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BRANDON, S.D. (AP) Mom's brownies and other homemade goodies have been banned from grade schools in the Brandon-Valley School District. The ban is intended to protect kids who are allergic to nuts. The "no shared treats" policy means no more suckers, cookies or even apples. And it means shared treats will not be allowed at Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's parties in grade-school classrooms. School district officials say the ban will be strictly enforced. Although the district no longer allows shared treats in elementary schools, students may bring their own snacks from home. The ban does not apply to Brand Valley...

Charles Barkley planned to take 100 Lake Tahoe-area firefighters out to dinner Saturday night after touring the devastation of a nearby wildfire that destroyed 254 homes last month. Barkley, the former 11-time NBA star, is playing in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course through Sunday in neighboring Stateline, Nev. He toured the fire with officials for NBC Sports, which is televising the tournament that runs through Sunday and is running public service announcements with a Web site for contributions to a fire relief fund. "This is unbelievable," Barkley said while viewing the charred remains of...

ALBANY, Ore. — An Albany woman with a son in Iraq is raising money to buy his 82nd Airborne unit a machine that makes "Slurpee" type frozen carbonated drinks. Sharon Crary said her son, Pfc. Preston Crary, 21, a chaplain's assistant, asked for a machine that could make enough drinks to serve up to 100 soldiers at a time. Preston told his mother the machine would be a "great morale booster."

Army Sgt. Terrance Mobley is trained to be a tough guy. But he turns sentimental in a second when asked what it's like to be at war during the holidays. "When you're over there away from everyone you love and everyone who loves you, you kind of feel all alone," said Mobley, 34, a supply sergeant at Fort Huachuca, southeast of Tucson. Mobley, who has been overseas three times in recent years, remembers sitting on his bunk in Iraq and marveling at the Christmas cookies, cards and heartfelt letters he received from people back home whom he didn't even know....

7/6/2006 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Aircrews from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron airdropped something special on the Fourth of July for Soldiers at some of the most remote forward operating bases throughout Afghanistan. The 230th birthday of the United States proved to be another hot, dusty day here, but thanks to the C-130 Hercules crews and Army senior leaders from the Combined Joint Task Force-76, Soldiers on the ground knew they weren't forgotten. In all, 14 container delivery system bundles weighing 1,500 pounds each were airdropped to seven locations in Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Blake Gettys, the 774th...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2006 – For the past two and a half years, veterans of wars past have been helping heal the latest generation of wounded troops every Friday in a basement steakhouse here. Members of Disabled American Veterans help a wounded servicemember before the final Friday night dinner for wounded troops at Fran O'Brien's steakhouse in downtown Washington, D.C. Groups like DAV and Helping Our Heroes Foundation bring dozens of wounded troops out to the Friday dinners, which now will be held at various locations in the nation's capital, beginning May 5. Photo by Paul X. Rutz  (Click photo...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2006) -- Critical medical operations to save the life of a wounded comrade are extremely stressful in the rear, where there is proper medical equipment. Conducting them in the back of a humvee while it speeds through a hail of shrapnel and small arms fire, however, is a true test of one’s proficiency and courage. Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan McDonell faced and overcame that challenge a year ago in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for it during a ceremony at Camp Margarita Feb. 17. “I accept this recognition...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2005) -- Cpl. Mike Anderson, G-5 Marine Air Ground Task Force plans non-commissioned officer-in-charge, II Marine Expeditionary Force has helped coordinate the deployment of more than 30,000 Marines and sailors in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. However, once the service members leave for deployment, Anderson and his family don’t leave them out to dry. Rich Lane, Anderson’s uncle and founder of Treats and Letters From America Incorporated not for profit, sends homemade beef jerky and letters to II MEF Marines, sailors, and any other service member who asks for...

U.S. Army paratroopers and medical personnel treated more than 600 Afghans and their farm animals and assisted local police forces with repairs to their patrol vehicles. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 9, 2005 — U.S. Army paratroopers and medical personnel assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) treated more than 600 Afghans, and their farm animals, in the Nawbahar village. The village is located north of Kandahar and is the former homeland of the Taliban. "This part of Afghanistan was once a stronghold of the Taliban, but now we're seeing more and more of the people who live there working...

China treats 3m farmyard birds in avian flu fear By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 24/05/2005) The Chinese government moved into overdrive yesterday in belated reaction to an outbreak of bird flu in migrating geese, sending three million doses of vaccine to the vast north-west region. Last week, 178 geese that died on Lake Qinghai, a breeding ground on the Tibetan plateau, were confirmed as having died from the bird flu virus, H5N1. A health worker disinfects a motorbike in the town of Qinghai No other cases have been reported in China this year, and the distance of the lake...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

French Probe Threats by Islamic Group Tuesday March 16, 2004 11:46 PM By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD Associated Press Writer PARIS (AP) - Officials are investigating threats issued by a radical Islamic group against France and its overseas interests, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday. The group identified itself as the ``Servants of Allah the Powerful and Wise'' in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and sent to several newspapers, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. The group was not previously known to French authorities. ``A heavy offensive will take place on the grounds of the allies of Satan and...