Free Republic

Omaha police have arrested a 24-year-old woman in connection with Monday's fatal hit-and-run crash at 42nd and Q Streets. Police said Flor Campos was neither the driver nor a passenger in the pickup that hit a car driven by 27-year-old Ronald E. Rydberg. According to police reports, Campos drove the pickup's driver from Omaha to a Kansas City, Mo., bus station so the pickup driver and his brother could flee to Mexico.

The radical-turned-scholar, disinvited by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last fall following a public outcry over his planned visit, is scheduled to speak Nov. 14 at the annual meeting of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska. Members of the public are invited to the event, to be held at the Holiday Inn at 72nd and Grover streets in Omaha. The event is not associated with the University of Nebraska. "Not a cent" of public money will be used to bring Ayers here, said Dwayne Ball, president of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska, a statewide group whose members include the American...

Omaha, NE (LifeNews.com) -- Late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart announced today that he had laid off nearly half of the staff at his Omaha, Nebraska-area abortion center. The move came after a coalition of pro-life groups submitted a complaint to the state attorney general asking for an investigation.Carhart told the Omaha World-Herald he was not aware of the complaint and said he could not discuss the reasons for the layoffs.“This is nothing new,” he said. “They are always making stuff up, and they aren't very credible.”But, in a letter to staff that the newspaper obtained, Carhart indicated the number...

If the "public option" (a government-run insurer) is dropped from the health care legislation, how does it affect your support? I'm more likely to support the bill I'm less likely to support the bill I support it either way I'm against it either way. I don't know

OMAHA (KPTM) - A new city ordinance is on the books, requiring second hand gun shops to fingerprint anyone selling a gun. Omaha police say it will help cut violence, by taking illegal weapons off the street. For decades, people selling anything at Mid-City Jewelry and Loan have had to put their finger in ink. It's a city requirement that takes less than five minutes. "We do that on anything that we loan on, whether it's a gun, or a diamond or a TV or a stereo or tools. That's just our process. Always has been," said Don Hoberman, the...

Omaha Police rush to the Gifford Park Neighborhood after a caller reported a man, walking his dog, and carrying a big gun. The call was made on Monday, August 3rd shortly after 5PM. It did not take officers long to track down a suspect. When they approached the 51-year old man he had his dog on a leash, and had a silver handgun in a leather holster around his waist. When officers approached the man he allegedly told them he carries the gun around town on a regular basis, and it was his way of making a political statement. He...

This just in: The College World Series is better when LSU wins. No offense to the seven other teams — OK, six as Cal State Fullerton drives to the airport — here in Omaha. We love you all. But there's no sense in denying it: LSU is Omaha's team (with apologies to UNO and Trev Alberts). Nothing against Arkansas, either. The “Omahogs'' were loud and proud and everywhere you looked. If we can't have gumbo for two weeks, pulled pork is a fine caloric substitute. The Omahogs look like they can throw a party, too. But let's not kid ourselves....

Even billionaire Warren Buffett’s companies can’t escape the recession. He runs Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway, which owns Borsheim’s jewelry. And its spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that it has laid off 13 employees. Borsheim’s spokeswoman Adrienne Fay says sales have been falling since November, forcing the layoffs. She says the company now has 267 workers. Borsheim’s President Susan Jacques called the layoffs devastating. In last month’s report on its first quarter, Berkshire acknowledged that many of its businesses — its jewelry stores, Shaw carpet, Acme Brick and Clayton Homes — have been hurt by the recession and corresponding slowdown in consumer spending.

President Reagan was a master of stagecraft. But this speech transcends appearances and breaths with sincere and powerful emotions no other President can match.Reagan's Pointe Du Hoc speech delivered on the 40th anniversary of D-Day from the cliffs overlooking Normandy beach in France is widely cited as his best D-Day speech. As powerful and emotional as that speech is, there is a second address he delivered later in the day that is even more touching. The speech delivered on the grounds of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial centered around the story of Private Robert Zanatta, of the 37th Engineer...

Archbishop-elect George Lucas Omaha, Neb., Jun 3, 2009 / 11:43 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop George J. Lucas, 59, to serve as the new Archbishop of Omaha, after accepting the resignation of Omaha’s Archbishop Elden Curtiss.Archbishop-Designate Lucas has served as the bishop of Springfield, Illinois for nearly ten years. In a news conference on Wednesday morning, he expressed his “joy and anticipation” at his new assignment, but said that it is mixed with sadness at having to leave Springfield, which he had come to call home.Looking forward, Lucas said that he has been praying for his...

Okay, now remember, this is a professional civilian writing this. I've been to Normandy, and saw a lot of things, but as I was young and green, I really had no idea what I was seeing; just the vague notion that I was standing in the presence of something pleasing to God. I have a whole lot of questions about D-Day, and guess I'll ask them one each day, until June 6. The first one is the beaches on Normandy. There were five of them, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. The British and Canadians dealt with the first three,...

I thought I'd share this, I don't normally post vanities but its something I think you all should hear, a growing number of African Americans are starting to not like the idea of Obama as our first black president. I've been hearing from African Americans in New Hampshire, Maine and Mass and found that they do not like him one bit. One guy at a bar told me that He used to support him but that he might change from Democrat to republican because of what he did in office. A friend of mine in Nebraska was at a church...

Thousands of patriots crowded into the the Douglas County Courthouse plaza this afternoon to "Say It Loud We're Mad and We're Proud". The mood was festive but tempered by serious frustrations with profligate government spending, illegal immigration, a Byzantine tax code and a headlong rush to socialism by the Bush and Obama administrations. The photos speak volumes about the event. I love the smell of freedom in the afternoon.

Capping a day of tax-related protests across the Midlands, an estimated 1,500 people filled the grounds outside the Douglas County Courthouse in Omaha Wednesday evening. Among the speakers was Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn, who drew cheers from the crowd when he said that Congress and President Barack Obama are spending "our children into utter oblivion."

A former Bellevue police officer fired for being overweight could be back patrolling the streets in a few months. Christopher Parent The Nebraska Court of Appeals, in an opinion released Tuesday, reversed the Bellevue Civil Service Commission’s decision upholding the termination of Christopher D. Parent. Parent, 52, had been a member of the Police Department for more than 25 years, mostly as a detective, but had been reassigned to road patrol. His firing stemmed from his performance during an Aug. 28 combat shooting exercise, which prompted fellow officers to report him to the command staff. Parent was fired in 2007,...

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130378355631 Omaha Tax Day Tea Party Host: Don't Go Movement & other organizations Type: Causes - Rally Network: Global Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm Location: Bob Kerrey Memorial Pedestrian Bridge City/Town: Omaha, NE Phone: 4024528372 Email: ltfngr@gmail.com Description Place and time have been decided, but not start location. We are going to end up on the Bob Kerrey Memorial Pedestrian Bridge. To get there, we plan on marching with signs from two predesignated gathering points. People can join in along the way, or else meet us at the bridge if you do not want to walk...

A hardy band of concerned patriots braved sub zero wind chill Friday morning to give voice to their outrage at the eye watering fiscal madness on display in Washington. The crowd of 60 + assembled at the steps of the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha. Through the efforts of the event organizer David West, several media outlets were in attendance. In addition, Pete Ricketts, former US Senate candidate and Ameritrade COO toughed out the weather to deliver some remarks to this group of great Americans

Omaha will be hosting its part of the Nationwide Chicago Tea Party in front of the Douglas County Courthouse. This will be held on Friday, February 27th at 11:00 am, coinciding with events across the nation. If you are in or around the Omaha area, please join us and help us take the first steps to fight back against the ruination of our economy.

PETA is an animal-rights activist organization. They have a Web site called Seakittens.com that is meant to discourage people from eating meat, even it's just seafood. On this page, there is an ad for Omaha Steaks.

The Nebraska Humane Society is offering "good citizen" classes for pit bulls to allow owners to comply with Omaha's new muzzle law. The Omaha ordinance, which takes effect in January, requires all pit bulls in the city to be muzzled in public unless they pass a canine "good citizen" test, KETV in Omaha, reported Thursday. "They have to be able to put up with distractions, loud noise, somebody running and they have to be allowed to walk on a loose leash," trainer Cathy Guinane said of the "good citizen" test.

OMAHA, Neb. — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin drew about 6,000 tonight at a rally here where she reprised the greatest hits against Barack Obama. But she did have a great new line in defense of her series of awkward interviews with CBS' Katie Couric. She talked about her "less than successful interview" and the crowd booed in the direction of the press sitting near the riser for video cameras. "I was just trying to give Tina Fey more material. Job security for Saturday Night Live," she said, to big laughs. Palin repeated her mention of Bill Ayers, and...

Sarah Palin is coming to Omaha on Sunday 10/5 .. 6pm, downtown at the Civic!!!

Campaign officials have confirmed that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will hold a rally in Omaha tomorrow. The Alaska governor will headline a 6 p.m. event at Omaha's Civic Auditorium tomorrow. Tickets aren't required.

"If the major competitive states are split, we could be talking about a situation where one electoral vote matters," said Randall Adkins, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Only Nebraska and Maine divide their electoral votes, though the votes have never actually been split. Obama has opened a campaign office in Omaha to make a play for the electoral vote decided by results in the 2nd Congressional District, which would be essential to victory if the election ended in a 269-269 electoral tie, neither candidate reaching the mandatory 270 electoral votes.

OMAHA, Neb. - A La Vista man claims he was beaten by Omaha Police has filed a complaint against the department and plans to hire an attorney. Darnell Birdine, 19, said it happened at Septemberfest Sunday night. Omaha police said they saw someone fire shots near 10th and Webster, which is near the Septemberfest midway. As they responded to that shots fired call, they decided to close the event for the night.

A California group is running a radio ad that uses Barack Obama’s former minister and Nebraska’s only black state senator to take aim at affirmative action in the state. The ad, which includes a clip of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright saying “God damn America,’’ says Wright and Nebraska Sen. Ernie Chambers believe in race preferences, but most Nebraskans don’t... The American Civil Rights Initiative, which is sponsoring the ad, is pushing measures in several states, including Nebraska, that oppose affirmative action, which the group says gives preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. The...

Child tells Omaha police how she used marijuana BY TODD COOPER WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER The girl sat down, told investigators she smokes pot and, using a pen, demonstrated how she does it — just like her mom. The girl is 4. Now, her mother, Lisa Schuchard, 25, is facing a felony child abuse charge — and a hearing on her parental rights — on allegations that she taught, and encouraged, her daughter to smoke marijuana. Schuchard has pleaded not guilty and is in the Douglas County Jail. Her attorney, Douglas County Assistant Public Defender Doug Johnson, said he couldn't comment...

>Nebraska State Senator DiAnna Schimek's 20-year legislative career is nearly over. She feels victimized, no doubt, by the voter-enacted term limits that make this her final year in power. Still, Senator Schimek hopes to go out with her boots on, firing one final shotgun blast to maim or kill the initiative process she has long abhorred. You see, it was only through the voter initiative that Nebraskans passed term limits . . . three times. Yup. It took three petition drives and three votes of the people. Of course, term limits passed overwhelmingly each time. But a charmed third initiative...

'As their landing craft touched down on the shoreline at 6.30am, they stumbled forward into Hell. Some 1,500 soldiers died in the bloody battle by the Americans to take Omaha Beach on D-Day - under fire from a well-disguised German gun emplacement. The onslaught memorably featured in the memorable opening scenes of the film Saving Private Ryan. But military experts remain divided over exactly where the battery that laid down such a murderous bombardment was sited. But now, a chance discovery by an amateur historian appears to have finally revealed the answer more than 63 years after the Allied invasion...

Crumpled map solves mystery of German gun behind D-Day massacreLast updated at 17:03pm on 4th January 2008A baffling mystery of the D-Day landings was solved by an amateur historian - after he found a crumpled map at a fair in Stockport.  Experts have long disputed the location of the main Nazi gun battery which caused carnage on Omaha Beach, in terrible scenes which were recreated for the Hollywood film Saving Private Ryan.  The Germans had built a decoy gun emplacement overlooking the area while the location of the real guns which blasted the beach, where 2,000 men lost their...

Omaha, Nebraska -- The day after my hometown was rocked by the senseless murder of eight innocent people and the wounding of five others in a local shopping mall, ‘Today Show’ co-host Meredith Vieira asked this obtuse question of two of the shooter’s friends: “Do you think your friend was a victim?” Therein lies the problem with our society’s view of guns and gun violence. The rights of victims are forgotten while murderers are called victims. Poor Robbie Hawkins. Apparently 265,000 of our hard-earned tax dollars spent on this “victim” over the last several years by our Health and Human...

Police have identified Robert A. Hawkins, 19, as the assailant who killed eight people with a semi-automatic rifle (not an assault rifle) at the Westroads Mall in Omaha Dec. 5. Chalk up eight more deaths to "gun control." The shooting was at least the fourth at an American mall or shopping center so far this year, including one in February in Salt Lake City. Once again, the killer chose a "gun-free" zone. Nebraska issues permits "allowing" qualified individuals to carry concealed handguns. (The Second and 14th amendments reaffirm that carrying a weapon is a right, not a privilege -- states...

OMAHA, Neb. — The mother of the teenage gunman who killed eight people at a busy shopping mall last week apologized Thursday for her son's crime and said she did her best raising him. "I have been absolutely devastated," Maribel Rodriguez told The Associated Press. "The most difficult part is giving all of my best efforts to convey to all these beautiful people that I truly am sorry." Her son, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins, fired more than 30 rounds inside a mall department store Dec. 5, striking 11 people. Eight of them died, and he killed himself. Families held funerals and...

At issue: A woman using a handgun to stop a killer in a “soft target,” a church. Our view: The case shows why Michigan school staff need an option for training and concealed carry, not “gun-free zones.” Another month has brought more shooting sprees in what commonly are “gun-free zones.” Four died in two separate shootings Sunday in Colorado. Eight were murdered last Wednesday in an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall. Seven students were slain recently in Finland. That followed a Cleveland school shooting in October. Only in the latest attack did an adult have a right to a gun to...

The following comments are from an actual witness to the Omaha shooting, and a Police Officer who responded. Other than minor edits for spelling and clarity, we have not altered their comments, since, though somewhat disjointed, they convey the surreal and disorienting reality of being involved in a public shooting rampage.

It appears that we have positive identification of the rifle used in the Omaha Mall shooting. The pictures from Fox 42: Omaha show an ordinary SKS rifle with a fixed 10 round magazine. The same rifle that millions of people in the United States own for hunting and plinking. It is an acceptable deer rifle for most of the country. There have been many reports of "assault rifle" used in the MSM, and reports of 30 round magazines. It appears that all of these reports are false, probably intended to stir up anti-gun sentiment before the election.

Omaha (KPTM) - Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren says that today's shooting was "done by one shooter, and one shooter only". In a Wednesday night press conference, Chief Warren said that the first shooting victim was found shot to death on the second floor of Von Maur. Several victims were found shot to death in the customer service area of Von Maur on the third floor. The shooter, 19 year-old Robert Hawkins, was found in the store with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Warren says Hawkins was found with a SKS Assault rifle. Among the dead are 5 unidentified females, 3...

(2007-12-07) — When 19-year-old Robert Hawkins entered the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, carrying an AK-47 assault rifle wrapped in a sweater, he intended to become famous by shooting as many people as possible and then turning the gun on himself.The mentally-troubled teen left a suicide note, and a trail of evidence on his computer and elsewhere that he knew the police would spend months investigating. He had done everything possible to ensure that his name would be mentioned along with other mass killers at Virginia Tech, Columbine High School and the like.He knew that the Westroads Mall was a...

OMAHA, Neb. - The teenage gunman who went on a shooting rampage in a department store may have smuggled an assault rifle into the mall underneath clothing, police said Thursday. Police Chief Thomas Warren said the young man "appeared to be concealing something balled up in a hooded sweat shirt" he was carrying, according to a surveillance video. The teen entered the store Wednesday using an elevator, and moments later, gunfire pierced through the notes of Christmas music at the Westroads Mall's Von Maur department store. People huddled in dressing rooms and barricaded themselves in offices as 19-year-old Robert A....

As some of you know, I am from Omaha. Just my opinion, for what it’s worth, but I’m watching the reports on TV and Radio, both locally (here in Omaha) and nationally and I’m getting ticked off .. I have to speak out. I've been listening to people who knew this kid, on a local radio station, talking about threats he has made. There was one classmate who claims he threatened to kill her and burn down her house. Then there are the friends from his clique who are defending him. One even supposedly threatened to kill another student who...

My biggest fears may be realized. I don't post vanities too often, but this issue has kept me up most of the night. The ramifications of the shooting in Omaha have yet to be felt and what follows is something that we all need to consider and prepare to combat. Earlier this year I made the prediction there would be a mass killing by another ‘troubled’ teen with an ‘assault’ weapon on the innocent, in this case an SKS in Omaha. It would occur in a large setting where CCW was not allowed and once again set off the Assault...

You can't find Christmas anywhere these days. There are holiday trees, holiday decorations, holiday parties, holiday sales, holiday lights, holiday parades, holiday plays, holiday concerts and holiday displays. Check your local paper on Sunday, and see if you can find the word "Christmas" mentioned anywhere... That is until today - 8 people get slaughtered by a madman in a mall in Omaha and VOILA! The media reports them as CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS!

OMAHA, Neb. -- The shooter at Westroads Mall was identified as Robert A. Hawkins of Bellevue, according to the Sarpy County Sheriff's Department, and a suicide note said he was going to be famous. Hawkins, 19, had been arrested on a couple of misdemeanors in November and was due in court this month. One charge included minor in possession of alcohol. He was arrested on Nov. 24. He was due in court for an arraignment on Dec. 19. Sarpy County deputies said they are getting a warrant to search Hawkins' home in the Quail Creek neighborhood in Bellevue. The woman...

President Bush arrived in Omaha, Nebraska this morning to participate in a meeting on health care (Transcript) and to speak on behalf of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns who is now running for Senate.But it was the president’s remarks about Iran today that have, of course, received the most attention: The Iranians have a strategic choice to make. They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities and fully accept the longstanding offer to suspend their enrichment program and come to the table and negotiate, or they can continue on a path of isolation...

Omaha, NE - Nine people are confirmed dead following the shooting at Westroads Mall this afternoon. Action 3 News has learned at least 5 other people were hurt. Two are in critical condition at area hospitals. 34-year-old Omaha attorney, Jeff Schaffert was shot in the arm. He is in fair condition at the Nebraska Medical Center. A 55-year-old man has already been released from the hospital. Police believe one of the dead is the shooter. Sergeant Teresa Negron says he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police are asking everyone to stay away from the area. The neighborhoods around the...

National Terror Alert has a report of a grenade being found at Westroads Mall in Omaha a week ago. Link http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2007/12/01/omaha-grenade-found-at-westroads-mall-parking-lot/

Calculating the Risks in Pakistan A small group of U.S. military experts and intelligence officials convened in Washington for a classified war game last year, exploring strategies for securing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if the country's political institutions and military safeguards began to fall apart. The secret exercise — conducted without official sponsorship from any government agency, apparently due to the sensitivity of its subject — was one of several such games the U.S. government has conducted in recent years examining various options and scenarios for Pakistan's nuclear weapons: How many troops might be required for a military intervention in...

An elderly man was found near an escalator in the store, and police said a young black man was being sought as the suspected shooter. Early indications were that as many as five people may be injured. Colby Barak told KETV NewsWatch 7 that she was on lockdown inside Westroads Mall. She said she was doing Christmas shopping at Younkers, and an announcement was made that no one would be allowed to leave. Just before 2 p.m., Barrett said, another announcement was made that shoppers could leave but would not be allowed back in. Dozens of police and sheriff's cars...

A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response. One of two court filings from “God� came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha. “This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here — poof!� Friend said. State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued God last week, seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.�...

Major US Catholic University Caught Deceiving Diocese: Diocese Losing Patience Vice-chancellor of archdiocese states, "there's a Catholic ethos in this town that rightly smells a rat" By Meg Jalsevac OMAHA, September 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Just a few weeks ago, LifeSiteNews and several online blogs reported on Creighton University's shameful invitation, and then hasty 'disinvitation' of ardently pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia speaker, Ann Lamott.  According to several recent news reports, the hasty 'statement' published on the University website to announce the cancellation has not appeased the powers that be at the Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. The official Creighton statement announcing the...