Free Republic

Update: Campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the University will continue to work with Facebook to have the Illini White Student Union page removed from the site. “It is disturbing and cowardly that someone would create an anonymous and senseless social media page specifically designed to intimidate others, including and especially our students. When we became aware of the page, we immediately contacted Facebook and requested that it be removed," Kaler said in an email. "Facebook has been responsive to our requests, but the page continues to be reposted. We are continuing to work with Facebook to address this matter. We...

FORT HUACHUCA — B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) hosts a Change of Command Ceremony 2 p.m., today, Nov. 19, on historic Brown Parade Field here. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Hengst will relinquish command to Army Capt. Andrew Uthlaut. The public is invited to attend this unique, colorful ceremony which highlights Fort Huachuca's Old West cavalry heritage. The 4th Cavalry Regiment is one of the most famous and most decorated regiments in the U.S. Army. Since its activation in 1855, the 4th Cavalry has continuously served in peace and war. The regiment has fought gallantly in the Indian Wars,...

Taco Bell is saving its first fast-food restaurant from the wrecking ball by relocating the iconic 400-square-foot food stand from Downey to its corporate headquarters in Irvine. “This is arguably the most important restaurant in our company’s history,” said Taco Bell Chief executive Brian Niccol. “When we heard about the chance of it being demolished, we had to step in. We owe that to our fans; we owe that to Glen Bell.”

Today I went to Mass, the first time since I heard my pastor compare Pope Francis to the prophet Amos, favorably. Today was also the day the hectoring began for "Beyond Sunday", the latest rebrand of the Archdiocesan Expansion Fund. Those of us who remember the pre-1968 Church might recall a vibrant Catholic presence in the black neighborhoods of North St. Louis. A sizable minority were Roman Catholic, attracted by the ability to send their children to Corpus Christi, Mercy, DeAndreis, Laboure, or even McBride, St. Marks or Rosati-Kain high schools, keeping them out of the street life at a...

On a 17-acre plot adjacent to the University of Alabama were a farm, a corn crib, a stable, and a building to house the people who kept all of those things running. The building was a sprawling white structure with a library and a dance hall and rooms for the people who plowed the fields, shucked the corn, and raised the pigs. It was the first building in Tuscaloosa to have steam heating or gas lighting. It was also a hospital for the mentally ill, the first of its kind in Alabama. And from 1872 to 1881, it was the...

A man fired a gun during a slow-speed pursuit through the streets of north Orange County. The driver of the car was on smoking and blown out tires doing U-turns on Euclid Street.

Today, three Iowa politicians signed a pledge calling for “a World War II-scale mobilization” to fight climate change. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, State Rep. Dan Kelley, and State Senator Rob Hogg, a leading candidate for US Senate, all Democrats, signed a document calling on the US government to reduce emissions 100 percent by 2025 by “enlisting” tens of millions of Americans to work on clean energy projects—creating full employment in the process. It’s likely the most ambitious pledge to fight climate change put forward this election cycle, even if right now, it's a symbolic gesture aimed at drawing attention...

This is the time of year Californians look forward to if fans of decadent crab meat. The start of the Dungeness season could be in jeopardy, however, as this California Department of Fish and Wildlife report suggests: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a health advisory warning individuals to avoid eating rock and Dungeness crab due to the detection of high levels of domoic acid. The advisory was followed by a recommendation from the Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to the California Fish and Game Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to delay...

We could begin by looking at this from the perspective of political philosophy. In the early 1790s, when our Constitutional government was in its infancy, Secretary Hamilton proposed a national bank that we definitely needed, but which was not specifically authorized by the Constitution. A decade later, President Jefferson’s delegates to France brought back an irresistible offer – to purchase a third of a continent from France for pennies an acre – which just as clearly lacked Constitutional authorization. In both instances, the opposing party said “You can’t do that without an Amendment! You’ll regret setting the precedent!” But they...

SANTA ANA – The former Taco Bell Corp. manager accused of assaulting an Uber driver in Costa Mesa was charged in court on Tuesday. Benjamin Golden, 32, of Newport Beach is facing four misdemeanor counts including assault on public transportation property, battery on a public transit employee with injury, assault and battery, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. The charges stem from Friday’s incident caught on a car dashboard camera where he was seen in an intoxicated state slapping and hitting the 23-year-old driver. He was arrested by Costa Mesa police and released the next morning.

Dear Editor, After looking over the wonderful choices of candidates for the Republican Party presidential candidates, I want to tell you why I am backing Ted Cruz. First of all, I am 76 years old and have been married to the same wonderful woman for 55 years. We have two daughters, four granddaughters and three great-grandsons. I want to tell you that I fear for these generations and our country. My ancestors and relatives did not fight in the Vietnam War, World War II, World War I or the Civil War just to watch this country descend into socialism. To...

Today the Dallas Morning News published an editorial under a headline that read in part, “biker gangs earning more trust than prosecutors.” “Right after the May 17 motorcycle-gang shootout in Waco,” the editorial squeaks, “this newspaper’s inclination was to believe law enforcers’ account that the nine deaths and 22 injuries were the result of hardened criminal thugs waging a deadly turf battle. But the longer this bizarre case plays out, the more credible the bikers look, and the more it appears that McLennan County officials have something to hide.” If you think you get through the Morning News’ obvious insights...

A lawsuit filed last week against the owners of the Waco Twin Peaks alleges that before the first shot was fired, “occupied…the rooftop of a neighboring restaurant.” The suit was filed on behalf of the widow, children and parents of Matthew Mark Smith, a member of the Cossacks Motorcycle Club and a former member of the Scimitars Motorcycle Club. Smith was shot once in the upper right back by a jacketed projectile that left a quarter inch hole. That would be consistent with a projectile fired by an FN P90 or an M16 both of which were carried by police...

On May 17th of this year, in a relatively quiet little town called Waco, a horde of bikers rolled through for the purpose of causing all manner of mayhem in the streets. Or, at least that’s what the local PD would have you believe after 9 men were killed and another 18 were injured by gunfire outside a Twin Peaks restaurant. Anyone following the situation in detail would know something is seriously screwy going on here, but exactly what is going on? No one knows, because the police aren’t really doing anything other than telling their side of the story,...

Friday, October 23, 2015 Akin: Illinois ranks high for creating lawsuits, not jobs By Travis Akin - The University of Illinois football team is struggling once again this year, mired at the bottom of the Big Ten and near the bottom of numerous national rankings. Similarly, the State of Illinois is stuck near the bottom of another set of rankings, only these rankings reflect not just lost games but lost jobs and thus are important to every person living in Illinois. These important but depressing rankings come from a new national study that confirms Illinois’ status as a lawsuit haven,...

COLUMBIA, SC Greg Leon, who played a key role in sending former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts to federal prison earlier this year, has agreed to plead guilty in federal court for hiring “unauthorized aliens,” according to papers filed in federal court. Leon, 49, who operates a chain of Mexican food restaurants in Newberry, Lexington, Richland and Orangeburg counties, also has agreed to pay a fine of $180,000 to the federal government, according to court records. The agreement also required Leon to plead guilty in state court “to paying a public official for assistance.” Leon did that last week in...

A grand jury convened in Waco yesterday morning. .) It will remain in session through the rest of 2015. It has already requested documents from the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents so, even though this is all top secret, there is an excellent chance this grand jury will decide which of the 177 people arrested after the Twin Peaks Massacre last May 17 will have to stand trial for “engaging in organized criminal activity.” .) The fact that so many apparently innocent people now find their fates in the hands of this grand jury raises a familiar question: Why...

To Protect and Serve? When Whitehill resident Andrea accidentally cut her arm on glass, her sister frantically called 911, "I need a paramedic." Columbus Police Officer Jon Thomas responded to the house where he pulled out his gun and shot toward the family's dog (which he claims ran toward him), missed, and hit Andrea's four-year-old daughter Ava in the leg, shattering her bone. As The Columbus Dispatch reports, Andrea also revealed that the cop never apologized or asked if Ava was okay and immediately left after shooting her. A Columbus police officer accidentally wounded a 4-year-old girl in Whitehall...

It was a throwback moment at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday when Catherine Robb, the granddaughter of the late president Lyndon Johnson, was admitted to the court's bar. Her father Charles Robb, the former governor and U.S. senator from Virginia, moved her admission. It appeared that several justices recognized the presidential connection as she was sworn in to the bar. "It's something my father and I talked about years ago," Catherine Robb said afterward. "It was an opportunity for my father to move my admission—a special bond between us." Catherine Robb, 45, is counsel to Haynes and Boone in...