Free Republic

This may be a problem that readers outside of New York don’t care much about, but it is symptomatic of important issues in our society. The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) is the New York State (not City) agency that runs our transit system — subways, buses, and commuter rail lines. To ride the subways and buses, you are supposed to pay the fare on entering the subway system or boarding the bus. The MTA has long had a problem with customers who don’t pay the fare, either evading the turnstiles in the subway or just boarding the bus without paying....

An Illinois woman was arrested after she reportedly attacked a staff member of an elementary school Wednesday — and baggies of cocaine spilled upon the floor sparked the alleged assault, according to authorities. Officers with the Rockford Police Department arrested Shakeda Barfield, 33, on Wednesday after accusations that she battered an elementary school employee. According to WREX, the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the following charges against Barfield: possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, aggravated battery/strangulation, aggravated battery to a school employee, and disorderly conduct.