Free Republic

A federal jury in Minneapolis Wednesday convicted Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and former restaurant owner Salim Said on charges of wire fraud and bribery in a trial that followed a lengthy investigation into an alleged scheme to fleece taxpayers out of $250 million by exploiting government child nutrition programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurors deliberated about five hours before finding Bock, 44, guilty on all seven counts. They convicted Said, 36, of all 21 charges, which also included five counts of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Bock and Said jailed and did not set a...

Lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who, with composer Jerry Bock, forged one of Broadway's most successful Broadway composing teams, responsible for such classics as Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me, has passed away. He was 99. The news was confirmed via Harnick's longtime publicist Sean Katz. If Mr. Harnick and Mr. Bock had done nothing else than musicalize the tales of Yiddish writer Sholom Alechim into the bittersweet tale of the joys and trials of family and tradition called Fiddler on the Roof, their place in musical theatre history would be secure. First on Broadway in 1964, it ran for...

A non-profit organization called “Feeding our Future (FOF)” was stopped in its tracks this week by the FBI after using millions of federal dollars meant for child nutrition to instead buy “numerous vehicles” and 14 properties, according to the Bureau. FBI Special Agent Travis Wilmer wrote in an affidavit this week: “The companies and their owners received tens of millions of dollars in federal funds for use in providing nutritious meals to underprivileged children and adults. Almost none of this money was used to feed children. Instead, the participants in the scheme misappropriated the money and used it to purchase...

More Observations on the Stone Dead Sea Scroll Text July 8, 2008 (from Taiwan) By bock - Posted on July 8th, 2008 am writing from Taiwan, but I am not immune to the news about the new Stone "Dead Sea Scroll". I have made available by link in the News We Are Watching window Time's latest article on this. Thanks to Craig Blomberg for noting where access to the text can be found. The BAR site also in the News We Are Watching window gives access to both English and to the Hebrew text. Now you do not have to...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

Why Democrats Should Support the Recall By Audie Bock Gray Davis must be recalled from office and Democrats must take action to rebuild a better California. For five years the people of California have been suffering through the failures of a callous governor whose only interest is the amassing of his own campaign millions. He is so self-absorbed with his own political ambitions that he has devoted sparse attention to providing positive leadership for our state. Gray Davis has squandered the energy future of our state, pandered to the interests of big oil and his big water cronies, and...