Free Republic

(KCPW News) Utah lawmakers took tips on highway funding from a Texas legislator this morning. Texas Republican Representative Mike Krusee joined them on Capitol Hill. He told the Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee that with federal money drying up, the only way to pay for new highways is to make them toll roads. "Guess how many roads pay for themselves in taxes? Zero. Not a one. Most of them are less than 50 percent," said Krusee. "Imagine if you're a grocery a store owner, and you decide, I'm gonna sell sirloin at a buck a pound, and I'm gonna sell...

Your daily routine -- switching on a light, cooking a meal, driving down the street -- would generate less greenhouse gases under a first-of-its-kind regional strategy to curb global warming unveiled Wednesday at the state Capitol in Salem. The strategy emerged from the Western Climate Initiative, an alliance of Western states -- including Oregon and Washington -- and Canadian provinces trying to jump ahead of any federal move to regulate greenhouse gases. Large utility companies and factory owners would feel the effects first, followed by fuel distributors, as they face limits on their greenhouse gas emissions. Individual Oregonians would not...

Now recovered, hoops star says treatment affected his game - University of Tennessee men's basketball star Chris Lofton didn't want to make any excuses for his slump the first half of this past season. But cancer isn't an excuse - it's a reason. The senior All-American guard told the News Sentinel on Thursday that he underwent four weeks of radiation treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last March. Tears came to his eyes when discussing his battle with cancer. Lofton said he has made a full recovery, but he acknowledged that last spring's treatment affected his offseason training regimen...

A 21-year-old University of Tennessee student was gang-raped, choked and bound in January 2007 before being stuffed inside a trash can while still alive, a federal prosecutor told jurors in opening court statements today. "The evidence will be when she went into that trash can, she was alive," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jennings said this afternoon in U.S. District Court. "Probably, mercifully, Channon Christian died (later that evening)." Jennings revealed details about the killings of Christian and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, as a jury was seated in the trial of Eric Dewayne "E" Boyd. Boyd is charged with helping...

They're called the "Lost Boys," the teenagers kicked out of their homes and communities by leaders of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to ensure there's an ample supply of single, young women who will one day become plural wives. Representative Lorie Fowlke (R-Orem), is running a bill to make this abandonment a felony. "Estimates are that we've had more than 1,000 children - primarily in southern Utah - thrown out of their homes," Fowlke says. "What we were trying to do with this bill is criminalize this behavior and send a message to this...

Sen. Chris Buttars was a no-show Tuesday for a meeting with leaders of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP, saying the event had become a "cheap shot" after its organizers purportedly changed their minds about meeting with him in private and insisted the session be public. NAACP board members expressed disappointment that Buttars didn't meet with them, and renewed their call that the West Jordan senator resign. Buttars - under siege for a week after saying of a bill he opposed, "This baby is black. . . . It's a dark, ugly thing" - said he wanted to meet...

Rocky Anderson, it turns out, is not stepping aside quietly. Joining a list of liberal luminaries, including Noam Chomsky and George McGovern, Salt Lake City's outgoing mayor submitted a letter Friday that calls on the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the Bush administration for abuses of power. The letter, signed by 18 political and cultural figures, asks House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., to hold hearings on alleged violations of the law under President Bush that include kidnapping and torture, warrantless wiretapping, a war of aggression against Iraq and disseminating false propaganda to deceive the American people. It came...

From State funding which would have included lethal embryonic research to vouchers, to defending Marriage, referendums across the country should concern Catholic voters. Voters in New Jersey defeated a proposal that would have authorized $450 million in bonds for stem-cell research projects, but an effort in Utah to repeal a schools voucher program was successful. The ballot questions were among 34 initiatives or referendums held in six states Nov. 6 during off-year elections. Another nine questions had been decided in elections earlier in the year. The Catholic bishops in five New Jersey dioceses had urged rejection of Public Question 2...

By W. Scott Lewis - Should you ever find yourself perusing the newspaper archives at your local library, take a few minutes to track down and compare the August 2, 1966, and April 17, 2007, editions of any American newspaper. You'll undoubtedly find that, for two papers written more than four decades apart, they tell strikingly similar stories. In both editions you'll likely see that coverage of American soldiers fighting a publicly unpopular war overseas is pushed to the back pages by news of a mass shooting on the campus of a major university. But although the headlines suggest a...

Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer and his wife, Vicky, are contributing $1 million to the University of Tennessee through its Campaign for Tennessee fund-raising program. The University of Tennessee made the announcement at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The money will go in equal parts to academics and athletics and be used to support scholarships, athletic facilities and programs. The donation represents one of the largest gifts by a coach and his family to a university.in the country, UT athletics spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter said. “The University of Tennessee has been Phillip’s heart and soul for most of his...

A historic mall's winding hallways became a shooting gallery for a gunman in a trench coat who fired a shotgun randomly at customers, slaying five before being killed by police, authorities and witnesses said. For hours after Monday evening's rampage at the Trolley Square shopping mall, police searched stores for scared, shocked shoppers and employees who were hunkered down awaiting a safe escort. Marie Smith, 23, a Bath & Body Works manager, saw the gunman through the store window. She watched as he raised his gun and fired at a young woman approaching him from behind. "His expression stayed totally...

A Christian woman who once served as an FBI informant on her husband's alleged support of terrorism now is seeking divorce from the self-described radical Muslim who told her he would be proud if their two teen sons blew themselves up for Allah. But she's finding herself on her own – completely – after a judge allowed her lawyer to withdraw, refused to allow an interested lawyer from appearing in her court, and then refused to allow time for any other replacement to be found before today's trial. At stake are Rosine Collin Ghawji's sons, whose futures have been defined...

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - The two dozen FBI agents who swarmed Park City Mountain Resort weren't busting anybody Friday. They weren't even armed - unless you count the sharp ends of ski poles. With the temperature near zero, agents hit the slopes - some on challenging runs, others on bunny hills - in an unusual drive to publicize the FBI and perhaps attract a few recruits. Many skiers and Park City regulars were perplexed or even a bit unnerved. Some thought the whole effort was nutty. Jokes were flying about agents skiing on the public dime, but nobody seemed...

Tuesday, January 9, 2007 Salt Lake Catholic Diocese gets new bishop By Elaine Jarvik Deseret Morning News       The new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is described as humble and caring — the kind of man who not only visits the sick and elderly but who rolls up his sleeves to wash their dishes. Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News Salt Lake Bishop John C. Wester       The Most Rev. John C. Wester was named Salt Lake City's new Catholic bishop on Monday, filling the nearly yearlong vacancy left when former Bishop...

As Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath lay dying of alcohol poisoning, members of the club he was trying to join defaced his body with anti-gay epithets and obscene drawings, according to a medical examiner's report. "It was disgusting and despicable behavior," said Houston attorney Randy Sorrels, who represents Phoummarath's family. Sorrels said Phoummarath was not gay. The 18-year-old freshman from Houston, who wanted to join the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity at the University of Texas at Austin, died Dec. 10, 2005, after ingesting large amounts of alcohol at a party at the fraternity house. The medical examiner reported his blood-alcohol content was...

Houston & Texas News Dec. 27, 2006, 10:53PM UT to explore fate of statues that honor the Confederacy AUSTIN — University of Texas President William Powers Jr. said he plans to form an advisory committee to study whether something should be done about the numerous campus statues honoring the Confederacy. The statues have in recent history become a topic of debate among students, professors and administrators. They include four bronze figures on the South Mall honoring Confederate leaders such as Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, and Gen. Robert E. Lee. Powers said he plans to appoint a committee...

AUSTIN — University of Texas President William Powers Jr. said he plans to form an advisory committee to study whether something should be done about the numerous campus statues honoring the Confederacy. The statues have in recent history become a topic of debate among students, professors and administrators. They include four bronze figures on the campus South Mall honoring Confederate leaders such as Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, and Robert E. Lee, the chief general. Powers said he plans to appoint a committee of advisers early next year, probably including faculty members and students. "The whole range of...

EDINBURG TEXAS — University of Texas-Pan American will announce a plan next week to cover all tuition costs and fees for Texas students whose families make less than $25,000 annually. Administrators are still ironing out details of the plan, which is part of a system-wide UT effort to make college more affordable for the lowest-income students. Although many low-income students contribute little out of pocket — their costs are largely covered by federal and state grants — the word "free" sends a powerful message to poor students who do not think college is an option, according to administrators and local...

Homeowner Shoots Burglar Who Returns For Second Try (TX)Robbery attempt nets suspect a wound in the leg (TX)Pittsburgh Homeowner Opens Fire On Intruders (PA - Police: Body Found In Nearby Cemetery Fatal shooting in Greene County (TN)Armed robber outgunned (ME)Fatal domestic incident act of self-defense (MD)Store clerk shoots robbery suspect (TX)Concealed Weapon Keeps Man Safe in Attempted Carjacking (UT)Intruder shot, killed by homeowner (NM)Sisters Defend Store, Ward Off Would-Be Robber (TX)Shootout in Cape leads to 2 arrests (FL)Police Seek Customer Who Stopped Robbery In Progress (TX)

Knoxville Fire Department crews are on the scene of a fire at the Doughtery Hall, the UT engineering building on the University of Tennessee campus. Smoke and flames are erupting through the roof. Check back for more on this breaking story.

NEW YORK — Replay officials at last season's Rose Bowl were unable to properly review a Texas touchdown that should have been overturned because the wrong television feed was plugged into a monitor. Big Ten and national coordinator of officials David Parry told The Associated Press that he went to the replay booth during January's Rose Bowl between USC and Texas to ask about Selvin Young's 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. It appeared on replays that Young received a pitch from Texas' Vince Young after the quarterback's knee touched the ground. Parry said replay officials told him one...

Campus Fusion brings "Week of Dialogue" to The University of Texas at Austin Sponsored by The University Co-op, The Multicultural Information Center, and Student Government Campus Fusion, a collaborative vision built by the Multicultural Information Center and Student Government at The University of Texas at Austin, and sponsored by The University Co-Op, brings a "Week of Dialogue" to campus from October 16-19. Through different programs during the week-long event, the campus community recognizes the importance of talking about diversity issues at the University. The Kick-off Rally took place this morning on Gregory Plaza and in the Gregory concourse. Also on...

It is sad to report, but a local parish in the Victoria, Tx Diocese invited UT professor Robert Jensen to speak to the faithful at the end of September. I have contacted the church office and informed them of Jensen's views on abortion and homosexuality, but they have not decided to cancel his appearance. I have initiated an email campaign to urge Catholics to call the parish and the diocese and ask why someone with his views would be invited to speak. I have not determined yet whether he will receive payment, nor whether the Bishop knows about his views....

Wyoming may soon get own conservation corps By Jennifer Frazer rep8@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - The Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s was famous for its use of the nation's youth to rejuvenate forests and public lands. Soon Wyoming may have a modern-day version of the corps, which would join corps in Utah, Montana and Colorado. The corps in all three of those states have worked in Wyoming in the past. The Wyoming Conservation Corps would provide youth 18-24 with an opportunity to learn skills and work with government agencies while improving Wyoming's public lands. The project...

DRAPER, Utah, June 30 (UPI) -- A Utah state trooper commanding an anti-drunk driving squad was charged with DUI after he crashed an unmarked police car. Lt. Fred Swain has been on administrative leave from the Utah Highway Patrol since his arrest last week, the Deseret Morning News reported. Officers responding to the report of a crash found Swain in the car. He had struck the barrier separating two sides of a road. Swain's blood alcohol tested at .116, well over the legal limit. "Speaking on behalf of the Department of Public Safety and the Utah Highway Patrol, the administration...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver today welcomed Mexico President Vicente Fox and his wife, Marta Sahagún de Fox, to California. The President's visit to the Golden State is the last leg of a three-state visit to the United States. The Governor and President met in private for ten minutes in the Governor's office and a larger meeting was held immediately afterward that included advisors to both the Governor and President. The leaders discussed a variety of issues, including ways to increase the already robust business between California and its largest export trading partner. California exported $17.7 billion...

HOT Oscar tip Heath Ledger yesterday compared US bans on his gay cowboy film to racism. Critics' Choice Awards Picture Gallery Ledger said he was not surprised a Utah cinema had banned Brokeback Mountain, which depicts a lifelong love affair between two Montana cowboys. "I heard a while ago that West Virginia was going to ban it. But that's a state that was lynching people only 25 years ago, so that's to be expected," Ledger said. "Personally, I don't think the movie is (controversial) but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it's hilarious and very immature...

Cool, the first OFST of the new year. My only standing resolution was to make no more resolutions and I've already broken it. *shrugs*

It's over. I don't have to watch sports anymore. I've seen the best college football game in the history of the sport and the best performance by an athlete in any sports event -- ever. In the wake of Texas' entertaining win over USC in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, about 173 analysts, blowhards, pinheads, gasbags and otherwise sane people have lost their minds, and their credibility. Vince Young was very good, even great against the Trojans. Yes, it lived up to the grotesque hype. The best college football game ever? The greatest performance in any sport, ever? People actually...

Try placing a year on this scenario: a crusty, old-line newspaper teams up with an equally risk-averse broadcasting outfit, to provide a full time outlet for reporters to discuss their stories on the AM radio dial. What era do you think we'd be talking about here, the fifties? At best, the sixties? How about 2006! Yes, the Washington Post, notorious print media fossil, has teamed up with Bonneville Broadcasting to provide "Washington Post Radio" on 1500 AM, until now home to WTOP-AM news radio. Secondarily, its programming will also be heard on 107.7 FM, with its very limited signal reach.....................

(KUTV) An incredible and un-suspecting accident leaves a Utah Boy Scout just inches from death when he was stabbed right between his eyes. Jeff Jaeger spoke to Kevin Coulter and tells 2News how this was a truly freak accident. While raking leaves for a Boy Scout event, one of the leaders flung a knife from his hand while trying to catch another scout who had tripped. “It was dark, it was like 8:30 and there was a light and I saw it flash before it hit me,” said Kevin. The blade landed in between his frontal lobes. It was 2...

In a surprise finish to months of battle, the University of California prevailed yesterday in its bid to run Los Alamos National Laboratory, the storied weapons research center in the mountains of New Mexico and the birthplace of the atomic bomb. The university teamed with the Bechtel Corporation, the world's largest construction and engineering company, and two other industrial giants to win the contract. It is the first time the laboratory's management has been put up for bidding. Federal officials announced the winner in Washington yesterday. Most analysts expected that the contract would be wrenched away from the University of...

UT football players accused in robberies, assaults 12/16/2005 4:30 PM By: News 8 Austin Staff Several football players from The University of Texas are being investigated by the Austin Police Department for robbery by assault, according to sources close to the investigation. The investigation stems from two incidents on Sept. 4 and December 10. The two incidents involve robbery by assault. Sources tell us that the victims are telling police they were downtown when they were beaten up and robbed of their money. There have been no arrests and no indictments in the investigations, but the cases have been turned...

Ted Rappaport came to Austin just a few years ago to set up a wireless-technology center at the University of Texas at Austin. The Wireless Networking and Communications Group, which Rappaport directs, has attracted a dozen corporate sponsors and 14 world-class faculty to the wireless center. It is a huge success story. But there are two problems, and they are related. The wireless group has 70 students — all but five of them graduate students. Nearly all of them are from China, India and other non-U.S. countries. They gain entry by attaining essentially perfect scores on the graduate record exams....

The bitter truth, as we feast on the bounty of the empire -Our myth of Thanksgiving warps a history of genocide ONE indication of moral and intellectual progress in the United States would be the replacement of Thanksgiving Day with a National Day of Atonement. Indigenous people have offered such a model; since 1970 they have marked the fourth Thursday of November as a Day of Mourning in a spiritual/political ceremony on Coles Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock, one of the early sites of the European invasion of the Americas. But the thought of changing this white-supremacist holiday is hard to...

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Southern California and Texas remain the top two teams in the BCS standings and only an upset in one of the final two weeks will prevent the two storied programs from meeting in the Rose Bowl on January 4 for the national championship. The Trojans (11-0) had a close call this past weekend with a 50-42 victory over a tough Fresno State squad, but they'll have this week off before facing city rival UCLA on December 3. The Longhorns (10-0), meanwhile, had their final bye this past Saturday and will play each of the next...

Cheney heckled by anti-war protesters Vice president ignores shouts at ceremony for Howard Baker KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney was heckled by peace protesters Tuesday as he spoke at the groundbreaking for a public policy center honoring former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. During Cheney's remarks, about a half-dozen people protesting the war in Iraq yelled, "War, what is it good for?" and held up a large banner saying, "Peace Now." Cheney continued speaking and didn't acknowledge the protesters, who were escorted from the ceremony inside the University of Tennessee's basketball arena. About 50 protesters, most of...

FOR IMMEDIATE USE October 26, 2005 VP Cheney to Attend Baker Center Groundbreaking KNOXVILLE -- Vice President Dick Cheney will be among Senator Howard Baker's special guests at the groundbreaking for the University of Tennessee's Howard Baker Center for Public Policy building, set for 11 a.m. November 15 at Thompson Boling Assembly Center and Arena. Vice President Dick Cheney The occasion also will mark the 80th birthday for Baker, an East Tennessee native and longtime public servant. UT President John Petersen will emcee the event, which will conclude with a ceremonial shoveling to mark the beginning of construction of the...

Alrighty sports fans, today is the 100th meeting between the Longhorns and Sooners, starting @noon CST on ABC! The game ought to be a great one...I'll go out on a limb and predict UT over OU, 45-10.

End of Howell's reign is part of a shuffle designed to focus NASA on space exploration NASA's Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson Howell Jr. announced Monday that he will leave the high-level post for a space agency liaison assignment with the University of Texas at Austin. The retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general will remain as director of the 15,000-person installation in Houston's Clear Lake area until NASA Administrator Michael Griffin names a successor, probably by late November. Howell's departure is one of nearly 20 high-level personnel changes throughout the space agency since Griffin became administrator in mid-April. Griffin was...

Saturday, September 24thBaltimore, MD - Johns Hopkins University5:45-6:45 PM - Rally & News Conference at John Hopkins University at the Glass Pavillion - located right by Levering Hall and Gilman Hall. “Support the Troops” banner-sheets will be on display, for you to sign and include a message of support. The sheets will be sent to the troops upon the completion of the nationwide bus tour and Washington, D.C. rally. Audience members will recite the pledge of allegiance to protest the ruling against the pledge by activist U.S. District Judge, Lawrence Karlton. Campus Map: (PDF) === From Yahoo Maps === I...

Saturday, September 24thShanksville, PA12:30 - 2:00 PM - Rally & News Conference held near the crash site of Flight 93 (at location of Memorial to the Victims, designed by Lei Hennessy Owen. At Upper entrance of Crash site, off of Buckstown Road. Site of Crash of Flight 93 on 9/11/2001 Directions are as follows: Go Down the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Take Somerset Interchange 10/110. Go straight ahead to the 3rd traffic signal. Turn left at that light onto Rte. 281 North. Go 10 miles and then turn onto Rte. 30 East. Go 3 miles till you see Highland Tank Manufacturing. Turn...

Cincinnati, OHFriday, September 23rd5:00-6:00 PM - News Conference & Rally on front steps of City Hall - at 801 Plum Street. “Support the Troops” banner-sheets will be on display, for you to sign and include a message of support. The sheets will be sent to the troops upon the completion of the nationwide bus tour and Washington, D.C. rally. Audience members will recite the pledge of allegiance to protest the ruling against the pledge by activist U.S. District Judge, Lawrence Karlton. --> The address is 801 Plum Street, Cincinnati, OH. CLICK HERE for Map to City Hall in downtown====...

Move America Forward's Support Our Troops bus tour makes a stop in Denver for a rally on Wednesday September 21stThe only FReepers I know of who were there were myself and 'jan in Colorado'. === Marine Corp Mom Deborah Johns speaks to the gathering=== Gold Star Dad Joe Williams at the podium=== 'jan in Colorado' showing FReeper support for our military=== Me, 'ajolympian2004' holding sign promoting the Support Our Troops rallyAfter departing the rally in Cheyenne earlier in the morning I came up with the idea of downloading the .jpg file from the Support Our Troops Weekend website to create...

American flags, patriotic songs and pro- troops rhetoric filled the west steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday as the "Support the Troops and Their Mission" bus tour stopped in Denver to rally support for the war in Iraq. Organized as a response to anti-war military mom Cindy Sheehan, the tour featured military parents Deborah Johns and Joseph Williams, whose son, Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Williams, died in Iraq on the third day of the war. "I joined the tour because I'm just tired of hearing Cindy Sheehan and her rhetoric," said Williams, who lives in Vacaville, Calif., Sheehan's hometown....

Report from the Cheyenne, Wyoming rally this morning during the bus tour stop at the state Capitol. === I started my drive from Boulder to Cheyenne at 5:00am arriving at about 6:30am. === Capitol building at dawn upon arriving in townThe only person who had arrived before me was Don Edmonds, the father of a fallen Army Ranger. === Proud father Don Edmunds holding a picture of his son and American hero, fallen Army Ranger Jonn Edmunds, in action 10/19/01, Afghanistan.While talking to Mr. Edmunds I discovered that he had arrived much earlier than I to raise the flag of...

'Move Forward' bus visits By JOHN SENTS - Staff Writer Tuesday, September 20, 2005 1:57 PM PDT ELKO - About a dozen well-wishers greeted the Move America Forward bus last night when it pulled into the Red Lion Inn & Casino on its 20-stop, cross-country tour to show support for America's troops and counter the efforts of anti-war advocate Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan and her supporters are nearing the end of a seperate bus tour sending a message to bring America's troops home. Move America Forward photographer Mary Pearson snaps a shot of Deborah Johns, center, a military mom on the...

uesday, September 20, 2005 Posted By: Melanie Morgan (0) Comments Permalink Support the Troops Tour Bus I thought you all might enjoy some pictures of our tour bus that is making its way from coast to coast to rally support for our troops - and their missions in Iraq & Afghanistan. Here’s the bus: And here are the two logos emblazoned on the sides of the bus: * “We Support Our Troops And Their Mission” Tour: * “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy”

Monday's Stop in Reno, Nevada Reno, Nevada - Monday, September 19th Deborah Johns Interviewd by NBC Affiliate in Reno- KRNV TV-4 The “We Support Our Troops And Their Mission” Bus Tour continued on its first day of a weeklong trip across the country with a large rally outside of the Kietzke Wal-Mart in Reno, Nevada. Marine Mom Deborah Johns and Gold-Star Dad Joseph Williams addressed a crowd of about 200 before appearing live on the air with Bill Manders on AM-780 KOH. The Reno stop was the fourth on a tour of more than twenty cities, which culminates with a...

Sacramento Stop of Pro-Troop Bus Tour Monday, September 19- Sacramento, CA Supporters Greeted the Pro-Troop Bus Tour in Sacramento The “We Support Our Troops & Their Mission” Bus Tour made its third stop of its first day across the country in front of the Move America Forward headquarters at 770 L Street in Sacramento, California. Talk show host Mark Williams of NewsTalk 1530 AM - KFBK emceed, Marine Mom Deborah Johns and Gold-Star Dad Joseph Williams addressed the crowd, and singer Kaweah Angel sang the Star-Spangled Banner and led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. The tour will make...