Free Republic

Three years after a presidential election that came down to 77,000 votes in three Midwestern battlegrounds, Democrats and Republicans are eyeing a much larger battlefield ahead of the 2020 contests, one that stretches from the picturesque coastline of rural Maine to the high desert of Arizona. Both President Trump’s campaign and the Democrats vying to replace him are scrutinizing a political map in flux, one in which attitudes and alignments are shifting and new regions are coming into play.As many as a dozen states could be up for grabs next year as economic and international uncertainty pairs with a cauldron...

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A New Hanover County man was arrested on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly failed to provide fresh water and food to his pet fish and abandoned it after he was evicted from his home last month. Michael Ray Hinson, 53, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with three counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals and one count of abandonment of an animal. He was given a $4,000 unsecured bond and later released from jail. Lt. Jerry Brewer, spokesperson for the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, said Hinson was evicted from his...

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A New Hanover County man was arrested on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly failed to provide fresh water and food to his pet fish and abandoned it after he was evicted from his home last month. Michael Ray Hinson, 53, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with three counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals and one count of abandonment of an animal. He was given a $4,000 unsecured bond and later released from jail. When deputies seized the fish, it appeared to be malnourished and suffering from hole in the head...