Free Republic

One of the Sinaloa cartel leaders who launched a struggle for control of the gang following the re-arrest of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was captured Tuesday ... Damaso Lopez, known by the nickname "El Licenciado" — a title for college graduates. Lopez was long considered Guzman's right-hand man and helped him escape from a Mexican prison in 2001. Lopez, 51, is believed to have been locked in a dispute with Guzman's sons for control of the cartel's territories. The head of Mexico's federal detectives' agency, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said Lopez was "one of the main instigators of violence in Sinaloa...

It’s apparently okay to read history books at Northern Arizona University, but not the Good Book. Mark Holden, a 22-year-old history major, tells me he was ordered to leave a lecture hall after his professor objected to him reading the Bible before the start of the class. Holden alleges that Professor Heather Martel ordered him to put away the Good Book around six minutes before a scheduled history class. It’s unclear why she objected to the reading of God’s Word. According to her biography, Professor Martel is a noted scholar who is working on an essay titled, “The Gender Amazon:...

The Palominas Fire District responded at approximately 3:56 p.m. on Sunday to the area of Highway 92 and Bethlehem in Palominas for a reported brush fire, threatening the former Miracle Valley Bible College. Monique Brand “Units arrived to find about a four to five acre brush/grass fire that was moving quickly to the south by moderate winds from the north,” said Fire Chief Mark Matthews. “The fire had already caused one of the older structures on the old Bible College property to start burning.” Close to 30 personnel from Palominas Fire District, Fry Fire District, Bisbee Fire Department, U.S. Forest...

A woman in Arizona said she made a stunning discovery inside a new purse she bought at a Walmart: A note apparently written by a desperate prisoner in China. Laura Wallace found the message, written in Chinese, tucked inside the zipper compartment of the purse she purchased at a Sierra Vista Walmart, KVOA reported.

NACO – An incomplete cross-border tunnel was uncovered by a construction worker clearing old fencing near Naco. According to Christopher Sullivan, a public information officer and Border Patrol agent based out of the Tucson sector, the construction worker contacted Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents at the Brian A. Terry Station to report a “possible smuggling tunnel.” Following an investigation, agents discovered the unfinished tunnel. “The tunnel was approximately 15 feet deep and extended into the United States about four feet from the international boundary fence,” he said. “The tunnel has no ventilation or lighting.” The tunnel has already been filled...

WILLCOX – Willcox Border Patrol Agents, from the State Route (SR) 80 Immigration Checkpoint near Tombstone, stopped a hearse and found more than 67 pounds of marijuana concealed in a casket. Early Saturday evening, agents working near the immigration checkpoint noticed a white hearse travelling north of Tombstone. Upon further investigation of the hearse, agents conducted an immigration vehicle stop at the intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 82. After several inconsistencies and based on the totality of the circumstances, a Border Patrol canine unit was requested and alerted to an odor it was trained to detect emitting from the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., has introduced bipartisan legislation to boost national security and alleviate the shortage of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents along the border. The bill will provide the Commissioner of CBP with discretionary authority to expedite the hiring of existing law enforcement officers and veterans who meet CBP background checks and experience standards. "Fully staffing our CBP officers at our ports of entry and Border Patrol agents between the ports of entry is vital for security and economic growth of our communities and nation,” said McSally, Chairwoman of the...

Link only Serial child killer released in Tucson AZ

SIERRA VISTA – At 18 years old, Buena High School senior Adrian Garlant is living his dream. The Buena High School senior recently received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Garlant says he’s been dreaming of attending West Point Military Academy since the sixth grade. His mother Elizabeth Clark remembers the day he announced his plan. “They must have had career day or something, because he came in the door and said, ‘Mom, I’m going to West Point when I grow up’,” Clark recalls. “I said, ‘Do you know how hard that is?’” Clark...

A Northern Arizona University student was recently asked to stop reading his Bible prior to the start of one of his classes. A Northern Arizona University student was recently asked to stop reading his Bible prior to the start of one of his classes, according to audio obtained by Campus Reform.In a recording of the February incident, provided to Campus Reform by Kevin Cavanaugh for Congress, Mark Holden explains the situation to History Department Chair Derek Heng, who had been called in by the instructor, Dr. Heather Martel, after Holden had refused her request that he put his Bible...

A Northern Arizona University student was recently asked to stop reading his Bible prior to the start of one of his classes, according to audio obtained by Campus Reform. In a recording of the February incident, provided to Campus Reform by Kevin Cavanaugh for Congress, Mark Holden explains the situation to History Department Chair Derek Heng, who had been called in by the instructor, Dr. Heather Martel, after Holden had refused her request that he put his Bible away.

A professor at the University of Arizona who conducts research on science education is arguing that students should be taught “queer theory” in elementary school. Kristin Gunckel, a professor at the University of Arizona, argued on behalf of introducing “queer theory” into American elementary school curriculum in a recent lecture that took place last month.

President Trump told the Washington Examiner that he is "absolutely" thinking about breaking up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump criticized the heavily liberal court that blocked his executive order calling for a Mideast travel ban. He suggested it would likely uphold the injunction against his withholding of sanctuary cities' federal funds if the Justice Department appeals that ruling. Trump said that "many people" would support breaking up the "outrageous" bench, adding that he is "absolutely" considering the possibility.

House Majority PAC aims to regain seats for House Democrats. A political action committee that is backed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) took funds from the co-owner of a website that is linked to underage prostitution. The House Majority PAC, an Alexandria, Virginia-based Super PAC created in 2011 to "answer the barrage of GOP outside spending" and help Democrats regain seats in the House of Representatives, accepted a $10,000 contribution last year from James Larkin, the co-owner of the Backpage.com, a website linked to underage trafficking and prostitution. Larkin, along with Michael G. Lacey, were co-owners of...

SIERRA VISTA — Sierra Vista and its surrounding region are the 16th best place to raise a family in Arizona, offering affordable housing, a better education and a lower cost of living, an online financial services survey shows. WalletHub.com compared 65 cities across the state in 21 different categories, measuring factors that have the most impact on Arizona families. “Our data set ranges from median family income to school-system quality to housing affordability,” said Diana Popa, WalletHub communications manager. The city ranked second in housing affordability and third for its high school graduation rate. While other comparison categories were outside...

Not a single member of Congress who represents the territory on the southwest border said they support President Donald Trump’s request for $1.4 billion to begin construction of his promised wall, according to a Wall Street Journal survey, testing the administration’s ability to reach a deal on government funding next week. Most lawmakers representing the region—both Democrats and Republicans—said they are opposed and many said they have unanswered questions. A few were noncommittal, but not a single member of the House or Senate representing the region expressed support for the funding request. That includes nine members of the House and...

MS-13, a group that was started by Central American immigrants in Los Angeles in the 1980s, is known for its ruthless and violent tactics. Most of the founding members were from El Salvador and fled to the U.S. during the country’s civil war that lasted 12 years, from 1980-92. Since then the gang’s membership has ballooned to at least 10,000 members in the United States and more than 30,000 worldwide, according to the FBI and Treasury Department. “[MS-13] is one of the most dangerous and rapidly expanding criminal gangs in the world today,” Philip Holloway, a legal analyst and former...

SIERRA VISTA — One rarely considers U.S. Rep. Martha McSally a rebellious conservative, standing with the Freedom Caucus and willing to shutdown the government instead of reaching a compromise. But that’s not the case when it comes to extending the Continuing Resolution, which Congress is expected to begin debating Monday morning in Washington, D.C.

Lions and tigers and elephants...oh my! The big top went up in Tombstone and Huachuca City on Wednesday and Thursday, last week, when the circus rolls into both communities. The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus showcased contortionists, trapeze artists and breath-taking acrobatic acts, delivering entertaining, and family-fun performances.

FORT HUACHUCA -- As the future of warfare continues to evolve, on a local level, it’s nice to know that one thing is certain: “the future looks bright” at Fort Huachuca. These words were shared by Gen. Mark Milley, the 39th Army chief of staff, during yesterday’s visit to the Fort. “(Fort Huachuca) is the heart and soul of our intelligence community,” he said. Milley’s visit, which he said was initiated by U.S. Rep Martha McSally, was established so that he could gain a better understanding of Fort Huachuca’s mission and role within the Army as well as an opportunity...