CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 26 [Category: Libraries] -- The American Library Association posted the following news release: * * * Abraham Matias, Lupe Ruiz-Flores and Vanessa L. Torres Win Pura Belpre Awards * CHICAGO -Abraham Matias, illustrator of "Popo the Xolo," Lupe Ruiz-Flores, author of "The Pecan Sheller," and Vanessa L. Torres, author of "On the Wings of la Noche," are the 2026 recipients of the Pura Belpre Youth Illustrator Award, Children's Author Award, and Young Adult Author Award, honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose wor more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service issued the following news: * * * ARS Scientists Develop Innovative Pipeline to Analyze Plant Pathogens By Tami Terella-Faram ARS scientists in Corvallis, OR, in collaboration with Oregon State University, developed a disease surveillance platform that could improve U.S. agriculture by unlocking the future of plant health. PathogenSurveillance is an innovative, open-source software tool that can quickly analyze and identify novel microbial variants based  more PR

SACRAMENTO, California, Jan. 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Opposes Federal Efforts Obstructing Wind and Solar Energy Development * OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of a challenge brought by clean energy trade associations against six federal agencies: the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ( more PR

SACRAMENTO, California, Jan. 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Opposes U.S. DOJ's Continued Misuse of Power in Attempts to Subpoena Gender-Affirming Care Records * OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday joined 20 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in United States v. QueerDoc in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The brief opposes the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ)'s subpoena requesting information on telemedicine  more PR

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 26 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General James Demands More Action from xAI to Stop Grok Chatbot from Producing Inappropriate Images to Protect Children and Adult Users * NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 34 other attorneys general demanded that xAI take additional steps to protect users from inappropriate images and content created by its AI chatbot Grok and shared on the social media platform X. In a letter  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, Jan. 26 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Nessel Demands Action from xAI over Grok's Creation of Nonconsensual Sexual Content * LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a bipartisan group of 35 attorneys general have sent a letter (PDF) demanding that xAI, the company that owns both the X social media platform and the AI chatbot Grok, take additional action to prevent its AI chatbot, Grok, from generating nonconsensual intimate images and child se more PR

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Jan. 26 -- Pennsylvania Attorney General David W. Sunday issued the following news: * * * Attorney General Sunday Co-Leads Letter to xAI Demanding Change to Grok's Unchecked Creation of Nonconsensual Sexual Content * HARRISBURG -Attorney General Dave Sunday is co-leading a bipartisan group of 35 attorneys general demanding that xAI -the company that owns both the X social media platform and the AI chatbot Grok -take additional action to prevent Grok from generating nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abu more PR

AUBURN, Alabama, Jan. 26 -- Auburn University issued the following news: * * * Construction Collaboration Three colleges unite to advance mass timber construction, a faster, cheaper and more sustainable way to build houses and buildings. * Nestled steps away from Auburn's campus is the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, a lush outdoor oasis that feels surprisingly at home in a bustling college town. The preserve's new state-of-the-art Environmental Education Building seems to grow out of the landscape like an extension of the woods, with i more PR

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Jan. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland posted the following news release on Jan. 26, 2026: * * * Biotech CEO Sentenced in Securities Fraud Scheme Greenbelt, Maryland - An Oregon man is headed to federal prison for insider trading in connection with COVID-19 and HIV drugs. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Nader Pourhassan, 62, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, to 30 months for misleading investors about his company's development of a new drug and then selling his personal stock in the comp more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Bynum Unveils K-30 Platform to Support Young Americans * Oregon City, OR - Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) launched her signature 'K-30' agenda - a platform focused on supporting young Americans by strengthening our education system, ensuring a strong job market, and lowering the cost of housing. At the West Linn Public Library, she announced that the package includes 16 pieces of legislation - 7 of which are bipartisan - that aim to add more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following news release: * * * CFTC Chairman Selig Announces Alex Titus as Chief Advisor * WASHINGTON -Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig today announced Alex Titus as Chief Advisor to the Chairman. "I am thrilled to welcome Alex to the Commission as my Chief Advisor," said Chairman Selig. "Alex is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in economic and financial policy. He brings to the Commission a wealth of experience working with  more PR

CORVALLIS, Oregon, Jan. 26 -- Oregon State University posted the following news release: * * * Changes to cougar diets and behaviors reduce their competition with wolves in Yellowstone, study finds * CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters. The study, published at a time of growing overlap between cougar and wolf habitats in the western Un more PR

YONKERS, New York, Jan. 27 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release on Jan. 26, 2026: * * * Consumer Reports applauds reintroduction of Virginia location privacy legislation Richmond, VA - Consumer Reports today announced support for the reintroduction of SB 338, legislation to amend the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act to ban the sale of consumers' precise geolocation data. Consumer Reports supported a version of this legislation last year that unanimously passed the Senate but was not advanced in the House. Virginia Sen more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Biotech CEO Sentenced in Securities Fraud Scheme Nader Pourhassan, 62, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison for misleading investors about his company's development of a new drug, then selling his personal stock in the company at artificially inflated prices. "The defendant lied to investors about a drug to treat HIV and COVID-19 so he could engage in insider trading," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- The Democratic Governors Association posted the following news: * * * DGA Statement on Chris Dudley Entering Republican Primary for Governor in Oregon * DGA Deputy Communications Director Johanna Warshaw issued the following statement in response to Chris Dudley entering the Republican primary for governor in Oregon: "Oregon Republicans are already facing a messy, crowded clown car of a primary - and failed candidate Chris Dudley's entrance into the race will only push every candidate even further to the right and o more PR

CORVALLIS, Oregon, Jan. 26 -- Oregon State University posted the following news release: * * * For couples, one affectionate communicator can help both partners feel relationship satisfaction * CORVALLIS, Ore. - If you really like holding hands and saying "I love you" but your partner doesn't, your relationship is still probably better off than if both of you had modest interest in expressing affection. Just in time for Valentine's Day, scientists have published a new study that suggests a romantic relationship's total amount of affection more PR

SALEM, Oregon, Jan. 26 -- Gov. Tina Kotek, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Kotek Convenes Community Leader Roundtable to Discuss Impact of Increased Immigration Enforcement * This past Saturday, Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson met with legislators and community leaders from across Oregon for a discussion focused on the impact of increased federal immigration enforcement activity. "Oregon is home to more than 400,000 immigrants, who make up 13 percent of our labor force. They are our friend more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 26 [Category: Libraries] -- The American Library Association posted the following news release: * * * Jonathan Fenske wins 2026 Geisel Award for 'Stop That Mop!' * CHICAGO -Author and illustrator Jonathan Fenske is the 2026 recipient of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for "Stop That Mop!" published by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. The award was announced today by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), during more PR

OLYMPIA, Washington, Jan. 26 -- Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following news release: * * * Judge rules USDOT illegally withheld funds for EV charging infrastructure * In a multi-state lawsuit co-led by Washington, California, and Colorado, a federal judge issued a final ruling that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) illegally withheld about $1 billion in funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program from 20 states and the District of Columbia. "All across the state, Was more PR

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Jan. 27 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Jan. 26, 2026: * * * Attorney General Brown Co-Leads Comment Letter to FERC Opposing Blanket Permit to Construct New and Expanded LNG Plants Without Notice and Consultation Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today co-led a coalition of 9 attorneys general opposing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) efforts to allow the construction and expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants without notice and consultation wit more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Rounds, Panetta, Moore, Carbajal Champion Bipartisan Effort to Strengthen Monarch and Pollinator Highways * Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and South Dakota's U.S. Senator Mike Rounds partnered with U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Blake Moore (R-UT-01), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) to introduce new bipartisan legislation to support pollinator-friendly habitats along roads and highways in states acr more PR

BELLEVUE, Washington, Jan. 26 [Category: Sociological] -- MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, posted the following news release: * * * Moms Tell Congress: No More Money for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security * Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the killings and other horrors our federal government is perpetrating in Minnes more PR

TRENTON, New Jersey, Jan. 27 -- New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued the following news release: * * * Acting AG Davenport Announces Win in EV Charging Infrastructure Lawsuit U.S. District Court Sides with Multistate Coalition in Fight Against the Trump Administration * Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced a decisive victory in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for unlawfully withholding bipartisan Congressionally-mandated funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Late last  more PR

TRENTON, New Jersey, Jan. 27 -- New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued the following news release on Jan. 26, 2026: * * * Acting AG Davenport Demands Immediate Action from xAI to Stop Production of Nonconsensual Intimate Images and Child Sexual Abuse Material Bipartisan Multistate Coalition Tells Grok It Must Stop Abusive and Illegal AI Images * Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced today that she is partnering with a bipartisan coalition of 35 attorneys general to demand immediate answers from platform more PR

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Jan. 27 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on Jan. 26, 2026: * * * Drummond demands xAI take action to protect children, prevent abuse of AI technology Attorney General Gentner Drummond today is demanding that xAI, the company that owns both the X social media platform and the AI chatbot Grok, take action to prevent the chatbot from generating nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material. Drummond and a coalition of 34 other state attorneys general wrote  more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 26 [Category: Libraries] -- The American Library Association posted the following news release: * * * Renee Watson, Catia Chien win Newbery, Caldecott Medals * CHICAGO -Renee Watson, author of "All the Blues in the Sky," and Catia Chien, illustrator of "Fireworks," are the 2026 recipients of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals, the most prestigious awards in children's literature. Watson and Chien were among the award winners announced today by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a di more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 26 [Category: Libraries] -- The American Library Association posted the following news release: * * * Sara Andrea Fajardo, Juana Martinez-Neal win 2026 Sibert Medal * CHICAGO -Sara Andrea Fajardo and Juana Martinez-Neal, author and illustrator of "Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa," were named the winners of the 2026 Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2025. The award was announced today by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a div more PR

PORTLAND, Oregon, Jan. 26 -- Oregon Health and Science University issued the following news: * * * Two scientists honored with grants for innovative research * Two Oregon Health & Science University faculty members have been awarded $750,000 grants through the OHSU Faculty Excellence and Innovation Awards, which honor exceptionally creative research with the potential to significantly advance human health. Alireza Karimi, Ph.D. (OHSU) The OHSU Faculty Excellence and Innovation Awards, distributed over three years, funded by the Silver F more PR

CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 26 [Category: Libraries] -- The American Library Association posted the following news release: * * * WeatherHunters, Inc. and Silver Creek Falls Entertainment win Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award for 'Weather Hunters' * CHICAGO -Producers WeatherHunters, Inc. and Silver Creek Falls Entertainment, Inc. are the 2026 recipients of the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award for "Weather Hunters." The award was announced today by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division more PR

PORTLAND, Oregon, Jan. 27 -- Portland State University issued the following news release: * * * When 911 is millions of miles away: PSU researcher builds AI guardian for Mars missions By Katy Swordfisk Forty minutes. That's how long it takes for a distress signal to travel from Mars to Earth and for a reply to return to the crew. In a medical emergency, that silence is an eternity. Because astronauts on deep-space missions cannot rely on real-time advice from home base, they need a way to spot health problems before they become crises. A n more PR