A federal court permanently enjoined Smart Ajayi, d/b/a Harplett Marketing LLC., Topps Tax Services and Smart Tax Services, and JoAnn Villarreal, both of Grand Prairie, Texas, from owning or operating a tax return preparation business and preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. Ajayi and Villarreal consented to the relief.

On April 24, 2020, a federal appellate court upheld an order enforcing an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) summons directed to the Taylor Lohmeyer Law Firm PLLC, the Department of Justice announced. The summons directed the law firm to provide information about clients who used the law firm’s services to create and maintain foreign bank accounts and entities. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the trial court’s enforcement of the summons and rejected the law firm’s “blanket” claim that all responsive materials were protected by the attorney-client privilege. It explained that revealing the fact that the clients participated in specific types of transactions would not necessarily reveal any confidential communication of legal advice protected by the attorney-client privilege.

A North Carolina man who took part in a conspiracy to steal design information from aircraft companies to speed up approval of competing airplane technology has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison.

Two commercial flooring executives, Robert A. Patrey Jr. and Kenneth R. Smith, pleaded guilty for their role in an antitrust conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices for commercial flooring services and products sold in the United States, the Department of Justice announced. The defendants are cooperating with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and The Federal Trade Commission today issued a joint statement detailing an expedited antitrust procedure and providing guidance for collaborations of businesses working to protect the health and safety of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Competition jointly released a statement today affirming the importance of competition for American workers.  The agencies also announced that they will protect competition for workers on the frontlines of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) response in the United States by enforcing the antitrust laws against those who seek to exploit the pandemic to engage in anticompetitive conduct in labor markets.

Four men arrested March 9 as part of the federal government's racehorse doping investigation pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in a telephonic arraignment conducted by District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel for the Southern District of New York. The defendants waived their right to physically appear in court because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Veterinarian […]

The post Grasso, Three Others Enter Not Guilty Pleas; Feds Outline Volume Of Discovery In Doping Investigation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Returning Internal Revenue Service workers in Kansas City are being directed to a room well-stocked with face masks, while some other IRS offices were still telling staffers to buy or make their own as the Trump administration starts rolling out a location-based plan for returning more of the some 2 million federal workers to job sites.

The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will hold a meeting on Tuesday, July 28 to update an advisory panel on the agencies’ efforts to restore natural quiet in Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/national-park-service-and-federal-aviation-administration-to-hold-meeting-on-grand-canyon-overflights.htm

A survey determined that installed dry kiln capacity in Alaska more than doubled to an estimated 220 thousand board feet (mbf) within 4 years (2000-2004). This increased ability to produce dry lumber and value-added products resulted from industry efforts to obtain federal funding to support a dry kiln grant program. This report reviews grantees' progress in implementing grantsupported projects and their impact on the production capabilities of the Alaska lumber drying industry. Data were collected in early 2005 by using a standard set of questions asked of 19 dry kiln owners. Much of the growth in drying and value-added processing capacity has been concentrated in southeast Alaska where there has been the greatest dry kiln investment. During 2004, the estimated volume of lumber dried in Alaska was 813 mbf, whereas potential annual capacity was estimated to be almost 6,600 mbf. This indicates that Alaska producers are drying just over 12 percent of their potential capacity. Factors that will increase the future production of value-added forest products in Alaska include a continuing supply of economically priced timber, the ability of the industry to support a reasonably priced grading service, and the ability of producers to move value-added products to domestic and export markets.

The Forest Inventory and Analysis program collected, analyzed, and summarized field data on 73 forested field plots on the islands of Kosrae, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

National forest managers are charged with tackling the effects of climate change on the natural resources under their care. The Forest Service National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change and the Climate Change Performance Scorecard require managers to make significant progress in addressing climate change by 2015. To help land managers meet this challenge, Forest Service scientists conducted three case studies on national forests and adjacent national parks and documented a wide range of scientific issues and solutions. They summarized the scientific foundation for climate change adaptation and made the information accessible to land managers by creating a climate change adaptation guidebook and web portal. Case study teams discovered that collaboration among scientists and land managers is crucial to adaptation planning, as are management plans targeted to the particular ecosystem conditions and management priorities of each region.

Outdoor recreation is a central way that people interact with the natural environment. Federal land agencies are key providers of settings, facilities, and landscapes for recreation.

  WASHINGTON, D.C., March 30, 2020 — As longstanding organizations representing and supporting those on the front lines who are risking their lives caring for the world’s most vulnerable patients, we stand united in voicing our concern over the ...

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2020 — Yesterday, a federal district court struck down a rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that rolled back nutrition standards in schools.   Last fall, The American Heart Association, the world’s leading...

A federal watchdog is recommending that ousted vaccine expert Rick Bright be reinstated while it investigates whether the Trump administration retaliated against his whistleblower complaints when it removed him from a key post overseeing the coronavirus response, Bright's lawyers said Friday.

The invention relates to a method for producing thermoplastic molding compounds, comprising: A) 40 to 99 wt % of at least one thermoplastic polymer, B) 1 to 60 wt % of a flame-proofing agent component containing an expandable graphite, and C) 0 to 60 wt % of further additives, by melt-mixing components A), B) and C) in a screw-type extruder, wherein the screw-type extruder, along the feed direction, comprises, in the following order, at least one dosing zone, a plastifying zone, a homogenizing zone, a second dosing zone, and a discharge zone, in that the dosing takes place into the screw-type extruder having the length L, wherein the length L is defined as the section starting with the first dosing unit for adding components A, B and/or C and ending, in the feed direction, at the discharge opening, a melt is generated after adding components A, B and C in the range of 0 liter to 0.15 liter in a first method step in the presence of component B1), and in a second method step, after the addition of component B1) in the range of 0.5 liter to 0.95 liter, component B1) is mixed into said melt, wherein said method offers technical advantages.

Methods of preparation and improved oat based puffed R-T-E or breakfast cereal products resulting there from with reduced sodium levels that provide good cooked grain flavor relative to other low or no sodium cooked cereal products and that approach the quality of higher sodium level products are provided. The methods include formulating cooked cereal doughs with minimal levels of sodium chloride and including a blend of potassium chloride and choline chloride. The cooked cereal dough is formed into pellets and gun puffed to form puff products having a total pyrazine content of at least 200 ppm. The puffed products are topically coated with saline solution and dried to provide the present improved low sodium high flavor finished breakfast cereal products.

The excitation overcurrent detection unit for the doubly-fed electric machine is provided with a function to determine an excitation current magnitude relationship among three phases. The firing pulse is held to on-state or off-state to cause the largest-current phase and the second-largest-current phase to charge the DC capacitor by the operation of diodes. The conduction ratio of the third-largest-current phase or minimum current phase is controlled according to the detected current value to protect against a possible short-circuit across the DC capacitor. When the voltage of the DC capacitor exceeds a preset value, the voltage is suppressed by operating active or passive power devices.

A DC chopper comprising a control unit and a power circuit and a DC chopping method for a DFIG (doubly fed induction generator) system are provided. The input terminal of the control unit is coupled to a DC capacitor of a converter to detect a DC voltage. The power circuit includes input terminals, an overvoltage protection module, a rectifier module and output terminals. The overvoltage protection module comprises at least one discharge unit formed from a discharge resistor and a switch element, and the rectifier module is coupled in parallel to the overvoltage protection module. When a grid voltage drops, the control unit outputs a corresponding control signal to drive the switch element to be ON or OFF, and the output terminal of the power circuit absorbs a portion of rotor inrush current, so as to impose over-current protection.

Wind turbine systems and methods are provided. An exemplary system includes a wind driven doubly fed induction generator having a rotor and a stator, the stator providing AC power to a stator bus. The system further includes a power converter coupled to the rotor of the doubly fed induction generator, the power converter providing an output to a line bus, and a transformer coupled to the stator bus. The system further includes a solid-state switch coupled between the stator bus and the transformer.

Systems and methods for reducing current imbalance between parallel bridge circuits used in a power converter of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) system are provided. A control system can monitor the bridge current of each of the bridge circuits coupled in parallel and generate a feedback signal indicative of the difference in bridge current between the parallel bridge circuits. Command signals for controlling the bridge circuits can then be developed based on the feedback signal to reduce current imbalance between the bridge circuits. For instance, the pulse width modulation of switching devices (e.g. IGBTs) used in the bridge circuits can be modified to reduce current imbalance between the parallel bridge circuits.

A double fed induction generator (DFIG) converter method are presented in which rotor side current spikes are attenuated using series-connected damping resistance in response to grid fault occurrences or grid fault clearances.

An apparatus having a frame; a shuttle member, adapted to receive and hold a needle blank, and movably mounted to the frame; a clamp member detachably mounted on the frame for supplying needle blanks to the shuttle member; a transfer mechanism mounted on the frame for facilitating the transfer of the needle blanks from the clamp member to the shuttle member; a press mechanism for imparting first flat surfaces to first opposing sides of the needle blanks held by the shuttle member; a mandrel mounted on the frame for imparting an arcuate profile to the needle blanks; a transport mechanism for transporting the needle blanks from the shuttle member to the mandrel; and a needle side press for imparting second flat surfaces to second opposing sides of the needle blanks. A method of forming a curved, rectangular bodied needle from substantially round-elongated needle blanks is also disclosed and comprises the steps of: transferring needle blanks from a clamp to a holding shuttle having die surfaces on needle engaging faces thereof; flat pressing first opposing sides of the needle blanks between die surfaces; transporting the needle blanks from the shuttle onto a rotatable mandrel; curving the needle blanks between the rotatable mandrel and a reciprocable belt; rotating the needle blanks about the mandrel and adjacent side press dies and depositing the needle blanks therebetween; and side pressing second opposing sides of the needle blanks between side press dies.

A multi-reel, line-handling apparatus can include a housing, a shaft located within the housing, the shaft defining a shaft axis, a first reel located within the housing, the first reel rotatably mounted to the shaft about a first reel axis angled with respect to the shaft axis, and a second reel located within the housing, the second reel rotatably mounted to the shaft about a second reel axis angled with respect to the shaft axis. The first reel and the second reel can be rotatable with respect to the housing about the shaft axis.

A digital sheet-fed printing method includes providing one cycle of printing to print on a series of sheets of paper whose number is equal to the least common multiple of respective numbers of allocated positions; producing a reference signal on the basis of which an image in each color is printed on the sheet of paper; detecting with an image detection sensor means a mutual out of register between images in different colors printed on each sheet of paper in the series, furnishing the printing control means with a detection signal for each sheet of paper from the image detection sensor, and correcting the timing at which each image is printed on each sheet of paper in one cycle of printing so that timings to print the images in different colors on each sheet of paper coincide with one another; and printing images in the different colors.

GABI Taylor has credited her new team for her improvement as she prepares to make her Fed Cup debut alongside Great Britain teammates Johanna Konta and Heather Watson.

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is getting a boost in funding from the federal government to help cover operational costs during the coronavirus pandemic. We get the details from WEMU’s Taylor Pinson.

Release date : June 19, 2020
Synopsis : When seriously ill teenager Milla (Eliza Scanlen) falls madly in love with smalltime drug dealer Moses (Toby Wallace), it's her ...

Joseph McGhee, a former Flagstaff restaurant worker, filed the challenge last month, saying he was laid off after Ducey prohibited in-house dining

Navajo Nation officials talked Friday about how federal aid related to the coronavirus pandemic could help with pressing needs like water and housing.

Editor's note: This is an excerpt of Planet Money 's newsletter. You can sign up here . US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images As the global economy shuts down, the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun sending billions of dollars to central banks all over the world. Last month, it opened up 14 " swap lines " to nations such as Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Norway. A "swap line" is like an emergency pipeline of dollars to countries that need them. The dollars are "swapped," i.e., traded for the other country's currency. The Fed has also started allowing around 170 foreign central banks that hold U.S. Treasury bonds to temporarily exchange them for dollars. Sending billions of dollars abroad in the middle of a historic economic crisis might seem crazy: As America's economy crumbles, why are we moving our precious dollars *out* of the country? The answer has to do with the Fed's unique position in the global economy. Dollars are the lynchpin

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit AILSA CHANG, HOST: There is mixed reaction today to new federal rules on how schools from kindergarten all the way through college must respond to cases of sexual assault and harassment. The Trump administration says their sweeping changes to Obama era guidelines will make the process fairer and help better protect accused students. But many others object both to the changes and to the timing. To talk about more details, we're joined now by NPR correspondent Tovia Smith. Hey, Tovia. TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: Hi. CHANG: So first tell us what are some of these changes that have just been announced? SMITH: So these are largely meant to address what DeVos calls the kangaroo courts that have been handling or, in her view, mishandling these cases, and most of the changes aim to beef up protections for the accused students. So for example, at the college level, schools must now allow live cross-examination of students by the other student's lawyer or

New federal regulations on how schools – from kindergarten all the way through college — must respond to cases of sexual assault and harassment are drawing swift and mixed reactions. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced what she called historic changes Wednesday to Obama-era guidelines that she said will make the process fairer and better protect accused students. While some welcome the changes to Title IX as long overdue, survivors' advocates are panning the new rules as a throwback to the days when sexual assault was seldom reported or punished, and schools are protesting they can't possibly implement them by summer, as required. Among the most significant changes are new regulations aimed at beefing up protections for accused college students, by mandating live hearings by adjudicators who are neither the Title IX coordinator nor the investigator, and real-time cross examination of each student by the other student's lawyer or representative. "Cross examination is an important

What does the quarantine mean for people who are homeless? We hear how one soup kitchen is adjusting to the shelter-in-place order. Then, we begin a series that looks at how other countries are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, starting with Australia. And, from our project Uncuffed, how to make a wet burrito if you’re stuck in a prison cell.

Domestic workers are losing jobs they rely on to the pandemic, and the jobs they’ve kept could jeopardize their health. We hear how workers are using lessons from past disasters to advocate for their communities. Then, in a story from Uncuffed , an ex-marine in prison faces his own mortality. Plus, we’re bringing Bay Area author readings to you in a new series called "New Arrivals."

A mobile health team in Contra Costa county brings medication to people with addiction living on the streets. Now, the doctor leading that effort worries about the additional challenge the coronavirus poses for them. Then, an incarcerated father and son see each other for the first time in 22 years.

Bradley and Karen explain why they've been gone for so long, and then discuss the recent Oracle v. Google Federal Appeals Court Decision.

Show Notes:

Segment 0 (00:00:31)

• Karen is now Executive Director of Conservancy and Bradley is President and Distinguished Technologist. (03:01)
• Bradley will be working extensively on the NPO Accounting Project. (03:40)

Segment 1 (00:09:37)

• Karen says the Oracle v. Google Federal Appeals Court Decision is not an engaging read, but the lower court decision was. (09:50)
• Karen said: You're out of your element, Donny! (12:38)
• Karen mentioned a tweet from the EFF (15:23)
• Bradley mentioned his older blog post about the previous decision (16:48)
• Karen incorrectly said we never recorded a show on the previous decision, but we did indeed discuss the previous Oracle v. Google decision in , which Bradley and Karen discussed in Episode 0x35 (18:53)
• Karen and Bradley explained what an affirmative defense, arguments in the alternative, and merger doctrine. (21:03)
• Bradley mentioned the Apache Software Foundation is now publicly more against copyleft software than proprietary software, and that such position is unreasonable, unlike the OpenBSD position that copyleft and proprietary software are equally bad: a position Bradley disagrees with but agrees is consistent, reasonable moral stance. (38:40)
• Bradley mentioned his discussions with Mark J. Wielaard of the Classpath project (52:20)
• Bradley and Karen ask people to doante to Conservancy.

Send feedback and comments on the cast to <oggcast@faif.us>. You can keep in touch with Free as in Freedom on our IRC channel, #faif on irc.freenode.net, and by following Conservancy on on Twitter and and FaiF on Twitter.

Free as in Freedom is produced by Dan Lynch of danlynch.org. Theme music written and performed by Mike Tarantino with Charlie Paxson on drums.

The content of this audcast, and the accompanying show notes and music are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 4.0 license (CC BY-SA 4.0).

First-time guest Federico Viticci joins the show. Topics include how the coronavirus outbreak might affect WWDC, speculation on a possible March Apple event, the state of iPad keyboard (and trackpad) support, and iPadOS multitasking.

The Office of Special Counsel has found “reasonable grounds” to investigate whether Dr. Rick Bright was ousted from a senior science post for questioning Trump administration actions.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will receive $50 million in federal coronavirus aid for fisheries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, about half what state officials had expected. Alaska is home to large stocks of pollock, an inexpensive fish used in fast-food sandwiches and fish sticks, and landed 58% of the nation’s seafood by […]

The Pacific Bonsai Museum did not provide a dollar value for the trees, but called one "truly irreplaceable" and said both were at risk of damage or death if not returned to the museum's care.

The company has received a $3 million loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, allowing it to cover eight weeks of pay.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will receive $50 million in federal coronavirus aid for fisheries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, about half what state officials had expected. Alaska is home to large stocks of pollock, an inexpensive fish used in fast-food sandwiches and fish sticks, and landed 58% of the nation’s seafood by […]

The U.S. marijuana business has the potential to grow into a global industry, challenging Canadian cannabis growers.

Seattle Opera said Friday that it has received a $2.3 million loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Previously, the company had reported layoffs for 215 artist and production jobs after Seattle Opera canceled “La bohème,” plus 12 administrators, as well as salary cuts for the […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will receive $50 million in federal coronavirus aid for fisheries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, about half what state officials had expected. Alaska is home to large stocks of pollock, an inexpensive fish used in fast-food sandwiches and fish sticks, and landed 58% of the nation’s seafood by […]

Both Washington and Alaska will benefit from money carved out of the massive federal economic stimulus package known as the CARES ACT that is intended to assist in both direct and indirect fishery-related losses.

Plummeting passenger traffic and flight cancellations will cost Seattle-Tacoma International Airport an estimated $251 million by the end of 2020.