Free Republic

'Nude isn't lewd': World Naked Bike Ride returns to Madison this June The 12-mile ride is a protest against oil dependency — and a statement that every body has a place in public. MADISON, Wis. -- Whether you love it, hate it or just tolerate it, the World Naked Bike Ride will return to Madison later this month. Organizers said the ride will begin at 11 a.m. on June 20. Madison is one of dozens of cities holding a ride worldwide. Organizers expect 160-200 people to join this year's event. The annual ride serves as a protest against oil dependency...

An anti-ICE rioter who allegedly sank his teeth into federal law enforcement officers during a protest at Delaney Hall last week was previously accused of distributing child pornography. The New Jersey US Attorney’s Office charged Brendan John Geier, 26, with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, for allegedly “kicking and biting” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers outside the Newark detention center, leaving them with “horrific wounds,” according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Geier, of Madison, NJ, was previously charged with sexual abuse of children related to the dissemination and possession of child pornography, the Justice Department confirmed...

There seems to be no shortage of crazy passengers on commercial flights these days. A United Airlines flight heading to Minnesota on Friday was forced to make an emergency landing in Wisconsin after one of the passengers aboard allegedly tried to get into the cockpit. This was according to audio from air traffic control. The flight departed from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday evening and landed in Madison, Wisconsin, instead of Minneapolis for security reasons surrounding the out-of-control passenger. Flight tracking data showed that the plane landed approximately 90 minutes after takeoff. Fox News Reported: A United Airlines...

MADISON, WI - Multiple downtown streets are expected to be impacted Friday for an immigrant rights protest. The march segments of the event are expected to start between 12:40pm and 1 p.m. and will originate from three different locations – East High School, West High School, and Library Mall on the University of Wisconsin campus. The marches are planned to end at 2 p.m. on the Capitol Square. Residents are asked to plan for extra time when traveling in the area. All Madison schools are closed as teachers are expected to participate for this event called "A Day Without Immigrants,"...

SCOOP: The Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin sent out a message notifying parents that May 1st classes will be canceled so teachers can join anti-ICE protests Your students are forced to lose out on their education so teachers can be left-wing political activists. SHUT IT DOWN

Behind Madison’s reputation as a “best place to live” are some ugly realities of life in Wisconsin’s capital city — from skyrocketing rents to deteriorating lake health to a stalled-out legislature. We’re putting the spotlight on the public health crises, environmental hazards and transportation headaches shaping life on the isthmus. But cataloging the “worst of Madison” ultimately comes from a place of love — because you can’t make a city better without first being honest about where it falls short. We’ve Got Drinking Problems Wisconsin’s reputation as one of the drunkest states in the country is a badge many Wisconsinites...

Christine A. Jones, a 61-year-old housekeeping supervisor from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, was shot and killed in a downtown Madison parking ramp last week after being targeted by a former coworker for supporting President Donald Trump. The suspect is her former coworker, 31-year-old Diamond Simone Wallace, who had previously accused Jones of racism because of her support for the president.

Audrey vanished in 1962 after a babysitter said they took a bus from Madison to Indianapolis. She was never seen again, until she resurfaced 60 years later at age 82A woman who vanished 60 years ago has been found alive at the age of 82, leaving her family and authorities stunned. Audrey Backberg, who disappeared from her Wisconsin home in 1962, has resurfaced, claiming she has “no regrets" about her decision. Audrey was just 20 years old when she vanished. Her disappearance led to a frantic search by her family and local police, which eventually turned into a ‘cold...

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department is connecting with protest organizers to ensure peaceful demonstrations this weekend. "It's a very open and fluid conversation just to make sure that we have all the details ironed out," said Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson. Saturday is being called "Day of Defiance" as people in several states host "No Kings" rallies to protest ICE raids along with President Donald Trump's polices. Acting Chief Patterson says the department has been working alongside organizers for days. "We've been in touch with the event organizer on Saturday. There's been great application and back and...

President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, on Thursday. Hayden was informed of the president’s decision through an email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of presidential personnel. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately,” the email said. Hayden was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2016 to serve a 10-year term, which was set to expire next year.

A Wisconsin woman who disappeared more than 60 years ago has been found alive by authorities. Audrey Backeberg left her Reedsburg home in July 1962 when she was 20 years old, a press release from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said. During a review of cold cases earlier this year, a detective reassessed the initial evidence and re-interviewed several witnesses, Sheriff Chip Meister said in the release. Law enforcement departments across the country have been reviewing cold cases with the aid of new DNA technology, including the self-submit websites such as Ancestry.com. As such sites have expanded, so have the...

MADISON, Wis. -- A Florida man who was found to have communicated with the Abundant Life Christian School shooter was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a law enforcement facility. According to the arrest affidavit Damien Blade Allen and the 15-year-old girl who police say opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in December, killing two and injuring six, exchanged messages for months over TikTok. A joint investigation between FBI and US revealed Damien Blade Allen allegedly conspired with other individuals online to commit mass violence. Allen was also arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer. He allegedly...

MADISON, Wis. -- As President Trump addressed Congress Tuesday night, the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda was empty. But just hours earlier, hundreds of protesters filled the building. "We need Trump out of there," said one protester. The group rallied against the Trump administration at large while also singling out issues like reproductive rights, the war between Russia and Ukraine and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency efforts. "Now they're coming after Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. We work for a food pantry and it's going to hurt us so bad." Democratic state leaders urged attendees to take their federal...

It’s an old story: When people are allowed to get their way for too long, when they’re never told “No!” they may get too big for their britches. They may develop a sense of entitlement and even become narcissistic. And proving that judges are no exception are a number of recent court “opinions” designed to scuttle President Trump’s agenda. One disallows DOGE from scrutinizing Treasury Department data.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is withdrawing from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program that relies on information about undocumented immigrants in jail. In an exclusive one-on-one, News 3’s Meryl Hubbard spoke with Sheriff Kalvin Barrette to learn more about what this change means for the county. “At this point, we will no longer be taking part in the SCAAP grant program, and it is due to the recent change in administration and our understanding, listening, and hearing our community here in Dane County,” said Sheriff Kalvin Barrett. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the SCAAP program provides federal...

Exposing the “Hamas Loyalists” who are teaching terror on our campuses.. A paid social media ad campaign launched this week by the David Horowitz Freedom Center is targeting pro-terror “Hamas Loyalist” professors at ten prestigious American universities who choose to promote the ideology of the genocidal terrorist cult, often in direct violation of university policy. The professors targeted in the campaign not only defend Hamas’s brutality—the slaughter of over a thousand Jews, the rape and mutilation of women, the beheading of children—but outright celebrate it as a form of liberation that should be emulated across the globe. Consider San Francisco...

Wisconsin Senate member-elect Dora Drake (D) is pushing for a red flag law in the wake of the December 16, 2024, Madison Christian school shooting. Drake has not explained how a red flag law would prevent a 15-year-old girl–the age and gender of the alleged Madison shooter–from carrying out an attack since such an individual is already too young to legally buy a firearm. Moreover, Drake did not address the fact that California has a red-flag law yet the Golden State led the nation in “active shooter incidents” in 2021 and 2023. Instead, Drake focused on Republicans’ opposition to red...

We all know the old saying "actions speak louder than words." A Madison man is living by that message by taking action to destroy firearms. It's all in an effort to prevent gun violence. Madison's Midvale Community Lutheran Church was the site of Jeff Wild's symbolic action Monday. Wild along with several others, brought a pair of chop saws to the church's entrance to cut up six handguns, one rifle and one shotgun. The action comes just a week after a student at Abundant Life Christian School brought two guns inside, killing a teacher and a fellow student. Wild says...

The gun used by the 15-year-old girl who allegedly opened fire in Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School was purchased legally. Breitbart News reported that the 15-year-old had two handguns with her and WISN noted that Madison Chief of Police Shon Barnes indicated both were legally acquired. Barnes seemed to indicate that police, with the help of the ATF, have learned who purchased them but will not identify said person at this time for the sake of preserving the integrity of the investigation. He made clear investigators are seeking “anyone who may have been involved, who may have had some effort...

Hundreds of students at Madison High School marched to the state Capitol on Friday to demand an “assault weapons” ban after the December 16, 2024, Abundant Life Christian School handgun attack. The Cap Times reported the students chanted “books, not bullets” and “no more silence, end gun violence.” The Wisconsin Examiner quoted the high schoolers saying, “Graduations not funerals.” Once at the Capitol, the students called for an “assault weapons” ban and enhanced background checks. The students did not mention that the alleged 15-year-old shooter did not use a firearm categorized as an “assault weapon” nor did she buy her...