assessing Environmental Impacts of AI Through Participatory Methods (NSF award 2427700).
    • DePaul University: AI-Enabled Support Services for Transplanted Populations: A Community-Centered Design and Development Approach (NSF award 2427713).
    • Georgetown University: Piloting a Framework to Measure the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence Tools for Government Agencies (NSF award 2427748).
    • Harvard Medical School: Piloting an Impact Accelerator Model for Cultivating Equity and Ethics in Genetics Innovation (NSF award 2427533).
    • Michigan State University: Supporting Culturally Centered Artificial Intelligence Literacy through Community-Engaged Partnerships (NSF award 2427697).
    • New York University: Collaborative award: AI Summer Institute on Communities (NSF award 2427677).
    • North Central College: Collaborative award: AI Summer Institute on Communities (NSF award 2427678).
    • Northeastern University: An AI toolkit for Designing Inclusive Digital Activities for Older Adults (NSF award 2427714).
    • Pennsylvania State University: Prioritization of Housing & Behavioral Health Services to Individuals and Families (NSF award 2427737).
    • Rutgers University: Writing Education through Design-Oriented AI (NSF award 2427646).
    • TERC Inc.: Alternative Systems for Human Waste Management (NSF award 2427679).
    • Texas Tech University: Building Community-Driven Resilience and Empowerment through Adaptive Manufacturing Technologies (NSF award 2427747).
    • University of Akron: Materials Advancement through a Precede-Proceed framework for Safety (NSF award 2427693).
    • University of California Santa Cruz: Destigmatizing Disfluencies in Speech AI with Grassroots Stuttering Communities (NSF award 2427710).
    • University of Florida: Treatment Technologies for Phosphorus Mitigation (NSF award 2427542).
    • University of Michigan: Bridging Past and Future: Fostering Community-Researcher Synergy through Planning NSF award 2427332).
    • University of Wisconsin: Novel Cellular Technologies in Ecosystem Preservation: Ethics, Data Sovereignty and Implementation (NSF award 2427636).
    • Vanderbilt University: Towards Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of a GenAI-Enabled System for Dispatcher Training in Emergency Response (NSF award 2427711).
    • Virginia Tech: Facilitating Responsible, Ethical, and Explainable Ergonomic Exposure Assessments When Using Artificial Intelligence Methods (NSF award 2427599).

    Workshops: 

    • Arizona State University: Indigenous Approaches to Computational Futures (NSF award 2427641).
    • Association of Science-Technology Centers: Exploring Roles of Science and Technology Centers and Museums in Facilitating Public Collaboration in Artificial Intelligence (NSF award 2427449).
    • Case Western Reserve University: Employing Public Interest Technologies to Promote Access in Education and Employment for People who have Physical Disabilities (NSF award 2427587).
    • Michigan State University: Generative AI Ethics Module Design Sprint for STEM Educators (NSF award 2427666).
    • Texas A&M University: Artificial Intelligence and Biosecurity: Technologies and Policy Options to Leverage Opportunities and Mitigate Risks (NSF award 2427760).
    • UC Berkeley: Workshop Towards the Promise of Open-Source AI Models – A Workshop to Co-Create a Vision for Responsibility and Corresponding Research Roadmap (NSF award 2427618).
    • UCLA: Responsible Quantum Innovation (NSF award 2427775).
    • University of California, Davis: Responsible Artificial Intelligence to Promote Sustainability, Climate Resilience, and Equitable Access to Healthy Food in US Food Systems (NSF award 2427769).
    • Virginia Tech: Situating Network Infrastructure with People, Practices, and Beyond (NSF award 2427606).

    Phase 2:

    • Columbia University: Collaborative award: Enabling Participatory Privacy Protections for AI Training Data (NSF award 2429841).
    • Columbia University: Leveraging Urban AI as a Communal Tool for Connection and Exchange in Harlem (NSF award 2429672).
    • Development Gateway: The Digital Governance Design Project (NSF award 2429815).
    • Fred Hutchison Cancer Center: Collaborative award: Enabling Participatory Privacy Protections for AI Training Data (NSF award 2429840).
    • Georgetown University: Collaborative award: Enabling Participatory Privacy Protections for AI Training Data NSF award 2429838).
    • Indiana University: Collaborative award: Inclusive American Language Technologies (NSF award 2429338).
    • Iowa State University: Empowering Resilience: Innovations in Rural Electric Network Disaster Preparedness and Response (NSF award 2429602).
    • Louisiana State University: Climate-Informed Flood Risk Mitigation Sandbox (NSF award 2429888).
    • Michigan State University: Collaborative award: A User-Centered Platform for Digital Content Integrity (NSF award 2429836).
    • Mozilla Foundation: Collaborative award: Inclusive American Language Technologies (NSF award 2429337).
    • Rice University: Responsible Multi-Modal AI Systems for Multi-Hazard Resilience and Situational Awareness (NSF award 2429680).
    • Rochester Institute of Technology: Collaborative award: A User-Centered Platform for Digital Content Integrity (NSF award 2429835).
    • The University of Mississippi: Collaborative award: A User-Centered Platform for Digital Content Integrity (NSF award 2429837).
    • University of Maryland: Collaborative award: Enabling Participatory Privacy Protections for AI Training Data (NSF award 2429839).

    About NSF ReDDDoT

    The NSF ReDDDoT program is a collaboration with philanthropic partners and crosses all disciplines of science and engineering. The program seeks to ensure ethical, legal, community and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s creation and use. The program supports research, implementation and education projects involving multi-sector teams that focus on the responsible design, development or deployment of technologies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: President  Biden Commemorates Historic Climate Legacy during Climate Week  NYC

    Source: The White House

    President Biden will deliver remarks tomorrow highlighting his climate, conservation, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda, which is lowering costs, creating good-paying and union jobs, and reducing harmful emissions

    Meanwhile, House Republicans continue reckless attempts to roll back climate, conservation, and clean energy investments

    When President Biden took office, he pledged to restore America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. Every day since, the Biden-Harris Administration has led and delivered on the most ambitious climate, conservation, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda in history, including securing the largest ever climate investment and unleashing a clean energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions of dollars in private sector investment; created hundreds of thousands of new clean energy jobs; and lowered energy costs for families while delivering cleaner air and water for communities across the country.

    As business leaders, government officials, young people, and other advocates from around the world gather in New York City to participate in Climate Week, tomorrow President Biden will deliver remarks in New York City highlighting his Administration’s unprecedented progress in tackling the climate crisis, cutting energy costs for everyday Americans, and creating good-paying union jobs.

    Meanwhile, as President Biden and Vice President Harris continue to implement their Investing in America agenda, many Congressional Republicans continue to deny the impacts of climate change and are actively working to roll back this Administration’s historic and urgent climate investments – in fact, House Republicans have voted more than 50 times to repeal parts of President Biden’s climate investments. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

    From replacing toxic lead pipes and modernizing our electric grid to reducing air pollution and conserving our nation’s lands and waters, President Biden and Vice President Harris have positioned America to lead the global effort against climate change and protect the health, safety, and economic vitality of our communities and our environment for generations to come. 

    Biden-Harris Administration’s Top Climate Accomplishments

    Deploying Clean, Affordable Electricity and Strengthening America’s Power Grid
    Through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden has secured unprecedented investments in a clean power sector, unleashing a boom in American solar, wind, battery storage, nuclear, and other clean energy technologies that are creating good-paying jobs and saving families money on utility bills. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting the U.S. offshore wind industry, transmission buildout and other power grid upgrades, residential solar for low-income households, investments in clean electricity across rural America, efficient permitting to get new projects built, and American manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, the US has added more than 100 gigawatts of new clean energy – enough to power more than 25 million homes. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, clean energy project developers get access to expanded tax incentives if they pay workers prevailing wages and employ registered apprentices,  build their projects with domestic content, or locate projects in historic energy communities—provisions that are helping make more clean energy jobs good-paying and union jobs, supporting American manufacturing, and driving clean energy investment to the places that can benefit the most.

     
    Bolstering Climate Resilience and Adaptation

    The Biden-Harris Administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to addressing climate impacts, including through Federal climate adaptation planning and integrating consideration of climate impacts into Federal policies, programs, and funding. The Administration released a National Climate Resilience Framework and President Biden secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation investments that are upgrading aging roads and bridges, including critical evacuation routes; restoring critical waterways, forests, and urban greenspaces; building forest health and reducing wildfire risk; bolstering water infrastructure and drought resilience across the American West; reducing the risk to federal assets from future floods; and modernizing our electric grid. Through portals like Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) and Heat.gov, the Administration is equipping communities with the information and resources they need to assess climate risks and implement adaptation actions in their communities. With historic investments from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration stabilized the short-term security of the Colorado River and is making investments to ensure the long-term stability of the Colorado River Basin.
     
    Accelerating a Clean Transportation Future

    Last year, the Biden-Harris Administration released the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, a landmark strategy for eliminating nearly all greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. transportation sector by 2050. The Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act invest tens of billions to decarbonize maritime,  trucking, transit, rail, and aviation, all while making communities more walkable, bikeable, and connected. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is also investing $7.5 billion to build a nationwide network of convenient, reliable electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure along corridors and within communities, and $5 billion to put clean school buses on our roads. In addition, the President rallied automakers and autoworkers around a historic goal of having electric vehicles account for at least 50% of new passenger vehicles sold by 2030. To support this goal while driving down consumer costs, the Administration secured tax credits that reduce the cost of new or used clean vehicles by thousands of dollars directly at the dealership as well as tax credits to deploy EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure to support clean vehicle deployment needs for individuals and businesses within rural and low income communities. The Administration is also leading by example to electrify the federal vehicle fleet, including 66,000 U.S. Postal Service delivery vehicles over five years.

     
    Cutting Energy Costs and Pollution at Homes, Schools, and in Communities

    Last year, 3.4 million American families saved $8.4 billion from IRA home energy tax credits for heat pumps, insulation, solar, and other clean energy technologies, and today states across the US are rolling out IRA rebates of up to $14,000 per household to help low- and middle-income families afford cost-saving electric appliances and energy efficiency improvements. The President established a $20 billion national clean energy financing network that will support tens of thousands of clean energy projects and cost-saving retrofits, reducing or avoiding up to 40 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually over the next seven years. The Biden-Harris Administration has also strengthened energy efficiency standards to save households and businesses money, with standards updated by DOE for dozens of appliances expected to provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years, saving the average household more than $100 a year while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2 billion metric tons. Schools across the country are using IRA clean energy tax credits and elective pay to install solar, energy storage, and ground source heat pumps.

    Revitalizing American Manufacturing for the Clean Economy

    President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped catalyze historic manufacturing growth, with factories opening across the nation. The private sector has committed over $910 billion in investments in American manufacturing and clean energy, including sectors central to our industrial strength. The President’s agenda is helping to make U.S. manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing more than $6 billion to slash climate pollution and support workers and community health at U.S. factories producing the steel, aluminum, cement, and other materials that form the backbone of our economy, nearly $2 billion to support shuttered or at-risk auto facilities retain or re-hire workers to support manufacturing in the electric vehicle supply chain, over $3 billion to bolster battery manufacturing, and over $4 billion through the Federal Buy Clean Initiative to bolster markets to buy cleaner materials. The Biden-Harris Administration’s historic steps to reduce super-polluting methane and hydrofluorocarbons are also harnessing American innovation and creating good-paying union jobs. 
     
    Advancing Environmental Justice

    Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. The President signed a historic Executive Order that mobilizes the federal government to bring clean energy and healthy environments to all and mitigate harm to those who have suffered from pollution and environmental burdens like climate change. Through the Justice40 Initiative, over 500 programs across 19 federal agencies are being reimagined and transformed to maximize the benefits of President Biden’s unprecedented investments – from clean energy projects to floodwater protections to wastewater infrastructure – to communities that need them most. At the same time, the Administration is taking unprecedented action to protect communities from PFAS pollution, accelerate Superfund and brownfield cleanups, tighten standards for hazardous air pollutants, and enhance air quality enforcement. To ensure the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of communities with environmental justice concerns are heard in the White House and reflected in federal priorities, policies, investments, and decision-making, President Biden also created the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
     
    Delivering Clean Water and Replacing Lead Pipes

    President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every American has access to clean, safe water. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests over $50 billion in upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure – the largest investment in clean water in American history. The Administration has already launched over 1,700 projects to expand access to clean drinking water, replace lead pipes, improve wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, and remove PFAS pollution in water. The Biden-Harris Administration invested over $1 billion from the President’s Investing in America agenda to specifically accelerate the delivery of drinking water and community sanitation infrastructure projects in Indian Country, where almost 50% of communities are lacking this basic human right. President Biden has also made a commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting families from lead poisoning that can irreversibly harm brain development in children.


    Empowering Every Community to Advance Climate Solutions

    The historic set of federal actions that the Biden-Harris Administration has taken are supporting communities across the country in seizing opportunities in the clean energy economy. The Administration has mobilized billions of dollars in investment in the energy communities and workers that have powered our nation for generations. To help young people access skills-based training for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy, the Administration launched the American Climate Corps, which will mobilize a new, diverse generation of more than 20,000 Americans. And with direct support from the Administration’s Investing in America Agenda, more than 45 states and more than 200 Tribes, territories, and metro areas have now developed their own Climate Action Plans. All of these foundational efforts will support climate solutions in the near-term and for years to come, helping the nation achieve the goal of reducing climate pollution by 50-52% below 2005 levels in 2030 and reaching a net-zero economy by no later than 2050.

    Conserving our Lands and Waters

    President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative is supporting and accelerating voluntary, locally led conservation and restoration efforts across the country, and with 42 million acres already protected under President Biden, the U.S. is on track to meet the first-ever national goal to conserve at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. The Biden-Harris Administration has established or expanded eight national monuments and restored protections for three more; created five new national wildlife refuges and significantly expanded five more; established two new national marine sanctuaries and begun the process to designate or expand protections for five more; created one new national estuarine research reserve; protected the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the nation’s most visited wilderness area; safeguarded Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska from the impacts of mining; protected the Arctic Ocean from oil and gas development; and withdrawn Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Thompson Divide in Colorado from further oil and gas leasing which will protect pristine lands and thousands of sacred sites. The Administration also directed the conservation of old-growth and mature forests, put conservation on equal footing with development in managing our public lands, launched the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our nation’s river and streams, protected vast areas of caribou habitat in the Western Arctic for future generations, and is advancing the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California.
     
    Rallying Leaders of the World’s Largest Economies to Raise Global Climate Ambition

    President Biden has restored America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. Under his leadership, the Administration is securing commitments from more than 155 countries to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030; successfully galvanizing other countries at COP28 to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels, stop building new unabated coal capacity globally, and triple renewable energy globally by 2030 and nuclear energy by 2050; launching a new Clean Energy Supply Chain Collaborative to work with international partners to diversify supply chains that are critical to a clean and secure energy transition; mobilizing other governments to follow the U.S. lead and commit to achieve net-zero government emissions by 2050 through a new Net-Zero Government Initiative; and becoming a world leader in innovative debt-for-nature swaps that have helped countries restructure over $2 billion in debt and unlock hundreds of millions of new financing for nature and climate.

    Accelerating Federal Permitting to Deliver Clean Energy and Infrastructure More Quickly

    The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to accelerate clean energy infrastructure and deliver other critical projects by securing and directing long overdue resources to improve and accelerate permitting and environmental reviews. The Administration also finalized the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule to address climate change, protect public health, encourage better environmental outcomes, and promote meaningful public input on Federal decisions and projects.

    House Republicans Continue Attempting to Roll Back Climate Protections

    As President Biden and Vice President Harris implement the most ambitious and impactful climate and conservation agenda in history, House Republicans are taking action right now that would roll back investments in climate, clean energy, and public health. House Republicans’ efforts to gut climate protections through a variety of avenues – including appropriations bills, Congressional Review Act resolutions, and other legislative actions – would raise consumer energy costs, undermine public health protections, worsen the impacts of extreme weather events, and destroy environmental safeguards for our lands and waters.

    Ongoing attempts by Congressional Republicans to roll back climate and environmental protections would:

    Raise Consumer Energy Costs, including by:

    Gut Public Health Protections, including by:

    • Trying to overturn Biden-Harris Administration rules that protect communities from coal plants’ water pollution, air pollution, and waste disposal.
    • Trying to overturn a Biden-Harris Administration rule that will reduce by 96% the number of people with elevated cancer risk near certain chemical plants, by reducing emissions of toxic chloroprene and ethylene oxide from those facilities.
    • Rolling back the Clean School Bus program that will reduce climate pollution and provide cleaner air for our nation’s children.
    • Undermining clean air progress by trying to overturn rules that reduce pollution from power plants, cars and trucks , and industrial sources.
    • Taking steps to block new Biden-Harris Administration rules to protect coal and other miners from toxic silica dust.

    Destroy Protections for Our Lands and Waters, including by:

    • Trying to eliminate Presidential authority to establish national monuments altogether.
    • Working to dismantle President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative.
    • Threatening to expose cherished landscapes to new drilling, including 13 million acres of special areas in the Western Arctic.
    • Planning to reduce accountability for oil and gas companies.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $400K restitution in the mail to Ilwaco mobile home park residents as a result of successful AG lawsuit

    Source: Washington State News

    Owners issued unlawful eviction and utility shut-off notices to residents

    OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that approximately $400,000 in restitution is on its way to current and former residents of an Ilwaco mobile home park. The owners, Michael and Denise Werner and their companies, including Deer Point Meadows Investments, are paying nearly $1.1 million as part of a legally binding resolution to Ferguson’s consumer protection lawsuit over the Werners’ unlawful eviction and utility shutoff notices.

    In 2022, the Werners and their agents distributed eviction and utility shutoff notices to residents of the Beacon RV mobile home park, signed by “Management,” despite not yet owning the park. While distributing the notices, two of the agents were visibly armed with firearms.

    In written communication, Denise Werner described the Beacon RV residents as “filth.” Michael Werner stated he was not concerned about the Beacon residents’ rights and that he did not believe the law applied to him.

    A judge in Pacific County Superior Court previously ruled the notices were unlawful. The legally binding resolution requires the Werners to pay back their current and former tenants, plus interest, as well as covering the costs of the Attorney General’s investigation and enforcement.

    The approximately 40 current and former tenants will receive a letter from the Attorney General’s Office explaining the resolution. Each tenant will receive a check for $10,000. This is in addition to $57,000 in administrative fines from the Attorney General’s prior enforcement for violations of Washington’s Manufactured/Mobile Housing Landlord Tenant Act, and a court order to provide $2,000 or actual relocation costs to tenants, whichever is greater.

    “This resolution gives significant relief to tenants — many of whom are elderly, disabled, low-income or veterans — and provides accountability for the park owners’ illegal conduct,” Ferguson said. “Washington law is clear: Mobile home landlords must deal fairly with their tenants. My office will continue to be a watchdog for Washingtonians.”

    Ferguson filed a lawsuit in Pacific County Superior Court asserting the Werners violated the Consumer Protection Act and Manufactured/Mobile Housing Landlord-Tenant Act during their purchase and operation of Beacon Charters and RV Park.

    The Werners are based in Vancouver, Wash., and own and operate dozens of mobile home and RV parks across the state. Approximately 4,000 people live in those parks.

    On April 11, 2022, the Werners purchased Beacon, intending to convert the park to short-term rentals. Prior to completing the sale, the Werners began issuing eviction notices to Beacon’s 45 long-term residents on Feb. 25, 2022. The notices were signed by “Management.”

    On April 6, 2022 – still prior to owning the park – the Werners issued a utility shut-off notice, also signed by “Management.” The former CEO of Deer Point testified that this was “standard practice” for the Werners. The Werners attempted to shut off the power, but the local utility provider refused.

    Judge Katherine Svoboda, a Grays Harbor judge who presided over the case in Pacific County court, ruled that the notices were unfair and deceptive, in violation of the Consumer Protection Act. When issuing the notices, and subsequent notices around the park, two of the Werners’ employees were visibly armed with firearms, at the direction of Michael Werner. In addition, the Werners had refused to keep the park clean and safe, as required by law, allowing a rat infestation, piles of garbage and feces-smeared bathroom facilities.

    One resident said people at the park were “shocked and scared.”

    An 81-year-old resident who has lived at the park for eight years said she “worried we might get kicked out onto our butts in the street. … How on Earth can [the Werners] do that legally?”

    A 78-year-old resident undergoing cancer treatment said she saw “rats running all over the place. … I had to borrow money for a lot of things” in order to move.

    In response to the Werner’s notices, a majority of the Beacon residents were forced to leave the property. Some Beacon residents feared for their safety, believing the Werners would kick them out on the streets or tow away their homes.

    One Beacon resident feared having an eviction on her record, which could prevent her from securing low-income housing.

    Another Beacon resident was prevented from seeing his young child because of the Werner’s threats of utility shut-off and safety concerns stemming from the Werner employees openly carrying firearms. Some Beacon residents experienced physical harm from the stress and physical exertion required to move their homes, requiring hospitalization and ongoing care.

    Other tenants had difficulty finding parks with availability to accept their mobile homes.

    Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution program helps tenants and landlords

    The Attorney General’s Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program received 13 complaints from 10 tenants at Beacon.

    The Legislature created the program in 2007 to help enforce Washington’s Manufactured/Mobile Housing Landlord-Tenant Act (MHTLA) and help resolve disputes between landlords and manufactured home owners. The act applies to situations where the tenant owns their manufactured or mobile home, but rents the space the home sits on.

    Both landlords and tenants can file complaints with the program. The program serves as a neutral party, not an advocate for either side.

    The law directs the program to attempt to bring parties into compliance with the law prior to taking enforcement actions. Enforcement can include administrative measures and litigation.

    Tenants and landlords can file complaints with the program online here: https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/MHLTComplaintForm.aspx

    Assistant Attorney General Sebastian Miller, investigator Scott Henderson, paralegal Emin Aliiasov and legal assistant Chris Kiefer handled the case. Former Assistant Attorney General Shidon Aflatooni also worked on the case.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov

    General contacts: Click here

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Votes Unanimously to Expand the Scope of Bipartisan Task Force on Trump Assassination Attempt

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    House Votes Unanimously to Expand the Scope of Bipartisan Task Force on Trump Assassination Attempt

    Purview of Task Force now includes the second assassination attempt on Republican Presidential Nominee

    Washington, September 20, 2024

    WASHINGTON — Today, following the second assassination attempt on President Trump’s life, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to expand the investigative purview of the Bipartisan Task Force to Investigate the Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump to include the second assassination attempt.

    Speaker Johnson released the following statement after the unanimous consent request was agreed to:

    “There’s no leader in American history who has been attacked as aggressively as Donald Trump, and yet remained so strong and resilient. Today, the House is rising to meet this historic moment by voting to formally expand the purview of the task force to include the second assassination attempt on his life. The American people deserve answers and accountability for the many security failures that have led to these events – and this Congress will deliver.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Fights the Woke Agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — This week, the Republican-led House took several important steps to expose and fight the woke agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration.

    “This week, the House passed three comprehensive anti-woke legislative packages, along with several key individual bills, to counter the woke, wasteful, and weaponized agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration. Americans want our banks to be fiduciaries, not social justice warriors. And they want our schools to be places of education, not indoctrination. These key pieces of legislation expose the Democrats radical agenda that’s hurting our students, our banks, and our country,” Speaker Johnson said.

    “From enhancing transparency at the SEC and safeguarding retirement plans so Americans can secure their futures without interference from radical agendas, to challenging divisive DEI mandates that prioritize identity over merit and protecting free speech on our college campuses – House Republicans are working to restore common-sense and accountability in our federal government.”

    Below is a complete list of legislative packages and individual bills passed this week:

    H.R. 5339 – Protecting Americans’ Investments from Woke Policies Act 

    H.R.5339 – RETIRE Act

    H.R.5338 – No Discrimination in My Benefits Act

    H.R.5337 – Retirement Proxy Protection Act

    H.R.5340 – Providing Complete Information to Retirement Investors Act

    H.R. 3724 – End Woke Higher Education Act 

    H.R.3724 – Accreditation for College Excellence Act

    H.R.7683 – Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act

    H.R. 4790 – Prioritizing Economic Growth Over Woke Policies Act

    H.R.4790 – Guiding Uniform and Responsible Disclosure Requirements and Information Limits Act

    H.R.4655 – Businesses Over Activists Act

    H.R.4767 – Protecting Americans’ Retirement Savings from Politics Act

    H.R.4823 – American FIRST Act

    H.R. 5717 – No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act 

    H.J. Res. 136 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Force for Good: UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at risk of being missed – 9 urgent actions needed to unlock progress as cost of SDG gap rises by 10% to US$112-136 trillion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • A new report from Force for Good – “Capital as a Force for Good: Shifting the Global Order Through the Mass Mobilization of Solutions” – finds urgent action is needed now to unlock progress and achieve the SDGs
    • It identifies ‘Nine Big Ideas’ that, if scaled globally, have the potential to unlock SDG progress from less than 66% today, to nearly 90% by the end of the decade, helping correct the annual SDG funding gap of US$14-17 trillion
    • Ideas include climate transition frameworks, AI-enabled connectivity, and universal digital financial services, through coordinated action across governments, the private sector and multi-lateral institutions, proposing a high-impact roll-out across the world

    LONDON, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Force For Good: The world is failing to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and urgent action is needed to unlock progress and overcome the growing annual SDG funding gap, which now stands at US$14-17 trillion, a new report from Force for Good finds, US$112-136 trillion in total, up 10%, due to the costs of global climate transition and development needs in the Global South.

    Today, only 16% of the goal’s 169 underlying targets are on track to be met by 2030, with 50% falling behind, and 30% regressing below their 2015 levels when the SDGs were kicked off, the report finds.

    Nine ‘Big Ideas’, including climate transition frameworks, AI-enabled connectivity, and universal digital financial services, if scaled globally, have the cumulative potential to progress SDG achievement to nearly 90%, from less than 66% today, reigniting exponential progress.

    “This report shows how the global order and the systems itself can be transformed by delivering solutions en masse across the planet, engaging everyone in this endeavour … By leveraging the strengths of governments, private companies, NGOS and mobilising the individual as an agent of change, we can create a sustainable, secure, and prosperous future,” said Ketan Patel, Chair of the Advisory Council.

    The world’s failure to meet the goals is being driven by a series of interrelated economic, political, geopolitical and environmental shocks – including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Gaza, the energy, cost-of-living and climate crises – interacting with one another to create a ‘polycrisis’ that is diverting attention and resources away from sustainable development.

    A mass and fast roll out of the ‘Nine Big Ideas’, sponsored by appropriate champions across government, private sector or multi-lateral institutions, working with the United Nations, can make a transformative impact on developing countries, while benefitting the global economy.

    While the mass mobilisation of solutions will take a global effort, the largest developing countries, particularly India, China, and Brazil, account for two-thirds of the world’s sustainable development potential. These countries represent the first wave of opportunity in a multi-wave project to realize the future faster.

    Meeting the SDGs is a crucial step for the world in the transition to the next era of human civilization, building a platform on which further breakthroughs and technologies can create a sustainable, secure and superior future.

    About Force for Good

    Force for Good’s mission is to mobilize capital, resources, and ideas as a force for good in the world at a time of profound change. The organization’s Capital as a Force for Good Initiative engages the world’s leading financial institutions and other stakeholders, to promote sustainable development through the deployment of capital and solutions to address global issues and enable the transition to a better future.

    The annual Capital as a Force for Good report, now in its fourth edition, is the result of collaboration with the United Nations and major global financial institutions, assessing the role of capital in addressing the world’s most pressing issues.

    Institutions actively engaged include Bank of America, BlackRock, Bridgewater Associates, Citi, Credit Suisse, Fidelity Investments, First Abu Dhabi Bank, GIC Singapore, Goldman Sachs, Great-West Lifeco, HDFC Bank, HSBC, Investec Group, Japan Post Holdings, JPMorgan Chase, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Nordea, Northern Trust, OMERS, Putnam Investments, Schroders, State Street, UBS, Wellington, and others.

    For further details, please visit www.forcegood.org

    CONTACTS

    Force For Good Contact:
    Lesley Whittle
    Lesley.whittle@forcegood.org

    *ESG News is a proud supporter of Force for Good

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Panetta Praises Early Success of His REPLANT Act to Help Restore National Forests

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

    Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) praised the progress being made to help reforestation efforts in our National Forests due to his REPLANT Act.  Rep. Panetta authored the bipartisan and bicameral bill and ensured that it was included in the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in the 117th Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden.  The REPLANT Act mandates federal investment in the Reforestation Trust Fund that helps reduce the backlog of projects to plant more trees in burn-scarred areas.  Since the REPLANT Act became law, the U.S. Forest Service has reforested 360,000 acres.

    National Forests account for 193 million acres of land across the United States. These forests store 25% of the nation’s carbon, filter drinking water for 60 million Americans, are home to 3,000 species, host 159 million visitors annually, and contribute $13.7 billion to local economies. In 2021, the U.S. Forest Service had a reforestation backlog of 3.6 million acres, largely due to destructive wildfires and other hazards.

    The REPLANT Act increased investments in reforestation projects on national forests and removed the previous $30 million annual cap in the Reforestation Trust Fund, making an average of $123 million available for reforestation each year.

    “As stewards of our environment, it was long past time that we stopped talking about replanting our treasured National Forests and started taking action,” said Rep. Panetta.  “I am not only proud to have authored the bipartisan REPLANT Act and have it signed into law, but I’m also very pleased to see that the landmark investments are having a significant impact in replanting and revitalizing our forests.  We have more work to do when it comes to managing and protecting our environment, but the early results of the REPLANT Act should give us hope that the United States Congress can properly promote and perpetuate our National Forests.”

    The goal of the REPLANT Act is to help reforest 4.1 million acres by planting 1.2 billion trees over the next 10 years. This level of reforestation is expected to sequester 758 million metric tons of carbon over the trees’ lifetimes, the equivalent of 85.3 billion gallons of gasoline, improve soil health and wildlife habitats, and create nearly 49,000 jobs over the next 10 years.  Rep. Panetta led the REPLANT Act with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and then Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) as well as Representative Mike Simpson (ID-02).

    In addition to the REPLANT Act’s investments, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes key measures for climate and community resiliency, such as $3.37 billion for wildfire risk reduction, $27.65 billion to modernize energy grids, $7.7 billion to strengthen clean energy supply chains, and $55 billion to improve water infrastructure.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Romanian Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Identities to Fraudulently Obtain Public Assistance Funds

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    SANTA ANA, California – A one-time Orange County man who is one of Romania’s most notorious criminals was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for stealing victims’ identities to withdraw money from their public-assistance accounts without their permission.

    Florin Duduianu, 39, whose last known residence was in Mission Viejo, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Holcomb, who also ordered him to pay $1,850 in restitution.

    Duduianu pleaded guilty on January 5 to three counts of bank fraud and unlawful use of unauthorized access devices. After a two-day bench trial, Judge Holcomb on January 23 found Duduianu guilty of two counts of aggravated identity theft.

    “This defendant came to our country to victimize the neediest members of our society,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Our nation is not a piggy bank for foreign criminals, and those who think they can take advantage of our liberties to harm our people are sorely mistaken.” 

    “Duduianu stole money which was meant to serve as a critical lifeline to those most in need,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “It was a serious offense, and the FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners across the globe to identify fraudsters like this defendant and hold them fully accountable for their crimes.”

    In August 2023, law enforcement was conducting an operation to combat Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fraud at various banks and ATMs in Placentia. Police saw Duduianu, accompanied by a passenger, drive up to a Wells Fargo ATM and make multiple withdrawals on different cards. Based on this information, officers pulled Duduianu over. Duduianu lied to the officers, telling them he was depositing, not withdrawing, money from the ATM.

    During a search of Duduianu’s passenger, officers found four Visa gift cards, three Wells Fargo ATM receipts, and $1,850 in cash. The Visa gift cards were encoded with EBT card numbers. Those numbers were run through an EBT database, which showed that they belonged to four different people. Based on the Wells Fargo receipts, Duduianu used two of the cards to make three withdrawals totaling $1,850 from the ATM.

    The FBI contacted the accountholders for the two EBT accounts from which Duduianu made withdrawals. The accountholders said that they did not know Duduianu or his car passenger and did not give permission to anyone to withdraw funds from their accounts.

    During a search of Duduianu’s cellphone, law enforcement found dozens of photos and videos related to ATM skimming as well as tools and techniques used to skim EBT information. Law enforcement also found photos of large sums of cash and hundreds of EBT numbers from multiple states. In the chat history of Duduianu’s phone, the government found an article about EBT fraud that was sent from his phone to four other phone numbers.

    On another smartphone law enforcement recovered during Duduianu’s arrest, law enforcement found additional videos related to ATM skimming. Phone records and EBT records showed that this phone was used to check the balance of the EBT accounts of the victims in this case, five days before Duduianu withdrew $1,850 from those same accounts.

    “Until his arrest in this case…Duduianu was one of Romania’s ‘Most Wanted’ criminals and an INTERPOL fugitive,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “He leads the ‘Duduianu Clan,’ an exceptionally violent and influential

    organized crime group and was previously convicted of attempted murder. In 2020, [Duduianu] fled Romanian prosecution following charges of robbery and blackmail.”

    The FBI and the Placentia Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section and Diane B. Roldán of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scanlon, Casey, Fetterman, Boyle, Evans Secure More than $217 Million for PhilaPort

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon(PA-5)

    Funding will expand port to increase shipping capacity and efficiency

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Scanlon (PA-05) today joined Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), and Congressmen Dwight Evans (PA-03) and Brendan Boyle (PA-02) in announcing the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PhilaPort) is receiving a total of $217,000,000 in funding to expand the operational capacity of the SouthPort terminal. The operational expansion will create a new space for ships and expand onloading and offloading capacity and efficiency. This award is from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) Program, which was created and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 

    “The Port of Philadelphia is a critical driver of good-paying jobs for our regional economy. I’m so pleased to see this critical funding coming to our region to bring more cargo to the Port,” said Rep. Scanlon.

    “The infrastructure law is helping the port transport more goods, which will create good jobs in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This game-changing investment in PhilaPort will ensure that the port remains a critical force in the Nation’s supply chain and the Commonwealth’s economy.” said Senator Casey. “I will always fight to improve our shipping hubs to ensure that the Commonwealth’s waterways boost economic growth and create and sustain good jobs.”

    “I’m proud to see this $217 million funding coming to the SouthPort terminal. By expanding the terminal and increasing capacity, the Department of Transportation is investing in Pennsylvania as a leader in trade and infrastructure and supporting the communities that rely on these jobs every day. I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued investment in Pennsylvania’s future,” said Senator Fetterman.  

    “This funding will improve Philadelphia port infrastructure and will allow greater efficiency in handling and transporting goods. Most of all, this funding will create jobs by increasing trade, and enhancing global competitiveness. Philadelphia ports must always be kept updated and modernized to remain competitive in both the regional and global supply chain economy,” said Rep. Boyle. 

    “I was proud to vote for the Biden-Harris administration’s infrastructure and jobs law, and it’s again delivering for Philadelphia and the region with $217 million in federal funding – that is a major investment in our future!” said Rep. Evans. 

    The $217,200,000 investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This funding will expand the port’s operational capacity by creating more space to for vessels to dock at the port and increasing on and offloading efficiencies. Specifically, this funding will support the construction of a second berth which will improve the port’s ability to on and offload goods from ships. Additionally, the funding will support infill construction, which will expand the port by approximately ten acres. This port expansion will ensure that the port can remain a competitive and efficient shipping hub. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Soldier Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Posting Video of Himself Threatening to Kill Personnel at Fort Irwin Army Base

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    RIVERSIDE, California – A Northern California man and former soldier was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for posting online videos of himself threatening to kill multiple military personnel at the Fort Irwin army base in San Bernardino County.

    Christian Ernest Beyer, 42, of Petaluma, was sentenced by United States District Judge Suzanne S. Sykes.

    Beyer pleaded guilty on June 28 to one count of sending threats by interstate communication.

    “Mr. Beyer’s desire to carry out violence against members of our military and their families led to a federal prison sentence,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Our military servicemembers deserve better and we will continue to prosecute those who seek to harm public servants.”

    “Today’s sentence is a stern reminder that anyone who harms innocent military members and their families will serve jail time,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will continue to investigate all threats against those who bravely serve their country.”

    According to court documents, in October 2023, Beyer published a video on his personal YouTube page. The video is approximately three minutes in length and contains multiple threats directed at four victims and their families. The victims were specific military personnel at Fort Irwin.

    Beyer is an army veteran formerly stationed at Fort Irwin who was court martialed in 2021 for assault.

    He has been in federal custody since November 2023.

    The FBI investigated this matter as part of its Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force.

    Assistant United States Attorney Matt Coe-Odess of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Davenport Man Indicted for Armed Carjacking and Possessing Ammunition as a Convicted Felon

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Armoni Moody (23, Davenport) with carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted on all counts, Moody faces a minimum mandatory penalty of seven years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Moody that the United States intends to forfeit a SCCY firearm and assorted rounds of ammunition, which are alleged to have been used in the commission of the offense. 

    According to the indictment, on June 12, 2024, Moody used a firearm to commit a carjacking during which he took a vehicle from the victim with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm. Prior to the offense, Moody had previously been convicted of robbery with a weapon on May 13, 2021. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

    This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Deadly Weapon

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    MIAMI – On September 16, a tribal member pleaded guilty in federal court to assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    According to court records, on April 26, Sutanga Rex Cypress, 42, was arguing with the victim when Cypress brandished a firearm. Cypress then pointed the gun at the victim and shot the victim in the abdomen. The victim was airlifted to the hospital due to the severity of the injuries sustained by the gunshot.  

    Sentencing is set for December 9, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra. Cypress faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for one count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other mitigating, aggravating and statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, and Chief Roland Pandolfi of the Miccosukee Police Department made the announcement.

    FBI Safe Trails, Miami and Miccosukee Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Latoya C. Brown and Vanessa E. Bonhomme are prosecuting the case.  

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20195-JB.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Additional Support to Estevan and Coronach Regions for Coal Transition

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on September 23, 2024

    The Government of Saskatchewan is investing $10 million to build new economic opportunities and support coal transition efforts in the Estevan and Coronach regions. 

    “This investment by the Government of Saskatchewan will develop a strong business environment in the communities that are most impacted by the federal government’s decision to force the closure of coal power facilities by 2030,” Crown Investments Corporation Minister Dustin Duncan said. “The funding will directly contribute to economic development and investment attraction, bringing new projects and ideas to grow local economies and keep these communities strong and vibrant.”

    As Saskatchewan continues its own plan to build out grid capacity to support a growing province, retaining and developing our skilled workforce and technical expertise through business opportunities in Estevan, Coronach and area is critical to facilitate the unprecedented energy transition.

    The newly announced funding is in addition to the $10 million invested by the provincial government in 2020 to support coal transition in the area. The new investment will be equally distributed to the two community regions: 5 million to the Coronach region and $5 million to the Estevan region.

    “Today’s investment shows our government’s commitment to coal reliant communities by building their capacity to rise to the significant economic challenges imposed by the federal government’s decision to close coal power plants by 2030,” Agriculture Minister and MLA for Wood River David Marit said. “I am pleased to see the economic growth that has been created in the Coronach region through the 2020 investment provided by the Government of Saskatchewan, and this additional investment will further boost the positive economic trajectory of Southern Saskatchewan.”

    “With the challenges imposed by the federal government’s decision to force the shutdown of Saskatchewan’s coal fired power plants, retaining and reskilling the workforce in this sector through business opportunities in this region is crucial,” Highways Minister and MLA for Estevan Lori Carr said. “Power generation has always been an important part of Estevan’s economy, and with the recent SaskPower announcement that identified two high-potential Small Modular Reactor sites in the Estevan area, our community has many new opportunities to look forward to.”

    Government will provide $5 million to South Saskatchewan Ready, an economic partnership of nine rural communities and RMs in the Coronach region, and $5 million to the Municipal Coal Transition Committee, comprised of representatives from the City of Estevan, RM of Estevan, RM of Coalfields, and the Town of Bienfait. Both organizations will administer the new funding in partnership with local municipalities. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Misclassification of Drugs, Program Administration and Program Integrity Updates Under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Final Rule

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) final rule advances policies to promote the efficient operation of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). This includes policies to implement new statutory authorities included in the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019 (MSIAA) to address situations in which manufacturers incorrectly report or misclassify their drugs in the MDRP. The final rule also enhances MDRP integrity and strengthens policies that will ensure greater consistency and accuracy of drug information reporting, timely data collection, and efficient operation of the MDRP.

    Identifying and Correcting Misclassified Drug Information and Addressing Late Reporting

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Leading African fund managers receive awards for supporting promising entrepreneurs and start-ups across the continent

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • First Circle Capital, SpeedInvest and Knife Capital achievements awarded for their work in African venture capital.
    • The Africa Venture Finance Programme at Oxford’s Saïd Business School hosted 41 prominent African and Africa-focused venture capital fund managers, with more than half of them being women.
    • The programme is funded by the EU, through Boost Africa, and by the AfricaGrow Technical Assistance Facility financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW

    African venture capital (VC) fund managers First Circle Capital, SpeedInvest and Knife Capital have all received awards recognising their success in supporting promising entrepreneurs and start-ups across African countries. The awards were presented during the Africa Venture Finance Programme, a week-long, in-person course, organised for the third time at Oxford university’s Saïd Business School from 9 to 13 September 2024. The programme aims to support VC fund managers investing in early and growth-stage technology companies in Africa, with Boost Africa and AfricaGrow hosting 41 leading fund managers from 31 African VC funds.

    The ‘Most Promising Fund Manager’ award was given to the all-female team from First Circle Capital, who invest in and support early-stage fintech founders.

    The ‘Best Deal’ award went to SpeedInvest for their investment in Moove, a rapidly growing company providing vehicle financing and supply solutions.

    Lastly, the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ was presented to Keet van Zyl, founding partner of South Africa-based Knife Capital, in recognition of his contributions to the venture ecosystem and leadership.

    “We are proud of Boost Africa’s role in supporting a vibrant and resilient VC ecosystem in Africa and helping African entrepreneurs transform their ideas into successful businesses,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “The EIB is committed to financing new technology and ideas that will address the global challenges we all face.”

    The shortlisted candidates were peer-selected by fellow fund managers, and a panel of judges composed of limited partners determined the winners from the shortlisted candidates. Investors from funds including Partech, AfricInvest, TLcom, Norssken, Speedinvest came together to discuss innovative solutions for Africa’s unique challenges. The five-day event allowed participants to share expertise and facilitate discussions to drive rapid growth in Africa’s technology venture capital sector. Attendees from all over the continent took part, with more than half of them being women, reflecting increased gender inclusiveness within venture capital leadership.

    Several Oxford academics joined the group discussions covering a wide range of topics such as the growing need for innovative funding instruments and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on the continent’s future. Additionally, several prominent African investors attended the forum to share best practices and discuss the way forward. Participants engaged with representatives from different development finance institutions and international organisations. This included Andrea Clerici, Director for Corporate Finance & Global Activities at the European Investment Bank, and delegates from the European Commission and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.

    “The opportunity to exchange confidential insights, discuss inherent challenges, and ultimately build deeper human bonds is essential for strengthening our collective ability to build our VC ecosystem together. No other conference or event has provided anywhere near as much value as this one.” – Nivesh Pather, Principal at Norrsken22.

    “It is important for me to always be learning. The trends in our part of the world are equal parts cyclical and rapidly evolving. We heard so many fresh perspectives and voices coupled with experience. I left Oxford with a renewed commitment to focus on the how.” –  Ory Okolloh, Partner at Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures.

    “This year’s Africa Venture Finance Programme proved once again the enormous potential of venture capital in Africa. A whole new generation of investors are taking the long view on building an entire new ecosystem. At Oxford Saïd Business School we are proud to be part of supporting this journey which will transform African economies, one startup at a time!” – Thomas Hellmann, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Saïd School of Business, Oxford University

    The Africa Venture Finance Programme is supported by the EU via the Boost Africa programme and by the AfricaGrow Technical Assistance Facility.

    Background information

    About Boost Africa

    Boost Africa is a joint initiative between the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to enable and enhance entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa in a commercially viable way. It addresses a current gap in the African market by providing early-stage venture capital paired with skills development.

    Boost Africa focuses on financial intermediaries investing in innovative business models and start-ups developing digital solutions across various sectors including, inter alia, information and communication technologies (ICT), healthcare, climate mitigation and adaptation, education, financial services, and manufacturing sectors. There is a particular emphasis on financial intermediaries focusing on youth and women and on sectors where innovation can improve the quality of people’s lives, in particular for lower-income households.

    Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility, part of the broader Boost Africa programme, provides bespoke support to strengthen the core professional and operational skills of partner fund managers and their investees to realise growth potential among innovative tech start-ups and high growth SMEs in Africa. The Facility is funded by the European Commission and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, through the 11th European Development Fund. The funding is managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and implemented by Adam Smith Europe, part of the Adam Smith International Group.

    About AfricaGrow

    The AfricaGrow Fund of Funds is a blended finance vehicle managed by Allianz Global Investors and serves as a catalyst for private capital into Africa by providing a de-risked capital structure for institutional investors, fostering indirect investments into African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups via local Private Equity and Venture Capital fund investments. Its LPs are DEG, KfW – on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Allianz insurance companies.

    As a legally independent entity, AfricaGrow is a central instrument of the Compact with Africa (CwA) initiative, which was launched in 2017 under the 50 German G20 presidency. The Technical Assistance Facility is funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW, while the fund is managed by Allianz Global Investors and advised by DEG Impact GmbH.

    About the EIB

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: U.S. Climate Alliance launches Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative, aims to train 1 million new registered apprentices by 2035

    Source: Washington State News

    Gov. Jay Inslee, who co-founded the bipartisan U.S. Climate Alliance in 2017, joined his co-chairs and national climate advisor Ali Zaidi at Climate Week NYC to announce a new workforce initiative. This initiative complements programs already underway in Washington state to help more people train for jobs and careers in clean energy, climate resiliency and restoration.

    Full press release below. A livestream of the press event is available at USCA’s Climate Week NYC webpage.

    U.S. Climate Alliance launches Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative, aims to train 1 million new registered apprentices by 2035

    NEW YORK, NY — The U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, today launched the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative to grow career pathways in climate and clean energy fields, strengthen workforce diversity, and jointly train 1 million new registered apprentices by 2035 across the Alliance’s states and territories.

    Today’s announcement was made at a Climate Week NYC event featuring Alliance co-chairs New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, founding member Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.

    “In New York, we’re showing how climate action and economic growth go hand-in-hand,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “As a co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance, I’m proud to be collaborating with states, industry leaders, labor unions, higher education and community organizations to create the jobs of the future required to build a clean, equitable, and resilient economy. A skilled and well-prepared workforce will drive innovation, create new businesses, and ensure a sustainable, resilient future for our country.”

    “We need a climate-ready workforce — from EV technicians and heat pump installers to solar panel manufacturers — to meet our carbon reduction goals,” said New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “The Executive Order I’m issuing today in conjunction with the Alliance’s new Workforce Initiative will help ensure that workers from all backgrounds have access to the skills and training needed for high-quality, climate-ready jobs across New Mexico.”

    “We’re aligning our ambitious climate policies with workforce development to have 1 million more workers poised to take these good-paying, union jobs that serve our communities and strengthen our economies,” said Washington Gov. Jay Gov. Inslee. “These are economy-wide jobs, not just in clean energy but building trades, land management, clean technology and more. Climate Alliance states have a track record of meeting our ambitious goals and that momentum continues today.”

    “Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we are bringing down the barriers to economic opportunity, lowering costs for American families, and catalyzing a renaissance of American-made manufacturing that is creating jobs across America. In fact, just last year, we added over 250,000 new American energy jobs — with clean energy jobs growing twice as fast as the rest of the sector,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Governors across America are at the forefront of our efforts to spur growth in union jobs, expand American energy production, and invest in the economic success of our communities. Today’s announcement will help capitalize on our momentum to create a climate-ready workforce that is rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, communities, and industrial strength.” 

    The Initiative’s launch comes as historic federal investments, combined with ambitious state climate action, have unleashed a significant expansion of good-paying and union jobs in climate-ready fields — with millions more anticipated in the coming years under the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This includes high-quality jobs not only in clean energy and clean technology sectors — such as wind, solar, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and batteries — but also in fields associated with climate resilience and natural climate solutions.

    Under this Initiative, Alliance states and territories will collaborate to collectively support 1 million new workers in completing Registered Apprenticeship programs across the coalition by 2035. These programs, registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or federally approved State Apprenticeship Agencies, provide an especially valuable and proven career pathway, empowering workers to earn while they learn in key climate-ready occupations and industries.

    Alliance members will also advance a series of collective goals aimed at strengthening and expanding pathways into a wide variety of climate-ready professions critical to building a clean, equitable, and resilient net-zero future. The Initiative’s goals include boosting job quality and ensuring climate-ready employment pathways lead to good-paying, high-quality jobs; expanding opportunities for workers from underrepresented and underserved communities; and promoting the use of stackable and portable credentials in climate-ready fields to build transferable skills, support reskilling and upskilling, and strengthen workers’ economic mobility. A full list of the Initiative’s goals can be found here.

    Finally, to advance sector-specific strategies, Alliance members will work together through new multi-state cohorts focused on in-demand, climate-ready fields. These cohorts will provide a platform for states and territories to increase collaboration, share evidence-based practices, engage experts and stakeholders, and develop sectoral workforce solutions that can be scaled across the country. Cohorts to be launched in the Initiative’s first year will focus on careers in the following areas:

    • Clean Energy, Fuels, and Technologies: Led by Michigan and New Jersey, this cohort will focus on careers in the design, construction, and maintenance of a clean, affordable, and resilient power system; the manufacturing and deployment of zero-emission vehicles and technologies; and the development and distribution of alternative, low-carbon fuels.
    • Clean Buildings and Industry: Led by Maine and Massachusetts, this cohort will focus on careers in the engineering, design, construction, retrofitting, maintenance, and operation of buildings and industrial processes that are clean, energy-efficient, healthy, and resilient.
    • Resilient Communities and Lands: Led by Arizona and Vermont, this cohort will focus on careers in the development and maintenance of safe, livable, and resilient communities; preparedness for and response to climate impacts such as extreme heat, wildfires, severe storms, flooding, and drought; and the deployment of natural climate solutions and climate-smart stewardship of our lands and waters. 

    The Initiative will be led by Alliance states and territories with support from the Alliance’s Secretariat. In implementing the Initiative, Alliance members will customize efforts to meet their individual needs and challenges, while working together to achieve the collective goals. States and territories will also collaborate directly with their workforce development system partners, labor unions, higher education institutions, industry, and other key partners that bring substantial expertise and experience in this work.

    This Initiative builds on a number of federal-state collaborations between the Alliance’s members and the Biden-Harris Administration, including a White House convening with Alliance governors’ offices in May focused on creating good-paying jobs and mobilizing a diverse workforce in climate and clean energy.

    Additional information on the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Improving digital infrastructure in rural areas – E-001489/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission is committed to ensuring that everyone, everywhere in the EU has access to performing digital infrastructure and fast Internet connections. The Digital Decade Policy Programme (DDPP) sets ambitious targets like gigabit connectivity for all EU households and 5G coverage across all populated areas by 2030[1].

    The White Paper[2] presents the challenges and opportunities Europe faces in the rollout of future connectivity networks and proposed a series of scenarios to make the EU regulatory and investment frameworks fit to facilitate the achievement of EU digital objectives.

    According to the second annual report on the State of the Digital Decade[3], which monitors the implementation of the DDPP, very high-capacity networks (VHCN) coverage in the EU’s rural areas at the end of 2023 reached 56% of households, while 5G coverage made it to 74%. Reaching the targets may require at least a total investment of EUR 148 billion[4], including both private and public funding.

    The Commission supports the deployment of performing digital infrastructure through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital with a budget of EUR 1.7 billion. CEF Digital inter alia supports 5G infrastructure for rural communities in sectors like smart farming.

    In addition, the allocation to digital connectivity under the recovery and resilience facility (RRF) reaches almost EUR 14 billion[5]. In Austria, the RRF provides support for the deployment of performing digital infrastructure and fast Internet connections in rural areas through the Austrian federal state aid broadband scheme[6] approved by the Commission in March 2022.

    The Commission also supports the implementation of the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite ( IRIS2) programme[7] with a budget of EUR 2.4 billion, which will also ensure fast Internet connections in rural areas, as satellite broadband can bring broadband services with up to 250 Mbps download speeds.

    Finally, the EU is also leveraging connectivity investments through cohesion funds, e.g. by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (about EUR 2.3 billion[8]) and through InvestEU[9].

    • [1] The Digital Decade Decision sets out digital targets grouped into four cardinal points, which were first identified in the Digital Compass Communication (COM/2021/118 final) (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0118 ) as key areas for the digital transformation of the EU: digital skills, digital infrastructures, the digitalisation of businesses and the digitalisation of public services.
    • [2] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/white-paper-how-master-europes-digital-infrastructure-needs
    • [3] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/second-report-state-digital-decade-calls-strengthened-collective-action-propel-eus-digital
    • [4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/investment-and-funding-needs-digital-decade-connectivity-targets
    • [5] https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/recovery-and-resilience-scoreboard/assets/thematic_analysis/scoreboard_thematic_analysis_connectivity.pdf
    • [6]  ‘Broadband Austria 2030’ scheme is part of Austria’s strategy to address the needs of citizens and businesses in the context of digitalisation and focuses on rural areas first.
    • [7] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/iris2-secure-connectivity_en
    • [8] https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/available-budget_en
    • [9] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/broadband-public-and-private-funds-financing-broadband-deployments

    MIL OSI Europe News –