Free Republic

Two fires burning near Meeker combined have scorched more than 120,000 acres in a week as hundreds of crews battle the flames ... Crews working two wildfires burning near Meeker in northwestern Colorado have started to gain some level of containment on the week-old blazes as one topped 100,000 acres. The Lee fire, which was started by lightning Aug. 2 southwest of Meeker, has grown to 106,672 acres but is considered 6% contained, officials said in a written update Sunday morning. That’s up from 88,755 reported Saturday morning. Strong winds out of the north continue to push the southern end...

You knew in your heart of hearts from the very beginning. Even as you watched those first flames take the first houses and then leap up through the canyons and down through the hillsides, through the breaks, even jumping PCH to gobble up the houses tucked next to the highway itself - those uniquely SoCal structures sandwiched between the asphalt and that big, blue Pacific surf...you knew. You knew would never see it again, for all the gargoyle grin assurances of the mayor who couldn't be bothered to be there when the flames broke out. For all the slickster, huckstering,...

Pacific Palisades fire victim shows there were 2 FULL massive tanks of water not used and says a firemen told him they were ordered to let the area burn... “The fireman told me that we were ORDERED TO LET THEM BURN DOWN” “About a week after, I'm walking my dogs in the morning, you know, I walk them during the day and I see a white SUV truck with California water or something on the side of it. I forget what it was. So I flagged him down and I said, hey, what are you doing here? He said, oh,...

Canadian wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have prompted air quality alerts in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday and Thursday as residents are advised to "limit prolonged or heavy exertion." Why It Matters The elevated levels of fine particulate matter resulting from wildfire smoke could present significant health risks, especially for people with asthma, heart disease or other preexisting respiratory conditions. State and local health officials have urged those in the affected areas to limit outdoor activities and remain indoors while conditions persist. Canadian wildfires have been of recent concern to Americans who live in bordering states, as hundreds of...

At some point Democrats just have to start being arrested “So Gavin Newsom and his wife actually created an organization just to steal some of the fire aid money. Like how this man is still governor of California and not behind bars is mind blowing. So I'm sure most of you have heard about the fire aid controversy. You know, where they had this concert to raise $100 million for the victims of the Palisade fires. And people started asking, hey, where the did all that money go? Because there's not a single person who was a victim of the...

Remember Gavin Newsom’s first visit to the sites of devastating fires last January in Los Angeles, when he vowed to streamline California’s paralytic regulations so people could quickly rebuild their homes? In that interview, while undulating his shoulders in a weird shimmy that will undoubtedly come back to haunt him as he ramps up his presidential campaigning, Newsom also promised to “prevent opportunistic investors from exploiting vulnerable residents by offering below-market prices.” It’s hard to say which promise has been more thoroughly violated. As celebrity author Adam Carolla posted on 7/14, there is virtually no work going on along the...

Los Angeles was devastated by wildfires back in January, and the area is still feeling the impacts of the disaster. So when $100 million was raised by two FireAid concerts at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, featuring acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Billie Elish, and Jelly Roll, you'd have thought the money would make its way to fire victims. Well, it's not that simple. Sue Pascoe, editor-in-chief at Circling The News, has the story of how this money ended up not going to fire victims, but instead making its way to...

Following the wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area earlier this year, Democrats and a bunch of celebrities did a fundraising event called ‘FireAid’ that brought in a ton of cash, some reports say it was almost $100 million. Yet none of the victims have seen a penny of if it. Independent investigative journalist Sue Pascoe began looking into this and found that all of the money was apparently distributed to non-profit groups in the area, some of which have absolutely nothing to do with fire recovery. Is there a more perfect example of liberalism than this? Rather than giving...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a plan to build low-income housing to replace property destroyed by the January 2025 Southern California wildfires. Newsom’s plan will put low-income housing in the heart of the rolling hills of Pacific Palisades, a highly affluent area of Los Angeles that overlooks the Santa Monica Bay. The priority is for “geographic proximity to the fire perimeters of the Eaton, Hughes, and Palisades fires,” Newsom explained. The California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Notice of Funding Availability for the $101 million pool details how funding will be awarded. Included is $101 million in funding...

Federal agency reminds Bass of her controversial Ghana trip while Los Angeles wildfires raged.. Immigration and Customs Enforcement clapped back at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she suggested that federal immigration authorities "go home." .... "I don’t know if there’s a deal to be made. Like I told you, the deal that needs to be made is for them to go home," the Democrat said. ICE directly responded, noting that they will continue their operations in the city and in the region. "ICE isn't going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do...

The former mayor of Izmir, a stronghold of opposition to President Erdogan, along with 109 municipal officials from the Republican People's Party (CHP), were arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption and misconduct. The party has rejected the accusations. There is a feeling of déjà vu in Turkey. After the publication of a political cartoon, which Turkish authorities said depicted the Prophet Muhammad, led to the arrest of four journalists on Monday, June 30, in Istanbul, authorities carried out a large-scale sweep in Izmir at dawn on Tuesday. Izmir, the country's third-largest city, is a bastion of the Republican People's...

Ms. Bass struggled amid criticism of her initial response to the Los Angeles fires in January. The opposition over President Trump’s immigration raids have offered her an opportunity. For the past three days, Mayor Karen Bass has been a high-profile figure across Los Angeles. She turned up at parking lots where federal officials had conducted immigration sweeps. She posted updates on social media seeking to reassure embattled immigrants that the city would fight for them. She held a news conference at City Hall to rally her constituents and assail President Trump for deploying the National Guard. “It’s the last thing...

A Florence man charged with setting a series of fires nine years ago in Ravalli and Missoula counties that cost millions of dollars to fight was back in a Ravalli County court Wednesday. Jonah Mica Warr, 28, was recently released on probation after serving seven years of a 10-year federal prison sentence for setting the fires in 2006. Warr’s court troubles in Ravalli County date back to 2004 when he pleaded guilty before District Judge Jeffery Langton to a number of felony charges for possession of explosives and criminal mischief for blowing up mailboxes in the Florence and Stevensville areas....

Tiny, airborne smoke particles blowing in from Canadian wildfires resisted dispersal from a steady, light rain across the Chicago area Wednesday, concentrating even more Thursday to reach levels unhealthy for the general public. The smoke pushed northeast Illinois into its third day in a row of bad air quality Friday and the state into its first two air pollution action days of the year. Chicago’s air quality was ranked the worst in the United States on Thursday, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. At one point during the day, The Washington Post reported, the city had the second-worst...

"For months, LA fire victims have been asking: where did the $100M from the FireAid concerts go? I followed the money — and it leads to a shadowy nonprofit called the Annenberg Foundation. Let’s just say the rabbit hole gets dark — fast." 5149jamesli X (3 min. video)

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” John 16:12–13This passage still rings true for all of us today. God wants to reveal to us, within the depths of our consciences, the deepest, most profound and transforming truths that flow from the mind of the Father in Heaven. But we cannot bear it all now. Not fully. And eternity will be spent continually deepening our understanding of all that God reveals....

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) celebrated Wednesday as his state became the world’s fourth-largest economy — albeit one that cannot fix homelessness or protect its citizens from devastating wildfires. Newsom’s office cited data indicating that California had surpassed Japan and that only the U.S., China, and Germany had larger economies, in terms of total output. He boasted in a press statement: California isn’t just keeping pace with the world—we’re setting the pace. Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation. And, while we celebrate this success, we recognize that our...

Fix Our Forests Act would open the door to widespread logging and undermine environmental laws. WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA). In a giveaway to the timber industry, the bill – which is presented as a measure against wildfire – could open the door to unlimited logging across millions of acres of national forests, undermining bedrock environmental and public health laws. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation that passed the House in January 2025. The Senate version of...

Authorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country’s worst ever natural fire disaster. At least 27 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the “harsh reality” of global heating. Pointing to ultra-dry conditions and strong winds that have worsened the damage, Lee Han-kyung, disaster and safety division chief, said: “This wildfire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climate crisis unlike anything we’ve experienced before.” The affected areas have seen...

Two months ago in January, comedian Adam Carolla predicted that the rebuilding process after the California wildfires would be a nightmare because of the progressive policies in the state. He said it would be near to impossible to get a building permit. It has now been 75 days since the fires. How many building permits have been issued for Pacific Palisades? FOUR. Not 400, not 40. FOUR. It looks like Adam Carolla pretty much called this one, doesn’t it? ABC 7 in Los Angeles reports: Low number of permits issued for rebuilding homes after Palisades Fire is ‘concerning’: Councilwoman More...