FederalDaily - July 25, 2006

Navy to Test All Aboard USS Ronald Reagan For TB

The Navy announced July 23 it will expand screening to all who may have been infected by a Carrier Air Wing sailor posted to the USS Ronald Reagan who was diagnosed last week with tuberculosis. The sailor served on the new aircraft carrier’s maiden voyage, which ended July 6 at the ship’s home port of San Diego. So far, 34 of 776—or just over 4 percent—crew screened tested positive for TB, but none have active infections and all are being treated with antibiotics to prevent illness. Capt. Frank Chapman, Assistant Force Surgeon, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said, “While this isn’t a medical emergency, the commanding officer of the USS Ronald Reagan, Capt. Terry Kraft, thought it prudent to begin screening his entire crew as soon as possible to identify everyone who may have been infected and begin any necessary treatment.” For more information, go to www.nepmu5.med.navy.mil.

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Federal Employees Indicted

A federal grand jury announced July 21 it has indicted two current and two former Department of Energy (DOE) employees along with a businessman from whom the federal workers agreed to accept gratuities in exchange for assistance procuring a federal contract. Current DOE employees Timothy A. Calkins and Michael S. Craig, former DOE employees Donald S. Bragg and Charles W. Hornburg, and businessman Ernesto A. Sanchez have been charged in a conspiracy involving gratuities totaling over $390,000.00. The four government men worked together at the DOE’s Phoenix-based Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). They are charged with assisting Sanchez to secure a contract for temporary dispatchers with his company, Micro Business Technology. All five suspects have been charged with lying to federal law enforcement agents. A conviction for giving or receiving gratuities carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, a $250,000.00 fine, or both, while the false statement charge carries the same maximum fine and a five-year maximum prison sentence.

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NAACP Honors DoD Diversity

The NAACP’s 31st annual Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Awards dinner held last week in Washington honored military and civilian Department of Defense personnel who have contributed most to equal opportunity in the armed forces. This year, the spotlight was on the National Guard Bureau, for its work empowering minorities and persons with disabilities. "For 31 yeas, the NAACP has rewarded the outstanding equal opportunity and civil rights contributions of military personnel, veterans and civilian employees," said Marjorie Green of the NAACP national board of directors. "We salute your leadership and we pledge to continue to work with you in promoting equal opportunity in today's military and in correcting the wrongs of the past." Claiborne Haughton Jr., a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for equal opportunity, delivered the keynote memorial address. Approximately 36 percent of the U.S. military is composed of minorities. For more on the event, go to www.naacp.org.

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