Free Republic

Annapolis Alderman Ross Arnett insists the City Council's decision to take another look at making the mayor's job a more ceremonial role has nothing to do with party politics. But if the Democrat-majority council acts to remove the mayor's power, the timing will coincide with the election of Annapolis' first Republican mayor in nearly two decades, Mike Pantelides, who defeated the incumbent Democrat, Mayor Josh Cohen, last week.

Archaeologists working on Iasos on Turkey’s Aegean coast have recently discovered that the ancient city was buried under a mountain of ash caused by the explosion of Mt. Thera on Santorini 3,600 years ago. Excavation works have also revealed a sewage system that was in place in the 4,000-year-old city and tunnels to the city’s theater... Spanu said columns that were found one meter underground provided vital information about the history of the city. “Following the explosion of the volcano Thera, which also caused the destruction of the Minoan civilization on the islands of Crete and Santorini, the ancient city...

It's a small sign with a big message, but Bartow residents are now being ordered to uproot their "God Bless America" yard signs. About 300 of the signs were handed out at First Baptist Church of Bartow following a Fourth of July sermon. But three months later, City of Bartow Code Enforcement says the temporary signs have worn out their welcome. Residents have three days to pack it up or pay a minimum fine of $25 a day. "Being a veteran, I felt like I was just kicked in the gut. I couldn't believe it, that I couldn't display my...

SIERA VISTA — Going to a hospital emergency room is traumatic for most, but when a person is a victim of a sexual assault, it is even more psychologically and physically painful. Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Robert Ashley came to the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center to thank those who work in the hospital emergency department. He had a two-fold mission, one to express his appreciation for the service provided to Fort Huachuca soldiers and military families when they have a medical emergency, and to express his personal gratitude to a nurse who helped a female soldier make it through the...

SIERRA VISTA — Military leaders on Fort Huachuca are looking forward to the construction of the new 100-bed Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, the ground-breaking for which will be held at 4 p.m. on Oct. 16. After Wednesday’s ceremony honoring the hospitals’s emergency department’s staff, Maj. Gen. Robert Ashley said it’s addition to the local communities, military and civilian, will improve health care for everyone. It was some years ago when the post hospital functions were changed to be a health center, meaning soldiers and their families have to go to civilian hospitals for care beyond what the Raymond W....

Federal Judge Orders Trial Against F.B.I.

The first total municipal pension default happened last week: Prichard, Ala. ran out of money stopped mailing pension checks. Hundreds of cities could be right behind. Projections by Robert Novy-Marx and Joshua Rauh [PDF] show the average city has $15,000 per household in unfunded pension liabilities. These massive liabilities are ignored by common government accounting (see chart). Insolvency means benefit cuts or borrowing from the already-near-broke states. Many of the 77 cities surveyed by Novy-Marx and Rauh are facing insolvency within the next decade. Other small cities like Prichard could go even sooner. #10 Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief Unfunded...

When Sandy Springs, Ga., became the "city that outsourced everything" in 2005, it did it out of necessity. Today, the town of about 100,000 residents has great roads, a state of the art traffic system, award-winning parks, and has funded major capital improvements every year without once raising taxes. Oliver Porter served as the interim city manager for Sandy Springs and spoke about his experience in that role at a Mackinac Center for Public Policy “Issues and Ideas” forum in Lansing on Wednesday. "I judge [city] success on two factors: efficiency and response to the public," Porter said. "Based on...

Enforcement of San Francisco’s 2010 law to reduce city government vehicles was supposed to begin two years ago. Now that it has finally started, the requirement is being put to the test. Nine city department heads have submitted waivers to protect hundreds of trucks, sedans and other vehicles from elimination. --SNIP-- The fleet has long faced criticism for abuse and waste, a fact seen as a blemish on San Francisco’s environmentally conscious image. In recent years, city leaders have launched efforts to reduce vehicle dependency, such as by partnering with car-share programs. In 2010, San Francisco adopted the landmark Healthy...

causingfitna Just another WordPress.com site Kansas City Muslim Derron Black AKA Shahid Abdullah storms podium at Sly James speech Derron Black, stormed the podium of Mayor Sly James during a recent speech. What is being missed in virtually every story is his alias of Shahid Abdullah. He works with MD Rabbi Alam the 911 Truther who recently ran as Secretary of State in Missouri. Derron Black aka Shahid Abdullah is a working member of AMPAC American Muslim Political Action Committee currently organizing a so-called Million Muslim March to the White House on 911 of 2013. Below you can see the...

On the eve of the anniversary of the slaughter of Jewish children and a Rabbi at a Jewish Day School in France by a devout Muslim comes this pro-annihilationist move by the repulsive and notoriously anti-semetic French. More proof that dog and pony shows are utterly meaningless and invariably provide cover and sanction for jihadists. French city grants honorary citizenship to murderer of Israeli minister by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdi, PMW Terrorist Majdi Al-Rimawi was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 80 years for participating in the planning and murder of Israeli Minister Rechavam Zeevi in 2001. A few...

No fewer than 572 San Francisco city workers and executives made more than Gov. Jerry Brown last year. More than 1,500 city workers made more than state Attorney General Kamala Harris. And that's without overtime. "That's pretty staggering," said Tom Dalzell, head of the California Citizens Compensation Commission, which sets pay for state lawmakers. --SNIP-- The days when the headline-grabbing "$100,000 club" was made up of a handful of top managers and overtime earners are long gone. Last year, city controller's records show, roughly a quarter of the city's 36,000 full- and part-time workers made more than $100,000 - without...

“In popular culture, the phrase ‘city on a hill’ has become so closely identified with Ronald Reagan and before him with John Winthrop that even Christians can forget that the words originated not with a founder of a colony but with the Founder of their faith,” Richard M. Gamble writes in his new book, In Search Of The City On A Hill: The Making and Unmaking Of An American Myth. Gamble teaches at Hillsdale. “The metaphor of the city on a hill comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew,” Gamble reminds us. Specifically,...

Conservative policies have greatly benefited urbanites. Why won’t Republicans seek their votes?After the presidential election in November, New York Times exit polls found that Republican candidate Mitt Romney had received only 29 percent of the big-city vote to President Obama’s 69 percent. That gap prompted Paul Ryan, Romney’s running mate, to conclude that it was “the turnout especially in urban areas” that “gave President Obama the big margin to win this race.” Ryan was right: the GOP has an urban problem. And it’s partly a self-created one. The party, nationally and even locally, has focused on winning suburban and rural...

**SNIP** Although applications cannot be submitted until Monday morning, the city put the site up Friday so people can prepare to file, said Tom Alexander, a spokesman for the mayor. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Jan. 25. In addition to the power and influence, the job comes with a $115,000 annual salary, a $73,280 expense account to set up a ward office and control over $176,484 in staff salaries. Jackson told supporters this week she would like her chief of staff, Keiana Barrett, or local Pastor Scott Onque, to be appointed to replace her. But sources said the...

Stepping aboard a school bus will soon be the same as taking a seat in class for some students in the North Kansas City schools. In January, the district will begin wiring four school buses that are used for longer trips with Wi-Fi access. It’s believed to be the first such effort locally. The innovative move is just one more example of how local districts are adapting to keep up with technology and use it for the benefit of students. “We are living in a digital age,” said Eric Sipes, information technology executive director for the district. “We are at...

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.(Genesis 4:16-17)The story of Cain; his rejected worship, the murder of his brother, consequently ,his sentence to be a vagabond on earth, and the city he built, is one of the primary lessons of the entire Bible. The God of the Bible wants us to consider the deeper...

City attorney of San Bernardino Jim Penman had the audacity to tell the truth to the residents of bankrupt San Bernardino at a recent city council meeting. Taking stock of the fact that San Bernardino’s murder rate has jumped 50 percent over the last year, that the city has been cutting its police force by about 80 officers, and that there is no good news in sight, Penman stated, “lock your doors and load your guns.” He stands by the statement today, explaining, “you should say what you mean and mean what you say.” Penman continued, “Let’s be honest, we...

A team of 15 is caring for him around the clock. His favorite toy is a plastic bucket. He has taken swimmingly to a large pool. And on Friday, he had his first taste of solid food — surf clams. “He’s hitting every milestone we’re hoping to see,” said Jon Forrest Dohlin, director of the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Brooklyn, part of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “He still has some issues with his bladder, but they are trending in the right direction. Behaviorally, he’s doing great and we’re feeling good about his progress.” He was describing Mitik, or...

For eight consecutive years, the city of Pontiac broke the law by spending more for police services than it budgeted. According to the city records, Pontiac violated the State Budget Act from 2002 to 2009 and was part of the reason why an emergency financial manager was appointed in 2009. In August 2011, Emergency Manager Lou Schimmel worked out an arrangement where the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office took over as provider of police services for Pontiac. The sheriff’s office brought in the existing 50 Pontiac police officers and re-hired 13 other former Pontiac police officers who had been laid off,...