Free Republic

A proposed law set to go before California's Legislature this month would make one of Hollywood's cherished utterances — "You're not on the list" — carry grave new consequences. It's a measure aimed at making the act of party crashing a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. The author of the legislation, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), said crashers at high-profile events like the Academy Awards and other awards shows pose a threat to public safety that warrants a law in addition to the 25 sections of trespassing code already on...

McKINNEY -- Dena Schlosser, who was being retried on a capital murder charge for the killing of her 10-month-old daughter by cutting off her arms, was found not guilty by reason of insanity this morning. Both sides waived closing arguments, and a judge issued the verdict after a brief proceeding. Schlosser, 38, of Plano, is expected to be committed to a state mental hospital for treatment. Police arrested Schlosser in November 2004 after finding her baby dying in its crib and Schlosser soaked in blood, holding a kitchen knife and listening to a hymn. Both sides agreed last week to...

Legal loopholes mean more drunken driving defendants get back on the road in the Coastal Bend, where more than 100 died in alcohol-related car accidents from 1998 to 2001. In the state with the most alcohol-related traffic deaths and a reputation for letting drunken drivers off the hook, the Coastal Bend lags far behind the rest of Texas in drunk-driving convictions. Texas led the nation last year in alcohol-related traffic deaths with more than 1,740. Critics blame lax prosecution efforts, high dismissal rates and weak laws. In Nueces County, the likelihood that a case will be dismissed is more than...