Free Republic

A wealthy white West Virginia couple forced their adopted black children to work as slaves and sleep in a barn, according to disturbing charges. Donald Lantz and Jeanne Whitefeather, pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen charges on Tuesday. Lantz and Whitefeather were first arrested in October after a wellness check led to the discovery of the couple’s five adopted children — aged 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16 — living in deplorable conditions on their Sissonville property. The indictment, which Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said was one of the worst she’s ever seen, alleges that the...

A wealthy white West Virginia couple have been accused of forcing their adopted black children to work as slaves and live inside a locked barn. Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62 of Charleston, West Virginia, plead not guilty on Tuesday to multiple new charges after their kids were found locked in a dilapidated shed after allegedly laboring on the surrounding farmland. The judge presiding over the case said the couple targeted their five kids - aged 16, 14, 11, nine, and six - because of their race and they were 'used basically as slaves.' According to the...

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, states have been allowed to pass their own abortion laws. As certain states began to pass stronger protections for preborn human beings, other states began to eliminate protections — and ‘abortion travel’ became a hot-button issue. Some companies began funding abortion travel as a “benefit” to employees, and abortion funds began to pay for airfare, hotels, and the like in order to assist women living in pro-life states to obtain abortions in states where abortion was more available. Since that time, the Guttmacher Institute...

A couple arrested after some of their adopted children were found locked in a shed at their West Virginia home are set for trial later this year on charges that a judge said involved their use as “slaves.” Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather face trial later this year after they were arraigned on 16 counts each accusing them of civil rights violations, human trafficking, forced labor, gross child neglect and falsifying an application seeking a public defender. All but one of the counts are felonies.

Two faculty members at Appalachian Bible College were fired May 6 after filing a complaint with the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). The complaint is directed against Rosalie Anderson, the wife of college president Daniel Anderson. It alleges “a pattern of behavior that is inconsistent with Christian integrity and professional teaching standards.” The fired faculty members are Jeremy Yowell, former Chair of the Music Major, and his wife Melissa Yowell, a faculty member in the music department. They said the school told them they had “not fulfilled…job responsibilities, had bad attitudes, and were creating disunity in our department.” However,...

HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — A video posted to Facebook shows a pick-up truck driver on Wednesday doing a burnout on the Pride crosswalk in Huntington. The crosswalk and mural are at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 10th Street. Sassa Wilkes and more than 100 people helped bring the crosswalk and rainbow gemstone in the middle of the roadway to life over the weekend. Huntington Police Chief Phil Watkins says the department is aware of the video and is investigating. City of Huntington Communications Director Bryan Chambers says, “The Huntington Police Department is aware of the incident and is investigating...

Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor. President Donald Trump gives the...

Update: For those who remember, there is news regarding Fulks and Basham. They murdered my sister Alice Donovan from South Carolina,, a girl from West Virginia named Samantha, attempted to kill a policè officer, attempted to carjack a teenager, stole guns, checkbooks, credit cards and much more. We just got news that the ⅖ DOJ wants to commute the death penalty sentences of Fulks and Basham. This goes against the Jury AND the US Supreme Court as well as the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court, not to mention that those who died don't receive a commutation of their sentences of death,...

Sen. Joe Manchin is registering as an independent, according to a person familiar with the matter — a move that is sure to stoke speculation he could run for Senate or governor without a party affiliation this fall. A longtime Democrat, Manchin’s decision comes ahead of a deadline for filing as an independent in West Virginia. He’ll have several more weeks to decide whether to run for his Senate seat or mount a bid for his old job as governor. The move is no guarantee he will run for either office, however. Manchin previously announced he would not run for...

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a longtime moderate Democrat, announced on Friday that he is registering as an independent. Manchin announced last year that he would not run for reelection in the deep red state, creating an opportunity for Republicans to flip the Senate seat. The news that Manchin has registered as an independent raises fresh questions, however, over his political future and aspirations. “Our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin, who has long been a pivotal swing vote in the Senate, said in a statement. “To stay true...

Sen. Joe Manchin leaves the Democratic Party and registers as an independent Manchin's decision, after years of bucking party leadership, could allow him to run for governor or try for another Senate term this fall after ruling out doing so as a Democrat.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a longtime political moderate, on Friday announced he is leaving the Democratic Party and has registered as an independent. In a statement, Manchin, who is not running for re-election, said he switched his party affiliation at the West Virginia State Capitol. "From my first day in public service in 1982, I have always focused on doing what’s best for my state and my country, without regard to party or politics. Throughout my days in elected office, I have always been proud of my commitment to common sense, bipartisanship and my desire to bring people together. It’s...

West Virginia middle school girls have said they felt unsafe getting undressed in a locker room with a trans boy-to-girl athlete. The track and field mates from Lincoln Middle School in a podcast said it was uncomfortable to share a bathroom with Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13. The five girls, who are aged 13 and 14, shot to fame last month when they protested having to compete against Pepper-Jackson because she is a biological male. Four of them spoke with women's rights campaigner Riley Gaines in her podcast this week about the competition protest, a video of which went viral. They say...

The mayor of Huntington, Steve Williams, has initiated a petition. He wants Gov. Jim Justice to talk about a potential abortion vote during the special session in May. The Supreme Court of the United States reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022. This resulted in West Virginia implementing a near-complete abortion ban known as the Unborn Child Protection Act. This act makes most abortions in the state illegal. Exceptions exist for situations where the mother's life is at risk, or in cases of rape and incest reported quickly to the police. Williams, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, wishes to add reproductive rights...

A West Virginia judge has reversed a school district’s ban on the five girls who protested against being forced to compete against a transgender player in their high school track & field events. Last month, five girls protested against being forced to compete against transgender students by stepping into their shot put ring but then stepping right out again, thereby forfeiting their events. 5 middle school female athletes in West Virginia on Thursday refused to throw shot put against male Becky Pepper-Jackson. They “stepped in” then “stepped out” in protest. This is how you finally stop men from ruining women’s...

Some protests are more equal than others. As students rampage on college campuses, block highways, and shout expletives at Jews, five middle-school female students who silently and respectfully declined to compete against a boy have been banned from competing in school competitions. I am not making this up. NEW: Five girls from Lincoln Middle School who refused to compete against a transgender athlete during a shot put competition have been BANNED from future competitions.West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education on student's behalf. “I will do everything in my power...

ive West Virginia middle school students who protested a trans athlete's participation in a shot put competition have been banned from future competitions. Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, competed in the Harris County Middle School Track and Field Championship on April 18, two days after a federal appeals court ruled West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the teen's right under Title IX. Five girls from Lincoln Middle School stepped up to the circle for their turn, then refused to throw the ball. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education on the student's...

Five West Virginia middle school students who protested a trans athlete's participation in a shot put competition have been banned from future competitions. Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, competed in the Harris County Middle School Track and Field Championship on April 18, two days after a federal appeals court ruled West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the teen's right under Title IX. Five girls from Lincoln Middle School stepped up to the circle for their turn, then refused to throw the ball. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education on the student's...

It must be another FBI freshman pledge weekend. The Patriot Front “white supremacist” group went marching in Charleston, West Virginia this weekend. They found a drummer for this weekend’s march and they were chanting something but it was hard to understand. This sounds about right: You know they’re feds because the mainstream media has absolutely no interest in outing them. [Wall Street Silver @WallStreetSilv How can you be sure they are Feds? Because the legacy news media is not spending any effort to unmask or destroy their lives. The corporate media was told to ignore this by their handlers at...

On Tuesday, a United States Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a West Virginia law that bars biological boys from competing on girls' sports teams cannot be enforced with regard to a 13-year-old who competes on the girls' track and field team at the athlete's middle school. "The defendants cannot expect that [this athlete] will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy," Judge Toby Heytens wrote in his decision, according...