Free Republic

Join me on a journey through historic Philadelphia as I visit the final resting places of seven signers of the Declaration of Independence -- the men who put their names on one of the most important documents in American history. Along the way, I'll explore the lives, sacrifices, and stories behind these remarkable Founding Fathers and the places where they were laid to rest. I'll also visit the grave of Betsy Ross, whose story has become deeply intertwined with the American Revolution, as well as the graves of two other signers of the U.S. Constitution. From churchyards tucked away in...

A home care company that former Upper Darby treasurer Mohammed “Danny” Sayduzzaman has described as the only one of his businesses that is profitable has seen its Medicaid payments grow more than tenfold in five years, according to state records. Despite that robust growth, Upper Darby Township has not been able to produce a business registration for it. In addition, all three shareholders New Hope Home Care lists in its application to the state — Sayduzzaman, Kutubul Alam and Mst Hosneara — are named in federal tax liens totaling about $357,000. One lien, against Sayduzzaman and his wife, Tanzina Hossain,...

In a recent appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room on Tuesday, Tiffany Justice discussed Pennsylvania mail-in/return ballot numbers. Tiffany is a Senior Advisor for Citizens Alliance and also co-founded Moms for Liberty. She is a very smart and eloquent speaker, someone you listen to whenever you see her on a show you like. Tiffany had good news for Republicans from Pennsylvania: Tiffany Justice: "The GOP returns are already higher than at this point in 2022. So, the GOP share of returned ballots has reached 25%. As of August 19th, 2022, it was just 20%. So things are looking really good...

Cracks may be starting to appear in Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2028 White House bid, a lawsuit provided to On The Money shows. **SNIP** Yet if any of the allegations in the whistleblower lawsuit I just reviewed are even partly true — and yes they are just allegations — there are questions whether Shapiro is ready for the primetime political proctology exam he will experience if he does run in 2028. The suit doesn’t name Shapiro as a defendant but he looms large in the litigation that takes aim at the state and agencies where the alleged whistleblower worked. Filed...

The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet rising energy demand, including from large-scale data centers. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that takes one out of service, though some reactors have restarted after long outages. The Department of Energy is lending as much as $4.4 billion to restart the Palisades Power Plant in Michigan, the Crane Clean Energy Center on Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island and the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa to restore a combined 2.25 gigawatts of electricity, which...

Pennsylvania State University is recommending the closure of 47 undergraduate programs across its various campuses, including 11 programs at its flagship campus in University Park. ... The affected programs represent 11.5 percent of the 403 undergraduate programs that are offered across all Penn State campuses, affecting 784 students, equal to about 1.1% of Penn State's overall undergraduate population. The 11 programs flagged for closure at the University Park campus are professional photography (BDES), geobiology (BS), geosciences (BA), elementary and kindergarten education (BS), middle level education (BS), world languages education (BS), information sciences and technology (BS), security and risk analysis (BS),...

Only in Philadelphia does a political rally weeks ahead of the midterm election feature the former president, the governor, the mayor, and the Eagles’ head of security. That was the lineup Monday night at the Democratic City Committee’s annual fall fundraiser at Live! Hotel & Casino in South Philly, where hundreds of party members and elected officials mingled and speakers celebrated former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady as he marked 40 years leading the party. It was one of former President Joe Biden’s only recent appearances to rally his party ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election, when Democrats are hoping...

Eric Lewis, the man charged with killing Philadelphia Officer Shane Seiber and wounding his partner in an ambush attack on Saturday, told investigators he opened fire because the officers were white.

The crazed killer in a mass murder-suicide in Pennsylvania was a grandfather who slaughtered nine of his own loved ones, including his young grandchildren and a daughter days away from giving birth again, according to horrified relatives. The 45-year-old suspect, who has yet to be fully identified, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in the family home in Erie late Friday, with the murder weapon beside him, officials told Erie News Now.

Multiple people are dead after a shooting in Pennsylvania that occurred Friday night, according to local news reports. “I have not seen anything like this in my 28-plus years,” Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said. “I’m not sure that the city of Erie has ever seen the loss of life and the devastation that we just witnessed.” The suspected gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Witnesses told police they saw someone firing a weapon before authorities arrived. Police described the scene as horrific and said they currently do not know what led to the deaths.

On Friday, nine people, including two children, were found dead following a shooting on the 700 block of Perry Street in Erie. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah called it a "horrific loss of life."Officers first responded to the 700 block of Perry Street around 5 p.m. following 911 calls reporting shots fired. The situation escalated into a standoff that ended when the Erie Police Department SWAT Team breached the residence.Witnesses observed a man firing a handgun at two women outside before entering the home at 722 Perry Street. Police discovered the suspect dead inside with what appeared to be a...

President Donald Trump openly encouraged Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania to switch parties and become a Republican just weeks before the midterm elections could reshape control of Congress. “I’d love to see him as a Republican,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday as he returned to Washington from a rally in Tennessee. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.” The comments were among the most direct overtures by Trump to woo Fetterman into the GOP, a matter of growing importance as the party could lose its Senate majority in next month’s...

In a stunning move, a federal judge on Tuesday referred Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for federal criminal investigation to determine whether he should be charged with conspiracy or obstruction of justice in his efforts to overturn a murder conviction. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, a George W. Bush appointee, said testimony from the DA's staffers described conduct by Larry Krasner and his top deputy, Matthew Stiegler, as "troubling." Larry Krasner and his attorneys are now being accused of committing crimes, such as suborning perjury, after they received a court petition to overturn a 2009 second-degree murder conviction. Dennis...

Florida Democrat Gubernatorial candidate David Jolly went on the record last week openly “begging” national Democrats to pour money into his race against Republican Byron Donalds. However, Jolly made a habit of staying in Ritz Carlton hotels in at least six separate cities with donor funds during his campaign, according to campaign finance disclosures. Jolly has stayed at Ritz Carlton locations during campaign travel in Miami, Washington, D.C., Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, and New York City. Average room rates range from $500 to over $1,200 during peak times in most of the locations in which Jolly has stayed. X user...

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, drew backlash from a former colleague for leaving James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, off her list of endorsements Monday. Talarico, who beat Crockett in the party’s Senate primary earlier this year, was not among 14 candidates supported by Crockett’s Feuling Individual Rights Everywhere (FIRE) PAC. To former Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., who served three terms in Congress, the list is clear evidence Crockett is putting personal reservations over the party’s success in the Lone Star State. “F— her. That’s all I can say. And that statement has nothing to do with...

A big developer that’s desperate to build a data center near a Pennsylvania town has reportedly offered to pay every family there $10,000 – but most are still pushing back, part of a nationwide trend of opposition to such sites. While seeking approvals for a data center project in the Pocono foothills, Northpoint Development sent letters to the 10,460 residents of nearby Hazle Township this summer, offering to write a check to each household to spend on “whatever you want.” Totaling $45 million, the payouts would be a substantial boost for many residents of the town, where the average household...

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman cast the deciding vote for a resolution that would've directed President Donald Trump to withdraw armed forces from Iran. Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the War Powers Resolution on Thursday. The resolution was rejected by a 49-50 vote. Republican Sen. Dave McCormick also voted against the resolution Thursday. Fetterman has publicly supported the war in Iran from the get-go, but an increasing number of Republicans have opposed it. On Thursday, three Senate Republicans voted in support of the resolution. If the resolution passed, it would require Trump to receive congressional approval before continuing...

One of the men who was wounded in the attempted assassination of President Trump at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died. In a statement on behalf of his family, Jim Copenhaver's lawyer confirmed the "devoted" husband, father and grandfather died on Wednesday, two years after he was "gravely wounded" during a shooting at a Trump rally. Coppenhaver died "from complications stemming from those wounds," Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. In a statement, his family's lawyer said, "James's dedication to this great country was a defining part of his life. As a veteran, he proudly served our...

A Pennsylvania man who survived gunshot wounds during President Trump's Butler campaign rally two years ago has died, sources confirmed. James 'Jim' Copenhaver, 76, died on Wednesday after surviving the terrifying rally that saw Trump shot in the ear on July 13, 2024. Copenhaver endured permanent 'life-altering' injuries after he was shot twice at the infamous rally; once in his left arm and again in his abdomen. The native of Moon Township, around 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, was in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh before he was left numb from his knee to his hip. Joseph Feldman,...

Our low-budget Pittsburgh Pirates have locked themselves in to their first 50% win season since 2018 . . . with three games to go. Even though they are out of the playoffs, they could actually finish the season better than two American League teams still contenting for a playoff spot. Isn't this progress?