Free Republic

BUENA, N.J. -- A New Jersey school district says its wrestling team will no longer compete in events officiated by a referee who told a wrestler to lose his dreadlocks or forfeit his bout. The announcement came during an emergency meeting held Wednesday with the Buena Regional school board and members of the community. The groups that assign referees have already said they wouldn't assign the ref until further notice. Buena Regional High School wrestler Andrew Johnson had his dreadlocks cut minutes before his match on Dec. 19. Johnson, who is black, had a cover over his hair, but referee...

An American seized in Yemen in a sweep of suspected al-Qaida members had been a laborer at six U.S. nuclear power plants, and authorities are investigating whether he had access to sensitive information or materials that would be useful to terrorists. Sharif Mobley, 26, worked for contractors at plants in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland from 2002 to 2008, mostly hauling materials and setting up scaffolding, plant officials said. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan said Friday that investigations are under way into which areas Mobley entered. But he noted that areas containing nuclear fuel are tightly controlled, and that...

"New Jersey jihadist arrested in Yemen worked at nuclear power plants" SNIPPET: "The South Jersey man who Yemini officials are calling a terrorist with links to al-Qaeda previously worked at three local nuclear power plants. Sharif Mobley, 26, is being held in a jail in Yemen after he allegedly killed a police guard and seriously injured another during a shootout at a hospital on Monday. The Buena, N.J. native has also been accused of taking part in several acts of terrorism, Yemini officials say. He also purportedly has ties to the same branch of al-Qaeda who are suspected of attempting...

MUSAYYIB, Iraq—Fighting insurgents with tanks and guns is only half the battle for Sierra Vista native Capt. Irvin Oliver. As a Company Commander in the 2nd Brigade of 4th Infantry Division, Oliver learned that in Iraq it requires more than bullets to defeat insurgents. On July 22, during a routine patrol in Musayyib, Oliver’s soldiers came under fire. The fight lasted an afternoon and escalated to point where most of his battalion was called in. When the fight was over, 33 insurgents were killed. U.S. soldiers received only minor injuries. Oliver, 32, was assigned Musayyib as his company’s area of...