Free Republic

For years, first responders and rescue teams cherished the TactiStaff's unparalleled versatility. Its exceptional utility and durability made it a staple for professionals, but civilians rarely had access. Thanks to some recent legislative changes, we, the everyday people, can now legally get our hands on this military-grade tool.

Five competitive cyclists – women in their 50s and 60s – met at the Tokul Creek trail north of Snoqualmie. At the yellow gate before riding into the deep forest, the women took a group selfie. They had no premonition that 19 miles in, a young male cougar would attack one of them, and that they’d spend 45 minutes in a battle for their lives. The first cougar, presumably the mother or a sibling, ran off. But the younger one paused … and then lunged at Keri Bergere, 60, who was biking a few paces ahead of him. “Looking to...

Two women laughing and smiling in a viral video with hair standing straight up from static electricity were likely in the path of an imminent lightning strike and are lucky they weren’t fried If...the static electricity in the air makes your hair stand on end, a lightning strike isn’t a risk. It’s imminent. Those were the circumstances behind a viral video filmed at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook in Arizona’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. A woman filmed her mother as her long hair stuck straight out from her head and static crackled from the end of her pointed finger on...

In early 2020 in the midst of the covid lockdowns, blue states run by leftist governors pursued mandates with extreme prejudice. In red states like Montana, after the first month or two most of us simply ignored the restrictions and went on with life as usual. It was clear that covid was not the threat federal authorities made it out to be. However, in states like Michigan the vice was squeezed tighter and tighter under the direction of shady leaders like Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer used covid as an opportunity to institute some bizarre limitations on the public, including a mandate...

The Asian longhorned tick is rapidly gaining a foothold in the United States and “poses a serious threat to livestock” according to the USDA. Since its discovery and proper identification in 2017, the coverage area of the tick has spread to 19 U.S. states, the USDA reported. The deadly consequence of their expansion was shared by Ohio State University researchers in the Journal of Medical Entomology: Two cows and one large bull died from exsanguination by the ticks, meaning drained of blood to the point of death. Each unfortunate cow likely endured tens of thousands of bites. While only the...

A Pennsylvania poacher who allegedly killed a Pittsburgh suburb’s beloved bald eagle later turned themselves in — but locals are fuming at the lack of information on the suspect from authorities. “The killing of our beloved eagle had a major impact on the entire community,” Cherry Valley Lakeview Estates resident Linda Carnevali told The Post Saturday. “We cannot fathom why anyone would want to harm our eagles and take it to the extreme of killing one.” The eagle, who Carnevali and her husband Raymond called “Sam” after the popular character “Sam the Eagle” in Disney’s Muppet Vision 3D, was allegedly...

Automaker Jaguar has announced a comprehensive recall of all its I-Pace electric vehicles in the United States, citing a potential risk of battery fires. The company is also advising customers to park outside until repairs are made and charge their vehicles outdoors so they don’t burn their houses down. Electrek reports that Jaguar has announced a broad recall of all of its I-Pace electric vehicles in the United States due to a potential risk of battery fires. This action was taken in response to worries expressed regarding a potential battery problem resembling the one that forced a previous recall of...

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - With the summer tourism season kicking off, Yellowstone National Park is reminding visitors not to disturb wildlife, even if the animal looks to be distressed or in need of help. Park rangers said over the Memorial Day weekend, visitors placed a newborn elk into their car and drove it to the local police station. The elk later ran off, and its condition is currently unknown with an investigation underway. ... Last month, a visitor was seen taking a selfie dangerously close to a bison while visiting Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Video captured on...

For the last couple of years I have been looking at relocating out of North Kalifornia (aka Washington State), the political climate and values I hold dear are no longer recognized or respected. I cannot hold onto the hope that the Idaho boarder shifts my way. Texas was my first choice, then I remembered how many poisonous crawlers live there, and honestly I need my mountains, evergreen trees and snow. Alaska really is the state for me. It will pain me to leave my mountain (Mt. St Helens). For years I have felt a calling to Alaska, not just because...

The state of Michigan is currently investigating a horse farm after its owner held a rally against the building of an electric vehicle battery component plant that will be built by Gotion, a subsidiary of the Chinese company Guoxuan High-Tech Co. Proposed CCP-tied Gotion battery plant - The MI Republican Party has long taken issue with Gotion, which has ties to the CCP. In October 2022, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who lost a massive electric-vehicle plant expansion opportunity with Michigan-based Ford Motor Company, bragged that the CCP-tied company, Gotion, would be moving to Michigan and building a battery plant that...

California's superbloom phenomenon is so big and bright this year it can be seen from space. NASA's Landsat 9 satellite, which was launched in 2021 to capture images of Earth's land surface, sent back images of bright purple and green blooms in Carrizo Plain National Park. A superbloom occurs when desert areas in Southern California receive more rain or cooler weather through the fall and winter, allowing more flowers to thrive. The term "superbloom," however, is not a scientific one: It was created by the media to describe these colorful, robust blooms, said said Cameron Barrows, an associate research ecologist...

The Santa Cruz Mountains will soon offer a slew of new trails for hiking and biking, the product of years of grassroots work to open thousands of acres of private lands to the public. The first new trails are at San Vicente Redwoods, a preserve near the community of Bonny Doon. The property was acquired as part of a campaign by conservation groups to safeguard what is one of the largest privately owned redwood forests in California. Formerly mined and logged by materials giant Cemex, the newly protected land is making its public premiere with about 8 miles of trails...

Good Bear link

Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County is partially reopening later this month—with reservations accepted starting Friday for limited day-use access—for the first time since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire destroyed much of the park in August 2020. The fire burned more than 97 percent of the park, destroying its headquarters, campgrounds, employee housing and nearly every other structure, and the park is still without electricity, running water or phone service, California State Parks officials said. Big Basin will partially reopen starting July 22 to allow visitors to explore the Redwood Loop and about 18 miles of fire...

Is it best to go hiking with friends, or set off alone? For many of us, getting our hiking boots on the trail is all about unplugging and getting away from it all to enjoy some much-needed peace and quiet. Some of hiking’s best-known pioneers, from Alfred Wainwright to John Muir, were famous for extolling the merits of hiking alone but on the other hand, hiking safety advice is generally to go out with someone else and hiking can be a fun and healthy way to connect with friends. So do you still get all the benefits of hiking when...

A new study finds bald eagle population is dropping due to them contracting lead poisoning The birds eat organs left behind by hunters, which contain gunshot ammunition Experts say other animals are feasting on the remains and are being poisoned Bald eagles may have recovered from near extinction, but the birds are now at risk of another threat - lead poisoning. ...

You probably didn’t hear this in medical school, but the next time you write a prescription, maybe you can make it for “nature.” Pediatrician Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, founded Park Rx America and is its medical director. The nonprofit’s official mission is to decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship, by virtue of prescribing nature during the routine delivery of healthcare by a diverse group of healthcare professionals. [ Watch: Video: Timeline for Residents and Fellows ] The website has a plethora of free, downloadable resources for those professionals—pediatricians appear to be the...

Omicron is the unwelcome party guest at everyone’s holiday gatherings this year.Scientists are still trying to learn about the new Covid variant — including how transmissible it is, how well current vaccines work against it and where its biggest hotspots are. Many of those answers won’t be known for at least a couple weeks, just in time for Christmas. Without those answers, you may need to ask yourself a tough question: Is it safe to attend a holiday party? If everyone at your party is vaccinatedIf you’re vaccinated and gathering with other vaccinated people, the answer is a simple “yes,”...

The move would restrict development on roughly 9.3 million acres in North America’s largest temperate rainforest, according to those briefed on the plan, reversing Trump Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will propose reinstating a Bill Clinton-era rule to ban logging and road building in more than half of North America’s largest temperate rainforest, the department confirmed. The restrictions had managed to stay in place for years because of a series of court battles, but the Trump administration wiped them out last fall. “Restoring the Tongass’ roadless protections supports the advancement of economic, ecologic and cultural sustainability in Southeast Alaska in a...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge has granted a request from wildlife advocacy groups and blocked Wisconsin’s fall wolf hunt two weeks before hunters were set to take to the woods. Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost issued a temporary injunction Friday halting the season, which was set to begin Nov. 6. The order comes as part of a lawsuit wildlife advocacy groups filed in August seeking to stop the hunt and invalidate a state law authorizing annual seasons. The groups sued after the Department of Natural Resources board brushed aside calls to cancel the fall season after hunters exceeded...