Free Republic

The parents who pulled the balloon boy hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show were sentenced to jail Wednesday — 90 days for him, 20 days for her — and barred from profiting from their newfound celebrity status for the next four years. Choking back tears, Richard Heene apologized in court for the frenzy he caused when he claimed his 6-year-old son Falcon had floated away in a giant helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer. "I'm very, very sorry. And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there, and the people that got involved...

DURANT, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State Health Department is preparing to test a 60-pound beaver for rabies after it bit a small boy outside an apartment complex in southern Oklahoma. Tammy Lane said her 5-year-old son went outside to get the family cat on Saturday. But instead of finding a feline, he was attacked by a beaver after trying to pet the animal, according to KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. "I heard screaming. I went to see what was happening. His leg was pretty bad," Lane said. She rushed her son to a local hospital and called police. "They didn't believe...

Inside a secured room at the Eagan Police headquarters is the charred and shredded evidence of a near fatal crime. There's not much left of a winter jacket, worn by a 33-year-old St. Paul man. The alleged copper thief was burned by 69,000 volts of electricity, creating a flash of light in the early morning sky. "There were also calls of a large flash of light seen from several miles away and a large boom," Eagan Officer Danielle Anselment said. Police and paramedics responded to several 911 calls of a man who was on fire at the Dakota Electric power...

I just have two simple questions. 1) What Civil/Criminal Lawsuits are ready to go to halt this unconstitutional law. 2) Where do I sign up to be a complaintaint. As just about every knows, this "Reform" is anything but reform, it is a simple blatent takeover of our economy and health by anti-american socialists who care for the power they will hold over our heads then they care about getting re-elected. This is our "Tea Party", this is our Alamo. We must stop this before it leads to a real and hot Civil War.

Green Bay's junior hockey team, which had a home game interrupted by a flying bat that met its demise after it was swarmed by former Edina star Anders Lee and other stick-swinging players, is seizing on the incident to raise money for a wildlife sanctuary. In response to criticism of the bat's public and immediate death last week, a "Bat Trick" promotion will be staged starting with the team's game Dec. 31. Resch Center fans will be able to buy a toy bat in the team store for $2. All of the proceeds will go to the Bay Beach Wildlife...

<p>WARREN, Mich. – A man who walked into a Michigan diner with a 5-inch knife stuck in his chest ordered a coffee and complained only about the cold weather.</p> <p>The 52-year-old man, who has not been identified, called a 911 operator in Warren on Sunday night to ask that an ambulance be sent to Bray's, an eatery in neighboring Hazel Park.</p>

Makes you wonder doesn't it? Have you wondered why Barack Hussein Obama has insisted that the U.S. Attorney General hold the trials for the 911 Murdering Muslims Terrorists in Civilian Courts as Common Criminals instead of as Terrorists who attacked the United States of America? If the Muslim Terrorists are tried in Military Tribunals, convicted, and sentenced to DEATH by the Military Tribunal, BY LAW of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, as President of the United States, would be required to SIGN their Death Warrants before they could be EXECUTED. He would not be required to sign the death...

Authorities in Winona are considering whether to charge a woman accused of grabbing a man by the genitals and yanking hard enough for him to need stitches. Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams tells the Winona Daily News the 54-year-old woman faces possible charges of domestic assault, third-degree assault and interfering with a 911 call. Officers were called Friday night to a domestic disturbance in Winona. Williams says the man pulled down his underwear for police and showed them a large tear on his genitals. Williams says the woman denied grabbing the man, telling officers he had cut himself. The man...

A 7-year-old Minneapolis boy had his dream come true when he went on a shopping trip with a star Minnesota Viking. However, that dream turned into a nightmare when his family's house went up in flames and his presents were destroyed. Stafonta Crenshaw had a chance to go shopping with Adrian Peterson through an event organized by The Boys and Girls Club. After those presents were destroyed, he had a second chance at a happy holiday thanks to Dicks Sporting Goods. "When we found out what happened to Stafonta and his family, we wanted to reach out to him and...

Hector was one of 52 terribly abused and neglected dogs owned by NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his friends. He landed here in Minnesota and is now part of a student service learning project which teaches the kids not to be mean or hurt animals. "He lived outside in the woods in a wire cage. So did the other dogs. They had very little food, very little water," said kindergarten teacher Amber Anderson. Third graders at Barack and Michele Obama school in St. Paul got a special visit Tuesday from Hector. "In St. Paul, there seem to be quite a...

A Miami-Dade clinical psychologist pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter for supplying his young lover -- a one-time patient -- a lethal dose of painkillers and then failing to call 911 as she lay dying on his bed. Adam Feder, 42, will serve six years in prison for manslaughter and illegal trafficking of the addictive painkiller Oxycodone. After that, Feder will serve four years of probation and 384 hours of community service, according to his plea deal. ``It's a good resolution because Mr. Feder accepts responsibility for Rachel's death. He forfeits his license to practice psychology and pays for his crime...

Lewes pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley is now facing 26 total charges relating to rape and exploitation of minors. Bradley, 56, turned himself in to Delaware State Police Troop 4 detectives at 8:30 a.m, Friday, Dec. 18, and is being held at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown in lieu of $2.9 million cash bail. A preliminary hearing on the charges is set at the Court of Common Pleas in Georgetown on Wednesday, Dec. 23. By the end of the day Dec. 18, Bradley, chief pediatrician at BayBees Pediatrics on Route 1, had been charged with eight counts of first-degree rape of...

The alleged ringleader of a three-year sex-trafficking operation in Anchorage pleaded not guilty this morning to charges that could send him to federal prison for the rest of his life. Sabil Mumin Mujahid, 52, already in jail on a federal conviction in June as a three-time felon in possession of a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum handgun, was ordered held without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith. Two other defendants in the sex-trafficking case, Sidney Lamar Greene, 30, and Rand Hooks, 50, pleaded not guilty Friday. Police and FBI are searching for the fourth person in the alleged conspiracy,...

A grand jury said that it found the shooting of a Georgia pastor by undercover officers to be justified. The report on the Georgia Bureau of Investigations investigation into the shooting was released on Monday. Baptist minister Jonathan Paul Ayers, 29, was killed outside a Toccoa convenience store on Sept. 1. Undercover agents said they were in the area watching Kayla Barrett as part of a drug investigation. An undercover agent, whose name will not be released, said, "We were going to do another buy for crack rock and work the prostitution angle as well." Investigators said Ayers, who was...

My Car was parked in Scotts Valley Ca in the Kragens Parking lot. Even though the car was parked Separately far from any other vehicle someone rammed their bumper into my Drivers Side Door. it is a hit and run and there were no witnesses and I asked the shop owners but there are no cameras around. I just wanted to vent this is the second time I've had a car hit in Scotts Valley and they just run off. I've heard as well of kids being scraped off the road there due to incompetent drivers. Merry Christmas Happy New...

A South Whitehall man who refuses to remove a "bubble" home he put up without township permits in 2006 to keep his sickly wife away from chemicals will be forced to pay $100 a day starting Sunday until he gets rid of it. Lehigh County Judge Carol K. McGinley filed an order Thursday, finding Craig Bowes in contempt of court for ignoring her Oct. 1, 2008, order to remove the bubble. "Hopefully Mr. Bowes will comply, but I'm not going to hold my breath," township attorney Donald Wieand Jr. said Friday. "It's probably not the last step, but it's a...

Led by a spike in robberies and assaults, the violent crime rate in Seattle increased by more than 21 percent during the first part of this year compared to last.FBI crime statistics released Monday showed there were 1,927 incidents of violent crime (murder, rape, robbery and assault) from January to June in 2009. That compares to 1,582 incidents during the same time period in 2008. Murders were down - eight during the period this year compared to 15 in 2008. There were 55 reported rapes compared to 65 last year. There were 908 reports of robbery compared to 707...

A Wisconsin jewelry store is playing the role of secret Santa this holiday season. Wickersham Jewelers in Rhinelander has hidden more than one thousand little gold boxes in parts of northern Wisconsin. Inside each one is a piece of jewelry. The store calls it Finders Keepers and hopes to bring a little bit of happiness into the lives of those who might need it.The jeweler says it got help from people in the community to help hide the boxes in hospitals and public buildings. They hope all of them will be found. Video at link...

  MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - A Memphis attorney has admitted to biting off part of a man's nose during a confrontation at a popular Midtown restaurant.According to a lawsuit filed by Greg Herbers, Mark Lambert bit off and swallowed part of his nose during a dispute last June at Dish on South Cooper Street.Lambert is a trial attorney with the Cochran Firm.      The incident at Dish began in the men's room when Herbers became annoyed because the urinal and stalls were occupied.Herbers says two men were together inside the same stall. He says Lambert carried on a conversation with...

A retired minister from Manheim Township faces more charges for his alleged sexual misconduct with a teenage boy. Dennis E. Spangler, 64, was charged Tuesday with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, sexual abuse of children and corruption of minors for his alleged conduct with a 13-year-old boy. He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in jail if found guilty of the sexual intercourse charge. This is the third round of charges lodged against Spangler for his alleged conduct with the 13-year-old and with a 15-year-old boy. Law enforcement officials said Wednesday they are concerned there may...

In Rockwall County, a place known for its conservative politics, one mechanic is getting a lot of attention for his latest promotion: a Nobel Peace Prize, free with every oil change. The offer, which pokes fun at President Barack Obama's recent Nobel Prize win, sits on a 4-by-10-foot sign in front of Horizon Auto Center on the outskirts of Rockwall. Owner Ken Sterling says that since he put it there, response has been overwhelming. A photo of the sign was posted online and has gone viral, appearing on blogs, conservative Web sites and Twitter feeds.

Tenth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Richard Grawey resentenced a Pekin rapist Tuesday to 10 years in prison after the Third District Appellate Court in Ottawa ruled there were errors in the trial. Thomas P. Walsh, 66, of Pekin, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Jan. 9, 2008, by 10th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Stephen Kouri in a plea agreement. Walsh pleaded guilty to criminal sexual assault/force, a Class 1 felony. Three Class X felonies — one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault with bodily harm, and two counts aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon, were not pursued....

One of the partially hidden indicators of financial hardship is the increased use of food stamps. While their use is largely a private matter between the individual and the state, the latest government statistics reveal the surprising news that largely affluent Litchfield County experienced the highest percentage hike in federal food assistance in Connecticut over the past two years. It's representative of a trend of more food stamp use in more moneyed towns statewide, but Litchfield County overall showed the largest increase in Connecticut. Even though the numbers remain small, Litchfield County's overall use of food stamps has increased 32...

McCaskill is getting the "Obama Joker" treatment. Ha!

The moment was subtle, just a couple holding hands as they walked into Houston's City Council chamber, a ritual for incoming members that had passed hundreds of times before with little fanfare. But this time was different. The two people holding hands were women. One was Annise Parker, a newly elected councilwoman. The other was Kathy Hubbard, Parker's life partner.

From the steep heights above Shenandoah, the limits of this square-mile coal-boom settlement are defined by culm banks on one side of the valley floor and the Mrs. T's pierogi factory on the other. Thomas O'Neill, the town's former mayor, stood on his daughter's back deck on Wednesday and pointed out the landmarks: the golden dome of the nation's oldest Ukrainian Greek Catholic church, the smoking cogeneration plant on the far hill that makes electricity by burning the coal waste of the town's mining past, and a low point in the valley - the park where an undocumented Mexican immigrant...

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a man suspected in a string of Decatur County robberies tried to report his accomplices, thinking he could snag a piece of the reward. A group of business owners on Tuesday offered nearly $7,000 for tips on the recent armed robberies in the area.

Kenosha police officers have made a Christmas video that features their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The cops sing about gifts from their chief that include bullets, guns, jelly doughnuts, night shifts and coffee breaks. One officer is shown with his feet up on a desk sipping coffee. Another is sitting in front of a box of doughnuts, his nose and cheek smeared with jelly. A blurb on the department's Web site invites people who need a laugh "during this hectic time of year" to click on the video.

Interstate 64 is shut down until further notice. CHARLESTON W.Va.-- Officials say that both Northbound and Southbound lanes of Interstate 64 between Charleston and Beckley are shut down until further notice. Road crews and the National Guard are working to clear the roadways and help stranded motorists along the Interstate and across the state. Keep clicking wowktv.com for further updates.

PEORIA — A lawsuit alleging discrimination has been filed by a group of current and former white employees at Trewyn Middle School against Peoria School District 150 and retired Superintendent Ken Hinton. The suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, names eight employees who allege the district had a policy of discrimination against white employees. According to the suit, the administration "adopted policies, practices and plans to increase the number of black teachers and staff within District 150; avoid lawsuits by black employees and citizens; and appease a large black community with numerous complaints." The employees are Tammy Williams, a...

Cop's Two Shots Kill Small Dog By Nicholas Briano Police fatally shot a small pug dog in the head last week while responding to a call on a quiet Edgemere block, telling superiors that the dog attacked them outside its Beach 43 Street home. The incident began at 5:33 a.m. last Thursday, October 26, when Patricia Fernandez, who was already awake and getting ready for work, heard shots fired outside her home located on a quiet deadend street. According to police sources, patrol cars had responded to the house next door on a child endangerment call. Prior to the cop's...

Additional charges have been filed against Dr. Earl B. Bradley early this morning, as a result of a preliminary forensic investigation of a computer seized by Troop 4 state police detectives. Doctor Earl B. Bradley is currently charged with, 4 counts of rape (first-degree) with a victim less than 16 years of age, rape (second-degree) with a victim less than 16 years of age, 3 counts of sexual exploitation of a child by photo or film, and endangering the welfare of a child. Bradley turned himself in to Troop 4 Detectives at approximately 8:30 a.m. this morning. Police are withholding...

An Edina woman in Copenhagen for the U.N. climate conference as part of a youth group joined 30 others in shaving their heads outside the conference center on Friday, the last scheduled day of the gathering. Valida Prentice, 24, who traveled to Copenhagen two weeks ago as an accredited observer, and the others each held a sign outside the conference center that explained why they made this symbolic gesture. "Shaving my head can symbolize a lot," Prentice said in a prepared statement, "the ugly negotiating process, the bad decisions made by negotiators, or the catastrophic changes that unabated climate change...

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Every good Southerner knows there are only two religions in Alabama – football and football. This week, a new maxim emerged: When it comes to the state judicial system, there’s a lot of crimson hiding beneath those billowing black robes. Circuit Judge Dan King announced Wednesday he would grant a delay in the civil suit Traywick v. Energen Corporation, which was scheduled for trial Jan. 4 in Bessemer, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The reason? Energen’s defense attorneys want to attend the showdown between the University of Alabama and University of Texas at Austin, scheduled for Jan....

Lower Merion fans at a high school basketball game, Tuesday, said some rather nasty things regarding host Upper Darby which brought a response from the Royals side which eventually escalated into some extraordinary ugly and anti-Semitic statements regarding LM, which has a large Jewish population. These ugly statements included things like "We'll write you letters when you're in Auschwitz". Now, this is not something that should be ignored but since Tuesday the dinosaur media has been tut-tutting over incident and the officials from both schools have been indulging in public hand-wringing and the Lower Merion parents have been calling for...

All the experts says the effects of climate change will be felt most in Alaska, home of the ex-governor who contends climate change is no big deal. Good thing she wasn't in Valdez this week when the citizenry got buried under a record snowfall. We're not talking about your ordinary little dump here. That was in Copenhagen, where world leaders were meeting to discuss what to do about global warming and the Bloomberg news service was warning that Barack Obama and the rest would "face freezing weather as a blizzard dumped 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow on the Danish...

A 26-year-old man was arrested Thursday on accusations that he tried to pick up a fake prescription with a stolen check. William E. Fenner, no address available, was charged with obtaining narcotics by fraud and forgery. Johnson City police said Fenner went to a local pharmacy and attempted to pick up a fraudulent prescription that had been called in by someone using the name of a local doctor. Fenner also tried using a stolen check to pay for the medication, police said. He was jailed in the Washington County Detention Center

The soul of the city is coming off the practice field and headed toward the showers. They are a motley group, undrafted guys and late-round fliers, players cast off from other teams. Brees landed in town after an injury convinced the Chargers that his best days were behind him. "When we came here," he has said, "I was in the process of rebuilding, as well." Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints' potent offense have produced a 13-0 record heading into their home game Saturday night against Dallas. Running back Mike Bell was out of football. So was cornerback Mike McKenzie,...

12/18/2009 Crash of the Year New Penalties Facing Church Roof Flier? In January, David E. managed to drive his station wagon into the roof of a church 23 meters off the ground. Now, he may be in trouble again. For a television re-enactment, he got behind the wheel of a car -- possibly in violation of his driver's license suspension. His year didn't start well. In late January, David E. made headlines in Germany and beyond when he managed to crash his Skoda Octavia station wagon into the roof of a church some seven meters (23 feet) off the ground....

EAST PEORIA — The family of the man fatally shot by East Peoria police Tuesday is searching for answers to their questions about the tragedy. "We want to know why they shot him and killed him," said Kathy Wolf, the man's mother-in-law, on Wednesday. "Why couldn't they shoot him in the arms or the legs like they do everywhere else to (criminals such as) murders?" Samuel Craft, 48, of 116 Sun Valley Court, Apt. C2, was pronounced dead at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria about 8 p.m. Tuesday. At a news conference Wednesday, East Peoria Police Chief Ed...

RICHFIELD, Minn. -- When North Dakotan Dennis McCoy gets together with his uncle Wes in his retirement high rise in Richfield, they farm at the kitchen table. "That was our first rubber-tired tractor," says Wes to Dennis as they peer at a photo of a 1938 Allis Chalmers WC. It's moments like this that have led Dennis to one of the great passions in his life: locating and restoring tractors that match the makes and models his grandfather -- Wes' dad Ed McCoy -- used on their North Dakota farm from the 1920s through the 1950s. Already he's paid for...

The weather outside is frightful, but bundling up in a mink coat is delightful. For years, the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association has provided a custom-made Wisconsin mink coat for Alice to wear as she braves the winter cold. I didn't have much of an opportunity to wear it in November because it was pretty warm. But wearing it even these first few days of December has given me an opportunity to help educate people about Wisconsin's nation-leading mink industry. I've toured Zimbal Minkery near Sheboygan Falls twice. I first toured it in May 2008 as an Alice in Dairyland...

Clutter hampers firefighters searching for occupant, 88 PROSPECT — An 88-year-old woman died in a fire that consumed her home at 62 Summit Road Wednesday morning. Alice Ostapko lived alone in the two-story clapboard house, which was gutted. She is the first person to die in a fire in Prospect in at least two decades. A firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation while battling the fire, which was reported at 7:11 a.m., but he was not hospitalized, fire officials said. Mayor Robert J. Chatfield, who is also assistant fire chief, was on scene within one minute of the call. He was...

Lawmakers, hunters vent about deer season MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Hunters have packed a state Capitol hearing room to complain about a weak November deer hunt. Hunters killed 29 percent fewer deer last month than during the 2008 hunt. They claim the Department of Natural Resources' herd reduction regulations have devastated the deer population, leaving them empty-handed. The state Assembly and Senate outdoors committees called a public hearing on the hunt. Sen. Neal Kedzie began the proceedings by accusing DNR Secretary Matt Frank of ignoring hunters' concerns. Hunters applauded. Kedzie warned Frank the agency's policies could ruin hunting, forcing...

Users wrote to us this morning that anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware programs were reporting to them that our site contained malicious code. These security programs protected many of our readers' computers after our advertising server was hacked early this morning. Thanks to your help, we were able to detect and clear the problems from our servers shortly after 10 a.m. This incident reinforces the value of keeping your anti-virus programs and security patches up-to-date. Please e-mail us at journal@abqjournal.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call our customer support at...

4 Shot To Death In Manhattan Apartment Wounded woman taken to hospital; no arrests made, police say NEW YORK - Police say four men have been found shot to death at an apartment in Manhattan. The killings were reported at 1:45 p.m. at an apartment building on the Upper West Side. Police say two bodies were found in a bedroom, one in the bathroom and one in a backyard.

Building a new stadium on the site of the Metrodome would cost $870 million, according to a report presented today to the Dome’s landlords. That compares to the most recent $954 million pricetag of a new stadium, primarily because of lower product and labor costs, according to Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC). According to Mortenson Construction, the cost decreased by nine percent since February of 2009 – a savings of $84 million. “What we’ve learned is that the time to do this is now,” commission chairman Roy Terwilliger said in a prepared statement. The...

A 42-year-old suburban mom is in a detox facility Wednesday night after registering a .40 when police stopped her Tuesday afternoon in Inver Grove Heights. A shopper at the Cub Foods grocery store in West St. Paul called police after she saw the woman and her young son in the frozen food aisle. "He was saying mommy, I want to go home. Let's go home mommy,'" said a woman who called 911. "I went up to her and asked if she was okay and she didn't answer me. She was like stumbling. So, I had my instincts kicked in." A...

Samuel Arthur Silverman, also known as Abraham Cohen, was extradited Thursday from Israel to the United States. Silverman was convicted in Oregon for sexual abuse of minors in the late 1990s, but before a hearing on his sentence commenced he escaped to Israel. His extradition was made possible following an amendment to the extradition treaty between Israel and the US. Silverman, a former social worker and psychologist mainly treating children and teenagers, was charged and convicted of sexually abusing two minors who were friends of his son during the years 1995-1996. The minimum sentence in the State of Oregon for...

(12-16) 21:32 PST SAN MATEO -- A man who was struck by a Caltrain after lying down on the tracks at the San Mateo station died Wednesday night at Stanford Hospital. The man, whose name and other information had not been released, was observed lying on the southbound tracks as the train pulled into the station at about 7 p.m. The engineer was unable to stop the train it time to avoid hitting the man, said Christine Dunn, a Caltrain spokeswoman.