diff --git a/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml b/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
index 434c15ff9..4408dc10d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
-        python-version: [3.7]
+        python-version: [3.11]
 
     steps:
       # Checkout variorum repository under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE
@@ -193,8 +193,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Update Black
         run: |
-          pip install black==21.12b0
-          pip install flake8==4.0.1
+          pip install black==25.1.0
+          pip install flake8==7.1.2
 
       - name: Style check python files
         run: |
diff --git a/src/docs/sphinx/Argo.rst b/src/docs/sphinx/Argo.rst
index 7bc76c294..d26d006f8 100644
--- a/src/docs/sphinx/Argo.rst
+++ b/src/docs/sphinx/Argo.rst
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@ and node-local mechanisms and policies. This includes developing and enabling
 power management in HPC schedulers (such as SLURM and Flux), large-scale system
 monitoring frameworks (LDMS), application profilers (such as Caliper), runtime
 system frameworks (such as Kokkos, GEOPM), and similar system- and
-application-level frameworks. Variorum has been integrated with GEOPM through
-a GEOPM `PlatformIO plugin for Variorum
-https://github.com/amarathe84/geopm/pull/2>`_ named VariorumIO.
-Using VariorumIO, GEOPM leverages Variorum's platform-agnostic API to query
-power usage on the target system.
+application-level frameworks. Variorum has been integrated with GEOPM through a
+GEOPM `PlatformIO plugin for Variorum
+https://github.com/amarathe84/geopm/pull/2>`_ named VariorumIO. Using
+VariorumIO, GEOPM leverages Variorum's platform-agnostic API to query power
+usage on the target system.
 
 `Hardware co-design` involves working closely with our vendors to continuously
 explore emerging new hardware trends and devices, and look for how best to
diff --git a/src/utilities/verify_msr_kernel.py b/src/utilities/verify_msr_kernel.py
index 1a689ed7f..7656a8a02 100755
--- a/src/utilities/verify_msr_kernel.py
+++ b/src/utilities/verify_msr_kernel.py
@@ -304,9 +304,9 @@ def check_msr_files_access(verbose):
     # if msr kernel is loaded
     err = check_msr_kernel_loaded(verbose)
     if err == 0:
-        err = check_msr_files_character_devices(
+        err = check_msr_files_character_devices(verbose) or check_msr_files_access(
             verbose
-        ) or check_msr_files_access(verbose)
+        )
         if err == 0:
             print("-- Valid kernel loaded: msr")
             found_valid_kernel = 1