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A few days past the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Samar, researchers from Vulcan Inc.’s research vessel R/V Petrel believe they’ve found wreckage from the engagement’s famed Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Johnston (DD-557). Images of twisted metal, a destroyed deck gun, a propeller shaft and other less recognizable debris were posted to Petrel’s Facebook page Wednesday, with a video narrated by Rob Kraft, Vulcan’s director of subsea operations, and Paul Mayer a submersible pilot with the team started by the late billionaire and philanthropist Paul Allen. “This wreck is completely decimated,” Kraft says in the video. “It is just debris....

I didn't see a thread on this. I am not a fan of Mitch McConnell, but he did a good job in his opening comments. Chucky Schumer is quite impressed with the sound of his voice, as usual.

WHAT: The violent animals of MS-13 have committed heinous, violent attacks in communities across America. Too many innocent Americans have fallen victim to the unthinkable violence of MS-13’s animals. At the State of the Union in January 2018, President Trump brought as his guests Elizabeth Alvarado, Robert Mickens, Evelyn Rodriguez, and Freddy Cuevas, the parents of Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas. Police believe these young girls were chased down and brutally murdered by MS-13 gang members on Long Island, New York, in 2016. Suffolk County Police Commissioner stated that the “murders show a level of brutality that is close to...

Missouri car dealer Max Motors has upped the ante in its longstanding free-gun-with-purchase promotion, offering a .50 caliber sniper rifle to anyone who buys a Dodge Viper. The next step? Air vents laced with powdered Viagra. [Max Motors]

An Education in Washington Politics Election night, after the ten counties in her district reported their votes, Renee Ellmers led incumbent Congressman Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.) Then the afternoon after the election – out of a clear blue sky – the vote totals changed. The State Board of Elections reported Mrs. Ellmers’ lead had dropped to 1,600 votes. The explanation, when it came to light, was as old as time:...

Prominent NFL agent Gary Wichard and former University of North Carolina assistant football coach John Blake have engaged in multiple financial transactions since May of 2007, a four-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports has found. Wichard and Blake are now at the center of NCAA and North Carolina Secretary of State probes, which are seeking to determine the nature and scope of alleged agent tampering involving the football program. Those investigations have also focused on Tar Heels defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who has made at least five trips that have come under scrutiny. Two of those trips included training at a...

Rolling Stone’s advance of an article with controversial remarks by Gen. Stanley McChrystal about President Barack Obama’s prosecution of the war will be on the screen for days to come. Apparently the general opened up to a freelancer and held little back when it came to deriding vice-president Joe Biden and ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry. Eikenberry retired from the US Army as a Lieutenant General.* But war correspondent Michael Yon had begun to ask questions about the leadership in Afghanistan weeks ago. The Washington Post said McChrystal “is quoted in an upcoming profile in Rolling Stone magazine as...

MOREHEAD CITY — A rules violation has cost the Citation its record-setting win in the 52nd Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Angler Andy Thomossan, who caught the record-setting 883-pound blue marlin Monday, said Sunday afternoon tournament officials had stripped the Hatteras-boat of the win, the record and the $912,825 prize money from the $1.66 million purse. “No record. No money. No fish. No nothing,” Thomossan said, adding the rules violation was that one of the crew didn't have a fishing license as required. The lack of a license by a “for-hire mate” was discovered during a lie detector test Saturday...

Death threats, spying and vote-buying accusations are all included in the nearly 1,600 pages of just-released FBI documents into the life of the late Jesse Helms. The WRAL Investigates team filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year to get the files on North Carolina's longest-serving senator. Helms died on July 4, 2008, at 86 after years of declining health. The documents show the former five-term U.S. senator had plenty of enemies and that he thought his own government was one of them...

An Acura forum member posted an idiotic screed about his wife's jealousy of his car, an Acura TL. His wife found it, hacked his account and used it to divorce him. Men complaining about their wives on car forums is about as common as old men complaining about kids trampling their yards. That's why this particular example, an Acura TL owner on the car forum Acurazine, is particularly egregious and stupid. In fact, it was so bad, other car-loving members of the forum were forced to remind their brother-in-automotive-arms that his beloved car is just a car, and that his...

As reported in this week’s Chatham News, there is activity at a long abandoned Cold War era bunker that housed a military telecommunications system. The facility is assumed to have closed in 2000 when trucks carried off much of the equipment. Residents in Chatham County have recently noticed activity at the site. New signage has been put up, warning against trespassing and malicious destruction of equipment “used or intended for use” for military or civil defense functions. The Chatham County Planning Office has also taken notice of the activity, paying a visit out to the site and confirming that there...

Former Gov. Mike Easley sometimes used a secret e-mail account to conduct state business, according to a longtime staffer who testified as part of a public records lawsuit. By law, e-mails about public business are supposed to be public record. Several media outlets sued in 2008 over access to e-mails to and from Easley's office after some state workers claimed that staffers were told to routinely delete sensitive e-mail...

Gun store posters take flak By Geoffrey Cooper - Rocky Mount Telegram Tuesday, October 20, 2009 NASHVILLE — For more than a week, a local gun shop owner has been under scrutiny regarding certain advertisements outside his front door. Nashville Guns owner Dennis Nielsen has been met with the watchful eyes of a few county officials and town residents for the storefront posters of women holding guns. Facing two documented complaints, Nielsen maintains that he has done nothing wrong and runs a clean business. Facing the Washington Street sidewalks are two posters inside of Nielsen’s gun shop windows. The first...

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield is holding a town hall meeting Tuesday evening in Rocky Mount for some of the same reasons dozens of other Democratic lawmakers have opted against holding public forums during the congressional recess. “Never before has there been this sort of cry for people’s opinions to be heard,” Butterfield press secretary Ken Willis said. “And the congressman just feels like there is so much disinformation out there, he wants to address the voters directly.” Attempting to deflate what Democrats are calling “generated outrage” over plans to overhaul the U.S. health care system, most North Carolina members of...

U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C. was in Williamston, NC last week. The Martin County Chamber of Commerce had invited the congressman to lead a round table forum on how the Democrats’ proposed health care bill would impact small business owners and their employees. The event was scheduled to last two hours. I was among the standing room only audience. Upon registering, attendees were asked to write down questions we’d like the congressman to try and answer. We soon learned only questions Butterfield’s staff approved, had any chance of being addressed. -snip- In his opening remarks, Butterfield admitted that his...

For nine years, Layvonne McAuley worked her job processing returned merchandise at the Rocky Mount QVC Distribution Center. When she swiped her security card to go to work Wednesday, it didn’t work. She was among several hundred workers who were accused of possibly making improper withdrawals from the company’s 401(k) plan. McAuley is livid. “This is so unjust,” she said. She said she wrote the hardship letters for the withdrawal of her own 401(k) money when she needed money for medical bills and tuition for her children. McAuley said she was embarrassed to talk to other employees about her need...

A 6 foot tall Rastafarian rooster, talking cow, and a pedo yoga guy on a farm. This must be where all organic fruits come from...

According to the person who posted this pic, the driver of this Camaro SS wanted to celebrate his day-old car purchase by doing a burnout. Quickly followed by losing control, crashing, and getting arrested. We can't verify the story, but the photo of the vehicle in what's supposed to be Riley's Bakery seems legit. Seriously, stop destroying these.

"This one ranks right up there with 'Get A Brain Morans' as a case of beautiful photographic irony.It doesn't matter how you feel about the subject at hand, this is funny."

We've found a snazzy interactive map that shows the location of the plant at every American-built car and light truck is assembled, along with information on that plant's unionization or lack thereof. The New York Times piece also lists the nation of origin for each vehicle's engine and transmission, and the overall effect is to provide tirade ammunition for both ends of the political spectrum. For example, if you know that unions (and the hand-wringin', gun-confiscatin', Kyoto-treaty-signin' parlor-pink liberals who enable them) have systematically destroyed everything that was once good and true about this country, you'll be able to point...