Free Republic

GARDNER, Ks. (KCTV) - A group of truckers thought they were safe to stay the night in a Walmart parking lot. But when Gina Eager and others woke up to roll out they found an unwelcome surprise. “When we went to go pick up our load we found out we had a boot,” Eager said. Eager said she spent the morning talking with a store manager, as well as Walmart’s corporate office. She said she was told unauthorized truck parking is not allowed at the store, and that she and the other drivers would have to pay towing fees Several...

HAZELTON — The West Virginia Department of Transportation has entered into a consent order with the state Department of Environmental Protection for violations of the water pollution control permit at the Interstate 68 Welcome Center near Hazelton. The order, signed March 10 by Division of Highways District 4 Engineer/Manager Michael Cronin, calls for the DOT to pay up to a total of $75,175 in civil administrative penalties and to hook onto the public sewer system, eliminating the treatment facility at the welcome center. Half the penalty, $37,587.50, is to be paid to the DEP within 30 days of the effective...

WASHINGTON — For more than half a century, old-fashioned, no-frills highway rest stops have welcomed motorists looking for a break from the road, a bathroom or a picnic table where they can eat lunch. But in some states, these roadside areas are disappearing.

I have been doing some traveling the last couple of days, so the output is down.  The scenery has been great, and in getting ready for the trip I encountered the snake pictured above.   I believe it is a red coachwhip, aptly named, as it is so long and slender.  This specimen was about four feet long.  It was sunning itself in a tire track on the way out to the ranch. I find desert wildlife fascinating, and I try not to kill any without good reason.   I stopped, took some pictures, and intimidated the snake off the track...

In a previous article I wrote about the improper signage at the Meteor Crater rest stop in Arizona.   At the first stop, I failed to obtain a picture. The rest stop is a member of a pair of rest stops as is often seen; one on each side of the freeway.   On the return trip, I stopped at the sister rest area to see if it had the bad signage as well.   It did.  The sign appeared to be identical with the sign that I recalled on the South side of I-40. Note the location of the prohibition on...

It appears that some bureaucrat in Alabama has decided to post Alabamans' rest stops with signs that are toxic to the second amendment and Alabama law.  As reported on opencarry.org, the signs say "No weapons beyond this point". It’s the AL rest stop eastbound I-10 @ AL/ MS line, about 15 miles west of Mobile. According to Skidmark at opencarry.org, rest stops are not listed as prohibited places for possessing weapons. Alabama's preemption law was strengthened in 2013, as part of a package of second amendment friendly reforms. Arizona, now known as one of the states most respectful of...

It has been reported that Alabama has posted their rest stops with signs prohibiting weapons. The signs are reported to read: No weapons allowed past this point I am writing an article about it, which would benefit from an actual picture of one of the signs, but I have not been able to acquire one yet. If you are traveling where  you might see such a sign, I would appreciate it if you would take a picture and send me one. You can send the picture in an freepmail to marktwain. A short note mentioning when and where the picture...

Hours after releasing a statement saying he will seek re-election, a Minnesota state lawmaker who police say had a rest-stop liaison with a 17-year-old boy, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he has reconsidered his position and will not be running again. He also says he will not be at the upcoming special session to discuss flood relief for the area he represents. He says he does not want to be a distraction. In his original statement released Wednesday afternoon, 56-year-old Rep. Kerry Gauthier said, the scandal "has been an obvious tragic embarrassment to me. I am sorry for the hurt this...

DULUTH, Minn. - Authorities are looking into an incident at an interstate rest stop in Duluth that involves a state representative. State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske says a witness approached a trooper at Thompson Hill rest area off Interstate 35 about 11 p.m. on July 22 and told the officer about some "suspicious activity." Roeske says the trooper had contact with Rep. Kerry Gauthier and turned the matter over to Duluth police because it was a "non-traffic" incident. Duluth police said in a statement the incident is still being actively investigated and released no further details. Gauthier, a Democrat, did...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif -- Dozens of Bay Area students Monday morning boarded a bus to the state capitol to push for gay rights. The students, who left from Mountain View, will join hundreds of others in Sacramento to call for equality for lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual rights in California schools. The first bill they support would require schools to enforce anti-discrimination laws. The second would prohibit discrimination in textbooks and school activities. The students will rally at noon at the state capitol and meet with their respective legislators.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Concord police hope a surveillance video can help them arrest the two men who assaulted another man at a rest stop early Wednesday morning. Michael Honeycutt, 48, of Seattle, was beaten and robbed at a northbound rest stop on Interstate 85, investigators said. The attack happened around 2 a.m. Investigators believe Honeycutt was a random target [?]. They said his attackers, who were waiting near the rest stop's vending machines, hit him over the head with what appeared to be a baseball bat. "It appears he was taken by surprise," said Maj. Allen Overcash of the Concord...

Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2002 Ill. Uses Rest Stop Security Cameras SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The state is spending nearly $4 million to equip highway rest stops with security cameras and emergency call boxes, officials said Monday.The system, expected to be in place by mid-October, will let people contact state police if they feel threatened at any of the state's 53 rest stops and will give police a record of crimes committed there.People needing help simply push a button on the emergency box. That automatically alerts authorities and sends them pictures from that camera so they can see what is happening.``It...