Free Republic

Comedian Dave Chappelle found himself in hot water once again Monday night after he was seen opposing an affordable housing project in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Chappelle, 48, addressed the town council and threatened to pull his money from the community if they approved plans to develop 53 acres of residential housing. The town voted on the plan Wednesday after the council meeting, where the public was invited to comment on the proposal. Now, Chappelle is clearing things up. His reps didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment, but in a statement to Fox News, his spokeswoman Carla Sims said...

The mayor of Quartzsite, Ariz., the town seething in vitriol since police forcibly removed a woman from speaking at a public meeting despite the mayor's objections lost in a recall election last night, but claims the "corrupt" town council fixed the results to force him out. "They found a whole bunch of early ballots they could stuff the box with," said Mayor Ed Foster, telling WND the election was "absolutely" stolen. Foster says at the polling place, he was winning by a 2-to-1 margin over former Town Councilman and Quartzsite Fire Department Capt. Jose Lizarraga. But there had been 328...

The state of Arizona is now investigating allegations of massive corruption among government officials in Quartzsite, Ariz., the town that's the focus of worldwide attention after police forcibly removed a woman from speaking at a town-hall meeting, and where the mayor today says he's not being paid and most local police officers are wrongly being fired and have been ordered not to leave their homes. "I'm no longer getting paid as mayor," said Ed Foster, the elected head of Quartzsite. "That's not a big deal, but it's in the town code that I get a stipend of $400. If they...

The Arizona town that's become a YouTube sensation for its police department hauling away a woman speaking at a town-hall meeting declared a state of emergency this afternoon, leaving many local residents in fear of what officers dressed in full riot gear might do. Jennifer "Jade" Jones, 45, the woman forcibly removed by police from a recent public meeting in Quartzsite, Ariz., despite the vocal objections of the mayor, says an illegal secret meeting was held today with the public locked out of the building. "About noon today, the town council, at the request of the police chief, declared an...

Good Morning! I would like to ask for some direction, if there is anyone here who could help with a "write-in" campaign. There is a council seat available in my town, Franklin, NJ and I would like to run as a write-in. Has anyone ever done this before? Any direction would be welcome! Thank you in advance! Suzanne Weeks Weeks for Council

...In recent weeks, radio talk shows, cable news and Internet blogs fumed that taxpayer money would help immigrants who might be in the country illegally. They advised rounding up such immigrants instead. Some supporters of the site countered with accusations of racism. But at its core, the debate reflected the struggle in Herndon and other Washington suburbs to integrate a steady flow of new immigrants -- those here legally and illegally. "This has been a horrendously difficult issue," Mayor Michael O'Reilly said. He said every worker has a constitutional right to "stand on a street corner whether they have documents...

HERNDON, Va. (AP) - The Herndon Town Council is expected to vote tonight on whether to approve a day labor site. The vote was originally scheduled to take place last night but so many people signed up to speak out about it that it had to be pushed back until today. At issue is whether the town should spend $170,000 to build a center for the day laborers to wait for work. Currently, about 150 laborers gather daily outside a downtown Herndon convenience store. Supporters of the site say it would provide a safe gathering place for people who are...

Concerns about property values, illegal immigration and human rights collided last night in Herndon as passionate advocates for and against a tax-supported site for day laborers lined up in an effort to sway the Town Council. Nearly 150 people who had signed up to speak crowded into the town's small municipal building for the fourth night of public hearings this summer, as the council considered how to resolve problems created by scores of immigrants congregating outside a 7-Eleven to seek construction work.

HERNDON -- They came early and stayed late last night, waiting for a chance to share their feelings with the Herndon Town Council on a proposal that has deeply divided this town of 22,000 near Dulles International Airport. Whether the town should spend taxpayer dollars to set up a hiring hall for day laborers, many of them illegal immigrants, drew an overflow crowd to Town Hall. Stoked by talk-radio hosts, more than 120 people signed up to speak at a public hearing, many of then arriving hours before the meeting was to begin. By late last night, the public-comment period...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton offered the following statement today to the Herndon Town Council as it considered a proposal by “Project Hope and Harmony” to operate a taxpayer-funded “Day Laborer Site” in the Town of Herndon: “Thank you, Mayor and members of the Town Council. I’m Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Judicial Watch is honored to represent concerned Herndon citizens who adamantly oppose this proposed use of taxpayer monies for illegal purposes. They are prepared to sue the Town of Herndon if you approve this site and...

Chris Core, WMAL Radio to Broadcast Live from Herndon, (VA) Town Council Meeting on Day Laborer (Illegal Alien) Shelter.... ..(Tonight), the Herndon Town Council will vote on public funding for a day laborer shelter that would serve a large number of illegal aliens..... 630 WMAL's Chris Core will be there in person to deliver blow-by-blow coverage of what promises to be a contentious meeting..... The Chris Core Show will broadcast live from Herndon Town Hall beginning at 6:00pm (Eastern Time, 3:00 p.m. Pacific). How do you feel about this issue? Come out and make your opinion known, or call...

ESTES PARK - Estes Park residents voted Tuesday to recall a town trustee who refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before board meetings. The final vote was 903 to 605 in favor of recalling David Habecker. The turnout was much higher than for a typical municipal election. Some voters, like Trudy Hewitt, said they though Habecker was being unpatriotic. "When you sit down during the Pledge of Allegiance, which is to our flag, which is about patriotism, which is about our country, you dishonor everybody that has fought and sacrificed for our country," she said. "I think his constitutional...

In Jesus' name, you can't pray. The Culpeper County Ministerial Association isn't bowing down to that "suggestion" from the Culpeper Town Council. The group says it may challenge an Aug. 11 memo from Town Attorney Robert W. Bendall asking ministers not to refer to "Jesus, Christ or any variations of those names" while praying at the opening of council meetings. The memo stems from a U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals decision July 22 ruling that a Great Falls, S.C., legislative prayer violated the First Amendment clause prohibiting the establishment of a state religion. The ruling sparked a similar controversy...

Town Refuses to Ask Citizens If Library Porn Should Be Filtered Out; Plan2Succeed.org Seeking Pro Bono Counsel. Something is wrong when a small group of people called a Library Board of Trustees determines that a public library must continue to allow access to pornography despite admittedly being outside the library's mission, the Township Committee claims it is powerless to stop the Board, and the citizens have no say.

Wiccan high priestess won federal court ruling on council's prayersCouncil members in a South Carolina town can no longer mention the name of Jesus Christ or another specific deity in their prayers during meetings. The federal court ruling referred to a case brought by a Wiccan high priestess in Great Falls, the local Chester County Herald reported. Darla Kaye Wynne, a Great Falls resident, claimed in her suit the town violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by using the name of Jesus Christ in prayers offered before or after meetings, the paper said.

Council members in a South Carolina town can no longer mention the name of Jesus Christ or another specific deity in their prayers during meetings. The federal court ruling referred to a case brought by a Wiccan high priestess in Great Falls, the local Chester County Herald reported. Darla Kaye Wynne, a Great Falls resident, claimed in her suit the town violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by using the name of Jesus Christ in prayers offered before or after meetings, the paper said. Great Falls Mayor H.C. "Speedy" Starnes, Jr., pointed out praying in Jesus' name has...