Free Republic

The Environmental Protection Agency has told Oklahoma regulators to do more to protect the state from a surge in earthquake activity that scientists have linked to the underground disposal of oil and gas wastewater. An EPA administrator sent a letter in November to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, saying a magnitude 5.0 earthquake happened despite state and federal action to curb wastewater injection. The Frontier first reported the contents of the letter. […] Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is President Donald Trump’s pick to head the EPA. His nomination is pending Senate approval. Environmentalists have criticized Pruitt for not doing more...

PASADENA, Calif. — Shattered cave formations in the central United States may preserve one of the longest records of powerful earthquakes in this region. Historical records from European settlers provide vivid accounts of deadly earthquakes in states such as Missouri, Tennessee and Illinois. For instance, in 1811 and 1812, people saw the ground ripple like ocean waves when the New Madrid Fault Zone unleashed earthquakes thought to be greater than magnitude 8. However, no written accounts exist from before Europeans arrived. And most earthquake faults in the Midwest are hidden deep beneath the surface, so scientists can't dig into the...

Oklahoma residents whose homes and nerves have been shaken by an upsurge in earthquakes want to know what’s causing the temblors—and what can be done to stop them.Hundreds of people are expected to turn out in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Thursday night for a town hall meeting on the issue. […] Oklahoma recorded nearly 150 between January and the start of May. Though most have been too weak to cause serious damage or endanger lives, they’ve raised suspicions that the shaking might be connected to the oil and gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, especially the wells in which the...

An astonishing video has emerged of a vicious gang of teenage girls assaulting a female pedestrian as she walks outside a city hall in broad daylight. The woman, who has not been named, was thrown to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked by the gang outside Philadelphia City Hall. The four youngsters, who seemed to have absolutely no fear of arrest or reprisals, are seen sneaking up behind the woman before launching the brutal assault. After the attack, during which nothing was taken, they are seen casually strolling away. The woman, who has not been named, told Fox News...

A mob of unruly teens last night once again wreaked havoc on Center City, assaulting and robbing random pedestrians. About 9:15 p.m., police began to receive 9-1-1 calls about a group of 20 to 40 teens assaulting people. Police found a man on the ground bleeding badly from the head at Walnut and Juniper streets. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Brian Mishico, who was working the door at Good Dog Bar and Restaurant on 15th Street near Locust, said a crowd of about 30 kids, some who looked as young as 12, split into two groups as...

For the neighbors at East Lake Courts who bore the brunt of what police call, a racial attack, the biggest shock is how blatantly the three suspected displayed racism. Angela Lonise witnessed several men drive by several times in a white pick up truck around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. According to Chattanooga Police Spokesperson Jerri Weary, Kyle Montgomery, 21, Colton Partin, 21 and James Smiley, 27, threw fireworks at African Americans while yelling racial slurs like, "run N***** run." Police say the suspects admitted they were targeting black people. "I thought all that racial stuff was over with and I...

A New York man was beaten and robbed on a subway train yesterday by four men who he claims picked on him because he is white. Jason Fordell, 29, of Brooklyn, was on his way home at 5am from an East Village nightclub, where he sells hand-designed leather accessories, when he was affronted by a gang of black men. Police said four young men began harassing him and then another passenger joined in the spontaneous attack. Mr Fordell said: 'Everyone on the train was egging them on. 'People started saying stupid little comments - cracker this, white boy this, f***...

A Bronx man was viciously assaulted and robbed on a subway train Sunday by four men who he says taunted him for being white. Police confirmed they are investigating the assault and robbery of Jason Fordell, 29, but have not labeled it a hate crime. They are seeking the four assailants, who fled the scene. A fifth passenger who police say spontaneously joined in the attack has been arrested. "Everyone on the train was egging them on," said Fordell, 29, of the early-morning attack on the 4 train. ..." [SNIP] "People started saying stupid little comments - cracker this, white...

AS this historic Democratic primary season enters its next grueling phase, the party has become embroiled in a conflict between antagonists who would seem better cast as allies. Senator Barack Obama is a black candidate who has built his career on de-emphasizing race, while Senator Hillary Clinton is a white liberal who has been sensitive to minorities, and the issues facing them, during her long years of political activism. And yet, in contest after contest, particularly in large states with diverse ethnic populations, support for the two candidates has reflected the sort of splits that normally divide Democrats from Republicans....