NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal Crash – Virginia

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Detectives from the Major Crash Unit are currently investigating a fatal pedestrian strike in Virginia this morning.

    Around 4am, police received reports that a 43-year-old woman had been struck by a vehicle on the Stuart Highway, around 500 metres north of Virginia Road, Virginia.

    The vehicle stopped at the scene and the woman was declared deceased upon emergency services arrival.

    Both inbound lanes of the Stuart highway have been closed and diversions are currently in place with traffic re-entering the highway at Morgan Road. It is expected diversions will remain in place until midday.

    Anyone with information or dash-cam footage, particularly if you saw a pedestrian in that area this morning, is urged to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference P25126714.

    The lives lost on Territory roads now stands at 10.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Aggravated assault – Nightcliff

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Officers from the Territory Safety Division have arrested a male youth in relation to allegations of going armed in public, damaging multiple vehicles and threatening/attempting to assault members of the public.

    At about 2pm yesterday, the youth is alleged to have approached the first victim on the corner of Progress Drive and Boetdoemba street, threatened to punch her before attempting to punch her in the head. The victim was forced to take evasive action in order to avoid being struck before running from the offender. Shortly after this incident the offender allegedly armed himself with a metal pole and a glass bottle before walking along Progress Drive towards Bagot Road. The offender then allegedly threw the pole at a vehicle,  causing damage and frightening the occupants, before rearming himself with the pole and continuing  to walk along Progress Drive. The offender allegedly approached one of the stationary vehicles containing a female and two young children and threatened them by raising the metal pole up and motioning as though he was going to smash the windscreen of the vehicle. The actions of the offender terrified the female and children inside the vehicle.

    The youth continued  with this behaviour damaging further vehicles driving through the area by allegedly throwing a bottle at one and striking another vehicle multiple times with the metal pole.

    Officers from the Territory Safety Division responded to the incident, locating the offender walking along Progress Drive armed with two metal poles. The offender was subsequently arrested by police. 

    The youth, aged 15, was charged with:

    • 3 x Aggravated Assault
    • 2 x Damage to Property
    • 1 x Endanger Occupants of Vehicle
    • 1 x Going Armed in Public

    He was remanded to appear in court today.

    Acting Superintendent of the Territory Safety Division Alex Noonan said “This type of offending is unacceptable and members of the community should not be subjected to this level of violence and senseless destruction. The quick and decisive action of the officers involved is to be commended and prevented further escalation.”

    “This is still an active investigation and anyone with information or dashcam footage of this incident is urged to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference NTP2500047620. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Atlanticus Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    First Quarter 2025 net margin growth of 26.4% over prior year, with 3.8 million accounts served (1)

    ATLANTA, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: ATLC) (Atlanticus, the Company, we, our or us), a financial technology company that enables its bank, retail and healthcare partners to offer more inclusive financial services to millions of everyday Americans, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. An accompanying earnings presentation is available in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.atlanticus.com or by clicking here.

    Financial and Operating Highlights

    First Quarter 2025 Highlights (all comparisons to the First Quarter 2024)

    • Managed receivables2 increased 16.7% to $2.7 billion
    • Total operating revenue and other income increased 18.9% to $344.9 million
    • Return on average equity of 22.0 %3
    • Purchase volume of $661.0 million
    • Over 415,000 new accounts served during the quarter, 3.8 million total accounts served1
    • Net income attributable to common shareholders of $27.9 million, or $1.49 per diluted common share

    1)In our calculation of total accounts served, we include all accounts with account activity and accounts that have open lines of credit at the end of the referenced period. 
    2) Managed receivables is a non-GAAP financial measure and excludes the results of our Auto Finance receivables. SeeCalculationofNon-GAAP Financial Measures for important additional information. 
    3)Return on average equity is calculated using Netincome attributable to common shareholders as the numerator and the average of Total equityasofMarch31,2025andDecember 31,2024as the denominator, annualized.

    Management Commentary

    Jeff Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer at Atlanticus stated, “We are pleased to start the year with prudent growth and achieving our profitability targets while adding over 400,000 new customers served. This quarter’s performance continues to highlight our priorities of providing an invaluable service to the consumers we serve, unit level profitability, and finally, growth. On behalf of our bank partners, we now facilitate access to everyday needs through credit to nearly 4 million consumers. The largest purchase volumes on our general-purpose credit card solutions are for food and gas, indicative of the role the services we provide play in the daily lives of everyday Americans. We are proud to partner with these consumers on their financial journey.

    “We have built a diversified, tech-enabled, credit-as-a-service platform that brings together banks, retail and health-care partners, to meet their customers where they are. This diversified platform capability provides us with significant opportunities for long-term, sustained growth as we work to offer financial solutions to the almost 100 million everyday Americans looking to build or improve their credit. Our analytics, technology, and access to ample capital allow us to offer a best-in-class solution to our partners and their customers. It is this opportunity that leads to our belief that we can deliver above market rates of growth while achieving our targeted return on capital.”

    Financial Results   For the Three Months Ended March 31,    
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)     2025       2024     % Change
    Total operating revenue and other income   $ 344,873     $ 290,174     18.9%  
    Other non-operating income     293       532     nm  
    Total revenue and other income     345,166       290,706     18.7%  
    Interest expense     (47,530)       (35,063)     35.6%  
    Provision for credit losses     (1,068)       (2,944)     nm  
    Changes in fair value of loans     (178,345)       (159,171)     12.0%  
    Net margin   $ 118,223     $ 93,528     26.4%  
    Total operating expenses   $ 77,355     $ 60,707     27.4%  
    Net income   $ 31,122     $ 25,819     20.5%  
    Net income attributable to controlling interests   $ 31,520     $ 26,170     20.4%  
    Preferred stock and preferred unit dividends and discount accretion   $ (3,574)     $ (6,292)     (43.2%)  
    Net income attributable to common shareholders   $ 27,946     $ 19,878     40.6%  
    Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—basic   $ 1.85     $ 1.35     37.0%  
    Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—diluted   $ 1.49     $ 1.09     36.7%  

    *nm = not meaningful

    Managed Receivables

    Managed receivables increased 16.7% to $2.7 billion with over $388.7 million in net receivables growth from March 31, 2024 driven by growth both in the private label credit and general purpose credit card products offered by our bank partners. Total accounts served increased 8.1% to 3.8 million. The addition of large private label credit retail partners and ongoing purchases of receivables arising in accounts issued by our bank partners to customers of our existing retail partners helped grow our private label credit receivables by $345.8 million in the twelve months ended March 31, 2025. Our general purpose credit card receivables grew by $42.8 million during the twelve months ended March 31, 2025. While some of our merchant partners continue to face year-over-year growth challenges, others are benefiting from continued consumer spending and a growing economy and have expanded their relationship with us. We expect continued growth in 2025 in our managed receivables when compared to prior periods in 2024.

    Total Operating Revenue and Other Income

    Total operating revenue and other income consists of: 1) interest income, finance charges and late fees on consumer loans, 2) other fees on credit products including annual and merchant fees and 3) interchange and servicing income on loan portfolios and other customer related fees. 

    We are currently experiencing continued period-over-period growth in private label credit and general purpose credit card receivables — growth that we expect to result in net period-over-period growth in our total interest income and related fees for these operations throughout 2025. During 2024 we experienced higher growth rates for our private label credit receivables than for our general purpose credit card receivables. We expect growth in our private label credit receivables to exceed growth in our general purpose receivables through the second quarter of 2025. Future periods’ growth is dependent on the addition of new retail partners to expand the reach of private label credit operations as well as growth within existing partnerships and the level of marketing investment for the general purpose credit card operations.

    During the quarter ended March 31, 2025, total operating revenue and other income increased 18.9% to $344.9 million. General purpose credit card receivables tend to have higher total yields than private label credit receivables (and corresponding higher charge off rates). As a result, in periods where we have declines in rates of growth of these general purpose credit card receivables, as was noted in 2024 (relative to growth in private label credit card receivables), we expect to have slightly lower total managed yield ratios. We currently expect increases in the rates of acquisition of our general purpose credit card receivables relative to private label credit receivables in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 and correspondingly higher period-over-period operating revenue and other income for all periods in 2025. This growth includes an expected seasonal shift in our mix of acquired private label receivables to higher FICO receivables that have lower gross yields (and correspondingly lower charge-off expectations) in the third quarter each year, which may result in marginally lower managed yield ratios when compared to the corresponding periods in 2024.

    Interest Expense

    Interest expense was $47.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $35.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The higher expenses were primarily driven by the increases in outstanding debt in proportion to growth in our receivables coupled with increases in the cost of borrowing.

    Outstanding notes payable, net of unamortized debt issuance costs and discounts, associated with our private label credit and general purpose credit card platform increased to $2,137.6 million as of March 31, 2025 from $1,795.4 million as of March 31, 2024. The majority of this increase in outstanding debt relates to the addition of multiple credit facilities in 2024 and 2025 coupled with the issuance of our 9.25% Senior Notes due 2029. Recent increases in the effective interest rates on debt have increased our interest expense as we have raised additional capital (or replaced existing facilities) over the last two years. We anticipate additional debt financing over the next few quarters as we continue to grow coupled with higher effective interest rates on new debt compared to rates on maturing debt. As such, we expect our quarterly interest expense for these operations to increase compared to prior periods.

    Changes in Fair Value of Loans

    Changes in fair value of loans increased to $178.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 compared to $159.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. This increase was largely driven by growth in our acquisition and relative mix of receivables, offset by improvements in the fair value assessment for receivables due to improvements in the underlying performance in the form of improved delinquencies and improved net returns.

    We include asset performance degradation in our forecasts to reflect both changes in assumed asset level economics and the possibility of delinquency rates increasing in the near term (and the corresponding increase in charge-offs and decrease in payments) above the level that current trends would suggest. Based on observed asset stabilization, implementation of product, policy, and pricing changes and general improvements in U.S. economic expectations due to the improved inflation environment, some expected degradation has been removed in recent periods. Tightened underwriting standards  have resulted in improved overall credit performance of our acquired receivables. When coupled with those existing assets negatively impacted by inflation gradually becoming a smaller percentage of the outstanding portfolio, we expect to see overall improvements in the measured fair value of our portfolios of acquired receivables.

    Total Operating Expenses

    Total operating expenses increased 27.4% in the quarter when compared to the same period in 2024, driven primarily by increases in variable servicing costs associated with growth in our receivables and costs associated with the implementation of product, policy and pricing changes. In addition, we experienced growth in both the number of employees and inflationary compensation pressure, partially offset by decreases in certain other nonrecurring accounting and legal expenditures as compared to the first quarter of 2024.

    We expect some continued increase in salaries and benefits in 2025 compared to corresponding periods in 2024 as we continue to add resources across our business and as a result we expect to increase our number of employees.

    We expect increased levels of expenditures associated with anticipated growth in private label credit and general purpose credit card operations. These expenses will primarily relate to the variable costs of marketing efforts and card and loan servicing expenses associated with new receivable acquisitions. Offsetting a portion of this increase are significant reductions in our servicing costs per account, resulting from the realization of greater economies of scale and increased use of automation as our receivables have grown.

    In addition, as we continue to adjust our underwriting standards to reflect changes in fee and finance assumptions on new receivables, and allow for overall increases in the cost to successfully market to consumers, we expect period over period marketing costs for 2025 to increase relative to those experienced in 2024, although the frequency and timing of increased marketing efforts could vary and are dependent on macroeconomic factors such as national unemployment rates and federal funds rates.

    Net Income Attributable to Common Shareholders

    Net income attributable to common shareholders increased 40.6% to $27.9 million, or $1.49 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    Share Repurchases

    We repurchased and retired 27,252 shares of our common stock at an aggregate cost of $1.25 million, in the quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    We will continue to evaluate the best use of our capital to increase shareholder value over time.

    About Atlanticus Holdings Corporation

    Empowering Better Financial Outcomes for Everyday Americans

    Atlanticus™ technology enables bank, retail, and healthcare partners to offer more inclusive financial services to everyday Americans through the use of proprietary technology and analytics. We apply the experience gained and infrastructure built from servicing over 20 million customers and $43 billion in consumer loans over more than 25 years of operating history to support lenders that originate a range of consumer loan products. These products include retail and healthcare private label credit and general purpose credit cards marketed through our omnichannel platform, including retail point-of-sale, healthcare point-of-care, direct mail solicitation, internet-based marketing, and partnerships with third parties. Additionally, through our Auto Finance subsidiary, Atlanticus serves the individual needs of automotive dealers and automotive non-prime financial organizations with multiple financing and service programs.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s current views with respect to, among other things, its business, long-term growth plans and opportunities, operations, return on capital, financial performance, revenue and other income, amount and pace of growth of managed receivables, mix of receivables, underwriting approach, total interest income and related fees and charges, managed yield ratio, debt financing, liquidity, interest rates, interest expense, operating expense, marketing efforts and fair value of receivables. You generally can identify these statements by the use of words such as outlook, potential, continue, may, seek, approximately, predict, believe, expect, plan, intend, estimate or anticipate and similar expressions or the negative versions of these words or comparable words, as well as future or conditional verbs such as will, should, would, likely and could. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those risks described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to, bank partners, merchant partners, consumers, loan demand, the capital markets, labor availability, supply chains and the economy in general; the Company’s ability to retain existing, and attract new, merchant partners and funding sources; changes in market interest rates; increases in loan delinquencies; its ability to operate successfully in a highly regulated industry; the outcome of litigation and regulatory matters; the effect of management changes; cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities in its products and services; and the Company’s ability to compete successfully in highly competitive markets. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there is no assurance that the events or results suggested by the forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

    Contact:
    Investor Relations
    (770) 828-2000
    investors@atlanticus.com

    Atlanticus Holdings Corporation and Subsidiaries
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands)
     
        March 31,   December 31,
          2025       2024  
    Assets        
    Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents (including $164.3 million and $140.2 million associated with variable interest entities at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively)   $350,390     $375,416  
    Restricted cash and cash equivalents (including $86.9 million and $98.8 million associated with variable interest entities at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively)     111,059       124,220  
    Loans at fair value (including $2,622.4 million and $2,542.9 million associated with variable interest entities at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively)     2,668,503       2,630,274  
    Loans at amortized cost, net (including $4.8 million and $4.9 million of allowance for credit losses at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively; and $20.1 million and $19.8 million of deferred revenue at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively)     81,238       84,332  
    Property at cost, net of depreciation     12,401       10,519  
    Operating lease right-of-use assets     13,844       13,878  
    Prepaid expenses and other assets     34,730       32,068  
    Total assets   $3,272,165     $3,270,707  
             
    Liabilities        
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses   $81,108     $72,088  
    Operating lease liabilities     24,145       24,188  
    Notes payable, net (including $2,137.6 million and $2,128.0 million associated with variable interest entities at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively)     2,174,632       2,199,448  
    Senior notes, net     299,656       281,552  
    Income tax liability     123,775       114,068  
    Total liabilities     2,703,316       2,691,344  
             
    Commitments and contingencies        
    Preferred stock, no par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized:        
    Series A preferred stock, 400,000 shares issued and outstanding (liquidation preference – $40.0 million) at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024(1)     40,000       40,000  
    Class B preferred units issued to noncontrolling interests     –       50,000  
             
    Shareholders’ Equity        
    Series B preferred stock, no par value, 3,314,840 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 (liquidation preference – $82.9 million); 3,301,179 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 (liquidation preference – $82.5 million) (1)     –       –  
    Common stock, no par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized: 15,097,243 and 14,904,192 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively     –       –  
    Paid-in capital     110,138       98,278  
    Retained earnings     422,574       394,628  
    Total shareholders’ equity attributable to Atlanticus Holdings Corporation     532,712       492,906  
    Noncontrolling interests     (3,863)       (3,543)  
    Total equity     528,849       489,363  
    Total liabilities, shareholders’ equity and temporary equity   $3,272,165     $3,270,707  
             
    (1) Both the Series A preferred stock and the Series B preferred stock have no par value and are part of the same aggregate 10,000,000 shares authorized.
    Atlanticus Holdings Corporation and Subsidiaries
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
     
        For the Three Months Ended
    March 31,
          2025       2024  
    Revenue and other income:        
    Consumer loans, including past due fees   $247,655     $230,374  
    Fees and related income on earning assets     78,341       47,905  
    Other revenue     18,877       11,895  
    Total operating revenue and other income     344,873       290,174  
    Other non-operating income     293       532  
    Total revenue and other income     345,166       290,706  
             
    Interest expense     (47,530)       (35,063)  
    Provision for credit losses     (1,068)       (2,944)  
    Changes in fair value of loans     (178,345)       (159,171)  
    Net margin     118,223       93,528  
             
    Operating expenses:        
    Salaries and benefits     (15,503)       (13,312)  
    Card and loan servicing     (32,152)       (26,822)  
    Marketing and solicitation     (20,334)       (10,428)  
    Depreciation     (797)       (654)  
    Other     (8,569)       (9,491)  
    Total operating expenses     (77,355)       (60,707)  
    Income before income taxes     40,868       32,821  
    Income tax expense     (9,746)       (7,002)  
    Net income     31,122       25,819  
    Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests     398       351  
    Net income attributable to controlling interests     31,520       26,170  
    Preferred stock and preferred unit dividends and discount accretion   (3,574)       (6,292)  
    Net income attributable to common shareholders   $27,946     $19,878  
             
    Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—basic $1.85     $1.35  
    Net income attributable to common shareholders per common share—diluted $1.49     $1.09  
               

    Additional Information

    Additional trends and data with respect to our private label credit and general purpose credit card receivables can be found in our latest Form 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

    Calculation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    This press release presents information about managed receivables, which is a non-GAAP financial measure provided as a supplement to the results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). In addition to financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP, we present managed receivables, total managed yield, combined principal net charge-offs, and fair value to total managed receivables ratio, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures aid in the evaluation of the performance of our credit portfolios, including our risk management, servicing and collection activities and our valuation of purchased receivables. The credit performance of our managed receivables provides information concerning the quality of loan originations and the related credit risks inherent with the portfolios. Management relies heavily upon financial data and results prepared on the managed basis in order to manage our business, make planning decisions, evaluate our performance and allocate resources.

    These non-GAAP financial measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures or the calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures are provided below for each of the fiscal periods indicated.

    These non-GAAP financial measures include only the performance of those receivables underlying consolidated subsidiaries (for receivables carried at amortized cost basis and fair value) and exclude the performance of receivables held by our former equity method investee. As the receivables underlying our former equity method investee reflect a small and diminishing portion of our overall receivables base, we do not believe their inclusion or exclusion in the overall results is material. Additionally, we calculate average managed receivables based on the quarter-end balances.

    The comparison of non-GAAP managed receivables to our GAAP financial statements requires an understanding that managed receivables reflect the face value of loans, interest and fees receivable without any consideration for potential loan losses or other adjustments to reflect fair value.

    A reconciliation of Loans at fair value to Total managed receivables is as follows:

        At or for the Three Months Ended
          2025     2024     2023  
    (in Millions)   Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30
                       
    Loans at fair value   $2,668.5   $2,630.3   $2,511.6   $2,277.4   $2,150.6   $2,173.8   $2,050.0   $1,916.1  
    Fair value mark against receivable (1)     37.8     94.5     142.5     137.7     167.5     237.5     265.2     257.9  
    Total managed receivables (2)   $2,706.3   $2,724.8   $2,654.1   $2,415.1   $2,318.1   $2,411.3   $2,315.2   $2,174.0  
                       
    Fair value to Total managed receivables ratio (3)     98.6%     96.5%     94.6%     94.3%     92.8%     90.2%     88.5%     88.1%  
    (1) The Fair value mark against receivables reflects the difference between the face value of a receivable and the net present value of the expected cash flows associated with that receivable.
    (2) Total managed receivables are equal to the aggregate unpaid gross balance of loans carried at fair value.
    (3) The Fair value to Total managed receivables ratio is calculated using Loans at fair value as the numerator, and Total managed receivables as the denominator.
     

    A reconciliation of our operating revenues, net of finance and fee charge-offs, to comparable amounts used in our calculation of Total managed yield is as follows:

      At or for the Three Months Ended
          2025     2024     2023  
    (in Millions)   Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30
    Consumer loans, including past due fees   $238.5   $242.1   $245.3   $232.1   $220.0   $214.6   $214.6   $210.3  
    Fees and related income on earning assets     78.3     83.8     78.5     59.5     47.9     71.7     59.8     62.9  
    Other revenue     18.7     17.5     16.8     13.6     11.7     12.0     10.2     7.6  
    Total operating revenue and other income – CaaS Segment     335.5     343.4     340.6     305.2     279.6     298.3     284.6     280.8  
    Adjustments due to acceleration of merchant fee discount amortization under fair value accounting     0.1     0.7     (15.1)     (12.6)     4.0     6.5     (6.8)     (10.6)  
    Adjustments due to acceleration of annual fees recognition under fair value accounting     (4.2)     (10.5)     (8.0)     1.1     10.1     (12.6)     (3.1)     (9.8)  
    Removal of finance charge-offs     (70.0)     (64.9)     (60.6)     (62.9)     (63.7)     (59.5)     (47.1)     (54.2)  
    Total managed yield   $261.4   $268.7   $256.9   $230.8   $230.0   $232.7   $227.6   $206.2  
                                       

    The calculation of Combined principal net charge-offs is as follows:

        At or for the Three Months Ended
          2025     2024     2023  
    (in Millions)   Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Dec. 31 Sep. 30 Jun. 30
    Charge-offs on loans at fair value   $233.5   $213.1   $201.5   $217.0   $231.7   $215.2   $173.5   $180.0  
    Finance charge-offs (1)     (70.0)     (64.9)     (60.6)     (62.9)     (63.7)     (59.5)     (47.1)     (54.2)  
    Combined principal net charge-offs   $163.5   $148.2   $140.9   $154.1   $168.0   $155.7   $126.4   $125.8  
                                       

    (1) Finance charge-offs are included as a component of our Changes in fair value of loans in the condensed consolidated statements of income.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Results and 17% Increase in Quarterly Cash Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OAK RIDGE, N.C., May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. (“Oak Ridge”; or the “Company”) (OTCPink: BKOR), the parent company of Bank of Oak Ridge (the “Bank”), announced unaudited financial results for the first three months of 2025 and an increase of $0.02, or 17%, in its quarterly cash dividend to $0.14 per common share.

    First Quarter 2025 Highlights

    • Earnings per share were $0.57, up from $0.56 in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $0.50 in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Return on equity of 10.04%, compared to 9.63% for the prior quarter and 9.31% for the first quarter of 2024.
    • Net Income was $1.6 million, up from $1.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Tangible book value per common share of $23.50 as of period end, compared to $23.02 at the end of the prior quarter, and $21.80 at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Dividends declared per common share of $0.14, up 17% from $0.12 for the prior quarter and the first quarter of 2024.
    • Net interest margin was 3.97%, increasing from 3.92% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and from 3.79% in the first quarter of 2024, representing a sequential increase of 5 basis points and a year-over-year increase of 18 basis points.
    • Efficiency ratio of 66.8%, compared to 64.6% for the prior quarter and 68.3% for the first quarter of 2024.
    • Loans receivable of $528.5 million at quarter end, up 11.7% (annualized) from $514.3 million as of the prior quarter end, up 10.7% from $477.4 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Nonperforming assets to total assets of 0.67% at quarter end, compared to 0.44% as of the prior quarter end and 0.07% at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Nonperforming assets were $4.6 million at quarter end, compared to $3.5 million as of the prior quarter-end and $461,000 as of the prior year quarter end. $4.0 million of the $4.1 million increase in nonperforming assets from the prior year quarter-end to the current quarter end is due to the guaranteed and nonguaranteed balances of eight Small Business Administration (“SBA”) 7(a) loans that moved to nonaccrual status during the third and fourth quarters of 2024, and the first quarter of 2025. The balances as of March 31, 2025, of SBA nonperforming loans guaranteed and unguaranteed by the SBA were $3.1 million and $858,000, respectively.
    • Securities available-for-sale and held-to maturity of $98.9 million at quarter end, representing an annualized decrease of 21.1% from $104.4 million at the prior quarter end, and a decrease of 8.3% from $107.8 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Total deposits of $542.5 million at quarter end, representing annualized growth of 8.6% from $531.3 million at the prior quarter end, and an increase of 9.2% from $496.9 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Total short and long-term borrowings, junior subordinated notes, and subordinated debentures of $59.7 million at quarter end, representing an annualized increase of 10.5% from $58.2 million at the prior quarter end, and a decrease of 7.0% from $64.2 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • Total stockholders’ equity of $64.3 million at quarter end, up 8.6% (annualized) from $63.0 million as of the prior quarter end, up 8.0% from $59.6 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
    • On March 31, 2025, the Bank’s Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) was 11.1%, up slightly from 11.0% on December 31, 2024. A bank or savings institution electing to use the CBLR will generally be considered well-capitalized and to have met the risk-based and leverage capital requirements of the capital regulations if it has a leverage ratio greater than 9.0%.

    We are pleased to report a strong start to 2025, marked by solid financial performance and a significant 17% increase in our quarterly cash dividend to $0.14 per share. Our first quarter earnings demonstrated positive momentum, showing improvement both sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2024 and year-over-year. We continued to experience healthy loan growth, achieving a double-digit annualized rate, supported by a robust deposit base and strategic use of borrowings. While we noted a manageable increase in nonperforming assets predominantly related to specific SBA loans, our overall asset quality remains sound, and our net interest margin strengthened during the quarter. Our capital and liquidity positions remain robust, providing a strong foundation for continued growth and the ability to deliver enhanced value to our shareholders. At Oak Ridge, our commitment to building strong client relationships through tailored financial solutions remains paramount, and we appreciate the dedication of our team in consistently serving our customers and managing the Bank effectively.

    The $0.02, or 17% increase in the Company’s quarterly cash dividend to $0.14 per share of common stock will be paid on June 9, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 23, 2025. “We are proud of our record of regularly increasing our quarterly cash dividend to our stockholders,” said Mr. Wayne. “Paying stockholders a portion of our earnings reflects our continuing commitment to enhance stockholder value.”

    For the three months ending March 31, 2025 and 2024, net interest income was $6.3 million and $5.6 million, respectively. For the three months ending March 31, 2025, the net interest margin increased 18 basis points to 3.97%, compared to 3.79% for the three months ending March 31, 2024.

    For the three months ending March 31, 2025, the Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $304,000, compared to a provision for credit losses of $264,000 in the same period in 2024. The allowance for credit losses as a percentage of total loans was 1.05% and 1.03% on March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As highlighted earlier, nonperforming assets increased during the quarter and represented 0.67% of total assets on March 31, 2025, compared to 0.07% on March 31, 2024. The recorded balances of nonperforming loans were $4.6 million on March 31, 2025, compared to $461,000 on March 31, 2024. The $4.1 million increase in nonperforming loans from March 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025, was primarily attributable to eight SBA 7(a) loans totaling $4.0 million moving to nonaccrual status during the third and fourth quarters of 2024, and the first quarter of 2025, of which $3.1 million is guaranteed by the SBA. The SBA loans are also secured by real estate and personal guarantees.

    Noninterest income experienced a decrease from $918,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024, to $784,000 for the comparable period in 2025. This net decrease of $134,000 was driven by offsetting trends within its components. A significant increase was observed in service charges on deposit accounts, which rose from $628,000 in the first quarter of 2024 to $836,000 in the first quarter of 2025, primarily due to the implementation of a new deposit account fee in 2024. Conversely, income from Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) investments decreased. The Company recorded $209,000 in income from these investments during the three months ended March 31, 2024, but recognized no comparable income in the same period of 2025 due to no income distributions received.

    Noninterest expense increased from $4.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, to $4.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, representing a net increase of $400,000. Several categories contributed significantly to this rise. Salaries increased by $188,000 to $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2024, primarily due to higher salaries and incentive payments. Employee benefits also saw an increase of $100,000, rising to $370,000 in the first quarter of 2025 from $270,000 in the corresponding 2024 period, mainly due to increased expenses related to the Bank’s employee stock ownership plan and overall employee benefits. Occupancy expenses rose by $47,000 to $321,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $274,000 in 2024, largely due to higher property maintenance costs. Partially offsetting these increases was a decrease in equipment expense of $80,000, falling to $134,000 in the first quarter of 2025 from $214,000 in the same period of 2024, primarily due to lower equipment depreciation expense. Data and items processing expense also increased by $108,000 to $602,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2025, up from $494,000 in 2024, mainly due to higher software licensing fees paid to the Bank’s core processing vendor.

    About Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc., and Bank of Oak Ridge
    At Bank of Oak Ridge, we pride ourselves on knowing your name when you walk through our door. Whether in-person or through our digital offerings, managing your financial well-being is easy, safe, and convenient. We are the longest-running employee-owned community bank in the Triad and have served community members, local businesses, and non-profit organizations since 2000. Learn more about what makes Bank of Oak Ridge the Triad’s community bank by visiting one of our convenient locations in Greensboro, High Point, Summerfield, and Oak Ridge.

    Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. (OTC Pink: BKOR) is the holding company for Bank of Oak Ridge. Bank of Oak Ridge is a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

    Awards & Recognitions | Best Bank in the Triad | Triad’s Top Workplace Finalist | 2016 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Business Ethics | Triad’s Healthiest Employer Winner

    Banking for Business & Personal | Mobile & Online Banking | Worldwide ATM | Debit, Credit + Rewards | Checking, Savings & Money Market | Loans + SBA | Mortgage | Insurance | Wealth Management

    Let’s Talk | 336.644.9944 | www.BankofOakRidge.com | Extended Interactive Teller Machine Hours at all Triad Locations

    Forward-looking Information This earnings release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of the Company and on the information available to management at the time that these disclosures were prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate” and “believe,” variations of these words and other similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, (1) competition in the Company’s markets, (2) changes in the interest rate environment, (3) general national, regional or local economic conditions may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and the possible impairment of collectability of loans, (4) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards, (5) significant changes in the federal and state legal and regulatory environment and tax laws, and (6) the impact of changes in monetary and fiscal policies, laws, rules and regulations. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

     
    OAK RIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (Dollars in thousands, except share data)
             
        March 31,   December 31,
    		   March 31,
          2025       2024       2024  
    ASSETS   (unaudited)   (audited)   (unaudited)
    Cash and due from banks   $ 10,641     $ 8,075     $ 6,688  
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks     14,614       13,102       16,862  
    Total cash and cash equivalents     25,255       21,177       23,550  
    Securities available-for-sale     80,291       85,714       89,132  
    Securities held-to-maturity, net of allowance for credit losses     18,653       18,662       18,690  
    Restricted stock, at cost     3,616       3,439       2,692  
    Loans receivable     528,521       514,292       477,448  
    Allowance for credit losses     (5,558 )     (5,388 )     (4,941 )
    Net loans receivable     522,963       508,904       472,507  
    Property and equipment, net     8,740       8,664       8,596  
    Accrued interest receivable     3,478       3,135       2,841  
    Bank owned life insurance     6,290       6,268       6,200  
    Right-of-use assets – operating leases     2,165       2,166       2,393  
    Other assets     5,218       5,553       5,010  
    Total assets   $ 676,669     $ 663,682     $ 631,611  
    LIABILITIES        
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   $ 124,274     $ 119,851     $ 99,666  
    Interest-bearing deposits     418,245       411,464       397,220  
    Total deposits     542,519       531,315       496,886  
    Short-term borrowings     41,500       18,000       34,000  
    Long-term borrowings     –       22,000       12,000  
    Junior subordinated notes – trust preferred securities     8,248       8,248       8,248  
    Subordinated debentures, net of discount     9,993       9,983       9,953  
    Lease liabilities – operating leases     2,165       2,166       2,393  
    Accrued interest payable     956       709       1,729  
    Other liabilities     6,970       6,546       6,848  
    Total liabilities     612,351       600,692       572,057  
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY        
    Common stock     26,881       26,733       26,854  
    Retained earnings     38,562       37,771       34,458  
    Net unrealized loss on debt securities, net of tax     (1,118 )     (1,771 )     (1,942 )
    Net unrealized loss on hedging derivative instruments, net of tax     (7 )     257       184  
    Total accumulated other comprehensive loss     (1,125 )     (1,514 )     (1,758 )
    Total stockholders’ equity     64,318       62,990       59,554  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 676,669     $ 663,682     $ 631,611  
    Common shares outstanding     2,747,920       2,736,770       2,761,870  
    Common shares authorized     50,000,000       50,000,000       50,000,000  
             
             
    OAK RIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
    (Dollars in thousands, except share data)
             
        Three Months Ended
        March 31,
    		   December 31,   March 31,
          2025       2024       2024  
    Interest and dividend income:        
    Loans and fees on loans   $ 8,276     $ 8,212     $ 7,230  
    Interest on deposits in banks     166       217       151  
    Restricted stock dividends     49       64       45  
    Interest on investment securities     1,282       1,279       1,445  
    Total interest and dividend income     9,773       9,772       8,871  
    Interest expense        
    Deposits     2,714       2,700       2,351  
    Short-term and long-term debt     767       786       899  
    Total interest expense     3,481       3,486       3,250  
    Net interest income     6,292       6,286       5,621  
    Provision for credit losses     304       514       264  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses     5,988       5,772       5,357  
    Noninterest income:        
    Service charges on deposit accounts     227       234       172  
    Gain (loss) on sale of securities     –       19       –  
    Insurance commissions     150       125       135  
    Gain on sale of Small Business Administration loans     –       –       –  
    Debit and credit card interchange income     272       285       288  
    Income from Small Business Investment Company     –       –       78  
    Income earned on bank owned life insurance     22       23       22  
    Other Service Charges and Fees     88       98       98  
    Total noninterest income     759       784       793  
    Noninterest expenses:        
    Salaries     2,354       2,198       2,166  
    Employee Benefits     335       370       312  
    Occupancy     300       321       296  
    Equipment     164       134       163  
    Data and Item Processing     615       602       520  
    Professional & Advertising     219       298       314  
    Stationary and Supplies     31       21       32  
    Telecommunications     80       65       80  
    FDIC Assessment     120       118       114  
    Other expense     491       441       383  
    Total noninterest expenses     4,709       4,568       4,380  
    Income before income taxes     2,038       1,988       1,770  
    Income tax expense     469       461       403  
    Net income and income available to common shareholders   $ 1,569     $ 1,527     $ 1,367  
    Basic income per common share   $ 0.57     $ 0.56     $ 0.50  
    Diluted income per common share   $ 0.57     $ 0.56     $ 0.50  
    Basic weighted average shares outstanding     2,761,870       2,744,609       2,743,611  
    Diluted weighted average shares outstanding     2,761,870       2,744,609       2,743,611  
    OAK RIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
    Selected Financial Data
                 
        As Of Or For The Three Months Ended,
        March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
          2025       2024       2024       2024       2024  
    Return on average common stockholders’ equity1     10.04 %     9.63 %     9.56 %     8.57 %     9.31 %
    Tangible book value per share   $ 23.41     $ 23.02     $ 22.78     $ 21.95     $ 21.56  
    Return on average assets1     0.95 %     0.91 %     0.91 %     0.80 %     0.88 %
    Net interest margin1     3.97 %     3.92 %     3.81 %     3.81 %     3.79 %
    Efficiency ratio     66.8 %     64.6 %     67.9 %     70.0 %     68.3 %
    Nonperforming assets to total assets     0.67 %     0.53 %     0.45 %     0.08 %     0.06 %
    Allowance for credit losses to total loans     1.05 %     1.05 %     1.06 %     1.06 %     1.03 %
    1Annualized            

    Contact: Skylar Mearing, Marketing Director
    Phone: 336.662.4840

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: SPSA Fire Ban Issued to Prevent Further Human Caused Wildfires

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on May 8, 2025

    Due to current conditions, high fire activity and the extreme fire risk in the province, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has issued a provincial fire ban effective at 5 p.m. on May 8, 2025. The ban encompasses the area north of the provincial forest boundary, up to the Churchill River.

    The fire ban prohibits any open fires, controlled burns and fireworks in the designated boundary, and includes provincial parks, provincial recreation sites and the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District in the area.

    “At this time, implementing a fire ban is a necessary action to protect lives, communities, major infrastructure and resources from wildfire,” SPSA Vice-President of Operations Steve Roberts said. “The primary cause of the current wildfires in the province is human activity. We are strongly reminding the public that human-caused fires are preventable.”

    In Saskatchewan, human-caused wildfires typically start in accessible areas near communities and roads. Simple actions like not driving a vehicle on dry grass, drowning campfires until embers are cool and talking to young children about fire safety can make an impact on the number of fires in Saskatchewan.

    The SPSA encourages all other municipalities, rural municipalities and communities to examine fire risks in their area and to consider implementing consistent fire bans to prevent unwanted human-caused wildfires. 

    As of 3 p.m., there are 28 wildfires burning in the province. To date, Saskatchewan has had 133 wildfires, which is 20 more than the same point in time last year of 113.

    Anyone who spots a wildfire can call 1-800-667-9660, dial 9-1-1 or contact their closest SPSA Forest Protection Area office.

    People can find an interactive fire ban map, frequently asked questions, fire risk maps and fire prevention tips at saskpublicsafety.ca.

    A list of fire restrictions in provincial parks and recreation sites can be found here.

    Established in 2017, the SPSA is a treasury board Crown corporation responsible for wildfire management, emergency management, Sask911, SaskAlert, the Civic Addressing Registry, the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program and fire safety. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Four arrested after Police intercept drug run

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Dye of the Tasman District Organised Crime Unit:

    Four people have been arrested, and drugs and a firearm seized, after Tasman District Police and District Organised Crime Group disrupted an operation supplying methamphetamine into the district this week.

    Intelligence gathered by district staff suggested one or more individuals were frequently travelling to Auckland to collect methamphetamine, then they and their associates were selling it into the Blenheim and West Coast communities, particularly the community of Westport.

    On Tuesday, Police commenced an operation to intercept two men as they travelled down the country.

    They were met in Picton in the afternoon and their vehicle seized and searched. About 500g of methamphetamine was located.

    Simultaneously, search warrants were carried out at addresses in Westport and Auckland.

    At a Westport address, a sawn-off shotgun and 15 ounces of cannabis prepared for supply were located.

    In total, three men, aged 53, 49 and 56, and a 36-year-old woman were arrested and jointly charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply.

    The 53-year-old man and the woman have also been charged with possession of cannabis for supply and unlawful possession of a firearm.

    Police are not ruling out further arrests and charges.

    We are pleased to have put a stop to this activity, which has been bringing illicit drugs into our communities and causing misery for those suffering from addiction and their families.

    We will not tolerate this type of offending and hope these arrests send a message to anyone else who is looking to profit from other people’s misfortune.

    If you have concerns about illegal drug use in your community, please call 111 if there is an immediate public safety risk, or contact us via 105 online, or by phone, to make a report.

    You can also report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arcadia Fire Brigade celebrates 90 years of service

    Source:

    Arcadia Fire Brigade recently celebrated its 90th year of service to the community at the community centre/fire station complex in Arcadia.

    Brigade Captain Ray McManus welcomed 80 guests, including past residents and former brigade members, who joined with current members, their families and community supporters to share memories and celebrate the occasion. 

    Arcadia is a rural community about halfway between Shepparton and Murchison.

    Brigade member of 10 years, John Gribben, presented a history of the brigade since its inception in 1935, when it was known as Arcadia Rural Fire Brigade. John expanded his narrative to tell some of the stories of the disastrous Longwood bushfire of 1965.

    Fortunately, this fire which started just south of the Arcadia area did not impact immediate farmland. The brigade’s major vehicle at this time was a farmer’s truck with a 1,500-litre tank and power pump on the back. Other equipment consisted of knapsacks and fire beaters. 

    The brigade was presented with its first tanker, an Austin Small Town unit, in 1977. This truck was upgraded with a later model Austin in 1983. In 1985, CFA replaced the Austin with a new Hino 3.2 tanker that served the brigade until 1998 when it was replaced with the latest model 2.5 Hino tanker. This is still the main firefighting unit for Arcadia Fire Brigade.

    Commander Rohan Taylor from CFA District 22, congratulated the brigade and its members for service to the local and wider community over this lengthy period.

    Rohan then presented long service awards which included eight medals of Life Membership to CFA.

    “I felt privileged to be a part of this celebration and present brigade members with service awards including CFA Life Membership medals. These awards totalled more than 470 years of combined service, including John Kennedy’s 70-year CFA Life Membership.

    “The day was well organised, and it was fantastic to see not only past and present brigade members there, but also so many community members joining in the celebrations.” 

    Submitted by Julie Wright

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Spotlights Outstanding Iowa Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – During National Small Business Week, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is highlighting some of the Iowa entrepreneurs that she has visited.
    Ernst recognizes local businesses as her “Small Business of the Week” in all 99 counties to honor their impact on communities and the families who run them.
    “It is an honor to travel River to River and meet with the incredible folks running Iowa’s favorite local spots,” said Ernst. “These shops mean so much more than the livelihoods they support and the jobs they create, they embody the American spirit and shape the culture of our great state. This week, and every week, I am proud to support small businesses in Iowa and be their champion in Washington!”
    “Being selected as Senator Ernst’s Business of the Week is an incredible honor for our family and our team,” said Theresa Hildreth, CFO of Martin Hildreth Company, Inc. “As a three-generation business operating for more than 70 years, we take great pride in serving our rural community. This recognition highlights the essential role small businesses play in sustaining local economies and enriching the lives of our neighbors and friends. At Martin Hildreth Company, we’re proud to meet our region’s essential underground utility needs and contribute to the infrastructure that keeps our communities running.”
    “The Brown Family and The Browns Century Theater, extend our heartfelt gratitude for Senator Ernst’s dedication and advocacy for small businesses,” said Michaela Brown, owner of The Browns Century Theater. “Her support empowers local entrepreneurs, strengthens our community, and helps brings dreams to life! We are honored to be among the Small Business of the Week recipients!”
    “Thank you, Senator Ernst for fighting for small business that are the backbone of America’s small and large cities alike,” said Mike Goetz, owner of Family Foods. “Get ready for the Golden Age of America.”
    Here are some of the entrepreneurs across Iowa that Ernst has recognized:
    Tillies Quilts
    Tillies Quilts in Webster County provides a gathering place and welcoming atmosphere for folks of all ages and skill levels to practice the time-honored tradition of quilting.
    Wells Hometown Drug
    Mylo Wells and the entire team at Wells Hometown Drug give back to their community and ensure folks across Davis County receive the pharmacy services they need.
    Martin Hildreth Company
    For 70 years, the Martin Hildreth Company has provided essential excavation services in Calhoun County and worked hard to give back to their community and our nation’s veterans.
    Dutchland Foods
    For over 32 years and four generations, the Van Wyhe family has supplied gourmet baked goods to customers around the country while honoring their small-town beginnings in Lyon County.
    Tristate Curls
    Tristate Curls in Osceola County blows their clients away with specialized care for curly and wavy hair that is a cut above the rest.
    Geater Machining
    Over 61 years, three generations, and a great deal of hard work, the Geater family has built Geater Machining and Manufacturing into a remarkable small business with a global reach.
    Penn Drug
    Penn Drug combines the nostalgia of Iowa traditions with a dedication to providing essential rural health care services to create a renowned southwest Iowa business.
    Family Foods
    For 59 years and three generations, the Goetz family and the entire team at Family Foods has provided Cedar County with fresh groceries and a convenient shopping experience.
    Hawkeye Molding
    With over 45 years of history, Hawkeye Molding of Story County is a leader in plastic injection product manufacturing that many industries, from agriculture to furniture manufacturing, rely on.
    Barn Wired
    In just a few years, Barn Wired evolved from a small home decor business to a multifunctional community hub where customers can shop, enjoy lunch, or find a good cup of coffee.
    Browns Century Theatre
    It’s clear a passion for the performing arts runs in the Brown family, and they’ve channeled their love for music into a successful small business that entertains Plymouth County.
    Black Sheep Coffee Baa
    They’ve never been sheepish about the coffee and food they serve, and now, Black Sheep Coffee Baa has become a community hub that provides catering services and rental space for the Greene community.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Discusses Clarksburg FBI Center, Drug Cartels with FBI Director

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    [embedded content]
    Click here or the image above to watch Senator Capito’s questions.
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, questioned Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel during a hearing to consider the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, as well as the many priorities of the bureau.
    HIGHLIGHTS:
    ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM (CJIS) FACILITY IN CLARKSBURG 
    SENATOR CAPITO: “I know on April 17th, you traveled to West Virginia to visit the CJIS facility…for those of you are unaware, this is where all the background checks, but also the fingerprints for purchase of firearms. And the numbers are quite staggering when you see how many applications are processed every month. I think it’s amazing the work that they do out there. The employees out there really appreciated your visit. You’ve already mentioned that maybe some of the diffusing of some of the D.C. FBI would be going to hopefully into the Clarksburg facility. What was your impression when you were there, or did they have the resources to do everything they need to do? There’s a DOD facility right next door where they share information. What was your general impression, and how can we get the resources there that they might need through this budget?” 
    DIRECTOR PATEL: “My general impression aligns with yours. I was wildly impressed with the work that’s done out there. It’s the unsexy work that the FBI does on a daily basis, whether it’s gun background checks, national criminal information background checks. State and local law enforcement relies on us, and every time they have a traffic stop, they’re calling and adjudicate the individual they’re confronting or when they’re going to get a search warrant. We have about 1,000 acres out there, it’s a beautiful property. It is available for expansion. We are almost maxed out when it comes to how many people we can currently put there. We are putting some more folks there throughout this reorientation program. But you can never have enough computer data being ingested. And what I’m working on specifically to improve CJIS, which will improve the work that happens in every single state, is the reporting in data cycle from state and local authorities, because without that, CJIS doesn’t work. It only works as well as with our state and local law enforcement. So, I’m working on that to move to some of those folks and make sure they are reporting in but we would love to continue to expand the footprint there.” 
    SENATOR CAPITO: “Well, anything we can do there, I think the work they do is phenomenal.” 
    ON COMBATTING DRUG CARTELS  
    SENATOR CAPITO: “I would encourage you to do everything – and you are – to prevent the drug smuggling and working against the transnational criminal organizations.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy: The Trump Administration Is Undoing The Biggest Two-Year Decline In Gun Violence In U.S. History

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
    [embedded content]
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spoke on the U.S. Senate floor on Thursday to sound the alarm over a coordinated effort by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans to dismantle the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most comprehensive gun safety law passed in decades. Pointing to clear evidence that the law is saving lives, Murphy slammed the effort as a reckless attempt to score points with the gun lobby, no matter the cost to American families.
    Murphy highlighted BSCA’s success, underscoring how the legislation contributed to the largest two-year decline in gun violence in American history: “In 2023 there were 659 mass shootings in America. In 2024, there were 500. That’s a 24% one-year decline in mass shootings. That means that there were 160 mass shootings that didn’t happen. 160 communities that were not terrorized in 2024. And this bill had a lot to do with it. Overall gun deaths went down from 2023 to 2024 from 19,000 to 16,700. That was a 12% reduction. We’ve never in this country’s history seen one-year declines in gun homicides in the neighborhood of 12%. Certain cities saw astronomical declines. In Hartford, we saw a 39% drop in homicides from 2023 to 2024. This year, 2025, Hartford is on track to have the lowest recorded instances of gun violence – that’s homicides and nonfatal shootings – since 2006. New Haven saw a 39% drop in homicides. As I think I said, overall in Connecticut, we had 167 homicides in 2023. In 2024 we had 63. It’s wild. And this happened in Baltimore. This happened in Chicago. In most of the major cities in this country, and in rural areas as well, we saw this dramatic, dramatic decline. So it is just something to celebrate because it’s not easy to get that kind of consensus. It’s not easy to get that kind of consensus, and we should celebrate the fact that there are literally thousands of people, largely young men, who are alive today because of the bill that we passed.”
    Murphy blasted the administration’s cuts to lifesaving violence prevention programs, accusing Republicans of abandoning a long-standing bipartisan commitment to mental health and community support: “I understand we’ve got a difference – the President and I have a difference – on what our gun laws should be. But there is consensus – I thought there was consensus – that we should support investment in mental health. I thought there was a consensus, that we all believed that there were good community groups that were doing totally apolitical work, not related at all to gun laws, to try to interrupt cycles of violence. The reason that these numbers have been going down is not just the changes in gun laws. The reason that our communities are safer all across the country is because we are finally putting real money into school-based mental health, into children’s mental health, and into the groups in our communities that are keeping kids alive.”
    On the cruelty of the administration’s actions, Murphy added: “There are literally going to be thousands of children – traumatized children, children with serious mental illness, with cycles and histories of abuse in their household – who have created this relationship with an adult, this adult that is helping them address their potential tendency to act out in violent ways due to their mental illness, their trauma. And one day these kids are going to show up at school, and that adult is going to be gone. That trusted adult that had created that bond, that relationship, that is helping that child, is keeping that school safe– that relationship, that bond, is destroyed. Because in cutting these grants off with no warning, there is no way, in the middle of a school year, for a school mental health clinic to find the money under the mattress. It’s illogical. It’s going to drive up gun violence rates. And it’s cruel to our poorest and most at-risk communities, and to the kids. And to the kids – the traumatized kids, the kids with serious mental illness – the kids that we should think first about when we wake up in the morning.”
    Murphy concluded: “What’s the point of running for the United States Senate, what’s the point of working to forge this compromise, if the president can just ignore it? And by the way, if Donald Trump gets away with it, mark my words: a Democratic president will do the same thing. If this becomes standard practice, if our laws just become advisory, then there’s no reason for any of us to show up any longer. Why do you work so hard, why do you care so much about getting to this place, if you don’t care when the president just ignores the laws that we pass? It is very hard to find consensus here, especially on an issue as important and as politically sensitive as gun violence. So, when we do find that consensus, on behalf of the kids and families out there who are begging us to work together to save lives, we should protect that consensus.”
    A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:
    MURPHY: “Thank you, Mr. President. 
    “Mr. President, I want to come to the floor today to talk about a success story. But potentially a success story interrupted. Back in 2022, we all were shocked to watch news playing out, during an afternoon that we were here working in the Senate, of another mass shooting. This one of just unthinkable size and scope in Uvalde, Texas. I was actually sitting in the presiding officer’s chair when I saw word of the shooting scroll across my smartphone screen.
    “And gratefully, in the wake of that shooting, a group of us, Republicans and Democrats, were able to come together and set aside the differences that we had, and still have, on the issue of gun violence in this country, decided not to argue about an assault weapons ban for instance, and instead we decided to work on finding a ‘least common denominator,’ as we called it. Trying to find a set of common sense changes to our gun laws, common sense investments in our communities, that would hopefully together try to put a downward pressure on what, up until then, had been annual spiking rates of homicides and mass shootings.
    “It’s just true that in this country you are ten times more likely to be shot in your school, in your neighborhood, at a movie theater, than you are in any other high-income developed nation. That’s a choice. That’s not bad luck. That’s not happenstance. That’s because in America we decide to have a ton of weapons in the hands of very dangerous people. And we also don’t spend enough time trying to unwind some of the reasons why young people in particular get into lives of really risky and potentially violent behavior. 
    “So we came together in 2022 and we passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was a big bipartisan vote. It wasn’t close. The final tally was 65 to 33, nearly two-thirds of the Senate voting in favor of this common sense gun safety measure. And it wasn’t anything close to what I see as necessary in order to tackle this epidemic in this country, but it was significant. It was five changes in gun laws, supporting state red flag laws, stopping domestic abusers from getting their hands on guns, putting a short but meaningful waiting period when young people are hastily buying an assault weapon, making it easier for law enforcement to go after drug trafficking rings. It was five meaningful changes. 
    “But it was also a big investment. A big investment in the kind of services that can help interrupt violence. A lot of my Republican friends said ‘We don’t believe it’s the guns. We think it’s mental illness.’ Well, I don’t agree, but this is how you put together a compromise. So we passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included a landmark, $14 billion investment, most of it in mental health; most of it directed toward kids – school-based mental health, but also significant investments in school safety, just hardening schools to make it harder for a shooter to get inside; and community anti-gun-violence initiatives, the work that local community groups are doing in North Carolina, in Connecticut, all across the country to just try to wrap services around people who might be at risk of gun violence or stop the cycle of violence once the first shooting happens.
    “So we passed this legislation and we crossed our fingers. We said let’s hope that we’re right and that these changes in gun laws and these investments we’re making in our communities will make a difference. 
    “Well, what happened after we passed that law was absolutely stunning. The biggest two-year decline in gun violence in the history of recorded statistics in the United States of America. That’s extraordinary. That’s extraordinary. And I’m not going to sit here and claim that the entire reason was the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, but it was a big part of the reason because we did make it harder for bad people to get their hands on guns. We did deliver the kind of services that are necessary. 
    “You’re seeing this downward trajectory, but let me just put the numbers on it. In 2023 there were 659 mass shootings in America. In 2024, there were 500. That’s a 24% one-year decline in mass shootings. That means that there were 160 mass shootings that didn’t happen. 160 communities that were not terrorized in 2024. And this bill had a lot to do with it. Overall gun deaths went down from 2023 to 2024 from 19,000 to 16,700. That was a 12% reduction. We’ve never in this country’s history seen one-year declines in gun homicides in the neighborhood of 12%. Certain cities saw astronomical declines. In Hartford, we saw a 39% drop in homicides from 2023 to 2024. This year, 2025, Hartford is on track to have the lowest recorded instances of gun violence – that’s homicides and nonfatal shootings – since 2006. New Haven saw a 39% drop in homicides. As I think I said, overall in Connecticut, we had 167 homicides in 2023. In 2024 we had 63. It’s wild. And this happened in Baltimore. This happened in Chicago. In most of the major cities in this country, and in rural areas as well, we saw this dramatic, dramatic decline. So it is just something to celebrate because it’s not easy to get that kind of consensus. It’s not easy to get that kind of consensus, and we should celebrate the fact that there are literally thousands of people, largely young men, who are alive today because of the bill that we passed.
    “But this progress is in threat of being interrupted. And the reason is that the Trump administration has reversed course. I want to talk specifically about how they are undoing the progress of this bill, but their attempt to try to reverse the broader progress that we have made on reducing gun violence is pretty comprehensive. Let me just give you a handful of the ways in which the Trump administration is trying to make our communities less safe. 
    “First, they closed the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This was something the Biden Administration set up to try to better implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This wasn’t a terribly political office. It was just trying to coordinate all the work being done across agencies to reduce violence in our communities. Trump would have taken this office in a different direction, but he didn’t. He just shuttered it. There’s no Office of Gun Violence Prevention anymore in the federal government. 
    “On March 20th, the administration announced that they’re going to start a process of restoring firearms rights to individuals who have had them taken away because they had a serious criminal record. This is likely illegal. There’s an appropriations bill rider that says the ATF can’t do this, but the message was sent: we actually think that dangerous people should be able to get their gun rights back. That same day Trump’s Department of Justice filed a motion in federal court trying to overturn a decision to say that silencers are not protected by the Second Amendment. Trying to say that no state legislature could ban or regulate the use of silencers. Silencers are broadly used by killers– by criminals who are trying to hide the fact that they are engaged in criminal, lethal conduct. 
    “On April 7, DOJ announced that it was repealing a policy from the Biden administration that said simply this: If you’re a gun dealer and you’re engaged in illegal conduct, we’re going to pull your license. And we’re not going to give you two or three or four shots. We’re going to have a zero tolerance policy for gun dealers that are selling guns on the black market. That’s a policy most Americans would see as common sense. But the DOJ announces that it is going to let off the hook gun dealers that are violating the laws. 
    “Now throughout the last 100 days, the Trump administration has been sending all sorts of signals that they are deprioritizing the work of ATF. Most recently, on April 9th, they announced that the Army Secretary would now be the acting head of ATF, basically telling ATF agents, ‘We don’t care about your work. We’re not going to have a full-time ATF head. We’re putting somebody with a big other important job in charge of the ATF. You’re not going to have any real supervision or direction.’ 
    It was just a signal of deprioritization of the enforcement of our gun laws. That caused, the next day, the second-highest ranking official at the ATF, who had served admirably for 35 years, to resign in protest. 
    “And then, maybe most unconscionably and most cruelly, just a few days ago ATF took down the memorial wall dedicated to victims of gun violence. I mean, there were names up there, tributes to moms and dads, brothers and sisters who had been killed in episodes of gun violence. That was really important to hundreds of families out there who knew that their loved one’s name was part of that wall. Now the wall comes down. For what? Just to send another signal that the administration doesn’t care about attacking gun violence. 
    “But I really wanted to come to the floor today to talk about the two most important assaults that the Trump administration has made on our work to try to keep our communities safe. And those are the twin announcements that the administration made, that they were going to end two of the key streams of funding for community groups in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. First, the administration announced it was ending $1 billion in grants under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to invest in school mental health, and then that they were ending $800 million of DOJ grants to try to drive down violence through supporting community efforts to do that work. 
    “This makes no sense. I understand we’ve got a difference – the President and I have a difference – on what our gun laws should be. But there is consensus–I thought there was consensus–that we should support investment in mental health. I thought there was a consensus, that we all believed that there were good community groups that were doing totally apolitical work, not related at all to gun laws, to try to interrupt cycles of violence. The reason that these numbers have been going down is not just the changes in gun laws. The reason that our communities are safer all across the country is because we are finally putting real money into school-based mental health, into children’s mental health, and into the groups in our communities that are keeping kids alive.
    “In Oakland, they have seen a stunning 32% drop in homicides. And it is a result of groups like Youth Alive. This is a nonprofit that is working to prevent and disrupt the cycle of gun violence. So you go into a community, you go into a place where a shooting has happened, and you do work with the victim of that incident to make sure that it doesn’t become a cycle of violence. These are often called ‘hospital-based violence intervention programs.’ When there’s a shooting, you have a social worker or community anti-gun violence worker go to the hospital–that’s often where the community is the most angry, the friends of that victim may be planning for revenge–and you do the work to stop that cycle of violence. It was working in Oakland. Youth Alive was preventing gun violence. Last year, of the 113 clients they served, only one of them was injured a second time. And yet, in the middle of a three-year, $2 million grant that Youth Alive was getting, it was suspended, terminated. They’re going to have to lay off their staff. That program is being shut down in Oakland. And I’ll just tell you, I would bet you homicides are going to start going back up in Oakland. 
    “Baltimore has seen a similar massive decline in gun violence: a 43% reduction since 2010. What a success story–Baltimore, one of the most violent communities in terms of rates of gun violence in the country–a 43% decline. Center for Hope is a group in Baltimore that provides prevention and healing services for children who have been the witnesses or victims of gun violence. And they were getting, again, a $2 million grant to work with the victims of gun violence, to try to heal those communities, and again, to stop that cycle of retributive violence that often happens in places like Baltimore. Donald Trump cut their grant. So in the middle of the grant, they are losing $1.2 million and they are going to have to lay off seven employees. Center for Hope runs six of the city’s ten Safe Street Sites. These operate in the pockets of Baltimore that see the most shooting. Because of these Center for Hope sites–these Safe Street Sites–between 2023 and 2024, four of the sites run by the Center for Hope saw zero homicides, and now they’re having to lay off people. Guess what is going to happen: those shootings are going to go up again. 
    “We had to work really hard to find this consensus on a very difficult issue. It is illegal, what the president has done. He is not allowed, under the Constitution, to decide unilaterally to cancel spending that has been authorized and appropriated by Congress. So maybe the first and most important thing to say about what the president has done to cancel mental health grants and anti-violence grants is that it is illegal. He can’t do it, and it is likely that a court will turn these grants back on. But it is also such bad policy. It is cruel and inhumane, but it is also illogical. We literally are seeing the fruits of the labor of these groups. And not just in saving a life or two. You’re talking about 30% and 40% reductions in violence in these cities. And what will happen is unmistakable. You stop funding these groups that are doing the mental health work in the schools, that are doing the anti-gun violence work, and these rates will start to go back up again. That’s illogical. 
    “But it’s cruel as well. Because what the president is doing, for instance, in cutting off the school mental health grants, is that he’s cutting off existing grants. It’s not that he’s announcing ‘I’m not giving any new grants.’ There are schools all across this country which have set up new mental health clinics because of the grants they got. They were five-year grants, and one or two or three years into those grants, Donald Trump is shutting the programs down. So there are literally going to be thousands of children–traumatized children, children with serious mental illness, with cycles and histories of abuse in their household–who have created this relationship with an adult, this adult that is helping them address their potential tendency to act out in violent ways due to their mental illness, their trauma. And one day these kids are going to show up at school, and that adult is going to be gone. That trusted adult that had created that bond, that relationship, that is helping that child, is keeping that school safe– that relationship, that bond, is destroyed. Because in cutting these grants off with no warning, there is no way, in the middle of a school year, for a school mental health clinic to find the money under the mattress. It’s illogical. It’s going to drive up gun violence rates. And it’s cruel to our poorest and most at-risk communities, and to the kids. And to the kids – the traumatized kids, the kids with serious mental illness – the kids that we should think first about when we wake up in the morning. 
    “And I guess the final thing to say is this, Mr. President: we’re putting ourselves out of business. We’re putting ourselves out of business. What is the point of passing a law by a 65-33 vote if the President of the United States can just ignore it? As I said, that is illegal, and the courts will likely tell him you can’t shut off the funding that we appropriated and authorized. But this should matter to Republicans and Democrats. 
    “Every single one of my Republican colleagues worked really hard to get this job, worked really hard to become a United States Senator. Those of us who work on these bipartisan pieces of legislation work really hard to pass them. What’s the point of running for the United States Senate, what’s the point of working to forge this compromise, if the president can just ignore it? And by the way, if Donald Trump gets away with it, mark my words: a Democratic president will do the same thing. If this becomes standard practice, if our laws just become advisory, then there’s no reason for any of us to show up any longer. Why do you work so hard, why do you care so much about getting to this place, if you don’t care when the president just ignores the laws that we pass? 
    “It is very hard to find consensus here, especially on an issue as important and as politically sensitive as gun violence. So, when we do find that consensus, on behalf of the kids and families out there who are begging us to work together to save lives, we should protect that consensus. 
    “I yield the floor.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Q&A: National Nurses Week

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Q: What is National Nurses Week?
    A: Efforts to honor and celebrate nurses in the United States first got underway during the Eisenhower administration. In 1974, President Nixon issued a proclamation to honor the expanding role nurses were taking on in the health care system, such as nurse practitioners and those specializing in pediatric, cardiac, oncology and geriatric care. In 1982, President Reagan signed a proclamation to mark “National Recognition Day for Nurses” that observed the indispensable role nurses have in patient care, from intensive care in trauma and burn units to community health and home care, nursing homes and schools. Since then, grassroots-led efforts expanded the observance to National Nurses Week that continues today during the week of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, who is celebrated as the founder of modern nursing. Since 1991, I’ve supported an annual joint resolution of Congress to reflect on the important contributions nurses make in our society. With an estimated 4.7 million registered nurses in the United States, nurses are on the front lines treating sick and injured patients, including during natural disasters and public health emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses put their own lives on the line to care for the sickest among us. The nursing profession continues to meet the moment in scientific inquiry, medical research and team-based delivery of care. With limited faculty and spots available for prospective nursing students across the country, I support efforts to strengthen workforce development and academic training programs. I value the feedback I get from Iowans to solve problems and improve the delivery of health care in communities across our state. I’m pleased the University of Northern Iowa last year launched a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will help address the nursing shortage across the state, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
    Q: How do Iowa nursing professionals inform your work at the policymaking table?
    A: As former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I led efforts to ensure fairness for Medicare reimbursements that directly impact providers delivering essential health care in communities across our state. For example, requiring Medicare to directly reimburse nurse practitioners and other specialists is an important tool in rural areas to expand access to health care services. More recently, I’m pushing to improve advanced practice nurses and clinical nurse reimbursement for nurse practitioners in their diagnosis and treatment for diabetic patients. I’m also spearheading bipartisan efforts to provide rural hospitals with financial stability. My Rural Hospital Support Act would help prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs for rural hospitals. Specifically, my bill would permanently extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) and the Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) programs. For many hospitals located in rural areas, costs often outpace their revenue. If hospitals can’t pay their bills and are forced to close their doors, nurses are out of work and patients would have to travel further for life-saving care. I’ve also led efforts to improve maternal and infant health across our state. At a roundtable discussion in Bettendorf in 2022, I heard first-hand accounts from health care professionals about the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Home visits from a nurse and other health care professionals provide important support and resources to improve health outcomes for at-risk pregnant moms and families with children from birth to kindergarten. My advocacy for this home visiting program reflects my longstanding support for health care professionals in our communities who provide evidence-based services to improve childhood development, reduce post-partum depression and help families thrive.
    During National Nurses Week, I applaud the labor of love and patient-centered care that legions of nursing professionals provide around-the-clock, year-round to loved ones of all ages and all walks of life. Nurses are ranked among the most honest and ethical professions in society. I thank nurses for their tireless commitment to their vocation and encourage Iowans to celebrate those in your lives who have answered the call to this noble profession.
    National Nurses Week is May 6-12, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Smith, Schneider, Stevens Introduce Bill To Address Teaching Shortages In High-Need Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 08, 2025
    The Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now (RETAIN) Act would create a fully refundable tax credit for educators
    WASHINGTON – During Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), along with U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), today introduced bicameral legislation, the RETAIN Act, that would address the severe nationwide shortage of early childhood and K-12 teachers that disproportionately impacts students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, and students from rural communities.  Exacerbated by low pay, school leadership instability, and poor teaching conditions, schools in low-income communities struggle to retain experienced, qualified education professionals.  On average, teachers are paid 23.5 percent less than other college graduates working in nonteaching fields, and teachers in low-income schools are paid less than teachers in more affluent schools. 
    The RETAIN Act creates a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, school-based mental health providers, and school leaders in Title I schools, as well as for educators, program providers, and program directors in early childhood education programs funded by Head Start, Early Head Start, and Child Care and Development Block Grants.  The tax credit increases at key points in a teacher’s career to incentivize retention. 
    “Each day, teachers are shaping the minds of the next generation, but they are not paid enough for the valuable work they’re doing.  Hoping to make ends meet for their families, high-quality and experienced teachers are incentivized to move to more affluent, higher paying districts.  The impact on Black and Brown students and low-income and rural communities is particularly drastic, with many students in the greatest need having the least resources available to them,” Durbin said. “This Teacher Appreciation Week, I’m introducing the RETAIN Act to help address teaching disparities by incentivizing teachers and other educational professionals to make careers in areas with the most need.”
    “Schools across the nation are facing teacher shortages that need to be met with decisive action. We must invest in those who teach our kids and attract the talent that will provide high quality education for future generations. I’m proud to join Sen. Durbin and Rep. Stevens in uplifting educators, enriching classrooms, and fostering a thriving school system that empowers teachers and students alike,” said Schneider.
    “Every student should have access to a quality K-12 public education and part of that is paying teachers more,” said Smith. “Teachers rise to the challenge, working hard to meet the academic and emotional needs of their students, but they remain largely underpaid. This contributes to teacher shortages, which disproportionately affect students from low-income backgrounds. That is just wrong. The RETAIN Act will help raise teacher pay, help schools overcome these shortages and ultimately help ensure students get the best education possible.”
    “Across my home state of Michigan, we have felt the devastating effects of teacher shortages,” said Stevens. “Low-income schools in particular struggle to retain and recruit the teaching talent that their students so desperately need.  I am proud to be a part of this bicameral effort to support and retain teachers and other professional in our Title I schools.”
    Educators increasingly are unwilling to teach in difficult working conditions at current compensation levels.  Across the nation, the average teacher salary in 2023-2024 was $72,030—though this average masks variation in pay across regions and the income level of the school district.  In 2023-2024, the average salary for a first-year teacher was $46,526, and in 2024, early childhood educators made $37,120—barely above the federal poverty line for a family of four.  While federal data shows inflation-adjusted teacher pay has been stagnant since 1990, the inflation-adjusted cost of college has nearly doubled, leaving teachers with large amounts of student loan debt and low pay. 
    To receive modest increases, teachers must obtain expensive graduate degrees—adding student loan debt that dwarfs the accompanying pay raise.  Further, schools consistently struggle to attract and retain effective teachers who reflect the diversity of students, particularly with respect to teachers of color. 
    A one-pager on the bill is available here.
    The RETAIN Act has earned the endorsement of Advance CTE; Association for Career and Technical Education; All4Ed; American Federation of Teachers; American Association of School Personnel Administrators; American School Counselor Association; Association of Educational Service Agencies; Council of Administrators of Special Education; Council of the Great City Schools; Deans for Impact; Education Leaders of Color; Educators for Excellence; First Five Years Fund; Illinois Associate for the Education of Young Children; Illinois Education Association; Illinois Federation of Teachers; Illinois Head Start; Illinois Principals Association; Learning Forward; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of School Psychologists; National Council for Languages and International Studies; Joint National Committee for Languages; National Education Association; National Parent Teacher Association; Save the Children; AASA, The School Superintendents Association; Teach For America; and Teach Plus.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: APEC Confronts AI Challenges and Labor Gaps in Jeju Jeju, Republic of Korea | 08 May 2025 Issued by the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group APEC economies opened a four-day meeting today in Jeju to address a growing set of challenges facing the region’s workforce, including the impacts of artificial intelligence, aging populations and persistent gaps in education and employment systems.

    Source: APEC – Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

    APEC economies convened for a four-day meeting in Jeju to address a growing set of challenges facing the region’s workforce, including the impacts of artificial intelligence, aging populations and persistent gaps in education and employment systems.

    Speaking at the opening plenary of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group on Wednesday, Seok-Hwan Oh, Vice Minister of Korea’s Ministry of Education, emphasized the urgent need to reform education systems to keep pace with technological disruption.

    “We are at a turning point,” Vice Minister Oh said. “Education must go beyond transmitting knowledge. It must connect learners, encourage critical thinking and promote adaptability.”

    He highlighted Korea’s initiative to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks designed to personalize learning and equip students with problem-solving skills.

    “The starting point of change is in the classroom,” he said. “We are supporting teacher-led innovation and expanding digital access to ensure no student is left behind.”

    Throughout the day, delegates examined how APEC member economies can update education and employment strategies to remain relevant in the face of rapid change. A key theme was the growing mismatch between what schools teach and what labor markets need.

    Chang-june Kwon, Korea’s Deputy Minister of Employment and Labor, addressed the structural changes sweeping through global labor markets. “The spread of artificial intelligence, low birth rates, and an aging population are reshaping how economies grow, how people work and what skills are needed,” he said.

    Deputy Minister Kwon outlined policy reforms Korea is pursuing, including flexible labor systems, stronger support for lifelong learning and better integration of women and older adults into the workforce. “We must reduce rigidities in wage and working-hour structures and create a fairer labor ecosystem that supports job transitions and reduces disparities,” he added.

    He also called for better protections for vulnerable workers, particularly those in non-standard employment such as platform and freelance jobs. “We must build an employment safety net without blind spots,” Kwon said.

    The meeting includes representatives from all 21 APEC economies and serves as a lead-up to two ministerial-level discussions on education and workforce development next week. Sessions this week will focus on disability inclusion, digital skills, regional policy coordination and ways to engage younger generations in emerging job sectors.

    “The human element of economic growth is too often overlooked. This working group is vital to making sure our people are prepared for the future, not just our markets.” said Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.

    Pedrosa pointed to APEC’s long history of focusing on human capacity building, including projects that promote digital literacy, inclusive employment and future-oriented education policies. “We need stronger stakeholder engagement and open dialogue to turn our shared challenges into shared progress,” he said.

    The agenda for the week includes updates on regional policy frameworks and new proposals for regional collaboration. One proposal introduced by Korea calls for the creation of a new regional fund focused on supporting future generations, which would invest in policies that address education gaps, youth employment and digital transition.

    Officials are also reviewing current initiatives on disability employment, digital employment trends and cross-sector coordination. Including sessions that focus on case studies from across the region, as well as discussions with other APEC groups working on transport, services and small business development.

    Zhao Li, Chair of the Human Resources Development Working Group, said the group’s work is focused on finding practical solutions that enable private sector job growth.

    “In this landmark 50th plenary, we are not just marking a milestone. We are building a bridge between what APEC has achieved in workforce policy and what it must now do to stay ahead,” Li said.

    “Our focus is to fuel the economic growth of the region through human resources development, helping employers find the workers with the right skills and supporting the creation of private sector jobs,” Li added. “This meeting allows us to align approaches that can inform ministerial-level action.”

    The working group will conclude on 10 May with presentations of key recommendations and outcomes from its thematic networks. Discussions will help shape APEC’s broader agenda for sustainable and inclusive growth through people-centered development.

    The outcomes of the Jeju meeting will directly inform the upcoming Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting and APEC Education Ministerial Meeting, both scheduled to take place later this week. Ministers are expected to consider the policy proposals and collaborative models developed during this working-level dialogue as they chart the region’s next steps in building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready workforce.

    For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
    [email protected]

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW SCHUMER ANALYSIS: TRUMP’S BUDGET PROPOSAL IS ALL-OUT ASSAULT ON FEDERAL PROGRAMS UPSTATE NY RELIES ON MOST, RAISING COSTS FOR SENIORS, FAMILIES, & SMALL BUSINESSES AND SLASHING CRITICAL INVESTMENT…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Trump Just Released His “Skinny Budget” Blueprint Of Next Year’s Spending – And It Completely Zeroes Out And Slashes Many Of The Programs Most Important To Communities From Albany, To Buffalo, To Watertown, To Westchester  

    Schumer Data Shows Upstate NY Families Would Lose BILLIONS – Ripping Away Support For Seniors & Families To Heat Their Homes In The Winter, Community Grants Our Cities Rely On For Economic Development, Decimating Support To Reduce Housing Costs, Ending Funding To Fight Opioid Crisis, Slashing Funding For Removing Lead Pipes, Cutting Support For Rural Air Service, & More

    Schumer: Trump’s Budget Is All-Out Assault On Upstate NY Families, Seniors & Communities

    After President Trump released his “skinny budget” plan for the next year, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer revealed how these devastating cuts would totally eliminate and slash many of the federal programs Upstate NY relies on the most. Schumer is sounding the alarm on the most dangerous and severe of these cuts for Upstate NY, which could cost our seniors, families, local governments, and small businesses billions.

    “Trump’s budget proposal is an all-out assault on hardworking Upstate New York families and seniors and the programs our communities rely on most – from totally eliminating funding to help our seniors keep the heat on during cold winters, to slashing funding to fight the opioid crisis, to cutting funding for rural air service in the North Country, to decimating the CDBG and HOME grant programs that deliver tens of millions of dollars every year for cities from Buffalo to Rochester to Albany to reduce housing costs and create local jobs. The chaos and cruelty of these cuts to incredibly effective, popular and essential federal programs show no one is safe from government by chainsaw,” said Senator Schumer. “Donald Trump’s budget is dead on arrival in the Senate, and all NY House Republicans should stand up and be vocal against these cuts, which are so damaging to Upstate NY, and get them reversed and removed from this misguided budget proposal.”

    Schumer highlighted some of the most severe and alarming cuts proposed in Trump’s budget that would hit Upstate NY hardest:

    Totally Eliminates LIHEAP – Ripping Away Nearly $400 Million Per Year For NY Seniors & Families To Heat And Cool Their Homes

    Trump’s budget proposal completely eliminates all federal funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), zeroing out the funding. LIHEAP is the program that provides federal support to seniors & families to help pay their winter heating bills or summer cooling bills.

    Schumer said, “We all know Upstate winters can be harsh, and it is beyond cruel Trump could turn off the heat for thousands of seniors who rely on this program to stay safe and warm in their homes.”

    Last year, more than 1.8 million families across New York State received nearly $400 million in funding thanks to LIHEAP. A full county-by-county breakdown of New Yorkers receiving LIHEAP can be found HERE, with some of the largest counties highlighted below:

    Upstate NY Major Counties LIHEAP Benefits

    Counties

    Households

    Benefits

    Erie

    119,693

    $41.7 million

    Monroe

    65,920

    $19.7 million

    Onondaga

    41,559

    $15.1 million

    Oneida

    28,545

    $13.8 million

    Albany

    19,603

    $6.7 million

    Westchester

    34,060

    $3.3 million

    Broome

    20,166

    $9.6 million

    St. Lawrence

    13,940

    $8.6 million

    Cuts $4.2+ Billion for CDBG and HOME Grants, Eliminating the Programs – These Investments Are Some of the Main Tools Local Governments Use To Reduce Housing Costs And Revitalize Neighborhood

    Trump’s budget proposal eliminates the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Programs. Schumer said CDBG and HOME have long been cornerstones of funding for building new housing to reduce costs and increase access, economic development, and community revitalization creating jobs for Upstate NY.

    Below is a breakdown of the CDBG and HOME funding levels Upstate NY communities are receiving for Fiscal Year 2025 that would be eliminated under the Trump budget proposal:

    Upstate CDBG and HOME Grant Breakdown

    Grantee

    2025 CDBG Award

    2025 HOME Award

    Total Combined

    State of New York

    $47,644,860

    $23,805,148

    $71,450,008

    Buffalo

    $13,103,636

    $3,092,955

    $16,196,591

    Rochester

    $8,068,072

    $2,316,840

    $10,384,912

    Syracuse

    $4,795,536

    $1,278,624

    $6,074,160

    Westchester County

    $4,646,543

    $1,027,065

    $5,673,608

    Yonkers

    $3,248,745

    $1,223,019

    $4,471,764

    Erie County

    $2,994,630

    $921,687

    $3,916,317

    Albany

    $3,043,143

    $857,575

    $3,900,718

    Rockland County

    $2,691,786

    $970,993

    $3,662,779

    Schenectady

    $2,050,241

    $1,187,096

    $3,237,337

    Monroe County

    $1,842,072

    $1,146,571

    $2,988,643

    Onondaga County

    $2,272,403

    $673,565

    $2,945,968

    Utica

    $2,320,311

    $590,075

    $2,910,386

    Orange County

    $1,645,340

    $1,110,380

    $2,755,720

    Niagara Falls

    $2,150,047

    $449,818

    $2,599,865

    Dutchess County

    $1,497,550

    $884,623

    $2,382,173

    Binghamton

    $1,790,607

    $442,780

    $2,233,387

    Mount Vernon

    $1,548,930

    $591,829

    $2,140,759

    New Rochelle

    $1,385,726

    $446,046

    $1,831,772

    Troy

    $1,725,397

    $0

    $1,725,397

    Union Town

    $1,253,674

    $390,411

    $1,644,085

    Tonawanda Town

    $1,592,983

    $0

    $1,592,983

    Amherst

    $625,669

    $838,600

    $1,464,269

    Jamestown

    $1,105,265

    $313,260

    $1,418,525

    Elmira

    $1,095,403

    $239,101

    $1,334,504

    Ends The Northern Border Regional Commission, Great Lakes Authority, and Economic Development Administration – Federal Investments Aimed Specifically At Spurring Economic Growth and Job Creation In Upstate NY

    Trump’s budget proposal would completely get rid of the Northern Border Regional Commission, which has delivered more than $48 million for 78 projects across Upstate NY since its creation, and the Great Lakes Authority which specifically benefit NY counties. These agencies provide targeted help for Upstate NY infrastructure, rural health care, child care access, workforce training, small business support, and community projects that otherwise would go unfunded. The Trump budget also eliminates the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which has delivered well over $320 million for New York State projects since 2018 alone. These EDA investments have created or supported nearly 40,000 New York jobs and spurred more than $4.4 billion in private investment.

    At the end of last year, the Economic Development Administration was reauthorized with wide bipartisan support. This bill that passed into law also reauthorized the Northern Border Regional Commission for another 5 years, increasing funding and expanding the critical grant program.

    1. The Northern Border Regional Commission includes: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Sullivan, Washington, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties.
    2. The Great Lakes Authority includes: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany, Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, Jefferson, Orleans, Oswego, Wayne, Monroe, Cayuga, Lewis, Herkimer, Hamilton, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Tompkins, Schuyler, Yates, Ontario, Madison, Cortland, Chemung, Steuben, Livingston, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton counties.

    Slashes $1 Billion For Fighting The Opioid Epidemic And Combating Addiction

    Trump’s budget slashes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s (SAMSA) budget by over $1 billion, a nearly 15% reduction. This will make it harder for Upstate NY to fight the opioid epidemic reducing critical treatments and mental health care, especially rural programs that uniquely rely on this funding.

    New York State-based institutions received nearly $650 million in grant funding in FY2024. A 15% reduction would rip away nearly $100 million from NY’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

    Devastating 40% Cut to NIH Funding – Harming Medical Research On Cancer, Alzheimer’s And More: Hurting Healthcare and Jobs In Upstate NY

    Trump’s budget slashes the National Institutes of Health budget by approximately $18 billion, a roughly 40% reduction. Every corner of New York is using this funding to study cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other life-threatening diseases.

    Schumer said, “These extreme cuts will lead to layoffs in Upstate NY and make it more difficult for sick people to receive care, and set our country back decades in developing lifesaving medical treatment.”

    New York State institutions received more than $3.5 billion in grant funding in FY2024. A 40% reduction in the total NIH budget means that all of the money New York receives is at risk. Institutions could see millions of dollars ripped away for research efforts across NY. A full list of NIH grant recipients and federal funding awards can be found here.

    Examples of Upstate NIH Cut Subsidy Summary

    Recipient

    FY2024 Grants

    University of Rochester

    $187,470,266

    University at Buffalo

    $90,062,504

    Roswell Park Cancer Institute

    $48,999,339

    Albany Medical College

    $13,233,444

    University at Albany

    $11,007,516

    89% Slash For Federal Funds For Clean Drinking Water And Eliminating Lead Pipes

    Trump’s budget proposal cuts nearly $2.5 billion from the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, amounting to an overall budget of $305 million which is a nearly 89% cut. The SRFs are one of the primary federal tools for municipalities to get low-cost financing for water and sewer infrastructure projects that ensures the water New Yorkers rely on is safe and clean.

    Schumer said, “Upstate NY has some of the oldest water infrastructure, and our cities like Buffalo and Troy have more lead pipes than most places in the country.  No amount of toxic lead exposure is safe for our children, and these cuts would leave communities high and dry when it comes to upgrading their water and sewage infrastructure.”

    According to the EPA, New York State received more than $368 million in funding from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and nearly $294 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for a total of more than $662 million in FY2024. Under Trump’s proposed FY2026 funding levels, New York State would see a reduction of nearly $580 million.

    Cutting Rural Air Service Support For North Country Airports

    Trump’s budget proposal slashes funding for FAA’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program by 50%. The EAS provides federal support to bring air service to underserved & rural communities, and specifically all five of the North Country’s major airports. All of NY’s airports that rely on EAS are in the North Country: Ogdensburg, Massena, Plattsburgh, Watertown, and Adirondack Regional Airport.

    Cuts Funding For Programs That Help Seniors And People With Disabilities Pay Rent

    Trump’s budget proposal would consolidate funding for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance, Housing for the Elderly, and Housing for Persons with Disabilities into a new State Rental Assistance Block Grant, cutting nearly $27 billion across these programs and foisting responsibility over these programs onto state and local governments, reducing their ability to help people in need. Over half a million New Yorkers rely on this assistance, the vast majority of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and children. Schumer explained that as rent costs continue to go up across the country, the administration is slashing funding for rental assistance. 

    In FY2023, New York State received more than $7.4 billion across these programs that would not be consolidated into a new State Rental Assistance Block Grant and receive a massive cut of 42.8%. Below is a breakdown of funding for each program and how much would be allocated to New York State if Trump’s major cuts to the programs were to go through.

    NY State Rental Assistance Block Grant Breakdown

    Grant

    FY2023 Funding Levels

    Award Based on Proposed FY2026 HUD Funding Levels

    Amount Cut Based on Proposed FY2026 HUD Funding Levels

    Tenant-Based Rental Assistance

    $140,182,508

    $80,184,395

    $59,998,113

    Public Housing

    $5,239,042,468

    $2,996,732,292

    $2,242,310,176

    Project-Based Rental Assistance

    $1,907,344,837

    $1,091,001,247

    $816,343,590

    Housing for the Elderly

    $122,626,159

    $70,142,163

    $52,483,996

    Housing for Persons with Disabilities

    $14,109,993

    $8,070,916

    $6,039,077

    Total

     $7,423,305,965

    $4,246,131,012

    $3,177,174,953

    Cancels $1.3 Billion For NOAA- Essential To The Health Of Great Lakes & Weather Monitoring

    Trump’s budget proposal eliminates more than $1.3 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grants and research programs which uniquely support the Great Lakes, including programs which helps identify storm water infrastructure in need of upgrades to ensure community safety during extreme weather events.

    In addition, Trump wants to cancel $209 million for weather satellites and infrastructure critical for Upstate NY communities to get timely and accurate forecasts, and without could put safety at risk.

    Senator Schumer said, “Trump’s seismic cuts to the NOAA Great Lakes programs are the equivalent of wandering outside during a blizzard in Buffalo without a jacket. It’s not just dumb, it’s dangerous. NOAA Great Lakes scientists are how we monitor the health of Lake Erie, how we keep our waterways clean, how Western NY gets daily weather reports and this funding is one of our best tools for knowing when a lake effect snow will drop and how extreme it will be.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Shaheen Statement on Introduction of House Companion to Air Traffic Control Workforce Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    05.08.25

    Senators Authored Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Strengthen Enhanced AT-CTI Program, Improve ATC Recruitment, Training & Retention

    WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) issued the following statement after Representatives Nick Begich III (R-AK) and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) introduced a House companion bill to their Air Traffic Control (ATC) Workforce Development Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation they introduced with Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). The bill will help address ATC staffing shortages, improve working conditions and ensure the safe transportation of people and goods within U.S. airspace. Additional House cosponsors include Representatives Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Salud Carbajal (D-Cal.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Jennifer Kiggans (R-Virginia), Tracey Mann (R-Kan.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and David Taylor (R-Ohio) and Delegate King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands).

    “Recent aviation tragedies and accidents have made it clear that we need to do more to overcome attrition in the ATC workforce. Our legislation is all about training, recruiting and retaining air traffic controllers to ensure air travel is safe and efficient,” said Senator Hoeven. “We appreciate Representatives Begich and Stanton for introducing a House companion bill. We continue working to pass this legislation to expand the training capacity at schools like the University of North Dakota (UND) and get more controllers into FAA towers and radar facilities. At the same time, our legislation provides better benefits to support workers and boost recruitment and retention. Our bill is all about improving the safety of our skies for the American public.”

    “Increasingly frequent aviation tragedies and close calls are serious, solemn reminders that there’s more we can do to make our skies safer – and our bipartisan bill to strengthen the air traffic controller workforce is a good place to start,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m glad to see our Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act earn strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. I hope our bill now moves quickly through both chambers so we can expand the air traffic controller workforce pipeline, enhance training facilities and equipment, improve recruitment and retention efforts and more to strengthen aviation safety.”

    Specifically, the legislation would:

    • Expand the ATC workforce training pipeline by codifying and strengthening the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program.
      • The bill authorizes $20 million per year for grants to AT-CTI schools to invest in curriculum, high-fidelity simulators, faculty and classroom supplies.
      • The legislation also removes disincentives that discourage retired air traffic controllers from working as instructors at AT-CTI schools.
      • Hoeven worked to advance UND’s selection as an Enhanced AT-CTI program, under which graduates are immediately eligible for hire by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to begin localized training at an air traffic facility. Currently, four schools, including UND have been selected for the Enhanced AT-CTI program.
    • Authorize the procurement and placement of Tower Simulator Systems at ATC facilities nationwide, supporting more efficient certification of ATC trainees.
    • Require the FAA to develop Air Traffic Controller recruitment and retention incentive programs, which inspired the FAA to implement new ATC incentive programs.
    • Support the development of mental health services equipped to address the particular stressors faced by the ATC workforce.

    The ATC Workforce Development Act is supported by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), Airlines for America (A4A), Regional Airline Association (RAA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), U.S. Contract Towers Association and the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Merkley Lead Bipartisan Effort to Expand Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) teamed up to introduce the bipartisan Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Program Reauthorization Act of 2025.  This legislation would reauthorize and expand the CFLR program, which helps fund collaborative and community-based forest management.  The CFLR program has a proven track record of improving forest health, reducing wildfire risk and supporting rural communities. 

    “Shared, active forest management plays a vital role in reducing the risk of wildfires and fire suppression,” said Crapo.  “Ensuring long-term reauthorization of the CFLRP will promote Idaho’s forest health, encourage the responsible stewardship of our public lands and foster resilient, rural economies.  Reauthorizing the CFLRP results in stronger relationships on the ground, more effective projects and a decreased risk of conflict and litigation.”

    “When people come together to develop collaborative plans to manage our forests, we can thin overgrown forests, strengthen our timber stands, support diverse ecosystems, increase fire resilience and boost workforce development,” said Merkley, Ranking Member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.  “This is a proven, bipartisan model that delivers healthier forests and stronger communities instead of litigation and conflict.  Investing more in collaborative solutions will make a real difference in rural communities across Oregon and beyond.”

    In addition to Crapo and Merkley, this legislation is supported by U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado).

    “Cooperation is vital to effectively managing our forests and reducing wildfire risk across the West,” said Risch.  “Reauthorization of the CFLRP ensures the longevity of collaboratives that make our forests healthier and Idaho’s communities safer.”

    “Forest collaboratives are a proven tool to reduce wildfire risk as well as to head off needless litigation, with the end result in Oregon and elsewhere being jobs and more resilient woodlands,” said Wyden.  “The proof of this productive forest formula can be seen in the fact that this legislation has earned bipartisan support in the Senate along with backing from conservationists and lumber companies alike.”

    “Collaborative forest projects help create jobs throughout Colorado while restoring wildlife habitat and managing fuel for wildfires.  In Colorado, they bring together people across local government, industry and conservation advocacy to make our forests more resilient and help our communities adapt to a changing climate,” said Bennet.  “As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, I’ll work to expand this valuable program for Colorado in the upcoming Farm Bill.”

    “In Montana, we’re tired of breathing in smoke.  I’m glad to work with my colleagues on this bipartisan measure to streamline commonsense forest management programs and increase collaboration between state and federal partners, so that we can keep our communities safe from catastrophic wildfires,” said Daines.

    The CFLR program brings stakeholders from all walks of life together to create solutions aimed at reducing wildfire risk across the West.  Requirements of this program ensure that various local stakeholders collaborate, resulting in stronger relationships on the ground, better, more effective projects, and a decreased risk of conflict and litigation.  Then-Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Merkley pushed to double funding for the program in the Fiscal Year 2022 Interior spending bill, which funds the U.S. Forest Service.  This funded all five collaboratives in Oregon, including the new Rogue River CFLR.  The program was last reauthorized by Senators Crapo and Merkley in the 2018 Farm Bill.

    CFLR was first authorized in 2009, and in the first ten years of the program, CFLR projects treated and restored 5.7 million acres of forestland, and have helped improve 1,000 miles of trails and maintain 25,000 miles of roads.  The lawmakers’ bipartisan bill would extend the program for another ten years, increase the size and scope of the Collaborative to reduce wildfire risk and make other program improvements. 

    U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse (D-Colorado), Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon) and Kim Schrier (D-Washington) are expected to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    The full text of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act can be found by clicking here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: University spinouts to grow industries of the future with new government backing

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    University spinouts to grow industries of the future with new government backing

    Public sector is being primed to bring innovative ideas out of government labs and onto the market with £30 million backing and new guidance.

    • 4 of the UK’s most exciting regional research clusters to grow their ideas into thriving companies and industries of tomorrow with £30 million government backing
    • £30 million awarded to world-leading universities working with industry partners across Merseyside, East Anglia, Northeast England and the Midlands to grasp the opportunity to incubate and scale-up the businesses and jobs of the future
    • Alongside, first-of-its-kind guidance priming public sector to bring innovative ideas out of government labs and into markets, pulling in the investment that’s vital for growth and job creation to deliver on our Plan for Change

    4 innovative UK hubs across Merseyside, East Anglia, the Midlands, and Northeast England will today (Friday 9 May) get fresh backing to grow more ‘spinouts’,  innovative new businesses created from within research institutions. 

    In turn creating new jobs, developing the industries of tomorrow and driving economic growth through the Plan for Change.

    UK innovators have made great strides in getting bright ideas onto the market and in front of investors, but red tape, talent shortages and a lack of access to funding is holding back innovators from turning their ideas into viable growing businesses.  

    New £30 million funding will support a taskforce of world-leading universities and industry experts across the 4 locations to take advantage of this huge, and all-too-often untapped, opportunity.  

    It will support efforts to incubate and spin out new companies and create the most fertile and attractive environment for the brightest thinkers and entrepreneurs.

    The government is also priming the public sector with first ever guidance to put groundbreaking ideas on the path to investment, becoming the next generation of businesses, creating a pipeline of innovative businesses emerging from the UK’s excellent public sector research landscape.  

    With step-by-step advice, a new generation of British R&D entrepreneurs in the public sector will be empowered with the tools and support they need to turn ambitious research into marketable products – and in turn unlock benefits from clean energy, to healthcare, and beyond. 

    Announcing the news on a visit to Aston University, Science Minister, Lord Vallance said: 

    The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities, and we have deep strengths from life sciences to cutting-edge fields like quantum and engineering biology. But we can and must do more to unlock scientific research’s vast economic potential, and to help our innovators world-leading public sector labs turn brilliant ideas into businesses that attract investment and sustain jobs.

    The funding and guidance we are announcing today will reinforce those efforts – supporting our mission to grow the economy as part of the Plan for Change.

    The 4 projects receiving funding from Research England 

    Strategic Commercialisation Ecosystem North East (SCENE)

    Based in the North East is receiving over £8 million over 5 years to strengthen and expand the region’s ecosystem, engaging businesses, sector bodies, Catapults and investors more actively in commercialising university research. 

    Forging ahead/Forging beyond

    Based in the Midlands is receiving almost £10 million over 5 years to address the talent, expertise and skills gaps in the Midlands by creating a Talent Pool, inward investment champions and innovation networks. The project will particularly target Heath, Advanced Manufacturing, Net Zero, and Creative & Digital sectors.  

    Biologics Regional Innovation and Technology Ecosystem (BRITE)

    Based in Merseyside will get over £4 million over 3 years to establish a sustainable life sciences ecosystem, in the Liverpool City Region (LCR), focused on developing treatments like vaccines, by addressing gaps in the development of products and materials from living cells or their components, scale-up, and commercialisation.

    It will strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and civic partners to create a connected innovation ecosystem and accelerate the translation of biologics for antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases, and emerging health challenges.

    Agri-Tech Commercialisation Ecosystems (ACE)

    Based in Lincolnshire and East Anglia will receive almost £5 million over 3 years to establish a world-leading, self-sustaining Agri-Tech research commercialisation cluster in Greater Lincolnshire and East Anglia, with support from Barclays Eagle Labs, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, New Anglia LEP, and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority plus commercial partners.  

    Ana Avaliani, Director of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub, said:

    Industry Academia partnerships create the ideal setting for transforming groundbreaking research into spinouts, addressing real world challenges while fostering economic growth and creating pathways for talented researchers to become entrepreneurs. These spinouts drive innovation and represent a crucial and growing component in our economic future. Our Spotlight on Spinouts 2025: UK academic spinout trends report tracked UK university spinouts securing over £2.6 billion in funding, nearly 40% more than the previous year.

    This welcome investment and new guidance from government will enhance support for these fledgling businesses as they face complex issues such as skills gaps and funding challenges. They will help foster strategic alliances that aren’t just beneficial but essential for maintaining competitive advantage in today’s innovation landscape.

    Notes to editors

    The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) is publishing 2 guides. They provide step-by-step advice on how public sector organisations can create spinouts.

    The publications are: 

    The universities involved in the 4 projects

    Project: Strategic Commercialisation Ecosystem North East (SCENE)

    The universities involved are:

    • Durham University (Lead)   
    • Newcastle University   
    • Northumbria University   
    • University of Sunderland  
    • Teesside University   

    Project: Forging ahead/ Forging beyond 

    The universities involved are:

    • Loughborough University (Lead)   
    • Aston University  
    • University of Birmingham    
    • Birmingham City University   
    • Cranfield University  
    • Coventry University  
    • Derby University  
    • De Montfort University  
    • Keele University   
    • Leicester University  
    • University of Lincoln  
    • University of Nottingham 
    • Nottingham Trent University   
    • University of Warwick   
    • University of Wolverhampton   

    Project: Biologics Regional Innovation and Technology Ecosystems (BRITE)

    The universities involved are:

    • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (Lead)   
    • University of Liverpool  
    • Liverpool John Moores University  
    • Edge Hill University    

    Project: Agri-tech commercialisation ecosystems (ACE)

    The universities involved are:

    • University of Lincoln (Lead)   
    • University of Cambridge  
    • University of East Anglia  
    • Cambridge Enterprise

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Red tape slashed to get more teachers into classrooms

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Red tape slashed to get more teachers into classrooms

    Government announces cut to the duration of apprenticeships, opening up more training opportunities to get thousands of more teachers into the classroom.

    More people will soon have the opportunity to train to teach, as the government cuts apprenticeship red tape as part of steps to get thousands more teachers into the classroom. 

    As the government steps up work to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers, postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) courses will be slashed from twelve months to nine, aligning to the school year and getting newly trained teachers into the classroom sooner.  

    Courses currently run from September to September, meaning trainees typically have to wait months before kicking off their careers, and making it challenging for schools to support apprentices while training.  

    The change will be made from August this year and is expected to open up more opportunities to train to teach, as well as accelerating trainees’ journeys to the front of the classroom. 

    The PGTA has seen a 58 per cent growth over the past few years, showing how popular the offer is, giving participants the chance to earn while they learn and gain hands-on experience in the classroom. 

    More than 1,400 people trained to teach via this route this year, but demand for places currently far outstrips supply, with around 2,800 eligible applicants last year unable to secure a place on a coveted course.

    The change supports the government’s drive through its Plan for Change to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, and follows early progress on teacher recruitment, with over two thousand more people training to become secondary school teachers this year, alongside a 25% boost in the proportion set to begin training in shortage STEM subjects. 

    Schools Minister, Catherine McKinnell said:  

    Recruiting and keeping high-quality teachers in our classrooms is the single biggest driver of high standards in schools, which is why our Plan for Change has a clear commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers by the end of this Parliament. 

    Our schools are crying out for more expert teachers, and this government will continue to pull every lever it can to plug the gaps and build on the green shoots we are already seeing. 

    Bringing teaching apprenticeships in line with the school year is not only logical, it will open the doors for more and more people to become brilliant teachers, shaping the lives of the next generation.” 

    Apprenticeships are a brilliant way for schools to recruit and train the high-quality teachers they need, while supporting more people to gain the skills and experience they need to become expert teachers and build a successful career in teaching. 

    The government is offering schools up to £28,000 to cover the cost of training apprentices in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computing, and modern foreign languages – the subjects which have the highest teacher shortages. This means apprentices pay nothing for their training and will earn a salary while they are training before moving on to full time teacher pay salary. 

    The apprenticeship changes build on wider steps the government is already taking to support teacher recruitment and retention, including last summer’s 5.5% pay award and a targeted retention incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax for early career teachers working in shortage subjects.

    Action is also being taken to tackle the systemic challenges that the sector faces which drive high workload and poor wellbeing. This includes improvements to the accountability framework, prioritising SEND reform, reviewing the curriculum through the curriculum and assessment review, supporting schools to use technology effectively and addressing child poverty.

    PGTA apprentice teacher in biology at Outwood Academy Acklam, Dan Harrison, shared his experience so far: 

    The National Institute of Teaching’s postgraduate teaching apprenticeship has enabled me to take the leap from my role as a learning manager to being a teacher. It’s been a great way to quickly get to grips with the day-to-day practicalities of the role, while also understanding the underpinning theory of what makes great teaching and applying this to my immediate context.

    I’ve really enjoyed being fully embedded in the teaching community at my school and would recommend this as an ideal route for those who are interested in the profession but looking for a way to learn on the job.

    National Institute of Teaching Executive Director of Programmes, Reuben Moore said:

    The potential of teacher apprenticeships is significant, strengthening routes into the profession and helping to reach a range of candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds in hard-to-recruit areas where teachers are needed most.  

    The hands-on learning offered alongside critical reflection through the apprenticeship route means that trainees can become fully qualified teachers in less time, without compromising on the quality of teaching or educational outcomes.

    We welcome the government’s efforts on removing barriers to this important training route, not only focusing on its impact but the opportunity to grow it further and help ensure that all children have access to an excellent education.

    Courses will still offer the same high-quality content but at a reduced length with trainees gaining Qualified Teacher Status after they have completed the programme, going on to build successful careers in teaching.  

    As part of the work to drive high and rising standards in schools the government’s landmark Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill is also introducing measures to ensure new teachers have or are working towards Qualified Teacher Status, so that children can benefit from high-quality teaching. Parents want to be confident that there is a professionally qualified teacher leading their children’s learning, and we expect the same.

    As well as the PGTA, there are a range of apprenticeships available to individuals who are considering entering the teaching profession including a new degree level teacher apprenticeship as well as teaching assistant apprenticeships.  

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister to announce largest ever sanctions package targeting shadow fleet as UK ramps up pressure on Russia

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Prime Minister to announce largest ever sanctions package targeting shadow fleet as UK ramps up pressure on Russia

    Russia’s shadow fleet will be hit with the largest ever sanctions package today, ramping up pressure on Putin and protecting UK and European critical national infrastructure.

    • New action, which will be announced by the Prime Minister at the Joint Expeditionary Force meeting in Oslo today, will turn up the pressure on Russia’s economy, which is reeling thanks to lower oil prices and the high costs of the war 
    • Major package of sanctions will target the decrepit and dangerous shadow fleet carrying Russian oil 
    • Reckless actions of the fleet pose costly threat to UK and Euro-Atlantic critical national infrastructure and the environment 
    • New package will mean the UK has sanctioned more shadow fleet ships than any other country 

    Russia’s shadow fleet will be hit with the largest ever sanctions package today, ramping up pressure on Putin and protecting UK and European critical national infrastructure.

    The Government will today sanction up to 100 oil tankers that form a core part of Putin’s shadow fleet operation and are responsible for carrying more than $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024.

    It is the latest move by the Government to safeguard working people, protect the UK’s national security and deliver on the foundations of the Plan for Change.

    The shadow fleet operation, masterminded by Putin’s cronies, is not just bankrolling the Kremlin’s illegal war in Ukraine – the fleet’s languishing vessels are known to be damaging critical national infrastructure through reckless seafaring in Europe. 

    Protecting subsea infrastructure from malicious and careless incidents is expected to be a key part of Leaders’ discussions at the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Oslo today. 

    It comes after the JEF activated an advanced UK-led reaction system, known as Nordic Warden in January, to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet, following reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic Sea. 22 areas of interest – including parts of the English Channel, North Sea, Kattegat, and Baltic, are currently being monitored from the JEF’s operational headquarters in Northwood, UK.  

    Subsea infrastructure is the lifeblood of the UK’s connectivity, carrying 99% of international telecommunications data, and vital energy supplies such as electricity, oil and gas. 

    The infrastructure is at risk of being disrupted by unseaworthy vessels lacking safety certification, the right technology to avoid the infrastructure, or purposefully disabling locator technology. 

    Alongside the large number of shadow fleet tankers targeted today, the UK is also expected to disrupt those behind the shadow fleet.  

    Today’s action further demonstrates that there is no place to hide for those who help fund Putin’s war machine.  

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:  

    Every step we take to increase pressure on Russia and achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine is another step towards security and prosperity in the UK.  

    The threat from Russia to our national security cannot be underestimated, that is why we will do everything in our power to destroy his shadow fleet operation, starve his war machine of oil revenues and protect the subsea infrastructure that we rely on for our everyday lives.  

    My government will safeguard working people from paying the price from the costly threat Putin’s fleet poses to UK critical national infrastructure and the environment.

    Putin uses the shadow fleet to cling onto his oil revenues and prop up the Russian oil industry.  Thanks to Western sanctions, Russia’s oil and gas revenues have fallen every year since 2022 – losing over a third of its value in three years. Sanctions and the cost of his barbaric war are causing the Russian economy to stall – with the wealth fund hollowed out, inflation rising and government spend on defence and security spiralling.

    Meanwhile, JEF leaders are today expected to announce an enhanced JEF partnership with Ukraine, bringing the JEF grouping – some of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters – and Ukraine even closer together. 

    This will further support Ukrainian Armed Forces through intensive training exercises, increasing interoperability across military platforms and enhancing countering disinformation support as well as allowing JEF Nations to learn from the battlefield experience of Ukraine’s armed forces. 

    Today’s meeting in Oslo is the second visit by the Prime Minister to Norway, after he travelled to Bergen in December to launch a new Green Industrial Partnership with Norway, which was signed by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband earlier this week.

    The UK and Norway are also expected to agree a new memorandum of understanding on space domain awareness today, to harness opportunities and protect critical national infrastructure in the skies, through tracking and sharing intelligence on satellites, space debris and other objects flying above Earth. 

    The agreement will allow the UK and Norway to advance and develop greater coverage of the increasingly congested and contested domain. 

    The UK has ambitious plans in space, with the first space launches from SaxaVord in the Shetland Islands scheduled later this year. 

    The Joint Expeditionary Force is comprised of 10 like-minded nations, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and the UK as the Framework Nation.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China, Russia Express Readiness to Strengthen Cooperation to Protect Authority of International Law

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, May 8 (Xinhua) — China and Russia have pledged to strengthen cooperation to uphold the authority of international law, according to a joint statement released in Moscow on Thursday.

    The two countries pledged to firmly uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law, and resolutely defend the central role of the UN in international affairs.

    Both countries reaffirmed their full commitment to the UN Charter, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the UN Charter, and the holistic and interdependent nature of the fundamental principles of international law clearly set out in that declaration.

    The principles of international law are the cornerstone of the multipolar world system, based on mutually beneficial cooperation, fair international relations, building a community of common destiny for mankind, creating a common space of equal and indivisible security and economic cooperation.

    The parties condemned any acts of interference in the internal affairs of another country with the aim of forcibly changing its legitimate government, reiterating the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes.

    China and Russia resolutely opposed unilateral sanctions that run counter to international law and long-arm jurisdiction. They strongly condemned unilateral sanctions that violate the principles of sovereign equality, state immunity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states and are not sanctioned by the UN Security Council. The two countries opposed the drawing of dividing lines based on ideology. They stressed that states have the right to carry out normal trade and economic cooperation.

    China and Russia also opposed the practice of double standards and the imposition of one state’s will on another, and rejected any attempt to harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, as well as to destroy their peace and stability in the name of the “rule of law” or “rules-based order.” —–

    It is the common belief of the two countries that national and multilateral criminal justice mechanisms should not be abused for narrow political purposes to undermine international relations and the rights that States enjoy under international law.

    China and Russia called for further efforts to strengthen arms control, promote disarmament, prevent the weaponization of outer space, and address global challenges such as climate change, plastic pollution and cybercrime. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Volcano Watch — Twenty episodes and counting: lava fountains continue in Kaluapele

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Volcano Watch — Twenty episodes and counting: lava fountains continue in Kaluapele

    On December 23, 2024, eruptive activity at Kīlauea’s summit began again with the first in what has become 20 discrete lava fountaining episodes. Many episodes have had dual fountains—two erupting at the same time—a rare occurrence at Kīlauea and worldwide. The most recent episode 20 concluded at 9:28 p.m. H.S.T. on May 6, 2025.

    Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. Today’s article is by HVO geologists Drew Downs and Natalia Deligne.

    Photo compilation of episodes 1–20 of the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea, including webcam imagery and photos taken by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists on the ground and during helicopter overflights. In all photos except for episode 7, the south vent is on the left and the north vent is on the right. For the episode 7 photo, the north vent is in the center and the south vent is below it to the right.

    Sustained lava fountaining, sometimes to impressive heights, have awed the crowds that have flocked to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to view the eruptions—along with those watching from home on two USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory livestreams (V1cam and V2cam). The duration of semi-regular lava fountaining has ranged from around 4.5 hours (episode 20) to as long as 8.5 days (episode 3). However, many (11 of the 20) of the fountaining periods have lasted less than 24 hours. Once sustained lava fountains begin, they usually reach heights of 100–350 ft (30–100 m) above the vents. The highest fountains yet measured during these episodes reached over 1,000 ft (300 m) during episodes 15 and 16 in March and April 2025.

    These lava fountains have fed lava flows, some more extensive than others, that have collectively continued to fill the crater formed during the 2018 summit collapse. In some places near the vents, the lava flows are nearly 200 ft (60 m) thick, and they have covered 816 acres (330 hectares).

    Repose intervals—or the pause times between episodes—have ranged from 16 hours to 12 days. Intermittent spattering and occasional lava flows have occurred between episodes, as happened twice during episode 18 when lava flows issued from the vents for a few hours, a few days prior to lava fountains commencing.

    These impressively high lava fountains have produced tephra (fragments of lava) and Pele’s hair (fibers of volcanic glass). The distribution of tephra is controlled by prevailing wind patterns, with fallout zones downwind of the vents. Trade winds blowing to the southwest are most common, and this has resulted in tephra accumulating in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to thicknesses that can reach greater than 6.5 ft (2 m). During slack and Kona winds, tephra and Pele’s hair have fallen on the summit region around Volcano village, the Volcano Golf Course, and along Highway 11 near Nāmakanipaio campground.

    Almost all eruptive activity has been sourced from two vents at the base of the western wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera). These are referred to as the north and south vents, and they have alternated in dominance during episodes. At times the south vent has generated spectacular lava fountains that have reached over 1,000 ft (300 m) tall, whereas the north vent has primarily exhibited low‑level spattering or lava ponding, but there have been reversals of this pattern. Since episode 14, gas pistoning—the rhythmic rise and fall of the lava column—has been observed within both vents prior to fountaining by hours to a full day, and it is usually visible in the V1cam livestream.

    Each episode of high lava fountaining coincides with the onset of sharp deflation at the summit. Pre-fountaining inflation at UWD and SDH tiltmeters, used to measure inflationary and deflationary signals near Uēkahuna and to the south of Kaluapele, gives way to rapid deflation. At the same time, seismic tremor increases rapidly as more fluid moves through the conduits to erupt from the vents. A rapid turnaround from deflation to inflation and drop in seismic tremor marks the end of an episode.

    These spectacular lava fountains have been easily visible from many of the publicly accessible overlooks within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Even so, hazards persist during volcanic activity for those visiting to enjoy the sights. Shifting winds blow around elevated concentrations of volcanic gases, particularly strong-smelling sulfur dioxide (SO2), and tephra and Pele’s hair that are mostly comprised of volcanic glass. The gases and small glassy particles can irritate respiratory systems, and Pele’s hair can form splinters under the skin.

    As the summit of Kīlauea continues its lava fountaining episodes, HVO will maintain its continuous monitoring and livestreaming to document the eruption’s evolution, inform hazard assessments, and apprise the public of ongoing volcanic activity.

    Volcano Activity Updates

    Kīlauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

    Episode 20 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater ended on May 6 after 4.5 hours of fountaining reaching maximum heights of about 500 feet (150 meters) at the north vent. Strong glow has been visible in both the north and south vents and summit region inflation since the end of episode 20 suggests that another episode is possible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

    One earthquake was reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.6 earthquake 6 km (3 mi) WSW of Laupāhoehoe at 31 km (19 mi) depth on May 2 at 12:59 p.m. HST.

    HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

    Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairwoman McClain and Rep. Greene Statements on the House Passing the Gulf of America Act

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON—House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) celebrated the U.S. House of Representatives passing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) bill to codify President Trump’s Executive Order renaming the body of water formerly known as the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”

    This is the first bill passed by the House to codify one of President Trump’s executive orders. 

    Chairwoman McClain and Rep. Greene released the following statements: 

    “American taxpayers and service members are responsible for defending the gulf, so it’s only right it carries our name,” Chairwoman McClain said. “Renaming the Gulf of America will not only drive tourism, but also grow our economy and bolster our prowess on the world stage. I am proud to see Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill become the first bill passed by the House to codify one of President Trump’s executive orders, and House Republicans will continue to codify more. We, along with President Trump, are putting America first again.”

    “The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the Gulf of America’s maritime waterways for commerce to be conducted. Our U.S. armed forces protect the area from any military threats from foreign countries,” Rep. Greene said. “It’s our gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America and it’s what the entire world should refer to it as.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tennessee Man Indicted on Arson and Explosive Charges for Setting Fire to Nonprofit Organization

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Tennessee Man Indicted on Arson and Explosive Charges for Setting Fire to Nonprofit Organization

    A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee returned an indictment on May 7, charging Regan Darby Prater, 27, with arson for firebombing the Highlander Center, a nonprofit research and education center in New Market, Tennessee; and with carrying an explosive device during the commission of the arson. Prater appeared in court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. He was held pending trial, which has been set for July 15 in United States District Court, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Statement on Lesley Woods Murphy Nomination for U.S. Attorney for Nebraska

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

     U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Lesley Woods Murphy to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska: “Lesley Woods Murphy has spent her career working to bring criminals to justice and ensure the law is firmly enforced. Her experience in complex legal matters, remarkable successes in court, and efforts to improve public safety through strong law enforcement partnerships will no doubt make her an excellent U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska. For these reasons, I was honored to recommend Lesley to serve Nebraskans in this capacity, and I look forward to her swift confirmation in the United States Senate.”While her nomination is pending, Woods Murphy has also been appointed as the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, effective immediately. From 2017-2023, Woods Murphy served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the District of Nebraska. She most recently served as an AUSA for the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Warren, Wyden, Senators Slam Social Security for Improperly Declaring Thousands Dead, Call for Watchdog Investigation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 08, 2025
    Trump administration abused Death Master File to purge at least 6,300 Social Security numbers, including children and seniors
    Letter to SSA Acting Commissioner | Letter to SSA Assistant Inspector General for Audit 
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and 11 Senate Democrats, slammed the Social Security Administration (SSA) for transferring thousands of Social Security numbers associated with immigrants to the SSA’s Death Master File, marking them as dead to pressure “self-deportation,” and demanded the agency’s watchdog launch a full investigation into the decision.
    Exploiting Social Security’s Death Master File to terminate the SSN of living individuals without full due process violates bedrock constitutional rights. The Trump administration’s actions, which amount to falsifying government records, also violate the Privacy Act. Even Trump’s lawyers reportedly agreed. 
    “This decision will result in the ‘financial murder’ of living individuals improperly placed in the file, with everything from their credit cards and banking to their ability to access healthcare and housing being ripped out from under them,” wrote the senators.
    The senators also called on the SSA Office of the Inspector General to launch a full investigation into the agency’s decision to begin using the Death Master File for this purpose, including how an individual gets targeted, who at the agency has decision-making authority, and how those who have had their SSNs nullified through this process can get it fixed if there is a mistake.
    The Trump administration’s abuse of Social Security and its flagrant violation of constitutional guarantees of due process set a precedent that could endanger the rights of all Americans. It also undermines the accuracy of the Social Security Administration’s data, which could lead to more mistakes that limit a person’s access to benefits, regardless of their immigration status. 
    “The purpose of SSA is to provide for the welfare of number-holders and their dependents, not to serve as an arm of President Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. This move degrades the solvency, reliability, and accuracy of SSA systems and programs. It is as cruel as it is thoughtless—the impact will be felt in communities across the country and in the future of SSA programs themselves,” concluded the senators to Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek. 
    The letter was signed by Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Speaks on Senate Floor to Defend California’s Clean Air Act Waivers, Warns Republicans of Consequences of Overruling Parliamentarian

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Speaks on Senate Floor to Defend California’s Clean Air Act Waivers, Warns Republicans of Consequences of Overruling Parliamentarian

    WATCH: Padilla highlights environmental, public health, and economic importance of California’s waiversWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), took to the Senate floor to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ consideration of a dangerous plan to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision regarding California’s clean air waivers that allow the state to implement more protective air quality standards.
    The House of Representatives last week erroneously voted to revoke three of California’s Clean Air Act waivers for the state’s clean cars and trucks programs, despite the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) determination that California’s Clean Air Act waivers are not rules under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), and the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that any CRA resolutions on this subject would therefore require 60 votes to secure Senate passage. Senator Padilla emphasized the harmful environmental, public health, and economic consequences of attempting to revoke California’s waivers, as well as the dangerous precedent this “nuclear option” would set in undermining longstanding Senate procedures that could be applied to legislation far beyond the CRA.
    Padilla outlined California’s leadership in driving climate progress that has not only improved air quality, but has helped make California the world’s fourth largest economy through investments in innovative clean technologies.
    “When Donald Trump returned to the White House a few months ago, there was a whole lot of people throughout California and beyond that knew that California had a target on its back. For more than half a century, we’ve been trailblazers in a number of policy areas, but especially in the fight for environmental protections and public health protections. And for the last decade, we’ve been proud to … stand up to each and every one of Donald Trump’s attacks on our clean air and clean water, not just through his rhetoric, but through his actions. So while the particular procedural battle that we find ourselves in today over the Clean Air Act waivers may be new, the larger war on California’s climate leadership and progress is not new.”
    “One of the most outlandish things I’ve heard from my Republican colleagues these past few weeks as it pertains to these Clean Air Act waivers is that they’re concerned that these waivers and other regulations would stifle the California economy. That ‘the market is not ready.’ Or, I’ve heard some say that they’re concerned that this could raise prices on consumers. Really? These are the same Republican members who have stayed silent while Donald Trump’s imposed universal tariffs that are actually already increasing prices. So now you’re worried about increased costs for American families? Where have you been these last several weeks? But I have some good news for you: in case you haven’t heard, California’s proven this argument wrong already. … As of a couple weeks ago, California is now the fourth largest economy in the world.”
    “California didn’t get there by just holding on to technologies of the past. We did so by innovation and investment in clean technologies. So we are proving that you can be for clean air and for business and economic growth.”
    Padilla emphasized that Republicans are looking for a “backdoor” to bypass a filibuster since they do not have the votes needed to amend the Clean Air Act, instead trying to use the CRA to kill California’s Clean Air Act authority with a lower, 51-vote threshold. This would require Republicans to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian and GAO, which they have never done on a CRA question. Padilla highlighted that Senate Republicans, including EPW Chair Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), have even published a fact sheet that says: “California’s power to influence national emissions standards … is not subject to Congressional review.”
    “In plain English, they’re trying to change the rules of the Senate in order to please Donald Trump and the Big Oil lobby.”
    “It’s clear to me that this is about more than just California’s climate policies and leadership. This would set a major new precedent that blows way past the bounds of the Congressional Review Act. It’s not an insignificant change to the rules. It is not an insignificant precedent that you would be setting.”
    “If successful, it would open the door to ignoring the Parliamentarian on any ruling that you don’t like. And if Republicans can ignore the Parliamentarian on a CRA, then why not the tax bill that they’re working so hard on? Or health care? Or anything else?”
    He concluded his speech by presenting Senate Republicans’ previous statements saying they would not ignore the parliamentarian. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that ignoring the Senate Parliamentarian would be “totally akin to killing the filibuster. We can’t go there.” Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) said “a red line for [him] is overruling the Parliamentarian,” and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) promised she would “never vote to overturn the Parliamentarian.” Padilla warned his Republican colleagues not to cross this critical red line.
    “I will call our attention to the fact that the red line is here now. And each member of this body has a decision to make. The Parliamentarian has ruled that this effort cannot be done on a 51-vote threshold.”
    “If you choose to go forward and overrule the Parliamentarian, just know: there’s no going back. All bets are off.”
    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Earlier this week, Padilla, Whitehouse, and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers.
    Last month, Senators Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schiff welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after GAO’s similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Collins Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect and Enhance Ground Ambulance Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act, which would ensure that all communities, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, have access to vital emergency and non-emergency ground ambulance services.
    In 2022, Cortez Masto passed a law to make sure ambulance providers are adequately reimbursed for providing critical services. Specifically, the legislation provided Medicare add-on payments for ground ambulance services until 2025. Since then, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has passed additional extensions, maintaining the enhanced reimbursement rate for ground ambulance services through September 30, 2025. This bipartisan bill builds on those efforts by extending and increasing Medicare add-on payments for ambulance services in all communities. This legislation will continue to close the gap between Medicare reimbursement and the cost of providing services, helping ambulance service providers hire and retain EMT staff, update their equipment, and continue providing lifesaving medical care across the country, especially in the underserved areas where EMT services can be expensive and hard to access.
    “During a medical emergency, all Nevadans should be able to count on lifesaving ambulance services,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation provides essential resources to rural and underserved communities to ensure that no one is left without help in a life-or-death situation.”
    “Whether an automobile accident, a fire, a health crisis, or another catastrophe, paramedics are there in those first critical minutes when courage, skill, and compassion are most needed,” said Senator Collins. “Our bipartisan bill would support these first responders, especially those in rural and underserved communities, by ensuring they are adequately reimbursed by Medicare for their services. As a Senator representing one of the most rural states in the country, I will continue to support the brave men and women who work around the clock to protect our communities.”
    The legislation is endorsed by the American Ambulance Association, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, and the National Rural Health Association.
    “The American Ambulance Association appreciates the support for ground ambulance services that Senators Coretz Masto, Collins, Cassidy, and Welch continue to provide by reintroducing the Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2025,” said Jamie Pafford Gresham, President of the American Ambulance Association. “If enacted, the legislation would prevent a gap in much-needed funding for local ground ambulance services to maintain the adjustments for providers that service rural, urban, and super-rural communities that are set to expire on October 1. Moreover, the legislation provides some relief for the substantial cost increases in labor, vehicle, equipment, and drugs and devices these local services are encountering and that current policy does not address.”
    The full text of the bill can be accessed here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has consistently fought to ensure that Nevadans can access quality, affordable health care. She’s passed a law to make sure ambulance providers are adequately reimbursed for providing critical services, fought to protect the Medicare Advantage program for millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities, and introduced legislation to keep labor and delivery units open in rural and underserved hospitals. She has also championed the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, caps drug costs and limits egregious price hikes by drug manufacturers. She has repeatedly pressed the Trump administration for transparency about its cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tucson Residents Charged with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Hassan Omar Kassim, 19, and Alexandra Brooke Wisdom, 19, of Tucson, were arrested on May 6, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, Aid and Abet, and Conspiracy to commit the same offense.

    On April 20, 2025, a Tucson Police Department officer assigned to the Operations Division West (“ODW”) Community Response Team (“CRT”) was conducting operations in the area of Stone Avenue and Fort Lowell in Tucson, Arizona. The officer was dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked City of Tucson vehicle when he observed a dark colored car traveling southbound at a high rate of speed. The officer followed the vehicle and broadcast its license plate number to other members of ODW CRT. The vehicle then turned, and an individual leaned out of the rear passenger window of the car and fired a gun at the officer’s unmarked vehicle. The occupants of the car continued to engage the officer, including making a U-turn during which additional shots were fired by the rear passenger. The officer was unharmed. A marked patrol vehicle responded to the area and attempted to stop the car, but the occupants failed to yield and after a short pursuit, officers lost sight of the car. Through a subsequent investigation, detectives and special agents identified Kassim as one of the occupants of the car during the shooting. They also determined that Wisdom was in the car before and after the shooting, and that Wisdom drove and abandoned the vehicle sometime after fleeing from police.

    The National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) was established by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety. PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance, and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 60 sites since the program’s inception.

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The Tucson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:            25-MJ-05951
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-074_Kassim, et al.

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    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Fentanyl Supplier Sentenced in the District for Role in Nationwide Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Edgar Balderas, 27, of San Diego, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 148 months in prison for participating in a massive fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including the District. Balderas was one of more than two dozen co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.

    The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division.

    Balderas, aka “Nano,” pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 148-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Balderas to serve five years of supervised release.

    The impetus for this investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death-resulting case, law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms. 

    According to court documents, Balderas conspired with a Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficker to supply him with fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, which the trafficker would, in turn, supply to his D.C.-based customers. He began supplying the trafficker with fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills in Fall 2022 and continued until the L.A.-based trafficker’s arrest in late-February 2023.

    After the Los Angeles-based trafficker’s arrest in late-February 2023, Balderas attempted to begin dealing fentanyl directly to D.C.-based fentanyl distributors. For example, Balderas began communicating via Instagram with a D.C.-based co-defendant in this case the month after the Los Angeles-based trafficker’s arrest. The purpose of these communications was to arrange for the direct sale of fentanyl pills to the D.C.-based co-conspirator, along with other D.C.-based clients of the Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficker.

    DEFENDANT AGE LOCATION CHARGES/SENTENCE

    Hector David Valdez,

    aka “Curl”

    27

    		 Santa Fe Springs, California

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

    Craig Eastman

    21

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Feb. 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
    Charles Jeffrey Taylor 21 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raymond Nava, Jr. 20

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Ulises Aldaz 28

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Max Alexander Carias Torres 27

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering
    Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy” 34 Washington, D.C.

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Marvin Anthony Bussie,

    aka “Money Marr”

    		 22 Washington, D.C. Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Marcus Orlando Brown 29 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Columbian Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda” 27 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden 30 Washington, D.C. Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Andre Malik Edmond,

    aka “Draco”

    		 23 Temple Hills, Maryland Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Treyveon James Johnson,

    aka “Treyski”

    		 20 Alexandria, Virginia Sentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Karon Olufemi Blalock,

    aka “Fat Bags”

    		 30 Alexandria, Virginia

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud;

    Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Ronte Ricardo Greene,

    aka “Cardiddy”

    		 29 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21” 39 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Darius Quincy Hodges,

    aka “Brick”

    		 34 Glen Allen, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Lamin Sesay,

    aka “Rock Star”

    		 28 Alexandria, Virginia Pleaded guilty Feb. 7, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Paul Alejandro Felix 26

    Glendale,

    California

    		 Sentenced Nov. 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Omar Arana,

    aka “Frogs”

    		 27

    Cudahy,

    California

    		 Sentenced May 2, 2025, to 93 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano” 27

    San Diego,

    California

    		 Sentenced May 8, 2025, to 148 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raul Pacheco Ramirez 30

    Long Beach,

    California

    		 Sentenced Nov. 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Giovani Alejandro Briones 30 Victorville, California Sentenced Feb. 20, 2025, to 90 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez 26 Rosarito, Mexico

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

    The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris Y. McCranie of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section.

    23cr73

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Blue Springs Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Blue Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography.

    Jon Hopkins, Jr., 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Hopkins to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration and to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims.

    On October 29, 2024, Hopkins pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, while Hopkins was employed with Honeywell in Kansas City, Missouri, he was discovered to be in possession of an electronic device within the Honeywell facility in a secure classified area which prohibits electronics.  His electronic device was lawfully searched, and law enforcement discovered images depicting child pornography during an initial review.  A federal search warrant was obtained, and following detailed forensic analysis, hundreds of images and videos of child pornography were discovered on his phone, many of which focused on preteen girls.  These images included depictions of 10 previously identified child pornography victims.

    Hopkins is also charged in Jackson County, Missouri with the felony offenses of Statutory Rape or Attempted Statutory Rape in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old, as well Statutory Sodomy or Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old.  Those charges have been pending while this federal case has been ongoing.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of the Inspector General, as well as the Independence Missouri Police Department.

    Project Safe Childhood

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

    MIL Security OSI –