Free Republic

A well-known community and social justice activist who founded a Boston nonprofit to reduce violence and who was once was lauded as "Bostonian of the Year" avoided jail time in a federal fraud case, the Justice Department said Thursday. Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, pleaded guilty September 2025 to 18 of the 27 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud and failing to file tax returns, related to a scheme in which Cannon-Grant and her late husband, Clark Grant, pocketed thousands of dollars in donations to their nonprofit.

Carver police department officers responded to an "incident" on Silva Street after reports emerged regarding a shooting at the St. John the Baptist Club, also known as St. John’s Club, located at 53 Silva Street in Carver, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The incident occurred around 7:30 PM Saturday evening, prompting a response from Carver Police and Fire. Scanner reports suggest at least three victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Carver Fire C1 initially requested two medical helicopters, though the response was later downgraded to one. The conditions of the injured remain unknown at this time. In a public safety alert, the Carver...

A Massachusetts woman is suing the town of Hopkinton, alleging officials negligently approved a criminal immigrant with a history of workplace sexual violence to operate a business where he later assaulted the plaintiff when she was 16 years old. The lawsuit, transferred to federal court Jan. 5, names Greek national Petros "Peter" Sismanis, who is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. According to court documents, Sismanis was convicted in June 2025 for the 2023 sexual assault of the plaintiff while she worked at Hillers Pizza. The complaint also notes that Sismanis was previously accused in 1998 of rape, indecent...

A volunteer radio show host has resigned after authorities confirmed they are aware of a post on left-wing-dominated social media app Bluesky, in which a person advocated for killing Vice President JD Vance.

On Sunday morning's edition of The Weekend, MS NOW's double standard on the shooting of Renee Good was on dazzling display. The hosts and guest Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat congresswoman from Massachusetts and a Squad member, were highly critical of the Trump administration for characterizing Good. They singled out Tom Homan for saying that Good had committed a "crime." But when Pressley -- three times -- accused ICE of Good's "murder," tossing in a "brazen killing" for bad measure -- the silence from The Weekend hosts was deafening.Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

A female prisoner was thrown into a locked cell at a Massachusetts prison after she told authorities she was allegedly raped by one of at least four transgender sex predators housed there, a report has claimed. According to an investigation conducted by The Hill, MCI-Framingham, the state's all-female prison, is punishing biological female inmates who speak up about alleged abuse at the hands of transgender inmates who also call it home. One incarcerated woman, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, told the outlet she informed MCI-Framingham officials she was raped by a male prisoner who identifies as transgender...

A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against animals. Garrett Fitzgerald, of Scituate, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.” According to court documents, Fitzgerald conspired with Ronald Bedra, Robert Berndt, and others to direct and send money to individuals in Indonesia, via encrypted chat, to create videos depicting violent torture of baby and adult monkeys. The...

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a Christian father seeking to have his kindergarten-aged child removed from classroom lessons teaching LGBT ideology, as litigation continues. In a Dec. 30 opinion authored by Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, the United States Court for the District of Massachusetts sided with the father, identified as “Alan L.,” in his litigation against Lexington Public Schools over its inclusion of LGBT-related material in the kindergarten curriculum. The plaintiff, a father of a kindergarten student, alleges that the school district violated his “sincere and deeply held” religious beliefs as a “committed, practicing Christian” by...

She is a star of American science. A Stanford chair. A NASA collaborator. A role model for a generation of young researchers. But a chilling congressional investigation has found that celebrated geologist Wendy Mao quietly helped advance China's nuclear and hypersonic weapons programs – while working inside the heart of America's taxpayer funded research system. Mao, 49, is one of the most influential figures in materials science. She serves as Chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University, one of the most prestigious science posts in the country. Her pioneering work on how diamonds behave under...

The state’s parole board has released 39 “emerging adult” murder convicts who were originally sentenced to life without parole, but who later became eligible after a court ruling. The Massachusetts Parole Board has issued 51 parole decisions since the Supreme Judicial Court last year ruled that emerging adults who were 18 to 20 at the time of the offense cannot be sentenced to life without parole. Allen Alston, 47 — formerly known as Allen Scoggins — was one of the convicted murderers granted parole. On May 16, 1997, a then-19-year-old Alston shot and killed taxi driver Ismael Rivera, 56, in...

The parole board of Massachusetts is set to release 39 "emerging adult" convicts imprisoned for murder who were given life without parole but have now become eligible after a court ruling. The ruling states that those between 18 and 20 at the time of their offense are "emerging adults" and are not permitted to be given life without parole. Since the ruling was made last year by the state's Supreme Judicial Court, the board has greenlit the release of 39 first-degree murderers as well as those guilty of accessory to murder as they deny parole to 12 other inmates, according...

A wacky ex-Democrat politician suffered a terrifying attack earlier this week in Massachusetts while at his place of employment.

(Screenshot via @mayorlawrenceema on Instagram) ================================================================== Lawrence, Massachusetts, Mayor Brian De Peña — a Dominican Republic native — requested a Spanish interpreter during a Friday hearing tied to a state police-oversight case, according to The Daily Wire. The episode lit up social media and renewed questions about how a big-city mayor functions in government and legal settings when he says he needs translation help, the Wire reported. The interpreter flap also landed as De Peña is already feuding with Massachusetts’ top elections office after the state flooded Lawrence polling sites with monitors and police, according to NBC Boston. “Today, I...

A woke Boston city councilor was ordered to retake the oath of office after footage showed her refusing to say the words or raise her right hand during a swearing in ceremony. Tania Fernandes Anderson appeared not to repeat the oath in a video that has since gone viral on social media after the ceremony in City Hall on Monday. Footage shows Anderson standing silently with her hands clasped in front of her in between two fellow councilors who can be seen raising their right hand and repeating the oath of office. Anderson reportedly told the clerk that she was...

Mass migration has caused one city in Massachusetts to resemble a foreign nation, as even its own mayor seems unable to speak or understand a word of English. As The Eagle-Tribune reported, Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena testified earlier this month during a hearing in support of former acting police chief William Castro’s appeal against revoked credentials from a 2024 traffic incident. According to WCVB, Castro “engaged in a motor-vehicle pursuit in violation of the policies of the Lawrence Police Department.” Moreover, he was “untruthful” regarding the chase while he and his superiors failed to investigate the incident independently. Video has...

Massachusetts will no longer require prospective foster parents to affirm the sexual orientation and gender identity of the children they foster, following legal challenges and criticism from religious groups. The change comes after the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a federal lawsuit in September on behalf of two Massachusetts families, who claimed the requirement conflicted with their religious beliefs, according to a Fox News report. One couple had its foster care license revoked, while the other was threatened with revocation.

Brown University and MIT gunman's autopsy reveals how long he had been dead during massive manhunt Brown University and MIT gunman Claudio Neves Valente had been dead for two days before he was found by law enforcement, his autopsy reveals. The body of Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was discovered Thursday evening after a six-day manhunt. Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F G Loureiro.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem late Thursday night paused the Diversity Visa Program, saying it allowed the Brown University shooting suspect to enter the U.S. and receive a green card. In an X post, Noem said the suspected shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, "entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card," adding, "This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country." Noem said she was acting at President Donald Trump's direction and ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to halt processing tied to the program...

The suspect tied to both the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of an MIT professor has been found dead inside a storage unit with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. During a Thursday night press conference in Rhode Island, officials confirmed that 48-year-old suspect Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente was found deceased in Salem, New Hampshire. Authorities revealed they traced Valente to a self-storage facility where robots, canine units, and a SWAT team entered the building and conducted a comprehensive sweep. He was found dead inside, along with a satchel and two firearms. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said a key...

SummaryThe discussion between Alex Jones and guest Joseph D. McBride focuses on a shooting incident at Brown University where a gunman targeted and killed students, including a leader of the Young Republicans, during a class. They claim the shooter knew exactly where to go, shot victims point-blank in the head, and escaped. Key points raised:Brown University had turned off or disabled campus security cameras (previously 1,200 in number) following demands from pro-Palestinian student groups, who had organized to oppose surveillance for political reasons.This lack of cameras is described as publicly advertising vulnerability, making serious crimes, including targeted political assassinations, more...