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ASSIGNMENTS / APPOINTMENTS / ANNOUNCEMENTS

McConnell, Paul and Whitfield Press Energy Secretary Moniz on Paducah DOE Site

SOURCE:  Office of Senator Mitch McConnell

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Rand Paul, and Congressman Ed Whitfield today met with Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz to discuss the immediate and long-term future of the Paducah DOE site. The delegation, on behalf of the community, stressed the importance of DOE’s commitment to cleanup and re-industrialization in Paducah in addition to securing a long-term strategy and future for the site.

“The Paducah DOE site is extremely important to the people of Paducah, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and to each of us,” stated McConnell, Paul and Whitfield.  “It is crucial that DOE develop a long-term strategy for the site to ensure that ongoing deactivation work and future decontamination and decommissioning work is done properly and executed in a timely manner. The DOE must maximize the resources it has been provided to promote job growth and preservation in Paducah, and we remain dedicated to ensuring that DOE commits to a long-term plan.”

House Passes Massie’s Bipartisan Hemp Amendment

SOURCE:  Office of Representative Thomas Massie

“Kentucky was once the nation’s leading producer of industrial hemp, and Henry Clay was a large producer himself,” said Congressman Barr. “While the uses of hemp have grown significantly since Kentucky’s peak production in the mid-nineteenth century, the U.S. must now import much of the crop.  The University of Kentucky has been conducting serious research into the usefulness

Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY), Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR). Photo Courtesy: Offic Rep. Thomas Massie

and viability of this crop for our farmers, and I am pleased that Congress has voted to support research conducted by legitimate hemp pilot programs.”

VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA REPORTS MAY SALES – UP 8% OVER 2014

 SOURCE:  VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA

• May sales total 34,758 units

• The all-new Golf family of vehicles delivered 6,308 units, a 252 percent increase, the best May since 2000

• The Golf GTI delivered 1,826 units, a 65 percent increase

• Golf delivered 1,972 units for the month, a 188 percent increase

• e-Golf delivered 410 units, the best month ever for the vehicle

• Jetta sedan delivered 12,650 units, a 5 percent increase

• Tiguan delivered 3,079 units, a 16 percent increase

• High-mileage, TDI® Clean Diesel models accounted for 22.7 percent of sales in May – the highest TDI Mix since August 2014

Herndon, VA — Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) today reported sales of 34,758 units delivered in May 2015.
The all-new Golf family of vehicles continued to find success in the market.  In May, Golf family sales totaled 6,308 units, marking the best May for the Golf family since 2000. The all-electric e-Golf delivered 410 units for the month, the best month ever for the vehicle.

“We are encouraged by the performance of the Golf family, delivering the best May in 15 years. We are happy to see the full-lineup delivering success, whether it’s the all-electric e-Golf, the TDI Clean Diesel models, the new SportWagen and the performance driven Golf R,” said Mark McNabb, chief operating officer, Volkswagen of America.

The Chattanooga-built Passat totaled 8,180 units delivered for the month. Volkswagen recently introduced the value laden Limited Edition model, which has a starting MSRP of $23,995.

Expansion of the Chattanooga plant is underway; a recent study estimates the expansion and addition of the upcoming midsize SUV could result in an impact of 9,800 jobs and $370 million to the Tennessee economy.

The Jetta, which was refreshed for the 2015 model year and has a suite of available driver assistance features, continued to show its strength as a core model, with 12,650 units delivered, a 5 percent increase over the previous May.

The Touareg, refreshed for 2015, delivered 700 units: 348 of these were TDI® Clean Diesel models, amounting to 50 percent of its sales. The Tiguan delivered 3,079 units, marking a 16.2 percent increase over the previous May.

Flag Officer Assignments

SOURCE:  Department of Defense

PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY

SOURCE:  Department of Defense /Defense News Lead Photo

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SAN DIEGO (June 4, 2015) Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Jesse Ibarra, assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), greets his wife during a homecoming celebration at Naval Base San Diego. The Carl Vinson Strike Group returns from a nearly 10-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stacy M. Atkins Ricks/Released)

150602-N-XQ474-188 COLÓN, Panama (June 2, 2015) – Army Staff Sgt. Thomas Worley, a native of Jackson, Miss., assigned to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division Fort Polk, La., examines a puppy at a veterinary site during Continuing Promise 2015. Continuing Promise is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet-conducted deployment to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian-civil assistance, subject matter expert exchanges, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations and to show U.S. support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Schneider/Released)

A U.S. Air Force security forces Airman secures the outside of a hardened facility after neutralizing the opposing force during a combat training course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 30, 2015. Battlefield Leaders Assaulter Course, Integrated Combat Essentials — or BLAC ICE is designed to teach security forces members from multiple countries advanced tactics and shooting skills for use in the event of a base security breach. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Ryan Crane)

What Gawker’s vote to unionize means for the media industry

SOURCE:  PBS NEWSHOUR YOUTUBE