Free Republic

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – A man died Monday night after he was shot by nine officers following a tense and chaotic series of events that began at a boat ramp and ended in a crash in Atlantic Beach, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. According to JSO, the incident began around 6 p.m. at the Dutton Island Preserve boat ramp, where a couple from Georgia was fishing when they heard gunshots from across the water. The couple told police they saw a man, 37, shooting a rifle into the water, and the husband decided to approach the man and ask him...

Nearly 100 volunteers and rescue personnel showed up on Long Island Saturday to continue the frantic search for a missing political candidate who inexplicably vanished last month. Splitting off into pairs, the volunteers set out at 7 a.m. to canvas and comb through Long Beach, where Petros Krommidas, 29, was last seen on April 23 when he went for a training swim, cops and family said. Soon after he went missing, police found the Krommidas’ locked car by the Allegria Hotel, just near the beach he had regularly visited to train for a triathlon, his family added. Krommidas – a...

The most expensive home for sale in Atlantic Beach, Long Island, has just listed for $11.5 million. Indeed, this marks the biggest number seen for the chiefly laid-back area, though probably not for long. As Wall Street is set to return to a full five-day work week, the Hamptons is starting to seem pretty far away. This part of the island, with a lowly population of about 1,800, comes with all the perks of the Hamptons — right on the water, for starters — and it’s just a breezy hour away from the city and away from the crowds. Rarely...

A prominent ally of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with unprecedented access to local authorities and reportedly under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct has died in what is being investigated as a suicide.Kent Stermon, 50, of Jacksonville, was found dead in a truck parked outside the Atlantic Beach post office around 8 p.m. Thursday, the Florida Times-Union reported.Stermon had been reported missing by his wife, Christie, after his heart monitor stopped earlier that day, the First Coast News reported.Shortly after the discovery of his body, police announced they were investigating his death as a suicide.Stermon was under investigation for alleged sexual...

ISLAND PARK, N.Y. — Republican Ari Brown defeated Democrat David Lobl by a 2-1 margin in a special election for the New York State Assembly’s 20th District seat, as Republicans continue to gain momentum on Long Island and predict victories across the state and nationally next November. “This is just the beginning of a red wave like never before,” Brown said Thursday night, after he won the seat — covering areas including the Five Towns, Island Park, Long Beach and Atlantic Beach — which was vacated by Republican Melissa “Missy” Miller in February, who took a position on the Hempstead...

Julie Stackhouse’s goal last Sunday was to win the Donna Half Marathon, a popular race that weaves through the coastal communities of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach east of Jacksonville, Florida. Stackhouse, a Jacksonville local, had good reason to think she could break the tape—she’s won the race twice in past years, and has notched victories in the marathon and relay, too. But even before she came face-to-face with an aggressive dog, Stackhouse knew she wasn’t going to win. She estimates her canine encounter slowed her down only around 45 seconds in total, but her impressive finishing time of 1:25:54—enough...

A 26-year-old Navy pilot struck by an SUV while riding his bicycle in Atlantic Beach early Sunday morning has died.