July 30, 2019

State admits it was wrong to resist federal crackdown on oil tank pollution

Maine was wrong to fight a federal crackdown on hazardous emissions from petroleum storage tanks in South Portland and Searsport, a state official now admits, but there is still no consensus on how to safeguard the public from air pollution produced by oil facilities across the United States.

For much of the last decade, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection sided with oil companies and defended a widely disputed method of estimating air pollution from storage tanks that was developed by the petroleum industry, according to documents obtained by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram under a Freedom of Access Act request.

Records show that from 2011 through early 2019, the state agency ignored, discredited and even fought the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to rein in hazardous emissions from massive heated tanks that store asphalt and No. 6 residual heavy fuel oil.

The dispute between government agencies helped to keep the public in the dark about the potential health threat and continues to stoke anger, fear and confusion about the risk posed by more than 100 petroleum tanks scattered across South Portland beside homes, schools, businesses, community centers, parks and playing fields.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/07/28/maine-dep-admits-it-was-wrong-to-resist-federal-crackdown-on-oil-tank-pollution-but-doubts-remain-about-testing/

July 30, 2019

Company building Bowdoin's new dorms accused of illegal labor practices

Members of the Bowdoin Labor Alliance (BLA) and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters (NERCC) gathered outside the construction site of new student dorms at Bowdoin College in Brunswick last Thursday to protest Timberland Drywall — a subcontractor for Wright-Ryan Construction working on the dorms — and its alleged misclassification of workers.

The protest at Bowdoin was the first of what will be 30 days of protesting against the company by members of the alliance and NERCC. Two Maine carpenters, Dan Ayotte and Don Desjardins, will stand out in front of the construction site all 30 days to hand out fliers to students and neighbors about the issue.

The NERCC, which is in contact with affected workers, filed a misclassification tip through the Maine Department of Labor website this May, according to a BLA press release. They say that Timberland Drywall has been misclassifying workers as ‘independent contractors,’ a classification used by employers to avoid providing benefits, like health insurance, and paying for work-related expenses. The workers, often unaware of their situation, become their own independent companies, responsible for paying their own taxes, providing for their own sick days, and buying their own equipment. An investigation into the tip against Timberland is ongoing.

John Leavitt, a regional manager for NERCC, described Timberland’s misclassification of workers as flagrant, with the company, for instance, hiring even the foreman for the Bowdoin project as an independent contractor.

Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/company-building-bowdoins-new-dorms-accused-of-illegal-labor-practices/

July 30, 2019

Information Technology Consultant Convicted Of Multimillion-Dollar Kickback Scheme

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a federal jury found SHIVANAND MAHARAJ guilty of honest services wire fraud, paying kickbacks in connection with an employee benefit plan, and conspiracy, following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl. MAHARAJ’s co-conspirator, ENRICO RUBANO, a/k/a “Rick Rubano,” who was a director of information technology at a large union pension and health benefit fund (the “Funds”), pled guilty in connection with the same crimes shortly before trial.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “For years, Shivanand Maharaj bribed an insider at a pension and health fund to approve hundreds of invoices for information technology work that was never done at all. He now stands rightly convicted for depriving hardworking individuals out of millions of dollars of health and retirement benefits.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:

From 2009 through 2015, RUBANO was the co-head of information technology for the Funds and had the authority to approve the payment of invoices from third-party vendors. Beginning in at least 2009, and continuing through 2015, MAHARAJ and RUBANO devised a scheme in which three different companies MAHARAJ owned or controlled submitted to the Funds invoices for millions of dollars in information technology services that were never performed or that had, in fact, been performed by employees of the Funds or other vendors. RUBANO, in his position as co-head of information technology, approved these fraudulent invoices and received kickbacks from MAHARAJ. MAHARAJ, by submitting hundreds of invoices and recruiting another co-conspirator to receive additional criminal proceeds, fraudulently received in excess of $2 million through this scheme.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/information-technology-consultant-convicted-multimillion-dollar-kickback-scheme

July 30, 2019

Trucking School Owner and President Pleads Guilty in $4.2 Million Fraud for Collecting Tuition for

Trucking School Owner and President Pleads Guilty in $4.2 Million Fraud for Collecting Tuition for Veterans Who Didn’t Attend Classes


LOS ANGELES – The owner and president of a San Fernando Valley trucking school pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for bilking the United States Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $4 million in tuition and other payments after falsely certifying that veterans had attended classes that they never took.

Emmit Marshall, 52, of Woodland Hills, pleaded guilty to five felony counts of wire fraud. United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled a November 18 sentencing hearing, where Marshall will face a statutory maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison.

Marshall, the owner and president of Chatsworth-based Alliance School of Trucking (AST), admitted in his plea agreement that, from July 2011 until April 2015, he and co-defendant Robert Waggoner, 56, of Canyon Country, who was a director at AST, schemed to defraud the VA. Marshall and Waggoner recruited eligible veterans to take trucking classes paid under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. AST was certified to offer classes under the Post-9/11 GI Bill that included a 160-hour Tractor Trailer & Safety class and a 600-hour Select Driver Development Program.

Pursuant to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA paid tuition and fees directly to the school at which the veteran was enrolled. The VA also paid a housing allowance to the veteran enrolled full-time in an approved program, and, in some cases, the VA paid a books and supplies benefit directly to the veteran. Marshall admitted that Waggoner and another individual recruited eligible veterans to enroll at AST by telling the veterans they could collect housing and other fees from the VA without attending the programs. Knowing that the vast majority of veterans enrolling at AST did not intend to attend any portion of those programs, Marshall and Waggoner created and submitted fraudulent enrollment certifications, according to Marshall’s plea agreement. They also created student files that contained bogus documents.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/trucking-school-owner-and-president-pleads-guilty-42-million-fraud-collecting-tuition

July 29, 2019

In Oklahoma, fundraising among Democratic challengers swings to Warren

Elizabeth Warren, a native Oklahoman and Massachusetts senator, raised nearly $22,000 in Oklahoma in the second quarter of 2019, the most among Democratic challengers to President Donald Trump, Federal Election Commission data shows.

And Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who Democrats in Oklahoma favored in the 2016 presidential primary, seems to have lost his momentum in the Sooner State, slipping to fourth among Democratic contenders.

But, unsurprisingly, Trump still dominates in Oklahoma. He’s raised nearly $335,000 so far in 2019, more than every Democratic candidate combined (Democrats have totaled a little under $160,000 so far this year).

Data released by the FEC — provided by Propublica and analyzed by The Frontier — shows Warren has totaled more than $26,000 in the first two quarters of 2019. She showed a nearly 400 percent increase in fundraising in the second quarter, after only raising just more than $4000 in quarter one.

Read more: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/in-oklahoma-fundraising-among-democratic-challengers-swings-to-warren/

July 29, 2019

GOP opposition to Colin Allred starts to take shape after he turned a Dallas-area U.S. House seat

GOP opposition to Colin Allred starts to take shape after he turned a Dallas-area U.S. House seat blue


by Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune.


The Republican primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is finally starting to take shape.

One candidate, former Navy SEAL Floyd McLendon, entered the race Monday. And more announcements are expected before the end of the summer as the opposition begins to crystallize for what will be an uphill battle. Allred easily flipped the 32nd District last year as he unseated U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas.

The national GOP is targeting the district in 2020, though compared to Texas' seven other battleground congressional races, the challenger lineup has been slow to develop. Republicans have waited to see if Sessions attempts a comeback and have been sizing up the political landscape of a presidential-election year in bluer and bluer Dallas County.

"I think it will be a tough race but is winnable by Republicans," said Wade Emmert, former chairman of the county GOP. "It’s always true that turnout drives the result, but that is probably more true with President Trump on the ballot. To win, a Republican candidate will have to embrace the Republican base, including Trump, but differentiate himself or herself enough to speak to the specific issues of TX-32."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/07/29/republican-primary-challenge-colin-allred-starts-take-shape/

July 29, 2019

Texas might spend up to $20 billion to protect Houston from hurricanes. Rice University says it can

Texas might spend up to $20 billion to protect Houston from hurricanes. Rice University says it can do it for a fraction of that.


by Kiah Collier, Texas Tribune


For about a decade, two of Texas’ top universities have pushed dueling plans to protect the Houston-Galveston region from hurricanes.

A concept championed by Texas A&M University at Galveston appears to be winning out as the federal and state governments pursue a plan similar to one proposed by A&M oceanographer Bill Merrell in early 2009, months after Hurricane Ike smashed ashore at Galveston Island.

But that project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office, which calls for the installation of beachfront sand dunes and massive storm surge barrier gates, won’t become reality for at least 15 years — and probably much longer. That leaves plenty of time for a worst-case hurricane to devastate the densely populated, highly industrialized region — a reality that’s coming into sharper focus as sea levels rise and the ocean warms.

The so-called coastal barrier system also carries a significant price tag — as much as $20 billion — and a significant part of the system may guard against only a modest, 100-year storm.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/07/29/rice-university-plan-texas-coast-barrier/

July 29, 2019

Historic Catholic church near Temple destroyed by fire, Austin Diocese says

Fire destroyed a historic Catholic church near Temple early Monday, leaving nearly nothing behind, according to the Diocese of Austin.

Diocese officials said the cause of the fire that erupted at the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia on Monday morning has yet to be determined. It appears the church will be a total loss, officials said.

“I am saddened for the people of Westphalia who have suffered this tremendous loss,” said Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, who visited the parish on Monday. “I am grateful for all the firefighters and departments that responded to the fire. Please join me in keeping the people of this historic parish in your prayers today as they try to piece together this tragedy.”

The parish of the Church of the Visitation was founded in 1883 and serves 244 families. The church itself was completed in 1895 for $8,000 with most of the construction done by parishioners.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190729/historic-catholic-church-near-temple-destroyed-by-fire-austin-diocese-says

July 29, 2019

Anti-Gay DA Claims His Religious Rights Are Being Violated After Attempt to Have Him Disqualified

A Tennessee county prosecutor who says the law does not apply to same-sex couples and Muslims is now claiming his First Amendment rights of religion and political viewpoint are being violated. Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott attacked a defendant in a case he is prosecuting that hinges on First Amendment freedoms to protest and petition the government to redress grievances, saying his attempts to remove the D.A. from his case are “constitutionally repugnant.”

Northcott says his critics “are trying to impose on me a religious and political test for serving in my office, for conducting my job,” Nashville’s News Channel 5 reports. Northcott says his critics don’t “like” his “theological and political beliefs.”

The case involves student activist Justin Jones, who is charged with throwing a paper cup of iced tea or some other liquid into an elevator filled with lawmakers, during a protest. No one was hurt.

“This case is every bit about race and equality and marginalized populations,” Jones’ attorney, Nick Leonardo, told a judge last week. “And with those sorts of views, judge, it’s impossible for Mr. Jones to get a fair trial.”

Read more: https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2019/07/anti-gay-da-claims-his-religious-rights-are-being-violated-after-attempt-to-have-him-disqualified/

July 29, 2019

Ricky Se Fue--Y Ahora Que? A Mobilized Puerto Rico Battles Increased Federal Control

On the evening of July 25, Puerto Rico’s Constitution Day and the 121st anniversary of the U.S. invasion of the island, disgraced Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló finally announced his resignation. With it, perhaps, comes the promise of a new political era.

The sound of Rosselló’s televised address, which was played over speakers in Old San Juan, was quickly drowned out by the cheers of jubilant protesters who had taken over the streets in front of the governor’s mansion to demand Rosselló’s ouster for his role in a scandal involving misogynistic and homophobic private chats as well as recent arrests of members of his government on pay-to-play corruption charges.

For nearly two weeks, massive demonstrations led by famous artists and community leaders had rocked Puerto Rico, shutting down highways. They were complemented by demonstrations on the mainland, including those in New York and Washington, D.C. Videos of boricuas taking over the streets of San Juan with pot-banging and perreo, a reggaeton-influenced dance, instantly went viral, surprising many Americans along with the rest of the world. (Who knew protesting could look so good?)

Demonstrations last Monday alone drew an estimated 30 percent of the island’s 3.1 million inhabitants. The last time Puerto Ricans displayed anything close to such people power was during the backlash over the U.S. government’s subjecting the island of Vieques, located about 13 miles off the coast of the commonwealth, to target practice for bombing runs.

Read more: https://prospect.org/article/ricky-se-fue-y-ahora-que-mobilized-puerto-rico-battles-increased-federal-control
(American Prospect)