Free Republic

Tens of thousands of New York City residents have fled the Northeast for warmer climes in a five-year period — taking nearly $14 billion worth of income out of the Empire State. A new report by the nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission found around 30,000 Big Apple dwellers moved to Florida between 2017 and 2022, many of them ending up in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The report chalked up the mass migration to factors including lingering effects of the pandemic, as well as general affordability, quality-of-life concerns and safety. The city has seen a reduction in its adjusted gross income...

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plans for the Empire State to go green are going south as local communities refuse to build massive battery plants that would store wind and solar energy. One upstate town where a top state official leading the state’s anti-fossil fuel push just voted to ban construction of the plants — and one New York City politician has already called to pause any new sites for the facilities. “We called for — and still support — a moratorium on these [Battery Energy Storage System] facilities almost two years ago,” said Vito Fossella, borough president of Staten Island, where...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed trapped residents of the Pacific Palisades for failing to evacuate from the advancing fire on January 7 — apparently not realizing that they were stuck due to government incompetence. The Los Angeles Times has produced a video documenting the chaotic response to the Palisades Fire, including the haphazard evacuation, which was the result of poor planning and communication by local emergency services. At 14:14 in the video, corresponding to five hours and twelve minutes after the start of the fire, the narrator notes: “Governor Gavin Newsom is unhappy with what he’s seen on a tour...

A new lawsuit filed by more than 700 residents of East Palestine, Ohio, makes the first wrongful-death allegations in connection with the 2023 derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in the village. In the lawsuit, 744 current and former East Palestine residents make several allegations against Norfolk Southern, the railroad that operated the train, including civil conspiracy, negligence and nuisance. It also alleges seven people died “as a direct and proximate result of the incident and the negligence, recklessness, and other wrongful acts of the Defendant.” The plaintiffs accuse Norfolk Southern of improperly cleaning up after the accident, also arguing that...

Former ‘Million Dollar Listing’ star and Los Angeles real estate agent Josh Altman said Friday on Fox Business Network’s “Varney Co.” a lack of adequate home insurance was the main reason 70% of Pacific Palisades residents won’t return. Guest host David Asman said, “I heard a figure 70% of Palisades residents would not return after the fires there. What does that mean for the county?” Altman said, Yeah, David, thanks for having me again. I want to preface that statement and explain it a little bit. They’re not gonna not return because they don’t want to return. Of course, they...

As deadly wildfires continue scorching their way through Los Angeles and the surrounding area for the second straight week, homeowners are worried about the prospect of defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of the unprecedented disaster were offered some reprieve from the nation’s major lenders. On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled mortgage assistance and relief options for customers reeling from the historic Southern California fires. Both government-backed corporations are offering 12-month forbearance plans, meaning that struggling homeowners could either reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year without incurring late fees, foreclosure, or other...

Based on data from U-Haul involving 2.5 million moves, South Carolina topped the list of states people relocated to across state lines in 2024, knocking Texas off the top spot. Texas had topped U-Haul's list for three consecutive years prior to 2024. South Carolina and Texas were followed by North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. Indiana, which was ranked No. 27 in 2023, jumped to No. 8. Oklahoma jumped 30 spots from No. 41 to No. 11. Colorado had the largest drop, falling from No. 9 in 2023 to No. 40 in 2024. California topped the list of states with the...

Residents in Seattle, Washington, plan to stop tipping as a minimum wage hike in the Democrat-run city looms. The city’s minimum wage is supposed to go from $19.97 to $20.76 an hour on January 1, the Daily Mail reported on Friday. Tipping workers on top of the approaching hourly rate hike does not appear to be a popular idea with some residents who have said they will no longer be shelling out the extra money for workers. The Mail article continued: One user who shared a Reddit post on the wage hike, which has picked up steam in the local...

While residents of western Connecticut were cleaning up from deadly floods this past August, Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes slurped down oysters, pampered herself at a pricey salon and traveled to Martha’s Vineyard and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago — spending nearly $13,000 in the process, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show. The three-term incumbent flew to the Windy City just as her home state was hit with a severe storm on Sunday, Aug. 18, which caused more than $206 million in damages to bridges, roads, businesses and homes due to flooding, mudslides and landslides. More than 100 residents were...

Mass illegal migration has been tough on the finances of small cities and towns throughout the U.S. So, many of these towns are raising property taxes -- through the roof. South Portland, Maine, which has seen a mass influx of illegals flown in by the Harris-Biden administration, has raised its property taxes for residents 25% in the last five years as a result. Some have seen hikes as high as 60%. Spending for illegals and their NGO "services" keeps piling up, always going higher than the previously promised budget for them.

Three Brooklyn residents were bound and beaten up by a group of greedy goons in a violent home invasion where thieves stole watches, handbags and $20,000 in cash on Thursday, cops said. The four bullying bandits broke through a front window of a house in Bensonhurst near 20th Avenue and 78th Street then zip-tied three residents and snatched the loot around 4 a.m., according to authorities. A 34-year-old man was pistol-whipped and a 41-year-old man was punched multiple times in the face during the terrifying encounter, police said. The robbers — all wearing dark clothing — also tied up a...

New York’s City Council is set to vote Thursday to authorize a controversial a task force to study reparations for black residents — a move that could lead to a call for billions in tax payer spending, as it has in other cities. The city legislation would charge a nine-member task force with examining the “impact of slavery and past injustices for African Americans in New York City” and determining what, if any, monetary or nonmonetary reparations are necessary. Minority Leader Joseph Borelli (R) told The Post he would leave the city before he paid reparations. “I’ll move before I’ll...

HOUSTON, Texas -- Federal aid is now available to residents and business owners affected by Hurricane Beryl in 15 Texas counties. The video above is from a previous story on July 10, 2024, before FEMA individual assistance was granted. In a news release, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said individual assistance was added to Texas' federal disaster declaration after officials assessed homes damaged by the storm. Patrick is serving as governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is on a pre-planned trip to Asia.

Hartford, Connecticut’s, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam (D) is denouncing residents of a predominately black community for arming themselves to fight violent crime. The New York Post reported the residents, approximately 40 in all, are calling themselves the “Self-Defense Brigade.” The armed residents patrol the streets of their neighborhood at night and keep an eye on homes and businesses via drones. The brigade was founded by Cornell Lewis, who told FOX News, “The Democrat machine in Hartford is either unwilling or unable, incapable, of doing it, and people are paying their tax dollars, and they’re not really getting any kind of service....

Life was better in the Bronx when former President Donald Trump was in office, and Democrats have “used” them, some Bronx residents told Fox News in a series of interviews ahead of Trump’s historic rally in the Bronx. Fox News spoke to residents in the Bronx ahead of Trump’s Thursday rally, and there appeared to be a consensus: They are not happy with the way things are going under President Joe Biden’s leadership. One individual told Fox News it is 50-50, as some love Trump and others hate him, but he added that Trump is “better than Joe Biden.”

The Upper East Side, once known as the Silk Stocking District, has embraced cotton scrubs — but not everyone’s thrilled about it. CBRE cited growing demand for healthcare services, especially for those over age 75, for the tony area becoming the “central node” in the Tristate region’s health sector, according to a new report by the company. Five major new hospital and medical projects are rising amid the upper-crust neighborhood’s fancy homes and shops — and three more enormous, highly controversial ones are proposed. New leases and expansions for health facilities in Manhattan totaled nearly 5.4 million square feet since...

An increasing number of Massachusetts residents have indicated that “migrants/immigration” is the most important issue for state leaders to address. A CommonWealth/GBH News poll conducted between March 21 and 29 by the MassINC Polling Group, surveyed 1,002 Massachusetts residents about which issues they felt were the most pressing in their state. The poll had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Unnerved residents of America’s wealthiest town are volunteering to have their multi-million homes burglarized as part of a new police sting operation, after a spate of break-ins. Lavishly leafy Atherton, California — home to NBA superstar Stephen Curry and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt — has seen ten residential burglaries so far this year, prompting local cops to launch a new “bait home” initiative. The average property in Atherton –– roughly 35 miles south of San Francisco — runs more than $7 million, making it the priciest zip code in the country and well ahead of second-place Miami Beach. Atherton...

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the city’s decision to scale back migrant services by consolidating shelters to save millions of dollars. The plan involves closing one shelter per week over the next month to reduce the budget deficit by nearly $60 million. Johnston emphasized that no one will be kicked out, but rather moved to other shelters.

The city of San Francisco has issued a formal apology to Black residents for systemic racist and discriminatory policies over past decades. The board of supervisors for the city in a unanimous vote approved a resolution offering the apology. “This historic resolution apologizes on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants for decades of systemic and structural discrimination, targeted acts of violence, atrocities as well as committing to the rectification and redress of past policies and misdeeds,” supervisor Shamann Walton said. The resolution identified actions including redlining, the razing of the Fillmore neighborhood and policies...