Free Republic

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A 17-year-old boy from the Grand Rapids area died after falling from a balcony while on spring break in Florida, authorities say. In a letter to the school’s community, Forest Hills Eastern High School Principal Amy Pallo said senior Anthony Holman died. “Anthony was someone that everyone loved. He had an infectious smile, warm and gentle spirit, and was so kind to everyone. It feels impossible to comprehend a loss like this,” Pallo wrote. Pallo said the school has counselors available for students. “Our sincere prayers go out to the family and friends of the...

Former Trump adviser Roger Stone’s invitation to speak at a Florida GOP group’s annual dinner has been rescinded after he made controversial remarks about former first lady Barbara Bush, who died earlier this week. The Okaloosa Republican Executive Committee uninvited the controversial political strategist from its May 12 Lincoln Reagan Day Dinner. Stone was set to give the keynote address. “It’s tough to lose a speaker when you’re three weeks out, but this is what I felt needed to be done out of respect for Barbara Bush,” committee chairman Mark Franks told local media. “I thought he’d be entertaining but...

Democratic consultant claims he warned party staffers about legality but was ignored. It seems clear at this point that Democrats in Florida were not going to accept defeat in the 2018 midterms and were prepared to do whatever it takes to win, including fraud. In multiple counties, an effort has been underway to “fix” certain mail ballots in the hope that they could turn the tide after the fact. Try to imagine the media’s reaction if Republicans were doing this. Ana Ceballos reports at the Naples Daily News: Democrats planned to use altered forms to fix mail ballots across Florida...

Federal prosecutors in Florida are reviewing date changes on forms used to fix vote-by-mail ballots. Feds discovered the dates were altered by the Florida Democrat party in four different counties, including Broward. “Cure affidavits” are due by 5 PM the day before the election, however prosecutors have discovered these altered documents show the ballots could be turned in on Thursday, one day after the election.

Bronough Street, we have a problem. That problem for Democrats is that Republicans have figured out early voting. The one “ace up the sleeve” for Democrats in Florida has been offset by an aggressive early voting campaign by Republicans. In fact, 7,152 more Republicans have voted early compared to Democrats. When Democrats make small gains in Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough and, yes, Duval Counties, Republicans are making significantly larger early vote gains in Sarasota, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and almost every other Republican-leaning county in the state. Remember when I said at the beginning of the election that the Florida Panhandle was...

By From staff reports Posted Sep. 22, 2015 at 8:40 AM Updated at 9:44 AM 9:32 a.m. Update SHALIMAR—An Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputy was shot early Tuesday outside an attorney's office on Plew Avenue, according to an OCSO news release. The OCSO communications center received a call reporting gunshots at 8:20 a.m. According to early reports, the gunshots were fired outside the Cotton and Gates law firm. Capt. Ryan Christen, spokesman for the Ocean City Fire Control District, said a medical helicopter was called and later canceled. The suspect in the shooting is located in a room at the Comfort...

FORTWALTON BEACH-- A barge with a crane on it crashed into the west side of the Brooks Bridge Thursday afternoon. The impact took down several feet of concrete guard rail and cracked pipes that run under the bridge. The crash occurred about 3:15 p.m. Concrete and water immediately started pouring down into the Santa Rosa Sound. No injuries were reported. The bridge is closed to all traffic until Department of Transportation engineers can assess any structural damage. Two tugboats were on either side of the barge to push it under the bridge. It is unknown if there were any injuries....

DESTIN — Okaloosa County isn’t taking oil spill orders any more. County commissioners voted unanimously to give their emergency management team the power to take whatever action it deems necessary to prevent oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill from entering Choctawhatchee Bay through the East Pass.

DESTIN — Okaloosa County isn’t taking oil spill orders any more. County commissioners voted unanimously to give their emergency management team the power to take whatever action it deems necessary to prevent oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill from entering Choctawhatchee Bay through the East Pass. That means the team, led by Public Safety Director Dino Villani, can take whatever action it sees fit to protect the pass without having its plans approved by state or federal authorities. Commission chairman Wayne Harris said he and his fellow commissioners made their unanimous decision knowing full well they could be prosecuted for...

Two Okaloosa County deputies were shot and killed Saturday afternoon at a gun club near Crestview while attempting to arrest a man on domestic violence charges. The suspect, Joshua Cartwright, 28, of Fort Walton Beach fled the scene of the shooting and was later killed in a shootout with Walton County deputies in DeFuniak Springs, said Okaloosa County sheriff's spokeswoman Michele Nicholson. Okaloosa deputies Burt Lopez and Warren "Skip" York were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital where they were pronounced dead, Nicholson said. "We did lose two very fine men today," said Okaloosa County Sheriff Edward Spooner. "They were both...

CRESTVIEW, Fla. – Two north Florida sheriff's deputies were shot and killed Saturday by a suspect who was later fatally shot by deputies, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. when the two Okaloosa County deputies went to Shoal River Sporting Clays and Shooting Center in response to a call, said Michele Nicholson, a sheriff's spokeswoman. Authorities say the suspect shot both deputies and took off toward neighboring Walton County, where he was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies.

Okaloosa County, Fla: Two Okaloosa Sheriff’s Deputies and the suspect they were attempting to arrest are dead after an incident that started in Okaloosa County and ended in Walton County. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office tells News 13 law enforcement had been looking for the suspect, Joshua Cartwright, 28 of Fort Walton Beach, for his possible involvment in a domestic abuse case. Deputies got a tip that Cartwright was at the Shoal River Gun Club in Crestview. When they arrived and confronted him, investigators say he engaged officers in a shootout.