Free Republic

D.C. joins 13 states which serve three meals a day at school – and to the tune of $5.7 million. Officials here have embraced the program because they realize healthy, well-fed kids learn better. “We're reaching 10,000 kids a day at 99 of our 120 schools," said Anthony Tata, Chief Operating Officer of D.C. Public Schools. That's about 25 percent of the student population. And another big benefit of the after school dinners are that more kids are enrolling in after school programs where they can get some academic help as well. So the dinners are really serving three purposes...

Grandmother, 32, faces fake AMBER Alert charge Friday, November 11, 2005 A 32-year-old Muskegon Township woman has been charged with a misdemeanor after her report of a missing baby and teenage mother -- which resulted in an AMBER Alert Tuesday night -- was proven to be false, authorities say. Christina Faith Petrongelli, of 2535 Friendship Lane, may have been afraid state welfare inspectors were going to take her granddaughter away because of recurring care problems, authorities said. She was arraigned Wednesday before 60th District Judge Andrew Wierengo III and is free on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond. Technically, the charge...