Free Republic

The global cycling community has been left in a state of shock after the sudden demise of Melissa Dennis Hoskins, a retired professional cyclist and an ex-world champion. The unfortunate event took place on New Year’s Eve when Melissa was reportedly knocked down by a grey ute on Avenel Gardens Road. Despite immediate medical attention, she lost her battle for life in the hospital. This news has left a profound impact on the sports fraternity globally, causing disbelief amongst fans and athletes. Witnesses stated that Melissa was struck by a vehicle just after 8 pm on Saturday, leading to the...

JACKSON, Miss. — Seven months of searching for her lost son brought Bettersten Wade to a dirt road leading into the woods, past an empty horse stable and a scrapyard. The last time she’d seen her middle child, Dexter Wade, 37, was on the night of March 5, as he left home with a friend. She reported him missing, and Jackson police told her they’d been unable to find him, she said. It wasn’t until 172 excruciating days after his disappearance that Bettersten learned the truth: Dexter had been killed less than an hour after he’d left home, struck by...

Republican state lawmakers voted Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a sweeping GOP bill that curbs transgender medical procedures and limits teaching certain sex-related topics in Kentucky schools. The House and Senate — both controlled by Republican supermajorities — easily set aside the governor’s March 24 veto. The Senate voted 29-8 in a mostly party line vote. The House followed with a vote of 76-23. The rebuke of the governor's veto by Republican supermajorities in both chambers came as rallies for and against the legislation occurred on the statehouse grounds. Protesters shouting chants that included "Trans rights...

OUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police charged a 26-year-old man with murder after a former Eastern High School student was killed in a wrong way crash on Hurstbourne Parkway over the weekend. According to Alicia Smiley, a spokeswoman for the Louisville Metro Police Department, Porfirio Cruz Hernandez is charged with murder, wanton endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and operating a motor vehicle without a valid operator's license. As of Monday afternoon, Hernandez remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash took place around 4 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of South Hurstbourne Parkway and Fegenbush Lane. Police said...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- From his TARC stop at Broadway and 10th street to GE Building No. 5, Lanice Malone Jr. said it takes 45 minutes to get to work each day on the bus. Friday was even worse. "This bus is already late, so I'm probably going to get to work late," Malone said Friday. But it's not the late bus that bothered him most Friday. It was the busses he no longer sees on the road. Louisville is one of several cities that purchased first-generation Proterra electric busses, but TARC later idled the fleet. It spent $9 million...

As with other European Union countries, the Dutch government has been reveling in the power COVID bestowed on it. In response, the Netherlands has seen huge and violent protests against those draconian strictures. I’m betting that some of those protesters were among the people who voted for Gideon van Meijeren, a young man newly elected to the Dutch Parliament. This young man, during his first appearance on the floor, managed in just two minutes to completely humiliate Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Watching the video will make your day.

Anyone who’s ever quit a job has probably dreamed of writing a delicious “kiss my *ss” email to the companywide distribution list and hitting “send” just before they walk out the door for the last time. But a veteran Chicago police leader pretty much did it for real, although he opted to withhold actual names in favor of not-so-subtle hints about who he was writing about. The author of the red-hot communique is Melvin Roman, who was unceremoniously dumped as commander of the police district that includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home after “someone” became displeased with protests that closed down...

When Quinton Joiner stabbed a CTA worker in the neck on a Loop train platform in August, all of the corporate news outlets ran stories. But only CWBChicago followed the case to report that prosecutors only charged Joiner with a misdemeanor and then settled the case less than a month later with a sentence of probation. On October 16, we exclusively reported that Joiner, still on probation for the CTA stabbing, was arrested again after she walked into a wedding ceremony in Millennium Park and allegedly brandished a knife to steal a woman’s purse. Once again, she was only charged...

In August 1964, the North Carolina Eugenics Board met to decide if a 20-year-old Black woman should be sterilized. Because her name was redacted from the records, we call her Bertha. She was a single mother with one child who lived at the segregated O'Berry Center for African American adults with intellectual disabilities in Goldsboro. According to the North Carolina Eugenics Board, Bertha had an IQ of 62 and exhibited “aggressive behavior and sexual promiscuity.” She had been orphaned as a child and had a limited education. Likely because of her “low IQ score,” the board determined she was not...

It may be argued, and it frequently is, that free com- petition is a ruthless and cruel process. But it is not nearly so ruthless and cruel as the opposite philosophy, which down through the ages has kept the majority of people ill-fed, ill-housed, ill-clothed, embroiled in wars, and dying of famine and pestilence.

Police say a Taylorsville woman was behind the crime, when a man was kidnapped, beaten and forced to strip naked. According to an arrest report, the incident happened last month in Taylorsville. Police say 36-year-old Leslie Tindle admitted to luring the victim from his home. That's when an accomplice hit him, according to the arrest report, and Tindle forced him to strip. The man was later found along Bloomfield Road, naked and beaten with his hands zip-tied behind his back. Police say Tindle told them it was all because the victim was in the car when someone else took her...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When they approve search warrants, giving police authority to enter private homes, Louisville judges often don't bother to sign their names in a way that they can be identified, and there is no other public record showing which judge approved a given warrant. That was the conclusion of a Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting-WDRB News investigation published Sept. 16. "When a police officer comes to your house with a warrant, you should be able to ask to see that warrant and see which judge said that this is OK," reporter Jacob Ryan of the Kentucky Center...

Many people – essayists, writers, and commenters – have questioned why it is that American Jews are not just staunch Democrats, but have overwhelmingly remained so in light of the clear cynical calculation that Democrats are making with regard to currying favor with Muslims over Jews in this country; e.g., my latest essay on that: Attention American Jews: Sit at the table or be on the menu (CARTOON). For example,, comedian and 9-12 patriot Evan Sayet wrote an excellent essay back in 2011; Why Jews Support the Democratic Party (bolding added): To be called a Jew, all you have to...

Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo Test Summary We acquired four identical Bushmaster AR-15 rifles. We chose the Bushmaster MOE Series AR-15 because it’s a widely available, affordable, and mass-market. Our team didn’t want something too cheap and of lower quality or something too expensive and of high quality since our goal is to help the most number of people. We acquired 10,000 rounds each of the following ammunition (new production): Federal 55gr – Brass-Cased – Copper Jacket Wolf 55gr FMJ – Steel-Cased with Polymer Coating – Bi-Metal Jacket (steel and copper) 55gr FMJ – Steel-Cased with Polymer Coating – Bi-Metal...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With weapons drawn, Louisville Metro Police SWAT officers raided a home last July to serve a warrant on an alleged drug suspect, but instead, they handcuffed a man hired to paint the vacant house, his girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter, a lawsuit claims. In fact, the suit alleges, LMPD officers had already searched the home in the 100 block of Amherst Avenue near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport 10 days earlier and arrested the person they were looking for -- and who was still in custody at the time of the July 15, 2019, raid. Roy...

"They were asked — or told with the threat of suspension if they didn't do it — to go in the park area without protective gear, especially their ballistic helmets ... which is an insane request ... considering circumstances they've been facing the last month," Kentucky FOP President Berl Perdue said. Perdue said officers had already removed several individuals with long guns from elevated positions Saturday night before the shooting in Jefferson Square. He said Louisville officers may file a grievance over the order regarding protective gear. LMPD responded, saying in part that the department decided to have officers go...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville police said two men assaulted people outside O'Shea's, leaving one of the victims unable to communicate. Louisville Metro Police Department is asking the public's help in identifying the suspects. The assault took place around 3 a.m. Friday on Baxter Avenue. LMPD posted a video of the assault on its Facebook page. Warning: The video has graphic content. One of the victims is in the intensive care unit and is unavailable to communicate, according to a news release. All three victims required medical treatment. Police said they believe one of the suspects, who wears white hat...

I am usually adverse to vanity posts, but I am posting in the personal/blogs so I figure it's OK. My main (motorcycle) riding buddy is having some physical issues that are making it hard for him to do some of the longer rides I'd like to do. The other guys I ride with (if you're a woman rider, that's cool too) just can't seem to plan anything beyond a few miles somewhere for a beer. That's not important to me. I want to ride and see things. I want to find some folks in central Kentucky that want to share...

The Louisville Metro Police Department is in danger of losing 200 or more officers by the end of the summer, according to the leader of the union that represents them. River City FOP President Ryan Nichols said LMPD is at risk of losing not only veteran officers but young ones, and that could gravely affect public safety and the future of the department. "As much as I would like to say I would encourage all of our officers to stay here and that this is a great place to work, the fact is that's not true," Nichols said. Nichols said...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County Board of Education voted 5-2 Thursday to increase the district’s property tax rate by 7 cents per $100 of assessed property value, setting up a potential recall at the polls in November if opponents can garner enough support. Board members Diane Porter, Chris Kolb, James Craig, Corrie Shull and Joe Marshall voted for the rate increase while board members Chris Brady and Linda Duncan voted against it. Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio recommended the board pass the higher tax rate, which puts the district's tax rate at 80.6 cents per $100...