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Sitting on the tailgate of my truck, I fire up the new Optimus Gemini II dual-burner camp stove in order to make some coffee and oatmeal to start the day. With a scenic backdrop of snowcapped mountains piercing a pale blue sky, I twist the knobs on the slim silver stove to get the heat settings just right. Moments later, I’ve got oatmeal simmering in one pot while my coffee water boils in a mug next to it. The new Optimus stove, which fits perfectly into my truck-camping regimen, is considered compact. The stove has two burners, making it a…
Toronto sure looks like a rough place these days. Not even by Canadian standards, but ours. Even the U.S. Consulate isn’t safe, as we found out last month.Yeah, that gun control is going just swimmingly, isn’t it? However, I apparently need to give the Toronto cops their due. They made two arrests in the incident, which is good. It’s everything else they announced about the arrests that has me scratching my head.Toronto police announced the arrests Thursday of a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy in the second shooting at the U.S. Consulate in five…
After a long day in the sun paddling the Missouri River, I hopped off the canoe, walked along the sandbar, and began to set up my tent. As I unfolded the poles, I began to hear the clinking and clanking of knives chopping vegetables and metal spoons hitting the side of a mixing bowl. Soon, the crackle and smoke of fire began to spread over the campsite, and I got my first inkling that something tasty for dinner was on the way. I walked over to the fire with my camp chair in hand, and took a seat to watch…
Violent crime is down across the country, and that’s a very good thing. Our homicide rate hitting record lows is something that we should all be celebrating, and we’re on pace to see it even lower this year. Again, a very good thing. However, the only acceptable number of homicides is zero, and that means there’s always work to be done. We need to be realistic, though, which is why gun control is still a non-starter.But maybe the answer is to not let dangerous people walk around on our city streets? I’m just putting that…
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has dropped its fight against a court-imposed ban on its policy of limiting what professors can publicly say and write. Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor, brought the original suit, claiming the academy’s policy violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. He challenged West Point’s policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences, or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department. The faculty speech rule appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump issuing an executive…
I got my first Swiss Army knife at a flea market when I was about 11 years old. I have no clue which model it was, but it had the basic tools we typically see nestled between those familiar red handle scales, such as a knife blade, can opener, bottle opener, and corkscrew. I beat the hell out of that knife for a few years. It whittled hundreds of sticks into sharp points. I used it to open cans of Dinty Moore or Chef Boyardee I’d brought to the campfire. It trimmed rope we used in countless forts in the…
Iowa’s always been pretty decent when it comes to gun laws, but the state has made a couple of major improvements over the past few years. In 2021, the state’s permitless carry law kicked in, and the following year voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that declares firearm ownership a fundamental individual right and mandating that courts apply “strict scrutiny” to any future gun control legislation. Those advances could be in danger, though, unless Iowa gun owners turn out in force this November. While Democrat candidates like Christina Bohannan and Josh Turek don’t…
A veteran with mobility issues who served in Operation Desert Storm said he has lost more than $150,000 after a construction project went awry. Ed Smith, 73, of Kansas City, and his family claim they began building another home on their second lot last year. But the family alleged the contractors they hired to complete the project took the $157,000 and did not complete it after over a year. The money was reportedly was paid from Smith’s retirement funds. “In exchange for $157,000 of my dad’s complete retirement funds, we have a hole in our backyard in the wrong place,”…
As the Nixon Library prepares to make a big announcement, a famous aircraft used by multiple presidents is getting a makeover. On Monday, June 29, the library located in Yorba Linda, Calif., is scheduled to formally announce and reveal plans to build a new educational center on its campus. That news coincides with a grand sendoff of the six-ton Sikorsky VH-3A “Sea King” presidential helicopter as it temporarily departs the campus for a complete restoration at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, Calif. That completely-restored helicopter is slated to return in 2028 as a centerpiece of the new building. The…
There was a time, not so long ago, when earning three associate degrees and pursuing a bachelor’s degree seemed like an unreachable dream to Navy veteran Isaiah Franco. After all, his goal of a long career in the military was cruelly snuffed out after he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Franco knew he needed to regroup and find his next passion, but how? As a first-generation college student, he lacked family support and wasn’t sure if he would be able to earn one degree, let alone three. That’s when the Foundation for California Community Colleges (Foundation CCC) stepped in with…
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Melissa Diana Simmons was contracted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide care for an elderly Vietnam War veteran. Instead, Simmons and her boyfriend, James Patrick Brown, drained more than $100,000 from the victim’s bank account, forged his checks and left him in a state of physical and mental disarray. On Tuesday, Simmons, 50, from Boones Mill, Va., pleaded guilty to forgery of government checks. Simmons and Brown were both charged in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). ‘Care’ Turns to Fraud Based on evidence obtained by police and court records, Simmons met the victim,…
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In some ways, it’s never been more exciting to be a gearhead. We have more than a century of automotive history to look back on, and we can hop online and browse the forums and subreddits anytime we run into a maintenance issue we haven’t encountered before. On the other hand, new cars have never been less DIY-friendly, thanks in large part to telematics-gated diagnostics. This is what right-to-repair legislation aims to correct. New Diagnostics Tech Locks Us Out Of Fixing Our Own Cars Credit: 1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know/YouTube To start with, let’s define telematics-gated diagnostics.…
A Marine Corps veteran and other advocates are warning that sections contained within major proposed legislation “will cause significant harm” to veterans, students, survivors and families. The criticism is tied to the comprehensive yet somewhat controversial Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA) being deliberated in Congress, which has faced pushback correlated with budgeting, benefits, and purported negative repercussions on military service members with conditions including tinnitus and sleep apnea. The TCAVA introduced last week includes more than 60 veterans’ bills, such as the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, caregiver reforms, VA modernization initiatives and combat-injured…
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We have a few extra-cool gear releases this week aimed squarely at women who love getting outside. That includes a trail shoe inspired by the growing outdoor collective GorpGirls, an ultralight fleece from women’s hiking brand Hikerkind, linen running shirts, and aviator sunglasses named after Ella Fitzgerald (it’s not clear why). But that’s not all, outdoor lovers. Gear utilitarians will like the chef-focused backpack and Gossamer Gear’s latest tent innovation, while fashionable athletes will appreciate Snoopy apparel from Topo Designs and blinged-out watches from G-SHOCK. Find all that and more right here in Emerging Gear. Chef Backpack (Photos/Chrome Industries) Outdoor…
Though a Virginia judge has granted an injunction blocking the state police from enforcing the gun and magazine ban that’s set to take effect on July 1, a spokesperson for Virginia Attorney General Jay “Two Bullets” Jones says the injunction doesn’t stop local prosecutors and police from enforcing the law. A spokesperson for @AGJayJones says it’s their understanding that yesterday’s decision in Lancaster County on Virginia’s assault weapons ban applies only to the Virginia State Police, and that local Commonwealth’s Attorneys can still enforce the ban on July 1, as of right now.… pic.twitter.com/ntbc4WDwLP— Tyler…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for carrying out a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement with the United States. One drone damaged the upper deck of the ship, but the vessel was able to proceed, Trump said. The U.S. shot down three other drones aimed at the ship, he said. Trump’s post on social media did not identify the ship or the time of the strike, but on Thursday the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile…
