Free Republic

This is one horror film plot that may be all too real: Billions of voracious ants are about to descend on the Houston area, destroying entire homes and anything else that gets in their way. Rasberry Crazy Ants, even more destructive and mobile than their angry cousins, fire ants, are just weeks away from descending on the largest city in Texas. Since 2008, the ants, which entomologists believe came to Texas from South America aboard a cargo ship in the 1930s, have expanded their presence to 27 counties from just eight. Once in a home, they zero in on electrical...

State Sen. Dan Patrick is no stranger to over-the-top statements about immigrants and immigration. The Houston-area Republican, who is the GOP’s leading candidate for lieutenant governor, told a group in 2006 that immigrants are “bringing Third World diseases with them,” referencing “tuberculosis, malaria, polio and leprosy.” (A top official at the Department of State Health Services had to slap that down, pointing out, for instance, there hasn’t been a case of polio in decades). When asked to address the issue of immigration at a forum of leading business groups during this campaign, Patrick chose to talk about violent crime, as...

A huge fire is burning at a residential building under construction in the Montrose area. The blaze is happening at West Dallas and Marconi. A large portion of the building is on fire. Flames and smoke can be seen from miles away. Firefighter have called for a 4th alarm.

A house overflowing with more than 100 people presumed to be in the U.S. illegally was uncovered just outside Houston on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. The suspected stash house was found during a search for a 24-year-old woman and her two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, that were reported missing by relatives late Tuesday after a man failed to meet them as planned at an undisclosed location on the city's north side, said John Cannon, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department. Many of the people in home that authorities said appeared to be part of...

HOUSTON - More than 100 immigrants were found at a suspected stash house in south Harris County, according to the Houston Police Department..... Police say a total of 94 men and 14 women were discovered, including one pregnant woman who was taken to a hospital for treatment. Cannon said all of the illegal immigrants had been held against their will for up to two weeks, locked inside of the home that had only one bathroom with a partially functioning toilet..... Authorities say 500 chickens were also found on the property. Photos and video at article link.

The Hempstead school board won't renew the contract of a principal who instructed her students not to speak Spanish, in a rapidly-evolving district where more than half of the students, like many Texas schools, are now Hispanic. Hempstead Middle School Principal Amy Lacey was placed on paid administrative leave in December after reportedly announcing, via intercom, that students were not to speak Spanish on the school's campus. The Hispanic population of the rural area, roughly 50 miles northwest of Houston, is growing quickly, and Latino advocates say that it's important to allow Spanish in public schools.

Glenn Edward McDuffie, the young sailor from Houston who can be seen in one of the most iconic photos from the end of World War II, has died, according to family members. The Navy veteran was 86. McDuffie was 18 when he said he was captured in the famous kiss photo with nurse Edith Shain. “I heard someone running and stopping right in front of us. I raised my head up, and it was a photographer,” McDuffie told the Houston Chronicle in 2007. “I tried to get my hand out of the way so I wouldn’t block her face, and...

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) either misspoke or showed her historical ignorance in a speech on the House floor when she declared that United States has been operating under our Constitution for 400 years...

A Texas teenager set his mother’s clothes ablaze after the woman refused to provide him money to purchase marijuana, authorities said. The Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office said John Carter, 18, started setting his mom’s wardrobe on fire after she declined to give him money for drugs. “Our investigation found that 18-year-old John Carter was angry at his mother because she would not give him money so he could buy marijuana, so he started setting her clothes on fire,” Lt. Dean Hensley with the Harris County Fire Marshal Office told KTRK.

Police officer to disabled veteran denied service: “You’re not blind, you don’t need a dog” Aryeh Ohayon served in the armed forces for 23 years as a member of both the Army and Navy. Like many other military men and women, Ohayon’s experience hasled him to having depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And that’s why his service dog, Bandit, is important. As he told KHOU 11 News, “He’s the alert if I start to if I have a panic attack or start to go back into a flashback mode…He’s my ground. And my family.” However, Ohayon claims that a...

An off-duty officer with the Houston Police Department fatally shot a robbery suspect outside a convenience store on Sunday night. The veteran cop was coming to the rescue of a man who was jumped and beaten by two men as he was leaving the store with groceries. The officer, identified as 22-year Houston Police Department veteran C. Rodriguez, told investigators he noticed two men hiding behind a dumpster outside of the store, arousing his suspicion. He then saw the men jump out and start beating the victim. Police say Rodriguez rolled down his window and ordered the suspects to stop....

A hard-fought effort to move one of Houston's iconic Christian churches from its long-standing denomination to a new, more conservative group narrowly failed Sunday, with the congregation voting heavily in favor of the move but falling short of the supermajority needed for approval. The leadership of First Presbyterian Church, which was established shortly after Houston's founding, had unanimously endorsed the move from Presbyterian Church USA to the breakaway denomination called ECO, A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The senior pastor, his staff, and the elected leaders from the congregation argued that PCUSA, the nation's largest Presbyterian body, had become too...

Full Title: Joel Osteen's $10.5 Million Mansion, Cross-Less Church and Other Surprising Facts About the Mega-Pastor Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and the bestselling author of books like Your Best Life Now and I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, has been dubbed "the smiling preacher" due to his toothy smile and upbeat attitude. Here are a few facts about Pastor Osteen and his ministry you might not know. 1. Joel Osteen Met Victoria Osteen in a Jewelry Store Pastor Osteen and his wife Victoria Osteen met in 1985 when he went to a...

“The University of Houston-Downtown has about 14,000 students and, while Wikipedia says UHD students are 39% Hispanic, 29% African American, 20% white, 9% Asian American, the percentage of transgendered students is evidently unknown,” according to College Insurrection. Nevertheless, with the encouragement of “the university’s new Center for Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” UHD is now creating “gender-neutral” restrooms to accommodate the, uh, gender neutral. And this regime is “coming soon to a college near you,” as Aleister at College Insurrection says. Questions: Why does a campus with such a diverse student body need a “Center for Student Diversity”? Doesn’t the...

HOUSTON – Outside Edwards Cinemas in Greenway Plaza, the drama spilled over from the big screen and into the streets early Sunday. “It’s a shame you can’t get out into the community at night without having to worry about somebody taking what you have,” said moviegoer Patrick Martin. It happened just after midnight.

Admittedly I don’t listen to Christian rap or rap of any kind for that matter, but after watching this news report I had to hear Bizzle’s new song which is a well thought out response from a Christian perspective to Macklemore’s song “Same Love.”- (the song the played at the Grammys for the big gay wedding.) And let me say Bizzle’s new song doesn’t pull any punches at all. It treads in love but it doesn’t tread lightly. It’s quite powerful actually. But first, watch this news report by KHOU on how Bizzle’s life is being threatened because of his...

Heroic Woman Deserted; Left Alone on Front Lines by Shoebat Foundation on February 9, 2014 in Blog, General On today’s Ben Barrack show… Catherine Engelbrecht is an incredibly heroic and patriotic woman. In 2010, she founded True the Vote and King Street Patriots in Houston, TX. Ever since, she’s been harassed by the IRS, the FBI, the ATF, and even OSHA. As if that’s not bad enough, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who last year said it was time to ‘move on’ from the IRS scandal has been accused by Engelbrecht of harassing her personally, using House Oversight Committee letterhead to...

Seven immigration fighters in Houston respond to GOP treachery in colluding with Democrats to pass an amnesty or legalization scheme for millions of illegal aliens roaming in the USA.We gathered in the thirty degree temps to hoist a 20' banner reminding the public of the continued assault on law and order and the loss of many young American lives. The loss of our young through the willful non-enforcement of our immigration laws also threatens the economic future of our young as they are forced to compete for limited resources. We refuse to play nice on this issue especially in light...

A 6-year-old girl who was kidnapped outside of her Houston, Texas home was rescued after she asked for help in a store bathroom. Authorities say 23-year-old Joaquin Ramos abducted Kelly Tellez while her mother was unloading groceries, then took her to Target because he had to use the restroom. He told her to go use the bathroom as well. Once inside the restroom, she asked a woman for help.

Come out and join us on Jan. 30 at 7AM on the Tuam St. Bridge over 288. Colluding Republicans like Speaker Boehner,Rep. Paul Ryan, Rep. Issa, Rep. Brady, Rep. Olsen and Rep. Poe, Rep. Farenhold are willing to consider a poorly written border bill (1417) that has no real teeth or benchmarks for enforcement that will mark a gateway strategy for some type of amnesty. There will be a closed door strategy session in Cambridge,MD. in late January to determine a path for passing some type of amnesty bill. Now is the time to tell our politicians and the CHAMBER...