Free Republic

CANTON, Ohio, Dec. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- Paul Schiffer, Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio's 16th Congressional District, has already written legislation to repeal last Monday's decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calling carbon dioxide a "pollutant." Paul Schiffer pledged to introduce and fight for this repeal in January 2011 after being elected in November 2010. Schiffer's legislation would leave in place all regulation of genuine pollution but exclude carbon dioxide from the definition of a pollutant in all Federal laws. This would strip the EPA of authority to regulate the carbon dioxide which plants breathe. It would also...

I can only post a link to this site due to copyright. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091216/SPT02/312160072/Chris+Henry+in+serious+accident

<p>Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died Thursday morning after he was seriously hurt during what police are calling a "domestic situation" in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday.</p> <p>The team's receiver fell out of the back of a pickup truck Wednesday during what police described as a domestic dispute with his fiancee. Henry was found in the road about eight miles north of downtown Charlotte "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Police spokesman Robert Fey said officers were stationed near the 26-year-old Henry's hospital room.</p>

The early campaign for the 2010 Republican nomination for the 16th Congressional District seat has spurred a letter-writing campaign, generating accusations that GOP party bosses are trying to circumvent voters. At the center of the storm is a letter from the district's four Republican Party county chairmen claiming Jim Renacci of Wadsworth is the "best candidate" to defeat first-term incumbent Democrat John Boccieri in a potential showdown that is drawing national attention. The letter did not mention the other two declared candidates, former Ashland County commissioner Matt Miller and conservative talk radio host and Canton resident Paul Schiffer. GOP party...

Congressman Austria's office dug in and helped myself and family out BIG TIME this week with a big government debacle. Won't go in to detail but his office got a huge job done. Keep your eye on this terrific young conservative junior Congressman from Ohio!

Police action called 'self-defense' in shooting death of mentally ill woman Toledo's police chief says his preliminary review of a police-involved shooting Monday night indicates the officers acted in self-defense and that the shooting was justified. TPD chief Michael Navarre identified the woman killed at a group home as Linda Hicks, 62. She was shot and killed during a confrontation with police at a group home on Fernwood near Detroit Avenue in Toledo. Police were dispatched after a call that the woman had been brandishing a knife. Chief Navarre said Officer Diane Chandler, a three-year member of the police department,...

Ohio justices: Cell phone searches require warrant COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police officers must obtain a search warrant before searching the contents of a suspect’s cell phone unless their safety is in danger, a divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday on an issue that appears never to have reached another state high court or the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled 5-4 in favor of Antwaun Smith, who was arrested on drug charges after he answered a cell phone call from a crack cocaine user acting as a police informant. Officers took Smith’s cell phone when he was arrested and, acting...

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Four Toledo police officers will be off the job for the next few months after they pleaded no contest to internal drug and alcohol charges Monday. Two of the officers were accused of driving their cruisers while intoxicated and another two tested positive for marijuana. The chief said if the officers did not agree to the plea deal, then they would have been terminated. Officers James Breier and Donald Mitchell faced a judge for their OVI charges last week on charges of operating their cruisers without a license. But Monday, they pled to internal charges of...

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) -- In one of the worst cases of elder abuse ever seen in our region, a daughter is now behind bars and her father is finally getting food and water. Larry Looney got very little food and maybe a cup of water a day, and photos we received just skim the surface of the horror story. Last Friday, Portmsouth Police arrested and jailed Ashley Looney on multiple elder abuse charges. Detectives say for about a year, she imprisoned her helpless, mentally ill father in a Scioto Trail home. Police say shocked witnesses first discovered and took pictures....

Her choppy blue-and-blond hair hiding the fear in her eyes, a 15-year-old voiced her dislike for a hip-hop music group and got punched in the face by a classmate. The whole thing was caught on tape, and social media helped police in their investigation. A crowd of six to 10 classmates were following the self-described emo girl and her boyfriend home from school in Newark, Ohio, on an autumn day in September. Some kids were taping it and others were egging on the assailant, who was on the school wrestling team. It all started because Alexis Xanders doesn't like Insane...

ELYRIA — Fired Lorain police officer Stanley Marrero won’t face trial on rape and other charges stemming from 16-year-old allegations that he forced himself on a woman while responding to a call at her home, a judge has ruled. The woman contacted the Lorain Police Department in 1993 and left her name and telephone number, but never heard back from law enforcement. It wasn’t until 2007, when she again contacted authorities after Marrero was indicted on a similar charge, that her case was investigated, according to the ruling from Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski. “There is no reasonable justification for...

Republican Rob Portman has managed to pull away somewhat from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner but still finds himself in a highly competitive race with Democratic Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher in potential 2010 U.S. Senate match-ups in Ohio. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Portman now leading Brunner 40% to 33% after holding a two-point advantage in September. Just seven percent (7%) would choose another candidate, but 20% are undecided at this point. Portman continues to run nearly even with Fisher 38% to 36%. In their match-up, 18% of Ohio voters are undecided, while another eight...

Law: American heroes are arraigned for allegedly punching a terrorist in wartime. What happens to Tiger Woods isn't vital to our country's future. What happens to Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe is. People are more likely to recognize the names of Tiger's alleged bimbo eruptions than the names of these three Navy SEALs we sent into battle. They are not household names in a nation consumed with Climate Gate, the public option and the antics of billionaire athletes. An administration consumed with apologies has said the architect of 9/11's massacre, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, must be given all the...

Unemployment in Ohio has jumped to 10.5%, the state is wrestling with an $851 million budget shortfall, and Governor Ted Strickland has proposed delaying a tax cut approved in 2005. Add it all together, and it’s a tough environment for the incumbent Democratic governor who now trails his expected general election opponent by nine percentage points in an early look at the 2010 race. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Ohio shows Republican John Kasich getting 48% of the vote while Strickland picks up just 39%. Three percent (3%) say they’d prefer a third-party candidate, and 11% are not...

Compromise to be sought with Ohio House bill Thursday, December 10, 2009 3:25 AM By Jim Siegel THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Senate Republicans approved a variety of election-law changes yesterday, such as increasing the number of places where voters can cast absentee ballots and ending the one-week span when Ohioans could register and vote on the same day. The action came three weeks after House Democrats passed their own set of election-law changes. The question now is whether the two chambers will marry their ideas in time for the 2010 elections. Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, sponsor of the election bill, said...

CANTON — Two area companies — one already here and another being lured with incentives — received tax breaks from the state Department of Development on Monday. Job Creation Tax credits were approved for Medline Industries and Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems by the state Tax Credit Authority. If it locates here, Medline would receive a 40 percent, 5-year tax credit for the creation of $873,600 in payroll. As part of the tax-credit agreement, Medline has to maintain operations in Canton for at least eight years. Rolls-Royce will receive a 60 percent, 10-year tax credit for creating $3.74 million in additional...

PAUL SCHIFFER, candidate for Ohio's 16th Congressional District, HAS ALREADY WRITTEN LEGISLATION TO REPEAL TODAY'S DECISION by the Envrionmental Protection Agency that Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant. http://www.theschifferreport.com/paulschifferforcongress/media/Global-Warming-Bill.pdf In an effort to show Mr. Schiffer's commitment to 'hit the ground running' when he reaches Washington, his team is already developing legislation to stop the insanity in D.C. WHEREAS, the molecule known as carbon dioxide is life-giving and essential for all life on Earth as the gas that plants “breathe” to live, and WHEREAS, without carbon dioxide available in the atmosphere all life on Earth, both plant life and animal life,...

Process could capture carbon more cheaply. Researchers at Ohio State University are developing a novel process for generating electricity from coal that also promises to make capturing carbon-dioxide emissions cheaper. The work is being done with the help of a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The technology has been proven in laboratories; researchers will use the new funds to demonstrate it in a 250-kilowatt, pilot-scale power plant. A coal-fired plant based on the process, which is called chemical looping, would produce a highly concentrated stream of carbon dioxide. Such a stream...

Franklin D. Roosevelt understood what it meant to be a core Democrat and maintaining his party’s ranks. He built winning coalitions around his policies by empowering previously suppressed groups, such as labor unions and urban ethnics. In the process, he created a 40-year dynasty for Democrats. Today’s bunch? Not so much. The problem for FDR’s party is that it hasn’t adapted swiftly enough to two realities – that jobs are the most important issue to the nation, and that the middle class (which Democrats claim to champion) is dissolving under its watch. It seemed that Democrats may be starting to...

Paul believes in and promises to uphold the 9 Principles & 12 Values of the 912 Project 1. America is good 2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address. 3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday 4. The family is sacred. I and my family are the ultimate authority, not the government. Marriage/Family “It...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- AmTrust Bank, which opened with one office on Valentine's Day 120 years ago and grew to one of the nation's 100 largest banks, was seized by federal regulators Friday and bought by New York Community Bank of Westbury, N.Y. AmTrust is the first Northeast Ohio bank to fail since TransOhio Federal Savings Bank of Cleveland was seized 17 years ago. AmTrust, the latest calamity in the nation's 2-year-old banking crisis, became the 128th bank to fail this year, and the second in Ohio. Six banks in all failed Friday, bringing the year's total to 130. With assets...

The Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray (D) has released the concealed handgun license (CHL) statistics for the third quarter of 2009. The demand for licenses to conceal carry firearms remained strong last quarter, marking an unprecedented ten quarters in a row with an increased demand compared to the same year over year period. Concealed carry continues to be something both long-time and new gun owners are interested in. If you buy a handgun for self defense, it makes sense to get the license needed to carry it with you. The third quarter in 2009 saw a whopping 54% increase over...

Too few showing up at H1N1 clinics Thursday, December 3, 2009 11:21 PM By Misti Crane THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Rows of chairs sat empty at Veterans Memorial. Dana Warner, the guy in charge of handing out tickets and answering initial questions, had a thick book on his chair, just in case. Nurses stationed at tables with plenty of vaccine waved to signal open seats. H1N1 vaccine clinics aren't what they used to be. Story continues below Advertisement Tuesday night's Columbus Public Health clinic was absent the weary-eyed parents who'd spent hours entertaining toddlers. There were no frantic public-health workers trying...

Embattled Athens County, Ohio Democratic Chairwoman Susan Gwinn was indicted Monday on two counts of election-related bribery, special prosecutors announced today. Gwinn, who last month was charged with six felonies for campaign finance crimes and money-laundering, became the subject of a voter fraud investigation after an email from College Democrats Vice President Kellie Galan surfaced in which students were promised a cash bounty for every voter brought to the polls. "Remember, if you bring a friend from 4th ward they are more then [sic] a friend, they're 5 bucks!" Galan wrote to fellow College Democrats in the email. Athens' 4th...

Leader of Athens Democratic Party indicted on bribery charges Monday, November 30, 2009 6:10 PM By Randy Ludlow THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The embattled chairwoman of the Athens County Democratic Party was indicted today on charges she sought to buy the votes of some Ohio University students. A grand jury charged Susan Gwinn with two counts of election-related bribery, said Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, the special prosecutor in the case. No one else, including members of the OU College Democrats, was indicted after grand jurors heard testimony and evidence today, Yost said. The indictment comes after authorities investigated a charge...

Dear Pro-life Friend: The next week will be a grueling and, we pray, critical effort in this life and death struggle. It is late Saturday night; I am here in Southwest Nebraska. I spoke for a few moments at a vigil Mass here, begging people to contact their Senators. I speak 3 times in the morning. Then, we leave late Sunday for an eight-city, fourteen-event effort to mobilize people against this damnable "health care" legislation. I beg you for your prayers with all my heart. If you are ANYWHERE NEAR where we will be, please join us! If you know...

MAUMEE, OHIO (WTOL) - Maumee police are searching for a real-life 'Grinch' after a man robbed a Salvation Army bell ringer of her donation kettle. It happened outside the Anderson's General Store in Maumee around 6:30 p.m. yesterday. Just before the man grabbed the kettle, police said he shouted that he hated the bell ringers and hated Christmas. The volunteer worker struggled with the man over the kettle, but he got away with the donations after pushing the worker. The man then placed the kettle and tripod base into a 1999 black Ford pick-up truck, which was reported stolen the...

A judge in Ohio ruled a marriage arranged by a Muslim father for his 17-year-old daughter who now has converted to Christianity isn't valid, clearing her of accusations she made false statements in applying for a marriage license with the man who now is her husband. The little-reported case developed in Ohio, where Larry Crain, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, argued on behalf of his client, identified only as "Nishan."

This week's announcement that American Municipal Power of Ohio has pulled the plug on its multibillion-dollar coal-fired power plant in Letart Falls caught Meigs County Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe by surprise. "This was a very unexpected turn of events," Varnadoe said. "We were extremely disappointed - this would have been a great economic engine for all of southeastern Ohio." In a statement issued Wednesday, officials with the Columbus-based, nonprofit AMP Ohio company said the much-touted Meigs plant project had been scrapped after learning construction costs had jumped from $3.3 billion to $4 billion. "We're owned by our members and...

GOLIATH IS ALIVE AND WELL AT GAHANNA LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT WHERE IS DAVID? There comes a time in all of our lives where we can no longer run and hide. There are times that no matter how much we try to avoid a conflict, the conflict hunts us down, gets right in our face, and demands a response. What happens in those moments usually defines our lives. Many times these conflicts are actually blessings in disguise that are sent our way by God. I believe such a conflict has confronted each and every Christian student at Gahanna Lincoln High...

OSU's Second Amendment Center Runs Out of Ammo [Robert VerBruggen] Ohio State University's Second Amendment Center, funded largely by the anti-gun Joyce Foundation, has called it quits. Randy Barnett has details over at the Volokh Conspiracy. Barnett argues that the Center closed because its purpose — to argue against an individual-right interpretation of the Second Amendment — was rendered moot by Heller. In NR last year, I detailed how the Joyce Foundation funded law-review symposia on the Second Amendment (subscribers can read my piece here). Whatever the Foundation and Center's problems, I found the Center's head, Prof. Saul Cornell, very...

Note: The following text is a quote: Eighteen Charged Following Multi-Year Fraud Investigation Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury returned a 23-count indictment charging 18 defendants with violating federal laws following a multi-year investigation into fraud relating to identification documents. Named in the Indictment are the following individuals: Vitaly Fedorchuk, 30 , of Parma, OH; Pavlo Mostranskyy aka Pasha, 45, of North Royalton, OH Sonya Hilaszek, 45, of Cleveland, OH Azamjon Asadov, 34, of Cincinnati, OH; Martynas Bojarcius, 29, of Palatine, IL; Jaroslav Wladyka aka Bohdan Borsuk,...

Doctor's Help Sought in Failed Ohio Execution Try THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 24, 2009 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- As an Ohio execution team tried to find a vein during an unsuccessful lethal injection attempt, prison staff sought help from a doctor -- a move generally discouraged by ethical and professional medical rules -- federal court papers show. Dr. Carmelita Bautista said in a deposition filed in U.S. District Court that she had never before been involved in an execution. ''No, because I am a doctor,'' she tells a lawyer questioning her. ''We are supposed to help people who are sick....

KENT, Ohio - Fox 8 News has learned that a Kent State student who had been hospitalized in critical condition after a brutal attack, has died. According to the Kent State Police Department, Chris Kernich passed away around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, at Akron City Hospital. Police say the 23-year-old the was walking home on East Main Street with two friends early Sunday morning, when they were nearly run over by a car. Witnesses say one of the students yelled to the driver "watch what you're doing". Police say the car then pulled ahead of Chris Kernich and his friends, and...

A Latino group is asking a judge to prevent state officials from canceling the registrations of more than 40,000 vehicles apparently driven by undocumented immigrants. The League of United Latin American Citizens filed the lawsuit against state officials in Franklin County Common Pleas Court this morning. The legal action comes two weeks before the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to revoke the potentially fraudulently obtained license plates of those who cannot provide proof of legal U.S. residency. The lawsuit, which seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the state from canceling registrations effective Dec. 8, claims the move is an...

CLEVELAND (AP)—Former Seattle and Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren is interested in working for the struggling Cleveland Browns. Holmgren said on his weekly radio show on Seattle’s KJR that he has not yet spoken to Browns owner Randy Lerner, who is looking for a “serious, credible leader” football authority to run his struggling team. However, Holmgren did indicate he would welcome the chance to take on a rebuilding project like the 1-8 Browns. “It takes a tremendous amount of energy, but there is a certain appeal there,” the 61-year-old Holmgren. “There’s something in my personality, too, that taking on those...

Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come. Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in financially ailing swing-voting states like Ohio and Iowa. "Next year's going to be a good year for Republican governors," predicted Haley Barbour, Mississippi's governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "In states where there are Republican governors, people can see if...

Stefanie Spielman has died after fighting cancer publicly and relentlessly for more than a decade. The breast-cancer advocate and wife of former football star Chris Spielman died at 6:15 p.m. this evening at her Upper Arlington home in the wake of her fifth bout with the disease. The mother of four was 42. Considering it her life mission to raise money and awareness for the disease, Spielman in 1998 established the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. "I know there's a reason God gave me breast cancer, and I'm supposed to do something with it," she said that year....

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Sarah Palin is having a book signing at Borders Books on Sawmill from 6:00 PM to 9:00 AM on Friday, 11-20-09.After reading about the crowds in Michigan and the need for wristbands to get a book signed, I called Borders Books in Columbus on Sawmill - here's the deal:No books signed without a wristband, and proof that the book came from Borders or Waldens.Wristbands become available Friday morning at 10:00 AM.1 wristband is good for 2 people with 1 book each.The lady advised me to come in and buy the books today, because she doesn't think they will have enough....

Supreme Court upholds felony conviction of man who smashed cell phone during assault Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:58 AM By Darrel Rowland THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Smashing a cell phone can be legally equivalent to flattening the tires of ambulance speeding to an emergency, a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled this morning. Both are potential violations of an Ohio law against disrupting public service said the justices in a first-of-its-kind ruling. Raynell Robinson of Marysville was convicted of the fourth-degree felony for destroying a personal cell phone being used by his nephew, Antonio Robinson, to summon help after Raynell had assaulted...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rifqa Bary’s custody battle is now in the hands of the Columbus, Ohio, court system. She will make her first court appearance there next month. The 17-year-old ran away from home after her Muslim parents discovered she had become a Christian. Her story has gained international attention, and on Monday, supporters filled the Columbus court house square to make sure it is not forgotten. More than 100 people filled the square outside the Columbus Juvenile Court to show support for Rifqa Bary, whom most have never met. Nonie Darwish traveled from Los Angeles. What will be Bary’s...

Activists hold 'Rally for Rifqa' outside courthouse Monday, November 16, 2009 1:47 PM By Meredith Heagney The Columbus Dispatch Across the street from the courthouse where Fathima Rifqa Bary's fate is to be decided, about 120 people gathered today to pray for her and rally against Islam. They were bloggers, Christian activists and friends of the 17-year-old Northeast Side girl who said her father would kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. The girl, who goes by Rifqa, ran away to Florida in July and was returned to the custody of Franklin County Children Services late last month. She...

Um, you've got the wrong state, Boss. Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen made an onstage geography goof Friday when he bellowed "Hello, Ohio!" to adoring fans at the Auburn Hills Palace -- in Michigan. The "Born in the USA" crooner referred to the neighboring state several times before trusty E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt whispered their actual location into his ear.

COLUMBUS — Ohio taxpayers are right in the middle of the civil rights lawsuit that Samuel Joseph — “Joe the Plumber” — Wurzelbacher has filed against three former state employees, charging that they illegally accessed his confidential information through state databases. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s office is defending former state employees Helen Jones-Kelley, Douglas Thompson and Fred Williams. All have denied wrongdoing and asked that the case, filed last March in U.S. District Court in Columbus, be dismissed. Jones-Kelley was director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Williams was the department’s assistant director and Thompson the...

The 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals has sided with Cleveland in the city's fight to enforce its illegal local gun control ordinances. A three judge panel has declared that Ohio R.C 9.68 - which became law in 2007 with passage of HB347 to preempt local gun control and ensure statewide uniformity of gun laws - is unconstitutional. Judge Colleen Conway-Cooney, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, Ann Dyke, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, and Melody Stewart, Democrat facing re-election in 2012, reversed a lower court's decision to uphold the law. Dyke was elected to the appellate court in 1987, after...

Cleveland automobile dealer Tom Ganley (R) is airing a statewide television ad to introduce himself to the primary voters who will decide whether he or former Rep. Rob Portman should be the party’s nominee in a key open-seat Senate race next year. The 60-second ad touts Ganley’s business background and takes an anti-Washington tone, with a narrator saying that Ganley’s 47-year career of creating jobs and balancing budgets amounts to “hard work the Washington politicians don’t understand.” Ganley speaks only at the end of the ad, in a required disclaimer approving the commercial. “To help create jobs for Ohio, Tom...

For the first time, Republican Rob Portman is inching ahead of the two Democrats in the 2010 race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Also for the first time, Ohio voters disapprove 50 – 45 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, down from his 53 – 42 percent approval September 16 and 49 – 44 percent approval July 7. In still another first, voters are split 40 – 40 percent on who is doing a better job handling health care, the President or Congressional Republicans, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack)...

Earlier this year, many Ohioans (especially in the northern part of the state) heard the name "Rob Portman" and said, "Who?" Now some are saying, "Rob Portman, next U.S. senator from the great state of Ohio." It is way too early to predict winners and losers in next November's election. But Portman has scored a symbolic victory by surging ahead in the latest Quinnipiac University political poll of registered voters in Ohio. If the election were held today, Portman would get 39 percent of the vote to Lee Fisher's 36 percent.

Visits by two men, claiming to be Homeland Security employees, have Middletown officials raising a lot of questions. Police say one man, who was armed and wearing a Homeland Security badge, entered Mayfield Elementary School yesterday morning, before the start of class. Officials say he and another man, also wearing a similar badge, had been to an apartment complex earlier looking for a suspect. At the school, the man claiming to be an agent, asked the principal whether a particular street was within the school's attendance area.