A tentative agreement has been reached between striking nurses and management at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital in Madison.
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Marinated roast pork with fried plantains; paella; flan.
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Ricotta dumplings with red pepper sauce; gnocchi maison; linguine with clam sauce and vegetables.
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Basic serger techniques and beyond; stitches and threading.
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Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz (center) discusses the arrest of Ramón Morales Reyes with attorneys Kimi Abduli (right) and Cane Oulahan (left). (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
A strange turn of events followed the arrest of Ramón Morales Reyes, a 54-year-old Mexican-born man, who was living in Milwaukee as he sought a U-visa — a type of visa available to victims of crimes.
On Friday, advocates from Voces de la Frontera joined immigration attorneys representing Morales Reyes to dispute accusations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Morales Reyes — who does not speak or write in English — drafted a neatly handwritten note in English threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump. Voces de la Frontera and Morales Reyes’ attorneys are calling for DHS to correct the record and clear his name.
The affair began on May 21, when Voces de la Frontera received a hotline call reporting a possible sighting of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Milwaukee. Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, said during the Friday press conference that one of the group’s “trained community verifiers” contacted local residents who confirmed the sighting and also provided video footage of Morales Reyes being detained.
“His vehicle was left on the side of the road, and using the license plate we were able to identify the owner and communicate with his family,” said Neumann-Ortiz. “Shortly after, Ramón’s daughter came to our office to seek help. We assisted her in completing a power of attorney and ensuring that her father received the essential medication that was critical to his health. We immediately contacted attorney Kime Adbuli, who has been representing Ramón in his ongoing U-visa case.”
Neumann-Ortiz explained that a “U-visa” is a form of immigration relief for crime victims who have suffered emotional or physical abuse and who have helped law enforcement or government officials in the investigation and prosecution of a crime. “It provides a temporary legal status, and a pathway to permanent residency,” said Neumann-Ortiz. “In the past, the Morales Reyes family had sought resources from Voces.”
Days after the arrest, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem provided statements for a press release describing Morales Reyes as an “illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump.” Noem added, “this threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the president’s assassination.”
Noem was referring to Comey sharing a picture on Instagram of sea shells arranged into the numbers “8647”, which “86” interpreted as slang for “get rid of” and “47” being a reference to Trump, the 47th U.S. president, NPR reported. Comey is now being investigated by the Trump administration. “All politicians and members of the media should take notice of these repeated attempts on President Trump’s life and tone down their rhetoric,” Noem said. “I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump.”
The DHS press release included an image of the note, neatly handwritten in turquoise-colored pen and in flawless English. “We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans,” it began. “We have done more for this country than you white people — you have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to him. I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in is (sic) head — I will see him at one of his big ralleys (sic).” The reference to “30 yard 6” may be an incorrectly written reference to 30-6 (pronounced as “30 odd 6”), which is a high caliber bullet for rifles.
Morales Reyes’ family says that it is impossible that he wrote the note. Described by his attorneys as a soft spoken, hardworking and committed family man, Morales Reyes works as a dishwasher. He was described as coming from a rural part of Mexico where it’s common for people to have no more than a third-grade education. Morales Reyes had difficulty filling out paperwork, does not speak English and is not proficient in writing in Spanish. Neumann-Ortiz said that his family called Voces organizers, confirming that Morales Reyes had very little formal education, and could not read or write in Spanish.
Since his arrest, Morales Reyes’ family has received death threats on social media. “They want his name cleared,” said Neumann-Ortiz. On the day he was arrested, CNN reported, Morales Reyes was questioned by detectives from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), who suspected that someone may have been setting him up to get deported. Police were reportedly investigating jailhouse calls from a person who’d allegedly assaulted Morales Reyes during a September 2023 armed robbery.
CNN reported that ICE agents were given a handwritten note by Morales Reyes with family-related information, and agents realized that the handwriting did not match. The questions surrounding the letter are reminiscent of those stemming from the arrest and deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was accused by the U.S. government of being a member of the El Salvadoran gang MS-13. President Trump held up pictures which had been altered to appear as though “M S 1 3” was tattooed on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles.
Getting Morales Reyes deported would prevent him from testifying against the person in custody for allegedly attacking him, his attorneys said at the press conference.
Attorney Kime Abduli said there are due process concerns around Morales Reyes’ arrest, as it could interrupt his testimony as a victim in a criminal proceeding and also impact his U-visa case. The specific visa process which Morales Reyes is undertaking “is really meant to offer protection to people who may be undocumented who are victims of crime in the United States,” Abduli explained.
“It’s meant to encourage them to report those crimes, when they are victims of those crimes, to the authorities, and to cooperate in the investigation. Where a person may be undocumented and fearful of reporting these sorts of things, Congress basically established the U-visa to make it ‘safe’ for them to come forward with that information. As long as they’re cooperating with law enforcement, the U-visa is intended to offer some protection for that individual.” Obtaining a U-visa can be a very lengthy process spanning seven to eight years at a minimum, Abduli said.
Attorney Cane Oulahan, who is representing Morales Reyes in his deportation proceedings, said that ensuring due process is his top priority. Oulahan said that a bond hearing is expected in the coming days, where he expects the government to argue “vigorously” for Morales Reyes to be deported. It’s likely that the accusations from Noem’s DHS will also be raised before the judge.
The controversy and questions come as ICE attempts to expel another Milwaukee resident. Yessenia Ruano, a teacher’s aide in Milwaukee Public Schools, was ordered recently by ICE to return to her home country of El Salvador in a matter of days. This is despite Ruano having a pending visa application for trafficking victims, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
On Friday, the same day Voces and attorneys held a press conference about the Morales Reyes case, ICE ordered Ruano to get on a deportation flight on June 3. Ruano will leave behind her 9-year-old twin daughters, who are U.S. citizens. Ruano’s attorneys said that it appears that ICE is abandoning policies of waiting for processing of T and U visas, which protect people from deportation. Ruano has lived in the U.S. for 14 years, has no criminal record, has a valid work visa, and is employed at a bilingual public elementary school. She said she is hoping that a final legal filing could pause her deportation.
Ruano’s case spurred a flurry of condemnation from local Milwaukee officials. “Deporting valued members of our community who are raising and educating our kids, assisting law enforcement in their important work, and giving back to our neighborhoods should alarm us all,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley wrote on X. “These individuals are victims of a broken immigration system. The Trump administration told the country they were only going after ‘the worst of the worst’. But time and time again, we see them targeting the very people who contribute the most — our neighbors, our coworkers, or friends.”
Crowley said that he is “deeply alarmed that our country continues to turn its back on our most vulnerable.” He went on to say that “by not standing up and protecting our neighbors, we’re not just failing them — we’re failing our entire community. Due process is under attack, and that should concern all of us in Wisconsin and across the country.”
Congresswoman Gwen Moore also released a statement, calling Ruano a “beloved member of her community,” and declaring that “deporting Yessenia will not make our country safer.” Moore said the deportation order “will only separate Yessenia from her children and her community while exposing her to danger she was forced to flee in El Salvador. Instead of making America a beacon of hope for people like Yessenia, this Administration’s focus is only pushing cruelty that demonizes immigrants.”
Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) said that the Trump administration’s deportation of Ruano is “wrong and harmful.” Clancy said in a statement that Ruano had volunteered at her local Catholic parish, worked in her neighborhood school, and was taking care of her family.
Recent weeks have seen ICE and the Trump Administration focus more on Milwaukee. Since late March, at least four people have been arrested by immigration agents after attending regularly scheduled hearings at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Local officials denounced the courthouse arrests, only for Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan to also be arrested by federal agents for allegedly obstructing authorities by escorting a man sought by ICE from her courtroom into a public hallway.
“Yessenia is an asset to our community whenever she touches it,” said Clancy. “Our community and her daughters deserve to continue to have Yessenia with us here, and Yessenia deserves to continue to build a thriving life with her family in Milwaukee.” Clancy condemned ICE, saying the agency “continues to act arbitrarily and with cruelty. We must all do what we can to protect our neighbors from it.”
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What’s it going to take to make clean energy Wisconsin’s new normal? It helps to have a bunch of fresh-faced new college graduates ready to take on the world. UW Platteville has a 100% placement rate for graduates in Sustainability and Renewable Energy Systems. Hear from Renee Stram who just got her diploma--and a job--about her optimistic take on fighting climate change.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Renne Stram, UW Platteville graduate
Resources for You:
UW Platteville Sustainability & Clean Energy Systems program
Local environmental impacts of solar in Wisconsin
Defender Episode 4: Solar vs Corn for Ethanol--which land use produces the most energy?
Some things in car design make you stop and ask, “Wait, seriously?” Rear wipers don’t usually make the list, but once you notice one that looks wildly out of proportion, it’s hard to unsee. Take this Honda Prologue, for example. At first glance, everything seems fine, until your eyes land on the rear window and spot what might be one of the smallest rear wipers we’ve seen.
It’s so tiny it barely qualifies as functional. And that got us thinking, what other vehicles are out there sporting hilariously undersized rear wipers?
Read: These Concept Cars Were So Bad You’re Glad They Never Made It
As it turns out, the Prologue seen in this photo shared by a Redditor is far from the only car that has a wiper so small it can only clean the tiniest section of the rear window. Unsurprisingly, the Chevrolet Blazer EV, which shares its underpinnings with the Honda, appears to be equipped with exactly the same wiper as the Prologue.
The reasoning behind these comically small wipers is relatively straightforward. Both the Prologue and Blazer EV feature tall beltlines and narrow rear windows. Fitting a longer, centrally mounted wiper would mean it would smack into the spoiler hanging over the top of the glass. So instead, manufacturers opt for a short blade mounted low, which can clear only a small portion of the glass without interference.
But Honda and Chevy aren’t the only ones skimping on rear wiper real estate. Look at the rear of a new Jeep Grand Cherokee L, or a Wagoneer, and you’ll find that they, too, have very small rear wipers, despite having relatively large rear windows. It’s a similar story with the Ford Bronco Sport. In all of these cases, the rear wiper looks far too small for the vehicle and is only capable of cleaning a tiny part of the window.
There’s got to be a better way to handle this. And thankfully, some automakers seem to agree. As it turns out, there is. Both the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage have rear wiper blades that actually mount to the top of the rear window and are hidden beneath the rear spoiler. It’s a small change that makes a big difference in execution and aesthetics.
So, what other cars have you seen that take the idea of a rear wiper and shrink it down to toy-like proportions? Because once you start noticing them, you’ll see them everywhere.
that wiper so comically small
byu/Synfinium inHonda
Going green is on the radar for many student transportation fleets, but choosing what fuel to use is not always a simple decision. Read this month’s issue for articles on expectations and benefits of green energy options, the knowledge foundation needed for routing efficiency, electric school bus legislation in New York and the news from the 17th National Congress on School Transportation.
Also find the STN EXPO Reno Preview, complete with agenda topics, speaker information, unique event descriptions and trade show exhibitors.
Read the full June 2025 issue.
Features
Peeling Back the Routing Layers
Routing software is the brain of a transportation operation, but human routers are the heart that keep student safe to and from school. How to route requires a strong knowledge base along with many other considerations.
Green Expectations
STN EXPO East near Charlotte, North Carolina featured presentations from various OEMs about their latest and greatest offerings in the green bus space.
Fuel Choices Are Not One-Dimensional
Choosing the right fuel for your school district is no simple task, especially with all the options and funding available. District leaders weigh in on why they went in a certain direction.
Coming Clean
Going green is good for the environment, proving to have beneficial implications for student riders, bus drivers and the surrounding communities.
Special Reports
May, Should, Shall?
School Transportation News was on site in Iowa at the 17th National Congress on School Transportation. Learn some of the conversations held as the industry readies for an update the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.
Q&A: Going On an Electric RIDE With Patrick Duan
Patrick Duan, co-CEO of the electric school bus manufacturer, provides insights into top trends such as federal funding, impending tariffs and battery technology.
STN EXPO Reno Preview
STN EXPO West returns to Reno, Nevada for “Content, Community and Commerce.” Prepare for next month’s conference, trade show and networking events. You won’t want to miss any of the action.
Editor’s Take by Ryan Gray
New York State of Charge
Publisher’s Corner by Tony Corpin
Tech-Forward Approach to Staffing
The post June 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.
Every day, drivers illegally pass stopped school buses, ignoring extended stop arms and flashing red lights, putting our children in immediate danger.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) estimates over 251,000 illegal pass-bys happen daily. Projected over a 180-day school year, that’s 45.2 million times our children are at risk of injury or worse. These statistics underscore the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to protect students.
The Safe Fleet Illegal Passing Suite is the only solution designed to tackle the stop-arm violation epidemic from every angle. Prevention, proactive protection, and enforcement work together to safeguard students in the school bus Danger Zone.
and Driver Alert Device ensure drivers see and recognize a stopped school bus, reducing the likelihood of illegal pass-bys before they happen. (SAVES) captures high-quality video, photographic and location-based evidence of illegal pass-bys––including context footage from the right-hand side of the bus––and packages it for citation, holding violators accountable and driving long-term behavior change.School bus safety technology should do more than just react. It should prevent incidents, protect students in real time, and hold violators accountable. That’s how we curb the illegal passing epidemic.
The solutions in the Illegal Passing Suite work together to create a protective umbrella within the school bus’ Danger Zone. At the heart of it is SAVES.
Superior Performance with Unmatched Accuracy Rates
SAVES delivers big results while requiring minimal school administration effort by helping to keep students safe, shaping long-term positive driver behavior, and providing operational insights. With its AI-powered analytics, SAVES consistently delivers greater than 98% violation/plate-detection accuracy in real-world settings, giving districts clear, reliable evidence and full ownership of their data to support training, enforcement, and safety improvement.
Seamless Evidence Management with the SAVES Cloud Interface
Unlike competitive offerings, Safe Fleet provides the school district with full access to their data should the district want to mine the information for insight. And the Safe Fleet cloud interface streamlines the process – making it as simple as possible.
System performance stays reliable without adding a burden on the district. Safe Fleet handles updates remotely to keep everything running smoothly and safe.
Reliability That Stands the Test of Time
Safety technology needs to be reliable. There’s no room for failure when student lives are on the line. The Illegal Passing Suite is built with durability and consistency in mind, delivering dependable performance across all its components. Every piece of the suite is designed to work seamlessly, ensuring school buses are equipped with solutions that function when they matter most.
Evidence That Holds Up
The effectiveness of enforcement depends on the quality of the evidence collected. The SAVES system captures comprehensive evidence packages that consist of high-resolution video, photographic evidence, location-based and context-specific data with incredible accuracy, helping eliminate instances in which violations go unchecked. With built-in AI and automated evidence packaging, SAVES delivers clear and thorough documentation that streamlines the citation process and reinforces driver accountability.
Support and Resources at Every Step
Adopting new technology is easier when the right support is available. Safe Fleet provides expert guidance throughout every stage of SAVES onboarding, including installation, implementation, and developing community outreach programs. We handle all the technical aspects, including violation capture, processing, and citation management, so districts can stay focused on student safety.
Creating a safer environment for students takes a complete approach. With the Illegal Passing Suite and SAVES, school districts can prevent dangerous pass-bys, protect students in real time, and hold violators accountable with high-quality evidence.
Safer buses. Smarter enforcement. Stronger results. That’s the Safe Fleet difference.
Learn more at www.safefleet.net.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
The post Change Driver Behavior, Protect Students: The Smarter, Stronger Solution to Protecting Students in the Danger Zone appeared first on School Transportation News.
Nestled 20 miles south of Rochester in upstate New York, the York Central School District may be small in size, but it’s making big strides in transportation innovation under the guidance of director of transportation, Tracey Proctor.
With nearly two decades of experience in school transportation, Proctor has brought a fresh, tech-forward approach to the district since her arrival four years ago — a move that has significantly improved efficiency, safety and confidence for both drivers and students.
When Proctor joined York CSD, she came equipped not just with experience, but also a clear vision: she needed better tools to run a more modern and responsive transportation department. Having worked with Transfinder solutions at a previous district, Proctor knew she didn’t want to operate without them.
“As soon as I started, when it came contract time, I said, ‘I really need this [Transfinder technology]. I can’t go any longer without it,’” she recalls.
At the time, York was operating the old-fashioned, “very manual,” Proctor said. “A lot of notebooks. That was it.”
But she knew what she was missing without having Transfinder’s award-winning routing solution.
“Once I started with Transfinder, you just can’t go back,” Proctor said.
Today, York CSD uses Transfinder’s awards-winning Routefinder PLUS and driver app Wayfinder, a combination that has transformed the way the district manages its transportation. York CSD transports just over 400 students daily, with eight large bus runs and eight out-of-district van runs. Like many districts, small and large alike, resources and staffing flexibility are critical.
“We have 18 drivers, and right now we’re doing very well with staffing,” Proctor said, joking: “Please don’t share that with anyone!” Still, the district relies on flexibility, with mechanics and even Proctor herself stepping in to drive when needed. That’s where Wayfinder has made a tremendous difference.
Wayfinder has helped the district when assigning routes to new drivers or substitutes who may not be familiar with the run.
“I don’t print routes anymore,” she said. “I just click on the Wayfinder and say the driver, ‘There it is.’ It’s done and I know that it’s correct.”
The technology is also helping shape the future of York’s driving staff. Those used to driving small vans with fewer students are appreciative of the Routefinder PLUS-built routes displayed on Wayfinder as they travel unfamiliar terrain with more students.
The ease of use of Wayfinder and Routefinder PLUS has also made an impression. Proctor recently completed her Wayfinder training and described the experience as a positive experience.
“I don’t know my way around a computer very well,” she said. “Everyone at Transfinder has been very helpful. They take their time with me. I should say, they speak my language. They didn’t speak ‘technical talk.’ The classes were very, very down-to-earth and I was able to understand everything that was put in front of me.”
That kind of client-centered support, combined with reliable and intuitive software, is what motivated Proctor to bring Transfinder technology to York in the first place.
Looking ahead, Proctor is considering how she can use Transfinder technology even more strategically, including using Wayfinder in recruiting. “I never have in the past, but now that I know how it works and how it helps the drivers, I definitely will use it for recruitment,” she said.
To learn more about Routefinder PLUS, Wayfinder or Transfinder’s suite of solutions, visit Transfinder.com, email getplus@transfinder.com or call 800-373-3609.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
The post ‘I Can’t Go Any Longer Without [Transfinder],’ York CSD Director Says appeared first on School Transportation News.
The Swedish government announced starting July 1 it will be enforcing new rules on ships that pass through Swedish territorial waters or the economic zone – not just those that call at a port. It joins others including Estonia, Finland, and the European Union which also introduced new monitoring efforts including checking insurance documentation for vessels sailing through the Baltic.
“We see more and more problematic events in the Baltic Sea and it requires that we not only hope for the best, but also plan for the worst,” said Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, in a posting on social media. “Now we have made an important decision to protect the Baltic Sea from the Russian shadow fleet… Security can't wait.”
According to the government, the new regulation that it adopted aims to combat the shadow fleet and thereby improve maritime safety and environmental protection. The Swedish Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration are being tasked with collecting insurance information from ships that pass through Swedish territorial waters or the economic zone regardless if they are scheduled to make a port call in Sweden.
“We are now increasing surveillance in the Baltic Sea,” said Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer. He pointed to the shadow fleet circumventing international rules and threatening safety.
Sweden’s action follows the European Commission which in April adopted a requirement that all vessels, including those merely passing through EU waters without entering an EU port, provide insurance information.
Efforts to check documentation and insurance information have led to increased tensions in the Baltic. Estonia’s effort at stopping a tanker it suspected of operating without a legitimate registry led to a brief showdown that included a Russian warplane making an unauthorized entry into Estonian airspace. Similarly, Finland has recently reported that a Russian warplane entered its airspace while Finland’s Defense Minister said the country would continue its efforts to monitor the movement of shadow fleet tankers in the Gulf of Finland.
The EU in particular has continued to apply pressure on the shadow fleet. It has now sanctioned over 300 tankers while there has been talk of further actions aimed at Russia’s oil trade.
Russia’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia referred to the actions as “Baltic pirates” and their EU “cheerleaders,” during a speech to the UN Security Council. He said the “inappropriate behavior of EU countries sets a very dangerous precedent.”
The Russian Navy has reportedly begun escorting some shadow fleet tankers on their passage away from the oil terminals and into the Baltic.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed on Friday, May 30, that the dismantling contract for ex-USS Enterprise has been awarded. It marks the official end to the process that began several years ago after the first U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carrier was decommissioned in 2017 and the debate began on her final fate.
Included in the listing of contracts finalized by the Department of Defense is the awarding of $536 million in a fixed-price contract to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services for the dismantling, recycling, and disposal of ex-Enterprise. It is a Mobile, Alabama-based partnership between NorthStar Group Services and Modern American Recycling and Radiological Services announced in November 2024 as one of the bidders for the contract. The other competitors were in Newport News, Virginia, and Brownsville, Texas with it noted that only Brownsville had a ship-recycling specialist experienced in disposing of U.S. Navy’s conventional aircraft carriers. The decommissioned aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy arrived in Brownsville on February 2, 2025, for dismantling after being towed from Philadelphia.
Enterprise was present at some of the most important moments in modern U.S. Navy history (USN)
DoD reports that Enterprise “will be dismantled in its entirety, and all resulting materials will be properly recycled or disposed of. Specifically, hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive waste, will be packaged and safely transported for disposal at authorized licensed sites.”
The process of disposing of the carrier began in 2022 with the Navy releasing a report that explored the options including continuing to hold the vessel in lay-up or dismantling. The following year, the Navy confirmed that it preferred to dismantle the carrier using a commercial facility so as not to lose precious space and capacity in its own shipyards.
Enterprise's nuclear reactors have been defueled, but there are still "legacy radiological and hazardous wastes" on board the Navy concluded in its analysis. During the dismantling process, the hazardous components will be separated and properly contained for shipment to a storage site. North Star will be responsible for dismantling the other sections of the ship. DoD reports the work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by November 2029.
It will be an economic boost for Mobile. The city is already reporting a mini-surge in tourism after the liner ss United States arrived at the MARS facility. The liner is being prepared in Mobile for a planned reefing. The Mobile Chamber of Commerce last year said it opposed dismantling the carrier in the area fearing the potential of a mishap or contamination.
USS Enterprise with nuclear-powered escorts USS Long Beach and Bainbridge, the world's first all-nuclear task force (June 1964, USN)
Known by her nickname “Big E,” the carrier was a symbol of the United States' naval power. She remains the longest naval vessel ever constructed, though she is outranked by the Nimitz and Ford-class carriers when measured by displacement. She has a length of 1,123 feet (342 meters) at the flight deck and has a displacement of approximately 94,000 tons. Enterprise had an acknowledged top speed of over 30 knots, although it was rumored she could operate at much faster speeds.
Big E was present at some of the most important moments in modern U.S. Navy history, including the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis; aerial combat and bombardment missions during the Vietnam War; the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy during the fall of Saigon; the bombing of Al Qaeda and Taliban installations after 9/11; and duty in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She also participated in the early space program tracking John Glenn’s orbit of the Earth in the Friendship 7 capsule.
She was commissioned in 1961 and was to have been part of a class of nuclear carriers. Instead, the Navy learned from her and went on to build the Nimitz class, which remains the hallmark of the nuclear navy. Enterprise served with distinction through the 1960s before a fire in 1969 and an overhaul in the early 1970s. She received life extension refits in the 1990s and in 2008 which lasted till 2010. She began her final deployment in March 2012 and was officially listed as deactivated in December 2012.
Deactivated in 2012, Enterprise is seen here in her 2013 move into lay-up in Newport News, Virginia (USN)
Settling the disposal of the ship took on greater importance as the Navy now looks to the deactivation of the first Nimitz class carriers in the coming years. Enterprise is to provide a model for the Navy as it moves forward into the Ford class. The legacy of Big E will be celebrated as about 14 tons of steel salvaged from CVN-65 will be incorporated into CNV-80, the third Ford-class carrier which fittingly will be the next USS Enterprise.
[By: Danfoss]
Vaasa, Finland-based Danfoss Drives is supplying variable-speed AC drives for the propulsion systems of the Finnish Navy’s four Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes. Part of the Finnish Defense Squadron 2020 project, these corvettes are under construction at Rauma Marine Constructions’ (RMC) shipyard in Rauma, Finland. These AC drives are engineered to withstand the demanding naval environment and comply with stringent requirements for environmental resilience, shock resistance, electromagnetic compatibility, and national Navy/NATO standards.
The multi-role corvette is a warship capable of effectively executing the Navy’s missions at sea year-round. In terms of performance and features, these warships are designed for the varying conditions of the Baltic Sea and international operations. The Squadron 2020 project vessels are scheduled for completion by 2029.
“Delivering our megawatt-class, liquid-cooled AC drives from the Danfoss iC7 product series for Finland’s new Squadron 2020 corvettes is a milestone for Danfoss Drives. These drives are engineered to meet the demanding needs of the marine industry,” says Mika Kulju, President, Danfoss Drives.
“This project highlights the strong collaboration with our local partners WE Tech and VEO in Vaasa, Finland, as well as RENK in Germany, who facilitate delivery to the Rauma shipyard. We deeply value the trust placed in us by the Finnish Defense Forces and RMC's Rauma shipyard,” says Mika Kulju.
Demonstrating their versatility, Danfoss’ megawatt-class, liquid-cooled AC drives – identical to those being supplied to the Finnish Navy – are also deployed on Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia ferry on the Vaasa-Umeå route. For the past four years, the Aurora Botnia has utilized Danfoss AC drives to orchestrate a sophisticated hybrid propulsion system, seamlessly managing power distribution from the LNG main engine’s generators to 2x6-megawatt propeller motors and a 2-megawatt-hour battery bank. This system, controlling a total of 35 megawatts, underscores Danfoss’ expertise in advanced power management. The Aurora Botnia was also built at RMC’s Rauma shipyard.
“The fact that we have a versatile shipyard capable of meeting the Navy’s demanding requirements reflects the strength of Finland’s shipbuilding expertise, and one that places its trust in the reliability and performance of Finnish technology, especially the advanced drive solutions from Danfoss Drives, whenever possible,” says Mika Kulju.
What is a frequency converter?
A frequency converter controls an electric motor by varying the frequency and voltage of the power supply. This is often referred to as speed control, as it adjusts the motor’s speed.
The benefits of adjusting motor speed include:
Frequency converters are used in many industries, including manufacturing, energy, transportation, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning).
[By: ARC Group]
American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC Group) has announced the appointment of Chris Heibel as Chief Operating Officer, effective June 1, 2025.
In this expanded role, Mr. Heibel will assume leadership of the day-to-day execution of commercial and operations functions for ARC Group, the largest U.S.-flag Ro-Ro shipping company in international trade and a trusted global logistics partner for the Department of Defense. His responsibilities will include leadership of sales, marketing, pricing, and operations for the company’s global services.
“Chris’s deep understanding of our customer base and the operational landscape of government services will position us well for continued excellence, responsiveness in service delivery, and planning and implementation of winning business strategies and plans,” said Eric Ebeling, President & CEO of ARC Group. “His leadership as COO ensures ARC Group will continue delivering the reliable, strategic logistics capabilities our service members depend on.”
Mr. Heibel brings nearly 18 years of distinguished service with ARC Group, having held multiple senior leadership roles across the Commercial and Military Markets divisions. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Commercial, where he successfully led strategic initiatives and deepened key government and commercial relationships.
Before joining ARC Group, Chris served 21 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Colonel after holding critical logistics and transportation leadership roles worldwide. Chris is a graduate of James Madison University. He and his wife, Kristi, have been married for 39 years and reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. They are proud parents of daughters, Morgan and Madison.
After campaigning on a promise to accelerate the U.S. energy industry, the Trump administration issued its first final LNG export approval which went to Sempra Infrastructure’s proposed Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 project. The permit granted by the Department of Energy would make it possible for the second phase project to export LNG to countries that do not have a free-trade agreement with the United States.
The Trump administration has been fiercely critical of its predecessor’s pause on LNG export permits, terming the move “reckless.” Following the finalization of the 2024 LNG Export Study, which the administration is praising for confirming that LNG exports support the U.S. economy, strengthen allies, and enhance national security, the Department of Energy (DOE) has moved to support the expansion of the industry.
The Port Arthur LNG facility is promoted as having the potential to become one of the largest LNG export facilities in North America. Phase II of the export facility has been in the works since September 2023 when the Biden administration issued authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The project is expected to include two liquefaction trains capable of producing approximately 13 Mtpa of LNG, which would double the total liquefaction capacity of the Port Arthur LNG facility up to 26 Mtpa.
Phase 1 of the Port Arthur LNG project is currently under construction and consists of trains 1 and 2, as well as two LNG storage tanks and associated facilities. Sempra reports construction of the project continues to progress, and they expect commercial operation for train 1 in 2027 and train 2 in 2028.
DOE is hailing the issuing of the permit for Phase 2 as another critical step in expanding the U.S.’s LNG industry. Sempra however highlights that the project remains subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include completing the required commercial agreements, securing and/or maintaining all necessary permits, obtaining financing, and reaching the final investment decision.
Sempra also operates the Cameron LNG export terminal in Louisiana, which has been exporting LNG since 2019, and is currently constructing the Energia Costa Azul terminal in Mexico, which will begin commercial export operations of U.S.-sourced gas as LNG beginning in 2026.
In authorizing the exports, DOE has relied heavily on the LNG Export Study that was released by the Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Management in December last year and had a public comment period through March 20 this year. Part of the findings in the study is that the U.S. has a robust natural gas supply that is sufficient to meet growing levels of exports while minimizing impacts on domestic prices, growing LNG exports increase gross domestic product and expand jobs while also improving trade balance. It also asserts that increasing LNG exports enhances domestic and international global security with no discernable impact on global greenhouse gas emissions.
While Port Arthur Phase 2 marks the first final approval, the administration had previously issued four LNG export authorizations. This includes one to Commonwealth LNG's proposed export facility in Louisiana, and another to Venture Global's CP2 project also in Louisiana. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the administration has approved a total volume of exports of 11.45 Bcf/d.
The U.S. has been the largest exporter of LNG ahead of Qatar and Australia. Qatar however is preparing to open its North Field Expansion project starting in 2026. By 2030 it expects to double production to 142 mtpa.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri continues to show the strength of its cruise ship orderbook as the company’s Monfalcone shipyard today floated the second LNG-fueled cruise ship, Mein Schiff Flow, for Germany’s TUI Cruises. It follows the delivery of her sister ship, Mein Ship Relax, in February, and a recent order from another TUI Group company Marella Cruises for two new ships.
The relationship with TUI Group was established in 2018 with the order of the two cruise ships known as the InTUItion class for Mein Schiff, which is a partnership between TUI and Royal Caribbean Group focused on the German-speaking market. Fincantieri highlights the ships each of which is approximately 157,650 gross tons, as a first-in-class project developed by the shipyard enhancing the modernity and sustainability characteristics that TUI Cruises promotes in its operations.
The new ships are 1,070 feet (326 meters) in length with 1,945 passenger cabins and accommodations for 3,984 passengers and 1,535 crew. In addition to being the largest ships of the fleet, they have innovations for relaxation, 14 restaurants including more variety and a new Asian restaurant, and redefined spa and wellness areas. The ships feature the cruise line’s first two-deck “freedom suites,” as well as introducing inside, outside, and balcony cabins for solo travelers.
They are designed for operations either on LNG or Marine Gas Oil (MGO), making them the first LNG-fueled ships in the Mein Schiff fleet. TUI has highlighted that they are a future-proof design with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG when the alternatives become available in sufficient quantity for commercial operations. TUI last year also introduced a cruise ship built by Meyer Turku that is ready for future operations on methanol fuel.
The two cruise ships from Fincantieri feature catalytic converters meeting Euro 6 standards, a steam turbine, using the residual heat from the diesel generators, as well as an electrical shore-power connection. They are also being equipped with an innovative and highly efficient waste treatment system capable of transforming organic materials into recyclable components through a thermal process.
After a christening ceremony and blessing in Monfalcone, Italy, the floodgates were opened on the dry dock to float Mein Schiff Flow for the first time on May 30. They are reporting it required around 130 million liters of water to enter the dock for the successful flotation. Mein Schiff Flow will be moved to the outfitting berth and is due to enter service in the summer of 2026.
Naming ceremony for the first cruise ship Mein Schiff Relax (TUI Cruises)
Her sister ship Mein Schiff Relax was celebrated with a spectacular naming ceremony early in April in the port of Malaga, Spain. More than 12,000 people attended the event which included two other ships from the fleet, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 7, also docked in the port. The event concluded with a 120-meter (nearly 400-foot) rocket line launched from the bow of one of the ships.
Mein Schiff Relax is the eighth ship for the brand, all new builds, and will be joined by the ninth ship when Mein Schiff Flow starts operations. The brand has grown rapidly having operated its first cruises in 2009.
Fincantieri received the order for two cruise ships, the first new builds for Marella Cruises (a brand owned by TUI Group) at the end of March. Carnival Corporation also placed an order in April for Mein Schiff competitor AIDA Cruises, the first for Fincantieri, while the yard also has confirmed orders for its first cruise ships over 200,000 gross tons to be delivered to both Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line. It will build seven ships under those contracts with deliveries scheduled into the 2030s.
In a surprise announcement that leaked out on Friday, May 30, Newport News Shipbuilding is furloughing about two percent of its workforce – 471 salaried employees – effective immediately. The shipyard which recently highlighted for the first time it would be simultaneously working on building two massive Ford-class aircraft carriers is citing the need for increased accountability and efficiency.
News of the furloughs is being widely reported by the media in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia which points out that Newport News is Virginia’s largest industrial employer. The reports said the company employs approximately 26,000 people and was conducting hiring efforts. Virginia Business reports the company added about 3,000 people in 2024 and had said it expected a similar increase this year.
The company confirmed the action in a statement sent to the Virginia media. “After careful review of our salaried workforce and business needs, we have furloughed 471 salaried shipbuilders across HII‘s Newport News Shipbuilding division,” the statement said. “This decision was not made lightly given its impact on affected team members. We take this step, however, to increase accountability and efficiency, and to improve overall performance in meeting our current and future commitments to the U.S. Navy.”
The shipbuilder is emphasizing changes in the industry and during the first quarter report, its parent company HII announced that Newport News’ revenues had decreased by 2.6 percent ($38 million) in the quarter. It cited lower volumes in aircraft carriers and naval nuclear support services, partially offset by higher volumes in the Columbia-class submarine program.
The company had recently reported securing new government contracts but the Trump administration while promising increases in military spending has been putting pressure on efficiency and cost-cutting. The Department of Defense has promised to increase efficiency while the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has a stated objective to modernize information technology, maximize productivity and efficiency, and cut wasteful spending.
Newport News in December christened the thirteenth Virginia-class submarine it has built for the U.S. Navy. That followed repositioning the under-construction carrier Enterprise in the dry dock to create a position to start work in 2025 on the next carrier, the Doris Miller. It also announced the acquisition of a South Carolina-based complex metal fabricator specializing in the manufacture of shipbuilding structures, modules, and assemblies to expand Newport News’ capacity.
The furloughs will impact engineers and other salaried positions at the shipbuilder and are currently expected to last up to five months. The company spokesperson is emphasizing that it is a temporary non-work, non-pay status, not terminating or reassigning any employees. However, they cannot work for contractors during this period. They were informed of the action the media reports said in an email on Friday and told it was effective as of Monday.
The spokesperson told the Virginia media that the company would continue to evaluate its staffing needs.
The abandonment of vessels and their crews is running significantly ahead of the rate in 2024 and is on track to a new record warns the International Transport Workers’ Federation. The association of transport unions is reiterating its long-standing call for more action and a crackdown both on shipowners and the registries that fail to respect seafarers.
“Abandonment is a growing, systemic problem,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. “Behind every number is a human being who has been failed by the industry and the governments responsible for regulating it. The fact that we're on track to break last year’s appalling record is a sign that urgent reform is needed.”
The ITF calculates that vessel abandonment is up 33 percent year-over-year in 2025. It says as of May this year it had recorded 158 cases of vessel abandonment, up from 119 at the same point in 2024. These cases represent more than 1,501 seafarers who have reached out to the ITF for assistance, many of whom were left unpaid, without food, water, or access to ports, often for months at a time.
They highlight in 2024 its inspectors and teams were able to recover $13.5 million for abandoned seafarers. Last year, it said there was a record 3,100 seafarers abandoned. In total, the ITF reports in 2024 it recovered more than $58.1 million in unpaid wages due to seafarers. Already in 2025, they report ITF inspectors have helped to recover $4.1 million for seafarers affected by abandonment.
“We’re dealing with owners who walk away from their obligations, often while sub-standard registers look on and do nothing,” said Steve Trowsdale, Head of the ITF Inspectorate. “In many cases, it's impossible to identify the owner, and flag states are either unwilling or unable to act. This is what makes the rise in cases so dangerous – impunity is growing across the board.”
As the number of cases climb, the ITF says it is increasingly concerned by the limits on enforcement. It calculates that half of the world’s fleet operates under a “flag of convenience,” and notes that more than 80 percent of abandoned vessels are also operating under a flag of convenience. The ITF highlights that it has a list of 45 countries that provide a flag of convenience. It added Tuvalu and Guinea-Bissau to its list of problematic registries that lack enforcement along with the 2024 addition of Gabon and Eswatini. In 2023, it added San Marino to the target list.
The group is calling for reforms to the registry system to ensure that every vessel can provide transparent, traceable links to its beneficial owner. The ITF says registries must be “armed – and willing – to detain and penalize those who walk away from their crews.”
The leading members of the International Maritime Organization have also raised concerns about the proliferation of suspect flags that do not properly enforce regulations. In addition, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission just over a week ago announced that it was starting an investigation into these registries. It, too, cited the lack of regulations and enforcement saying it had the potential to create unfavorable conditions in the foreign trade of the United States.
While the Maritime Labor Convention stipulates basic standards for wages and transportation for seafarers to and from their ships and homes, enforcement remains a problem. Flag states have a legal responsibility when vessel owners and operators abandon their crews or fail to pay their wages and provide basic welfare conditions. States such as Australia highlight their efforts during port state inspections, but frequently it falls to the unions and charities to aid abandoned seafarers.
Researchers based in California studied the electronic reservation system established for containerships and have now concluded that the digital port queuing system is low-hanging fruit that can help drastically cut shipping emissions. They are the latest to endorse versions of slow steaming for vessels while warning that ports and liners are clinging to the archaic “first-come, first-served” approach.
The starting point for their research focused on the fact that the commercial shipping industry contributes nearly three percent of global greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions and approximately two percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2), making it a major accelerator of climate change. The researchers said that while shipping is coming under intense pressure to decarbonize, the industry has failed to utilize a system that is the easiest to implement and which can cut GHG emissions by 16 to 24 percent.
Worldwide, ports continue to rely on the century-old “first-come, first-served” system for ship berthing. Typically, vessels continue to race across the ocean and then line up and idle at ports as they wait to be unloaded. The researchers write that “first-come, first-served” incentivized a practice known as “sail fast, then wait” where vessels rush to reach their destination port to secure a place in the berthing queue. As port congestion around the world has grown, vessels can wait at anchorage or loiter near ports at low speed for hours, days, or even weeks.
In normal times at busy ports like Los Angeles and Long Beach, it was typical to have as many as four vessels backlogged and waiting for a berth. At the heart of the pandemic, the backlog for the Southern California ports ballooned to over 100 vessels and even today major ports around the world still have large backlogs.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach implemented a queuing system in 2022 that assigned predetermined positions when vessels departed their last port of call. Essentially, the system means that containerships get a spot in line based on when they left the last port of call. With their place in line secure, vessels delivering cargo to the ports do not have to rush during their trans-Pacific voyage, giving them the luxury to reduce speed which in effect meant burning less fuel and creating fewer emissions.
The researchers at the University of California believed the system is low-hanging fruit that can have the added benefit of reducing CO2 emissions. The team was able to substantiate this conclusion and make a new case for slow steams after applying a bottom-up emissions model using vessel technical specifications and automatic identification system data from 10,000 voyages by 1,157 containerships across 6.5 years (2017–2023). The voyages represented more than 47 million miles of traffic crossing the Pacific.
By comparing emissions before and after the new queuing system was implemented at Los Angeles and Long Beach, the team observed 16 to 24 percent reductions in emissions per voyage post-implementation. The researchers published their findings in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.
“Integrating digital queueing represents a straightforward win within the broader technology and digital transformation initiatives that ports and logistics companies are already pursuing, offering an easy-to-implement solution that could scale globally as ports modernize and streamline their operations to reduce emissions,” said Douglas McCauley, a marine ecologist UC Santa Barbara.
He added that if other ports deploy the system, this could offer a relatively simple pathway for the maritime industry to contribute to emissions reduction efforts. Notably, the system does not require massive investments or time to deploy. At Los Angeles and Long Beach, the world’s ninth busiest port complex, the system was up and running in just one month.
The researchers highlight that additional fine-tuning of the queueing system may yield even bigger climate wins. A case in point is tweaking the system slightly so ships traveled at an average speed of 17 knots instead of 18 knots across the Pacific, something that has the capacity to shave off another approximately 308,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, translating to an additional nine percent reduction.
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