Free Republic

Country music artist Spencer Hatcher, his father Michael Hatcher, and Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson addressed the violent murder of Spencer's mother, Holly Hatcher, a beloved teacher and the death of the man responsible for the crime. In a joint video statement, Hutcheson and the Hatcher family shared a timeline of events leading up to the violent attack that claimed the life of 62-year-old Holly, and left her 65-year-old husband, Michael, injured. The suspect, identified as Kevin Moses Walker, 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, was killed during the incident after Michael Hatcher retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and fired a...

MAQUOKETA, Iowa -- Authorities said four people are dead and a triple-homicide investigation is underway at Maquoketa Caves State Park today. Mike Krapfl, special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said members of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department responded at 6:23 a.m. to reports of gunshots at the park's campground. A DCI press release states that Jackson County deputies and the state agency were notified at that time of a triple homicide. Law enforcement officials located three people dead at the scene, though Krapfl could not confirm their cause of death. He said officials still were...

A heavily armed 20-year-old man, who appeared to be planning a potential attack, was found dead at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado, Fox News reported. The body was found by the park officials on Saturday morning just before the facility was set to open its doors to the public, according to Fox News. The man had allegedly breached the park’s security with an array of weapons, including an AR-style rifle, a handgun, and explosive devices. The man was reportedly clad in tactical clothing and body armor.

President Joe Biden in December began working to replenish the 180 million barrels he sold last year from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Nearly six months later, he still has zero barrels to show for it. Biden's Energy Department on Monday announced its intention to purchase up to three million reserve barrels as a "continuation" of the president's "replenishment strategy." So far, however, that "strategy" has seen the Democrat fail to purchase a single barrel of reserve oil. The administration first tried to purchase three million reserve barrels in December, when Biden kicked off his "plan to replenish the SPR." One...

Five people have been trapped 200 feet underground for more than 24 hours at the Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona after an elevator at the tourist attraction malfunctioned, authorities said Monday. The five tourists became stranded inside the country’s largest dry caverns — where there is an underground hotel suite and restaurant — at sundown Sunday, Coconino Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jon Paxton told NBC News. The individuals have medical conditions that prevented them from climbing 20 flights of stairs to reach above ground in Peach Springs, Paxton told Fox News. The stairwell is similar to an old fire escape, compounding...

The visitors weren't confined in an elevator car; rather, they have the run of the caverns and an adjacent hotel suite while they await a suitable ride to the surface in Peach Springs, Arizona, said Coconino Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jon Paxton. The malfunction was discovered about sundown Sunday, and the group was unable to use a stairway system described to be similar to an old, external fire escape, Paxton said. The caverns are equipped with a six-person hotel suite and food service, and the group was put up for the night by the hotelkeepers, he said. The suite lists for...

The Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM), a project dedicated to the study and preservation of the subterranean waters of the Yucatan peninsula, said the 216-mile (347km) cave was identified after months of exploring a maze of underwater channels. Near the beach resort of Tulum, the project found that the cave system known as Sac Actun, once measured at 163 miles, is actually connected with the 53-mile Dos Ojos system. In a statement, GAM said for that reason, Sac Actun now absorbs Dos Ojos. GAM director and underwater archaeologist Guillermo de Anda hailed the discovery as an 'amazing' find. He also said...

Hello fellow Freepers. First, I want to apologize to those in my ping list that I didn't find a time to post the pics or let everybody know that I'm back for almost 3 weeks. I could make excuses of being getting caught in the work, etc, but I won't do that. Anyway, I hope my Picture treat of my trip to Mammoth Cave and other Caves in Kentucky in late August/Early September will be enjoyable as the trip was immensely enjoyable for me. I'll post in a few batches, so more to come on this thread. Historic Entrance to...