NewzIntel.com

Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Destroy Satanic Temple in Salem with a Pipe Bomb

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Mass. on April 8, 2024. 

    Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of using an explosive device to damage and attempt to damage a building used in interstate or foreign commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. Palmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He was charged by criminal complaint and arrested on April 17, 2024, in Perkins, Okla. 

    TST is a non-theistic religious organization headquartered in Salem, Mass. According to the charging documents, at approximately 4:14 a.m. on April 8, 2024, surveillance cameras captured a man, subsequently identified as Palmer, walking towards TST wearing a black face covering, a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves. As Palmer approached TST, he ignited a pipe bomb – a type of improvised explosive device or “IED” – threw it at TST’s main entrance, and then ran away. The IED did not fully detonate and therefore caused only minor damage to TST’s exterior. 

    According to the charging documents, the pipe bomb was constructed from a roughly two-foot section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails attached to the pipe with duct tape. The inside of the pipe was filled with smokeless gunpowder. During the investigation, Palmer’s DNA was found on the outside of the IED.

    A six-page handwritten note was found in a flower bed adjacent to TST, near the area where Palmer threw the IED. Among other things, the letter stated: 

    DEAR SATANIST
    ELOHIM SEND ME 7 MONTHS AGO TO GIVE YOU
    PEACEFUL MESSAGE TO HOPE YOU REPENT. YOU SAY
    NO, ELOHIM NOW SEND ME TO SMITE SATAN AND I
    HAPPY TO OBEY. AND ELOHIM WANT ME TO CONTACT
    YOU TO TELL YOU REPENT. TURN FROM SIN. ELOHIM
    NO LIKE THIS PLACE AND PLAN TO DESTROY IT. MAYBE
    SALEM TOO? ELOHIM SEND ME TO FIGHT CRYBABY
    SATAN, BUT WANT ME TO MAKE HARD EFFORT SO NO
    ONE DIES. I OBEY.

    The charge of using fire or an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Lucas J. Miller, Chief of the Salem Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office; Payne County Sherriff’s Office; Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma; and Stillwater (Okla.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Casey of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: City Man Who Robbed Northeast Philadelphia Business, Carjacked a Mother and Daughter Outside Their Home Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Amir Harvey, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $717, in connection with the armed robbery of a commercial business and a carjacking, both in Northeast Philadelphia.

    Harvey was arrested and charged by complaint in September of 2022 and then indicted in October of that year. In October 2024, he pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, carjacking, and possession of ammunition by a felon.

    As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on September 9, 2022, at approximately 11 p.m., he and three others approached the Hook and Reel restaurant, located at 9763 Roosevelt Boulevard. Upon encountering an employee of the restaurant outside, Harvey entered and held the employee at gunpoint, ransacked the office, stole about $400 from the cash drawers, and fled.

    In the early morning hours of September 19, 2022, Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress on the 8900 block of Maxwell Place, where the victim reported that her car had just been stolen by an armed individual as she and her teenage daughter were about to leave for school.

    The victim stated that around 6:15 a.m., she started her vehicle using an application on her cell phone. A short time later, she and her daughter exited their house and walked to the car parked in the front driveway, when they were approached by an armed individual, later identified as the defendant, who pointed an imitation firearm, fitted with a high-capacity magazine, at their heads.

    The defendant grabbed the victim’s keys and purse and sped away in her vehicle. The victim then used its location tracking feature on her cell phone app and informed police, who responded to that location on the 2000 block of Griffith Street, about 2½ miles from the victim’s home. Using neighborhood video surveillance footage, investigators traced the movement of the victim’s vehicle and the defendant to a nearby apartment complex.

    “This armed robbery and carjacking were violent crimes targeting absolutely innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Amir Harvey ambushed a restaurant employee on a break, and a mother and daughter heading off to school. Offenses like these inject fear into our community and affect our quality of life. The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force is working every day to hold perpetrators accountable. Public safety is our top priority.”

    “Amir Harvey is going to federal prison for many years for this brazen and calculated carjacking and robbery,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “We hope this case deters those willing to use violence in our community. Working with our partners in our Carjacking Task Force and applying ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, we will continue to prevent and prosecute violent crime and make our streets safer.”

    The swift action to investigate and federally charge this defendant is the work of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which comprises members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the Task Force is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify, and refer for federal prosecution, all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Lauren E. Stram.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chatham County man sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to violent robbery, shooting of a store employee

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man has been sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of a grocery store employee that left two people wounded.

    Jordan Richardson, 25, of Savannah, was sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Richardson to pay $23,793 in restitution and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

    “Jordan Richardson wounded two people during his brief but violent criminal outburst,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “His crime illustrates the importance of keeping our community safe by taking guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them.”

    As described in court documents and testimony, in July 2022, Richardson waited outside the Jones Red and White Food Store on Ogeechee Road in Savannah for an employee to exit the business with a cash deposit. Richardson brandished a pistol and attempted to rob the employee, who drove away as Richardson fired a shot. Richardson, in his own vehicle, then chased the employee and fired at least six times at the employee’s vehicle when it stopped at an intersection, wounding the employee and a nearby worker. Richardson then took the deposit bag and fled.

    Several days later, Savannah police officers captured Richardson after an extended vehicle chase through neighborhood streets in which he crashed into two patrol cars. During searches subsequent to the robbery, investigators found the Glock pistol used in the robbery and shootings.

    At the time of the robbery, Richardson was on probation for a prior state conviction that included robbery and gun possession. His probation was revoked after his arrest, and Richardson was remanded to custody in the Georgia Department of Corrections pending federal sentencing. 

    “The blatant violence Richardson committed against these store employees followed by the complete disregard for the safety of the public and the police officers during the commission of his crimes is completely reprehensible,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is proud to work with our local partners to convict repeat offenders, like Richardson, at the federal level, where he faces a stiff penalty with no opportunity for parole.”

    “I am extremely proud of our officers, investigators, and our federal partners involved in this case,” said Lenny B. Gunther, Savannah Chief of Police. “Due to their hard work and expertise, Mr. Richardson is being held accountable for his actions.”

    The case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department and the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley R. Thompson. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Flood protection measures versus nature conservation – E-000813/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000813/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Lena Düpont (PPE), Christine Schneider (PPE), Ralf Seekatz (PPE), Andrea Wechsler (PPE), Alexandra Mehnert (PPE), Sven Simon (PPE), David McAllister (PPE), Jens Gieseke (PPE), Marion Walsmann (PPE), Stefan Köhler (PPE), Monika Hohlmeier (PPE), Sabine Verheyen (PPE), Norbert Lins (PPE), Michael Gahler (PPE), Hildegard Bentele (PPE), Angelika Niebler (PPE)

    The issue of flood protection is playing an increasingly important role within the European Union. The expansion and reinforcement of dykes is therefore of particular importance. At the same time, the current requirements for compensation areas and replacement measures make the expansion of flood protection systems more difficult.

    • 1.In the Commission’s view, which objective should be prioritised in the inherent conflict of interests between nature conservation and flood protection?
    • 2.Is the Commission planning to amend the Habitats Directive, and if so, should flood protection measures – in particular the renovation and raising of dykes on existing stretches and the relocation of dykes – be exempted from restrictions pertaining to compensation areas and replacement measures?

    Submitted: 21.2.2025

    Last updated: 20 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Executive Order Seeking to Abolish the Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Ahead of Expected EO to Abolish Department of Education, Murray, Seattle School Board President, Parents, Advocates Raise Alarm Over Trump Dismantling Dept. of Ed
    ICMYI: Senator Murray Blasts Trump’s Plans to Decimate the Department of Education
    ICYMI: Ahead of Confirmation Vote, Senator Murray Blasts Linda McMahon’s Nomination: “We Cannot Have a Secretary of Education Who Doesn’t Believe in Having a Secretary of Education”
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on the executive order President Trump is expected to sign this afternoon seeking to eliminate the Department of Education (ED):

    “We should be focused on helping our kids with math and reading—the basics they need to succeed. Absolutely no one is asking for three out-of-touch billionaires to rip apart the Department of Education over some deranged far-right culture war.

    “Donald Trump knows perfectly well he can’t abolish the Department of Education without Congress—but he understands that if you fire all the staff and smash it to pieces, you might get a similar, devastating result. In taking a wrecking ball to the Department, Trump is making it harder for students to get help getting financial aid, jeopardizing the funding schools and families count on every day, and making it easier for predatory businesses to rip students off.

    “Trump and Musk are selling snake oil—because the obvious truth is dismantling the Department and ripping support away from students and schools won’t do a thing to help improve test scores and make sure our kids get the support they need to thrive. And while Trump claims he wants to ‘return education to the states,’ we know that couldn’t be farther from the truth—because Trump and Musk are, at this very moment, trying to exert ever more control over local schools and dictate what they can and cannot teach.

    “Trump, Musk, and McMahon’s goal is clear: destroy public schools and enrich themselves in the process. The billionaires running our government may not understand why federal financial aid or funding for working class school districts or watchdogs protecting students from scammy for-profit colleges matters—but the constituents I talk to every day do, and they are not sitting quiet while Trump seeks to destroy public education in America.”

    A senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
    On Monday, Senator Murray led a letter demanding detailed answers from the Department of Education about the Trump administration’s mass firings and other detrimental actions, which risk major reductions in support for and oversight of federal investments in our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and which threaten vital support for students with disabilities, access to Pell Grants and other financial aid, oversight of student loan servicers, scrutiny of for-profit colleges, and more. The letter follows an earlier March 6 letter Senator Murray sent alongside colleagues demanding answers about the chaotic, harmful actions taken by ED since January—which the Department has yet to respond to.
    During Secretary Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Murray pressed McMahon on whether she will ensure approved funding gets out to serve students as the law requires and whether she would protect students’ data from DOGE. She also asked McMahon to name a single requirement of ESSA. McMahon couldn’t name any. Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation, Senator Murray spoke out on the Senate floor against her nomination and sounded the alarm over President Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
    A fact sheet outlining how the Department of Education supports students in Washington state is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antarctic bases are hotbeds of stress and violence. Space stations could face the same challenges

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Kaiser, PhD Candidate, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

    The South African National Antarctic Expedition research base, SANAE IV, at Vesleskarvet, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.
     Dr Ross Hofmeyr/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    Earlier this week, reports emerged that a scientist at South Africa’s SANAE IV Antarctic research base had accused a colleague of physical assault.

    We research Antarctic governance and crime in isolated, confined and extreme environments such as Antarctic and space stations. Rebecca specifically investigates how station cultures evolve in isolation and what factors significantly influence conflict – and what can be done to improve safety in these environments.

    What happened on SANAE IV?

    SANAE IV is located on the edge of a steep cliff in Vesleskarvet in east Antarctica. The alleged assault stemmed from a dispute over a task the team leader wanted the team to do. In an email published by the South African Sunday Times, the alleged victim said the alleged attacker had also:

    threatened to kill [name withheld], creating an environment of fear and intimidation. I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.

    Psychologists are now in touch with the research team. They aren’t due to leave the extremely isolated and remote base until December.

    This latest incident fits within a broader pattern of crime and misconduct in Antarctica. Research stations on the icy continent are often portrayed as hubs of scientific cooperation. But history has shown they can also become pressure cookers of psychological strain and violence.

    Multiple cases of misconduct

    There have been multiple cases of misconduct in Antarctica over the years.

    In 1959, a scientist at Russia’s Vostok Station allegedly attacked his colleague with an ice axe after losing a game of chess. In 2018, another Russian research station became the site of a stabbing. The alleged cause? Spoiled book endings.

    In 1984, the leader of Argentina’s Almirante Brown Station set fire to the facility after being ordered to stay through the winter. This resulted in the station’s evacuation.

    The 2000 death of an astrophysicist at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was a suspected murder.

    And recent investigations into sexual harassment at multiple Antarctic stations highlight ongoing safety concerns.

    Drivers of conflict

    Research suggests several psychological and social factors contribute to conflict in remote locations such as Antarctica. These include prolonged isolation, extreme environmental conditions, and the necessity of constant close contact.

    In combination, these factors can amplify even minor frustrations. And over time, the lack of external social support, the monotony of daily routines, and the psychological weight of confinement can lead to heightened emotional responses and conflict.

    Without structured outlets for stress relief and effective de-escalation mechanisms (such as gyms, libraries, or quiet spaces where mediation between people can happen), tensions can reach breaking points.

    Power dynamics also play a crucial role. With limited external oversight, leadership structures and informal hierarchies take on an outsized influence. Those in positions of authority have significant control over how disputes are resolved. This has the potential to exacerbate tensions rather than reducing them.

    The process for reporting and responding to incidents in these kinds of environments also remains inconsistent. There’s a lack of policing, and traditional justice systems are also largely absent. Many stations rely on administrative action and internal conflict resolution mechanisms, rather than legal enforcement.

    But these mechanisms can be biased or inadequate. In turn, this can leave victims of harassment or violence with few options. It can also lead to more conflict.



    Read more:
    Antarctic stations are plagued by sexual harassment – it’s time for things to change

    From Antarctica to space

    As Antarctica and space become more accessible for research and commercial ventures, proactive approaches to crime and conflict prevention in these remote and extreme environments is vital.

    The psychological and social challenges observed in Antarctic stations provide a valuable model for understanding potential conflicts in long-duration space missions. Lessons learned from incidents in Antarctica can inform astronaut selection, training, and onboard conflict resolution strategies.

    A key area requiring refinement is psychological screening for personnel.

    Current screening methods may not fully account for how individuals will react to the social shift that takes place in a remote environment. This includes the altering of attitudes, personal priorities and tolerances.

    More advanced stress tolerance assessments and social adaptability training could improve candidate selection. It could also reduce the likelihood of conflicts escalating to violence.

    It’s also vital that we gain a better understanding of the unique conflict dynamics that evolve in these equally unique environments.

    Research can help. So too can thorough investigations of incidents, such as the one that allegedly occurred at SANAE IV.

    This knowledge can be used to recognise early signs of potential conflicts. It can also be integrated into case study-based training modules for expeditioners prior to their deployment. These training modules should include role-playing scenarios, crisis intervention techniques, and integrating the lived experiences of past expeditioners.

    This would better equip personnel to navigate interpersonal challenges.

    Going to extremes

    The recent alleged events at SANAE IV are indicative of a broader pattern of human behaviour in extreme environments.

    If we are to successfully expand scientific exploration and habitation in these settings, we must acknowledge the realities of human conflict and develop strategies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who live and work in these challenging conditions.

    Studying crime and conflict in environments such as Antarctica is not just about understanding the past. It’s about safeguarding the future of exploration – whether on Earth’s harshest frontier or in the depths of space.

    Hanne E F Nielsen receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Dutch Research Council.

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

    – ref. Antarctic bases are hotbeds of stress and violence. Space stations could face the same challenges – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-bases-are-hotbeds-of-stress-and-violence-space-stations-could-face-the-same-challenges-252720

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: President calls for Europe to increase its collective deterrent

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Published on March 20, 2025

    Statement by M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, in Berlin (excerpts) (March 18, 2025)

    Check against delivery)

    Thank you very much, Chancellor, cher Olaf. (…)

    I’d like to return to a few points – first of all, to congratulate you on the Bundestag’s historic vote, which is good news for Germany and good news for Europe. It’s good news because it will enable us to do more for defence and investments, and we need that. Secondly, to get back to the issue of Ukraine, we’re continuing to support the Ukrainian army in its war of resistance against the Russian aggression, and we’re right to be doing so. We’re also in the process of raising funding that we’re fully committed to. I’m thinking of the European share of the G7 loan, and the €18 billion of revenues from frozen Russian assets to finance military support in particular. And it’s important to continue lending support at this time, when Russia has been stepping up the conflicts in recent days and again in recent hours, and continue standing by the Ukrainian people and their defence.

    You’re aware of what our position is. We were upholding peace, I would say, before the first day, because both of us did everything together in February 2022 to prevent a further operation after the annexation of Crimea and the initial, partial annexation of the Donbas that followed the operations of 2014. And so we’ve always been on the side of peace. In this regard, we mustn’t give in to any sort of inversion of values or discourse. That’s the historic role of Germany and France together and of Europe as a whole alongside the Ukrainians. The latest discussions are a step in the right direction, and indeed we want a solid, lasting settlement for Ukraine and for security in Europe.

    And in this regard, thanks to the work with the United Kingdom and Germany we have, I believe, done some useful work to persuade President Zelenskyy, and I believe he made a very good decision to have the courage to take a peace initiative with President Trump by agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire. The Chancellor has reported on the discussions we had before that conference. The first stages are being put in place, but the goal must remain the same: to have a measurable, verifiable ceasefire that is fully complied with, and to begin detailed, full peace talks that will allow for a solid, lasting peace and the guarantees that go with it. That’s still our aim. And obviously it’s inconceivable without the Ukrainians being around the table. That’s what we’ve also steadfastly argued for.

    In addition to Ukraine, on defence, tomorrow the Commission will present its White Paper, and there again our shared desire is to speed up the implementation of the plan we validated at the Council a few days ago, roll out the speediest and most efficient processes in order to have joint programmes, and basically continue defending ourselves, defending ourselves better, increasing our collective deterrence capabilities, and doing so by developing more equipment and capabilities in Europe – which means joint research, joint programmes, more simplicity and more speed. But this European added value which tends towards the strategic autonomy we both uphold is absolutely critical for us. It’s what we launched together in March 2022 with the so-called Versailles agenda, following the Russian aggression.

    We’re now in the implementation and action phase for issues of defence, production, joint procurement, simplification, standardization, and the release of available funding by the European Investment Bank and our national budgetary capabilities. On the issue of the economy – and the one doesn’t go without the other, because there’s no strategic autonomy in terms of defence and security unless Europe is also strongly competitive –, together we built in Meseberg a road map which is strategic for us, which remains totally valid as the Chancellor pointed out, which also, to a great extent, inspired the Commission’s guidelines, and which is also being rolled out, precisely with necessary reforms for simplification. And in this regard, the decisions at the end of February are a step in the right direction: regulatory simplification, lightening the burden, support for industry, clean tech, artificial intelligence, defending the plans for the automotive industry and for steel presented in recent days to our European manufacturers, and for the chemical industry of course, which all go in the same direction, which are support measures in the face of the world’s deregulation, measures of simplification, measures for greater competitiveness.

    In addition to simplification, strengthening the single market, defence policies and safeguarding clauses, we obviously built a historic agreement in Meseberg on the union of capital markets, with the desire in fact for European savings to fully finance major European innovation and investment projects. On each of these points we’re working together.

    And the Chancellor’s been very comprehensive – I don’t want to paraphrase him here – but I wanted to come back to these few points before this summit, which will essentially be about Ukraine, the implementation of our defence strategy and competitiveness. So we’ll meet again the day after tomorrow to continue this work, and certainly in the coming days and weeks, to continue not only this work for Europe but also this joint action alongside Ukraine for the sovereignty of our Ukrainian friends and the defence and security of all us Europeans. (…)./.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Elizabeth Man Sentenced To 60 Months In Prison For Illegally Possessing A Gun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – An Elizabeth man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.

    Stanley Claiborne, 28, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin to an Indictment charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Padin imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.   

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    On the morning of July 14, 2022, members of the United States Marshals Service apprehended Claiborne near Market and Broad Streets in downtown Newark based on two unrelated arrest warrants.  Claiborne was in possession of a loaded gun at the time of his arrest. Claiborne was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a handgun in New Jersey Superior Court, among other felony convictions, and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Claiborne to 3 years of supervised release.

    “This case is an excellent example of state and federal authorities partnering together to aggressively combat illegal gun possession in New Jersey” 

    U.S. Attorney John Giordano

    “The arrest of Stanley Claiborne and prosecution for possessing an illegal firearm is a testament to the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office commitment to justice and safety for our communities throughout the state,” said Juan Mattos Jr., U.S. Marshal for the District of New Jersey.

    U.S. Attorney John Giordano credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Newark Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, the United States Marshals Service (USMS), under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr., and the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

    The investigation was also conducted as part of the USMS’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF). The NY/NJ RFTF was formed in 2002 and has made an extraordinary impact on the investigation and apprehension of the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives.

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

    This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clara Kim and Thomas S. Kearney of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Verona, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Final Defendant Sentenced in Meth Conspiracy Tied to Officer’s Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    The Defendants Conspired with Michael White and Others to Distribute Methamphetamine

    ABINGDON, Va. – The final defendant who participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine tied to the murder of Big Stone Gap, Virginia Police Officer Michael Chandler, was sentenced this week in federal court.

    Brian Carroll, 43, of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 108 months.

    Previously sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy were: Timothy Ray Jones – 235 months; Charles Ryan Bowman – 120 months; Elicia Amber Burns – 172 months; James Brian Mullins – 180 months; Justin Dwayne Skaggs – 132 months; Anthony Curtis Steven Holmes – 130 months; Tyler Lee Westmoreland – 54 months; Hailee Dietz and Paul Jones, each sentenced to 121 months; James Ray Worley – 120 months; Kacie Lynn Werner – 36 months; Amanda Nicole Blanton – 36 months; Lucille Vanover – 24 months and 17 days; Christopher Adam Dewayne Bates – 78 months; Misty Lynn Ward – 30 months; Keri Leann Corbin – 24 months and 19 days; and Tiny Westmoreland – 60 months.

    Michael White was sentenced to 100 years for his murder of Officer Chandler in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

    A total of 19 defendants were charged and convicted of conspiring to distribute in total more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in August 2021 and continuing until their arrest, the 19 defendants participated in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine from Tennessee and other states into southwest Virginia, and then further distribute it throughout Wise County, Virginia.

    Tragically, at approximately 4:00 a.m. on November 13, 2021, Officer Chandler responded to a welfare check call at 2505 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap, known locally as “the red house.” Upon arriving at the Orr Street address, Officer Chandler encountered a vehicle outside the residence and was immediately shot by Michael Donivan White. Officer Chandler died later that evening from his injuries. White was later located at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee, and a subsequent search of the motel room revealed a Taurus, 9mm pistol. Further testing ultimately proved this firearm to be the same one that fired the shots that killed Officer Chandler.  Michael Donivan White was indicted on federal and state charges for killing Officer Chandler and has since pled guilty and been sentenced to 100 years of active incarceration in both cases.

    Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

    The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Norton Virginia Police Department, the Kingsport Tennessee Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the East Tennessee Drug Task Force, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Virginia State Police, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, City of Norton Police Department, and Big Stone Gap Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena L. Busscher and Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 11 Defendants Sentenced in Connection with Cleveland Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Suitcases stuffed with drugs were flown from L.A. to sell on Cleveland streets

    CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has announced sentencings in connection with a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that transported suitcases stuffed with illegal drugs from California to Ohio. Eleven defendants were charged with numerous federal crime violations, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, in a superseding indictment on Feb. 22, 2024, with the initial indictment issued on Sept. 20, 2023.

    According to court documents, from about May 2021 to about Nov. 29, 2022, the defendants played different roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Jerry Baker, aka Jerry Bogarty, 34, of Cleveland, established a criminal organization primarily active on the city’s east side. He led the day-to-day operations of the organization, directing members and associates to generate income by engaging in illegal activities including drug trafficking, extortion, and robbery. Baker determined who was allowed to traffic narcotics on behalf of the enterprise and who was permitted to collect and launder the proceeds. Some enterprise members conspired and attempted to threaten others with acts of violence, including extortion, robbery, and assault, in attempts to collect outstanding debts.

    Overall, the DTO received more than 600 pounds of marijuana from a major supplier based in California. Walter Sornoza, 50, of Los Angeles, led a nationwide distribution network that he named “Empire Genetics.” To get the drugs to Cleveland, enterprise associates would fly from California to Ohio and check-in their baggage, which were suitcases filled with packaged marijuana. The drugs would then be delivered to Cleveland-based members of the organization. Baker directed associates to launder the cash profits from the marijuana sales by converting the proceeds into money orders. Another associate was responsible for flying from Cleveland to Los Angeles to hand the money orders and cash over to the Sornoza enterprise as payment for the marijuana supply received.

    Baker also purchased a small business in Cleveland, “In & Out Tires,” which served as a hub for members and associates to store and distribute drugs. During the investigation, agents also seized several firearms scattered throughout the business, which were intended to be used for protection of the drug enterprise. Other items recovered included money order receipts, packing materials, suitcases, and other supplies used to transport, store and distribute marijuana.

    The defendants were each sentenced to imprisonment and/or probation by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan after pleading guilty to their roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

    • Baker was sentenced to 168 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder money, RICO conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, maintaining a drug premise, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Deshaun Martin, 36, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, RICO conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine base (crack), and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Sornoza was sentenced to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Noblys Garcia, aka Flaco, 43, of Studio City, California, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, distribution of marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Sidne Spencer, 28, of North Hollywood, California, was sentenced to two years of probation for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and marijuana.
    • Keveon Lewis, 44, of Corona, California, was sentenced to six months in prison and six months location monitoring for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of marijuana. He was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Moniqka Hazzard, 32, of Riverside, California, was sentenced to 30 days in prison and seven months location monitoring for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. She was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Jerry Baker Sr., 55, of Cleveland, was sentenced to three years of probation for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and for maintaining a drug premise.
    • Antonio Lanier, 35, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and RICO conspiracy. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
    • Herman Wilson, 43, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced to two years of probation for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
    • Ajeremiah Baker, aka AJ, 20, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for RICO conspiracy. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi­-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Marshals Service (USMS), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, IRS Criminal Investigation, ATF Cleveland Division, U.S. Marshals Service Cleveland, the Cleveland Division of Police, and the Los Angeles Police Department Narcotics Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Sweeney for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Brian Lynch of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Burlington County Man Sentenced To 120 Months In Prison For Gunpoint Robberies In Passaic County

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A Burlington County man was sentenced in connection with his role in two armed robberies committed in August 2022 in Passaic County, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced today.

    Kareem Powell, 32, of Willingboro, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court on March 20, 2025, to 120 months in prison.  Powell previously pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    In the evening of August 22, 2022, Powell, along with accomplices Carlos Diaz and Edward Porter, robbed a Passaic bodega of several thousand dollars while pointing guns at a victim and threatening to kill him. Later that night, Powell, Diaz, and Porter also robbed a Paterson business of several thousand dollars. During both robberies, Powell, Diaz, and Porter wore face masks and ordered customers at gunpoint to lie down on the ground.

    Diaz and Porter have both admitted their guilt and pled guilty in connection with the two armed robberies described above, as well as in connection with two additional armed robberies committed the following day in Passaic County.  Their sentencings are scheduled to take place later in 2025.

    In addition to the prison term imposed on Powell, Judge Cecchi sentenced him to three years of supervised release and ordered him to make restitution to the victims of his crimes.

    U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo, with the investigation leading to the convictions and sentencing.  U.S. Attorney Giordano also thanked officers of the Paterson Police Department and the Passaic Police Department for their work on this case.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Schuman of the Criminal Division in Newark.

    25-080                                                              ###

    Defense counsel: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Verona, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants with Felony Convictions Sentenced to a Total of 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                 MONROE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced the resolution of four separate firearm cases in the Western District of Louisiana today. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced the following four defendants:

               Quinntavious Crump, 25, from Monroe, Louisiana was sentenced to 24 months (2 years) followed by three years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  On June 27, 2021, After the stop, the LSP Trooper asked Crump to step out of the car and asked for consent to search the car. Crump granted consent and stated that he was going to jail because there was a gun in the car and that he was a convicted felon. Thereafter, a Glock pistol, model 23Gen4; caliber 40 loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition was found in the vehicle. 

               Andreveon Kyles, 20, from Monroe, Louisiana was sentenced to 60 months (5 years)    followed by three years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On July 15, 2024, Andreveon Kyles was the passenger in a vehicle stopped by Ouachita Parish Sheriff deputies for a traffic violation. During the stop, deputies found that Kyles was in possession of a Taurus pistol; model: G2C (PTlll G2A); caliber: 9mm, and ammunition and determined that he was a convicted felon.  Lyles subsequently pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on December 13, 2024, admitting that he knew he was prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition. 

               Charles Montgomery, 40, from Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced to 42 months (3.5 years) followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On June 20, 2022, Charles Montgomery was stopped by Ouachita Parish Sheriff deputies for a traffic violation. During the stop, deputies searched vehicle and located a Canik pistol, model: TP9 SF Elite; caliber: 9×19. Montgomery admitted to possessing the firearm and told deputies how he obtained the firearm. He knew at the time of the offense that he was a convicted felon. He was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty and admitted to the charge on December 13, 2024.

                   Zachary Coburn, 25, from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 56 months (4 years and 8 months)  followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  On May 13, 2024, Zachary Coburn entered S&W Pawn Shop in West Monroe, Louisiana. While there, he stole a Kel-Tec CNC Inc Rifle; Model: RDB; Caliber: 5.56, and ammunition and exited the shop. On May 15, 2024, an arrest warrant was executed at Coburn’s West Monroe residence, and the rifle was found in the laundry room of the home. Post-Miranda, he admitted to possessing the rifle. Prior to possessing the rifle, Coburn had been convicted of a felony offense. He pled guilty on December 19, 2024 to the charge. 

               These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

                These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police.  The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Reeg, Robert F. Moody, Cheyenne Wilson, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Catherine L. Semmes.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: March Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments Announced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the March Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Dylan Ray Alexander. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country;   Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (superseding). Alexander, 31, of Bartlesville and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with unlawfully killing Kevin Holden and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Additionally, Alexander is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bartlesville Police Department, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Dunn and Tara Heign are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-052

    Daniel Allen Ash; Amber Dawn Murphy.Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 1); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 2 through 5); Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country; (Count 6); Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 7); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 8 through 11). Both from Commerce, Ash, 32, and Murphy, 30, a member of the Cherokee Nation, are charged with unlawfully killing a minor child in Sep. 2024 and willfully neglecting the health, safety, and welfare of four minor children. Ash is further charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor child under 12 years old. The FBI and Quapaw Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-088

    Eric Lee Blanchard. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Production of Child Pornography; Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Blanchard, 21, of Broken Arrow and a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, is charged with knowingly engaging in sexual activity with a minor under 16 years old and coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce material showing the sexual abuse of children. Further, he is charged with coercing and enticing a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Homeland Security Investigations, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-094

    Pedro Vazquez Camacho. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Camacho, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2009. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-089

    Kenneth Troy Cooper. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (superseding). Cooper, 58, of Drumright, is charged with possessing several firearms and various rounds of ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Creek Country Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-006

    Leonardo Giovanni Segura Curiel. Drug Conspiracy; Distribution of Fentanyl. Curiel, 26, a Mexican national, is charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and intentionally distributing fentanyl. Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-082

    Karina Garcia-Salazar; Jorge Augusto Prieto-Gamboa. Conspiracy to Transfer Identification Documents; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Use or Transfer Five or More Documents; Aggravated Identity Theft. Garcia-Salazar, 46, of Tulsa, Prieto-Gamboa, 40, a Mexican National, are charged with conspiring to make false identification documents in exchange for payment. They further conspired to knowingly possess with intent to transfer more than five identification documents, such as a United States Permanent Resident Card or Social Security Card, without lawful authority. Garcia-Salazar is additionally charged with unlawfully possessing and using the identification of others to create counterfeit permanent resident and social security cards. Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Inspector General – Social Security Investigations, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-099

    Hayden Barclay Greene. Abusive Sexual Contact by Force or Threat in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Suffocating in Indian Country; Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding in Indian Country (Misdemeanor). Greene, 47, of Tulsa and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with engaging in a sexual act by force and threat. Additionally, Greene allegedly strangled an intimate dating partner and physically assaulted a second victim. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Todd is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-095

    Phyllis Christine Henson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Henson, 63, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing she was previously convicted of a felony. She is charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana with intent to distribute. Additionally, Henson possessed a firearm while involved in drug trafficking and maintained a residence for the purposes of drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-096

    Patrick Kanaley; Teia Newberry. Drug Conspiracy; Distribution of Methamphetamine. Kanaley, 47, and Newberry, 45, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from May 2024 through Jan. 2025. They are further charged with intentionally distributing a substance that contains a detectable amount of methamphetamine. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-097

    Steven Shain McDaniel. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. McDaniel, 49, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-098

    Jimmie Dewayne Martin. Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country (Count 1); Production of Child Pornography (Counts 2 through 4). Martin, 75, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting children under 12 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Further, Martin is charged with using three minor children to produce images or videos that show the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-086

    Geovani Narvaez-Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Narvaez-Ramirez, 29, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Feb. 2017. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-090

    Adrian Marquez Rodriguez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Aggravated Identity Theft (superseding). Rodriguez, 46, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Nov. 2005. He is further charged with unlawfully using another person’s identification to stay in the United States. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office and Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-054

    Jose Juan Salas-Esparza. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Salas-Esparza, 47, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2014. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-091

    E’Mari Yatel Stancle. Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. Stancle, 27, of Muskogee, is charged with knowingly possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and discharging a firearm while drug trafficking. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Flesher is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-105

    Joseph Austin Wagener. Theft in Indian Country – Over $1,000. Wagener, 34, of Tulsa, is charged with stealing personal property exceeding $1,000 in value. The Homeland Security Investigations and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-100

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Protecting the Chignecto Isthmus against climate change

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Sackville, New Brunswick, March 20, 2025 — The governments of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are collectively moving forward to protect the Chignecto Isthmus from the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia commit to paying $162.5 million each for a total of $325 million to support the project (valued at $650 million). This is a major step towards ensuring the security of this important link.

    This was announced by Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Minister Kody Blois, Premier Susan Holt, and Minister Fred Tilley.

    The dykeland system in the Chignecto Isthmus between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will be raised to decrease the risk of flooding, protecting agriculture in the region and surrounding communities, including Sackville, New Brunswick and Amherst, Nova Scotia, against sea level rise and storm surges.

    The isthmus is also a transportation corridor including the Trans Canada Highway and the Canadian National Railway, connecting New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. An estimated $100 million of goods and services crosses the corridor each day. The corridor also contains 138 kV and 345 kV of electrical transmission lines, and fibre-optical cables, both of which are essential to providing electricity and telecommunication capabilities within and across communities.

    A network of dykes and aboiteaux that was originally installed in the late 1600s currently protects assets in the region from rising sea levels and storm surges, including a nearby wind farm, cultural sites, a sewage treatment plant, agricultural croplands, and private properties with buildings, wells, and septic systems. Increasing sea level rise and coastal sinking are forecasted to threaten the current dykes — along with the corridor infrastructure and communities they protect — before 2100.

    The project will include raising the height of the existing dyke system to mitigate the risk of the Chignecto Isthmus being flooded with sea water. The project will have two major components: a minimum of 13 km of dyke system and three to five large aboiteaux and the replacement or addition of new small aboiteaux. Aboiteaux are culverts with gates that stop sea water from flowing inland past the dykes while allowing water behind the dykes to flow out.

    The entire project is expected to take approximately 10 years to complete with the preliminary engineering studies, design, and land acquisition occurring during the first half of the period and most of the construction occurring during the last half. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Conviction Affirmed for Man Who Kidnapped, Murdered 80-year-old Horry County Woman

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. — The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the 2022 conviction of Dominique Devonah Brand for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder.

    In a written opinion, the court affirmed Brand’s convictions following a multi-day bench trial in September 2022. Evidence presented at trial established that on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Brand entered the Nichols, South Carolina, home of Mary Ann Elvington, a retired elementary school teacher and stalwart in her church and community. In the days prior, Brand had burglarized another nearby residence, stealing a shotgun, in addition to burglarizing and vandalizing a local church. Brand forced Ms. Elvington to drive him from her house to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back into South Carolina. During this trip, Brand sat behind Ms. Elvington with the shotgun before forcing her into the back seat and driving her to a remote crossroads in Marion County. Once there, he marched her behind an abandoned grocery store, held the shotgun to the back of her head, and pulled the trigger, executing her. Brand then drove Ms. Elvington’s car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Ms. Elvington’s body was located the following evening. During a post-arrest statement to authorities, Brand denied committing the murder, but his guilt was proven at trial with DNA evidence, cell phone analytics, and crime scene analysis.

    “We are pleased that the Fourth Circuit has affirmed the convictions we proved beyond a reasonable doubt in the senseless kidnapping and murder of Ms. Mary Ann Elvington,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “This has been a painful ordeal for her loved ones, and we send our continued support to Ms. Elvington’s family.”

    United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and imposed two concurrent life sentences for the carjacking and kidnapping convictions, plus 10 consecutive years for using a firearm during the commission of these offenses. Brand, now 33, is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at USP Hazelton in West Virginia.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office with significant assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Horry County Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, Lake View Police Department, and Nichols Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Kathleen Stoughton prosecuted the case along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hixson, who also serves as the Deputy Solicitor for the 15th Judicial Circuit.

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  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada’s economic vulnerabilites show why it must invest in the wealth of local communities

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Audrey Jamal, Assistant Dean, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact, University of Guelph

    Five years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, Canada now faces a new challenge — unprecedented economic pressure from its closest trading partner, the United States.

    Canadians are once again being forced to confront the country’s economic vulnerabilities. While the pandemic underscored the economic importance of place and social connections, economic aggression from the U.S. highlights the need for greater local autonomy.

    Canada needs a new approach to economic development. Yet, as the government searches for solutions to bolster “Team Canada,” policymakers risk falling back on the same tired strategies: corporate bailouts, tax breaks for big business and top-down stimulus.

    This played out during the pandemic. Policies favoured large corporations, leaving small businesses and workers struggling, despite their critical role in economic resilience. This time, Canada needs to do things differently.

    A renewed approach to economic development

    For Canada to build a more resilient economy, it must strengthen its communities by securing local assets, democratizing the economy and ensuring wealth circulates within communities rather than being extracted by distant, corporate interests.

    A promising solution lies in community wealth building, a local-first approach to building the economy that emerged in the early 2000s. This approach offers a tonic to current economic policies that concentrate wealth into the hands of a small group of individuals, leaving communities vulnerable.

    By prioritizing more inclusive and democratic ownership, investment and decision-making, community wealth building empowers communities to take control of their economic future. The strategy moves away from the current extractive economy, which prioritizes the exploitation of land, resources and people, toward one that builds wealth from the ground up.

    5 pillars of community wealth building

    The Democracy Collaborative’s community wealth-building framework offers five pillars for building strong local economies. These include progressive procurement, locally rooted finance, inclusive and democratic enterprise, fair work and the just use of land.

    Many communities across Canada and globally are experimenting with one or more of these pillars. For example, social purpose organizations are experimenting with locally rooted financial instruments that flow profits back into their mission.

    In Canada, community bonds allow social purpose organizations to raise capital from their community members to finance projects that benefit communities, such as affordable and green housing and regenerative food systems, among many others.

    When locally rooted finance is combined with just use of land, and inclusive and democratic ownership, these initiatives can ensure wealth-generating assets — land, housing, infrastructure and businesses — stay in the communities so more people benefit from economic development.

    Strengthening local economies

    Canada has a history of inclusive and democratic enterprise, with many co-operatives and social enterprises owned by charities and non-profits. Now, Canadian businesses also have the option of transferring ownership to employee ownership trusts.

    The diversity of ownership options challenges the false choice often presented when local businesses face closure: either shut down or be “saved” by an extractive investor.

    Despite these positive developments, many community wealth building projects in Canada continue to exist as one-offs and sit on the margins of mainstream economic development policy. Local projects challenge the status quo and, as community-led projects, can struggle with governance and access to financing.

    The federal government, non-profits and businesses all have the opportunity to shape a more resilient economic future for Canada by putting local businesses and local ownership first. But to transform local economies, action is needed across all five community wealth building pillars.

    Through our research on community bonds, community wealth building in mid-sized cities and community ownership, we have suggestions for how Canadian governments and businesses can help communities understand what strategies work, and how they can adapt and scale them as needed.

    This work is everyone’s business

    Real progress in this area requires action from all levels of government, as well as from policymakers, businesses and community leaders.

    As experience from Scotland and the U.S. shows, ground-up initiatives must be met with government support in the form of innovative policies, action and investments.

    In practical terms, this means aligning government procurement policies and partnerships with local initiatives for new businesses, introducing legislation that supports inclusive and democratic ownership, and building wealth from local assets rather than importing it.

    Local governments should commit to embedding community wealth building into their economic development planning. This is not a stretch, as many already support local business and entrepreneurship. The key is expanding on these efforts.

    For instance, both large cities like Toronto and coalitions of smaller local governments are using their purchasing power to buy goods and services from suppliers that strengthen the local economy.

    At the federal level, policy innovations like community right-to-buy legislation and related supports could give workers and communities the time, financing and expertise to compete with extractive investors and retain wealth and assets.

    By investing in community wealth building, governments can help shift economic power, build Canada’s economic resilience and ensure communities have agency in shaping their economic futures.

    Audrey Jamal receives funding from the Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    Heather Hachigian receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and has received funding from the Vancouver Foundation to support research related to this article.

    – ref. Canada’s economic vulnerabilites show why it must invest in the wealth of local communities – https://theconversation.com/canadas-economic-vulnerabilites-show-why-it-must-invest-in-the-wealth-of-local-communities-250221

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The history of ‘common sense’ matters when caring for our common home

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Barbara Leckie, Professor, English and the Institute for the Comparative Study of Literature, Art, and Culture; Academic Director, Re.Climate: Centre for Climate Communication and Public Engagement, Carleton University

    In recent years, the idea of “common sense” has again catapulted to prominence in the conservative political landscape.

    From United States President Donald Trump’s call for a “revolution of common sense” and his references to himself as a “common-sense conservative” to Pierre Poilievre’s references to his party as “Common Sense Conservatives” the value of common sense has been widely trumpeted.

    As a professor in climate and environmental humanities, I’m interested in examining how this return to common sense tends to focus attention away from climate action.

    Common sense is the domain of the obvious, the self-evident and what goes without saying. “Hot things can burn you,” for example, is the maxim with which historian Sophia Rosenfeld opens her political history of common sense.

    The history of common sense

    Attaching common sense to conservative political positions in Canada is not new. The phrase revives Ontario Premier Mike Harris’s “Common Sense Revolution” in the 1990s.



    Read more:
    Mike Harris’s ‘common sense’ attack on Ontario schools is back — and so are teachers’ strikes

    But common sense also has a longer conservative legacy. In the U.S., as American historian Larry Glickman illustrates, the phrase was deployed in the 1930s to challenge the perceived turn to social aid associated with New Deal policies. Prior to Trump, it has been used by Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and so-called Tea Party Republicans.

    Common sense as a political strategy, however, was not always aligned with a free market economy. Rosenfeld traces its history from the Greeks and 17th-century and 18-century writers through to 20th-century thinkers like German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt.

    As Rosenfeld notes, common sense has long had two contrasting emphases: an inquiry position that questions prevailing norms and a conservative position that doubles down on prevailing norms.

    Democracy and common sense

    The inquiry position emerged, Rosenfeld illustrates, in the 18th century and its best-known version is a radical pamphlet, Common Sense, written by British American author and pamphleteer Thomas Paine in 1776.

    This pamphlet energized readers across all political spectrums to support the principles of equality, liberty and freedom of expression that we now associate with democracy at large.

    Thomas Paine’s pamphlet energized readers to support principles of equality, liberty and freedom of expression.
    (Wikipedia)

    The conservative position, by contrast, emerges when these same values threatened religious belief and the free market. In this version, expertise is discounted and the people’s everyday experience is privileged.

    Historically, this position has given rise to a populism that accordingly also discredits education, debate and other pillars of democratic practice. As Rosenfeld demonstrates, the history of common sense shows that common sense has been mobilized both to support democracy and to undermine it.

    Common sense encompasses the world of everyday things like temperature and know-how, and it describes a deeper world that defines how we understand each other and live together in that everyday world. Its ability to toggle between these two domains is part of what gives it its force.

    What ‘everyone knows’

    Most of the time, common sense operates quietly because it is assumed to be tacit knowledge — what everyone knows. In times of crisis, however, common sense comes out of the shadows.

    It is no surprise, then, to see common sense entering public discourse in Canada when the country is beset by multiple crises: the existential threat posed by climate change, economic inequality and racism, to name only a few. Common sense, in this context, emerges as a call to return to when things were “normal.” It is the comfort food of thinking.

    For many people, there is solace in turning to what is familiar and seemingly obvious. For many others, there is not.



    Read more:
    Canadians are losing faith in the economy — and it’s affecting their perception of inequality

    ‘Common sense’ of market and environment

    Poilievre defines himself as a “champion of a free market.”

    “Free enterprise” and the market economy was also, as Glickman argues, the platform that Republicans polished into common sense. And it is, arguably, the platform that produced the very issues that most endanger us now, from climate change to economic inequality.

    But, as Einstein noted: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” The common sense of the market economy, in other words, cannot solve the problems it created.

    Waking up to common sense

    The versatility of common sense as a populist political strategy is evident in Poilievre’s platform.

    For example, he wants voters to perceive him as radical by having attacked and apparently succeeded in undermining the idea of a carbon tax in both Conservative and Liberal platforms (the revolutionary side of common sense) while doubling down on what he calls woke politics (the conservative side of common sense).

    The concept of being woke, in turn, has been adopted as shorthand to criticize calls for climate action, a point reinforced in Poilievre’s recent conversation with psychologist and author Jordan Peterson when “he called people concerned about climate change ‘environmental loons that hate our energy.’”

    It’s always easier to stay with the old and familiar. But we are already in unfamiliar and unavoidable terrain.

    Our national parks are burning. Our air quality has been worse than any other country in the world. Flooding across the country is on the rise as is extreme heat.

    Caring economy needed

    Free-market common sense does not help us here. A neoliberal economy in which profits are more important than people and the planet does not help us here. What does, then?

    It’s not a leap to try to create the conditions for a caring rather than an extractive economy, as the collaborative work of scholars and activists Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Robin Maynard suggests.

    Hot things can burn you. The hot things we confront now are not stove tops or flames, but global temperature increases. Leaders, it seems, tend to deploy “common sense” as an excuse to look away from the hot things that matter. Common sense, in its everyday meaning, would suggest that we look at them.

    Common sense works best rhetorically when it’s not questioned. The history of common sense suggests that now is the time to question it.

    Barbara Leckie receives funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. The history of ‘common sense’ matters when caring for our common home – https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-common-sense-matters-when-caring-for-our-common-home-251428

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Meets Business Leaders in Metairie, Tours DSC Dredge Facility in Reserve

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    METAIRIE – Yesterday in Metairie, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) met with the Jefferson Business Council, a collection of Presidents and CEOs of major companies in Jefferson Parish. They discussed their concerns about issues affecting families and business owners in the parish.
    “The members of the Jefferson Business Council had great questions about making flood insurance affordable and vaccinating children against measles,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We will work together with Congress and President Trump to meet these goals, so this community can be healthier and more affordable for families.”
    A priority for both families and business owners in the New Orleans area is keeping flood insurance affordable. Last Thursday, Cassidy went to the Senate floor to call on Congress to renew the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for another two years, instead of having to rely on short-term extensions. He also proposed the bipartisan Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act in February, which would give low- and middle-income households enrolled in the NFIP a 33% refundable tax credit to combat rising flood insurance premiums.
    Cassidy is also working to renew the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which he supported and helped pass into law late that year. To that end, Cassidy recently met with President Trump as a Republican member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, to discuss how to renew the TCJA while also providing more tax relief to middle-class families and balancing the budget.
    Cassidy was welcomed to the meeting by Mr. Mark Rosa, Chairman of the Jefferson Business Council.
    “On behalf of the Jefferson Business Council, it is a pleasure to meet with Senator Cassidy,” said Mr. Rosa. “Members of the JBS always welcome hearing from our representatives in Washington to speak to us on matters that will potentially impact the quality of life of the residents of Jefferson Parish.”
    Later, Cassidy visited DSC Dredge in Reserve, where he learned how they build custom dredges and dredge control systems that make harbors and shipping channels navigable to keep the flow of commerce going.
    “DSC Dredge is an incredibly innovative company based in Louisiana whose dredges are being used from the LSU Lakes to Bangladesh,” said Dr. Cassidy. “And they beat the competition.”
    Cassidy’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) included $109 million for federal projects sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and repair damages caused by Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta. Another $808 million was included for the Mississippi River and tributaries, and $251 million for flood and coastal emergencies, directly benefiting Louisiana. Thanks to these efforts, dredging for various Corps projects was funded months after the passage of the IIA, including for the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Chene, Boeuf and Black, the Barataria Bay Waterway, the Freshwater Bayou, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
    While at DSC Dredge, Cassidy toured the facility and met both with executives and employees of the company. Cassidy was welcomed by Mr. Bob and Bill Wetta, brothers and co-owners of DSC Dredge.
    “Our team takes great pride in designing and building dredges that keep America’s waterways open, provide critical infrastructure materials and perform environmental restoration and mitigation services,” said the Wettas. “We appreciate Senator Cassidy’s commitment to supporting industries like DSC Dredge that manufacture products critical to this mission. During the roundtable, our employees had the valuable opportunity to speak with the Senator, ask questions on key issues, and gain insights they wouldn’t have otherwise received. We are grateful for the time he took to engage directly with our team and hear their perspectives firsthand.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Study illuminates the structural features of memory formation at cellular and subcellular levels

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    Media Advisory
    Thursday, March 20, 2025

    NIH-funded study uses cutting-edge imaging techniques to reconstruct features underlying learning and memory in the mouse brain.

    What
    In a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers revealed the structural underpinnings of memory formation across a broad network of neurons in the mouse brain. This work sheds light on the fundamentally flexible nature of how memories are made, detailing learning-related changes at the cellular and subcellular levels with unprecedented resolution. Understanding this flexibility may help explain why memory and learning processes sometimes go awry.
    The findings, published in Science, showed that neurons assigned to a memory trace reorganized their connections to other neurons through an atypical type of connection called a multi-synaptic bouton. In a multi-synaptic bouton, the axon of the neuron relaying the signal with information contacts multiple neurons that receive the signal.  According to the researchers, multi-synaptic boutons may enable the cellular flexibility of information coding observed in previous research.
    The researchers also found that neurons involved in memory formation were not preferentially connected with each other. This finding challenges the idea that “neurons that fire together wire together,” as would be predicted by a traditional theory of learning.   
    In addition, the researchers observed that neurons allocated to a memory trace reorganized certain intracellular structures that provide energy and support communication and plasticity in neuronal connections. These neurons also had enhanced interactions with support cells known as astrocytes.
    Using a combination of advanced genetic tools, 3D electron microscopy, and artificial intelligence, Scripps Research scientists Marco Uytiepo, Anton Maximov, Ph.D., and colleagues reconstructed a wiring diagram of neurons involved in learning and identified structural changes to these neurons and their connections at the cellular and subcellular levels.

    To examine structural features associated with learning, the researchers exposed mice to a conditioning task and examined the hippocampus region of the brain about 1 week later. They selected this time point because it occurs after memories are first encoded but before they are reorganized for long-term storage. Using advanced genetic techniques, the researchers permanently labeled subsets of hippocampal neurons activated during learning, which enabled reliable identification. They then used 3D electron microscopy and artificial intelligence algorithms to produce nanoscale reconstructions of the excitatory neural networks involved in learning.
    This study provides a comprehensive view of the structural hallmarks of memory formation in one brain region. It also raises new questions for further exploration. Future studies will be crucial in determining whether similar mechanisms operate across different time points and neural circuits. In addition, further investigation into the molecular composition of multi-synaptic boutons is needed to determine their precise role in memory and other cognitive processes.
    The research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The BRAIN Initiative®.
    Who
    Jamie Driscoll, National Institute of Mental Health and Dr. Eunyoung Kim, National Institute of Mental Health
    Study
    Uytiepo, M., Zhu, Y., Bushong, E., Chou, K., Polli, F. S., Zhao, E., Kim, K.-Y., Luu, D., Chang, L., Yang, D., Ma, T. C., Kim, M., Zhang, Y., Walton, G., Quach, T., Haber, M., Patapoutian, L., Shahbazi, A., Zhang, Y., …  Maximov, A. (2025). Synaptic architecture of a memory engram in the mouse hippocampus. Science. http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8316
    Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® and The BRAIN Initiative® are registered trademarks of HHS.
    About the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit the NIMH website.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Firework Control Zones consultation

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Councillors have agreed to move forward with an extensive consultation process on Firework Control Zones for autumn 2025.

    Since 3 March, local communities have been invited to apply for their area to be a Firework Control Zone (FCZ). Following a four-week application period, an eight-week consultation will now take place. The consultation process will include discussions on a potential citywide zone, as well as targeted areas such as Niddrie, Sighthill/Broomhouse, and Gracemount/Moredun—areas that saw significant disorder in 2024. The consultation will also consider any new local FCZ applications submitted before 31 March.

    Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker said:

    By expanding and refining our Firework Control Zones for 2025, we are taking proactive steps to enhance public safety and ensure that our communities can enjoy Bonfire Night in a safe and responsible way.

    The feedback we received from last year’s zones has been invaluable, and with a thorough consultation process, we are giving residents a voice in shaping these important decisions. We are committed to reducing anti-social behaviour while promoting a safer and more enjoyable experience for all.

    The consultation will run until May, with the final outcome being presented to the Culture and Communities Committee in August.

    In 2024, four FCZs were established across Edinburgh, based on assessments from Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Council data. These zones—Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie, and Seafield—operated from November 1 to 10 and were aimed at tackling firework misuse and anti-social behaviour. The feedback and results from these zones will also help inform the planning for 2025.

    Published: March 20th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: BC Wildfire Service has record application numbers ahead of wildfire season

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is ramping up wildfire preparedness for 2025 by welcoming back experienced wildland firefighters and training a new wave of recruits, following a record number of applicants.

    Since October 2024, the BC Wildfire Service received more than 1,700 applications, the highest recorded number of applications ever received. This includes 578 in January alone, the largest number ever received in a single month.

    “The heart of our wildfire efforts is hands down the brave members of the BC Wildfire Service,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “I’m proud of everyone who put their name forward to join our team and grateful to all the wildland firefighters who continue to keep us safe year after year.”

    Touring the Thompson Okanagan this week, Parmar met with BC Wildfire Service staff at the Merritt Fire Zone training facility.

    B.C. continues work to keep communities safe by focusing on all four pillars of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. As part of these efforts, a series of enhancements were made in 2024 to strengthen pathways for participation in wildfire response, specifically for applicants in rural and remote communities.

    “Wildfire prevention is about more than stopping new fires – it’s about working together with our partners and communities to reduce wildfire risk,” Parmar said. “The BC Wildfire Service has already had a busy start to 2025, supporting our neighbours in California as they dealt with devastating wildfires. This was an invaluable opportunity to collaborate on our shared work and prepare for our own wildfire season in B.C.”

    A dedicated training and recruitment model for First Nations communities is expanding this spring, with sessions that build local capacity, strengthen relationships between the local First Nation and fire centre, improve wildfire response, and address needs heard from communities. First Nations bootcamps will begin in April 2025 in several fire centres, along with new-recruit bootcamps at the Merritt training facility. Upon completion, successful candidates will be offered positions on crews around the province.

    ​Learn More:

    To learn more about working for the BC Wildfire Service, visit: https://gov.bc.ca/WildfireFighters

    To learn more about the First Nations bootcamp, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu6awAFy6mI

    To learn more about New Recruit Bootcamp visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsva0qmNUzQ

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Five Defendants Charged in Connection With Alien in Possession Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictments of five individuals on charges related to illegal aliens in possession of firearms and ammunition and firearms trafficking.

    Vielman Cabrera Arevalo, 20, of Guatemala; Erick Lozano Colindrez, 23, of Honduras; and Ludwin Fuentes Lopez, 22, of El Salvador, were indicted on Alien in Possession of a Firearm and/or Ammunition charges. Lester Araely Ramos Perez, 28, and Milton Leon-Morales, 27 — both from Guatemala — are charged with Firearms Trafficking and Aliens in Possession of a Firearm offenses.

    The indictments announced today are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes made the announcement with Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division (ATF); Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCoPD); and Chief Jason Lando, Frederick Police Department (FPD).

    According to the indictments, Ramos Perez, Leon-Morales, Arevalo, Lopez, and Colindrez are all illegal aliens unlawfully in the United States.  Ramos Perez and Leon-Morales are charged with conspiring with others to ship, transport, cause to be transported, and otherwise dispose of more than 35 firearms on January 22, 2025.  They are also charged with dealing firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and possessing firearms as illegal aliens unlawfully in the United States.

    Law enforcement found Arevalo in possession of two rounds of CBC 9mm Luger ammunition on December 14, 2023.  Similarly, authorities found Lopez in possession of a black Polymer 80 firearm and ammunition on July 20, 2024.   On November 15, 2024, authorities found Colindrez in possession of a Johnson Arms & Cycle Works .32 caliber revolver and one black 9mm polymer pistol along with approximately 23 rounds of ammunition. As a result, each of these defendants is charged in separate indictments for Alien in Possession of a Firearm and/or Ammunition.

    Upon a conviction, Ramos Perez and Leon-Morales face up to 15 years in prison on firearms trafficking charges, five years on dealing firearms without a license, 15 years in prison on the alien in possession charges, and 20 years on drug conspiracy charges. If Arevalo, Colindrez, and/or Lopez are convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI Baltimore; the FBI; ATF; DPSCS; BCoPD; and FPD for their work in connection with these investigations.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Kenneth Clark, Chief, Violent and Organized Crime, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Beim, Kim Hagan, and Jamie O’Donohue, who are prosecuting the federal cases.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Violating Federal Gun Control Act

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANARD WALTON (“WALTON”), age 41, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

    According to court records, on March 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at WALTON’s residence.  During the search, agents found a Springfield, nine-millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol, in a kitchen cabinet wrapped in a towel.  In the kitchen, they also found approximately one and a half pounds of marijuana.  The agents located a hidden compartment under a set of stairs leading to the second story. In this hidden compartment, they found a Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol, and approximately $37,941.00 of U.S. currency.  The Smith & Wesson firearm was confirmed to have been stolen.

    A records check showed that WALTON was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms.  Court records confirmed that WALTON had at least five felony convictions, including a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    On March 12, 2025, WALTON pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of the two firearms found during the March 19, 2024 search.

    Judge Milazzo set sentencing for June 18, 2025. WALTON faces  up to fifteen years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.

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

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Slidell Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shelby County Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison for Multiple Robberies

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  A Shelby County man has been sentenced for multiple robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Nashville Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz.

    U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Dorian Blake Bivins, 20, of Alabaster, Alabama, to 180 months in prison. In September 2024, Bivins pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

    According to the plea agreement, Bivins attempted robberies of three businesses in Alabaster—Whataburger, Shell, and Chevron—over a span of 12 days in May and June 2023. Bivins committed two of the offenses while armed with a pistol and discharged the firearm during his final attempted robbery.

    The ATF investigated the case along with the Alabaster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 03.20.2025 ICYMI: Sen. Cruz, USDA Secretary Rollins, Rep. De La Cruz Address Agricultural Challenges in the Rio Grande Valley

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    McAllen, Texas – Today, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), joined by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, and Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas-15), hosted a roundtable and press conference in San Juan, Texas, to address challenges producers are facing in the Rio Grande Valley.

    Sen. Cruz said, “I was proud to lead the effort in the U.S. Senate to secure this $280 million block grant, which is critical for Texas producers in the Rio Grande Valley, and to work with Secretary Rollins and President Trump in getting it across the finish line. Secretary Rollins is a champion of agriculture, and we are working together on the crisis facing Texas agriculture across the board, including holding Mexico accountable for its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty.”
    USDA Secretary Rollins said, “Farmers and ranchers in the Rio Grande Valley have worked for generations to feed communities across Texas, the U.S., and beyond. A lack of water has already ended sugarcane production in the Valley and is putting the future of citrus, cotton, and other crops at risk. Through this grant, USDA is expediting much-needed economic relief while we continue working with state leadership to push for long-term solutions that protect Texas producers.”
    Sen. Cornyn said, “The Texas agriculture community helps feed, clothe, and fuel our entire country, and it is critical that they have the help and resources they need to keep their industry thriving. Today’s announcement of more than $280 million in emergency assistance is great news for South Texans, many of whom have been greatly impacted by Mexico’s failure to deliver water under the 1944 Water Treaty. I was proud to help lead the fight to secure this important funding alongside Senator Cruz, Congresswoman De La Cruz, and Senate Ag Committee Chairman Boozman, who joined me in the Rio Grande Valley last year to hear firsthand from farmers about the challenges they are facing. I will continue advocating for the needs of Texas farmers and ranchers in Washington, and with the help of the Trump administration, I look forward to seeing this industry continue to grow.”
    Rep. De La Cruz said, “Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our South Texas communities and economy. The funding deployment announced by Secretary Rollins today will provide critical relief for the South Texas agricultural industry after suffering tremendous losses due to drought conditions and the Government of Mexico’s refusal to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty. I am proud to work alongside the Administration to deploy this critical aid and deliver solutions for the families, businesses, and communities across the nation that rely on Texas agriculture to thrive.”
    BACKGROUND
    Sen. Cruz is a key defender of Texan producers:

    Sen. Cruz championed a provision providing support for South Texas agricultural producers suffering from Mexico’s blatant failure to meet its obligations under the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers. This funding will provide immediate relief for hardworking Texans.
    Sen. Cruz introduced the Livestock Indemnity Program Enhancement Act to help Texas livestock producers recover from wildfires in the Texas Panhandle.
    U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee,spearheaded the passage of legislation to streamline the permitting process for new and expanded bridges across the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Laredo, and Eagle Pass, Texas, into law. This victory was made possible by a bipartisan and bicameral coalition of Texas legislators dedicated to expanding Texas’s economy and enhancing our bilateral relationship with Mexico, including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), and Monica de la Cruz (R-Texas). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Gaza: ‘Bring them all home now’, freed hostage tells Security Council

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    A senior UN political affairs official called for Israel and Hamas to restore the shattered ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday and release all remaining hostages, while one of those freed told the Security Council of his 500-day ordeal in captivity.

    Briefing ambassadors, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General at the Department of Political Affairs (DPPA), reiterated the UN’s unequivocal condemnation of the horrific attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023.

    More than 1,200 Israelis were brutally killed and over 250 taken hostage. At least 59 people – alive and deceased – remain in the custody of Hamas and other armed groups inside the enclave.

    “Nothing can justify the intentional killing, torture, sexual violence, and destruction – entire families murdered, burned in their homes, taken hostage,” Mr. Khiari said.

    “The events of that horrific day will not be forgotten.”

    Escalating conflict

    Mr. Khiari also reported on the worsening situation in Gaza following the collapse of the two-month ceasefire and hostages release deal – and    resumption of full-blown conflict.

    Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, including women and children, he said, adding also that six UN staff members have been killed in the past three days.

    Calling for an urgent return to the ceasefire, Mr. Khiari warned that “with every passing day, we move further away from the objective of returning the remaining hostages safely to their homes.”  

    He recalled UN relief chief Tom Fletcher’s briefing to the Council earlier this week, “a renewed ceasefire is the best way of protecting civilians – in Gaza, in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Israel – releasing hostages and detainees and allowing aid and commercial supplies in.”

    UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

    Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefs the Security Council.

    A survivor’s testimony: I came back from hell

    The Security Council also heard from Eli Sharabi, an Israeli survivor who spent 491 days in Hamas captivity. Taken from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October 2023, Mr. Sharabi was held underground, chained, starved and subjected to psychological and physical abuse.

    “I have come back from hell,” he told ambassadors.

    “For 491 days. I was kept mostly underground in Hamas terror tunnels…held captive in the darkness, isolated from the world by Hamas terrorists,” he continued.

    “For 491 days. I held on to hope, I imagined the life we would rebuild, I dreamt of seeing my family again,” he said.

    However, only when he returned home last month, he learned the truth that his wife and two daughters had been killed by Hamas on 7 October.

    ‘Telling their stories’

    Mr. Sharabi emphasised that he appeared before the Security Council today to tell the story of his brother, Yossi, who was also taken hostage and killed, and others still in Gaza.

    “My brother Yossi, murdered in Hamas captivity, his body still held hostage, still 50 metres underground. I swore to him that I would tell his story,” Mr. Sharabi said, “for every hostage still in Hamas’ hands, I am here to tell you the whole truth.”

    He described the events of 7 October when Hamas attacked Kibbutz Be’eri, how he and his wife, Lianne, tried to protect their daughters and how he was taken away.

    ‘Begging was our existence’

    Mr. Sharabi detailed the horrors of captivity, describing how hostages were deprived of food, medical care and basic hygiene.

    “We had to beg for food, beg to use the bathroom. Begging was our existence,” he said, adding, “Hamas [terrorists] ate like kings while [we] starved.”

    Mr. Sharabi was freed on 8 February, as part of the hostage release and ceasefire deal. Since his release, he has met both US President Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, narrating the plight of hostages and appealing for their release.

    “Now, I am here before you at the United Nations to say – bring them all home. No more excuses, no more delays. If you stand for humanity, prove it. Bring them all home.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Minkwan Kim, Associate Professor of Astronautics, University of Southampton

    The world’s first artificial satellite, the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957. Just three months later, it fell out of orbit. As Sputnik hit the upper atmosphere at incredible speed, the friction would have caused it to heat up and almost entirely burn off. Some small remnants of the satellite would have remained in the upper atmosphere, like smoke and ash after a fire: humankind’s first space debris.

    Seven decades on, scientists like us are only just beginning to piece together how this space debris might be damaging the ozone layer, the climate and even human health. We still don’t know how much of this debris the atmosphere can sustain before it causes significant environmental harm.

    Today, the number of objects in orbit has surged to over 28,000. More than 11,000 of these are active satellites, with most belonging to commercial “mega-constellations”: groups of satellites that work together to deliver internet access. Examples include Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon’s Kuiper or China’s Guowang.

    Operators follow a 25-year rule: at this point, a satellite’s mission is deemed to have ended and it is lowered into the atmosphere where gravity and friction kicks in. While this helps clear space, it results in thousands of satellites burning up in the atmosphere each year.

    A new problem

    Until recently, the high-altitude destruction of satellites was not a concern. The amount of spacecraft debris was relatively small compared to debris from naturally occurring meteorites.

    But by 2030, the global satellite population is expected to exceed 60,000, and thousands of spacecraft will be re-entering the atmosphere and burning up each year. With each satellite weighing as much as a small car, it all adds up. We are conducting research on the problem, and our early estimates are that around 3,500 tonnes of aerosols will be added to the atmosphere each year by 2033.

    Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air. They can play an important role in Earth’s climate, either cooling or warming it depending on their type and colour. Light-coloured particles generally reflect incoming sunlight and cause cooling, while darker particles, usually containing soot, absorb sunlight and make the atmosphere warmer.

    Some of these aerosols are particularly worrying. In 2023, US scientists discovered particles containing various metals, including aluminium and lithium, in the stratosphere. These particles originated from spacecraft and debris such as the disposable rocket boosters attached to them. When spacecraft burn up during re-entry, they release chemicals such as metal oxides and nitrogen oxides.

    The full composition of these emissions remains unclear. But key pollutants found in satellite debris are known to affect the atmosphere’s thermal balance, potentially driving global climate change.

    Aluminium oxide, for instance, could actually help cool the Earth by reflecting away sunlight. In fact, some geoengineering scientists have proposed injecting tiny particles of it into the stratosphere to keep global warming in check.

    It’s way too early to say exactly how much cooling this will cause. And we don’t know how messing with Earth’s energy balance like this might trigger unintended consequences including extreme weather.

    But we do know how the process works. And we know the amount of aluminium oxides from satellite re-entries is now approaching levels produced by meteorites – and will soon far exceed it. At a bare minimum, this is something we must track closely.

    Reopening the ozone hole?

    Aluminium oxide and other pollutants also act as catalysts in the breakdown of the ozone layer, a section of the stratosphere that shields the Earth from the Sun’s radiation.

    Rare ‘polar stratospheric clouds’, like these in Norway, are linked to ozone depletion. Satellite debris can cause these clouds to form more often.
    Romija / shutterstock

    In the 1970s and 1980s, the ozone layer was devastated by a group of chemicals known as CFCs that were widely used in fridges, spray cans and cleaning products. The 1987 Montreal protocol phased out CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances, and led to significant progress in reversing the damage.

    According to the World Economic Forum, the economic benefits of protecting the ozone layer add up to around US$2.2 trillion (£1.7 trillion) in total. To take one example, a thinner ozone layer increases exposure to harmful ultra-violet (UV) radiation, leading to a higher incidence of skin cancer and cataracts.

    The re-entry of satellites and space debris therefore may not only affect the Earth’s atmosphere but also pose serious risks to global climate and public health. More critically, unlike ground-based pollutants, pollutants from old spacecraft can persist in the upper atmosphere for decades or centuries, remaining undetected until their effects on ozone concentrations become evident.

    New solutions required

    History provides us with valuable lessons, allowing us to learn from past mistakes. Despite the success of the Montreal protocol, the ozone layer is not expected to fully recover until 2066, meaning it will take an 80-year effort to restore what was harmed in just a few decades.

    Nasa astronaut Don Pettit captured SpaceX Starlink satellites swarming like ‘cosmic fireflies’ in this time-lapse.

    The disaster of 21st-century climate change was set in motion when humankind began burning fossil fuels on a global scale in the mid-19th century. We are still working to resolve this problem by reducing carbon emissions. We must not add further environmental damage through satellite debris accumulating at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

    There’s no simple solution, however. If we want the benefits of worldwide networks of satellites then we really do have to let them burn off in the atmosphere. It’s the only cost-effective disposal method at present.

    For now, the space industry’s contribution to ozone depletion and climate change is relatively small. But, as space activity continues to grow exponentially, we cannot afford to overlook the consequences of satellite debris.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Minkwan Kim receives funding from the UK Space Agency (UK Space Agency Contract No: UKSAG23A_00100), which is entitled as “Beyond the Burning: Researching and Implementing Policy Solutions for Sustainable Debris Ablation”

    Ian Williams receives funding from EPSRC and AHRC.

    – ref. Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate – https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-satellites-are-due-to-burn-up-in-the-atmosphere-every-year-damaging-the-ozone-layer-and-changing-the-climate-251845

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can books be bad for you? Only if you’re a ‘bad reader’ like Don Quixote

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Karen Attar, Research Fellow in Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London

    An illustration from an edition of Don Quixote where the eponymous protagonist goes mad from reading. Wikimedia, CC BY

    Books as a backdrop in a portrait or an interview lend gravitas. They stand for literacy, for education, for a way to open the mind, develop the imagination and get on in life. But not all books are considered to convey such benefits.

    Opinions about which books are worthy and which are not have dogged fiction. Which are frivolous nonsense, sure to pollute the mind, and which are worthy intellectual pursuits? Also, are there books which are just too dangerous to read?

    Is Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye sure to influence unwanted behaviour? Are there those who can read a book like Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and not see it as real advice of how any immoral act is justified if they lead to power and glory?

    In short, are there bad books, or are there just bad readers?

    The theme of bad books versus bad readers runs through my recent publication Books, Reading and Libraries in Fiction, which I wrote with Institute of English Studies Reader Andrew Nash. It starts with Don Quixote (1605), which is considered the first modern novel in Europe and an enduring classic of world literature.

    By the beginning of the 17th century, medieval chivalric romances about knights riding around the countryside seeking adventures and saving damsels in distress were distinctly old-fashioned. Don Quixote did not realise that. He spent all his time reading such romances, neglecting all other duties, to the extent that he went mad.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Believing the stories implicitly, he set off in search of knightly adventures. Don Quixote is the quintessential bad reader who takes fiction literally and who focuses on the activity of fighting instead of the metaphorical value of striving for good against evil. It’s the uncritical way children may read, but not the way we expect adults to.

    It is because he was a man that Don Quixote had the purchasing power to surround himself with books (there were no public libraries in those days) and travel around. So, it has more often been women who have typically been portrayed as poor readers, over-identifying with the heroines of novels, reading books that are bad for them, or reading when they should be doing something else.

    The Female Quixote, a little-known novel by Charlotte Lennox (1752), draws consciously on Don Quixote as heroine Arabella expects life to reflect the French novels she has read. At the end a doctor must explain to her the difference between fiction and reality. The reader of The Female Quixote is expected to have a lot more sense and distance than the reader within the novel. They are supposed to learn from Arabella’s silliness.

    Jane Austen, who we know loved reading novels, has most to say about relegating fiction to its place. She does it famously in a gentle, high-spirited way through her heroine in Northanger Abbey (1817), Catherine Morland. This young woman gorges on sensational gothic romances and this fiction starts to seep into her perception of reality.

    On one particularly stormy gothic night in a strange country house, she finds a roll of paper in a drawer. “What is it?” she thinks. Her candle goes out and she tosses and turns until early morning, her imagination leading her to terrifying conclusions. In the cold light of morning, she discovers that the paper is only an old laundry bill.

    The worst case of “bad reading” in our book occurred in a 1855 novella Faust by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. The story deals with a young woman whose mother had banned the reading of fiction. The young male narrator introduces her to the first part of Goethe’s drama Faust. Overwhelmed by the emotions it arouses, unequipped to deal with them from any former contact with imaginative literature, the heroine falls ill and dies.

    Like her fictitious predecessors, she over-identifies with fiction. In her case she suffers because, had she read fiction when she was younger, she would have been more robust now. Typically in fiction of the past, fortunate women had wise men to guide them and their reading. Vera in Turgenev’s tale is rather unfortunate in her guide’s lack of discrimination.

    Does it mean that Faust, considered by many the pinnacle of German literature, is a “bad” book? No. Neither are gothic romances. We know from her letters that Jane Austen devoured novels, and that she liked Ann Radcliffe, one of the most prominent Gothic writers. Also, medieval chivalric romances can be inspiring.

    The challenge for characters in fiction, as for us, is to read with distance and discernment. It helps to start young, unlike Turgenev’s Vera. We must read to understand and follow worthy principles, rather than blindly imitating the behaviour of characters in novels. But most of all, we must read all sorts of fiction. And then we shall be reading thoughtfully, wisely and well.

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

    – ref. Can books be bad for you? Only if you’re a ‘bad reader’ like Don Quixote – https://theconversation.com/can-books-be-bad-for-you-only-if-youre-a-bad-reader-like-don-quixote-252428

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Salinas Leads Oregon Delegation in Calling on Trump Administration to Protect American Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    March 20, 2025

    Salinas Leads Oregon Delegation in Calling on Trump Administration to Protect American Manufacturing

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led the Oregon delegation – including U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) – in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, expressing concern about the Trump Administration’s decision to fire dozens of workers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST provides guidance, training, and assistance to American manufacturers to help them grow and stay competitive on the global stage.

    “We write with deep concern regarding reports of significant ongoing and planned layoffs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST plays a critical role supporting Oregon businesses and workers. Widespread and indiscriminate terminations of hard-working public servants at the agency would undermine our domestic manufacturing industrial base and threaten technological innovation that drives future economic progress,” wrote the members.

    Oregon manufacturers contribute nearly $40 billion to our state’s economic output and support over 175,000 good paying jobs in a wide variety of industries, including wood products, aerospace components, and microelectronics. NIST-supported programs like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) help drive innovation and deliver critical resources that local businesses need to succeed. In their letter, the members stress how mass layoffs will undermine NIST’s work and jeopardize manufacturing in Oregon and across America.

    “President Trump has consistently promised Americans that he will support domestic manufacturing – and the good jobs that come with it,” the lawmakers continued.

    “That is why it is so concerning to see that, instead of doubling down on what works, the President is attacking the federal programs manufacturers rely on, calling to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, and imposing punishing tariffs that will harm American businesses while making everyday goods more expensive for consumers.”

    Read the full letter below or click here.

    The Honorable Howard Lutnick

    Secretary of Commerce

    U.S. Department of Commerce

    1401 Constitution Avenue N.W.

    Washington, D.C. 20230

    Dear Secretary Lutnick,

    We write with deep concern regarding reports of significant ongoing and planned layoffs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST plays a critical role supporting Oregon businesses and workers. Widespread and indiscriminate terminations of hard-working public servants at the agency would undermine our domestic manufacturing industrial base and threaten technological innovation that drives future economic progress.

    Oregon manufacturers contribute nearly $40 billion to our state’s economic output and support over 175,000 good paying jobs. These represent a wide variety of industries, producing everything from innovative wood products to aerospace components, to the microelectronics development and manufacturing at the heart of Oregon’s Silicon Forest. NIST is responsible for implementing some of our nation’s most effective and cost-efficient programs to help these manufacturers succeed:

    • Across the United States, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) leveraged just $175 million in federal investment to deliver more than $5 billion in new investments and over 108,000 jobs created or retained in fiscal year 2024. In Oregon, the return was even greater. Just $2.2. million in federal funding led to $165.6 million in private investments – a remarkable $75 of economic output for every dollar of taxpayer support.
    • The CHIPS Program Office is responsible for stewarding over $2 billion of public investment in Oregon companies, which is catalyzing tens of billions of dollars of corporate investment in Oregon’s high-tech economy – while ensuring America’s self-sufficiency in this critical technology.
    • ManufacturingUSA fosters collaboration between industry and researchers to develop and deploy next-generation manufacturing methods and technologies. These partnerships support and benefit from partnerships with Oregon businesses and universities.
      • Examples include Oregon State University’s contributions to the RAPID institute, semiconductor companies like Analog Devices and Microchip working with PowerAmerica to accelerate the adoption of advanced semiconductors, and businesses such as Twist Bioscience partnering with BioMADE to enable the expansion of bioindustrial manufacturing.

    All these activities build on NIST’s core measurement science and standards work that provides tools manufacturers rely on every day. Mass layoffs at the agency will undermine the work NIST has carried out over years to ensure American businesses have the tools they need to compete on the world stage.

    President Trump has consistently promised Americans that he will support domestic manufacturing – and the good jobs that come with it. During his inaugural address, he asserted that “America will be a manufacturing nation once again” and you recently echoed the President’s rhetoric, telling reporters that “We want factory production in America. We want employment to blossom in America. We’re going to bring factories back to America.”

    We agree.

    That is why it is so concerning to see that, instead of doubling down on what works, the President is attacking the federal programs manufacturers rely on, calling to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, and imposing punishing tariffs that will harm American businesses while making everyday goods more expensive for consumers.

    We are seriously worried that any attacks on NIST will undermine its capacity to support Oregon’s manufacturers and request that you respond to the following inquiries no later that March 31, 2025:

    1. How many NIST employees accepted the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer, including those who departed the agency [at that time] without having signed the paperwork required by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)? Please provide a breakdown of which offices were affected and to what extent.
    2. Recent reports indicate over 70 probationary employees were terminated. Please confirm the accuracy of this reporting and provide a breakdown of which offices were affected and to what extent.
    3. CHIPS Incentives awards rely on complex contracts to ensure that industry partners successfully and responsibly invest taxpayer dollars. How will you ensure that any layoffs, deferred resignations, or future reductions in force do not impede the CHIPS Program Office’s ability to conduct robust oversight of and effective support for these awards, including in Oregon?
    4. How will you ensure that any layoffs, deferred resignations, or future reductions in force do not limit the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program’s capacity to offer services to small- and medium-sized domestic manufacturers, including in Oregon?
    5. NIST has decades of experience serving as a trusted partner to industry, providing some of the United States’ strongest tools to support and expand domestic manufacturing. How do you plan to leverage this experience to achieve your stated goal of bring manufacturing jobs back to America, including in our home state of Oregon?

    Thank you for your prompt response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Career Criminal Sentenced To 12+ Years For Fentanyl Trafficking And Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Tyrone Eugene Sitton a/k/a “Dirty,” 46, of Asheville, was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for fentanyl trafficking and gun charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, Sheriff Quentin Miller of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Michael Lamb of the Asheville Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

    According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between November and December 2022, Sitton distributed 30.1 grams of fentanyl in the Asheville area. During the investigation, Sitton sold fentanyl at least three times to a confidential informant working with the ATF. In addition to selling fentanyl, on December 28, 2022, Sitton sold the informant three firearms: a shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol.

    On July 29, 2024, Sitton pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Court records indicate Sitton has multiple state convictions in North Carolina for drug distribution. Because of these prior criminal convictions, Sitton qualified for an increased sentence as a career offender.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the ATF, the DEA, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheville Police Department for their investigation of the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –