Free Republic

Prosecutors asked the US Supreme Court to review the ruling that overturned Bill Cosby’s conviction, arguing in a petition Monday that a decision announced in a press release does not give a defendant lifetime immunity. Prosecutors said the ruling could set a dangerous precedent if convictions are overturned over dubious closed-door deals. They have also complained that the chief judge of the state’s high court appeared to misstate key facts of the case when he discussed the court ruling that overturned Cosby’s conviction in a television interview. “This decision as it stands will have far-reaching negative consequences beyond Montgomery County...

As President Trump and his allies hope to get to the bottom of election fraud concerns in Arizona, the Donald has also set his sights on a new and potentially even more important target — Pennsylvania. President Donald Trump is demanding that the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania State Senate conduct a forensic audit of the 2020 election, similar to the audit currently taking place in Maricopa County, Arizona. Trump is making it clear that “If Pennsylvania Senate leadership doesn’t act, there is no way they will ever get re-elected!” [National File] As Trump and his supporters gear up for election transparency in...

When 73-year old Gayle Meyer was being held against her will at the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington on January 29th the call went out for people to show up at the hospital in her support. Dozens did and then police showed up in riot gear by the dozens as well. Meyer was then released by the hospital but afterwards the Clark County Sheriff's Department claimed that they faced a heavily armed group that was threatening. Clark County Sheriff's Detective Tonya Johnson has signed probable cause arrest warrants against four people in the matter including Meyer's daughter...

Maryland lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would prohibit stores from providing plastic bags to customers starting July 2022. An iteration of this legislation passed the House and was voted out of the Senate Finance Committee last year, but it did not reach the Senate floor due to the abbreviated legislative session. With an amendment from Del. Brian Crosby (D-St. Mary’s) that would allow orchard farmers to provide plastic bags to customers for its fruits and vegetables, the Plastic Bag Reduction Act, sponsored by Del. Brooke Lierman (D-Baltimore City) and Sen. Malcom Augustine (D-Prince George’s), moved out of the House...

Harris County Commissioners approved a restructuring of how county toll road revenue can be used, which is concerning some people in northwest Harris County about how road projects will be funded. The measure approved creates a corporation to oversee duties performed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority. According to HCTRA, this measure would also change the grip the state has on where toll revenue can be spent by the county. A memo from Peter Key, HCTRA’s interim executive director, said HCTRA currently can only provide the issuance of revenue bonds for tolled infrastructure, and not non-toll transportation infrastructure challenges....

A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Wednesday weighed arguments by Republicans seeking to stop a suburban Philadelphia county from counting mail-in and absentee ballots that voters had been permitted to correct. U.S. District Judge Timothy Savage in Philadelphia appeared skeptical of arguments by the plaintiffs’ lawyer, which lawyers for Montgomery County election officials and the Democratic National Committee said could disenfranchise voters. The Pennsylvania lawsuit had been filed by Kathy Barnette, a conservative political commentator projected to lose her race for a House seat in the state’s 4th Congressional district, and Clay Breece, chairman of the Republican Committee in Berks...

Mail-in ballots are expected to hit a record level in this election. The president insists that they can’t be trusted. But many state officials say otherwise. President Trump two weeks ago said his concerns about mail-in voting are being borne out by New York officials sending botched ballots to nearly 100,000 Brooklyn residents. For months, Trump has claimed widespread mail-in voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic opens the door to fraud and is likely to delay the Nov. 3 results. Democrats generally say mail-in voting is proven to be reliable and secure. New York is not among the nine states —...

I live in Montgomery County Maryland. Most of my neighbors are liberal Democrats and Trump haters. So far no vandalism or other attacks. A neighbor down the street and another one block over congratulated me on the sign but said they did not want to put up a sign because they were concerned about what might happen to them or their property.

LOWER PROVIDENCE Twp., Pa. - Officials in Montgomery County say a father has been arrested and charged after allegedly sexually assaulting his daughter who later died at the hospital. Officers say 10-month old Zara Scruggs was unresponsive at home Saturday night. According to authorities, an autopsy showed that Scruggs was sexually assaulted and suffered blunt force trauma to her head. Austin Stevens Investigators say her father Austin Stevens' phone showed multiple Google searches for nearly an hour before calling 911 with subjects that included “If baby stop breathing,” “What if you don’t hear baby heart or beat,” “My baby isn’t...

Elementary school children returning to a wealthy Pennsylvania classroom in the fall will learn that sympathizing with police officers is racist. Gladwyne Elementary School in Lower Merion School District, one of the richest in the nation—will require fourth and fifth graders to read Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, which claims that white people who relate to police officers or decline to watch the news are complicit in racism. The curriculum also assigns A Kid's Book About Racism to kindergarten and first graders. Elana Fishbein, mother of two boys and a doctor of social work,said, "The book teaches kids...

Montgomery County’s top health official issued an order late Wednesday directing private schools to suspend in-person teaching until Oct. 1, a directive that officials say bypasses Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s request that private schools have sole authority over when and how to reopen. The order from county health officer Travis Gayles cites specific sections of state code that he said empower local health officers to take actions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The move comes after Gayles last week ordered private schools in the county to begin classes online in the fall, a decision that sparked backlash from...

“Are you tired of living in a dictatorship yet?” Republican state Rep. Nino Vitale wrote in a post on Facebook Tuesday after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, announced the mask mandate. “This is what happens when people go crazy and get tested. STOP GETTING TESTED! It is giving the government an excuse to claim something is happening that is not happening at the magnitude they say it is happening.” Vitale called into question why the new order wouldn’t go into effect until Wednesday evening, saying “if this is such an urgent matter, why wait almost 30 hours? They make...

The Justice Department today announced that Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband sent a letter to Montgomery County Maryland executives expressing First Amendment concerns regarding county orders. The letter urges county Executive Elrich and the County Council to ensure that the county’s executive orders and enforcement of them respect both the right of residents to assemble and practice their faith.The letter applauds Montgomery County for allowing gatherings for political protest, but urges the county to allow gatherings for religious exercise on equal terms. The letter specifically references Montgomery County’s Executive Order No. 070-20, which banned all gatherings...

Republican and Trump acolyte Joe Gale called the Black Lives Matter movement "perpetrators of urban domestic terror." 76ers player Tobias Harris and others demanded he resign. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale says he won't resign because of calls from Philadelphia 76ers player Tobias Harris and others over comments Gale released on Monday about the protests in Philadelphia. In a statement, titled "Riots and Looting in Philadelphia," Gale described the Black Lives Matter movement as a "radical left-wing hate group" protesting a "bogus narrative of systemic police brutality and white racism." "What we saw this weekend in Philadelphia was not a...

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver joined the growing list of NFL players with recent off-the-field issues on Saturday night as he was arrested in Houston on charges of DWI and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Oliver, 22, was taken into Montgomery County Jail after police were reportedly tipped off by another driver that someone in a Ford pick-up truck was not maintaining their lane. Multiple reports state Oliver had an open beer can between his legs when he was pulled over and a pistol was later found in his car.

Emails Suggest Obama FBI Knew McCain Leaked Trump Dossier Mexican Hospital Overrun by COVID-19 Closes Near Busy U.S. Crossing Court Orders Maryland to Release Complete Voter Registration Records Our Campaign for Clean Elections Emails Suggest Obama FBI Knew McCain Leaked Trump Dossier We are getting more insight into the thinking of the corrupt FBI officials involved in the plot against Donald Trump – in particular what they knew and when they knew about the smear/leak operation using the shady “dossier.” Our new understanding comes from 138 pages of emails between former FBI official Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney...

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that a federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce the voter list for Montgomery County that includes the registered voters’ date of birth. This court ruling is the latest in a series of victories for Judicial Watch in its lawsuit filed July 18, 2017, against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ( NVRA ). Judicial Watch filed suit for the Maryland voter list data after uncovering that there were more registered voters in Montgomery County than citizens over the age of...

Pennsylvania State Rep. Thomas Murt (R) is pushing a permit requirement for ammunition purchases throughout the state. His legislation — HB 2344 — has been referred to the PA’s House Judiciary Committee and is filed with the memo, “Addressing Gun Violence and Enhancing Public Health and Safety.” Page 21 of the 25-page bill sets forth details of Murt’s proposed “Ammunition Purchase Authorization Permits,” saying, “A person holding an ammunition purchase authorization permit issued under this section may purchase or otherwise seek the transfer of ownership of ammunition from a retailer that sells ammunition.” The proposed permits would be valid for...

Updated: Suspect fatally shot in Virginia Beach was wanted in 1992 killing near Sugarloaf Mountain Montgomery County police confronted man Wednesday during attempt to arrest him BY DAN SCHERE | Published: 2020-02-13 17:45 Montgomery County police said on Thursday that authorities had fatally shot Hans Huitz, 51, who was a cold case homicide wanted for killing 57-year-old James Essel in 1992 near Sugarloaf Mountain. Essel, police said, owned the Sugarloaf Mountain Market. PHOTO VIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE In Virginia Beach, Va., on Wednesday, Montgomery County police detectives confronted a man wanted in connection with a 1992 killing of a store...

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.