Free Republic

Freelance journalist arrested after photographing voting lines Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A freelance journalist taking pictures of voters waiting outside the Palm Beach County elections headquarters was arrested after ignoring a deputy's orders to stop, sheriff's officials said.James S. Henry, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence.Sheriff's Deputy Al Cinque tried to stop Henry as he shot pictures of about 600 people standing in line to vote Sunday afternoon. Henry began running away, but Cinque tackled him, the Palm Beach Post reported.The deputy pinned Henry, 54, to the ground,...

Valley media mogul donates airtime to GOP hopefuls By Jim Sanders -- Bee Capitol BureauPublished 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, October 26, 2004Attempting to boost Republican Party prospects, the owner of a chain of Central Valley television and radio stations has donated $325,000 in airtime for GOP candidates in many of the state's hottest legislative elections. The contribution by Harry J. Pappas comes in the final days of campaigning, and those involved in the campaigns couldn't recall another instance in which a California media mogul donated time on public airwaves for advertisements to benefit one party over another. Critics say the...

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the man. "Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and...

Bankruptcy judge orders Lockyer to dismiss suit against Enron The Associated Press Last Updated 2:17 pm PDT Wednesday, October 6, 2004 SACRAMENTO (AP) - A federal bankruptcy judge has ordered California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to dismiss a lawsuit against Enron Corp., officials said Wednesday. Lawsuits against companies that are in bankruptcy are subject to automatic stays or can be dismissed, but Lockyer argued that should not apply to police or regulatory lawsuits to enforce laws. Lockyer sued Enron in state court in June for commodities fraud and unfair competition. Judge Arthur J. Gonzalez, a bankruptcy judge in the Southern...

Kiddofspeed - GHOST TOWN - Chernobyl Pictures - Elena's Motorcyle Ride through Chernobyl. . . story about town where one can ride with no stoplights, no police, no danger to hit some cage or some dog . . . I have ridden all my life and over the years I have owned several different motorbikes. I ended my search for a perfect bike with a big kawasaki ninja, that boasts a mature 147 horse power, some serious bark, is fast as a bullet and comfortable for a long trips. I travel a lot and one of my favorite destinations leads...

Reid My Lips Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it? Did you know his trial is over? Did you know he was sentenced? Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV/Radio? Didn't think so. Everyone should hear what the judge had to say. Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court. Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin...

End preferences, court tells SMUDPlan to help minority contractors is found at odds with Prop. 209. In a decision that could reverberate statewide, a state appeals court on Tuesday told the Sacramento Municipal Utility District that it must scrap a program giving financial breaks to some minority contractors. The ruling is the first to interpret a key exception to Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative that banned government affirmative action programs. SMUD had argued that because its own studies showed a past pattern of discrimination against some minority contractors, it was required under federal law to solve the problem by giving...

Check to see what your political neighbors are contributing to the various campaigns: http://www.fundrace.org

Five governors get booby-trapped incendiary envelopes HELENA, Mont. — At least five Western and Midwestern governors received envelopes in the mail rigged to ignite when opened today. In Montana, the envelope prompted the evacuation of part of the state Capitol. The envelopes, rigged with matches set to ignite when opened, were sent to the governors of Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Utah. There were no reports of injuries. All the letters appeared to have come from a maximum security prison in Nevada. Glen Whorton, assistant director for the Nevada Corrections Department, said another letter also turned up at office of...

Man Arrested For State Capitol Graffiti Attack Witnesses Give Authorities License Plate Number SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A Sacramento man was arrested Thursday morning in connection with a graffiti attack at the state Capitol. Officials tried to keep the graffiti from public view and it was not clear what the markings meant. Witnesses said the man fled in a car, but they were able to get his license plate number and provide it to authorities. Officers traced the plate to a 38-year-old man and arrested him at his home. The man's identity has not been released. Investigators said the man is...

NO HINDU AND NO MUSLIM Guru Nanak was always thinking about God. Neither looking after cattle nor trade interested him much. So his father was very sad. He thought of his marriage, so Nanak was married when he was 18 years old. A large number of friends and relatives were present and there were grand feasts. Everybody was happy there. Nanak's father and mother were very happy to have their daughter-in-law in the house.Nanak and his wife lived together. They were happy. After some years they had two sons. Guru Nanak used to spend most of his time in thinking...

Report stirs up license debate 9/11 panel calls for standard IDs as legislators weigh a bill on illegal immigrants. By Aurelio Rojas -- Bee Capitol BureauPublished 2:15 am PDT Thursday, July 29, 2004Buried in the 9/11 commission's report is a recommendation that the federal government should standardize identification documents issued by states, including driver's licenses. In California, the proposal could inject yet another element into a proposed law that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain licenses. The emotional debate, pitting the Legislature's Democratic Latino Caucus against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is expected to resume now that the budget battle is nearing...

Ex-Mexico Leader Faces Arrest for GenocideBy E. EDUARDO CASTILLOASSOCIATED PRESS MEXICO CITY (AP) - A special prosecutor has requested the arrest of former President Luis Echeverria and other senior officials accused of genocide for allegedly ordering the killing of student demonstrators in 1971, Echeverria's attorney said Friday. It is the first time a former Mexican president has faced criminal charges, and the case threatens to create a political confrontation between President Vicente Fox and Echeverria's Institutional Revolutionary Party - still the largest force in Congress. Special Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo carried nine heavy cardboard boxes of evidence into a courthouse at...

Osama boom Laden? Fireworks give chance to blow up figures Copyright © 2004 AP Online This story was published Friday, July 2nd, 2004By JOSEFINA LOZA, Associated PressPLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) - Some Americans this Fourth of July plan to get a bang out of blowing Osama bin Laden's head off. The bin Laden Noggin, a cone-shaped pyrotechnic device with a cartoon of bin Laden's face, has been a hot seller at some fireworks stores around the country. When lit, the bin Laden cone erupts in blood-red flames and screeches for 60 seconds. Two shots blow his head off. It is part...

Sweat suit: Bikram yoga movement triggers bickering over copyright Studio owners join forces, ask court to clarify legal issues. By Blair Anthony Robertson -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 am PDT Saturday, June 26, 2004 Students Elizabeth Ison, left, and Julie Chivens cool off during a break at Sacramento's Yoga Loka, whose owners are seeking copyright clarification. Beyond the stretching and straining in the hundreds of super-heated Bikram yoga studios throughout the nation, things are getting even hotter in a legal battle that pits a flamboyant Beverly Hills guru against many of his once-devoted followers. It comes down to a clash...

Rapper DMX Arrested at Kennedy Airport NEW YORK (AP) - Rapper and actor DMX was arrested on charges that he and another man tried to steal a car in a parking lot at Kennedy Airport, authorities said. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, and Jackie Hudgins were arrested Thursday night after Port Authority police interrupted a dispute between the two and another man whose car they allegedly tried to steal, authorities said. A preliminary investigation indicated that Simmons may have identified himself as a federal agent, according to Tony Ciavolella, a Port Authority spokesman. No one was hurt and...

Capitol briefly disrupted when woman partially disrobes The Associated PressLast Updated 7:34 pm PDT Thursday, June 24, 2004SACRAMENTO (AP) - Business at the state Capitol was briefly disrupted Thursday when a distraught woman took off her top while being escorted from the office of the Assembly speaker pro tem, authorities said. The San Francisco Bay area woman, who was not publicly identified, entered the third floor office of Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, shortly after 3 p.m., disrupting a staff meeting. Employees called the Assembly sergeant at arms after she began causing a disturbance, said spokesmen for...

Mall security is getting tighterCameras, increased patrols typical of boosted safety measuresBy Jennifer Inez Ward, BUSINESS WRITERBAY AREA shopping mall personnel are mum on details, but quietly, security measures continue to be upgraded at local sites in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and recently uncovered plot that allegedly targeted a shopping mall in Ohio. From additional security cameras to beefed up patrolling and concrete barriers in front of public spaces, shopping malls have added a number of safety measures. Security experts said malls have taken mostly behind the scenes steps to make sure they're ready for any...

<p>Family catches: Amos Wallace, left, and his son Roger Jack hold their king salmon caught along the Breadline on June 1. Amos caught the 27-pound fish first and Roger caught the 18-pound fish five minutes later.</p> <p>JUNEAU -- Tlingit master carver Amos Wallace, who carved totem poles for museums from Brooklyn to Fairbanks, died Thursday morning at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau. He was 83.</p>

Foul Ball Foul-Up: Man Nearly Knocks Down Boy, Keeps BallReggie Sanders Awards Boy Bat UPDATED: 12:24 PM EDT June 15, 2004 FORT WORTH, Texas -- The mother of a boy who was nearly knocked over when a man leaped for a foul ball says she was shocked that the man didn't give her son the ball. The incident happened in the third inning of Sunday's Texas Rangers game against the St. Louis Cardinals when Gary Matthews Jr. lifted a foul ball into the stands at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas. A man went tumbling to get the baseball and...