Free Republic

Pennywise lives — in the sewers of Maryland. A mysterious man living in Baltimore’s sewers has allegedly been taunting and chasing kids down the street, according to an irate mother. Unique Wiggins initially didn’t believe her children when they told her a creep lurking in the sewers was bothering and harrasing them, WJZ reported. But after repeated complaints, the mom decided to investigate the subterranean nuisance. “It was a Friday, and my daughter, who is 21, called and she was panicking. And I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ And she said, ‘Mom, I’m scared. The man told me I can’t walk right...

“PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — More human remains discovered during a cleanup at a homeless camp in Downtown Portland on Monday may be linked to remains found in the Old Town area less than a week ago. According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPPB), officers were called out to an area near W. Burnside Street and Interstate 405 just after 12:30 p.m. when a cleanup crew located the remains in a homeless encampment. Investigators did not say what remains were found or in what condition they were in. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, a crew with Rapid Response discovered human remains in...

Bigger agencies, higher spending, and expanded workforces don't always make government more effective.My recent trip to Malibu from Los Angeles was my first post-wildfire drive through the Pacific Palisades and, my goodness, there's nothing like seeing something with one's own eyes to grasp the enormity of the devastation. The obliterated hulks along Pacific Coast Highway 21 months after the tragedy raise multiple issues, including ones related to the excruciatingly slow rebuilding process. This being California, the state has yet to grapple sufficiently with the reasons the wildfires started—and the failed response to them. But late is better than never, so...

🚨 JUST IN: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D)'s former aide LaMar Cook, already facing cocaine trafficking and gun charges, has been ARRESTED by federal prosecutors for SNAP FRAUD PARTY OF FRAUD. He's also accused of wrongly taking $30K in VACATION time, and must pay it back! Earlier this year, he was caught using his taxpayer-funded EBT card at supermarkets right outside Walt Disney World. Prosecutors say he claimed ZERO income and less than $100 in the bank to collect $500 a month in food stamps. Records reportedly showed he actually had thousands in the bank, plus about $12,000 in lottery...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have given the watchdog of California’s expensive, delayed high-speed rail project the powers it says it needs to quickly staff up and provide expert oversight. The Democratic governor vetoed Assembly Bill 1608, which would exempt the Inspector General of high-speed rail from a lengthy job reclassification process for qualified auditors and give it a $1 million purchase authority to avoid drawn-out contracting rules. Those tools are “absolutely essential” for its auditing, the inspector general previously said.

Link to Summary The video is a critical investigative piece arguing that California’s high-speed rail project is a massive failure of waste, delay, and mismanagement—essentially “high-speed rail to nowhere.” It contrasts the project’s poor progress with China’s rapid nationwide high-speed rail buildout and interviews locals, officials, and critics along the route. Core claims about status and costsIn 2008, voters approved a plan to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. After roughly 18 years and about $15 billion spent, the project has connected nothing. Visible work consists mainly of concrete, rebar, and incomplete structures in the Central Valley (derisively called a...

Last December, Chief Nathan Ogbatue arrived in a motorcade outside the grand entrance of a newly built palace in Abatete, Nigeria. A videographer shouted praises in Igbo, calling him “half man, half god” and commending him for building the palace “free of charge” for the Abatete community. Ogbatue is hailed on social media as a philanthropist who has built roads and housing, sponsors annual medical clinics, and provides food for the needy in Abatete. He is also, it turns out, CEO of California Home Health Agency (CHHA), a lucrative taxpayer-funded company that provides in-home medical care and a range of...

Santa Monica is putting more cops on the streets after a summer of violence hit the tourist hotspot — including two shootings in just two days. **SNIP** Saturday, a knife-wielding man was shot and killed near the Santa Monica Pier after he allegedly charged toward officers. The following day, a person was shot in the leg during an attempted robbery. The violence comes after a string of deadly incidents that has put the normally tourist-packed city on edge. In mid-July, a man was fatally shot in a parking lot near the Pier. Police responding around midnight found an adult male...

Radical pro-abortion California is continuing its tirade against the lives of preborn and born children alike with three new bills that horrify the average American voter. As California reaches the end of its legislative session, abortion extremists are going to push these bills through as quickly as possible — but Students for Life Action (SFLAction) won’t let them do it without a fight. Here are the deadly bills California state legislators introduced: AB 1930 — “Abortion or gender-affirming health care services: investigations, subpoenas, or summons” Introduced by Democrat Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, along with Democrat Assemblymembers John Harabedian, Nick Schultz,...

While the future of reparations in California remains uncertain, state lawmakers are continuing to push forward with related legislation despite a lack of clear consensus on broad direct cash payouts. Most recently, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Ladera Heights, introduced Assembly Bill 2599, known as the Truth in Disclosure Act. The bill would require major corporations doing business in California with annual worldwide gross receipts over $100 million to review their historical records and submit sworn affidavits disclosing any past ties to chattel slavery.

Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing scrutiny after an online ad revealed that campaign contributions from supporters of her re-election bid would be matched by taxpayer dollars. "Your donation to our campaign right now is more critical than ever before," said Bass, speaking into a lapel microphone with upbeat music playing in the background of the ad, which was posted to her campaign's X account. "Let me explain," she continued. "Thanks to LA's super match program, every qualified donation from Los Angeles residents is matched 6-to-1 by the city. But after the primary, we had to start over...

One of New Yorks’ most notorious pimps was finally caged at the end of July, sentenced to 50 years on charges of human trafficking and ordering the murder of a rival. The trial of Omari “Prince” Scott, 45, opened a window into the seedy world of the “Penn Track” in East New York, Brooklyn, where he ran multiple women. Despite Scott’s conviction, sex workers tell The Post business around Pennsylvania Avenue — also known as “the Blade” — continues as brazenly as usual, with tens of women on the streets selling sex for as little as $85 a time and...

Federal law requires the retention of voting records for 22 months after an election. Democrats don't like that. They believe in keeping things tidy by deleting all the evidence ASAP. With BleachBit, if possible. (Anthony Fauci, call your office.) And there is no set of records they want cleaned up and tidy quite like election records; otherwise, you face the need to fight like hell in court to keep them locked away, as Fulton County did for years until the FBI got a warrant and seized them. And even after that, Fulton County has fought to keep them sealed. Nothing...

The ex-con husband of a disgraced Westchester County police bigwig turned himself in to cops Thursday to face charges that the pair drove their gangbanger son to a botched hit in the Bronx. James Lackard, 47, the husband of recently fired Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, walked into the 44th Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx around 8:30 a.m. to surrender after two days on the run, the sources said. He was arraigned hours later on the same attempted murder indictment lodged against his cop wife and 20-year-old son, reputed “Slutty Gang” thug Chase Lackard, earlier this week. The...

The gangbanging son of a Westchester County police bigwig had a Bronx court date just minutes before he allegedly opened fire on a rival – with his cop mom and ex-con dad as getaway drivers, prosecutors said Wednesday. Chase Lackard, 20, faced a judge on a 2024 gun rap just 20 minutes before the alleged June 29 drive-by gang shooting – with help from his mom, disgraced Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, and drug-dealing dad James Lackard, according to prosecutors. “He’s captured on cameras running into this courthouse,” Bronx Assistant District Attorney Keturah Ladd told the judge. “He...

Democrats blocked Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman from speaking during the Bronx Dominican Day parade on Sunday — with one state pol admitting she snubbed him over ties to President Trump. Blakeman wasn’t given the chance to address the crowd during part of the celebration on the Grand Concourse that involved comments from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The Republican, who is currently serving as the elected Nassau County executive, was told by lefty Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo he couldn’t speak even though some in the crowd called out to “let him speak.” “This is exactly what life...

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has opened up a commanding lead over Republican Steve Hilton just weeks after the pair advanced from California’s primary, according to a new poll. The survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found Becerra leading Hilton by 25 percentage points, with 61% of likely voters backing the former health secretary compared to 36% for the ex-Fox News host turned Republican candidate. The results mark a dramatic shift from California’s June 2 blanket primary, when Becerra finished first with about 28.1% of the vote and Hilton followed closely behind with roughly 24.7% Support remained overwhelmingly...

Before the Boyle Heights warehouse fire, Lineage representatives lobbied City Hall over the rooftop solar array. The company says it was seeking a safer alternative to rapid shutdown devices. A year before a massive fire at a Boyle Heights cold storage building sent polluted smoke into surrounding communities, the operator of the facility came to Los Angeles City Hall with a request.Lineage asked about removing an emergency shutdown switch from the solar panels on the roof of the structure, according to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.A spokesperson for Lineage said that the company was inquiring about what...

China’s leader draws from autocrats’ playbook to expand power, oust potential rivals and lay groundwork to rule indefinitely Chinese leader Xi Jinping is employing the sort of autocratic tactics once wielded by Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong to stamp out opposition and stack the leadership with acolytes as he prepares to extend his reign. In a throwback to the most powerful Communist leaders of the 20th century, Xi has purged dozens of senior officials—even his own protégés—overseen the growth of a cult of personality and demanded absolute loyalty. His goal: dictate China’s destiny for years to come in order to...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Wednesday taking aim at California’s ban on Glock pistols the day it was slated to take effect.Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB1127 into law in October 2025, making California the first state to ban the popular pistol. The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California,