Free Republic

Top lithium producer Albemarle Corp (ALB.N) may have to shut its Langelsheim plant in Germany if the metal used in electric vehicle batteries is declared a hazardous material by the European Union, its finance chief told Reuters. Lithium's pivotal role in electric vehicles makes it an important commodity in meeting global targets to cut carbon emissions, and it was added to the EU's list of critical raw materials in 2020.

Imagine sitting in a classroom and being told that you don’t belong in a big house, can only be expected to communicate non-verbally and emotionally, or are responsible for the racial supremacy that teachers say oppresses your classmates, simply because of your skin tone. This is what middle-school students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds learn in Albemarle County, Virginia. After parents from five families heard their children’s distress and confusion, they raised concerns with school officials only to learn that they could not opt out of the indoctrination. Faced with sending their children into an environment that subjects them...

Police have charged an Albemarle County man in two attacks that were previously linked by DNA to a serial rapist responsible for seven sexual assaults over the past decade. Authorities said Nathan Antonio Washington, 40, is also a suspect in the five other attacks linked to the investigation, but did not say whether they believe he is the serial rapist.

As two Northern Virginia counties begin to look at what local government can do to battle illegal immigration, some in Charlottesville and Albemarle County's Latino community say they are fearful those measures could be implemented here. They spoke of widespread anxiety caused by the fear of deportation or racial profiling by local officials. Appointed and elected officials say, however, that the Charlottesville and Albemarle area is a very different place than Northern Virginia and would have little appetite for such reform.

ALBEMARLE, N.C. -- The father of Albemarle native and “American Idol” star Kellie Pickler has been arrested and faces several charges in Stanly County. The sheriff’s office says Clyde “Bo” Pickler was charged Wednesday with communicating threats, assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon. All of the charges are misdemeanors. Pickler was released from prison in May 2006 after serving more than three years for aggravated assault and battery charges after he stabbed a man. His daughter had been eliminated from the popular TV show the week before. The two hadn’t seen each other in years when...

Father of Western Albemarle High School students criticizes display of upside-down triangle stickers on guidance counselors' office doors A local parent is lobbying the Albemarle County School Board to order the removal of the upside- down, rainbow triangle stickers that some high school guidance counselors display outside their offices. Crozet resident Bill Rossberg, father two Western Albemarle High School students, said he believes the stickers, representing what is commonly considered a symbol of gay pride, have no place in schools. "Western Albemarle is a really conservative area," Rossberg said. "I was amazed to see this stuff on my daughter's guidance...

Jefferson Area Libertarians in Virginia "rallied around the flag" for a local businessman who was dragged into court for flying a company flag. On February 22, about three dozen Libertarians and other activists held a demonstration of support for Tom Dulaney Slonaker, owner of an Arby's restaurant on Route 29 in Charlottesville. In freezing rain, participants waved miniature American flags "to show their support of Mr. Slonaker's constitutional rights," said J.A.L. member John Munchmeyer, who helped coordinate the event. In December, Slonaker was fined almost $4,000 by the Albemarle County government for flying an Arby's flag from his flagpole and...