Free Republic

In October, Mark Garber decided he had had enough. After nearly two years of appeals, he cut a $1,000 check to cover a fine for keeping his brewpub open in late December 2020 in violation of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency orders meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. “We finally bit the bullet even though we didn’t agree with it so we could just move on,” said Garber, co-owner of Big Dog Craft Brewing in Manheim Township. With the citation cleared, Garber said he was able to complete an online renewal for the brewpub’s liquor license, something that had...

Six Russian nationals suspected to have terror ties to ISIS have been arrested in a coordinated sting operation spanning Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, The Post can exclusively reveal. Two ICE sources confirmed to The Post they arrested the six people, who hail from Tajikistan, over the last week after the FBI contacted the agency to warn it. Part of the investigation featured a wiretap which revealed one of the now-arrested individuals was talking about bombs, the sources said. “Remember the Boston marathon [bombing]? I’m afraid something like that might happen again or worse,” one of the sources told...

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was treated at a hospital for a bruised shoulder after a car accident Sunday morning, according to a statement from his Senate office. He was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. Fetterman, a Democrat, and his wife Gisele were “involved in a car accident with another driver,” the statement said, and were both evaluated at a local hospital and discharged within hours. The senator returned to his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be back in the Senate for votes this week. ALSO READ: Sen. Fetterman tells comedian Bill Maher progressivism ‘left me’ A...

PHILADELPHIA—As a boy, Nathan Clark developed a fear that he would lose his limbs and be unable to fish and crab with his grandfather. Today, Clark is a triple amputee. He lost his limbs after using fentanyl and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer also known as “tranq” that rots flesh and bone. Less than five years after xylazine showed up in his dope bag, the 29-year-old can’t bathe or use the toilet on his own. “When they cut my legs off, the bone was black,” Clark said. The rise of xylazine in the illicit drug supply is creating a generation of...

Ronald Reagan, a former Democrat, used to say, “I didn’t leave the Democrat Party; it left me.” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) seems to be undergoing a similar transformation. Elected as a progressive Democrat who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders's failed run for the presidency, he recently told a reporter, "I'm not a progressive; I just identified myself as a regular Democrat. Now, eight years ago, I was a progressive, but the situation's changed, and I‘ve been clear that I didn‘t leave that label. That label left me.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t fully equate Fetterman leaving his party the way...

A homeless woman is charged with aggravated assault after police said she attacked a woman in Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, breaking her nose. Shurontaya Festa, 27, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday. According to the criminal complaint, Festa walked up behind a woman in the 600 block of Smithfield Street just after 3 p.m. Wednesday and struck her in the back of the head.

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) said Wednesday on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that he was not a progressive while responding to criticisms that he is not liberal enough. Fetterman said, “Now, in Pennsylvania, the border security is an important issue and we do all believe that we should have a secure border. I never thought it was unreasonable for any Democrat to wanted to make our border more security.” Host Dana Bash said, “I want to ask you personally about your own sort of journey, as the kids say, some Progressives have criticized you for being a different senator, then you suggested...

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters crashed a gay pride parade in Philadelphia on Sunday, bringing the celebratory march to a halt. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ revelers were met by the political protesters chanting the anti-Israel slogan, “Palestine will live forever! From the sea to the river!” at the end of the parade route in the City of Brotherly Love, according to a video posted on X by conservative pundit Jack Posobiec. The showdown took place at the intersection of 11th Street and Locust Street after the Philly Pride March and Festival kicked off around 10:30 a.m. at Washington Square and headed to...

House Speaker Mike Johnson stopped Tuesday in the Lehigh Valley to campaign for Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s congressional run against [the] Democratic incumbent …. Johnson and Mackenzie stopped at Cetronia Ambulance Corps in South Whitehall Township as part of National EMS Week. Johnson’s visit is the first of what likely will be many from high-profile Republicans on behalf of Mackenzie in what is expected to be a close race. The seat is considered one of the most competitive in the United States, and has been deemed a “toss-up” by election forecaster the Cook Political Report. Speaking with reporters at the...

FARRELL — A “good guy with a gun” reportedly came to the aid of a Farrell police officer during a shootout early Friday morning. “He had a valid concealed-carry permit, he had a gun,” Mercer County District Attorney Peter C. Acker said. “He went to where the police officer was and fired on the suspect.” State police and county district attorney’s office detectives are continuing to investigate the incident, which took place about 12:30 a.m. Friday outside a convenience store along Indiana Avenue in Farrell. Acker said the suspect, identified only as a 49-year-old white man, was undergoing treatment Friday...

Being a “purple state,” Pennsylvania has more than its share of Democrats who are self-described moderates. And, because they’re Democrats, many in the mainstream media make sure never to refer to them as “progressives” or “left wing” – let alone “extreme.” But, to paraphrase some old wisdom, if you vote with the left wing of your party almost all the time, and you allow left-wingers to control the legislative agenda, and you never criticize the radicals in your party, then guess what? You’re a left-wing politician. I’m looking at you, Bob Casey, Chrissy Houlahan, Matt Cartwright, Susan Wild, and Chris...

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s brashness toward progressives has expanded beyond the topic of Israel. Fetterman was the topic of a lengthy feature article published by the New York Times on Saturday that highlighted how the senator, who had been on thin ice with progressives for his staunch and unconditional support for Israel in its war with Hamas, has shown that his willingness to make waves within his own party doesn’t stop at the Middle East. Fetterman was seen mocking environmentalist Stevie O’Hanlon, who was trying to speak to him about a Chester County pipeline, in a video that circulated online...

Few people were reportedly in attendance at a Joe Biden rally in Philadelphia on Wednesday, despite Pennsylvania being an important swing state for him to win.Photos showing vast spaces of emptiness at the Philadelphia rally began to circulate on Wednesday from New York Post reporter Steven Nelson.“Photos from President Biden’s Philadelphia rally: the school’s gym is only about half full of supporters A good amount of space is empty and spacious press workspace takes up the rest,” Nelson noted on X.Pennsylvania represents one of the many swing states Biden would have to win to defeat former President Trump in November....

Sen. John Fetterman told Yeshiva University graduates Wednesday that he was “profoundly disappointed” in Harvard University’s inability to address antisemitism on campus before removing the ceremonial crimson academic hood representing his alma mater. The Pennsylvania Democrat expressed his disapproval with the Ivy League school during his commencement address for the private Orthodox Jewish university, which bestowed him with its “Hero of Israel” award, the institution’s highest honor. “I have been profoundly disappointed [in] Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community after Oct. 7,” Fetterman, 54, told the new grads at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens. “Personally, I do...

The warning signs surrounding President Joe Biden’s support with Black voters have been flashing for months. On Wednesday, Biden will stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the most influential Black Democrats in the country and debut a coalition that the campaign hopes will help shore up support with the key Democratic constituency. Biden is slated to speak at Girard College, the historic boarding school in Fairmount,

Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a large amount of lithium located in Pennsylvania, saying it could eventually supply more than a third of America’s needs for the mineral. Researcher and study lead author Justin Mackey told CBS Pittsburgh in an article published Wednesday that the wastewaters of the Marcellus Shale gas wells could cover “somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of the current U.S. national demand.” “This study estimates that Marcellus Shale related Li yields have potential to make a significant contribution to US domestic consumption with a set of reasonable, conservative assumptions,” says the research, published...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attempted to justify the progress on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, prompting a laugh from CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brenna. After $7.5 billion of taxpayers’ money being plowed into the initiative, just a “handful” of charging stations have been built. The interview took a comedic turn when Brennan pointed out the discrepancy between the investment made back in 2021 and the reality of the results. Just seven or eight charging stations have been built despite billions being spent, according to the Federal Highway Administration, “Why isn’t that happening more quickly?” asked Brennan. Buttigieg responded...

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is set to receive Yeshiva University’s highest honor for his service and global leadership, with the university proclaiming him as the “Hero of Israel.” Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel in its war against militant group Hamas, will be awarded the school’s “Presidential Medallion” during the institution’s 93rd annual commencement ceremony Wednesday, the school said in the news release. “Senator Fetterman is one of the true heroes of our time for his unwavering and courageous commitment to moral clarity, which has fortified our community and been a clarion call for our country,” Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman,...

Government scientists have shown that they can filter the precious metal from the state's shale gas wastewater: pulling tons of lithium per day, with little left behind. They concluded that Pennsylvania alone could produce nearly half of the total US demand for lithium — starting in the first year — supplying this key compound that's needed to power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles to solar panels. A project on this scale could make Pennsylvania a rust-belt Saudi Arabia, ending US dependence on lithium from China, which now controls 90 percent of the market. People compare it to the Gold...

One of the people allegedly connected to multiple incidents of harassment and ethnic intimidation on the North Side is a former Pittsburgh employee who has been receiving payments from the city that may violate city policy and could potentially violate the state ethics act, according to internal correspondence between city leaders obtained by the Post-Gazette. Mario Ashkar, 36, of Perry South, was arrested last week on multiple charges of ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking and disorderly conduct regarding an alleged antisemitic incident in April in the Mexican War Streets. Ashkar indicated during interviews with other media that...