Please take time to visit the new North location of Hunan Palace (across from Starbucks). It has the same wonderful food as the South location. It is clean, sleek, and very relaxing. It's reasonably priced and a pleasure to eat there.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Fed To Keep Level Of Asset Holdings To Boost Economy
Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve officials will maintain their holdings of securities to prevent money from being drained out of the financial system in their first attempt to bolster the economy in more than a year.
The central bank said it will reinvest principal payments on its mortgage holdings into long-term Treasury securities. The Fed retained a commitment to keep its benchmark interest rate close to zero for an “extended period.”
“The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement after meeting today in Washington. “To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve’s holdings of securities at their current level.”
Stocks pared losses, the dollar weakened and Treasuries rallied. With growth slowing in the second quarter and company job gains in July falling short of estimates, today’s step signals that risks of a downturn have increased enough for the Fed to delay its exit from unprecedented stimulus. Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told Congress last month that the Fed was “prepared to take further policy actions as needed.”
“With the economy slowing and inflation low, it is too early to pull in the horns,” said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The last thing they want is a smaller balance sheet.”
GO HERE to read more.
The central bank said it will reinvest principal payments on its mortgage holdings into long-term Treasury securities. The Fed retained a commitment to keep its benchmark interest rate close to zero for an “extended period.”
“The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement after meeting today in Washington. “To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve’s holdings of securities at their current level.”
Stocks pared losses, the dollar weakened and Treasuries rallied. With growth slowing in the second quarter and company job gains in July falling short of estimates, today’s step signals that risks of a downturn have increased enough for the Fed to delay its exit from unprecedented stimulus. Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told Congress last month that the Fed was “prepared to take further policy actions as needed.”
“With the economy slowing and inflation low, it is too early to pull in the horns,” said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The last thing they want is a smaller balance sheet.”
GO HERE to read more.
BOE Employees Probably Will Not Be Charged Criminally
While disciplinary action may be taken by Wicomico County, criminal charges may be far fetched in the JMB copper wire investigation.
Because the main contractor subbed the job out to a second contractor who then subbed it out to a third contractor, who knows what was said along the way and filing charges more than likely would be a complete waste of taxpayers time and money.
That being said, the individuals involved pretty well knew it was just too good to be true and may have violated several other employee violations while removing the copper, therefore it will more than likely become yet another internal matter within the County BOE.
Similar to the landfill case, chalk yet another one up to the crooked county employees who continue to take advantage of the taxpayers without much accountability.
In the mean time, all the contractors want to do is take the building down and move on to another, (more than likely) government project. You know, the only line of work that you can get paid from.
In closing, from all that I do know from those involved and the info I have acquired, they should be terminated. They knew it was too good to be true and they went ahead with it anyway. However, we ALL know how John Fredericksen and Rick Pollitt handle things, nothing will happen. Didn't at least 10 people walk from the landfill fiasco?
Because the main contractor subbed the job out to a second contractor who then subbed it out to a third contractor, who knows what was said along the way and filing charges more than likely would be a complete waste of taxpayers time and money.
That being said, the individuals involved pretty well knew it was just too good to be true and may have violated several other employee violations while removing the copper, therefore it will more than likely become yet another internal matter within the County BOE.
Similar to the landfill case, chalk yet another one up to the crooked county employees who continue to take advantage of the taxpayers without much accountability.
In the mean time, all the contractors want to do is take the building down and move on to another, (more than likely) government project. You know, the only line of work that you can get paid from.
In closing, from all that I do know from those involved and the info I have acquired, they should be terminated. They knew it was too good to be true and they went ahead with it anyway. However, we ALL know how John Fredericksen and Rick Pollitt handle things, nothing will happen. Didn't at least 10 people walk from the landfill fiasco?
Palin's Endorsements By The Numbers (and by gender)
Sarah Palin has spent much of this primary season supporting her "Mama Grizzlies," touring the country to stump for female conservatives like Nikki Haley in South Carolina and Karen Handel in Georgia -- as she did yesterday.But an analysis of her primary endorsements reveals that, so far this cycle, the former Alaska governor has actually lent her support to more men than women.
Among the 28 candidates she's endorsed, according to her Facebook page, 10 have been women and 18 have been men. And of the 12 Palin-endorsed candidates who already have faced voters, four men and four women ended up winning the GOP nomination, while two men and two women have failed to win their party's nod -- so a 67% success rate for Palin's endorsements.
(Thirteen Palin-backed candidates haven't yet had their primaries. And another three others -- Handel, Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, and Colorado congressional candidate Bob McConnell -- have their primaries today.)
GO HERE to see more.
Kratovil Doubles Down On Failed Stimulus Agenda
ANNAPOLIS – Maryland Republican Party Chairman Audrey Scott issued the following statement in response to Congressman Kratovil’s support for House Resolution 1586 which allocates $26.1 billion in new spending:
“Today Frank Kratovil voted to double down on the Democrats’ failed ‘stimulus’ agenda. Kratovil’s latest episode of toeing the party line comes in the form of an election year bailout for teachers unions, partially financed through $10 billion in new taxes on job creators. Rather than focusing on First District job creation, Kratovil’s allegiance to Pelosi’s tax-and-spend agenda continues to hinder job growth while placing mountains of debt on future generations."
“Today Frank Kratovil voted to double down on the Democrats’ failed ‘stimulus’ agenda. Kratovil’s latest episode of toeing the party line comes in the form of an election year bailout for teachers unions, partially financed through $10 billion in new taxes on job creators. Rather than focusing on First District job creation, Kratovil’s allegiance to Pelosi’s tax-and-spend agenda continues to hinder job growth while placing mountains of debt on future generations."
Andy Harris Opposes Summer Spending Bill
Calls Legislation “Bad Policy”
SEVERNA PARK, Md. – Andy Harris spoke out Tuesday against Nancy Pelosi’s latest “stimulus” bill, which the House was summoned back to Washington to pass.
“Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats have an apparent addiction to spending and couldn’t even make it two weeks before they needed to pass more unfunded, unnecessary legislation,” said Andy Harris. “This bill is plain old bad policy, spending $26 billion the United States doesn’t have and cannot pay back. The last thing we need right now is more debt.”
Some, but not all, of the bad policies in the bill include:
$10 billion in tax increases
Breaking our promise to support Medicaid by allocating funds to the program without requiring states to spend the money on Medicaid or even health care.
$13.4 in billion reductions to the food stamp program and renewable energy projects.
Regulations on education that hinders the states’ abilities to govern and bring America one step closer to a nationalized education system.
Breaking our promise to support Medicaid by allocating funds to the program without requiring states to spend the money on Medicaid or even health care.
$13.4 in billion reductions to the food stamp program and renewable energy projects.
Regulations on education that hinders the states’ abilities to govern and bring America one step closer to a nationalized education system.
“After spending nearly a trillion dollars on one 'stimulus' that proved to be ineffective, I can’t imagine how a single member of Congress would vote for this bill,” said Harris.
Andy Harris is a Republican candidate running for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. Harris, a practicing physician, and his wife Cookie have five children. For more information, please visit http://andyharris.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89d2d22042e1d9d8122535655&id=01c06e9fd4&e=1eafd646d9.
Worcester County Press Release
During the month of June, 2010 a Worcester County Grand Jury indicted several alleged drug dealers as a part of investigations involving the Worcester County Narcotics Task Force, and Ocean City Police Department. Some of those who were indicted were part of an on-going cooperative effort between the Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County, and law enforcement under the Take Pride in Berlin initiative. This is follow up enforcement of the Controlled Dangerous Substance violations, which was announced last year at a community meeting. In addition, indictments were also placed against individuals from Snow Hill, and Pocomoke City.
The following individuals have been served with indictments:
Tamar G. Cutler Brian L. Harmon
Richard L. Huffman Tyronn R. Lawson
Charles Lockwood Quincy J. Purnell
Terrance L. Purnell Sr. Christopher D. Chambers
Anthony L. Sterling Terry E. Waters
Carl E. Williams Rentay D. M. Purnell
Additional arrests are anticipated, as this is a continuing effort to quell the street level drug dealing occurring within Worcester County.
The following individuals have been served with indictments:
Tamar G. Cutler Brian L. Harmon
Richard L. Huffman Tyronn R. Lawson
Charles Lockwood Quincy J. Purnell
Terrance L. Purnell Sr. Christopher D. Chambers
Anthony L. Sterling Terry E. Waters
Carl E. Williams Rentay D. M. Purnell
Additional arrests are anticipated, as this is a continuing effort to quell the street level drug dealing occurring within Worcester County.
WICOMICO COUNTY EXECUTIVE POLLITT ANNOUNCES $1.8 MILLION COUNTY ROADS PAVING PROJECT
Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. announced today that paving work will begin the week of August 16th at 15 locations in the county. Mr. Pollitt said that funding for the $1.8 Million project is available as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Pollitt stressed that the federal funding allocations were limited to ‘major’ roadways in Wicomico County and were not available for smaller roads in need of repair.
The following locations are scheduled for paving:
1) Riverside Drive – Woodland Road to Tony Tank Bridge
2) Dykes Road – Near Robins Avenue
3) Robins Ave. – Near Dykes Road
4) Nutters Cross Road – Wycroft Drive to Colbourn Mill Road
5) Johnson Road – Caravan Way to Nutters Cross Road
6) Gunby Road – Rt. 350 to North Schumaker Drive
7) Phillip Morris Drive – Route 50 to Route 346
8) Outten Road – Beaglin Park Drive to Nottingham Woods
9) Civic Avenue – Route 50 to Route 346
10) Beaglin Park Drive – Saint’s Way south to Parkside High School
11) South Schumaker Drive – Route 12 to Beaglin Park Drive
12) Pemberton Drive – Turtle Creek to Crooked Oak Lane
13) Pemberton Drive – Near Upper Ferry Road
14) West Road – Near Adventist Drive
15) Connelly Mill Road – Railroad Crossing
Mr. Pollitt expects the project to last for about three weeks and is asking citizens to be patient as the work will cause traffic delays and detours.
The Connelly Mill Road project involves the replacement of the existing rail crossing. Residents may expect at least a seven day road closure at the crossing. The county will post detour signs.
The following locations are scheduled for paving:
1) Riverside Drive – Woodland Road to Tony Tank Bridge
2) Dykes Road – Near Robins Avenue
3) Robins Ave. – Near Dykes Road
4) Nutters Cross Road – Wycroft Drive to Colbourn Mill Road
5) Johnson Road – Caravan Way to Nutters Cross Road
6) Gunby Road – Rt. 350 to North Schumaker Drive
7) Phillip Morris Drive – Route 50 to Route 346
8) Outten Road – Beaglin Park Drive to Nottingham Woods
9) Civic Avenue – Route 50 to Route 346
10) Beaglin Park Drive – Saint’s Way south to Parkside High School
11) South Schumaker Drive – Route 12 to Beaglin Park Drive
12) Pemberton Drive – Turtle Creek to Crooked Oak Lane
13) Pemberton Drive – Near Upper Ferry Road
14) West Road – Near Adventist Drive
15) Connelly Mill Road – Railroad Crossing
Mr. Pollitt expects the project to last for about three weeks and is asking citizens to be patient as the work will cause traffic delays and detours.
The Connelly Mill Road project involves the replacement of the existing rail crossing. Residents may expect at least a seven day road closure at the crossing. The county will post detour signs.
Recession Causing Cancer Patients To Quit Life-Extending Drugs
In 2009 and 2010, as the economic collapse shuddered across the globe, oncologists in California noticed a troubling trend: Three patients who had had serious tumors under control for as long as eight years reappeared in the clinic with massive cancer regrowth which, in one case, required emergency surgery.
In retrospect, this downturn in fortunes should have been predictable: The economic recession had forced the patients to discontinue a life-extending medication.
"In all three cases, the patients developed new symptoms and came in after having missed an appointment or two without us knowing that they had stopped the drug," said Dr. Katie Kelley, co-author of a letter-to-the-editor in the Aug. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, which describes the cases. Kelley is also assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
And there have been other such cases, both at UCSF and around the nation, either of patients stopping medications altogether or rationing in the hopes of making precious supplies last longer.
"Certainly we've seen an increase in affordability concerns," said Stephen Finan, senior policy director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Washington, D.C. "Very definitely we've seen an upward trend in the last couple of years of people struggling with deductibles and cost sharing."
"There has been some evidence to suggest that it is happening on a wider scale," added Robert Freeman, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center's Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. "This not only happens when the economy turns down, but if Medicare programs run into budgetary problems and become restrictive or if private co-payments go up."
All three patients described in the journal article had been taking Gleevec (imatinib) for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Gleevec is considered by many to be a wonder drug, since it appears to be close to a cure for many people with a form of blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The drug has also extended the average survival of GIST patients from just a few months to an average of five years, the UCSF team noted.
GO HERE to read more.
In retrospect, this downturn in fortunes should have been predictable: The economic recession had forced the patients to discontinue a life-extending medication.
"In all three cases, the patients developed new symptoms and came in after having missed an appointment or two without us knowing that they had stopped the drug," said Dr. Katie Kelley, co-author of a letter-to-the-editor in the Aug. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, which describes the cases. Kelley is also assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
And there have been other such cases, both at UCSF and around the nation, either of patients stopping medications altogether or rationing in the hopes of making precious supplies last longer.
"Certainly we've seen an increase in affordability concerns," said Stephen Finan, senior policy director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Washington, D.C. "Very definitely we've seen an upward trend in the last couple of years of people struggling with deductibles and cost sharing."
"There has been some evidence to suggest that it is happening on a wider scale," added Robert Freeman, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center's Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. "This not only happens when the economy turns down, but if Medicare programs run into budgetary problems and become restrictive or if private co-payments go up."
All three patients described in the journal article had been taking Gleevec (imatinib) for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Gleevec is considered by many to be a wonder drug, since it appears to be close to a cure for many people with a form of blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The drug has also extended the average survival of GIST patients from just a few months to an average of five years, the UCSF team noted.
GO HERE to read more.
“Reverend Thomas And Mrs. Thomas Were Welcomed By City"
Mayor James Ireton welcomed Reverend Julian Thomas and his wife, Kathy, from Salisbury, UK to Salisbury, MD. Reverend Thomas is minister at Salisbury United Reformed Church in Salisbury, UK. He is on a sabbatical this year and is visiting Sister Cities Salisbury, MD and Salisbury, NC. While in Salisbury, MD he toured the city of Salisbury and visited Wicomico Presbyterian Church, St. Francis De Sales Church, and Asbury United Methodist Church.
St. Francis has begun a companion school relationship with St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Salisbury, UK. Pictured from left to right are Debbie Traum, teacher at St. Francis DeSales and liaison to Sister Cities of Salisbury/Wicomico County, Jude DeLucco, principal of St. Frances, Kathy and Reverend Thomas, Mayor Ireton, George Whitehead, Chair Sister Cities Salisbury/Wicomico County, Marion Keenan, Vice Chair Sister Cities Salisbury/Wicomico County, and Ernest Boger, Treasurer Sister Cities Salisbury/Wicomico County.
GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY, DR. NANCY GRASMICK TO LEAD DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON, DC FOR ‘RACE TO THE TOP’
ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 10, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy Grasmick will lead a delegation tomorrow to meet with officials from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the President’s “Race to the Top” initiative. Maryland was recently named a finalist in the “Race to the Top” grant initiative, which could bring up to $250 million in education investments to Maryland. Tomorrow, a delegation of five led by Governor O’Malley and Dr. Grasmick will interview privately with a team from the U.S. Department of Education, and will be available for media questions following that meeting.
BOARDWALK JOINS OCPD AS EIGHTH NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION
The Ocean City Police Department has added a new Neighborhood Watch Association to the community. On Tuesday, August 10, 2010, the “Boardwalk Neighborhood Watch Association” was introduced as the eighth Neighborhood Watch Association in Ocean City during a ribbon cutting ceremony on North Division Street and the Boardwalk.
Neighborhood Watch is an effective and inexpensive way to prevent crimes in the
community. Ocean City neighborhoods currently boasting a neighborhood watch
association are Edgewater Avenue, Bayshore Drive, Little Salisbury, Caine Keys II, Montego Bay, Sundowner Park and Caine Woods. The Boardwalk will not only be the newest addition, but it will be the first group to be made up of primarily businesses, rather than residents.
“The Ocean City Boardwalk is unlike most neighborhoods,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino.
“Not only do you have residents and business owners, but you have millions of visitors who visit the neighborhood each year.” The idea of a Boardwalk Neighborhood Watch Association began as a way to unite boardwalk neighbors, strengthen the partnership with the Ocean City Police Department and share in the responsibility
of protecting the boardwalk community.
For more information on the Boardwalk Neighborhood Watch Association, or to find out
how you can become a member of your local Neighborhood Watch Association, please contact the Ocean City Police Department Public Affairs Office at 410.723.6665.
Obama And Holder Taking On Arizona's SB1070
The guy on this video must be a teacher. Not only does he put a different spin on what Obama is doing to help Arizona, he repeats the important parts and speaks slow enough to follow what he is saying. It may be the best video I've seen produced on the illegal alien problems that we have.
Citizens Apprehend Burglary Suspects
Location:
4000 block Rabbit Run Road Bridgeville, Delaware
DATE and TIME:
Monday August 9, 2010 7:03 p.m.
Victim(s):
34 year old Bridgeville man
Defendant(s):
17 year old male Laurel, De
17 year old male Seaford, De
17 year old female Laurel, De
16 year old male Bridgeville, De (NOT Apprehended charges filed)
15 year old male Greenwood, De
Charges(s):
All four suspect apprehended arrested on below listed charges
At large 16 year old also wanted for below listed charges
Burglary Second Degree
Possession of Burglar Tools
2 Counts Conspiracy Second Degree
Criminal Mischief
Bond Information:
Resume:
Monday August 9, 2010 Delaware State Police responded to a burglary in progress complaint on Rabbit Run road Bridgeville, Delaware.
State Police around 7 p.m. Monday evening received a 911 call concerning a house that had been burglarized. State Troopers learned that the victim was looking out his residence window and observed a tan Ford Explorer traveling back and forth on Rabbit Run Road. The victim then utilizing his binoculars observed the Ford vehicle drive toward an adjacent property which also belonged to the victim.
The victim along with other family members went over to investigate the situation. When the victim’s family arrived at the adjacent residence they observed three suspects fleeing from the residence. The suspects fled into a nearby field however later were apprehended by the victims. One of the three suspects managed to flee custody prior to police arrival. The suspect who fled is the 16 year old suspect listed in the defendant’s section.
State Troopers upon arriving on scene also located the Ford Explorer observed by the victim a short distance away. Located inside the Explorer were two additional suspects. All told four juveniles were arrested on burglary and related charges. The suspect who fled is still at large and burglary charges are currently on file at Troop 5 Bridgeville.
The suspects entered the residence and began rummaging through rooms prior to being detected by the victim.
Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be forwarded to law enforcement through tip lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or on line at www.tipsubmit.com.
4000 block Rabbit Run Road Bridgeville, Delaware
DATE and TIME:
Monday August 9, 2010 7:03 p.m.
Victim(s):
34 year old Bridgeville man
Defendant(s):
17 year old male Laurel, De
17 year old male Seaford, De
17 year old female Laurel, De
16 year old male Bridgeville, De (NOT Apprehended charges filed)
15 year old male Greenwood, De
Charges(s):
All four suspect apprehended arrested on below listed charges
At large 16 year old also wanted for below listed charges
Burglary Second Degree
Possession of Burglar Tools
2 Counts Conspiracy Second Degree
Criminal Mischief
Bond Information:
Resume:
Monday August 9, 2010 Delaware State Police responded to a burglary in progress complaint on Rabbit Run road Bridgeville, Delaware.
State Police around 7 p.m. Monday evening received a 911 call concerning a house that had been burglarized. State Troopers learned that the victim was looking out his residence window and observed a tan Ford Explorer traveling back and forth on Rabbit Run Road. The victim then utilizing his binoculars observed the Ford vehicle drive toward an adjacent property which also belonged to the victim.
The victim along with other family members went over to investigate the situation. When the victim’s family arrived at the adjacent residence they observed three suspects fleeing from the residence. The suspects fled into a nearby field however later were apprehended by the victims. One of the three suspects managed to flee custody prior to police arrival. The suspect who fled is the 16 year old suspect listed in the defendant’s section.
State Troopers upon arriving on scene also located the Ford Explorer observed by the victim a short distance away. Located inside the Explorer were two additional suspects. All told four juveniles were arrested on burglary and related charges. The suspect who fled is still at large and burglary charges are currently on file at Troop 5 Bridgeville.
The suspects entered the residence and began rummaging through rooms prior to being detected by the victim.
Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be forwarded to law enforcement through tip lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or on line at www.tipsubmit.com.
Kratovil To Support Pelosi's "JOBS BILL"
Representativie Frank Kratovil intends to vote YES on Pelosi's 'Jobs Bill' saying it is needed to save jobs.
Conversely, most see this as another pay -off to public sector jobs and their unions. Another slush fund is created with this bill.
If the concern was to save jobs, all salaries would be trimmed, thereby saving everyone's job.
Frank's D.C. office (202) 225-5311
Winter Forecast 2010-2011: Normal Snowfall For NYC, Philly And D.C.
The major metropolitan areas of the mid-Atlantic that were pummeled with snow last year will get a break this winter, but that doesn't mean there will be no snow to shovel. In contrast, Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis could be in the heaviest snow zone this upcoming winter.
Overall, AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year. Fargo and Minneapolis to Green Bay will also receive above-normal winter snowfall.
Other cities predicted to receive above-normal winter snowfall include Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle and Portland.
In general, the East Coast will be granted a reprieve from the tremendous snowfall that caused 2009-2010's winter to be dubbed "snowmageddon."
This does not mean a free pass for the Northeast. Bastardi predicts late November and December could get winter off to a fast start in the East, with a major thaw coming for much of the country in January.
The best weather this winter will be in Florida. Bastardi suggests that Florida will be a great winter destination, with warmer-than-normal temperatures all winter long.
Temperature-wise, Bastardi is forecasting slightly higher-than-normal temperatures (0.5 to 1 degree warmer) for Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
More here
NOAA Still Expects Active Atlantic Hurricane Season; La Niña Develops
The Atlantic Basin remains on track for an active hurricane season, according to the scheduled seasonal outlook update issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. With the season’s peak just around the corner – late August through October – the need for preparedness plans is essential.
NOAA has also announced that, as predicted last spring, La Niña has formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This favors lower wind shear over the Atlantic Basin, allowing storm clouds to grow and organize. Other climate factors pointing to an active hurricane season are warmer-than-average water in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, and the tropical multi-decadal signal, which since 1995 has brought favorable ocean and atmospheric conditions in unison, leading to more active seasons.
“August heralds the start of the most active phase of the Atlantic hurricane season and with the meteorological factors in place, now is the time for everyone living in hurricane prone areas to be prepared,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the whole season – June 1 to November 30 – NOAA’s updated outlook is projecting, with a 70 percent probability, a total of (including Alex, Bonnie and Colin):
14 to 20 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
8 to 12 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
4 to 6 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)
These ranges are still indicative of an active season, compared to the average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes; however, the upper bounds of the ranges have been lowered from the initial outlook in late May, which reflected the possibility of even more early season activity.
“All indications are for considerable activity during the next several months,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “As we’ve seen in past years, storms can come on quickly during the peak months of the season. There remains a high likelihood that the season could be very active, with the potential of being one of the more active on record.”
Be prepared for the hurricane season with important information available online at hurricanes.gov/prepare and at FEMA’s ready.gov.
Source
NOAA has also announced that, as predicted last spring, La Niña has formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This favors lower wind shear over the Atlantic Basin, allowing storm clouds to grow and organize. Other climate factors pointing to an active hurricane season are warmer-than-average water in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, and the tropical multi-decadal signal, which since 1995 has brought favorable ocean and atmospheric conditions in unison, leading to more active seasons.
“August heralds the start of the most active phase of the Atlantic hurricane season and with the meteorological factors in place, now is the time for everyone living in hurricane prone areas to be prepared,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the whole season – June 1 to November 30 – NOAA’s updated outlook is projecting, with a 70 percent probability, a total of (including Alex, Bonnie and Colin):
14 to 20 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
8 to 12 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
4 to 6 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)
These ranges are still indicative of an active season, compared to the average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes; however, the upper bounds of the ranges have been lowered from the initial outlook in late May, which reflected the possibility of even more early season activity.
“All indications are for considerable activity during the next several months,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “As we’ve seen in past years, storms can come on quickly during the peak months of the season. There remains a high likelihood that the season could be very active, with the potential of being one of the more active on record.”
Be prepared for the hurricane season with important information available online at hurricanes.gov/prepare and at FEMA’s ready.gov.
Source
BOB EHRLICH TO MEET WITH MARYLAND FAMILIES AND DISCUSS PLANS TO LOWER SALES TAX
ANNAPOLIS--Bob Ehrlich will meet with Maryland taxpayers on Wednesday August 11 and present his plans to lower the state sales tax. Ehrlich will hear the concerns of citizens burdened by the 20% increase in the sales tax imposed by Martin O’Malley three years ago, and will address the threat posed by plans being considered by the O’Malley Administration to expand imposition of the sales tax to 43 new goods and services.
Salisbury News Interviews Turn Heads
With 4,288 views so far, Salisbury News has interviewed 38 Candidates and the list just keeps growing. The questions have been fair, just as we promised. Now, I can't say as I'm looking forward to the General Election interviews because this took a lot of time and work.Nevertheless, we're willing to go at it again but this time around the questions will be tougher. Fair, mind you, but tougher.
That being said, are there any questions YOU'D like asked? Let us know by sending them to, alberobutzo@wmconnect.com.
How Does Rick Pollitt Spend That “FREE MONEY”?
In the last two years we have seen Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt spend $300,000 per acre ($1.5 million) to increase parking at the Civic Center. We’ve seen him spend $10,000 per acre ($1 million) on 100 acres of land for a park that the county can’t afford to build. One of the excuses was that this was to be paid for with “Program Open Space” funds. According to Pollitt and his pals it’s “FREE MONEY”. If he doesn’t waste it, someone else will.
Now, to add insult to injury, the 116 acres adjacent to this great deal on Levin Dashiell Road is up for sale – AT LESS THAN $5,000 PER ACRE!
Way to go Rick! It’s little wonder that between you and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley both Wicomico County AND the state of Maryland are broke!
READ MORE …JMB Loses More Than Its Old School
Board of Ed employees were buzzing yesterday trying to understand how three of its own are under criminal investigation for allegedly stealing copper wire from the old James M. Bennett high school. Sources say three long time employees (one with 30 years) are accused of removing thousands of dollars in copper wiring from the old school and selling it in Delaware.
Mike Lewis and staff are investigating. Could this be another county landfill case? More to come as this unfolds.
WICOMICO COUNTY DISTRICT 1 HAS VERY DIFFERENT CANDIDATES
There is no party primary in District 1, so it’s for sure that two completely different candidates for that seat on the County Council will be on the ballot in the general election. Besides party affiliation, they differ in gender and age, and much more.
The incumbent, Sheree Sample-Hughes is a thirty-something (?) Democrat whose employment prior to being elected to the Council consisted of government jobs, including a position on the staff of then Governor Glendenning. Like him, she is an avowed liberal who believes in extensive government regulation and spending. Not surprisingly, Ms. Sample-Hughes has almost always voted to support Rick Pollitt’s position, such as maintaining the “public information officer” in this year’s budget. She apparently shares his misgivings about the County’s tax revenue cap, but in this election year is not recommending that it be repealed.
By contrast, the Republican candidate, David Goslee, Jr., is a middle-aged businessman and avowed conservative. For thirty-some years he has been employed at the local Pepsi-cola bottling and distribution company, where he currently holds a major management position. Mr. Goslee also has experience as a farmer and poultry grower. He supports the tax revenue cap and believes that the County government and its budget should be reduced. Mr. Goslee feels that excessive governmental regulation is harming the economy. He decided to run because of concern about how Wicomico County is being governed.
Thus, there is a real choice between two candidates with much different backgrounds and political views for the residents of District 1, which includes much of the northwest part of Wicomico County, except for the area along the Nanticoke River. Both the Town of Hebron and City of Delmar are in District 1.
The incumbent, Sheree Sample-Hughes is a thirty-something (?) Democrat whose employment prior to being elected to the Council consisted of government jobs, including a position on the staff of then Governor Glendenning. Like him, she is an avowed liberal who believes in extensive government regulation and spending. Not surprisingly, Ms. Sample-Hughes has almost always voted to support Rick Pollitt’s position, such as maintaining the “public information officer” in this year’s budget. She apparently shares his misgivings about the County’s tax revenue cap, but in this election year is not recommending that it be repealed.
By contrast, the Republican candidate, David Goslee, Jr., is a middle-aged businessman and avowed conservative. For thirty-some years he has been employed at the local Pepsi-cola bottling and distribution company, where he currently holds a major management position. Mr. Goslee also has experience as a farmer and poultry grower. He supports the tax revenue cap and believes that the County government and its budget should be reduced. Mr. Goslee feels that excessive governmental regulation is harming the economy. He decided to run because of concern about how Wicomico County is being governed.
Thus, there is a real choice between two candidates with much different backgrounds and political views for the residents of District 1, which includes much of the northwest part of Wicomico County, except for the area along the Nanticoke River. Both the Town of Hebron and City of Delmar are in District 1.
Ireton Rejects ALL Local Fire Department Candidates
The saga continues in the search for a new Fire Chief in Salisbury. The 5 local applicants within the SFD have been rejected and today Mayor Ireton will start yet another round of interviews with 5 OUTSIDERS.
You have to wonder what this new Mayor is capable of. Considering Ireton has no past experience in hiring and firing, going through a crash course at the expense of your own employees is truly not a healthy thing.
Morale is low enough within the SFD and having 5 internal people apply for the position, (some of them qualified) and none of them getting the job, not good! I mean the following with all due respect but quite frankly, I don't think the Firefighters will be happy with any decision that is made but they'll learn to live with it and adjust.
I did speak to Acting Chief Hoppes last week and he respectfully stated he will work with the Mayor in any capacity he so chooses. What do YOU know about this situation?
New Report Shows Significant Decline In Business Confidence Under O’Malley Administration
ANNAPOLIS – The number of employers who describe Maryland as “pro business” has declined 58 percent since the 2nd quarter of 2006, according to a new report from the University of Baltimore’s Jacob France Institute. Bob Ehrlich, candidate for Governor, called the report a troubling reaffirmation that new leadership is needed in government if Maryland’s economy is to recover soon.
“By far the biggest concern I hear on the campaign trail is that job creators are either ignored or harassed by their government at a time when 211,000 Marylanders are unemployed,” said Ehrlich. “The Jacob France Institute’s survey underscores that the O’Malley Administration has little to no understanding of what it takes to lead an economic recovery in Maryland. Two months ago I released my Entrepreneur Agenda, which is a roadmap to restoring Maryland’s economy. My top priority will be to change the mindset in government so that families and small businesses are treated as a source of new jobs, not a source of new taxes.”
In October 2006 – the last publicly available survey – the Institute reported that 74% of Maryland businesses considered the state business-friendly or pro-business. This represented an all-time high in the Institute’s surveys and took place after nearly four years of Bob Ehrlich’s pro-jobs agenda. This week – after nearly four years of Governor O’Malley’s anti-jobs agenda – the Institute reported that 31% of employers rated Maryland as being pro-business or business friendly.
Today's Survey Question
Do You Think Government Workers Are Overpaid?Factor in benefits and pensions and federal civil servants earned about $123,049 in 2009.
For 34 Years, She Thought Her Kids Were Dead
In 1976, Victoria Rohring got a call claiming her children had died in a car crash that severely injured her ex-husband. But after 34 years, she is now reunited with them.
GO HERE to see more.
GO HERE to see more.
Honda Recalls 384,000 Cars Because They Might Roll Away
Honda is recalling 383,000 Accords, Civics and Elements from 2003-2004 because they might roll away after they've been parked.
More »
More »
The Wisdom And Folly Of The Bush Tax Cuts
Most economists agree there's little choice but to end tax cuts from George W. Bush's era. That means the fiscal war in Washington is only going to get uglier
You won't find a truer believer in the big tax cuts of the George W. Bush era than Glenn Hubbard, the lanky, 51-year-old economist who is dean of Columbia Business School. The Republican academic was instrumental in designing the tax cuts, first as a Bush campaign insider and then as the President's first chief economic adviser. The idea behind the cuts, enacted in 2001 and 2003, was to encourage work, savings, and investment, thus stimulating long-term economic growth. Hubbard is especially proud of the 2003 cut in taxes on dividends and capital gains, which he calls "the most pro-growth tax reform that anybody did since Kennedy."
Now that the Bush tax cuts are coming up for renewal—they expire on Dec. 31 unless Congress acts—Hubbard has a queasy feeling about them. The cuts, he says, have been undermined by years of deficits. Until the trajectory of spending changes, he says, "deficits are just future taxes. You're just talking about taxes today vs. taxes tomorrow."
GO HERE to read more.
Why Some People Can Sleep Through Anything
Bill Briggs writes: Light sleepers, insomniacs and groggy zombies of all stripes, take a healthy gulp of your triple-shot espresso and rest easy.
Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen knows of what you dream: a full night of slumber uninterrupted by noise. You crave blissful bedtime silence – at least inside your head. And he’s working on it.
Ellenbogen, chief of the sleep medicine division at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a team of researchers believe they have cracked a brain-wave code that predicts how and why some people are more easily stirred from slumber by bumps in the night while others can saw logs through clanking garbage trucks and snoring partners.
In short, he found, if you’re not sleeping well, you can blame your spindles. That’s what doctors have dubbed quick bursts of brain activity that our thalamus gives off every 10 to 60 seconds as we sleep. For years, scientists have theorized that these spindles may be signs that the thalamus, essentially a sleep shield, is working to block sounds or other sensory information, helping to keep us in dreamland.
Source
Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen knows of what you dream: a full night of slumber uninterrupted by noise. You crave blissful bedtime silence – at least inside your head. And he’s working on it.
Ellenbogen, chief of the sleep medicine division at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a team of researchers believe they have cracked a brain-wave code that predicts how and why some people are more easily stirred from slumber by bumps in the night while others can saw logs through clanking garbage trucks and snoring partners.
In short, he found, if you’re not sleeping well, you can blame your spindles. That’s what doctors have dubbed quick bursts of brain activity that our thalamus gives off every 10 to 60 seconds as we sleep. For years, scientists have theorized that these spindles may be signs that the thalamus, essentially a sleep shield, is working to block sounds or other sensory information, helping to keep us in dreamland.
Source
Same-Sex Marriage Judge Finds That A Child Has Neither A Need Nor A Right To A Mother
U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who ruled last week that a voter-approved amendment to California’s constitution that limited marriage to the union of one man and one woman violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, based that ruling in part on his finding that a child does not need and has no right to a mother.
Nor, he found, does a child have a need or a right to a father.
“Children do not need to be raised by a male parent and a female parent to be well-adjusted, and having both a male and a female parent does not increase the likelihood that a child will be well-adjusted,” the judge wrote in finding of fact No. 71 in his opinion.
“The gender of a child’s parent is not a factor in a child’s adjustment,” the judge, who is reportedly homosexual stated in finding of fact No. 70. “The sexual orientation of an individual does not determine whether that individual can be a good parent. Children raised by gay or lesbian parents are as likely as children raised by heterosexual parents to be healthy, successful and well-adjusted. The research supporting this conclusion is accepted beyond serious debate in the field of developmental psychology.”
Despite Walker’s claim that this “fact” is “beyond serious debate,” one of the sources he cited for it was a brochure published by the American Psychological Association (APA) that was entered into evidence in the case, which specifically stated twice: “Few studies are available regarding children of gay fathers.” Walker did not quote this part of the brochure in his opinion.
However, Walker did quote this same brochure as saying: “[S]ocial science has shown that the concerns often raised about children of lesbian and gay parents--concerns that are generally grounded in prejudice against and stereotypes about gay people--are unfounded.”
Nor, he found, does a child have a need or a right to a father.
“Children do not need to be raised by a male parent and a female parent to be well-adjusted, and having both a male and a female parent does not increase the likelihood that a child will be well-adjusted,” the judge wrote in finding of fact No. 71 in his opinion.
“The gender of a child’s parent is not a factor in a child’s adjustment,” the judge, who is reportedly homosexual stated in finding of fact No. 70. “The sexual orientation of an individual does not determine whether that individual can be a good parent. Children raised by gay or lesbian parents are as likely as children raised by heterosexual parents to be healthy, successful and well-adjusted. The research supporting this conclusion is accepted beyond serious debate in the field of developmental psychology.”
Despite Walker’s claim that this “fact” is “beyond serious debate,” one of the sources he cited for it was a brochure published by the American Psychological Association (APA) that was entered into evidence in the case, which specifically stated twice: “Few studies are available regarding children of gay fathers.” Walker did not quote this part of the brochure in his opinion.
However, Walker did quote this same brochure as saying: “[S]ocial science has shown that the concerns often raised about children of lesbian and gay parents--concerns that are generally grounded in prejudice against and stereotypes about gay people--are unfounded.”
Table Dancers Turn Tables, Show Up To Church To Protest Being Protested
The dancers at the Foxhole in Coschocton County, Ohio, are used to arriving at work to the sounds of protests from members of the nearby New Beginnings Ministries church. But the same couldn't quite be said for the churchgoers, who showed up for services on Sunday and were greeted by the sight of bikini-clad protesters.
More »
More »
Plane Crashes In Alaska With 8 On Board
Former Senator Ted Stevens feared to be a passenger, local TV reports
A plane believed to be carrying eight people has crashed in southwest Alaska, authorities said on Tuesday.
It was feared that former Sen. Ted Stevens was on board the flight, but officials have not been able to confirm that, local station KTUU TV reported.
Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said the Guard was called to the area about 20 miles north of Dillingham at about 7 p.m. Monday after a passing aircraft saw the wreckage.
There were possible fatalities, Hayes said. State and federal officials said severe weather has hampered the rescue operation.
About five good Samaritans were on scene early Tuesday helping the crash victims, Hayes said. He said he was told by Alaska State Troopers that there were "eight or nine" people on board, though a spokeswoman for the troopers, Megan Peters, refused to comment.
GO HERE to read more.
A plane believed to be carrying eight people has crashed in southwest Alaska, authorities said on Tuesday.
It was feared that former Sen. Ted Stevens was on board the flight, but officials have not been able to confirm that, local station KTUU TV reported.
Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said the Guard was called to the area about 20 miles north of Dillingham at about 7 p.m. Monday after a passing aircraft saw the wreckage.
There were possible fatalities, Hayes said. State and federal officials said severe weather has hampered the rescue operation.
About five good Samaritans were on scene early Tuesday helping the crash victims, Hayes said. He said he was told by Alaska State Troopers that there were "eight or nine" people on board, though a spokeswoman for the troopers, Megan Peters, refused to comment.
GO HERE to read more.
Craiglist CEO Responds To Allegations The Site Is A Hub For Child Prostitution
Two young women, identifying themselves only as "AK and MC," recently placed a full-page ad in the Washington Post saying they were repeatedly sold and bought through ads on Craigslist, and asking the site to shut down its adult services section.
More »
More »
How To Avoid An Emergency Room Bill That Sends You Back To The E.R.
Emergency room bills bring a special sort of sticker shock, because they don't usually show up until weeks later, and then come packed with all sorts of over-inflated fees and add-ons. The New York Times calls them "notoriously high and perplexing," and although it's unlikely you'll ever end up paying the full amount listed on the bill, there are strategies you can use to bring that initial figure down.
More »
More »
JetBlue Flight Attendant Curses Out Passenger, Uses Emergency Slide To Exit Plane And Run Away
Imagine this sight: Your JetBlue flight has just touched down at your destination when a flight attendant takes to the public address system, drops the F-bomb, pops the emergency door and exits the plane via the emergency slide. We're really hoping someone out there has video footage of this incident that went down at JFK Airport today.
Out-Of-State Students: Residency Determinations Mean Big Bucks For State Universities
Determining how many of the 148,000 students at Maryland’s public universities can be counted as non-residents is worth over $100 million to the University System of Maryland. Of those full- and part-time students, about 34,000 are not Maryland residents and pay two to three times as much in tuition, according to university data.
At the system’s two largest campuses -- the University of Maryland College Park and Towson University -- where the majority of out-of-state undergraduates go (about 9,200), these students pay $65 million more in tuition than they would if they came from Maryland.
Figuring out who is and isn’t a Maryland resident is an important financial mission for university admissions officers and registrars. In the past year, legislative auditors have found significant problems with how both Towson and Coppin State universities determine residency status.
GO HERE to read more.
Maryland Voting Goes High-Tech
Maryland voters now can get access to absentee ballots via e-mail.
The Maryland State Board of Elections’ new system sends an e-mail to voters who request absentee ballots online, telling them how to access their ballots on the Internet. Previously, the ballots were individually typed up and sent to voters.
The University of Maryland’s Center for American Politics and Citizenship is helping run the initiative.
At least 3,000 Marylanders have requested ballots with the new system, as of two weeks ago, said Nikki Trella, the board’s election reform director.
The Maryland State Board of Elections’ new system sends an e-mail to voters who request absentee ballots online, telling them how to access their ballots on the Internet. Previously, the ballots were individually typed up and sent to voters.
The University of Maryland’s Center for American Politics and Citizenship is helping run the initiative.
At least 3,000 Marylanders have requested ballots with the new system, as of two weeks ago, said Nikki Trella, the board’s election reform director.
Agents' Union Disavows Leaders Of ICE
The union that represents rank-and-file field agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has unanimously passed a "vote of no confidence" for the agency's leadership, saying ICE has "abandoned" its core mission of protecting the public to support a political agenda favoring amnesty.
The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 7,000 ICE agents and employees, voted 259-0 for a resolution saying there was "growing dissatisfaction and concern" over the leadership of Assistant Secretary John Morton, who heads ICE, and Phyllis Coven, assistant director for the agency's office of detention policy and planning.
The resolution said ICE leadership had "abandoned the agency's core mission of enforcing U.S. immigration laws and providing for public safety," instead directing its attention "to campaigning for programs and policies related to amnesty and the creation of a special detention system for foreign nationals that exceeds the care and services provided to most U.S. citizens similarly incarcerated.
"It is the desire of our union … to publicly separate ourselves from the actions of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven and publicly state that ICE officers and employees do not support Morton or Coven or their misguided and reckless initiatives, which could ultimately put many in America at risk," the union said.
In a strongly worded statement, the union and its affiliated local councils said the integrity of the agency "as well as the public safety" would be "better provided for in the absence of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven."
The statement also noted that:
• The majority of ICE's enforcement and removal officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing U.S. immigration laws outside of the jail setting.
• Hundreds of ICE officers nationwide perform no law enforcement duties whatsoever because of resource mismanagement within the agency.
• ICE detention reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resort-like living conditions to criminal aliens based on recommendations not from ICE officers and field managers, but from "special-interest groups."
• The lack of technical expertise and field experience has resulted in a priority of providing bingo nights, dance lessons and hanging plants to criminals, instead of addressing safe and responsible detention reforms for noncriminal individuals and families.
The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 7,000 ICE agents and employees, voted 259-0 for a resolution saying there was "growing dissatisfaction and concern" over the leadership of Assistant Secretary John Morton, who heads ICE, and Phyllis Coven, assistant director for the agency's office of detention policy and planning.
The resolution said ICE leadership had "abandoned the agency's core mission of enforcing U.S. immigration laws and providing for public safety," instead directing its attention "to campaigning for programs and policies related to amnesty and the creation of a special detention system for foreign nationals that exceeds the care and services provided to most U.S. citizens similarly incarcerated.
"It is the desire of our union … to publicly separate ourselves from the actions of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven and publicly state that ICE officers and employees do not support Morton or Coven or their misguided and reckless initiatives, which could ultimately put many in America at risk," the union said.
In a strongly worded statement, the union and its affiliated local councils said the integrity of the agency "as well as the public safety" would be "better provided for in the absence of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven."
The statement also noted that:
• The majority of ICE's enforcement and removal officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing U.S. immigration laws outside of the jail setting.
• Hundreds of ICE officers nationwide perform no law enforcement duties whatsoever because of resource mismanagement within the agency.
• ICE detention reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resort-like living conditions to criminal aliens based on recommendations not from ICE officers and field managers, but from "special-interest groups."
• The lack of technical expertise and field experience has resulted in a priority of providing bingo nights, dance lessons and hanging plants to criminals, instead of addressing safe and responsible detention reforms for noncriminal individuals and families.
Obama Overtures To Business Fall Flat
Labeled antibusiness by Republicans and some corporate chiefs, President Barack Obama mounted a campaign to show he wasn't. But his charm offensive has hit a rocky patch.
Business leaders gripe about burdensome new financial and health care regulations, what they see as unfriendly tax policies and vast government spending. They were put off by Obama's harsh depiction of "fat cat bankers" and "reckless practices," a label he applied both to Wall Street and to oil-spill giant BP.
Reaching out to big business, Obama named more than a dozen top CEOs to a presidential Export Council, revived a Bush administration free-trade pact with South Korea and stumped aggressively for cutting taxes and increasing loans for small businesses. But it is noticeable that not a single former corporate executive is in his Cabinet or among his top economic advisers.
"The truth is that not even the Franklin Roosevelt administration was as hostile to and ignorant about free enterprise as this administration is," declared magazine publisher and one-time GOP presidential contender Steve Forbes.
While Obama says small businesses will "lead this recovery," the National Small Business Association recently issued a report saying that more small businesses are unable to get financing than at any time over the past 17 years. Unless they can get the loans they need "we will continue to see high unemployment," said NSBA President Todd McCracken.
More here
Business leaders gripe about burdensome new financial and health care regulations, what they see as unfriendly tax policies and vast government spending. They were put off by Obama's harsh depiction of "fat cat bankers" and "reckless practices," a label he applied both to Wall Street and to oil-spill giant BP.
Reaching out to big business, Obama named more than a dozen top CEOs to a presidential Export Council, revived a Bush administration free-trade pact with South Korea and stumped aggressively for cutting taxes and increasing loans for small businesses. But it is noticeable that not a single former corporate executive is in his Cabinet or among his top economic advisers.
"The truth is that not even the Franklin Roosevelt administration was as hostile to and ignorant about free enterprise as this administration is," declared magazine publisher and one-time GOP presidential contender Steve Forbes.
While Obama says small businesses will "lead this recovery," the National Small Business Association recently issued a report saying that more small businesses are unable to get financing than at any time over the past 17 years. Unless they can get the loans they need "we will continue to see high unemployment," said NSBA President Todd McCracken.
More here
RSC Update
Just one week into the House’s six-week recess, Speaker Pelosi has called Representatives back into session to vote on a $26.1 billion bailout to state and local governments. Democrats are attempting to portray this payoff to teachers’ unions as “stimulus,” but even the members of The Washington Post’s editorial board (certainly not known for conservative viewpoints) know better. They recently wrote:
“The crusade for an education jobs bill, led by the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress, has always struck us as more of an election-year favor for teachers unions than an optimal use of public resources. Billed as an effort to stimulate the economy, it's not clearly more effective than alternative uses of the cash. Yes, school budgets are tight across the country, but the teacher layoff ‘crisis’ is exaggerated.”
This bailout will not solve the long-term budget imbalances of states, nor will it create the private sector jobs needed to fuel a real economic recovery. It simply kicks the can down the road – perpetuating the cycle of state governments spending more than they can truly afford. When the money from Washington (your money) runs out, they’ll be right back at square one.
At least one good thing will come from this special session, however. House Members will also have an opportunity to support a vote on a resolution I introduced pledging not to hold a post-election lame duck session for the purpose of imposing a national energy tax, card check, and other liberal policies upon an unwilling public. Be sure to check the vote tally Tuesday evening to see where your Representative stands.
Sincerely,
Congressman Tom Price
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
“The crusade for an education jobs bill, led by the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress, has always struck us as more of an election-year favor for teachers unions than an optimal use of public resources. Billed as an effort to stimulate the economy, it's not clearly more effective than alternative uses of the cash. Yes, school budgets are tight across the country, but the teacher layoff ‘crisis’ is exaggerated.”
This bailout will not solve the long-term budget imbalances of states, nor will it create the private sector jobs needed to fuel a real economic recovery. It simply kicks the can down the road – perpetuating the cycle of state governments spending more than they can truly afford. When the money from Washington (your money) runs out, they’ll be right back at square one.
At least one good thing will come from this special session, however. House Members will also have an opportunity to support a vote on a resolution I introduced pledging not to hold a post-election lame duck session for the purpose of imposing a national energy tax, card check, and other liberal policies upon an unwilling public. Be sure to check the vote tally Tuesday evening to see where your Representative stands.
Sincerely,
Congressman Tom Price
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
Reaction Test
The automobile driving manual says the average driver's reaction time is: .75 seconds...... or 1 car length for every 10 mph.......
Test your average reaction time. Be very careful this can be addicting. Click on the link below and good luck.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY? (written by kids)
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10
-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kristen, age 10
2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10
3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8
4. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8
5. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
-On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10
6. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
-When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7 ( Love her )
-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7
-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
- - Howard, age 8
7. IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child )
8. HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8
And the #1 Favorite is .......
9. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.
-- Ricky, age 10
-- Alan, age 10
-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kristen, age 10
2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10
3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8
4. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8
5. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
-On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10
6. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
-When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7 ( Love her )
-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7
-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
- - Howard, age 8
7. IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child )
8. HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8
And the #1 Favorite is .......
9. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.
-- Ricky, age 10
Bruit Force Politics
America Is at Risk of Boiling Over
And out-of-touch leaders don't see the need to cool things off.
By Peggy Noonan
It is, obviously, self-referential to quote yourself, but I do it to make a point. I wrote the following on New Year's day, 1994. America 16 years ago was a relatively content nation, though full of political sparks: 10 months later the Republicans would take the House for the first time in 40 years. But beneath all the action was, I thought, a coming unease. Something inside was telling us we were living through "not the placid dawn of a peaceful age but the illusory calm before stern storms."
The temperature in the world was very high. "At home certain trends—crime, cultural tension, some cultural Balkanization—will, we fear, continue; some will worsen. In my darker moments I have a bad hunch. The fraying of the bonds that keep us together, the strangeness and anomie of our popular culture, the increase in walled communities . . . the rising radicalism of the politically correct . . . the increased demand of all levels of government for the money of the people, the spotty success with which we are communicating to the young America's reason for being and founding beliefs, the growth of cities where English is becoming the second language . . . these things may well come together at some point in our lifetimes and produce something painful indeed. I can imagine, for instance, in the year 2020 or so, a movement in some states to break away from the union. Which would bring about, of course, a drama of Lincolnian darkness. . . . You will know that things have reached a bad pass when Newsweek and Time, if they still exist 15 years from now, do cover stories on a surprising, and disturbing trend: aging baby boomers leaving America, taking what savings they have to live the rest of their lives in places like Africa and Ireland."
I thought of this again the other day when Drudge headlined increasing lines in London for Americans trading in their passports over tax issues, and the sale of Newsweek for $1.
Our problems as a nation have been growing on us for a long time. Their future growth, and the implications of that growth, could be predicted. But there is one thing that is both new since 1994 and huge. It took hold and settled in after the crash of 2008, but its causes were not limited to the crash.
The biggest political change in my lifetime is that Americans no longer assume that their children will have it better than they did. This is a huge break with the past, with assumptions and traditions that shaped us.
The country I was born into was a country that had existed steadily, for almost two centuries, as a nation in which everyone thought—wherever they were from, whatever their circumstances—that their children would have better lives than they did. That was what kept people pulling their boots on in the morning after the first weary pause: My kids will have it better. They'll be richer or more educated, they'll have a better job or a better house, they'll take a step up in terms of rank, class or status. America always claimed to be, and meant to be, a nation that made little of class. But America is human. "The richest family in town," they said, admiringly. Read Booth Tarkington on turn-of-the-last-century Indiana. It's all about trying to rise.
Parents now fear something has stopped. They think they lived through the great abundance, a time of historic growth in wealth and material enjoyment. They got it, and they enjoyed it, and their kids did, too: a lot of toys in that age, a lot of Xboxes and iPhones. (Who is the most self-punishing person in America right now? The person who didn't do well during the abundance.) But they look around, follow the political stories and debates, and deep down they think their children will live in a more limited country, that jobs won't be made at a great enough pace, that taxes—too many people in the cart, not enough pulling it—will dishearten them, that the effects of 30 years of a low, sad culture will leave the whole country messed up. And then there is the world: nuts with nukes, etc.
Optimists think that if we manage to turn a few things around, their kids may have it . . . almost as good. The country they inherit may be . . . almost as good. And it's kind of a shock to think like this; pessimism isn't in our DNA. But it isn't pessimism, really, it's a kind of tough knowingness, combined, in most cases, with a daily, personal commitment to keep plugging.
But do our political leaders have any sense of what people are feeling deep down? They don't act as if they do. I think their detachment from how normal people think is more dangerous and disturbing than it has been in the past. I started noticing in the 1980s the growing gulf between the country's thought leaders, as they're called—the political and media class, the universities—and those living what for lack of a better word we'll call normal lives on the ground in America. The two groups were agitated by different things, concerned about different things, had different focuses, different world views.
But I've never seen the gap wider than it is now. I think it is a chasm. In Washington they don't seem to be looking around and thinking, Hmmm, this nation is in trouble, it needs help. They're thinking something else. I'm not sure they understand the American Dream itself needs a boost, needs encouragement and protection. They don't seem to know or have a sense of the mood of the country.
And so they make their moves, manipulate this issue and that, and keep things at a high boil. And this at a time when people are already in about as much hot water as they can take.
To take just one example from the past 10 days, the federal government continues its standoff with the state of Arizona over how to handle illegal immigration. The point of view of our thought leaders is, in general, that borders that are essentially open are good, or not so bad. The point of view of those on the ground who are anxious about our nation's future, however, is different, more like: "We live in a welfare state and we've just expanded health care. Unemployment's up. Could we sort of calm down, stop illegal immigration, and absorb what we've got?" No is, in essence, the answer.
An irony here is that if we stopped the illegal flow and removed the sense of emergency it generates, comprehensive reform would, in time, follow. Because we're not going to send the estimated 10 million to 15 million illegals already here back. We're not going to put sobbing children on a million buses. That would not be in our nature. (Do our leaders even know what's in our nature?) As years passed, those here would be absorbed, and everyone in the country would come to see the benefit of integrating them fully into the tax system. So it's ironic that our leaders don't do what in the end would get them what they say they want, which is comprehensive reform.
When the adults of a great nation feel long-term pessimism, it only makes matters worse when those in authority take actions that reveal their detachment from the concerns—even from the essential nature—of their fellow citizens. And it makes those citizens feel powerless.
Inner pessimism and powerlessness: That is a dangerous combination.
O'MALLEY BOOSTS JOB-CREATING PURPLE LINE
Pledges to Move Forward on Purple Line at Stops in Bethesda and Silver Spring
Baltimore, MD (August 10, 2010) - Today, Governor Martin O'Malley will reaffirm his commitment to the Purple Line light rail, citing the project's potential to create jobs and attract businesses to Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
O'Malley will greet riders at the Bethesda Metro stop before traveling to Silver Spring to meet with small business owners who stand to benefit from improved regional transit options.
"The Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton is a vital economic development project that will ease traffic gridlock, create thousands of construction jobs, and attract businesses to the area," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
Last year, Governor O'Malley announced plans to move forward with the locally preferred alternative for the $1.5 billion light rail system. Once constructed the Purple Line is projected to have nearly 65,000 riders a day and will result in 19,000 fewer vehicles on the road.
"While other candidates for Governor have indicated their intentions to abandon the Purple Line-ignoring the needs of families and businesses in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties --the O'Malley administration will continue to work closely with federal and local partners to keep this job-creating project on track," said Tom Russell, O'Malley's Campaign Manager.
Rep. Price Gets House Vote On Lame Duck Session
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced yesterday she’s interrupting her scheduled six-week summer vacation to hold a special, pro forma session of the House to vote on an additional $26 billion bailout for states.
The measure cleared a Senate cloture vote Wednesday -- teeing up the massive state bailout for Senate passage by week’s end.
The return of the House likely Monday night also sets up a vote on the privileged resolution offered by Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) prior to adjourning for recess. Price’s resolution will force a vote on a Democrat commitment not to hold a lame duck session of Congress after Election Day in November.
“If the Democrat leadership is willing to bring lawmakers back to Washington in order to pass billions more in ‘stimulus’ spending with tax hikes on job creators, the least they can do is tell the American people that they will not bring lawmakers back for a lame duck session to pass additional tax increases, deficit spending, and special interest giveaways,” Price said. “This No Lame Duck resolution will allow our Democrat colleagues to make it clear whether or not they plan to govern in accordance with the will of the American people or in spite of it.”
GO HERE to read more.
The measure cleared a Senate cloture vote Wednesday -- teeing up the massive state bailout for Senate passage by week’s end.
The return of the House likely Monday night also sets up a vote on the privileged resolution offered by Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) prior to adjourning for recess. Price’s resolution will force a vote on a Democrat commitment not to hold a lame duck session of Congress after Election Day in November.
“If the Democrat leadership is willing to bring lawmakers back to Washington in order to pass billions more in ‘stimulus’ spending with tax hikes on job creators, the least they can do is tell the American people that they will not bring lawmakers back for a lame duck session to pass additional tax increases, deficit spending, and special interest giveaways,” Price said. “This No Lame Duck resolution will allow our Democrat colleagues to make it clear whether or not they plan to govern in accordance with the will of the American people or in spite of it.”
GO HERE to read more.
Sharia Banking: The Silent Jihad Against The West
Anyone who cares to learn about what is going on in the world is familiar with active jihad, the "holy war," conducted with terrorism and directed at the modern world in general and western civilization more specifically.
But there is also another form of jihad that is part of the deliberate effort to have Islam replace all concepts of morality and the values held dear by the rest of us. The name of this silent "fifth column" effort is "Sharia Banking." Unfortunately, Sharia Banking is increasingly accepted by western banking institutions without any real understanding of what the Muslim goal is and what is at stake in the efforts by these institutions to attract more business, profits, and money to bail them out of financial messes they brought upon themselves.
Islamic Sharia banking is coming to the United States and other western nations, thanks to global banks such as Citigroup, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. Great Britain is now pledging to become the Islamic banking center of the world. Clearly the headlong rush by all global banks to enter the world of Islamic banking is well underway.
Why do western banks seek to participate in Sharia banking? It is because it gives them a chance to enter the Islamic banking industry which has over $1.5 trillion available today and is growing at a steady and explosive rate of over 15% per year.
The implications for the west, and especially for the United States, are staggeringly destructive. Islamic banking working through global banks is doing for Islam what it could never do on its own: giving legitimacy to Sharia law and infiltrating it into the fabric of western society.
GO HERE to read more.
But there is also another form of jihad that is part of the deliberate effort to have Islam replace all concepts of morality and the values held dear by the rest of us. The name of this silent "fifth column" effort is "Sharia Banking." Unfortunately, Sharia Banking is increasingly accepted by western banking institutions without any real understanding of what the Muslim goal is and what is at stake in the efforts by these institutions to attract more business, profits, and money to bail them out of financial messes they brought upon themselves.
Islamic Sharia banking is coming to the United States and other western nations, thanks to global banks such as Citigroup, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. Great Britain is now pledging to become the Islamic banking center of the world. Clearly the headlong rush by all global banks to enter the world of Islamic banking is well underway.
Why do western banks seek to participate in Sharia banking? It is because it gives them a chance to enter the Islamic banking industry which has over $1.5 trillion available today and is growing at a steady and explosive rate of over 15% per year.
The implications for the west, and especially for the United States, are staggeringly destructive. Islamic banking working through global banks is doing for Islam what it could never do on its own: giving legitimacy to Sharia law and infiltrating it into the fabric of western society.
GO HERE to read more.
Stop The BigGovJobs Bill
The Democrats call their $26 billion, Big Labor/bankrupt states’ bailout legislation the “EduJobs” bill.
Let’s inject some truth in advertising.
The “EduJobs” bill is nothing but a BigGovJobs bill — a massive election season pay-off to Democrat special interests. With your money.
I noted last week that Nancy Pelosi is summoning her minions back to Washington for a special session to rush the Senate-approved legislation into President Obama’s hands (the House had approved an earlier version of the bill). As with so many other political wealth redistribution schemes peddled by the ruling majority and championed by the White House, this one comes wrapped in endless, specific-seeming promises of salvation (it will save “3,000″ in Washington state, “5,000 slots” in Illinois, and “4,200″ in Michigan).
But like porkulus math, BigGovJobs math ain’t all it’s cracked up to be:
GO HERE to read more.
Let’s inject some truth in advertising.
The “EduJobs” bill is nothing but a BigGovJobs bill — a massive election season pay-off to Democrat special interests. With your money.
I noted last week that Nancy Pelosi is summoning her minions back to Washington for a special session to rush the Senate-approved legislation into President Obama’s hands (the House had approved an earlier version of the bill). As with so many other political wealth redistribution schemes peddled by the ruling majority and championed by the White House, this one comes wrapped in endless, specific-seeming promises of salvation (it will save “3,000″ in Washington state, “5,000 slots” in Illinois, and “4,200″ in Michigan).
But like porkulus math, BigGovJobs math ain’t all it’s cracked up to be:
GO HERE to read more.
PROJECT OPPORTUNITY
The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation would like to inform all area veterans of Project Opportunity, a program to provide military veterans the skills to become entrepreneurs. The Chamber Foundation has taken the lead and will partner with Maryland Capital Enterprises to provide free education and outreach services, technical assistance, and financing opportunities to veterans who are considering starting their own business.
The first phase will be to conduct outreach and education sessions of approximately two hours in length scheduled to be held as follows:
Sessions will be held at the Crisfield American Legion on Tuesday August 10, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM and at the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Business Center on Wednesday August 11, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
These 2 hour workshops “Exploring Entrepreneurship” will include a discussion of why the individuals in attendance want to start their own small businesses, characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, and an entrepreneurship self-assessment.
The second phase will consist of a one hour assessment session conducted either telephonically or in person to better determine eligibility for the 3rd phase “Entrepreneurship Workshops”.
The third phase will be to conduct an entrepreneurship workshop to a minimum of sixteen (16) veterans. These classes would total thirty three (33) hours in length (3 hours per week for an 11 week period). and include the following topics:
§ Personal budget and credit
§ Types of businesses and customer characteristics
§ Outline of a business and marketing plan
§ How to manage your business
§ Marketing analysis and e-commerce
§ Additionally, guest speakers such as successful business owners, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, bank representatives, and marketing specialists will provide expert guidance and insight.
The orientation sessions and follow up entrepreneurship training are only for veterans. Please bring a copy of DD Form 214, Military ID Card, or other form of acceptable ID.
To register call Joe Giordano, Chamber Foundation Workforce Development Coordinator at (410) 860 6664 or email Joe at tjgiordano_2000@yahoo.com
The first phase will be to conduct outreach and education sessions of approximately two hours in length scheduled to be held as follows:
Sessions will be held at the Crisfield American Legion on Tuesday August 10, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM and at the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Business Center on Wednesday August 11, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
These 2 hour workshops “Exploring Entrepreneurship” will include a discussion of why the individuals in attendance want to start their own small businesses, characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, and an entrepreneurship self-assessment.
The second phase will consist of a one hour assessment session conducted either telephonically or in person to better determine eligibility for the 3rd phase “Entrepreneurship Workshops”.
The third phase will be to conduct an entrepreneurship workshop to a minimum of sixteen (16) veterans. These classes would total thirty three (33) hours in length (3 hours per week for an 11 week period). and include the following topics:
§ Personal budget and credit
§ Types of businesses and customer characteristics
§ Outline of a business and marketing plan
§ How to manage your business
§ Marketing analysis and e-commerce
§ Additionally, guest speakers such as successful business owners, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, bank representatives, and marketing specialists will provide expert guidance and insight.
The orientation sessions and follow up entrepreneurship training are only for veterans. Please bring a copy of DD Form 214, Military ID Card, or other form of acceptable ID.
To register call Joe Giordano, Chamber Foundation Workforce Development Coordinator at (410) 860 6664 or email Joe at tjgiordano_2000@yahoo.com
ENERGY-ENVIRONMENTAL RENOVATIONS SET TO UPGRADE FORESTVILLE BARRACKS
(Forestville, MD) – Energy and environmental renovations have been scheduled for the Maryland State Police Forestville Barracks, but troopers will continue staffing the location while work is conducted on the inside of the existing facility.
Beginning August 16, 2010, and continuing for about the next two months, the Forestville Barracks will receive a full mechanical upgrade and asbestos abatement. While the work is going on, a Maryland State Police command bus in the barracks parking lot will be staffed by troopers 24-hours a day. A trailer will also be situated in the parking lot to provide temporary housing for command staff and support personnel.
Citizens in Prince George’s County should notice no difference in services provided by troopers on patrol during this renovation. Troopers will continue to cover their normal patrols in central and southern Prince George’s County, but will be dispatched by police communications operators at the College Park Barracks.
The approximately $500,000 worth of upgrades are being coordinated through the Maryland Department of General Services Energy Conservation Office and Hazardous Materials Office. The renovations are being made possible through the Governor’s Energy Conservation Program. It is anticipated costs will be recovered through energy savings the upgrades will bring.
The renovations will include a new boiler and new air conditioning system, all with the latest in high energy efficiency technology. Asbestos currently in the building will be removed. New insulation, floor tiles and carpeting will be installed. The lights in the barracks have already been upgraded.
Fingerprinting services will not be provided at the Forestville Barracks for the next two months. Persons needing those services from the State Police should visit www.mdsp.org to check when fingerprinting services are offered at other barracks.
The newly updated Forestville Barracks should be back to full duty in mid-October.
Beginning August 16, 2010, and continuing for about the next two months, the Forestville Barracks will receive a full mechanical upgrade and asbestos abatement. While the work is going on, a Maryland State Police command bus in the barracks parking lot will be staffed by troopers 24-hours a day. A trailer will also be situated in the parking lot to provide temporary housing for command staff and support personnel.
Citizens in Prince George’s County should notice no difference in services provided by troopers on patrol during this renovation. Troopers will continue to cover their normal patrols in central and southern Prince George’s County, but will be dispatched by police communications operators at the College Park Barracks.
The approximately $500,000 worth of upgrades are being coordinated through the Maryland Department of General Services Energy Conservation Office and Hazardous Materials Office. The renovations are being made possible through the Governor’s Energy Conservation Program. It is anticipated costs will be recovered through energy savings the upgrades will bring.
The renovations will include a new boiler and new air conditioning system, all with the latest in high energy efficiency technology. Asbestos currently in the building will be removed. New insulation, floor tiles and carpeting will be installed. The lights in the barracks have already been upgraded.
Fingerprinting services will not be provided at the Forestville Barracks for the next two months. Persons needing those services from the State Police should visit www.mdsp.org to check when fingerprinting services are offered at other barracks.
The newly updated Forestville Barracks should be back to full duty in mid-October.
DS LEVEL SERIES WITH 6-4 WIN OVER ‘BIRDS
Dalles Connects on Fourth Homer of Season
Salisbury, Md. – Lexington starter Zach Grimmett hurled a seven-inning gem as the Legends defeated the Delmarva Shorebirds 6-4 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Monday night.
The Legends raced to an early lead in the third inning. Barry Butera hit a double down the right field line. Two batters later, Butera scored on a fielder’s choice grounder up the middle. After Hogue moved to second on a ground out by Jiovanni Mier, Jimmy Paredes hit a double to give the Legends a 2-0 lead. The Legends took a 3-0 lead on a single by Ben Heath.
In the bottom of the third, Justin Dalles hit a long homer to left field to get the ‘Birds within two. It was his fourth home run of the season and first since June 29th.
The Legends padded their lead in the seventh. Mier and Paredes hit back-to-back singles with one out. Then, Jacob Goebbert hit a two-run double to give the Legends a 5-1.
Brian Kemp singled home Aaron Bray in the eighth inning to give the Legends a 6-1 lead.
The Shorebirds fought back with a run in the eighth inning to trim the deficit to 6-2. Then, in the ninth inning, Ty Kelly hit a two-run single to left-center field to get the ‘Birds within 6-4. Steve Bumbry flew out to left with runners at first and third to end the game.
Zach Grimmett allowed just four hits in seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season. He struck out seven batters and walked two.
Shorebirds starter Patrick Kantakevich was tagged with the loss in six innings. He allowed six hits and three runs.
Aaron Swenson made his Shorebirds debut in the seventh. In two innings, he allowed six hits and three runs.
The Shorebirds and Legends square off in the series finale on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m.
Salisbury, Md. – Lexington starter Zach Grimmett hurled a seven-inning gem as the Legends defeated the Delmarva Shorebirds 6-4 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Monday night.
The Legends raced to an early lead in the third inning. Barry Butera hit a double down the right field line. Two batters later, Butera scored on a fielder’s choice grounder up the middle. After Hogue moved to second on a ground out by Jiovanni Mier, Jimmy Paredes hit a double to give the Legends a 2-0 lead. The Legends took a 3-0 lead on a single by Ben Heath.
In the bottom of the third, Justin Dalles hit a long homer to left field to get the ‘Birds within two. It was his fourth home run of the season and first since June 29th.
The Legends padded their lead in the seventh. Mier and Paredes hit back-to-back singles with one out. Then, Jacob Goebbert hit a two-run double to give the Legends a 5-1.
Brian Kemp singled home Aaron Bray in the eighth inning to give the Legends a 6-1 lead.
The Shorebirds fought back with a run in the eighth inning to trim the deficit to 6-2. Then, in the ninth inning, Ty Kelly hit a two-run single to left-center field to get the ‘Birds within 6-4. Steve Bumbry flew out to left with runners at first and third to end the game.
Zach Grimmett allowed just four hits in seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season. He struck out seven batters and walked two.
Shorebirds starter Patrick Kantakevich was tagged with the loss in six innings. He allowed six hits and three runs.
Aaron Swenson made his Shorebirds debut in the seventh. In two innings, he allowed six hits and three runs.
The Shorebirds and Legends square off in the series finale on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m.
Coming Up Soon On The Wicomico School Calendar: The 2010-11 School Year
Student assignment letters for the 2010-11 school year, with teacher or homeroom assignment and other school information, will be mailed to all Wicomico students on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
The 2010-11 school year will begin Monday, Aug. 30, for most students. Students in grades 1-6 and grade 9 will attend school on Aug. 30. (Exceptions: All grades will attend at Pittsville Elementary and Middle, and only grade 6 will attend at Mardela Middle and High.) All students in grades 1-12 will be in school Tuesday, Aug. 31. Kindergarten and prekindergarten students will report those days as scheduled by the assigned school.
Wicomico County Schools will hold open houses Aug. 24-27 in preparation for the opening of the 2010-11 school year. A complete schedule of open houses for Wicomico schools is below. For additional details, please contact the school.
Additional information to assist students and families with back-to-school planning is posted on the school system’s web site at www.wcboe.org/boe/backtoschool.php.
Open House Schedule
Beaver Run Elementary: Aug. 26 1-4 p.m. 410-677-5101
Charles H. Chipman Elementary: Aug. 26. Classroom visitation 2-3 p.m., followed by a picnic from 3-4:30 p.m. at Lake Street Park with Chipman’s partner school, Glen Avenue Elementary. Food, families and fun! 410-677-5814
Delmar Elementary: Aug. 27 1:30-3 p.m. 410-677-5178
East Salisbury Elementary: Aug. 27 1:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5803
Fruitland Primary: Aug. 27 1:30-2:30 p.m. 410-677-5171
Fruitland Intermediate: Aug. 27 2:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5805
Glen Avenue Elementary: Aug. 26 1-2 p.m., with a community picnic with partner school Charles H. Chipman Elementary from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Lake Street Park. 410-677-5806
North Salisbury Elementary: Aug. 27 from 2-4 p.m., NSS will hold an open house for all incoming students. Buster the Bus will serve as official greeter. NSS will offer free school supplies to all students who attend, and several community partners will be on hand to show their support. The PTA will be there to welcome students and families and give them the opportunity to join the PTA, and share information in events in the upcoming school year. 410-677-5807
Northwestern Elementary: Aug. 27 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5808
Pemberton Elementary: Aug. 26 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5809
Pinehurst Elementary: Aug. 27 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5810
Prince Street Elementary: Aug. 27 1:15-3:15 p.m. 410-677-5813
West Salisbury Elementary: Open house luncheon Aug. 27 12:30-2:30 p.m. Meet your teachers and have a light lunch of hot dogs, chips and a drink. 410-677-5816
Westside Primary: The staffs of Westside Primary and Westside Intermediate will visit school families in the areas of Bivalve, Tyaskin, Nanticoke, Whitehaven, and Waterview at the Westside Community Center in Bivalve on Aug. 24 from 5-6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Westside Primary will hold an open house at school Aug. 27, 1-2 p.m. 410-677-5117
Westside Intermediate: The staffs of Westside Intermediate and Westside Primary will visit school families in the areas of Bivalve, Tyaskin, Nanticoke, Whitehaven, and Waterview at the Westside Community Center in Bivalve on Aug. 24 from 5-6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Open house at Westside Intermediate will be Friday, Aug. 27, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5118
Willards Elementary: Back-to-School ice cream social Aug. 26 3-4:30 p.m. 410-677-5819
Wicomico Early Learning Center: Aug. 26 1-3 p.m. 410-677-5900
Pittsville Elementary and Middle: Aug. 25 for Middle School, 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 for Elementary 6-7:30 p.m. 410-677-5811
Bennett Middle School: PTA Back-to-School Night/Open House Aug. 26 from 5-7 p.m. 410-677-5140
Salisbury Middle: 6th-grade Open House Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. 410-677-5149
Wicomico Middle: Aug. 26 1:30-3:30 p.m., student schedules available. 410-677-5145
Mardela Middle and High: Back-to-School BBQ Aug. 26 4:30-6:30 p.m. Families can get their student’s schedule when they bring a completed copy of the student data form to the BBQ. 410-677-5142
James M. Bennett High School: There will be an opportunity for JMB students and their parents only to visit the new JMB on Aug. 10 8:30 a.m.-noon for an informal tour. PTSA / Back-to-School Night Aug. 24 5 – 8 p.m. At this time forms should be turned in to guidance, parents can pick up Family Portal information, and students may get their schedules if all of their paperwork is turned in. 410-677-5141
Parkside High: Back-to-School Night Aug. 26. From 4:30-5:30 p.m. students can pick up their schedules. From 5:30-6 p.m. PTA business meeting. From 6-7:30 p.m. teacher visitation. 410-677-5143
Wicomico High: The Student Government Association will hold student tours for incoming freshmen Aug. 19-20 from 9 a.m.-noon. Freshmen Back-to-School Night Aug. 27, 5-7 p.m. 410-677-5146
Wicomico County Evening High School: Pending. 410-677-4537
Choices: Aug. 26 4-6 p.m. 410-677-5220
Please note: On Friday, Aug. 27, Staff Kickoff Day rallies will be held for Wicomico County Public Schools staff in the Wicomico High School Auditorium. Due to space constraints this year, Staff Kickoff Day rallies will take place at 8 a.m. (all elementary schools except Delmar and Pittsville, plus WELC and Infants & Toddlers Program), 10:30 a.m. (all of Pittsville, all middle schools except Mardela, Delmar Elementary, Student Services, Instruction and Administration), and 1 p.m. (all high schools, all of Mardela, Choices, Evening High School, Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Facilities, Food Service, Transportation). School and district offices will be closed while staff attends the designated Staff Kickoff Day event but will be open at other times that day.
The 2010-11 school year will begin Monday, Aug. 30, for most students. Students in grades 1-6 and grade 9 will attend school on Aug. 30. (Exceptions: All grades will attend at Pittsville Elementary and Middle, and only grade 6 will attend at Mardela Middle and High.) All students in grades 1-12 will be in school Tuesday, Aug. 31. Kindergarten and prekindergarten students will report those days as scheduled by the assigned school.
Wicomico County Schools will hold open houses Aug. 24-27 in preparation for the opening of the 2010-11 school year. A complete schedule of open houses for Wicomico schools is below. For additional details, please contact the school.
Additional information to assist students and families with back-to-school planning is posted on the school system’s web site at www.wcboe.org/boe/backtoschool.php.
Open House Schedule
Beaver Run Elementary: Aug. 26 1-4 p.m. 410-677-5101
Charles H. Chipman Elementary: Aug. 26. Classroom visitation 2-3 p.m., followed by a picnic from 3-4:30 p.m. at Lake Street Park with Chipman’s partner school, Glen Avenue Elementary. Food, families and fun! 410-677-5814
Delmar Elementary: Aug. 27 1:30-3 p.m. 410-677-5178
East Salisbury Elementary: Aug. 27 1:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5803
Fruitland Primary: Aug. 27 1:30-2:30 p.m. 410-677-5171
Fruitland Intermediate: Aug. 27 2:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5805
Glen Avenue Elementary: Aug. 26 1-2 p.m., with a community picnic with partner school Charles H. Chipman Elementary from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Lake Street Park. 410-677-5806
North Salisbury Elementary: Aug. 27 from 2-4 p.m., NSS will hold an open house for all incoming students. Buster the Bus will serve as official greeter. NSS will offer free school supplies to all students who attend, and several community partners will be on hand to show their support. The PTA will be there to welcome students and families and give them the opportunity to join the PTA, and share information in events in the upcoming school year. 410-677-5807
Northwestern Elementary: Aug. 27 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5808
Pemberton Elementary: Aug. 26 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5809
Pinehurst Elementary: Aug. 27 3-4 p.m. 410-677-5810
Prince Street Elementary: Aug. 27 1:15-3:15 p.m. 410-677-5813
West Salisbury Elementary: Open house luncheon Aug. 27 12:30-2:30 p.m. Meet your teachers and have a light lunch of hot dogs, chips and a drink. 410-677-5816
Westside Primary: The staffs of Westside Primary and Westside Intermediate will visit school families in the areas of Bivalve, Tyaskin, Nanticoke, Whitehaven, and Waterview at the Westside Community Center in Bivalve on Aug. 24 from 5-6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Westside Primary will hold an open house at school Aug. 27, 1-2 p.m. 410-677-5117
Westside Intermediate: The staffs of Westside Intermediate and Westside Primary will visit school families in the areas of Bivalve, Tyaskin, Nanticoke, Whitehaven, and Waterview at the Westside Community Center in Bivalve on Aug. 24 from 5-6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Open house at Westside Intermediate will be Friday, Aug. 27, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. 410-677-5118
Willards Elementary: Back-to-School ice cream social Aug. 26 3-4:30 p.m. 410-677-5819
Wicomico Early Learning Center: Aug. 26 1-3 p.m. 410-677-5900
Pittsville Elementary and Middle: Aug. 25 for Middle School, 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 for Elementary 6-7:30 p.m. 410-677-5811
Bennett Middle School: PTA Back-to-School Night/Open House Aug. 26 from 5-7 p.m. 410-677-5140
Salisbury Middle: 6th-grade Open House Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. 410-677-5149
Wicomico Middle: Aug. 26 1:30-3:30 p.m., student schedules available. 410-677-5145
Mardela Middle and High: Back-to-School BBQ Aug. 26 4:30-6:30 p.m. Families can get their student’s schedule when they bring a completed copy of the student data form to the BBQ. 410-677-5142
James M. Bennett High School: There will be an opportunity for JMB students and their parents only to visit the new JMB on Aug. 10 8:30 a.m.-noon for an informal tour. PTSA / Back-to-School Night Aug. 24 5 – 8 p.m. At this time forms should be turned in to guidance, parents can pick up Family Portal information, and students may get their schedules if all of their paperwork is turned in. 410-677-5141
Parkside High: Back-to-School Night Aug. 26. From 4:30-5:30 p.m. students can pick up their schedules. From 5:30-6 p.m. PTA business meeting. From 6-7:30 p.m. teacher visitation. 410-677-5143
Wicomico High: The Student Government Association will hold student tours for incoming freshmen Aug. 19-20 from 9 a.m.-noon. Freshmen Back-to-School Night Aug. 27, 5-7 p.m. 410-677-5146
Wicomico County Evening High School: Pending. 410-677-4537
Choices: Aug. 26 4-6 p.m. 410-677-5220
Please note: On Friday, Aug. 27, Staff Kickoff Day rallies will be held for Wicomico County Public Schools staff in the Wicomico High School Auditorium. Due to space constraints this year, Staff Kickoff Day rallies will take place at 8 a.m. (all elementary schools except Delmar and Pittsville, plus WELC and Infants & Toddlers Program), 10:30 a.m. (all of Pittsville, all middle schools except Mardela, Delmar Elementary, Student Services, Instruction and Administration), and 1 p.m. (all high schools, all of Mardela, Choices, Evening High School, Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Facilities, Food Service, Transportation). School and district offices will be closed while staff attends the designated Staff Kickoff Day event but will be open at other times that day.