Free Republic

"People here in future years are going to hear about how this land was stolen from the Native Americans," Illinois GOP Chair Bob Grogan told Fox News Digital outside the center last week. "But, underneath, you should all be reading into this, that it was actually stolen from the citizens of Illinois, not from the Native Americans." The criticism stems from a yearslong legal and political battle over the transfer of 19.3 acres of Jackson Park public land to the Obama Foundation under a 99-year agreement requiring the one-time $10 payment. Critics also argue that what was originally presented as...

George Santayana famously said that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. The same is true for judicial overreach. Those judges who yield to the temptation to counter policies that are not to their liking are likely to repeat such excesses of power. That is why the recent decision of U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston is so concerning. While there are good-faith reasons why some have objected to the removal of slavery and climate change exhibits from national parks and monuments, this is not about the merits but the authority to make such changes. Kelley’s recent...

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to restore all signs that were changed or removed at national parks across the country as part of President Donald Trump’s controversial directive last year. In a scathing 63-page ruling on Friday, Judge Angel Kelley wrote, “Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths.” Kelley, an appointee of President Joe Biden, ordered that the restoration be complete by...

The world seems intent on locking Gen Z down. As children, they were given smartphones and iPads which taught them to see the world through a screen, rather than with their own eyes. As tweens and teens, their schools were shut down, sending them into the solitude of Zoom classes in their bedrooms. And now they’re being shut out of communal spaces. In Albany, unaccompanied teens are getting categorically banned from bowling alleys, roller skating rinks, and even grocery stores — sending them onto the streets or back to their screens for entertainment. “Our culture keeps complaining about kids addicted...

Soccer mega-fan Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an emergency order that will block events including some concerts and food festivals from city parkland during the FIFA World Cup. The city Parks Department adopted the rule at the request of the NYPD, denying new permits for special events on park property during the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19. The directive could block any events with 20 or more people that require the special permits which could even include birthday celebrations at the Big Apple’s 100 featured parks. NYC Parks said it adopted the rule denying or restricting “special...

FORT WORTH, TX – The Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition filed a federal lawsuit on March 27, 2026, challenging the ban on carrying firearms inside buildings operated by the National Park Service, including visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee collection facilities. The lawsuit, Zimmerman v. Bondi, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. It targets 18 U.S.C. Section 930(a), the federal law that prohibits knowingly possessing a firearm in a federal facility, as applied to buildings within national parks. The suit also challenges a regulation that allows individual park superintendents to...

The National Park Service is removing NPS signs and exhibits that negatively promote or expound upon derogative American history, false science, imaginary climate change postulations, and other cultural tomfoolery. Thank you, President Trump.

The Department of the Interior announced a series of changes Tuesday for America the Beautiful passes, which cover entry and amenity fees at over 2,000 federally managed areas, including the country’s national parks. Among the differences visitors can expect beginning in 2026 are new digital passes, original artwork featuring President Donald Trump and “America-first” prices that will see international visitors paying steeper fares. A mockup of the new design does away with the traditional images of scenic vistas or species like bighorn sheep and instead shows Trump beside a painted rendering of George Washington — a bold choice that has...

The Obama library — which isn't a library — has ballooned to a construction cost of more than $615 million, up from the original estimate of $300 million when the edifice was proposed in 2019. As 2024, the estimate had soared to $615 million, with the cost adding up to a whopping $615,674,047. But according to the Chicago Tribune, other estimates have already placed construction costs past the $700 million mark. Along with these massive cost overruns, the Barack Obama Presidential Center has had a very troubled history already, and it hasn’t even been completed yet. Originally, the Obama Center...

The legend of Brighty the Burro of the Grand Canyon excludes the whole truth. During a winter when some tourists were stranded at the Grand Canyon and were out of food, they killed Brighty and ate him. This factual omission is typical of Park Service personnel who often try to deceive the public. They now say they did nothing wrong in letting the Dragon Bravo fire burn out of control and destroy the North Rim. Far from the truth. The Park's superintendent and every single one of the honchos who let that fire get out of control are criminally negligent...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will restore two sprawling national monuments in Utah that have been at the center of a long-running public lands dispute, and a separate marine conservation area in New England that recently has been used for commercial fishing. Environmental protections at all three monuments had been stripped by former President Donald Trump. The White House announced the changes Thursday night ahead of a ceremony expected Friday. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, expressed disappointment in Biden’s decision to restore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments, which the Trump administration downsized significantly in 2017. The monuments...

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) led a letter to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler and Director Haoxiang Zhu, seeking information on a proposed rule change to permit the listing of Natural Asset Companies (NACs) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

There will be no after hours at Devils Tower National Monument. The monument abruptly announced Tuesday that, starting Thursday, the monument is no longer open 24/7 and will only be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The change was announced on the Devils Tower Facebook page. The monument, usually open 24 hours a day, will be closed overnight. The National Park Service (NPS) has not provided a reason for the sudden change, and Cowboy State Daily couldn’t reach anyone at Devils Tower National Monument for additional clarification. That includes more information about whether that includes camping at the...

Executives at the Walt Disney Company are reportedly worried that soaring prices are alienating families from its theme parks, with internal surveys showing a decline in guests who are planning return visits to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The price of attending a Disney park has skyrocketed in recent years, with the typical price of a four-day stay inside the park rising by $1000 between 2019 and 2024, a new study conducted by The Wall Street Journal showed. The vast majority of that increase — nearly 80 percent — comes from new charges for services that were once free. This...

Decisions made contrary to the wolf plan and comments from the First Gentleman raise concerns.. Colorado ranchers and lawmakers have questioned how Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are making decisions about wolves since the animals were introduced to the state starting in December. Concerns have peaked in recent months, however, as wildlife officials have gone outside of recommendations in the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, and have raised questions about whether Gov. Jared Polis is calling the shots on wolves. Sen. Dylan Roberts — who represents Senate District 8, which has been the epicenter of Colorado’s reintroduction efforts — asked...

The three teens who are accused of kidnapping, murdering and eating a New York town's beloved swan, Fay, for dinner last week were refugees from Myanmar, The Washington Free Beacon reported. The swan and her four babies were kidnapped from Manlius swan pond in Manlius, New York, last Saturday. Eman Hussan, 18, and his two accomplices were charged with felony grand larceny and criminal mischief. Hussan was seen smiling proudly at reporters when police took him into custody. The three criminals are refugees from Myanmar and attend high school in the Syracuse area, Manlius Police Sgt. Ken Hatter told the...

More than 20,000 Haitians are now living in Springfield, Ohio and the residents are fed up. Springfield has a population of about 60,000 people and Haitians now make up 25% of the population. Democrats want to take back Ohio so they have flooded parts of the state with Haitians and other illegal migrants. The City of Springfield held a City Commission meeting last week and angry residents went off on them for doing nothing about the Haitians wreaking havoc on the community and draining resources. Residents went off the local government officials for neglecting to keep the city clean and...

Join us in celebrating Stevens Creek County Park’s 100th anniversary by completing the Hike the Hundred Challenge. Rack up 100 points in 100 days! There are 13 curated trails at 12 parks where participants go on a scavenger hunt for our Park's unique findings. ​​​​There are six ways to collect your points: Visiting the park (5 points) - Take a selfie in front of the park sign.Plant (2 points) - ID the plant and take of picture (careful not to touch if its poison oak or thorny!)Building (2 points) - Take a picture of the chosen building.Structure (2 points) -...

Not too long ago, Gavin Newsom got caught with his hand in the cookie jar of political cronyism. In response to a draconian law passed raising fast-food worker wages to $20 an hour, known as A.B. 1228, Newsom carved out a little exemption for his friends at Panera Bread on the laughable grounds that these establishments bake bread on the premises. In reality, the owner of several Panera establishments was a high school buddy who was a really good donor to his campaigns. Once caught, Newsom backed off, but right when he thought no one was looking, he went right...

In 2010, President Obama signed a credit card bill he desperately wanted. Inside the bill was an amendment removing the provision against exercising Second Amendment rights in national parks. A few people were offended. How dare the Constitution be allowed to be in effect in national parks! Some writers have claimed while it is legal to carry guns in most national parks, it is illegal to fire guns in the park (such as Yellowstone), even in self-defense. From yellowstonepark.com:Yes, you can carry a gun in Yellowstone. But it’s illegal to fire it – even in self defense. And once you...