Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Small businesses in Fayette County affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are eligible to apply for U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans. Fayette is one of eight Pennsylvania counties where small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses, and private nonprofit organizations now are eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which carry interest rates of 4% (3.25% for private nonprofit organizations) and have terms of as long as 30 years. Businesses can borrow up to $2 million to pay operating expenses if their revenues dropped due to the disaster. Businesses in Maryland;...

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore came as quite a shock. After a massive container ship struck one of the bridge’s pillars, the entire span quickly fell apart, costing several lives. It’s hard to overstate the bridge’s importance, particularly for the automobile industry. In addition to handling 11 million vehicles per year, it provided a vital way for trucks to access the Port of Baltimore while avoiding the dense city core. The impact on the region will be felt for months, if not years. The question is, what now? President Joe Biden has said that the...

LOS ANGELES, CA — The National Association Of Perverts (NAP) Rated Planet Fitness 'The Best Gym In America' after learning this week the workout chain giant allows men to use the women's locker rooms whenever they want. "We couldn't be happier to learn that our members will have access to women's changing rooms all over the country," NAP Spokesperson Lester Johnson told reporters. "For years, we perverts have been forced to peep through closed doors and leer around corners. Thankfully, with the rise of the transgender movement, we can now move freely through the women's locker room and stare all...

When veteran pollster Scott Rasmussen surveyed a group of Americans he calls the elite 1% earlier this year, he discovered a startling number who say it’s OK to win an election by cheating. The elite 1%—individuals who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees—are overwhelmingly liberal. They give President Joe Biden an 82% approval rating, compared to his 40% average from the rest of Americans. Rasmussen asked these liberal voters: “Suppose that your favorite candidate loses a close election. However, people on the campaign know that they can win by cheating without being...

According to a survey from Resume Builder of over 1,000 decision-makers, 90% of companies plan to urge employees back to the office by the end of 2024. Almost 30% of these leaders say they will threaten to terminate employees who don’t oblige with the new return-to-office plans. These sentiments couldn’t be more at odds with the preferences of employees. In a Bankrate survey of 2,000 workers, roughly 68% of full-time employees prefer a hybrid work schedule. Ultimately, I believe the real reason leaders are trying to force workers to return to the office is not because they actually believe it...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WJW) — A Florida man is reportedly healing after a horrific amount of bugs were pulled from his nasal and sinus passages earlier this month. “Over a couple hours my face just started swelling, my lips swelled, I could hardly talk,” the patient told WTLV in Florida. “My whole face felt like it was on fire.” The patient, who was not identified, went to a nearby hospital for constant nose bleeds and pain, according to the TV station. What the ear nose and throat doctor on call found by looking inside the man’s nose, was like something out...

E. Jean Carroll, who just won $83.3 million in damages in her defamation trial against former President Donald Trump, allegedly said that she supported Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh out of a desire to protect Roe v. Wade. Tara Reade, the woman who accused President Joe Biden of sexual assault during the #MeToo movement, posted screenshots of her alleged September 2021 direct messages with Carroll, in which Carroll allegedly said: “Tara, I tweeted about Dr. Ford because of Brett Kavanaugh’s blowtorching of Roe v. Wade. Some day you and I must have tea...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a stern warning to Texas and other states standing in support of razor wire barriers at the Southern border, President Biden said that Texas has until the end of the day to remove it or else frinlerbagsuzzit dorblelerg. "This has gotten out of hand, folks," said Biden before a crowd of reporters. "The governor of Texas has defied the gribblegarg of tortlshwaligglbuther. I'm giving Greg Abbot until sundown today to remove thrigldiffin or else frinlerbagsuzzit dorblelerg. Not a joke! Confused reporters directed further questions to Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre, who is black as well as...

President Joe Biden announced a temporary pause on exports of liquefied natural gas to countries without free trade agreements Friday, a move that experts warn will drive up the price of energy and empower Russian President Vladimir Putin. “President Biden has been clear that climate change is the existential threat of our time—and we must act with the urgency it demands to protect the future for generations to come,” the White House said in a news release on the move. The administration is temporarily pausing pending decisions on LNG exports until the Department of Energy can “update the underlying analyses...

PORTLAND, OR — Local Woman Kiera Thompson left her gym frustrated after a few male patrons glanced her way, despite the fact that she had gone there specifically so they would glance her way. "Ugh! I wore my skimpiest workout outfit, put my hair in a high ponytail, and spent the entire time lifting weights right where all the dudes work out, and a few of them, you know, glanced in my direction!" Thompson lamented. "I mean, can't a girl in skin-tight yoga pants and a pretty much non-existent top work out in peace without guys noticing she's practically naked?"...

The Federal Communications Commission has begun winding down a program that helps low-income people pay for internet service, which would affect 67,548 subscribers in Allegheny County alone. In a conference call Tuesday, FCC officials said most of the funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program will run out by the end of April without additional appropriations from Congress. Enrollment in the program, which has nearly 23 million beneficiaries nationwide, is scheduled to close Feb. 7. “It’s going to be a mess to notify all these people,” said Dave Sevick, executive director of Computer Reach, a Homewood nonprofit that refurbishes laptops for...

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested after he was caught lurking in a neighborhood with underwear around his neck in the same area where bonsai trees were reportedly stolen two weeks ago, according to officers. Troy Dean Stuart, 35, was arrested and charged with one count of loitering and prowling after the incident that unfolded just before 10 p.m. on Thursday in the 2000 block of Everest Parkway in Cape Coral, police said in a news release. Officers responded to a call from a neighbor who said a "prowler" was in their backyard near the dock, and...

The global climate is always changing, but contrary to the popular narrative, the science on the exact causes is far from settled. Alarmists claim that humans burning fossil fuels for energy will catastrophically ruin the climate, and they demand a “net-zero” future to save the world. What would happen if the climate alarmists actually succeeded in the United States? Although it is impossible to predict the future, early warning signs from President Joe Biden’s policies don’t paint a pretty picture. Decreased Individual Mobility First, if the federal government bans gas-powered cars, individual transportation would get less reliable and more expensive....

FAYETTEVILLE, AR — As the December days began to tick away, a local man grew so desperate in his attempt to buy his wife a great Christmas gift that he decided to reach out to the National Security Agency to find out what she wants. "I figured it's my best shot," said Willard McBane. "She's always so difficult to buy for, and she doesn't ever give me any hints, so I knew I needed to bring the NSA in on this one." At first, Willard's attempts to ask for help were subtle. "I just started speaking out loud whenever I...

A Florida man allegedly threw a package of Oreo cookies at his wife while the two were arguing over their empty coffee maker. Deputies wrote in an affidavit that John Sandoval, 70, was arrested Saturday morning after he allegedly threw the package of Oreo cookies at his wife while the two argued over their coffee maker that had no water in it, according to FOX 35. According to Lake County Sheriff's deputies, the couple, who has been married for over 40 years, got into a verbal argument while sitting at a table. At some point, Sandoval allegedly became "aggressive" and...

Among the many trends the pandemic accelerated, one of the least noted has been the increase in so-called cashless toll roads—highways where electronic fee-collection systems have replaced human toll collectors. Now, as traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels, another trend is plaguing these new systems: fare evasion. Around the country, turnpike authorities and bridge and tunnel operators are logging hundreds of millions of dollars in losses as scofflaws find increasingly inventive ways to outfox the systems. Though advocates say that the losses represent a small portion of total revenues, some officials are contemplating raising tolls to account for the shortfalls—in the...

Pennsylvania’s Peter Brothers Trucking delivers goods all across America. Owner Brian Wanner says Pennsylvania bureaucrats now are driving him out of his home state. “We have no say,” complains Wanner in my new video. “We can’t do anything about it.” “No say” because Pennsylvania’s new rules don’t come from Pennsylvania. They come from California. “I don’t want to be anything like California!” complains Wanner. Too bad for him and other Pennsylvania truck owners, because Pennsylvania’s Environmental Quality Board decided their state will automatically copy California regulations. California’s rules will raise the price of a new truck by about one-third. Trucks...

SAINT LOUIS, MO — In an effort to repair the damage done to its image that resulted in it being relegated to "gay beer," beverage titan Bud Light has entered into a partnership with a sports organization where sweaty men in underwear hug and wrestle each other for extended periods of time. "This will totally fix things," said Bud Light marketing executive John Tenta. "We want to regain the market share we had when we were known as the go-to beverage for rugged, masculine consumers. That's why we're slapping our name and logo on a sport where men wear tiny...

With many eyes focused on the 2024 presidential election, issues of election integrity are again coming to the forefront of the national conversation, as they should. Without fair, honest, and secure elections, we can’t sustain our democratic republic. Because the Framers of our Constitution placed primary responsibility on the states to administer and set out the rules and procedures that apply in our elections, that’s where most battles over election integrity have been—and will continue to be—fought. Fortunately, the citizens of many states, their legislators, and even judges who hear challenges to recent commonsense election reforms all are starting to...

As the search for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives continues, the American public is starting to wonder who else may be a candidate to fill the important role in the nation's legislative branch. With popular favorite Jim Jordan struggling to muster enough votes, the candidate currently gaining the most momentum in the race is an expired tub of Hellmann's mayonnaise. Historic! Hellmann's isn't alone. The Babylon Bee has obtained the following list of the other GOP frontrunners: A tub of expired Crisco: Not as good as the Hellman's mayo, but a solid backup option. ¡Jeb! Bush: Can...