Free Republic

The owner wants a 'grown and sexy atmosphere.'Florissant, Missouri, population 51, 506, is a mid-American idyll, founded in the 18th century by French traders, who originally named it Fleurissant (loosely translated as “blooming”), for the amazing fecundity of the alluvial soil in the Mississippi River valley. Over the last 280 years it has slowly been transformed into an internal suburb of that other, larger French frontier trading post, St. Louis. But the old town of Florissant has retained much of its character and today enjoys a tidy, settled affluence. Hoping to tap into that market, in May 2024 enterprising restaurateur...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney have put an end to their years-long feud, allowing for the development of Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando for the next 15 years. DeSantis' five appointees on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District gave final approval on Wednesday to a deal that would allow the entertainment giant to make infrastructure improvements, CBS reported. In exchange, the company will spend at least $8 billion on the resort over the next decade with a total of $17 billion invested over 10 to 20 years. [cut] Under the deal, Disney has gotten approval to build a...

Boeing Leaks After years of delays and technical problems, Boeing's Starliner finally made it to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board last week. But when exactly it'll be able to undock and deliver its crew of two back to the surface remains to be seen.

The proposed deal with a Luxembourg-based firm would bring a massive influx of cash to the league Big 12 members are considering a first-of-its kind private equity investment to ensure the league's long-term financial and competitive security, multiple sources tell CBS Sports. On the table is a possible cash infusion of $800 million to $1 billion from Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners in exchange for a 15% to 20% stake in the league, those sources said. A portion of the money would go directly to the 16 conference members, and the partnership would give the conference access to CVC's investment services...

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down a California attorney's bid to trademark the phrase "Trump Too Small" for his exclusive use on T-shirts. The justices said trademark law forbids the use of a living person's name, including former President Donald Trump. The vote was 9-0. Trump was not a party to the case of Vidal vs. Elster, but in the past he objected when businesses and others tried to make use of his name. Concord, Calif., attorney Steve Elster said he was amused in 2016 when Republican presidential candidates exchanged comments about the size of Trump's hands during a...

While Russia and Santa Cruz aren’t often mentioned in the same breath, when it comes to Wilder Ranch State Park, a shared history features betrayal and a land grab. The sprawling 7,000-acre park just 4 miles west of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is filled with coastal views, but on a recent morning, I found myself entranced by a local historical tale involving a husband accused of forging documents to remove his wife and her family from the deed. When hiking through this part of the California coastline — where sandy beaches, marine life and a magical sea cave coalesce —...

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California repeated the word “guilty” 34 times in a row in reference to former President Donald Trump during a Thursday hearing.(snip)“Donald Trump represents the most grave danger to this country, at least since the end of Jim Crow, very likely since the commencement of the civil war, and perhaps since the founding of our nation,” Eisen claimed.

“There is something happening in the country,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said following former President Donald Trump’s meeting with congressional Republicans, noting that the former president brought an “energy” and “enthusiasm” to the conference, which has also been seen across the country. “It was our great pleasure to host the president this morning, the 45th president, who will soon be reelected as a 47th president,” he said, explaining that Trump brought “an extraordinary amount of energy and excitement and enthusiasm this morning,” he began, explaining that it is what they are seeing in the party “throughout the country.” “Many of...

A Virginia state trooper was sent flying to the ground after a drunk driver slammed into her patrol car during a separate DUI stop -- and the whole thing was caught on video. This all unfolded when Trooper C. Aziz responded to a sedan stopped in a lane on Interstate 495 Tuesday in Fairfax County ... and as you can see from the cop's dashcam, she's at the driver's window attempting to coax her to exit the vehicle or move it to the shoulder.

After a recent shooting killed a 17-year-old student, Seattle’s Garfield High School may begin rethinking its decision to remove police officers back in 2020. On June 6, a 17-year-old student was shot and killed in the school parking lot after trying to break up a fight between two boys. Police reported that the suspect fled on foot and still remains on the run. Meanwhile, former Garfield police officer Bennie Radford, who now lives in Florida, can’t help but wonder if he would have made a difference. "My stomach is wrenching right now," Radford told The Seattle Times. "I never should...

It took Joe Biden exactly 3 seconds to forget he had already shaken Schumer's hand. 0:10 VIDEO AT LINK.................

Originally, Ford had said in 2021 that it would start production in 2025. Full production at a Ford EV factory in west Tennessee that was to deliver the company’s F150 Lightning electric pickup truck is being delayed. State Sen. Page Walley, a Republican, told the "Tennessee Outlook" full production of the vehicle line was being pushed back by nine months as a result of a “read on the economy.” Ford said in 2021 that it would start production in 2025. Now the electric pickup trucks aren’t expected to be delivered to dealerships until 2026, according to the "Outlook." Ford lost...

Actress Goldie Hawn weighed in on the pervasiveness of crime in Los Angeles, revealing that her own home has been burglarized twice in four months. The 78-year-old made the comments during an appearance on the SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.” “What if we couldn’t live in L.A, where would we live? We both decided, I think it’s Palm Desert (California). … It’s so safe,” Hawn told Ripa of herself and Kurt Russell, her longtime boyfriend of four decades. “It’s just because L.A. is terrible. I mean, we were robbed once,” she added. Hawn went on to...

Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 66 lies a mere 35 million light-years away. The gorgeous island universe is about 100 thousand light-years across, similar in size to the Milky Way. This Hubble Space Telescope close-up view spans a region about 30,000 light-years wide around the galactic core. It shows the galaxy's disk dramatically inclined to our line-of-sight. Surrounding its bright core, the likely home of a supermassive black hole, obscuring dust lanes and young, blue star clusters sweep along spiral arms dotted with the tell-tale glow of pinkish star forming regions. Messier 66, also known as NGC 3627, is...

"But, the reasonable-cause standard goes far beyond simply fine tuning the traditional criteria to the §10( j) context—it substantively lowers the bar for securing a preliminary injunction by requiring courts to yield to the Board’s preliminary view of the facts, law, and equities."

Four Democrat campaign officials have been charged in a ballot fraud case related to the 2019 Bridgeport, Connecticut, mayoral primary race, prosecutors announced. Wanda Geter-Pataky, a city hall employee and vice chairwoman of the Bridgeport Democrat Town Committee, and City Councilor Alfredo Castillo were the two officials charged Tuesday, along with Nilsa Heredia and Josephine Edmonds, for allegedly committing fraud. Three defendants supported Mayor Joe Ganim (D), while Edmonds supported his primary opponent, State Sen. Marilyn Moore (D), according to Connecticut Public Radio. HERE ARE THE BRIDGEPORT BALLOT FRAUD ARREST MUGSHOTS: City Democratic Party Vice-Chair and city operations specialist Wanda...

JUST IN: President Biden appears to start wandering off at the G7 summit and has to be handled back in. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen grabbing Biden to bring him back to the group. This wasn't the only awkward encounter between the two. Biden was caught on camera saluting Meloni before shuffling away. Clown show. Video: @RNCResearch

The regulation would criminalize law-abiding Americans for private firearms transactions.Texas has successfully blocked new restrictions on private gun sales imposed by the Biden administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday that halts enforcement of the regulations in Texas while litigation proceeds. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on May 1 challenging a new ATF rule that would redefine who is “engaged in the business” as a firearms dealer. The 126-page Final Rule would have the effect of criminalizing law-abiding Americans for private gun purchases and sales. Texas secured a...

Paul Sperry @paulsperry_ DEVELOPING: Biden has been taking the following pharmaceuticals: Eliquis, Crestor, Pepcid, Dymista and Comirnaty

A judge ruled Wednesday that Michigan’s Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s guidance telling election officials to presume the validity of absentee ballot signatures is unconstitutional. During the 2020 election, Benson sent out guidance to election officials “that included a presumption of validity for voters’ signatures on absentee-ballot applications and absentee ballots processed at the local level,” the ruling from Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates explains. The Michigan Republican Party and the Allegan County clerk initially challenged the presumption of validity provision, and the Court of Claims “determined that the guidance was impermissible.” In response to the ruling, the...