Free Republic

It’s a sad day for fans of true crime television in general and groundbreaking show Homicide Hunter in particular. Lieutenant Joe Kenda, whose matter-of-fact delivery and dry humor helped turn the show into an international hit, has announced that Homicide Hunter Season 9 will be the show’s last. According to Kenda, the decision to end Homicide Hunter was surprisingly easy — if not easy to actually make — and stems from simple math. We once speculated that Homicide Hunter could easily continue into its 20th season, given the number of cases Kenda worked while a member of the Colorado Springs...

Most former police officers don’t enjoy a retirement that involves any kind of celebrity, much less one that has yielded a signature wine inspired by their catch phrase, a book deal, and an annual namesake cruise to the Caribbean. But such is now life for 71-year-old Lieutenant Joe Kenda, whose Investigation Discovery series Homicide Hunter has made him a bona fide true crime star. Kenda’s perch atop the roster of programming on the decade-old true crime powerhouse ID is secure (if not completely natural) in a lineup that includes Wives with Knives, Deadly Women and Stepford Lives of Stepford Wives....

New applications for unemployment benefits sank by 37,000 last week to 391,000 to mark the lowest level since April, but a government official suggested the surprising drop may have stemmed from a variety of "technical" issues...

GOP's Solyndra probe threatens to ensnare Energy Secretary ChuBy Andrew Restuccia - 09/29/11 05:00 AM ET The controversy over a $535 million loan guarantee to the now-bankrupt California solar firm Solyndra is threatening to dim the star of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a physicist and Nobel Prize winner who has rarely been thrust into the political spotlight. Republican lawmakers have set their sites on Chu, who for three years has managed to avoid being dragged into a litany of political battles waged by Republicans and the White House on energy and environmental issues. The GOP has for weeks lobbed a...

JAY CARNEY, WH Press Secretary: "They don't give a lick about the day and time: ED HENRY, FOX News: "Why doesn't he give a speech from the oval office tonight saying here's my plan?" CARNEY: "He wants to speak before Congress because he recognizes that while there are things he can do without Congress, and he will do them, there are actions that need to be taken with Congress that require legislation to grow the economy and create jobs. And he wants to go to Congress, speak directly to members of Congress, and layout his proposals."

Taking the 'Victory' Out of City's Victory Parades By THOM SHANKER ASHINGTON, May 3 — Charles Lindbergh, John Glenn and Norman Schwarzkopf were among those who led triumphant processions along lower Broadway's Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan, where throngs also greeted American forces after World Wars I and II. New York's mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, looking for a reprise, wants to hold a mammoth parade to salute veterans of the Iraq war with ticker tape and cheers. While Bush administration officials say they welcome the offer, they also say they worry about how such events may be perceived around the...