The Nation Archives

Highways closed, rural Arizona residents wait as wildfire spreads uncontained

The Associated Press - June 8, 2021

PHOENIX — Firefighters in Arizona were fighting Tuesday, June 8, to gain a foothold into a massive wildfire, one of two that has forced thousands of evacuations in rural towns and closed almost every major highway out of the area. The so-called Telegraph Fire, straddling two counties, has burned 112 square miles and is at zero containment. The blaze was first reported Friday, June 4, south of Superior in Arizona’s Pinal County, about 60 miles east of Phoenix. Residents in neighboring Gila County, which includes Globe, Miami and smaller communities, have been in various stages of the evacuation process. The town of Miami is among those under an evacuation order. Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers owned a home near Miami that has since been destroyed by the fire. At least 2,500 homes in Gila County have been evacuated, said Carl Melford, the county emergency manager. He estimated that there are twice as many households who are in “set” mode with bags packed just in case. “Over the past three years, we’ve had some pretty extreme fire seasons,” said Melford, who has bags at his front door. “We’ve become very familiar with the process with what it takes to evacuate a community. But this is the largest evacuation to date.” Becky Stephenson, 37, whose Globe home sits on a hill near U.S. Highway 60, is feet away from a zone under “set” status. Still, she decided to have essentials including her pet parrot, Buddy, and his travel cage ready to go. Watching flames climb trees Monday night from her home as the fire made its way into the Pinal Mountains and create an eerie orange glow was surreal, Stephenson said. “Honestly, it just makes me feel like I can’t wait till they get it under control and I can go out and start helping them revegetate,” said Stephenson, who is a plant biologist. “It’s just really sad to think about all of the torched plants and all of animals that lost their habitat during breeding season.” Meanwhile, Superior residents remain in “set” mode. But about 400 people in nearby Top-Of-The-World have been evacuated, said Lauren Reimer, a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. Officials with the American Red Cross say 90 residents in total stayed Monday at shelters in Globe and Mesa. Nearly 750 firefighters are working on the blaze, which gained momentum in the past few days thanks to gusty winds and low humidity. The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team, the highest tier, is conducting some controlled fires and dropping flame retardant by air in other areas. The northeast end of the fire zone that encompasses Miami and Globe is “where the biggest concern is,” Todd Abel, an operations section chief with the team, said during a media briefing. Crews are devoting a large share of resources to that area, including aircraft and firefighters on the ground laying down fire lines. The fire was human-caused, but fire officials have not shared further details. Several miles east of the wildfire, the smaller Mescal Fire was at 23% containment Tuesday. Fire officials lifted evacuation orders for residents of the community of San Carlos and in the areas of Soda Canyon and Coyote Flats. But the community of East El Capitan was still on mandatory evacuation. The Mescal Fire has burned nearly 105 square miles— mostly desert brush, oak and grass. It was first reported June 2 southeast of Globe. The cause is still under investigation. Meanwhile, in northern Arizona a much smaller wildfire closed a stretch of U.S. Highway 180 on Tuesday. The fire, only 2 square miles, was reported Monday, 23 miles northwest of Flagstaff. The cause is unknown. By Terry Tang, The Associated Press

Colonial Pipeline CEO: Ransom payment among my ‘toughest decisions’

The Associated Press - June 8, 2021

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of the massive fuel pipeline hit by ransomware last month told senators Tuesday, June 8, that authorizing a multimillion-dollar payment to hackers was the right thing to do to bring an end to fuel shortages affecting much of the eastern United States, even as authorities have discouraged such payments. “I made the decision to pay, and I made the decision to keep the information about the payment as confidential as possible,” Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount told the Senate Homeland Security Committee at a hearing about last month’s attack. “It was the hardest decision I’ve made in my 39 years in the energy industry, and I know how critical our pipeline is to the country — and I put the interests of the country first.” Asked how much worse it would have been if Colonial Pipeline hadn’t paid to get its data back, CEO Joseph Blount said, “That’s an unknown we probably don’t want to know. And it’s an unknown we probably don’t want to play out in a public forum.” Blount’s testimony, his first since the May 7 cyberattack that led the pipeline to halt operations, underscored the dilemma facing both the private industry and the federal government as ransomware attacks have proliferated in scale and sophistication. U.S. authorities have cautioned against payments for fear of encouraging additional attacks, but Blount’s remarks made clear the enormous economic consequences if ransoms aren’t paid and critical infrastructure is shut down. In this case, the Justice Department was able to recover much of the $4.4 million ransom after seizing a virtual bitcoin wallet used to hide the proceeds. Though officials said they may be able to achieve similar success in future ransomware attacks, that is hardly guaranteed. The May 7 attack on Colonial Pipeline — which supplies roughly 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast — has been attributed to a Russia-based gang of cybercriminals using the DarkSide ransomware variant, one of more than 100 variants the FBI is currently investigating. The attack began after hackers exploited a legacy virtual private network that was not intended to be in use and has since been shut down, Blount said. Blount said the Georgia-based company began negotiating with the hackers on the evening of the May 7 attack and paid a ransom of 75 bitcoin — then valued at roughly $4.4 million — the following day. The hack prompted the company to halt operations before the ransomware could spread to its operating systems. Though the FBI has historically discouraged ransomware payments for fear of encouraging cyberattacks, Colonial officials have said they saw the transaction as necessary to resume the vital fuel transport business as rapidly as possible. The encryption tool the hackers provided the company in exchange for the payment helped “to some degree” but was not perfect, with Colonial still in the process of fully restoring its systems, Blount said. “If you start to look at the fact that it took us from Friday (May 7) all the way to Wednesday afternoon the following week (to resume operations), and we already started to see pandemonium going on in the markets, people doing unsafe things like filling garbage bags full of gasoline or people fist-fighting in line at the fuel pump, the concern would be what would happen if it had stretched on beyond that amount of time,” Blount said. “What would happen at the airports where we supply a lot of jet fuel, let alone what might happen at the gas pump,” he added. The operation to seize cryptocurrency paid to the Russia-based hacker group is the first of its kind to be undertaken by a specialized ransomware task force created by the Biden administration Justice Department. It reflects a rare victory in the fight against ransomware as U.S. officials scramble to confront a rapidly accelerating threat targeting critical industries around the world. “By going after the entire ecosystem that fuels ransomware and digital extortion attacks — including criminal proceeds in the form of digital currency — we will continue to use all of our resources to increase the cost and consequences of ransomware and other cyber-based attacks,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Monday in announcing the operation. The Bitcoin amount seized — 63.7, currently valued at $2.3 million after the price of Bitcoin tumbled— amounted to 85% of the total ransom paid, which is the exact amount that the cryptocurrency-tracking firm Elliptic says it believes was the take of the affiliate who carried out the attack. The ransomware software provider, DarkSide, would have gotten the other 15%. “The extortionists will never see this money,” said Stephanie Hinds, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, where a judge earlier Monday authorized the seizure warrant. Ransomware attacks — in which hackers encrypt a victim organization’s data and demand a hefty sum for returning the information — have flourished across the globe. Last year was the costliest on record for such attacks. Hackers have targeted vital industries, as well as hospitals and police departments. Weeks after the Colonial Pipeline attack, a ransomware attack attributed to REvil, a Russian-speaking gang that has made some of the largest ransomware demands on record in recent months, disrupted production at Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processing company. The ransomware business has evolved into a highly compartmentalized racket, with labor divided among the provider of the software that locks data, ransom negotiators, hackers who break into targeted networks, hackers skilled at moving undetected through those systems and exfiltrating sensitive data — and even call centers in India employed to threaten people whose data was stolen to pressure for extortion payments. By Eric Tucker and Ben Fox, The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.

US has recovered ransom payment made after Colonial Pipeline hack

The Associated Press - June 8, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has recovered the majority of a multimillion-dollar ransom payment to hackers after a cyberattack that caused the operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline to halt its operations last month, officials said Monday, June 7. The operation to recover the cryptocurrency from the Russia-based hacker group is the first undertaken by a specialized ransomware task force created by the Biden administration Justice Department, and reflects what U.S. officials say is an increasingly aggressive approach to deal with a ransomware threat that in the last month has targeted critical industries around the world. “By going after an entire ecosystem that fuels ransomware and digital currency, we will continue to use all of our tools and all of our resources to increase the costs and the consequences of ransomware attacks and other cyber-enabled attacks,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Monday at a news conference announcing the operation. Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, which supplies roughly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast, temporarily shut down its operations on May 7 after a gang of criminal hackers known as DarkSide broke into its computer system. Colonial officials have said they took their pipeline system offline before the attack could spread to its operating system, and decided to pay a roughly $4.4 million ransom in hopes of bringing itself back online as soon as it could. The 63.7 bitcoin ransom — a favored currency of hackers because of the perception that it is more difficult to trace — is currently valued at $2.3 million. “The extortionists will never see this money,” said Stephanie Hinds, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, where the seizure warrant was filed. The FBI generally discourages the payment of ransom, fearing it could encourage additional hacks. Monaco said the takeaway for the private sector is that if companies come quickly to law enforcement, officials may be able to conduct similar seizures in the future. By Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

Idaho approves $350 million in funding for 2022 road construction

The Trucker News Staff - June 8, 2021

LEWISTON, Idaho — The Idaho Transportation Board (ITB) approved dozens of new road projects across every corner of the state during a monthly meeting held May 19. The projects include $350 million in construction work that is expected to begin in 2022. Many of the projects are part of Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s “Building Idaho’s Future” transportation funding solution. “Idaho is the fastest-growing state in the nation,” Little said. “To keep up with the demands of a fast-growing state, our historic transportation funding solution helps save Idahoans’ time, keeps us safe on our roads, and makes our state’s economy even stronger. I appreciate the Idaho Transportation Board for acting quickly to put these new funds to work.” Approved projects include $170 million of Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds to expand Idaho State Highway 16 from its current location at U.S. 20/26 (Chinden Blvd.) to Interstate 84. The board also dedicated $37 million of TECM funds to expand U.S. 20/26 to four lanes from Middleton Road to Interstate 84. Both projects should be under construction next year and will likely be bonded. In addition, the board approved about $140 million in projects with one-time funds from the Building Idaho’s Future program, along with federal and state COVID relief funds. This statewide group of projects is focused on critical maintenance and safety needs for highways and bridges from Ashton in eastern Idaho, to the Magic Valley and north to Wallace, Idaho. “We want to thank the Idaho Legislature and governor for one of the most significant transportation investments in state history,” said ITB Chairman Bill Moad. “Our goal as a board is to be great stewards of this funding. We will work with the department to pick the projects across Idaho that will have the greatest return on investment in improving safety, increasing mobility and addressing Idaho’s rapid growth.” In addition to $350 million in construction that will begin next year, the board approved nearly $170 million for project development. This includes environmental planning, design and right-of-way acquisition. “Project development is very important,” Moad said. “The board wants the department to have projects ready for the Building Idaho’s Future program and to be constantly advancing additional work for any future federal or state funding opportunities. It is our goal to put the money to work as soon as it becomes available.” The TECM fund was increased to $80 million through House Bill 362 signed by Little earlier this month. The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will leverage those ongoing funds into a Building Idaho’s Future bonding program that could yield as much as $1.6 billion. The goal is to have major safety and expansion corridors financed over the next six to eight years with the bond proceeds. ITD staff will present potential projects and corridors to include in the bonding program to the Idaho Transportation Board by the end of this year. To review a full list of approved projects, click here.

No deal: Volvo truck workers striking again in Virginia

The Associated Press - June 7, 2021

DUBLIN, Va. — Nearly 3,000 workers at Volvo’s New River Valley truck plant in southwest Virginia went back on strike Monday, June 7, after they overwhelmingly rejected another tentative six-year agreement over a wide range of concerns, the United Auto Workers said. Meanwhile, it’s back to the negotiating table for the union and management at the New River Valley plant. The workers’ bargaining committee has requested a meeting to discuss open issues including the interview process for future hires, health care, wages, health and safety issues, working conditions, plant shift operations, contractual time off and wage progression, UAW said. The plant’s general manager, Franky Marchand, called the action “difficult to understand” on Monday, since the tentative agreement included economic improvements for all workers and a competitive benefits package. “We remain committed to the collective bargaining process, and we are confident that we will ultimately arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement,” his statement said. Volvo says the 1.6 million square-foot Dublin plant is the largest manufacturer of Volvo tractor-trailer trucks in the world. It is one of the largest private sector employers in the region, with approximately 3,300 employees, some 2,900 of whom are represented by the UAW. Results posted Sunday, June 6, by Local 2069 indicate that 90% voted no on both common language and hourly language in the contract proposal. On salary language, 91% voted no. No vote totals were released, just percentages. The previous contract, reached in 2016, was to have expired in mid-March and negotiations began in February. Unionized workers went on strike April 17-30 and returned to work as negotiations resumed. UAW members rejected a proposed contract in May. The company announced another tentative agreement May 22, which was rejected Sunday. The plant is in the midst of a $400 million investment for advanced technology upgrades, site expansion, and preparation for future products, which includes the innovative Volvo VRN Electric truck. Since the last union agreement was implemented in 2016, the plant has added 1,100 new jobs and is on track for a net increase of approximately 600 positions in 2021.

Arizona wildfires force more evacuations, highway closures

The Associated Press - June 7, 2021

PHOENIX — Authorities ordered additional evacuations and closed several stretches of highways in south-central Arizona on Sunday, June 6, as hundreds of firefighters battled two wildfires that were growing in gusty winds and temperatures approaching 100 degrees east of Phoenix. Evacuations were ordered Sunday for residents in Top-of-The-World area along U.S. Highway 60 about 60 miles east of Phoenix and 10 miles northeast of Superior where the Telegraph Fire was burning out of control. The Pinal County sheriff’s office also began to evacuate the Oak Flats campground. Residents of Superior, a town of 3,100, were told to be ready to flee on short notice. No deaths or injuries have been reported. U.S. 60 was closed in from Superior, Arizona, to Miami, Arizona, along with State Route 177 from Superior to Winkelman, Arizona, and State Route 77 from Winkelman to Globe, Arizona. About 150 firefighters were battling the blaze, which has burned 53 square miles of mostly shrub and grass since it broke out Friday, June 4, and continues to threaten as many as 150 residents, Tonto National Forest spokesman John Scaggs said Sunday. Firefighters lit back fires in excess fuels south of the fire to help keep the flames from encroaching on Superior, but the fire had no containment on Sunday. The largest type of federal incident management team assumed control of the operation and more crews were on their way. The Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter Sunday at a local school in Miami and at Skyline High School in Mesa. Large animals also were being sheltered at the Birch Stockyard in Globe and the Apache Junction Rodeo grounds. Meanwhile, air tankers and helicopters were assisting more than 500 firefighters who continued to work the Mescal Fire about 12 miles southeast of Globe. The fire nearly tripled in size because of high winds, low humidity and hot temperatures on Saturday to an estimated 40 square miles on Sunday. Estimated containment shrank from 5% Saturday to only 2% by Sunday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Gila District Office. New evacuations were ordered in Coyote Flats. Existing evacuation orders remained in place for several areas on the outskirts of Peridot and the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Fire officials expected subsiding winds would allow them to make more progress into the night Sunday on the Mescal blaze, which broke out June 1. “Temperatures and humidities to remain hot and dry, with winds slowing decreasing to about 15-20 mph,” the latest update said. The causes of both fires remain under investigation.

Trucker dies during surgery for injuries suffered in June 4 crash on Indiana toll road

The Trucker News Staff - June 7, 2021

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — An Arizona truck driver who was critically injured in a June 4 wreck on Interstate 80/90 Toll Road near Howe, Indiana, died while undergoing surgery for injuries sustained in the crash, according to the Indiana State Police (ISP). According to a report from ISP, Michael S. Lohman, 53, of Glendale, Arizona, was driving a 2018 Kenworth tractor-trailer westbound on the toll road Friday afternoon when he approached traffic that was stopped or slowed because of road construction. Lohman allegedly failed to stop and crashed into the rear of a 2021 International truck driven by Ben M. Tehrani, 37, of Brentwood, California. A third vehicle, a white 2013 Volvo tractor-trailer driven by Elvis Maksuti, 36, of Waukegan, Illinois, was also struck during the collision. Arriving at the scene shortly after 5 p.m., ISP troopers found the three commercial vehicles with heavy damage and debris strewn across the westbound lanes of the interstate; all westbound traffic was blocked. Both of Lohman’s legs were severed, and he sustained a severe head injury. Troopers applied tourniquets to both of Lohman’s legs in order to control bleeding prior to emergency medical personnel arriving. Lohman was flown from the scene by Parkview Samaritan helicopter to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for critical care, where he later died during surgery. Lohman’s 12 year old son, who was a passenger in the tractor-trailer, suffered minor injury. He was transported by ambulance to Parkview hospital in LaGrange for medical evaluation. He was later released from the hospital and transported Fort Wayne, where he has been reunited with his mother. Tehrani sustained minor injury to his neck; he was also transported by ambulance to Parkview in LaGrange for evaluation. Maksuti was not injured, according to ISP. Lohman was not wearing his seatbelt, but his passenger and the other drivers were all properly restrained. All notifications to the Lohman family have been made. ISP reports that further investigation of the accident revealed that a primary cause of the crash was distracted driving due to cellphone usage. The crash remains under investigation by an ISP Crash Reconstruction Team. Once the crash investigation is complete, the full report will be turned over to the LaGrange County Prosecutor for review and determination of any charges to be filed. ISP was assisted at the scene by Parkview EMS, Howe Fire Department, Parkview Samaritan, Indiana Toll Road Maintenance personnel, Grate’s Wrecker Service and several good Samaritans who stopped to help.

Arkansas Trucking Association awards scholarships to three graduating seniors

The Trucker News Staff - June 7, 2021

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three graduating seniors have been selected to receive scholarships from the Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA). Each student will receive a $7,500 scholarship from the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund to support their pursuit of careers in medium/heavy duty truck technology. This year’s scholarship recipients include Caiden Sallee of Gentry, Arkansas; Channlyn Vaughn of Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Ricky Watkins of Rogers, Arkansas. “Without trucks, America stops; and without skilled technicians, trucks stop,” said Shannon Newton, president of ATA. “Truck drivers and diesel technicians are essential to a healthy economy. In fact, one in 10 working Arkansans has a career in trucking. And that’s what we’re providing with these scholarships — the opportunity to launch careers. We welcome this year’s scholarship recipients into our industry where they will learn to ensure the safety of trucking equipment on the roads we all share.” Sallee graduated from Gentry High School, where he studied diesel electrical systems and was in the top 10% of his class. He plans to attend Northwest Technical Institute this fall. “I want to become a diesel mechanic because it’s what I love doing,” Sallee said. “I love working hard and the variety of work that diesel mechanics do.” Vaughn, who graduated from Westside High School this month has a passion for diesel technology and has been working on cars since she was 8 years old. “Being a diesel technician has been a dream and lifelong goal of mine,” she said. “Growing up in a shop, I’ve never thought of a different career. I look forward to taking on the challenges ahead, as they are just stepping stones to my future.” Watkins graduated from Rogers Heritage High School, where he served as captain of the wrestling team. He plans to enroll at Northwest Technical Institute to begin his formal studies. “By becoming a technician, I will be helping thousands of Americans to get products all over the country,” Watkins said. “Because without trucks there would be nothing. No products in stores. No cars to drive. No fuel in gas stations. So, I think the career I chose is a pretty important one.” ATA normally selects just one student to receive this scholarship, according to Kenneth Calhoun, founding member of the scholarship committee. “The competition for the scholarship was so strong this year that we couldn’t pick just one, so instead we went with three students,” Calhoun said. “It’s a great problem to have: So many bright, aspirational problem-solvers wanting to become medium and heavy-duty truck technicians. I look forward to seeing their careers advance and watching as they become ambassadors for our industry.” The ATA’s Maintenance & Technology Council established the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund to celebrate Carl Tapp, the council’s first chairman, and his career-long commitment to nurturing new talent in the industry. Candidates were evaluated based upon their interest and performance in STEM courses, teacher and mentor recommendations and personal interviews with the scholarship committee of industry experts. For more information about the scholarship fund, visit www.arkansastrucking.com/tech-scholarship.

Biden rebuffs GOP infrastructure offer, citing broader goals

The Associated Press - June 7, 2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday, June 4, dismissed a fresh Republican infrastructure proposal that offered modestly more spending but fell short of “his objectives to grow the economy,” the White House said. Biden’s reaction cast further doubt on the two parties’ prospects for striking compromise on one of the administration’s chief legislative priorities as deadlines slip and time runs out to make progress toward a deal. The White House released the statement after Biden spoke by phone with West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the chief GOP negotiator. Both sides said the two would speak again on Monday, June 7, but Biden’s team made clear the president will be casting about for talks with other senators. “The President expressed his gratitude for her effort and goodwill, but also indicated that the current offer did not meet his objectives to grow the economy, tackle the climate crisis, and create new jobs,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. A Capito statement provided no detail about their discussion or the new offer. Making the pitch for Republicans, Capito had suggested around a $50 billion boost above the previous Republican offer of $928 billion, the White House said, still leaving the GOP well short of the $1.7 trillion that Biden is seeking. In a further sign that a deal with Capito was seeming increasingly less likely, the White House said Biden told Capito that he would “continue to engage a number of Senators in both parties in the hopes of achieving a more substantial package.” For weeks, the president has been engaged in talks with GOP senators trying to strike a compromise on Biden’s top legislative priority, the big infrastructure investment package. While the two sides appear to have narrowed the price gap between Biden’s initial $2.3 trillion proposal and the GOP’s $568 billion opening bid, they remain far apart on the scope of the deal and how to pay for it. Biden wants to raise corporate taxes to generate revenues for the infrastructure investments, a nonstarter for Republicans. The GOP senators propose tapping unspent COVID-19 relief aid to pay for the roads, bridges and other projects, an idea rejected by Democrats. Earlier in the day June 4, after the release of a modest May jobs report, Biden made the case for his robust investment package to push the economy past the COVID-19 crisis and downturn and into a new era. “Now is the time to build on the progress we’ve made,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “We need to make those investments today to continue to succeed tomorrow.” After returning to the White House, Biden spoke with Capito by telephone. The White House had been eyeing a deadline early this week as Congress returns from its Memorial Day break to see progress toward a deal. Meanwhile, Democrats are setting the ground work for a go-it-alone approach. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has indicated that Biden will look to act without Republican support if there is no consensus. Psaki downplayed any hard-set deadline Friday and said the administration continues to talk to lawmakers from both parties. “There’s runway left,” Psaki told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to keep a range of pathways open.” Republicans are showing no interest in Biden’s latest proposal for a 15% corporate minimum tax rate that would ensure all companies pay something in taxes, rather than allowing so many write-offs or deductions that they contribute zero to the Treasury. A Republican familiar with the talks and granted anonymity to discuss the private assessment said the GOP senators view that idea as an unnecessary tax hike. They had already rejected Biden’s initial proposal to hike the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, Instead, Republicans are insisting on using untapped COVID-19 relief funds to pay for the infrastructure investments. Biden’s team has rejected that approach. Still, neither Biden nor the GOP senators appear ready to call off talks, even as Democrats prepare to use budget rules to pass any big package on their own, without Republican votes. On June 4, House Democrats released a plan for spending $547 billion over the next five years on road, mass transit and rail projects, a blueprint of their priorities and a potential building block for Biden’s broader package. The proposal, from Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, continues existing programs set to expire and adds key pieces of the larger measure Biden is negotiating with Republicans. DeFazio’s legislation doesn’t address how to pay for the projects. He called the effort a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future.” His bill would authorize up to $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety improvements. Another $109 billion would go to public transit programs and $95 billion would go to freight and passenger rail system, including a tripling of funding for Amtrak. DeFazio’s bill is not expected to attract much GOP support, as Republicans unveiled their own legislation recently that would authorize about $400 billion over five years for road, bridge and transit programs. Republicans on the House panel criticized the Democratic legislation in a statement. “Instead of working with Republicans to find common ground on a bill that could earn strong bipartisan support — something our Senate counterparts did successfully last month — this bill moves even further to the left to appease the most progressive members in the Majority’s party.” Biden also called DeFazio June 4 to thank him for his work “on key elements of the American Jobs Plan,” Psaki said, adding that they agreed on the benefits of continuing to engage Democratic and Republican senators. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have called on lawmakers to continue negotiations and work toward a bipartisan compromise. But some Democrats have questioned the merits of that approach and are already unhappy with some of the compromises that Biden has offered. They support using a process that would allow Democrats to pass an infrastructure boost with a simple majority, which they did through a COVID-19 relief measure that delivered $1,400 payments to most Americans. “Getting Republicans on board is not necessary. Getting the American people back on their feet is,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.). By Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Work continues on Florida’s reopened Pensacola Bay Bridge; Garcon Point Bridge toll suspended through July 6

The Trucker News Staff - June 7, 2021

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reopened the Pensacola Bay Bridge, which links Gulf Breeze and Pensacola on U.S. 98, May 28, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, but work continues. The 3-mile-long bridge had been closed since Sept. 17, 2020, when Hurricane Sally swept through the area, destroying a portion of the bridge. Most of the bridge is now open to four lanes of traffic (two in each direction), except for a two-lane, half-mile segment just west of the bridge’s arch, while work to complete final repairs continues. The speed limit is temporarily set at 35 mph and emergency refuge areas are available on the bridge. FDOT’s Road Ranger Service Patrol will be stationed at each end of the bridge from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and major holidays to help clear lanes following any vehicle accidents and help motorists in the event of mechanical breakdowns. In addition, law enforcement will be on site 24/7. While repairs continue to the Pensacola Bay Bridge, FDOT has directed Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise to extend the toll suspension on for the Garcon Point Bridge through July 6, 2021. Details on the reconstruction efforts, including graphics, FAQs, and regular updates can be found online at www.fdot.gov/info/PensacolaBay.

SCF’s ‘Highway to Hope’ virtual concert raises $75,000 to help truckers in need

The Trucker News Staff - June 7, 2021

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The inaugural “Highway to Hope” virtual benefit concert, held May 16, raised more than $75,000 to help support over-the-road and regional truck drivers recently out of work because of injury or illness, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) announced. The concert was headlined by country music singer Wynonna Judd with her husband Cactus Moser and the Big Noise Band, along with other country music artists who support the trucking industry, including John Schneider, Billy Dean, Lindsay Lawler and Heath Sanders. The first-ever virtual concert for SCF was emceed by a familiar voice in the trucking industry, Radio Nemo host Jimmy Mac, along with support from Radio Nemo’s Donna Horton and production and live streaming by Tanner and Blake Brandell from Omni Production LLC in Springfield, Missouri. “SCF’s mission is all about hope,” said Shannon Currier, director of philanthropy and development for SCF. “Hope for drivers when they need financial assistance because of an injury or illness, hope for a healthy life on the road with our health and wellness programs, and hope and encouragement during those long days, weeks and months on the road away from their families.” According to SCF, corporate sponsors from the trucking industry “came out in droves” to support the event and to provide assistance to the nation’s truckers. Top tier presenting sponsors included NASTC (National Association of Small Trucking Companies) and freight transportation and supply management company Averitt Express. “We are so appreciative of all the artists for their time, all the sponsors for their support, and every individual that purchased a ticket to this amazing event,” said Donna Kennedy, executive director of SCF.

Senate GOP rejects Biden infrastructure plan, preps new offer

The Associated Press - June 4, 2021

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Friday, June 4, panned President Joe Biden’s latest infrastructure proposal and were expected to make a revised offer as talks grind toward next week’s slipping deadline for progress on a bipartisan deal. Speaking after the release of a modest May jobs report, Biden made the case for his robust investment package to push the economy past the COVID-19 crisis and downturn, and into a new era. “Now is the time to build on the progress we’ve made,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “We need to make those investments today to continue to succeed tomorrow.” Biden was talking again Friday with the lead GOP negotiator, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, in what the White House characterized as a discussion rather than an exchange of formal proposals. The White House had been eyeing a deadline early next week as Congress returns from its Memorial Day break to see progress toward a deal, and Democrats are setting ground work for a go-it-alone approach. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has indicated that Biden will look to act without Republican support if there is no consensus. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki downplayed any hard-set deadline Friday and said the administration continues to talk to lawmakers from both parties, giving a nod to a group of bipartisan senators who are privately working on possible areas of compromise with the White House. “There’s runway left,” Psaki told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to keep a range of pathways open.” For weeks, the president has been engaged in talks with GOP senators trying to strike a compromise on Biden’s top legislative priority, the big infrastructure investment package. While the two sides appear to have narrowed the price gap between his initial $2.3 trillion proposal and the GOP’s $568 billion opening bid, they remain far apart on how to pay for what could be a compromise $1 trillion investment. Republicans are showing no interest in Biden’s latest proposal for a 15% corporate minimum tax rate that would ensure all companies pay something in taxes, rather than allowing so many write-offs or deductions that they contribute zero to the treasury. A Republican familiar with the talks and granted anonymity to discuss the private assessment said the GOP senators view Biden’s latest idea as an unnecessary tax hike. Instead, Republicans were poised to submit a revised offer when Capito spoke with Biden again Friday, the person said. They will insist on using untapped COVID-19 relief funds to pay for the infrastructure investments, the Republican said. Biden’s team has rejected that approach. Still, neither Biden nor the GOP senators appear ready to call off talks, even as Democrats prepare to use budget rules to pass any big package on their own, without Republican votes. On Friday, House Democrats released a plan for spending $547 billion over the next five years on road, mass transit and rail projects, a blueprint of their priorities and a potential building block for Biden’s broader package. The proposal from Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, continues existing programs set to expire and adds key pieces of the larger measure Biden is negotiating with Republicans. DeFazio’s legislation, a reauthorization of surface transportation programs set to expire Sept. 30, doesn’t address how to pay for the projects. He called the effort a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future.” In addition to Biden’s proposed a 15% minimum tax on corporations — there’s no minimum tax now on corporate profits — he envisions additional revenues from increased IRS enforcement. He is seeking roughly $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending. Senate Republicans have countered with only $257 billion in additional spending. The House bill would authorize up to $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety improvements. Another $109 billion would go to public transit programs and $95 billion would go to freight and passenger rail system, including a tripling of funding for Amtrak. DeFazio’s bill is not expected to attract much GOP support, as Republicans unveiled their own legislation recently that would authorize about $400 billion over five years for road, bridge and transit programs. Republicans on the House panel panned the bill in a statement. “Instead of working with Republicans to find common ground on a bill that could earn strong bipartisan support — something our Senate counterparts did successfully last month — this bill moves even further to the left to appease the most progressive members in the Majority’s party.” A Senate panel recently passed its version of the highway bill unanimously, but the lawmakers didn’t have to vote yet on how they would pay for it, a focal point of negotiations between GOP senators and the White House. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have called on lawmakers to continue negotiations and work toward a bipartisan compromise. But some Democrats have questioned the merits of that approach and are already unhappy with some of the compromises that Biden has offered. They support using a process that would allow Democrats to pass an infrastructure boost with a simple majority, which they did through a COVID-19 relief measure that delivered $1,400 payments to most Americans. “Getting Republicans on board is not necessary. Getting the American people back on their feet is,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said June 3. By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking, The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Trucker sentenced to 46 months after attempting to smuggle ammo from US to Mexico

The Trucker News Staff - June 4, 2021

TUCSON, Ariz. — In late May, Jorge Armando Lopez-Espinoza, 42, a Mexican citizen, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez to 46 months in prison for attempting to smuggle ammunition from the United States into Mexico. According to court records, in May 2020 Lopez-Espinoza conspired with others to smuggle 8,000 rounds of ammunition from Nogales, Arizona, across the border to Mexico using his tractor-trailer. Law enforcement agents intercepted the shipments of ammunition before Lopez-Espinoza acquired them. On May 14, 2020, Lopez-Espinoza picked up boxes he believed to contain the 8,000 rounds of ammunition, hid them in his tractor-trailer and attempted to enter Mexico through the Nogales Port of Entry. Lopez-Espinoza later admitted he believed he was smuggling ammunition in the boxes, that he expected to be paid for doing so, and that he had previously smuggled ammunition into Mexico in exchange for payment. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case, with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Angela Woolridge, assistant U.S. attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson handled the prosecution.

Overnight closures planned for Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge between New York, Ontario

The Trucker News Staff - June 4, 2021

OTTOWA, Ontario — Effective Sunday, June 6, the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority will be closing the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge linking Ogdensburg, New York, and Johnstown, Ontario, to all traffic from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every Sunday to Thursday, reopening for the weekend at 6 a.m. each Friday. These closures, which are expected to last until Oct. 16, are due to construction by the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority on the United States span of the bridge. Because of these scheduled closures, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is recommending commercial drivers and travelers entering or exiting Canada use either the Thousand Islands Bridge or the Seaway International Bridge. The CBSA port of entry at Prescott will remain open with minimal staffing for administrative and security purposes and to ensure a CBSA presence in the event of any unforeseen emergency. There will be no overnight closures on the following days: Canada Day: Thursday, July 1; Independence Day: Monday, July 5; Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 6; and Columbus Day (U.S.)/Thanksgiving Day (Canada): Monday, Oct. 11. Travelers are encouraged to manage their crossing by checking border wait times using the CanBorderApp and to cross at the least busy port of entry in the area. While the CBSA will not compromise safety and security, every effort will be made to minimize processing times. For the latest information on the closures, visit the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority website.

House Dems unveil $547B infrastructure bill amid Biden talks

The Associated Press - June 4, 2021

WASHINGTON — House Democrats released a plan Friday, June 4, for spending $547 billion over the next five years on road, mass transit and rail projects, a blueprint for what they want parts of President Joe Biden’s broader infrastructure proposal to look like. The proposal from Rep. Peter DeFazio, Democratic chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is a policy bill that continues existing programs set to expire and has key pieces of a larger measure President Joe Biden and Republicans are negotiating. Biden is holding another round of talks Friday with the lead Senate Republican negotiator Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. In his meeting earlier this week with Capito, Biden offered tax concessions aimed at reaching a bipartisan compromise on his overall infrastructure proposal. The two sides are at odds over how to pay for infrastructure projects, with Republicans ruling out higher corporate taxes and the White House rejecting a GOP proposal to use unspent COVID-19 relief funds. Biden proposed a 15% minimum tax on corporations — there’s no minimum tax now on corporate profits — and the possibility of additional revenues from increased IRS enforcement. He is seeking roughly $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending, down from an initial pitch of $2.3 trillion. Senate Republicans have countered with only $257 billion in additional spending on infrastructure as part of a $928 billion package. DeFazio’s legislation, a reauthorization of surface transportation programs set to expire Sept. 30, doesn’t address how to pay for the projects. He tacked on major investments in passenger and freight rail, key pieces of Biden’s $1.7 trillion American Jobs Plan within his committee’s jurisdiction. He called the effort a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future.” The bill is being closely watched as a building block toward a broader infrastructure package. DeFazio’s panel is expected to debate and vote on the measure next week. It is not expected to attract much GOP support, as Republicans unveiled their own legislation recently that would authorize about $400 billion over five years for road, bridge and transit programs. DeFazio’s legislation used as a starting point a bill that passed his committee last year without GOP support and was then rolled into a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package that passed the House but went nowhere in the Senate. The bill would boost investment in roads and bridges by about 54% with an emphasis on fixing existing infrastructure. It would dedicate about $4 billion to electric vehicle charging stations and would provide record levels of investment for pedestrian and cyclist pathways. It would also seek to reconnect low-income communities divided by highways with a $3 billion program “to correct mistakes of the past.” The bill would authorize up to $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety improvements. Another $109 billion would go to public transit programs and $95 billion would go to freight and passenger rail system, including a tripling of funding for Amtrak. Republican leaders on the House panel panned the bill in a joint statement. “Instead of working with Republicans to find common ground on a bill that could earn strong bipartisan support — something our Senate counterparts did successfully last month — this bill moves even further to the left to appease the most progressive members in the Majority’s party,” the GOP lawmakers said. A Senate panel recently passed its version of the highway bill unanimously, but the lawmakers didn’t have to vote yet on how they would pay for it, masking major differences that are a focal point of negotiations between GOP senators and the White House. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have called on lawmakers to continue negotiations and work toward a bipartisan compromise. But some Democrats have questioned the merits of that approach and are already unhappy with some of the compromises Biden has offered. They support using a process that would allow Democrats to pass an infrastructure boost with a simple majority, which they did through a COVID-19 relief measure that delivered $1,400 payments to most Americans. “Getting Republicans on board is not necessary. Getting the American people back on their feet is,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said June 3. By Kevin Freking, The Associated Press

Buttigieg visits closed I-40 bridge in Tennessee; no timeline set for reopening, TDOT says

The Associated Press - June 3, 2021

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Tennessee Thursday, June 3, to learn how the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge connecting that state and Arkansas has affected freight movement since it was shut down more than three weeks ago when a fracture was found in the span. Buttigieg met with regional transportation officials at a FedEx Corp. facility in Memphis before a tour of the Hernando De Soto bridge. Shipping giant FedEx operates its massive fleet of airplanes and trucks out of its headquarters in Memphis, which has seen road traffic problems since the I-40 bridge spanning the Mississippi River was closed and vehicles were diverted to the nearby Interstate 55 bridge. The visit comes as President Joe Biden proposes a national, $1.7 trillion infrastructure package, while Republican senators want a more narrow investment in roads, highways and other traditional public works projects. The cracked bridge has served as a symbol of bridge decay in the U.S., which has 45,000 bridges in poor condition and faces a trillion-dollar backlog in repairs, federal transportation officials have said. Officials stress that making the bridge safe should be the main goal, with maintaining the flow of interstate commerce and commuter traffic as other priorities. Trips across the bridge are averaging as much as an hour, officials said. “Safety is at the heart of what’s happened at the De Soto bridge,” Buttigieg during the discussion at FedEx. “I know that that protracted closure has been frustrating, it has been difficult, it has been challenging and it has been costly.” I-40 is a key artery for U.S. commerce, running from North Carolina to California. Manufacturers and shippers rely on the interstate to move products and materials across the river. When the 47-year-old, six-lane I-40 bridge is open, about 50,000 vehicles typically travel across it daily, with about a quarter of those being commercial trucks, Tennessee transportation officials say. The I-40 bridge connecting Memphis and the Arkansas city of West Memphis was shut down May 11 after inspectors found a fracture in one of two 900-foot horizontal steel beams that are critical for the bridge’s structural integrity. Inspectors have studied the four-lane, 71-year-old I-55 bridge and determined it can withstand the increased traffic caused by the closure of the I-40 bridge, Tennessee transportation commissioner Clay Bright said. Memphis is a key U.S. infrastructure hub, featuring five major rail lines, an important inland river port and one of the world’s busiest cargo airports. A timetable for the I-40 bridge’s reopening has not been officially set, but Bright said construction is expected to run into at least late July. Engineers have already completed Phase 1 of the repairs, which involved installing steel plates on each side of the fractured beam. The second phase of the project, which includes removing and replacing the damaged piece of the beam, is ongoing. Commercial truck drivers have endured delays on the I-55 bridge, or they have been forced to use two other bridges that cross the river north and south of Memphis. The next nearest crossings are about 60 miles to the south near Lula, Mississippi, and 100 miles to the north near Dyersburg, Tennessee. Attending the meeting with Buttigieg at FedEx were U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat. They heard from members of the trucking industry about problems caused by the shutdown. The bridge closure has made trips longer and more expensive for truckers seeking to get across the river on the three open regional bridges. Trucking companies have changed work times for drivers, while truckers are adjusting their travel routes, sometimes on the fly. In addition, food warehouses are having trouble servicing restaurants in eastern Arkansas as supplies get delayed, said Jason Higginbotham, chief financial officer of Ozark Motor Lines. Higginbotham said his company was having trouble receiving timely diesel fuel deliveries. Tennessee Trucking Association president Donna England said the bridge closure is making it more expensive for companies to operate during an ongoing truck driver shortage. The Arkansas Trucking Association has estimated the closure is costing the industry about $2 million a day, said Shannon Newton, the organization’s president. “When that cost is added, then who does that cost get passed down to?” England said during the meeting. “It gets passed down to our consumers, as well as our shippers.” In a letter to Biden days after the bridge’s closure, Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said the shutdown is “affecting the lives and livelihoods of real people right now.” Arkansas’ two Republican senators, Tom Cotton and John Boozman, have said they’re concerned about the impact the bridge’s closure will have on the economy. The two have said they want an infrastructure package that is more narrowly focused on traditional public works projects like the bridge. By Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press. Andrew DeMillo contributed to this article from Little Rock, Arkansas.

Utah girls, 9 and 4, uninjured after taking car, hitting tractor-trailer

The Associated Press - June 3, 2021

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Two Utah girls, 9 and 4, were uninjured after they took a car and crashed into a tractor trailer as they tried to drive to California for a beach vacation Wednesday, June 2, police said. The driver of the truck was also unhurt. The parents of the girls were asleep when they took the car keys, West Jordan police Detective Scott List told KUTV. They were awakened when police told them about the crash. The children told police they wanted to take a beach vacation. The crash happened when the 9-year-old driver sideswiped one driver, then swerved into the path of the truck on a highway frontage road in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City. The children were wearing their seatbelts during the crash, which briefly closed traffic lanes near the highway.

Biden, GOP senator talk as time drags on infrastructure deal

The Associated Press - June 3, 2021

WASHINGTON — For nearly an hour, President Joe Biden and the top Senate Republican negotiating infrastructure met Wednesday, June 2, behind closed doors — two seasoned legislators engaged in another round of conversations, but emerging with few outward signs of tangible progress ahead of a deadline next week. The White House billed the private meeting as more of a conversation with West Virginia GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, rather than a formal negotiation. No new offers were expected to be presented. More than anything, the session in the Oval Office was seen through the political lens of the president and Republicans trying to show the public what Americans say they want — a willingness to work together, even if no deal is within reach. Biden and Capito had a “constructive and frank conversation,” according to a White House official who was granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The senator’s office said she is encouraged by the ongoing conversations. The two agreed to reconnect Friday, June 4. Still, talks over Biden’s top legislative priority have been moving slowly, a daunting undertaking given the massive infrastructure investment, and time for a deal is running out. The administration has set a June 7 deadline to see clear direction and signs of progress. “The fact that the president is having Sen. Capito here today and has been having ongoing discussions with Republicans in the Senate, and that he’s eager to find a path forward on bipartisanship work certainly tells you, I think, what you need to know about what he thinks about working with people even when there’s disagreement,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said ahead of the afternoon session. Privately, the president has sized up the GOP’s latest $928 billion offer as unworkable, in large part because it taps unused COVID-19 funds. Instead, Biden wants to hike the corporate tax rate — a nonstarter for Senate Republicans — to generate revenue for his $1.7 trillion package. The ongoing talks may take on new importance after Democrats suffered a setback Wednesday in their efforts to attempt to pass this and other Biden priorities on party-line votes. The Senate parliamentarian signaled new limits on how many times Democrats can use the budget reconciliation process that allows a 51-vote threshold, rather than the 60 votes typically needed to advance legislation. In a four-page memo, the parliamentarian made it clear Democrats will likely have only more only one more opportunity to use the budget process this year, essentially closing the door on a strategy they were eyeing for multiple votes. Friday’s next round of talks between Biden and the Republican senator would overlap with the release of the May jobs report, as private economists estimate a meaningful increase from the disappointing April figures. May’s jobs figures could provide evidence as to whether Biden’s earlier $1.9 trillion COVID relief package has helped put the country on track to recover the jobs lost to the pandemic. Heading into the meeting, Capito was expected to reup the GOP’s push to repurpose the coronavirus relief fund to pay for infrastructure investments, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has tasked her to lead the discussions. “That’s the key to getting a bipartisan agreement,” McConnell said at a press conference in Kentucky. He said he particularly wants to halt unemployment assistance that he says is preventing Americans from returning to work. “The coronavirus is behind us. We need to get back to work,” McConnell said. Together, the president and the Republicans both have political incentives to negotiate a bipartisan accord over his sweeping investment package, even if no deal is within sight. For Biden, reaching across the aisle and cutting deals in Congress is central to his brand of politics. Republicans can also score political gains by trying to work with a popular president. Yet an initial Memorial Day deadline came and went without results, and in the latest round of talks, Biden and a core group of GOP senators appear to have pulled farther apart. Democrats, who hold slim majorities in the House and Senate, are watching warily as the White House and Republicans try to narrow the gap between the president’s initial ideas for a massive investment in not just roads and bridges but the “human” infrastructure of hospitals and child and senior care facilities, and a GOP approach that is more focused on traditional infrastructure projects. The White House has pared back the president’s initial $2.3 trillion bid, now tallied at $1.7 trillion, with Biden proposing to fund the investment by raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. Without a bipartisan agreement with Republicans, Biden will be faced with trying to muscle support from Democrats alone. That approach also poses political challenges, particularly in the evenly split Senate, where the administration has no votes to spare if the president tries to push through the package under the budget rules that allow for a simple majority vote. Psaki downplayed comments Biden had made Tuesday, June 1, that were seen as critical of two Democrats, presumably Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona. Speaking in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Biden noted Democrats who don’t always vote with the party, blaming them for stalling his agenda. Psaki said the president considers both Manchin and Sinema “good working partners” and pointed to the meeting with Capito as an example of his willingness to cross the divide to hash out issues. Biden’s own thinking is that the Republican proposal, while improved from an earlier $568 billion opening bid, is unworkable because the Republicans want to tap unspent COVID-19 funds to pay for the spending. The president, in meetings with his team, has zeroed in on the questions the GOP proposal raises — namely, which coronavirus relief funds to possibly shelve. Biden’s view is that tapping the COVID funds would unduly burden the middle class, including small business owners, who are receiving aid during the pandemic crisis. For Republicans, the corporate tax hikes are a red line they will not cross. They instead want to pay for the infrastructure investment with virus aid money as well as gas taxes and other fees on consumers. Congress is away for a weeklong Memorial Day break, but faces a deadline when lawmakers return next week. The White House said the president is also eyeing action in the House next week, when the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is set to begin debating a big highway reauthorization bill that is being closely watched as a potential building block toward the broader package. By Lisa Mascaro, congressional correspondent for the Associated Press. Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Darlene Superville and Josh Boak contributed to this report

Investigation leads to Indiana trucker’s arrest for reckless homicide following accident that killed 6-month-old boy

The Trucker News Staff - June 2, 2021

PERU, Ind. — A truck driver who allegedly failed to stop for a red light on May 10 and rear-ended a vehicle, causing an accident that resulted in the death of a 6-month-old boy, has been arrested on criminal charges for reckless homicide and false informing, according to a statement released by the Indiana State Police (ISP). The charges come after an investigation conducted by ISP Peru Post’s crash reconstruction team. Andrew King, 35, of rural Rochester, Indiana, on May 28 was served with a Miami Superior Court arrest warrant at his home and was transported to the Miami County Jail. The ISP investigation purportedly revealed that on May 10, 2021, King was distracted while driving a 2016 Volvo tractor-trailer northbound on U.S. 31, approaching a red light at Miami County Road 100 N. King did not stop for the red light and rear-ended a Toyota Corolla, pushing it into a Chevrolet Malibu. The driver of the Toyota, Sarah Wallace, 32, of South Bend, Indiana, was flown from the crash scene to a Fort Wayne hospital with serious injuries. She was treated and released two days later. Cecilia Wallace, 2, a backseat passenger in the Toyota, was flown from the crash scene, via medical helicopter, to Riley’s Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has undergone multiple surgeries and is still in the hospital. Leo Wallace, 6 months, was also a backseat passenger in the Toyota. He died from injuries sustained in the crash. The driver of the Chevrolet, Christine Wells, 75, Rochester, Indiana, was treated and released from Dukes Memorial Hospital on the day of the crash.

Rebuild Illinois program to fund state’s six-year highway improvement plan

The Trucker News Staff - June 2, 2021

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Jay Robert Pritzker and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) on May 19 announced the release of a $20.7 billion multiyear plan to improve the state’s roads and bridges over the next six years. This commitment, fueled by the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan will reinforce the state’s transportation industry and create thousands of jobs as the state seeks to spur economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest multiyear plan builds on an infrastructure investment made over the past two years, with more than 2,700 miles of state and local roadways and 290 bridges already improved through the Rebuild Illinois program. “Rebuild Illinois is about investing for the future — supporting this generation and the next, making sure we have good jobs and the roads to get there, and building a state where opportunity is just around the corner for everyone, no matter where you’re standing,” Pritzker said. Passed in 2019, the Rebuild Illinois plan promotes economic growth by investing a total of $33.2 billion into the state’s aging transportation system. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first one that touches all modes of Illinois transportation — roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. Based on current funding levels, the state’s fiscal year 2022-27 Proposed Highway Improvement Program aims to improve 2,779 miles of roads and 7.9 million square feet of bridge deck. Of the $20.7 billion planned over the six years of the program, $3.32 billion has been set aside for the upcoming fiscal year. Included in the program are a variety of projects that will create economic opportunity, enhance quality of life and improve safety on both the IDOT and local transportation systems, according to a prepared statement from Pritzker’s office. Project selection was based on objective criteria, such as pavement conditions, traffic volumes and crash history. Of the major elements in the plan for IDOT roads and bridges, investments include $5.79 billion for highway reconstruction and preservation; $4.82 billion for bridge improvements; $2.59 billion for strategic expansion; $1.43 billion for system support such as engineering and land acquisition; and $1.21 billion for safety and system modernizations. “Under the governor’s leadership, we are continuing to build and sustain infrastructure that gives Illinois its competitive edge and strengthens our status as the transportation hub of North America,” said Omer Osman, acting Illinois transportation secretary. “This latest multiyear program means we will keep making historic improvements in our transportation system, just as we have throughout the pandemic.”