Free Republic

Matson, a major U.S.-based cargo shipping company, has announced an immediate and indefinite halt to all shipments of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) across its entire maritime network, citing rising concerns over fire hazards linked to lithium-ion batteries. The decision affects routes between the U.S. mainland, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska, creating massive logistical headaches for both automakers and private owners trying to move EVs across the Pacific. This unprecedented move follows a string of high-profile shipping fires—including the June 2025 loss of the Morning Midas, which sank after a suspected battery-related blaze aboard its vehicle deck. Matson confirmed...

A 26-year-old Wisconsin woman who previously worked at an assisted living facility faces up to two decades behind bars after admitting to filming and distributing a video of herself beating a male patient while he was nude and bound at the ankles. Aymee J. Matson on Monday appeared before Judge Robert Repischak in Racine County Circuit Court where she formally pleaded guilty to one count of false imprisonment, one count of intentionally abusing a patient causing bodily harm, and one count of capturing an intimate representation for allegedly filming her attack on the patient, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show....

Dramatic developments are rocking the campaigns for two of Milwaukee's least dramatic offices: city comptroller and city treasurer. The comptroller's race effectively ended Thursday, the day that Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Supervisor Johnny Thomas with accepting a bribe. Thomas, who had been the front-runner in the comptroller's race, immediately suspended his campaign, leaving Martin Matson, the city's deputy pension director, as the only active candidate on the April 3 ballot. In a single day, a promising political career was derailed and a little-known bureaucrat was virtually assured of becoming the chief financial officer of a $1 billion-a-year local government. The...