Free Republic

On a four-mile rural road eerily nicknamed the Devil's Promenade, just off the old Route 66 in the north-east corner of Oklahoma, a paranormal mystery has puzzled spirit seekers for more than 100 years. The Hornet Spook Light – a mysterious, basketball-sized glowing orb named for the former town of Hornet – has been appearing in the night sky here since 1881. No-one knows what this peculiar, smouldering ball of light signifies, where it comes from or what it's composed of. Even the Army Corps of Engineers have concluded that it's a "mysterious light of unknown origin". It moves, spinning...

Eric Greitens was last among major Republican candidates for Senate in second quarter fundraising, underscoring fears that the disgraced former governor will make Democrats competitive for the seat if he secures the nomination. Greitens’ campaign brought in about $449,000, well behind Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the fundraising frontrunner with $1.3 million. The latest campaign finance filing shows that major Missouri Republican donors continue to view him as toxic after he resigned in 2018 amid multiple scandals, including allegations of violent sexual abuse and blackmail.

Missouri Democrats’ presence in state politics has shriveled to its smallest in well over a decade as the once-purple state turns deeper crimson.

Call it a highly biased opinion hit piece disguised as a news report in the October 19 Kansas City Star. In fact, your humble correspondent had to check the home page of that periodical to make sure it wasn't listed as "Opinion" but, no, it was listed under their "Latest News" section. I am referring to the article (really opinion hit piece) about the October 18 Senate debate in Missouri between incumbent Claire McCaskill and challenger Josh Hawley written by a reporter with a looooong history of over-the-top liberal bias, Melinda Henneberger. Her blatant bias becomes all too evident by the second paragraph...

Former University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe, who resigned from his post amid protests over the school's handling of racial matters on campus, sent a confidential email to supporters last week complaining about the incident. In the email, which was leaked to local media, Mr. Wolfe compiled a list of people he believed made it impossible for him to keep his job at the university, including outgoing Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, ex-Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel and the players that joined a strike, and an unnamed "significant Ferguson protester," most likely a reference to Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson....

It looks like the Kansas congressional delegation is moving to the right. It won’t be easy. Kevin Yoder, Lynn Jenkins, Mike Pompeo and Tim Huelskamp, Republicans all, are already thought to comprise the most conservative delegation in the nation. But observers from both parties said last week that the potential of tea party primary challenges, coupled with ambition and conviction, may have led the four to conclude it’s impossible to be too conservative in 2014 Kansas. “That’s exactly what they think,” said Bob Beatty, political science professor at Washburn University in Topeka. “In Kansas, there’s less and less fighting between...

Newsroom layoffs at The Oregonian have topped 35 reporters, editors and photographers today as the paper reduces home-delivery days and cuts staff. Among the more prominent names WW has confirmed The Oregonian has laid off are editorial columnist David Sarasohn, environmental reporter Scott Learn, and Multnomah County reporter Dana Tims. Many staffers have begun posting their own layoff announcements on the web. Sports reporter John Hunt wrote this morning on Twitter that he is flying home after being laid off with a phone call in Omaha, Neb., where he was covering the Oregon State Beavers baseball team in the College...

ST. LOUIS • Congressman Todd Akin has dramatically narrowed the lead of Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri’s nationally watched Senate race, according to a new poll. But the poll — commissioned by the Post-Dispatch, News 4 and the Kansas City Star — also indicates that Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment in August continues to affect the race. McCaskill still enjoys a significant gender gap, and three-quarters of her supporters call Akin’s comment “somewhat” or “very” important to their decision. The results show McCaskill leading with 45 percentage points to Akin’s 43 points among likely voters. That’s within the poll’s 4-point margin...

Moran for U.S. Senate Current Republican congressman Jerry Moran is the choice to be the next senator from Kansas based on his experience and record. Yoder for U.S. House, 3rd District Republican Kevin Yoder, who is leaving the Kansas House, is quick-witted and thoughtful, giving him the edge to take over the seat being vacated by longtime congressman Dennis Moore, a Democrat.

By Noel Sheppard | January 3, 2009 - 14:09 How would you like to wake up New Year's day to read an opinion piece in your paper's entertainment section equating the United States of America to Nazi Germany and depicting Iraqi insurgents as being akin to a little known group of Polish Jews who rescued over a thousand people from Hitler's concentration camps? That's a great way to start the New Year, dontcha think? Well, the good folks at the Kansas City Star seemed to miss the inappropriateness in such sentiments during the holidays when they published "Is WWII In...

Sitting at a computer keyboard, posing as 14-year-old girls, law officers have been going after child predators for several years. Now they’re using their high-tech methods with a new target in sight: child pornographers. Authorities say a growing number of people are creating, distributing and possessing pornographic photos of children. Child pornography has become easy to get on the Internet, with children as young as 3 and 4 years old being photographed. “Way back when, you had to know someone who knew someone” to obtain child pornography, said Sgt. Mike Pfannenstiel of the Johnson County sheriff’s office. “And now it’s...

Which would you find more desirable in your community: a group that advocates to abide by U.S. law, or one that advocates to break U.S. law? Well, leave it to an American newspaper to present a story as if a member of a group that advocates for America is a less desirable person in the community than a member of a group that promotes ideas against America. In a story on the La Raza Council's threat to move their annual convention out of Kansas City, Missouri, the Kansas City Star has labeled the patriot group The Minutemen a "militant group"...

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts pledged in his confirmation hearing to seek agreement among the Supreme Court's nine justices. And like President Bush's second nominee to the court, Samuel Alito, Roberts said he would respect legal precedents set by previous courts. So much for confirmation promises. As it wraps up its second term, the Roberts court is sharply divided, with justices on the losing end of a string of 5-4 rulings expressing their frustrations from the bench. Roberts, Alito and their conservative brethren have overturned legal precedents without so much as an explanation. The result, made clear in rulings handed...

Now, you might be asking yourself. What does Joe Posnanski has to do with Greg Gunderson? Well, Joe Posnanski wrote an article along with pictures (note: pictures in paper version only) called "Racing Reunites Deaf Men." It's a story about Jason Curry who is the president of sComm, Inc with his UbiDuo communication device; Jason's friend Greg Gunderson, a Gallaudet University alumnus, who is vying for a spot on the Racin for a Livin reality TV show...

Jason and engineers spent three years testing the device, working and reworking the design, and interviewing deaf people for ideas. When the prototype was done, Jason needed some people to test it. He contacted Mike McConnell, perhaps the nation’s best known deaf blogger. Mike said he knew the perfect guy. He wrote: “Do you know about Greg Gunderson, who is trying to become the first deaf NASCAR driver?” --- When Greg clicked on the “Driver Wanted” message, he was taken to a Web site for an upcoming reality TV show. The show would be called “Racin’ for a Livin,’ ”...

STEIN REPORT XXXXX Thursday, March 13 2003 11:37:01 ET XXXXX REP. GRAVES INTRODUCES IMMIGRATION TIME OUT BILL “Rep. Sam Graves announced Wednesday a plan to temporarily halt immigration to the United States, igniting intense criticism from groups representing the immigrant community,” the Kansas City Star reports. “We find we have a country where we have 8 million illegals amongst us, where we have 314,000 ordered deported by courts that can't be found, 1,000 al-Qaida operatives and sympathizers in the country somewhere, and we have no idea what they're doing," said FAIR spokesman David Ray.

Posted on Sun, Dec. 22, 2002 `The Two Towers' fails to follow best instincts of Tolkien's trilogy By JOHN MARK EBERHART The Kansas City Star When a reader walks into a cinema, he walks hand in hand with risk. Hollywood has a spotty record in adapting books to the big screen. Anyone who saw John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany get minced up into "Simon Birch" knows what I mean. Before this diatribe officially begins, let me be clear: I think Peter Jackson's version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" is excellent -- which makes me wonder how in...