NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Hickenlooper Hears from Coloradans Harmed by Trump Administration Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Hickenlooper toured CU Anschutz, hosted roundtables in Denver and Aurora on proposed VA and Medicaid cuts, and joined postal workers at a rally
    In case you missed it, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper recently held multiple events throughout the Denver metro area to talk with Coloradans affected by the Trump administration’s chaotic actions.
    Hickenlooper held a roundtable at Inner City Health on the impacts of potential Medicaid cuts and the significant consequences they’d have on Coloradans. Hickenlooper voted against the Republican budget resolution, which would strip critical services that Coloradans rely on like Medicaid.
    He then visited CU Anschutz to tour the facility and hear from researchers concerned about how the funding cuts impact their research and scientific progress.
    Hickenlooper also heard from veterans and laid off VA employees at the Aurora Mental Health Center. Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, and the Trump administration has fired an estimated 6,000 veterans so far. The Trump administration also has plans to cut 80,000 VA employees.
    Hickenlooper also joined postal service workers and supporters on the steps of the Colorado Capitol to show support for USPS employees in the face of attempts by the Trump administration to privatize and reduce service.
    Check out the headlines below:
    Colorado Public Radio: Sen. Hickenlooper Tours CU Anschutz and Hears from Young Researcher Hurt by NIH Cuts
    A young researcher wearing a lab coat, transfers fluids using a pipette. The lab where the postdoctoral student is working was on a stop on Senator John Hickenlooper’s visit at CU Anschutz medical center on Tuesday. Cancer researcher Heidi Ford told him about how the student is studying how the immune system responds to breast cancer cells.
    …Hickenlooper told the group he thought his Republican colleagues see the damage that’s being done, and most Americans, “may be suspicious about certain aspects of science, but they believe in the progress that it creates. They believe that long term, this is the right thing to invest in.”
    9 News (Denver): Sen. Hickenlooper Comments on Harms of NIH Funding Cuts to Colorado Research
    Today Senator John Hickenlooper took a walk through the CU Anschutz Cancer Lab, one of many medical research centers across the country in danger of losing millions in federal funding.
    “They’re doing research back there that I saw where they’re actually being able to differentiate between which cells the chemo will attack and letting the normal cells go on about their business keeping you healthy. That’s so exciting, and now we’re suddenly going to give them a gut punch and pull their funding?”
    Colorado Sun: Funding cuts to CU-Anschutz could erase years of medical research contributed by patients, advocates fear
    As the ALS disease that will one day claim her life progressed, Barbara Johnson enrolled in a clinical trial at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus funded by the federal National Institutes of Health.
    …Then, in the statement recorded by her daughter and played through her voice assistant, she directed a message to the man sitting on the other end of a long conference table from her, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat.
    “Does NIH really want to cut loose these years of research, one study building on the results of another, and all those lifesaving waves?”
    Hickenlooper toured a lab and participated in a panel discussion Tuesday at the Anschutz Campus as part of an effort to understand how proposed cuts to NIH funding would impact research on the campus — and, in fact, already are.
    …Researchers who participated in the panel discussion with Hickenlooper talked of the worry coursing through their labs and weighing on the long-term planning of their graduate students.
    “There’s a lot of stress in academia right now,” Heide Ford told Hickenlooper during a tour of her lab, which studies cancer cells.
    …Hickenlooper vowed to take these stories back to Washington, D.C., with him in the hopes of persuading Senate colleagues to oppose the funding cuts.
    He rejected a more confrontational approach, saying that he believes many Republicans in Congress support science and believes a number are “getable” by finding common ground.
    “Telling someone why they’re wrong and why you think you’re right never works,” he said. “Our country needs to figure out how we’re going to get unified around science again.”
    The most powerful way to do that, he said, is by sharing the stories of researchers and the work they do — and the risk that funding cuts could derail it.
    “I think as more people in Colorado or across the country hear about these setbacks in terms of consistent funding for real medical research that changes the world, I think people are going to be pissed off,” Hickenlooper said. “I think we’re going to hear from them, and we should. This is irresponsible.”
    Denver Gazette: Amid Trump cuts, Colorado medical leaders worry about losing ‘generation of researchers’
    A group of Colorado medical leaders on Tuesday expressed fears that proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health medical research grants would not only hurt current research but risk losing “a generation of researchers.”
    Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper sat at a roundtable with 16 local medical CEOs, presidents and researchers to discuss NIH’s decision to cut “indirect cost” rates for medical research grants.
    …Prior to the discussion, Hickenlooper toured the campus’ cancer lab, which focuses on cancer research treatments. The entire lab is funded by NIH grants.
    Sentinel Colorado: Hickenlooper collects stories at Aurora round-table to persuade Republicans to halt cuts to VA, veterans
    Colorado veterans, Veteran Affairs employees and a Colorado senator say they are angry and fearful over the way the Trump Administration is handling massive federal government cuts and layoffs.
    …Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper held the group discussion along with Aurora Mental Health and Recovery to talk with veterans and VA employees about the administration’s cuts and firings and how they affect veterans and military-connected families in Colorado.
    Hickenlooper said it made him angry, which he says is rare for him, adding that he can count on one hand the times congress has made him angry.
    “The talk about waste, fraud and abuse in the Veterans Administration drives me nuts,” Hickenlooper said. “Any time I hear people discrediting and tearing down the Veterans Administration in any way, it gets me in a place that I don’t usually go to.”
    …“This is egregious,” Hickenlooper said.
    Hickenlooper said he knows “for a fact” from the years he was Colorado governor that the VA never had enough funding, so the Trump cuts will hurt veterans significantly.
    Hickenlooper said he enjoys “good” relationships with 20 to 25 Republican senators right now. He said he hopes to take the veterans’ stories from Aurora to share with those GOP senators and persuade them to make changes.
    “The more stories I can give to them about what’s really happening, the better,” Hickenlooper said. “The sooner we’re going to turn this around and begin to recognize and deliver on some of that funding that you guys are all deserving of.”
    Colorado Newsline: Colorado veterans cut under Trump feel ‘like trash,’ Hickenlooper told
    Ryan Bevard worked at a hospital within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for eight years before he got a position he had been vying for as a social work associate.
    …U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, listened to Bevard and about two dozen other veterans talk about how the Trump administration’s funding cuts and layoffs have affected their ability to access health care and other benefits at the Aurora Mental Health Center Tuesday.
    “These veterans put their life on the line,” Hickenlooper said. “In many cases they suffered debilitating consequences to their physical health, to their mental health, things that are never going to be back 100% the way they were.”
    …Hickenlooper said the notion that the VA is riddled with “waste, fraud and abuse” — which is what Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is tasked with targeting — angers him. He called the “draconian cuts” to the VA “egregious,” and said he doesn’t think his Republican colleagues in the congressional majority have heard how cuts and layoffs have affected veterans. He said he has good relationships with about 20 to 25 Republican senators, and the sooner they hear stories like those shared with him in Aurora, the sooner VA funding will be restored.
    “I don’t think they’ll be happy with what they’re going to hear,” Hickenlooper said. “They believe in the military, they believe that people that have served our country in defense deserve to be cared for. I think almost all of them do.”
    Veterans losing their jobs without cause will further worsen the increasing suicide rates among veterans, Hickenlooper said. He said he supports shrinking the government, but “random firings without cause” is “not how to do it.”
    “Everyone who’s still working is filled with doubt and anxiety, so they’re not doing a good job,” Hickenlooper said. “You’re not making government more efficient, you’re making them less efficient.”
    CBS (Colorado Springs): Sen. Hickenlooper speaks at postal workers rally
    “Liberal or conservative or in between, wherever you fall on the political spectrum: you deserve your mail and the services that the post office provides and that’s very important”
    Colorado Springs isn’t the only place where the rallies popped up; workers up in Denver were also protesting. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke at that rally: “What President Trump is doing here (and he’s doing it elsewhere) is not only illegal, it’s unconstitutional, and I think when you look at what the postal service does, it delivers mail to every person regardless of your zip code, and I recognize how hard that is, right? I’ve traveled to every corner of this state, you know, there’s some pretty remote towns, but everybody in this state gets the mail.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Cuts to consultant, contractor spend exceed target

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government’s move to cut public sector spending on consultants and contractors is on track to save $800 million over two years – double the initial target, Public Service Minister Judith Collins says.

    “We set a two-year target to cut $400 million in spending on consultants and contractors across the public sector by 2024/25,” Ms Collins says.

    “The latest update anticipates savings will come in at more than $800 million by the end of June.

    “That’s $800 million that can be spent on delivering core services to taxpayers, in areas such as healthcare, law enforcement and education.

    “Taxpayers expect public servants to spend their money wisely, and I’m very happy to share with them just how much money is on track to be saved as a direct result of the Government’s efforts to rein in excessive spending while ensuring core government services continue to be delivered.”

    Public Service Commission data released today shows the size of the core public service workforce decreased 4 percent in the 12 months to December 2024. At the end of December there were 62,968 public servants (FTEs), compared with 65,699 in December 2023.  

    “This reduction largely impacted back-office roles and has been offset by an increase in the number of frontline staff,” Ms Collins says.

    “In the six years from 2017 to 2023, total salary costs for the core public service workforce grew a staggering 72 percent, to about $6.1 billion a year. We simply do not have sufficient taxpayers to support that kind of growth.

    “The Government will continue to focus on the delivery of frontline services while keeping contractor and consultant spending and the overall size of the workforce in check.”

    Note to editors:

    The core Public Service are departments and departmental agencies only. It excludes the wider public sector, such as defence personnel, police, teachers and public healthcare workers

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech to open new building at Lincoln University

    Source: New Zealand Government

    I am very pleased to open the redeveloped George Forbes Building at Lincoln University.
    The original building was opened by Governor-General Viscount Cobham on 11th August 1960. He inherited Viscount Cobham from his father but his birth name was actually Charles Lyttelton, Lyttelton being named after his great grandfather. 
    The building has undergone significant changes since then that have made it a notable landmark in the area. 
    This latest development creates a vibrant new student hub, which will contribute to a world-class campus. 
    I know Lincoln has a strong focus on its students, both in terms of their campus experience but also a commitment to supporting their success in study and moving into employment.
    This space demonstrates your focus on your learners and their future, by providing a mix of areas for relaxation and recreation, as well as places to work and collaborate with others.
    And collaboration is one of the hallmarks of the university. 
    We can see it today in your strong domestic and international partnerships in research and teaching. 
    An excellent example is Bioprotection Aotearoa, a Centre of Research Excellence that features a collaborative partnership of 11 universities and CRIs to train the next generation of bioprotection researchers. It also delivers pioneering, multi-disciplinary research to protect our productive and natural landscapes from pathogens, pests and weeds in a warming climate.
    Scientists from Lincoln along with Plant & Food Research have contributed to the discovery of a new gene – the PAR gene – that will make it possible to produce seeds from crops that are genetically identical to the mother plant, without pollination. This was done with scientists in the Netherlands and Japan, and it is expected to lead to major innovations in plant breeding.
    You also have a strong history in commercial collaboration. The New Zealand Agricultural Engineering Institute (NZAEI) established in 1965, now Lincoln Agritech, has a history of finding practical engineering solutions to agricultural issues, supporting sustainable production. That contributes social, environmental and economic benefits to the community but also to your researchers and helps maintain the university’s reputation as a partner in innovation.
    It’s not an exaggeration to say that Lincoln has been making vital contributions to our country and to the wider world, in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, for nearly 150 years. That’s quite an achievement and something to be proud of.
    Your focus on the agricultural sector has positioned you well in our nation’s economy and helped build our reputation as an agricultural innovator, as well as a successful and reliable supplier of high-quality food and associated technologies.
    These are some of the things that place this small university in the top 150 for agriculture and forestry, according to the QS World University Rankings.
    It is also in the top 150 for hospitality and leisure, another significant industry for economic growth, and one that relies for much of its appeal on the quality of our rural environments and the products that are so important to this country’s economy. 
    I know that you have a long-term plan which is driving the shape of the campus, with both new and redeveloped facilities. 
    With Plant & Food Research and Landcare Research across the road, we have a hub of research excellence that is important to New Zealand’s agricultural future.
    These combine to make Lincoln an attractive place to study. You have rapidly rebuilt your domestic and international student population, and achieved a position of financial sustainability while continuing to be recognised as a leader in research for the land-based sectors.
    Keeping all of your achievements in mind, it gives me great pleasure to turn to the opening of this new development and the opportunities still to come. 
    I want to thank a great-grandson and namesake of George Forbes, who provided very helpful information on his history. I know he was invited today and I hope he is here.
    The Right Honourable George William Forbes was MP for Hurunui from 1908 to 1943 and Prime Minister from 1930 to 1935. He was also the first leader of the National Party. 
    Before that he was farmer in Cheviot – on his farm called Crystal Brook – which he farmed until his death. He had a keen and enduring interest in the industry throughout his political career, and he regularly attended agricultural events here at Lincoln. 
    The George Forbes Memorial Library was developed in recognition of his advancement of the interests of Canterbury Agricultural College, as it was then, in the mid-1920s, when plans for Massey Agricultural College were underway.
    The library has moved but the building retains his name. It is now the new entry point to the university. 
    For learners just starting their tertiary education journey, this will be a place of welcome and connection with each other and the studies that will support their success in years to come.
    Many Lincoln alumni have gone on to play, and continue to play, prominent roles in New Zealand life.  There is an impressive list of scientists, All Blacks and business leaders, as well as politicians and media personalities, who have passed through these halls. There are a few international leaders in there as well.
    Lincoln was a key part of their leadership journey. 
    That’s as it should be. We expect our tertiary institutions to produce leaders in all areas – science, arts, public service, sports, community and commerce.
    I believe George William Forbes would be proud and pleased with this place and the contribution Lincoln is continuing to make to New Zealand, as well as the continuing association of his name with the university. 
    Thank you Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for your continuing efforts, and congratulations to you and the university community on this occasion. 
    I now take great pride in officially declaring the George Forbes Building open. 
    Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: International Law Enforcement Cooperation Leads to Takedown of U.S.- and Brazil-Based Alien Smugglers and Immigration Arrests

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    View the criminal complaint.

    Earlier today, extensive coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Brazilian law enforcement and prosecution authorities culminated in a significant enforcement operation to dismantle a transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for the illicit smuggling of hundreds of individuals from Brazil to the United States. The enforcement operation included the arrest on U.S. charges of a previously convicted alien smuggler who allegedly re-entered the United States illegally after deportation to Brazil and was residing in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) executed multiple search warrants in Brazil and arrested an alleged Brazil-based human smuggler.

    Flavio Alexandre Alves, also known as “Ronaldo,” 41, was arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to bring aliens to and transport aliens within the United States for the purpose of commercial or financial gain in violation of law. Alves will appeared in federal court in Worcester earlier today and was temporarily detained pending a detention hearing on Friday.

    According to court documents, Alves conspired with others to transport aliens from Brazil, through Mexico, and then into the United States. Once the aliens arrived in the United States, Alves allegedly purchased airline tickets for the aliens to other U.S. destinations. Alves also allegedly transferred money from the United States to aliens and smugglers located in Mexico to pay for expenses associated with transit into the United States and collected fees from aliens for being smuggled into the United States. Alves was previously convicted of human smuggling in the Central District of California in 2004 and was deported to Brazil in February 2005. Court documents indicate that Alves has been residing in the United States without immigration status after illegally re-entering the United States.

    It is alleged that between May 2021 and August 2022, Alves purchased more than 100 individual airline tickets from Tucson or Phoenix to destination cities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (Boston, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia). Some of these purchases were for migrants who had recently had encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers or were recently released from detention.

    Additionally, HSI offices in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, supported by other partner law enforcement agencies, detained four individuals today associated with the alien smuggling organization on administrative immigration violations.

    The investigation and arrest of Alves was coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs (OIA), among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 315 U.S. convictions; more than 260 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks or grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    HSI New England led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with HSI Brasilia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI received substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. OIA provided crucial assistance in this matter.

    Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion and Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Executive Pleads Guilty to a Seven-Count Indictment Two Weeks Before Trial, Admits to Longstanding Antitrust and Wire Fraud Conspiracies Affecting Wildfire Services

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    The owner of a contractor company that provided fuel truck services to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire fighters pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment yesterday for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Kris Bird, 62, pleaded guilty to all charges against him two weeks before trial, with no assurances from the government as to the sentence prosecutors will recommend to the judge. The plea follows a judicially authorized wiretap investigation that led to the indictment of two executives in December 2023. Both executives pleaded guilty and are now scheduled to be sentenced in June 2025.

    As set out in the factual basis filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, Bird admitted to conspiring with Ike Tomlinson, 61, and others to rig bids and allocate territories in the market for wildfire-fighting fuel truck services for certain dispatch centers of the U.S. Forest Service’s Great Basin wildfire dispatch region between March 2015 and March 2023, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Bird further admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud during the same period, and to committing five acts of wire fraud. At the change-of-plea hearing, Bird also admitted to the forfeiture allegations in the indictment.

    “Bid-rigging and other collusive, anticompetitive agreements are neither sophisticated nor lawful. As the defendants have now conceded, they selfishly damaged essential taxpayer-funded services critical to protecting the American public from wildfires,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The meticulous investigation led by the Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners left the defendant with little choice but to plead to the indictment. The Justice Department will not treat bid-rigging as business as usual.”

    “Citizens and Idaho businesses must have access to fair competition for government contracts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott for the District of Idaho. “The guilty pleas in this case help ensure equal opportunities for all Idaho businesses and protects taxpayers from paying inflated contract prices.”

    “The defendant illegally profited from American taxpayer money,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. “The FBI and our partners are committed to rooting out fraud and protecting fair competition in the bidding for government contracts.”

    “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to fight fraud in federal contracting,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations James Adams of the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.

    A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals and a maximum penalty of a $100 million fine for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by victims if either amount is greater than the maximum. A violation of the wire fraud statute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho are prosecuting the case.

    Anyone with information about this investigation or other procurement fraud schemes should notify the PCSF at www.justice.gov/atr/webform/pcsf-citizen-complaint. The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019. It is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Who Mailed Fentanyl from Arizona to Dubuque Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A woman who mailed fentanyl powder, pills containing fentanyl, and “ice” methamphetamine from Arizona to Dubuque, Iowa, was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

    Tiffani Katrina Bradley, age 42, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, received the prison term after an October 30, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.        

    From March 2023 through December 2023, Bradley mailed re-distribution quantities of controlled substances from Arizona to Dubuque to her co-conspirator, Alexander John Chapman.  During this time, Bradley mailed Chapman over $4,000 worth of fentanyl powder, pills containing fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

    Bradley was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Bradley was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Bradley is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service, at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-CR-01003.

    Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indiana Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Hammond, Ind., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing three firearms.

    Roosevelt Nevels, Jr., 35, formerly of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 8 years in federal prison without parole.

    On Nov. 7, 2024, Nevels, Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

    On Nov. 7, 2021, officers of the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department were dispatched to Research Medical Center regarding a reported shooting. Nevels, Jr., who was the injured person, reported he was caught in between two vehicles shooting at one another at 7033 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, Mo.  Nevels, Jr. reported that he was shot in the hand.  Officers investigated Nevels Jr.’s account and were not able to locate evidence or witnesses to support his report of the shooting.

    Upon further investigation, officers responded to Nevels, Jr.’s residence in Kansas City, Mo., where they located a blood trail in front of the house, leading to the door.  The officers knocked on the front door, and a juvenile answered.  The officers observed more blood on the living room floor of the residence.

    The officers entered the residence to ensure no one inside was injured.  They observed an AR-style pistol and a large amount of blood in a bedroom.

    Investigators were granted a search warrant for the residence. While executing the search warrant, investigators recovered three firearms: a SCCY CPX-1, 9mm, pistol; a SCCY CPX-2, 9mm, pistol; and an FM-9, AR-style pistol.  All the firearms were loaded.  The AR-style pistol had damage near the trigger guard, appearing that the trigger guard was shot.  The live round of ammunition in the chamber had blood on it.

    Investigators also located a bullet fragment and two spent 9mm shell casings in the bedroom where the firearms were located and two cases containing 50 live .22 caliber rounds of ammunition in the kitchen.

    Forensic investigators determined DNA samples recovered from the grips and trigger guards of all three firearms implicated Nevels, Jr. as a major contributor.   

    Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.  Nevels, Jr. was convicted of the felony offenses of endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest in 2018.  Nevels, Jr. also has felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon – carrying concealed and unlawful use of a weapon – discharge/shoot firearm at a motor vehicle.

    This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings.  It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Behavioral Healthcare Company Executive Sentenced for Healthcare Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – The Chief Executive Officer of Dana Group Associates, who is also the former Chief Operating Officer of Prime Behavioral Health, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by directing false billing for patient visits.

    Miguel Saravia, 42, of Hanson, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to three and a half months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Saravia was also ordered to pay $561,141.89 in restitution. In September 2024, Saravia pleaded guilty to six counts of health care fraud. 

    From approximately 2017 to 2022, Saravia directed a group of individuals with no billing or medical training to enter Current Procedural Terminology codes (CPT) for therapy services that were not provided and to upcode CPT codes used for psychotherapy visits. Saravia submitted, or directed the submission of, false claims for treatment that was not provided or for more complex and expensive treatment than was provided.
        
    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Insurance Fraud Bureau Executive Director Anthony DiPaolo; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly B. Lawrence and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Lindsey Ross and Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit prosecuted the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone Distribution and Gun Possession Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANGEL BENITEZ, 38, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad investigation revealed that Benitez and a co-conspirator were illegally selling oxycodone pills that were prescribed to his co-conspirator.  In August and September 2024, investigators made controlled purchases of oxycodone pills from Benitez and his co-conspirator.

    Benitez was arrested on November 6, 2024.  On that date, a search of his residence revealed a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol that had been reported stolen in West Hartford.

    Benitez’s criminal history includes state assault, burglary, and larceny convictions.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

    Benitez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.  Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for June 20.

    Benitez has been detained since his arrest.

    This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, which is composed of personnel from the DEA, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, West Haven, Hamden, Fairfield, Manchester, and Seymour Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Alien smuggling group dismantled

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAREDO, Texas – A group of five Laredoans have now been sentenced for operating an alien smuggling organization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Jaquon Davis is the last to be sentenced and pleaded guilty Oct. 10, 2024.  

    U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo determined him to be the leader of the conspiracy and sentenced him to 44 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that showed Davis was a long-time alien smuggler who recruited several people.

    “This case demonstrates the Southern District of Texas’ commitment to stopping the flow of illegal aliens into our country,” said Ganjei. “That means prosecuting not only illegal aliens, but also those who support and help them in breaking our laws.” 

    On March 19, 2024, Davis and four others travelled in three cars around the I-35 checkpoint north of Laredo using the access road in an attempt to avoid law enforcement.  

    One car was used as a scout and the other two cars carried illegal aliens. Authorities ultimately pulled them over and discovered a total of 12 illegal aliens in the vehicles. One was concealed in a box located in a truck bed.

    Two of the illegal aliens claimed they had arranged to be smuggled to cities in Texas for large amounts of money. They had crossed the Rio Grande River and stayed at a stash house before being picked up by someone in the group.

    The investigation revealed the smugglers had stayed in a local motel and coordinated the event from there. Davis was the leader and coordinator of this event and had paid for the hotel rooms.

    Carlota Herrera, 34, and Ruben Campos, 30, previously received 21 and 37 months, respectively, for transporting the illegal aliens. Bobby Vaughan Hoodye, 40, was sentenced to six months for his role in providing one of the cars that was used to transport the illegal aliens, while Jakhalib Fisher, 21, was ordered to serve 33 months for coordinating and overseeing the smuggling event.

    Davis has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan L. Oliver prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien and Convicted Criminal Felon Charged With Firearm Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    An illegal alien and convicted felon was charged with federal firearm crimes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.  

    Manuel Najera-Garcia, a Mexican citizen and illegal alien, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 26, 2025 with one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Najera-Garcia made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 and was ordered detained.  

    According to the indictment, on December 22, 2024, Najera-Garcia possessed a .38-caliber revolver after having been convicted of a felony offense in 2012.  After his felony conviction, Najera-Garcia returned to Mexico.  However, it is alleged that sometime thereafter Najera-Garcia re-entered the United States prior to possessing the firearm on December 22, 2024.  

    An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  Mr. Najera-Garcia is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  If convicted, Najera-Garcia faces up to 15 years in federal prison on each count.  

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives Dallas Field Division and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Hocter is prosecuting the case.  

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Kyrgyzstan is Developing Its Own Crypto Hub: A7A5 Stablecoin Listed on the Regulated Exchange Meer Exchange

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN, March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kyrgyzstan continues to solidify its position as a regional crypto hub. The country is advancing its digital asset regulation, testing legal frameworks, and launching licensed platforms. One of the key steps in this direction is the launch of A7A5 – a stablecoin pegged to the Russian ruble within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The token was issued by the Kyrgyz company Old Vector, in full compliance with local regulatory requirements and with the support of the Kyrgyz government.

    One of the world’s leading crypto hubs

    As part of the strategic course set by the country’s president, Kyrgyzstan has adopted a comprehensive package of laws regulating the cryptocurrency market. For the first time, the country has introduced full legislation on digital assets, covering all major aspects of the industry – from exchanges to token issuers. This has created a new institutional infrastructure that did not previously exist in the market.

    Among the unique innovations is the mechanism for registering token issuances under official state supervision. Regulators ensure that token emissions comply with regulatory requirements, have fiat backing, undergo regular audits, and meet obligations to token holders. In essence, Kyrgyzstan provides one of the most transparent and secure tokenization models in the world.

    The first issuance of A7A5 (mint) was carried out in complete accordance with the new national legislation – under the control of regulatory authorities and directed to an officially registered, regulated broker.

    The A7A5 token is now available for trading on the regulated exchange Meer Exchange and is expected to be listed on decentralized platforms in the future. Its fiat backing is stored in bank accounts, and its volume is audited by an independent firm on a quarterly basis. The key advantage of A7A5 is the opportunity to earn up to 20% annually, driven by its link to the refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and additional income strategies in DeFi.

    For those seeking an alternative

    The digital asset market is moving toward the integration of traditional finance with decentralized technologies. The emergence of stablecoins has enabled users to:

    • Transition from volatile crypto assets to stable currencies without leaving the blockchain ecosystem.
    • Trade freely against the dollar – the world’s primary reserve currency.
    • Participate in DeFi protocols, with the potential to earn quasi-fixed income – returns close to fixed.

    However, despite the overall growth of the segment, stablecoins denominated in other currencies are still in their early stages.

    Currency diversity? Not yet

    Although the segment has seen significant capitalization, stablecoins other than the dollar still have very limited trading volumes:

    • USDT – exceeds $60 billion per day.
    • USDC – around $6 billion.
    • Stablecoins in euros (e.g., EURT, agEUR) rarely exceed $5–10 million in daily trading volume.
    • Stablecoins in yen and yuan are almost non-existent on major exchanges and DeFi protocols.
    • Stablecoins in emerging market currencies (rubles, reais, rupees, etc.) are virtually absent from the crypto market.

    This limits the potential for building robust currency strategies, including FX and carry trades, which are at the core of the global financial market with a daily volume exceeding $7 trillion.

    What’s preventing carry trade in crypto?

    To execute a traditional carry trade strategy in the digital space, several key elements are still missing:

    • Recently, one of the most popular strategies in the global market was the “dollar-yen” trade: borrowing in JPY at a low interest rate and investing in USD. Today, DeFi does not offer the option to borrow in yen or any other currencies to utilize carry trade opportunities, making this scenario unfeasible.
    • The reverse strategy – borrowing in dollars within DeFi – is possible, but there is no infrastructure to invest in assets from emerging markets with fixed returns or to hedge currency risk using derivatives.

    A7A5: The Solution

    The launch of A7A5, followed by its listing on both CEX and DEX, marks the first step in expanding the range of tools available to crypto investors, including:

    • Participation in income strategies involving assets from emerging markets.
    • The ability to hedge currency risks using derivative instruments.
    • Synthetic and direct participation in RWA (Real-World Assets) through digital infrastructure.

    A7A5 is designed for investors who are ready to leverage next-generation technologies to achieve higher returns, given the limited alternatives in the world of traditional finance.

    The listing on Meer Exchange ensures liquidity, transparency, and institutional access to a new class of digital assets tied to the Russian economy and emerging markets.

    Social Links

    X: https://x.com/A7A5official

    Telegram: https://t.me/A7A5official

    LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/a7a5official

    Media Contact

    Brand: A7A5

    Contact: Media team

    Email: info@a7a5.io

    Website: https://a7a5.io/

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Executive Pleads Guilty to a Seven-Count Indictment Two Weeks Before Trial, Admits to Longstanding Antitrust and Wire Fraud Conspiracies Affecting Wildfire Services

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    The owner of a contractor company that provided fuel truck services to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire fighters pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment yesterday for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Kris Bird, 62, pleaded guilty to all charges against him two weeks before trial, with no assurances from the government as to the sentence prosecutors will recommend to the judge. The plea follows a judicially authorized wiretap investigation that led to the indictment of two executives in December 2023. Both executives pleaded guilty and are now scheduled to be sentenced in June 2025.

    As set out in the factual basis filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, Bird admitted to conspiring with Ike Tomlinson, 61, and others to rig bids and allocate territories in the market for wildfire-fighting fuel truck services for certain dispatch centers of the U.S. Forest Service’s Great Basin wildfire dispatch region between March 2015 and March 2023, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Bird further admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud during the same period, and to committing five acts of wire fraud. At the change-of-plea hearing, Bird also admitted to the forfeiture allegations in the indictment.

    “Bid-rigging and other collusive, anticompetitive agreements are neither sophisticated nor lawful. As the defendants have now conceded, they selfishly damaged essential taxpayer-funded services critical to protecting the American public from wildfires,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The meticulous investigation led by the Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners left the defendant with little choice but to plead to the indictment. The Justice Department will not treat bid-rigging as business as usual.”

    “Citizens and Idaho businesses must have access to fair competition for government contracts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott for the District of Idaho. “The guilty pleas in this case help ensure equal opportunities for all Idaho businesses and protects taxpayers from paying inflated contract prices.”

    “The defendant illegally profited from American taxpayer money,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. “The FBI and our partners are committed to rooting out fraud and protecting fair competition in the bidding for government contracts.”

    “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to fight fraud in federal contracting,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations James Adams of the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.

    A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals and a maximum penalty of a $100 million fine for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by victims if either amount is greater than the maximum. A violation of the wire fraud statute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho are prosecuting the case.

    Anyone with information about this investigation or other procurement fraud schemes should notify the PCSF at www.justice.gov/atr/webform/pcsf-citizen-complaint. The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019. It is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: International Law Enforcement Cooperation Leads to Takedown of U.S.- and Brazil-Based Alien Smugglers and Immigration Arrests

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    View the criminal complaint.

    Earlier today, extensive coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Brazilian law enforcement and prosecution authorities culminated in a significant enforcement operation to dismantle a transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for the illicit smuggling of hundreds of individuals from Brazil to the United States. The enforcement operation included the arrest on U.S. charges of a previously convicted alien smuggler who allegedly re-entered the United States illegally after deportation to Brazil and was residing in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) executed multiple search warrants in Brazil and arrested an alleged Brazil-based human smuggler.

    Flavio Alexandre Alves, also known as “Ronaldo,” 41, was arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to bring aliens to and transport aliens within the United States for the purpose of commercial or financial gain in violation of law. Alves will appeared in federal court in Worcester earlier today and was temporarily detained pending a detention hearing on Friday.

    According to court documents, Alves conspired with others to transport aliens from Brazil, through Mexico, and then into the United States. Once the aliens arrived in the United States, Alves allegedly purchased airline tickets for the aliens to other U.S. destinations. Alves also allegedly transferred money from the United States to aliens and smugglers located in Mexico to pay for expenses associated with transit into the United States and collected fees from aliens for being smuggled into the United States. Alves was previously convicted of human smuggling in the Central District of California in 2004 and was deported to Brazil in February 2005. Court documents indicate that Alves has been residing in the United States without immigration status after illegally re-entering the United States.

    It is alleged that between May 2021 and August 2022, Alves purchased more than 100 individual airline tickets from Tucson or Phoenix to destination cities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (Boston, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia). Some of these purchases were for migrants who had recently had encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers or were recently released from detention.

    Additionally, HSI offices in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, supported by other partner law enforcement agencies, detained four individuals today associated with the alien smuggling organization on administrative immigration violations.

    The investigation and arrest of Alves was coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs (OIA), among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 315 U.S. convictions; more than 260 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks or grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    HSI New England led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with HSI Brasilia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI received substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. OIA provided crucial assistance in this matter.

    Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion and Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Velázquez Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Support Music Education for More Students

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-7) introduced a resolution that aims to support and provide students with more access to music and arts in our schools. The Music In Our Schools Month Resolution would support music in schools by affirming the importance of music education, highlighting the benefits students receive from its instruction, and recognizing the hard work of music educators across the country. 
    “Music has been in America’s schools since before our nation’s inception, and research shows that access to a music education promotes development and teaches valuable skills that kids carry with them into adulthood,” said Senator Booker. “However, many kids today lack access to music education in their schools. This resolution recognizes the impact music has made on the culture of the United States, and the importance of ensuring every public school has the resources and support they need to include music in their curriculum.” 
    “Music education opens doors for students in so many ways, whether creatively, emotionally, or academically,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “With arts federal arts funding under threat, we must recognize the importance of music education to students across the country and honor the teachers who make it possible.”
    The resolution is endorsed by a broad coalition of organizations and institutions, including ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA), Newark School of the Arts, Wharton Arts, Art Educators of New Jersey, Arts Ed NJ, NJ Symphony, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Music Will, El Sistema USA, Conn Selmer, Inc., Music Travel Consultants, Musicians Abroad, Heart of America Choir, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Bennett Travel, Education Through Music, A. Cuthbertson Consulting, the Rhythm and Blues Preservation Society, JazzSLAM, the Tullman Family Office, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Percussive Arts Society (PAS), Rock and Soul Forever Foundation / TeachRock, George Mason University, League of American Orchestras, New Harmony Line, Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME), the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, and the Music Teachers National Association, National Association for Music Education.
    “Music is a powerful force that brings people together, fosters creativity, and strengthens communities. By supporting Music in Our Schools Month, we affirm the vital role that music education plays in shaping an innovative and empathetic society,” said Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey Foundation.
    “Music, like the humanities, helps us explore and share the stories that embody the human experience. It connects us across time and culture, fostering understanding, creativity, and community. The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is proud to support Music in Our Schools Month because every student deserves the opportunity to engage with this essential part of our shared heritage,” said Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D., Executive Director, New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
    “On behalf of the members of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, I’d like to thank Senator Booker for sponsoring this important resolution in recognition of the 40th anniversary of Music in Our Schools Month. This year’s theme, United Through Music, reminds us that despite our differences, music has the power to challenge perspectives, inspire action, and bridge divides. For four decades, this initiative has highlighted the critical role of high-quality music education in shaping well-rounded, career-ready students. As a core academic subject, music education fosters essential skills such as collaboration, teamwork, and critical thinking. Beyond performances, it nurtures creativity, self-discipline, and resilience while supporting students’ social-emotional well-being. We urge communities to recognize and celebrate music education as a vital part of every student’s learning experience,” said David Westawski, President, New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA).
    “At Newark School of the Arts, we believe music education fosters creativity, discipline, and emotional expression. Our inclusive program develops technical proficiency while instilling an appreciation for the cultural and historical significance of music, encouraging collaboration and innovation. We support Senator Booker’s Resolution for March 2025 as Music in Our Schools Month and urge others to join us,” said Sharon Salvador, Interim Executive Director, Newark School of the Arts.
    “As a proud product of a public school music program, I know firsthand the transformative power of music education. At Wharton Arts, we see every day how music fosters creativity, confidence, and community. Senator Booker’s ‘Music in Our Schools’ bill ensures that all students, regardless of background, have access to these life-changing opportunities. We strongly support this initiative and applaud his commitment to music education,” said Helen H. Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director, Wharton Arts.
    “Art Educators of NJ (AENJ), proudly stands in support of our colleagues across all artistic disciplines, including the resolution of Music in Our Schools Month. We recognize the invaluable role that music plays in the development of our youth and we are thrilled to celebrate the creative journey of New Jersey’s young artists. Together, we champion the importance of the arts in education and the endless possibilities it brings to our future creators,” said Tamika Diaz, President, Art Educators of New Jersey.
    “Arts Ed NJ proudly supports the Senate resolution designating March 2025 as Music in Our Schools Month. As a national leader in arts education access, New Jersey understands that music and the arts are essential to student wellbeing, engagement, and academic success. Every day, we see how the arts provide a vital space for students to express themselves, build resilience, and develop the critical skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. A comprehensive arts education is not a luxury—it is a cornerstone of creativity, critical thinking, and innovation, ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for our communities and our nation,” said Wendy Liscow, Executive Director, Arts Ed NJ.
    “As President & CEO of New Jersey Symphony, I express my support for the designation of March 2025 as Music in Our Schools Month. As both a patron of the arts and President & CEO of an arts organization, I believe that this resolution is vital to the Garden State and is in line with our mission of bringing the arts and music education to all residents in New Jersey. I am proud to be a part of such a dynamic organization that has been a key contributor to the arts in the state. I am especially proud of our Youth Orchestra, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary season, as well as our other education and community programs in Newark, N.J., and throughout the state. We will continue this expansion of music education into Jersey City, N.J., and serve even more youth with the opening of a new Symphony Center arts venue and education complex. New Jersey is the place to be for music, and this Music in Our Schools Month resolution is a vital step to ensuring future generations receive an opportunity to develop musical talent and a love for the artform,” Terry D. Loftis, President & CEO, NJ Symphony.
    “Since 1997, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center has offered music education programs in Greater Newark schools, from assemblies on jazz history to programs that teach middle-schoolers to write musicals,” says John Schreiber, NJPAC’s President and CEO. “Our arts education programs touch more than 50,000 students every season through performances, masterclasses, in-classroom residencies and instruction in jazz, hip hop, acting and musical theater. We know the latest science shows us that the arts are profoundly beneficial to our physical and mental well-being, at every age. And we see every day how engagement with the arts is life-enhancing for our students — and how sometimes it can transform a young person’s future,” said John Schreiber, President and CEO, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
    “On behalf of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, I am honored to support this Resolution for Music in Our Schools Month. Music is a means to speak across cultures and generations – a communication tool that often transcends spoken language, uniting us where other means fail. Students in schools with strong music programs often see improved academic performance, enhanced social interaction, and higher motivation,” said Karen Bingert, Executive Director of NJPSA. “As every principal in New Jersey can attest, music education and programming can provide students with a powerful outlet for self-expression, allow them to explore emotions and creativity in ways that words sometimes cannot, develop essential life skills, improve communication, and collaborate with others toward a common goal. We thank Senator Booker for his leadership in introducing this  important Resolution, and we urge all Senators to demonstrate their commitment to the value of arts in education by supporting this pertinent measure.”
    The Music In Our Schools Month Resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA).
    To read the full text of the resolution, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Rated The #1 Most Effective U.S. Senator For Third Congress In A Row

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) has been rated the most effective U.S. Senator for the third time in a row by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, which released its biannual effectiveness ratings for the 118thCongress (2023-2024). Peters was also rated the most effective Senator by the Center in the 116th (2019-2020) and 117th (2021-2022) Congresses. In the 118th Congress, Peters earned the highest effectiveness score for a U.S. Senator ever recorded in the fifty years since the Center for Effective Lawmaking began tracking this data. He also becomes the first Senator in more than four decades to be named most effective three times in a row. Peters achieved this recognition by authoring 15 standalone bills that were passed and signed into law. He also authored 10 additional bills that were passed into law as part of larger legislative packages, including bipartisan legislation that established a Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. 

    “My top priority in the Senate has always been working in a bipartisan way to get things done for Michiganders, from supporting Michigan manufacturing, to protecting our Great Lakes, to strengthening our national security,” said Senator Peters. “I’ve found that building relationships based on trust, respect, and compromise, with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, is the key to finding commonsense solutions to the challenges we face, and I’ll keep fighting every day to deliver results for Michiganders and Americans across our country.”

    “At the top of the list—for the third congress in a row—is Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who (as we noted previously) had the rare distinction of being the overall most effective lawmaker in the Senate in the 116th Congress, despite Democrats being the minority party in the Congress. As we noted in our analysis four years ago, Sen. Peters’s feat cannot be found anywhere else in the Center for Effective Lawmaking data,” wrote the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

    The Center continued by saying, “every bill that he sponsored that became law had at least one Republican cosponsor who was also advocating for its passage. For several of his sponsored bills, we likewise see that the only cosponsors of the legislation were Republican senators. As such, Sen. Peters’s practice of coalition building and cosponsorship continues to comport with Center for Effective Lawmaking research showing that bipartisan lawmakers are much more effective than partisan lawmakers, even when in the majority party.”

    “With the announced retirement of Senator Peters… it is clear that the United States Senate has lost a notable degree of lawmaking capacity, in comparison to more recent congresses, such that it is less obvious as to who will serve as the most prominent legislative leaders in future years,” the Center said.

    The Center for Effective Lawmaking is a joint initiative between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, which rates each member of Congress based on a number of factors including the bills they sponsor, how far those bills move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their bills are. To read the full report from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, click here. 

    Peters has been repeatedly named one of the most effective and bipartisan senators. During the 117th Congress, Peters was the author and principal sponsor of 19 bills signed into law, the most by a U.S. Senator during a single Congress in more than 40 years, according to the Congressional Research Service and the Senate Historical Office. Peters was recognized as the 2nd-most bipartisan Senator – and the most bipartisan Democrat – in 2023, according to rankings released by the nonpartisan Lugar Center and McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. The Lugar Center also ranked Peters the 3rd-most bipartisan Senator for his work during the 117th Congress (2021-2022).

    Below is a recap of the key bills Peters authored that were passed and signed into law during the 118th Congress: 

    Established Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base: Peters secured his bipartisan Northern Border Coordination Act as a provision in the annual national defense bill that was signed into law last year. The provision expanded the operations and duties of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center. Peters secured $3 million last March to establish and operate this Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS is already working to set up, will coordinate with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border.   

    Protecting Burial Benefits for Military Families: Peters passed bipartisan legislation into law to ensure our military families can continue to be laid to rest together in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries. This law grants the VA the authority to bury the spouse or child of a service member in the tragic case that their death precedes the servicemember.  

    Supporting Firefighters and Emergency Responders: Peters’ Fire Grants and Safety Act was signed into law, reauthorizing key federal grant programs that help support fire departments across the country. The bill reauthorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, and the United States Fire Administration (USFA). These programs are used by local fire departments to address staffing needs, purchase equipment, develop fire training and education programs, and improve emergency medical services. 

    Reducing Confusion for Disaster Relief Applicants: Peters authored a bill that was signed into law to create one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that individuals use for disaster assistance. The law ensures that both the Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) has the same deadline, making it easier for applicants to apply for assistance when rebuilding their lives after a disaster.  

    Expanding Financial Support for Maritime Students: Peters authored and passed into law his CADETS Act, expanding the Student Incentive Payment Program eligibility for financial assistance to cadets who attend one of the six State Maritime Academies and commit to a post-graduation service obligation to include any qualified student who will meet the age requirements for enlistment in the U.S. Navy Reserve at their time of graduation. This law will encourage more cadets to continue serving our country after graduation, strengthening Michigan’s robust maritime sector and national security. 

    Reusing Federally Owned Property: Peters passed a bill into law to ensure federal agencies are reusing excess federal property, including office supplies, automobiles, and heavy machinery, before buying new products in order to save taxpayer dollars.  

    Improving Oversight of Federal Grant Programs: Peters’ bipartisan Financial Management Risk Reduction Act was signed into law, helping to safeguard taxpayer dollars by making audit data more accessible and increasing opportunities to identify potential misuse of federal grant programs.  

    Holding Federal Agencies Accountable for Performance Goals: Legislation authored by Peters was signed into law to ensure federal agencies are effectively carrying out their missions for the American people. The law requires the White House Office of Management and Budget to regularly conduct reviews of agency performance and ensure they are following strategic plans.  

    Strengthening National Safety System for Commercial Drivers: Peters’ bipartisan bill was signed into law to safeguard funding for the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS). The CDLIS is a crucial, nationwide computer system that ensures commercial drivers have only one license and one complete driver record. State driver licensing agencies utilize the CDLIS to complete safety procedures such as sharing out-of-state convictions and withdrawals, transferring the driver record when a commercial driver license holder moves to another state, and responding to requests for driver status and history.

    Bolstering Department of Homeland Security Joint Task Forces: Peters authored and passed a bill into law extending the Joint Task Forces authority, allowing DHS to establish joint operations using DHS personnel and resources to secure U.S. land and maritime borders, address homeland security threats, and establish regional operations to tackle ongoing homeland security challenges like drug smuggling and trafficking. 

    Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking: Peters’ bipartisan legislation to enhance the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to combat human trafficking was signed into law. The law makes permanent and expands the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Victim Assistance Program that helps provide support to individuals impacted by human trafficking. It will also help to provide additional support to the dedicated HSI personnel who are working to combat these horrific crimes. 

    Strengthening Federal Building Security: Bipartisan legislation authored by Peters was signed into law requiring federal agencies to adequately respond to security recommendations issued by the Federal Protective Service (FPS) within 90 days to protect visitors and employees in federal buildings from a range of security threats. 

    Improving Efficiency of Legislative Process: Peters passed bipartisan legislation into law to help eliminate procedural delays and improve efficiency in the legislative process. The law provides the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) with timely access to the information they need to complete their analysis of the budgetary impacts of legislation, which is required prior to almost all votes in the Senate. 

    Recognizing the Contributions of Trailblazing Michiganders: Peters also led several bills that were signed into law to honor trailblazing Michiganders and their extraordinary contributions to our state, including: 

    • A bill to designate the United States Postal Service office located at 2075 West Stadium Boulevard in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the “Robert Hayden Post Office.” Robert Hayden – born in Detroit in 1913 – achieved national and international recognition for his poetry, as well as essays and other works of literature, with much of his work touching on the Black American experience as part of the greater human experience. In 1976, he became the first African American to be appointed Consultant in Poetry by the Library of Congress – a role that is now known as Poet Laureate.  
    • A bill to designate the United States Postal Service office located at 90 McCamly Street South in Battle Creek, Michigan, as the “Sojourner Truth Post Office.” After escaping slavery in 1827, Sojourner Truth embarked on a path to preach for emancipation. Throughout her life, Truth fought bravely against racial injustices and spoke up for women’s suffrage. In 1857, Truth moved to Harmonia, a former utopian community that was later incorporated into Battle Creek, Michigan, and spent the rest of her life advocating in various spheres.             
    • A bill to designate the United States Postal Service office located at 155 South Main Street in Mount Clemens, Michigan, as the “Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson Post Office.” Alexander Jefferson – born in Detroit – served in the military during World War II. During his time with the Tuskegee Airmen, Jefferson was shot down in France and captured by Nazi ground troops. He was a prisoner of war in German-occupied Poland before he was freed by General George Patton’s U.S. Third Army. Jefferson returned to Michigan, where he became a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, earned a teaching certificate, and obtained a master’s degree in education from Wayne State University. In 2016, Senator Peters helped honor Jefferson at a ceremony for France’s Knight of the Legion of Honor Medal – the highest honor France bestows on people who have carried out actions of great value to their nation.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Teaching Council shouldn’t be policing political speech

    Source: ACT Party

    “The Teaching Council should throw out a vexatious complaint against a teacher who expressed a political opinion online”, says ACT Education spokesperson Laura McClure.

    According to the Free Speech Union, a complaint has been made about a teacher who made a comment about the Treaty Principles Bill on Facebook. The complaint alleges that the teacher has breached the Teaching Council’s Code of Conduct, in particular the requirement for ‘manaakitanga: creating a welcoming, caring, and creative learning environment.’

    “The comment disagreed with the Teaching Council submitting against the Treaty Principles Bill on behalf of all teachers.

    “The Teaching Council cannot use its Code of Conduct to silence people having a political opinion outside the classroom. That itself would be a potential breach of the law.

    “This teacher has a right, like anyone else, to express their opinions freely on social media.

    “Teachers have contacted me to complain that they are uncomfortable with the fact that the Teaching Council made a submission against the Treaty Principles Bill. Clearly, they did not speak to their members.

    “The complaint is clearly an attempt to punish someone who holds the ‘wrong’ opinion on the Treaty, and it should be treated with contempt and thrown out.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: 27 March 2025 A new home brings new opportunities Jack’s new home at a Kāinga Ora complex in New Plymouth has been life-changing in more ways than one. As well as having a stable place to call home, the complex’s community room has become the perfect place for Jack to focus on his future and take up new opportunities.

    Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

    “I never had a home of my own,” says Jack. “I have always moved around and lived in temporary accommodation or on the street. It took me a while to get my head around the fact that I won’t need to leave my home anytime soon.”

    YMCA Taranaki manages the community space, which can be used by both tenants and the wider community.

    Deanne Phillips is the Community Space Coordinator. “Designed to meet the diverse needs of the community, we organise a variety of free activities and services in the community space to promote connection, well-being, and personal growth for everyone who walks through the door,” says Deanne.

    “I am passionate about creating an environment where people from all walks of life can come together, learn new skills, access information, and form friendships.”

    Through YMCA Taranaki’s network of other community organisations services, tenants can also access a wide range of other resources to support their personal and professional development.

    Jack says that most days, he visits the community space for a chat and to help out where he can, and Deanne has also supported him in looking at opportunities for his future.

    “She helped me with my application for a full driver’s licence and her encouragement and support were exactly what I needed. It’s the first time I have ever had my full licence.”

    “I am now also going to the YMCA gym around the corner on my own. A YMCA staff member wrote a workout programme and showed me how to use the equipment. These gym sessions have made a huge difference for my mental health, and I sleep better too.”

    Jack says his full driver’s licence opens more doors to employment and he is now looking for a job. Eventually, he would love to be able to buy his own car.

    “I have put my name forward to the YMCA to be a support worker for homeless people, as I have lived experience. It would be really rewarding.”

    “I love the community we have at our complex. All of us tenants look out for each other and know each other. I feel like I can give back to others now, which I haven’t always been able to do,” says Jack. 

    Page updated: 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Joshawa Max Estrada Sentenced to Federal Prison for His Role in the Murder of Jedidah Iesha Moreno

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced today that Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Joshawa Max Estrada, age 27, to 100 months in federal prison on one count of Accessory After the Fact for his role in the October 2018 murder of Jedidah Iesha Moreno.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Jedidah Iesha Moreno shot and killed Rosenda Strong on or about October 5, 2018, following an argument at a residence, known as the House of Souls in Wapato, Washington. Following the murder, Moreno asked for help disposing of Strong’s body, which was placed in a freezer and dumped near a towing service in Toppenish, Washington.

    The following day, October 6, 2018, Moreno and Andrew Norris Zack got into an argument at a residence known as the Estrada Ranch located in Wapato, Washington. Moreno took out a gun and fired multiple gunshots into a garage, where Zack was in the bathroom.  One of these shots struck Zack’s hand.

    Around the same time that Zack was shot, Uriel Balentin Badillo was at Legends Casino. Badillo received a call that Zack was in trouble, and Badillo drove out to the residence, where he found Moreno standing in a field. When Badillo asked about Zack, Moreno was unresponsive. Badillo then drove Moreno to the House of Souls (where Rosenda Strong had been killed the day before), to look for Zack.  When Badillo and Moreno arrived, a female came out of the House of Souls and said, “gag the bitch up.” After a sock was placed into Moreno’s mouth, Badillo and the female drove Moreno back to the Estrada Ranch.  There, Moreno was physically restrained, bound with a cargo strap and duct tape, and forced into a Chevrolet Impala. Badillo then shot into the trunk of the car several times with a .45 caliber pistol, striking Moreno.  Later that day, two juveniles transported Moreno’s body to another location on the Yakama Nation.  One of the juveniles then fired additional rounds into Moreno’s body.

    The next day, Estrada spoke to Badillo, Zack, and the juvenile.  When Estrada learned that Badillo had murdered Moreno and that her body had been dumped in a non-discrete location.  Estrada teased the juvenile for dumping the body in such a visible place. Badillo then asked Estrada to move Moreno’s body and get rid of the cargo strap around her body because Badillo was worried he might have left his DNA and/or fingerprints on the cargo strap. Estrada and the one of the juveniles then located Moreno’s body and moved it to a more secluded location near White Swan, Washington. As directed by Badillo, Estrada also removed the cargo strap from Moreno’s body.  After moving the body to a more concealed location, the juvenile fired additional gunshots into Moreno’s body.

    Later that same day, Estrada and the juvenile traveled back to Wapato to meet with Zack and Badillo. Estrada handed Badillo the cargo strap that had been removed from Moreno’s body so that Badillo could destroy the evidence.

    On November 28, 2018, a citizen discovered Moreno’s remains and immediately contacted law enforcement.

    “The families in the Rosenda Strong and Jedidah Iesha Moreno cases have waited years to obtain some measure of justice on behalf of their loved ones,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Barker.  “I am grateful for the eyewitnesses, who came forward in this case and helped the FBI and Yakama Nation Tribal Police identify those responsible for these terrible murders.  To those who have information about unsolved missing or murdered indigenous people cases, I implore you to come forward and help bring a measure of closure to the families that continue to grieve.”

    “Mr. Estrada is yet another defendant to be held accountable in this tragic case, which the FBI and our partners have been investigating since 2018.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While prison sentences can bring justice and a sense of closure for loved ones, ultimately nothing can bring back the victims of the multiple homicides in which the defendant played a role.  I commend the investigators in this case and others involving violent crime on our state’s reservations. They consistently pursue justice, no matter how long it takes.”

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Yakama Nation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas J. Hanlon and Michael D. Murphy.

    Defendants Andrew Norris Zack, Jamaal Antwan Pimms, Kevin Todd Brehm, and Uriel Balentin Badillo have all pleaded guilty to charges in this case. Michael Lee Moody pleaded guilty to charges in this case and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indictment Charges Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed for November 10, 2024 Stabbing

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Accused of Stabbing a Tourist on a D.C. Street, Narrowly Missing the Victim’s Heart

               WASHINGTON – Maurice Felder, 53, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on assault with intent to kill while armed and other charges stemming from a stabbing on November 10, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

               Felder was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

              Felder is to be arraigned on March 28, 2025, at a hearing before the Honorable Judith Pipe.

               According to the government’s evidence, on November 10, 2024, at about 1:00 a.m., the victim and his friends were walking near the intersection of 7th Street, N.W., and T Street, N.W. The victim and his friends were visiting Washington, D.C., for a weekend from Pennsylvania. The defendant followed the victim and his group down the sidewalk and began verbally arguing with the group. The victim got in between the defendant and other members of his friend group, telling the defendant to leave. The defendant asked the victim, “do you want to die,” pulled out a knife, and stabbed the victim in his chest. The victim sustained a stab wound 2 centimeters from his heart and required urgent medical care. The defendant was apprehended shortly thereafter, approximately one block from the location of incident. At the time of arrest, defendant matched the provided lookout description for the stabbing suspect. A knife was recovered from defendant’s pants pocket. Felder has been in custody since his arrest. 

               This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. 

    This case is being prosecuted by AUSA Valerie Tsesarenko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deforest Business Owner Sentenced to 9 Years for Cocaine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin announced that Luis Angel Rios, 50, of DeForest, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute a large quantity of cocaine and maintaining a place for storing and distributing cocaine. Rios pleaded guilty to these charges on January 10, 2025.

    In late 2022 and early 2023, investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking organization operating in Dane County. During an investigation that included the interception of communications between Rios and other participants in the trafficking, investigators determined that Rios was obtaining and selling multiple kilograms of cocaine, and at times cooperating with another local kilogram-level cocaine trafficker to assist in maintaining a drug supply. On June 1, 2023, as a result of phone interceptions and surveillance, investigators intercepted a half-kilogram delivery of cocaine intended for one of Rios’s customers.

    Rios was the owner of a cleaning and maintenance business in DeForest. During the sentencing, Judge Peterson credited Rios with being a hard-working family man, with no criminal history, but observed that the investigation demonstrated that he also applied his hard-working efforts to managing his ability to secure and distribute large quantities of cocaine. The court found that Rios brought more than 15 kilograms of cocaine into the community in a short period of time, which exploited those who had addictions and served to feed other crimes created by drug use.

    Rios’s co-defendant, Braulio Martinez Salazar, was sentenced by Judge Peterson on March 11, 2025, to 3 years for his role in the cocaine trafficking operation.   

    The charges against Rios were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case.

    The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Water and Sanitation Indaba to tackle SA’s water security challenges

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The development of a high-level national turnaround plan for water security will take centre stage at the National Water and Sanitation Indaba. 

    The South African government will convene the indaba at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, to address the provision of water security in the country.

    Set for Thursday and Friday, the indaba underscores government’s ongoing commitment to tackling South Africa’s water security challenges, and ensuring reliable and sustainable water and sanitation services for all citizens.

    With its focus on water security and provision, the two-day gathering takes place during National Water Month and Human Rights Month, a significant period that underpins the importance of water as a fundamental human right and a critical resource for socio-economic development.

    The timing of the gathering also underscores the urgency of addressing water and sanitation challenges so as to uphold the dignity and well-being of all South Africans.

    The two-day event will build on the outcomes of the Water Summit that was held in January 2024, which engaged all Water Services Authorities (WSAs), following the release of the Blue, No Drop Reports, as well as the Green Drop Progress Report in December 2023.

    The summit identified critical challenges facing the sector, including aging, poor operation and maintenance infrastructure, organised criminality, water tankering and extortion mafia, vandalism of essential public infrastructure and corruption.

    The summit also identified challenges including the growth of informal settlements, financial mismanagement, revenue shortfalls, mounting sector debt, illegal water connections, overconsumption and high levels of physical water losses as among the root causes of water supply challenges in most communities across the country.

    The high-level event will bring together key stakeholders, including the Presidential Water Task Team that was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the water boards, WSAs, the business sector, as well as thought leaders in the water sector.

    Given South Africa’s classification as a water-scarce country, with rainfall levels significantly below the global average and further exacerbated by climate change, the Department of Water and Sanitation said the indaba will prioritise the development of a high-level national turnaround plan on water security.

    “This strategy will align with the objectives of the 7th administration’s Medium-Term Development Plan (2025-2029) and Operation Vulindlela 2.0 (second round of economic reforms under Operation Vulindlela) to ensure a water-secure and resilient future. The Water and Sanitation Indaba seeks to devise immediate solutions that will ensure reliable and sustainable water supply to communities,” the department said in a statement.

    The event will also assess progress made on implementing the 2024 Water Summit’s resolutions and mobilise various sectors and expertise to agree on a comprehensive national water and sanitation plan.

    The department said this plan will focus on expanding access to water and sanitation services, enhancing water infrastructure, and implementing effective measures to improve water security and service reliability.

    According to the department, the indaba represents a pivotal moment in government’s efforts to secure South Africa’s long-term water future.

    “Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement during his State of the Nation Address that water has been elevated as a top priority of government, the outcomes of the indaba will reaffirm government’s unwavering commitment to overcoming sectoral challenges and fostering collaboration across all levels of society. 

    “[This is] to build a sustainable water and sanitation sector, and further reinforce government’s dedication to ensuring that every South Africa has access to safe and reliable water and sanitation services,” it said.  – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: George rallies world leaders to accelerate efforts to achieve SDGs

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has called on the international community to urgently accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    “We are less than five years away from our deadline to achieving the SDGs and the end of this critical decade for climate action. Yet, we are still far from our goals and action targets,” the Minister said on Tuesday.

    The United Nations describes the SDGs as the “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” by addressing global challenges related to poverty, inequality and climate change, among others, with the year 2030 set as the target to meet the goals.

    Addressing the Group of Twenty (G20) Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) virtually, the Minister said poverty levels are worsening, and that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reached record highs last year. 

    “This calls for an urgent acceleration of our efforts. Our commitment to achieve these goals must not waver. That is why South Africa has placed solidarity, equality and sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency.

    “As the international community, together, we committed ourselves to the ambitious agenda to end poverty and hunger, to protect our planet, to achieve universal education and health coverage, and to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals,” George said.

    The Minister said South Africa is striving to champion and fast-track action in the pursuit of a just transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and inclusive society, and lead by example. 

    Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa proclaimed the Climate Change Act, laying the ground for ambitious climate action domestically. 

    Earlier this month, the Minister informed the public that the President proclaimed the Climate Change Act, 2024, with the proclamation notice published in the Government Gazette on 17 March 2025, which was the commencement date of the Act.

    “The Act is intended to enable the development of an effective climate change response and a long-term, just transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society for South Africa in the context of sustainable development; and to provide for matters connected therewith,” the Minister said at the time.

    The Act lays the foundation for a green economy that is resilient, inclusive and future-focused. It creates a clear framework for climate action.

    In his address on Tuesday, the Minister said South Africa’s rollout of renewable energy has materially accelerated over the past few years, driving the decarbonisation of South Africa’s energy system, while the implementation of Expanded Producer Responsibility schemes and circular economy initiatives is improving waste management.

    “The task remains immense. Poverty, unemployment, hunger, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change are but a few of the complex and interconnected issues facing the world today. 

    “…We thus reiterate the critical role of multilateralism in addressing these complexities, and South Africa’s very strong support for multilateralism,” the Minister explained.

    Priorities 

    George said the five interrelated priorities of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group provide an opportunity to address multiple complexities within this context, while advancing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

    The priorities include Biodiversity and Conservation, Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought, Chemicals and Waste Management, Climate Change and Air Quality, as well as Oceans and Coasts.

    “These priorities of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group for this year are viewed as critical enablers to address poverty, create employment and meet other sustainable development goals, thereby contributing towards the global effort to respond to the triple complexities of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, in line with the overall theme of South Africa’s G20 Presidency of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” the Minister said.

    As a primary outcome of the G20 Presidency this year, South Africa will explore ways that the G20 can leverage opportunities to increase the scale and flows of climate finance, critical to enabling the Just Transition, mitigation and adaptation efforts, while ensuring that the required investments reach the most vulnerable of society. 

    “It is paramount for developing economy countries to be actively supported in their efforts to achieve ‘whole of society and whole of economy’ just transitions to sustainable development on the ground, through scaled access to low-cost finance, technology and skills.

    “It is also increasingly recognised that many people across the globe are exposed to unhealthy and often deadly levels of air pollution, and that the impacts of air pollution extend beyond health – affecting climate, biodiversity, ecosystems and economic development. 

    “This is also a key issue that needs to be addressed, and to which this Working Group can contribute. There are very extensive synergies between decarbonisation and the improvement of air quality,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Operation Shanela makes progress

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Wednesday, March 26, 2025

    Operation Shanela continues to make an impact across the country, with police having arrested 12 892 suspects recently.

    “Through Operation Shanela, SAPS [South African Police Service] continues to take a bold and decisive approach to dealing with crime in the country. These crime fighting activities include tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as tracing of wanted suspects,” SAPS said in a statement this week.

    The arrests were made in the period 17 – 23 March 2025.

    The police said 123 suspects were arrested for attempted murder; 167 suspects were arrested for murder (with the majority of these suspects, 45, arrested in KwaZulu-Natal and followed by the Western Cape with 42). The police also arrested 1 753 wanted suspects and 203 drug dealers.

    A further 1 507 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs. The majority of these suspects (689) were arrested in the Western Cape. Furthermore, 115 suspects were arrested for being in possession of illegal firearms.

    Additionally, 10 suspects were arrested for human trafficking, while 432 drivers were arrested for drunken driving.

    One hundred and nineteen firearms and 1 335 rounds of ammunition were confiscated. The police also recovered 76 hijacked and stolen vehicles.

    Curbing smuggling

    Members of the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling team conducted a successful operation along the N11 road in Mahwelereng, which resulted in the arrest of 20 Ethiopian foreign nationals, who were allegedly smuggled into the country. 

    Police also arrested suspected drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport. A Brazilian man and South African woman arrived on the same flight from São Paulo, Brazil, and were intercepted by police. Police seized cocaine valued at over R1 million. Their arrest has now brought the total number of similar arrests at the airport to five since January 2025.

    “Police will continue with their operations by asserting the authority of the State to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans and visitors to the country,” said the SAPS. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Motsoaledi urges global action to address health funding gaps

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has reiterated the importance of nations reallocating resources towards health, strengthening global health partnerships, and exploring innovative financing mechanisms to address funding gaps.

    The Minister was delivering the keynote address at the second meeting of the G20 Health Working Group today in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal.

    The Minister used the platform to highlight South Africa’s commitment to universal health coverage (UHC) through the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, which aims to provide financial protection and efficient resource utilisation.

    “In South Africa, we are actively pursuing transformation to achieve universal health coverage through our NHI system.

    “The NHI is designed to provide financial protection for all, ensuring that access to quality healthcare is not dependent on one’s ability to pay [for] it, and it will also assist in the efficient utilisation of our resources by pulling funds and strategically purchasing services.”

    Motsoaledi cited data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicate that the number of people shielded from catastrophic health spending had been steadily increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since then, about 100 million people have fallen back into financial hardship due to health-related expenses.

    Motsoaledi believes that the NHI is a concrete demonstration of government’s commitment to leaving no one behind, and fostering and strengthening the resilience of the health system.

    The Minister quoted the late Harvard Department of Anthropology’s Professor Paul Farmer on the value of all lives and urged G20 members to increase public financing of health systems as a fundamental investment.

    “I want to quote the idea that ‘some lives matter less’ is the root of all that is wrong with the world.

    “We implore all G20 members to champion increased public financing of health systems.

    “This is not merely a budgetary issue; it’s a fundamental investment in our collective future.”

    Motsoaledi urged attendees to prioritise public health over competing interests, ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to meet the health needs of the nation’s populations.

    “Furthermore, we must all align our efforts beyond financing. We must address the persistent health inequities that plague our world.”

    Non-communicable diseases

    Motsoaledi highlighted the importance of addressing health inequities, particularly in low and middle-income countries, and the need for multilateral approaches to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

    He said the upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs is seen as a crucial opportunity to galvanise global action against chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.

    “We must alleviate the financial burden, restrict unhealthy food marketing, finance emergency health services, and accelerate cervical cancer elimination, the only cancer which is preventable.”

    The theme of the three-day meeting is: “Accelerating Health Equity, Solidarity, and Universal Coverage”.

    Along with this meeting, a co-sponsored event focused on eliminating cervical cancer, is also taking place.

    “We must move beyond dialogue and commit to concrete steps. South Africa is committed to collaborating with all the G20 members to achieve our shared goals. 

    “Let us work together to ensure that health remains a priority, not a commodity, especially during these unstable economic times,” Motsoaledi added.

    South Africa, which assumed the G20 Presidency in December, is currently hosting various working groups and ministerial meetings throughout the country. 

    These meetings are focused on key topics such as health, employment, trade, tourism, and the digital economy — all in preparation for the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for November this year.

    The G20 comprises 19 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the United States. It also includes two regional bodies – the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA-DRC to hold diplomatic consultations

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, will hold political and diplomatic consultations with his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Thérèse Kayiwamba Wagner.

    Kayiwamba serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Francophonie for the DRC.

    According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Ministers plan to review the bilateral cooperation between South Africa and the DRC, focusing on commitments made during the 12th Session of the South Africa-DRC Bi-National Commission (BNC) aimed at strengthening this cooperation.

    The meeting will take place on Thursday, 27 March 2025, in Pretoria. 

    Political ties between the two nations date back to 1997 when former President Nelson Mandela facilitated a meeting between the late President Désiré Kabila and Mobutu Sese Seko aboard a South African Navy ship in Pointe-Noire, Congo-Brazzaville. 

    Formal bilateral relations between South Africa and the DRC were established in 1992. 

    The department stated that these relationships are mainly conducted through the BNC, which was established in 2004.

    The last session of the BNC took place in Kinshasa, DRC, on 6 July 2023. South Africa is scheduled to host the 13th session of the BNC.

    “Since then, South Africa and the DRC have significantly strengthened their bilateral cooperation across various sectors, culminating in the signing of 38 bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.” 

    These legal instruments cover a broad spectrum of areas, including agriculture, defence, trade and investment, health, policing, energy, public service and administration, cooperative governance, transport, diplomatic cooperation, and immigration.
    Meanwhile, the department said South Africa has significant investments in the DRC and is the second largest source of imports for the country. 

    “Many South African multinational companies have a large footprint in the country in several sectors, including, among others, infrastructure development, financial services, mining, construction and property development, retail, and so on,” the department added. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Allentown Man Pleads Guilty to March 2023 Armed Robbery Spree in Lehigh County

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

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rubiel Perez, 30, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, charges arising from an armed robbery spree in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in March of 2023.

    Perez was charged by indictment in November 2023.

    As detailed in the indictment and admitted to by the defendant, on March 28, 2023, Perez entered a 7-Eleven convenience store on Union Boulevard in Allentown, pointed a handgun at a store employee, and stole $937 before fleeing.

    The next night, the defendant targeted a 7-Eleven convenience store on South 4th Street in Allentown. He pointed a handgun at a store employee and threatened him, before stealing $150 from the store. Later the same night, the defendant entered a 7-Eleven on West Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township and attempted to rob the store by pointing a firearm at the store employee and threatening him.

    The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allentown Police Department, and the South Whitehall Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Schopf.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: NamSys Announces Normal Course Issuer Bid

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, ON, March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NamSys Inc. (the “Company”) (CTZ – TSX-V), a leading provider of technology for cash processing and transportation, today announces its intention to commence a normal course issuer bid through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV“) and/or alternative authorized Canadian trading systems to repurchase, for cancellation, up to 1,343,186 common shares of the Company, representing less than 5% of the Company’s presently issued and outstanding common shares (the “NCIB“). The NCIB remains subject to the final approval of the TSXV.

    The NCIB will commence on March 27, 2025 and will terminate upon the earliest of (i) the Company purchasing 1,343,186 common shares, (ii) the Company providing notice of termination of the NCIB, and (iii) March 26, 2026. Under the NCIB, the Company may not acquire more than 2% of its issued and outstanding common shares in any 30-day period.

    The Company believes that, from time to time, the market price of its common shares does not adequately reflect the Company’s underlying value and prospects and that, at such times, the purchase of the Company’s common shares represents an appropriate use of the Company’s financial resources and will enhance shareholder value.

    The Company has engaged Canaccord Genuity Corp. to act as its broker for the NCIB (the “Broker“). The NCIB will be made through the facilities of the TSXV and/or alternative authorized Canadian trading systems, and the purchase and payment for the common shares will be made from the Company’s existing working capital at the market price of the applicable securities at the time of acquisition, plus brokerage fees, if any, charged by the Broker. All common shares purchased by the Company under the NCIB will be cancelled.

    In connection with the NCIB, the Company has entered into an automatic purchase plan (“APP“) with the Broker as the designated broker. The APP provides a set of standard instructions to the Broker to make purchases under the NCIB in accordance with the limits and other terms set out in the APP. The Broker will determine the timing of these purchases in its sole discretion based on purchasing parameters set by the Company and subject to the policies of the TSXV, applicable securities laws and the terms of the APP.

    To the Company’s knowledge, none of the directors, senior officers or insiders of the Company, or any associate of such person, or any associate or affiliate of the Company, has any present intention to sell any securities to the Company during the course of the NCIB. The Company completed a normal course issuer bid on August 30, 2024, under which the Company purchased 422,600 common shares at an average price of $0.94 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $397,244.
    A copy of the Form 5G – Notice of Intention to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid filed by the Company with the TSXV in respect of the NCIB can be obtained from the Company upon request without charge.

    NamSys Inc. products are designed to bring efficiency to the processing of currency and other value instruments in retailers, financial institutions, and cash-in-transit providers. NamSys’ proprietary systems for this market are sold as software-as-a-service subscriptions and operate in the public cloud service providers.

    For further information, please contact:
    Mr. Jason Siemens, President & CEO
    ‪(289) 748-3685‬; mailto:ir@namsys.com

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This Media Release may contain forward-looking statements, which reflect the Corporation’s current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including the success of the Corporation’s sales strategies.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Sector – Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) 2025 Ministerial Panel: Republic of Congo to Promote Onshore Acreage in Upcoming Bid Round

    SOURCE: Energy Capital & Power

    A ministerial panel at the inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum explored Congo’s strategy for regional collaboration, resource monetization and hydrocarbon development

    BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo, March 26, 2025/ — The Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons announced that the upcoming 2025 licensing round will focus on onshore blocks in the country’s continental basin.

    The announcement was made on March 25 by Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo, during a ministerial panel discussion at the inaugural Congo Energy & investment Forum in Brazzaville.

    “Our national development plan [aims to] develop the economy, but we cannot start without the development of hydrocarbons. We have no choice but to take care of hydrocarbons to give the country the capacity to develop,” Minister Itoua stated.

    During the panel session, Minister Itoua also highlighted the Ministry’s plans to collaborate with oil and gas company Trident Energy to valorize associated gas from the country’s N’Kossa oil field. The Minister announced it will launch an entity to monetize associated gas not used by international oil companies operating in the country as part of a strategy to reach zero flaring by 2030.

    Meanwhile, Aimé Sakombi Molendo, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced that the country will hold discussions with the Republic of Congo on March 26 to explore bilateral cooperation and the possibility of co-developing hydrocarbon resources in cross-border basins. This comes as the DRC and Angola are set to kick off discussions with energy major Chevron for the joint development of the common interest zone between the two countries, with a governance agreement having been ratified in December last year.

    “We will be discussing with the Republic of Congo bilaterally to see to what extent the two countries can benefit from co-development of our abundant hydrocarbon resources,” Minister Molendo stated.

    José Barroso, Secretary of State for Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas for Angola, indicated the potential for developing joint projects in the energy sector with both the Republic of Congo and the DRC. Barroso highlighted the need to create the requisite technical conditions to incentivize national companies to participate in their respective markets in the three countries.

    “In the pipeline, we have projects that we are discussing amongst ourselves, and in the short future, we will be able to communicate more on this,” Barroso stated.

    Meanwhile, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), discussed the role the upcoming African Energy Bank will have on resource monetization and development in Africa. Spearheaded by APPO and the African Export-Import Bank, the bank aims to facilitate, promote and finance the development of Africa’s oil, gas and energy industries. According to Dr. Farouk, both the bank and the private sector will have an important role to play in ensuring that regional markets move forward and drive cross-border development.

    “None of our countries have what it takes to address the challenges of energy by themselves. The African Energy Bank is an example of how Africa wants to be independent and be in control of its resources,” Dr. Farouk stated.

    An outline of the Republic of Congo’s 2025 licensing round will be presented during the Congo Energy & Investment Forum.

    About the Congo Energy & Investment Forum:
    The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the highest patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, brings together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Barrasso Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Boost American Mining Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado

    U.S. has only 600 students enrolled in mining programs, compared to China’s 12,000 students

    Legislation would support more mining schools like the Colorado School of Mines

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and John Barrasso introduced the bipartisan Mining Schools Act of 2025 to bolster America’s declining mining workforce and help secure our clean energy future. Specifically, the bill will support U.S. higher education institutions to grow their mining programs and prepare more students for mining and geological engineering jobs.

    “We need to harness critical minerals to reach our clean energy future and the jobs that come with it. We can’t compete with China without investing in a skilled workforce. That starts at schools like Colorado School of Mines,” said Hickenlooper.

    “America’s mining workforce fuels our energy independence from China, Russia, and other adversaries,” said Barrasso. “Support for our mining schools will help us maintain our energy dominance worldwide and secure access to the critical minerals and resources necessary for our economy and national security. This bipartisan legislation will ensure America’s mining workforce is strengthened for generations to come.”

    Currently, there are only about 600 students in mining programs in the U.S. compared to China’s more than 12,000 students. Securing U.S. critical mineral supply chains and countering China’s dominance in the industry will require the U.S. to reinvest in our mining workforce.

    “When it comes to the critical materials vital to advanced technologies and national security, perhaps our most valuable resource is the next generation of mining professionals,” said Dr. Copan, Vice President for Research & Technology Transfer at Colorado School of Mines. “Thank you to Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Barrasso for their bipartisan leadership on the Mining Schools Act and commitment to supporting the mining and minerals workforce equipped to responsibly manage Earth’s resources and solve complex engineering challenges.”

    “Ramping up American mining is a national imperative to meet the skyrocketing demand and secure our minerals future. This requires a modern mining workforce, and this bill supports efforts to educate, train, attract and retain the talent the mining sector needs for the future. Mining requires everything from engineering to advanced data and analytical sciences—fields that require diverse and specialized training. We applaud reintroduction of the bipartisan Mining Schools Act by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and urge swift action to pass this important legislation into law,” Rich Nolan, president and CEO, National Mining Association

    The Mining Schools Act of 2025 would:

    • Establish a Department of Energy grant program for mining schools to receive funding to recruit students and carry out studies, research projects, or demonstration projects related to the production of minerals
    • Authorize $10 million for the grants for each fiscal year 2026 through 2033
    • Establish the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board to evaluate applications and recommend recipients to the Secretary of Energy

    Full text of the legislation available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –