Free Republic

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has died at 58 years old after a battle with brain cancer. Mutombo’s career spanned from 1992-2009, and featured eight All-Star appearances and four Defensive Player of the Year awards. “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”

John David Ashton, the actor who starred opposite Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop,” has died at the age of 76, reported TMZ on Sunday. A rep for Ashton told the outlet that he passed on Thursday in Ft. Collins, Colorado after fighting cancer. The Springfield, Massachusettes native appeared in over 200 screen and stage productions during his 50-year career, including three out of four installments of “Beverly Hills Cop” beginning in 1984.

A new study has showcased the most popular beers across the United States based on internet search data, highlighting regional preferences. While some household names top the charts, the analysis by health research company Innerbody.com, which used Google Trends data, revealed some surprising state-by-state favorites. The top three most popular beers in the United States are: Corona Bud Light Modelo Corona is the most popular overall, leading in numerous states, especially in the South. States like Alabama, Florida and Georgia showed a preference for the Mexican beer, demonstrating its appeal far beyond its home country. On the West Coast, Mexican...

Barry Williams is getting real about the past relationships and hook-ups shared between his “Brady Bunch” co-stars. “We all hooked up with each other at some point,” the 69-year-old actor told Us Weekly. “Not necessarily while we were filming.” “I dated Maureen [McCormick], and Chris [Knight] dated Eve [Plum] and Michael [Lookinland] and Susan [Olsen] had a little mock wedding at one point. So, yes, we all hooked up,” he added. While Williams said the “hook-ups” were solely among the younger stars, he did have a “teenage crush” on his TV mom, the late Florence Henderson.

Tucked perfectly between Louisville and Lexington in the heart of Bourbon Country, Frankfort is a friendly little town that’s known for being home to three major bourbon distilleries. For folks setting out to explore the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which includes 46 distilleries spanning across six regions, this is a must-stop destination largely because it’s the home base of Buffalo Trace Distillery. About The Boat-Based Bourbon Tour A road trip is the usual method of transportation for people looking to experience the trail, but a boat ride makes a serious case for being the most fun way to traverse the...

A 64-year-old US woman this week became the first person to use a “suicide pod” to end her life — and several people have been detained in Switzerland over the death. The woman, a Midwesterner who was not named publicly, died Monday afternoon in the portable, 3D-printed chamber called a Sarco, short for “sarcophagus” — and dubbed the “Tesla of euthanasia” — near the Swiss-German border, according to the assisted-suicide group Exit International. The woman suffered from “severe immune compromise,” the group said. Switzerland is one of the few countries where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives through...

We all have our go-to grocery store for everyday needs, and America has spoken about its all-time favorite of 2024. Each year, USA Today releases its 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for various categories, including the best grocery stores in the U.S. Nominations are made by a panel of experts, and the 10Best editors select the finalists. Readers then get a chance to vote for their favorites, and this year, it may surprise you which grocer came in the lead. Best Grocery Store in the U.S. in 2024 Hy-Vee was voted the top grocery store in America in 2024 by USA...

Brett Favre revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in a congressional hearing on welfare accountability Tuesday. Favre testified at the hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee in the wake of allegations he was part of a scheme to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) state funds for personal projects. The quarterback told lawmakers that the scandal has hurt him in various ways, and suggested his Parkinson’s diagnosis was caused by concussions during his playing career. “Sadly, I also lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought...

A storm could be-fall us. Colorful leaves and cooler temperatures aren’t the only thing autumn is potentially bringing. Meteorologists predict that Earth could be blasted by a geomagnetic storm on Wednesday due to its timing with the autumnal equinox. A coronal mass ejection (CME) — when plasma and magnetic particles burst forth from the sun’s surface — occurred on Sunday, the same day as the official start of fall, Space.com reported. It reportedly occurred when a sunspot called AR3835 unexpectedly spouted an M-class solar flare — something scientists hadn’t predicted as said sunspot had appeared stable.

I bought my first ETFs of DJT (the flag ship corporation of Truth Social) months ago at over $30.00. Despite Trump's rise in the polls, two assassination attempts, and loads of revelations about his new opponent's shortcomings, the stock price has slid from that high to $11.75, and each time it slid more, I doubled down and bought more at the cheaper price, which is bogging down my limited portfolio. Now it's finally going up, and at the start of business today rose by about 75 cents and is still rising. One possible explanation is that some rich, powerful person...

There were a few cracks at the expense of former governor and one-time presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo in the capital this week. His former girlfriend Sandra Lee — once tipped as future First Lady — was in D.C. in her new role as the member of the White House Historical Association’s Board Council. And she spent the evening at the landmark at a dinner celebrating a new exhibit. An insider snickered to Page Six: “At least one of them made it to the White House.”

The cost of living is up, prompting a growing number of Americans to flee big cities and opt for small-town life instead. A tiny, tight-knit community might seem like heaven to those who want a slower pace of life, but that doesn’t mean that smaller towns are sleepy, cultural wastelands. Many towns across the country offer the same top-notch amenities found in larger cities—they just come with a more laid-back, know-your-neighbors vibe at an affordable price tag.

Saving for retirement is a huge challenge. Knowing where you stand in comparison to peers can help to gauge whether your efforts are on track, or whether tweaking your approach is in order. Recently, Vanguard looked at 2023 account balances by age in its defined contribution plans. Vanguard then calculated both the average balance and the median balance for each age cohort. The average balance can be skewed by those with higher levels of wealth. So, in some ways, the median balance — the number midway between the high and the low — can be a more accurate measure of...

Many plan to work well into their 60s or even 70s, thinking they can compensate for years of undersaving. But according to recent surveys, retirement may come earlier than expected for many Americans – whether they're ready for it or not. The average retirement age in the U.S. is about 62 years old, even though most workers expect to retire around 67. In fact, more than 56% of retirees left the workforce earlier than they planned, according to a Transamerica survey. So, what's causing this gap between expectations and reality?

The mom of the 14-year-old alleged Apalachee High School shooter is now facing charges of abusing her own mother. The New York Post reported that Marcee Gray was indicted for allegedly abusing Deborah Polhamus. WSB-TV noted that Gray’s specific charges are “exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult or elderly person, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property in the second degree, and theft.”

An ambitious effort to understand the Earth’s climate over the past 485 million years has revealed a history of wild shifts and far hotter temperatures than scientists previously realized — offering a reminder of how much change the planet has already endured and a warning about the unprecedented rate of warming caused by humans. The timeline, published Thursday in the journal Science, is the most rigorous reconstruction of Earth’s past temperatures ever produced, the authors say. Created by combining more than 150,000 pieces of fossil evidence with state-of-the-art climate models, it shows the intimate link between carbon dioxide and global...

Autumn is prime time for enjoying ales and lagers, and there's no shortage of fall beers waiting to be tapped—be it while watching a football game, reading up on IPA beer history, or raking leaves (we'd also recommend hoisting lager steins at your local Oktoberfest bash). Fall’s cooler weather welcomes a bounty of fall beers. There are plenty of heartier styles suited for taking off the chill and pairing with that bubbling pot of chili. Stouts, porters, and nitro beers are once again fair game, and coolers swell with fleeting releases such as fresh-hopped pale ales and pumpkin everything. We...

I'm not making fun of it but these guys certainly are. I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the memes that have been going around the Arab and Iranian world after the recent Israeli, uh, attacks on communication devices. I'm granniopteryx...

Grammy-winning artist Stevie Wonder recently announced a 10-stop tour across the U.S. ahead of Election Day, now less than two months away. The concert tour — dubbed “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart,” will kick off in October, according to an announcement. “Now is the moment to understand where we are and what it will take to win: win the broken hearts, win the disenchanted, win the angry spirits — now is the time,” Wonder said last month, during an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when Vice President Harris was confirmed as Democrats’...

Joe Germanotta — the father of Lady Gaga and a prominent New York City restauranteur — has publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump, saying he supports Trump’s policies regarding the economy, the border, and policing. In an appearance on Fox & Friends on Thursday, Joe Germanotta also slammed Kamala Harris, saying she will “say whatever she needs to say to get elected.” He also blasted Harris for the “invasion” of illegal immigrants that has occurred under her watch. Germanotta is the owner of the restaurant Joanne Trattoria, located on New York’s Upper West Side not far from Lincoln Center. Since...