Free Republic

[subheadline] Judge says non-violent DUIs not enough to meet standard for lifelong gun banA federal judge restored the rights of a Pennsylvania man on Friday after determining that his misdemeanor driving under the influence convictions were not serious enough to justify a lifelong restriction on his Second Amendment rights. Chief Judge Christopher Conner of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled that Raymond Holloway's second misdemeanor DUI conviction in 2005 was not a serious enough crime to result in a lifetime abridgment of one of his constitutional rights. Connor applied the standard set in the...

President Donald Trump will urge Pennsylvania voters to choose Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta over two-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey during a rally in Erie next week, campaign officials said Wednesday. “With just 34 days from today until the midterm elections, the president looks forward to celebrating the success of the booming Trump economy that’s creating new jobs and bigger paychecks for the hard-working men and women of the Keystone State,” campaign spokesman Michael Glassner said in a statement. “President Trump will also remind Pennsylvanians of the critical importance to get out and vote for Lou Barletta in his...

While “Mean Girls Day” is being marked Wednesday in reference to a mention of Oct. 3 in the popular 2004 cult movie, the parents of a former Seneca Valley High School student claim in a federal lawsuit filed this week that their teenage son was terrorized by false accusations made by five “Mean Girls” at the school. Michael J. and Alecia Flood of Zelienople, Butler County, the parents of a teenage boy identified in the lawsuit as T.F., seek unspecified civil damages against the girls’ parents, the school district and Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger’s office. The lawsuit alleges...

A gunman shot multiple people outside a shopping center in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The victims were outside a Dollar General store on Germantown Avenue and Wister Street around 3 p.m. Wednesday when a gunman opened fire. The victims were taken to the hospital. Officials have not yet revealed their conditions or a description of the suspect. This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Updated 2 hours ago Startup airline OneJet did not resume ticket sales Monday as planned, and it’s unclear whether it ever will. The carrier announced Aug. 29 it was suspending all flights for eight weeks during an “operational transition,” but planned to resume ticket sales Oct. 1. As of Wednesday, the announcement was still posted to the carrier’s website , but when customers go to book a flight, the site says no flights are available to any destination. OneJet CEO Matt Maguire did not return calls seeking comment. Airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said airport officials have not received any information...

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP >> The long-awaited interchange connecting Interstates 95 and 276 (the PA Turnpike) in Bucks County is officially open. Officials from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Pa. Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and representatives from ground-transportation agencies in neighboring states gathered on Friday to commemorate completion of major, Stage 1 components of the Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project. “Motorists who travel in this area have been waiting a long time to realize the benefits this direct link will bring, namely reduced congestion on Bucks County roadways and improved traffic flow in the Philadelphia region and the...

West Long Branch, NJ – The contest in Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 1st Congressional District remains tight, but Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick has inched ahead of Democratic challenger Scott Wallace in the latest Monmouth University Poll of the race. Most PA-01 voters hold a negative view of President Donald Trump and a plurality say they would like to see Democrats take control of Congress. However, Fitzpatrick is able to counter these trends with a positive reputation among his constituents. Fitzpatrick currently holds a 50% to 46% lead over Wallace among likely voters using Monmouth’s standard midterm turnout model. The race narrows...

Lou Barletta Releases New TV AD! #Lou4SenateHere's one of Lou Barletta's TV ads. Apparently, the GOPe has decided not to support Rep. Barletta in his challenge to Bob Casey, Jr. for the Pennsylvania US Senate seat. But this guy shouldn't go down without a fight as he is a Trump-style Republican who made his career opposing open borders. Go share this ad on social media, like Lou's Facebook page if you're on that platform, and support the campaign however you can. Without grassroots support, Bob Casey, Jr. -- who IS beatable -- will cruise to an easy victory.

It was a surreal moment in the middle of a surreal news cycle. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and his Republican challenger, Scott Wagner, sat on stage, their faces frozen and their hands clasped. And Alex Trebek, the “Jeopardy!” host and the moderator of Monday night’s debate, let loose, joking that the only thing with a lower approval rating than the Pennsylvania legislature was the Catholic Church. Polite laughter from the audience quickly turned to boos. Trebek, dressed in a purple flowered tie with a matching pocket square, looked out at the crowd watching the two candidates face off at...

The blast in Allentown that occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday left three males dead, Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said Sunday afternoon. Autopsies were planned Monday, and Grim said the names of the males would be released once their identities are confirmed and their families are notified. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading the investigation along with the FBI, state police, and city and county authorities. Officials said the blast was believed to have been an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the public. “We know there’s been a criminal incident,” District Attorney...

The Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor invested more than $600,000 of his campaign donation into a brokerage account. The amount shows up as a $631,050 loss on his latest campaign finance report, but Wagner has gained more than $840,000 throughout his rare investment practice during the 2018 election cycle.

Anti-police rap ruling a victory for Pittsburgh cops Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirms conviction for witness intimidation and terroristic threats against police officers contained in a YouTube videoSep 24, 2018 On August 21, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed the criminal convictions of Jamal Knox for threatening to kill two Pittsburgh police officers and witness intimidation by means of a “gangsta rap” video posted on the internet. Knox’s First Amendment “protected speech” claims were rejected by the court. THE FACTS In April 2012, Pittsburgh police officer Michael Kosko made a routine traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Jamal Knox. Rashee...

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION – PA Firearm Rights in the Crosshairs! Only YOU can Prevent HB 2060 from being Enacted by the Senate Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 2060, over voluminous objections, including the unconstitutionality of many provisions, due to numerous misstatements about the applicability of this Bill. Although the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s website has not been updated at the time of writing this article, you will be able to find the Representatives that voted in favor of HB 2060 in the near future, here. You can find my prior testimony before the House Judiciary Committee...

---SNIP--- the cost of merely getting Kareem Bellamy to and from school every day runs the taxpayer about $58,450 annually — more than a year of undergraduate tuition at Columbia University, the most expensive college in America. The district’s cost for the average bus rider is about $4,500 a year. Something that comes with a Cadillac price, one would assume, comes with Cadillac service. But when WHYY asked parents, advocates, and lawyers about taxicab transportation for students, we heard more grumbling than gratitude.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania's Election Security has announced that they are recommending the replacement of voting machines across the state to assure the integrity of elections.

Bill Cosby’s PR team put on a brave face Tuesday after the once-beloved comedian was sentenced to three to 10 years in Pennsylvania state prison. “They persecuted Jesus and look what happened,” publicist Andrew Wyatt told reporters outside the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, after Cosby was taken into custody following his April conviction for three counts of aggravated sexual assault. “Not saying Mr. Cosby is Jesus,” Wyatt quickly clarified. “But we know what this country has done to black men for centuries. So Mr. Cosby is doing fine. He’s holding up well and everybody that wants to say anything negative,...

Monday (Today) and Tuesday(9/24-9/25) the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, spurred on by Speaker of the House Rep. Turzai, is slated to consider two bills that were tabled in June – HB 2060 & HB 2227. HB 2060: https://foac-pac.org/Proposed-Pennsylvania-House-Legislation-HB2060/State-Law/3067 HB 2227: https://foac-pac.org/Proposed-Pennsylvania-House-Legislation-HB2227/State-Law/3111

The new NBC News-Wall Street Journal survey, taken six weeks before Americans head to the polls, shows Democrats leading Republicans by 52 percent to 40 percent for control of Congress. If it holds, that 12 percentage point margin would suggest a "blue wave" large enough to switch control of not just the House but also the Senate.

Authorities give update on capture of Shawn Christy MANSFIELD, Ohio – Authorities captured the man accused of making threats against President Donald Trump on Friday, according to WJW. The U.S. Marshals had been searching for 26-year-old Shawn Christy, of McAdoo, Pennsylvania, in Northeast Ohio since Sunday. That's when Christy crashed a stolen car on Interstate 71 in Mansfield then took off running. During a press conference, authorities said they zeroed in on a location Friday where they thought he might be hiding near Crider Road. A K-9 picked up on his scent and "took him down." He was taken into...

The manhunt for a Pennsylvania man who allegedly threatened to “put a bullet” in President Trump’s head has finally ended, officials said Friday. Shawn Richard Christy, 26, surrendered after being tracked down to a ravine just north of Route 30 in Mansfield, Ohio, about 4:30 p.m., just three hours after the day’s search began, officials said at a press conference. “He was captured with a firearm on him and the FBI is processing that and he going to be facing further charges on that firearm,” U.S. Marshal Brian Fitzgibbon said.