Free Republic

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly Collapsed within the last few minutes after being Struck by a Large Container Ship

Democrats are eying a plan to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a sweeping foreign aid package, but it’s quickly running into hurdles — and not just from Republicans.Progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. told Semafor Tuesday evening that she would not sign onto a discharge petition to force a vote on the national security package in part because of the assistance it would provide to Israel. “Am I signing it? No,” she said.The foreign aid bill combines billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and allies in the Asia Pacific.Ocasio-Cortez is one of multiple...

Researchers have learned that by preserving large superficial leg veins intended for coronary bypass grafting in a mixture of the anticoagulant heparin and blood, rather than heparin and saline, the veins were better protected from cell and tissue damage. In severe cases of coronary artery disease, blood flow to the heart is impeded. Surgeons improve blood flow by using veins from the leg to reroute the blood flow in the heart. During these procedures, surgeons remove a section of vein and typically preserve it in a saline solution for two to four hours until it's needed. A decade or more...

We Make Marines,” proclaims a banner at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, summarizing the service’s ethos that recruits have to prove they have the mental and physical toughness to serve in the Corps by surviving boot camp. By the time men and women receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, they have proven that they have the physical and mental toughness to earn the coveted title of “Marine.”But Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger wants “exceptionally talented Americans” to be able to bypass the Corps’ traditional rites of passage and begin serving “at a rank appropriate to their...

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — On Wednesday, May 12, The Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold a public meeting to amend the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan to include Phase 1 of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project. In March 2021, local leaders on both sides of Mobile Bay held a news conference discussing a new concept to relieve traffic on Interstate 10 and the Bayway. The proposal includes a toll bridge meant for just 18-wheelers, and truck drivers previously told WKRG they’re opposed to this idea. The plan not only includes the construction of a new, truck-only bridge...

OKLAHOMA COUNTY (KFOR) – Construction will soon resume on the southern end of the Kickapoo Turnpike. The remaining portion of the turnpike’s southern end will undergo construction again during the second week of April, according to an Oklahoma Turnpike Authority news release. Crews opened the southern portion of the Kickapoo Turnpike to single lane traffic in both directions from NE 23rd Street south to Interstate 40 in January, then halted construction for the remaining winter months. “This turnpike uses a high-performance surface course of asphalt and has a strict temperature requirement in order to be put down and maximize the...

Democrats are moving quickly to lay the groundwork for passing additional coronavirus relief, with or without help from Republicans. The push comes as Democrats are under pressure to go big amid new data showing the economy shrank 3.5 percent last year with stubbornly high levels of unemployment persisting into 2021. Democrats can muscle through a budget resolution, the first step for a coronavirus relief bill, with a simple majority in the House and Senate. Under a plan crystallizing on Capitol Hill, they are hoping to pass it through both chambers next week.

A proposal to build a Cross Downtown Brooklyn Tunnel, an idea studied by the state in 2010, is sparking new interest. As the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street faces a massive, $3.4 billion reconstruction, a once-in-a-lifetime window of opportunity has opened, says longtime Cobble Hill community leader and graphic designer Roy Sloane. Sloane came up with the tunnel concept at a planning session in June 2010. Sloane, former president of the Cobble Hill Association, is the first to admit he is not an engineer. He was, however, a member of the original Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Advisory Committee and...

A city with historic origins made history again when the first new federal interstate in almost 30 years opened in town. On Aug. 9, federal, state and local officials gathered at a scenic overlook on Interstate 11 in Boulder City to officially open the highway. “When we work (and) collaborate together, we reach great heights, like today,” said Mayor Rod Woodbury. The 15-mile stretch of I-11 runs from Henderson to the Hoover Dam and goes around Boulder City. It is expected to reduce travel times between those areas by as much as 30 minutes, according to the Nevada Department of...

PINEVILLE, Mo. — Gregg Sweeten had difficulty last week putting his reaction into words. When he learned that funding for the long-sought Bella Vista Bypass had been found, Sweeten, the Pineville mayor and McDonald County emergency manager, was stunned. Then he was elated. "That is amazing," Sweeten said. "That is going to be so great. I think it’s going to lead to all kinds of opportunities not only for Pineville but for McDonald County. I mean, it’s just — I just can’t say how happy I am. Wow. That is ... that’s wild. That’s amazing. That’s a Christmas present right...

Two researchers have found a way to bypass the Apple Activation Lock on both iPhones and iPads, running the two most recent versions of iOS, 10.1 and 10.1.1.

With $65 million in new money thanks to the state's BP settlement, the long-beleaguered U.S. 98 project in coastal Alabama has a new life, but officials are proceeding cautiously.It was nearly a decade ago when a previous U.S. 98 project was shut down amid lawsuits and accusations surrounding sediment from the construction site that ran off into the waterways supplying a majority of the Mobile region's drinking water."The job has been redesigned," said Vince Calametti, ALDOT's Southwest Region's chief engineer. "There was an environmental assessment, and it will have to be re-evaluated. It will be one of the first things...

Hello all. Asking for more prayers for my father. Today he is at Hopkins to have triple-bypass surgery. This is harrowing enough, as is the thought of "recovery" with them cutting bones for it, but last night I just got a call from my aunt (his sister) and she stated that she and my uncle (brother), who is paralyzed, have a defect in their spines and that my dad should ensure surgeons are aware of this because of possible genetic similarity. I called my parents this morning to tell them (my aunt oddly did not mention it to them). But...

The logic behind weight-loss surgery seems simple: rearrange the digestive tract so the stomach can hold less food and the food bypasses part of the small intestine, allowing fewer of a meal's calories to be absorbed. Bye-bye, obesity. A study of lab mice, published on Wednesday, begs to differ. It concludes that one of the most common and effective forms of bariatric surgery, called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, melts away pounds not - or not only - by re-routing the digestive tract, as long thought, but by changing the bacteria in the gut. Or, in non-scientific terms, the surgery somehow replaces...

As Obama red herrings to bypass congress continue, it is time for congress to get their heads out of the sand, get off their timid butts and defend our constitution...

was an English major...you do the math! ;-) Unless you're in even worse mathematical shape than I am, you probably don't need to have it pointed out to you that this is part 2 of a 2-part blog post. Just in case you missed part 1, you should probably check it out first so you aren't totally lost...and so you don't miss out on a few cute pictures of my kids and grandkids! You would NOT want to miss those! OK...here are a couple pictures of some of my cuties just for fun: Here are Jayla and Asher, enjoying Sammi...

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s legal advisers, confronting the prospect of new restrictions on the transfer of Guantánamo detainees, are debating whether to recommend that he issue a signing statement asserting that his executive powers would allow him to bypass the restrictions, according to several officials. If Mr. Obama were to issue such a statement, it could represent a more aggressive use of unilateral executive powers than what he exerted in his first two years in office. Mr. Obama could act on the measure by the end of the week. The issue has arisen as the Republican Party takes control

Dear Senator, Representative, Committee Chair or anyone else to whom this should come, Greetings, On December 1, 2010 the Chairman of the FCC declared he had the authority to bypass Congress and regulate the Internet. I hope you will read the story below about this issue as it will give you most of the background. Here is the URL: http://biggovernment.com/pkerpen/2010/12/01/congress-must-stop-fccs-internet-regulationsLet me be perfectly clear about what is happening here! The FCC announced today that they are going to go around Congress to bring about this so called Network (Net) Neutrality. Congress has not shown any interest in imposing this loss...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fed up with waiting, President Barack Obama announced Saturday he would bypass a vacationing Senate and name 15 people to key administration jobs, wielding for the first time the blunt political tool known as the recess appointment.

Democratic leaders are likely to sidestep a conference committee in merging the House and Senate versions, an attempt to block Republicans from delaying the bill. Reporting from Washington - As congressional Democrats work toward a final healthcare bill, they appear increasingly likely to forgo the formal conference committee process for merging House and Senate versions of the legislation, opting instead for closely held negotiations between leaders from the two chambers. Under that scenario, aides said, the House would take up and amend the Senate bill before sending it back for a vote.