Free Republic

Burglars have been raiding yachts and houseboats in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary in a surge one resident compared to the pirate movie "Captain Phillips." They steal anything of value, then either sink the ships or dump the remnants of plundered boats miles away in the Oakland Harbor or along its shorelines, said Dan Hill, who lives on his boat like many other families in the 800-foot waterway. Each "attack" can cost the owner thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, Hill said.

The Freedom Foundation is proposing a rule change that would prevent the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from evicting houseboat residents. Last October, the agency threatened to shut down two Olympia area marinas, Martin and Westbay, if they did not evict the houseboat residents that lived there by Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.

Marquette, a luxury 'river city' worth 109 million dollars, would reportedly cruise on America's waterways all year round, bringing back memories of the Mark Twain era. This kind of floating communities were a common sight on the Mississippi in the 19th century, which used to ply up and down the mighty river and develop trade in the process. But now such a view can also be witnessed in the 21st century. The five-deck Marquette will be a floating village with swimming pools, restaurants and its own 18-hole golf course. It also includes 180 apartments, each with a private balcony, the...