Category: Natural Disasters

MIL-OSI USA: In Veterans Affairs Hearing, King Argues VA Hiring Freeze, Lack of Health Care Data Essentially a “Denial of Benefits”

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King today argued that a lack of health care data and the current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hiring freeze are denying veterans the benefits they rightly deserve. In a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), King questioned Naomi Mathis, the Assistant National Legislative Director for Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and John Eaton, the Vice President for the Complex Care Wounded Warrior Project, about the lack of health care data comparing the VA direct care and non-VA community care providers. He also made clear that hiring freezes will make it more difficult for VA staff to carry out their duties, resulting in a decrease in quality care for veterans.
“This electronic medical records problem started with a no bid contract about five years ago, six years ago, that was extended by the last administration. I still don’t understand why we don’t go out to the market. I’m sorry you mentioned Epic Senator, because Epic is a successful medical record system that I observed in my system. Well, okay, in any case, it seems to me, in order to analyze the issue of the relationship between VA direct care and community care, we need more data. We know exactly the VA wait times and all those kinds of things. We don’t have that kind of data in terms of the private sector. I know in the private sector, in Maine, it is pretty hard to get a get an appointment, and particularly with a specialist. So, I think in order to make policy here, Mr. Chairman, we need some information. We need to have cost comparisons. We need to have time comparisons, wait times. So everybody’s nodding, but that won’t show up in the record. Could somebody say yes,” asked Senator King.
“Yes. Senator, I wholeheartedly agree. There is no data coming back out of the community back into VA and there is no sort of accountability either when the records don’t show up back to VA. So, you have a provider, a primary care provider, say at VA, that may have sent a patient out to the community for specialized care and the information when the patient comes back to VA, the information is not coming back, therefore that provider is not able to provide an accurate treatment plan for that patient,” replied Mathis.
“So we don’t have a handle on cost, quality or time. Is that correct,” questioned Senator King.
“Correct, Senator,” said Mathis.
“And, by the way, when we’re talking about the time of VAs responsibility and backlogs, a staff freeze isn’t going to help that problem. If there are fewer people to answer the phone, fewer people to process claims, that’s only going to exacerbate the problem, not make it any better. And I note that the that the administration the other day appeared to walk back part of the hiring freeze with regard to direct care providers, but to deny, but to leave a hiring freeze in effect that has fewer people responding, processing claims and those kinds of things. That’s in effect, a denial of benefits itself. Is it not, Mr. Eaton,” Senator King asked again.
“Yes,” responded Eaton.
Representing one of the states with the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he has been among the Senate’s most prominent voices on the need to address veterans suicide, and has repeatedly pressed for action from top Department of Defense officials on this issue. An advocate for amplifying veteran voices, Senator King held a field hearing focusing on long-term care in Maine. Additionally, last spring led a letter urging further investments in traumatic brain injury research, the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and introduced legislation to provide safe firearm storage for veterans. In 2024, Congress passed Senator King’s bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and benefits.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Grassley Seek Presidential Explanation For IG Dismissals

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
January 28, 2025
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested President Donald Trump provide the lawfully-required substantive rationale behind his recent decision to dismiss Inspectors General (IGs) from 18 offices. The Senators additionally asked President Trump to share the names of each official who will serve in an acting IG capacity and urged the President to quickly nominate qualified and nonpartisan individuals to permanently fill the current IG vacancies. This weekend, Durbin released a statement after President Trump unlawfully fired independent inspectors general across multiple federal agencies.
IGs are nonpartisan watchdogs responsible for identifying and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at federal agencies. IGs serve at the President’s disposal. However, a Grassley-authored amendment signed into law as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the President to provide written, detailed communication informing Congress of the President’s decision to dismiss or transfer an Inspector General at least 30 days before taking action to do so.
“While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed. The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements; rather, it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission,” the Senators wrote.
“This is a matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s confidence in the Inspector General community, a sentiment shared more broadly by other Members of Congress,” the Senators continued. “IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within the Executive Branch bureaucracy, which you have publicly made clear you are also intent on doing.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
January 28, 2025
Dear President Trump:
We write to you today concerning the reported firing of Inspectors General (IGs) from 18 offices.[1] Congress was not provided the legally required 30-day notice and case-specific reasons for removal, as required by law.[2] Accordingly, we request that you provide that information immediately.
On December 23, 2022, the “James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023” was signed into law and included provisions from the Securing Inspector General Independence Act, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of members.[3] Those provisions require that the President “shall” communicate to Congress in writing 30 days before removing or transferring an IG from office the “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the removal or transfer.[4] The law also prohibits an IG from being placed on non-duty status during the 30-day period preceding the date of removal or transfer unless the continued presence of the Inspector General in the workplace poses a threat as described by requirements in the Administrative Leave Act and the President submits a report to Congress.[5]
While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed.[6] The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements, rather it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission.[7]
This is a matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s confidence in the Inspector General community, a sentiment shared more broadly by other Members of Congress. IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within the Executive Branch bureaucracy, which you have publicly made clear you are also intent on doing.
Accordingly, we request that you provide Congress with a written communication that contains the “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for each of the IG’s removed. Further, we request the name of each official that will serve in an acting capacity and that you work quickly to nominate qualified and non-partisan individuals to serve in these open positions.
-30-

[1] Yamiche Alcindor, Vaughn Hillyard and Laura Strickler, Trump fires 18 inspectors general overnight in legally murky move, NBC News (Jan. 25, 2025) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-fires-multiple-inspectors-general-legally-murky-overnight-move-rcna189261.
[2] Id.; see Pub. L. 117-263.
[3] See S. 587, Securing Inspector General Independence Act of 2021, 117th Congress (introduced Mar. 4, 2021) https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/587/text.
[4] Pub. L. 117–263.
[5] Id.; see 5 U.S.C. § 6329b(b)(2)(A)(i)-(iv) (2) Requirements.-An agency may place an employee in leave under paragraph (1) only if the agency has-(A) made a determination with respect to the employee that the continued presence of the employee in the workplace during an investigation of the employee or while the employee is in a notice period, as applicable, may- (i) pose a threat to the employee or others; (ii) result in the destruction of evidence relevant to an investigation; (iii) result in loss of or damage to Government property; or (iv) otherwise jeopardize legitimate Government interests.
[6] Pub. L. 117–263.
[7] Pub. L. 117–263.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Briefing Security Council on Goma Attack, Senior UN Official in Democratic Republic of Congo Urges De-escalation to Avert ‘Third Congo War’

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

Note: Complete coverage of this afternoon’s meeting of the Security Council will be available Wednesday, 29 January.

As the Security Council convened an emergency meeting for the second time in three days to address the worsening situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a senior United Nations official warned that escalating attacks by the 23 March Movement, or M23, continue to kill civilians and peacekeeping personnel in and around the city of Goma.

Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), voiced alarm that clashes in the eastern part of that country have resulted in massive displacement. Consequently, MONUSCO has received a large number of people seeking refuge, including officials and various elements who have surrendered their arms. However, MONUSCO bases are not able to accommodate the large number of surrendering elements and civilians seeking refuge. “Moreover, our bases are not safe themselves,” she stressed.

The Mission is storing voluntarily relinquished or abandoned weapons in accordance with international standards, she reported, while casualty-evacuation efforts remain a significant challenge for seriously injured peacekeepers. She warned that troops are now running out of critical equipment — especially water, food, medical supplies and blood — while the proliferation of weapons in Goma poses a significant risk as combatants blend into the civilian population and abandoned military depots are looted by civilians.

Urging all parties to guarantee the protection of life, ensure access to basic services and prevent sexual violence, she called for immediate action to alleviate the suffering of civilians. Moreover, ethnically motivated attacks in a region with a very sensitive history need to be taken seriously. Appealing for high-level diplomatic channels to ensure that critical airports, border points and humanitarian access routes are reopened without delay, she urged: “Resuming the Luanda Process is of utmost urgency to ensure a path towards de-escalation and to avert the looming threat of a third Congo war.”

And, stressing that attacks on UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, she called MONUSCO “a beacon for myriad vulnerable groups seeking protection”. However, the Mission has been severely impacted by heavy direct and indirect fire over the last few days, and must address the logistical, human-rights and humanitarian challenges it is facing. “Let us please draw on our humanity and do our utmost to bring an immediate end to such levels of violence and suffering,” she urged.

In the ensuing debate, the representative of Sierra Leone — also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia — cited significant African diplomatic efforts since 26 January to support the Congolese people. Nevertheless, he stressed: “But what is needed now is the commitment of both Rwanda and the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] to engage in direct negotiations under the Luanda Process.” Allowing Goma to remain under the control of a rebel group, he stated, “sends a disturbing message about the ability — or willingness — of the international community to prevent threats to international peace and security from flourishing.”

…

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Washington man admits illegal possession of firearms after being removed from Amtrak train in Montana

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

MISSOULA —A Washington man with a bank robbery conviction admitted today to illegally possessing firearms after law enforcement removed him from an Amtrak train in Libby and found him in possession of multiple guns, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Mallory Nehemiah Brown, 43, of Auburn, Washington, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Brown faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for May 29 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Brown was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in 2004, Brown was convicted of bank robbery in federal district court in California and prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. On Jan. 8, 2024, Brown boarded an Amtrak train in Seattle, Washington, with a black duffel bag and several long boxes. Brown placed his bags and boxes on the luggage rack. The train was bound for Washington, D.C., with a stop in Chicago, Illinois. On Jan. 9, 2024, the train stopped in Libby based on a complaint by other passengers about Brown. Law enforcement removed Brown from the train. The train conductor located Brown’s bags. Inside, he discovered four firearms, ammunition, magazines, a suppressor, eight firearms receivers, night vision goggles, a tactical vest and other assorted accessories. The four firearms were identified as a .22LR HV rifle, which had a serial number; a 12-gauge pump shotgun with an obliterated serial number; a 12-gauge semi-auto shot gun with no visible serial number; and a 9mm semi-auto pistol with no visible serial number. Brown denied the bags belonged to him, however, several Amtrak employees identified Brown as the person who loaded the bags on the train. One of the boxes had a shipping label on it addressed to “Mallory Brown.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Libby Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and Montana Probation and Parole conducted the investigation.

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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Federal government invests in improved flood protection in the Village of Tahsis
Source: Government of Canada regional news

From: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2025/01/federal-government-invests-in-improved-flood-protection-in-the-village-of-tahsis.html (can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com)

French version: https://www.canada.ca/fr/logement-infrastructures-collectivites/nouvelles/2025/01/le-gouvernement-federal-investit-dans-lamelioration-de-la-protection-contre-les-inondations-dans-le-village-de-tahsis.html (can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com)

Improvements to flood protection infrastructure will help the Village of Tahsis become more resilient to riverbank and coastal floods after a combined investment of more than $2.8 million from the federal, provincial and local governments.

This project involves constructing two flood walls and an earth berm along North Maquinna Drive from north of Rogers Street to Head Bay Road to safeguard the village from extreme-weather events. These new protective measures will include internal drainage improvements such as catch basins, leads and flap gates along the roads. There will also be rock or other material installed to protect shoreline structures against water, wave or ice erosion and to stabilize the riverbank.

These upgrades will protect existing local public and private assets and essential infrastructure such as the public works yard, the fire hall, water supply and well pumping station, as well as schools, which are currently at risk of flooding from storms and rising sea levels.

Quotes:

“Our government is taking action to increase communities’ resilience and support people’s safety in the face of extreme weather events. Effective flood prevention measures help protect people, property and livelihoods. The Government of Canada will continue to work with our partners to mitigate the effects of natural disasters so that Canadians can continue to adapt in a changing climate.”

The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“In Tahsis and communities throughout the province, we’re working to build a stronger and climate-ready future for everyone. These improvements in the Village of Tahsis will help protect people – including young students – and critical infrastructure from the growing threat of flooding for years to come.”

The Honourable Kelly Greene, B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

“On behalf of Tahsis council and the entire community, I thank the federal and provincial governments for recognizing the importance of protecting small, remote communities, like Tahsis, from climate-change impacts. The funding for this project means our residents, businesses, school and day care, first responders and critical infrastructure will be protected from future flood events.”

Martin Davis, Mayor of the Village of Tahsis

Quick Facts:
- The federal government is investing $1,156,861 through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
- The Government of British Columbia is investing $963,954, and the Village of Tahsis is contributing $771,337, with support from the provincial government.
- The Government of Canada previously announced funding toward the first two phases of this project in June 2021.
- The Green Infrastructure Stream helps build greener communities by contributing to climate change preparedness, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting renewable technologies.
- Including today’s announcement, over 157 infrastructure projects under the Green Infrastructure Stream have been announced in British Columbia, with a total federal contribution of more than $600 million and a total provincial contribution of more than $428 million.
- Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
Learn More:

Investing in Canada: Canada’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan: https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Green Infrastructure Stream: https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/plan/gi-iv-eng.html

Housing and Infrastructure Project Map: https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Strengthened Climate Plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

MIL OSI Canada News –
January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $24.6 Million for Chaves Residents

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $24.6 Million for Chaves Residents

Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $24.6 Million for Chaves Residents

ROSWELL, New Mexico — It has been just over three months since former President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for the state of New Mexico following the Oct. 19-20 Severe Storm and Flooding in Chaves County. To date, more than $24.6 million in federal assistance has been approved for New Mexican families affected by the disaster.FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) have approved grants and loans for more than 3,000 recovering homeowners, renters and businesses in Chaves County. This assistance helps pay for eligible losses and disaster-related damage repair and replacement of homes and personal property, temporary housing, cleaning and sanitizing, moving and storage, childcare, medical and dental expenses and other needs of New Mexicans affected by the storm and flooding.“FEMA collaborates closely with all our federal, state and local stakeholders to help New Mexicans affected by the disaster as they recover. We must remember that this is a long-term effort, but one that will be critical in building a more resilient and stronger Roswell,” said José Gil Montañez, Federal Coordinating Officer for New Mexico.As of Jan. 27, FEMA Individual Assistance totaled more than $17.8 million in grants to eligible homeowners and renters, including:More than $8.88 million in housing grants to help pay for home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing.  More than $8.94 million in grants to help pay for personal property replacement and other serious disaster-related needs, such as moving and storage fees, transportation, childcare, and medical and dental expenses. FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs)The VALs mission is to establish, foster and maintain relationships among government, voluntary, faith-based and community partners. Through these relationships, the VALs support the delivery of inclusive and equitable services and empower and strengthen capabilities of communities to address disaster caused unmet needs. In addition, VALs coordinate with local partners to assist with the collection and distribution of in-kind and monetary donations to aid in the Chaves County recovery process. By coordinating appeals through local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs), the VALs have identified nearly $146,000 in additional FEMA Individual Assistance for Chaves County recovery. State and local VOADs have also distributed more than $461,000 in financial assistance to Chaves County survivors to support immediate needs and recovery efforts.Public Assistance  FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program for the October flooding reimburses the state, counties, local governments, tribes, and certain private nonprofits (including houses of worship) for eligible costs of disaster-related debris removal and emergency protective measures. PA in Chaves County is available, on a cost -sharing basis: FEMA pays 75%, the state 25%. FEMA has received eight applications for project funding under the PA program. Of those, seven projects are now under review. Small Business AdministrationThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $6.8 million in long-term, low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations. Of that amount, more than $6 million was approved for homeowners and renters with over $2.9 million distributed. Approving more than $476,000 to Chaves – County business, SBA has distributed over $300,000 to assist in their recovery.Applicants may apply at https://lending.sba.gov. Business owners also may apply in-person by visiting SBA Business Recovery Center at the Eastern New Mexico University Roswell Arts and Sciences Center. The deadline to apply to SBA for property damage was Jan, 2, 2025. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Aug. 1, 2025.For the latest information on the Chaves County recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4843. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and facebook.com/femaregion6
alexa.brown
Tue, 01/28/2025 – 20:43

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Trump 2.0 chaos and destruction — what it means Down Under

What will happen to Australia — and New Zealand — once the superpower that has been followed into endless battles, the United States, finally unravels?

COMMENTARY: By Michelle Pini, managing editor of Independent Australia

With President Donald Trump now into his second week in the White House, horrific fires have continued to rage across Los Angeles and the details of Elon Musk’s allegedly dodgy Twitter takeover began to emerge, the world sits anxiously by.

The consequences of a second Trump term will reverberate globally, not only among Western nations. But given the deeply entrenched Americanisation of much of the Western world, this is about how it will navigate the after-shocks once the United States finally unravels — for unravel it surely will.

Leading with chaos
Now that the world’s biggest superpower and war machine has a deranged criminal at the helm — for a second time — none of us know the lengths to which Trump (and his puppet masters) will go as his fingers brush dangerously close to the nuclear codes. Will he be more emboldened?

The signs are certainly there.

President Donald Trump 2.0 . . . will his cruelty towards migrants and refugees escalate, matched only by his fuelling of racial division? Image: ABC News screenshot IA

So far, Trump — who had already led the insurrection of a democratically elected government — has threatened to exit the nuclear arms pact with Russia, talked up a trade war with China and declared “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if Hamas hadn’t returned the Israeli hostages.

Will his cruelty towards migrants and refugees escalate, matched only by his fuelling of racial division?

This, too, appears to be already happening.

Trump’s rants leading up to his inauguration last week had been a steady stream of crazed declarations, each one more unhinged than the last.

He wants to buy Greenland. He wishes to overturn birthright citizenship in order to deport even more migrant children, such as “pet-eating Haitians” and “insane Hannibal Lecters” because America has been “invaded”.

It will be interesting to see whether his planned evictions of Mexicans will include the firefighters Mexico sent to Los Angeles’ aid.

At the same time, Trump wants to turn Canada into the 51st state, because, he said,

“It would make a great state. And the people of Canada like it.”

Will sexual predator Trump’s level of misogyny sink to even lower depths post Roe v Wade?

Probably.

Denial of catastrophic climate consequences
And will Trump be in even further denial over the catastrophic consequences of climate change than during his last term? Even as Los Angeles grapples with a still climbing death toll of 25 lives lost, 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures destroyed and 16,425 hectares (about the size of Washington DC) wiped out so far in the latest climactic disaster?

The fires are, of course, symptomatic of the many years of criminal negligence on global warming. But since Trump instead accused California officials of “prioritising environmental policies over public safety” while his buddy and head of government “efficiency”, Musk blamed black firefighters for the fires, it would appear so.

Will the madman, for surely he is one, also gift even greater protections to oligarchs like Musk?

Trump has already appointed billionaire buddies Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to:

“…pave the way for my Administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure Federal agencies”.

So, this too is already happening.

All of these actions will combine to create a scenario of destruction that will see the implosion of the US as we know it, though the details are yet to emerge.

The flawed AUKUS pact sinking quickly . . . Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with outgoing President Joe Biden, will Australia have the mettle to be bigger than Trump. Image: Independent Australia

What happens Down Under?
US allies — like Australia — have already been thoroughly indoctrinated by American pop culture in order to complement the many army bases they house and the defence agreements they have signed.

Though Trump hasn’t shown any interest in making it a 52nd state, Australia has been tucked up in bed with the United States since the Cold War. Our foreign policy has hinged on this alliance, which also significantly affects Australia’s trade and economy, not to mention our entire cultural identity, mired as it is in US-style fast food dependence and reality TV. Would you like Vegemite McShaker Fries with that?

So what will happen to Australia once the superpower we have followed into endless battles finally breaks down?

As Dr Martin Hirst wrote in November:

‘Trump has promised chaos and chaos is what he’ll deliver.’

His rise to power will embolden the rabid Far-Right in the US but will this be mirrored here? And will Australia follow the US example and this year elect our very own (admittedly scaled down) version of Trump, personified by none other than the Trump-loving Peter Dutton?

If any of his wild announcements are to be believed, between building walls and evicting even US nationals he doesn’t like, while simultaneously making Canadians US citizens, Trump will be extremely busy.

There will be little time even to consider Australia, let alone come to our rescue should we ever need the might of the US war machine — no matter whether it is an Albanese or sycophantic Dutton leadership.

It is a given, however, that we would be required to honour all defence agreements should our ally demand it.

It would be great if, as psychologists urge us to do when children act up, our leaders could simply ignore and refuse to engage with him, but it remains to be seen whether Australia will have the mettle to be bigger than Trump.

Republished from the Independent Australia with permission.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to report by World Weather Attribution looking at climate change attribution of the LA wildfires

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

January 28, 2025

A report by by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) looks at climate change and the likelihood of wildfire disaster in LA.

Prof Gabi Hegerl FRS, Professor of Climate System Science, University of Edinburgh, said:

“Given the short timeline that WWA aims for this is a very thorough analysis of the role of climate change and also El Nino conditions contributing to the fires in Los Angeles. The authors determine several factors that have contributed to this disaster, from severely dry conditions to high fire weather indices, late arrival of winter rains etc. Several of these factors point to high fire risk, both due to El Nino conditions and global warming. Overall the paper finds that climate change has made the Los Angeles fires more likely despite some statistical uncertainty. This is a carefully researched result that should be taken seriously. El Ninos come and go, but as long as the climate warms we will continue to see increasing risk of this hazard. Adapting to it will help, and the authors make some suggestions, but this example is one of many of how climate change increases the risk of deadly and costly disasters.”

Dr Karsten Haustein, Climate Scientist, Leipzig University, said:

“I remember a stark and dire warning of an US-based weather forecaster just before the fires. Sadly, he was absolutely spot on. The extremely hazardous mix of dry and windy conditions led to unprecedented destruction, displacing tens of thousands of people and costing billions of dollars. Naturally, folks want to know what role climate change played in this catastrophic disaster.

“Following two very rapid attribution studies by teams from UCLA (California) and IPSL-CNRS (France), now WWA has released their comprehensive rapid attribution study. The former two have already highlighted that climate change did play a role and made the fires more likely. Especially the so-called ‘hydroclimate whiplash’, where wetter than average years are followed by drier than average years, contributed to the devastating outcome. While these year-to-year variations are normal given the strong ENSO teleconnection in the region (El Niño leads to wetter conditions and vice versa for La Niña), now wet gets wetter and dry gets drier for longer.

“Hence one of the key messages of the WWA study is that the dry season in the region lasts longer than it used to be (23 days), increasing the risk for very dry conditions to overlap with strong (St Ana) winds, which occur mainly in winter. While WWA does not find increasing wind speeds during St Ana events, they do find that the risk for such a dry season has already increased by 35%, with a 6% increase in fire intensity.

“WWA highlights that a more in-depth analysis is required to make conclusive statements about changes in atmospheric circulation that favour such cut-off lows. But the thermodynamic climate change fingerprint (drier and warmer) is clearly present. So is the problem of exposure in the region. Houses are not build to withstand fire. Instead, they are fuelling the fires. A tinderbox when combined with built up vegetation from the preceding two wet seasons. All these aspects are meticulously discussed in WWA’s new attribution study.

“Their press release accurately summarises the scientific findings. The team involved was larger than ever, including the UCLA colleagues mentioned above. All methods used to conduct the analysis are peer-reviewed. The results do confirm prior research such as, for example, the hypothesised ‘hydroclimate whiplash’. The team also mentions the deficits of global climate models to simulate such wind events, which is why no attribution statement regarding the frequency of occurrence or magnitude of the St Ana winds is made.”

‘Climate change increased the likelihood of wildfire disaster in highly exposed Los Angeles area’ by Clair Barnes et al. was published by World Weather Attribution at 22:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025.

Declared interests

Prof Gabi Hegerl: “No competing interests, occasional collaboration with some of the study’s authors.”

Dr Karsten Haustein: “No conflict of interests.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: McKeesport Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearm

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a violation of federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

Paul Kirk, 29, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on August 22, 2023, Kirk fled from McKeesport Police officers during a traffic stop. Upon Kirk’s being taken into custody a short distance from the traffic stop, officers found a loaded handgun in the defendant’s pocket. Kirk has multiple previous felony convictions. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court ordered that the defendant remain in custody.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Ball is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and McKeesport Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Kirk.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Member of Violent Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Firearm and Drug Trafficking Offenses

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BOSTON – A Boston-area man pleaded guilty today to his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

Jonathan Darosa, a/k/a “Jeezy,” 31, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy); one count of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for May 1, 2025.

Over the course of a two-year investigation, Darosa was identified as a member of Cameron Street. On two separate occasions, Darosa distributed cocaine and oxycodone to a cooperating witness. Additionally, in an interaction with law enforcement, Darosa threatened officers, telling them “If I had a gun on me, I would have shot at you,” “I am not going back to jail,” and “I keep it on my hip.” In April 2021 in Dorchester, local law enforcement observed Darosa wearing a “waist bag” across his chest – law enforcement had recovered firearms from similar bags in the past. During a search of Darosa’s person, a Taurus 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol containing 12 rounds of assorted 9 millimeter ammunition, including one round in the chamber, was recovered.

According to court documents, Cameron Street is a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston that used violence and threats of violence to preserve, protect and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear and enhance its reputation.

Darosa has been convicted on three prior occasions of unlawful possession of a firearm, including a 2016 conviction in Suffolk Superior Court for which he served a three-year prison sentence.

The charge of RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by force or violence each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of cocaine and oxycodone provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release up to life and a fine of $1 million. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release up to life and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The remaining defendants named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025

MIL-OSI: First Busey Corporation Announces 2024 Fourth Quarter Earnings

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE)

Net Income of $28.1 million
Diluted EPS of $0.49

FOURTH QUARTER 2024 HIGHLIGHTS

Adjusted net income¹ of $30.7 million, or $0.53 per diluted common share
Adjusted noninterest income¹ of $35.4 million, or 30.3% of total revenue
Record high quarterly and annual revenue of $17.0 million and $65.0 million, respectively, for the Wealth Management segment
Tangible book value per common share¹ of $17.88 at December 31, 2024, compared to $16.62 at December 31, 2023, a year-over-year increase of 7.6%
Tangible common equity¹ increased to 8.76% of tangible assets at December 31, 2024, compared to 7.75% at December 31, 2023
Received stockholder approvals for the CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. merger in December 2024, followed by remaining requisite regulatory approvals in January 2025

For additional information, please refer to the 4Q24 Earnings Investor Presentation.

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN & CEO

Fourth Quarter Financial Results

Net income for First Busey Corporation (“Busey,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) was $28.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, or $0.49 per diluted common share, compared to $32.0 million, or $0.55 per diluted common share, for the third quarter of 2024, and $25.7 million, or $0.46 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted net income¹, which excludes the impact of acquisition and restructuring expenses, was $30.7 million, or $0.53 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $33.5 million, or $0.58 per diluted common share, for the third quarter of 2024 and $29.1 million or $0.52 per diluted common share for the fourth quarter of 2023. Annualized return on average assets and annualized return on average tangible common equity¹ were 0.93% and 10.86%, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2024. Annualized adjusted return on average assets¹ and annualized adjusted return on average tangible common equity¹ were 1.01% and 11.87%, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Taking into account our fourth quarter results, full year 2024 net income and adjusted net income¹ were $113.7 million, or $1.98 per diluted common share, and $119.8 million, or $2.08 per diluted common share, respectively. Return on average assets and adjusted return on average assets¹ were 0.94% and 0.99%, respectively. Return on average tangible common equity¹ and adjusted return on average tangible common equity¹ were 11.65% and 12.28%, respectively.

Full year 2024 net income and adjusted net income¹ include $6.1 million of net securities losses and $7.7 million in gains on the sale of mortgage servicing rights. Net income and adjusted net income¹ for 2024 were further impacted by a one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment of $1.4 million resulting from a change to our Illinois apportionment rate due to recently enacted regulations. Excluding the tax-effected impact of these items, further adjusted net income¹ would have been $120.0 million, equating to adjusted diluted earnings per common share¹ of $2.09.

Pre-provision net revenue¹ was $38.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $41.7 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $32.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Pre-provision net revenue to average assets¹ was 1.28% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 1.38% for the third quarter of 2024, and 1.06% for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted pre-provision net revenue¹ was $42.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $44.1 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $40.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted pre-provision net revenue to average assets¹ was 1.38% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 1.46% for the third quarter of 2024 and 1.30% for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Taking into account our fourth quarter results, full year 2024 pre-provision net revenue¹ and adjusted pre-provision net revenue¹ were $168.0 million and $167.3 million, respectively. Pre-provision net revenue to average assets¹ and adjusted pre-provision net revenue to average assets¹ were each 1.39%.

Our fee-based businesses continue to add revenue diversification. Total noninterest income was $35.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $35.8 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $31.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Fourth quarter results included $0.2 million in net securities losses. Adjusted noninterest income¹ was $35.4 million, or 30.3% of operating revenue¹, during the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $35.0 million, or 29.8% of operating revenue¹, for the third quarter of 2024 and $30.5 million, or 28.3% of operating revenue¹, for the fourth quarter of 2023. Wealth management fees and wealth management referral income included in other noninterest income contributed $17.0 million and payment technology solutions contributed $5.1 million to our consolidated noninterest income for the fourth quarter of 2024, representing 62.3% of adjusted noninterest income¹ on a combined basis.

For the full year 2024, total noninterest income was $139.7 million. Wealth management fees and wealth management referral income included in other noninterest income contributed $65.0 million and payment technology solutions contributed $22.0 million to our consolidated noninterest income for 2024, representing 63.0% of adjusted noninterest income¹ on a combined basis.

Busey views certain non-operating items, including acquisition-related expenses and restructuring charges, as adjustments to net income reported under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Non-operating pretax adjustments for acquisition and restructuring expenses¹ were $3.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Busey believes that its non-GAAP measures (which are identified with the endnote labeled as 1) facilitate the assessment of its financial results and peer comparability. For more information and a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures in tabular form, see “Non-GAAP Financial Information.“

We remain focused on prudently managing our expense base and operating efficiency in the current operating environment. Noninterest expense was $78.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $75.9 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $75.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted core expense¹, which excludes the amortization of intangible assets and new markets tax credits, acquisition and restructuring expenses, and the provision for unfunded commitments, was $72.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $71.0 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $65.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. The year-over-year comparable period growth in adjusted core expense can be attributed primarily to the acquisition of Merchants and Manufacturers Bank Corporation (“M&M”) and general inflationary pressures on compensation and benefits and to a lesser extent certain other expense categories.

Quarterly pre-tax expense synergies resulting from our acquisition of M&M are anticipated to be $1.6 million to $1.7 million per quarter when fully realized. Quarterly run-rate savings are projected to be achieved by the first quarter of 2025. During the fourth quarter of 2024, we achieved approximately 86% of the full quarterly savings.

Planned Partnership with CrossFirst

On August 26, 2024, Busey and CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. (“CrossFirst”) entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “merger agreement”) pursuant to which CrossFirst will merge with and into Busey (the “merger”) and CrossFirst’s wholly-owned subsidiary, CrossFirst Bank, will merge with and into Busey Bank. This partnership will create a premier commercial bank in the Midwest, Southwest, and Florida, with 77 full-service locations across 10 states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas—and approximately $20 billion in combined assets, $17 billion in total deposits, $14 billion in total loans, and $14 billion in wealth assets under care.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, CrossFirst stockholders will have the right to receive for each share of CrossFirst common stock 0.6675 of a share of Busey’s common stock. Upon completion of the transaction, Busey’s stockholders will own approximately 63.5% of the combined company and CrossFirst’s stockholders will own approximately 36.5% of the combined company, on a fully-diluted basis. Busey common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq under the “BUSE” stock ticker symbol.

On December 20, 2024, Busey and CrossFirst stockholders voted to approve the merger. On January 16, 2025, Busey received regulatory approval from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the merger. Busey and CrossFirst intend to close the merger on March 1, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of the remaining customary closing conditions. The transaction has also been approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner. The combined holding company will continue to operate under the First Busey Corporation name and the combined bank will operate under the Busey Bank name. It is anticipated that CrossFirst Bank will merge with and into Busey Bank in mid-2025. At the time of the bank merger, CrossFirst Bank locations will become banking centers of Busey Bank. In connection with this merger, Busey incurred one-time pretax acquisition-related expenses of $2.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2024 and $3.9 million for the full year.

For further details on the merger, see Busey’s Current Report on Form 8‑K announcing the merger, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on August 27, 2024.

Busey’s Conservative Banking Strategy

Busey’s financial strength is built on a long-term conservative operating approach. That focus will not change now or in the future.

The quality of our core deposit franchise is a critical value driver of our institution. Our granular deposit base continues to position us well, with core deposits¹ representing 96.5% of our deposits as of December 31, 2024. Our retail deposit base was comprised of more than 251,000 accounts with an average balance of $22 thousand and an average tenure of 16.9 years as of December 31, 2024. Our commercial deposit base was comprised of more than 32,000 accounts with an average balance of $98 thousand and an average tenure of 12.8 years as of December 31, 2024. We estimate that 30% of our deposits were uninsured and uncollateralized² as of December 31, 2024, and we have sufficient on- and off-balance sheet liquidity to manage deposit fluctuations and the liquidity needs of our customers.

Asset quality remains strong by both Busey’s historical and current industry trends. Non-performing assets increased to $23.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2024, representing 0.19% of total assets. The increase relates to one Commercial Real Estate loan that was classified in the fourth quarter of 2023 and was moved to non-accrual during the fourth quarter of 2024. This loan carries a remaining balance of $15.0 million following a $3.0 million charge-off in the fourth quarter of 2024. Busey’s results for the fourth quarter of 2024 include a $1.3 million provision expense for credit losses and a $0.5 million provision release for unfunded commitments. The allowance for credit losses was $83.4 million as of December 31, 2024, representing 1.08% of total portfolio loans outstanding, and providing coverage of 3.59 times our non-performing loan balance. Including the charge-off for the Commercial Real Estate loan mentioned above, Busey’s net charge-offs totaled $2.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. As of December 31, 2024, our commercial real estate loan portfolio of investor-owned office properties within Central Business District³ areas was minimal at $2.0 million. Our credit performance continues to reflect our highly diversified, conservatively underwritten loan portfolio, which has been originated predominantly to established customers with tenured relationships with our company.

The strength of our balance sheet is also reflected in our capital foundation. In the fourth quarter of 2024, our Common Equity Tier 1 ratio⁴ was 14.10% and our Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets ratio⁴ was 18.53%. Our regulatory capital ratios continue to provide a buffer of more than $610 million above levels required to be designated well-capitalized. Our Tangible Common Equity ratio¹ was 8.76% during the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 8.96% for the third quarter of 2024 and 7.75% for the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey’s tangible book value per common share¹ was $17.88 at December 31, 2024, compared to $18.19 at September 30, 2024, and $16.62 at December 31, 2023, reflecting a 7.6% year-over-year increase. During the fourth quarter of 2024, we paid a common share dividend of $0.24.

Community Banking

In the last two months of 2024, Busey offered a new, short-term Express Microloan product, created to help small businesses thrive. With a competitive 4.99% fixed interest rate, flexible terms and loans of up to $10,000, existing Busey customers with business checking accounts were invited to apply—allowing them to manage expenses, refinance debt, invest in new opportunities, and enhance operations. Busey originated more than 100 Express Microloans in 60-days, meeting the needs of our small business customers.

As we reflect back on 2024 and look ahead to 2025, we feel confident that we are well positioned to produce quality growth and profitability. The pending CrossFirst transaction fits with our acquisition strategy and we are excited to welcome our CrossFirst colleagues into the Busey family. We are grateful for the opportunities to consistently earn the business of our customers, based on the contributions of our talented associates and the continued support of our loyal stockholders.

		Van A. Dukeman
		Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
		First Busey Corporation

SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS *(unaudited)*
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended									Years Ended
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
EARNINGS & PER SHARE AMOUNTS
Net income	$	28,105		$	32,004		$	25,749		$	113,691		$	122,565
Diluted earnings per common share		0.49			0.55			0.46			1.98			2.18
Cash dividends paid per share		0.24			0.24			0.24			0.96			0.96
Pre-provision net revenue^{1, 2}		38,828			41,744			32,909			167,996			158,502
Operating revenue²		116,995			117,688			107,888			460,671			444,034

Net income by operating segment:
Banking		30,856			33,221			25,164			117,266			123,853
FirsTech		(723	)		(61	)		325			(670	)		830
Wealth Management		5,853			5,618			4,233			22,030			18,804

AVERAGE BALANCES
Cash and cash equivalents	$	776,572		$	502,127		$	608,647		$	555,281		$	330,952
Investment securities		2,597,309			2,666,269			2,995,223			2,726,488			3,188,815
Loans held for sale		6,306			11,539			1,679			8,012			1,885
Portfolio loans		7,738,772			7,869,798			7,736,010			7,804,629			7,759,472
Interest-earning assets		11,048,350			10,942,745			11,235,326			10,999,424			11,181,010
Total assets		12,085,993			12,007,702			12,308,491			12,051,871			12,246,218

Noninterest-bearing deposits		2,724,344			2,706,858			2,827,696			2,738,892			3,018,563
Interest-bearing deposits		7,325,662			7,296,921			7,545,234			7,301,124			7,052,370
Total deposits		10,050,006			10,003,779			10,372,930			10,040,016			10,070,933

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase		135,728			132,688			182,735			147,786			200,894
Interest-bearing liabilities		7,763,729			7,731,459			8,054,663			7,763,084			7,825,459
Total liabilities		10,689,054			10,643,325			11,106,074			10,709,447			11,048,707
Stockholders’ equity – common		1,396,939			1,364,377			1,202,417			1,342,424			1,197,511
Tangible common equity²		1,029,539			994,657			846,948			975,823			838,164

PERFORMANCE RATIOS
Pre-provision net revenue to average assets^{1, 2, 3}		1.28	%		1.38	%		1.06	%		1.39	%		1.29	%
Return on average assets³		0.93	%		1.06	%		0.83	%		0.94	%		1.00	%
Return on average common equity³		8.00	%		9.33	%		8.50	%		8.47	%		10.23	%
Return on average tangible common equity^{2, 3}		10.86	%		12.80	%		12.06	%		11.65	%		14.62	%
Net interest margin^2, 4		2.95	%		3.02	%		2.75	%		2.95	%		2.89	%
Efficiency ratio²		64.45	%		62.15	%		66.89	%		61.76	%		61.65	%
Adjusted noninterest income to operating revenue²		30.27	%		29.77	%		28.31	%		29.97	%		27.79	%

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue^1, 2	$	41,958		$	44,104		$	40,223		$	167,317		$	172,290
Adjusted net income²		30,725			33,533			29,123			119,805			126,012
Adjusted diluted earnings per share²		0.53			0.58			0.52			2.08			2.24
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue to average assets^{2, 3}		1.38	%		1.46	%		1.30	%		1.39	%		1.41	%
Adjusted return on average assets^{2, 3}		1.01	%		1.11	%		0.94	%		0.99	%		1.03	%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity^{2, 3}		11.87	%		13.41	%		13.64	%		12.28	%		15.03	%
Adjusted net interest margin^2, 4		2.92	%		2.97	%		2.74	%		2.92	%		2.87	%
Adjusted efficiency ratio²		61.40	%		60.50	%		62.98	%		61.03	%		60.68	%

___________________________________________

Net interest income plus noninterest income, excluding securities gains and losses, less noninterest expense.
See “Non-GAAP Financial Information” for reconciliation.
For quarterly periods, measures are annualized.
On a tax-equivalent basis, assuming a federal income tax rate of 21%.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS *(unaudited)*
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

	As of
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$	697,659		$	553,709		$	719,581
Debt securities available for sale		1,810,221			1,818,117			2,087,571
Debt securities held to maturity		826,630			838,883			872,628
Equity securities		15,862			10,315			9,812
Loans held for sale		3,657			11,523			2,379

Commercial loans		5,552,288			5,631,281			5,635,048
Retail real estate and retail other loans		2,144,799			2,177,816			2,015,986
Portfolio loans		7,697,087			7,809,097			7,651,034

Allowance for credit losses		(83,404	)		(84,981	)		(91,740	)
Restricted bank stock		49,930			6,000			6,000
Premises and equipment, net		118,820			120,279			122,594
Right of use assets		10,608			11,100			11,027
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net		365,975			368,249			353,864
Other assets		533,677			524,548			538,665
Total assets	$	12,046,722		$	11,986,839		$	12,283,415

LIABILITIES & STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Liabilities
Deposits:
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	2,719,907		$	2,683,543		$	2,834,655
Interest-bearing checking, savings, and money market deposits		5,771,948			5,739,773			5,637,227
Time deposits		1,490,635			1,519,925			1,819,274
Total deposits		9,982,490			9,943,241			10,291,156

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase		155,610			128,429			187,396
Short-term borrowings		—			—			12,000
Long-term debt		227,723			227,482			240,882
Junior subordinated debt owed to unconsolidated trusts		74,815			74,754			71,993
Lease liabilities		11,040			11,470			11,308
Other liabilities		211,775			198,579			196,699
Total liabilities		10,663,453			10,583,955			11,011,434

Stockholders’ equity
Retained earnings		294,054			279,868			237,197
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(207,039	)		(170,913	)		(218,803	)
Other stockholders’ equity¹		1,296,254			1,293,929			1,253,587
Total stockholders’ equity		1,383,269			1,402,884			1,271,981
Total liabilities & stockholders’ equity	$	12,046,722		$	11,986,839		$	12,283,415

SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS
Book value per common share	$	24.31		$	24.67		$	23.02
Tangible book value per common share²	$	17.88		$	18.19		$	16.62
Ending number of common shares outstanding		56,895,981			56,872,241			55,244,119

___________________________________________

Net balance of common stock ($0.001 par value), additional paid-in capital, and treasury stock.
See “Non-GAAP Financial Information” for reconciliation.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME *(unaudited)*
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended								Years Ended
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023		December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
INTEREST INCOME
Interest and fees on loans	$	106,120		$	111,336		$	101,425	$	426,422		$	385,848
Interest and dividends on investment securities		16,788			18,072			20,634		73,970			82,994
Dividend income on bank stock		557			106			212		848			1,170
Other interest income		7,851			5,092			6,641		22,441			10,531
Total interest income	$	131,316		$	134,606		$	128,912	$	523,681		$	480,543

INTEREST EXPENSE
Deposits	$	44,152		$	46,634		$	45,409	$	178,463		$	123,985
Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase		915			981			1,431		4,308			5,203
Short-term borrowings		25			26			248		701			12,775
Long-term debt		3,183			3,181			3,475		12,950			14,106
Junior subordinated debt owed to unconsolidated trusts		1,463			1,137			1,004		4,648			3,853
Total interest expense	$	49,738		$	51,959		$	51,567	$	201,070		$	159,922

Net interest income	$	81,578		$	82,647		$	77,345	$	322,611		$	320,621
Provision for credit losses		1,273			2			455		8,590			2,399
Net interest income after provision for credit losses	$	80,305		$	82,645		$	76,890	$	314,021		$	318,222

NONINTEREST INCOME
Wealth management fees	$	16,786		$	15,378		$	13,715	$	63,630		$	57,309
Fees for customer services		7,911			8,168			7,484		30,933			29,044
Payment technology solutions		5,094			5,265			5,420		21,983			21,192
Mortgage revenue		496			355			218		2,075			1,089
Income on bank owned life insurance		1,080			1,189			1,019		5,130			4,701
Realized net gains (losses) on the sale of mortgage servicing rights		—			(18	)		—		7,724			—
Net securities gains (losses)		(196	)		822			761		(6,102	)		(2,199	)
Other noninterest income		4,050			4,686			2,687		14,309			10,078
Total noninterest income	$	35,221		$	35,845		$	31,304	$	139,682		$	121,214

NONINTEREST EXPENSE
Salaries, wages, and employee benefits	$	45,458		$	44,593		$	42,730	$	175,619		$	162,597
Data processing expense		6,564			6,910			6,236		27,124			23,708
Net occupancy expense of premises		4,794			4,633			4,318		18,737			18,214
Furniture and equipment expense		1,650			1,647			1,694		6,805			6,759
Professional fees		4,938			3,118			2,574		12,804			7,147
Amortization of intangible assets		2,471			2,548			2,479		10,057			10,432
Interchange expense		1,305			1,352			1,355		6,001			6,864
FDIC insurance		1,330			1,413			1,167		5,603			5,650
Other noninterest expense		9,657			9,712			12,426		37,649			44,161
Total noninterest expense	$	78,167		$	75,926		$	74,979	$	300,399		$	285,532

Income before income taxes	$	37,359		$	42,564		$	33,215	$	153,304		$	153,904
Income taxes		9,254			10,560			7,466		39,613			31,339
Net income	$	28,105		$	32,004		$	25,749	$	113,691		$	122,565

SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS
Basic earnings per common share	$	0.49		$	0.56		$	0.46	$	2.01		$	2.21
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.49		$	0.55		$	0.46	$	1.98		$	2.18
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic		57,061,542			57,033,359			55,403,662		56,610,032			55,432,322
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, diluted		57,934,812			57,967,848			56,333,033		57,543,001			56,256,148

BALANCE SHEET STRENGTH

Our balance sheet remains a source of strength. Total assets were $12.05 billion as of December 31, 2024, compared to $11.99 billion as of September 30, 2024, and $12.28 billion as of December 31, 2023.

We remain steadfast in our conservative approach to underwriting and disciplined approach to pricing, particularly given our outlook for the economy in the coming quarters, and this approach has impacted loan growth as predicted. Portfolio loans totaled $7.70 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $7.81 billion at September 30, 2024, and $7.65 billion at December 31, 2023.

Average portfolio loans were $7.74 billion for both the fourth quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $7.87 billion for the third quarter of 2024. Average interest-earning assets were $11.05 billion for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $10.94 billion for the third quarter of 2024, and $11.24 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Total deposits were $9.98 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $9.94 billion at September 30, 2024, and $10.29 billion at December 31, 2023. Average deposits were $10.05 billion for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $10.00 billion for the third quarter of 2024 and $10.37 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023. Deposit fluctuations over the last several quarters were driven by a number of elements, including (1) seasonal factors, including ordinary course public fund flows and fluctuations in the normal course of business operations of certain core commercial customers, (2) the macroeconomic environment, including prevailing interest rates and inflationary pressures, (3) depositors moving some funds to accounts at competitors offering above-market rates, and (4) deposits moving within the Busey ecosystem between deposit accounts and our wealth management group. Core deposits¹ accounted for 96.5% of total deposits as of December 31, 2024. Cost of deposits was 1.75% in the fourth quarter of 2024, which represents a decrease of 10 basis points from the third quarter of 2024. Excluding time deposits, Busey’s cost of deposits was 1.38% in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 12 basis points from the third quarter of 2024. Busey Bank continues to offer savings account specials to customers with larger account balances, with the intention of migrating maturing CDs to these managed rate products. Spot rates on total deposit costs, including noninterest bearing deposits, decreased by 13 basis points from 1.80% at September 30, 2024, to 1.67% at December 31, 2024. Spot rates on interest bearing deposits decreased by 17 basis points from 2.46% at September 30, 2024, to 2.29% at December 31, 2024.

There were no short term borrowings as of December 31 or September 30, 2024, compared to $12.0 million at December 31, 2023. We had no borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, the third quarter of 2024, or the fourth quarter of 2023. We have sufficient on- and off-balance sheet liquidity⁵ to manage deposit fluctuations and the liquidity needs of our customers. As of December 31, 2024, our available sources of on- and off-balance sheet liquidity totaled $6.19 billion. We have executed various deposit campaigns to attract term funding and savings accounts at a lower rate than our marginal cost of funds. New certificate of deposit production in the fourth quarter of 2024 had a weighted average term of 7.6 months at a rate of 3.58%, 128 basis points below our average marginal wholesale equivalent-term funding cost during the quarter. Furthermore, our balance sheet liquidity profile continues to be aided by the cash flows we expect from our relatively short-duration securities portfolio. Those cash flows were approximately $132.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Cash flows from our securities portfolio are expected to be approximately $353.8 million for 2025, with a current book yield of 1.87%, and approximately $288.3 million for 2026, with a current book yield of 2.03%.

ASSET QUALITY

Credit quality continues to be strong. Loans 30-89 days past due totaled $8.1 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to $10.1 million as of September 30, 2024, and $5.8 million as of December 31, 2023. Non-performing loans were $23.2 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to $8.2 million as of September 30, 2024, and $7.8 million as of December 31, 2023. The increase relates to one Commercial Real Estate loan that was classified in the fourth quarter of 2023 and was moved to non-accrual during the fourth quarter of 2024. This loan carries a remaining balance of $15.0 million following a $3.0 million charge-off in the fourth quarter of 2024. Continued disciplined credit management resulted in non-performing loans as a percentage of portfolio loans of 0.30% as of December 31, 2024, compared to 0.11% as of September 30, 2024, and 0.10% as of December 31, 2023. Non-performing assets were 0.19% of total assets for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 0.07% for the third quarter of 2024 and 0.06% for the fourth quarter of 2023. Our total classified assets were $85.3 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $89.0 million at September 30, 2024, and $72.3 million at December 31, 2023. Our ratio of classified assets to estimated bank Tier 1 capital⁴ and reserves remains low by historical standards, at 5.6% as of December 31, 2024, compared to 5.9% as of September 30, 2024, and 5.0% as of December 31, 2023.

Net charge-offs were $2.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $0.2 million for the third quarter of 2024, and $0.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The fourth quarter charge-off relates to the Commercial Real Estate loan mentioned above. The allowance as a percentage of portfolio loans was 1.08% as of December 31, 2024, compared to 1.09% as of September 30, 2024, and 1.20% as of December 31, 2023. The ratio was impacted in 2024 by the acquisition of M&M’s Life Equity Loan^® portfolio, as Busey did not record an allowance for credit loss for these loans due to no expected credit loss at default, as permitted under the practical expedient provided within the Accounting Standards Codification 326-20-35-6. The allowance coverage for non-performing loans was 3.59 times as of December 31, 2024, compared to 10.34 times as of September 30, 2024, and 11.74 times as of December 31, 2023.

Busey maintains a well-diversified loan portfolio and, as a matter of policy and practice, limits concentration exposure in any particular loan segment.

ASSET QUALITY *(unaudited)*
(dollars in thousands)

	As of
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023
Total assets	$	12,046,722		$	11,986,839		$	12,283,415
Portfolio loans		7,697,087			7,809,097			7,651,034
Loans 30 – 89 days past due		8,124			10,141			5,779
Non-performing loans:
Non-accrual loans		22,088			8,192			7,441
Loans 90+ days past due and still accruing		1,149			25			375
Non-performing loans	$	23,237		$	8,217		$	7,816
Non-performing loans, segregated by geography:
Illinois / Indiana	$	19,558		$	3,981		$	3,715
Missouri		3,016			3,530			3,836
Florida		663			706			265
Other non-performing assets		63			64			125
Non-performing assets	$	23,300		$	8,281		$	7,941

Allowance for credit losses	$	83,404		$	84,981		$	91,740

RATIOS
Non-performing loans to portfolio loans		0.30	%		0.11	%		0.10	%
Non-performing assets to total assets		0.19	%		0.07	%		0.06	%
Non-performing assets to portfolio loans and other non-performing assets		0.30	%		0.11	%		0.10	%
Allowance for credit losses to portfolio loans		1.08	%		1.09	%		1.20	%
Coverage ratio of the allowance for credit losses to non-performing loans		3.59	x		10.34	x		11.74	x

NET CHARGE-OFFS (RECOVERIES) AND PROVISION EXPENSE (RELEASE) *(unaudited)*
(dollars in thousands)

	Three Months Ended						Years Ended
	December 31, 2024		September 30, 2024		December 31, 2023		December 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Net charge-offs (recoveries)	$	2,850	$	247	$	425	$	18,169	$	2,267
Provision expense (release)		1,273		2		455		8,590		2,399

NET INTEREST MARGIN AND NET INTEREST INCOME

Net interest margin¹ was 2.95% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 3.02% for the third quarter of 2024 and 2.75% for the fourth quarter of 2023. Excluding purchase accounting accretion, adjusted net interest margin¹ was 2.92% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 2.97% in the third quarter of 2024 and 2.74% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Net interest income was $81.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $82.6 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $77.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

After raising federal funds rates by a total of 525 basis points between March 2022 and July 2023, the Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) lowered rates by 100 basis points beginning in September 2024. In anticipation of the FOMC pivot to an easing cycle, we limited our exposure to term funding structures and intentionally priced savings specials to encourage maturing CD balances to migrate to managed rate non-maturity products. Beginning in September we began lowering rates on special priced deposit accounts and other managed rate products to benefit from the FOMC rate cuts. In addition, approximately 7% of our deposit portfolio is indexed and immediately repriced with the rate cuts by the FOMC. CD balances comprise only 15% of the total deposit funding base. If rates move lower in 2025, we have the ability to reprice CD balances due to the short duration term structure of the portfolio. Approximately 58% of Busey’s non-maturity deposits are at rack rates with a weighted average rate of 0.01%. We continue to offer CD specials with shorter term structures as well as offering attractive premium savings rates to encourage rotation of maturing CD deposits into nimble pricing products. Components of the 7 basis point decrease in net interest margin¹ during the fourth quarter of 2024 include:

Reduced non-maturity deposit funding costs contributed +9 basis points
Increased cash and securities portfolio yield contributed +6 basis points
Reduced time deposit funding costs contributed +1 basis point
Decreased loan portfolio and held for sale loan yields contributed -20 basis points
Decreased purchase accounting contributed -2 basis points
Increased borrowing expense -1 basis point

Based on our most recent Asset Liability Management Committee (“ALCO”) model, a +100 basis point parallel rate shock is expected to increase net interest income by 2.0% over the subsequent twelve-month period. Busey continues to evaluate and execute off-balance sheet hedging and balance sheet restructuring strategies as well as embedding rate protection in our asset originations to provide stabilization to net interest income in lower rate environments. Time deposit and savings specials have provided funding flows, and we had excess earning cash during the fourth quarter of 2024. Our cumulative interest-bearing non-maturity tightening cycle deposit beta peaked at 41% during the third quarter of 2024. Our total deposit beta for the completed tightening cycle was 34%. Since the onset of the current easing cycle, we have reduced our interest-bearing non-maturity deposit cost of funds by 18 basis points, which represents a 26% easing cycle beta. Deposit betas were calculated based on an average federal funds rate of 4.82% during the fourth quarter of 2024. The average federal funds rate has decreased by 68 basis points since the end of the tightening cycle that concluded in the third quarter of 2024.

NONINTEREST INCOME

Noninterest income was $35.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, as compared to $35.8 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $31.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of net securities gains and losses and immaterial follow-on adjustments from the previously announced mortgage servicing rights sale, adjusted noninterest income¹ was $35.4 million, or 30.3% of operating revenue¹, during the fourth quarter of 2024, $35.0 million, or 29.8% of operating revenue, for the third quarter of 2024, and $30.5 million, or 28.3% of operating revenue, for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Consolidated wealth management fees were $16.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $15.4 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $13.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. On a segment basis, Wealth Management generated $17.0 million in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2024, a 22.7% increase over revenue of $13.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Fourth quarter of 2024 results marked a new record high reported quarterly revenue for the Wealth Management operating segment. The Wealth Management operating segment generated net income of $5.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $5.6 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $4.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey’s Wealth Management division ended the fourth quarter of 2024 with $13.83 billion in assets under care, compared to $13.69 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2024 and $12.14 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023. Our portfolio management team continues to focus on long-term returns and managing risk in the face of volatile markets and has outperformed its blended benchmark⁶ over the last three and five years.

Payment technology solutions revenue was $5.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $5.3 million for the third quarter of 2024 and $5.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Excluding intracompany eliminations, the FirsTech operating segment generated revenue of $5.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $5.6 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $5.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Wealth management fees, wealth management referral income included in other noninterest income, and payment technology solutions represented 62.3% of adjusted noninterest income¹ for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Fees for customer services were $7.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $8.2 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $7.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Other noninterest income was $4.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $4.7 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $2.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. The third quarter of 2024 benefited from $0.8 million in revenue associated with certain wealth management activities that was reported as other noninterest income; in comparison, other noninterest income from wealth management activities was $0.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 and $0.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Compared to the prior quarter, we also saw decreases in venture capital income and swap origination fee income, which were mostly offset by increases in commercial loan sales gains. When compared with the fourth quarter of 2023, increases in other noninterest income were primarily attributable to increases in commercial loan sales gains and venture capital income, as well as the addition of Life Equity Loan^® servicing income beginning in the second quarter of 2024.

OPERATING EFFICIENCY

Noninterest expense was $78.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $75.9 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $75.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The efficiency ratio¹ was 64.5% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 62.1% for the third quarter of 2024, and 66.9% for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted core expense¹ was $72.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $71.0 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $65.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. The adjusted core efficiency ratio¹ was 61.8% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 60.2% for the third quarter of 2024, and 60.1% for the fourth quarter of 2023. We expect to continue to prudently manage our expenses and to realize the full extent of M&M acquisition synergies in 2025.

Noteworthy components of noninterest expense are as follows:

Salaries, wages, and employee benefits expenses were $45.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $44.6 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $42.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey recorded $0.2 million of non-operating salaries, wages, and employee benefit expenses in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $0.1 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $3.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Our associate-base consisted of 1,509 full-time equivalents as of December 31, 2024, compared to 1,510 as of September 30, 2024, and 1,479 as of December 31, 2023. The increase in our associate-base in 2024 was largely due to the M&M acquisition.
Data processing expense was $6.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $6.9 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $6.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey has continued to make investments in technology enhancements and has also experienced inflation-driven price increases.
Professional fees were $4.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $3.1 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey recorded $3.0 million of non-operating professional fees in the fourth quarter of 2024, as compared to $1.4 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $0.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Fourth quarter of 2024 non-operating professional fees consisted of $1.9 million related to merger activities and $1.1 million in restructuring activities related to corporate strategy advisement.
Other noninterest expense was $9.7 million for both the third and fourth quarters of 2024, compared to $12.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Busey recorded $0.3 million of non-operating costs in other noninterest expense in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $0.4 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $0.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. In connection with Busey’s adoption of ASU 2023-02 on January 1, 2024, Busey began recording amortization of New Markets Tax Credits as income tax expense instead of other operating expense, which resulted in a decrease to other operating expenses of $2.3 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Other items contributing to the fluctuations in other noninterest expense included the provision for unfunded commitments, mortgage servicing rights valuation expenses, fixed asset impairment, marketing, business development, and expenses related to recruiting and onboarding.

Busey’s effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2024 was 24.8%, which was lower than the combined federal and state statutory rate of approximately 28.0% due to the impact of tax exempt interest income, such as municipal bond interest, bank owned life insurance income, and investments in various federal and state tax credits. Busey’s effective tax rate for the full year 2024 was 25.8%. In the second quarter of 2024, Busey recorded a one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment of $1.4 million resulting from a change to our Illinois apportionment rate due to recently enacted regulations. These newly enacted regulations are expected to lower our tax obligation in future periods. Excluding the impact of the one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment, our effective tax rate for the full year 2024 would have been 24.9%.

Effective tax rates were higher in 2024, compared to 2023, due to the adoption of ASU 2023-02 in January 2024. Upon adoption of ASU 2023-02 Busey elected to use the proportional amortization method of accounting for equity investments made primarily for the purpose of receiving income tax credits. The proportional amortization method results in the cost of the investment being amortized in proportion to the income tax credits and other income tax benefits received, with the amortization of the investment and the income tax credits being presented net in the income statement as a component of income tax expense as opposed to being presented on a gross basis on the income statement as a component of noninterest expense and income tax expense.

CAPITAL STRENGTH

Busey’s strong capital levels, coupled with its earnings, have allowed the Company to provide a steady return to its stockholders through dividends. On January 31, 2025, Busey will pay a cash dividend of $0.25 per common share to stockholders of record as of January 24, 2025, which represents a 4.2% increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share. Busey has consistently paid dividends to its common stockholders since the bank holding company was organized in 1980.

As of December 31, 2024, Busey continued to exceed the capital adequacy requirements necessary to be considered “well-capitalized” under applicable regulatory guidelines. Busey’s Common Equity Tier 1 ratio is estimated⁴ to be 14.10% at December 31, 2024, compared to 13.78% at September 30, 2024, and 13.09% at December 31, 2023. Our Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets ratio is estimated⁴ to be 18.53% at December 31, 2024, compared to 18.19% at September 30, 2024, and 17.44% at December 31, 2023.

Busey’s tangible common equity¹ was $1.02 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $1.04 billion at September 30, 2024, and $925.0 million at December 31, 2023. Tangible common equity¹ represented 8.76% of tangible assets at December 31, 2024, compared to 8.96% at September 30, 2024, and 7.75% at December 31, 2023. Busey’s tangible book value per common share¹ was $17.88 at December 31, 2024, compared to $18.19 at September 30, 2024, and $16.62 at December 31, 2023, reflecting a 7.6% year-over-year increase. The ratios of tangible common equity to tangible assets¹ and tangible book value per common share have been impacted by the fair value adjustment of Busey’s securities portfolio as a result of the current rate environment, which is reflected in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of stockholder’s equity.

FOURTH QUARTER EARNINGS INVESTOR PRESENTATION

For additional information on Busey’s financial condition and operating results, please refer to the Q4 2024 Earnings Investor Presentation furnished via Form 8-K on January 28, 2025, in connection with this earnings release.

CORPORATE PROFILE

As of December 31, 2024, First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE) was an $12.05 billion financial holding company headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.

Busey Bank, a wholly-owned bank subsidiary of First Busey Corporation, had total assets of $12.01 billion as of December 31, 2024, and is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Busey Bank currently has 62 banking centers, with 21 in Central Illinois markets, 17 in suburban Chicago markets, 20 in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, three in Southwest Florida, and one in Indianapolis. More information about Busey Bank can be found at busey.com.

Through Busey’s Wealth Management division, the Company provides a full range of asset management, investment, brokerage, fiduciary, philanthropic advisory, tax preparation, and farm management services to individuals, businesses, and foundations. Assets under care totaled $13.83 billion as of December 31, 2024. More information about Busey’s Wealth Management services can be found at busey.com/wealth-management.

Busey Bank’s wholly-owned subsidiary, FirsTech, specializes in the evolving financial technology needs of small and medium-sized businesses, highly regulated enterprise industries, and financial institutions. FirsTech provides comprehensive and innovative payment technology solutions, including online, mobile, and voice-recognition bill payments; money and data movement; merchant services; direct debit services; lockbox remittance processing for payments made by mail; and walk-in payments at retail agents. Additionally, FirsTech simplifies client workflows through integrations enabling support with billing, reconciliation, bill reminders, and treasury services. More information about FirsTech can be found at firstechpayments.com.

For the first time, Busey was named among the World’s Best Banks for 2024 by Forbes, earning a spot on the list among 68 U.S. banks and 403 banks worldwide. Additionally, Busey Bank was honored to be named among America’s Best Banks by Forbes magazine for the third consecutive year. Ranked 40th overall in 2024, Busey was the second-ranked bank headquartered in Illinois of the six banks that made this year’s list and the highest-ranked bank of those with more than $10 billion in assets. Busey is humbled to be named among the 2024 Best Banks to Work For by American Banker, the 2024 Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pensions and Investments, the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois by Daily Herald Business Ledger, the 2024 Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and the 2024 Best Companies to Work For in Florida by Florida Trend magazine. We are honored to be consistently recognized globally, nationally and locally for our engaged culture of integrity and commitment to community development.

For more information about us, visit busey.com.

Category: Financial
Source: First Busey Corporation

Contacts:

Jeffrey D. Jones, Chief Financial Officer
217-365-4130

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION

This earnings release contains certain financial information determined by methods other than GAAP. Management uses these non-GAAP measures, together with the related GAAP measures, in analysis of Busey’s performance and in making business decisions, as well as for comparison to Busey’s peers. Busey believes the adjusted measures are useful for investors and management to understand the effects of certain non-core and non-recurring noninterest items and provide additional perspective on Busey’s performance over time.

Below is a reconciliation to what management believes to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures—specifically, net interest income, total noninterest income, net security gains and losses, and total noninterest expense in the case of pre-provision net revenue, adjusted pre-provision net revenue, pre-provision net revenue to average assets, and adjusted pre-provision net revenue to average assets; net income in the case of adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted return on average assets, average tangible common equity, return on average tangible common equity, adjusted return on average tangible common equity; net income and net security gains and losses in the case of further adjusted net income and further adjusted diluted earnings per share; net interest income in the case of adjusted net interest income and adjusted net interest margin; net interest income, total noninterest income, and total noninterest expense in the case of adjusted noninterest income, adjusted noninterest expense, noninterest expense excluding non-operating adjustments, adjusted core expense, efficiency ratio, adjusted efficiency ratio, and adjusted core efficiency ratio; net interest income, total noninterest income, net securities gains and losses, and net gains and losses on the sale of mortgage servicing rights in the case of operating revenue and adjusted noninterest income to operating revenue; total assets and goodwill and other intangible assets in the case of tangible assets; total stockholders’ equity in the case of tangible book value per common share; total assets and total stockholders’ equity in the case of tangible common equity and tangible common equity to tangible assets; and total deposits in the case of core deposits and core deposits to total deposits.

These non-GAAP disclosures have inherent limitations and are not audited. They should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating results reported in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Tax effected numbers included in these non-GAAP disclosures are based on estimated statutory rates, estimated federal income tax rates, or effective tax rates, as noted with the tables below.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited)

Pre-Provision Net Revenue and Related Measures

		Three Months Ended									Years Ended
(dollars in thousands)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Net interest income (GAAP)		$	81,578		$	82,647		$	77,345		$	322,611		$	320,621
Total noninterest income (GAAP)			35,221			35,845			31,304			139,682			121,214
Net security (gains) losses (GAAP)			196			(822	)		(761	)		6,102			2,199
Total noninterest expense (GAAP)			(78,167	)		(75,926	)		(74,979	)		(300,399	)		(285,532	)
Pre-provision net revenue (Non-GAAP)	[a]		38,828			41,744			32,909			167,996			158,502
Acquisition and restructuring expenses			3,585			1,935			4,237			8,140			4,328
Provision for unfunded commitments			(455	)		407			818			(1,095	)		461
Amortization of New Markets Tax Credits			—			—			2,259			—			8,999
Realized (gain) loss on the sale of mortgage service rights			—			18			—			(7,724	)		—
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue (Non-GAAP)	[b]	$	41,958		$	44,104		$	40,223		$	167,317		$	172,290

Average total assets (GAAP)	[c]		12,085,993			12,007,702			12,308,491			12,051,871			12,246,218

Pre-provision net revenue to average total assets (Non-GAAP)¹	[a÷c]		1.28	%		1.38	%		1.06	%		1.39	%		1.29	%
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue to average total assets (Non-GAAP)¹	[b÷c]		1.38	%		1.46	%		1.30	%		1.39	%		1.41	%

___________________________________________

For quarterly periods, measures are annualized.


Adjusted Net Income, Average Tangible Common Equity, and Related Ratios

		Three Months Ended									Years Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Net income (GAAP)	[a]	$	28,105		$	32,004		$	25,749		$	113,691		$	122,565
Acquisition expenses:
Salaries, wages, and employee benefits			247			73			—			1,457			—
Data processing			14			90			—			548			—
Professional fees, occupancy, furniture and fixtures, and other			2,208			1,772			266			4,896			357
Restructuring expenses:
Salaries, wages, and employee benefits			—			—			3,760			123			3,760
Professional fees, occupancy, furniture and fixtures, and other			1,116			—			211			1,116			211
Acquisition and restructuring expenses			3,585			1,935			4,237			8,140			4,328
Related tax benefit¹			(965	)		(406	)		(863	)		(2,026	)		(881	)
Adjusted net income (Non-GAAP)	[b]	$	30,725		$	33,533		$	29,123		$	119,805		$	126,012

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, diluted (GAAP)	[c]		57,934,812			57,967,848			56,333,033			57,543,001			56,256,148
Diluted earnings per common share (GAAP)	[a÷c]	$	0.49		$	0.55		$	0.46		$	1.98		$	2.18
Adjusted diluted earnings per common share (Non-GAAP)	[b÷c]	$	0.53		$	0.58		$	0.52		$	2.08		$	2.24

Average total assets (GAAP)	[d]		12,085,993			12,007,702			12,308,491			12,051,871			12,246,218
Return on average assets (GAAP)²	[a÷d]		0.93	%		1.06	%		0.83	%		0.94	%		1.00	%
Adjusted return on average assets (Non-GAAP)²	[b÷d]		1.01	%		1.11	%		0.94	%		0.99	%		1.03	%

Average common equity (GAAP)		$	1,396,939		$	1,364,377		$	1,202,417		$	1,342,424		$	1,197,511
Average goodwill and other intangible assets, net			(367,400	)		(369,720	)		(355,469	)		(366,601	)		(359,347	)
Average tangible common equity (Non-GAAP)	[e]	$	1,029,539		$	994,657		$	846,948		$	975,823		$	838,164

Return on average tangible common equity (Non-GAAP)²	[a÷e]		10.86	%		12.80	%		12.06	%		11.65	%		14.62	%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity (Non-GAAP)²	[b÷e]		11.87	%		13.41	%		13.64	%		12.28	%		15.03	%

___________________________________________

Year-to-date tax benefits were calculated by multiplying year-to-date acquisition and restructuring expenses by tax rates of 24.9% and 20.4% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Quarterly tax benefits were calculated as the year-to-date tax benefit amounts less the sum of amounts applied to previous quarters during the year, equating to tax rates of 26.9%, 21.0%, and 20.4% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, respectively.
For quarterly periods, measures are annualized.

Further Adjusted Net Income and Related Measures

		Three Months Ended									Years Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Adjusted net income (Non-GAAP)¹		$	30,725		$	33,533		$	29,123		$	119,805		$	126,012
Further non-GAAP adjustments:
Net securities (gains) losses			196			(822	)		(761	)		6,102			2,199
Realized net (gains) losses on the sale of mortgage servicing rights			—			18			—			(7,724	)		—
Tax effect for further non-GAAP adjustments²			(49	)		199			171			419			(448	)
Tax effected further non-GAAP adjustments³			147			(605	)		(590	)		(1,203	)		1,751
Further adjusted net income (Non-GAAP)³	[a]	$	30,872		$	32,928		$	28,533		$	118,602		$	127,763
One-time deferred tax valuation adjustment⁴			—			—			—			1,446			—
Further adjusted net income, excluding one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment (Non-GAAP)³	[b]	$	30,872		$	32,928		$	28,533		$	120,048		$	127,763

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, diluted	[c]		57,934,812			57,967,848			56,333,033			57,543,001			56,256,148

Further adjusted diluted earnings per common share (Non-GAAP)³	[a÷c]	$	0.53		$	0.57		$	0.51		$	2.06		$	2.27
Further adjusted diluted earnings per common share, excluding one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment (Non-GAAP)³	[b÷c]	$	0.53		$	0.57		$	0.51		$	2.09		$	2.27

___________________________________________

Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP measure. See the previous table for a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP measure.
Tax effects for further non-GAAP adjustments were calculated by multiplying further non-GAAP adjustments by the effective income tax rate for each period. Effective income tax rates that were used to calculate the tax effect were 24.8%, 24.8%, and 22.5% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, respectively, and were 25.8% and 20.4% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Tax-effected measure.
An estimated one-time deferred tax valuation adjustment of $1.4 million resulted from a change to our Illinois apportionment rate due to recently enacted regulations.

Tax-Equivalent Net Interest Income, Adjusted Net Interest Income, Net Interest Margin, and Adjusted Net Interest Margin

		Three Months Ended									Years Ended
(dollars in thousands)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Net interest income (GAAP)		$	81,578		$	82,647		$	77,345		$	322,611		$	320,621
Tax-equivalent adjustment¹			446			396			501			1,693			2,173
Tax-equivalent net interest income (Non-GAAP)	[a]		82,024			83,043			77,846			324,304			322,794
Purchase accounting accretion related to business combinations			(812	)		(1,338	)		(384	)		(3,166	)		(1,477	)
Adjusted net interest income (Non-GAAP)	[b]	$	81,212		$	81,705		$	77,462		$	321,138		$	321,317

Average interest-earning assets (GAAP)	[c]		11,048,350			10,942,745			11,235,326			10,999,424			11,181,010

Net interest margin (Non-GAAP)²	[a÷c]		2.95	%		3.02	%		2.75	%		2.95	%		2.89	%
Adjusted net interest margin (Non-GAAP)²	[b÷c]		2.92	%		2.97	%		2.74	%		2.92	%		2.87	%

___________________________________________

Tax-equivalent adjustments were calculated using an estimated federal income tax rate of 21%, applied to non-taxable interest income on investments and loans.
For quarterly periods, measures are annualized.

Adjusted Noninterest Income, Revenue Measures, Adjusted Noninterest Expense, Adjusted Core Expense, and Efficiency Ratios

		Three Months Ended									Years Ended
(dollars in thousands)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023			December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Net interest income (GAAP)	[a]	$	81,578		$	82,647		$	77,345		$	322,611		$	320,621
Tax-equivalent adjustment¹			446			396			501			1,693			2,173
Tax-equivalent net interest income (Non-GAAP)	[b]		82,024			83,043			77,846			324,304			322,794

Total noninterest income (GAAP)			35,221			35,845			31,304			139,682			121,214
Net security (gains) losses (GAAP)			196			(822	)		(761	)		6,102			2,199
Noninterest income excluding net securities gains and losses (Non-GAAP)	[c]		35,417			35,023			30,543			145,784			123,413
Realized net (gains) losses on the sale of mortgage servicing rights (GAAP)			—			18			—			(7,724	)		—
Adjusted noninterest income (Non-GAAP)	[d]	$	35,417		$	35,041		$	30,543		$	138,060		$	123,413

Tax-equivalent revenue (Non-GAAP)	[e = b+c]	$	117,441		$	118,066		$	108,389		$	470,088		$	446,207
Adjusted tax-equivalent revenue (Non-GAAP)	[f = b+d]		117,441			118,084			108,389			462,364			446,207
Operating revenue (Non-GAAP)	[g = a+d]		116,995			117,688			107,888			460,671			444,034

Adjusted noninterest income to operating revenue (Non-GAAP)	[d÷g]		30.27	%		29.77	%		28.31	%		29.97	%		27.79	%

Total noninterest expense (GAAP)		$	78,167		$	75,926		$	74,979		$	300,399		$	285,532
Amortization of intangible assets (GAAP)	[h]		(2,471	)		(2,548	)		(2,479	)		(10,057	)		(10,432	)
Noninterest expense excluding amortization of intangible assets (Non-GAAP)	[i]		75,696			73,378			72,500			290,342			275,100
Non-operating adjustments:
Salaries, wages, and employee benefits			(247	)		(73	)		(3,760	)		(1,580	)		(3,760	)
Data processing			(14	)		(90	)		—			(548	)		—
Professional fees, occupancy, furniture and fixtures, and other			(3,324	)		(1,772	)		(477	)		(6,012	)		(568	)
Adjusted noninterest expense (Non-GAAP)	[j]		72,111			71,443			68,263			282,202			270,772
Provision for unfunded commitments			455			(407	)		(818	)		1,095			(461	)
Amortization of New Markets Tax Credits			—			—			(2,259	)		—			(8,999	)
Adjusted core expense (Non-GAAP)	[k]	$	72,566		$	71,036		$	65,186		$	283,297		$	261,312

Noninterest expense, excluding non-operating adjustments (Non-GAAP)	[j-h]	$	74,582		$	73,991		$	70,742		$	292,259		$	281,204

Efficiency ratio (Non-GAAP)	[i÷e]		64.45	%		62.15	%		66.89	%		61.76	%		61.65	%
Adjusted efficiency ratio (Non-GAAP)	[j÷f]		61.40	%		60.50	%		62.98	%		61.03	%		60.68	%
Adjusted core efficiency ratio (Non-GAAP)	[k÷f]		61.79	%		60.16	%		60.14	%		61.27	%		58.56	%

___________________________________________

Tax-equivalent adjustments were calculated using an estimated federal income tax rate of 21%, applied to non-taxable interest income on investments and loans.

Tangible Book Value and Tangible Book Value Per Common Share

		As of
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023
Total stockholders’ equity (GAAP)		$	1,383,269		$	1,402,884		$	1,271,981
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net (GAAP)			(365,975	)		(368,249	)		(353,864	)
Tangible book value (Non-GAAP)	[a]	$	1,017,294		$	1,034,635		$	918,117

Ending number of common shares outstanding (GAAP)	[b]		56,895,981			56,872,241			55,244,119

Tangible book value per common share (Non-GAAP)	[a÷b]	$	17.88		$	18.19		$	16.62

Tangible Assets, Tangible Common Equity, and Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets

		As of
(dollars in thousands)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023
Total assets (GAAP)		$	12,046,722		$	11,986,839		$	12,283,415
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net (GAAP)			(365,975	)		(368,249	)		(353,864	)
Tax effect of other intangible assets¹			6,379			7,178			6,888
Tangible assets (Non-GAAP)²	[a]	$	11,687,126		$	11,625,768		$	11,936,439

Total stockholders’ equity (GAAP)		$	1,383,269		$	1,402,884		$	1,271,981
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net (GAAP)			(365,975	)		(368,249	)		(353,864	)
Tax effect of other intangible assets¹			6,379			7,178			6,888
Tangible common equity (Non-GAAP)²	[b]	$	1,023,673		$	1,041,813		$	925,005

Tangible common equity to tangible assets (Non-GAAP)²	[b÷a]		8.76	%		8.96	%		7.75	%

___________________________________________

Net of estimated deferred tax liability, calculated using an estimated tax rate of 26.73% as of December 31, 2024, and 28% as of September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023.
Tax-effected measure.

Core Deposits and Related Ratios

		As of
(dollars in thousands)		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			December 31, 2023
Portfolio loans (GAAP)	[a]	$	7,697,087		$	7,809,097		$	7,651,034

Total deposits (GAAP)	[b]	$	9,982,490		$	9,943,241		$	10,291,156
Brokered deposits, excluding brokered time deposits of $250,000 or more			(13,090	)		(13,089	)		(6,001	)
Time deposits of $250,000 or more			(334,503	)		(338,808	)		(386,286	)
Core deposits (Non-GAAP)	[c]	$	9,634,897		$	9,591,344		$	9,898,869

RATIOS
Core deposits to total deposits (Non-GAAP)	[c÷b]		96.52	%		96.46	%		96.19	%
Portfolio loans to core deposits (Non-GAAP)	[a÷c]		79.89	%		81.42	%		77.29	%

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Busey’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, and business. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Busey’s management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “position,” or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this document, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Busey undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

A number of factors, many of which are beyond Busey’s ability to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: (1) risks related to the proposed transaction with CrossFirst, including (i) the possibility that the proposed transaction will not close when expected or at all because conditions to the closing are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all; (ii) the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction will not be realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or problems arising from, the integration of the two companies or as a result of the strength of the economy and competitive factors in the areas where Busey and CrossFirst do business; (iii) the possibility that the merger may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; (iv) diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; (v) the possibility that Busey may be unable to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in the merger within the expected timeframes or at all, and to successfully integrate CrossFirst’s operations with those of Busey or that such integration may be more difficult, time consuming or costly than expected; (vi) revenues following the proposed transaction may be lower than expected; and (vii) stockholder litigation that could prevent or delay the closing of the proposed transaction or otherwise negatively impact our business and operations; (2) the strength of the local, state, national, and international economies and financial markets (including effects of inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints); (3) effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the implementation of policies proposed by the new presidential administration, including tariffs, mass deportations, and tax regulations; (4) the economic impact of any future terrorist threats or attacks, widespread disease or pandemics, or other adverse external events that could cause economic deterioration or instability in credit markets (including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East); (5) changes in state and federal laws, regulations, and governmental policies concerning Busey’s general business (including changes in response to the failures of other banks or as a result changes in policies implemented by the new presidential administration); (6) changes in accounting policies and practices; (7) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of Busey’s assets (including the impact of sustained elevated interest rates); (8) increased competition in the financial services sector (including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and fintech companies) and the inability to attract new customers; (9) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (10) the loss of key executives or associates; (11) changes in consumer spending; (12) unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation, investigations, or inquiries involving Busey (including with respect to Busey’s Illinois franchise taxes); (13) fluctuations in the value of securities held in Busey’s securities portfolio; (14) concentrations within Busey’s loan portfolio (including commercial real estate loans), large loans to certain borrowers, and large deposits from certain clients; (15) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (16) the level of non-performing assets on Busey’s balance sheets; (17) interruptions involving information technology and communications systems or third-party servicers; (18) breaches or failures of information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents; and (19) the economic impact of exceptional weather occurrences such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and droughts. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

Additional information concerning Busey and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect Busey’s financial results, is included in Busey’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

END NOTES

1	Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. For a reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), see “Non-GAAP Financial Information.”
2	Estimated uninsured and uncollateralized deposits consist of account balances in excess of the $250 thousand FDIC insurance limit, less intercompany accounts and collateralized accounts (including preferred deposits).
3	Central Business District areas within Busey’s footprint include downtown St. Louis, downtown Indianapolis, and downtown Chicago.
4	Capital amounts and ratios for the fourth quarter of 2024 are not yet finalized and are subject to change.
5	On- and off-balance sheet liquidity is comprised of cash and cash equivalents, debt securities excluding those pledged as collateral, brokered deposits, and Busey’s borrowing capacity through its revolving credit facility, the FHLB, the Federal Reserve Bank, and federal funds purchased lines.
6	The blended benchmark consists of 60% MSCI All Country World Index and 40% Bloomberg Intermediate US Government/Credit Total Return Index.

The MIL Network –

January 29, 2025

MIL-OSI: Stifel Raises Quarterly Common Stock Cash Dividend by 10% and Declares Preferred Stock Cash Dividend

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend on shares of its common stock of $0.46 per share, payable March 17, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2025.

The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend on the outstanding shares of its 6.25% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B (the “Series B Preferred Stock”), 6.125% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), and 4.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series D (the “Series D Preferred Stock”). The declared cash dividend on the Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock, and Series D Preferred Stock is for the period from December 16, 2024, up to, but excluding, March 17, 2025. The declared cash dividend equated to approximately $0.390625 per depositary share, or $390.625 per share of the Series B Preferred Stock outstanding. The declared cash dividend equated to approximately $0.3828125 per depositary share, or $382.8125 per share of the Series C Preferred Stock outstanding. The declared cash dividend equated to approximately $0.281250 per depositary share, or $281.250 per share of the Series D Preferred Stock outstanding. The cash dividends are payable on March 17, 2025 to shareholders of record on March 3, 2025.

The Company’s Series B Preferred Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SF PrB”, the Company’s Series C Preferred Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SF PrC”, and the Company’s Series D Preferred Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SF PrD.”

Stifel Company Information
Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners and Miller Buckfire business divisions; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; and Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC; in Canada through Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc.; and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s website at www.stifel.com. For global disclosures, please visit https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases.

Stifel Investor Relations Contact
Joel Jeffrey, Senior Vice President
(212) 271-3610 direct
investorrelations@stifel.com

The MIL Network –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Tech – DeepSeek overtakes ChatGPT with 50x Google Trends surge in a week – Finbold

Source: Finbold

The release of the latest version of the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) model DeepSeek swiftly created a media and stock market storm as it, given the official costs of development, threw into disarray the massive investments made in Western AI companies.

Finbold research uncovered that in a single week ending on Monday, January 27, Google Trends global score for DeepSeek soared fiftyfold, hitting 100 – the highest figure possible for a selected region and time frame.

Though the score was the highest in China by far, the new model also soared above ChatGPT in the U.S.

Hong Kong, likewise, saw exceptional interest and took second place, while the countries where DeepSeek was also highly searched for, in descending order, include Singapore, Tunisia, Morocco, Nepal, Algeria, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Kenya.

Specifically, the AI model’s Google Trends score stood at 100 in China, 22 in Hong Kong, 16 in Singapore, and 6 in the U.S.

DeepSeek’s popularity also emerges outside Google Trends

The surge in interest was also evident on the Play Store, where the DeepSeek app took the top spot, leading to sufficient volume – and possibly a cyberattack – to ensure access is restricted to users with a Chinese phone number.

Additionally, the emergence of a new major player in the AI industry triggered a stock market bloodbath, with the semiconductor giant Nvidia (NVDA) being hit particularly hard and losing approximately $600 billion in market capitalization – the single biggest one-company valuation drop in a single day.

Still, as Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the research, pointed out, there were some immediate benefits:

“The introduction of new and powerful competition has had an immediate positive effect on consumers, as OpenAI’s Sam Altman promised additional features to ChatGPT’s paying users.”

Elsewhere, the tumult triggered some calls for a ban or restrictions on Chinese technology, akin to the tariffs and other protectionist measures imposed on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers.

For more: https://finbold.com/deepseek-overtakes-chatgpt-with-50x-google-trends-surge-in-a-week/

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo crisis: ‘The violence must end now’, UN Security Council told

Source: United Nations 4

28 January 2025 Peace and Security

The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma – the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), provided a detailed briefing from Goma, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation and the need for “urgent and coordinated international action,” to stop the fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese forces – as they battle for control of the city.

She reported that the recent clashes have led to massive displacement, with over 178,000 people fleeing Kalehe territory after the M23 took control of Minova.

More than 34,000 of those on the run have sought refuge in already overcrowded IDP sites in and around Goma, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and overwhelming the city’s infrastructure.

Rebels and Rwandan troops joint attack

“Despite the appeals from Member States during the Security Council meeting on 26 January, the M23/RDF [Rwanda Defence Force] launched an attack on Goma, using heavy direct and indirect fire,” Ms. van de Perre stated.

“These attacks have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, further displacement, and significant trauma among the population.”

She emphasised the critical role of MONUSCO in providing refuge and protection, noting that the mission has received a large number of people seeking safety, including officials and armed elements who have surrendered.

“MONUSCO’s bases are not able to accommodate the large number of surrendering elements and civilians seeking refuge,” she said. “The Uruguayan Battalion (URUBATT) alone has taken in approximately 1,200 Congolese soldiers and over a thousand civilians, placing immense pressure on resources.”

UN bases ‘not safe’

The situation is further complicated by damage to water tanks, compromising the security of UN personnel and property.

“Our bases are not safe: two mortars have hit MONUSCO bases and compounds in the last three days, as well as numerous bullets,” Ms. van de Perre reported.

“Installations of [formed police unit] staff in Jambar camp have been destroyed and burnt.”

Casualty evacuation efforts remain a significant challenge, with peacekeepers injured during the fighting in Sake.

Despite the closure of Goma airport, MONUSCO continues to facilitate medical evacuations with the help of SAMIDRC – the Southern African Development Community mission in DRC.

Evacuation of injured ‘blue helmets’

“We continue to do our utmost to ensure timely evacuation of injured peacekeepers and other casualties to our level 3 hospital in Goma despite continued challenges,” Ms. van de Perre said.

The M23 and Rwandan forces’ capture of Goma’s international airport and their advance from multiple directions have heightened the risk of weapons proliferation, as combatants blend into the civilian population, the Deputy UN Special Representative continued.

The mass influx of IDPs, separation of families, and escape of prisoners from Goma prison have increased the vulnerability of women and children to sexual and gender-based violence.

Ms. van de Perre called on all parties to guarantee the protection of life and access to basic services, and to prevent sexual violence.

“The degree of suffering that the population here in Goma and its environs is enduring is truly unimaginable,” she said.

“Let us please draw on our humanity and do our utmost to bring an immediate end to such levels of violence and suffering.”

In light of the ongoing conflict, Ms. van de Perre urged the establishment of humanitarian corridors between Goma, Minova and Bukavu, and the reopening of critical airports and border points.

Political solution must be found

She emphasised that military action cannot resolve the conflict and called for a resumption of the Luanda Process under the auspices of the Angolan Government to ensure de-escalation and “avert the looming threat of a third Congo war.”

The briefing concluded with a call for urgent and coordinated international action to address the crisis in Goma. Despite the challenges, MONUSCO remains a vital lifeline for vulnerable groups, but its effectiveness is being severely tested by the ongoing violence and logistical difficulties.

“The protection of civilians and the pursuit of a peaceful resolution must be prioritised to end the suffering in Goma,” MONUSCO’s deputy head stressed.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Shabaab

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

Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KARREM NASR, a/k/a “Ghareeb Al-Muhajir,” pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “Karrem Nasr devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies. Inspired by the evil terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Nasr, a U.S. citizen, traveled from Egypt to Kenya in an effort to join al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of creating death and destruction. Now, instead of perpetrating a deadly attack in the name of a foreign terrorist group, Nasr resides in federal prison. I thank the career prosecutors of my office and our law enforcement partners for their extraordinary work in disrupting this plan and bringing a terrorist to justice.”

According to the allegations in the court filings and statements made in Court:

NASR is a 24-year-old U.S. citizen who moved from New Jersey to Egypt in or about July 2023. Starting in at least in or about November 2023, NASR repeatedly expressed his desire and plans to join al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization that has attacked Americans and American allies around the world, and wage jihad, including in communications with an FBI confidential source (the “CS”), who was posing as a facilitator for terrorist organizations.^[1]

In communications exchanged with the CS and postings that NASR made online, NASR stated that he had been thinking about engaging in jihad for a long time, and he was particularly motivated to become a jihadi by the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. For example, in communications with the CS, NASR stated that the number one enemy was “evil America,” which he called the “head of the snake.” In social media posts, NASR warned that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you,” posting airplane, bomb, and fire emojis:

In further communications with the CS, NASR expressed his intent to join al Shabaab to receive military training and engage in jihad, that he was prepared to kill and be killed, and that he specifically aspired to be a martyr for the jihadist cause. For example, NASR stated “I would like to become a martyr in the sake of Allah. . . . I think in coming years, inshallah we are going to see here big events in Egypt and the other Arab countries. Inshallah if this happens; I will come back to Egypt, inshallah to help the Muslims in Egypt in their struggle to establish here in Egypt.”

Beyond his online postings and communications with the CS, NASR took specific and targeted steps in his effort to join and receive military training from al Shabaab. Among other things, NASR made flight and lodging reservations for travel to Kenya, where he planned to meet members of al Shabaab for further travel to Somalia to join and train with the terrorist group. In addition, the day before his flight, NASR told the CS that he planned to delete data from his cellphone and computer to ensure that if he were detained, law enforcement would not be able to recover evidence of his jihadist activities from those devices. On December 14, 2023, as planned, NASR flew from Egypt to Kenya, where he then planned to transit into Somalia to join and train with al Shabaab. Later that day, NASR was taken into custody by Kenyan authorities. On December 28, 2023, NASR arrived in the U.S.

* * *

NASR, 24, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. NASR is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Torres on June 30, 2025.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”)’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department. Ms. Sassoon also thanked the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, Kenya, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations, including the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit and the Joint Terrorism Task Force-Kenya, for their assistance.

This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Kimberly J. Ravener, and Stephen Ritchin are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.

^[1] Communications referenced herein are described in substance and in part.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Defense Contractor Agrees with Warren: Legal Loopholes Should Not Lead to Price-Gouging the Military

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
January 28, 2025
Warren: “The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing.”
Defense contractor agrees legal loopholes should not lead to price-gouging the military
Video of Hearing
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, about defense contractors exploiting loopholes to price gouge the military.
Senator Warren highlighted an enormous loophole in military acquisition rules that allows defense contractors to market a product as “commercial” even when the product is only made for and sold to our military. As the only customer, the Department of Defense (DoD) has no way to negotiate a fair market price without cost or pricing data, resulting in the department often overpaying for products and services.
In one example, defense contractor Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress to get its engines treated as commercial items and subsequently doubled the price of the engine.
“I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item,” Mr. Shankar said.
Last year, DoD’s Inspector General released a report that found Boeing paid the Air Force 80 times the available commercial price for a soap dispenser and recommended companies be required to alert the government when prices go up 25% or more.
“I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military,” Senator Warren said to Mr. Sankar. As a result, she asked him to commit to the Pentagon watchdog’s recommendation that bid contractors should provide notice when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. Mr. Sankar refused to commit Palantir to that recommendation but said he would get back to the committee.
Senator Warren’s bipartisan Stop Price Gouging the Military Act would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense (DoD) the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs.
Transcript: Hearings to examine defense innovation and acquisition reform.Senate Armed Services CommitteeJanuary 28, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for holding this hearing. So, DoD buys a lot of stuff from defense contractors, and to protect the military and taxpayers, it’s long been the law that defense contractors must give DoD contracting officers certified cost and pricing data to help verify that a price that’s being charged is fair and reasonable.
One of the big exceptions to this, though, is for, “commercial goods and services,” based on the principle that the market will make sure it’s a fair price. If you could buy it on Amazon, that’s a fair price. You don’t have to go into all the background on how you got there. I get that, and I am all for commercial buying. But the fact is, this is turned into a massive loophole where big defense contractors withhold data, even though there’s no market, and DoD, effectively the only customer, doesn’t have this information so that these giant companies can price gouge the military.
I want to give you an example here. For years, the army was buying Chinook helicopter engines from Honeywell, and Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress so its engines would be treated as commercial, and Honeywell wouldn’t have to turn over the certified cost and pricing data. Now, Mr. Sankar, you’re the CTO of Palantir, a billion-dollar tech company that contracts with DoD once Honeywell got the engine moved to a commercial engine.
What do you think happened to the price?
Mr. Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Palantir Technologies: I’m not familiar, Senator.
Senator Warren: Well, it went up, not down, by 100%, and that’s the problem we’ve got here too often. DOD is outgunned when it is negotiating with these giant defense contractors, which is exactly why it needs the cost and pricing data to avoid being ripped off. Now, Mr. Sankar, your company, Palantir, is looking to create a consortium with another defense tech company, Anduril, is that right? Yeah. To jointly bid for something called “other transactions agreements,” or since we have to give everything initial OTAs, where the government also waives taxpayer protections on how to get pricing information. And I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military. This next question should probably be easy here. DoD’s inspector general recommended requiring bid contractors to alert military contracting offices when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. In other words, move it up so other people know, and can get eyes on it. Mr. Sankar, do you agree with the IGs recommendation?
Mr. Sankar: I do agree. I think the price signal is part of the competitive market and encouraging more entrants and capital to efficiently be allocated to improve things.
Senator Warren: Excellent. And will Palantir agree to do that voluntarily?
Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team here, but I don’t think we would have any conceptual disagreement with that.
Senator Warren: Okay, so can I treat that as a yes?
Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team.
Senator Warren: Well, I want to be clear here because the—
Mr. Sankar: As the CTO, I don’t speak on the business side.
Senator Warren: Fair enough. Look, we only know about most of these overcharges because of the work that the Department of Defense’s Inspector General has done. This is the person who President Trump just illegally fired on Friday night, along with at least 16 other IGs. I am deeply concerned that this administration is removing exactly the cops on the beat that we need to identify waste and to prevent these kinds of increases.
So, Mr. Sankar, do you think it helps or hurts national security to have Senate-confirmed watchdogs, who can be there on pricing questions, like this, to call balls and strikes?
Mr. Sankar: As a technologist, what I can speak to is, when you look at Intel in the late 60s, 96% of the market for integrated circuits was the Apollo program and the DOD. But Bob Noyce, says, the co-founder of Intel, the CO inventor the transistor, always envisioned a bigger commercial market, our ability to deliver a salt breaker and ultimately have an asymmetric threat against the Soviets—
Senator Warren: Can you relate that to the question?
Mr. Sankar: Yeah. I promise it will get there. Ability to deliver a salt breaker was because, actually he could, he could create integrated circuits that were 1000s of times cheaper than when we were building Apollo. That was only possible because he had an eye towards the commercial market. So I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item. But when we look at space, for example, I grew up in the shadow of the Space Coast, the cost to get a kilogram into orbit for the shuttle, was $50,000 a kilogram, the cost with starship heavy reuse will be 10 bucks.
Senator Warren: Mr. Sankar, I very much appreciate that you’re trying to push here on cost. I am too. The question I had asked you is whether or not we need IGs—who are the whistleblowers who say people are cheating on the cost, for example, on the definition of commercial—or somebody who can help us bring these costs down. The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing. And IGs help us do that. Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Two New Jersey Men Convicted For Their Roles In The Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, Including A Leader Convicted Of Murder

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

NEWARK, N.J. – Yesterday afternoon a Newark jury convicted two New Jersey men for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

Michael Mayse, 38, of Newark, a leader of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of murder, drug trafficking conspiracy, and related drug and firearms offenses.

Gary Shahid, 66, of Newark, a drug supplier of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy, distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms offenses.

“This Office’s commitment to prosecuting violent crime and serious drug trafficking offenses is unwavering. This case demonstrates the strength of our partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and ensures that serious consequences will follow for these defendants.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna

“ATF remains steadfast in identifying and apprehending those who are terrorizing our neighborhoods with violence and senseless disorder,” ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., Newark Field Division stated. “These guilty verdicts bring accountability to violent criminals whose actions disregard criminal law, human life, and public safety. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners and secure the safety of our communities.”

“Drug trafficking can be a dangerous and violent game, often entangled with the deadly consequences. Today’s conviction against these two members of the Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, who repeatedly used violence when operating their criminal enterprise, shows the commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in keeping our communities safe and making sure those responsible for these types of violent crimes face the consequences for their actions,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, New Jersey Field Division.

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

Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex near Branch Brook Park, on the border of Newark, New Jersey and Belleville, New Jersey. Stephen Crane Village was the site of an open-air drug market controlled by a violent drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) from at least February 2019 through February 2020.

Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the members of the DTO conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village.

The DTO used a drug stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village to package and store their drugs for distribution. The DTO sold significant quantities of drugs to confidential sources and an undercover agent. On December 15, 2019, Mayse entered the DTO’s stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village and murdered a member of the DTO over a monetary debt relating to the drug trafficking conspiracy.

The count of conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison, maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million. The counts of distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count for of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million. The count of murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Chief Mitchell G. McGuire; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda; and the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance with this case.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the DHS/HSI, the USMS, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

This case is also conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

###

Defense counsel:

Thomas Ambrosio, Esq., for Gary Shahid

Joel Silberman, Esq., and Keith Oliver, Esq., for Michael Mayse

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Federal Fugitive Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for trafficking drugs and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes while being a federal fugitive.

According to court documents, Tesean R. James, 30, was convicted of a bulk marijuana trafficking conspiracy in federal court in 2019. After his release from federal prison in September 2021, James absconded from court-ordered supervision and remained a fugitive for more than two years.

In July 2023, federal and local law enforcement agents attempted to arrest James on his fugitive warrant. James led agents on a high-speed vehicle chase through a residential neighborhood in Mobile, bailing out of his vehicle and eluding capture on foot. In James’s abandoned vehicle, agents recovered two pistols and seven pounds of bulk marijuana. Later, in December 2023, agents captured James in Mobile after a brief foot chase. Agents executed a search warrant at the house where James had been staying, recovering more than 34 pounds of bulk marijuana, 1.5 kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms, more than $34,000 in drug proceeds, and two guns, one of which had previously been reported stolen.

James confessed to police that he knew he had active warrants and was a federal fugitive. James admitted that he regularly received shipments of 50 pounds of marijuana at a time, which he coordinated via encrypted apps on his cell phones. Agents searched James’s cell phones, finding evidence that he had been selling marijuana and other narcotics, including mushrooms, prescription pills, and codeine syrup, since being released from federal prison in September 2021. James’s phones also contained evidence that he knew he was a fugitive, including a photo of James that had been posted on the news as “Fugitive of the Week.”

In addition to the 180-month prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered James to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will receive mental health treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Beaverstock ordered James to pay $300 in special assessments. The court also forfeited James’s guns and electronic devices to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Gangster Disciples Member Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

COLUMBUS, Ga. – A validated member of the Gangster Disciples with a violent criminal past in the Columbus community was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm resulting from a Project Safe Neighborhoods case.

Christopher Gilliam, 36, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 162 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Jan. 28. Gilliam pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Oct. 29, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Violent convicted felons caught illegally with firearms in the Middle District of Georgia will find their cases in federal court,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker. “This case is another example of the kind of effective law enforcement partnerships helping us track down and hold the most dangerous repeat offenders accountable.”

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is not just a program; it is a powerful, unyielding effort to dismantle violent criminal networks and rid our communities of those who bring harm. Through strategic enforcement and collaboration, we will ensure that violent offenders, like Gilliam, face justice in federal court,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.

“If you are bold enough to commit a crime involving a gun coupled with gang involvement, we will be courageous enough to arrest you for your crimes against others,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to promote safer neighborhoods and communities.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Gilliam was wanted for an active outstanding arrest warrant for aggravated assault when law enforcement tracked him to his girlfriend’s residence in Columbus on July 21, 2023. Gilliam was taken into custody and officers found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a laser and a loaded 15-round magazine in plain view. Gilliam has a lengthy criminal history, to include prior convictions for aggravated assault. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

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 of Justice 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 Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals Chief prosecuted the case for the Government.

MIL Security OSI –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What’s behind Trump’s flurry of executive action: 4 essential reads on autocrats and authoritarianism

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeff Inglis, Politics + Society Editor, The Conversation US

President Donald Trump shows off one of his new orders upon taking office. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

If you think a lot is happening in the federal government all at once on a lot of different issues, you’re right.

At the beginning of a new presidential administration, there is often a flurry of changes – new Cabinet appointments and a few executive orders. But what’s happening right now in Washington, D.C. – actions affecting immigration, tariffs, the firing of career government workers, gender identity, federally funded research, foreign aid and even broader categories of federal spending – is different from most presidential transitions, in volume, pace, content and breadth of the changes ordered.

Administration officials and Trump allies have described all this action as a “shock and awe” campaign intended to “flood the zone.” Translation: It’s both an effort to demonstrate autocratic power and an effort to overwhelm and exhaust people who might resist the changes.

The Conversation U.S. has published several articles – many from Donald Trump’s first term as president – that spell out how autocrats, and those who want to be autocrats, behave and why. Here are some key points to know.

1. Seize executive power

The move toward autocracy starts with wielding unyielding power over not only people but democratic institutions, explained Shelley Inglis, a scholar of international law at the University of Dayton. In a checklist of 10 items for wannabe authoritarians, the first task, she wrote, is being strong:

“The mainstay of today’s authoritarianism is strengthening your power while simultaneously weakening government institutions, such as parliaments and judiciaries, that provide checks and balances. The key is to use legal means that ultimately give democratic legitimacy to the power grab.”

Read more:
So you want to be an autocrat? Here’s the 10-point checklist

2. Control political backers

When a leader’s supporters are more loyal to the person than their political party, that creates what is called a “personalist party,” as scholars of political science Erica Frantz at Michigan State University, Joe Wright at Penn State and Andrea Kendall-Taylor at Yale University described. That creates a danger to democracy, they wrote:

“(W)hat matters for democracy is not so much the ambitions of power-hungry leaders, but rather whether those in their support group will tame them. … (W)hen personalist ruling parties hold legislative majorities and the presidency … there is little that stands in the way of a grab for power.”

Read more:
Why Trump’s control of the Republican Party is bad for democracy

Many Republican Party members back Trump, in part because other party leaders signal their own support.
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

3. Sideline the public

In a democracy, the public has power. But if the people choose not to exercise it, that leaves room for an authoritarian leader to take more control, warned Mark Satta, a professor of philosophy and law at Wayne State University in an article comparing George Orwell’s book “Nineteen eighty-four” to modern events:

“Trump routinely speaks like an autocrat. Yet many Americans excuse such talk, failing to treat it as the evidence of a threat to democracy that it is. This seems to me to be driven in part by the tendency Orwell identified to think that truly bad things won’t happen – at least not in one’s own country.”

Read more:
Nationalism is not patriotism: 3 insights from Orwell about Trump and the 2024 election

Donald Trump hugs an American flag as he arrives at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 24, 2024, in Baltimore.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

4. Depend on complacency

Another scholar delivered a warning of a possible future. Vickie Sullivan, a political science scholar at Tufts University, studies Renaissance writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who lived from 1469 to 1527.

He is perhaps most widely known for encouraging “sole rulers – his phrase for authoritarians or dictators – … to use force and fraud to gain and maintain power,” she wrote. But Machiavelli had advice for the public, too, Sullivan explained:

“He instructs republican citizens and leaders … to recognize how vulnerable the governments they cherish are and to be vigilant against the threats of tyranny. … If republican citizens and leaders fail to be vigilant, they will eventually be confronted with a leader who has accumulated an extremely powerful and threatening following. At that point, Machiavelli says, it will be too late to save the republic.”

Read more:
500 years ago, Machiavelli warned the public not to get complacent in the face of self-interested charismatic figures

This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives.

– ref. What’s behind Trump’s flurry of executive action: 4 essential reads on autocrats and authoritarianism – https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-trumps-flurry-of-executive-action-4-essential-reads-on-autocrats-and-authoritarianism-248492

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Flaming start to the new year for waste trucks
Source: Auckland Council

2025 is off to a fiery start for Auckland’s waste trucks with five rubbish and recycling truck fires in the first two weeks of January.

An ever-increasing number of battery-powered devices and batteries in household bins are the most-likely cause of these fires. Lithium-ion batteries can ignite if damaged or crushed as part of the waste collection process.

In December alone, nearly 600 laptops and over 300 12-volt batteries found their way to Auckland’s regional recycling facility, in what appears to have been a pre-Christmas offload by Aucklanders. These account for almost a third of the total number of laptops and 12V batteries found at the site since June 2024.

The Auckland recycling facility, which sorts all the region’s kerbside recycling, has one or two small fires a week with the cause most often attributed to lithium-ion batteries.

Justine Haves, General Manager Waste Solutions, is keen to ensure everyone understands that putting ewaste in kerbside bins creates a fire hazard.

“Electronic devices and batteries can be recycled in most cases, but they contain hazardous substances so require specialist handling. We would encourage people to use takeback and drop-off schemes run by retailers and local community recycling centres,” Ms Haves says.

“Making use of battery and ewaste drop-off options helps keep you and our staff safe, keeps harmful materials out of the environment, and helps us recover and reuse valuable resources.”

Batteries and devices containing lithium-ion batteries present a high-risk source of fires for both rubbish and recycling collection trucks and waste facilities. The combination of flammable electrolyte, with substantial amounts of stored energy, can result in the rapid and uncontrolled release of heat energy (thermal runaway). During thermal runaway, toxic gases are emitted and can re-ignite even after being extinguished.

To try and mitigate the dangers of rubbish truck fires, the council’s Waste Solutions team are planning a new programme of testing to give an early warning to a truck driver experiencing a fire and options for extinguishing the fire inside the truck. This would also reduce the potential for environmental contamination when the load is tipped-out for Fire and Emergency responders to extinguish.

Currently, drivers who notice smoke or a fire coming from their truck must notify their supervisor, who contacts Fire and Emergency, and then find a safe clear place to empty their load.

Batteries are not the only fire hazards placed in bins. In January this year, a half-full 40kg LPG bottle and a partially full ‘jerry can’ of petrol were discovered by recycling truck drivers. Over 300 LPG bottles and gas canisters have been recorded in the past six months at the recycling facility alone.

Fire hazards – car batteries and LPG bottles discovered in kerbside recycling bins.

How to dispose of hazardous materials – battery-powered devices, batteries, gas bottles and other hazardous materials
- Mitre 10 and Bunnings have battery drop-off schemes. Check their websites for more information.
- Retailers often have take-back schemes for used battery-powered devices they have sold. Some large retailers like Noel Leeming allow you to bring in items they did not sell. Check retailer websites for what they accept and participating stores.
- Many local community recycling centres have ewaste recycling and even volunteer opportunities to learn how to safely disassemble laptops.
- Gas bottles and canisters can be taken to a community recycling centre or to a MataGas outlet provided it is empty of gas. Some New Zealand camping stores sell a tool that enables canisters to be fully emptied prior to drop off at a recycling centre.
- Visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/whereitgoes to search for places to recycle or get rid of specific items.
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Saving threatened seabird from rising sea levels

Source: Department of Conservation

Date: 29 January 2025

Johannes Fischer, Department of Conservation Senior Science Advisor, says climate change impacts have the potential to wipe out the Whenua Hou diving petrel – a small seabird with cobalt blue feet that’s “like a flying penguin”.

“Their entire population breeds in the fragile sand dunes of Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, up to 20 m from the high tide line. Rising seas levels and increasingly frequent storms will eventually destroy their habitat on Whenua Hou. Over the last 10 years, 20% of the dune front has already gone,” Johannes says.

On 31 December 2024, 15 Whenua Hou diving petrel chicks were transferred from Whenua Hou to their new home. This is the first of five transfers over the next five years to move a total of 75 chicks – the number considered sufficient to build a new colony without causing any long-term impact to the Whenua Hou colony.

“Before humans arrived in New Zealand, Whenua Hou diving petrels bred all over the southern South Island and there were millions on Stewart Island/Rakiura. But until the recent transfer, they had reduced to a single population on Whenua Hou of just 210 individuals,” Johannes says.

Two years ago, mana whenua, DOC, fishers, the fishing industry, and Environment Southland developed an action plan to restore the petrels, which advised a second population at a new site was needed.

The group worked through a range of possible sites and identified an undisclosed, predator-free location within Whenua Hou diving petrel’s historic range as the best possible option.

All work is done in partnership with the Whenua Hou Committee (the advisory committee to the Minister of Conservation on the management of Whenua Hou), Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka, and Ngāi Tahu whānui.

Johannes says timing was crucial and the transfer had to take place roughly a week before the chicks fledged, before their homing instinct for Whenua Hou was developed.

“We hand-reared the chicks at their new home, and the last chicks fledged on 12 January 2025. Next season, we will translocate another 15 birds.”

“We expect the first group of translocated chicks to return to their new home as adults in October 2026. We’ll keep an eye out in anticipation.”

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Doorstop – Jerrabomberra

Source: Australian Ministers for Education

KRISTY McBAIN, MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES: It’s a pleasure today to welcome Minister Jason Clare to Goodstart Jerrabomberra where 90 places a day are filled, and we have a wait list. Jerrabomberra is the heart of the Queanbeyan region, it’s fast growing, and this childcare centre is one of many that have benefitted from the Albanese Labor Government’s Cheaper Childcare plan.

We know families right across our region have benefitted from this, and it’s so great to be able to introduce Minister Clare to the wonderful staff here, the wonderful centre manager and State manager and the wonderful kids that come here each and every day to enjoy this beautiful centre.

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks very much, Kristy. It’s absolutely fantastic to be with you here at Jerrabomberra at the Goodstart Centre here. You are an absolutely fantastic Member of Parliament, and we are so lucky to have as part of the Albanese Labor Government and this community is lucky to have you as their Labor Member.

When we were elected two and a half years ago, childcare costs had sky rocketed, childcare costs under the Liberals went up by 49 per cent over just under a decade, and that was double the OECD average.

We’ve cut the cost of childcare now for more than a million Australian families. In the first 15 months of our Cheaper Childcare laws this has meant that for an average family on about 120 grand a year combined income with one child in early education or care saved them about 2,700 bucks, and that’s real money that’s making a real difference for families right across the country.

And when we were elected two and a half years ago childcare workers were leaving the sector in droves, that’s the truth of it, and we’re now starting to see that turn around. Data that’s been released today shows that vacancy rates in the childcare sector are down 22 per cent, and at Goodstart, where we are today, all of their centres across the country, we’re seeing job applications now jump by 35 per cent, and expressions of interest jump by 50 to 60 per cent. Vacancy rates at Goodstart Centres are down by a massive 28 per cent.

So that’s fantastic news. It shows that when you pay people more, more people want to do the job, and there aren’t many jobs that are more important than the work that our early educators do, getting young people ready for school.

If we win the next election, the next big thing that we need to do is build more centres where they don’t exist at the moment and help to make sure that more young people get the chance that the children we’ve met here today get, help young people who can’t get into early education and care now, either because there’s no centre in their town, or because they can’t get access to the subsidy through no fault of their own.

And that’s why if we win the next election, we’ll set up a $1 billion fund to build more centres in the outer suburbs and in the regions where they don’t exist at the moment, and implement a three day guarantee, to guarantee that every child who needs it will get access to three days a week of government supported early education and care.

Why? To make sure that more children are ready to start school, because the evidence is, that if children spend more time in early education and care in centres like this, they’re more likely to start school ready to learn.

And just while talking about school, last week the Prime Minister announced that South Australia and Victoria have become the fifth and sixth States to sign up to our public school funding and reform agreement, the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, that’s along with WA, Tassie, ACT, the Northern Territory and of course now South Australia and Victoria.

On the weekend, teachers backed this agreement, on the weekend principals backed this agreement, and now today the Business Council of Australia backed this agreement. This is real funding, to fix the funding of our public schools, and it’s not a blank cheque, it’s tied to real reform; things like phonics checks in Year 1 and numeracy checks in Year 1 to identify children who might already be falling behind, and then using that funding to make sure that children who do fall behind catch up early, because we know that children who catch up early are more likely to go on and finish high school.

So, it’s backed by teachers, backed by principals, backed by the business community. The only people that are against it are Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party, they’re against cutting the cost of childcare for Australian parents, they’re against pay rises for childcare workers, they’re against building more childcare centres where they don’t exist, and they’re against fixing the funding of our public schools and tying that funding to evidence based teaching and real reform to help more young children to catch up, keep up and finish high school.

Happy to take some questions.

JOURNALIST: When do you expect that Queensland and New South Wales will sign on to that school agreement?

CLARE: I won’t give you a date, but negotiations are going well.

JOURNALIST: Fresh polling is showing that it’s really tight. Are your cost-of-living measures cutting through with the voters?

CLARE: We know that Australians are doing it tough, a lot of Australians are doing it tough, that’s why creating a million jobs is really important, that’s why cutting inflation by more than half is really important, that’s why boosting real wages is really important as well.

We’re making progress, there’s more work to do, but the evidence that came out on the weekend shows that if Peter Dutton had been the Prime Minister of Australia for the last 12 months, Australian families would be over $7,000 worse off.

Why? Well, because he was against the tax cuts that delivered a lot of support for Australian families, he’s against cheaper childcare, he’s against cutting the cost of medicine, he’s against lifting real wages, he’s against cutting the cost of people’s energy bills through that $300 rebate, and when you add all that up, it means that Aussie families would be thousands and thousands of dollars, $7,200, worse off under Peter Dutton.

JOURNALIST: On the School Agreement, so New South Wales and Queensland you would assume are trying to get more than 25 per cent. Are you open to that?

CLARE: Don’t assume that. But I’m not going to negotiate through the media. What’s important here is that we fix the funding of our public schools, and we tie that to the sort of reforms that are going to help make sure that more kids that fall behind can catch up and keep up and finish high school.

Private schools, non government schools are funded at the level that David Gonski said they should be at, public schools aren’t, and this agreement is about fixing that, but also tying that to real targets and real reforms.

The current agreement doesn’t do that. There aren’t any real targets, there aren’t any real reforms. I want to make sure that we fix the funding of our schools and tie it to the sort of reforms that we know work. I want this money to get results.

At the moment in public schools, over the course of say, you know, the last eight years or so, we’ve seen the percentage of kids finishing high school drop from 83 per cent to 73 per cent. Just think about that for a second. That’s happening at a time where it’s more important to finish school than it was when we were little.

We’ve got to turn that around if we’re going to make sure that more people get a chance to go to TAFE and university and get the jobs that are being created today. That’s why this funding is important, but that’s why the reforms that it’s linked to are just as important.

JOURNALIST: The States that signed on to it earlier, are they now pushing for 25 per cent as well, and will you grant that?

CLARE: I’ve already spoken to those States, and we will offer to them the same deal, which is we’ll lift our offer from 20 to 25 if they get rid of that 4 per cent which is usually aligned to things like capital depreciation costs. So, we’re having great conversations with states like WA and Tassie.

JOURNALIST: Is there a willingness though to go above 25 per cent for the two states that have paid off, and then does that open up the chance for increased funding for other states?

CLARE: No. That’s why when I answered your previous question, I said don’t assume that the States are asking for more than 25 per cent. What the states have been asking for, for the last 12 months is that we increase our offer from 20 to 25 per cent, and we said, “Yeah, we’ll do that, but we need you to chip in as well”.

It’s always been my view that the Commonwealth’s got to chip in and the states have to chip in as well. That’s why we’re saying to the states, if we can lift our funding from 20 to 25 per cent, let’s get rid of that other 4 per cent, which is used for things like capital depreciation that don’t actually go to real funding for schools at the moment.

JOURNALIST: Is the absolute cap 25?

CLARE: Well, again, I’m not going to go into the details of the conversation, but we’re not talking beyond 25.

JOURNALIST: How exactly are you going to address high rates of absenteeism due to bullying or mental health issues, do you actually have a stepped plan in place for the next school year?

CLARE: Yep. This is a complicated thing. There is absolutely no place for bullying in our schools. That’s why the work that we’re doing in putting together a National Bullying Action Plan with the states is so critical, so important; that’s why getting rid of mobile phones in schools is so important; that’s why the ban on access to social media for young people under the age of 16 is so important as well.

We know fundamentally that children are less likely to be at school if they’re suffering from bullying or they’re suffering from mental health challenges. And young people with mental health challenges, by the time they’re in Year 9 are about a year and a half to two years behind the rest of the class, and less likely to finish school.

And so the sort of things that we want to tie this funding to are early intervention when children are young at primary school to make sure that they keep up and catch up, but also more investment in things like mental health workers and paediatric nursing support in our schools.

That investment in health is not just about health, it has real education outcomes as well.

JOURNALIST: Donald Trump overnight said that sorry, a couple of days ago said that he proposed “cleaning” unquote “cleaning out Gaza and resettling Palestinians”. What is the Government’s response to that?

CLARE: The Government’s position for a very, very long time, I think since December of 2023, has been to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and we’re glad that that has finally happened. We want to see an end to the killing in the Middle East, we want to see trucks come in with food and with medicine and with aid. We want to see the hostages returned.

JOURNALIST: And what about resettling Palestinians though? What is your response directly to that suggestion that they should be moved to Jordan or Egypt?

CLARE: The position of the Australian Government, which I think is still the position of the Opposition as well is that we believe in a two-state solution, two countries living side by side, two peoples living side by side in two nations where people can live in safety and security without having to go through checkpoints or fear that their lives will be taken from them the next day.

JOURNALIST: Just on that language though, you know, “cleaning out”, do you think that’s triggering language or insensitive language?

CLARE: Repeating my previous answer, we want two peoples able to be live side by side in safety and security.

JOURNALIST: Do you have a set price tag on the number of those professional healthcare workers you want in schools?

CLARE: No, there’s no set number, but this investment in South Australia’s an extra billion dollars over the next 10 years, in Victoria it’s an extra two and a half billion dollars over the next 10 years.

The agreements that we’re striking with the states are all going to be slightly different depending on the needs in those states, but it’s designed to invest in real practical reforms that we know are going to get the results that we need.

Just to add to what we’re talking about here, we’re talking about fixing the funding of our public schools. Now one in 10 children at the moment, when they sit for their NAPLAN tests in third grade, are identified as being below the national average, so one in 10 sorry, below the national minimum standard, so one in 10. But amongst children from poor families, from really disadvantaged backgrounds, it’s one in three, and most of those children go to public schools.

So our public schools are the places that do the real heavy lifting where the challenge is three times as big, and they’re the ones that were underfunded at the moment. We want to fix that funding and tie that funding to help those children to catch up and keep up and finish high school.

JOURNALIST: On that pay rise for early educators, do you know how many centres have used that as an excuse to immediately increase their fees by 4.4 per cent?

CLARE: Here’s the thing, they can’t, because a condition of getting the funding for the pay rise is they can’t increase their fees by more than 4 per cent.

JOURNALIST: Yeah. That’s why I’m asking how many have increased their fees to that 4.4?

CLARE: I suspect that most centres will increase their fees somewhere between zero and up to that 4 per cent over the next 12 months. The key thing is they can’t go beyond that, and that’s a big part of this deal. Number one, we want to make sure that the money goes to the worker, not the centre, and number two, in order to get that funding, they cannot increase their fees by more than 4 per cent.

JOURNALIST: Do you know how many though have hit that cap?

CLARE: It’s too early to give you that number.

JOURNALIST: This billion-dollar strategy for outer suburbs and regional areas, do you have any hotspots, any, you know, regional areas that you’re concerned about that don’t have enough facilities?

CLARE: You can look at data that shows where there are what’s called sometimes “childcare deserts” right across the country. This fund is designed to help to make sure that we build centres where they’re needed most, and in particular, if you look at the Productivity Commission report released last year it talks to this, it’s the outer suburbs, and it’s in Regional Australia.

Just talking to the team at Goodstart here is the only childcare centre in Jerra that provides full service from six week old children right through to four year olds.

JOURNALIST: I did just want to ask you about – there was evidence at a Parliamentary Committee last week about an online meeting of ANU to delete the Nazi salute. The investigation to my understanding is that they found that that wasn’t the case. What else do you think was happening there?

CLARE: I make the general point, whether it’s at ANU or whether it’s at QUT that there is absolutely no place for the poison of antisemitism in our universities or anywhere in this country or anywhere in the world.

There is a commemoration that’s just happened of the 80th Anniversary of the Holocaust and Auschwitz. You know, in the lifetime of our grandparents we’ve all seen the true terror of what antisemitism can wreak and there is no place for it, and that’s why I’ve made it very clear to every university leader in the country that they must enforce their Codes of Conduct, and that includes saying that directly to the Vice Chancellor of QUT.

JOURNALIST: Do you believe though that it was appropriate that an ANU student who went on radio said that terrorist designated organisation, Hamas [indistinct] unconditional support was able to overturn her expulsion on appeal. You’ve just spoken about the poison of antisemitism; we have a growing issue in Australia. Is that an appropriate thing to do?

CLARE: No.

JOURNALIST: Are we any closer to a governance review what’s the latest with the university governance review?

CLARE: Yeah, last week we announced the members of the panel that will be responsible for implementing that review.

JOURNALIST: Are you confident with the members of that panel?

CLARE: I am.

JOURNALIST: And then I might just Ms McBain something if that’s okay.

CLARE: Sure.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] would like to see councils auctioning off properties. What do you think of this decision?

McBAIN: Look, every Council has the opportunity to take action when someone doesn’t pay rates for a period of time. My understanding, and it was a unanimous decision of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council to take this route, is that these rates have been unpaid for more than five years. A lot of those properties that attempted to make contact by door knocking them, letter boxing them, serving them, there’s been no contact made with any of those individuals for a variety of reasons. It is an avenue open to them, but as I said, it’s a unanimous decision of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council to take this action, which I’m sure that hasn’t been done lightly either.

JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about the financial stability of councils if they are having to resort to methods like this just to try and stay out of debt?

McBAIN: Look, I think when you look at it, it’s about a million dollars in unpaid rates that they are going to attempt to recruit through auction. I don’t think this goes anywhere near dealing with some of the ongoing issues that councils have, but what we’ve done since we’ve been in government, you know, there’s been more collaboration with local councils than in any time before that.

I’ve personally met with over 250 councils either in their communities or in Canberra or at a Local Government Association conference. We have doubled Roads to Recovery funding and that means regional councils across the country have now more money than ever before to deal with road issues.

Across Eden Monaro that’s $26.3 million extra for our local councils resulting in over $65 million for roads alone. We’ve increased road black spot funding, we’ve created the new safer local road and infrastructure program, $200 million a year, you know, we’ve been really putting our shoulder to the wheel making a difference for local councils, and just last week I was able to announce $27.2 million for Marulan Sewer Treatment Plant, you know, which is something that Council had called from but hadn’t been supported in getting.

So, the Albanese Government takes seriously the priorities of local councils and local communities and we’ve been delivering for all of them.

JOURNALIST: Thank you.

MIL OSI News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: January 28th, 2025 Heinrich: Trump’s Blockade on Federal Funding Pummels New Mexicans and American Economy

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
Published: January 28th, 2025

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is condemning President Trump’s unlawful direction to unilaterally blockade all federal grant funding.
“Our economy, our healthcare system, our schools, our law enforcement and fire departments, our newborns, our elders, our veterans – everyone, everywhere in New Mexico. President Trump is attempting to shove all of this over a cliff,” said Heinrich. “In New Mexico alone, Trump’s blockade on federal funding will make it impossible for thousands to pay rent on February 1st, force tens of thousands of New Mexico students to drop out of college without Pell Grant funding, close hundreds of preschool programs across the state, deprive 7 out of 10 New Mexico children their daily lunch, and cut off federal Medicaid reimbursement – impacting 7 out of 10 nursing home residents, 55% of newborn births, and all health care providers in our state.”
Heinrich continued, “Trump is clearly willing to pummel New Mexicans and the American economy for his twisted and deranged agenda and fragile ego. But the Constitution is clear: the president cannot override, delay, or rescind Congress’s funding laws. We passed these laws to help working families get ahead and put food on the table and create jobs New Mexicans can build their families around. I will fight like hell to undo this brazen, barbaric blockade from this wannabe dictator and his weird billionaire lackeys.”
The Constitution explicitly gives Congress, not the president, the power of the purse. The president does not have the power to override spending laws that Congress has passed and the president has signed into law. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution says: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Fact sheets from the Senate and House Appropriations Committees detailing how presidents lack power to unilaterally override congressional spending laws and deny enacted funding to communities can be found here and here.
Examples of the impacts of this funding blockade:
PUBLIC SAFETY: Grants for law enforcement and homeland security activities will cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in every state and territory.
DISASTER RELIEF: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters will be halted—right as so many communities are struggling after severe natural disasters, including Roswell flooding and Ruidoso fires and severe storms and wildfires in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and California.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: All federally-funded transportation projects across the country—roads, bridges, public transit, and more—will be halted, including projects already under construction.
COMBATTING THE FENTANYL CRISIS: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis will be cut off.
988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE: Funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as grants for mental health services, will be cut off.
MEDICAL RESEARCH: There will be immediate pauses on all funding for critical health research, including research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, as well as clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and all across the country—disrupting lifesaving and often time-sensitive research.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events will be frozen.
FIREFIGHTING: Grants to support firefighters across the country will be halted—this includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment.
HEAD START: Funding for Head Start programs that provide comprehensive early childhood education for more than 800,000 kids and their families will be cut off. Teachers and staff would not get paid and programs may not be able to stay open.
CHILD CARE: Child care programs across the country will not be able to access the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
K-12 SCHOOLS: Federal funding for our K-12 schools will be halted. School districts may not be able to access key formula grant funding including Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and Career and Technical Education, which would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
HIGHER EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING: Millions of students relying on Pell grants, federal student loans, and federal work study will have their plans to pursue postsecondary education and further their careers thrown into chaos as federal financial aid disbursements are paused.
HEALTH SERVICES: Federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for over 30 million Americans will be immediately frozen, creating chaos for patients trying get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
SMALL BUSINESSES: The Small Business Administration will have to halt loans to small businesses—including those in disaster ravaged communities in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida.
VETERANS CARE: Federal grants to help veterans in rural areas access health care and grants to help veterans get other critical services, including suicide prevention resources, transition assistance, and housing for homeless veterans, will be cut off.
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE: Millions of American families and children who rely on nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, and school lunch programs will be left hungry as funding is cut off and non-profits who provide additional assistance lose federal funding.
TRIBES: Funding to Tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, law enforcement, Tribal schools, housing, and food assistance will be halted.
PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: All Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as funding for victims assistance and state and local police, will be cut off.
U.S. COMPETITIVENESS: Existing grants to support research for AI and quantum computing will be halted and any new grant funding would be paused—undermining U.S. innovation and competitiveness with China and putting American jobs at risk.
ENERGY JOBS: Grants for critical energy projects nationwide will be cut off—halting billions of dollars in investment nationwide and jeopardizing good-paying American jobs. The Department of Energy Loan Program Office will halt loans in 28 states, impacting hundreds of thousands construction and operations jobs.
FOOD INSPECTIONS: Some states will have to take on the full financial burden of ensuring the nation’s meat supply is safe if federal cooperative agreements for meat inspection are halted.
SUPPORT FOR SERVICE MEMBERS: Support for a host of Department of Defense financial assistance and grant programs supporting service members and their families will be halted, including the Fisher House, Impact Aid, community noise mitigation, ROTC language training, STEM programs, and the USO.
WEAKENS MILITARY READINESS: Grants and other assistance appropriated to strengthen military effectiveness and defense capacity will be halted, including Defense Production Act support for the defense industrial base, basic research grants necessary to advance key technologies, and small business support to strengthen supply chains.
AMERICANS OVERSEAS: Programs that track and combat the spread of infectious diseases, create business opportunities for American companies in emerging markets, combat terrorism, and counter the influence of China, Russia, and Iran—and efforts to ensure the safety and security of Americans implementing these programs—are all suspended and could be terminated.
An extensive list of potentially impacted federal programs can be found here.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK is deeply alarmed by the events in Goma: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UK is deeply alarmed by the events that have unfolded in eastern DRC.

Since we met on Sunday, M23, with support from the Rwandan Defence Forces, have closed in on Goma. M23 have declared that it is now under their control.

The humanitarian impacts are dire. The advances have displaced close to one million people in North and South Kivu. Civilian casualties are rising.

Hundreds of thousands of people who have already fled from M23’s advances, many of them several times before, are now on the move again, with virtually nowhere safe to go.

How many times must they pack up their lives and flee? The cycle must end.

The UK is also deeply concerned by the limited ability of humanitarian actors to get help to those who need it.

Key humanitarian routes – land, water and air – are closed and hospitals are overcrowded, with staff risking their own lives to provide emergency assistance.

More than 800,000 people in the area who were prioritised for support may no longer receive vital food and nutritional assistance.

We call on the parties not to obstruct the vital services that humanitarians are providing, and to cease hostilities and uphold the protection of humanitarian workers, as required in international humanitarian law.

We also urge all parties to consider essential humanitarian corridors to allow the resupply and delivery of essential life-saving items and the freedom and safe movement of civilians and humanitarian actors.

President, the UK is deeply concerned by the continued endangering of peacekeepers’ lives.

On Sunday I expressed my condolences to the families of the thirteen who have already been killed. Since then, four more peacekeepers have tragically been killed. We urge an immediate end to this violence.

We commend the leadership of MONUSCO and your courage under fire, and we thank you for their vital work.

Finally, President, the UK’s Foreign Secretary and Minister for Africa have spoken with Rwanda at the highest levels, as well as with wider partners in the region.

And we have made clear that there can be no military solution.

We urge all parties to cease hostilities and return to diplomatic talks immediately without preconditions.

We remain committed to ensuring this Council takes the necessary action to support an end to this conflict.

Updates to this page

Published 28 January 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Get FEMA Disaster Assistance; Only Ten Days Left to Apply

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Get FEMA Disaster Assistance; Only Ten Days Left to Apply

Get FEMA Disaster Assistance; Only Ten Days Left to Apply

SANTA FE, New Mexico – Chaves County homeowners and renters who were affected by the Oct. 19-20 storms and flooding may be eligible to receive federal disaster assistance from FEMA. But don’t wait to register! Jan. 2, 2025, is the last day to apply.How to Apply for FEMA Disaster AssistanceThe first step for individuals and households to receive financial help is to apply to FEMA for federal assistance. There are no costs involved to apply for, or receive, FEMA assistance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits. There are four ways to apply:Visit the Roswell Disaster Recovery Center operated by the state of New Mexico and FEMA. For location and hours, visit fema.gov/drc or send a text message with the word “DRC” and a zip code to 43362.Holiday hours at the Roswell DRC are:Tuesdays, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Wednesday, Dec. 25, Thursday, Dec 26 and Wednesday, Jan. 1, closed.Go online to disasterassistance.gov/Download the FEMA Appfor mobile devices at fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-productsCall the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Help is available in most languages.Holiday hours for the FEMA Helpline are:Tuesday, Dec. 24, closed.Wednesday, Dec. 25, closed.For an American Sign Language video on how to apply for assistance, visit youtube.com/watch= WZGpWI2RCNw.For the latest on New Mexico’s recovery, follow the FEMA Region 6 X account at X.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6.
alexa.brown
Tue, 01/28/2025 – 20:03

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Protect Your Property: Flood Insurance is Vital in New Mexico

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Protect Your Property: Flood Insurance is Vital in New Mexico

Protect Your Property: Flood Insurance is Vital in New Mexico

SANTA FE, New Mexico — A single inch of floodwater can cause up to $25,000 of damage to a home, and can occur anywhere and often catches homeowners, renters, and business owners by surprise, leaving them unprepared and vulnerable.   When buying or renting a home or managing a business, we often overlook other programs or services that we may need to protect our property. Many people assume their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance covers flooding. However, most standard policies do not. Many Chaves County residents and business owners whose property was damaged by the Oct. 19-20, severe storm and flooding only found out too late that most hazard insurance policies do not cover flood damage. Flood insurance is a separate policy that can cover buildings, the contents of a building, or both. So, it is important to protect your most important financial assets — your home, your business and your possessions.   Flood insurance gives you financial protection and peace of mind. Whether it’s a major flood event or a few inches of water in your home, flood insurance helps you protect the life you’ve built.  NFIP coverage is valid in all floods, regardless of federal disaster declarations. NFIP coverage is available to homeowners, renters and businesses for residential and commercial buildings:  Up to $250,000 in building coverage and up to $100,000 in contents coverage for single-to-four family residential structures.   Up to $500,000 in building coverage and up to $100,000 in contents coverage for five-or-more family residential structures.  Up to $500,000 in building coverage and up to $500,000 in contents coverage for businesses.   Call Your Insurance Agent or Company Today  Whether you’re buying a new policy or renewing an existing policy, you can buy NFIP insurance by calling your insurance company or calling your local independent agent, who can write a flood insurance policy directly with NFIP. There is a 30-day waiting period before new policies go into effect, so it’s important to act promptly to avoid delays.  Need Help Finding an Insurance Provider?  The FEMA flood insurance program partners with more than 50 private insurance companies and NFIP Direct to sell and service flood insurance policies. To find a list of flood insurance writers in New Mexico, visit: http://www.floodsmart.gov/flood-insurance-provider?. For more information about NFIP, to find out if you live in a participating community, and what’s covered by NFIP policies, contact your private insurance provider or visit FloodSmart.gov.  For the latest information on New Mexico’s recovery visit fema.gov/disaster/4843. Follow the FEMA Region 6 X account at X.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6.
alexa.brown
Tue, 01/28/2025 – 20:25

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Roswell Disaster Recovery Center to Close, but FEMA is Still Here

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Roswell Disaster Recovery Center to Close, but FEMA is Still Here

Roswell Disaster Recovery Center to Close, but FEMA is Still Here

SANTA FE, New Mexico. – The deadline for applying to FEMA for federal disaster assistance has passed, and while the Roswell Disaster Recovery Center will close permanently at 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, FEMA is not leaving Chaves County. FEMA continues working with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NMDHSEM) to help survivors and communities in their recovery from the Oct. 19-20 severe storm and flooding. You can still visit DisasterAssistance.gov (or DisasterAssistance.gov/es for Spanish) or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585). The helpline is live from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, in most languages. FEMA encourages you to keep in touch to: Check on the status of your application and ask questions about the process; Appeal a decision by FEMA; Update your contact and banking information; Provide updated documentation; Report additional damage discovered since your home inspection, orRequest continued FEMA rental assistance due to permanent housing not yet met. If you are receiving temporary rental assistance from FEMA, you will need to update your permanent housing plan and may need to document your need for continued rental assistance. FEMA expects all families who receive temporary rental assistance to return to their damaged home when it is repaired or to locate and occupy affordable housing without FEMA rental assistance when you can do so. If you registered with FEMA before the deadline and later discover that your insurance has not covered all losses, you have up to a year to submit additional documentation to FEMA. It is important to provide FEMA with your final insurance settlement information as assistance may be available for some expenses not covered by insurance. For questions about U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans, contact the SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. For the latest information on the Chaves County recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4843. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and facebook.com/femaregion6.
alexa.brown
Tue, 01/28/2025 – 20:21

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Today is the Last Day to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Today is the Last Day to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

Today is the Last Day to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

SANTA FE, New Mexico– The deadline for Chaves County homeowners and renters who suffered uninsured or underinsured damage to their property, from the Oct. 19-20 storm and flooding, is 11:59 p.m. today.Storm-impacted New Mexicans may apply in person at the state of New Mexico/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in the Roswell Mall, where specialists from FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program help applicants face to face. Highly trained specialists assist citizens through the recovery process, explaining the types of assistance available from FEMA, such as housing and other needs assistance.This DRC is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.Impacted citizens are encouraged to file insurance claims for damage to their homes, personal property and vehicles before they apply for FEMA assistance. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.FEMA’s IA program is designed to help New Mexicans with basic, critical needs such as a safe, sanitary, and functional place to live while Chaves’ residents look for a long-term or permanent housing solution. It is not designed to make residents whole and is not a substitute for insurance coverage. FEMA assistance cannot duplicate other sources of assistance. FEMA provides funds paid directly to eligible individuals and households. Financial Housing Assistance may include rental assistance, lodging expenses reimbursement, home repair assistance, and replacement assistance.Applying for Help is FreeIf you are unable to apply in person, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or use the FEMA mobile app. Help is available in most languages. This is what you will need when you apply:A current phone number where you can be contacted.Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.Your Social Security Number. A general list of damage and losses.Banking information if you choose direct deposit. If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.If you are unable to locate important documentation, FEMA will help you identify other ways to verify this information.To view an American Sign Language (ASL) video about how to apply visit How to Apply for Disaster Assistance – YouTube. For the latest information on the Chaves County recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4843. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and facebook.com/femaregion6.
alexa.brown
Tue, 01/28/2025 – 20:16

MIL OSI USA News –

January 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Pierceland — Pierceland RCMP seize firearms while arresting wanted man
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On January 21, 2025, Pierceland RCMP were working to locate 23-year-old David Waskahat.

He was wanted for failing to appear in court on charges laid after a firearms discharge that took place in Pierceland, SK on October 27, 2024.

RCMP officers located Waskahat in a vehicle in Mudie Lake, SK. As a result of investigation, Pierceland RCMP located and seized a sawed-off riffle, a sawed-off shotgun, and a machete. A photo of the seized items is attached.

David Waskahat has been charged with:
- 1 count, possession of restricted weapon without license, Section 95(1), Criminal Code;
- 1 count, possession of firearm with tampered serial number, Section 108(1)(b), Criminal Code;
- 1 count, possession of firearm while unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
- 2 counts, possession of firearm in a motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
- 2 counts, careless use of a firearm, Section 86(1), Criminal Code;
- 3 counts, possession of weapon contrary to court order, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code;
- 3 counts, fail to comply with probation order, Section 733.1(1), Criminal Code; and
- 1 count, fail to comply with release order, Section 1454(5)(a), Criminal Code.
Waskahat appeared in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on January 23, 2025 where he was remanded into custody until his next scheduled appearance on February 5, 2025.

MIL Security OSI –
January 29, 2025

Category: Natural Disasters

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