Free Republic

Three (Republican) county officials were accused of conspiring to file dozens of fraudulent ballots during the 2021 electionsALBANY — Three Rensselaer County officials accused of conspiring to commit ballot fraud were found not guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Wednesday following a two-week trial that delved into the inner workings of the county’s political machinations. The jury delivered its verdict after less than two days of deliberations in a case that federal prosecutors and the FBI had taken more than a year to build. That investigation included interviews with dozens of county employees, information gleaned from...

This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new statewide mask mandate that will take effect on Monday, Dec. 13, citing a rise in case numbers. The mandate requires face masks to be worn in all indoor public places that don’t have a vaccine requirement. “A violation of any provision of this measure is subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation,” Hochul said in a statement. She also added that “local health departments are being asked to enforce these requirements.” But local governments were essentially blindsided by the announcement, and several counties with Republican executives are...