Free Republic

Smoky skies from the Canadian wildfires have returned. Only this time, the smoke has invaded the state of Florida. Residents of the Sunshine State were greeted with hazy skies on Tuesday created by Canadian wildfire smoke, according to AccuWeather. Leigh Spann, a meteorologist with WFLA, told The Hill the smoke “has come all the way down I-95 and should be with us for the next couple of days.” Smoky and hazy conditions from the Canadian wildfires continue to linger “over sections of North America” and are, in turn, contributing to poor air conditions throughout the United States, according to The...

Florida legislators are taking another crack at trying to blunt the growth of the state-created Citizens Property Insurance by targeting snowbirds as well as the agents who sell policies from the insurer of last resort. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Tuesday unanimously approved SB 186 without debate. The bill would also potentially subject Citizens' customers to higher surcharges if the large carrier is hit with huge losses associated with hurricanes. Under the Senate bill it would become harder for seasonal residents and visitors to maintain Citizens insurance coverage if they are using it for vacation homes that are not...

Wokeness has a reputation for intolerance. That reputation has made some people intolerant of the woke. At least one Floridian has resorted to what could be construed as civil disobedience to voice disdain over the influx of New Yorkers into a Palm Beach neighborhood. A number of cars with New York license plates found notes on their car windows instructing them to move someplace else if they identify with the political left, according to the New York Post. Typed in capital letters, the message read, “If you are one of those ‘woke’ people -- leave Florida. You will be happier...

An angry Floridian has a message for their snowbird neighbors: If you’re woke, go back to New York. A number of cars with New York license plates parked on Palm Beach streets received notices on their windows over the weekend urging them to leave if they lean left politically, police said. “If you are one of those ‘woke’ people — leave Florida. You will be happier elsewhere, as will we,” reads the missive, typed in all capital letters.

During a July 20 Economic Estimating Conference, state economists expressed optimism that tourism numbers would rebound more swiftly once COVID-19 border restrictions were lifted and international travelers, especially Canadians, could visit Florida. That decision was expected momentarily from the White House at the time, but the surging delta variant derailed reopening plans until this week. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will reopen the nation’s land borders to “nonessential travel” by the fully vaccinated beginning Nov. 1, ending a 19-month pandemic-induced freeze. While the Nov. 1 U.S.-Canada border reopening will enhance Canadian tourism in Florida,...

Public affairs officer Capt. Jennifer Casey died in the crash, pilot seriously injured after jet crashed into house in Brocklehurst. Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian said the Snowbirds remain parked at Kamloops Airport for the foreseeable future. The incident took place seconds after a pair of Snowbirds aircraft took off from Kamloops Airport at about 11:45 a.m. Dozens of versions of video of the crash and its aftermath circulated on social media in the hours that followed. The videos show one of the planes flying vertically before a pilot is ejected, followed by an airborne explosion and the subsequent crash. Some...

KAMLOOPS, B.C. - A Canadian Forces Snowbirds plane crashed in a residential area of Kamloops, B.C., on Sunday, sending neighbours pouring onto the street where they said debris was scattered and a house was on fire. The Kamloops Airport said emergency crews were responding to the crash as defence officials were scrambling for details about the incident, the second crash involving the military's famed aerobatic team in less than a year. British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said one person was in hospital after paramedics and air ambulances responded to the crash.

More than 1.5 billion people around the world have been asked or ordered to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is refusing to do the same -- and pointing to New York as a reason why. The Tampa Bay Times reports DeSantis said Monday that New Yorkers are fleeing the state and flocking to Florida to avoid NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stay-at-home order, a near lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you look at what happened in New York, when they did the stay at home order, what did people do?” DeSantis said....

January is no time for splishing and splashing, even in the Sunshine State. Vacationers looking to escape winter weather by taking a trip to Florida are in for some bad news: cold weather is on the way. In fact, things are about to get so cold that some of the state’s water parks are shutting down. Universal Studios tweeted out that its Volcano Bay water park will be closed Monday through Wednesday due to the unusual wave of cold weather slated to hit. Arctic air is funneling into Florida starting Monday, causing the coldest temperatures of the winter so far,...

HOLLYWOOD — For the second time in a little more than a year, South Florida's sizable snowbird community has been rocked by a violent homicide — the bloodied corpse of a 58-year-old Montreal man found outside the condominium where he had been staying. Monday night, the man suspected in the killing surrendered. “We're all afraid,” said Suzanne Breier, a snowbird from Milwaukee and resident of the five-story building at the corner of Jefferson Street and Federal Highway, where the body of Domenico Perruccio was discovered early Sunday.

If you have lived in WI for at least 28 days you can vote.

PORT ARANSAS — Northerners who spend winters in Texas are still making the trip south, but they're thinking twice about traveling to violence-plagued Mexico.

What a great day to live near Republic airport on Long Island.. Canadian Snowbirds just flew over for their Friday practice run for the show on Saturday and Sunday... Thunderbirds will buzz my house around 2 pm!! Going down to the airport tomorrow. They do a stunt before they land for the airport crowd. We rotate every Memorial Day with the Blue Angels...

DOUGLAS — All eyes were turned skyward on Wednesday at Douglas Municipal Airport as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds in their red and white jets with blue stripes shot across the sky casting shadows over “D” Hill. “So, what do you think, guys? Does that look like fun?” asked Snowbird Capt. Eric Willrich of the 2,000 students and spectators who came out for the mid-week air show. Willrich is the newest member of the Snowbirds and has found his niche, just not in a spot between positions No. 4 and No. 6. His forte is on the ground, talking to the...

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (May 19) - Gillian Scarber was watching a group of Canadian Forces Snowbirds jets practicing maneuvers at Malmstrom Air Force Base when one of them broke from formation and plummeted to the ground. The jet crashed Friday during rehearsal for a weekend show at the base, killing the pilot. The cause of the crash was under investigation. "It just smacked into the ground, and there was a big ball of flames," Scarber told the Great Falls Tribune. Smoke drifted across the highway as emergency crews raced to the scene, she said. The Canadian military identified the pilot...

Canadian Snowbird jet crash at Malmstrom base in Montana GREAT FALLS, Mont. (CP) - A Canadian Forces Snowbird jet plane has crashed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana while rehearsing for performances this weekend. Lieut. Jeff Noel, a spokesman for 15 Wing Moose Jaw, said the jet crashed around 4 p.m. Friday. Noel would not give any information on the condition of the pilot. Noel said all those participating in the practice run in Montana were veterans, though he couldnt say exactly how many aircraft may have been in the air at the time of the incident. "That information...

Reducing Snowbirds team not an option, air force says Plan to replace planes with CF-18s also rejected By David Pugliese Ottawa Citizen August 31, 2006 Canada's air force has rejected the option to substantially reduce the size of its Snowbirds team, as well as substitute CF-18 fighter jets for the aerobatic formation's aging Tutor aircraft. But the military still hasn't settled on how it plans to keep the famous aerial demonstration unit operating well into the future. A briefing note, dated April 25, 2006, to air force commander Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas, as well as a report on the future options...

Snowbirds Celebrate 35 Years of HeartsLieutenant Petra Smith November 2, 2005 Canadian Forces Snowbird technicians salute as the pilots fly in the nine plane line abreast formation as a tribute to Canada's Veterans during the year-end show October 14 in Moose Jaw, Sask. Photo by Mike Sroka. MOOSE JAW, SASK –Snowbirds past and present reunited in the Friendly City in October to share camaraderie, their love of aviation and memories of realizing a childhood dream. “It is wonderful to return to Moose Jaw every five years and relive a time when things were really exciting,” said Major-General (Ret’d) Glen Younghusband,...

Snowbird jet crashes in Ont.Canadian Press August 24, 2005 THUNDER BAY, Ont. (CP) -- A jet from the storied Snowbirds aerobatics squadron fell from the sky Wednesday while making its way to an air show in this northern Ontario city, crashing in a rural field just seconds after its pilot ejected safely. The Department of National Defence said Capt. Andy Mackay, Snowbird 8, was treated in hospital for undisclosed injuries and released. "Our main focus at the moment is Capt. Andy Mackay's well-being," said Maj. Ian McLean, commanding officer of Canadian Forces Snowbirds. Witness accounts of the crash suggest the...

U.S., Cdn flying teams in PensacolaCanoe Network ... cnews May 9, 2005 PENSACOLA, Fla. (CP) - Canada's Snowbirds will join both American military precision flying teams as well as U.S. army and navy parachute squads for a pair of rare joint public appearances Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting. The Blue Angels will host the other teams for practice shows at Pensacola Naval Air Station, where the Navy flight demonstration squadron is based. The flying is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., which is when the Blue Angels normally conduct public practice sessions, and continue through 1 p.m. both days. Public...