Free Republic

A Drag Queen Story Hour event that was scheduled for later this month at a church in Mountville has been canceled. Christopher Paolini, who performs as Miss Amie Vanité, said that the decision was made to cancel the event after a news article by another media outlet was posted Saturday incorrectly saying the event was a reschedule of the canceled March Drag Queen Story Hour at the Lancaster Public Library. “Hate started piling in with comments and shares on social media,” Paolini said. The church hosting the event, the Vision of Hope Metropolitan Community Church, had posted Saturday on its...

The shooting of a bicyclist along a Lancaster County road in March in a road dispute was justified, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday. The shooting was reported about 4:20 p.m. on March 13, on Fruitville Pike near the intersection with Delp Road in Manheim Township, the DA’s office said. On that day, Robin Megill, 33, of Lancaster, was riding a bike on Fruitville Pike in the lane of travel with multiple vehicles backed up. The driver directly behind Megill beeped their horn, police said, prompting Megill to stop in the middle of the roadway with no...

A Drag Queen Story Hour event at Lancaster Public Library that sparked both protests and an outpouring of support has been canceled after a suspicious package was discovered nearby. "We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances, the Lancaster Pride event: Drag Story Hour with Miss Amie in collaboration with the Lancaster Public Library has been canceled," the LGBTQ+ group stated on social media. "The safety and well-being of our community are of utmost importance to us. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding." Lancaster Pride Director Tiffany Shirley said around 9 a.m....

Amos Miller, an Amish farmer in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, will be allowed to sell his raw milk products out-of-state following a ruling this week by Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle. Attorney and podcast host Robert Barnes, who represents Miller in the case, labeled the decision a “major win” for the farmer. “Court agreed to modify injunction so that it only applies within the state of Pennsylvania removing the ban on sales to customers outside state,” he wrote, thanking Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for their support. ...........

Officials in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recently codified into law city policies that have been in effect since 2019 limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The all-Democrat Lancaster City Council unanimously passed an ordinance last month preventing local police and any city official from inquiring about a person’s immigration status unless it's required by state or federal law or by court order, or reasonably necessary in the course of a criminal investigation. It also prohibits them from providing any information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that could result in civil or noncriminal immigration enforcement actions. Such “sanctuary” policies have been at...

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A German man is charged with having sex with a minor in Lancaster County. Police said Erik Weidling, 20, traveled to East Donegal Township from Germany to have sex with a 15-year-old girl multiple times between Feb. 29 and March 8. A criminal complaint alleges that Weidling knew the girl's age. Police said he was aware of her school schedule and her mother's work schedule, and he would come to the victim's home after her mother went to work. Weidling is facing charges that include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and unlawful contact with...

A California teenager accused of being behind a flurry of swatting incidents across the country targeting schools and the homes of FBI agents has been arrested in connection with a swatting attempt at a Florida mosque last year, according to court documents filed by state prosecutors. Alan Winston Filion, 17, was arrested last month at his home in Lancaster, California, and extradited to Florida on Tuesday, court documents say. He was charged as an adult on four felonies, including charges related to false reporting that triggered law enforcement response. Filion entered a not guilty plea to the charges. He is...

Eighty years ago, on May 16-17, 1943, an elite group of airmen, mostly from the Royal Air Force, but also with contingents from Canada and Australia, took off in nineteen Lancaster bombers from the RAF station in Scampton, Lincolnshire. Their mission was clear: Destroy three dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley, thus taking out the hydroelectric power and the water supply to Germany’s industrial heartland, largely negating its value as a manufacturing center for the war effort. Recognizing their importance, the Germans had heavily fortified the dams, installing impenetrable torpedo nets below the waterlines to guard against an underwater attack, and...

Aviation fans gathered to see a World War Two Lancaster bomber fly over England as a memorial flight tours the country on the 80th anniversary of the 617 Squadron's legendary raids. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is commemorating the Operation Chastise attack on the Nazi Germany reservoirs which took place on the night of May 16, 1943. The 617 Squadron carried out the raid which involved 133 aircrew and 19 Lancaster Bomber aircraft unleashing bouncing bombs to deal a major blow to Adolf Hitler. Large crowds were seen standing with cameras as they prepared to witness the Lancaster bomber...

Although no formal cause of death has been given in the death of singer Aaron Carter, a report suggests an old habit of Carter’s may have resurfaced. Carter, 34, was found dead Saturday in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, California, north of Los Angeles. TMZ reported Monday that police said multiple cans of compressed air were found in the former pop star’s bedroom and bathroom. Prescription pills were also found there, the report said. The site called the report “a big clue.” The last sighting of Carter alive was at 2 a.m. Friday when his housekeeper saw him...

A Pennsylvania judge ordered three counties to count undated mail ballots in their certified results for the primary election, breaking a standoff between those counties and the Department of State. “[T]he lack of a handwritten date on the declaration on the return envelope of a timely received absentee or mail-ballot does not support excluding those ballots from the Boards’ certified results under both Pennsylvania law and … the [federal] Civil Rights Act,” Commonwealth Court President Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer wrote Friday. The ruling marked a significant victory for the state and proponents of counting undated mail ballots, as Cohn Jubelirer...

An under-9's football game turned to tragedy after the coach of one of the teams was shot dead following an argument between parents at the end of the match in Lancaster, Texas. The brother of former NFL star Aqib Talib, Yaqub Talib, 39, is now wanted on charges of murder after he was allegedly involved in the fatal shooting at the children's football game on Saturday evening. Friends and family identified the official who was killed as Mike Hickmon, who coached the Dragon Elite Academy team. It's believed Hickmon was shot three times in front of his nine-year-old son who...

Rayne Barton, 62, didn’t expect that her first visit to the doctor in months would end in arrest, but there she was on July 22, in the waiting room with her wrists handcuffed behind her back. She would not be seeing the doctor that day. Barton, of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, would not leave as requested after she refused to wear a COVID-19 face mask, which is required at Hypertension and Kidney Specialists in Lancaster. Hypertension and Kidney Specialists is an independent practice with an office on the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Suburban Pavilion property. At the request of the office...

A second venue has scrapped plans to host the premiere of a film featuring several prominent right-wing Pennsylvania figures, most notably State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is the Republican candidate for governor. The movie, “Return of the American Patriot: The Rise of Pennsylvania,” was originally scheduled to premiere July 16 at Lititz-area theater Penn Cinema, but was canceled by the venue following pushback from members of the progressive advocacy group Lancaster Stands Up. After Penn Cinema dropped the showing, Steven Turley, a popular right-wing Youtuber who produced the film, announced the premiere would be held on the same date at...

Police in the Delaware city of Rehoboth Beach issued their first citation for not wearing a mask on the boardwalk against a Lancaster [PA] man. According to a statement from Rehoboth Beach Police Public Information Officer Lt. Jaime Riddle, Delaware has opened beaches and boardwalks as of May 22, but with the regulation that face masks are required to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite that, police encountered a “defiant lack of compliance” on Monday from a 56-year-old Lancaster man, Riddle said. Because the encounter was widely circulated on social media, the department received many requests for comment. Riddle explained...

The district has completed the fact-finding portion of its investigation into the drag show event that took place at Hempfield High School on April 25, 2022. As was stated in previous communication, the district is now sharing relevant findings and follow-up actions based on information that came out of the investigation. Below are relevant facts and findings from the investigation, as well as follow-up actions that are currently under review for implementation. Facts/Findings: Building administrators were aware of the event. The club advisors received approval to hold the event. The event was publicized at the high school via Schoology posts...

A standing room-only crowd made up mostly of organized, left-leaning, political activists shouted, “Shame! Shame!” when commissioners in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County voted to remove a ballot drop box placed at the county building on Monday, the day before the primary election.Now, instead of placing absentee ballots in the drop box located just three steps inside the door of the county building, voters will have to walk about 30 steps into the building, from the same door, to get to the Board of Elections office where they will hand their ballot directly to one of the workers.Anyone entering the building beyond...

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – With a week to go in the Pennsylvania Senate race, the leading candidates are pulling out all the stops and bringing in their biggest endorsements to help swing undecided voters. Dave McCormick, who finished third but within the margin of error of leading a new Trafalgar Poll, will be joined by Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Lancaster on May 13. McCormick and Cruz will be at the Listrak Headquarters in Lititz from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to an event invite. Attendees must register to attend the event. McCormick and Cruz will also have...

The Hempfield School District issued a statement Friday apologizing for what has been described by several media outlets as an after-school drag show that was held by the Gay Sexuality Alliance Club at Hempfield High earlier in the week. The district said Friday in a message posted to its website that it was “made aware of a serious situation that took place at the high school on Monday, April 25, after school hours.” District Statement Hempfield School District's statement posted to its website Friday says an investigation is underway. The event reportedly featured dancers in “tight-fitting and revealing clothing with...

A lawsuit has been filed against the owners of Park City Center in Lancaster in connection with last year's shooting there. Lucy and Wendy Mendenhall say they were knocked down and trampled as they tried to escape the shooting scene at the mall. They said they suffered severe injuries. The lawsuit claims Brookfield Properties did not reasonably and adequately combat the risk of violence and gun violence despite a history of crime at the mall. It says the company chose not to implement a specially trained firearm detecting dog or take other security measures, despite knowing the risk of violence....