Free Republic

When a friend or family member is sick, overwhelmed, homebound, or taking care of a new baby, we say what we can — So sorry. Thinking about you! — and then, because we know that won't make everything better, we do the next best thing: We bring them food. Food speaks for us when words fail, which is why putting together a thoughtful, personal food care package is one of the kindest things you can do for a struggling friend or loved one. We've thought a lot about what makes a great care package, and we finally think we've cracked...

Minnesotans are putting a tidal wave of imagination into their pontoons — from luxe water slides to pirate planks. “Pontoons Gone Wild.” “Pontoon Hunters.” “Pimp My Pontoon.” If a TV producer stumbled on the gems floating on our lakes, there’d be a reality show waiting. These aren’t the kitschy putt-putters with plastic chairs and artificial turf, either. Pontoons, while still floating platforms, are larger, more powerful, more luxurious and sometimes even outrageous. “The pontoon used to be grandpa and grandma’s boat,” said Brent Wiczek, manager of Nisswa Marine. “We’re selling pontoons to a much younger generation than we ever have....

On a summer's day in 1987, Minneapolis police surrounded a woman's home in the northeast corner of the city and heard their suspect's voice inside. "Tell them I left," said Robert Darren Olson. The officers forced their way in. An Amoco gas station attendant had been shot dead on University Avenue the day before, and one of the suspects, the money and the murder weapon were already in custody. Police had been tipped off that their second suspect, the getaway driver, spent his nights at the duplex. They found Olson hiding in the closet. He was later convicted of aggravated...

The Vikings are atop the NFL leaderboard in the dubious category of arrests over the past five years, according to one reporter's new tally. Mike Rosenberg, a Seattle-based freelancer, tweeted a chart Monday of NFL players arrested since August 2010: Vikings players have been collared 18 times over that time, he found. That edges the Denver Broncos (16 arrests), and Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13 each). Around the NFC North, the Bears and Lions have each seen 11 arrests, while the Packers have had eight.

An illegal alien from Mexico, Juan Jimenez-Olivera, pled guilty on Wednesday to strangling 30-year-old Sviatlana Dranko in her home, stealing $6,000 from her, setting her body on fire, and lying to police about his crimes in April 2014. The two worked together in a pizza parlor; little did Dranko’s employer know, he or she would have blood on his or her hands for hiring an illegal alien in defiance of federal law. On April 29, New Jersey police and firefighters responding to a call found Dranko severely burned with a pillowcase pulled over her head. Investigators determined she had died...

As I have talked to friends, both conservative and moderate, I have found a general disgust about Planned Parenthood's participation in what amounts to a human black market. Yet, a poll released yesterday showed that 63% of registered voters oppose cutting off federal funds to the group. Why is that? I'm sure part of the explanation is that the poll was conducted by a Democratic firm. But, I think the greater reason is that only a fraction of Americans have actually watched the three videos. And, an even smaller fraction knows the facts about this morally-compromised organization. So, I'm offering...

Seven young males from a Minneapolis basketball Amateur Athletic Union program were arrested and charged with misdemeanors in Wichita, Kan., after assaulting at least three homeless people in downtown Wichita over the weekend, police said. The young males, ages 12 to 18, were in Wichita to play in the Mid America Youth Basketball championships. They were staying in a downtown hotel and were walking the streets when the assaults occurred on Sunday night. The young males play for Urban Stars Athletics, an arm of Urban Ventures, a nonprofit organization that assists inner-city families in poverty. The assaults started with “people...

An unidentified man was shot and killed in an apparent attempted robbery Friday night, according to St. Paul Police. Police were called at 10:30 p.m. to Summit Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard, where two thieves were reportedly trying to rob two victims. When police arrived, they found the body at the scene. Police would not release the names of anyone involved in the incident. The shooting victim is believed to be one of the suspects in the robbery. Police are investigating the crime, and are asking for the public's help in identifying the shooting victim. Anyone with information about the...

If interim UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has ever been scared of any man he’s fought in the Octagon, he sure hasn’t shown it. But when it comes to the hypothetical of ever getting into the ring with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, McGregor sounds uncharacteristically frightened. “I certainly would not like to end up in a tie-up with Ms. Rousey. I remember one time when I seen her and greeted her and said, ‘What’s up, champ,’ and we embraced,” McGregor told SI Now. “I swear on my life her back muscles were the most solidest back muscles I’ve...

Tomorrow, August 1, all remaining pro-gun provisions of Senate File 878 will now be in effect. Starting tomorrow, the use of firearm sound suppressors for the taking of wildlife will be allowed in Minnesota. By the end of the year, 37 states will allow for the use of firearm sound suppressors while hunting. SF 878, as previously reported, was passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers and signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton (D). Other pro-gun provisions of SF 878 include: Minnesota is now aligned with more than 40 other states that have conformed their statutes to federal...

Business tycoon Donald Trump has burst upon the Republican presidential campaign like a loud, over-charged wrecking ball. Many within the GOP establishment, like Karl Rove, have dismissed him as a political joke and a candidate not to be taken seriously. The GOP would be very wise not to follow that advice. Does anyone remember a guy named Jesse Ventura? Jesse "The Body" Ventura was a professional wrestler who in 1998 won the governor's office in Minnesota. Running as an independent, he pushed his straight-talk populism and regular "working class"-guy approach to the fine people of Minnesota. He promised lower taxes,...

Medicare at 50--Still Flawed, After All These Years ST. PAUL, Minn.—This Thursday, Medicare will mark a milestone—50 years since it was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 30, 1965. Designed as part of LBJ’s “Great Society” initiative, Medicare was intended to provide low-cost hospitalization and medical insurance for the nation’s elderly. But the program has been in crisis for years and needs an escape plan, not a rescue plan, says Twila Brase, president and co-founder of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF, www.cchfreedom.org), a national organization dedicated to preserving patient-centered health care and protecting patient and...

Although the study looks to investigate several aspects of this emotion, the initial -- and perhaps most intriguing-- hypothesis is pretty striking: the experience of awe will expand your perception of time. In order to prove this theory, and to better understand the effects of awe on the human psyche, scientists Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker conducted three experiments. The first was to test the aforementioned hypothesis that awe can alter time perception; participants unscrambled sentences, watched commercials (with large, striking images), and answered questions about personal beliefs in order to create a perceived time availability index. Having participants write narratives...

Watch #VictoryRacing compete at the infamous Isle of Man TT Zero. Lee Johnston piloted the way to claim the first podium for Victory in 2015.

The number of Minnesotans struggling to pay their medical bills is rising sharply, despite an increase in the number of residents who have health insurance. In the past year, Minnesota’s main hospital and clinic groups filed nearly 9,000 lawsuits against people with large or long-standing medical debts — a sharp increase since 2005, according to a Star Tribune analysis of court records. Once a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States, medical debt was widely expected to decline as more Americans got health insurance following federal health reform. Instead, shifts in the insurance market are pushing more people...

Some controversy is swirling around the new Vikings Stadium, as some are saying the project could be millions of dollars over budget. One member of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is speaking out on the issue and facing opposition from other members. Duane Benson has served as the MSFA treasurer since the group's inception back in 2012, however, he is preparing to leave the group in light of recent turmoil and says the $1.1 billion project's finances are anything but in order at the moment. As the groundbreaking project continues to break the bank, Benson says there is a problem--perhaps...

The ducks, even the ducklings, are expendable. That’s the difficult message from the Minnesota State Patrol in response to a hair-raising video of cars swerving and slamming on the brakes on Interstate 35W to spare a line of ducks waddling across the highway. “I watched that video and I cringed,” said Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Tiffani Nielson. “People should not stop on the freeway for ducks.” Nielson knows her advice will not be popular with people who think the motorists did the right thing to avoid the birds. “It’s definitely a touchy subject … It’s not very kind, but the risk...

MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Dairy Queen in downtown Moorhead has been thumbing its nose at corporate HQ pretty much since it opened in 1949, despite some efforts from the home office to have the store mind its Ds and Qs. And it’s a recipe that seems to be working for one of the few DQs in the country still operating under a 66-year-old contract that allows them to dish up throwback treats alongside the standard corporate-approved items, a combination that turns Main Avenue and 8th Street into a hopping, slightly retro summer hangout. Though the restaurant shuts down in the...

An 82-year-old woman who was raped by a stranger after she got off a bus last week was forced to wait three hours for a Milwaukee police squad car to respond, police records show. The woman, who has difficulty seeing, finally called back the police dispatcher and asked if she could take a shower, which would have removed key evidence from the rape. The victim was told "do not do anything until a squad arrives." Finally, three hours and six minutes after the assault was first reported, squad cars arrived, according to records obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A...

DULUTH, Minn. -- Injuries can end a season or career for a hockey player in their teens or 20s, but just weeks after Mark Sertich broke a rib and punctured a lung in an on-ice collision, he was out on the rink Wednesday -- at age 94. Three to four days a week for the past 30 years, the retired office manager and World War II veteran has been joining a group of Duluth firefighters for friendly games of hockey. To celebrate Sertich's 94th birthday, which was Saturday, family and friends gathered Wednesday for a game at the Duluth Heritage...