Free Republic

I have made no bones about the fact that the addition of Governor Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket this November has transformed me from a reluctant voter into an enthusiastic campaign volunteer. My son, Dan, and I attended the McCain-Palin rally which was held this afternoon at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Being very familiar with Franklin and Marshall, and knowing full well that it takes no more than a half hour to drive there from our home, we left home at 1:00 PM. The doors were scheduled to open at 1:30, and the rally was scheduled...

Pictured: Lancaster bomber in dramatic flypast to mark 65th anniversary of Dambusters raidLast updated at 18:49pm on 16th May 2008  It is one of the most stirring images of the Second World War - a Lancaster bomber coming in terrifyingly low over a huge dam.  Today, the last surviving pilot of the epic Dambusters operation was present to witness a spectacular re-enactment as one of the bombers flew again above the Derwent Valley dam in Derbyshire to mark the 65th anniversary of the raid. Scroll down for more...Bombs away: The world's only flying Lancaster makes a low pass over...

Punished for Patriotism by: Deborah Lambert, March 24, 2008 When Donald Miller of Lancaster, Pa. wore a patriotic t-shirt to school last year to support his uncle’s mission in Iraq, school officials told him to turn it inside out. When he refused, he received two days of detention, according to Yahoo.com. The reason? There was an image of a gun on the shirt, along with the words, “Volunteer Homeland Security.” On the back were the words “Special Issue – Resident – Lifetime license – United States Terrorist Hunting Permit." Now Donald's parents have filed a lawsuit, accusing the school district...

Obama adds a little more cowbell TRIBUNE-REVIEW BY Salena Zito Bristling at charges that, so far, Barack Obama is running a less-than-spectacular race in Pennsylvania, the candidate's chief political strategist told reporters this afternoon that the campaign was going all out to win the Keystone State. "We are gong to contest vigorously in Pennsylvania," David Axelrod said. "We're going to be running a full campaign."

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Noted conservative commentator Sean Hannity will be in Lancaster Saturday to give U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum a boost less than two weeks before the election. Hannity and the two-term senator are scheduled to speak during the public rally starting at 7 p.m. in the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Manheim Township. Directions here: http://www.farmandhomecenter.com/directions.php“We are thrilled to have him,” Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis said. “Sean Hannity and Sen. Santorum share a very strong commitment to the security of this country.” In his bid for a third term, Santorum faces Democratic state Treasurer Bob Casey...

In a remarkable moment of candor, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell today acknowledged that stronger gun laws could not have prevented the horrible shooting at the Amish school in Lancaster County. Rendell, a staunch gun control advocate, admitted, “I believe with all my heart that we need more gun control” during a live press conference. But he also acknowledged that tougher gun laws would not have prevented gunman Charles Carl Roberts IV from carrying out his deadly attack, noting, “You can make all the changes you want, but you can never stop a random act of violence by someone intent on...

My husband and I live in Lancaster County and have of course been following the news of the school house shooting tragedy over the past few days. Friends from around the country have been in contact with us, wanting to know where they can send letters of condolence and contributions to the families of the young victims. I originally had very mixed emotions about contributing to a fund to defray the families’ transportation and medical expenses. The Amish do not believe in insurance of any kind, so surely do not have the means to pay for what will no doubt...

LANCASTER, Wis. - A judge on Friday dismissed charges of attempted sexual assault against three men accused of trying to dig up a woman's body to have sex with the corpse, noting that Wisconsin has no law against necrophilia. The men still face lesser charges. Twins Nicholas and Alexander Grunke, 20, and Dustin Radke, 20, were arrested after an alleged attempt to dig up the body of a 20-year-old woman who was killed Aug. 27 in a motorcycle crash. Officials said a caller reported suspicious activity in the cemetery Sept. 2, and deputies found someone had dug down to her...

A mix of suburban and city state legislators gathered at the Montgomery County Courthouse to urge new legislative action. A group of Democratic state legislators, led by State Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia, went to the heart of Republican Montgomery County yesterday to announce a new legislative initiative aimed at reducing gun violence. The legislators, a mix of state office holders from the suburbs and the city, were at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown to announce plans to submit a package of bills during a day-long special session of the House on crime scheduled for Sept. 26. Pointing to...

BLUE 1995 HYUNDAI COUPE, PA REGISTRATION FVN5337, SUSPECT WHITE HISPANIC FEMALE, AGE 22, HEIGHT 5’5”, WEIGHT 140 LBS. WEARING A YELLOW HALTER TOP AND BLUE JEAN SHORTS, ABDUCTED CHILD WHITE HISPANIC MALE 4 YEARS OF AGE, BROWN HAIR AND WEARING BLUE SHIRT AND SHORTS. LAST SEEN ON 900 EAST KING STREET, LANCASTER, LANCASTER COUNTY. The Pennsylvania State Police has issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert for Lancaster City Police Department, Lancaster County. Lancaster City Police Department Lancaster City Police Department is searching for Damian Rios, W-H/M Age 4, weight 40 pounds, approximately three (3) feet tall, brown hair, light complexion....

When the Costco managers at the headquarters in Issaquah, Wash., decided it was time to embrace solar photovoltaic technology, they selected the Costco warehouse in Lancaster - from among their 480 warehouses worldwide - for the prototype project. At the completion of the project the last week of August, the Lancaster facility will be the site of one of the largest privately owned commercial photovoltaic systems in the United States, said the builders. According to Craig Peal, assistant vice president, when powered up, the system will reduce 44% of the building's peak electrical load on a peak day and "if...

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A man charged with killing six family members also attempted to travel to New York to kill his grandfather but was stopped by car trouble, prosecutors allege in a new count filed Friday.

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - When Dave Rupp, chief photographer at WGAL-TV, got to the office of Leola District Justice B. Denise Commins at about 9 a.m. Thursday, he was the only one there. But he knew very well the parking lot behind the office would be filling up as the morning progressed. TV crews from Lancaster, York, Reading and Harrisburg arrived, as did newspaper reporters and photographers. The Associated Press showed up. Todd Connor, a news anchor at Fox News Channel’s New York headquarters, was diverted from another story to report live. A number of Philadelphia news outlets were there...

LEOLA, Pa. -- Six bodies were recovered from a Lancaster County home, four of them wrapped in sheets and blankets in the basement, authorities said. Police yesterday announced they had discovered five bodies at the home, one of them with obvious head wounds. Lancaster County Coroner G. Gary Kirchner today said the number was actually six. Authorities found hair, blood and bone fragments upstairs, and a hammer was found in one of the bedrooms, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in the case. Investigators were speaking to a "person of interest" Thursday morning, East Lampeter Township police said in...

WESTWOOD ONE LAUNCHES THE MONICA CROWLEY SHOW --New Program to Air Saturdays, Noon - 3 p.m. ET-- Beginning Saturday, April 1, 2006 New York, NY Monday, Mar 20, 2006 - Westwood One (NYSE: WON) is proud to announce the national launch of The Monica Crowley Show, the three-hour talk program hosted by author and news personality Monica Crowley. The show begins Saturday, April 1, 2006, and will air from noon to 3 p.m. ET. The Monica Crowley Show will debut on major market stations across the country including: WABC-AM New York, WTKK-FM Boston and WTNT-AM Washington DC. The show will...

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. (March 16, 2006) -- As the platoons form on an early Tuesday morning, a Marine lieutenant colonel stands up and walks towards the first platoon, time on deck is 9:30 a.m. The Marine comes to attention in front of the first member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; the student salutes and continues on to say his rank and name. Then the Marine starts to drill the student with questions about basic military knowledge. "Who is the Secretary of Defense? What is your fifth general order?" said the inspecting Marine, Lt. Col. Danny...

LANCASTER - Staff and patients at Antelope Valley Hospital got a scare Tuesday afternoon when five males - one of them armed with a gun - began searching the emergency room for an apparent target. The five "swarmed the emergency room" shortly before 5 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Jackie Weder said. "One had a pistol in his waistband, and they were searching for someone. They were looking at everybody in the ER," Weder said. Not finding the subject of their search, the group left, "but one of the five came back, and a nurse said, 'Can I help you?' and then...

LANCASTER - An apartment complex near Avenue K and Gadsden Avenue in Lancaster was cordoned off as deputies searched for a suspected sniper who is believed to have shot at three deputies Thursday night. A Lancaster Sheriff's Department team originally responded around 9 p.m. to a report of a shot fired that shattered a display window at the Lancaster Auto Mall's Suzuki Mazda dealership, in the 43000 block of Drivers Way. The dealership's employees called 911. Upon arriving, the trio of deputies sent onto the scene said there was no other evidence of any other shots fired. The rest of...

LANCASTER, Calif. Two teenage boys were arrested Friday for allegedly planning a "Columbine" type attack on Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, according to police. An investigation began on Wednesday when a student contacted the vice principal and said two former classmates were planning a "Columbine-type assault" on the campus, according to the Lancaster Sheriff's Station. The suspects are both teenagers. One enrolled at Littlerock High School and was taken into custody. The other boy, who had a Gothic-type symbol carved into his arm, submitted to an interview with his probation officer nearby. [snip]

LANCASTER, Calif. - A 13-year-old boy was convicted Friday of beating another teen to death with a baseball bat after his team lost its first game of the season. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Naranjo found the teen guilty of second-degree murder in juvenile court. The boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, struck 15-year-old Jeremy Rourke in the knee and again in the head after an April 12 youth league game. Jeremy died later that night. The teen's sentencing was scheduled for July 28. His sentence could range from probation to imprisonment until...