Woodland Ferry Resumes Service Temporarily

Seaford -- The Department of Transportation announces that the Woodland Ferry resumed service today, Tuesday, April 28, and will operate with some restrictions during severe high and low tides during daylight hours.

It is important to note that at some point in the next few months, DelDOT will need to interrupt ferry operations to allow for George & Lynch to make some modifications to the Bethel dock which will improve access for vehicles boarding and exiting the vessel. This work will resolve the issue of loading/unloading vehicles during high tides. It is projected that the ferry will be closed for a three week period to allow for this work.

Since its closure in late December 2008 due to various issues, DelDOT has been working with Chesapeake Shipbuilding and George & Lynch to make needed repairs to ensure the vessel operates properly and safely. In addition, a recent U.S. Coast Guard inspection occurred to ensure compliance with maritime operating procedures.

While the long term closure was needed to address hydraulic and thruster issues, DelDOT capitalized on the opportunity to make other improvements while the vessel was docked such as adding rubber rollers mounted on the side of the vessel to reduce the damage to the timbers during the docking process, as well as adjusting the cable system.

Safety being our top priority, DelDOT greatly appreciates the public's patience during the time the vessel has been down.

The Diagnosis Is In - Barrie Shot In The Foot

Sporting an attorney on each arm and husband in tow, wearing a soft blue jacket in contrast to her usual power yellow or power red choices, former Salisbury mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman left District Court this afternoon with a decidedly bad taste in her mouth, the same mouth that has for over three years vehemently and loudly responded to critics regarding her administration's plethora of perceived shortfalls and less than above board politics.

Choosing to call several press conferences during her last term to protest any and all criticisms of her policies, appointments and actions as Salisbury's mayor, she shot herself in the proverbial foot. Instead of accomplishing what she hoped would be a general shunning of bloggers and others not firmly held in her corner, Tilghman actually brought more notice to their causes than to her own, and public attention to her own shortcomings in a way that she most likely never anticipated, souring her chances to continue on as a closet advisor under the administration of her hand-picked successor, Gary Comegys, whose recent losing mayoral campaign, with her tacit approval, stooped to the lowest levels of innuendo, lying and questionable behavior.

Beginning with the knee-jerk reactions to Albero's investigations regarding the illegal dumping, illegal storage of partially treated sewage and illegal discharge and overflow of waste to the Wicomico River from the WWTP site, which included, of all things, a request to the FAA to declare the air space over the WWTP site a “no-fly zone”, Tilghman's war against the bloggers was a losing one from the start, but she persisted.

Calling the FBI to investigate her baseless and paranoid allegations of computer hacking by pioneer Salisbury political blog author Bill Duvall, Tilghman continued to embarrass herself, her office and the City.

Banning Albero from the Salisbury Zoo after his decidedly heavy-handed views on the management of the zoo, which included allegations of toxic runoff to the zoo's waters (proved true), dozens (if not hundreds) of undocumented animal deaths (apparently true), grossly increasing taxpayer burden (a tripling of its budget) and a severely downward spiraling of fund raising efforts, Tilghman continued to draw attention to Albero's blog assertions and what could be seen as her own lack of good stewardship. While she later announced the resignation of several zoo employees, including the director, stating that they were leaving for greener pastures, it was suspected by many that the departures were the result of a quiet yet grand housecleaning.

As post after post brought up the issues of questionable practices and wasteful spending within her very closely managed administration, she reacted by further limiting the information flow to the public by making herself her own public information officer. As comment after comment to those blog posts brought up more and more questions regarding her suitability for office, Tilghman reacted again and again to stem the bleeding, calling news conferences, taking guest editorial space in the Daily Times and even going as far as making defamatory comments about those who didn't see things her way.

But it was a losing battle.

Now, as the judge's verdict sinks in, Barrie Tilghman will lick her wounds, joining her friends who are still stinging and wondering what the future holds for them after their failed attempts to place their goofy puppet in the mayor's office. Will there be an appeal to today's decision? What would the point be? Will we see her attempt to reinvent herself? Probably, although it will never be as a cooperative member of any group. She's had a big taste of being in charge and won't be satisfied with anything less. Will she recover from this shot in the foot? Not soon, as her wound has turned gangrenous, threatening the very legacy that she sought to create for herself.
Meanwhile, Salisbury's wounds, many of them festering for eleven and more years, will have a better chance to heal. Today's court decision was a start, bringing at least a small amount of relief from the pain.

We put our faith in the new mayor and hope that the doctor is in.

Blogger Fights City Hall And Wins

I have been home for about two hours and I'm sitting here in front of my computer thinking, what do I say?

I know I'd like to thank my Attorney Bruce Bright for coming into Court today completely educated on this entire case, as if he was Joe Albero. You don't find many professionals out there who truly put their all into cases like this but Bruce knew what was at stake and he really did his homework.

I'd like to add that I had fully charged my cell phone last night and by the time I got out of Court and finally got to my phone there were only two bars left on it. I had received so many text messages and other messages that they had actually wore my battery down that much. I then had 186 e-mail messages since I left this morning and rather than my trying to respond to each of you, THANK YOU! Your support has been overwhelming.

Today's victory was not a win for Joe Albero. It was a win for every citizen who has been harassed, fired, bullied and humiliated. It was for ALL of the Bloggers who have been threatened by frivolous lawsuits and scare tactics in an attempt to take away our Freedom of Speech.

I wish Barrie Tilghman all the very best wishes in her retirement. I look forward to the new leadership within Jim Ireton and the news from last night involving Urban Salisbury and those who attended/packed that meeting was very refreshing.

We've all been vindicated and it's time to move forward. More later, I have to go to a Press Conference.

Tilghman v Albero - Bloggers Win!

As former Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman slinked from the courthouse, one point was made clear - the days of tin pot despots bullying the media are over.  Unfortunately, there are a few issues still outstanding.

Tilghman's two year old lawsuit against Salisbury News publisher Joe Albero is over.  District Court Judge Daniel Mumford listened patiently for over two hours as Tilghman's crack team of lawyers argued that Albero had defamed the sainted ex-mayor.  Tilghman's chief attorney, William McAllister of Miles & Stockbridge made some very convincing arguments.  Ultimately, the Judge Mumford sided with the law and ruled that if Tilghman "couldn't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".

In all fairness to Tilghman, I was mortified at some of the blog comments put into evidence.  This speaks to our overall low level of civil discourse.  However, should bloggers be held accountable for the poor choice of words used by their commenters?  According to the federal Online Decency Act, the answer is no.

Oddly, the actual posts upon which Tilghman based her lawsuit were not particularly harsh.  One post by Albero merely stated that Tilghman's lawsuit was a poor example of "your tax dollars at work".  Given Tilghman's repeated admissions during her time as mayor that she was on duty 24 / 7, that statement could be interpreted in too many ways to be of consequence.  The other "damning" post was a question posed by Albero regarding the possible use of public works personnel in building a deck at Tilghman's home.  Given that Tilghman has been the multiple recipient of the Daily Times practice of bundling a false statement in quotes and presenting it as fact, she really didn't have much to complain about.

We'll have more tomorrow, including a discussion of whether Albero really will get a life.  In the meantime, all of us who express our opinion publicly should thank Albero for standing up to the dowager Queen of Barrieland.

Albero 1 Tilghman 0

More to come later

A Message to Readers

If you are wondering why your comments aren't getting posted, it's because Joe is going head to head w/ Barrie in court today and no one is there to moderate comments. Hang in there, we should all know something soon.

The Winds of Change - Urban Salisbury & The Citizens Prevail

Jim Ireton, like all good leaders, hit the ground running. No sooner was he sworn in as mayor he announced a Mayors Roundtable meeting to be held the following night with Urban Salisbury on the agenda. The room was packed with 100 or more people. When is the last time any meeting of the city had that many in attendance? Jim Ireton gave Urban Salisbury the opportunity to present their plans for the future of the downtown area. This presentation had previously been suppressed by council president, Louise Smith. Council Vice President, Gary Comegys said previously that he didn't want to fund Urban Salisbury any longer because they hadn't done anything in the past. How would he know what they have been doing, he never asked them and the council would not give them the opportunity to make their presentation.

An investment by the city, in the amount of $55,000 will produce a return of $438,085. Is anyone out there making $7.97 on a $1 investment, anywhere? The breakdown of this return is as follows:

Facade Grants $109,000
Volunteer Hours $50,400
Special Projects $104,500
Park 'n Flea $154,000
Special Events $5,700
Memberships & Donations $14,485

It makes it hard to say no to these numbers, yet the former mayor, Louise Smith and Gary Comegys wouldn't even allow them on the agenda to be heard. Instead the former mayor puts a line in the budget for a $25,000 part time position to be given to Michael Day. When has Michael Day or anyone else given the city a return on their money? Lore Chambers sits in her office applying for awards for a city that in all honesty is not deserving of awards or recognition. Not at this time.

James Gillespie said it best when he said "the city has no identity." How is Salisbury identified? High crime? No jobs? This is not how we want our city identified, not by any means. Then Brad Gillis made a good point about marketing Disneyland before it's built. This is exactly what Lore Chambers is doing. She is marketing something that simply is not there. We're not even close to being marketable. All the awards, recognition and designations in the world will not make Salisbury what it was, what it can be or what it should be. Once people visit our city they will learn the truth and wonder, like we all do, how in the world did Salisbury win these awards? There is nothing notable here other than the zoo.

There are only two council members, Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen, that have always voiced their support for this organization, the other three were prepared to cast their infamous 3-2 vote. What they weren't prepared for was the number of people showing up and taking a stand. The council chambers was filled to capacity, people were standing around the room, there was, at one time 25 or more people in the hall, all seats in the hall were filled, people were standing along the walls and windows. This was the greatest public display I have ever seen put forth in Salisbury.

The pressure was on the Scheme Team tonight and they knew it. The handwriting is clearly on the wall. The people voted for change and they want it. Had they voted against Urban Salisbury tonight, I am willing to bet there would have been a petition to recall filed.

I read on the Daily Times forum "The winds of change are blowing a gale", I believe they are right.

A Message To The Editor

Hey Joe!

Watched most of the City Council meeting on PAC 14. I was happy to see that all four council members approved the Urban Salisbury portion of the meeting. I'm sure you were a huge part of this. If it hadn't been for your blog along with the letter from Mayor Ireton (on your blog) many of us (including myself) wouldn't of thought to email the council members. I emailed everyone of them and made phone calls. Urban Salisbury is one project I support 100% even if I don't live in Salisbury. I remember what Downtown once was and hope it'll one day return. It will never be what it once was at it's best BUT with lots of hard work it can be something to be proud of.

Once again, thanks for your hard work for Urban Salisbury!

Can Mayor Jim Ireton Help?

"Okay, I am glad Tilghman is out of office, this has been a long time coming for someone who sold the City out. Now what? My concern is this, The City Police have been promised and shafted and promised again for better pay and equipment.

Now we have a new Mayor, and already, Tilghman has stuck it to the City Police again by not submitting even as much as a cost of living increase for the next year. We have been patient the entire time, waiting for the counsel to come through, even after they promised us the "Two year pay increase". Then they lied and said they came through for us. How, oh, they gave Cpl's and above a nice increase, but forgot about the officer out there on the street. Now in this time of economic crisis, here we are again, no one in our corner, being forced to accept with the statement "just be glad you have a job". When does anyone look out for the little guy.

We're the one out there at 4:30 am patrolling while everyone sleeps safely under our watch. We're the one in the rain guiding traffic, when the traffic lights are out so everyone can get to work safely. We're the one coming to your house trying to provide some sense of stability in your life when someone has taken something from you. Yet, where is the city for us?

People always complain about the level of work that they are getting from the police. Well, consider this, the police have been neglected so much for the past ten years by Tilghman, what would you expect. Try this tomorrow, kick someone in the gut for the period of a week, talk down to them, blame them for all that is wrong, take money from them, and lie to them about how you are GOING to take care of them in the future. Then try to bring yourself to the point and ask for the best work of them and see what you get. We voted for Jim, now we are asking for his help to put this thing back together."

Sport Drink

Soldier Subdued By Stun Gun Killed Florida Deputies

By MELISSA NELSON
Associated Press Writer

NICEVILLE, Fla. --

Two deputies from a troubled sheriff's office in Florida had no warning a confrontation with a National Guard soldier accused of beating his wife would turn deadly, the sheriff said.

Deputies Burt Lopez and Warren "Skip" York used a stun gun to subdue Joshua Cartwright, but he was able to start shooting at them from the ground. Both Lopez and York died.

"Within seconds he sat up and began firing a weapon that came out of nowhere, it was somewhere on his body we assume," Okaloosa County's Interim Sheriff Ed Spooner told more than 300 sheriff's office employees who gathered Sunday night to pray and hear an explanation of the shootings.

Cartwright was killed in a shootout at a roadblock after a car chase into a neighboring county. The deputies had gone to a shooting range to arrest him after his wife sought treatment for domestic abuse injures at an area hospital.

Spooner said the deputies had no information to make them think Cartwright would turn his weapons on them.

"This went from zero to 100 in a matter of minutes. In three minutes it turned from a passive discussion to a shooting, it was one heck of a mess," the sheriff said.

READ MORE HERE.

CHEVY'S NEW TRUCK FOR WOMEN

Red Men Lodge - Chicken BBQ

Red Men Lodge on Rt.13 in Fruitland will be having a Chicken BBQ this Saturday, May 2from 1030 am until its gone.

Half chicken with baked beans & a roll $7.00.
Drinks will also be available.

The lodge is located at the corner of Clyde Ave. and business Rt.13

8-Hour Workday Biologically Hard-Wired

Attention, workaholics: Twelve hours on the job may go against Mother Nature.

Don't fight that 5 p.m. whistle. New research from the University of Pennsylvania and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggests that humans are biologically hard-wired to work only eight hours a day.

The standard work cycle appears to be programmed in the genes.

"There is the possibility that there could be a biological basis to an eight-hour cycle," said senior author John Hogenesch, an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania.

His research team focused on the "circadian clock" that coordinates human physiological and behavioral processes on a 24-hour rhythm. People anticipate changes in their environment and prepare accordingly. In the course of a day and night, thousands of genes are affected - switching on and reacting to outside stimulus with predictable regularity.

Previous research has concentrated on the 12-hour cycles governed by light and dark, which set our regular waking and sleeping hours and eating habits. When the timely inner routine gets disrupted, the body can suffer from jet lag - or worse. A compromised clock has also been linked to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer and aging-related disorders. More here.

Washington Times

Today's Wildlife Photo

AYCE Spaghetti Dinner - Sharptown/Mardela Scout Unit 437

All-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner.
To support Sharptown/Mardela Scout Unit 437.

Friday, May 8
5:00pm - 7:00pm
American Legion Post 218 (corner of State St & Taylor St in Sharptown).

All-u-can-eat & carryouts = $7.00 per person.
Dinner includes: Spaghetti, red sauce, salad, bread, tea or water.

MS '09 - Moving Forward

Salisbury, MD - Patient Education Program
Healthsouth Chesapeake Rehab Hospital

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is pleased to present
"MS '09 - Moving Forward"

Johns Hopkins Team Guest Presenters
Adam Kaplin, MD, PhD
Carlos Pardo, MD
Chitra Krishnan, MHS
Kathy Zackowski, PhD, OT
Robert Baumann, DO

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009
Time: 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location
Healthsouth Chesapeake Rehab Hospital
220 Tilghman Road
Salisbury, MD 21801

Lunch will be served. You may bring one guest to this event.
Please note that space is extremely limited for this program, so reserve you seat early! Please RSVP by Monday, May 11, 2009

For more information please call Anne Negrin at (800) 532-7667 ext. 105 or email anegrin@msassociation.org.

Program made possible by an educational grant from Teva Neuroscience

Presidental Requirements

This has got to make you laugh........ or cry ?

In a Seattle Washington college classroom, they were discussing the qualifications to be President of the United States. It was pretty simple - the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years age.

However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.

The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone's jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, "What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C Section?"

Yep, these are the 18 year olds that just voted for the President of the United States.