Free Republic

An Ohio man wanted for the murder of a 77-year-old woman was shot by a man defending his family during a home invasion on Thursday, according to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Michael James Brooks II, of Columbus, Ohio, was hospitalized Friday for injuries sustained during the home invasion. When he is released from medical care, he will face charges for burglary, home invasion and theft by receiving in Georgia and murder charges in Ohio, police said. Investigators said Brooks has an extensive criminal history. He is wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of Emily Foster, which occurred on...

California cities are losing local control as state-mandated housing to battle what officials call the state’s “housing crisis” sweeps the Golden State, experts say, with some afraid of losing their small-town feel. The state’s housing department requires local jurisdictions every eight years to plan for housing, including that which is deemed “affordable” sold at or below market rate, as part of what’s known as a Housing Element. Of concern to some is that squeezing in high-density affordable housing may not suit every city the same. Sebastopol—an apple farming town of 7,500 people in Northern California east of Santa Rosa—is just...

Activists protested at this weekend’s Jason Aldean concert in Hartford. Kamora’s Cultural Corner organized the event for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Xfinity Theatre. It was called “Small Towns Against Hate.” “There’s this natural discourse that says small-town America should be scared of big-city America. But these folks don’t know that when we have to venture out into their communities, we are scared because of all these stereotypes out there,” said Kamora Herrington, Organizer, Hartford.

The contentious music video for Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" was slightly changed as it continues to climb the charts and draw criticism. Did the singer finally cave in to pressure and the immense cancel culture? The music video is currently six seconds shorter than when it was first uploaded on July 14, according to The Washington Post, which published this information on Tuesday, July 25. The initial video appears to have been edited to exclude news footage from Fox 5 Atlanta showing Black Lives Matter marches and protests in 2020. In the initial version of the...

Gospel legend Pat Boone said the country music genre is becoming “sick” after a barrage of attempts to cancel Jason Aldean for filming the music video for an anti-riot song in front of a Tennessee courthouse critics say a man was hanged 100 years ago. Aldean denied the song “Try That in a Small Town” has any racist intentions or undertones. The tune describes how rural America will not accept the same riotous behavior and criminality that has besieged many urban areas since 2020. “These references are not only meritless but dangerous,” Aldean said, after criticism of his use of...

As we’ve reported, country singer Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” has risen to the top of the charts and has caused liberal heads to explode, with many of them crying racism and claiming the tune is pro-lynching.Despite the Left’s outrage, the song, as of this writing, is #1 on the iTunes “Top Songs” chart. Ha!Read:Jason Aldean’s Rocking Country Song ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Makes Liberal Heads Explode, He Claps BackJason Aldean’s New Anti-BLM Song Hits No. 1, Highlights America’s Building Spite for the LeftJason Aldean and the Conflict of Rural vs. UrbanCountry Music Television...

The post-COVID recovery will be change not restoration. We’ll be forced to rebuild where we are.Years ago, I moved from a somewhat larger small town (pop. 30,000) in upstate New York to a smaller small town (pop. 2,500) 15 miles east in order to establish a little homestead with gardens, fruit trees, and chickens. I found this three-acre property literally on the edge of town, a five-minute walk to the center of Main Street. If you’ve been following this column on urban design the past year, you know I’ve said we’re entering an era of stark economic contraction that will...

Legendary comedian Dave Chappelle inspired more outrage when he joined a group of local residents to kill a proposal for low income housing in rural Ohio as a part of a large residential development. Chappelle grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a small rural village of 3,700 people about 20 miles from Dayton. He bought 39 acres of farmland there and moved back in 2005. On Monday, he attended a village council meeting where he threatened to pull his plans to develop a restaurant called “Firehouse Eatery” and comedy club called “Live from YS" in the town. "I cannot believe...

Hello and goodbye from Des Moines, where everything on the New West Side is shiny and bright.Every office park, retail center and neighborhood is alit with a bright swath of LED lights.Which is beautiful but makes me nostalgic for what seemed a much simpler Christmas time of my youth. These watercolors of old Grand Rapids downtown encompass most of my Christmas shopping haunts of old - before the suburban malls displaced downtowns (only to shut down themselves several decades hence) and Macy’s bought the few surviving regional department stores. Bigger but definitely not better by most measures.Herpolshiemer’s, Wurzberg’s and Steketees’s...

As 2020 wound to a close, pundits noted the growing toll of leftist policies on residents of blue states, prompting migration from California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois to Republican-run states such as Texas and Florida, which offer lower taxes and a better business climate. In addition to losing Oracle, Charles Schwab, Hewlett Packard, and Elon Musk, for the first time in its history California is expected to lose a congressional seat in the upcoming decennial census allocation, due to stagnating population. Texas is expected to gain three seats, and Florida is expected to pick up two. Blue states...

Woke mobs are coming for you if you are an elected official with conservative values. In cities and towns all across America, organized and well-funded protest groups have begun attacking city councilors, mayors, county commissioners, and members of school boards. It’s not just the big cities. Increasingly, small towns have faced similar harassment. The woke mob has targeted local elected officials for the sin of not being sufficiently woke. Its goal appears to be to intimidate conservatives from getting involved at any level of government. It also appears that the mob efforts are expanding faster than anyone realizes. Here in...

The only thing stopping many from working remotely until now was their bosses’ belief that working in an office is better for the bottom line. That belief is now being put to the test. The coronavirus outbreak is disrupting nearly every facet of American life. Many of these changes are temporary and will be forgotten as soon as the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic subsides — but not all.Changes rippling through daily life right now will present, for the first time, an alternative to the normal way of doing things, and some will be improvements. One bright spot in this medical...

Y’all bought the white house Rumors of my death are exaggerated. The reason my wife Mary and I dropped off the face of the earth is because we have not had internet for almost a week, which as y’all know feels like an eternity. We drove up from Florida to close on our new home in a tiny West Virginia town, population 500. Why? To move close to our parents and family. The drive up from Florida was quite interesting. The number of Trump signs on display in yards, rooftops and billboards tells me Trump has connected with every day...

Was honored and inspired by the community of Republic, WA today. Todd and I travelled to this incredibly beautiful northwest community to honor the Class of 2013 as they received their diplomas and headed out into the real world. Republic is a special place – it might be small, but it is big on the values that built this great country. Republic exemplifies what makes America great – and it was an honor to thank them for it. To the Tigers of 2013 – thank you again for inviting me and inspiring me. Always remember your roots and never...

Small town America is the soul of our country, despite the opinion of the Seattle Weekly’s Ellis Conklin and the lamestream media. Todd and I are on our way to congratulate the graduating class in Republic, Washington, this Saturday and I’m honored and touched by their ingenuity, tenacity, and invitation to speak to these young Americans about to begin their futures. Small town America is our heart; it may not be the Ivy Leagues or what Ellis and the media deem acceptable, but these students and this town represent what is good and right about America and the small towns...

(Reuters) - A small Georgia town on Monday passed a law requiring the head of each household to own a gun as a way to keep crime down.

"Rev. Edwards, with a black and gold Bible in hand, said it's time for President Obama to come to small towns like Pointe a la Hache and hear firsthand from the men and women who are scraping by, angry with the bureaucracy that is preventing the resources from flowing. He is still seething from a meeting last week with Kenneth Feinberg, the Washington, D.C. attorney President Obama appointed to oversee the $20 billion fund BP established to assist victims of the disaster. "This guy sounds like BP all the way," said Edwards, who didn't like what he said was Feinberg's...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., April 29, 2009 – All across the United States, from coast to coast and from border to border, you’ll find thousands of small, one-stoplight towns where livestock outnumber people. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Office 4 Rodney Freeman, a 40-year-old Clarks Hill, S.C., native, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear defense officer with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, talks to Lance Cpl. Robert Forsyth, a CBRN Marine, about the importance of having good leadership skills. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Casey Jones  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In these tiny towns...

Two people were arrested Monday afternoon after an altercation led to five Republican campaign workers being sprayed with Mace at their headquarters in Galax. Galax Police Chief Rick Clark said officers were dispatched shortly before 1 p.m. to the Galax Republican headquarters on East Grayson Street when a caller reported someone had sprayed office workers with Mace. Responding officers arrested Daniel Cason Meinecke, 29, and Cara Annis Hindman, 26, both of Galax. Meinecke was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault, Hindman was charged with five counts of misdemeanor assault. Galax Republican Chairman Mike Stevens said he was one of...

WHITEWOOD, VA. -- The isolated towns of Virginia's Appalachian coal region are home to strong labor unions and Democratic political machines that date back generations. Yet voters here who eagerly pushed Democrats into the Senate and the governor's office are resisting Barack Obama.