Free Republic

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina police on Saturday confirmed that several people were injured during a shooting at a Columbia mall. The Columbia Police Department confirmed that shots were fired at Columbiana Centre, WIS-TV reported. Columbia Police Deputy Chief Melron Kelly also confirmed reports of a shooting to WLTX-TV. Update 4:01 p.m. EDT April 16: Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Melron Kelly said multiple people have been shot at the Columbiana Centre, but there are no fatalities reported, according to The State newspaper of Columbia. Eight people were taken from the mall for medical treatment, but it is unclear how...

ST. LOUIS • Former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was found not guilty Friday of murdering a man while on duty. St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson's highly anticipated verdict found a white former St. Louis police officer not guilty of first-degree murder and amed criminal action in the December 2011 shooting death of a black drug suspect after a high-speed pursuit and crash. Activists, with support from some of the city's black clergy, had pledged disruptive protests ahead of St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson's verdict.

Footage from the Newport Centre Mall in New Jersey shows two people attacking each other as security guards frantically try to keep the situation from boiling over. The fight broke out close to a queue of children waiting to meet the shopping centre’s Santa. One shopper, known only as Larissa, told the New Jersey Journal: “I just seen a bunch of flying fists and I seen the securest guards getting punched and anyone that was in the way getting punched.

Nine people have been charged with murder after a row between two high school girls over 'a boy and some racy photos' led to the death of a teenager. Demajhay Bell, 18, was stabbed in the neck by a friend during a chaotic street brawl at the house of one of the feuding girls in Hephzibah, South Augusta. The teenager, who stayed inside for most of the fighting, was wounded in the deadly melee which featured a 50-strong mob wielding baseball bats, knives and pipes last Friday. He died in hospital two days later. . . . Friends and relatives...

For rent: brand new one-bed apartments in the shadow of downtown Dallas, a short walk from one of the city's trendiest areas. On-site concierge. Successful applicants will be homeless, mentally ill and possess criminal records. . . . All for a rent of 30% of the tenant's monthly income - whether it is $1,000 or $10. The only requirement? "Be a good tenant," James says. That means no criminal or disruptive behaviour; but no pressure on residents to immediately go sober if they are addicted to alcohol, for example.

With new immigration proposals, state lawmakers hope to build By MELANIE MASON California lawmakers hope to keep momentum going with new immigration-related proposals Proposal would offer Medi-Cal to people who qualify regardless of immigration status. Democratic lawmakers will unveil a slew of new immigration-related proposals Tuesday, including measures that would extend state-paid health coverage to those in the country illegally and offer more protection against deportation. Legislators behind the 10-bill package aim to build on the landmark immigration laws passed in California in recent years, such as one that allows people without legal residency to obtain driver's licenses. By keeping...

California legislative leaders took a bold step Tuesday toward protecting immigrants living in the country without documentation by backing legislation to offer Medi-Cal and other public services to a population they said they want to help move out of the shadows. The leaders of the California Senate and Assembly joined lawmakers and advocates in announcing the “Immigrants Shape California” legislative package at a press conference in Sacramento, saying the federal government’s inaction on immigration reform forced them to act.

MIAMI, Florida—once again is getting a hefty bonus from the feds “saving” taxpayer’s money. This year, the state’s Department of Children and Families managed to misspent only $47,829,887 in food stamp benefits. That’s out of almost $6 billion the state received from the federal government. Nevertheless, Florida’s error rate of .81 percent the second lowest in the nation, and only a slight dip from the previous year when the state received $8 million for having the lowest in the nation at 0.7 percent. Vermont had the highest waste rate at 9.66 percent, while the national average was 3.2 percent. “We...