Free Republic

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A “Not My President” protest on President’s Day ended with the arrests of 13 people, Portland Police Bureau said. Rallies were held around the country Monday as the nation observed the holiday. In Portland, a group of protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside the Federal Building before spilling into the street. According to police, event organizers didn’t get a permit for a road closure or street use. Police said the group blocked traffic at SW 3rd Avenue and Madison Street. Officers on bicycles rode into the area and asked protesters to clear the street. When that...

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - Thousands of automotive jobs are coming to west Alabama but to get those jobs, you will require technical skill and training. They're jobs with current and future automotive parts suppliers for companies like Mercedes Benz US International. Donny Jones, COO for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, says training for those jobs is already underway. "What we're seeing with the power grant and the $1.5 million we'll have an adult education component in K through 12 and preparing people for the jobs coming available here in West Alabama," Jones said. The positions are coming...

Arizona-based tech firm Levementum LLC, which opened an Indianapolis office less than a year ago, announced expansion plans Wednesday that include creating as many as 175 jobs in Indiana over the next five years. The customer-relationship management consultancy, which has 11 Indiana employees, plans to move in March to a 5,000-square-foot office space in The Union 525 building at 525 S. Meridian St. in downtown Indianapolis. The company has been housed in co-working spaces in Fountain Square and Fletcher Place with some employees working remotely. Indiana economic development officials said the company plans to hire consultants, developers and strategic account...

Concord-based Alevo Energy is considering spending more than $250 million to expand production at its utility battery plant and add 202 jobs there. This week, Concord City Council voted to offer Alevo $4.2 million in corporate incentives if it chooses to expand and add jobs over the coming five years. Cabarrus County is considering a similar offer. “The jobs and the investment can have an important impact on the whole community,” says Joseph Beasley, economic development coordinator at the city of Concord. For Alevo, the project would become the first major infusion of capital since its owners announced in 2014...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Senate Democrats are speaking out after a bill was recently introduced that would drastically change how state professors are hired. Republican Senator Mark Chelgren of Ottumwa's proposed bill would freeze professor hiring at state universities until the faculty is balanced in terms of political ideology. This means, for example, a professor registered as a Democrat would not be hired unless the amount of Democrat and Republican faculty members at the school is within 10% of each other.

A man suspected of killing a Whittier police officer in a shootout Monday, hours after slaying his cousin, was released from prison under a controversial program that many law enforcement agencies blame for an uptick in crime, authorities said. Michael Christopher Mejia, 26, of Los Angeles, was identified Tuesday by authorities as the suspect in the fatal shootings of Whittier police Officer Keith Boyer and 46-year-old Roy Torres, the suspect’s cousin.

Members of the Outcast Voters League and Rep. John Rogers hold a press conference about gun laws in Alabama (Photo: Ivana Hrynkiw/AL.com) Birmingham organization the Outcast Voters League and State Rep. John Rogers held a press conference yesterday to propose stricter gun laws in Alabama. AL.com reports OVL President Frank Matthews was there to push a proposed piece of legislation known as the Sheri Williams Mandatory Gun Changes Act, named for a woman who was shot and killed by a stray bullet in 2013. “We’re not against gun rights… [but] demand accountability and responsibility of gun owners,” Matthews said. Rep....

A Whittier police officer was killed and another officer and a gunman were wounded in a gun battle Monday morning, officials said. Two male officers were responding about 8 a.m. to a crash in the area of Colima Road and Mar Vista in Whittier, where allegedly a driver of a stolen car had struck two other cars at a stop light. When the officers arrived they were confronted by that driver, who was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Whittier-Police-Shooting-414262083.html#ixzz4ZG0vf7G4 Follow us: @NBCLA on Twitter | NBCLA on Facebook

Looking for a new career? Valley employers are hiring and need quality workers. See if any of the positions fit your skill set. Endurance Tempe Endurance International Group in Tempe is hiring for 600 positions by Oct. 1. The company provides web hosting, domains and online solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Positions include managers, technical support, sales and professional services. Apply here. Phoenix Career Fair Meet with dozens of employers in one day! The Phoenix Career Fair will be held Thursday, February 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Radisson Hotel Phoenix North. Come dressed to impress and...

ATLANTA - Gun rights advocates openly carrying firearms gathered in downtown Atlanta Saturday for a rally in support of President Donald Trump. The crowd, which includes part of an area militia group, III% Security Force, met outside Centennial Olympic Park, according to the Facebook event. The group also served as security for the event. Members of the militia group say they are there to protect Trump supporters. "We're using our Second Amendment rights to protect the First Amendment rights," Chris Hill said. "Throughout the day, we're going to have more people, more Trump supporters come to this corner, showing their...

HOLLAND, MICH. - For weeks we have seen protests against President Donald Trump but on Saturday, dozens rallied in Holland in support of him. "I'm getting tired of picking up the paper everyday and reading that so many people are against Trump and the perception is he's a bad illegitimate President," Trump supporter, Jim Chiodo, said. "That's a lie and I wanted to get our side out." Chiodo helped organize Saturday's movement to counter-protest the push back against Trump. "We certainly support the safety of our country and banning of certain people of our country regardless of their religion. We...

MASON CITY - More than 20 people carrying signs stating "Love Trumps Hate," "Black Lives Matter" and "Where's Canada's Wall?" gathered in Central Park late Friday afternoon. "This is what Democracy looks like!" they chanted. Those who were at the protest against President Donald Trump, organized by the community action group Where Do We Go From Here and the Fourth District Green Party Chapter, also carried signs in support of protecting the environment. One sign stated, "I've Seen Better Cabinets at IKEA." After walking around the sidewalks on the perimeter of the park, protesters lined up along Washington Avenue. Some...

The group Not My President’s Day announced a rally scheduled for Monday in Boston had to be canceled, according to a statement Thursday. The rally would have been in the Boston Common from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. EST. The group announced it was not granted a permit, but it’s also worth noting that only 173 of the 1,200 individuals invited to the event said they planned on attending. “We were unable to get a permit in time for the rally, so officially, we’re not hosting an event in Boston. However, we do have one planned in NYC!” The official...

A second consecutive day of protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's month-old administration appeared to lose momentum on Friday, with rallies in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York attracting small yet enthusiastic crowds. Activists had called for a "general strike" a day after thousands of immigrants across the United States stayed home from work and school during "A Day Without Immigrants" to highlight the contributions of foreign-born workers to the American economy. Strike4Democracy, one of the groups organizing Friday's strike, said more than 100 public protests were expected around the country. In New York, more than 16,000 people responded to...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/hundreds-apply-for-new-jobs-coming-to-milton/article_b4cbdc6d-4fd9-5ae2-9cbe-75777e662e2a.html

After federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids led to nearly 700 arrests nationwide, about 100 Richmond residents held a rally in front of City Hall on Monday to demand that ICE stay out of Richmond. The rally was called to support immigrants who fear they may be the next target of ICE. People at the event represented several human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and Southerners On New Ground. Speakers at the demonstration called for Richmond to be an “intersectionally” inclusive sanctuary city. Their words were translated into either Spanish or English so that all...

MANHATTAN – A stark realization within certain segments of New York City's immigrant community is that life in the Trump administration will be rife with uncertainty. "I cannot plan anything more than two weeks ahead," said "Larry." "Because at any moment I believe that the immigration officers." Larry - that's not his real name, as he requested PIX11 to conceal his identity. He tells us he's terrified the way the Trump administration enforces its immigration policies will ultimately lead to his deportation back to his home in the Caribbean. All stemming from a more than 15-year-old white collar federal fraud...

HKT Teleservices plans to hire 560 people by Aug. 1 to work at its call center in Dublin, a result of "significant growth from an existing contract," said Dave Shapiro, president of the U.S. branch of the Hong Kong-based telecommunications company. That's more than twice the 230 that the company employs there. HKT has been in central Ohio for almost 15 years, but "the last two years, we've really had a growth spurt," Shapiro said. In 2015, for example, the company — then known as PCCW Teleservices — moved to a 52,000-square-foot space at 5200 Rings Road in Dublin from...

President Donald Trump’s rise to the White House has been accompanied by increasingly harsh rhetoric about immigration. In response, local immigrant rights activists have decided to give Philly a taste of what the world would be like if proponents of mass deportations had their way. They've planned a “Day without Immigrants” (Un Dia Sin Immigrante) protest on Thursday. “What if a good chunk of Philadelphia society was gone in one day? This is what we’re talking about,” said Miguel Andrade, an organizer with Juntos, an immigrants' activist group that is coordinating the protest. Immigrants will be “closing shops, not sending...

BOSTON (CBS) – An immigrant worker at Logan Airport says his dream of becoming a U.S. citizen was stolen. In January he received a notice in the mail inviting him to a naturalization ceremony. He brought his mother. “This was like the end of it all. I was really proud. It was at the JFK library,” the employee said. The man spoke to WBZ-TV on the condition of anonymity because of what happened next. “They check this list and realize my name is not on there and they’re like, ‘You’re going to have to leave. Somebody’s going to have to...