Free Republic

In Virginia Lee Burton's classic 1939 children's book "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel," Mulligan often boasted that his steam shovel, Mary Anne, "could dig as much in a day as a hundred men could dig in a week, but he had never been quite sure that this was true." By the end of the story, Mulligan never gets the chance to prove his boast because electric, diesel and gasoline shovels have taken away nearly all of Mary Anne's work. Still, he finds an ingenious way for the old steam shovel to remain useful. When Burton wrote those words, she...

SPRING BROOK TWP. — In the wake of a fiery Schuylkill County crash that killed a Pennsylvania state trooper this month, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) reiterated his support for a proposed law aimed at preventing people in the country illegally from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses. Michael Bon, 33, of Brockton, Massachusetts, faces felony vehicular homicide and other charges after his tractor-trailer veered off Interstate 81 early on July 1 and caused the crash that killed Trooper Michael Pahira. Pahira, a 20-year state police veteran, was conducting a routine commercial inspection in Cass Twp. Bon, who was issued a CDL...

The Graham Platner scandal in Maine goes beyond the Nazi tattoo, the rape fantasies, the allegations of domestic abuse, and Jenny Racicot’s rape claim, which ended his campaign. Now, the Democratic Socialists of America are urging their candidates to never work with Morris Katz, Platner’s top aide, or his firm in future elections. Katz isn’t a DSA member, but the drama surrounding Graham Platner's inevitable downfall won’t end when he files his paperwork to quit before the July 13 deadline, something Katz says he will do despite delays on the matter (via The Intercept). Members of the Democratic Socialists of...

A mother who was vacationing at a Minnesota lake is accused of trying to kill her daughter after the two argued over a cell phone. Court documents obtained by Law & Crime allege Jasmine Marie Laws, 35, of Baltimore, threw her 15-year-old daughter’s phone into a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. The daughter went into the water to get the phone, and when she retrieved it, she got into an argument with Laws. Laws allegedly struck the daughter first, with the daughter allegedly retaliating by grabbing Laws’ hair. The two continued to fight, and Laws allegedly put the daughter...

Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. was killed Wednesday while conducting safety inspections on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. Michael Bon, 33, is facing charges of homicide by vehicle and related offenses in connection with Pahira’s death. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Bon is in the U.S. illegally from Haiti and holds a commercial driver’s license from Massachusetts. The department said Bon was admitted into the U.S. as a parolee in 2024 and filed an application for temporary protected status, but it was never granted. In 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued Bon a notice of termination of parole,...

Hours after Buffalo officials raised a foreign flag over U.S. soil to commemorate Somali independence, an unknown individual jumped into action and removed it. A report from Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan claims that “vandals broke the [flag pole] access panel, cut the cable and removed the Somali flag during the overnight hours.” Ryan has set the Buffalo Police Department onto the case to find and prosecute the “vandals,” claiming that his city is “diverse” and “committed to honoring and celebrating the many cultures that make [Buffalo] stronger.” If you believed that might include a celebration for American independence, you would...

The Minnesota Board of Pardons on June 10 pardoned a man convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl, according to a New York Times report. The three-person state board, which includes Gov. Tim Walz, pardoned Tou Lue Vang, from Laos, a week before he was set to be deported. Vang was convicted in 2005. Vang had pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual conduct in a plea deal that prevented him from serving prison time, the NYTimes reported. The pardon means that Vang can now fight the deportation. NEW: DHS is accusing MN Gov. Tim Walz of trying to shield a Laotian illegal...

A state lawmaker was booted from the House floor after declining to remove his American flag-themed jacket. Such sartorial conflicts, believe it or not, have a long history in Harrisburg. Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Westmoreland County, was seen roaming the Capitol on Tuesday wearing a red-and-white-striped blazer and a blue tie with white stars — a motif that he said was to commemorate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. But after entering the House chamber, Davanzo said he was told by a security staffer that “the Speaker is going to ask you to leave or take...

I used to love New York City. You could go there and walk around, unmolested, and enjoy the sights and sounds the city had to offer. Now, the aroma of urine and weed permeates the streets like a poorly ventilated cigar bar on its busiest night. There is no real punishment for crimes short of murder. Walk into a Duane Reade, a pharmacy and convenience store chain owned by Walgreens up there, and you will see less security than in a bank. As leftists insist, “People need to steal to feed their families,” you can’t help but notice that the...

After Gov. Josh Shapiro said Pennsylvania would not participate in President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, the state’s two U.S. senators have announced that the Keystone State will be represented. Sens. Dave McCormick, a Republican, and John Fetterman, a Democrat, said in a joint statement on Saturday that they struck agreements with several Pennsylvania groups to give the state a “strong presence” at the fair on the National Mall and a “showcase worthy of its singular place in our nation’s history.” The senators said they were coordinating the effort with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins with the involvement...

Two ceremonial flags were filched from a Northampton Township community flagpole on Wednesday night. Palmer Township police are searching for the person who stole Juneteenth and LGBTQ Pride flags from a flagpole outside the Easton Area Public Library Palmer branch overnight Wednesday. Surveillance footage captured an individual lowering the two flags and fleeing the scene. Police said the thief deliberately concealed their identity. “This was not just vandalism; it was an attack on our shared civic space. The township condemns this theft in the strongest terms,” it shared in a news release. The flags had been raised during a ceremony...

YORK, Pa. — The York Revolution announced it has canceled its scheduled Thursday game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after several players refused to wear the team's planned Pride Night jerseys. In a statement issued late Wednesday, the club said the decision was made with “great disappointment” and that tickets for the June 18 game will be treated as a rainout and may be redeemed for any future 2026 regular-season home game, subject to availability. "Unfortunately, several of our players have refused to wear the scheduled Pride Night jersey and the club decided that hosting the event is more...

Karmelo Anthony—his first name sounds like some off-brand 99 Cent Store nougat confection—is going to prison for 35 years, and he is relatively lucky. He is lucky he does not live in a society that treats monsters appropriately. A civilized society does not tolerate his brand of sociopathy. It executes such criminals—not only as righteous retribution and not only as an example to others, but as an act of societal hygiene. For a millennium, Europe hanged, beheaded, or otherwise dispatched about 1 percent of its male population every year for various crimes, and you know what? After a while, there...

HARRISBURG — Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, states have become the primary battlegrounds for fights over expanding or restricting access to abortion. This November, Pennsylvania voters will choose between candidates for governor who have radically different positions on what the commonwealth should do. Pregnancies can be ended in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks gestation, a deadline tied to the concept of viability that was introduced in Roe. Abortions can be performed after that cutoff if a pregnant person’s life or health is in danger. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is a vocal supporter of...

BALTIMORE — Video captured the arrests of two people Thursday by federal immigration agents outside a school in Southeast Baltimore. The arrests were recorded by bystanders on video that some may consider disturbing. The video shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents trying to put a man in handcuffs in the parking lot of a building on Fait Avenue that's currently being used as a temporary home for Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School. WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to ICE for comment about this incident and received a response shortly after 9 p.m. from Acting Assistant ICE Secretary Lauren Bis,...

Sen. John Fetterman and his possible future U.S. Senate colleague Graham Platner are both Democrats, but that’s not keeping them from trading profanity-laced barbs. During a town hall on Sunday, Platner — the frontrunner in Maine’s Democratic primary on Tuesday — was asked about forming relationships in the Senate if he were eventually elected. Platner chose to compare himself to Fetterman, who has frustrated Democrats with his constant criticism of the party, frequently on Fox News, and his support for President Donald Trump’s nominees and policies, such as the Iran war. “As you can all probably tell, I got a...

DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa (WHP) — A local baseball team is hoping to raise money for a 14-year-old player and his mother critically injured after a DUI driver allegedly crashed into them going 100 mph. Landon Walker was in the car with his mother Stephanie on May 30 when Chandra Basnet crashed into the pair in the 5800 block of Linglestown Road, officers said. According to the Linglestown Baseball Association on Monday, the two are both in critical condition. On Saturday, May 30, 2026, tragedy struck one of our own. In a horrific accident caused by recklessness, our Teener B Grey...

Hersheypark visitors shielded their children and hid under tables during a wide-scale fight on opening day in April, police said in court documents released Tuesday. The rollercoaster Skyrush also had to come to an emergency stop during the April 3 series of fights, Derry Township police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause charging Quaneek Williams, 18, with riot, a felony, and other charges including assault and failing to disperse. Williams, of Lemoyne, was one of 55 people between 12 and 19 years old charged in connection with the brawl. Fifty-two of the defendants are minors and have not been...

Once again, a YouTuber is making headlines for doing something incredibly stupid. This time, it also happens that their actions are unbelievably evil to boot. Jesse Ridgeway, also known by his online alias McJuggerNuggets, and his wife made the fateful decision to murder their child in the womb simply because their child would’ve been born with Downs Syndrome. “As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family,” Ridgeway said about murdering his child. “Thankfully, we had a choice. It will take a little time to move on, but we...

Swatara Township Police on Thursday filed charges against three adults and three juveniles in connection with a brawl that broke out at Steelton-Highspire’s pre-prom walk last month. The fight started on May 22 at the Steelton-Highspire High School campus as friends and family gathered to take pictures and videos of prom attendees. Three juveniles, whose names and ages were not included in the police report, were also charged with disorderly conduct. A fourth person had not been identified by investigators as of Thursday. One person remains unidentified after Steelton-Highspire pre-prom fight Police are asking the public for help in identifying...