NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 10 -- The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) issued the following news release: Amtrak will partner with the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) to apply for federal funds to study a new service between New York City, Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth by extending a section of the popular Amtrak Crescent train from Meridian, Miss., across Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas along Interstate 20. Amtrak and its partners have been exploring this idea for more tha  more

FORT POLK, Louisiana, March 10 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for hospital accreditation and primary care certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization's commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. The Joint Commission's standards are developed in consulta  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 10 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the following news release: As required by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish the Proposed Notice of Sale (PNOS) for an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, which is scheduled to be held in September 2023. Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261 would offer approximately 13,620 blocks on 73.4 million acre  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 10 -- The U.S. Marine Corps issued the following official news: By Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Wetzel, Marine Corps Forces South The Commandant of the Infanteria de Marina Colombiana [Colombian Marine Corps] and Sergeant Major of the Colombian Marine Corps completed a weeklong visit with the U.S. Marine Corps, starting in New Orleans, La., Feb. 28, 2023, and ending at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 3, 2023. Brig. Gen. Jorge Federico Torres Mora and Sgt. Maj. Juli  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 10 -- The U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command issued the following news: By Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Wetzel, Marine Corps Forces South The Commandant of the Infanteria de Marina Colombiana [Colombian Marine Corps] and Sergeant Major of the Colombian Marine Corps completed a weeklong visit with the U.S. Marine Corps, starting in New Orleans, La., Feb. 28, 2023, and ending at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 3, 2023. Brig. Gen. Jorge Federico Torres Mora and Sgt.  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew M. Graves, issued the following news release: Dr. Robert M. Cao, 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, and previously of Falls Church, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 15 months in prison for five felony counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance outside the scope of his professional practice. Cao pleaded guilty on November 8, 2022 to prescribing vario  more

DALLAS, Texas, March 10 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release on March 9, 2023: * * * Nearly half of funding for states, Tribes, and territories is available as grants and forgivable loans for critical water infrastructure projects that will help underserved communities across the country * * * The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $176,868,000 from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the states; Arkansas, Louisiana, New M  more

DALLAS, Texas, March 7 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $199,701,000 from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. This investment, will be made available to communities as grants through EPA's Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvanta  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 11 -- The White House issued the following remarks on March 10, 2023, by First Lady Jill Biden at an event at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center: * * * It's so nice to be back in New Orleans! Dr. Ramos, I'm grateful for this opportunity to see the exciting work you're doing and the progress being made. And Mayor Cantrell, Representative Boyd, Congressman Carter, thank you for the warm welcome back to this city. Years ago, my sister Jan was diagnosed with lymp  more

NEW YORK, March 8 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: On March 2, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive from the United States convicted of rape in Ecuador. A charter flight coordinated by ICE's Air Operations Unit flew Rolando Eduardo Ballagan, 38, from Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria, Louisiana, to Jose Joaquin Olmedo International Ai  more

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, March 8 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Brandon B. Brown, issued the following news release: United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown joins the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA) in announcing that Louisiana led the nation in the number of law enforcement officers trained by the RCTA in 2022. The RCTA is a military and law enforcement training group based in Meridian, Mississippi, that receives Congressional funding to provide training  more

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, March 10 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Brandon B. Brown, issued the following news release: United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that William Ross Hickman, 48, of Arcadia, Louisiana, and Brian K. Whiteman, 47, of Haughton, Louisiana, have each pleaded guilty to a Bill of Information charging them with conspiracy to commit fraud against the United States. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote presided over the hearing.   more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56391) involving Boise Packaging and Newsprint LLC, DeRidder, Louisiana: * * * Rep Org: Louisiana Radiation Protection Div Licensee: Boise Packaging and Newsprint, LLC Region: 4 City: DeRidder State: LA License #: LA-28736-L01 Agreement: Y NRC Notified By: James Pate HQ OPS Officer: John Russell Notification Date: 03/07/2023 Notification Time: 14:38 [ET] Event Date: 03/07/2023 Even  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56391) involving Boise Packaging and Newsprint LLC, DeRidder, Louisiana: * * * Rep Org: Louisiana Radiation Protection Div Licensee: Boise Packaging and Newsprint, LLC Region: 4 City: DeRidder State: LA License #: LA-28736-L01 Agreement: Y NRC Notified By: James Pate HQ OPS Officer: John Russell Notification Date: 03/07/2023 Notification Time: 14:38 [ET] Event Date: 03/07/2023 Eve  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56390) involving River Bend Nuclear Plant, Louisiana: * * * Facility: River Bend Region: 4 State: LA Unit: [1] [] [] RX Type: [1] GE-6 NRC Notified By: Jessie Hoda HQ OPS Officer: Donald Norwood Notification Date: 03/05/2023 Notification Time: 03:02 [ET] Event Date: 03/04/2023 Event Time: 23:00 [CST] Last Update Date: 03/05/2023 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: 50.7  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56390) involving River Bend Nuclear Plant, Louisiana: * * * Facility: River Bend Region: 4 State: LA Unit: [1] [] [] RX Type: [1] GE-6 NRC Notified By: Jessie Hoda HQ OPS Officer: Donald Norwood Notification Date: 03/05/2023 Notification Time: 03:02 [ET] Event Date: 03/04/2023 Event Time: 23:00 [CST] Last Update Date: 03/05/2023 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: 50.7  more

BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, March 11 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: By Col Brus Vidal, Air Force Global Strike Command The U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine began conducting its formal assessment for the Missile Community Cancer Study by visiting Air Force Global Strike Command's three intercontinental ballistic missile bases. This step officially begins addressing specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members across related caree  more