Free Republic

BANGKOK — Chinese rescuers have freed six people from the rubble of an earthquake in Myanmar, including a child and a pregnant woman, Chinese state media reported Monday, placing Beijing at the forefront of an international rescue effort from which the United States has been largely absent. Rescue teams from India, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand and other countries have already arrived in Myanmar. But a U.S. team has yet to appear at the scene of the quake in the Southeast Asian nation, which occurred the same day the State Department informed thousands of employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development,...

A longtime state lawmaker and current candidate for Vermont lieutenant governor has been accused of masturbating in the locker room at the Burlington YMCA. Archambeau said he and another patron saw Flanagan masturbating Friday on a bench between the YMCA sauna and nearby showers. According to Flanagan, the accusation is completely false and on Wednesday, he dismissed the claim but did offer an apology. "If I did anything to offend anybody, I'm very sorry," said Flanagan. The Chittenden County Democrat denies the allegations and told NewsChannel 5 he will not be returning to the YMCA. YMCA President Mary Burns would...