Free Republic

A 67-year-old Yuba City woman was shot and killed by officers when she pointed a shotgun at them and refused to put it down, Yuba City police said Friday. snip A U.S. Census worker "had been confronted by residents who pointed a firearm at the worker and said they would not answer any questions and closed the door," said police spokeswoman Shawna Pavey. When two male officers arrived, 51-year-old Lionel Craig Patterson answered the door, armed with a handgun, police said. "As officers were dealing with the male, a female approached the door with a shotgun and ignored officers' orders...

Raleigh, N.C. — A judge in Wake County said three Raleigh children need switch from home school to public school. Judge Ned Mangum is presiding over divorce proceeding of the children's parents, Thomas and Venessa Mills. Venessa Mills was in the fourth year of home schooling her children who are 10, 11 and 12 years old. They have tested two years above their grade levels, she said. Her lessons also have a religious slant, which the judge said was the root of the problem.

Fort Bragg, N.C. — The first lady is coming to North Carolina. Michelle Obama is expected to tour Fort Bragg on Thursday and will meet with military spouses and speak to community organizations that provide support to soldiers and their families, according to the White House. "We held a roundtable for military spouses at Fort Bragg," Obama says in her biography on the president's Web site. "It felt like the first time that many of these women had even been asked how they were doing."

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — There will be no Christmas trees this year at the two main libraries at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports trees have been in the lobby of the Wilson and Davis libraries for years. Michalak said she eliminated the displays after getting questions and complaints from employees and library users about the Christian display.

~ A Baby's Hug ~ We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of...