Free Republic

Universities and public-school districts spent the summer preparing for swine flu. For some colleges, however, the virus popped up sooner than expected. Four Ohio schools -- Miami, Xavier, Cedarville and Cincinnati -- have cluster cases of the flu, according to state health officials. "We knew we were going to see it, but to have it happen so quickly surprised us a little bit," said Debora del Valle, spokeswoman for Xavier. The Cincinnati school has 110 suspected flu cases and canceled large events through Labor Day. No cases have been reported by Ohio public-school districts. Yesterday, President Barack Obama urged Americans...

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Schools in Ohio and Kentucky fall short of national standards for nurse staffing levels, raising concerns should either state see a swine flu outbreak... ...Kathy Inderbitzin, an executive board member for the Ohio Association of School Nurses, says nurses can handle a mass immunization effort if it is mandated. But she says there's still a critical shortage and the association is worried about how the flu will affect children.

American politics are rich with characters and stereotypes—Joe the Plumber, Harry and Louise, Nascar dads and hockey moms, to name a few. But one persistent type hasn't gotten much attention: the Republican football coach.

CANTON — Municipal Court Judge Stephen F. Belden had an unconventional tool for silencing an argumentative defendant last week — duct tape. (Click on the Audio Tab at left: Listen to Judge Belden's order to duct tape the defendant's mouth in court)- You will have to go to the link to hear this. The unique confrontation played out in Municipal Court on Thursday and quickly became a topic of courthouse gossip. It was also recorded on the courtroom’s audio and video systems. Belden was holding a preliminary hearing to see if there was sufficient evidence for Harry Brown’s case to...

Teen convert claims Ohio mosque tied to terrorists MIKE SCHNEIDER and ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press Writers Aug. 31, 2009 ORLANDO, Fla. -- An attorney for an Ohio teen who says she ran away from home because she feared punishment for converting to Christianity from Islam is alleging the family's mosque in Ohio has ties to terrorists. Rifqa (Reef-kuh) Bary's attorney filed a sworn statement from the 17-year-old in family court in Orlando on Monday. In the affidavit, the teen says her family regularly attended gatherings at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in suburban Columbus, Ohio. The documents claim the center...

WINCHESTER, VA--“Government did us in,” says Dwayne Madigan, whose job will terminate when General Electric closes its factory next July. Madigan makes a product that will soon be illegal to sell in the U.S. - a regular incandescent bulb. Two years ago, his employer, GE, lobbied in favor of the law that will outlaw the bulbs. Madigan’s colleagues, waiting for their evening shift to begin, all know that GE is replacing the incandescents for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China. Last month, GE announced it will close the Winchester Bulb Plant 80 miles west of D.C....

LAKE TWP. — The Freedom From Religion Foundation wants Lake Local Schools to change its values. The school district’s mission statement includes the phrase “we value” followed by a list that includes “belief in God and religious freedom.” The statement is on the front page of a newsletter mailed to Lake Local residents this month. Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president, called the statement “shocking” and “one of the most egregious” violations she has seen of the Constitution’s language separating church and state. “They’re saying they don’t value you unless you believe in a god,” Gaylor said. The...

Rifqa Bary, the Ohio girl who converted from Islam to Christianity and fled from her family in fear for her life, prevailed. She will not be sent back to her father who threatened her life. But she got no help from the mainstream media. Either they didn't report her story or when they did, they printed half-truths and deceptions to whitewash Islam. The media demonized Christianity ("brainwashed by a cult") while inaccurately reporting the facts in order to avoid reporting about the violent ideology of Islam. They have become almost as depraved as the murderers they cover for. And in...

This traitor held face-to-face town halls with members of the city government, but cannot face his constituents ... I view Wilson as another failure! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Message from Congressman Charlie Wilson From: Congressman Charlie Wilson August 24, 2009 Thank you for contacting me with your healthcare concerns. I appreciate hearing from you on this very important issue. I thought you might be interested in knowing that I will be holding a telephone town hall at 6:20 pm on Thursday, August 27th. Though some of you may receive a phone call from my office inviting you to join,...

State government took from funds to prevent blindness and promote organ donations in order to balance the budget. Millions of Ohio motorists were blindsided by a June 9 raid on $2.7 million they had voluntarily paid to thwart blindness in children and help solve the critical shortage of organ donations. When The Dispatch opened Gov. Ted Strickland's eyes yesterday to his administration's grab of $1.4 million intended for the Save Our Sight Fund, he promised that the money would be returned. "We will certainly correct that," Strickland said. "That is not something I was aware of. I will find out...

For the past several years, Buckeye Firearms Association has published a series of articles entitled "All Politicians Are Not The Same," highlighting elected officials who have proven strong support for the Second Amendment. Today, I believe we can add two more names to the list: Rep. Josh Mandel and Village of Walton Hills Mayor Marlene Anielski. Many pro-gun voters will already be familiar with Rep. Mandel's Second Amendment credentials. As a freshman representative in the Ohio House he co-sponsored the House version of Senate Bill 184, Ohio's 'Castle Doctrine' Law, supported it from his position on the House Criminal Justice...

Note: Photo and videos included. COEUR D'ALENE -- The Aryan Nations is experiencing an unwanted resurgence in North Idaho. SNIPPET: "However, a man named Paul Mullet claims he is going to bring the racist organization back." SNIPPET: "Mullet says he moved here from Ohio five months ago because North Idaho is the "last stand" for the Aryan Nations movement. Mullet says he's in the process of buying a large amount of land in the area." SNIPPET: "Monday's distribution of racist material in Spokane Valley's Trentwood neighborhood was the latest in a series of similar incidents. Aryan Nations literature has also...

Five fallen U.S. sailors from what has been described as America's first war on terrorism lie in a crumbling cemetery in Libya, their graves identified only by their heroism on a night more than 200 years ago. They represent a lingering legacy of the Intrepid -- a small ship used in a daring raid in 1804 to destroy the captured American frigate Philadelphia anchored in Tripoli Harbor, denying the enemy use of the former U.S. warship. Much the same tactic was attempted six months later when the Intrepid sailed into the same harbor, packed with gunpowder for use as a...

Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State campus. Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Senator Sherrod Brown's plan was well organized. Last minute announcements. Play word games. Stack the house so it looks like more support for you than them. Brown learned well from the Obama Administration. What Brown held was not, according to his staffers, a town hall meeting, but instead a health care "roundtable." Apparently that makes a difference. Apparently so that his office staff could lie, without really lying, to constituents who called to ask if he would be holding any town hall meetings. No, they said. No town hall meetings....

As shown on the FR OHIO page: "I think Howard “we need to rethink civil liberties” Dean needs to receive an appropriate welcome: Health Care Town Hall with Howard Dean. Saturday August 15, 2009, 5-7 PM. SEIU District 1199, 1395 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215. Free and “open to the public”. RSVP@ 1-866-806-3770 or media@seiu1199.org."

Verbal sparks flew at U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s forum on overhauling the health care system. The forum, lasting nearly two hours, was held on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in Columbus at Ohio State University’s Biomedical Research Tower. Mike NeutzLing, 56, a nurse at the Ohio State University Medical Center, blasted plans by President Barack Obama, Brown, D-Ohio, and others to overhaul the system. He said 80 percent of Americans are satisfied with he health care they have now. Neutzling said “the whole concept of limited government is being tossed out the window.” The nation’s founders “understood that when you have unlimited...

<p>An Ohio teenager says she ran away from home to Florida because her family threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity, local media reported.</p> <p>Rifqa Bary, 17, testified Monday at a custody hearing in Orlando that she'd recently changed religions and is worried her relatives will do something drastic, according to WFTV in Orlando and Central Florida News 13.</p>

My family and I just got back from Boccieri's office. Still "working on the details" of the town halls they say. I told the aides that I'm inclined to believe that he won't be having any. I also told them I expected more out of him given that he was a Major in the Air Force. I pointed out that Specter knew he was going to get pounded just because he changed parties and he still held a town hall. With my wife and kids all holding signs, we drew some interest from other citizens that were there in the...

Poverty in Our Cities. City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level 1. Detroit , MI 32.5% 2. Buffalo , NY 29.9% 3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8% 4. Cleveland , OH 27.0% 5. Miami , FL 26.9% 6. St. Louis , MO 26.8% 7. El Paso , TX 26.4% 8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2% 9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1% 10. Newark , NJ 24.2% U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, August 2007 What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common? Detroit , MI (1st on the poverty rate list)...

http://www.wtam.com/pages/triv/ondemand.html Click to listen or to download file to your computer. I missed much of the 4 hour townhall but have been listening to Bob Frantz's post-townhall show and have heard enough clips of it and citizen reviews of it. I am heartened by local callers who exposed the lies told by Dennis the Menace Kucinich(former mayor of Cleveland), especially the whopper "50 million uninsured". It's actually only 10 million uninsured people. I'll be listening to the whole thing before the weekend and encourage other Freepers to do likewise.

Senator Voinvich claims Ohioans can't relate to pro-gun Republicans from the South printable page Submitted by cbaus on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 00:10. Ohio Politics National Politics Guns in the News Gun Grabbers By Chad D. Baus One week after ignoring thousands of phone calls from his constituents and helping a Democrat filibuster kill nationwide CCW reciprocity, Republican Senator George Voinovich of Ohio told editors at the Columbus Dispatch he knows what the Republican party's biggest problem is. According to the anti-gun Senator, who has decided to retire after recognizing a 2010 re-election bid would meet the same fate as anti-gun...

CINCINNATI -- Elmwood Place police say they caught an alleged thief chewing the evidence over the weekend. Court records show Maria Magobet, 50, from Dayton allegedly ordered lunch meat and cheese from the deli counter at Valley Grocery on Vine Street on Saturday, then walked out the store without paying. Police noted a pickle was recovered from Magobet before she left the store.

Here is video on a "Tea Party Movement" that has erupted in Ohio to voice their opposition to what they believe is going wrong in this country. The "Ohio Liberty Council" organized a rally this past Saturday with 8-10,000 people in attendance. One of the key organizers talked with Greta Van Susteren about the movement. When asked how he got invovled, he said: "I read the Constitution." More rallies are planned in the days ahead. . . . . . (Watch Video)

SNIPPET: "MISSING CHILD Endangered Runaway FATHIMA RIFQA BARY" SNIPPET: "Last seen on 07-19-09 in Westerville, Ohio."

A new government report out Friday showed the economy shrinking less than expected last quarter — raising hopes that the recession might end soon. But when the recovery does arrive, it won’t visit every state at the same time. And that's bad news for Democrats, because some of the states that will struggle most on the climb-out are the ones they'll need most in 2010 and beyond. And while President Barack Obama inherited a financial crisis from his predecessor, voters tend to blame the party in power sooner or later. For proof, look no further than the Ohio, a crucial...

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A man fatally shot an armed intruder while protecting his 5-year-old relative late Wednesday, authorities said. Columbus police continued to investigate an overnight shooting on the city’s Southwest Side. CPD said the incident started with a home invasion but it was the suspect who was fatally shot.

Elyria, Ohio -- A local couple almost couldn't get married on their wedding day due to a runaway reverend. An Elyria couple was preparing to take the plunge a week ago and get married on the beach at Lakeview beach in Lorain. "We were extremely excited," says Erin Kuhns. But just before Erin went to meet her soon-to-be husband Bret at the alter, the Reverend approached the limo. "She asked if I drank alcohol," Erin explains. "I said yes, we toasted wine at the house." The Reverend Mrs. Gillian Kresila refused to marry the couple. She kept the $50 deposit...

Too many conservative senators like Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are to blame for the GOP's downfall, one of their retiring Republican colleagues complained Monday. "We got too many Jim DeMints and Tom Coburns," Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) told the Columbus Dispatch. "It's the southerners." Voinovich, a native Clevelander who retires after the 2010 election, continued after the southern elements of the GOP. "They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr,'" he said. "People hear them and say, 'These people, they're southerners. The party's being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?'"...

CANTON — The neighborhood barbershop is more than a business; it’s a hub, a community gathering place. A.D. Culler’s barbershop at 901 Market Ave. S is no exception. Amid the buzz of clippers and music, the shop is humming with young men seeking haircuts and conversation. This summer, Culler’s shop also is serving as a training ground and source of summer employment for four young men, three of whom are interested in the profession. The jobs were made possible through a grant awarded to Community Services of Stark County’s youth and young adult services. Program manager Michele Boone said the...

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- President Barack Obama, facing a blown deadline in health-care legislation and some skepticism in the audience, made his pitch for a national health plan to this affluent Cleveland suburb Thursday, saying he no longer sees political disaster if the House and Senate fail to produce health bills before August. The president took to the stage of Shaker Heights High School after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid officially conceded that the Senate wouldn't act on a health-care bill before the August recess. As long as he sees "folks working diligently and consistently," Mr. Obama said he is...

Jobs and public safety. Mike DeWine launched his bid for Ohio attorney general today by stressing those two points as themes in his campaign. Two things he did not mention: Richard Cordray and Dave Yost. DeWine, a Republican former U.S. senator and Ohio lieutenant governor, said he's running for Ohio's top legal job to lead the fight on crime, which in turn would improve the state's economy. "I'm running for attorney general because Ohio is in crisis," he said at a Statehouse news conference this afternoon, hours after announcing his bid on the steps of the Greene County Courthouse. "The...

AP Link only.

WAVERLY, Ohio -- Three people have been charged with felony child endangering for failing to prevent a 6-week-old Ohio girl from being bitten by rats. [snip] The baby is in fair condition at a Columbus hospital. Junk said her toes on one foot had been chewed off when sheriff's deputies went to the mobile home Sunday after receiving an anonymous tip.

An Ohio man, fed up with deceptive junk mail, made the mistake of losing his temper while on the phone with a St. Louis company pitching an extended auto-service contract. Now he finds himself behind bars, where he is charged with making a terrorist threat.

Renetta Atterberry thought she had lost her East 102nd Street house. So she was shocked to learn in January -- five years after her mortgage company filed for foreclosure -- that it was still in her name. Worse, the long-vacant rental home had been vandalized and she faced a raft of housing code violations. Since then, she has been saddled with debts of about $12,000 to pay for demolition and back taxes. "I thought I had nothing else to do with that home," said Atterberry. "I was so embarrassed and humiliated by this." Her mortgage company didn't buy the house...

The Grassroots Rally Team of Ohio Northeast Ohio FIRE Team Northeast Ohio Alliance of Conservative Organizations Greetings, Group leaders please feel free to forward this important broadcast on to your entire distribution. Our apologies if you have already received this important information. We have confirmed that President Obama will be conducting a "Town Hall" meeting on "Healthcare Reform" at Shaker Heights High School, 15911 Aldersyde Dr. in Cleveland on Thursday, July 23 at 2 PM. The doors open at 12:15. While demonstrations have not traditionally been a thing conservatives do, this event provides a significant opportunity to voice our concerns...

It seems Obama's star power is fading rapidly. The Treasury Appropriations bill was passed 219-209 yesterday in the House. The roll call shows that the 219 is 215 dems and 4 pubs. Tucked away in the bill is a provision that is a bit of extortion: No money can be used to obtain a financial ownership in any car manufacturer if that manufacturer deprives a car dealer of its economic right under its dealer agreement. Thump! The Cleveland Plain Dealer summarizes: "The measure would overturn bankruptcy court decisions to shutter 789 Chrysler dealers and more than 2,000 GM dealers. In...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Federal officials are preparing for a series of public meetings to discuss President Barack Obama's initiative to restore the Great Lakes, an ecosystem battered by invasive species, toxic pollution and other problems. Beginning Tuesday in Milwaukee, the Environmental Protection Agency will describe the initiative and take public comment in eight cities across the region. "The president has made restoring the Great Lakes a national priority, so this is an opportunity to explain that commitment," said Cameron Davis, senior adviser to EPA chief Lisa Jackson.

I grew up in Cleveland. Guess where I am now?

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots For Immediate Release July 11, 2009 Contact: Clevelandteaparty@gmail.com Taking it to the Streets on Health Care Tea Party Patriots Stage Nationwide Health Care Rallies Join us and the National Tea Party Patriots in taking our fight to the front steps of our representitives. Already scoring a victory in having Cap and Trade postponed, we must continue our efforts and turn it up a notch on Health Care. Join your fellow Tea Party Patriots on July 17th at the local home office of each Congressman and Senator to make it absolutely clear we oppose government run health...

Man, what a dump. Sorry, locals, I'm sure you're all real happy with your city and all, but I can't understand why. As a visitor to your fair city, I'll try to relate why it disappointed me so. Transport - what major city in the USA has no inter-city passenger train line? Cincinnati, that's who. It's not like it's be hard to build, and it's not like Cincinnati is such a new city that it hasn't got around to it yet. They just don't like public transport here. Heck, they just built a bridge over the river, but do you...

Obama's down 13 points in approval survey in Ohio so he has sent Biden packing to Ohio to rally the faithful. "Everything is out of...uh, I mean under control!" Read the full text at http://www.edistojoe.com

All Wrought From White Liberal Pride - Not Guilt According to our Akron Beacon Journal, "Dozens of black youths" shouted, "This is a black world," and, "This is our world," as they beat up a white construction worker, his family and friends as they were viewing a June 27 fireworks display. Police officials are, " not ready to call it a hate crime," and "is not classifying it as a racial hate crime." Fortunately, the family and friends are OK and are considering acquiring personal defense weapons to protect themselves in this once beautiful area in Akron, Ohio, named after...

A new Public Policy Polling survey looking at how likely voters for this fall’s election view Barack Obama finds his approval rating at just 48%, with 46% disapproving. Obama’s reviews are highly polarized with 95% of Democrats but only 9% of Republicans giving him good marks. His overall numbers are weak due to poor numbers among independents- 52% of them say they disapprove of Obama’s performance with only 38% giving him favorable ones.

Democrats, who dominated the 2006 and 2008 elections, are losing their edge in Ohio, a new poll shows. President Barack Obama's approval rating in the Buckeye State - one of the key bellwethers for national politics - dropped to 49 percent, the lowest of any swing state, according to a poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. Obama, who lost Ohio's Democratic primary to Hillary Rodham Clinton but topped Republican John McCain in November's general election, earned a 62 percent approval rating in the university's May survey.

A new Quinnipiac poll shows President Obama’s approval rating has dropped 13 points over the last two months in Ohio, a key battleground state with plenty of critical Congressional contests in 2010. Obama now only holds a 49 percent approval rating, with 44 percent of voters disapproving. It’s his lowest approval rating in any Quinnipiac statewide poll taken since Obama’s inauguration. In May, Obama held a 62 percent approval rating in the Buckeye state. Meanwhile, a 48 percent plurality of Ohio voters disapprove of the way Obama is handling the economy, with 46 percent approving. Two-thirds of Ohio voters are...

A former GOP state senator who narrowly lost a 2008 bid for Congress to Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy has formally announced he's seeking a rematch for the Columbus area seat. Republican Steve Stivers, who lost to Kilroy by a 2,312 vote margin after a month-long tallying of provisional ballots, says he expects a different 2010 result. Kilroy got 45.94 percent of the 2008 vote, while Stivers got 45.18 percent. Other candidates split the rest. "We need to put a stop to out-of-control spending, higher taxes and more debt and instead focus on helping Ohio families, encourage job creation and business...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006 when Democrat Mark Ritchie defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer to become Minnesota secretary of state. It was Ritchie who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Franken a lead some...

Baldwin: I have sometimes thought I could move to New Jersey or Connecticut and run. I'd love to run against Joe Lieberman. I have no use for him. But it's all fantasy. I'm a carry-me-out-in-a-box New Yorker. Here, anything can happen. Who thought Eliot Spitzer would go down the way he did? Senator Hillary Clinton left to serve as secretary of state. Two of the biggest forces gone. Maybe Andrew Cuomo will run for one of their old seats. How much longer will Chuck Schumer stay as senator? After 2013 Bloomberg will be gone. What happens then?

IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) -- It's not what Amy Darby expected when she woke up Friday morning. She thought it was a string or a blade of grass--but then she noticed it start moving. "It looks like a piece of grass that's alive," Darby said outside her place of work Friday. Darby claims at 4:30 a.m., a brown worm came out of her kitchen faucet. She called the city's water department. Darby said she was referred to the health department. "It's beyond creepy," Darby said. "It looks like a tapeworm that would be inside of a human. And this is coming...