Free Republic

A raucous manhunt through the Bogue Chitto swamp that included four law enforcement agencies involving boats, canines and officers sloshing through dense woods ended when the man being sought unwittingly knocked on the window of a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputy's pick up truck and asked for a ride early Wednesday (Jan. 28) morning, authorities said. The deputy immediately handcuffed Dennis O'Keefe, 31, who police say was suspected in several thefts and burglaries in St. Tammany and was under investigation by Washington Parish authorities on suspicion of manufacturing and selling methamphetamine. Two women were also arrested in the search, one...

A man was acting in self-defense when he shot a 24-year-old in the chest following a fight outside a Frenchmen Street nightclub Friday morning (Jan. 30), police said. The shooting occurred in the 500 block of Esplanade Avenue about 1:15 a.m., according to records. A 64-year-old man told detectives he was leaving a club in the 1400 block of Decatur Street when he was approached by a woman who complimented him on how he was dressed. Police said the woman's boyfriend, Nicholas Temper, 23, "became enraged," and started arguing with the man, threatening to hurt him and steal his guitar.

Devin Bonilla, the former Louisiana Army National Guardsman who says his combat experience in Iraq caused a stress disorder, was legally sane when authorities say he killed an aspiring rapper in Harvey a year ago, court-appointed doctors have concluded. Their report, which was filed in court Wednesday, contradicts Bonilla's insanity defense and means a trial jury might be asked to sort out conflicting mental health opinions. Bonilla, a 25-year-old Harvey resident, is scheduled to stand trial April 6 on a charge of second-degree murder in the Jan. 18, 2014, killing of Bowie Richard, 21. Richard, who used the stage name...

The first annual OneLife LA, heralded as a celebration of the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, drew thousands from all over Southern California to downtown Los Angeles. The Jan. 17 event began in the historic La Placita Olvera, where the rapidly growing crowd encircled the gazebo at the plaza’s center. After a prayer from Archbishop José H. Gomez, the assembled crowds began a walk through downtown. They processed along the barricaded route past the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and ended at Grand Park. OneLife LA posters depicting pregnant women, families, the elderly,...

The man accused of a gas station beating two years ago is expected in court on Monday. Donald Dickerson is facing battery charges after he allegedly beat up a family when they stopped to get gas on Plank Road in May of 2013. Police arrested Dickerson and ticketed two others. They are all accused of punching the family. Dickerson allegedly told the family they were in the "wrong neighborhood" before the attack. According to police, one of the victim suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose, and several lacerations to the face.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-La.) said Wednesday that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) needs to respond with "more than words" to a controversy over a speech he gave to a white supremacist group in 2002. Jackson Lee, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, implied that she doubted her fellow Louisiana lawmaker's explanation, that he did not know the views of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, which was founded by well-known former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. "This was not 50 years ago, it was 12 years ago, and every member knows what David Duke stands for,...

Another concealed carry failure happened that might have been prevented by open carry.  In this rare event,  a concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit holder was robbed of his defensive firearm.   He was pistol whipped to the head before he could draw, indicating that his attackers did not wish to draw attention with a shot, and/or they did not wish an obvious murder.   It is likely that if the victim had been openly carrying his firearm, the robbers would have chosen less dangerous prey.   From uptownmessenger.com: The victim, a man in his 40s, was near Henry Clay and Coliseum...

Plans for Gov. Bobby Jindal’s upcoming prayer rally are drawing criticism from the LSU Faculty Senate.When students and faculty come back from winter break Jindal will host “The Response,” a prayer rally in the PMAC on Saturday, Jan. 24. The University cannot deny the PMAC from any group who pays the rental fee. “Thus, the University may not have the authority to prevent the use of this facility by its sponsor, the AFA, which, as readers of the newspapers know, has voiced a variety of views that seem inconsistent with the goals and aspirations of a great university,” LSU Faculty...

McDonald’s and its franchisees illegally retaliated against employees for participating in union-related activities, the National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer alleged Friday in a case with sweeping industry implications. NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin announced Friday he will issue 13 complaints involving 78 charges against franchises and McDonald’s USA, LLC. Though many of these alleged labor violations were committed by independent franchise owners, Griffin ruled earlier this year that McDonald’s can be held liable for those actions as a so-called joint employer, leaving the corporatrion — and potentially other franchisors — exposed to such claims. McDonald’s said the decision will...

A man was killed and his adult stepson wounded Sunday, after gunmen opened fire on the front porch of a Carrollton home with children playing only a few feet away. Family members identified the dead man as 35-year-old Michael "Puff" Meyers, who lived at the house in the 8400 block of Hickory Street with his mother and six of his seven preteen children. New Orleans police said he was shot once in the back around 1 p.m., collapsed outside his front door, and died a short time later at Interim LSU Hospital. Grieving relatives said he was the third member...

The Los Angeles Unified School District is declaring itself a safe haven for unauthorized immigrant students and their families who may qualify for relief under President Barack Obama's executive order. At a press conference Tuesday, district officials and union leaders pledged to work together to help students who qualify access the records they need to file their applications.

Massive blaze in downtown LA: 250 firefighters, 2 major freeways closed A massive fire in downtown Los Angeles early Monday destroyed an apartment tower under construction, damaged two other buildings and left two major freeways closed. The California Highway Patrol said the 110 Freeway is closed between the 10 and 101, and that the 101 southbound is closed at Alvarado Street. More than 250 firefighters are battling the blaze at an apartment tower under construction 909 W. Temple St., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said. The LAFD said two other buildings along Figueroa Street were also damaged by...

Downtown Los Angeles might look like a scene out of “Call of Duty” next week, but military officials say don’t be alarmed. It’s a drill. Military helicopters will be buzzing over the downtown skyline. Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton armed with chalk-firing nonlethal rifles will converge at undisclosed locations in Los Angeles — all in an effort to get “urban realism” training. Military officials will not disclose exactly when the training will occur in Los Angeles, hoping to dissuade potential spectators. But they don’t want people to panic. “The last thing we want is for people to see Marines...

With the runoff just two days away in Louisiana’s Senate race, the excitement of the final contest in the 2014 midterms is so thick one could cut it with a knife … at least on the GOP side. Since independent pollsters gave up on the finale of Mary Landrieu’s Senate career, Republican pollsters are the only ones taking surveys — or at least the only ones publishing the results. The Washington Examiner’s David Drucker takes a look at the latest results from WPA Opinion Research, working on behalf of the conservative group Independent Women’s Voice, and finds Bill Cassidy out...

In what is likely a sign of things to come in 2016, the conservative Koch brothers-backed group Americans For Prosperity released an ad on Wednesday seeking to tie Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to controversial ObamaCare adviser Jonathan Gruber. Gruber made headlines earlier this year for saying it was the “stupidity of the American voter” that helped the Obama administration pass the Affordable Care Act. The ad says Landrieu repeated President Obama’s ObamaCare “Lie of the Year” that if you liked your healthcare plan you could keep it, before launching into the Gruber attack. “An ObamaCare architect bragged about deceiving Americans...

MOREAUVILLE, La. (KALB News Channel 5) -- A family in Moreauville is pleading with their village to overturn an ordinance that would force them to get rid of their beloved family pet. On October 13, the village passed an ordinance that states if you own a pit bull or a Rottweiler, you must get rid of it by December 1 or they will take it for "disposition." News Channel 5's Brooke Buford (Twitter: @brookebuford) has the story. O'Hara Owens is trying to spend as much time as she can with her beloved pit bull, Zeus, before the village she lives...

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The Los Angeles public school district will pay more than $139.2 million to the families of 81 children allegedly abused by an elementary teacher now serving a prison sentence for lewd conduct, officials said Friday. John Manly, one of the plaintiffs' attorney, called the amount "the largest settlement in the history of the United States against a public entity involving child abuse." The settlement comes after the district earlier paid $30 million to settle 63 other students' claims alleging they were victims of sexually lewd acts by Mark Berndt of Miramonte Elementary. A teacher for 30...

Five congressional seats in three states remain too close to call or undecided. They are: Arizona 2nd: GOP Challenger Martha McSally leads incumbent Ron Barber by 179 votes. California 7th: GOP Challenger Doug Ose leads incumbent Ami Bera by 530 votes. California 16th: GOP Challenger Johnny Tacherra leads incumbent Jim Costa by 741 votes. Louisiana 5th: Single Democrat candidate Jamie Mayo leads with 28% of the total, but has an uphill climb against a crowded GOP field who garnered 69%. The leader was Ralph Abraham with 23%, who seems all but certain to win the December 2nd run-off. Louisiana 6th:...

Suspected Attacker  Sometimes a victim manages to take a gun from an attacker.   Less often, an attacker takes a gun from the victim.   In this case, the attacker took the gun, tried to shoot the victim, but missed.  It started when the aggressor attacked a neighbor.   From thenewsstar.com: According to the police report, Smith began banging the victim’s head on the concrete saying repeatedly, “I’m going to kill you.” The victim reported losing consciousness as Smith gained his keys. The second victim grabbed his pistol, and drove across the street to aid his neighbor.  The area is fairly rural,...

I'm sure most of you have seen the ad(s) made by LA State Senator Elbert Guillory. The ad(s) are geared to the Black Communities in LA, NC and GA, telling them, more or less: "The Democrats and Limousine Liberals are keeping you on the plantation and do nothing for you until they need your votes." The NC ad, for example ends with: "It's time to send Kay Hagan home." If you've not seen the ad, just click on YouTube above. Now, to my main point: And this is NOT "Identity Politics", it's just smart politics. I think the RNC needs...