Free Republic

It’s part of a $51 million project to rebuild Washington-on-the-Brazos, “the birthplace of Texas,” where the declaration that created the Republic of Texas was signed.In 1843, Sam Houston toiled away at a desk in a sixteen-by-sixteen-foot log cabin not far from the muddy banks of the Brazos River. From that makeshift office in Washington-on-the-Brazos, about halfway between Austin and Houston, the then-president of the new Republic of Texas penned letters inviting the chiefs of several Native American tribes to join him for a council meeting. Many of the chiefs came, among them leaders from the Caddo, Delaware, and Shawnee tribes....

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued a full pardon for a former U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder in the shooting death of an armed protester during a 2020 Black Lives Matter march. The move by Abbott came minutes after a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles that Daniel Perry be pardoned and have his firearms rights restored. Under Texas law, the governor cannot issue a pardon without a recommendation from the board, which the governor appoints. "The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal...

There's damage all over the Greater Houston area after a thunderstorm brought powerful wind and heavy rain. At least four people were killed, Mayor John Whitmire said, and he urged everyone to stay off the roads and stay safe. In scenes reminiscent of Hurricane Alicia back in 1983, the storm blew out hundreds of windows of downtown skyscrapers leaving workers scrambling for cover and glass all over the streets and sidewalks. The damaged buildings include the Wells Fargo Plaza, Total Energies, Enterprise Plaza, Kinder Morgan and Chevron. Workers on higher floors say they felt the towers sway amid the whipping...

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a full pardon and restoration of rights for Daniel Perry, the former Army sergeant who was found guilty of murder for the fatal shooting of Garrett Foster during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest while Perry was an Uber driver. "The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship," said Abbott in a statement. "Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered...

A judge has ordered a redo of the November 2022 election between Tami Pierce and DaSean Jones for the 180th District Court in Harris County after finding far more illegal votes were cast in the race than the margin of victory. Pierce, a Republican, contested her 449-vote loss to Democrat incumbent Jones in January 2023, but the case was delayed for nearly a year by a motion to dismiss filed by Jones. Judge David Peeples, a visiting judge from San Antonio, ruled Wednesday that the true outcome of the election cannot be determined and ordered a new election. Following a...

The Madison Police and DNA Doe Project have identified skeletal remains found in a chimney in a music store in 1989. The remains were identified as Ronnie Joe Kirk from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kirk according to investigators, was born in 1942, was adopted and raised by family members and attended high school in Tulsa. He was married and divorced twice, and fathered children. He had ties to Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Alabama and Wisconsin. Kirk's remains were found on September 3, 1989. Speaking to Madison Magazine's Doug Moe in 2022, Good n' Loud Music owner Steve Liethen said he was working in...

A Biden-linked Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that has been active on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border is being investigated in Guatemala for child trafficking. Guatemalan authorities raided the offices of Save the Children on April 25, citing complaints of sexual abuse of Guatemalan children in Texas shelters. The raid was reportedly carried out by officers from the Special Public Prosecutor Against Impunity and the Civil Police. Rafael Curruchiche, the Guatemalan Prosecutor for Impunity, said the case is “transnational and of great transcendence,” involving several organizations. Save the Children Guatemala has denied all allegations of misconduct. Save the Children operates in...

Texas is on the cusp of a major victory for school choice. School choice has become a centerpiece of Republican policy, empowering parents to choose the best school that suits their children's needs. Education tax dollars should follow the child, not the schools and programs lobbied on behalf of progressive institutions like left-wing teachers' unions. However, many so-called “Republicans” are beholden to these institutions and have continued to vote against school choice policies. Even in the alleged conservative bastion of Texas, 21 Republicans in Texas’s House of Representatives voted against school choice last year. But conservatives across the state aren’t...

What Is Happening? Another Barge Hit Another Bridge Causing a Partial Collapse in Galveston VIDEO AT LINK.................

A group of nearly 100 migrants, including some young children, was observed marching away from the Rio Grande after breaching border barriers near the heart of downtown Eagle Pass, Texas. The migrants strolled through the city streets and were observed by residents who notified authorities of the breach. Although migrant crossings have been significantly reduced in recent months due to actions taken by Mexican authorities and the State of Texas, some migrants are still managing to make it into the United States. One resident captured several photos of the large migrant group strolling through her neighborhood on Tuesday just as...

Former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by twice his margin of victory in the Lone Star State four years ago in the contest for Texas’ 40 electoral votes, according to a new poll. A Marist College survey released on Tuesday shows Republican Sen. Ted Cruz leading Democratic opponent Rep. Colin Allred by six points in a crucial Senate contest as the GOP looks to recapture the majority in the chamber in November’s elections. In 2020, Trump defeated Biden in Texas by about 5.5 points, the narrowest victory margin for a Republican presidential candidate in a deeply red state...

The nation's fourth-largest city has a big problem when it comes to conducting criminal investigations. It's getting worse. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner resigned last week. There is no way he could have remained in his position after the scandal of 260,000 incident reports labeled “Suspended — Lack of Personnel”, or SL were discovered. Two assistant chiefs have been demoted and one executive has resigned. The new mayor, John Whitmire, has a real disaster on his hands. Whitmire said that the “dumb person that came up with that code” is no longer at HPD. Advertisement I don't care what the...

An Air Force instructor pilot died early in the morning on May 14 from injuries sustained when the pilot’s T-6A Texan II training plane ejection seat activated during ground operations the day before, the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, announced in a press release. “An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway,” the wing wrote, adding that the pilot’s name is being withheld for 24 hours to notify his or her next of kin. The 82nd is the host unit at Sheppard, but the pilot was assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing, the...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- ABC13 is learning more about the victim at the center of one of the most disturbing murders caught on camera in Houston. According to family and friends, 64-year-old Steve Anderson had been retired after working at the MD Anderson Cancer Center as a manager for about 20 years. His co-workers were distraught to find out he was the man killed on video. While the attack seems personal because of how disturbing it is, police told ABC13 detectives have not established a connection between him and the suspect. However, they are still investigating.

Every year, former Republican congressional candidate Paul Chabot hosts a welcoming ceremony at a barn in North Texas that draws hundreds of people. There, barbecue vendors, military recruiters and line dance instructors indoctrinate their new neighbors, teaching them about their new home and the Southern lifestyle. After the festivities, the county sheriff hands them a red, white and blue certificate declaring them honorary Texas citizens. When these families sign their names and recite their oaths, they must not only “swear loyalty” to the Lone Star State, but profess that “there is no finer, greater or better place on the planet.”...

The tallest building in Fort Worth has a commanding position in the city’s skyline, but the 1M SF building only commanded a price of about $12 per square foot at a foreclosure auction. The price per square foot amounted to less than 10% of the previous sale price for Burnett Plaza, which at 40 stories towers over the other buildings in Fort Worth. The winning bidder was one of Burnett Plaza’s lenders: Pinnacle Bank Texas bought back the building at this month’s auction with a bid of $12.3M, according to a report in the Dallas Business Journal. The previous owner,...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded to a Sunday article in Daily Mail that detailed the large number of cops ditching California for the pastures of Texas, which might not be greener but are certainly more friendly to law enforcement. Morale is low among peace officers in the Golden State as soft-on-crime woke district attorneys like LA’s George Gascón and Alameda County’s Pamela Price, along with criminal-loving measures like Proposition 47, make them feel undermined and unwelcome. Thousands of them are getting out of Dodge, the outlet reported: "…the Golden State is hemorrhaging thousands of police every year, with numbers down...

Houston’s police chief has resigned after emails obtained by a local news outlet appear to show that he knew about massive failures in the department well before he said he did. Within hours of issuing a statement about the findings, he resigned. In February, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner first announced that the Houston Police Department dropped 264,000 crime reports, including violent crimes and sexual assaults, which weren’t investigated because a “lack of personnel” code was assigned to them, The Center Square reported. In March, new Houston Mayor John Whitmire appointed an independent panel to review an internal HPD investigation...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is planning to raise money for former President Donald Trump in the coming weeks, putting into action the commitment he made at a meeting with Trump last month to help his former rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to two people familiar with the matter. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details have not been finalized and plans could still shift in the weeks ahead. Still, DeSantis is making calls to donors while his finance team works quickly to put together a schedule that would...

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Texas, his campaign said.