Free Republic

Newt Gingrich will stay in the Republican presidential nomination contest despite an expected loss to Mitt Romney in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, the former speaker told The Washington Times late Saturday afternoon. “We had excellent fundraising meetings and calls yesterday,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Super Tuesday and beyond look good.” The Georgia native thus dispelled rumors circulating in the press that his campaign had scheduled a press conference for late Saturday, after the results were in from the Nevada caucuses. “We will probably be a solid second here with [Rick] Santorum in last place,” Mr. Gingrich said, while acknowledging indirectly that attracting...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County sheriff's deputies and Springfield police officers recently picked up five suspected burglars at two homes within four days. Cops said the arrests were thanks in part to alert citizens. In both instances, regular people tracked down the burglars and held them at gunpoint until officers arrived. Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson warns citizens, however, that although they might feel emboldened by a law that lets them defend themselves against intruders on their property, the law doesn't give them blanket permission to shoot an intruder. "I was fortunate that it turned out like it did....

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --A retired school librarian and his brother-in-law held three burglars at gunpoint until police could get to a property on West Kearney Street near West Bypass on Monday morning. The three arrested men could face burglary charges. "It was way out of character for me," said Ken Richardson, the retired librarian. Richardson said, when he saw an unfamiliar vehicle parked in his family's driveway, he knew he had to do something. The home belongs to the grandmother of Richardson's brother-in-law. "Gary grabbed his gun and said, 'Let's get in the truck and go,'" said Richardson. Richardson said the...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)-- Trounced in Florida, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Tuesday used the defeat to declare that he alone is the conservative alternative to GOP front-runner Mitt Romney. Gingrich ignored the fact that the other two candidates in the race -- Ron Paul and Rick Santorum -- chose not to run aggressive campaigns in the state. -snip- Gingrich's defiant pledge to continue on against Romney sets the stage for a bitter brawl for the Republican nomination that could last for months. Gingrich supporters Tuesday night hoisted signs that read "46 States to Go." -snip- "I just want to reassure...

TOPEKA -- Police chiefs from nine Kansas universities and colleges Thursday came out against a measure that would allow concealed handguns in government buildings. “We are absolutely convinced the risk created by firearms on campus exceeds any actual benefit for self-protection,” said Richard Johnson, chief of police at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “It is our professional conviction that firearms do not enhance university security, but will contradict many of the best practices already in place.” Johnson represented a group that included police chiefs from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State, Pittsburg State, Johnson County Community...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City woman was able to protect herself and her home from multiple intruders over the weekend. Neighbors said three people forced their way into the woman's home in the 7600 block of Richmond Avenue. The woman is a cat lover and neighbors said the intruders scratched at the woman's door to get her attention. "They know she had a lot of cats, and they tricked her and scratched on her door," said neighbor Regina Porter. "They ambushed her." Police said the intruders were looking for the basement, where multiple firearms were stashed away in...

An increasing number of intruders in St. Louis are being gunned down by homeowners, due in part to a 2007 self-defense law known as the castle doctrine. But now, authorities are changing how they review apparent justifiable homicide cases.

A right-wing Visigoth extremist has characterized the First Lady using, eh, inartful terms: "Angry Mooch-elle Angry Over “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype."I don't see it, myself. She's always been proud of her country, this one.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. (KMOX) - The woman who shot at an intruder in her Jefferson County home last night, allegedly had a lot of pot in her house. Jefferson County Deputies say they found “several pounds of marijuana packaged for distribution” in Judith Gilbert’s home. The 53-year-old is now in jail, charged with felony drug possession with intent to distribute. Gilbert told police that a man used pepper spray to force his way into her home last night. After she shot at him he fled…and remains at large. It’s not known if he was wounded. OUR PREVIOUS STORY: Sheriff’s investigators...

"It has recently come to our attention that your station has either been asked to run, or may soon be asked to run, various advertising spots produced by the Mitt Romney aligned SuperPAC “Restore Our Future” or Romney for President, the principal campaign committee of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Included among the Romney advertisements submitted to your station for broadcast are likely to be various advertisements which specifically mention Speaker Gingrich and purport to quote or reference the findings of a 1997 report issued by the House Select Committee on Ethics (the “Report”). The content of these advertisements state...

St. Louis Today reported: When is the line crossed between better health and surveillance? In early 2012, wristwatch-like devices called Polar active monitors will be used by older students in PE classes at all 18 Parkway elementary schools. District officials say the devices should help improve the students’ fitness and academic achievement. Later this school year, the district plans to collect data about activity levels and even sleep patterns for a week at a time. It will have the students wear the devices round the clock. Some parents and legal experts are raising privacy concerns about at least that aspect...

As Matthew Boyle noted, the ad wars for New Hampshire are about to heat up. Here is the full-page Union Leader ad that Mitt Romney can look forward to seeing when he arrives New Hampshire tomorrow…

"just Hum me a tune in the evening hours occasionally & I will fancy I hear it borne on the Autumnal breeze" James E. Love, a Union soldier, wrote those sweet words on Oct. 9, 1861, to his fiancée back in St. Louis. He and Eliza Mary "Molly" Wilson, both natives of northern Ireland, had secretly become engaged before he joined the army two months into the Civil War. The letter, mailed from near Sedalia in western Missouri, is more chatty than newsworthy, written during a lull in the hunt for elusive home-state rebels. Love describes the beauty of the...

Primary absentee voting opens TuesdayBy Dennis Rich Sedalia Democrat December 26, 2011 12:35 AM Absentee voting for the Feb. 7 presidential preference primary opens Tuesday, though the Republican winner will take away little more than bragging rights — and no delegates — in balloting expected to cost the state at least $4 million. Though the state will ultimately refund the costs of the February election, Pettis County coffers will still be tapped for just under $60,000 to hold the election, according to County Clerk Nick La Strada. La Strada said voter turnout in 2008 was at 28 percent, but with...

Sometimes getting the police department to return your property can be difficult. This is particularly true when it involves a firearm. Police officers love firearms so getting the police department to return a firearm to a suspected felon can be very challenging despite the admonition in the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution which provides that no person shall be deprived of “… life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” A recent case involving the City of Hazelwood illustrates the difficulties and the potential liabilities for local government for failure to provide due process. In the Hazelwood...

Kansas City police today identified a man killed in a botched robbery attempt Friday at a convenience store as William Rees, 33. Police did not have an address for Rees, but online court records listed an address from Ozark, Mo. Rees was paroled from a Missouri prison on Aug. 16 after serving sentences for stealing, drug trafficking and second-degree assault. Investigators said Rees entered the store about 3 p.m. Friday, announced a robbery and indicated he had a gun, according to clerks at the store at 5712 Independence Ave. As Rees reached over the counter for the money, a clerk...

*snip* The former House speaker, who is putting a campaign organization together on the fly, failed to qualify for the contest in the Show Me State. According to the Missouri Secretary of State's office, Gingrich did not file the necessary papers as of Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline. That means his name will not be on the Feb. 7 ballot. The filing requirements are not particularly onerous. A $1,000 check and some paperwork are all that's needed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A suburban Kansas City woman was left sitting in a vinyl recliner for so long that her skin had fused to the chair and she had to be pried out to be taken to a hospital after suffering an apparent stroke, authorities said. Carol F. Brown's adult son told a state official he had left his 74-year-old mother in the chair for five days without helping her get up to use the bathroom or bathe because he was honoring her wishes to die in her Independence home, according to court documents that described the woman...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A robbery suspect is dead, and police say the robbery victim killed him.

ST. LOUIS • A teenager robbing someone at gunpoint was killed early Wednesday when a man interrupted the holdup, wrestled the robber's gun away and shot him several times, police say. It happened just before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 2700 block of Fall Avenue, in the city's Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. The area is northwest of the intersection of North Grand Boulevard and Cass Avenue. The dead man is identified as Dwight A. Brown, 19, of the 2900 block of James "Cool Papa" Bell Avenue. The man who shot Brown was 27 years old. Police did not release his name. Police...

ST. LOUIS • Early Monday morning, a 47-year-old man became the second burglary suspect to die at the hands of his victim in the past week. The man, whose name has not been released by police, was fatally shot in the shoulder just before 1 a.m. at a home in the 5600 block of Maple Avenue. Police said the property owner, who is 66, was not living at the home, which had been burglarized during the weekend. The property owner had returned there after midnight Sunday to check on the residence and caught the man inside the home in the...

ST. LOUIS • A house sitter shot and killed a suspected burglar who kicked in the door of a home being rehabbed in the 2800 block of Magnolia Avenue early Friday, St. Louis police say. Rico Kemp, 39, was shot to death at about 12:30 a.m. Friday. Kemp lived in the 2300 block of Collett Drive in Moline Acres. The house sitter, a 48-year-old man, was not identified by police. He told detectives that he woke up after hearing someone break into the back door. He told police he was scared for his life so he fired one shot. Kemp...

O'FALLON, Mo. | A St. Louis-area town is taking a get-tough stance on immigration enforcement. The Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis reports that O'Fallon City Council members have voted Thursday to adopt a resolution declaring the St. Charles County town a "Rule of Law" city. That means the city will strictly enforce existing state and federal immigration laws.

An east side homeowner pulled a gun and shot a burglar late Wednesday night, police said. The shooting happened just before 11 p.m. Wednesday at a home located in the 3000 block of East 60th Street, which is near the intersection of East 60th Street and Agnes Avenue. According to police, the burglar was shot in the hand. The burglar was able to leave the scene, but showed up at an area hospital a short time later. His wound was not considered life-threatening.

Major changes in Show-Me State gun laws will take effect Sunday as Governor Jay Nixon signed House Bill 294 into recently. While many of the changes will affect concealed carry permit holders, the new law provides for several other significant provisions all of which tend to favor gun owners. The most significant change brought about by the new law deals with the age at which Missouri residents may apply for a concealed carry permit. Prior to this change, those interested in obtaining a permit had to wait until they reached the age of 23. The new law lowers it to...

Law enforcement officers arrested the owner of BoCoMo Bay yesterday after firearms and a large amount of synthetic marijuana were found at his south Columbia home, they said. Approximately 100 firearms along with a large amount of substances believed to be synthetic marijuana were discovered at the home of Kevin E. Bay, 47, at 400 E. Old Plank Road, according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Department news release. Bay operates BoCoMo Bay at 1122 Wilkes Blvd. ***** Bay was arrested on the outstanding warrant from Stoddard County that charges him with six counts of delivery or imitation of a synthetic...

Lawyers for the Missouri State Teachers Association say they have a signed injunction from Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem stopping the Facebook law from going into effect. The MSTA says they received the injunction just after 10 a.m. Friday. In the ruling, Judge Beetem said that based on evidence, teachers in Missouri use social media as a primary form of communication. He also said the law "clearly prohibits communication between family members and their teacher parents using these types of sites. The Court finds that the statute would have a chilling effect on speech." The injunction lasts for 180...

A lake southwest of Willow Springs is closed after someone apparently tried to drain out the water. Law enforcement in the Mark Twain National Forest are trying to figure out who is responsible. Stewart and Mindy Pringle baited their hooks and are making the best of a sad situation. They've fished Noblett Lake many times before, but never with this little water. "That's kind of selfish there. That's for sure. Someone opened the gate on the dam to make Noblett Lake drain. The U.S. Forest Service says it was discovered last Wednesday. "I came here today because I'm still in...

'Stand for Spencer' planned for Tuesday A daily reminder to "make it count" is what made a difference in the life of Olathe native Spc. Spencer Duncan. His father said he would say that phrase to his sons daily.

<p>Youths in St. Louis playing the knock-out game beat a gay man near the Galleria in St. Louis. The victim has a broken nose, a sore jaw and a black eye.</p> <p>Youths in St. Louis playing the knock-out game beat a gay man near the Galleria in St. Louis. The victim has a broken nose, a sore jaw and a black eye.</p>

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. - Down economic times are calling for creative ways to move new cars off the lot. That's why Premier Auto Outlet is taking a shot at a new way to stay on target. "Any vehicle that is purchased between now and the end of the month, they get a free gun of their choice, within the price limit," said Premier owner Wayne Lewis. "You get to have a little toy, a little fun." The 'buy a car/get a free gun' promotion, which began this week, seems to be working, according to Lewis. "I would say that traffic has...

23 years of age, the Show Me state has had the highest age requirement for concealed carry in the nation. Legally an adult? Yep. Exercise the franchise? Check. Join the Army? Yes sir. Carry a heater? Uh, no…we really think you should really wait another five years. Until now, that is. Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, signed a new gun rights bill into law Friday that lowers the CCW age to 21. Other significant improvements enacted by the new law include prohibiting punitive sales taxes on firearms, enabling easier long gun purchases from contiguous states and allowing Missourians to own...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo.— An alligator caused a lot of commotion for one Independence man Sunday when three Independence police officers shot at his concrete lawn ornament. Rick Sheridan was working in his garage when he heard gunshots. He went around the back of his house to a pond, where he saw three police officers. The three officers had spotted the gator and were lined up on the bank, shooting at the large reptile. "The officer fired two rounds, and killed my concrete, ornamental alligator," Sheridan said. After realizing their bullets were bouncing off the yard art alligator, police left. Sheridan says...

Good grief! Now even folks like Rosie O'Donnell, who cannot simply have the kindness to keep her mouth closed for a change brings up this discredited idea called global warming. Just like Al Gore, Ms. O'Donnell is playing the "blame game". Oh for goodness sakes, Ms. O'Donnell, as horrible as these tornadoes have been, this has been part of the phenomenon called "La Nina". Plus this is also tornado alley we are dealing with, though the number of these very horrible tornadoes have been great. Give the people in these hard-hit areas CREDIT that they are working to put their...

JOPLIN, Missouri -- A tornado ravaged parts of Joplin Sunday, killing at least 24 people as the powerful storm took out hundreds of homes and businesses. Jasper County Emergency Management Director Keith Stammer says a tornado hit the St. John's Regional Medical Center on the city's south side

House Bill 294 Now Goes to Governor Nixon! Today, the 2011 Missouri legislative session closed with a fundamental victory for Missouri gun owners! Thanks to NRA member support, Missouri’s General Assembly approved comprehensive firearm reforms, sending House Bill 294 to Governor Jay Nixon for his signature. House Bill 294, authored by state Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-20) and sponsored in the Senate by state Senator Brian Munzlinger (R-18), is a comprehensive firearm reform bill that would address a number of Right-to-Carry issues important to Missouri’s law-abiding gun owners. The Missouri Senate passed House Bill 294 by an overwhelming 27 to 6...

Columbia police still are searching for the man responsible for an attempted robbery yesterday at Flow’s Pharmacy. At 8 a.m. yesterday, a robbery attempt at the store, 1506 E. Broadway, Suite 118, was halted by owner Randy Flow and his pistol. The suspect entered the store displaying a 2- to 3-inch silver knife asking for drugs and approached the counter, but retreated toward the door when Flow approached him with a pistol. Flow followed the suspect until he exited the store. The suspect, who did not get away with any merchandise or cash, was described as a white male in...

ST. LOUIS > Shooting may have been self-defense • A St. Louis man who died April 20 in a shooting inside a house in the 4700 block of North 20th Street was killed while attacking two others with a nightstick, police said. The case is being investigated as a justifiable homicide. Paul Rose, 34, was shot as he assaulted a man, 31, and a woman, 34, inside the house, police said. Both victims suffered large cuts to their heads in the attack. The male victim shot Rose in self-defense in the altercation, police said.

JEFFERSON CITY — The months-long political process of redrawing Missouri's congressional districts is finally over after legislators in the Missouri General Assembly voted Wednesday to override the governor's veto of the redistricting proposal. In the House, four African-American Democrats, two from St. Louis and two from Kansas City, joined every Republican in approving the override in a 109-44 vote that then sent the bill to the Senate. House Republicans needed to pick up at least four Democrats to reach the two-thirds majority they needed to override Nixon's veto. Rep. Michael Brown, D-Kansas City, who voted with the Republicans, said he...

ST. LOUIS • A St. Louis man faces a slew of charges for allegedly kidnapping a couple and forcing them to drive to an ATM for money, which resulted in a gas station shootout Wednesday night. Trevin Ridgel, 21, of the 3900 block of Lexington, was charged Saturday with: one count of first degree robbery, one count of first degree attempted robbery, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of first degree assault and four counts of armed criminal action. A judge set $100,000 cash bond.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) -- The Arizona shootings created a national debate over large capacity ammunition clips. In Missouri, some defend the clips as lawmakers pass legislation to expand second amendment rights. “Sometimes you need a full-size magazine because you have a full-size problem,” Kevin Jamison, President of the Missouri Sport Shooting Association said. “While that happens rarely, when it happens to you, that’s a hundred percent of the time.” A killing spree in front of a Tucson grocery store more than two months ago left six people dead and thirteen wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Police say the accused...

A south St. Louis man was charged today in the shooting death of the operator of a home repair business on Friday. James Blakey, 36, of the 3100 block of Ivanhoe Avenue, was charged with voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Robert Hartzell Sr., 74, of the 6600 block of Sutherland Avenue. The business was located in the same block as Blakey's apartment, and Hartzell was shot in the neck as he attempted to pull away. The incident happened at about 6 p.m. Police said Hartzel had a dispute with another...

t. Louis police have an arrest in that Friday night gunfight at a home repair shop in the 31-hundred block of Ivanhoe near Arsenal on the south side. Police say it appears 74-year-old Robert Hartzell had an argument with a 50-year-old man inside the shop, pulled a gun and shot the 50-year-old who staggered out and collapsed nearby. Hartzell then got into his car. As he drove away, police say a third man shot Hartzell in the head. Hartzell died and the third man fled, only to be picked up by police late Saturday. The 50-year-old who was critically wounded...

Debate on a bill that would lower the age to apply for a conceal and carry permit diverted into a discussion of how urban Missouri views firearms differently than rural Missouri. The floor debate in the House on HCS/HB 294, 123, 125, 113, 271 & 215 began simple enough, dividing between those asserting their Second Amendment right to bear arms and those more cautious about guns. The combined bills would make a number of changes to state law, the primary one being to lower the minimum age to apply for a conceal and carry weapons permit from 23 to 21....

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri House committee considered legislation Monday that would require labor unions to get written permission from their members before deducting dues from their paychecks. [Snip] Schoeller, R-Willard, said workers should not be forced to give money to union campaigns that might support a candidate the worker does not like. "It's a matter of our Constitution protecting our political freedom," he said. "I think that a person ought to be able to consent whether or not that (political expression) happens."

TWO men attempted to rob a Kansas City, Missouri, gun store Thursday and ended up leaving with less money than they had when they came in, the Kansas City Star reported Saturday. One of the would-be robbers entered the store around 2:00pm Thursday local time and asked to buy a box of ammunition. When the 65-year-old clerk, who wore a shoulder holster and a handgun in plain view, told the man it would be about $50, the man said he needed to get more money and left. The man returned around 5:00pm with another man and tried to pay with...

Time magazine knows it can't be all serious, so in addition to its cover story on Egypt this week, they have a gushy piece on Michelle Obama's fashions, written by Kate Betts, author of the new book Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. Michelle's so chic it's historic: Given her widespread reputation as one of the most stylish women ever to inhabit the White House, you might think Michelle Obama automatically belongs in the Madison-Kennedy lineage. But her background argues differently. No one can claim that Michelle Obama doesn't know what it's like to work or that...

A new poll from SurveyUSA predicts a statistical tie in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Republican Rep. Sam Graves and Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill for her seat in Missouri. The poll showed McCaskill with 48 percent to Graves’ 44 percent if the 2012 general election were held now, with a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points. Missouri-based Republican consultants Axiom Strategies commissioned the poll, which surveyed 700 adults in the state from Jan. 21 to Monday. The firm did not release polling numbers for contests pitting other Republicans against McCaskill or for GOP primary challenges to Graves. However, Axiom...

COLUMBIA -- A Columbia man used his gun to make sure a would-be-thief stayed put until police arrived. The incident happened early Tuesday morning in the 100 block of Texas Avenue, in the northwest section of town. A woman called 911 around 1:45 a.m. to report that her husband was holding a man at gunpoint inside the couple's car, according to police. Police arrived and found Shamakeith Taylor, 27, inside a truck. Police said that Taylor initially resisted getting out of the truck but eventually complied. The husband told police he went outside after hearing his dogs barking and seeing...