Free Republic

November 30, 2005 -- Two years ago, Kimberly Hill lost her 8-year-old son, Daesean, when he was shot and killed by drug dealers battling over turf on her block. Since then, she has grieved for her son but found solace by holding marches against gun violence in her East New York neighborhood and comforting other parents whose children are killed.Now, one of her son's killers is on trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court. She has attended the trial every day. This week, she said the tragedy of her son's death has only been compounded by news of Officer Dillon Stewart's fatal...

Unwilling to be stymied by foot-dragging on the part of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the state Fish and Game Council is pressing forward with its plan to have a second year of bear hunting in New Jersey.

State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) commissioner Bradley Campbell made it clear earlier this year that he was against a black bear hunt in New Jersey in 2004. The problem he faced was that rules and regulations regarding hunting and fishing are legally within the realm of the independent state Fish and Game Council. And, despite Campbell's opposition, the Fish and Game Council included a second bear hunt in its new game code. The code says would-be bear hunters need to submit their applications for a permit by Sept. 30.

A Pizza Hut deliveryman who police say fatally shot a man on the city's east side Monday night says he acted in self-defense.Ronald Honeycutt, 38, of Carmel, says he had just delivered a pizza at the Oaks Apartments around 11 p.m. Monday when a man approached him with a gun.Honeycutt (pictured, right), who was near his delivery van and had his own gun, fired 15 times at the man, later identified as Jerome Brown, 20, of Indianapolis. Brown was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead."The only thing I can do is protect myself, and if that means...

<p>It's nice to be right every once in a while. Last year, for example, I went to New York City immediately after smoking was banned in bars. I found it an altogether pleasant experience to be able to enjoy a few pints of ale without coming home smelling like I'd just rolled around in a gutter filled with cigarette butts.</p>

SHOCKED six-year-old Leah Lowland checked out a mystery bulge on her Incredible Hulk doll — and uncovered a giant green WILLY. Curious Leah noticed a lump after winning the monster, catchphrase “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” at a seaside fair. And when she peeled off the green comic-book character’s ripped purple shorts, she found the two-inch manhood beneath them. Horrified Leah immediately ran to mum Kim and reported the find. And last night Kim called for a ban on the saucy toy. She said: “A hulk with a bulk like this just shouldn’t be allowed. “Considering the doll...

<p>November 15, 2001 -- Muslim students will be permitted to pray in school during the holy period of Ramadan - with restrictions, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy's office said. The prayers can't disrupt classes or impinge on the rights of other students, said Levy spokeswoman Margie Feinberg.</p>

THE BIONICLES are coming to a McDonald's near you. Lego, the Danish toy maker whose fortunes have sagged as kids switched onto computer and video games and off of build-it-yourself construction toys, is hoping Happy Meals will provide some marketing magic this fall for the toy maker's new line of action figures.A few Bionicles, without the fries, already have invaded my domicile. I can report they are infinitely better than miniature plastic Rugrats. Obviously, they are superior to another sample of molded Disney junk. Still, their timing is a bit off. A spate of recalls of toys distributed by the ...