A Utah man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his bias-motivated attack of three men at a family-owned business. On Feb. 19, 2020, after a five-day trial, a jury in Salt Lake City convicted Alan Covington for attacking three men with a metal pole because […]
Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Field Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois announced that a physician assistant who formerly worked at a Chicago medical practice has been charged in federal court with fraudulently writing opioid prescriptions. Harry Przekop allegedly used […]
CDC is recommending a new immunization starting this fall to help protect all infants under 8 months and some older babies at increased risk of severe illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). CDC director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, adopted the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the use of nirsevimab, trade […]
Four Guatemalan nationals pleaded guilty to their involvement in a deadly Guatemala-based human smuggling conspiracy. Juan Gutierrez Castro, aka Andres, 46, pleaded guilty today, joining co-conspirators Felipe Diego Alonzo, aka Siete, 39; Nesly Norberto Martinez Gomez, aka Canche, 38; and Lopez Mateo Mateo, aka Bud Light, 43, who all pleaded guilty in July. According to […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sees the Biden administration’s climate agenda as a boon for rural economies, he said Monday during a visit to Portland’s World Forestry Center. The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Agriculture Department, will begin accepting applications for a second round of grants from its Community […]
As housing prices soar and wages for healthcare providers lag, advocates for Iowa’s aging population are calling for a major change in caring for the state’s aging population. Economic conditions have conspired to close several nursing homes in Iowa in recent years. The average wage for workers who provide long-term health care in Iowa is […]
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas has returned a superseding indictment charging four defendants with conspiracy to launder money. The new charges were filed against: Erminia Serrano Piedra, aka Irma, aka Boss Lady, 32, of Elgin, Texas Oscar Angel Monroy Alcibar, aka Pelon, 40, of Elgin, Texas Pedro Hairo Abrigo, 34, […]
The CDC reports that between 2010 and 2022, there were more than 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome identified. However, because the diagnosis of alpha-gal syndrome requires a positive diagnostic test and a clinical exam, and some individuals with alpha-gal syndrome may not get tested, it is estimated that as many as 450,000 people might have […]
The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is advising landlords to inform people applying for and living in USDA-financed rental properties of their legal rights and protections. The announcement is part of a series of actions to fulfill commitments made in President Biden’s Blueprint for a Renter’s Bill of Rights that […]
An Ohio man was indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening a reproductive health services facility. According to court documents, Mohamed Farah Waes, of Columbus, made telephonic threats to a health services clinic operated by Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. The first count charges Waes with a violation of the Freedom of Access to […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. senators approved bipartisan amendments to the annual defense policy bill Tuesday night that would prohibit China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from purchasing U.S. farmland and screen American investment in high-tech ventures on foreign adversary soil. By a 91-7 vote, the lawmakers approved a measure that would require a review of — and […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday faced off with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who did not directly call for his impeachment but strongly criticized his oversight of the agency. “I know that today Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to paint a rosy picture of this disastrous […]
(Missouri Independent) – On what would have been the 82nd birthday of Emmett Till, a Black boy kidnapped and murdered by two white men in Mississippi, President Joe Biden on Tuesday designated a new national monument at sites connected to the lynching that became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. “Telling the truth and […]
(Missouri Independent) – Eric Greitens, the disgraced former Missouri governor whose Senate campaign cratered last year under allegations of domestic abuse, has tip-toed back onto the political stage this week with a column for a pro-Trump news site declaring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential hopes dead. In the column entitled “Accept It, Already: DeSantis is […]
(Missouri Independent) – A handful of ultra-conservative U.S. House Republicans rebuked their leadership on Tuesday over the annual government funding process but appeared at odds on whether they should force a government shutdown later this year. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs at a news conference mostly ruled out a funding lapse, though Virginia Rep. Bob Good […]
In a major step towards enhancing healthcare access in rural America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary, Xochitl Torres Small, announced the expansion of healthcare services for more than 5 million people residing in 39 states and Puerto Rico. Deputy Secretary Torres Small praised the Biden-Harris Administration’s response during these critical times, ensuring immediate […]
The final defendant prosecuted as part of an extensive investigation into a dogfighting and drug distribution network was sentenced for his crimes in federal court. Herman Tyrone Washington, 51, of Highland Springs, Virginia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne for the Eastern District of Virginia to serve 46 months in prison to […]
(Missouri Independent) – An all-male panel of anti-abortion religious leaders from around the country met to discuss the strategies that should be used to end abortion in every state at any stage of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape and incest, and with criminal punishment for the pregnant person in line with existing criminal penalties for […]
(Missouri Independent) – A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation Thursday that would update how the federal government prepares for and then responds to pandemics and natural disasters. The broadly bipartisan legislation moved through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee following a 17-3 vote after members adopted two bipartisan amendments. Republican Sens. Rand Paul […]
A former journalist pleaded guilty today to transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material. According to court documents, while visiting South Carolina in February 2020, James Gordon Meek, 53, of Arlington, Virginia, used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct […]
