Free Republic

Incredible footage has been released of the moment a sheriff's sniper killed a suspect by shooting directly through a computer monitor. Sterling Ramon Alavache was holding two Bank of America workers in Florida at knifepoint while claiming to have a bomb. Officers had already tried to get the would-be bank robber to surrender but instead Alavache decided instead to take two hostages. The 36-year-old then put one of them in a headlock and held a knife to her throat - and that's when a SWAT team's sheriff's sniper decided to end the siege. With remarkable precision, the bullet was fired...

A missing 45-year-old woman was found dead inside a 16-foot python in Indonesia on Saturday, and video footage shows the moment villagers realized what happened. The victim was from Kalempang village in the South Sulawesi province, according to Deutsche Welle (DW). The outlet said the story began on Thursday when she informed her husband that she was leaving to sell chilies to a collector. However, that was apparently the last time anyone saw her alive. Village chief Suardi Rosi explained that the woman, whose name was Farida, did not return home and her husband and their relatives began searching for...

A FOX News poll shows enough support from Florida voters to pass a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the right to get an abortion. TAMPA - There will be two big amendments on the November ballot, which are expected to bring a lot of voters to the polls in Florida. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in April to let voters decide on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use and whether to give access to abortion up to 24 weeks. The current laws for marijuana are only for medicinal use. The current abortion laws just tightened in the state to...

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Ron DeSantis - who's come out swinging against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational marijuana - on Friday delivered a victory to potential pot competitors by vetoing a measure that would have severely restricted the sales and production of euphoria-inducing hemp-based products. Lawmakers passed the bill (SB 1698) in March, with supporters arguing it would address safety concerns as the use of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has boomed. The bill would have banned the sale of products containing what is known as delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol and limited the amount of delta-9 THC. Delta-8 and delta-9 are cannabinoids...

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)- The Walton County Sheriff’s Office beach marine unit continued to monitor the shoreline Saturday, following two shark attacks that sent three people to the hospital Friday. Saturday, the beaches on the panhandle remain closed. According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Facebook page, deputies found a 14-foot hammerhead shark east of South County Highway 395 in Santa Rosa Beach, but they stated it is not an uncommon sighting.

So, you've decided to join all the cool New Yorkers who are moving to Florida? Congratulations! It'll be just like snowbirding, except it'll last forever! Unfortunately, it's been said that New Yorkers often experience a significant culture shock when they first arrive in the Sunshine State. Fortunately, The Babylon Bee is here to help you through the adjustment with this helpful list of 10 things that you should prepare for: 1. When it's hot, that's called "summer": It's also called "winter," "spring," and "fall." 2. Tax dollars won't have to pay for immigrants to live in Marriott hotels: Instead, your...

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Friday on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “absolutely” should not have been invited to address Congress. Host Dana Bash said, “If you were still speaker, would you have invited him?” Pelosi said, “No. Absolutely not, absolutely not. I think this is wrong. Frankly, I didn’t approve of his being invited the last time. But the speaker, just on his own, invited him without consulting with the rest of the leadership. And he came and he criticized, President Obama for the masterful work that he had done with the nuclear agreement regarding...

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet are scheduled next week to consider buying a Central Florida warehouse site that would be turned into a “hub” for storing and moving supplies during emergencies. The 40-acre site is in Auburndale, along Interstate 4, and would be purchased from CH Realty IX-DAL I Lakeland Auburndale, L.P., according to Cabinet agenda information posted online Thursday. The state would retrofit a facility that has 422,199 square feet of warehouse space and 39,200 square feet of office space, along with areas for 400 trailers and 274 cars. It also would include docks for loading and...

Florida, schmorida. After enjoying a pandemic-era boom where many a weary northerner packed up and moved to the Sunshine State, the bloom is off the citrus tree, new research suggests. In 2024, apparently, it’s all about the Carolinas — their coast, their mountains, their more temperate climate and — most importantly — their affordable cost of living, say the moving pros at PODS, who’ve analyzed heaps of customer data to identify the latest trends. If true, that shows a considerable reversal in just one year. In 2023, Florida practically owned the list of most moved-to cities, with six in the...

A homeless man wearing women's clothes intentionally rammed his car into the side of a county jail in Florida Monday night, before reportedly embarking on a rant about Donald Trump. Joseph Leedy, 40, stands accused of four counts of aggravated assault on an officer and one count of criminal mischief resulting in damage of more than $1,000 as a result - as a series of photos show the damage he caused. Surveillance footage show the suspect driving from the Martin County Jail parking lot, up the walkway, and through it glass lobby doors. He was stopped by a set of...

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is reportedly preparing to revoke former President Donald Trump’s license to carry a gun, a senior police told far-left CNN. Trump’s New York concealed carry license was quietly suspended on April 1, 2023, following his indictment on sham charges in New York. Two of the three pistols he was licensed to carry were turned over to the NYPD on March 31, 2023. The third gun listed on Trump’s license was “lawfully moved to Florida,” according to the same source. After Trump was convicted of 34 felonies on May 30, 2024, in made-up crimes,...

A Spirit Airlines passenger managed to track down her stolen luggage after it vanished when she arrived at a Florida airport — using one of the stolen items to aid in her desperate search. Paola Garcia had been waiting for her small pink hardshell luggage, containing several Apple products like her personal MacBook and two Apple Watches, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s carousel after returning home to the Sunshine State, Local 10 reported. The exact timing of the incident remains unclear, but Garcia’s desperation to find her stolen property led her to the apparent culprit’s house even before local...

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) suggested that Black families were better off during the Jim Crow era while speaking at a campaign event for former President Trump. Donalds, who is on the shortlist for Trump’s potential vice-presidential pick, was campaigning for the former president in Philadelphia at a “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” event aimed at garnering Black male voters, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. During the conversation, the freshman lawmaker said he is starting to see the “reinvigoration” of Black families, adding that it is “helping to breathe the revival of a Black middle class in America.” Donalds also claimed that the...

Judge Aileen M. Cannon who is overseeing former President Trump’s criminal case over allegedly mishandling classified documents after his term in the White House set a hearing for June 21 over the legality of special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment. [snip] Cannon said legal scholars would be able to appear on June 21 to present their arguments over Trump's legal team's motion to dismiss the case.

Florida residents with oppressive and obsessive HOAs, your day of freedom may be at hand. Homeowner associations (HOAs) were created to maintain standards, uniformity and a sense of community while collecting dues to pay for common areas, services and general neighborhood improvements. But they also tend to attract people with strong opinions about what their neighbors can do. It seems that everyone who has lived in an HOA has a horror story about petty or arbitrary fines that keep increasing, harassment, inflexible and overly restrictive rules regarding the appearance of homes and lawns, the lack of budget transparency, or just...

ORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WOIO) - We’re learning more about the woman charged with fatally stabbing a three-year-old boy outside a Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmsted on Monday. According to public records, Bionca Ellis, 32, of Cleveland has not had an extensive criminal history. “There is nothing that shows that she has any violent tendencies,” said North Olmsted Detective Sergeant Matthew Beck. On Tuesday, Ellis was charged with the aggravated murder of Julian Wood. Investigators say Ellis stabbed the boy and his mother with a kitchen knife in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle supermarket in North Olmsted....

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Advocates who have fought for the restoration of voting rights for Floridians with past felony convictions are crying foul after Governor Ron DeSantis promised former President Donald Trump would be allowed to vote in the November election. If Trump loses the right to vote, DeSantis said, “This would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair”.

What is a Love Bug? A love bug is a nickname for a type of beetle commonly referred to as the ‘Plecia nearctica’ or ‘March Fly.’ These small insects are native to the southeastern United States and are most commonly found in Florida and other nearby states. Love bugs are known for their distinctive black-and-red coloring and for their incredibly dense swarms, which can be quite a nuisance for drivers. Though they don’t bite, sting, or cause any other harm, love bugs can be a nuisance due to their sheer numbers.

A Church of the Nazarene minister advocating for “full queer inclusion” has been brought up on charges and faces an upcoming ecclesiastical trial that could result in removal of his credentials as an ordained minister. Thomas Jay Oord has been charged with teaching doctrines contrary to the Church of the Nazarene and with conduct unbecoming of a minister for his efforts to move the denomination to affirm same-sex behavior. The charges are the latest indication that human sexuality disputes that have divided mainline Protestant denominations are also surfacing in Wesleyan-Holiness churches. Oord currently serves as Professor of Theology at Northwind...

Even those who dislike the former President see a case of legal and political malpractice.How dare Mitt Romney. And Sens. Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell. The anti-Trump press corps is dismayed that Republicans of all stripes, even those who aren’t fond of Donald Trump, have criticized the Manhattan prosecution and guilty verdict. The media coverage after the verdict has followed the usual Trump-era pattern. Democrats pursue some anti-Trump operation—impeachment, a Russia collusion probe, a prosecution. The press then descends as one to chide Republicans, with the unsubtle implication that they must be unethical sellouts if they oppose what Democrats are...