Free Republic

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — After tidal surges and high winds from the remnants of a rare typhoon caused extensive damage to homes along Alaska’s western coast in September, the U.S. government stepped in to help residents — largely Alaska Natives — repair property damage. Residents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading bizarre phrases. “Tomorrow he will go hunting very early, and will (bring) nothing,” read one passage. The translator randomly added the word “Alaska” in the middle of...

It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more than 500 people worked up. But Jim Coletta said he wasn't a politician on Wednesday night. He said he was, and is, a civic activist. The Collier County commissioner and other county officials are enraged by the new flood maps proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They say the maps aren't based on historical data and are inaccurate, such as incorrect names for city roads and streets. It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more...