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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai presides over fourth meeting of National Climate Change Committee

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    On the afternoon of April 24, President Lai Ching-te presided over the fourth meeting of the National Climate Change Committee. In his opening statement, the president stated that the government will steadily implement a carbon pricing system, carefully plan a Taiwan version of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and assist enterprises to gradually compile a product carbon footprint digital database, while promoting the circular economy and industry internationalization to create a Green Taiwan brand. He also stated that we will leverage our financial market, driving society as a whole to take sustainable action; and expand capacity to foster green-collar professionals, laying the foundation for Taiwan’s sustainable future.
    President Lai emphasized that regardless of how the external environment changes, green transition and sustainable development are the cornerstones of long-term national prosperity. He stated that the government will work with the private sector to turn crises into opportunities and actively address the challenges of climate change and net-zero transition to promote an orderly transition. This, he said, will keep the nation on the path forward, make Taiwan stronger, better, and more resilient, and leave a prosperous and sustainable homeland for future generations.
    A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
    Today is the fourth meeting of the National Climate Change Committee. First, I would like to once again thank all of the advisors and committee members for your active participation over the past several months. The valuable suggestions you have provided allowed us to propose new emissions reduction targets at the last meeting as we continue to move toward our vision of net-zero emissions by 2050.
    The day before yesterday was Earth Day, and I was in this same room to meet and exchange ideas with many friends from environmental protection groups. I am very grateful to these forerunners and partners for their efforts and contributions to protect this land, Taiwan.
    Amidst global climate change and the reshaping of international trade patterns, extreme weather disasters occur frequently around the world and requirements for carbon reduction in international supply chains continue to expand. The government of the United States has also recently proposed new tariff policies that present Taiwan’s industries with many challenges. 
    We have observed that as many industries are facing increased uncertainty in their operations, the private sector has adopted a wait-and-see attitude regarding carbon reduction and environment, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. In response, the administrative team is actively assessing the situation and continuously adjusting strategies; it will definitely support our industries. 
    However, regardless of how the external environment changes, green transition and sustainable development are the cornerstones of long-term national prosperity. We must remain committed to resilient and forward-looking strategies to promote the transition to low-carbon models and sustainable development for domestic industries, build comprehensive green supply chains, enhance the international competitiveness of our industries, and bolster our national strengths.
    The government will work with the private sector to turn crises into opportunities, and actively address the challenges of climate change and net-zero transition. This will allow Taiwan’s economy to continue transitioning and progressing and remain committed to moving toward low-carbon and sustainable models. This will also keep the nation on the path forward and make Taiwan stronger, better, and more resilient.
    At today’s meeting, the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) will deliver a report on responding to ongoing changes and seizing opportunities for green transition, and the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) will report on financing for the green and energy transition to support Taiwan’s net-zero efforts. Those reports will explain how the administrative team is strengthening climate governance and execution, as well as how they are assisting various sectors to face challenges, align with international standards, seize opportunities, and jointly move toward a new low-carbon and sustainable future.
    The government will steadily implement a carbon pricing system and align with international standards to avoid foreign tariff penalties on high-carbon industries, which will ensure a competitive advantage for exports. We will also carefully plan a Taiwan version of the CBAM to maintain reasonable and fair domestic competition.
    The government will assist enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, by providing carbon reduction tools such as carbon footprint verification and ESG disclosure, and will gradually compile a product carbon footprint digital database and support export enterprise efforts to meet international requirements. At the same time, we will drive resource integration and promote the circular economy and industry internationalization to create a Green Taiwan brand.
    In promoting net-zero transition, the financial sector plays a crucial role. By designing diverse investment and financing tools and financial products, and incorporating ESG factors into credit assessments, the financial sector can lead the way for enterprises and the public to take climate risks seriously. At the same time, it can support the development of low-carbon industries, thereby driving society as a whole to take sustainable action.
    Taiwan is a major financial market in Asia. On a solid foundation in ESG and sustainable finance, we must leverage our financial market, contributing Taiwan’s wisdom and strength to achieve the global net-zero transition.
    At the last meeting, I mentioned that strengthening social communication and climate change education are very important. Currently, the Executive Yuan, MOENV, and central government agencies have launched a series of social communication meetings regarding the proposed flagship carbon reduction projects for six major sectors, namely energy, manufacturing, transportation, residential and commercial, agricultural, and environment. At these meetings, representatives are invited from industry, government, academia, research institutions, and civil society groups to actively engage in dialogue and forge a consensus through collaborative thinking about climate solutions.
    In addition, the MOENV is collaborating with colleges and universities to establish an alliance to foster professionals in the net-zero and green-collar sectors. To this end, it will set up separate training centers in the north, central, southern, and eastern regions to expand capacity to train green-collar professionals. I also hope that, in addition to lectures given on university campuses, online courses on climate and net-zero topics can be designed specifically for high school students and teachers.
    Because we cannot leave anyone behind on the path to net-zero, we must actively engage in dialogue with young people and gradually prepare them to enter emerging green sector jobs to empower the nation and lay the foundation for Taiwan’s sustainable future.
    Let’s work together with the financial sector, industry, and all sectors of society to promote an orderly transition, achieve our vision for net-zero emissions by 2050, and leave a prosperous and sustainable homeland for future generations. Thank you. 
    Following his statement, President Lai heard a report on responding to ongoing changes and seizing opportunities for green transition from Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) and a report on financing for the green and energy transition to support Taiwan’s net-zero efforts from FSC Chairperson Peng Jin-lung (彭金隆). Afterward, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the reports.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Meets with Farmworkers and Advocates to Discuss Uptick in ICE Enforcement in Skagit & Whatcom Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***AUDIO HERE; PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Burlington, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, met with farmworkers, advocates, and community members in Burlington to listen to their concerns amid a recent spike in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity—including large-scale raids and the detention of local activists and leaders—in Northwest Washington, particularly in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
    Joining Senator Murray for the meeting were: Don McMoran, Director of WSU Skagit County Extension; Rosalinda Guillen, Founder of Community-to-Community Development; Liz Darrow, Participatory Democracy Program Coordinator at Community-to-Community Development; Manuel Reta, President of the Northwest Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Gilberto Estrada, Property Manager at the Housing Authority of Skagit County; Jose Ramirez, President of Familias Unidas por la Justicia; Edgar Franks, Political Director at Familias Unidas por la Justicia; and a number of immigrant farmworkers and field workers from the community—including Beatriz Godinez, a field worker whose partner Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino, a farmworker and advocate for farmworkers’ rights, was arrested in Sedro Wolley on March 25th while dropping Beatriz off at work at a tulip field. ICE agents smashed Lelo’s window to detain him, he was then taken to an ICE facility in Ferndale before being transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma, where he has been held since. In another recent high-profile immigration enforcement action, on April 2nd, officers from multiple federal law enforcement agencies detained 37 workers at Mount Baker Roofing in Bellingham.
    “Washington state’s amazing crops, like apples and cherries don’t just get to the store by magic. Tulips don’t just pick themselves. There is a lot of hard work, skill, and dedicated workers who bring our crops from farms to families. Farmworkers are a part of our economy and part of our communities, and we owe them gratitude, good wages, fair treatment, and safe work environments,” said Senator Murray. “There are so many ways Trump’s policies are going to hurt our workers—from gutting worker safety, to tariffs hurting the entire sector, to slashing investments in rural communities. But I have been especially alarmed by the surge in aggressive ICE raids. The stories from the past few months, across the country and right here in Washington state, are heartbreaking and chilling: people being mistreated by border officials and ICE agents, heartbreaking family deportations, and more.”
    “I firmly believe enforcing our immigration laws does not mean forsaking our bedrock principles like due process or ignoring our common sense and wasting crucial resources by targeting law-abiding people who pose no threat to public safety,” Senator Murray continued. “But that’s exactly what Trump is doing—violating the Constitution, ignoring the courts, and trampling the fundamental values we hold dear as a country to do it. It’s blatantly unlawful, and more than that it is cruel. This is creating so much pain and terror in our communities. It’s separating families, scaring workers, and emboldening racism. Our farmworkers don’t deserve to be treated like criminals—they deserve respect. And I will do everything in my power to lift up your voices, fight for your communities, and hold this administration to account.”
    “Alfredo is my partner… I miss him and I love him, so we want your help,” said Beatriz Godinez, a farmworker whose partner Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino was arrested in Sedro Wolley on March 25th while dropping Beatriz off at work at a tulip field. Lelo is currently being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma Tacoma. Beatriz shared her story with the help of a translator. “ICE came and broke his window and pushed him against the car and were really rough with him, and put them in their ICE car… Lelo wants to be free so he can take care of his brothers and sisters and work so they can study… [Lelo] says that when he gets out, he wants to continue doing his work in the community and with the union, and he’s really hoping that he can get bond to be free to continue that.”
    “In Washington state, we have taken a lot of leadership as an organization and other Latino voters and participants in the state of Washington, along with Familias Unidas por la Justicia to improve conditions for farmworkers across the state. And we also took leadership in the passage of a bill that created an H-2A Oversight Committee, which we are the only state in the nation that’s trying to provide any kind of oversight and enforcement on this. This relates to the well being and job security of farmworkers in the state, but also protection for the H-2A program which is a very abusive program,” said Rosalinda Guillen, Founder of Community-to-Community Development. “We’ve been overseeing immigration rights and justice for over 20 years. We’ve never seen it like this. It is very aggressive, and we are seeing that Homeland Security is rooting itself in our counties. The numbers of H-2A agents, ICE agents present and the border patrol, and the way that they’re implementing the administration’s removal plan, it’s disrespectful, undignified and plain just not following due process…Because we believe, as I’m sure you know, this isn’t over yet, this is going to continue. And the lack of due process is really concerning all of us in the state of Washington, especially because, you know, we’re a state that did not come out in support of the current administration, so we think that we are being targeted in these two counties specifically because of some of the work of the farmworker union and other proactive organizations supporting due process and democracy in this in the state of Washington.”
    “Everything we do is important to this area. We do the pruning, the picking of all the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, the cucumbers,” said Jose Ramirez, a farmworker and the President of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, who shared his story with the help of a translator. “We don’t want to be in fear. We’re sad about what happened with Alfredo, and I’ve known Alfredo since he started working in the field when he was 12 years old, and even to this day, he still works in the field. On top of that, he’s also still organizing workers. So, him being detained brings a lot of sadness to us, because the only thing that we’re doing here is nothing bad—we’re working and we’re trying to put our families first and take care of them. We don’t feel comfortable just trying to live our lives. And I can tell you about my own personal experience. Just a couple of days ago, I was getting ready to go to work, and outside of my apartment, I saw two unmarked cars that we think were ICE, in this parking lot. So that’s where I talked to my cousin, who also lives in the same apartment, and told them that we shouldn’t go to work that day. We had to lose that day of work. That’s eight hours of work that and wages that we don’t get, and we on top of that, we already don’t make enough money. So we just lost the day because we felt that, had we stepped out, ICE was going to get us.  and we stepped out… We have 600 members in peak season, 500 to 600 families, that’s what I see. I don’t want ICE to come and start separating families. When I see workers in the field, in any field, I don’t see how they call us criminals—I don’t see that. You see people that are there just harvesting and feeding the world, not just trying to make ends meet or, you know, working, but the people that are there harvesting food and doing everything for bettering the world.”
    “What happened with Lelo we feel was done intentionally to silence farm workers and leaders,” said Edgar Franks, Political Director at Familias Unidas por la Justicia. “Familias Unidas has been one of the unions that has been the most outspoken throughout the state and the country on issues on immigration, on labor, on various issues, on climate. And we feel that, because of that outspokenness, that they might be—the leadership might be a potential risk for being targeted for political reasons. You know, I think that throughout the years, the union has won many battles, political battles. You know, we got a Supreme Court hearing in the state that, for the first time, gave workers the right to paid rest breaks. We got overtime for farm workers here, we passed heat and smoke rules for farmworkers and agriculture workers, emergency COVID rules. All these things were done because of the union… So we feel that those things [that] really make the union leadership as effective as they are, also puts them in a dangerous situation. So we are asking for any kind of protection that can be done to give the workers and that security that they’ll be able to go work, fight for justice, and also be able to go back home to their families at the end of the day, just like everybody else.”
    “Skagit County Agriculture is in a very difficult position in 2025.  Nationwide, farm bankruptcies are up 55 percent in 2024 and many will not survive without everyone working together, including farm labor,” said Don McMoran, Director of WSU Skagit County Extension.
    Senator Murray has championed comprehensive and humane immigration reform throughout her Senate career, repeatedly pushing for legislative solutions that would offer a fair pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America, including Dreamers, farmworkers, and those with Temporary Protected Status. She has long worked on legislative efforts to bring dignity and humanity to our immigration system—from protecting the health and safety of immigrant workers, to recognizing and bolstering America’s historical commitment to refugees and asylum seekers and more. She was outspoken in opposition to the Laken Riley Act, arguing it threatened to  drastically undermine civil liberties and divert resources from detaining true threats to public safety.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Visits Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Hears How Trump’s Trade War is Depressing Canadian Tourism and Affecting Local Agriculture

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Mount Vernon, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and heard about how Trump’s trade war is affecting the agricultural landscape and depressing Canadian visitation to the valley, where tourism is a large driver for the regional economy. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was established in 1984 as a simple two-day celebration, but has since grown to a month-long, county-wide tradition. The festival’s mission is to support the ongoing preservation and celebration of Skagit Valley’s agricultural and cultural heritage with a variety of educational and community engagement initiatives. The festival features five major farms and gardens and attracts more than one million visitors, on average, from around the globe.
    Senator Murray was joined for the visit by Leo Roozen, President of the Washington Bulb Company; Brent Roozen, and Nicole Roozen, Executive Director of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The visit began at the Washington Bulb Office, where Murray heard about the history of their family-run business and how Trump’s chaotic trade war with Canada is creating new uncertainty for them and has meant less Canadian visitation to the region, which hurts their business’s bottom line. Next, Senator Murray received a tour of the greenhouse and bulb production facility, followed by a tour of the RoozenGaarde display gardens down the road. RoozenGaarde is the oldest and largest garden in the Tulip Festival. The Roozens began farming tulips in Holland before settling in Skagit County in 1947 where they established the Washington Bulb Company, planting their first display garden in 1984.
    “The Tulip Festival is such a big deal for Skagit County—not only does it draw in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, but it’s a huge driver of economic activity for the region, so it’s important to be here in person,” said Senator Murray. “It was especially important for me to hear from tulip growers about how their businesses, and this year’s festival, is already being affected by Trump’s trade war with Canada. Northwest Washington agriculture and businesses are on the very front lines of Trump’s trade chaos—and his tariffs on Canada, the retaliatory tariffs, and Canadians’ widespread anger over Trump’s provocations are already seriously hurting their bottom lines. There is simply no reason for us to be picking trade wars with our close allies like Canada and I’ve been loud about how Congress needs to step in and put an end to this chaos—but the bottom line is that we need Republicans to stand up with us and say ‘enough.’ I’ll be taking what I heard here today back with me to the other Washington as I keep fighting to advocate for our state’s trade economy and end Trump’s pointless trade war that is hurting Washington state.”  
    “We are honored to welcome Senator Murray to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and RoozenGaarde,” said Nicole Roozen, Executive Director of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. “The Senator’s visit underscores the meaningful role agriculture plays in Skagit Valley and reaffirms the importance of supporting the communities that help this region to flourish.”
    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Canada is Washington’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade and calling on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Last week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country.
    Last week, Senator Murray held a roundtable discussion in Tacoma with local businesses and ports, toured local businesses in downtown Vancouver, and held a roundtable discussion in Vancouver with local businesses and ports to highlight how Trump’s trade war is hurting businesses and our economy Washington state. Earlier this week, Senator Murray met with small business owners in Seattle’s University District to hear how Trump’s tariffs and the broader economic uncertainty are affecting them.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene Highlights Nationwide Affordable Housing Crisis at Bellevue Development

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) visited August Wilson Place, a 57-unit affordable housing development in downtown Bellevue, to highlight the nationwide shortage of affordable housing. The property was made possible because of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC/Housing Credit), the nation’s most effective tool for creating affordable housing. During the visit, DelBene participated in a roundtable to hear from a wide range of local housing stakeholders, including Bellevue community officials, property operators, housing advocates, employers, and facility residents.

    Washington faces one of the most severe affordable housing shortages in the country, with more than 250,000 households spending over half of their income on rent. The Housing Credit has been instrumental in financing the construction and preservation of over 4 million affordable homes nationwide since its inception.

    Earlier this month, DelBene introduced bipartisan legislation with over 100 members of the House that would build or restore 1.6 million more affordable homes, including 53,000 in Washington, by expanding the Housing Credit.

    “Access to a safe, affordable home is foundational to a family’s well-being, yet far too many families in Washington are being priced out of their communities,” said DelBene. “This development underscores the impact the Housing Credit can have and why it’s a proven solution to help address the affordable housing crisis. This crisis won’t be solved overnight, but with the right tools and smart federal investment, we can make a real difference. Expanding the Housing Credit is one of the most effective ways we can deliver the affordable housing our state desperately needs.”

    “LIHTC is the single most important source of financing for creating and preserving affordable housing in Bellevue,” said Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. “Expanding LIHTC through the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act will help us to create more housing opportunities for families, seniors, low-wage workers, and people seeking stable housing.”

    This week, House Democrats are hosting a Cost of Living Week of Action to highlight the affordability challenges facing American families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Dawn Service Commemorative Address 2025

    Source: New Zealand Government

    One hundred and 10 years ago, on the dawn of this day that we commemorate every year in New Zealand, Anzac troops came ashore here, shoulder-to-shoulder with their brothers from half a world away.

    Some anticipated an adventure far from home.

    But as the sun rose and the shadows drained from the gullies, it was not adventure that greeted them, but horror.

    Instead of the peace we feel now, they faced wave after wave of firing.

    Each bullet seeming to come closer than the last, as one soldier put it.

    Days became weeks, and weeks became months – but only for those who survived that long.

    The metronome of gunfire and shelling kept the dreadful rhythm of life in the trenches.

    Gallipoli is a name etched into New Zealand’s national identity.

    It represents not only this shore and these hills, but the valour that was shown here on both sides, the terrible sacrifice, and the utter tragedy of war.

    Some 16,000 Kiwis served here. At the time, we were a nation of just one million people.

    Our contribution as a small nation at the bottom of the world, was disproportionate.

    What happened here scarred generations of New Zealanders.

    While we remain proud of those who served, we do not glorify what happened here. We know too much to do that. Instead, we acknowledge the courage and tenacity of the Anzacs, and we respect the valour of the Ottoman Turks who resisted them.

    Our most decorated Gallipoli veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Bassett VC said, “real courage isn’t just an act of daring; it’s carrying on.”

    And carry on they did. On both sides.

    Everyone fought in the same horrific conditions and, through that, unbreakable bonds were formed.

    Men of means fought in lockstep with those who came from little.

    For the Anzacs, a bond was built between New Zealanders and Australians which we sustain to this day.

    The passage of 110 years has lifted the fog of war and given us a clearer view of the futility of the Gallipoli campaign and New Zealand’s role in it.  But that greater understanding does not dim our respect for those who fought.

    On Anzac Day in particular, we remember the stories of selfless acts of courage that ordinary men committed to save their mates, never knowing that, in doing so, they were writing themselves into the history of our nation.

    But it would be a disservice to those whose valour we remember if we forget the real lesson of this campaign: That we should do all we can to prevent anything like it happening again.

    Many young Turks lost their lives here defending their country. They fought fearlessly in defence of their position, at great cost. Today, we honour them too.

    On behalf of all New Zealanders, I thank Türkiye for protecting the cemeteries and memorials on this site, and caring for our fallen sons as you do for your own.

    Visiting this place has become a rite of passage for New Zealanders young and old who seek a connection with those who gave so much for us, so long ago.

    Some come looking for their family’s surnames on the headstones.

    But some headstones bear the names of men who were struck down too young to bear families of their own.

    Whatever motivation visitors have for coming, nobody leaves here unmoved.

    Only last year, fire struck the peninsula, reminding us of the fragility of this special environment.

    We thank Turkish firefighters for their success in containing the fire and commend the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for restoring the memorials. And as always, we express our gratitude to the Turkish authorities for ensuring this sacred ground is protected into the future.

    Soon, the light will reveal the landscape as it did at this hour, on this day, 110 years ago.

    It will show us the names etched onto headstones marking where men fell.

    It will show us the names of our great grandfathers.

    And it will show us the names of men who never became fathers.

    We think of them all.

    We will remember them.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU plans to create specialized international classes to prepare for university admission on the basis of Chinese schools

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Novosibirsk State University plans to begin training Chinese schoolchildren for university admission. For this purpose, specialized “international classes” with a total of 60 people will be created on the basis of Chinese schools. The training will be conducted in the natural sciences, and the curriculum will be built on the model SUNC NSU (Physics and Mathematics Schools). Classes are scheduled to open in September 2025.

    NSU is taking a strategically important step by creating a school-university system for Chinese students. This will not only attract talent to Russia, but also strengthen scientific and educational cooperation between the countries.

    From March 28 to April 4, a working trip of the heads of educational institutions of Novosibirsk and Izhevsk to Henan Province, PRC was organized. The initiators of this project were Novosibirsk State University and Izhevsk State Technical University named after M.T. Kalashnikov. The delegation included: Head of the Education Export Department of NSU E.I. Sagaydak, Director of the Novosibirsk Institute for Monitoring and Development of Education of the Novosibirsk Region N.V. Yaroslavtseva, Deputy Director of the Institute O.V. Nedosyp, Head of the Education Department of the Kochenevsky District Administration A.S. Bobin, Director of the NSTU Engineering Lyceum M.A. Bezlepkina and Director of School No. 112 V.N. Platonov, as well as other directors of schools and lyceums from Izhevsk.

    During the week, the Russian delegation visited several secondary educational institutions, including the school at the Shaolin Monastery, Kaifeng Vocational College and the education departments of the cities of Henan Province: Dengfeng, Zhongmou, Kaifeng and Xinxiang, as well as the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing.

    During the visit, a productive exchange of experience in the field of teaching methods and pedagogical practices took place. Particular attention was paid to the development of a cooperation strategy in the following areas: teaching Russian and Chinese languages, academic mobility of schoolchildren and teachers, and the development of joint educational programs, including the creation of “international classes”.

    Four schools in Henan Province — Zhongmou Foreign Language Middle School, Zhongmu No. 3 Senior School, Xinxiang No. 7 Senior School, and Henan Normal University Affiliated Xinxiang Middle School — held official ceremonies to award these schools a special status: training talents for admission to Novosibirsk State University. These schools will host Olympiads in mathematics, physics, and information technology, and the winners and prize winners will be able to study in Russia at the expense of the Russian Federation budget.

    — One of the tasks that NSU sets for itself is to increase the number of foreign students, including those from China. We strive to select the most talented and gifted schoolchildren. Therefore, NSU is selecting strong secondary schools in China to create specialized “international classes” where joint training of schoolchildren will be organized for early career guidance and preparation for admission to our university, — noted Evgeniy Sagaydak, Head of the NSU Education Export Department.

    Teaching in “international classes” will be conducted in the last three years of school: in the first year, students will study Russian with a visiting teacher from Russia; in the second year, they will study mathematics, physics and chemistry under the guidance of teachers from the NSU SUNC; in the third year, students will study at home or be invited to the NSU SUNC. The students will be trained in the natural sciences using the model of early entry into science, which has been successfully implemented and used for over 60 years at the NSU Physics and Mathematics School.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Kudlow on Fox Business to Discuss Russia-Ukraine War, Tariff Negotiations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today joined Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the ongoing negotiations to bring a peace deal to the Russia-Ukraine war, along with President Donald Trump’s strength in tariff negotiations with China.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on Trump’s toughness against Russia: “President Trump has continued not only to retain sanctions in place, but actually enforced them, which the Biden Administration never did. The Biden Administration talked tough, but they did not enforce sanctions. What President Trump has done is actually gone into secondary sanctions. I think you read about the fact that President Trump has gone in and sanctioned a Chinese refinery, the buyer of Russian crude [oil]. That is the way to deal with this. That’s the way to put maximum pressure on Russia, their banks, the purchasers of crude oil. That’s the way to deal with this. He’s doing it. The pressure has been maintained and mounting on Vladimir Putin.”
    Hagerty on weakening Russia by regaining U.S. energy independence: “You’re absolutely right, Dave. And President Trump’s been extremely clear about not only wanting to get back to energy independence, but energy dominance for America. That’s bad for Russia, that’s bad for Iran, that’s bad for Venezuela, but it’s great for our allies and for us.”
    Hagerty on the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war: “I think about the fact that [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent traveled to Ukraine to put in place a deal for critical minerals that would’ve engaged our economy with theirs. Zelenskyy said, of course I’ll sign it, but I’d like to wait [until] I get to meet with Vice President [JD] Vance in Munich. He goes to Munich—Vice President Vance is courteous enough to meet with him—and he tells Vice President Vance, I’d like to actually sign it with the president at the White House. We accede to that. We let him come to the White House, and what does he do? He tries to re-trade the deal on international TV in front of everybody. I think it really is amazing. I think how congenial President Trump has been in dealing with both of these parties. He wants to bring this to an end, and I’d like to say this: Dave, every week this waits, we’re losing roughly another 5,000 lives. It’s time for both parties, Russia and Ukraine, to get to the table and bring this to an end […] I don’t know the answer in terms of who’s advising Zelenskyy, and I would say this: had it been [Former President] Joe Biden in that Oval office, in that meeting, it would’ve worked, but it certainly is not going to work with President Trump. He wasn’t going to tolerate that sort of behavior. He wasn’t so hungry for a deal to be celebrating it in the Rose Garden. He sent Zelenskyy home, and he should have.”
    Hagerty on Trump’s strength against Iran’s terror regime: “Well, Dave, I’ll remind you that everyone said that the Abraham Accords couldn’t be done, but President Trump was able to deliver on that. If anybody can deliver peace in the Middle East, it’s Donald Trump. I think the Iranians should understand and appreciate the fact that President Trump is not going to take this anymore. It’s going to be maximum pressure. They are the greatest state sponsors of terror, not only in the region, but in the world. They’re in a very difficult place right now. You mentioned, Dave, oil prices are coming down. That’s not good for Iran, right? We started enforcing sanctions, rather than just talking about it the way the Biden Administration said, that’s not good for Iran. Their economy’s in a tough spot right now. Now is the time to negotiate. Now is the time to end this program of terror, to end their nuclear program, and bring peace back to the Middle East.”
    Hagerty on the tariff negotiations between the U.S. and China: “[China tends] to overplay their hand, whether it’s their use of the Belt and Road Initiative, or whether it’s the situation they find themselves in now, again, retaliating against President Trump when he warned them not to, and find themselves in an extraordinarily difficult box. China has a very export dependent economy. They’ve also not played by the same rules that every other major economy does. They steal intellectual property. They subsidize industries. They need to come to the table now and look to actually make a deal […] I worked very closely with the team that negotiated the phase one deal in the first Administration, because they worked with me on the two trade deals that we did with Japan. They committed, at that point, to $200 billion worth of purchases from America. They fell short. China needs to keep its word; China needs to step up. If you think about what happened during the Covid crisis, if you think about the spy balloon that flew across America, there’s a real issue of trust right now. That issue needs to be resolved. China needs to prove that it’s a reliable partner.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Blasts Trump’s Attacks on Head Start, Demands RFK Jr. Immediately Release Funding and Reverse Firings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Reno, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in sending a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding the Department of Health and Human Services immediately release Head Start funding and reverse the mass firing of Head Start staff. Cortez Masto has been a strong supporter of the Head Start program, which provides early childhood learning for thousands of children across Nevada.

    “Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year,” the lawmakers began. “It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”

    “Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services,” they wrote. “Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”

    “The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation,” they continued. “[W]e urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”

    You can find the full text of the letter here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, Larson, Hayes, 100+ Lawmakers Demand Social Security Head Keep Field Offices Open

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (D-Conn.-01) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) joined a coalition of over 100 Congressional Democrats in writing to the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Leland Dudek, to demand that he keep Social Security field offices open. Americans will also deliver the letter in-person to Social Security field offices across the country today, in a show of support for Social Security workers and the services they provide.
    Multiple reports have revealed that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directed SSA to close field offices across the country — only to reverse course after public backlash and deny the plans altogether. Given the lack of transparency surrounding the status of field offices nationwide, the lawmakers pressed Dudek to ensure that DOGE does not close the offices that so many Social Security beneficiaries rely on for services and assistance.
    Approximately 170,000 Americans visit a Social Security field office for assistance with Social Security benefits each day. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has threatened to close dozens of these offices as part of its attack on the SSA. In Connecticut, this could affect field offices in Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Willimantic, New London, New Haven, New Britain, Stamford, Meriden, Torrington, Danbury, Ansonia, East Hartford, Middletown, and Norwich.
    “[B]eneficiaries need the opportunity to seek assistance from SSA in person…Closing any of these field offices will make it harder for individuals to access their benefits,” the lawmakers wrote. 
    The lawmakers include a list of every SSA field office across the country and press Dudek to commit to keeping every single one of them open. 
    On Thursday, Social Security Works, Indivisible, P Street, and AFGE organized volunteers to deliver copies of the lawmakers’ letter to field offices across the country — in blue, red, and purple counties — in support of the field offices and their staff. Volunteers plan to visit at least 50 offices in Arizona, Nebraska, California, New Jersey, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland, Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
    The initiative is part of Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
    U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Me.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also signed the letter.
    U.S. Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Troy Carter (D-La.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), John Mannion (D-N.Y.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Josh Riley (D-N.Y.), Deborah Ross (D-Pa.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Norma Torres (D-Calif.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) also signed the letter.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, Larson, Courtney, Hayes Call On Trump Administration To Reverse Dismissal Of AmeriCorps Volunteers And Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
    HARTFORD—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John B. Larson (D-Conn.-01), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.-03) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) on Thursday sent a letter calling on the Trump Administration to reverse last week’s sudden dismissal of all student volunteers with the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and plans for mass layoffs at AmeriCorps at the direction of Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE.’
    “Slashing a program that puts thousands of young Americans to work serving their country and communities is downright reckless—it cripples disaster relief, undercuts education, and weakens public health where it’s needed most,” said Murphy. “If you’re cutting national service while handing tax breaks to billionaires, you’re not serving the country—you’re serving yourself and your megarich buddies.” 
     “AmeriCorps’ hard-working volunteers across Connecticut have supported a variety of critical needs in our state from disaster recovery to public health outreach to youth mentoring. Trump and Musk are recklessly decimating community programs with proven success— another gut punch to dedicated public servants. Patriotic volunteers like Sarah Meade, who simply seek to give back to our nation, deserve better than Trump’s back of the hand. This cruel, shortsighted step shortchanges the nation,” said Blumenthal. 
     “More than 60 years since President Kennedy’s famous call to service, AmeriCorps mobilizes hundreds of thousands of Americans each year to support disaster relief efforts, school mentoring programs, and more,” said Larson. “President Trump and Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ are trying to dismantle and defund these programs, even recalling volunteers who were building homes for hurricane victims in North Carolina. Here in Connecticut, these cuts could shutter programs for our youth, seniors, and veterans. I stand with my constituents who were dismissed with no explanation after answering the call to service, including Southington resident Sarah Meade who has bravely come forward to share her story. President Trump must reverse course so disaster relief efforts can continue unimpeded, and AmeriCorps volunteers can continue to deliver critical services. We will keep fighting to preserve President Kennedy’s vision from these drastic ‘DOGE’ cuts.” 
    “Elon Musk’s DOGE has taken its sledgehammer to AmeriCorps and practically eliminated our nation’s leading agency that provides essential services to veterans, children, and seniors. I’m all for making our government work more efficiently, but indiscriminately slashing yet another agency will not achieve that goal. The free rein Elon Musk and DOGE have been given to cut services without oversight is irresponsible and cruel,” said Courtney. 
    “The Trump Administration’s decision to dismiss National Civilian Community Corps student volunteers and move forward with mass layoffs at AmeriCorps is an attack on public service and civic engagement,” said DeLauro. “These young people commit themselves to disaster relief, environmental protection, and community rebuilding. That is not waste. It’s exactly what government should do-improve the lives of Americans. The Trump Administration must reverse course immediately.” 
    “Programs like AmeriCorps NCCC embody national service and deserve greater investment, not abandonment. The 200 Connecticut AmeriCorps locations work hand in hand with local partners to empower individuals to assist communities tackle their toughest challenges. President Trump must reverse course to ensure these essential services many rely on continue unimpeded,” said Hayes. 
    “The demobilization of AmeriCorps NCCC and placing nearly 85% of federal agency staff on administrative leave is a clarion call for Connecticut communities where more than 2,200 AmeriCorps members serve in several hundred statewide locations,” said Jacqueline M. Lucier, Executive Director of Serve Connecticut. “Life without AmeriCorps in Connecticut means veterans in Groton losing vital daily support, students missing out on safe afterschool programs, young adults losing a pathway into public service, and the absence of low-income Americans aged 55 and older providing one-on-one mentoring and academic support to children with exceptional needs. With programs frozen or dismantled, the ripple effect threatens our most vulnerable residents and the civic fabric that holds them together.” 
    “AmeriCorps NCCC gave me the opportunity to support environmental stewardship with Arkansas State Parks, assist with long-term disaster relief in Houston, and support food security efforts in El Paso. My service term, while abruptly cut short, provided me with a unique experience to become fully immersed in diverse, resilient communities across the country, which expanded my worldview and molded me into a more empathetic, service-minded citizen. Programs like AmeriCorps NCCC, which foster national service, purpose, and our shared responsibility to serve our fellow Americans, are vital to the spirit of our nation and deserve renewed investment, not abandonment,” said Sarah Meade, Southington resident and former NCCC volunteer. 
    The dismissal of all NCCC volunteers included volunteers building homes for Hurricane Helene and Milton victims, as well as assisting with disaster response following the Los Angeles wildfires. More than 200,000 Americans participate in AmeriCorps-led service projects at over 35,000 locations each year. Funding for AmeriCorps has consistently been approved by Congress and was signed into law as recently as last month.  
    The lawmakers are calling on the Trump Administration to reverse the recall of NCCC volunteers and halt plans for a reduction in force of 85% of the workers at AmeriCorps.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below: 
    Dear President Trump:
    We write to express our strong support for AmeriCorps and urge you to reverse both the recall of all NCCC AmeriCorps members and the recently implemented drastic reductions in force across the AmeriCorps agency. We are deeply concerned these actions will prevent the agency from continuing to deliver critical services, which include supporting veterans, fighting wildfires, tutoring in schools, combatting the fentanyl epidemic, and much more.
    For more than thirty years, AmeriCorps has been our nation’s leading provider of grants that support and promote national service and volunteerism. Through programs like AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors, more than 200,000 Americans participate in results-driven service projects at more than 35,000 locations across the country each year. Working hand in hand with thousands of nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations, these dedicated Americans recruit and manage millions of additional volunteers as they work to promote employment opportunities, prepare a better-trained workforce, and provide essential services to veterans, children, and seniors. AmeriCorps’ track record of delivering for Americans has earned broad and longstanding support from business leaders, mayors, and governors of both parties.
    AmeriCorps is a public-private partnership that leverages approximately $1 billion in matched resources from the private sector, foundations, and local agencies to support organizations across the country working in creative ways to tackle our most persistent and costly challenges. While it is important the agency continue to make measurable progress toward an improved audit performance, federal investments in AmeriCorps already delivers returns for the American people. A 2020 study found that for every one dollar that Congress appropriates to AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs, they return over $17 in benefits to society, program members, and the government. Further, the AmeriCorps programs are a smart investment in our country’s future. AmeriCorps service allows members to gain marketable job skills in high demand fields and pursue higher education, preparing more Americans to succeed in the workforce.
    We have seen firsthand the critical impact these programs have across the states we represent. We urge the administration to continue implementing the statutory requirements of the national service laws:
    Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, Public Law 93-113.
    National and Community Service Act of 1990, Public Law 101-610.
    National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, Public Law 103-82.
    Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Actor 2009, Public Law 111-13.
    Additionally, Congress recently passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, which maintained funding for AmeriCorps at its Fiscal Year 2024 level. We expect that the administration will implement this law in a manner consistent with the allocations enacted in Fiscal Year 2024. However, we have grave concerns that significant reductions in force will prevent AmeriCorps from being able to effectively and efficiently award appropriated funding to programs operating in communities across the country.
    We are deeply concerned by reports that a majority of AmeriCorps staff have been placed on administrative leave and that more than 750 NCCC members have already been recalled from their field assignments. Many of these volunteers were working in disaster response roles, including building homes for individuals who lost theirs in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. If not reversed, these recent actions will both stop current programs and prevent timely and efficient execution of the agency’s fiscal year 2025 appropriations, delaying or even halting the recruitment and deployment of new AmeriCorps members around the country. We are deeply concerned that is the goal: to eliminate AmeriCorps, in direct conflict with recently enacted appropriations. However, even delays will disrupt programs Americans rely on for their health, education, and safety. We urge you to reverse these actions and instead work with Congress on bipartisan improvements to AmeriCorps so that more Americans have the opportunity to serve their communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Biosensory Dome (Spatial Design)—Digitally Expressing the Healing Powers of Nature

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Biosensory Dome (Spatial Design)—Digitally Expressing the Healing Powers of Nature

    Mikako Miura
    Solution Development Division,Electric Works Company,Panasonic Corporation

    Yoshiteru Hara
    Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai,Japan Promotion Committee,Panasonic Holdings Corporation

    Nariaki Iwatani
    anno lab Inc.

    Ippo Hayashida
    anno lab Inc.

    Masahiro Ihara
    anno lab Inc.

    Co-creation as the First Step of a Slightly Lofty Challenge
    Hara: This is the second time Panasonic collaborated with anno lab. The first was an exhibit with biophilia* as the overarching theme.
    ＊Biophilia: A concept emphasizing connectivity with nature and being in harmony with it.
    Miura: Biophilia and the concept of the Earth area, a “720° cycle,” are tightly linked. That’s why we wanted to ask for anno lab’s support again in designing the Biosensory Dome.
    Ihara: We usually create digital content for exhibitions in science and other museums. Although we are quite familiar with exhibits leveraging digital technology, the abstract theme of digitally recreating nature posed a rather formidable challenge.
    Hara: The breadth and depth of the theme were precisely what made designing this exhibit so difficult. The other exhibits in the Earth area had a clear starting point: “How can we express the 720° cycle with this technology?” On the other hand, there were no requirements regarding technologies to be used for the Biosensory Dome.

    Miura: Instead of installing real natural elements like houseplants, we were tasked to digitally reproduce nature with whatever means available. Because we had absolutely no limitations, it took us a long time to find a solution.
    Hayashida: Once we found the direction to take, we received increasingly challenging requests, which communicated to me that these people are 120% serious about the exhibit. That invigorated us and made us want to reciprocate.
    Iwatani: For people like us who are used to creating digital content, we can see the feasibility of a project, whether for good or for bad, at the ideation stage. If anno lab had taken on this challenge alone, we would not have been able to deliver as bold an exhibit as this one. But Panasonic pushed us outside of our comfort zone, and we watched the exhibit evolve. I could see the true value of co-creation by how the number of possibilities ballooned.
    Hara: This project was initially a little above everyone’s pay grade. But I think our handiwork exceeded our expectations because we dared to challenge ourselves beyond our skill levels.

    Digitally Reproducing Fog, Sunlight Filtered Through Trees, Breath, and Warmth
    Ihara: After countless discussions and some failures, we finally settled on the themes of “fog and airflow” and “light and breath,” under which we are now creating exhibits.
    Hayashida: I was put in charge of creating the device producing the mist. We use a machine resembling a water basin to generate mist, which we then illuminate. The result is that you can enjoy drifting mist similar to a morning fog or a sea of clouds.
    Miura: Visitors can interact with the exhibit in many ways. The experience is not only visual but also tactile: they can stick their hand into the mist and stir it or blow on it. What were the challenges in creating and adjusting the device?
    Hayashida: Because mist is fluffy and elusive, it was tough to make it move the way we wanted it to. Particularly difficult was striking the optimal balance between retention and diffusion. If the wind were too weak, the mist would not move, and then…nothing. On the other hand, if it were too strong, the mist would look too “busy.” It took me a very long time to configure the device so that the mist would stay inside it but continue to drift around.

    A device that controls the amount of mist and airflow to create an illusory drifting of fog

    The Breathing Sphere expresses lifelike softness and warmth

    Hara: Originally, we were only planning to control the amount of mist, but ultimately, we needed to control the airflow as well. Thanks to anno lab’s innovative solution to this difficult request, I believe we succeeded in creating an exhibit that is both natural and entertaining for visitors. The Breathing Sphere in the other dome was designed by Mr. Ihara.
    Ihara: I considered the soothing effects of nature from various angles and decided on the theme of “the breathing of a child sleeping in the shade of a tree with sun rays shining through it.” The Breathing Sphere was born out of trial and error in an effort to somehow express the up-and-down motion of a child’s chest while napping in the warm sunlight.
    Miura: The Breathing Sphere is a large ball with a soft texture. It is also slightly warm to the touch and expands and shrinks. It’s kind of magical, like touching a living thing or lying in the shade on a sunny day.
    Ihara: In actually building the exhibit, I realized how difficult it was to create something unprecedented or with no correct answer. Our goal was to make the Breathing Sphere feel natural and comfortable to the people who saw it, and thus this goal was essentially unquantifiable. We did everything possible to design the exhibit in such a way with digital technology.
    Hara: We basically experimented with many ideas, and the team members would make a decision on the best one based on their intuition. We would then find a path that might work, proceed that way, and then repeat the process.
    Iwatani: My mission was to quantify the comfortable state that Mr. Ihara, Mr. Hayashida, and the other team members discovered with their senses so that we could reproduce this state digitally. I was put in charge of setting comfort parameters and controlling the equipment and programs.
    Ihara: Mr. Iwatani was also responsible for controlling the lighting in the dome.
    Iwatani: We are using Panasonic’s new lighting technology leveraging micro LEDs. Light usually travels in only one direction; however, the novelty of this technology is its ability to control light so that you can illuminate multiple directions with a single light source or create dynamic lighting effects. Since it is not yet on the market, we held numerous discussions with the developers to find the most effective way to use it.
    Miura: We explored the comfort of nature through a very hands-on approach—depending on people’s senses. Once we had a clue, we digitally reproduced the state and then observed it again with our senses. We switched back and forth between analog and digital approaches every day as we sought the best way to fashion the exhibit.
    Ihara: We simply “arrived” at the current design through trial and error, rather than moving forward with a clear goal in mind.

    How Do You Play with This and What Do You Feel? Leaving the Answers to Children
    Hara: Because we focused on how it would resonate with people’s intuition or feelings, the exhibit was not designed with an agenda like “This is how we want you to feel” or “That is how you should experience it.”
    Miura: Of course, we offer sensory stimuli that most people would find comfortable and pleasant, but some kids may dislike the sensations, and that’s okay. What’s more important is that children be connected to how they feel, whether it’s pleasant or uncomfortable.
    Hara: When I visited the Biosensory Dome, I got a pleasant feeling from seeing Ms. Miura grinning as she touched the Breathing Sphere. I newly discovered that we can enjoy multisensory stimulation through not only touching the Breathing Sphere and mist but also watching people having fun with them.
    Miura: I want children to freely explore without worrying about rules or guidelines when interacting with the Biosensory Dome. If I can convey through this exhibit the notion that there are a thousand different ways to have fun, and experiences vary from person to person, then I will have achieved my goal.
    Ihara: To me, the Biosensory Dome is like a sandbox. You can build a castle, dig a river, or just listen to the whisper-like sound of sand falling. It would be great if everyone could freely explore like that. But if it’s too free, some kids start wondering, “Where can I start?” That is why we wanted to provide some gimmicks to stimulate their curiosity. They can at least start from stirring the mist or touching the Breathing Sphere.
    Iwatani: It’s only adults who try to manipulate certain feelings in children, whether it be through exhibits, interactive experiences, or play. Children don’t look back on every fun and new experience, or try to put into words their accomplishments or events that lead to their growth, right? We want children to play like children. Having said that, it would be nice if kids could sense that somebody behind the scenes created these natural experiences. For example, you get comforted by the sight of sunshine penetrating tree leaves or sitting around a fire. But behind those natural experiences, there was someone who planted the tree or lit the fire. It is my hope that children can sense that, even if only vaguely.

    Hayashida: I would be happy if the Biosensory Dome struck a chord not only with small children but also with teenagers. Naturally, I want them to experience the beauty and comfort in what we created, but it is also my hope that they would take it a step further and see the ingenuity in reproducing nature with digital technology, or ask questions like “How did they do it?” “Who are the people that made this?” It would be wonderful if both their senses and their intellect were stimulated, and that some would be inspired to choose engineering or manufacturing as their career.
    Hara: I really look forward to seeing how children let their imagination run free in this unrestricted space.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Biosensory Dome (Mycelium Panels)—A Space Created by the Power of Fungi

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Biosensory Dome (Mycelium Panels)—A Space Created by the Power of Fungi

    Mikako Miura
    Solution Development Division,Electric Works Company,Panasonic Corporation

    Yoshiteru Hara
    Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai,Japan Promotion Committee,Panasonic Holdings Corporation

    Kohei Ito
    BIOTA Inc.

    Hironobu Tanaka
    BIOTA Inc.

    Kenro Hirata
    Tsukiyono Mushroom World

    Stimulation of Natural Textures Deepens the Relationship between Space and People
    Hara: The Biosensory Dome gently stimulates the five human senses, offering experiences that reset the senses to bring healing or awaken those that have been dormant. Even before the Expo project began, Ms. Miura had been working on creating a sensory room that shares the same concept as the Biosensory Dome.
    Miura: The sensory room was originally designed as a calming space for people with special needs or sensory sensitivities. Panasonic has expanded this concept into a space that offers more people moments of comfort and reset. Taking advantage of our lighting and audio technology, we have been working to create a space where people can discover their true selves.

    At the center is a module made of mycelium panels

    Hara: The Biosensory Dome in the Earth area is an exhibition based on the concept of the sensory room, which Ms. Miura has been developing for many years. However, it is unique in that it uses mycelium panels. How did you come up with this idea?
    Miura: It all started when we wondered what it would be like to bring real nature into a space, rather than just creating a comfortable light and sound environment with technical devices. By creating a space with natural, living materials that visitors can see, touch, and smell, we hoped to stimulate a wider range of senses. So we approached BIOTA, with whom we already had a relationship, to see whether we could do something using mycelium.
    Ito: At BIOTA, we apply genomic analysis to assess the diversity and balance of environmental microorganisms, and by enhancing that diversity, we aim to design societies that, for example, reduce infectious diseases and strengthen human immunity. In this context, we have made several attempts to create products with mycelium. However, we had never used mycelium to create a space. When we received this inquiry, it caused a significant debate within the company.
    Hara: And the answer you came up with was mycelium panels.
    Ito: Up until then, our experience had been limited to the artistic realm, such as creating objects with mycelium. That’s why we wanted to create a space in the Earth area where mycelium blends into human life—a state closer to practical application in society. We were asked to develop triangular panels that use mycelium as a building material for the dome walls.

    The Biosensory Dome, featuring mycelium panels, under construction in the Earth area

    Prototype and Mass Production Phases Focused on Achieving High Enough Quality for Practical Application in Society
    Ito: Turning mycelium into a building material was a completely new challenge for us. We faced many difficulties before finally developing the product used in the Biosensory Dome. During the early prototyping stage, we received support from the Telostekts team, a group of students from my alma mater, Keio University, who are working on mycelium architecture. Maybe Mr. Tanaka, who designed and developed the panel, and Mr. Hirata, who supported mass production, could talk more about this part.
    Tanaka: The first hurdle was the size of the panel. We had never made a product with such a large area evenly covered with mycelium. Our goal was to grow the mycelium inside triangular wooden frames so that it would spread evenly throughout the surface. However, in the beginning, we faced many problems—the mycelium did not grow enough, detached from the boards, or dried out and cracked.
    Miura: How many times did you go through the prototyping process?

    Tanaka: We repeated more than 30 rounds of trial and error, both large and small. We sanded the wooden frames to keep the mycelium from coming off, experimented with different temperatures and humidities to see how it would grow, and tried many other approaches.
    Hara: Since Panasonic has many years of manufacturing experience, we provided rigorous feedback on the prototype. We knew we were asking for something difficult, but we also strongly felt that we couldn’t afford to compromise, since we were aiming, at a high level, to complete this unprecedented initiative in Japan of making mycelium panels truly viable as building materials.
    Ito: We did not have a clear sense of the standards and the target quality level that the product needed to meet. We were grateful for the candid feedback Panasonic gave us, based on its expertise in housing construction and the development of building materials.
    Hara: We did not want to end up with simply using mycelium panels for an exhibit. We believed that, in a way, it was Panasonic’s responsibility to promote this project with an eye to future commercialization and to be the first example demonstrating the possibility of using mycelium panels as a building material.
    Ito: We were very happy when we completed the panels, evenly covered with mycelium, after countless discussions.

    Hara: At first, we were nervous: “Will this work?” “Can we really complete this?” From that stage, we shared our ideas and worked hard together. By continuing these efforts, we eventually achieved an outstanding level of quality that everyone involved could truly be proud of. For me, this moment was the essence of cross-organizational co-creation.
    Hirata: When the prototype was completed, we took the baton and moved on to the mass production phase. Tsukiyono Mushroom World normally makes mushroom beds for growing edible mushrooms. Honestly, I was surprised when our president gave us the special mission of “mass production of mycelium panels.” To us, mycelium was simply the base of mushrooms, and the idea of using it as a building material had never crossed our minds.
    Miura: What was most difficult about the mass production phase, when you had to make 100 panels?
    Hirata: The biggest challenge was balancing dryness and moisture to ensure that the mycelium grew evenly throughout the wooden frame. If it’s too dry, the mycelium will shrink and crack. On the other hand, if it’s too humid, it will get moldy.
    Tanaka: We are very grateful for the care taken. Each panel was coated with an anti-mold agent, then covered with a protective sheet to prevent drying and to keep out contaminants.
    Hirata: It was no easy task (laughs). As we struggled with making the panels, there were moments that reminded us of the profound power of nature. In growing the mycelium, we applied an anti-mold agent to prevent mold, but still, mold started growing before we noticed. I was troubled, but I also felt the strong ability of fungi and microorganisms to survive.
    Ito: There were both difficult and interesting aspects of dealing with living creatures.
    Tanaka: Despite the many difficulties we faced, this project’s greatest achievement was being able to go through the trial-and-error process of using mycelium as a building material—a way of directly harnessing the power of fungi for the benefit of society. A months-long exhibition at the Expo may also bring to light issues that we cannot yet see. However, these are challenges that we would inevitably have to overcome as we work toward the practical application of mycelium in society. I am excited to witness this major step toward that goal.
    Ito: Mycelium has great potential as a building material. Its strength per unit weight is said to be higher than that of brick. It is also water-repellent, fire-resistant, and biodegradable, meaning it can return to the soil. Around the world, there are still very few attempts to construct buildings with such materials. Through this exhibition, I hope to gain evidence that we can show the world.

    The Exhibition Expands the Senses of Children and the Potential of Natural Materials
    Miura: The mycelium panel is the result of the combined efforts of the three companies. What did you think when you saw the panels installed in the Biosensory Dome?
    Ito: Inside the dome, I could smell the unique scent of the mycelium, and the natural texture of the panels—each with a different color and feel—gave me the sense that the space we had envisioned would be achieved.
    Hara: From the prototype stage, the level of uniformity was a key point of discussion. Ultimately, we could have created a completely white and flat mycelium panel, but we thought that doing so would lose the meaning of using mycelium in the first place.
    Ito: By adopting a standard that preserves the subtle color differences of each panel and the fluffy, uneven texture that is unique to mycelium, the final product offers a true sense of nature.
    Miura: I am excited to see what visitors, especially children, will take away from the natural textures we have created. I feel that in today’s world, we are surrounded by an overwhelming amount of digital information and are desperately trying to pick out what we need to live. I hope the Biosensory Dome will be a place where people can put aside this information and use their senses, such as touch and smell, to gain something and recharge their energy.
    Ito: In my opinion, nature is, in fact, the stimulus that provides the greatest amount of information. The natural world is full of irregularities and ambiguity, brimming with noise in a good sense. The Biosensory Dome is a place where people can experience the processing of huge amounts of information—far greater than those of digital information—through their senses. I would be happy if visiting the dome helps open up children’s senses, and the way they see the streets they walk through and the towns they live in changes, even just a little, when they return to their daily lives.

    Hara: Our generation could enjoy many natural materials in childhood, such as mud walls and tatami mats, when visiting our grandparents’ homes. As times change, such materials are gradually disappearing from our own homes. However, with the creation and practical use of products like mycelium panels, the power of natural materials is returning to our everyday lives with a fresh interpretation. As a member of Panasonic, which has been deeply involved in the production of housing and building materials in Japan, I hope this exhibition triggers such a change.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 25, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 25, 2025.

    Labor takes large leads in YouGov and Morgan polls as surge continues
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With just eight days until the May 3 federal election, and with in-person early voting well under way, Labor has taken a seven-point lead in a national

    Beating malaria: what can be done with shrinking funds and rising threats
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Taneshka Kruger, UP ISMC: Project Manager and Coordinator, University of Pretoria Healthcare in Africa faces a perfect storm: high rates of infectious diseases like malaria and HIV, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and dwindling foreign aid. In 2021, nearly half of the sub-Saharan African countries relied on

    Open letter to Fijians – ‘why is our country supporting Israel’s heinous crimes in Gaza?’
    Pacific Media Watch The Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network today condemned the Fiji government’s failure to stand up for international law and justice over the Israeli war on Gaza in their weekly Black Thursday protest. “For the past 18 months, we have made repeated requests to our government to do the bare minimum and enforce

    Scares and stunts in the home stretch: election special podcast
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn discuss the fourth week of the 2025 election campaign. While the death of Pope Francis interrupted campaigning for a while, the leaders had another debate on Tuesday night and the opposition (belatedly) put out its

    Grattan on Friday: Coalition’s campaign lacks good planning and enough elbow grease
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Whatever the result on May 3, even people within the Liberals think they have run a very poor national campaign. Not just poor, but odd. Nothing makes the point more strongly than this week’s release of the opposition’s defence policy.

    Inside the elaborate farewell to Pope Francis
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Sydney ➡️ View the full interactive version of this article here. Carole Cusack does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no

    5 ways to tackle Australia’s backlog of asylum cases
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Professor and Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney People who apply for asylum in Australia face significant delays in having their claims processed. These delays undermine the integrity of the asylum system, erode public confidence and cause significant

    Preference deals can decide the outcome of a seat in an election – but not always
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Every election cycle the media becomes infatuated, even if temporarily, with preference deals between parties. The 2025 election is no exception, with many media reports about preference

    What is preferential voting and how does it work? Your guide to making your vote count
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hortle, Deputy Director, Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania For each Australian federal election, there are two different ways you get to vote. Whether you vote early, by post or on polling day on May 3, each eligible voter will be given two ballot papers: one

    Back to the fuel guzzlers? Coalition plans to end EV tax breaks would hobble the clean transport transition
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Mortimore, Lecturer, Griffith Business School, Griffith University wedmoment.stock/Shutterstock If elected, the Coalition has pledged to end Labor’s substantial tax break for new zero- or low-emissions vehicles. This, combined with an earlier promise to roll back new fuel efficiency standards, would successfully slow the transition to hybrid

    Many experienced tradies don’t have formal qualifications. Could fast-tracked recognition ease the housing crisis?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Once again, housing affordability is at the forefront of an Australian federal election. Both major parties have put housing policies at the centre of their respective campaigns. But there are still concerns too little is being done

    This may be as good as it gets: NZ and Australia face a complicated puzzle when it comes to supermarket prices
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Meade, Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University Daria Nipot/Shutterstock With ongoing cost of living pressures, the Australian and New Zealand supermarket sectors are attracting renewed political attention on both sides of the Tasman. Allegations of price gouging have become

    The phrase ‘fuzzy wuzzy angels’ is far from affectionate – it reflects 500 years of racism
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erika K. Smith, Associate Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University This article contains mention of racist terms in historical context. Every Anzac Day, Australians are presented with narratives that re-inscribe particular versions of our national story. One such narrative persistently claims “fuzzy wuzzy angel” was

    Why AUKUS remains the right strategy for the future defence of Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Fellow, Naval Studies at UNSW Canberra, and Expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University Australian strategic thinking has long struggled to move beyond a narrow view of defence that focuses solely on protecting our shores. However, in today’s world, our economy could be

    Election meme hits and duds – we’ve graded some of the best (and worst) of the campaign so far
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University As Australia begins voting in the federal election, we’re awash with political messages. While this of course includes the typical paid ads in newspapers and on TV (those ones with the infamously fast-paced “authorised by”

    Markets are choppy. What should you do with your super if you are near retirement?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Peng, Lecturer in Accounting, The University of Queensland Shutterstock For Australians approaching retirement, recent market volatility may feel like more than just a bump in the road. Unlike younger investors, who have time on their side, retirees don’t have the luxury of waiting out downturns. A

    Provocative, progressive and fearless: why Beatrice Faust’s views still resonate in Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judith Brett, Emeritus Professor of Politics, La Trobe University Beatrice Faust is best remembered as the founder, early in 1972, of the Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL). Women’s Liberation was already well under way. Betty Friedan had published The Feminine Mystique in 1962, arguing that many women found

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 24, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 24, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King Sponsor Bipartisan Bill to Ban Offshore Drilling off Coast of Maine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: April 24, 2025

    Legislation would protect ocean and coastal resources that account for over $17.5 billion annually in the New England region.

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King are cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to prohibit offshore drilling along the Maine coast, extending throughout the entirety of New England. The New England Coastal Protection Act would ban oil and gas leasing off the coast of Maine and in these protected areas.
    According to NOAA Fisheries, ocean and coastal industries, including tourism, fishing, and recreation, generate more than $17.5 billion in New England annually. Expanding drilling in the Atlantic would pose potential harm to New England’s key industries and significantly increase the chance of environmental disaster in the region.
    “The waters off Maine’s coast provide a healthy ecosystem for our fisheries and are an integral part of our tourism industry, supporting thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in revenue each year,” said Senator Collins. “Offshore drilling along the coast could impact Mainers of all walks of life for generations, which is why I join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to ban offshore drilling on the New England coastline.”
    “Maine’s fisheries and coastal communities rely on healthy, clean waters to support their livelihoods. Offshore oil drilling would pose an immense threat to this delicate ecosystem and the people it supports,” said Senator King. “As we respond to global energy crises, we must work together to find practical, fiscally responsible clean energy solutions that can protect Maine communities and the Atlantic Ocean that do not rely on offshore drilling. This bipartisan effort would be a positive step forward to ensure we continue to protect the Gulf of Maine and all the communities that rely on its bountiful, yet fragile, ecosystem.”
    Senators Collins and King are joined on this legislation by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RI Delegation Calls Out Trump’s 100 Days of Economic Chaos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    PROVIDENCE, RI – As President Trump approaches his first 100 days in office at the end of the month, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo gathered in Providence today to highlight the economic chaos and financial damage President Trump has caused for families and small businesses and warn that the President could induce a recession unless he changes course.

    Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation says the Trump Administration, Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Congressional Republicans continue to threaten Rhode Islanders’ Social Security benefits, Medicaid coverage, nutrition assistance, and federal investments in science and education in favor of a billionaires-first tax agenda.

    President Trump’s scattershot and indiscriminate tariff plan will force families to pay nearly $5,000 more each year.  It has already wiped out trillions of dollars from the stock market and is raising costs and uncertainty for American families and manufacturers.

    Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation visited Farm Fresh today to discuss the impact Trump’s policies are having on everything from food prices to health care and the instability it’s causing for consumers and businesses alike.

    “Donald Trump is a one man financial crisis and has single-handedly driven down consumer confidence and forced up prices with his reckless tariff taxes.  He inherited an economy that was on the upswing and senselessly decimated it with policies that raised prices, deterred investment, and needlessly triggered financial turmoil.  So far, Trump’s economic policies have been a disaster for Main Street and a nightmare for Wall Street.  Instead of increasing costs on consumers and businesses, President Trump must reverse course and work with Democrats to actually lower prices and get our economy working and growing again,” said Reed.

    “Rhode Island is a small business state, and the Trump Tariffs are saddling many business owners with major economic uncertainty,” said Whitehouse.  “Trump is constantly changing his mind about how and when he’s going to slap tariffs on our allies so Republicans can help pay for big tax cuts for giant corporations and the wealthy.  That leaves small business owners wondering which products they’ll be able to stock and at what cost, and whether they’ll be able to make payroll.”

    “Donald Trump’s first 100 days have been an economic disaster,” said Magaziner.  “This is to be expected from an administration of out-of-touch billionaires with no idea what working people go through on a daily basis.  The Trump Administration’s assault on essential programs even includes education – as they have proposed cutting funding for public schools and job training.  I’ll keep fighting alongside the rest of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation to protect education funding, push back against Trump’s extremism, and stand up for our state.”

    “Over the past 100 days, Donald Trump has unleashed a torrent of chaos and confusion on a number of fronts.  This isn’t fear mongering.  Rhode Islanders are right to be afraid when they see the largest number ever — $880 billion — in proposed cuts to Medicaid,” said Amo.  “Yet Medicaid isn’t just a government program; it’s about universal values.  Make no mistake, as a united delegation, we’ll keep sounding the alarm every day until these harmful proposals are defeated for good.”

    Americans are not buying President Trump’s false claims about the prices of gas, eggs, and other groceries: President Trump claimed that gas costs $1.98 per gallon in some states when the national average price is currently $3.17 per gallon and $2.94 in Rhode Island.  Additionally, Trump claimed egg prices are down 94 percent since he took office.  The national average price of eggs in March 2025 was $6.23 – setting an all-time high for the third straight month.  And elsewhere at the grocery store, Americans are paying more for things like coffee – the average price of coffee in March 2025 was $7.38 – up 15 percent since the beginning of the year, while the national average price of ground beef in March 2025 was $5.79, a 3 percent increase from the previous month.

    “In Rhode Island, nearly 40 percent of our population is food insecure.  This means over 42 million meals missed last year by children, seniors and low-income families. The proposed cuts to the SNAP program will not help Rhode Island to lower these awful numbers. The actions of the current administration, including recent USDA funding terminations, are exacerbating this problem by eliminating programs that connect local food from Rhode Island into schools, and the emergency food system.  Any cuts to SNAP are also cuts to our local economy.  Many local farmers and fishers benefit from SNAP redemption at farmers markets statewide.  It is imperative for the state’s well-being that we empower local farmers, fishers and food producers to be part of the solution to end hunger, raise healthy children and boost our local economy,” said Jesse Rye, Executive Director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

    Trump’s trade war has created chaos for the economy, driving prices up for families and small businesses.  The President’s blanket tariffs on nearly every product imported into the U.S., including 25 percent tariffs on Canada, Rhode Island’s biggest international trading partner, has already impeded businesses in our state.  The tariffs have increased the cost of imported goods and raw materials on which small businesses depend.  These rising costs have slowed production, reduced competitiveness, and left business owners scrambling.  International travel to the United States has declined sharply since President Trump returned to office, threatening Rhode Island’s tourism industry in the busy summer months ahead.

    Consumer confidence is down nearly 30 percent and the value of the dollar is down nearly 10 percent since President Trump took office.  Prices on everyday goods are expected to climb, with year-ahead inflation expectations hitting 6.7% in April – the highest reading since 1981.  The stock market has dropped considerably, causing retirement plans and savings to plummet as the risk of a recession skyrockets. 

    The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are threatening the stability of Social Security benefits for the over 230,000 Rhode Islanders who receive them through customer service cuts and staff firings and buyouts.  President Trump and Congressional Republicans are also trying to take health care coverage from many of the nearly 330,000 Rhode Islanders – 30 percent of the state’s population – who are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP.  To pay for trillions in tax cuts for mega-corporations and the wealthy, Republicans are preparing to pass a bill with $880 billion in Medicaid cuts.  Approximately 44 percent of births in Rhode Island are covered by Medicaid, and half?of all Rhode Island kids are enrolled in Medicaid.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi: “Trump is Tanking our Economy in a Self-Inflicted Disaster.”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    San Francisco – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi hosted a Cost of Living Week of Action press conference at Arcadio’s Produce in the heart of The SF Market, bringing together San Francisco small business owners and community leaders to discuss how President Trump’s senseless tariffs and reckless economic policies are hurting small business owners and their employees in San Francisco.

    The press conference featured Laurie Poston, Board Member of the San Francisco Market; Lauren Crabbe, Owner of Andytown Coffee Roasters; Jeanne Boes, General Manager of the San Francisco Flower Market; Juana Posadas and Manuel Orozco, General Managers of Arcadio’s Produce; Kevin Teng, Owner of SarangHello; and Sara Razavi, CEO of Working Solutions Community Development Financial Institution.

    Watch the full press conference here. View photos from today’s event here.

    Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s remarks as delivered below:

    Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Good morning, everyone. Thank you to Laurie Poston for your introduction and to everyone at Arcadio’s Produce for hosting us today.

    This is a remarkable place. I hope you had a chance to see the force of it all. Small businesses like Arcadio are the lifeblood of the American economy. With their great optimism, entrepreneurial wisdom, and courage.

    It is a privilege to join so many small business owners and community leaders during this Cost of Living Week in America. All over the country, House Democrats are having events with the community about bringing down the cost-of-living.

    That was something that the President promised in the campaign. But the exact opposite is happening now. So, this Cost of Living Week is part of a drumbeat of the national opposition to Trump’s reckless economic policies.

    Now, I’ve always said, because the Democratic Party for a long time has been so enthusiastic about small business, we see it as the ultimate job creator, wealth creator for our country.

    And those who engage in small business are the most optimistic. What is more optimistic than starting a small business? Maybe getting married, but maybe you have some more confidence there about what might happen.

    So, thank you for your courage, your optimism. Because that, again, is the lifeblood of our economy. And we look forward to hearing your stories.

    The Trump Administration’s ineptitude is tanking our economy in a self-inflicted disaster that leaves hardworking Americans bearing the brunt of the pain. Make no mistake: President Trump’s senseless tariffs are driving prices higher, draining retirement savings, look at 401(k)s, and pushing us to the brink of recession.

    Here in San Francisco, Trump’s economic policies are hurting small business owners and their employees by instilling fear and uncertainty. But business has enough uncertainty as it is when you go forth. You don’t need civic uncertainty of this magnitude.

    Across the country, working families could see their costs go up as much as $4,600 a year. The largest tax hike on American families in history.

    I’m fond of certain quotes from Ronald Reagan. He made the best speech of anyone on immigration. I recommend you see that. It was the last speech he made as President of the United States.

    He says, ‘I want to communicate a message to a country I love.’ And he talks about the Statue of Liberty and immigration. When I quote that to the Republicans, they don’t applaud.

    But nonetheless, now I have to quote this to them. In 1988, President Reagan said ‘America’s most recent experiment with protectionism was a disaster for working men and women of this country. When Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1980…’

    He goes back then to when Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930. ‘We were told that it would protect America from foreign competition and save jobs in this country. The actual result was the Great Depression.’

    He continued, ‘We should beware of the demagogues.’ This is Reagan talking in 1988. ‘We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends, weakening our economy, our national security and the entire free world while cynically waving the American flag.’ Ronald Reagan.

    He then goes back to the 1930s when that was Smoot-Hawley, he said when he made his first vote for president of the United States. As a young person, he voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who overturned Smoot-Hawley. Ronald Reagan’s words were true then in 1988. And they are true now.

    With the Trump tariffs fully in effect – and again, all the uncertainty – now you see it, now you don’t. Well maybe so, maybe not. San Franciscans will pay more for groceries, shoes and clothing, household necessities, auto parts, recreational items, you name it.

    While Trump doesn’t care about the pain of the American people, he should have recognized the fear that he is causing, and that House Democrats are gathering across the country to stand united against his reckless economic policy.

    So, again, really, that’s what we’re doing across the country this week. Some of you were with us when we had the Hands Off Our Medicaid, Hands Off Our Social Security, and now we’re talking about our economy writ large.

    The best way to talk about that, though, is to hear from our small business folks. It’s now my pleasure to introduce Lauren Crabbe, founder and owner of an incredible small business in San Francisco in Andytown Coffee Roasters. Thank you for being with us and I yield the floor to you.

    ###
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: B.C. officers honoured for valour, commitment to public safety

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    On Thursday, April 24, 2025, awards were presented to the following honourees who were selected by a committee of representatives from the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s Police Services Division:

    AWARDS OF VALOUR:

    Barriere RCMP Detachment

    Const. Jeremy Galvin – for their courageous efforts when responding to an armed individual on the side of a highway, quickly stopping the threat.

    Bella Bella RCMP Detachment

    Cpl. Chad Fitzpatrick – for their exceptional bravery and selflessness in the face of a devastating residential fire.

    Chase RCMP Detachment

    Const. Mario Jakic – for their quick actions, preventing a woman from falling to her death, while placing themselves in harm’s way.

    Dawson Creek RCMP Detachment

    Const. Lukas Bielicz and Insp. Damon Werrell (now retired) – for their exceptional courage and swift response to a bear attack.

    Golden RCMP Detachment

    Cpl. Lucas Sovio – for their bravery and de-escalation tactics, while responding to a suicidal individual that shot at innocent people inside their home.

    Kamloops RCMP Detachment

    Const. Taylor Callens – for their bravery when rescuing a woman during a suicide attempt.

    Const. Matt James – for their exceptional courage and resilience in the face of grave danger.

    Const. Michael Scherpenisse – for their bravery and de-escalation efforts during a potential hostage situation and apprehending an armed robber.

    Constables Dylan Colbourne, Ryan Long and Howard Morine – for their outstanding bravery as they put themselves in harm’s way in pursuit of an armed suspect.

    Kelowna RCMP Detachment

    Const. Chris Carruthers – for putting themselves in harm’s way, while protecting the public and preventing further violence from a suspect.

    Keremeos RCMP Detachment

    Const. Zachary Plensky – for their incredible strength and resilience when they restrained and transported a suspect by himself, in a remote area without radio contact, while injured from the offender.

    Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team

    Constables Shawn Jones, Guillaume Lecours, Darryl Newman, Antony Scarpelli; and corporals Darren Bleker, Stephen Bodden, Joshua Cropley, Luke Johnston, Armand Pinnegar and Ian Sneddon – for their actions, while putting their lives at substantial risk during a dangerous situation and preventing further danger to the community.

    Staff Sgt. Dave Malone – for their efforts in stopping an active shooter from continuing to take the lives of innocent bystanders in the community.

    Merritt RCMP Detachment

    Constables Derek Bodner, Jerry Davey, Carly Gerein, John Julyan and Nick Maciejewski; and Sgt. Brock Hedrick – for putting their safety on the line as they pursued a property theft suspect who continuously shot at them with an automatic rifle as they fled with their young child in the vehicle. 

    Mission RCMP Detachment

    Const. Sukhdip Sidhu – for their bravery when rescuing a resident from a burning building.

    Powell River RCMP Detachment

    Const. Matthew Horsfield – for risking their safety and swimming 200 metres into a body of water to rescue a suicidal female.

    RCMP “E” Division, Explosive Disposal Unit

    Const. Tyler Folz, Cpl. Ryan Ziebart, Sgt. Peter Cucheran and Staff Sgt. Brent Elwood – for their bravery, while responding to a critical incident involving a significant explosive devices threat.

    RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team

    Constables Ahmed Durrani, Hardip Gill, Jasmail Takhar; and Cpl. Harinder Sandhu – for their remarkable foresight, bravery and overwhelming sense of duty, while apprehending a violent individual after a shooting.

    Salmon Arm RCMP Detachment

    Sgt. Joseph Morrisey – for their bravery and quick action when assisting in the arrest of a violent suspect.

    Sicamous RCMP Detachment

    Reserve Const. Patrick Pyper – for risking their own safety to rescue a woman who fell through the ice on a lake at night.

    Smithers RCMP Detachment

    Const. Ashley van Leeuwen – for demonstrating exceptional bravery and composure when confronting and restraining an armed and combative suicidal male, ensuring the safety of his family and co-ordinating a safe arrest.

    Southeast District Emergency Response Team

    Const. Michael Dibblee – for putting themselves at substantial risk during the planned arrest of a violent prolific offender that had previously carried and used weapons in the commission of offences.

    Constables Paul Cooke and Lee Taylor; corporals Dave Lewis, Stephen Prior and Matthew Rattee; and Sgt. Joseph Morrisey – for their bravery when responding and apprehending two violent suspects participating in a crime spree that threatened the lives of the public.

    Squamish RCMP Detachment

    Const. Hamza Khan – for their efforts in saving a victim trapped in their car after a life-threatening car collision.

    Const. Mark McMahon – for their efforts during a high-risk arrest of multiple suspects involved in a brazen daytime shooting.

    Sunshine Coast RCMP Detachment

    Const. Joshua Jewett – for placing their own life at risk, while responding to a call of a male making threats outside a local housing facility.

    Surrey RCMP Detachment

    Const. Shannon Walker – for their exceptional courage and bravery in preventing further harm to the public, while arresting an armed subject.

    Trail RCMP Detachment

    Constables Evan Harding and Jason Zilkie – for risking their lives, while responding to a suicidal and mentally ill male behaving erratically and attempting to enter the BC Ambulance station when he produced a firearm.

    Vanderhoof RCMP Detachment

    Const. Chris Brown (now retired), Const. Mackenzie Sheridan (now retired), Cpl. J.R. (Edward) Gohn, sergeants Amy Floyd and Kyle Ushock – for their bravery and courage in the face of very dangerous circumstances with an active shooter.

    Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Detachment

    Const. Jamie Kress – for their quick efforts when responding to a call involving a suicidal female.

    AWARDS OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE:

    BC Highway Patrol – Parksville

    Sgt. Robert Haney – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, in order to protect the public and other police officers.

    Central Highway Patrol

    Const. Amber Brunner – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, in order to protect the public and other police officers.

    Creston RCMP Detachment

    Sgt. John Edinger and Staff Sgt. Brandon Buliziuk – for their efforts in rescuing a newborn infant with life-threatening conditions.

    Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C.

    Const. Lawrence Berceanu and Staff Sgt. Rob Angco – for their dedication during a complex, multi-jurisdictional and multi-national file involving the murder of a United Nations gang member in Phuket, Thailand, that led to the arrest and successful extradition of one of the three suspects. 

    Dawson Creek RCMP Detachment

    Cpl. Daniel Cloutier – with their police service dog, for their life-saving efforts in locating an offender.

    Golden RCMP Detachment

    Const. Brandon Churchill and Const. Katherin Robinson (now retired) – for their bravery, empathy and teamwork in responding to a suicidal female.

    Constables Robyn Diddams and Christopher Kotrba – for their bravery and de-escalation tactics when responding to a suicidal individual that shot at innocent people inside their home.

    Kamloops RCMP Detachment

    Const. Jean-Francois LaPierre – for their life-saving efforts while responding to a wounded individual.

    Sgt. Joseph Morrissey – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, in order to protect the public and other police officers.

    Midway RCMP Detachment

    Sgt. Phil Peters – for their courageous efforts in locating a wet, hypothermic individual who was trapped in a ravine by making a fire to keep them warm and alert until search-and-rescue personnel arrived.

    Mission RCMP Detachment

    Constables Rose Foik and Daylon Robinson – for going above and beyond when responding to a dirt bike accident in rural Mission.

    Penticton RCMP Detachment

    Const. Derek Ballarin – for their efforts in saving a drowning toddler in a lake, while off duty.

    Powell River RCMP Detachment

    Const. Anthony Stewart – for their dedication and hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentoring other detachment members and ranking No. 2 as a drug-recognition expert (DRE), conducting 50 DRE evaluations, which is 11 times the national average.

    RCMP “E” Division Underwater Recovery Team

    Const. Marc Leblanc – for their dedication and leadership during an underwater recovery mission, setting a new benchmark for future Underwater Recovery Team operations.

    RCMP Federal and Serious Organized Crime Division

    Sgt. Nicholas De Winter – for their dedication during a complex, multi-jurisdictional and multi-national file involving the murder of a United Nations gang member in Phuket, Thailand, that led to the arrest and successful extradition of one of the three suspects. 

    RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team

    Inspectors Adam Gander and Matthew Turner; Sgt. Robert Kee, Sgt. Major Heather Lew and Sgt. Mike Lim – for their unwavering dedication and commitment during the murder investigation of a 13-year-old girl that resulted in a conviction of first-degree murder.

    Reserve Const. Thomas Kurucz and Staff Sgt. Dave Derusha – for their integral efforts in solving an eight-year-old cold case.

    RCMP Pacific Region Federal Policing Program

    Corp. Janelle Canning-Lue – for their dedication during a complex, multi-jurisdictional and multi-national file involving the murder of a United Nations gang member in Phuket, Thailand, that led to the arrest and successful extradition of one of the three suspects. 

    Vancouver Police Department

    Det. Troy Timbury – for their dedication during a complex, multi-jurisdictional and multi-national file involving the murder of a United Nations gang member in Phuket, Thailand, that led to the arrest and successful extradition of one of the three suspects. 

    Vernon RCMP Detachment

    Const. Hayley Derzak and Cpl. Darcy Reeves – placed their own lives at risk when responding to a call involving a 17-year-old male threatening to commit suicide.

    Sicamous RCMP Detachment

    Sgt. Murray McNeil – for risking their own safety to rescue a woman who fell through the ice on a lake at night.

    Southeast District Emergency Response Team

    Const. Michael Dibblee – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, to protect the public and other police officers.

    Surrey RCMP Detachment

    Staff Sgt. Mike Spencer – for their significant contribution and leadership in preparation and execution of an operational plan for the Vaisakhi parade in Surrey.

    Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment

    Const. Henry Smith – for putting their safety at risk when jumping into freezing water to save a suicidal person.

    Cpl. Chris Gosselin (now retired) – for building strong relationships, trust and respect with 15 Indigenous communities within their detachment area. 

    Williams Lake BC Highway Patrol

    Const. Kevin Wiebe – for their heroic work when saving a trapped driver in a single motor vehicle incident where the car was on fire. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan Statement on Federal Judge Blocking Trump Voter Suppression Measures

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

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after Senior District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked parts of President Trump’s executive order to restrict voter registration, threatening millions of Americans’ fundamental right to vote:

    “Today’s decision affirms that Congress and the States, not the President, regulate federal elections and determines eligibility to vote therein. I applaud Judge Kollar-Kotelly for blocking President Trump’s effort to change voter registration requirements by Presidential fiat. Today’s order is a victory for separation of powers in a larger battle against President Trump’s efforts to ignore his responsibilities to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Ambia Energy Honored in the 2025 American Business Awards® for Industry-Leading Growth and Innovation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LINDON, Utah, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ambia Energy has been awarded two prestigious honors in the 23rd Annual American Business Awards®. CEO Conner Ruggio received a Gold Stevie® Award for Best Entrepreneur in Energy, while COO Spencer Jensen earned a Silver Stevie® Award for Achievement in Management in Energy.

    The American Business Awards are the USA’s premier business awards program. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. More than 250 professionals participated as judges in determining this year’s winners.

    Judges commended Ruggio for “an outstanding job leading Ambia through a period of incredible growth,” highlighting his strategic leadership that drove a 139% year-over-year increase, expansion into six new states, and company-wide profitability in 2024. His investment in a fully integrated installation model has strengthened Ambia’s ability to serve customers while staying true to its mission of building meaningful careers and stronger communities—earning praise for making it a priority to “give back to the communities in which you live,” as demonstrated by Ambia’s gift of a free solar system to a homeowner battling cancer.

    Appointed COO in 2023, Spencer Jensen was honored for leading a transformational overhaul of Ambia’s operations. Judges noted his “impressive operational transformation, with exceptional results in growth, efficiency, and resilience during a tough market cycle.” Under his leadership, project design timelines were reduced from 55 days to just one, permitting processes were strengthened, and over 2,000 in-house installations were completed in just over a year—contributing to Ambia’s revenue doubling in 2024. Together, Ruggio and Jensen have not only safeguarded Ambia’s growth during a volatile period but also redefined what’s possible in the solar industry. This recognition reflects the company’s commitment to delivering dependable, high-quality energy solutions that help homeowners take control of their energy future.

    See all 2025 American Business Awards winners at stevieawards.com/aba/2025-stevie-award-winners.

    About Ambia Energy
    Ambia Energy is a leading solar and home improvement company with a mission to help homeowners transform their properties into energy-efficient, sustainable spaces. With a focus on innovation and integrity, Ambia’s success is rooted in its dedication to improving the customer experience, ensuring high-quality installations, and fostering a culture of continuous growth and education among its employees.

    Explore Ambia’s award-winning energy solutions at ambiasolar.com.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: 

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6e001b35-5a5d-4e76-8c4e-7c8ca163efca

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22333e1c-5886-4f06-85e6-bef45d0aaf7d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Credit Acceptance Welcomes CFPB’s Withdrawal From Lawsuit

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Southfield, Michigan, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Credit Acceptance Corporation (Nasdaq: CACC) (referred to as the “Company”, “Credit Acceptance”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) announced today that on April 24, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) filed an unopposed motion to withdraw from the lawsuit that it initiated jointly on January 4, 2023, with the Office of the New York State Attorney General (NYAG) against Credit Acceptance in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. As of the filing of the CFPB’s motion, Credit Acceptance’s motion to dismiss the case in its entirety remains fully briefed and pending before the Court. Credit Acceptance expects that, if the CFPB’s motion is granted, the NYAG would be the sole remaining plaintiff, and the case would thus be limited to New York consumers only. 

    As outlined in Credit Acceptance’s motion to dismiss, this lawsuit seeks to create new law through litigation and asserts legal theories that conflict with established statutes. Credit Acceptance believes that actions like this harm hardworking Americans by targeting companies that offer financing to customers with non-prime or non-existent credit. The financing provided by Credit Acceptance and other finance companies through auto dealers is essential to millions of Americans who otherwise would be unable to purchase the cars they need to get to work or school, or obtain quality healthcare or groceries, and otherwise take care of their families. The CFPB’s withdrawal would be a significant step toward ensuring that this lawsuit against Credit Acceptance is not used to sidestep the legislative process and impose sweeping regulatory reform.

    “We are pleased with the CFPB’s decision to withdraw from this case, which we believe never should have been brought in the first place,” stated Erin Kerber, Credit Acceptance’s Chief Legal Officer. “We are proud to have provided over five million people with the opportunity to own a vehicle through our network of dealers. We look forward to millions more consumers having such an opportunity and remain committed to operating with integrity and in compliance with all applicable laws.” 

    About Credit Acceptance  
    We make vehicle ownership possible by providing innovative financing solutions that enable automobile dealers to sell vehicles to consumers regardless of their credit history. Our financing programs are offered through a nationwide network of automobile dealers who benefit from sales of vehicles to consumers who otherwise could not obtain financing; from repeat and referral sales generated by these same customers; and from sales to customers responding to advertisements for our financing programs, but who actually end up qualifying for traditional financing.  

    Without our financing programs, consumers are often unable to purchase vehicles, or they purchase unreliable ones. Further, as we report to the three national credit reporting agencies, an important ancillary benefit of our programs is that we provide consumers with an opportunity to improve their lives by improving their credit score and move on to more traditional sources of financing. Credit Acceptance is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol CACC. For more information, visit creditacceptance.com. 

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    We claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all of our forward-looking statements. Statements in this release that are not historical facts, such as those using terms like “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” or similar expressions, and those regarding our future results, plans, and objectives, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements represent our outlook only as of the date of this release. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements since the statements are based on our current expectations, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the factors set forth in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 12, 2025, and other risk factors discussed herein or listed from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC and the following:

    Industry, Operational, and Macroeconomic Risks

    • Our inability to accurately forecast and estimate the amount and timing of future collections could have a material adverse effect on results of operations.
    • Due to competition from traditional financing sources and non-traditional lenders, we may not be able to compete successfully.
    • Adverse changes in economic conditions, the automobile or finance industries, or the non-prime consumer market could adversely affect our financial position, liquidity, and results of operations, the ability of key vendors that we depend on to supply us with services, and our ability to enter into future financing transactions.
    • Reliance on third parties to administer our ancillary product offerings could adversely affect our business and financial results.
    • We are dependent on our senior management, and the loss of any of these individuals or an inability to hire additional team members could adversely affect our ability to operate profitably.
    • Our reputation is a key asset to our business, and our business may be affected by how we are perceived in the marketplace.
    • An outbreak of contagious disease or other public health emergency could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations.
    • The concentration in several states of automobile dealers who participate in our programs could adversely affect us.
    • Reliance on our outsourced business functions could adversely affect our business.
    • Our ability to hire and retain foreign engineering personnel could be hindered by immigration restrictions.
    • We may be unable to execute our business strategy due to current economic conditions.
    • Natural disasters, climate change, military conflicts, acts of war, terrorist attacks and threats, or the escalation of military activity in response to terrorist attacks or otherwise may negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
    • Governmental or market responses to climate change and related environmental issues could have a material adverse effect on our business.
    • A small number of our shareholders have the ability to significantly influence matters requiring shareholder approval and such shareholders have interests which may conflict with the interests of our other security holders.

    Capital and Liquidity Risks

    • We may be unable to continue to access or renew funding sources and obtain capital needed to maintain and grow our business.
    • The terms of our debt limit how we conduct our business.
    • A violation of the terms of our asset-backed secured financings or revolving secured warehouse facilities could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
    • Our substantial debt could negatively impact our business, prevent us from satisfying our debt obligations, and adversely affect our financial condition.
    • We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to service our outstanding debt and fund operations and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under such debt.
    • Interest rate fluctuations may adversely affect our borrowing costs, profitability, and liquidity.
    • Reduction in our credit rating could increase the cost of our funding from, and restrict our access to, the capital markets and adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.
    • We may incur substantially more debt and other liabilities. This could exacerbate further the risks associated with our current debt levels.
    • The conditions of the U.S. and international capital markets may adversely affect lenders with which we have relationships, causing us to incur additional costs and reducing our sources of liquidity, which may adversely affect our financial position, liquidity, and results of operations.

    Technology and Cybersecurity Risks

    • Our dependence on technology could have a material adverse effect on our business.
    • We depend on secure information technology, and a breach of our systems or those of our third-party service providers could result in our experiencing significant financial, legal, and reputational exposure and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
    • Our use of electronic contracts could impact our ability to perfect our ownership or security interest in Consumer Loans.
    • Failure to properly safeguard our proprietary business information or confidential consumer and team member personal information could subject us to liability, decrease our profitability, and damage our reputation.

    Legal and Regulatory Risks

    • Litigation we are involved in from time to time may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
    • Changes in tax laws and the resolution of uncertain income tax matters could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows from operations.
    • The regulations to which we are or may become subject could result in a material adverse effect on our business.

    Other factors not currently anticipated by management may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We do not undertake, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter our statements, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Democratic Senate Colleagues Demand President Trump Comply with Supreme Court Order to Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Uphold Immigrants’ Right to Due Process

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper

    Senators: “Our laws also do not allow you to send individuals from U.S. soil to El Salvador without due process”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and 25 of his Democratic Senate colleagues recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to immediately comply with the Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., and rescind his claim that he may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador.

    In their letter, the senators condemn the Trump administration’s efforts to deport hundreds of migrants to a prison in El Salvador without due process. 

    “Your unprecedented actions threaten the constitutional protections of all Americans and violate the fundamental principles on which this nation was founded,” the senators wrote. 

    “The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,” they continued.

    Last month, the Trump Administration deported over 261 immigrants to El Salvador in violation of a federal court order. One of the migrants, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported despite a court order specifically prohibiting his removal. The Trump administration has so far resisted a Supreme Court order directing the administration to return Abrego Garcia to the United States. 

    In their letter, the senators demand that the Trump administration: 

    1. Immediately facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia by no longer paying the government of El Salvador to detain him
    2. End unlawful attempts to deport noncitizens without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, as the Supreme Court ordered
    3. Withdraw dangerous and offensive claims that the President may transfer U.S. citizens to a foreign prison

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

    Dear President Trump:

    We call on you to immediately rescind the dangerous and offensive claim that you may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador. We further urge you to follow the law and adhere to all applicable court orders and immediately facilitate the return to the United States of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom your Administration illegally deported to El Salvador in direct contravention of a court order specifically prohibiting such removal. Your unprecedented actions threaten the constitutional protections of all Americans and violate the fundamental principles on which this nation was founded.

    With regard to your shocking assertion about transferring Americans to El Salvador, you cannot deport Americans to a foreign country for any reason. This nation’s founding fathers declared independence based on “repeated injuries and usurpations” by the then-King of Great Britain, including “transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences” and “depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” Accordingly, Congress has passed no provision into law that would permit exiling United States citizens to a foreign country for any reason. One conservative legal scholar called your threats to deport U.S. citizens “obviously illegal and unconstitutional.”

    Our laws also do not allow you to send individuals from U.S. soil to El Salvador without due process. Further, the Executive Branch must comply with longstanding domestic and international law that prohibits the United States from transferring any person from our jurisdiction or effective control to a place where the person would face certain serious human rights violations. Your Administration’s actions in sending individuals to a Salvadoran prison notorious for inhumane conditions underscore the urgency and applicability of these requirements. The bedrock principles of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause protect individuals from being “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Throughout our nation’s history, the Supreme Court has long read the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process to require that the government provide persons with certain procedural due process protections, including notice and an opportunity to be heard before any such deprivation of liberty.

    Even under extraordinary wartime authorities such as the Alien Enemies Act, the Supreme Court of the United States has held that noncitizens should, at a minimum, have an opportunity to prove whether or not the Act should apply to them. In a statement accompanying the Supreme Court’s recent order for the federal government to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia and “ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” Justice Sotomayor noted that your Administration’s argument suggesting that the government is permitted to leave Mr. Abrego Garcia in the Salvadoran prison after wrongfully sending him there “implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene.” She went on to note that this is a “view [that] refutes itself.”

    You must immediately facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia, which is unquestionably within your power to do since your Administration is paying the government of El Salvador to detain him. As Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a conservative appointee of President Reagan, wrote in a unanimous Fourth Circuit opinion rejecting your Administration’s efforts to delay taking steps to bring Mr. Abrego Garcia back to the United States:

    The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.

    You must also end your unlawful attempts to deport noncitizens without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, as the Supreme Court ordered this weekend. You have no authority to openly defy court orders requiring you: (1) to return someone who has been wrongfully deported, or (2) to grant individuals the due process they are owed under our laws.  As Judge Boasberg wrote in his order last week concluding that probable cause exists to find the government in criminal contempt:

    The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders—especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it. To permit such officials to freely “annul the judgments of the courts of the United States” would not just “destroy the rights acquired under those judgments”; it would make “a solemn mockery” of “the constitution itself.” …“So fatal a result must be deprecated by all.”

    You must immediately facilitate the return to the United States of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, follow all court orders, and withdraw your dangerous and offensive claims that you may transfer U.S. citizens to a foreign prison. The Constitution demands it.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: PD Enzo sniffs out suspect

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has been arrested after a pursuit through the northern suburbs earlier this morning.

    About 12.30am on Friday 25 April, Northern District patrols spotted a red MG bearing false plates on Montague Road at Pooraka and attempted to stop the car however it took off a speed.

    PolAir were overhead and tracked the car travelling at 130km/h in a 60km/h zone.  The car turned onto Berryman Drive and made it’s way onto North East Road and eventually back onto Montague Road.

    The sedan drove through the back streets of Valley View where it was successfully spiked on Brougham Drive.

    The car eventually came to a stop on Wright Road and the occupant ran from the vehicle and headed north over fences of residential properties.

    Patrols quickly set up cordons and PD Enzo was called in to assist with the search of the man, where he tracked him to a property on Malbanda Avenue at Para Vista and he was arrested without incident.

    Police searched the car and located a taser, a knife and ice pipes.

    Checks revealed the car had been stolen from a Glengowrie address in December last year.

    A 41-year-old man from Semaphore Park was charged with engaging in a police pursuit, driving unlicenced, possessing a prohibited weapon, carrying an offensive weapon, illegal use and altering plates.  He was granted police bail to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on 4 June.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy – African Energy Chamber (AEC) Champions Smart Policy, Strategic Partnerships to Advance Namibia’s Oil & Gas Discoveries

    SOURCE: African Energy Chamber

    The African Energy Chamber is a strategic partner of the Namibia International Energy Conference, which kicked off today in Windhoek

    WINDHOEK, Namibia, April 24, 2025/ — As a strategic partner of the Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC), the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) is calling for a deliberate and accelerated approach to moving Namibia’s recent oil and gas discoveries into production – emphasizing the importance of speed, investor confidence and strategic collaboration.

    Speaking during a high-level panel at NIEC 2025, AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk urged Namibia to seize the momentum of its frontier discoveries, while avoiding the pitfalls that have stalled progress in other hydrocarbon-rich African nations. He emphasized that Namibia’s path to becoming a regional energy hub hinges on its ability to learn from international case studies and execute deals that ensure long-term national benefit.

    “Namibia needs to move fast, produce quickly and negotiate the best deals with its partners to ensure the rapid development of its oil discoveries,” Ayuk stated. He pointed to Guyana as a prime example, noting how the South American country developed a robust strategy focused on national benefit and successfully attracted billions in investments to fast-track its energy projects.

    In contrast, Ayuk cautioned against the delays experienced by countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa, where production was significantly postponed, leading to rising project costs and lost opportunities. “There is a growing movement trying to discourage Africa – and Namibia – from producing its oil and gas. We must resist that,” he added.

    Reinforcing the need for investor-friendly terms, Justin Cochrane, Africa Upstream Regional Research Director at S&P Global Commodity Insights, highlighted the necessity of contract stability, transparent data-sharing and a balanced approach to fiscal negotiations. “It’s natural that Namibia wants to maximize its benefits, but pushing too hard on IOCs can result in getting 100% of nothing… The first milestone must be achieving first oil,” said Cochrane.

    Representing Namibia’s national oil company, Victoria Sibeya, Interim Managing Director of NAMCOR, stressed that the company is actively engaged in every phase of the industry, from data acquisition and exploration to shaping the downstream and midstream vision. “We are not just bystanders,” said Sibeya. “NAMCOR is deeply involved in data acquisition, exploration and the exchange of knowledge and technology with our partners. We are also preparing to invest in downstream and midstream sectors to ensure that we can add value once production begins.”

    Echoing the call for local development, Adriano Bastos, Head of Upstream at Galp, underscored the need for early and continuous skills development – proposing that Namibians be trained abroad in specialized areas like FPSO operations to ensure they are prepared to lead once production begins at home. “Namibia has capabilities that are rare in the region, but more collaboration with international partners is essential to build the local skills base,” he said.

    Bastos noted that Namibians make up 25% of Galp’s workforce in the country, including its first female offshore base manager. “We are proud of the strides we have made. Our nationalization plans are aggressive, and we work closely with [the Namibian Ports Authority] and other local entities to implement meaningful capacity-building projects.”

    As Namibia stands on the cusp of transforming exploration success into production, the message from industry leaders is clear: time, trust and talent will determine the country’s trajectory. Through cross-border collaboration, pragmatic deal-making and a strong national vision, Namibia can emerge not just as an oil producer – but as a continental model for inclusive, forward-thinking energy development.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ANZAC Day – Governor-General’s Anzac Day Dawn Service Address

    Source: Government House

    MEDIA RELEASE – EMBARGOED until 6.15am FRIDAY 25 April
    The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO
    Governor-General of New Zealand
    Anzac Day Dawn Service Address 2025
    Auckland War Memorial Museum
    Takiri ko te ata, haehaetia te pō
    E koro mā i te pō!
    Nga Toa a Tūmatauenga!
    Ngā Toa a Ranginui
    Ngā toa a Tangaroa
    Hoki wairua mai, ki runga i ō koutou marae
    Ki o koutou maunga karangaranga.
    E okioki mai nā i nga taumata, nga kahurangi
    Tirohia mai ra ki ō koutou uri
    E hāpai nei i ngā kupu ōhākī
    Tangihia, mihia nga aitua
    Huihuia mai ki tēnei marae
    Te hunga ora
    Tēnā koutou
    Tēnā koutou
    Tēnā tātou katoa
    I specifically acknowledge:
    The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister
    Brad Williams, Consul General for the Commonwealth of Australia
    Air Vice Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of Air Force
    His Worship Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland
    Frédéric Leturque, Mayor of Arras, France
    Sir Wayne Shelford, National President of the RNZRSA
    Sir Graham Lowe, Patron of the Auckland RSA
    Graham Gibson, President of the Auckland RSA
    Brad Hodgson, Auckland RSA
    Dr David Reeves, Chief Executive of the Auckland War Memorial Museum
    Mr Keutekarakia Mataroa, Dean of the Auckland Consular Corps
    A special welcome to people who have served – or are currently serving in our Defence Force.
    This Anzac Day marks 110 years since the Gallipoli landings by soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – the ANZACS. It signalled the beginning of a campaign that was to take the lives of so many of our young men – and would devastate the communities they left behind at home. One year later, in 1916, grieving New Zealanders gathered to express their sorrow at the first Anzac Day commemoration.
    Today, in our towns, cities and hamlets across the length and breadth of Aotearoa – your comrades have gathered in the chill light of dawn, alongside their families and communities, to commemorate Anzac Day.
    This morning, your thoughts may be turning to your experience of military service – and to those who are missing from among your ranks.
    It’s an honour to join you and the people of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, at our nation’s preeminent site of remembrance – to show our aroha and respect for the many hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in our history who have answered the call to arms – and to express our deep sorrow for those who never returned from the field of battle, or who subsequently died of their wounds.
    This year we mark another significant anniversary in our nation’s military history. Eighty years ago, after nearly six long years, the Second World War finally came to an end. An astonishing 140,000 New Zealanders had served in the European, North African and the Pacific theatres of war, and almost 12,000 lost their lives as a result of their war service. Around one third of those casualties were from Auckland.
    Once again, our families and communities experienced the terrible pain of sacrifice and loss, and the impacts of that trauma lingered for generations.
    Eighty years ago, New Zealanders also played a role in establishing the United Nations, which many people fervently hoped would ensure that the horrors of the First and Second World Wars could never be repeated.
    In the years since, conflict on that scale has indeed been avoided, but securing peaceful resolution to geopolitical tensions has remained elusive.
    New Zealand has regularly been called upon to support our allies – from the Korean War in the 1950s – through to the conflict in Afghanistan in the 2000s. Our service personnel have also served in many peace-keeping operations around the globe, and frequently assist people in need in the aftermath of natural disasters – both here in Aotearoa, and in the Pacific.
    To those of you who are currently serving in our Defence Force, I sincerely thank you, on behalf of your fellow citizens. We recognise that your lives, and the lives of your families are affected by the demands of military service – and we salute your courage and readiness to serve in support of collective security efforts with our allies.
    This Anzac Day – when we reflect on the sobering realities of war, and the current state of the world, we see the ideals embodied in the United Nations being routinely ignored, and coercive power being used to threaten human rights and the territorial sovereignty of others.
    In these volatile and uncertain times – New Zealand continues to subscribe to the ideal of peaceful resolution of geopolitical tensions – while also acknowledging the role our nation’s defence personnel have played – and will continue to play in defending freedom, justice and the rule of law.
    In this way, they contribute to efforts to maintain and extend the blessings of peace, security and stability in the world.
    On this Anzac Day, and the Anzac Days to come, we remain committed to honour their service.
    Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ex-Orange County Resident Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Kickbacks from Sober Living Homes, Firearms Trafficking

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    LOS ANGELES – A former resident of Orange County was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for soliciting and receiving nearly $500,000 in illegal kickbacks from corrupt sober living homes in exchange for finding them new patients in a process known as “body brokering” and for firearms trafficking.

    Darius Moore, 31, formerly of Santa Ana but most recently of North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton.

    Moore pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of conspiracy to pay or receive illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities and one count of soliciting or receiving illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities.

    From no later than February 2020 to December 2020, Moore conspired with addiction treatment facility owners to broker patients to the facilities for drug addiction treatment services. Moore knew the facilities would bill the referred patients’ private health insurance plans for the treatment services and then pay Moore a share of the resulting insurance proceeds as kickback payments.

    Over the course of his time working as a body broker, Moore was paid nearly $500,000 in kickbacks from the facilities.

    While free on bond in the “body brokering” criminal case, Moore violated his pretrial release conditions on several occasions, including in May 2023 when he sold two firearms and a drum magazine to buyers. In September 2023, a federal grand jury in the Western District of North Carolina charged him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. After the North Carolina federal case was transferred to this district, Moore pleaded guilty in Los Angeles on February 14 to that count.

    Moore has been in federal custody since August 2023.

    The FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this matter with assistance from the California Department of Insurance.

    Assistant United States Attorney Nandor F.R. Kiss of the Orange County Office and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sergey Kiriyenko and Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the NTO organizing committee and greeted the participants of the Fakel award

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The National Center “Russia” celebrated the tenth anniversary of the National Technology Olympiad (NTO). On this day, the fifth meeting of the Olympiad organizing committee and the Fakel Prize award ceremony took place – an award for NTO graduates who have achieved significant results in science, engineering, business and mentoring.

    The meeting of the organizing committee was opened by the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration, co-chairman of the organizing committee of the National Technology Olympiad, Sergei Kiriyenko.

    “Since 2015, NTO has brought together almost 900,000 schoolchildren and students from all over Russia, as well as 77 other countries. The Olympiad, originally conceived as an all-Russian engineering competition, has gradually reached the international level. However, NTO is not only about scale. The main thing here is people. Young, bright, talented guys who are already creating the future today. Some of the winners’ projects can be compared to serious scientific works worthy of the level of candidate dissertations. We are confident that with the launch of the 11th season, the number of participants will exceed a million. But what is more important is not quantity, but quality – young people who really change reality with their ideas and developments,” he said.

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko added that next year it is necessary to increase the number of participating countries, and also thanked the NTO partners.

    “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our leading technology partners – companies such as Sber, Yandex, Roscosmos, 1C and others. Thanks to their support, the Olympiad is held at a truly high level. I am sure that this list will expand. And NTO will become an even more powerful tool for developing talents and strengthening international scientific and technological cooperation,” Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized.

    During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister supported the inclusion of new areas in the NTO for grades 5–7 and the launch of the International Space Games. He also instructed to work out the possibility of adding individual educational events of the NTO to the calendar of the “Movement of the First”.

    Nikita Anisimov, Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Deputy Co-Chairs of the Organizing Committee of the NTO, spoke about the development of the Olympiad movement and the results of the decade of the NTO. He noted that the NTO preserves and continues the traditions of the Moscow Mathematical Olympiad: it is a movement that brings together like-minded people and comrades. Nikita Anisimov also emphasized that the NTO has grown over the past years. For example, the first final of the Olympiad brought together about 1.2 thousand participants, and this year there were already about 220 thousand.

    Hero of Russia, participant of the presidential program “Time of Heroes”, Chairman of the Board of the “Movement of the First” Artur Orlov noted that the “Movement of the First” project “First in Science”, implemented within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, will become an important platform for interaction on the development of scientific and technical cooperation.

    After the organizing committee, the Fakel Prize was presented. At the ceremony, Sergei Kiriyenko emphasized the importance of holding it at the National Center “Russia”, created on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “I am sure that not much time will pass and the results of your projects, your discoveries and your dreams that came true will be presented here as a source of pride,” said Sergei Kiriyenko.

    The shortlist of the award included 21 applications. The selection of candidates for the final list of applicants took place in several stages: first, the applications were selected for compliance with all criteria, then a public vote took place. Based on its results, a shortlist was formed, which was then evaluated by an expert jury.

    “It is very symbolic that the first celebration of the winners of the Fakel Prize is taking place in the year of the tenth anniversary of the National Technology Olympiad. As Sergey Vladilenovich decided, and we included this in the protocol, this will now be an annual event. In addition to encouraging the winners, it is important to remember those who prepared them. These are mentors, teachers, parents, and our technology partners who helped create conditions for the implementation of opportunities and talents, as instructed by our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. So that together we can ensure not just technological sovereignty, but also technological leadership of our country. Thank you very much, congratulations to the winners. Create, dare, try, everything will work out!” Dmitry Chernyshenko addressed the guests of the award.

    In the Startup Leader category, the award was received by Daniil Zaitsev and Anastasia Popova, the authors of the SkyControl system for controlling UAVs using hand tilt and gestures. It involves children and teenagers in the world of robotics and technical sciences.

    The winners in the Social Progressor category were the creators of the Green School project – Polina Sapozhnikova, Anna Budekova and Matvey Karachev. They create green corners with information stands and thematic cubes in schools. This helps to form ecological thinking and eco-habits in the younger generation.

    The title “Professional of the Future” was awarded to German Golod, who, as a student, works as a 1C developer at T-Bank. According to him, participation in the NTO helped him acquire the necessary skills. Dmitry Shpanov, who developed a computer model for selecting the mode of electron-beam processing of alloys or ceramics, was recognized as “Innovation Engineer”.

    The winner in the “Technology Champion” category was Eduard Sukharev, a multiple winner of Russian and international competitions in the operation of unmanned aircraft systems.

    The title of “Best Mentor” was awarded to Arseniy Yarmolinsky, a computer science teacher and teacher of additional education, who trained dozens of finalists and winners of NTO and other engineering competitions.

    The winner in the “Engine of Science” nomination was Maria Tishkova, a junior research fellow at the Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Let us recall that the Olympiad is being held under the coordination of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation together with the presidential platform “Russia – Country of Opportunities” within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children” with the support of the “Movement of the First”, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the ANO “NTI Platform”. The NTO project office is deployed at the HSE with the methodological support of the Association of Participants of Technology Circles (NTI Circle Movement).

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: First Savings Financial Group, Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Second Fiscal Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSFG – news) (the “Company”), the holding company for First Savings Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $5.5 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to net income of $4.9 million, or $0.72 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the Company reported net income of $5.3 million (non-GAAP measure)(1) and net income per diluted share of $0.76 (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 compared to $3.6 million, or $0.52 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

    Commenting on the Company’s performance, Larry W. Myers, President and CEO, stated “We are pleased with the second fiscal quarter performance, including the continued improvement in the net interest margin, which has increased eighteen and twenty-one basis points for the three and six months ended, respectively. The SBA Lending segment posted its first profitable quarter since March 2024 and posted a solid level of loans originations and sales. Asset quality improved with nonperforming loans decreasing $3.8 million from the prior quarter and the ratio of nonperforming loans to total gross loans improving to 0.67%, a decrease of twenty basis points from the prior quarter. We are optimistic regarding the remainder of fiscal 2025 as we anticipate further expansion of the net interest margin, continued profitability from the SBA Lending segment, additional sales of home equity lines of credit (“HELOCS”), and stable and strong asset quality. We will continue our focus on customer deposit growth, select loan growth opportunities, preservation of asset quality, and prudent capital and liquidity management. We will also continue to evaluate options and strategies that we believe will maximize shareholder value.”

    (1) Non-GAAP net income and net income per diluted share exclude certain nonrecurring items. A reconciliation to GAAP and discussion of the use of non-GAAP measures is included in the table at the end of this release.

    Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024

    Net interest income increased $1.7 million, or 11.6%, to $16.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The tax equivalent net interest margin for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was 2.93% as compared to 2.66% for the same period in 2024. The increase in net interest income was due to an increase of $807,000 in interest income and a decrease of $846,000 in interest expense. A table of average balance sheets, including average asset yields and average liability costs, is included at the end of this release.

    The Company recognized a reversal of provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $357,000 and $1,000, respectively, and a provision for unfunded lending commitments of $123,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to a provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $713,000 and $23,000, respectively, and reversal of provision for unfunded lending commitments of $259,000 for the same period in 2024. The reversal of provisions during the 2025 period was due primarily to a decrease in qualitative reserves and $156,000 in net recoveries recognized during the period. The $156,000 in net recoveries during the three months ended March 31, 2025 included $215,000 in net recoveries related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company recognized net charge-offs of $110,000, of which $15,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans. Nonperforming loans, which consist of nonaccrual loans and loans over 90 days past due and still accruing interest, decreased $4.2 million from $16.9 million at September 30, 2024 to $12.7 million at March 31, 2025, due primary to a $4.9 million decrease in loan balances guaranteed by the SBA.

    Noninterest income decreased $150,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The decrease was due primarily to a $539,000 decrease in other income, partially offset by a $154,000 increase in service charges on deposit accounts and a $127,000 increase in net gain on sales of SBA loans. The decrease in other income in 2025 was primarily due to $492,000 gain on the sale of mortgage servicing rights during the 2024 period with no corresponding amount for 2025.

    Noninterest expense increased $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to increases in compensation and benefits and other operating expenses of $940,000 and $948,000, respectively. The increase in compensation and benefits was primarily due to an increase in bonus and incentive accruals in 2025. The increase in other operating expenses was primarily due a $656,000 reversal of accrued loss contingencies for SBA-guaranteed loans in the 2024 period compared to a reversal of $41,000 for the same period in 2025 and an adjustment to the valuation allowance related to the sale of residential mortgage servicing rights of $247,000 in 2024 with no corresponding amount in 2025.

    The Company recognized income tax expense of $589,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $866,000 for the same period in 2024. The decrease is due primarily to greater utilization of investment tax credits in the 2025 period. The effective tax rate for 2025 was 9.7% compared to 14.9% for 2024. The effective tax rate is well below the statutory tax rate primarily due to the recognition of investment tax credits related to solar projects in both the 2025 and 2024 periods.

    Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024

    The Company reported net income of $11.7 million, or $1.68 per diluted share, for the six months ended March 31, 2025 compared to net income of $5.8 million, or $0.85 per diluted share, for the six months ended March 31, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the Company reported net income of $9.4 million (non-GAAP measure)(1) and net income per diluted share of $1.35 (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the six months ended March 31, 2025 compared to net income of $4.5 million and net income per diluted share of $0.66 for the six months ended March 31, 2024. The core banking segment reported net income of $11.4 million, or $1.64 per diluted share for the six months ended March 31, 2025 compared to net income of $8.6 million and net income per diluted share of $1.25 for the six months ended March 31, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the core banking segment reported net income of $9.1 million (non-GAAP measure)(1), or $1.31 per diluted share (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the six months ended March 31, 2025 compared to net income of $7.7 million and net income per diluted share of $1.12 for the six months ended March 31, 2024.

    Net interest income increased $3.0 million, or 10.6%, to $31.5 million for the six months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The tax equivalent net interest margin for the six months ended March 31, 2025 was 2.84% as compared to 2.68% for the same period in 2024. The increase in net interest income was due to a $4.6 million increase in interest income, partially offset by a $1.6 million increase in interest expense. A table of average balance sheets, including average asset yields and average liability costs, is included at the end of this release.

    The Company recognized a reversal of provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $848,000 and $7,000, respectively, and a provision for unfunded lending commitments of $169,000 for the six months ended March 31, 2025, compared to a provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $1.2 million and $23,000, respectively, and reversal of provision for unfunded lending commitments of $317,000 for the same period in 2024. The reversal of provisions during the 2025 period was due primarily to the bulk sale of approximately $87.2 million of HELOCS during the period and a decrease in qualitative reserves. The Company recognized net recoveries totaling $38,000 for the six months ended March 31, 2025, of which $164,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans, compared to net charge-offs of $119,000 in 2024, of which $64,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans.

    Noninterest income increased $3.2 million for the six months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to a $2.5 million net gain on sale of HELOCs in 2025, net gains of $403,000 on the sale of equity securities in 2025 with no corresponding gains for 2024, a $248,000 increase in service charges on deposit accounts, and a $263,000 increase in ATM and interchange fees, slightly offset by a $508,000 decrease in other income due to a $495,000 gain recognized on the sale of mortgage servicing rights during 2024 with no corresponding amount for 2025.

    Noninterest expense increased $824,000 for the six months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to increases in other operating expenses and compensation and benefits of $962,000 and $453,000, respectively, partially offset by decreases in professional fees and occupancy and equipment of $454,000 and $380,000, respectively. The increase in other operating expenses was due primarily to a $721,000 reversal of accrued loss contingencies for SBA-guaranteed loans in 2024 compared to a reversal of $148,000 in 2025 and a $400,000 accrued contingent liability associated with employee benefits recognized in 2025 with no corresponding amount in 2024, partially offset by a decrease of $180,000 in 2025 to reverse previously accrued litigation expenses. The increase in compensation and benefits is primarily due to an increase in bonus and incentive accruals in 2025 compared to 2024. The decrease in professional fees and occupancy and equipment is primarily due to the cessation of national mortgage banking operations in the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

    The Company recognized income tax expense of $1.4 million for the six months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $390,000 for the same period in 2024. The increase is due primarily to higher taxable income in the 2025 period, including the aforementioned net gain on sale of loans. The effective tax rate for 2025 was 10.9% compared to 6.3%. The effective tax rate is well below the statutory tax rate primarily due to the recognition of investment tax credits related to solar projects in both the 2025 and 2024 periods.

    Comparison of Financial Condition at March 31, 2025 and September 30, 2024

    Total assets decreased $74.1 million, from $2.45 billion at September 30, 2024 to $2.38 billion at March 31, 2025. Net loans held for investment decreased $83.7 million during the six months ended March 31, 2025 due primarily to the $87.2 million bulk sale of home equity lines of credit.

    Total liabilities decreased $76.2 million due primarily to a decrease in total deposits of $91.7 million, partially offset by an increase in FHLB borrowings of $23.7 million. The decrease in total deposits was due to a decrease in brokered deposits of $112.4 million, due primarily to proceeds from the aforementioned bulk sale of home equity lines of credit and an increase in customer deposits of $20.7 million. As of March 31, 2025, deposits exceeding the FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 per insured account were 31.8% of total deposits and 15.1% of total deposits when excluding public funds insured by the Indiana Public Deposit Insurance Fund.

    Total stockholders’ equity increased $2.1 million, from $177.1 million at September 30, 2024 to $179.2 million at March 31, 2025, due primarily to a $9.6 million increase in retained net income, partially offset by a $8.2 million increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss. The increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss was due primarily to increasing long-term market interest rates during the six months ended March 31, 2025, which resulted in a decrease in the fair value of securities available for sale. At March 31, 2025 and September 30, 2024, the Bank was considered “well-capitalized” under applicable regulatory capital guidelines.

    First Savings Bank is an entrepreneurial community bank headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which is directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, and operates fifteen depository branches within Southern Indiana. The Bank also has two national lending programs, including single-tenant net lease commercial real estate and SBA lending, with offices located predominately in the Midwest. The Bank is a recognized leader, both in its local communities and nationally for its lending programs. The employees of First Savings Bank strive daily to achieve the organization’s vision, We Expect To Be The BEST community BANK, which fuels our success. The Company’s common shares trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol “FSFG.”

    This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are not historical facts; rather, they are statements based on the Company’s current expectations regarding its business strategies and their intended results and its future performance. Forward-looking statements are preceded by terms such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends” and similar expressions.

    Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause or contribute to the Company’s actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause or contribute to these differences include, without limitation, changes in general economic conditions; changes in market interest rates; changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; legislative and regulatory changes; and other factors disclosed in the Company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Because of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them, whether included in this release or made elsewhere from time to time by the Company or on its behalf. Except as may be required by applicable law or regulation, the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

    Contact:
    Tony A. Schoen, CPA
    Chief Financial Officer
    812-283-0724

     
    FIRST SAVINGS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
    (Unaudited)
                         
                         
        Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended    
    OPERATING DATA:   March 31,   March 31,    
    (In thousands, except share and per share data)     2025       2024       2025       2024      
                         
    Total interest income   $ 30,823     $ 30,016     $ 63,272     $ 58,671      
    Total interest expense     14,832       15,678       31,819       30,220      
                         
    Net interest income     15,991       14,338       31,453       28,451      
                         
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans     (357 )     713       (848 )     1,183      
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments     123       (259 )     169       (317 )    
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities     (1 )     23       (7 )     23      
                         
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses     (235 )     477       (686 )     889      
                         
    Net interest income after provision (credit) for credit losses     16,226       13,861       32,139       27,562      
                         
    Total noninterest income     3,560       3,710       9,663       6,492      
    Total noninterest expense     13,698       11,778       28,641       27,817      
                         
    Income before income taxes     6,088       5,793       13,161       6,237      
    Income tax expense     589       866       1,437       390      
                         
    Net income   $ 5,499     $ 4,927     $ 11,724     $ 5,847      
                         
    Net income per share, basic   $ 0.80     $ 0.72     $ 1.71     $ 0.86      
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic     6,875,826       6,832,130       6,861,061       6,828,017      
                         
    Net income per share, diluted   $ 0.79     $ 0.72     $ 1.68     $ 0.85      
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted     6,960,020       6,859,611       6,961,829       6,849,928      
                         
                         
    Performance ratios (annualized)                    
    Return on average assets     0.93 %     0.84 %     0.98 %     0.50 %    
    Return on average equity     12.24 %     11.96 %     13.15 %     7.38 %    
    Return on average common stockholders’ equity     12.34 %     11.96 %     13.15 %     7.38 %    
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis)     2.93 %     2.66 %     2.84 %     2.68 %    
    Efficiency ratio     70.06 %     65.26 %     69.66 %     79.61 %    
                         
                         
                QTD       FYTD
    FINANCIAL CONDITION DATA:   March 31,   December 31,   Increase   September 30,   Increase
    (In thousands, except per share data)     2025       2024     (Decrease)     2024     (Decrease)
                         
    Total assets   $ 2,376,230     $ 2,388,735     $ (12,505 )   $ 2,450,368     $ (74,138 )
    Cash and cash equivalents     28,683       76,224       (47,541 )     52,142       (23,459 )
    Investment securities     244,084       242,634       1,450       249,719       (5,635 )
    Loans held for sale     61,239       24,441       36,798       25,716       35,523  
    Gross loans     1,900,660       1,905,199       (4,539 )     1,985,146       (84,486 )
    Allowance for credit losses     20,484       20,685       (201 )     21,294       (810 )
    Interest earning assets     2,219,504       2,234,258       (14,754 )     2,277,512       (58,008 )
    Goodwill     9,848       9,848       –       9,848       –  
    Core deposit intangibles     316       357       (41 )     398       (82 )
    Loan servicing rights     2,744       2,661       83       2,754       (10 )
    Noninterest-bearing deposits     185,252       183,239       2,013       191,528       (6,276 )
    Interest-bearing deposits (customer)     1,207,159       1,212,527       (5,368 )     1,180,196       26,963  
    Interest-bearing deposits (brokered)     396,770       437,008       (40,238 )     509,157       (112,387 )
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings     325,310       295,000       30,310       301,640       23,670  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings     48,682       48,642       40       48,603       79  
    Total liabilities     2,197,041       2,212,708       (15,667 )     2,273,253       (76,212 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (19,385 )     (17,789 )     (1,596 )     (11,195 )     (8,190 )
    Total stockholders’ equity     179,189       176,027       3,162       177,115       2,074  
                         
    Book value per share   $ 25.90     $ 25.48       0.42     $ 25.72       0.18  
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) (1)     24.43       24.00       0.43       24.23       0.20  
                         
    Non-performing assets:                    
    Nonaccrual loans – SBA guaranteed   $ 123     $ 4,444     $ (4,321 )   $ 5,036     $ (4,913 )
    Nonaccrual loans     12,597       12,124       473       11,906       691  
    Total nonaccrual loans   $ 12,720     $ 16,568     $ (3,848 )   $ 16,942     $ (4,222 )
    Accruing loans past due 90 days     –       –       –       –       –  
    Total non-performing loans     12,720       16,568       (3,848 )     16,942       (4,222 )
    Foreclosed real estate     444       444       –       444       –  
    Total non-performing assets   $ 13,164     $ 17,012     $ (3,848 )   $ 17,386     $ (4,222 )
                         
    Asset quality ratios:                    
    Allowance for credit losses as a percent of total gross loans     1.08 %     1.09 %     (0.01 %)     1.07 %     0.01 %
    Allowance for credit losses as a percent of nonperforming loans     161.04 %     124.85 %     36.19 %     125.69 %     35.35 %
    Nonperforming loans as a percent of total gross loans     0.67 %     0.87 %     (0.20 %)     0.85 %     (0.18 %)
    Nonperforming assets as a percent of total assets     0.55 %     0.71 %     (0.16 %)     0.71 %     (0.16 %)
                         
    (1) See reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures for additional information relating to calculation of this item.
                         
                         
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED):
    The following non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company provide information useful to investors in understanding the Company’s performance. The Company believes the financial measures presented below are important because of their widespread use by investors as a means to evaluate capital adequacy and earnings. The following table summarizes the non-GAAP financial measures derived from amounts reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and reconciles those non-GAAP financial measures with the comparable GAAP financial measures.
                     
        Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended    
    Net Income   March 31,   March 31,    
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024      
                         
    Net income attributable to the Company (non-GAAP)   $ 5,313     $ 3,561     $ 9,367     $ 4,481      
    Plus: Gain on sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect     –       –       1,869       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect     –       –       302       –      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans, net of tax effect     –       492       –       492      
    Plus: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale, net of tax effect     –       583       –       583      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect     186       90       186       90      
    Plus: Adjustment to previous data processing contract termination accrual, net of tax effect     –       117       –       117      
    Plus: Distribution from equity investment, net of tax effect     –       85       –       85      
    Net income attributable to the Company (GAAP)   $ 5,499     $ 4,927     $ 11,724     $ 5,847      
                         
    Net Income per Share, Diluted                    
                         
    Net income per share attributable to the Company, diluted (non-GAAP)   $ 0.76     $ 0.52     $ 1.35     $ 0.65      
    Plus: Gain on sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect     –       –       0.27       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect     –       –       0.03       –      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans, net of tax effect     –       0.07       –       0.07      
    Plus: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale, net of tax effect     –       0.08       –       0.08      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect     0.03       0.01       0.03       0.01      
    Plus: Adjustment to previous data processing contract termination accrual, net of tax effect     –       0.02       –       0.02      
    Plus: Distribution from equity investment, net of tax effect     –       0.02       –       0.02      
    Net income per share, diluted (GAAP)   $ 0.79     $ 0.72     $ 1.68     $ 0.85      
                         
    Core Bank Segment Net Income                    
    (In thousands)                    
                         
    Net income attributable to the Core Bank (non-GAAP)   $ 4,883     $ 3,637     $ 9,081     $ 7,685      
    Plus: Gain on sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect     –       –       1,869       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect     –       –       302       –      
    Plus: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale, net of tax effect     –       583       –       583      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect     186       90       186       90      
    Plus: Adjustment to previous data processing contract termination accrual, net of tax effect     –       117       –       117      
    Plus: Distribution from equity investment, net of tax effect     –       85       –       85      
    Net income attributable to the Core Bank (GAAP)   $ 5,069     $ 4,511     $ 11,438     $ 8,559      
                         
    Core Bank Segment Net Income per Share, Diluted                    
                         
    Core Bank net income per share, diluted (non-GAAP)   $ 0.70     $ 0.53     $ 1.31     $ 1.12      
    Plus: Gain on sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect     –       –       0.27       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect     –       –       0.03       –      
    Plus: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale, net of tax effect     –       0.08       –       0.08      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect     –       0.01       0.03       0.01      
    Plus: Adjustment to previous data processing contract termination accrual, net of tax effect     0.03       0.02       –       0.02      
    Plus: Distribution from equity investment, net of tax effect     –       0.02       –       0.02      
    Core Bank net income per share, diluted (GAAP)   $ 0.73     $ 0.66     $ 1.64     $ 1.25      
                         
                         
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended   Fiscal Year Ended    
    Efficiency Ratio   March 31,   March 31,    
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024      
                         
    Net interest income (GAAP)   $ 15,991     $ 14,338     $ 31,453     $ 28,451      
                         
    Noninterest income (GAAP)     3,560       3,710       9,663       6,492      
                         
    Noninterest expense (GAAP)     13,698       11,778       28,641       27,817      
                         
    Efficiency ratio (GAAP)     70.06 %     65.26 %     69.66 %     79.61 %    
                         
    Noninterest income (GAAP)   $ 3,560     $ 3,710     $ 9,663     $ 6,492      
    Less: Gain on sale of loans, home equity lines of credit     –       –       (2,492 )     –      
    Less: Gain on sale of equity securities     –       –       (403 )     –      
    Less: Gain on sale of premises and equipment     (248 )     (120 )     (248 )     (120 )    
    Less: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale     –       (530 )     –       (530 )    
    Less: Distribution from equity investment     –       (113 )     –       (113 )    
    Noninterest income (Non-GAAP)     3,312       2,947       6,520       5,729      
                         
    Noninterest expense (GAAP)   $ 13,698     $ 11,778     $ 28,641     $ 27,817      
    Plus: Adjustment to MSR valuation allowance related to sale     –       247       –       247      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans     –       656       –       656      
    Plus: Adjustment to previous data processing contract termination accrual     –       156       –       156      
    Noninterest expense (Non-GAAP)   $ 13,698     $ 12,837     $ 28,641     $ 28,876      
                         
    Efficiency ratio (excluding nonrecurring items) (non-GAAP)     70.96 %     74.27 %     75.42 %     84.48 %    
                         
                         
                QTD       FYTD
    Tangible Book Value Per Share   March 31,   December 31,   Increase   September 30,   Increase
    (In thousands, except share and per share data)     2025       2024     (Decrease)     2024     (Decrease)
                         
    Stockholders’ equity (GAAP)   $ 179,189     $ 176,027     $ 3,162     $ 177,115     $ 2,074  
    Less: goodwill and core deposit intangibles     (10,164 )     (10,205 )     41       (10,246 )     82  
    Tangible stockholders’ equity (non-GAAP)   $ 169,025     $ 165,822     $ 3,203     $ 166,869     $ 2,156  
                         
    Outstanding common shares     6,919,136       6,909,173     $ 9,963       6,887,106     $ 32,030  
                         
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP)   $ 24.43     $ 24.00     $ 0.43     $ 24.23     $ 0.20  
                         
    Book value per share (GAAP)   $ 25.90     $ 25.48     $ 0.42     $ 25.72     $ 0.18  
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED):   As of
    Summarized Consolidated Balance Sheets   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands, except per share data)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Total cash and cash equivalents   $ 28,683     $ 76,224     $ 52,142     $ 42,423     $ 62,969  
    Total investment securities     244,084       242,634       249,719       238,785       240,142  
    Total loans held for sale     61,239       24,441       25,716       125,859       19,108  
    Total loans, net of allowance for credit losses     1,880,176       1,884,514       1,963,852       1,826,980       1,882,458  
    Loan servicing rights     2,744       2,661       2,754       2,860       3,028  
    Total assets     2,376,230       2,388,735       2,450,368       2,393,491       2,364,983  
                         
    Customer deposits   $ 1,392,411     $ 1,395,766     $ 1,371,724     $ 1,312,997     $ 1,239,271  
    Brokered deposits     396,770       437,008       509,157       399,151       548,175  
    Total deposits     1,789,181       1,832,774       1,880,881       1,712,148       1,787,446  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings     325,310       295,000       301,640       425,000       315,000  
                         
    Common stock and additional paid-in capital   $ 28,650     $ 28,382     $ 27,725     $ 27,592     $ 27,475  
    Retained earnings – substantially restricted     182,918       178,526       173,337       170,688       167,648  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (19,385 )     (17,789 )     (11,195 )     (17,415 )     (17,144 )
    Unearned stock compensation     (862 )     (973 )     (901 )     (999 )     (1,096 )
    Less treasury stock, at cost     (12,132 )     (12,119 )     (11,851 )     (11,866 )     (11,827 )
    Total stockholders’ equity     179,189       176,027       177,115       168,000       165,056  
                         
    Outstanding common shares     6,919,136       6,909,173       6,887,106       6,883,656       6,883,160  
                         
                         
        Three Months Ended
    Summarized Consolidated Statements of Income   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands, except per share data)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Total interest income   $ 30,823     $ 32,449     $ 32,223     $ 31,094     $ 30,016  
    Total interest expense     14,832       16,987       17,146       16,560       15,678  
    Net interest income     15,991       15,462       15,077       14,534       14,338  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans     (357 )     (491 )     1,808       501       713  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments     123       46       (262 )     158       (259 )
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities     (1 )     (6 )     (86 )     84       23  
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses     (235 )     (451 )     1,460       743       477  
                         
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses     16,226       15,913       13,617       13,791       13,861  
                         
    Total noninterest income     3,560       6,103       2,842       3,196       3,710  
    Total noninterest expense     13,698       14,943       12,642       12,431       11,778  
    Income before income taxes     6,088       7,073       3,817       4,556       5,793  
    Income tax expense (benefit)     589       848       145       483       866  
    Net income     5,499       6,225       3,672       4,073       4,927  
                         
                         
    Net income per share, basic   $ 0.80     $ 0.91     $ 0.54     $ 0.60     $ 0.72  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic     6,875,826       6,851,153       6,832,626       6,832,452       6,832,130  
                         
    Net income per share, diluted   $ 0.79     $ 0.89     $ 0.53     $ 0.60     $ 0.72  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted     6,960,020       6,969,223       6,894,532       6,842,336       6,859,611  
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended
    Noninterest Income Detail   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Service charges on deposit accounts   $ 541     $ 567     $ 552     $ 538     $ 387  
    ATM and interchange fees     632       665       642       593       585  
    Net unrealized gain on equity securities     47       78       28       419       6  
    Net gain on equity securities     –       403       –       –       –  
    Net gain on sales of loans, Small Business Administration     1,078       711       647       581       951  
    Net gain on sales of loans, home equity lines of credit     –       2,492       –       –       –  
    Mortgage banking income     104       78       6       49       53  
    Increase in cash surrender value of life insurance     380       361       363       353       333  
    Gain on life insurance     –       108       –       –       –  
    Commission income     255       210       294       220       220  
    Real estate lease income     122       121       122       154       115  
    Net gain (loss) on premises and equipment     –       45       (4 )     –       120  
    Other income     401       264       192       289       940  
    Total noninterest income   $ 3,560     $ 6,103     $ 2,842     $ 3,196     $ 3,710  
                         
                         
        Three Months Ended
        March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    Consolidated Performance Ratios (Annualized)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Return on average assets     0.93 %     1.02 %     0.61 %     0.69 %     0.92 %
    Return on average equity     12.24 %     14.07 %     8.52 %     9.86 %     13.06 %
    Return on average common stockholders’ equity     12.34 %     14.07 %     8.52 %     9.86 %     13.06 %
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis)     2.93 %     2.75 %     2.72 %     2.67 %     2.66 %
    Efficiency ratio     70.06 %     69.29 %     70.55 %     70.11 %     65.26 %
                         
                         
        As of or for the Three Months Ended
        March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    Consolidated Asset Quality Ratios     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Nonperforming loans as a percentage of total loans     0.67 %     0.87 %     0.85 %     0.91 %     0.82 %
    Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total assets     0.55 %     0.71 %     0.71 %     0.72 %     0.68 %
    Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of total loans     1.08 %     1.09 %     1.07 %     1.07 %     1.02 %
    Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of nonperforming loans     161.04 %     124.85 %     125.69 %     118.12 %     124.01 %
    Net charge-offs to average outstanding loans     -0.01 %     0.01 %     0.02 %     0.01 %     0.01 %
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended
    Segmented Statements of Income Information   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Core Banking Segment:                    
    Net interest income   $ 14,259     $ 13,756     $ 14,083     $ 13,590     $ 13,469  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans     (540 )     (745 )     1,339       320       909  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments     35       (75 )     78       64       (259 )
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities     (1 )     (7 )     (86 )     84       23  
    Net interest income after provision (credit) for credit losses     14,765       14,583       12,752       13,122       12,796  
    Noninterest income     2,242       5,253       2,042       2,474       2,537  
    Noninterest expense     11,486       12,574       10,400       10,192       10,093  
    Income before income taxes     5,521       7,262       4,394       5,404       5,240  
    Income tax expense     452       893       301       689       729  
    Net income   $ 5,069     $ 6,369     $ 4,093     $ 4,715     $ 4,511  
                         
    SBA Lending Segment (Q2):                    
    Net interest income   $ 1,732     $ 1,706     $ 994     $ 944     $ 869  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans     183       255       469       181       (196 )
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments     88       121       (340 )     94       –  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses     1,461       1,330       865       669       1,065  
    Noninterest income     1,318       850       800       722       1,173  
    Noninterest expense     2,212       2,369       2,242       2,239       1,685  
    Income (loss) before income taxes     567       (189 )     (577 )     (848 )     553  
    Income tax expense (benefit)     137       (45 )     (156 )     (206 )     137  
    Net income (loss)   $ 430     $ (144 )   $ (421 )   $ (642 )   $ 416  
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended
    Segmented Statements of Income Information   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands, except percentage data)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Net Income (Loss) Per Share by Segment                    
    Net income per share, basic – Core Banking   $ 0.74     $ 0.93     $ 0.60     $ 0.69     $ 0.66  
    Net income (loss) per share, basic – SBA Lending (Q2)     0.06       (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.09 )     0.06  
    Total net income (loss) per share, basic   $ 0.80     $ 0.91     $ 0.54     $ 0.60     $ 0.72  
                         
    Net Income (Loss) Per Diluted Share by Segment                    
    Net income per share, diluted – Core Banking   $ 0.73     $ 0.91     $ 0.59     $ 0.69     $ 0.66  
    Net income (loss) per share, diluted – SBA Lending (Q2)     0.06       (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.09 )     0.06  
    Total net income (loss) per share, diluted   $ 0.79     $ 0.89     $ 0.53     $ 0.60     $ 0.72  
                         
    Return on Average Assets by Segment (annualized) (3)                    
    Core Banking     0.90 %     1.09 %     0.71 %     0.83 %     0.80 %
    SBA Lending     1.58 %     (0.55 %)     (1.71 %)     (2.91 %)     1.81 %
                         
    Efficiency Ratio by Segment (annualized) (3)                    
    Core Banking     69.61 %     66.15 %     64.50 %     63.45 %     63.06 %
    SBA Lending     72.52 %     92.68 %     124.97 %     134.39 %     82.52 %
                         
                         
        Three Months Ended
    Noninterest Expense Detail by Segment   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Core Banking Segment:                    
    Compensation   $ 6,637     $ 7,245     $ 5,400     $ 5,587     $ 5,656  
    Occupancy     1,648       1,577       1,554       1,573       1,615  
    Advertising     429       338       399       253       205  
    Other     2,772       3,414       3,047       2,779       2,617  
    Total Noninterest Expense   $ 11,486     $ 12,574     $ 10,400     $ 10,192     $ 10,093  
                         
    SBA Lending Segment (Q2):                    
    Compensation   $ 1,892     $ 1,931     $ 1,854     $ 1,893     $ 1,933  
    Occupancy     50       59       55       51       58  
    Advertising     10       14       17       12       7  
    Other     260       365       316       283       (313 )
    Total Noninterest Expense   $ 2,212     $ 2,369     $ 2,242     $ 2,239     $ 1,685  
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended
    SBA Lending (Q2) Data   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands, except percentage data)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
                         
    Final funded loans guaranteed portion sold, SBA   $ 15,716     $ 10,785     $ 10,880     $ 7,515     $ 15,144  
                         
    Gross gain on sales of loans, SBA   $ 1,508     $ 1,141     $ 1,029     $ 811     $ 1,443  
    Weighted average gross gain on sales of loans, SBA     9.60 %     10.58 %     9.46 %     10.79 %     9.53 %
                         
    Net gain on sales of loans, SBA (2)   $ 1,078     $ 711     $ 647     $ 581     $ 951  
    Weighted average net gain on sales of loans, SBA     6.86 %     6.59 %     5.95 %     7.73 %     6.28 %
                         
                         
    (2) Inclusive of gains on servicing assets and net of commissions, referral fees, SBA repair fees and discounts on unguaranteed portions held-for-investment.
                         
                         
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED):   Three Months Ended
    Summarized Consolidated Average Balance Sheets   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
    (In thousands)     2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
    Interest-earning assets                    
    Average balances:                    
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks   $ 11,851     $ 21,102     $ 16,841     $ 26,100     $ 24,587  
    Loans     1,946,338       2,010,082       1,988,997       1,943,716       1,914,609  
    Investment securities – taxable     102,744       101,960       99,834       101,350       102,699  
    Investment securities – nontaxable     161,579       160,929       158,917       157,991       157,960  
    FRB and FHLB stock     24,986       24,986       24,986       24,986       24,986  
    Total interest-earning assets   $ 2,247,498     $ 2,319,059     $ 2,289,575     $ 2,254,143     $ 2,224,841  
                         
    Interest income (tax equivalent basis):                    
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks   $ 168     $ 210     $ 209     $ 324     $ 261  
    Loans     27,998       29,617       29,450       28,155       27,133  
    Investment securities – taxable     921       914       910       918       923  
    Investment securities – nontaxable     1,719       1,715       1,685       1,665       1,662  
    FRB and FHLB stock     511       493       471       519       499  
    Total interest income (tax equivalent basis)   $ 31,317     $ 32,949     $ 32,725     $ 31,581     $ 30,478  
                         
    Weighted average yield (tax equivalent basis, annualized):                    
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks     5.67 %     3.98 %     4.96 %     4.97 %     4.25 %
    Loans     5.75 %     5.89 %     5.92 %     5.79 %     5.67 %
    Investment securities – taxable     3.59 %     3.59 %     3.65 %     3.62 %     3.59 %
    Investment securities – nontaxable     4.26 %     4.26 %     4.24 %     4.22 %     4.21 %
    FRB and FHLB stock     8.18 %     7.89 %     7.54 %     8.31 %     7.99 %
    Total interest-earning assets     5.57 %     5.68 %     5.72 %     5.60 %     5.48 %
                         
    Interest-bearing liabilities                    
    Interest-bearing deposits   $ 1,653,058     $ 1,671,156     $ 1,563,258     $ 1,572,871     $ 1,549,012  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings     266,975       315,583       378,956       351,227       333,275  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings     48,656       48,616       48,576       48,537       48,497  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   $ 1,968,689     $ 2,035,355     $ 1,990,790     $ 1,972,635     $ 1,930,784  
                         
    Interest expense:                    
    Interest-bearing deposits   $ 12,069     $ 13,606     $ 12,825     $ 12,740     $ 12,546  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings     2,001       2,617       3,521       3,021       2,298  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings     762       764       800       799       833  
    Total interest expense   $ 14,832     $ 16,987     $ 17,146     $ 16,560     $ 15,677  
                         
    Weighted average cost (annualized):                    
    Interest-bearing deposits     2.92 %     3.26 %     3.28 %     3.24 %     3.24 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings     3.00 %     3.32 %     3.72 %     3.44 %     2.76 %
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings     6.26 %     6.29 %     6.59 %     6.58 %     6.87 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities     3.01 %     3.34 %     3.45 %     3.36 %     3.25 %
                         
    Net interest income (taxable equivalent basis)   $ 16,485     $ 15,962     $ 15,579     $ 15,021     $ 14,801  
    Less: taxable equivalent adjustment     (494 )     (500 )     (502 )     (487 )     (463 )
    Net interest income   $ 15,991     $ 15,462     $ 15,077     $ 14,534     $ 14,338  
                         
    Interest rate spread (tax equivalent basis, annualized)     2.56 %     2.34 %     2.27 %     2.24 %     2.23 %
                         
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis, annualized)     2.93 %     2.75 %     2.72 %     2.67 %     2.66 %

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive Captured After Brockton Shootout

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant arrested after two-month search following a house party shootout that was captured on home surveillance system

    BOSTON – Early this morning, an indicted fugitive was apprehended in connection with his alleged participation in a violent shootout that left a female victim with a gunshot wound to her chest.

    Romeo Miller, 26, of Brockton, was arrested in Taunton on federal charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Miller was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for May 5, 2025.

    In February 2025, Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury along with three other Brockton men in connection with the shootout, all of whom remain in custody: 

    1. Natalio Miranda, 33, charged with one count each of possession of a machinegun and being a felon in possession of ammunition; 
    2. Jonathan Alves, 28, charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and
    3. Jahleil Monteiro, 25, charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to Miller’s felon in possession charge.

    According to court filings, on June 2, 2024, at approximately 1:45 a.m., law enforcement responded to a “shots fired” call to a home in Brockton. Upon arrival, officers observed a large crowd outside the home and a 31-year-old female victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and survived.

    It is alleged that numerous bullet casings were found scattered throughout the front yard and driveway of the Brockton residence. According to court documents, video footage obtained from the home’s surveillance system determined that a house party at the residence led to a physical altercation in the driveway and, allegedly, an exchange of gunfire between the victim and Miranda, Miller and Alves.

    Specifically, surveillance video allegedly captured Miranda as he discharged several bursts of ammunition from an automatic weapon in the front yard of the residence before leaving the scene. Miller and Alves are also allegedly seen firing towards the victim from the driveway. It is further alleged that Miller is later seen on the footage crossing the street to hide behind a parked car, where he shot the victim in the chest. Surveillance video then allegedly captured Miller returning to the driveway, where he passed his firearm off to Monteiro, before the two drove away in separate parked cars.

    According to court records, at the time of the shooting, Miranda was on federal supervised release for his fentanyl distribution conspiracy conviction and has a prior state conviction for cocaine distribution. Additionally, at the time of the shooting, Miller and Monteiro were on probation for prior state convictions for unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a high capacity feeding device, assault and battery on a police officer and/or fentanyl distribution. Alves has a prior state conviction of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.

    The charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition each provide for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of a machinegun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being an accessory after the fact to a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to half the maximum punishment for the underlying offense. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Division; Brian A. Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda I. Perez made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve Six Years in Federal Prison after Domestic Violence Call Leads to Illegal Firearm and Ammunition Possession Conviction

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – TRAYVEON RAMON CALDWELL, 34, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 72 months in federal prison for illegal possession of ammunition and a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On July 2, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Caldwell, charging him with two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to public record, on August 28, 2023, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to Caldwell’s home on a reported domestic violence incident. The victim told OCPD Caldwell threatened to kill her, attempted to choke her, struck her head, and fired a gun near her head inside the home. Officers searched the home, found a spent shell casing on Caldwell’s bed, and arrested Caldwell on domestic abuse allegations. That same day, OCPD executed a search warrant on Caldwell’s home following two controlled purchases of crack cocaine from the house. During the search, OCPD seized a handgun and several live rounds of ammunition.

    On December 12, 2024, Caldwell pleaded guilty to the Indictment, and admitted he possessed a firearm, spent shell casing, and other live rounds of ammunition despite his previous felony convictions.

    At the sentencing hearing on April 23, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Caldwell to serve 72 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the violent circumstances surrounding the offense and Caldwell’s criminal history. Public record reflects that Caldwell has felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of drug proceeds, and possession of an offensive weapon while committing a felony in case number CF-2011-331, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2012-4320.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gridley prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement have learned since the program’s launch in 2001. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Calian Announces Appointment to Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OTTAWA, Ontario, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Calian® Group Ltd. (TSX:CGY), a trusted provider of mission-critical solutions for defence, space and healthcare, today announced the appointment of Eric Demirian to its Board of Directors.

    Since 2003, Demirian has served as President of Parklea Capital Inc., a boutique financial and strategy advisory firm, and of Demicap Inc., a private investment firm. He was previously Executive Vice President at Group Telecom Inc. (2000–2003) and a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1983–2000), where he led the Information and Communications Practice. Demirian holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Toronto Metropolitan University and is a CPA, CGA and CA.

    Demirian has been Chair of the Board of Descartes Systems Group Inc. (TSX: DSG, NASDAQ: DSGX) since 2014, having joined the board in 2011 and previously chaired its Audit Committee. He currently serves on Descartes’ Audit and Corporate Governance Committees. He is also a director of IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and has held board and audit committee roles at a number of public and private companies, including Enghouse Systems Ltd. (TSX: ENGH), from 2004 through 2025.

    “We are pleased to welcome Eric to our Board. His extensive financial expertise and experience on public company boards bring a depth of knowledge that will be invaluable to Calian. Eric’s proven ability to navigate complex financial landscapes, lead through mergers and acquisitions, and oversee organizations across diverse industries positions him as a strategic asset. His track record of guiding companies through growth and transformation speaks for itself. We are confident that he will be a highly effective and influential board member, with a keen understanding of both operational detail and long-term strategic vision,” said George Weber, Chair of the Board, Calian.

    “I am honored to join Calian’s Board as it continues on its exciting growth journey. I look forward to contributing my experience in scaling businesses and executing growth strategies to support the team and help drive long-term value for shareholders,” stated Demirian.

    Demirian’s appointment is effective immediately. With the recent additions of Josh Blair and Lisa Greatrix in February, the appointment of Demirian brings the total number of board members to 10, of which nine are independent and half are women.

    About Calian

    We keep the world moving forward. Calian® helps people communicate, innovate, learn and lead safe and healthy lives. Every day, our employees live our values of customer commitment, integrity, innovation, respect and teamwork to engineer cannot-fail solutions that solve complex problems. That’s Confidence. Engineered. A stable and growing 40-year company, we are headquartered in Ottawa with offices and projects spanning North American, European and international markets.

    Visit calian.com to learn about innovative healthcare, communications, learning and cybersecurity solutions.

    Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

    Media inquiries:
    media@calian.com
    613-599-8600

    Investor Relations inquiries:
    ir@calian.com

    —————————————————————————–

    DISCLAIMER

    Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company’s most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them.

    Calian · Head Office · 770 Palladium Drive · Ottawa · Ontario · Canada · K2V 1C8
    Tel: 613.599.8600 · Fax: 613-592-3664 · General info email: info@calian.com

    The MIL Network –