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CFL commissioner testifying to House of Commons committee after financial aid request

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie will testify at a House of Commons standing committee on finance on Thursday. The appearance on a videoconference will come nine days after news broke that the CFL had asked the federal government for up to $150 million in financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.



  • Sports/Football/CFL

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Japanese Corporate Operator of Cargo Vessel Sentenced to Pay $1.75 Million for Conspiracy and Falsifying Records

U. S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced the Japanese corporation Hiong Guan Navegacion Japan Co. Ltd., that operates the commercial cargo ship M/V Balsa-62, to three years probation and $1.75 million in penalties for conspiring to falsify and falsifying environmental compliance records.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Department of Energy Employee Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Performance Evaluation for Monetary Award

A former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) employee who falsified his performance evaluation to justify an annual performance award to which he was not entitled pleaded guilty today to one count of making false statements.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Oklahoma Water Treatment Supervisor Pleads Guilty for Falsifying Drinking Water Safety Reports

Christopher Neil Gauntt, the former supervisor of the Fort Gibson Water Treatment Plant in Fort Gibson, Okla., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Muskogee, Okla., to falsifying a monthly operating report that certified the safety of drinking water from the facility.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Enron Broadband Chief Financial Officer Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Books and Records

Kevin Howard, former chief financial officer and vice president of finance for Enron Broadband Services (EBS), Enron’s failed telecommunications business, pleaded guilty today to falsifying books and records.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Korean Corporate Owner of Cargo Vessel Sentenced to Pay $2.2 Million for Conspiracy and Falsifying Records

U. S. District Court Judge Richard Lazzara (Middle District of Florida) today sentenced the Korean corporation STX Pan Ocean Co. Ltd., which operates the commercial cargo ship M/V Ocean Jade, to pay $2.2 million in penalties and serve four years of probation for conspiring to falsify and falsifying environmental compliance records.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Indiana Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Reports

Herbert L. Corn, the former superintendent of the city of Rochester Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rochester, Ind., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in South Bend, Ind., to falsifying monthly discharge monitoring reports that concealed violations of the Clean Water Act at the Rochester plant.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Liberian Ocean Shipping Company Admits Falsifying Oil Discharge Record Books

A Liberian-incorporated shipping company pleaded guilty today in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to failing to keep accurate oily water discharge records and using falsified records to conceal the discharge at sea of untreated bilge from one of its cargo ships.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Indiana Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying Reports

The former superintendent of a wastewater treatment facility in Rochester, Ind., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in South Bend, Ind., to serve one year in prison for falsifying discharge monitoring reports that concealed violations of the Clean Water Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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10 Las Vegas Men Indicted for Falsifying Vehicle Emissions Tests

A federal grand jury in Las Vegas today returned indictments against 10 Nevada-certified emissions testers for falsifying vehicle emissions test reports.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Florida-based Medicare Advantage Plan Owners & Primary Care Provider Agree to Pay $22.6 Million to Settle Claims of Falsifying Diagnoses

Dr. Walter Janke, his wife, Lalita Janke, and Vero Beach, Fla.-based Medical Resources L.L.C. have agreed to pay $22.6 million to resolve allegations that they caused Medicare to pay inflated amounts based upon the submission of false diagnosis codes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Former Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Police Officers Convicted of Falsifying Information About Hate Crime

A federal jury in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has convicted Matthew Nestor and William Moyer of falsifying information related to the investigation into the beating death of Luis Ramirez.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Lucas County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Sergeant Sentenced for Civil Rights Violations and Falsifying Written Reports

The Justice Department announced today that former Lucas County Sheriff’s Sergeant John E. Gray was sentenced today by Judge David A. Katz to three years in prison, followed by two years supervised release, for federal civil rights violations and records falsification relating to the in-custody death of a pretrial detainee at the Lucas County Jail.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Liberian Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $2.4 Million for Falsifying Oil Record Book and Lying to Cover up Illegal Discharges of Waste

Cardiff Marine Inc, a Liberian-registered shipping company, was sentenced today in federal court in Baltimore after pleading guilty to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Employee of Charlotte, North Carolina-Based Bank Pleads Guilty for His Role in Falsifying Bank Records Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

According to charges filed today in U.S. District Court in New York City, Brian Scott Zwerner engaged in a conspiracy to falsify bank records related to the marketing profits for an investment agreement and other municipal finance contracts, including derivative contracts.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Last of 10 Las Vegas Defendants Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Emissions Test Records

Wajdi Waked, 25, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today before Judge Philip M. Pro of the U.S. District Court in Nevada, to one count of violating the Clean Air Act by falsifying emissions test results.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Former Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Police Officers Sentenced for Falsifying Information About the Beating of a Latino Man

The Justice Department announced that Matthew Nestor and William Moyer were sentenced today for falsifying information related to the investigation into the beating death of Luis Ramirez.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Last of 10 Las Vegas Defendants Sentenced for Falsifying Emissions Test Records

William Joseph McCown, 49, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today before District Judge Lloyd D. George of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Miami Man Convicted for Obstruction of Justice and False Statements for Certifying Ships Safe for Sea

Alejandro Gonzalez, 60, of Miami-Dade County, Fla., was convicted by a federal jury in Miami of three counts of making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard and one count of obstruction of an agency proceeding.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Miami Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Obstruction of Justice and False Statements for Certifying Ships Safe for Sea

Alejandro Gonzalez, 60, of Miami-Dade County, Fla., was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to 21 months in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Mississippi Laboratory Operator Charged with Falsifying Records on Industrial Wastewater

An owner and sole operator of an environmental laboratory has been charged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi with falsification of records and obstructing a federal criminal investigation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to FBI, Falsifying Records

Kevin L. Groom Sr, 45, a correctional officer with the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge James J. Brady for the Middle District of Louisiana for his role in covering up an incident in which correctional officers used excessive force against an inmate. Groom admitted filing a false report and subsequently providing false information to the FBI about the incident. Investigation of the incident is ongoing.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Mississippi Laboratory Operator Found Guilty of Falsifying Records on Industrial Wastewater

The owner and sole operator of an environmental laboratory was found guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi of all counts of a federal indictment charging falsification of records and obstructing a federal criminal investigation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Tax Preparer Is Permanently Barred from Tax Preparation for Allegedly Falsifying Returns for Overseas Customers and Impeding Audits

The Justice Department announced that yesterday a federal court in Ft. Worth, Texas permanently barred Karena Mondrianh, of Southlake, Texas, from preparing tax returns and from operating a tax-preparation business.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Ohio-Based Basco Manufacturing Co. to Pay $1.1 Million for Allegedly Falsifying Customs Documents to Evade Import Duties on Chinese Products

Ohio-based Basco Manufacturing Co. (Basco) has agreed to pay $1.1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by making false customs declarations to avoid paying duties on products imported from a Chinese manufacturer, and that it has filed a complaint against four other companies and two individuals based on similar allegations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Long Island Fisherman and Fish Dealer Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Falsifying Records

The operator of the dragger F/V Norseman and an associated fish dealer were sentenced today in federal court in Central Islip, N.Y.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Long Island Fish Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Falsifying Federal Records, and Lacey Act Violations

Jones Inlet Seafood Co., Inc., a federally-licensed fish dealer located in Point Lookout, New York, its company president, Michael G. Mihale, and the company vice-president, Bruce Larson, Jr. pleaded guilty today in federal court in Central Islip, New York., to federal felonies stemming from their role in systematically underreporting fluke (summer flounder) that was being harvested as part of the federal Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced



  • OPA Press Releases

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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Employee Retirement Plan Documents to Avoid Contributing to Benefit Plans

An owner of an electrical contracting company pleaded guilty today to falsifying disclosure documents required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), by intentionally under-reporting hours worked by employees to avoid contractually required contributions to employee benefit plans.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Finding a unifying SLE expression signature in a sea of heterogeneity




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Comparisons of simple and complex methods for quantifying exposure to individual point source air pollution emissions




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Petrov plays down out-qualifying team-mate Kubica

Vitaly Petrov played down the importance of out-qualifying Renault team-mate Robert Kubica for the first time this season




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Driver reaction after qualifying

Driver and team reaction after Saturday's qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix




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Kubica praises F-duct after qualifying third at Spa

Robert Kubica revealed that he had been hoping to qualify third for the Belgian Grand Prix after the Renault proved strong in all conditions on Friday




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Vettel admits to qualifying mistakes

Sebastian Vettel blamed himself for making mistakes in Q3 that cost him a higher grid position than fourth for the Belgian Grand Prix




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Driver reaction after Saturday qualifying

Read what the drivers had to say after a rain-affected qualifying at Spa Francorchamps




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Webber describes terrifying accident

Mark Webber said that his biggest fear immediately after his Red Bull took off in the European Grand Prix was hitting something whilst airborne




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Button blames tyre temperature for qualifying struggle

Jenson Button has blamed a lack of tyre temperature for his seventh place qualifying position for the Korean Grand Prix




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Bottas: More to come in qualifying

Valtteri Bottas is sure Williams has more one-lap pace in the bag after he finished behind both Ferrari's during Friday's qualifying simulations in Australia




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Women warriors: The ongoing story of integrating and diversifying the American armed forces

How have the experiences, representation, and recognition of women in the military transformed, a century after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? As Brookings President and retired Marine Corps General John Allen has pointed out, at times, the U.S. military has been one of America’s most progressive institutions, as with racial…

       




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Button laments qualifying mistake

Jenson Button has admitted that a mistake in qualifying was to blame for him ending up fifth on the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix




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Massa admits to qualifying mistake

Felipe Massa blamed traffic and a mistake in the final corner for his below par qualifying performance in Shanghai




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Women warriors: The ongoing story of integrating and diversifying the American armed forces

How have the experiences, representation, and recognition of women in the military transformed, a century after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? As Brookings President and retired Marine Corps General John Allen has pointed out, at times, the U.S. military has been one of America’s most progressive institutions, as with racial…

       




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Vettel rues 'messy' qualifying

Sebastian Vettel was left ruing a missed opportunity in Singapore after failing to secure pole position for Sunday's night race




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Who said what after Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying

Read what the teams and drivers had to say after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix




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Who said what after Qualifying in Brazil

Read what the drivers had to say after qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix




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Rosberg fastest ahead of qualifying

Nico Rosberg set the pace in the final practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix ahead of qualifying, although Mercedes stranglehold on the top appeared to loosen slightly as six cars managed to lap within a second over the hour




fyi

Women warriors: The ongoing story of integrating and diversifying the American armed forces

How have the experiences, representation, and recognition of women in the military transformed, a century after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? As Brookings President and retired Marine Corps General John Allen has pointed out, at times, the U.S. military has been one of America’s most progressive institutions, as with racial…

       




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Detoxifying Colombia’s drug policy

Colombia’s counternarcotics policy choices have profound impact on consolidating peace in the wake of the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — Ejército del Pueblo, FARC) and on the building of an effective state. Strategies of forced or voluntary eradication of coca crops…

       




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Identifying Areas With Inadequate Access to Supermarkets


When my wife and I relocated from D.C.’s Logan Circle to Capitol Hill five years ago, the most tumultuous change in our lifestyle (aside from my not being able to walk to Brookings every day) concerned the much farther distance we’d have to travel to the nearest supermarket. We had the luxury of shopping at a very nice, if spendy, grocery store about two blocks from our home, which meant that we often did “just-in-time” dinner shopping on the way home from work. Now we were moving to a house where the distance to the nearest supermarket was 1.5 miles, not so walkable at 7 pm.

Did we live in a “supermarket desert?” On the one hand, Capitol Hill is a pretty densely populated part of D.C., so 1.5 miles felt like a long way. And while the Hill is an economically diverse area, it’s large with significant pockets of affluence. On the other hand, like a lot of our neighbors, we own a car. So while nightly trips to the supermarket were out, it was hardly an onerous trip on the weekends.

There are, however, many communities nationwide in which that trip to the supermarket is a long one, and most have much lower incomes than the Hill. That’s the conclusion from new research we conducted with help from The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), a community development financial institution and research organization based in Philadelphia. TRF played a lead role in designing and implementing the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a program that provides grants and low-cost capital to facilitate the location of new supermarkets and fresh food retailers in that state’s underserved communities. That initiative is now the model for several other state and local programs, as well as the inspiration for a major new federal budget initiative that seeks to improve community health and economic development outcomes through supermarket attraction and expansion.

With TRF, we looked at 10 metro areas across the country, ranging in size from Jackson, Miss. to Los Angeles. Unlike a lot of previous research that attempted to identify “food deserts,” TRF’s analysis looks at factors beyond distance to a supermarket that matter for access, including a community’s population density and level of car ownership. And it uses household income and expenditure data to help pinpoint the communities that have a significant untapped local demand for supermarkets.

Across the 10 metro areas, about 1.7 million people (5 percent of total population) live in low- and moderate-income communities that are significantly underserved by supermarkets. African Americans, children, and very low-income families are over-represented in these areas. Greater Los Angeles alone accounts for half a million of the underserved; and in the Cleveland metro, more than one in nine residents lives in a low-supermarket-access community. Estimates suggest that upwards of $2.6 billion annually in grocery expenditures may “leak” out of these communities due to a lack of nearby supermarkets.

The real upside of this research project is that all of the results are viewable online, through TRF’s PolicyMap service. So local economic development officials, neighborhood-based organizations, retailers, and others can examine the location and characteristics of low-supermarket-access areas in their own communities. On Capitol Hill, the analysis suggests that we’re pretty well served. Lots of car owners, and it’s really not that far to the store. Cross the Anacostia River, however, and it’s another story altogether. Pinpointing and describing the untapped opportunities for supermarket development is hopefully a first step toward reducing market obstacles to higher-quality, lower-cost food options for residents of communities like Ward 7 and Ward 8 nationwide.

Authors

Publication: The Avenue, The New Republic
Image Source: © Sarah Conard / Reuters
     
 
 




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Breakthrough therapy designation: Exploring the qualifying criteria


Event Information

April 24, 2015
8:45 AM - 4:45 PM EDT

Ballroom
The Park Hyatt Hotel
24th and M Streets, NW
Washington, DC

Register for the Event

Established by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012, breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) is one of several programs developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up the development and review of drugs and biologics that address unmet medical needs. In order to qualify for this designation, the treatment must address a serious or life-threatening illness. In addition, the manufacturer (i.e., sponsor) must provide early clinical evidence that the treatment is a substantial improvement over currently available therapies. The FDA is working to further clarify how it applies the qualifying criteria to breakthrough designation applications.

On April 24, under a cooperative agreement with FDA, the Center for Health Policy convened a public meeting to discuss the qualifying criteria for this special designation. Using examples from oncology, neurology, psychiatry, and hematology, the workshop highlighted considerations for the BTD application process, the evaluation process, and factors for acceptance or rejection. The discussion also focused on key strategies for ensuring that the qualifying criteria are understood across a broad range of stakeholder groups.


Video

Event Materials