Free Republic

US Family Finds New Life in Costa Rican Blue Zone CNN published the story of a U.S. family that moved to Costa Rica, and it changed their lives completely. Kema Ward-Hopper and Nicholas Hopper decided to get married in the Central American nation, and years later, they made the decision to permanently relocate. Now, they live in one of Costa Rica’s blue zones, an area characterized by longevity, a slow-paced life, and a healthy lifestyle. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before their wedding in 2016. “[I had] started treatment and everything. If you see pictures from...

Chicago is experiencing a violent Labor Day weekend with at least 35 people shot and seven of them killed, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday. a group of people on a sidewalk © Provided by Fox News Network LLC Two deadly shootings unfolded Sunday within just over 20 minutes. A 15-year-old boy named Dovantae Jackson was shot on the same block where he lived and was pronounced dead at the scene. Soon afterward, an unidentified man and woman were shot at a South Side party; the man later died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Seven people were shot during a span of an hour Monday, a day that saw a total of three people fatally shot and 13 others wounded, police said. There were five double shootings including one in the city's Englewood neighborhood on the South Side that left a 19-year-old man dead. About 7:30 p.m., a 19-year-old man was fatally shot and a 17-year-old boy was wounded while they were walking(snip) The shooter got out of a black car and opened fire at the pair, police said. A 19-year-old man was shot in the chest,(snip) A minute after the shooting on Honore...

A New York state court on Tuesday temporarily stopped New York City from destroying the personal records of hundreds of thousands of municipal I.D. card holders after Republicans argued the records might be needed to track criminals. Seeking to protect illegal immigrants who fear deportation under a President-elect Donald Trump administration, city officials had been considering destroying the information and said on Tuesday they would stop collecting it starting next month. Two Republican state lawmakers sued the city on Monday to block any plans to discard the records collected so far, saying they could be needed to investigate individuals who...

Two street preachers were brutally beaten—punched and kicked—by a crowd at a gay pride festival in Seattle and the entire melee was captured on video. The preachers were holding signs reading "Repent or Else" and "Jesus Saves From Sin." The video shows a group of people initially screaming and threatening the men during Pridefest at the Seattle Space Needle. Television station KOMO reported that some of the attackers belonged to a group called NOH8.

I’m guessing this is the new face of equality. Or at least a redefinition of sanity. In any case, welcome to the Big Apple, employers! (From the NY Daily News) In front of emotional supporters, Mayor de Blasio signed legislation Monday that will prohibit employers from inquiring about a candidate’s criminal record prior to a job offer.“Today I see hope for people like me,” said Marilyn Scales, 52, of the Bronx, who said she never has had a full-time job because of her record for dealing heroin. As crazy as this may sound, there’s actually a bit more to...

The teenage son of Mayor Rahm Emanuel was the victim of a robbery outside the mayor’s Lakeview home Friday night, a spokesperson from the mayor’s office confirms. Police were called to the 4200 block of North Hermitage at 10:05 p.m. Friday for a report of a robbery on the street where there would normally already be a police presence. Emanuel’s 17-year-old son went out to make a phone call when he was jumped by two men who stole the teen’s cell phone.

At a time when Wall Street is absolutely swimming in wealth, New York City is experiencing an epidemic of homelessness. According to the New York Times, the last time there was this many homeless children in New York City was during the days of the Great Depression. And the number of homeless children in the United States overall recently set a new all-time record. As I mentioned yesterday, there are now 1.2 million public school kids in America that are homeless, and that number has gone up by about 72 percent since the start of the last recession. As Americans,...

NEW YORK CITY, November 6, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New York City has been called “the abortion capital of the world.” The city has some of the laxest restrictions and the highest abortion rate in the country, with 41 percent of its pregnancies ending in elective termination. According to New York Magazine, 10 percent of all U.S. abortions happen in the state of New York, and seven out of ten abortions in the state take place in New York City. But those statistics aren’t high enough for newly elected Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, who claims the city is “underserved” by...

We’ve got another one, ya’ll. I thought Melissa Harris-Perry’s utterly illogical talking point about Detroit serving as an example of what “Republicans would impose on us” was bad, but this… Do you think that maybe he actually believes what he’s saying, or that he’s just straight-up lying through his teeth because there is literally no good way to spin Detroit’s fiscal collapse as anything other than the inevitable conclusion of a total progressive utopia without peddling outright falsehoods? Because, according to Mr. Schultz — and stay with him here, because there’s a good chance you might not have realized this...

PITTSBURGH —A self-described community activist running an underdog campaign for mayor may be an even longer shot now that he's been charged with driving under the influence. A.J. Richardson, 36, was arrested early Wednesday in Pittsburgh's West End. Police say they found him slumped over the wheel of his green minivan that was stopped on Steuben Street with the engine still running at about 3 a.m. According to the criminal complaint, Richardson refused a blood test and "became verbally hostile stating that he was going to be mayor repeatedly." --snip-- Richardson, whose full name is Abdula Jamal Richardson, is running...

The purple benches at San Francisco's Harvey Milk Plaza were removed Friday following growing complaint that they had become a loophole for drunks and others to avoid the city's ordinance prohibiting sitting or lying on walkways. The removal decision was made earlier this week by the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, the community group that paid $40,000 to install the benches in 2010. "It's about time," said Dan Glazer, owner of the nearby bakeshop Hot Cookie. "They pee, they defecate and they leave their garbage there. They have no respect for the plaza or for Harvey Milk and what he...

Four (4) US Cities made the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world and for various reasons but ostensibly for their dangerous murder rate level. I have highly excerpted this article. The entire list can be found at: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-2012-10?op=1 Looking at the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world here is the list of those US cities and who is leading them, you will most likely NOT be surprised: #48 Baltimore: Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake (Democrat) City has been led by democrats since 1967 #43 Saint Louis: Mayor Francis G. Slay (Democrat) City has been led by democrats...

“Detroit is America’s most violent city” “Detroit’s homicide rate is the highest in the country” “Detroit’s Police Department is grossly understaffed” these are the opening lines of a warning from the Motor City’s Police Union advising people that for their own safety they should stay away from Detroit. The declaration goes on to say that DPD officers are required to work 12 hour shifts, TWELEVE HOUR SHIFTS! Imagine how exhausting it would be to work at ANY job for 12 straight hours, finish up and look forward to coming back ½ a day later for 12 more hours! DPD cops...

Nineteen people were shot across the South and West sides from Thursday evening through early Friday morning -- 13 of them wounded over a 30-minute period, authorities say. The overnight shootings peaked between 9:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. That's when eight people, many of them teens, were shot at 79th Street and Essex Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Then two men were wounded in the Ida B. Wells / Darrow Homes complex at about 9:25 p.m., police said. The men, 27 and 33, were shot in the 600 block of East 37th Street and taken to the University of Chicago Hospitals,...

Supporters of Chick-fil-A are eating at restaurants in the chicken chain Wednesday as the company continues to be criticized for an executive's comments about gay marriage. Long lines were reported at Chick-fil-A restaurants at malls in Peabody and Burlington. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, declared Wednesday national "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press last month that the Atlanta-based company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family." That unleashed a torrent of criticism from gay rights groups and others, who have called for boycotts and efforts to block...

Chicagoans hungry to flip the bird to Rahm, nicely Some of you asked just what the scene’s like on Chick-fil-A appreciation day in Chicago, home to #ChicagoValues, and the city at the heart of the controversy over Chick-fil-A after our mayor congratulated an alderman in shutting the company out of opening a second location within the city limits.The line at 12:10pm extended down the city block from the entrance, full of Chicagoans who, it would seem, don’t share Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s definition of “Chicago Values.”One woman and her friend took up a collection at their office to buy bags of...

NASHUA, NH (CBS) – A Nashua Chick-Fil-A restaurant will be sponsoring New Hampshire Pride Fest. Ryan Manseau, the senior director of Pride Fest, told WBZ-TV he was handing out fliers at the Pheasant Lane Mall recently to promote his event and noticed a man who appeared to be a Chick-Fil-A manager holding one. . . Manseau said he approached the man, bracing for a verbal confrontation. He turned out to be the franchise operator, Anthony Piccola, who agreed to help sponsor the event and to serve Chick-Fil-A sandwiches there.

We already told you about the New York City public school principal who banned “God Bless the USA” from a kindergarten graduation program. Now, the same schoolchildren who were forbidden from singing the song at P.S. 90 in Brooklyn were heckled by adults when they performed the song at a protest event held in a nearby park.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/99.7 Now) – It’s a question many of us ask when we go out to a restaurant. “How much should I tip?” Whether your service is good or bad, San Francisco Restaurant workers want to implement a 25% standard tip onto your bill for you. Is this fair? Many in the food industry say “…yes, it’s about time.” However, many “foodies” are not as happy with the idea. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury News, for the most part, people, on average tip between 15% – 20% and the restaurant worker actually has to...