Bedford County Mayor Chad Graham Announces Re-Election Campaign

Bedford County Mayor Chad Graham officially announced his re-election campaign on Friday in a press release.

“For many years, our county lagged behind surrounding counties in benefiting from regional economic growth,” Mayor Graham said in a statement. “While we certainly want an improved economic environment, we also don’t want to sacrifice our quality of life to unbridled growth, traffic congestion and crime. I believe we have the right approach and now is the time to continue building on our recent successes for the sake of future generations and make Bedford County even better.”

Read the full story

Commentary: High Pressure Tactics in FBI Coverup Surrounding Whitmer Case

Gretchen Whitmer

For months, the lawyer representing Kaleb Franks—one of six men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020—has produced some of the most detailed and damning reports to make a case for FBI entrapment. Defense attorneys last year discovered that at least a dozen FBI agents and informants were intimately involved in the abduction plot, brought to a dramatic conclusion in October 2020 when the men were arrested after an FBI informant drove them to meet an undercover FBI agent to buy materials for explosives.

With the trial date just weeks away, the Justice Department’s case is imploding amid numerous scandals.

The timing could not be worse for the government, especially the FBI, which is now under scrutiny for its suspected role in fomenting the Capitol breach on January 6, 2021. After all, the two events share many similarities, including plans to “storm” Michigan’s state Capitol building, the use of militia groups reportedly loyal to Donald Trump, and official designations that both represent “domestic terror” attacks.

Read the full story

Department of Homeland Security Says Trucker Protests Could Start in U.S. During the Super Bowl

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned U.S. law enforcement and public safety officials that a trucker convoy protest similar to the one taking place in Ottawa, Canada, could begin on American soil on Feb. 13, the day of the Super Bowl, Yahoo News reported.

The warning, which was distributed nationwide on Tuesday, told authorities the DHS “has received reports of a convoy of truckers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers,” according to senior law enforcement officials and documents obtained by Yahoo News.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Longevity of the COVID Emergency

Two years after COVID burst on the American scene, leading to lockdowns, school closures, mask and vaccine mandates, and trillions of dollars in emergency government spending, the question on many minds is: When will the emergency end?

The answer to that question is not an easy one. An examination of past emergencies does not resolve it. Rather, it is clear that emergency situations, including this one, may be understood through various lenses, yielding different perspectives on what the endpoint will be.

Take, by way of comparison, World War II, an emergency that had at least four distinct endings because it had at least four distinct faces:

Read the full story

Federal Judge Blasts DOJ for False Account of Kamala Harris’ Whereabouts on January 6

A D.C. District Court judge overseeing numerous Capitol protest cases today accused the Justice Department of repeatedly falsifying the location of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the afternoon of January 6, 2021.

Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, openly doubted the validity of trespassing charges against Nicholas Rodean, indicted last March on several counts for his participation in the protest on Capitol Hill.

Read the full story

Connecticut Parents Enraged by Eighth-Grade Assignment Using Pizza Toppings as Metaphor for Sexual Likes and Dislikes

A health class assignment to eighth-grade students in Enfield, Connecticut asked them to list their sexual likes and dislikes, using pizza toppings as a metaphor.

Parents of eighth grade students in a sex ed class at the John F. Kennedy Middle School in the Enfield Public Schools (EPS) district reported their children received an assignment that asked them to list their sexual likes and dislikes – and likened that to ordering toppings on a pizza.

Read the full story

Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent ‘Crack Pipe’ Funding

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and John Kennedy, R-La., introduced new legislation Thursday that would block American Rescue Plan taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase and distribute crack pipes.

The Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act of 2022 comes after the Washington Free Beacon reported federal taxpayer dollars had gone to a program that provides syringes and pipes to drug users as a form of “harm reduction.”

Read the full story

Connecticut Governor’s Lifting of School Mask Mandate Depends on Legislature Voting to Extend His Emergency Powers

Connecticut children cannot be certain they can finally be free of wearing masks in school since, although Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said he would end the state school mask mandate by February 28, that plan may depend on the legislature voting to extend his pandemic emergency powers, and then on individual school districts.

In his State of the State address Wednesday, Lamont told residents he will roll back some coronavirus restrictions, including the school mask mandate, adding, “You have earned this freedom.”

Read the full story

Biden Rejects U.S. Army Report Detailing Failures of Afghanistan Withdrawal

In an interview on Thursday, Joe Biden outright rejected an official investigative report by the United States Army that highlighted many of the failures that led to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

As reported by the Daily Caller, the 2,000-page report was released by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request this week. The report included the sworn testimony of multiple commanders who were on the ground in Afghanistan and witnessed the failed withdrawal firsthand.

Read the full story

Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi Sue Biden over Minimum Wage Hike for Federal Contractors

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration again Thursday, this time for requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 an hour minimum wage. It’s the 21st lawsuit the attorney general has filed against the administration. Joining him are the attorneys general from Louisiana and Mississippi.

“The president has no authority to overrule Congress, which has sole authority to set the minimum wage and which already rejected a minimum wage increase,” Paxton argues.

Their lawsuit follows one filed last December by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of outdoor adventure guides, Arkansas Valley Adventures (AVA), ​​a licensed river outfitter regulated by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, and the Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA). The CROA, a nonprofit trade association, represents more than 150 independent operators who primarily conduct business on federal lands using special use permits through Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management.

Read the full story

New Polls Show Renacci Leading DeWine, Potential Democratic Opponent in Ohio Gubernatorial Race

Jim Renacci

Two surveys, conducted by the Harris Poll and commissioned by the Committee for a Better Ohio, showed Republican Jim Renacci leading incumbent Mike DeWine and potential Democratic opponent John Cranley.

The first poll analyzed each Republican candidate’s odds against John Cranley, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the position against Nan Whaley. Renacci has the largest lead of any GOP contender, leading the Democrat by 10 points. DeWine’s lead was only 2 points.

Read the full story

Michigan County to Repeal School Mask Mandate

students working on school work and wearing masks

The Ingham County Health Department will repeal its mask mandate on Feb. 19 at midnight for thousands of students.

“We are at a point in this pandemic in which public health strategies will begin to shift more towards personal responsibility as we learn to live with COVID-19 long-term,” Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said in a statement. “As a public health agency, we will continue to support local school districts by recommending evidence-based public health measures, educating on current guidance and practices, and making recommendations for staying safe and healthy.”

The emergency orders issued on Sept. 2, 2021, require masks in schools and details quarantine and isolation rules.

Read the full story

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: Support for Canadian Freedom Convoy ‘Downright Dangerous’

After two years of imposing heavy-handed COVID-19 restrictions resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs for Michiganders and nearly 30 percent of small businesses in the state expecting not to survive the pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is concerned about the economic ramifications of the Canadian Freedom Convoy. 

“[The right-wing media is] inciting and encouraging people to break the law and to do so in a way that devastates so many hard-working people…This is five days, and it’s already taken a toll of tens of billions of dollars — that number compounds over time,” Whitmer said on CNN Friday morning. 

Read the full story

State Budget Makers Approve $194 Million for Childcare in Wisconsin

three kids holding hands

Republican lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers are, perhaps surprisingly, on the same page when it comes to spending more money on childcare in Wisconsin.

The state’s budget-writing panel, the Joint Finance Committee, on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to spend $194 million in federal funds to support childcare across the state.

“$194 million is a lot of money,” Rep Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, told lawmakers. “This is our job as a committee and members of the legislature to have a voice in how these programs are supported or created or expanded. Or in some cases not created and not expanded.”

Read the full story

Arizona House Committee Clears Bill to Prohibit Mask Mandates for Minors Without Parental Consent

The Arizona House Government and Elections Committee advanced a bill that will prohibit any public or charter school mask mandate for children under 18 without parental consent.

The legislation, sponsored by Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), moved out of the committee on a partisan vote, with all Democrats opposing the measure.

Read the full story

Commentary: Raphael Warnock’s Loyalty Lies with Joe Biden, Not Georgians

It has been over a year since Raphael Warnock was sworn in as one of Georgia’s senators. In that period, Warnock has proven to be more beneficial and useful to Joe Biden than to Georgians.

Since Warnock’s swearing-in, Georgians have experienced record-breaking inflation, empty shelves due to an unmanaged supply chain crisis, a resurgence in record-setting COVID-19 cases, and a botched withdrawal in Afghanistan at the hands of Joe Biden.

Read the full story

Five Police Officers Shot, Four Others Injured in Phoenix Shootout

Details emerged throughout the day Friday of an incident that led to five Phoenix police officers being shot, four injured by bullet shrapnel, one suspect dead and a woman injured. 

The deadly incident unfolded just after 2 a.m. on Friday morning, when police responded to a shooting at a Phoenix home, according to Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams. 

Read the full story

With Lengthy Friday Session, House Republicans Retaliate After Senate Blocks Youngkin’s Sec. Natural Resources Confirmation

House Republicans took over six hours on Friday to pass several bills confirming low-level appointments made by former Governor Ralph Northam, a reaction to the Senate’s vote earlier this week to block Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointment of former Trump EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler as Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

Republican leaders in the House and the Senate have been hinting at potential trouble over potential blocked nominees for weeks, but on Thursday, Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta) told The AP that Youngkin seemed ready to move on from Wheeler’s confirmation.

Read the full story

Gov. Ducey Pushing Democratic-Sponsored Bill to Create an Earned Income Tax Credit in Arizona

Sean Bowie and Doug Ducey

Arizona doesn’t have an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which mostly gives straight cash to those who don’t earn enough money to obtain a state tax refund, but Gov. Doug Ducey wants to change that. He is supporting SB 1018, sponsored by Senator Sean Bowie (D-Phoenix), which would create one, joining 30 other states which have adopted one patterned after the federal EITC. 

A state EITC would take $74 million from the state’s coffers annually and give it to low earners. In order to qualify, income levels would face the same ceilings as the federal credit. Both families and singles are eligible, with a family of four children earning $20,000 maxing out the most with $325.

Read the full story

House Education Committee Promptly Advances School Mask-Optional Legislation

RICHMOND, Virginia – The House Education Committee voted to advance school mask-optional language in a special meeting Friday; Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s (R-Henrico) SB 739 was the only bill on the agenda.

As introduced in the Senate, Dunnavant’s original bill focused on in-person learning, but earlier this week Senator Chap Peterson (D-Fairfax City) moved to amend the bill to include the masking clause; that vote got broad support from both sides of the aisle. A later vote to pass the amended bill only had two Democrats supporting it, but that was enough to pass out of the Democrat-controlled Senate. On Wednesday, Delegate Amanda Batten (R-York) said that the sudden change surprised Republicans.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Suspends Primary Election Calendar

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily has suspended the primary election calendar while it reviews a lawsuit over congressional redistricting.

Candidates for the May 17 primary were to start gathering signatures for petitions on Feb. 15 to get on the primary ballot, but the high court suspended the process “pending further order” as justices prepare for a Feb. 18 hearing on a new congressional district map.

Read the full story

Minnesota College Planning Appreciation Lunch for Non-White Staff Only

Gustavus Adolphus College

Alpha News has learned that a private liberal arts college in southern Minnesota is planning an appreciation lunch for just non-white staff and faculty later this month, which potentially violates federal civil rights law.

The equity and inclusion office at Gustavus Adolphus College, located in the town of St. Peter and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, recently announced the “People of Color & International Faculty and Staff Appreciation Lunch” that will take place on Friday, Feb. 25.

An email sent out to faculty and staff from the college’s office of marketing and communication mentioned that “Faculty and Staff who are People of Color and/or international … are invited to an appreciation lunch on Friday, February 25 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Three Crowns Room.”

Read the full story

Cleveland Post Offices Taping Mailboxes Shut as Thefts Continue

Ohio’s issues with mail theft and violence against postal workers do not appear to be slowing, as postal workers in Cleveland are taking extraordinary measures to keep thieves from stealing mail. 

 Just a week after The Ohio Star reported on a string of robberies of postal workers in the Columbus area, Cleveland’s United State Postal Service (USPS) employees have been forced to tape shut their ubiquitous blue mailboxes to prevent thieves from breaking in and stealing mail, according to reports. 

Read the full story

WarRoom: Pandemic’s Steve Bannon Interviews Pete D’Abrosca of The Michigan Star, Talks Canadian Freedom Convoy Truths

Thursday morning on War Room Pandemic, host Bannon welcomed The Michigan Star Report Pete D’Abrasco discuss his recent article which addresses how the Canadian freedom convoy of truckers has spread to Windsor creating standstill traffic on heavily traveled Ambassador Bridge dispelling falsehoods by left-wing media outlets.

Read the full story

Left-Wing Activists May Try to Take On Moms for Liberty Group in Tennessee

The Washington Post published an article this week that focused on Tennessee and said liberal mothers will attend more public-school board meetings to speak out against and attempt to defeat conservative groups like Moms for Liberty. The newspaper said these ‘Blue suburban moms’ are mobilizing. The report also said those mothers are about to go on offense against anyone who attends public school board meetings to speak out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) and COVID-19 masks.

Read the full story