Second Lady Vance’s Reading Challenge 

By Staff Report

Second Lady Usha Vance’s Summer Reading Challenge concluded this week with over 30,000 Submissions and 360,000 books read in the three months of encouraging childhood literacy.

“I am so proud of all the children who completed my Summer Reading Challenge! I hope every participant saw just how fun and exciting reading can be and that they continue reading beyond this summer. Thank you to all of the parents and teachers who encouraged their kids and students to dive into books over the past few months and to all of our partners who made this such a rewarding experience,” said Second Lady Usha Vance. 

Second Lady Usha Vance Summer Reading Challenge
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CBP Stops Destructive Insects

By David Arnett

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Detroit Metropolitan Airport intercepted a first-in-nation batch of potentially destructive giant scale insects earlier this year. The approximately 5-mm-long insects—dark in color and covered by waxy, light-colored protrusions—were found feeding on the surface of fresh pine bark brought in for medicinal purposes during a routine baggage examination of a passenger in transit from the Central Africa nation of Cameroon to Illinois.

Local CBP and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials tentatively identified the tiny pests as a type of giant scale in February. The USDA later confirmed on Aug. 7 that the insects belonged to the Aspidoproctus species. Records indicate this was the first time the species had been encountered at a U.S. port of entry. Photo provided.
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USDA NASS Modernizes Data

By Staff Report

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Tuesday launched AgInsights, a new data dissemination tool that will serve as a key component of NASS’s ongoing modernization strategy.

Designed to enhance currently used data products and services, the AgInsights application offers streamlined information dissemination, increased operational efficiency, and a more dynamic, interactive experience so producers have easier navigation and access to the latest agricultural data.

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North Korea Slave Labor Trade

By David Arnett

The following statement was released by the Governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America on the occasion of the release of the latest report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team.

We, the participating states of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), have released a report on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) violations and evasions of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) through the ongoing overseas deployment of North Korean labourers. The MSMT is a multilateral mechanism established in October 2024 to monitor and report on the implementation of UN sanctions measures relating to the DPRK. The [full] report is available on the official MSMT website.

Photo: Human Trafficking Search
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Circle Cinema: Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’

By David Arnett

Circle Cinema will host a special one-night screening of Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope‘ on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., presented with Tulsa Artist Fellow, photographer and Black rodeo historian Adam Davis. The evening celebrates Black Western Heritage and leads into the Demery Family Rodeo, taking place Saturday, Oct. 3, in Beggs, Oklahoma.

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