Free Republic

A Florida woman who shot a mom of four dead through her locked front door was once branded a “psycho” by a responding deputy after repeatedly calling cops to complain about the victim’s noisy kids. Newly released body-cam footage shows the numerous instances that Susan Lorincz, 58, had called the police on 25-year-old Ajike Owen over local children playing near her rental apartment in Ocala Lorincz faces a manslaughter rap for fatally blasting Owens June after the spiraling feud over the noise. Critics have argued that the crime is deserving of a murder rap, asserting that Owens was unarmed. “When...

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is expected to lead House Democrats in the next term, pushed back on notions that the caucus is in “disarray” and expressed optimism on Sunday that Democrats will maintain unity in the face of a GOP majority. During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” co-anchor Jake Tapper asked Jeffries about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) telling The New York Times there was “healing that needs to be done in our caucus” after Jeffries emerged as Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) likely successor.

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. The ubiquitous prayers broadcast from mosques nationwide during Ramadan usually fade into the background for those not inclined to join in them. Until one day they don’t. An American expatriate living in Lombok for 15 years apparently reached the end of his rope on Aug. 22, when police say he barged into a late-night prayer session with his shoes on, unplugged a microphone and may have even hit one of the worshippers. Police and witnesses said he was lucky to escape with his life as enraged worshippers chased him, then ransacked his house. Luke Gregory Lloyd,...

Why is it that when the press is allowed into the white house to cover comments being said by the anointed one, you can barely hear the talking due to the extreme clicking and clacking of the (apparently) antique cameras making so much clatter? My gosh - Are these news agencies so broke that they can't upgrade to nice, quiet 21st century DIGITAL cameras instead of 20th century (probably dating back to the '30s or '40s) cameras?

(IsraelNN.com) Hevron resident Baruch Marzel is sick of being disturbed by Muslim prayers, which are broadcast through loudspeakers atop the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Maarat Hamachpelah) and other local mosques five times a day. So the veteran Land of Israel activist has rented his own sound system and says he will play chassidic music 24 hours a day until his Muslim neighbors agree to turn down the volume while praying.

A powerful new combat rescue chopper may be whumping across Tucson skies in the not-so-distant future. The U.S. Air Force recently announced its chosen replacement for the aging HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters now flown from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Starting in 2012, the Pave Hawk's search and rescue work gradually will be taken over by the much larger HH-47, a modified version of the Army MH-47 Chinook now used by special-operations soldiers. "This is a major milestone for the combat search and rescue community, not only at D-M, but worldwide," said Col. Michael Kor-check, commander of the base's 563rd Rescue...

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - It's hard to imagine a tiny, 2-inch frog could cause so much harm. Beloved in its native Puerto Rico, the coqui frog has become a menace in Hawaii, where it suddenly appeared in the 1990s. With no natural predators, such as snakes, to keep their numbers under control, the frogs and their loud "ko-KEE" mating calls have multiplied exponentially — causing headaches for homeowners. Some believe the noisy amphibians could also cause serious damage to Hawaii's economy if they drag down housing prices, which real estate agents say is a distinct possibility. Officials have begun an...