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Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Irvine Robins, Co-Founder Of Baskin Robins Does At 90

Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins whose penchant for creating unusual ice-cream flavors helped push post-World War II America far beyond its chocolate-vanilla-strawberry tastes, has died. He was 90.

GO HERE to read more.

Motorcycle Accident On Rt. 13

I was told earlier today that there was a motorcycle accident on Rt. 13 near WBOC in which the motorcycle allegedly struck a van. Sadly, the gentleman from Deale Island was being followed by his girlfriend in the vehicle behind him. I'm told he was wearing one of those skimpy helmets that doesn't do much good in accidents and he was thrown some 20 to 30 feet off the road. The most recent news as that a Priest was brought into the Hospital to give him his last rights. It's a sad situation. I always wore a full face helmet.

Water Resources Element Required In Comprehensive Plan


Click on image to enlarge.

The purpose of the Water Resources Element is to ensure that future comprehensive plans are sensitive to the opportunities and limitations presented by local and regional water resources. The element will compare growth projected in the land us element to the availability of water supply resources, to water and sewer facility capacity and to the quality of receiving waters. In addition to water and sewer facility impacts, the Water Resources Element will assess the impact of the pattern of growth through an assessment of storm-water management regulations and the contribution of growth related non-point sources to receiving waters.

The last task expected of the Water Resources Element is to make recommendations within the comprehensive plan that address any constraints or issues unidentified during the planning process. The recommendations may range from the identification of new water supply sources, facility expansions, or changes to land use patterns and sensitive area protections.

More information is available through:

James V. Fineran
Wicomico County Public Information Officer
Government Office Building
125 N. Division Street
Salisbury, MD 21801-4940
410-548-1974
410-548-4803 fax
jfineran@wicomicocounty.org

Salisbury Police Department Press Releases

On May 3, 2008 at approximately 12:03 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department placed the below listed suspect under arrest pursuant to an arrest warrant charging the suspect with the physical assault and rape of a victim. It was reported to the Salisbury Police on April 3, 2008 that the suspect had physically assaulted and raped the victim, who knew the suspect, at a residence on Light Street during an argument about money. Salisbury Detectives investigated the incident and obtained an arrest warrant charging the suspect with the below listed criminal charges.

ARRESTED: Leroy Nathanial Cannon, 43 years of age Bridgeville, Delaware

CHARGES: Attempted first degree murder

Attempted second degree murder

First degree rape

Second, Third, and Fourth degree sex offense

Robbery

Theft

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 200800015069

On May 3, 2008 at approximately 1:40 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department were in the area of Elizabeth St. and observed the below listed subject involved in what appeared to be a controlled dangerous substance transaction. The officers stopped the subject, who was found to be in possession of a quantity of suspected crack/cocaine.

ARRESTED: Brian Lamont Williams, 37 years of age

CHARGES: Possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute

Possession of cocaine

Possession of CDS/paraphernalia

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 200800015447

On May 4, 2008 at approximately 11:45 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department responded to a residence on Brooklyn Avenue, in Salisbury, for a subject that was repeatedly calling 9-1-1 for a non-emergency issue. Upon arrival, the officers located the below listed subject who was visibly intoxicated. The suspect continued to call 9-1-1 for a non emergency despite a number of warnings to desist.

ARRESTED: Justin James Robbins, 28 years of age Cambridge, Maryland

CHARGES: Telephone misuse

DISPOSITON: Released to Central Booking CC # 200800015690

Uh Oh! Looks Like The Old Mall Is Back In The News!

Case Information
Court System: Circuit Court for Wicomico County - Civil System
Case Number: 22C08000633
Title: Precision Grading Services Limited Liability Co vs Salisbury Mall Associates LLC
Case Type: ContractFiling Date:05/01/2008
Case Status: Open/Active
Case Disposition: Disposition Date:

Plaintiff/Petitioner Information
(Each Plaintiff/Petitioner is displayed below) Party Type: PlaintiffParty No.:1
Business or Organization Name: Precision Grading Services Limited Liability Co
Address: PO Box 359
City: HebronState:MDZip Code:21830
Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff/Petitioner
Name: Robins, Esq, John B
Practice Name:
Address: 128 E Main St
Po Box 506
City: SalisburyState:MDZip Code:21803-0506

Defendant/Respondent Information
(Each Defendant/Respondent is displayed below) Party Type: DefendantParty No.:1
Business or Organization Name: Salisbury Mall Associates LLC
Address: Suite 1200
City: BaltimoreState:MDZip Code:21202

Document Tracking
(Each Document listed. Documents are listed in Document No./Sequence No. order) Doc No./Seq No.: 1/0
File Date: 05/01/2008Close Date:05/01/2008Decision:
Document Name: Payments Received
Plt App Fee $10.00 05/01/08 2/71383
Clerk's Fee $80.00 05/01/08 2/71383
MLSC Fee $25.00 05/01/08 2/71383

Doc No./Seq No.: 3/0
File Date: 05/01/2008Close Date:Decision:
Document Name: Instructions to Clerk
Filed by Attorney: John B Robins Esq

Doc No./Seq No.: 4/0
File Date: 05/01/2008Close Date:Decision:
Party Type: PlaintiffParty No.:1
Document Name: Complaint
Filed by Attorney: John B Robins Esq

Doc No./Seq No.: 5/0
File Date: 05/01/2008Close Date:05/01/2008Decision:
Party Type: PlaintiffParty No.:1
Document Name: Exhibits Filed
Filed by Attorney: John B Robins Esq

Doc No./Seq No.: 6/0
File Date: 05/06/2008Close Date:05/06/2008Decision:
Party Type: DefendantParty No.:1
Document Name: Writ of Summons - Civil Issued

The complete case file can be obtained from the Circuit Courthouse.

This Comment Deserves To Be A Post

Mr. Albero:

I really enjoy your “year ago” and “2 years ago” retrospectives, but this week marks the 10th anniversary of a very momentous event: the initial election of Barrie P. Tilghman as mayor of Salisbury, which I believe occurred on May 4, 1998. On May 18, 1998, she was sworn in, and within a few days the devastation of Salisbury began with an assault that she directed against former Police Chief Dykes with the assistance of Robin Cockey and T. J. Maloney as de facto City Attorneys.

The rest, as they say, is now history (sad, but true).

I recall that in 1998 one of Tilghman’s major campaign pledges was to reduce City taxes and water&sewer rates, which she said were too high. And she attacked her opponent, Carolyn Hall, and incumbent Mayor Martin as being tools of the developers and landlords.

Do you think that we were snookered?

The Rumor Is Not True

"Like with the premature rumors of Mark Twain's demise, the rumors of my bankruptcy have been grossly exaggerated.

As with most companies in our business, we are struggling to keep our people working. We are hopeful the market will turn in the next 24 months.

Thank you for your kind words and we hope to be in business for quite a while.

Sincerely,
Tom Ruark"

Thanks Tom!

Salisbury Zoo’s Red Wolves Give Birth

On Sunday morning May 4, the Salisbury Zoo’s red wolves gave birth to a litter of
puppies. A week prior to the birth of the pups, zoo keepers observed some unusual
behavior from the red wolves. That week the Zoo’s veterinarian was called to examine
the animals from outside the exhibit in order to determine whether the female was
showing a possible pregnancy or to determine if she was showing a false pregnancy.
False pregnancies are common in captive animals.

Yesterday the female’s behavior had become more secretive and was spending more time
in one of the wolf dens. Late in the day when the opportunity presented itself, the animal staff looked into the den and observed “a ball of pups.” The number of pups born is not known at the time. This is a very delicate time for both mother and her pups, zoo keepers are keeping a watchful eye on her but need to provide her with the space she needs to bond with her pups.

The Zoo’s veterinarian will be initiating a well-baby check this week to determine the number and sex of the pups. The Zoo’s female has had several litters in the past and has proved to be a good mother. The new baby wolves’ eyes are still closed and should remain that way for about 10 – 14 days. The pups should start to venture out of the den in about 3 to 4 weeks.

For more information, you may contact the Zoo Director, Joel Hamilton, at (410) 548-
3188.

Berlin McDonald's Fire

McDonald's in Berlin across from Stephen Decatur High School has been evacuated due to heavy smoke. Details soon...

2PM: Re-opened for business. No damage. Was told it was electrical.

Why Are There No Pay Increases In The City Of Salisbury?

It's simple, yet confusing at the same time. The way it starts is, as a taxpayer in the City you are taxed at 81.9 cents per $100.00 on your assessment value. If your home is worth $100,000.00 you multiply that by 81.9 cents and get $819.00 per year you pay to the City.

Now, according to the new debt service rate you're paying out 118.00 of that money towards bonded out debt. You must keep in mind that I'm keeping this very basic at $100,000.00, (most of you know your property is worth much more than that) just to give you rounded figures that are easy to follow. If you do step it up to a home valued at $180,000.00, $220.40 goes towards the debt service. To give you an idea of just how much their increasing YOUR payment towards debt service, last year that same home only had to pay $144.00, instead of $220.00.

In 2007 the debt service was $1,458,508.00
In 2008 the debt service was $1,837,945.00
In 2009 the Mayor has proposed a 13.5% increase at $2,085,668.00

OK, that being said, the debt for the City has gone way up, they're proposing a 3.8 cent increase towards the debt service over last year, yet no one is getting a raise? Hopefully this all makes sense in the end so everyone can understand how this works.

You see, they're tapping into the funds they collect from all of you and because they have so many new bonded debts, they're taking 3.8 cents, (around 3%) away from any salary increases and putting it towards the debt they've compiled instead. So what does that mean for next year? It means, unless they raise taxes and stay out of ANY more debt, no one is getting a raise next year either!

The important thing I want everyone to see here is, the affect it has on each and every taxpayer every time the Council rubber stamps a Developer Reimbursement, a new Fire Truck, a new Fire Station, a new Lift Station, you name it. Every time they do this, it cost not only you the taxpayer, each and every employee of the City gets screwed and the Mayor and the rubber stampers get everything they want while everyone works harder knowing they're not going to get anything for years to come.

As the infrastructure of the City continues to age, the expense of upgrading goes out of control. So if you think things are bad now, wait till things really start falling apart. They lowered the funds into road repairs and increased expenses by that same amount towards the Mayors Office. Go figure! If the antiquated water and sewer falls apart like it has been doing, there goes more debt. Now I'm not so sure that money comes from these funds. The idea is, the City is not saving money at all to maintain what the City already has. They're simply raising funds to keep things running, should NOTHING go wrong. I should correct some of that. They do budget for some things they see necessary in the future but its not much.

I'm not saying the Wicomico County and or the City of Salisbury is outrageously taxed, because it's not. What I am saying is that YOU have to question, can you afford more tax increases? The reason I ask is because you have to know, next year they're going to have to have yet another tax increase and what I'd truly like to know is, what happened to the 14% tax increase they already had? I am looking into that but it's never mentioned at any meetings and I really want to know where that money went and I'd like them to tell you.

You then have to ask yourself, do you really need 5 brand new Fire Trucks? How come it was OK several year ago to buy some used vehicles, but its not today? You have to start asking what you can and can't afford any more because their spending, (IMO) is out of control. This is not a bitch post, it's reality. Your input will be very interesting to hear.

Let me close with this. The new increase towards the debt ratio the Mayor has proposed is a 3.8 cent increase. Do you know what that equals? That's $939,199.60, just shy of a million dollars. How many Police Officers could Chief Webster have received for that amount? How many Firefighters could that have hired? Instead, buy Fire Trucks, a Fire Station, etc. and you know that list goes on and on and get toys instead of good men and women. Don't pay the hard working people at the Zoo or Public Works any more money, they'll survive, right?

I personally believe the people of Salisbury would rather take care of their family first, rather than the new cars every year for those on top, if you know what I mean? It's time for a new Mayor and other Leaders in this City, but that's just my opinion.

Perhaps You Meant, 30 Minutes From Bankruptcy Instead?

GO HERE to see more about Rivers Edge.

County Fails To Indict Landfill Suspects Monday

The Grand Jury was informed that the County was not properly prepared to go forward with the possible indictments against those involved, (3 at the moment) in the major theft scheme at the Wicomico County Landfill. I was told that they plan on presenting their case next month.

Wayne Gilchrest Finally Resurfaces



I couldn't believe my own eyes when I opened the Daily Times and saw these photos printed in their newspaper today.

After several months of therapy with Dr. Phil, Congressman Wayne Gilchrest has finally allowed some photographs be taken of him. Now I'm not so sure he's been capable of getting out in the public and speaking, let alone earn his weekly paycheck.

You just gotta thank Dr. Phil for coming through. Baby Steps.

We're At 80% Capacity, Right Ms. Truitt?



How many times over the years did we hear Dot Truitt get up in front of the Council on PAC 14 and ask about our water and sewer capacity and John Jacobs would get all ticked off and state we were always at a 80% capacity, even with all the new growth. Dot would say, how is that possible with so many new condos and buildings and homes going up? No matter what would happen, Mayor Tilghman and John Jacobs would assure us we're at 80%.

Well Dot, I'm sorry you missed last night's meeting because you would have got up out of your chair and smacked some people in the face for flat out LYING to you and the rest of us. That's right, I'm calling Mayor Tilghman and John Jacobs LIARS!

Last night it was announced that they're not only AT capacity, they're beyond capacity and they're not giving out the EDU's they assured and promised Developers BEFORE they dumped millions upon millions of dollars to the North end of Salisbury. I don't care if there's 50 EDU's or a thousand, there's not enough, period and this Mayor and former Public Works Director lied to ALL of you and guess what, it's going to now cost the taxpayer BIG BUCKS to immediately get back to where the City should have been before they started LYING to everyone years ago.

It's no wonder John Jacobs is gone. This Mayor systematically has terminated and or let's say, lost several key employees at the most convenient time. Accountants, Police Chief's, Public Works Director, Zoo Director, it just goes on and on. She screws up and then goes, whoops, it's not my fault. BS!

Mr. Comegys stated that they needed to be on the "fast track" with this one and suggested another "design build" just like the Fire Station. The Public Works Director Jim Caldwell flat out told the Council that a design build wasn't necessary because they're going to do this as fast as humanly possible anyway. At first it was 2 years, now they're talking about having the upgrade done by the end of this year, if possible. However, the City is willing to spend whatever it takes to get it done faster. Not that anything will be built that fast, they're just too stupid to realize that.

It will cost $1,280,000.00 to build the new Lift Station they need but get this Ladies & Gentlemen. The Lift Station that is being used right now has two pumps in it. The second pump is what they call a secondary pump, only to be used if the first one fails. That's NOT the case here and hasn't been for years. You see, that second pump has been pumping away to help the first pump because any time there's any sort of heavy rain, that secondary pump goes into action and that's called being OVER CAPACITY! So Ms. Truitt, the City is at about 20% over capacity, they're just LYING to you and the rest of us.

Although Developers are ticked off that they only received notice of this late last week, it's not as bad as one would be lead to believe for them. What's bad is anyone upgrading their current facilities on the North end. Upgrades could mean more EDU's and that could quickly and easily take up what's left.

That brings me to this next statement. How is it they're over capacity and they still have EDU's available? More smoke and mirrors? This Mayor need to be thrown out of Office on her rear end and it's a shame the Recall never came through. I sent a letter to the Mayor years ago that she went public with. What say you now Mayor Tilghman? I believe I was 100% accurate.

More Proof The Economy Is In The Toilet




This is the first Mechanics Lien against River's Edge and trust me, there will be plenty more to come.

The Mayor and majority of the City Council are in La La Land thinking everything will come back some time soon. Nope, they're wrong! This is just the beginning Ladies & Gentlemen. You look at my words here and watch what's going on in the next 2 year future, you'll see.

Granted, this is only little old Salisbury News but let me assure you, the United States is in deep sh!t, like it or not. Anyone stupid enough to trust the Stock Market is just that, stupid. It's as simple as looking at what it's costing you to fill your gas tank. Going the the grocery story is so painful you just don't know how you're going to make it, right? That's the majority of Americans struggling to survive while Barrie Tilghman's world continues to fall apart, even after a 14% Tax Increase last year!!!!!! Oh, you don't hear about where that money is now, do you?

The other Condo Complex just across the River has sold 3 Units. That's right, 3 Units, period! I wonder how many of those three were interest only loans? It seems for man the answer is, just walk away from it and move on. The Daily Times dumped $170,000.00 worth of Employees this week. Does anyone else know of any other local business laying people off as well?

Delmar School District Has 2 Hour Delay: UPDATE

Due to fog this morning the Delmar School District has a 2 hour delay. No Maryland Schools have any delay.

SCHOOLS

VA ACCOMACK CO. SCHOOLS 2 HOUR DELAY
DE DELMAR SCHOOL DISTRICT 2 HOUR DELAY
DE HOWARD T. ENNIS SCHOOL 2 HOUR DELAY
DE INDIAN RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT 2 HOUR DELAY
DE JESUS IS LORD 2 HOUR DELAY
DE LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 1 HOUR DELAY
DE TELAMON HEAD START - GTOWN 2 HOUR DELAY
DE TELAMON HEAD START- STOCKLEY 2 HOUR DELAY
DE TELAMON HEAD START-ANNEX 2 HOUR DELAY

Question of the Day, Tues 5/6

How much time do you spend on your computer daily?

How many hours daily? For business or pleasure? (gaming, ebay, shopping, news, etc) How much of this time is productive time spent? Does your career require a computer. . . if so, do you still go online during non-working hours? Do you go online for personal reasons while at work? Does your computer habit cut into your TV time or family/spousal time at night?

I think once you think and start adding, you'll be amazed. I know I was.
Enjoy your day. . . SunnyInOC

A Thing Of Beauty


This Tulip Photo was taken last week by my friend Tim in Upstate New York.