Free Republic

MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- A mother and her live-in boyfriend are charged with child endangerment after investigators say they kicked her two kids out of the house. The investigation began after a passerby found a 12-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister walking along Highway CC near Niangua. The kids were dragging suitcases, shopping bags and garbage bags full of clothing. They were about a quarter of a mile from their home, scared, crying and hungry. "Thank the good Lord this was someone that wasn't going to hurt children," said Webster County Prosecuting Attorney Cynthia Black, praising the man who picked up...

July 20, 2004 Attorney general adds Shenandoah Valley to list of gang hotspots M-13 has not reached Augusta County yet, officials say By BOB STUART The News Virginian A growing and dangerous Mexican gang has established footholds across Virginia, including the Shenandoah Valley, state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore said Monday. Even though the so-called MS-13 does not have an Augusta County presence yet, area law officers say they are aware of the gang and its alleged recent activity in the northern part of the Valley. The gang has been linked to a homicide and illegal drug activity in Shenandoah County,...

Landlords Stuck With Meth-Cleanup Bills CLINTON, Tenn. - Clifton Moneymaker never imagined his tenants would turn his four-bedroom mobile home into a hazardous waste site. "We had never heard of meth labs," said Moneymaker, a 76-year-old retiree who relies on the $500 a month he got from renting the trailer in east Tennessee. Many rural property owners like Moneymaker are getting stuck with cleanups and liability after government-paid contractors remove the contaminated hardware and utensils used to cook the addictive stimulant. Owners of the affected property bear the costs of tearing out and cleaning carpets, floors, walls and ceilings saturated...