BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, Aug. 26 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: By Staff Sgt. Codie Trimble, 8th Air Force/J-GSOC Public Affairs The Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center welcomed a new commander to their storied history today during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost assumed command from Maj. Gen. Andrew Gebara, who diligently served Eighth Air Force since August 2021. Gebara leav  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * New Hampshire had the lowest jobless rate in July 2023, 1.7 percent. The next lowest rates were in Maryland and Vermont, 1.8 percent each. The rates in these three states set new record lows, as did the rates in the following eight states: Alabama (2.1 percent), Louisiana (3.4 percent), Massachusetts (2.5 percent), Mississippi (3.0 percent), Ohio (  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: PEDRO VAZQUEZ, age 31, of California, pled guilty on August 15, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a two-count superseding bill of information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 26 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-New Orleans District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, recently awarded a contract for constructing the fourth levee reach on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain (WSLP) Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project. This contract will construct approximately 1.5 miles of the 17.5-mile-long levee system that will provide 100-year level risk reduction to the area primaril  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 24 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-New Orleans District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has awarded its third and final construction contract for post-Ida repairs to the Grand Isle and Vicinity project. The work includes installation of 20,000LF of clay filled geotextile dune core, repairs to the existing sand-filled geo-tube core, and dredged placement of sand to restore the dune and beach in Grand Isle  more

BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, Aug. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: A team of bioenvironmental experts reported the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) sampling results from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, Aug. 22, 2023, the second from an extensive sampling of active U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile bases to address specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members across related career fields. The testing, conducted by the U.S. Air Forc  more

BARKSDALE AFB, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: A team of bioenvironmental experts reported the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) sampling results from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Aug. 24, 2023, the third from an extensive sampling of active U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile bases to address specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members across related career fields. The testing, conducted by the U.S. Air Force   more

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, Aug. 23 -- 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 the appointment of Jason Waltman to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office. This appointment is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office in the Shreveport Division of t  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 24 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: ROMERO MORRIS, age 34, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was charged on August 18, 2023, in an eleven-count indictment with several violations of the Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. According to the indictment, MORRIS distributed and possessessed with the intent to distribute, differen  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 24 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: On August 15, 2023, former United States Army reservist DERRICK BRANCH pled guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. BRANCH stole $15,469.30 from the United States Department of the Army by claiming reimbursement for the performance of military funeral honors ceremonies that never happened. The N  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 23 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: BRIA PETERS, age 38, formerly of New Orleans, LA and now residing in Houston, Texas, was charged on August 18, 2023 in a one-count bill of information with making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new  more

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, Aug. 26 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Brandon B. Brown, issued the following news release: United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown has announced the return of an indictment by a federal grand jury in Shreveport charging a former Shreveport Police Department Lieutenant with wire fraud. Jeffrey L. Peters, 55, of Shreveport, was indicted and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. The indictment   more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 26 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: TREVON HARVEY, age 35, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, was charged on August 24, 2023 in a three-count indictment, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Count 1 of the indictment charges HARVEY with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of heroin and cocaine base ("crack"), in violation of Title 21, United St  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: JOSHUA BOGEN, age 32, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced on August 23, 2023 to 252 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. BOGEN previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United Sta  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: CYNTHIA CARONNA, a resident of Jefferson Parish, pleaded guilty on August 22, 2023, to a bill of information for conspiring with her co-defendant, Frank LaBruzzo, and with a resident of the United Kingdom to defraud a business seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A.   more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, Ronald C. Gathe Jr., issued the following news release: U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that TRUCE has received $375,000 from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and its component, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. TRUCE, a prosecutor-led nonprofit entity, was formed to address ongoing, collaborative crime reduction efforts within areas in East Baton Rouge  more

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana, Aug. 23 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Brandon B. Brown, issued the following news release on Aug. 22, 2023: John Michael Murphy, 36, of Many, Louisiana, was sentenced today for trafficking methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. sentenced Murphy to 151 months (12 years, 7 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Murphy was charged in an indict  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 23 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on August 17, 2023, BRANDON MARTINEZ, a/k/a "RABBIT," age 24 of Metairie, pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the superseding bill of information for use of a communication facility to facilitate felony drug trafficking, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 843(b). For Count 1, the maximum penalty includes 4 years of impri  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on August 18, 2023, JAVAN ROBINSON a/k/a "Diddy," age 59, and MICHELE COLEMAN, age 57, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a seven-count indictment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 84  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that the NEW ORLEANS STEAMBOAT COMPANY ("NOSC"), plead guilty to a violation of the Clean Water Act ("CWA"), Title 33, United States Code, Section 1319 (c)(2)(A), in connection with a discharge of excess ballast material into the Industrial Canal in New Orleans in 2019. The maximum penalty for this violatio  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: ANTHONY MONREAL-FABELA, age 22, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 17, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney   more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release on Aug. 21, 2023: FERMIN RODRIGUEZ-ORTEGA, age 25, a resident of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today, to 51 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. RODRIGUEZ-ORTEGA previously pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment that   more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Duane A. Evans, issued the following news release: JOSHUA MACKEY, age 37, and DARON WILLIAMS, age 48, residents of Port Sulphur, Louisiana, were sentenced on August 17, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. MACKEY was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee. MACKEY previously pleaded guilt  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 24 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release: A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 270,000 visitors to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in 2022 spent $17.8 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 247 jobs in the local area. At New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 37,400 visitors spent $2.5 million in communities near the park and supported 34 local job  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news release: The Navy will christen the Navajo-class towing, salvage, and rescue ship, the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, August 26, in Houma, Louisiana. The Honorable Arlando Teller, Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation, will deliver the principal address. Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energ  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 26 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release: Small nonfarm businesses in 19 Louisiana parishes and neighboring counties in Texas are now eligible to apply for low interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Director Jeffrey Lusk of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center-West. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary parishes that   more

TYLER, Texas, Aug. 24 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Damien M. Diggs, issued the following news release on Aug. 23, 2023: A Jefferson, Texas man has been convicted of federal sex trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today. Corey Johnson, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking today before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. According to information presented in court, Jo  more

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana, Aug. 22 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Brandon B. Brown, issued the following news release on Aug. 21, 2023: United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the appointment of Jason Waltman to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office. This appointment is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office in the Shrevepo  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Aug. 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: REYNALDO DOMINICK, age 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 17, 2023, before United States District Judge Carl L. Barbier to a four-count superseding bill of information charging him in Count 1 with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine-base ("crack") and possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine hydroch  more