Free Republic

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that he plans for $30 million of the American Rescue Plan funding to be for infrastructure repairs at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rockingham Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway, according to FOX 46 News. The funds are part of the COVID-19 relief fund that President Joe Biden proposed. According to the budget plan, each racetrack would receive $10 million each.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Authorities in Polk County continue to probe the grisly killings of three men who were found beaten and shot to death in Frostproof over the weekend. The victims, Brandon Rollins, 27, Keven Springfield, 30, and Damion Tillman, 23, were “massacred” near Lake Streety during a nighttime catfishing trip, Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Saturday.

Two of the biggest names in auto racing — NASCAR hall of famers Ray Evernham and Tony Stewart — will launch an auto racing circuit that has the potential to be the biggest disrupter to the auto racing business in decades. With top agent Sandy Montag and former NASCAR COO George Pyne rounding out the four-person board, Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) will feature six short-track races starting next summer. SRX already has a TV deal in place with CBS, which has committed to carry the Saturday night races in prime time next year. The CBS deal runs for multiple years.

ST. LOUIS — Charges have been filed against a 24-year-old man who police believe fatally shot David Dorn, 77, a retired St. Louis police captain who was killed on the sidewalk outside Lee's Pawn and Jewelry early Tuesday morning. Stephan Cannon, 24, has been charged with murder in the first degree. He is being held without bond.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Southeastern Conference has canceled the Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville amid COVID-19 concerns.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

Ryan Newman is fully alert, walking around the hospital and joking with staff two days after his frightening crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Roush Fenway Racing said Wednesday the 42-year-old driver "continues to show great improvement." The team added that "true to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while playing with his two daughters." The team included a photo of Newman standing in a hospital gown, smiling with his arms around his two young daughters.

WIMAUMA, Fla. — President Trump's re-election campaign has announced Vice-President Pence will be attending a rally on Thursday, January 16 at the Valencia Lakes community in Wimauma. However, some residents said they are concerned about the "private" community hosting such a "public" event.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Five days after two firefighters left Port Canaveral on a fishing trip, the search for them has intensified and moved north. Brian McCluney, a member of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and Justin Walker, a Fairfax, Virginia, firefighter, were last seen leaving the Christopher Columbus Boat Ramp in Port Canaveral in a 24-foot fishing boat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Advertisement Officials said the pair were believed to have gone offshore around 30 miles and were expected to return around 6 p.m. They were heading toward a fishing spot known as 8A reef. McCluney's wife,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Governor Bill Haslam has granted executive clemency to Cyntoia Brown by commuting her life sentence. The governor's office announced the decision Monday morning. She will be released to parole supervision on August 7, 2019, after serving 15 years in prison.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - The 65th Nashville Christmas Parade Organizers have announced that Kid Rock will not longer serve as the Grand Marshal of the Nashville Christmas Parade.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - Days before Veteran's Day, a Marine Corps Sergeant will be laid to rest in Nashville. Sgt. Leo Stokely was unclaimed and has no known family, but his funeral is shaping up to be an event fit for a hero. Sgt. Stokely will be laid to rest Friday morning at 10 am. The Vietnam war veteran passed at the age of 69. "I had a contact with a lady from the VA out of Murfreesboro," said Alan Desmond, Funeral Director at Boyd Funeral Home in Ashland City. "She asked me if I would take care of the...

COLUMBIA, TN (WSMV) - Investigators say five people were killed in an apparent murder-suicide in Maury County. According to Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper, it appears that the victims were four children and their mother. The children, three girls and one boy, ranged in age from roughly 8 to 16 years old. Investigators with the Maury County Sheriff's Department are working to figure out what happened. Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland told News4 that a family member came home from work around 6 p.m. and found the victims at the home in the 1000 block of Carters Creek Pike....

Two toxic algae blooms affecting Florida's waterways have become a major issue in the Senate race pitting incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson against sitting Republican Gov. Rick Scott. The race has garnered national attention because of the implications the outcome could have for which party controls the Senate. The focus on algae, however, shows just how important local issue are in the race

A 30-year old off-duty Dallas police officer has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of 26-year-old Botham Shem Jean on Thursday night. Four-year Dallas police veteran Amber Guyger was taken into custody at 7:20 p.m., according to Kaufman County jail records. Guyger’s Bond was set at $300,000 and she posted bail less than an hour after being arrested, jail records stated. Moments earlier on Sunday, Jean’s family attorney Lee Merritt met with Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson presenting new evidence and demanding that Guyger be taken into custody.

Red tide is all over Southwest Florida. 19 different Lee County beaches are experiencing some level of it. Pristine water is what typically draws thousands to Southwest Florida every year, but right now it’s rotting fish - not happy visitors - lining our beaches. “The beach looks awful. It's sad. There [are] dead fish everywhere, the smell is awful, [and] you can smell it as soon as you get close to the water. It chokes you up,” said Amber Powers.

Immigration and Customs officials said that Wisner Desmaret is an undocumented immigrant from Haiti. It could take months or it could take years for Desmaret to face possible deportation for being in the country illegally.

A Fort Myers police officer is in surgery after being shot Saturday evening. The public information officer for the department said the officer is seriously injured. The suspected shooter was also injured and in custody, Police Chief Derrick Diggs said. Heavy police presence, including more than 20 squad cars from both FMPD and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, marked where the shooting happened near the Marathon gas station on MLK Blvd at Flint Drive.

What just happened? Over the past six weeks, immigration officials have separated hundreds of migrant families who have either crossed into the United States illegally or have sought political asylum. A change in immigration policy by the Trump administration is resulting in thousands of children being housed separately from their parents as they await adjudication. The children are being kept in separate facilities and are unable to see their parents for an indefinite period of time.

DICKSON, Tenn. - Sergeant Daniel Baker of the Dickson County Sheriff's Office was shot and killed in the line of duty. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 31-year-old Steven Wiggins is the main suspect in the case. A massive manhunt is being conducted and he is being considered armed and dangerous.