Free Republic

A sprawling settlement north of Houston, Texas, has raised significant concerns as thousands of illegal immigrants are believed to have established themselves in the area. Experts and elected officials fear that this development, situated 400 miles inland within the United States, could potentially become a strategic asset for cartels. This massive settlement, located in Liberty County, was funded by the Harris Family, well-known political donors hailing from Cut and Shoot. Astonishingly, it has become the largest settlement of illegal immigrants in the entire country, with over 75,000 individuals now residing in the area. Todd Bensman from the Center for Immigration...

Houston is a faraway place on FM 1413 in southern Liberty County, where a driver is more likely to see a pony munching on grass than a shop on the corner. If not for the trees and an electrical transmission line, the sky would be unbroken, horizon to horizon. It soon could look a lot more like other parts of suburban Houston where the Grand Parkway has gone, with cul-de-sacs replacing horse pastures and retail centers sprouting at major intersections.

A massive marijuana-growing operation uncovered in Liberty County may have links to a major drug cartel, authorities were told, but nobody's saying which one. "The state and federal authorities do have some individuals they are possibly looking at," said Capt. Rex Evans, spokesman for the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. "They are in contact with folks in South Texas and south of the border. They say not to release any information (about cartels) at this time." Investigators early Tuesday uncovered a sophisticated marijuana growing and cultivation operation at CR 2055 and CR 2050 in Liberty County, just outside Hardin. They pulled...

After a psychic tip-off about a mass grave in Texas, Liberty County sheriff's department informs the media no bodies have been found. Turned out that Liberty County sheriff's deputies had been acting on a tip from a woman who may or may not have been claiming to be a psychic, and who may or may not have had an ulterior motive in directing police to the home of the long-haul trucker who owns the place. But by then it was too late for media, in or near Greenwich mean time. They'd long since launched a journalistic corpse-a-palooza. Agence France Presse...

And the weirdest news story of the day goes to this weird blast about police being on the search for a mass grave of dismembered bodies in Houston that every news organization wrote about. Turns out... Houston Chronicle: A state law enforcement source later Tuesday afternoon told the Houston Chronicle that deputies had been directed to the site by a psychic. "All we know is the sheriff department received a call about a mass grave, or something like that, with several bodies," the source said. "They went and checked it, and there was nothing there. The caller went back and...

Authorities converged on a residential property near the Liberty County town of Hardin on Tuesday night after the sheriff’s office received a phone tip from a self-professed psychic that 25 to 30 dismembered bodies were buried there. By 8 p.m., Liberty County Judge Craig McNair said that no bodies were found inside the house. Cadaver dogs were inside and found nothing. A preliminary search by law enforcement officers earlier in the day found evidence of what they believed was blood, but no sign of anything else, leading them to suggest the call may have been a hoax. A search warrant...

LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas -- Dozens of bodies have been found in a mass grave in Liberty County, officials said Tuesday. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office said 25 to 30 bodies were buried at the intersection of County Roads 2049 and 2048 between Hardin and Daisetta. The bodies are those of children, according to preliminary reports. The FBI was called in to assist the investigation.

HOUSTON - A missile may have just barely miss hitting a Continental Airlines flight on Friday. Liberty County sheriff deputies are meeting with the FBI and FAA to discuss this incident. Sheriff deputies say on Friday a missile may have been launched near Interstate 10 and mount Belview. A continental flight which had just taken off from Bush Intercontinental Airport may have been the target.

Texas farmers and ranchers are hoping that the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) recent announcement to make use of existing roadways in its plan for Interstate 69 is a positive sign when it comes to the ongoing battles with the Trans-Texas Corridor. “We are glad to see that TxDOT is beginning to listen to what so many members of our organization have said for the past four years,” said Kenneth Dierschke, president of the Texas Farm Bureau. Some 28,000 Texans — many of whom are members of the state’s largest farm organization — aired grievances during public meetings held at...

County commissioners reaffirmed their stance against the Trans-Texas Corridor, and they took another step toward keeping county government transparent when they met Tuesday. First up on the court's agenda, commissioners heard a presentation by Connie Fogle on behalf of the newly formed Pineywoods Sub-Regional Planning Commission. According to Fogle, the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391, requires state agencies to coordinate with local commissions to "ensure effective and orderly implementation of state programs at the regional level." "Critical in the code is the word 'coordinate,'" she said. "This does not mean the commission has to cooperate. The intent is to...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

Trucks hauling everything from cars to produce use Southeast Texas roads to deliver their goods, and when a proposed Interstate 69/Trans Texas Corridor is completed, local drivers could see even more of them, local transportation officials said. The proposed I-69 corridor stretches from Michigan down to Texas. Once in Texas, the corridor goes about 650 miles from Texarkana to Brownsville and Laredo and includes separate lanes for cars and semis and areas for trains and utilities. It doesn't cut through Beaumont, but local arteries like U.S. 69 and Interstate 10 would connect to it. Travelers and truckers just need to...

Blast Outside Georgia Courthouse Probed Saturday November 26, 2005 10:46 PM HINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - An explosion erupted outside the Liberty County Courthouse early Saturday, and police were investigating the possibility that a crude explosive device had been set off. The blast, around 6 a.m., didn't cause any injuries, said Rich Marianos, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Officials said parts and evidence recovered by authorities led them to believe the explosion may have been caused by a crude explosive device.