Free Republic

Nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs will be required to have all staff vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to continue receiving federal funding for the programs. President Joe Biden is expected to make the announcement later today, with guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expected to come shortly after, according to an Associated Press report citing CNN as an original source. Providers could be expected to meet the mandate as soon as next month, according to the report. On a call with her members this afternoon, Ruth Katz, senior vice president of public policy...

Just released yesterday. Regardless of your politics, I think conservatives know how to laugh. https://youtu.be/9WfZuNceFDM

South Park is going to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in a big way. Comedy Central announced Tuesday a one-hour special episode of the iconic animated series devoted to the coronavirus crisis. A trailer for the episode shows Randy Marsh announcing some sort of "pandemic special" attempting to cash in on the crisis, Cartman worrying about authorities trying to make him return to school, Kyle fretting about social distancing and a scene with the kids in a classroom encased in protective cubicles with a police detective as their new teacher. The official description: "Randy comes to terms with his role in...

Tisha b’Av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. On the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, Jews remember the tragedies that have marked our history, beginning with the destruction of our Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and continuing through the centuries of expulsions, pogroms and massacres to the catastrophes of our own era. The day is marked by the signs and customs of mourning. From sundown Monday night until nightfall Tuesday evening, Jews engage in a complete fast—abstaining from eating, drinking, bathing, wearing leather shoes, putting on cosmetics and from sexual activity. During the synagogue...

SOUTH BEND — If you ever wondered how much difference just one letter can make when it comes to a message, ask the thousands of people who drove by a digital billboard near the intersection of Ironwood and State Road 23 between Thursday and Monday morning. The ad urged people to go to the "southbendon.com" website for a look at the "15 best things about our pubic schools." That's right, the billboard said "pubic" instead of "public" schools. The letter "L" had been left out of the word public. Lee MacMillan of South Bend said his wife spotted the error...

SOUTH BEND — An Elkhart man was placed in handcuffs Monday and threatened with 230 days in jail after he refused a judge’s order to remove his fez. According to police reports, the 56-year-old man was attending a court hearing Monday for his son in St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John M. Marnocha’s courtroom when court staff asked the man to remove his fez. The man refused, saying it was his constitutional right to wear the fez – a tall, round hat usually adorned with a tassel – and refused to take it off. Workers inside the courtroom said the...

I got this from a friend. Apparently you can help pay down the national debt voluntarily with your credit card or checking account. Even has an online form to do it from the comfort of your home in your pajamas. For any of your liberal friends that feel they don't pay enough in taxes, send them this link. Looks legit.

Just got back from the tea party and had a great time. I would guess we had about 2 to 3,000 people. I finally met jim rob at the end. Overall it was peaceful and not the angry mobs that people think of us. I have never been to anything like this before and had a wonderful time. If anything it was just nice to be around like minded people who share the same beliefs and values. I dont have any pics of myself, but if anyone was there I was the young jewish kid walking around with the american...

SOUTH BEND — The West Side Democratic Club in South Bend is cleaning up after someone vandalized the building. Police say someone spray-painted gang signs on the side of the building. They also vandalized a picture of President Obama. Local leaders don't want to dismiss this latest case as kids being kids. They say this isn't the first time they've had someone vandalize the building, but they want to make it the last. “This is a war,” said Councilman Oliver Davis. “They're coming at us and we have to have something to respond back to them. And I think by...

ELKHART — Sen. Barack Obama stopped in Republican territory Wednesday with a town hall meeting in Elkhart, where he talked about his plan to turn the economy around. Multimedia RAW VIDEO: Obama talks with local media RAW VIDEO: Sen. Evan Bayh's introduction RAW VIDEO: Obama's speech at Concord HS RAW VIDEO: Obama Q&A part 1 RAW VIDEO: Obama Q&A part 2 Related Content Obama pokes at McCain over tire-pressure issue Obama focuses on energy, economy at Elkhart town hall meeting Festive atmosphere prevails for those awaiting Obama PHOTO GALLERY: Waiting for Obama PHOTO GALLERY: Obama Arrives Obama leads McCain nationally...

MERRILLVILLE (AP) — Police were seeking a man suspected of robbing U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky outside a Merrillville supermarket. The 12-term congressman from northwest Indiana was robbed about 9 p.m. Friday as he was walking alone with groceries to his car. "I was putting my grocery bag on the back seat when I was grabbed from behind. I never saw it coming," Visclosky said Saturday. The man demanded his wallet and keys. He escaped with about $10 in cash and Visclosky's credit cards. The credit cards have since been canceled. Visclosky did not believe the robber realized who he was....

A warning on a small tractor that reads "Danger: Avoid Death" has been chosen as the nation's wackiest warning label by an anti-lawsuit group.The Wacky Warning Label Contest, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Novi-based Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch as part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels. Kevin Soave of Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, won the $500 grand prize for submitting the winning label. The $250 second place was given to Carrianne, Jacob and Robby Turin of Greensburg, Pa., for a label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns:...

WSBT) A very dangerous and somewhat new drug is causing police to send a warning to local parents. Investigators say kids are getting high off a drug called Jenkem. The drug, made from fermented feces and urine, hasn't been found in our area yet, but police think it could be here soon. Multimedia Watch The Video Police say Jenkem is a fad they're hearing about from other law enforcement agencies. It starts as an attempt to get high. Captain Robert Hammer Metro Special Operations "It's basically someone taking raw sewage and letting it ferment," explained Metro Special Operations Police Captain...

(WSBT) A repeat offender in Elkhart now faces charges for an eighth DUI. That comes after he hit two cars, including a police squad car. Officers arrested 46-year-old Mitchell Seal Tuesday. He's charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and criminal recklessness. Police say his blood alcohol level was 0.40. That's five times the legal limit. His past seven DUI arrests date back to the 1980s. Police say Mitchell Seal was driving his car Tuesday afternoon on the city's north side. They believe Seal initially crashed his car into another driven by a woman near...

CNN has an interactive map where you click on the fires and they tell you the details. If you click on the various cities, they have a date of the fire starting on the 26th....problem is today is the 24th. Does CNN have a crystal ball or something??

(WSBT) A wounded Iraqi war veteran is working on a rolling memorial to a fellow soldier killed in the Iraq war. A local company is lending a hand to make that dream come true. Indiana Custom Truck Company in LaGrange is working with Sean LaGrange, a Texas truck driver. “On April 9, 2004, I was wounded over in Iraq. I took a direct blast from an I.E.D. and got shot," said Sean McEndree, an Iraq war veteran. While recovering he received a lot of help and encouragement from Sergeant Barry Meza who was in his unit. Meza was later killed...

SOUTH BEND - A man charged in a three-count federal indictment with lying about his citizenship status for employment purposes is free on an unsecured bond. Matthews Kimu was released from custody after his arraignment Thursday in U.S. District Court. He is charged with three counts of lying on a federal form for the purpose of working at local businesses. He is accused of claiming on Jan. 8, 2003; Dec. 22, 2003; and Sept. 5, 2006, to be a legal U.S. citizen or national for the purposes of working in businesses in Mishawaka, South Bend and Elkhart, according to the...

LA PORTE -- A 27-year-old La Porte man died Saturday of an accidental drug overdose less than 24 hours after getting married. Michael Hart Jr. was found unresponsive by his wife, Jami, in their bed around noon Saturday at a home on south CR-350E in La Porte County. The home belongs to Hart’s father. The couple was married Friday. Attempts by The La Porte County Herald-Argus to reach the father and Jami this morning were unsuccessful. La Porte County Chief Deputy Coroner John Sullivan pronounced Hart’s time of death as 5:16 a.m. Saturday. A toxicology test revealed that the cause...

The Porter County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of Wednesday’s fiery crash on the Indiana Toll Road. A spokesperson for Coroner Victoria Deppe told the Chesterton Tribune just before deadline today that the woman has been identified as Hawa Sissoko, 28, of Calumet City, Ill. Sissoko recently immigrated from Mali in Africa, the spokesperson added. An autopsy conducted on Thursday determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force trauma. Witnesses advised Indiana State Police investigators that Sissoko’s passenger vehicle was stopped in the right lane of the Toll Road at the 31 mile marker, just west of...

A day after 36 Mishawaka factory workers were arrested in a federal immigration raid, there are new questions about how some of them were able to get their jobs. Investigators suspect some of those workers may have used fake documents. That stems from another arrest three weeks ago at the Janco Composites plant, where a worker was accused of using a fake Social Security card to get her job. Her case is just one example of something police call one of their most rapidly growing problems. "(Fake ID cards) are easy to come by. For $40-60, you can buy a...