Free Republic

John Hay was President Lincoln's personal secretary, a position that began nearly five decades of public service. A diplomat who served multiple Administrations from Lincoln to Roosevelt, he was a central figure in defining the U.S. foreign policy that would be the basis of the United States role on the world stage in the twentieth century.This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for...

Once again, more Pennsylvania counties are showing substantial spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said Monday. Across Pennsylvania, 50 of the state’s 67 counties have substantial transmission of COVID-19, Wolf’s office said. That’s an additional five counties compared to last week, when the Wolf administration said 45 counties showed substantial transmission of COVID-19. The positive test rate rose to 9.5% for the week of April 2-8, which represents a slight increase from 9.4% the previous week. It is the fourth straight week the positive rate has risen, but the uptick is much smaller than in previous weeks. At...

<p>BLOOMING GROVE TOWNSHIP — State police have confirmed there has been a shooting at the Pennsylvania State Police Blooming Grove barracks in Pike County. There is no one in custody at this time. Newswatch 16 has a crew on the scene and we will have more information as it becomes available.</p>

Fed up with the control the Chicago machine has exercised over Illinois state politics in general and firearms laws specifically, Pike County has voted to legalize concealed carry effective immediately. The measure was approved on March 20 by a 3,214 to 550 margin in what outdoorwire.com calls one of the largest voter turnouts in county history. “Historians have stated that this is the first time since 1862 that county voters in any U.S. state have explicitly reversed a state law. The previous example was when the five western counties of Virginal nullified that state’s secession from the Union, and themselves...

A deacon formerly associated with the controversial Society of St. John will not be a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, N.J. Deacon Joseph Levine is still a deacon in the diocese, but will not be ordained to the priesthood, Marianna Thompson, the diocesan communications director, said Tuesday. The diocese announced late last week that Deacon Levine would not be ordained Saturday in Paterson as previously scheduled, but released no other details. Four other men were ordained. Ms. Thompson confirmed Deacon Levine’s ordination is off permanently, a result of the “discernment” process during which the deacon and church officials...

Pike County is renowned for some of the best whitetail and wild turkey hunting in Illinois. That deserved reputation has turned hunting into a significant revenue source for the county and its residents. A threat to that revenue may cause Pittsfield, the county seat, to someday be known as the spot where a quiet groundswell of protest against the growing proliferation of firearms restrictions finally erupted into grassroots action. On Tuesday evening the Pike County Board citing the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, passed a resolution saying no to any state legislation limiting the right to...

FRANKFORT - For the first time in the state hiring inquiry, investigators moved into Lt. Gov. Steve Pence's office as they served a search warrant on his chief of staff. Attorney general's office investigators removed a computer from Stephen Huffman's office this morning. At the same time, Transportation Cabinet personnel employee Missy McCray went before the special grand jury investigating the hiring practices of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration. McCray also testified last summer, just before several transportation officials were indicted for violating state merit laws, which say rank-and-file state workers must be hired based on qualifications, not politics. McCray later...

Posted on Wed, Apr. 14, 2004 Judicial Commission rules judge misrepresented facts in campaign JOE BIESK Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. - An eastern Kentucky judge ran campaign ads that misrepresented his judicial opponent and he should be publicly reprimanded, the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission has ruled. Pike County District Judge Darrel H. Mullins had "engaged in misconduct in office," by misrepresenting facts in political ads against his opponent, John Doug Hays, in his 2002 judicial election, the commission ruled. "In a judicial election, the candidates must provide the public with truthful and accurate information. When a candidate misrepresents facts, the...

Marty Backus Jr, a former publisher, is suing Lancaster Newspapers, as he claims they ordered him to attend church weekly and go to bed with his wife every night. He also claims that the paper banned him from alcohol and said he must have dinner with his family at least five times a week. His suit claims he was fired after 21 years when the Lancasters began to question his faith in God and loyalty to the company. Mr Backus also claims he was summoned to corporate headquarters in Gadsden after he and his wife began experiencing marital problems. He...

Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down – September 27, 2002 Thumbs Down! to The Paintsville Herald for its failure to acknowledge and correct errors and misrepresentations in its so-called “Straw Vote” ballot published ednesday. In a brief front page article and an unsigned editorial Friday, the paper did admit that it had received criticism for its promotion but claimed that its ballot “builds voter interest.” What a preposterous and arrogant, as well as blatantly absurd, assertion. In a lame effort to defend itself and its now highly questionable journalistic integrity, the editorial stated “(W)e have been here for more than a hundred...

There will be a live broadcast in East Kentucky Broadcasting Network from the Pike County Courthouse this Thursday at 8:30 a.m. featuring Democrat County Judge-Executive Teresa Elliott. She is from Franklin County and has endorsed Fletcher and heads up his Democrats for Fletcher organization. Everyone is invited to attend this event or tune in to one of the EKB stations.