Police seized more than $450,000 dollars worth of counterfeit merchandise from the Lawrence Flea Market, according to Lawrence Police Chief Maurice Aguiler.
Aguiler said officers seized more than 2,800 items that were supposed to look like UGG, Nike, or Adidas shoes and apparel from a vendor on Manchester Street.
Read more HERE.
Monday, February 16, 2026, is a federal holiday in the United States honoring George Washington's birthday. Government offices, banks, and some businesses will be closed in observance of the holiday which is annually celebrated on the third Monday in February. Because the date typically falls between the actual calendar date birthdays of presidents Washington and Lincoln, it is commonly called "Presidents Day," although the official designation is "Washington's Birthday."
"The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop." -- George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796.
Poor George, both revered and kicked around by us. He was born February 11th but when he was 20 Britain and her colonies finally caught up with Catholic Europe by switching to the Gregorian Calendar, moving his birthday to the 22nd of the month. Then, starting in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved the official celebration of his birth to the third Monday in February. In popular parlance we slight our first President by neglecting the legal name of the holiday, WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY and refer to it as a generic "Presidents’ Day."
We likewise neglect Washington's sage warning against entangling foreign alliances. Even in our commercial relations our leaders, not content merely to trade with the rest of the world, have entered into binding agreements restricting our ability to control our own commerce, to encourage domestic manufacturing, or even to protect our citizens from unsafe products.
On November 5, 2024, the American people finally said, "Enough," and elected a President who promised to put the interest of the American people first. President Donald J. Trump has begun fulfilling that promise. Below are some Presidential actions putting America first, with citations of publication in the Federal Register and excerpts from the actions.
Executive Order 14199 of February 4, 2025, Withdrawing the United States From and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations (90 FR 9275, February 10, 2025).
"Three UN organizations that deserve renewed scrutiny are the UNHRC; the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)."
Executive Order 14162 of January 20, 2025, Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (90 FR 8455, January 30, 2025).
"In recent years, the United States has purported to join international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect our country’s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives. Moreover, these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people." "The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The notice shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Depositary of the Agreement, attached as Appendix A. The United States will consider its withdrawal from the Agreement and any attendant obligations to be effective immediately upon this provision of notification."
Executive Order 14169 of January 20, 2025, Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid (90 FR 8619, January 30, 2025).
"The United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values. They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries."
Executive Order 14150 of January 20, 2025, America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State (90 FR 8337, January 29, 2025).
"From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first."
Executive Order 14155 of January 20, 2025, Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization (90 FR 8361, January 29, 2025).
"The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID–19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states. In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO."
PROMISES MADE. PROMISES KEPT.
On February 12, 2026, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements published in the Federal Register (91 FR 6623) Limitations of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Countries From Regional and Third Country Fabric.
ublishing the new quantitative limit on duty-free benefits for certain apparel assembled in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For the period beginning on February 3, 2026, and extending through September 30, 2026, the aggregate quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under these provisions is 1,046,888,893 square meters equivalent. Of this amount, 523,444,446 square meters equivalent is available to apparel articles imported under the special rule for lesserdeveloped countries. Apparel articles entered in excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise applicable tariffs.
On February 12, 2026, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements published in the Federal Register (91 FR 6623) Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act.
The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, as amended, provides duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences is known as the ‘‘value-added’’ provision, which provides preferential tariff treatment for apparel that meets a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti, certain other beneficiary and free trade agreement countries, and/or the United States. The provision is subject to a quantitative limitation, which is a percentage of total apparel imports into the United States for the previous 12-month period for which data are available. For the period from February 3, 2026 through December 19, 2026, the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under the valueadded provision is 267,063,493 square meters equivalent. This quantitative limitation was calculated by prorating imports on a monthly basis to account for the lapse in authorization for this treatment from December 20, 2025 to February 2, 2026.
On February 11, 2026, the Executive Office of the President published in the Federal Register (91 FR 6501) Executive Order 14384 of February 6, 2026, Modifying Duties To Address Threats to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation.
India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the United States, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years.The President has determined that India has taken significant steps to address the national emergency and to align sufficiently with the United States on national security, foreign policy, and economic matters. Accordingly, the President has determined to eliminate the additional ad valorem rate of duty imposed on imports of articles of India pursuant to Executive Order 14329.
February 10, 2026, Point Blank Protective Apparel & Uniforms, Guánica, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $10,151,100 firm-fixed-price, definite-quantity contract for large field pack sets and pack frames. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(3), as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-3. This is a one-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is Jan. 8, 2027. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-26-C-0004).
February 10, 2026, Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind,** Talladega, Alabama, has been awarded a maximum $14,085,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for helmet covers. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is Jan. 21, 2029. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2026 through 2029 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-26-D-B004).
**Mandatory source
