Free Republic

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) argued that “the prices at the grocery store are going up because democracy is being taken away.” And “The impact on you in terms of your health care, 770,000 people in Illinois will lose health care as a result of what Donald Trump and Elon Musk and the Republican Congress are doing right now, it’s a danger to your way of life, and that’s what people need to understand.” Pritzker said, “When you lose, as is happening in my state –we’re losing our meat and poultry inspectors....

A cashier at a Clinton Township, Michigan, Golden Donut shot an alleged armed robber Thursday afternoon around 12:45. The Detroit Free Press reported that the deceased alleged robber was in his mid-30s and that he “entered and brandished what appeared to be a firearm while demanding cash.” “The cashier then shot him,” FOX 2 noted. The alleged robber fled to his car, only to crash due to his injuries. He later died at a hospital. Clinton Township police Capt. Brandon Blake indicated police questioned the cashier after the incident and he was “fully cooperative.”

Days after announcing on social media that he planned to open a music store in Williamsburg, Virginia, John Hinckley Jr. told News4 that his plan had changed. Hinckley — who shot President Ronald Reagan in a 1981 assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton — spent nearly 30 years in psychiatric care before his release. He has lived in the Williamsburg area since then. Hinckley announced his business plans on social media Monday, writing on X, "I’ll be opening a music store in Williamsburg, Va. The address is 455 Merrimack [sic] Trail. Grand opening is in a week or two!" The...

National drugstore giant Walgreens will shutter some 1,200 locations over the next three years as it seeks to stem a $3 billion quarterly loss across its businesses generated by a sluggish U.S. economy. The company forecast about 500 store closures will come in the current fiscal year and should immediately support adjusted earnings and free cash flow, AP reports. Walgreens didn’t say where the store closings would take place. Its shares jumped 5.4 percent to $9.50 in premarket trading on the back of the news, Reuters reports.

CHICAGO — Crash-and-grab burglars targeted the Prada store in downtown Chicago on Saturday morning. It’s the second such burglary in two weeks along that pricey stretch of Oak Street, just off the Mag Mile. Just after 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, four or five people compromised a large display window at the Prada boutique, 30 East Oak. Based on the extent of the damage and the strength of the security glass, they may have used a vehicle to ram their way in.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The owner and an employee of a Near West Side store have been arrested on felony charges, after Cook County Sheriff's police recovered $2.4 million in stolen merchandise they allegedly were selling to customers. Sheriff's police said officers executed a search warrant at the Flee Club store in the 2200 block of West Taylor Street on July 2, after investigators discovered employees were knowingly buying stolen goods and reselling them at the store.

A San Francisco lawmaker introduced a proposal that would require grocery stores in the city to provide six months of notice before closing a store and to explore a replacement supermarket at the vacated location. Dean Preston, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, introduced what he calls the Grocery Protection Act – which is based on a proposal the board approved in 1984 that was vetoed by then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Preston's proposal would require grocery store owners to provide six months written notice to the Board of Supervisors as well as the Office of Economic...

Nordstrom’s flagship store in crime-plagued San Francisco closed its doors for the last time Sunday at a mall where fentanyl “zombies” now roam outside among drug dealers and thieves. Dozens of shoppers were seen over the weekend perusing mostly barren aisles for mementos from the formerly posh department store — which once featured a five-star spa, champagne and caviar bar and live pianist — as cops patrolled outside. “It’s a sad day,” a shopper named Julie told ABC 7 of the store, which was welcomed with much fanfare when it first opened on the corner of Market and Fifth streets...

The owner of a luxury San Francisco department store took out a full-page ad to bash the city’s leadership — warning that rampant homelessness and drug abuse could force it to shut up shop after 166 years. “Gump’s has been a San Francisco icon for more than 165 years,” John Chachas wrote in his open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “Today, as we prepare for our 166th holiday season at 250 Post Street, we fear this may be our last because of the profound erosion of this city’s conditions.” The...

Another retailer is fleeing Union Square in downtown San Francisco — this time, a century-old haberdashery known for its hats, which is leaving what was once one of the most desirable retail locations in America. The departure of Goorin Bros. from its Union Square location is the latest sign that pandemic lockdowns, the shift to work-from-home in the tech industry; soaring crime in the city; and persistent homelessness are having a devastating effect on the city’s downtown. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday: Goorin Bros. boutique at 111 Geary Street went dark on June 23 amid the city’s struggles to...

Another major retailer is leaving downtown San Francisco — this time Coco Republic, an Australian furniture store that is leaving the iconic Union Square less than a year after opening a flagship location there. The ongoing retail exodus from San Francisco follows years of worsening crime, drugs, and homelessness, plus a wave of “mass looting” events that have caused many other retail stores and chains to leave the city. Other reasons include a decline in foot traffic in downtown San Francisco as a result of pandemic restrictions that caused many workers to shift to work-from-home, and many residents to relocate...

Earlier this month I wrote about San Francisco’s flagship Whole Foods supermarket which announced it was closing after just one year because of high theft and security issues for employees who worked there. Today, SFGate reports another store downtown is closing after two decades.Anthropologie, a retailer chain that specializes in women’s clothing and accessories, is closing its location at 880 Market St. on May 13, according to the Anthropologie website. The 880 Market St. location has been a staple of the Union Square retail space, and originally opened there more than two decades ago.Anthropologie didn’t say why it was closing....

Police in Washington state say crafty burglars got away with hundreds of thousands of dollars of Apple merchandise at a mall when they cut through the wall of an adjacent store and snuck in. The Lynwood Police Department said thieves stole more than 400 items worth about $500,000 total from the Alderwood Mall’s Apple Store after they cut a hole through the bathroom wall of the espresso machine store next door, KOMO News reported. The incident happened after 7 p.m. Sunday while the mall was closed. The owner of the espresso machine store said he has not seen anything like...

Despite President Joe Biden’s claims that inflation is going down, American households did not get any relief in the grocery store aisles. The price of food at home jumped 0.5 percent compared with the previous month. Over the past 12 months, grocery prices have gone up 10.1 percent. Some of the biggest increases in food include: Eggs up 8.5 percent from December and 70.1 percent compared with a year ago. Dairy up 0.2 percent from December and 14.0 percent compared with a year ago. Cereals up 1.2 percent from December and 15.6 percent compared with a year ago. Cookies up...

A jewelry store owner shot and killed two of four armed robbery suspects inside his store in Orlando, Florida’s, Magic Mall just before noon on Friday. ClickOnOrlando reports that police indicated four people, “at least one with a weapon,” entered the store. The store owner opened fire when he ascertained an alleged armed robbery being attempted. One of the four suspects was killed at the scene and the other three fled. However, one of the three who fled had also been shot and was pronounced dead upon arriving at a hospital.

EASTON - A 46-year-old Raynham man has now been charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and malicious destruction of property after allegedly crashing his Volkswagen Jetta into a store in Easton that sells Trump merchandise. At 5:10 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, police were called to the New England For Trump store for the crash into the building. Police also want the license of Sean Flaherty revoked as an immediate threat. The crash ruined tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise and has left owner Keith Lambert scrambling to pick up the pieces.

Biden has to pull out notes to answer questions in a store. https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1411429590120140801

'I just thought that Philly was different,' said Steve Jamison, owner of Blue Sole Shoes. 'I thought we would respond in a different way.'PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — A men’s shoes and accessories store in Center City, Philadelphia was looted last summer during the Black Lives Matter riots. Owner Steve Jamison, a black man who started Blue Sole Shoes in 2007, did not see it coming. “I just thought that Philly was different,” he told me. “I thought we would respond in a different way.” Jamison was at home when people first broke into his store on May 31. His alarm company...

A cop’s claiming a chocolate store refused to serve him.And he’s not the only one.On Tuesday, a Seattle policeman visited a cafe called Chocolati.He was accompanied by a trainee.Allegedly (apply that term to the whole of this story), the man just wanted a box of chocolates.Hence, he put in his request.The employee’s response, according to the Post Millennial:“No, I won’t serve you.”The afternoon encounter came courtesy of a “white female with green streaks in her hair” who likely lacks a “Fraternal Order of Police” license plate.Indeed, no box was had, and that’s too bad — after all, the company’s website...

After news of the fatally shootout spread, Williams’ family was quick to say the New Orleans man was not at fault over the weekend. A woman who claimed to be Williams’ mother wrote in a social media post: “He was MURDERED.” Michael Mayer, an executive at Jefferson Gun Outlet, said that Williams attacked the business. He said in a statement: “He walked in our store and was asked by our compliance officer to unload his firearm before entering. He became agitated by the request and pulled his gun out of his pants and started firing.” He added: “Our armed and...