The National Park Service today announced a final rule has been published in the Federal Register establishing a process for the disposition of Native American human remains that are in museums or on exhibit in the United States and which have not yet been culturally affiliated to a tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. There are currently more than 124,000 Native American human remains listed under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) as unidentifiable, 4,000 individuals have been …

By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service
SEAL BEACH, Calif.,, March 6, 2010 – The Navy commissioned the newest guided-missile destroyer, the USS Dewey, to its fleet today at a ceremony steeped in naval symbolism and tradition.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his wife Deborah, USS Dewey ship's sponsor, and Cmdr. Warren R. Buller, commanding officer, USS Dewey, watch the crew bring the ship to life at the commissioning ceremony for the U.S. Navy's newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer at Seal Beach Naval Weapons …

Washington, DC – Since 1981, this nation has recognized the month of March as an opportunity to celebrate the contributions made by all women to this great nation of ours. I am honored to join with many others in recognizing the countless and unselfish acts of so many women serving their communities in fire and emergency medical services (EMS) organizations as firefighters and emergency medical technicians.
Since women have joined the ranks of the American Fire Service as career and volunteer members, the quality and richness of our culture and honorable …

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network, today announced the launch of PreventLoanScams.org.“ Homeowners at risk of foreclosure can be easy prey for home loan modification scammers. Often, dishonest individuals lure vulnerable homeowners into foreclosure rescue scams by making false promises. Scammers frequently claim they can lower mortgage payments or stop the foreclosure process. ”“Troubled homeowners lose time and money when they are tricked by con artists who promise to help but never do,” said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary …

Facing unprecedented volume declines and a projected, cumulative $238 billion shortfall during the next decade, Postmaster General John E. Potter today outlined an aggressive plan of cost cutting, increased productivity, and an array of legislative and regulatory changes necessary to maintain a viable United States Postal Service.
“The crisis we’re facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service that can thrive far into the future,” Potter said, stressing that there is no one single answer or quick …

A domestic situation where a known subject forced his way into a home and assaulted two of the residents led to a search for the suspect in the Ashburn, VA area Monday night.
Ralphael A. Bennett, 21, of no fixed address, allegedly attempted to enter a residence in the 42490 block of Magellan Square in Ashburn, VA around 6:21 p.m. on March 1, 2010. Bennett is accused of forcing his way into the home and assaulting two occupants. He then damaged a vehicle outside.
One of the victim’s inside the home said …

DOE announced on February 22 its conditional commitments for more than $1.37 billion in loan guarantees to BrightSource Energy, Inc. in support of the construction and start-up of three utility-scale concentrated solar power plants (CSP) in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California. The loan guarantee is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is predicated on BrightSource meeting financial and environmental requirements before closing on the loan. The Bureau of Land Management is leading a federal review of the project with support from DOE. Pending local, state, and …

image courtesy of NASA
NASA’s Space Shuttle Program conducted the final test firing of a reusable solid rocket motor Feb. 25 in Promontory, Utah. The flight support motor, or FSM-17, burned for approximately 123 seconds–the same time each reusable solid rocket motor burns during an actual space shuttle launch. Preliminary indications show all test objectives were met. After final test data are analyzed, results for each objective will be published in a NASA report.
The test–the 52nd conducted for NASA by ATK Launch Systems, a unit of Alliant Techsystems Inc.–marks the closure …

General Motors today announced that Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. (Tengzhong) was unable to complete the acquisition of HUMMER. As a result, GM will begin the orderly wind-down of the HUMMER operations.
“One year ago, General Motors announced that we were going to divest HUMMER, as part of focusing our efforts on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac going forward. We have since considered a number of possibilities for HUMMER along the way, and we are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed,” said John …

Philadelphia CBP Stems Flow of New Imitation Marijuana (Friday, February 19, 2010) contacts for this news release
Philadelphia – K2 has long been recognized as a manufacturer of equipment for popular winter sports, but there’s a new K2 hitting the market this winter. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia in partnership with CBP scientists in Savannah, Ga., discovered it to be synthetic cannabinoid, and seized it to the tune of nearly two kilograms since December.
The latest seizures occurred on Tuesday. CBP officers discovered two international mail parcels on Jan. 6 …