06/18/2024 03:56 PM EDT Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State More Americans can travel abroad today than at any time in our history. In 1990, only five percent of Americans had a passport. Today, that number is 48 percent. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards – more than ever before. To better serve the growing number of Americans seeking U.S. passports, the Department is taking steps to establish six new passport agencies. These offices – which will open in Salt Lake City, UT; Kansas City, MO; Orlando, FL; Charlotte, NC; San Antonio, TX; and Cincinnati, OH – reflect our commitment to provide prompt customer services to more Americans closer to where they live. The six additional facilities will expand our passport network to 35 passport agencies and centers and over 7,400 public passport acceptance facilities nationwide. As our existing network of agencies do every day, these new passport agencies will provide service to travelers with urgent travel needs. Travelers who do not require urgent passport services can apply at one of our 7,400 passport acceptance facilities, which include post offices and other local government facilities. More than 99 percent of Americans already live within 25 miles of an acceptance facility. While we undertake steps to establish these new agencies, we are issuing more passports than ever before while maintaining our passport processing times at our pre-pandemic levels. We thank Congress for its partnership and support, and we look forward to working with our congressional partners and other stakeholders to open these new facilities. The Department of State encourages U.S. citizens to apply for, or renew, their passports before they book travel. Visit travel.state.gov/passport to plan your travel with the latest passport and travel guidance. |
Pastor Da’Quarius Green , a 31-year-old leader of Elba Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Alabama, was shot on Dec. 23, 2025 and died several days later in the hospital after a domestic dispute at his home in Level Plains . Authorities have described the shooting as a “domestic incident” involving his wife, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐲. Local news station WTVY reported "c ourt records show that Green was arrested on misdemeanor domestic violence charges 3 times in Houston County last year, with each of those cases dismissed. Also in 2024, a woman filed a protection order against Green in Houston County in which she believed him to be a danger," but did not confirm Mrs. Massey as the suspect. Various reports indicate the couple's children were present when he was shot in the head. In one instance, a woman who shared children with Green alleged that he repeatedly struck her , including once when she was pregnant. The sitution appears to be shaping int...