Free Republic

"ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – A man was wounded in a shootout with attempted carjackers late Monday night near Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said." "The carjacking suspect was admitted to the hospital and is listed in critical condItion."

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho. An Ashton man who took his 14-year-old daughter out of state to marry a 24-year-old man will spend at least 120 days in jail. Keith Strawn was sentenced on one felony injury to a child charge Tuesday afternoon. “While you spend those 120 days in jail, perhaps you will think about the 120 days your daughter was in a vile farce of a marriage to a rapist.” — District Judge Greg Moeller District Judge Greg Moeller ordered Strawn to serve a suspended sentence of four years in prison with two years fixed and two years indeterminate. ......

The following is a list of prominent Republicans who say they’re not planning to attend the Republican National Convention -- based on responses from their offices and previously published reports: Former President George W. Bush Former President George H.W. Bush 2008 Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 2016 presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson Kansas Sen....

The University of Missouri, which was rocked by race protests last year that toppled its two leaders, caused its biggest donors to retreat and dampened interest among prospective students, will spend more than $1 million to audit its diversity policies. In addition to the $1.1 million audit, the UM System also plans to spend $2 million on other diversity initiatives, including the hiring of a chief diversity officer and systemwide task force, the Missourian reported earlier this week. IBIS Consulting Group will conduct the comprehensive audit, interviewing students, professors and staff on all four campuses in the UM System, according...

The conventional wisdom is that Hillary Clinton will crush Donald Trump in the November election. As I detailed previously, a generic Democratic candidate begins the general election with a huge Electoral College advantage based on how states have voted in the last six presidential elections. The count in September 2015 stood at 257 electoral votes for the Democrat and 206 electoral votes for the Republican, with five battleground states worth 75 electoral votes. Where is the race today as we near the end of the primary process? Based on current polling and primary results, Clinton likely would win the presidency...

A well-known activist who played a significant role assisting Black Lives Matter activists and other demonstrators in Ferguson and Baltimore was arrested last month in Prince George’s County and charged with prostitution and human trafficking. Police accuse Charles Wade — founder of Operation Help or Hush — of using online ads to organize meetings between a 17-year-old girl and Johns who paid her for sex, according to court documents. Wade was arrested, the documents state, on suspicion of setting up a meeting April 25 at a Howard Johnson Inn in College Park, where the teenager agreed to have sex with...

Ferguson, Mo., activist Charles Wade, who co-founded Operation Help or Hush, was arrested and charged with seven counts, including felonies for human trafficking, after an undercover cop responded to a Backpage.com ad for sex.Ferguson, Mo., activist Charles Wade, who has been a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement and is credited with co-founding the nonprofit Operation Help or Hush, was arrested in April and charged with human trafficking and prostitution. According to the Daily Caller, Wade was arrested after an undercover officer answered a Backpage.com ad listing for a 23-year-old prostitute. When the officer arrived at the Howard...

Charles Wade was arrested in April on prostitution and child trafficking charges. On April 25, he really got himself in a fix. He was arrested and charged with human trafficking and several prostitution-related charges. The police report notes, that as part of the charges, he is accused of allegedly pimping out a 17 year old girl in Prince George’s County, Maryland. So far, the Mainstream Media has been reluctant to share Mr. Wade’s current legal troubles. The Obama White House has no comment as well. Read more at http://dcwhispers.com/black-lives-matter-leader-arrested-charges-human-trafficking/#KRqBJWXVUZ8eSGVD.99

A prominent Black Lives matter activist in St. Louis was arrested in April and faces charges of human trafficking and prostitution against a 17-year-old girl. The activist, Charles Wade, said in a statement that he was helping the girl, who he believed to be 20, obtain temporary housing. Wade runs Operation Help or Hush, a charity that says it provides housing, food assistance and other forms of direct aid to both activists and local residents in general. Conservative news site The Daily Caller appears to have been the first to run a story about his arrest, but copies of the...

Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature this year passed tax breaks for goods and services ranging from wheelchairs to yoga classes, setting up a potential showdown with Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon over what he said could lead to a hole in the state budget. Nixon said the tax cuts could cost as much as $80 million, but backers say Nixon’s cost estimate is overblown. Legislative researchers project that the tax breaks cited by the governor will cost closer to $22 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Nixon said he will closely review the costs and take “actions necessary to keep...

Missouri plans to seek death penalty for illegal alien accused of gunning down five people in two day spree. [ Full title ]. Pablo Antonio Serrano-Vitorino, 40, is charged with killing five men. ... Immigration authorities missed two chances to deport Serrano-Vitorino . ... Missouri prosecutors on Friday filed their formal plan to pursue the death penalty against a Mexican national in the shooting death of a man a day after he allegedly killed four people in Kansas. Prosecutors in Montgomery County submitted court papers saying they will seek capital punishment for Pablo Serrano-Vitorino if he's convicted of first-degree murder...

University of Missouri at St. Louis criminologist Richard Rosenfeld has had "second thoughts." Like many academic criminologists, he had pooh-poohed charges that skyrocketing murder rates in many cities in 2015 and 2016 result from a "Ferguson effect" -- a skittering back from proactive policing for fear of accusations of racism like those that followed the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014. Now, after looking over 2015 data from 56 large cities, he's changed his mind. Homicides in those cities were up 17 percent from 2014. And 10 cities, all with large black populations, saw homicides up...

Today Donald J. Trump released the much-anticipated list of people he would consider as potential replacements for Justice Scalia at the United States Supreme Court. This list was compiled, first and foremost, based on constitutional principles, with input from highly respected conservatives and Republican Party leadership. Mr. Trump stated, “Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice. His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms. He was a Justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I...

Don Willett is a Texas Supreme Court justice:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Willett David Stras is an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Stras Allison Eid is a justice on the Colorado Supreme Court:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_H._Eid Joan Larsen is a justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Larsen Steven Colloton is a federal judge who has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Colloton Raymond Gruender is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Gruender Thomas Hardiman is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardiman Raymond M. Kethledge is a federal judge...

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has released a list of 11 potential Supreme Court justices he plans to vet to fill the seat of late Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump's picks include Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado and Raymond Gruender of Missouri. Also on the list are: Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, William Pryor of Alabama, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas. Trump said in March he planned to release the list to ease concerns about his conservative credentials...

Trump's picks include Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado and Raymond Gruender of Missouri. Also on the list are: Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, William Pryor of Alabama, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas. Trump had previously named Pryor and Sykes as examples of kind of justices he would choose.

The names are at the link.

The Missouri omnibus firearm reform bill, SB 656, has passed the legislature on the last day of the session, May 13, 2016. It includes permitless or “Constitutional” carry. It will now go to Governor Nixon for signature or veto. According to the NRA-ILA, SB 656 has these primary features: Recognize Missourians right to Constitutional/Permitless Carry where open carry is not prohibitedExpand Missouri’s current Stand your Ground lawsExpand Castle Doctrine protections for anyone legally allowed into your home, vehicle, business and propertySpecify that except for credit card fees incurred, no additional fee beyond $100 may be charged to process concealed...

Missouri lawmakers passed a sweeping expansion of gun rights Friday, allowing people to carry concealed guns without needing permits while also expanding their right to stand and fight against perceived threats. The legislation, which goes to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, was among the most prominent measures passed by the Republican-led Legislature on the final day of its annual session. Under the measure, most people could carry concealed guns, even if they haven’t gone through the training now required to get a permit. The legislation would also expand the state’s “castle doctrine” by allowing invited guests such as baby sitters to...

LA CENTER, KY (KFVS) - An earthquake near La Center, Kentucky was felt in parts of Illinois and Missouri early on Sunday morning. According to the National Weather Service in Paducah and the USGS, a magnitude 3.5 was recorded about 8.7 miles north of La Center and 24.2 miles west of Paducah. It happened around 1:12 a.m. and had a depth of about 8.3 miles. The quake was felt in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee. The furthest the quake was reportedly felt was in Miller, Mo. which is 267 miles away from the epicenter.