Latest news with #U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Portion of Strom Thurmond Lake to reopen for Memorial Day weekend
APPLING, Ga. (WJBF) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savannah District is reopening the West Dam Day Use Area at J. Strom Thurmond Lake on Friday, May 23, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend. Access to the lake and surrounding areas had been closed to the public, due to damage caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. According to the Corps of Engineers, the park is still missing some amenities and structures, such as tables, grills and impact sites, but it is now safe for visitors. They added that debris remains 'in most parks and potential hazards remain in closed areas of parks, so visitors must use caution and refrain from entering closed areas.' The Corps of Engineers stated that the West Dam Day Use Area reopening makes 40 of 51 recreation areas that have at least partially reopened since Hurricane Helene hit. For additional information about the J. Strom Thurmond Lake Hurricane Helene Recovery, visit Thurmond Hurricane Helene Recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Recreation areas in New Hampshire will have reduced hours this summer due to hiring freeze
Some popular recreation areas around New Hampshire will have reduced hours and services this summer due to the ongoing federal hiring freeze, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New England District announced this week. The USACE New England District released a statement on social media this week that recreation areas in the region "will experience reduced hours, limited access to facilities, and significantly reduced services this summer." The agency said it hires summer rangers annually, but is unable to this year because of the hiring freeze. "We are prioritizing public safety over recreation," the announcement said. Six sites in New Hampshire could be affected. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 implementing a federal hiring freeze, which applies in part to seasonal hiring around the country. The USACE New England District said it hires seasonal summer rangers whose responsibilities include managing recreational programs. While the agency employs permanent rangers, those roles focus on managing the dam and flood control program, USACE said in its announcement. Therefore, the lack of summer rangers this year means there will be less staff available at the USACE-managed sites around New Hampshire, resulting in closures. 'We are being proactive for the benefit of New England families in our announcement – we want people to have the most time possible to prepare for possible park closures or other impacts that could affect their trips or vacations to our recreation sites this Summer," Adam Durando, the deputy chief of operations for USACE New England District, wrote in an email statement Wednesday. The USACE New England District oversees six sites around New Hampshire. However, Durando said the agency doesn't yet know which areas will have reduced services. "We don't have specifics on the hours and closures at this time and are in the process of developing those plans and determining the course of action to provide safe and enjoyable recreation areas for the visiting public without having summer rangers on board," Durando said. Visitors should check their local recreation area's website and follow USACE on social media for the latest site updates. Here are the USACE recreation areas in New Hampshire that could have reduced hours and services this summer: Blackwater Dam, Webster Edward MacDowell Lake, Peterborough Franklin Falls Dam, Franklin Hopkinton-Everett Lakes, Contoocook Otter Brook Lake, Keene and Roxbury Surry Mountain Lake, Surry Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network - New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@ This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: NH recreation areas will have reduced hours this summer. See where
CBS News
14-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
How to opt in for free wildfire cleanup before April deadline
Los Angeles County residents have until April 15 to opt in or out of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' free wildfire debris removal program. Officials extended the signup deadline to April 15 after adding commercial and multi-family residential properties to the list of eligible residents. So far, the county has received roughly 8,640 right-of-entry forms , allowing the corps to clean up local properties . Residents can also opt out of the program and hire a contractor to remove the wildfire debris. No matter which option an individual chooses, they must submit paperwork . If officials do not receive a form from a property owner, the government will clean up the debris to "protect public health and safety." In this case, the resident will have to pay for the full cost of the work and a lien may be placed on the property. LA County officials said someone's insurance status will not impact their eligibility for the government-sponsored program. The Army Corps of Engineers expect the wildfire cleanup to finish in January 2026. Anyone with questions about the program can contact the Debris Call Center between 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at (213) 308-8305. Residents can also find help through the wildfire recovery website, , or through the following resources:
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump surprise led to cringeworthy moment for Whitmer, Michigan in Oval Office
Gretchen Whitmer's political genius is in finding common ground, the "dinner table issues" we can, or should, be able to agree on. The governor's first and most important job is to deliver for the people of Michigan, and sometimes that means rising above the fray, putting aside ego, finding signal amid the noise ― you get it. Donald Trump's genius is optics, like the image of a strong female governor literally sidelined after an invitation to the Oval Office, while he signs documents at odds with her political positions and moral values. During Trump's first term, the president repeatedly criticized Whitmer's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, tweeting 'LIBERATE MICHIGAN' in an echo of protesters' demands to loosen safety restrictions. He dubbed Whitmer 'that woman from Michigan,' a nickname she wore with pride (and had printed on merch). Trump led the crowd at a 2020 campaign rally in a chant of 'lock her up,' just 10 days after a plot to kidnap and kill the governor was revealed. He even said she hadn't fixed the damn roads. Whitmer, for her part, said Trump was inspiring and incentivizing domestic terrorism. She appeared on Meet the Press via Zoom with an "8645" pin behind her, code for "fire Trump," combining restaurant slang for running out of a menu item and his numerical position on the presidential roster. But Whitmer made it clear in her 2025 State of the State address that Michigan's door is open. She's abstained from the fiery rhetoric that characterized her relationship with first-term Trump, and in a D.C. speech Wednesday morning ― a week after the president announced tariffs that sent global markets into a tailspin, and have the potential to devastate the U.S. auto industry ― she delivered a moderated message on tariffs (they're OK if applied with a scalpel) and steered clear of direct criticism of Trump. During a planned meeting later in the Oval Office, it was all smiles. At least, at first. More from Freep Opinion: Should Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer work with Donald Trump? Take our survey "We're honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from the great state of Michigan," Trump said, craning his neck, presumably to see an out-of-frame Whitmer, and — this is the first clue things were going south — addressing her by her first name. "She's really done an excellent job. She's a very good person. ... Gretchen, are you there?" She was, along with Republican Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall. Trump chatted with the pair about invasive species in the Great Lakes. Hall dunked on former President Barack Obama for what he called inattention to the Asian carp problem. Trump opined that carp could easily spread through the Great Lakes because they are "interconnected," talked about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' "gruesome" method for dealing with the fish, namedropped 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. John James, and said that he's working with Whitmer and Hall to give Selfridge Air Force Base a boost: "I think you'll come home with a winner for Michigan!" Then, as Whitmer and Hall looked on ― crammed awkwardly into a doorway, boxed in by a bunch of cameras ― Trump signed a series of executive orders launching a criminal investigation of Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security in the president's first term, for penning an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times; barring government agencies from enforcing regulations the president says are illegal or unconstitutional; and adding the law firm Susman Godfrey to a list of firms the president is punishing for representing his political opponents. Susman Godfrey represented Dominion Voting Systems in its lawsuit against Fox News, which repeatedly aired inaccurate claims that Dominion had rigged the 2020 election. Whitmer's office quickly issued a statement: "The governor was surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump's press conference without any notice of the subject matter. Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event." And a few hours later, when Trump announced a 90-day pause on last week's tariffs, the auto industry didn't get a break. A friend in Washington texted me: "She got played." More from Freep Opinion: International students help Michigan's economy. Trump wants to take that away. Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to block state policies ― in places like Michigan ― directed at fighting climate change. Last weekend, the administration abruptly canceled the visas of international students at five Michigan universities, after placing the University of Michigan on a watchlist because of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which the school has since shuttered. He threatened to use U.S. troops to remove Palestinians from Gaza, and posted an AI-generated video depicting himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu snacking on a beach in front of a Trump hotel in the territory. A undocumented Guatemalan mother and her children, who are U.S. citizens, were detained in a repurposed office building near the Ambassador Bridge for five days. Detroit Public Schools Community District and other Michigan districts are bracing for cuts following the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. Trump has instructed K-12 school districts, including DPSCD ― a school district in an 80% Black city ― to eliminate all DEI programs or risk losing federal money. On Sunday, an attorney who had represented a U-M student protester was detained at Detroit Metro Airport. On Trump's first day in office, he signed an executive order denying the existence of transgender Americans and ending birthright citizenship. He has allowed an unelected tech billionaire and a team of teenaged hackers access to government databases and Americans' personal data, and has suggested he may seek an unconstitutional third term in office. And none of this ― absolutely none of it ― should come as a surprise to anyone, because it is all detailed in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a document Trump repeatedly disavowed on the campaign trail, but has been busily implementing since taking office. More from Freep Opinion: How much of Project 2025 has been implemented? Enough to break us beyond repair. Michigan elections are decided not by the Republican or Democratic bases, but by independent voters in the middle, who don't care for partisan fights and don't believe that democracy is in jeopardy. But independent voters didn't abandon Whitmer when she came out swinging for abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned, or when she blasted Trump for hateful language, or when she shows up at Motor City Pride. She easily won re-election in 2022, defeating a Trump-endorsed candidate by a generous margin. Democrats and independents consistently approve of her performance, and she has a loyal following, particularly among women who appreciate her practical policymaking and see her as a model for female leadership. Michigan is a purple state — Trump won here last year by about 80,000 votes — but I don't particularly recall, say, former Gov. Rick Snyder paying deference to the Democratic voters who crossed the aisle to create his winning coalition. Whitmer is widely viewed as a 2028 presidential contender, but when you ask if she plans to run for president in 2028, she says no. And most of the time, I believe her, despite the memoir she published last year, or this week's Washington speech, all the sort of things prospective candidates do when they're building a national profile. If Whitmer is contemplating a run, I'd expect her to follow the playbook of past elections: the calm, levelheaded adult in the room, the one who's willing to tune out distractions and get to work. To her credit, that's also how she's governed. Any Democratic officeholder ― any prospective candidate ― faces a tough path, navigating the demands of the party's base, who want their elected officials to fight Trump's reckless reshaping of America, and independent voters who just want everything to be normal in a country where things are decidedly not normal. I respect that Whitmer is willing to collaborate if it is in the best interest of the state she governs. But Wednesday's Oval Office encounter shows the futility of that approach. Michigan is under attack, and Whitmer's most important job is protecting Michiganders and our institutions from a federal government with an appetite for destruction. It's time to find another way of handling Trump — one that maintains the dignity of Michiganders and their governor. Nancy Kaffer is the editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Contact: nkaffer@ Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online and in print. Like what you're reading? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access with a Detroit Free Press subscription. We depend on readers like you. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer took chance with Oval Office visit, got played by Trump | Opinion
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction begins on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new hopper dredge
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Construction on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' new medium class hopper dredge is officially underway. Eastern Shipbuilding crews held a traditional steel-cutting ceremony Friday morning at the Allanton Shipyard. Eastern is building the vessel for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers' Ready Reserve Fleet. It will respond to emergency dredging jobs, operating about 70 days of the year. 'Congress passed a law long ago that said dredging is so critical. We want to make sure as a nation that we have a ready reserve fleet, proper dredges, and other dredges that can respond in the event that private businesses can't respond timely. So that's exactly what this ship will do,' Eastern Shipbuilding Group CEO Joey D'Isernia said. Buy surplus government vehicles and equipment at Panama City auction The hopper dredge is the primary tool used in beach renourishment projects. However, this vessel will be primarily used to dredge shipping channels up to 100 feet deep. 'We have over 45,000 miles of coastline in inland navigation federal channels that must be dredged to ensure that we support economic growth in the country and in the region,' U.S Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Director of Operations Stephen Hill said. The hopper dredge costs about $250 million to build. The Army Corps will pay for it with money generated from other projects. 'It's like taking out a loan from ourselves. We borrowed money from ourselves to award a contract to build the vessel. And then once it's in place, the service will repay the loan by a daily rental where the costs go up between $120,000 a day to run the McFall, to pay the crew the oil to take care of the vessel,' U.S Army Corps of Engineers Regional Business Director John Primavera said. It will take up to 30 months to finish the dredge. Once completed, the vessel will work out the Philadelphia district. It has not yet been named. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
