Free Republic

Train 42, 'The Pelican', headed by N&W 4-8-4 Class J 603 arrives at Rural Retreat, VA eastbound from New Orleans to Washington shortly before 10pm Dec. 27th, 1957, and thunders off into the night. The Norfolk & Western Railway's own Class J was perhaps the finest of all express steam engines, and 603 is heard here in its last days of main line service with a consist of 17 cars. The photograph is of Train 17, 'The Birmingham Special' westbound arriving later that same night at 11:37pm, being waved through by Agent J.L. Akers. The photograph and sound recording were...

Prince Charles in Paris on Monday. Photo: AFP Britain's Prince Charles said on Monday that he feared for the very existence of traditional French cheeses as he received a prize in Paris for his long-term commitment to organic farming. Having spoken earlier at the opening of the key UN climate talks outside Paris, the heir to the throne was awarded the Francois Rabelais prize by France's institute of sciences and arts, named after the Renaissance scholar and physician. Charles told an audience of distinguished scientists under the institute's domed roof in the French capital: "The distinctiveness of local cuisine is...

As Bernie Sanders prepares to enter the primary-season Octagon against arch-rival Hillary Clinton, he can take some comfort in the fact that the world's most popular MMA fighter, Ronda Rousey, has come out swinging in his corner. In a recent interview with Maxim, the undefeated UFC champion, who defends her bantamweight belt against Holly Holm on Saturday, pledged her support to the progressive Vermont Senator, who is the only "democratic socialist" in Congress. And she's hoping her political muscle serves as an electoral armbar that will send him all the way to the White House. "I'm voting for Bernie Sanders,...

ERWIN — Once Northeast Tennessee’s largest railroad hub, Erwin is losing a significant part of its economic history as CSX Railroad plans to reduce its operations here, affecting some 300 jobs, as a result of less reliance on coal in the nation. Many of the changes were effective today, as facilities were closed. In a statement issued this morning, Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX Corp. said its plans include closing a locomotive service center, project shop and car shop, and eliminating switching operations at the Erwin yard. Approximately 300 CSX contract and management employees who work at the facilities and in support...

Georgia-based PolyCase to manufacture handgun, pistol bullets Sturm, Ruger & Co. is getting into the ammunition business for the first time, partnering with a Georgia company to produce what it calls a “revolutionary bullet” that “changes everything you know about ammo.” Ruger, which is headquartered in Connecticut but has a major facility in Newport, will be putting its brand on bullets produced by Savannah-based PolyCase Ammunition LLC for a .45-caliber handgun and .38-caliber pistol. PolyCase has a pending patent on its process, which injects a dense polymer copper matrix into a mold. The resulting bullet in the PolyCase Ruger ARX...

(Camp Hill) – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) says new maps released by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) reveal how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will radically expand its jurisdiction over land use if the final “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule takes effect as scheduled on August 28. In addition, the release of more than 50 pages of documents by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform show that the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) did not want to be associated with EPA’s final WOTUS rule, due to concerns that the rule included provisions that were...

Randy Sowers built his dairy farm over three decades into a thriving business. After kick-starting with a $100,000 loan, today the South Mountain Creamery has 1,000 cows and 70 employees delivering milk, ice cream and other products to homes in the Washington, D.C., area.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Hillview man has been arrested after he shot down a drone flying over his property -- but he's not making any apologies for it. It happened Sunday night at a home on Earlywood Way, just south of the intersection between Smith Lane and Mud Lane in Bullitt County, according to an arrest report. Hillview Police say they were called to the home of 47-year-old William H. Merideth after someone complained about a firearm. When they arrived, police say Merideth told them he had shot down a drone that was flying over his house. The drone...

RIGA, Latvia — In a significant move to deter possible Russian aggression in Europe, the Pentagon is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries, American and allied officials say. The proposal, if approved, would represent the first time since the end of the Cold War that the United States has stationed heavy military equipment in the newer NATO member nations in Eastern Europe that had once been part of the Soviet sphere of influence. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war...

SOUTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. —A Westmoreland County woman is suspected of having sex with a 15-year-old boy at an underage drinking party at her home after a Yough High School football game and telling him to keep their encounter between them, according to a criminal complaint.Sherry Lee waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday and was ordered by District Judge Charles Moore to stand trial at a later date. She declined to comment, but her attorney said Lee is denying that anything happened with the teenage boy.Lee picked up the boy and two of his friends after the Cougars...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to block the EPA from implementing a new plan that critics say could significantly broaden the agency's ability to impose environmental regulations over America's waterways. Many farmers and landowners across the country say rules proposed last year by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would give federal regulators even more say over waters. The issue had become a hotly contested one for many who say there are already too many government regulations affecting their businesses. The House bill, approved by a 261-155 vote, would force the EPA to...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. Patriot Coal Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday for the second time in three years. The company made the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. It had emerged from an earlier bankruptcy case in December 2013 in Missouri. Patriot said it is involved in active negotiations for the sale of its operating assets to a strategic partner. Patriot said it will continue shipping and mining operations and it has received a commitment for $100 million in debt financing from secured debt holders that it did not identify.

NEW YORK — McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook says he's stripping away layers of bureaucracy so the company can move faster to keep up with changing tastes.During a 23-minute video message posted online Monday, Easterbrook said the company's structure is too "cumbersome" and that it can no longer afford its "legacy structure."

In this talk, Dr. Paul Newman tells the story of how scientists and policy-makers safeguarded the Earth’s ozone layer and the world we avoided by by regulating chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) . Back in the 60s, we used chlorofluorocarbons, a chlorine-containing chemical, in everything from hairsprays and deodorants to foam products and air conditioners. But in 1974, chemists Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina published a paper claiming CFCs were destroying the ozone layer. The Molina-Rowland paper launched a debate in the scientific community that ultimately led to the halls of the United Nations. Today, more than 191 countries have signed the Montreal...

Two months after fitness expert and reality TV star Greg Plitt was killed by a Metrolink train in California, another personal trainer was struck and killed Tuesday in Georgia by a freight train. Achilles Williams, 30, a popular Atlanta-area personal trainer, was skipping rope near the train tracks filming a YouTube workout video when he was sideswiped by a speeding freight train, a spokesperson at the Fulton County coroner's office confirms to PEOPLE.

"There have been enough ugly videos lately featuring trains. I thought it might be time for something different."

Austin,Texas — A North Texas state senator has introduced a bill in the Texas legislature that would effectively prohibit the state or any of its subsidiaries, such as cities and transit authorities, from using money from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for rail mass transportation.

NASA scientists used tree rings to understand past droughts and climate models incorporating soil moisture data to estimate future drought risk in the 21st century. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11776

I am wondering if anyone has a new updated 0bola SOTU Address BINGO/drinking game card for 2015.

HOUSTON — Baker Hughes said Tuesday it will lay off 7,000 mostly in the first quarter of 2015, amid a crude oil price slump and drilling slowdown it expects to worsen in the next quarter. The announcement came shortly after the oil service company reported that its net income for the three months ending Dec. 30 rose to a record high of $663 million, or $1.52 a share. After adjustments to exclude deconsolidation of a joint venture, the company reported an earnings per-share of $1.44. In the same period of 2013, Baker Hughes reported $248 million in profit. The layoffs...