Free Republic

NEW YORK -- A Dutchess County special education teacher has been accused of having sex with a 15-year-old disabled student. Teacher Mandi Weeks, 27, was arrested on Monday in Queens. She admitted to having sex with her student at the Devereux Foundation NY Center for the past month, according to police. Weeks is being charged with two counts of rape with a child under the age of 21 and two acts of acting in a manner to injure a child under the age of 17. The student was in the school’s residential program and lived on campus. He had been...

Curtis Wittwer was somewhat reluctant to see a film about two cowboys in love. The 64-year-old retired state worker, who saw "Brokeback Mountain" with his girlfriend Tuesday night, said he doesn't ordinarily seek out gay-themed movies. Still, he counted five reasons for seeing the film: It's a western, it's directed by Ang Lee, the screenplay is co-written by Larry McMurtry and it's been getting rave reviews. Plus, he was egged on after reading a New York Times piece by Larry David in which the comedian satirically complains that watching the movie could turn him gay. "It was just a beautiful...

Last month, Yeshiva University presented Hillary Clinton with an honorary degree. Commemorating Yeshiva's 81st annual Hanukkah convocation, a 700-strong crowd of students, alumni, and friends assembled on December 11 in a gilded ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in midtown. Yeshiva's president, Richard Joel, and seven trustees escorted New York's junior senator to the podium, surrounding her in a sea of caps and gowns, regaling her with ceremonial pomp. Joel touted Clinton's achievements, singling out not only her "political leadership" on Capitol Hill, but also her "commitment to peace and security for the Jewish homeland." He handed her a diploma and...