If there's one lesson to learn from today's court hearing its to make sure you never tell your probation officer things like, "I'm going to spit in that bitches face" or "I'll kill that cock sucking bitch." "Better stop asking questions about my family, or else." These are some of the statements the parole officer received from Lamar Collier and his girlfriend.
Another lesson that can be learned is that you do NOT get into a vehicle while on probation with someone else carrying a weapon. You do NOT have to be the person in possession of a weapon to violate probation and go back to jail.
The honorable Judge in this case received quite the challenge from defense attorney McDonald. He wanted the language to be understood that you must be in possession of the gun but when you listen to the actual language it clearly states you do not and Mr. Collier signed numerous documents stating he clearly understood he could not even be around a weapon.
Mr. Collier had been on probation and the Honorable Judge ruled that he did not follow the instructions referencing the weapon. He did not follow the regular monthly payments for his parole. He did not follow instructions as to where he lived and even though he had been seen by Police Officers in another residence, (other than the one he reported) at 3:30 AM, Collier maintained he lived elsewhere.
Collier also admitted he goes by the name "Flames," apparently a gang name. He stated there are other people in the neighborhood that go by the same name. However, the Judge wasn't buying any of it.
OK, so what are we seeing here. It was clear to me that Wicomico County is taking a firm stand against Gang Members, sending a clear message such activity will not be tolerated. One person I spoke with stated that this is a huge win for the County.
Collier was looking at 18 1/2 years in jail and the Judge sentenced him to serve 15 years. The Judge felt Mr. Collier isn't willing to follow the guidelines of his parole, therefore Mr. Collier was escorted away by Sheriff's Deputies immediately following the Judge's ruling and taken to jail.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, March 04, 2011
The Power Of Maryland's Public Sector Unions
National Review’s Kevin Williamson wrote an excellent piece debunking the left’s useful myth that public sector unions are a “counterweight” to “the power of big money” in our politics. Williamson points out that public sector unions are no countervailing force, but in reality, a “large and prevailing” big money force all their own. Big money indeed, unions account for five of the top ten political donors in U.S. politics.
Two years ago Charles “Mac” Middleton (D-Charles County), the powerful chairman of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee, delivered an unintentional dose of truth to a healthcare panel. Middleton said, “You recognize the people that get you there. It's labor and trial lawyers that get Democrats in office. And you don't bite off the hand that feeds you.”
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Four Charged In Cocaine Distribution Case
Location:
300 block Cubbage Drive, Cedar Creek Estates, Lincoln, DE
Date of Occurrence:
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Defendant(s) Charges and Bond Information:
Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine (2 Counts)
Delivery Of Cocaine (2 Counts)
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances (3 Counts)
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $87,000 Cash Bond
Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Resume
Lincoln-Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit, Delaware State Police Sussex County Governor’s Task Force, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations completed an eleven month investigation into a Cocaine distribution operation in the Lincoln area.
The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit, Delaware State Police Sussex County Governor’s Task Force, Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations culminated the eleven month investigation by executing a search warrant in the 300 block Cubbage Drive, Cedar Creek Estates, Lincoln, DE. As a result of the investigation and search warrant, Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE, Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE, Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE, and Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE were taken into custody.
As a result of the search warrant Delaware State Police seized approximately 2.6 Kilograms of Cocaine, approximately $41,000 United States Currency, and assorted drug paraphernalia.
Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE, Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE, Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE, and Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE were arrested and charged with the above crimes, with all committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of Cash Bond as listed above.
300 block Cubbage Drive, Cedar Creek Estates, Lincoln, DE
Date of Occurrence:
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Defendant(s) Charges and Bond Information:
Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine (2 Counts)
Delivery Of Cocaine (2 Counts)
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances (3 Counts)
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $87,000 Cash Bond
Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For The Keeping Of Controlled Substances
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE
Trafficking in Cocaine
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Cocaine) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (3 Counts)
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $81,000 Cash Bond
Resume
Lincoln-Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit, Delaware State Police Sussex County Governor’s Task Force, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations completed an eleven month investigation into a Cocaine distribution operation in the Lincoln area.
The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit, Delaware State Police Sussex County Governor’s Task Force, Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations culminated the eleven month investigation by executing a search warrant in the 300 block Cubbage Drive, Cedar Creek Estates, Lincoln, DE. As a result of the investigation and search warrant, Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE, Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE, Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE, and Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE were taken into custody.
As a result of the search warrant Delaware State Police seized approximately 2.6 Kilograms of Cocaine, approximately $41,000 United States Currency, and assorted drug paraphernalia.
Victor Saucedo-Canales-33 Lincoln, DE, Gerardo Saucedo-Canales-25 Lincoln, DE, Jose Saucedo-Canales-26 Lincoln, DE, and Jose L. Cruz-Perez-35 Greenwood, DE were arrested and charged with the above crimes, with all committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of Cash Bond as listed above.
Ricky’s “Disappointment”, Fredericksen’s Hissy Fit
Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt is “disappointed” that our elected council members saw fit to put the long term fiscal health of Wicomico County ahead of politics and ego. Sorry Rick. I realize that you believe that you run the show in Wicomico County, but I’m personally grateful that someone is actually doing the work of the people.
Reading Pollitt’s statement, one can only conclude two things:
- This is more about ego than it is about finding solutions to a real problem.
- Someone – Pollitt, BOE Superintendent John Fredericksen, and / or BOE Facilities Director Brian Foret is not being honest with the council, and the public.
According to Pollitt:
My staff and I have been working diligently with the Board of Education and others to identify new and innovative funding options such as lease/purchase and we have been carefully examining our budget opportunities for ways to fund the school project.
Yet, during his little display of shirt tearing and teeth gnashing at Tuesday’s council meeting, Fredericksen stated that alternative financing is now “out the window”. Leasing was going on before this project; before Pollitt and Fredericksen were born. It will continue long after we are all dead and gone. So … Was Fredericksen AGAIN deceiving the council and public? Is Pollitt deceiving his constituents? If leasing was the “alternative financing”, then that option certainly didn’t disappear because the project was delayed for a year. Since Pollitt made a point that HIS staff has been working with the BOE on this, he can’t claim that the BOE was deceiving him. NO! Pollitt, like Fredericksen, is upset because the county council refused to put their collective egos ahead of the fiscal well being of Wicomico County.
Kudos to council members Bartkovich, Culver, Holloway, Holloway, and Prettyman. Shame on Pollitt and Fredericksen.
It appears quite evident that Pollitt just doesn’t get it. His own notes in his own CIP state that the county cannot afford this project at the present time. Yet, he attacks the council for doing the fiscally prudent thing and dares to wrap himself in the flag by claiming that he “refuses to give up”:
The council’s vote at this early stage of the process sends the unfortunate message that our challenges overwhelm us and rather than fighting to confront them, we are simply going to throw up our hands and say, ‘We quit.’ Well, I don’t intend to quit. The new middle school is long over-due and our community deserves our best efforts at seeing it through. I strongly encourage our community to rally behind this cause and demand that their county government do better.
NO Rick. The council isn’t giving up. They are simply stating that they weren’t elected to write blank checks for you OR John Fredericksen. IF and when the BOE returns with a realistic proposal, I am sure that the full council will give the project a fair hearing. I for one am grateful that SOMEONE in county government is taking a thoughtful approach to this matter. I’m sorry it isn’t you.
I am reminded of a comment made by John Fredericksen on Tuesday night. He stated, “We’re disappointed BUT we’ll work with you. The emphasis was Fredericksen’s, not mine.
Perhaps Pollitt and Fredericksen should both take a basic government class. The council, as our local legislative body, is the appropriating authority. Both Pollitt and Fredericksen have no choice BUT to work with our council. Without them, nothing can be appropriated.
If Pollitt, Fredericksen, and their staffs were so concerned about the problems facing Wicomico County and our school children, perhaps they would have been better served by working on a solution rather than trying to play politics with this important issues. Maybe council should take a closer look at funding positions such as the county PIO when budget time approaches.
Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release
Date of Incident: 4 March 2011
Location: 400 N. Fruitland Blvd., Fruitland, MD
Suspects: William E. Byrd, Jr., 63, Accomac, VA
Narrative: On 4 March 2011 at 1:49 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office was checking on a vehicle parked in the parking lot of a closed restaurant with its headlights on. Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy discovered the operator, William E. Byrd Jr. of Accomac, VA, slumped across the front seat. Upon waking Byrd and having him exit the vehicle, it was observed that Byrd appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. Byrd was also discovered to have a loaded .380 handgun inside the vehicle.
During the administration of Field Sobriety testing Byrd swayed and stumbled and at one point the deputy had to grab his arm to prevent him from falling on the ground.
The deputy placed Byrd under arrest for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and the handgun that was located in the vehicle. Upon the reading of the DR15 Advice of Rights, Byrd refused to submit to a breath test. Byrd was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Byrd was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.
Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Handgun in Vehicle
Handgun on Person
Possession of Handgun while Under the Influence of Alcohol
A COMMENT WORTHY OF A PROMPT RESPONSE
This comment was made to a post yesterday regarding the Bennett Middle School mess:
"The 2 county council members on the School Building Commission should have put a stop to this a long time ago."
Be advised that those 2 "county council members" do not control the School Building Commission, which includes a number of tax and spend liberals, appointed either by the County Executive, Mr. Pollitt, or the Board of Ed. And where was the person who made this comment during the months that those "county council members" tried to have the proposed facility redesigned to cut the cost (value engineering)?
SPRING FREE BULK PICKUP WEEK
Set for
march 14th thru march 18th
call the city YARD BEFORE NOON ON FRIDAY THE 11TH to
schedule your pickup
410-548-3177
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR ANIMAL HEALTH BUILDING
Salisbury Mayor James Ireton, Jr., invites the public to a groundbreaking ceremony for the Salisbury Zoological Park Animal Health Building, on Monday, March 28, 2011. The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be held next to the Salisbury Zoological Administrative Building behind Ben’s Red Swings.
The project includes the construction of a new Animal Health Clinic. This health clinic will enable the Salisbury Zoological Park to have a facility that will house and treat our current and future animal collection. It will also enable us to further the Zoo’s involvement in conservation breeding programs. This project will include geothermal heating and air for efficiency, necropsy room, surgery room, multiple animal holding areas and quarantine space. A secondary use of the new Clinic will be for emergency housing during inclement weather.
“The construction of this building is very important to the future of the Salisbury Zoological Park. As we move towards the implementation of our Master Plan (completed in 2006), AZA accreditation is very critical to our success. Phase One of that Master Plan includes the Animal Health Clinic. The ability to provide consistent, modern medical care to our animal collection is very important,” said Zoo Director, Joel Hamilton.
“This project, funded by a City of Salisbury Public Improvement Bond of 2009, a Maryland Historic Grant, a State Bond Bill, and private donations to the Renew the Zoo capital campaign and managed by the Delmarva Zoological Society is an example of the community and all levels of government working together for the good of the zoo, and ultimately, for the good of Salisbury,” said Mayor Ireton.
This project will begin construction this month (March 2011) and is expected to be completed by March 2012.
The project includes the construction of a new Animal Health Clinic. This health clinic will enable the Salisbury Zoological Park to have a facility that will house and treat our current and future animal collection. It will also enable us to further the Zoo’s involvement in conservation breeding programs. This project will include geothermal heating and air for efficiency, necropsy room, surgery room, multiple animal holding areas and quarantine space. A secondary use of the new Clinic will be for emergency housing during inclement weather.
“The construction of this building is very important to the future of the Salisbury Zoological Park. As we move towards the implementation of our Master Plan (completed in 2006), AZA accreditation is very critical to our success. Phase One of that Master Plan includes the Animal Health Clinic. The ability to provide consistent, modern medical care to our animal collection is very important,” said Zoo Director, Joel Hamilton.
“This project, funded by a City of Salisbury Public Improvement Bond of 2009, a Maryland Historic Grant, a State Bond Bill, and private donations to the Renew the Zoo capital campaign and managed by the Delmarva Zoological Society is an example of the community and all levels of government working together for the good of the zoo, and ultimately, for the good of Salisbury,” said Mayor Ireton.
This project will begin construction this month (March 2011) and is expected to be completed by March 2012.
High Ranking Bloods Gang Member Sentenced To 15 Years Today
Lamar Collier was tried and convicted today for violation of probation and received 15 years in jail today. I'll provide more details later.
A Letter To The Editor
DOES WICOMICO COUNTY REALLY NEED RICK POLLITT’S "PIO"?
The annual cost to the taxpayer for the salary and benefits of the public information officer – probably $75,000 or so – is but a drop in the County’s waste bucket, but it’s not chump-change either. He may perform well as Mr. Pollitt’s mouthpiece and "fixer" – and now the producer of Rick’s TV program. But do we really need those services?
Do we need to have someone to speaking to the media for Mr. Pollitt about matters such as the "issue" involving the proposed new Bennett Middle School? And if Rick wants to have a TV show, shouldn’t it be D-I-Y.
Should this PIO position on the County Executive’s staff be eliminated or at least made a part time position to reduce its cost? What do you think?
Today's Survey Question
We Make Better Decisions When We Gotta Go
In addition to making you walk funny and drop your keys five or six times while trying to get inside your house, a full bladder may actually do something useful: help you make better decisions.
According to an upcoming study in Psychological Science, researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands performed experiments on more than 500 college students to determine if the inhibitory signals sent to a full bladder would “spill over” into other inhibitory responses, such as holding out for a larger monetary reward rather than going with a smaller immediate one.
According to lead author Mirjam Tuk, researchers had test subjects drink either five cups of water or sip a bit from each cup. After about 40 minutes -- the amount of time it takes for the water to reach the bladder -- the subjects were asked to participate in a choice test.
“We asked them to choose between a small, but soon-to-be-received reward or a large but later-to-be-received award, e.g., $18 tomorrow or $30 in 25 days,” says Tuk in an e-mail interview. “The number of times respondents opted for a later but larger reward was higher for people who experienced high bladder pressure.”
More
According to an upcoming study in Psychological Science, researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands performed experiments on more than 500 college students to determine if the inhibitory signals sent to a full bladder would “spill over” into other inhibitory responses, such as holding out for a larger monetary reward rather than going with a smaller immediate one.
According to lead author Mirjam Tuk, researchers had test subjects drink either five cups of water or sip a bit from each cup. After about 40 minutes -- the amount of time it takes for the water to reach the bladder -- the subjects were asked to participate in a choice test.
“We asked them to choose between a small, but soon-to-be-received reward or a large but later-to-be-received award, e.g., $18 tomorrow or $30 in 25 days,” says Tuk in an e-mail interview. “The number of times respondents opted for a later but larger reward was higher for people who experienced high bladder pressure.”
More
Wis. governor to Dems: Return or 1,500 workers will be axed
Capitol is cleared of demonstrators for 1st time in 17 nights after judge orders building closed during non-business hours
MADISON, Wis. — Thousands of Wisconsin state workers were bracing for layoff notices Friday as Republican Gov. Scott Walker and absent Democrats remained in a standoff over a budget balancing bill that would also strip public workers of their collective bargaining rights.
Walker said he would issue 1,500 layoff notices Friday if at least one of the 14 Senate Democrats doesn't return from Illinois to give the Republican majority the quorum it needs to vote. Senate Republicans voted Thursday to hold the missing Democrats in contempt and force police to bring them back to the Capitol.
USPS Financial Rescue May Not Stop 'Death Spiral'
Some members of Congress are poised to give the Postal Service some relief to its crushing financial requirements. But it's far from a done deal.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy, will follow Collins' lead and introduce a version of the bill as early as this week.
"We collectively, and by collectively I'm referring postal management, workers, mailers and the administration as well as this Congress, must come to the realization that some difficult decisions made rather quickly in order to address the Postal Services current financial situation," said Lynch during a subcommittee hearing Wednesday. "However before we tackle issues such as changing delivery frequency, cutting services and laying off hard working Americans, there are certainly some more palatable actions we should consider first."
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the U.S. Postal Service Improvements Act of 2011 (S. 353) Feb. 15. The ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee introduced a similar bill last session of Congress. The latest version of her legislation calls on the Office of Personnel Management to redetermine the postal surplus or supplemental liability as of the close of fiscal 2010, and for each year thereafter through 2043. That surplus would remain in the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund until distribution is necessary as long as USPS meets certain criteria.
"We collectively, and by collectively I'm referring postal management, workers, mailers and the administration as well as this Congress, must come to the realization that some difficult decisions made rather quickly in order to address the Postal Services current financial situation," said Lynch during a subcommittee hearing Wednesday. "However before we tackle issues such as changing delivery frequency, cutting services and laying off hard working Americans, there are certainly some more palatable actions we should consider first."
More
Immigration And Customs Under Investigation
Allegations of fraud and personal misconduct being investigated at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An FBI agent says that ICE deputy director of intelligence James Woosley was suspended from the agency after a raid found that he had filed bogus travel reports for analysts in exchange for a cut of the refunded money. ICE says that it is cooperating with an investigation by Homeland Security's inspector general.
Curbing Entitlement Programs
House Speaker John Boehner says Republicans will propose a budget in the spring that curbs the growth in Social Security and Medicare. He tells the Wall Street Journal, he hopes to persuade the American public that entitlement programs must be curbed if there's any hope of bring federal deficits under control. At this point, most Americans don't have a clue to how big the fiscal problem is, Boehner says. Entitlement programs comprise more than 60 percent of the budget, and they are growing fast.
NJ Protesters Suspended For Calling Out Sick
Three union workers who called out sick to attend a labor rally at the New Jersey Statehouse last week have been suspended.
The move comes a day after Gov. Christie told NBC New York in an interview that "people who call in sick better be sick." Christie issued his warning ahead of another labor rally that drew thousands on Thursday.
The county said the workers were among 14 in the department who called out sick; officials alleged that 174 developmentally disabled adults who depend on the county's services ended up "waiting for buses that never came."
"These employees are being suspended without pay based on the fact that we have evidence to prove that they were not home sick as they had claimed," said Lillian Burry, a county official.
The union representing the workers, the Communications Workers of America(CWA) put out a statement through its District One calling this a "politically-motivated attack on public workers who perform vital services."
More here
The move comes a day after Gov. Christie told NBC New York in an interview that "people who call in sick better be sick." Christie issued his warning ahead of another labor rally that drew thousands on Thursday.
The county said the workers were among 14 in the department who called out sick; officials alleged that 174 developmentally disabled adults who depend on the county's services ended up "waiting for buses that never came."
"These employees are being suspended without pay based on the fact that we have evidence to prove that they were not home sick as they had claimed," said Lillian Burry, a county official.
The union representing the workers, the Communications Workers of America(CWA) put out a statement through its District One calling this a "politically-motivated attack on public workers who perform vital services."
More here
Wisconsin Layoff Notices To Come Friday
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that he will issue layoff notices to 1,500 state workers on Friday if his proposal forcing them to pay more for benefits and taking away nearly all their collective bargaining rights isn't passed by then.
Walker also said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is negotiating with Democrats who stymied passage of the bill by leaving the state for changes to the proposal that would get them to return. Walker said he won't compromise on the collective bargaining issue or anything that saves the state money.
"I can't take any of that off the table," he said.
Walker said he has to issue the layoff notices starting Friday so the state can start to realize the $30 million savings he had assumed would come from the state worker concessions contained in the bill. The layoffs wouldn't be effective for 31 days, and Walker said he could rescind them if the bill passed in the meantime.
More
Walker also said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is negotiating with Democrats who stymied passage of the bill by leaving the state for changes to the proposal that would get them to return. Walker said he won't compromise on the collective bargaining issue or anything that saves the state money.
"I can't take any of that off the table," he said.
Walker said he has to issue the layoff notices starting Friday so the state can start to realize the $30 million savings he had assumed would come from the state worker concessions contained in the bill. The layoffs wouldn't be effective for 31 days, and Walker said he could rescind them if the bill passed in the meantime.
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ATF Let Hundreds Of U.S. Weapons Fall Into Hands Of Mexican Gunrunners
Hoping to score a major prosecution of Mexican drug lords, federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives permitted hundreds of guns to be purchased and retained by suspected straw buyers with the expectation they might cross the border and even be used in crimes while the case was being built, according to documents and interviews.
The decision — part of a Phoenix-based operation code named “Fast and Furious” — was met by strong objections from some front-line agents who feared they were allowing weapons like AK-47s to “walk” into the hands of drug lords and gun runners, internal agency memos show. Indeed, scores of the weapons came back quickly traced to criminal activity.
One of those front-line agents who objected, John Dodson, 39, told the Center for Public Integrity that these guns “are going to be turning up in crimes on both sides of the border for decades.” Dodson said in an interview that “with the number of guns we let walk, we’ll never know how many people were killed, raped, robbed … there is nothing we can do to round up those guns. They are gone.”
Dodson has taken his misgivings to the Senate Judiciary Committee as a whistleblower after his concerns were dismissed by his supervisors and initially ignored by the Justice Department’s inspector general.
An April 2, 2010 memo from the strike force leader to the Justice Department disclosed that ATF watched as targeted suspects purchased 359 guns in the United States in March 2010 alone.
The case summary sent to ATF headquarters in summer 2010 gave a much higher number.
“To date over 1,500 firearms have been purchased since October 2009 for over one million ($1,000,000.00) cash in over-the-counter transactions at various Phoenix area” gun dealers, the memo said.
Some of the field agents became increasingly incensed.
“Nothing happened. We’re monitoring the same buyers buying the same guns from the same dealers at the same rate and we’re not stopping any of it,” Dodson recalled.
More
The decision — part of a Phoenix-based operation code named “Fast and Furious” — was met by strong objections from some front-line agents who feared they were allowing weapons like AK-47s to “walk” into the hands of drug lords and gun runners, internal agency memos show. Indeed, scores of the weapons came back quickly traced to criminal activity.
One of those front-line agents who objected, John Dodson, 39, told the Center for Public Integrity that these guns “are going to be turning up in crimes on both sides of the border for decades.” Dodson said in an interview that “with the number of guns we let walk, we’ll never know how many people were killed, raped, robbed … there is nothing we can do to round up those guns. They are gone.”
Dodson has taken his misgivings to the Senate Judiciary Committee as a whistleblower after his concerns were dismissed by his supervisors and initially ignored by the Justice Department’s inspector general.
An April 2, 2010 memo from the strike force leader to the Justice Department disclosed that ATF watched as targeted suspects purchased 359 guns in the United States in March 2010 alone.
The case summary sent to ATF headquarters in summer 2010 gave a much higher number.
“To date over 1,500 firearms have been purchased since October 2009 for over one million ($1,000,000.00) cash in over-the-counter transactions at various Phoenix area” gun dealers, the memo said.
Some of the field agents became increasingly incensed.
“Nothing happened. We’re monitoring the same buyers buying the same guns from the same dealers at the same rate and we’re not stopping any of it,” Dodson recalled.
More
DeMint: PBS, NPR Execs Make More Money Than Obama
When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.
While executives at the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) are raking in massive salaries, the organizations are participating in an aggressive lobbying effort to prevent Congress from saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year by cutting their subsidies. The so-called commercial free public airwaves have been filled with pleas for taxpayer cash. The Association of Public Television Stations has hired lobbyists to fight the cuts. Hundreds of taxpayer-supported TV, radio and Web outlets have partnered with an advocacy campaign to facilitate emails and phone calls to Capitol Hill for the purpose of telling members of Congress, "Public broadcasting funding is too important to eliminate!"
PBS President Paula Kerger even recorded a personal television appeal that told viewers exactly how to contact members of Congress in order to "let your representative know how you feel about the elimination of funding for public broadcasting." But if PBS can pay Ms. Kerger $632,233 in annual compensation—as reported on the 990 tax forms all nonprofits are required to file—surely it can operate without tax dollars.
The executives at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes the taxpayer money allocated for public broadcasting to other stations, are also generously compensated. According to CPB's 2009 tax forms, President and CEO Patricia de Stacy Harrison received $298,884 in reportable compensation and another $70,630 in other compensation from the organization and related organizations that year. That's practically a pittance compared to Kevin Klose, president emeritus of NPR, who received more than $1.2 million in compensation, according to the tax forms the nonprofit filed in 2009.
Today's media landscape is a thriving one with few barriers to entry and many competitors, unlike when CPB was created in 1967. In 2011, Americans have thousands of news, entertainment and educational programs to choose from that are available on countless television, radio and Web outlets.
More from the Wall Street Journal
While executives at the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) are raking in massive salaries, the organizations are participating in an aggressive lobbying effort to prevent Congress from saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year by cutting their subsidies. The so-called commercial free public airwaves have been filled with pleas for taxpayer cash. The Association of Public Television Stations has hired lobbyists to fight the cuts. Hundreds of taxpayer-supported TV, radio and Web outlets have partnered with an advocacy campaign to facilitate emails and phone calls to Capitol Hill for the purpose of telling members of Congress, "Public broadcasting funding is too important to eliminate!"
PBS President Paula Kerger even recorded a personal television appeal that told viewers exactly how to contact members of Congress in order to "let your representative know how you feel about the elimination of funding for public broadcasting." But if PBS can pay Ms. Kerger $632,233 in annual compensation—as reported on the 990 tax forms all nonprofits are required to file—surely it can operate without tax dollars.
The executives at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes the taxpayer money allocated for public broadcasting to other stations, are also generously compensated. According to CPB's 2009 tax forms, President and CEO Patricia de Stacy Harrison received $298,884 in reportable compensation and another $70,630 in other compensation from the organization and related organizations that year. That's practically a pittance compared to Kevin Klose, president emeritus of NPR, who received more than $1.2 million in compensation, according to the tax forms the nonprofit filed in 2009.
Today's media landscape is a thriving one with few barriers to entry and many competitors, unlike when CPB was created in 1967. In 2011, Americans have thousands of news, entertainment and educational programs to choose from that are available on countless television, radio and Web outlets.
More from the Wall Street Journal
Missouri Welfare Benefits Being Spent In Hawaii
A News 4 Investigation reveals Missouri residents receiving food stamps and welfare payments are spending them in places like Hawaii, California, and Florida.
News 4 requested public information regarding these expenses through the Missouri Department of Social Services. The agency provided a state by state break down of where Missouri benefits are being spent, click here to see the list.
In January Missouri EBT cards were used to withdraw $362,682 in cash outside the state. During that same time period Missouri EBT cards purchased $3,521,974 worth of food outside Missouri. Those card users racked up $752 worth of ATM fees, they were also paid by taxpayers.
Many of the EBT purchases were in border states, but a large chunk of change was spent in hard to reach places like California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Brian Hook runs Missouri Watchdog, a non partisan group that digs information out of government agencies. Hook says the transactions might not be fraud, but likely illustrate waste.
Hook said, "The first thing that jumps to my mind is where did they get the money to get to Hawaii and Alaska?"
More
News 4 requested public information regarding these expenses through the Missouri Department of Social Services. The agency provided a state by state break down of where Missouri benefits are being spent, click here to see the list.
In January Missouri EBT cards were used to withdraw $362,682 in cash outside the state. During that same time period Missouri EBT cards purchased $3,521,974 worth of food outside Missouri. Those card users racked up $752 worth of ATM fees, they were also paid by taxpayers.
Many of the EBT purchases were in border states, but a large chunk of change was spent in hard to reach places like California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Brian Hook runs Missouri Watchdog, a non partisan group that digs information out of government agencies. Hook says the transactions might not be fraud, but likely illustrate waste.
Hook said, "The first thing that jumps to my mind is where did they get the money to get to Hawaii and Alaska?"
More
Border Agents Given Bean Bags To Fight AK-47s
Federal court documents have confirmed a report from WND columnist and former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo that U.S. Border Patrol agents were using bean bags against alleged drug gang members who had AK-47s when one agent was killed.
Tancredo reported on Dec. 18, 2010, how the confrontation that left Border Patrol agent Brian Terry dead developed, with the agents using "non-lethal" bean-bag rounds while the alleged drug smugglers "returned fire with real bullets."
"Real bullets outperform bean bags every time," Tancredo warned at the time.
Officials at the time reported such a scenario was impossible.
But now the Arizona Daily Star is reporting documents on file in U.S. District Court in Tucson involving the case are confirming Tancredo's report.
According to the newspaper, the court documents say the U.S. officer was killed after a group of illegal aliens in Peck Canyon near Nogales on Dec. 14 refused commands to drop their weapons when confronted by agents.
The documents show two agents then fired beanbags at the illegals, who returned with real gunfire.
The newspaper said its own requests for information on the protocols for using force were turned down by officials. But the report said Terry's brother, Kent Terry, confirmed the other agents at the scene told him they had been instructed to use non-lethal bean bags first.
"You go up against a bandit crew that is carrying AKs, and you walk out there with guns loaded with beanbags – I don't get it," Terry told the newspaper. "It's like going to the Iraqi war with one knife. It boggles my mind. ... These (Border Patrol agents) are professionals; they should be able to use their judgment call on their own."
"The area is well-known as a major drug-smuggling corridor, and the smugglers are known to frequently be armed with AK-47s and other long rifles," he wrote.
"Here's the part Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Border Patrol management are trying to hide: Border Patrol Agent Terry and the BORTAC team were under standing orders to always use ('non-lethal') bean-bag rounds first before using live ammunition. When the smugglers heard the first rounds, they returned fire with real bullets, and Agent Terry was killed in that exchange. Real bullets outperform bean bags every time."
Tancredo suggested that the "rules of engagement" place the lives of agents at risk.
Read more
Tancredo reported on Dec. 18, 2010, how the confrontation that left Border Patrol agent Brian Terry dead developed, with the agents using "non-lethal" bean-bag rounds while the alleged drug smugglers "returned fire with real bullets."
"Real bullets outperform bean bags every time," Tancredo warned at the time.
Officials at the time reported such a scenario was impossible.
But now the Arizona Daily Star is reporting documents on file in U.S. District Court in Tucson involving the case are confirming Tancredo's report.
According to the newspaper, the court documents say the U.S. officer was killed after a group of illegal aliens in Peck Canyon near Nogales on Dec. 14 refused commands to drop their weapons when confronted by agents.
The documents show two agents then fired beanbags at the illegals, who returned with real gunfire.
The newspaper said its own requests for information on the protocols for using force were turned down by officials. But the report said Terry's brother, Kent Terry, confirmed the other agents at the scene told him they had been instructed to use non-lethal bean bags first.
"You go up against a bandit crew that is carrying AKs, and you walk out there with guns loaded with beanbags – I don't get it," Terry told the newspaper. "It's like going to the Iraqi war with one knife. It boggles my mind. ... These (Border Patrol agents) are professionals; they should be able to use their judgment call on their own."
"The area is well-known as a major drug-smuggling corridor, and the smugglers are known to frequently be armed with AK-47s and other long rifles," he wrote.
"Here's the part Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Border Patrol management are trying to hide: Border Patrol Agent Terry and the BORTAC team were under standing orders to always use ('non-lethal') bean-bag rounds first before using live ammunition. When the smugglers heard the first rounds, they returned fire with real bullets, and Agent Terry was killed in that exchange. Real bullets outperform bean bags every time."
Tancredo suggested that the "rules of engagement" place the lives of agents at risk.
Read more
Republicans Squandering Historic Opportunity
If there’s one thing politicians are good it, it’s avoiding hard choices. The new Republican majority in the House appears - at least for the moment - not to be an exception. Despite having a clear mandate to make deep cuts in the current budget, the House proposed a mere $4 billion in pain-free reductions while putting off the question of a government shutdown for another two weeks. The timid approach met with overwhelming 91-9 approval in the Senate yesterday and a 335-91 vote in the House on Tuesday.
President Obama will have no problem signing this continuing resolution (CR) into law because it keeps the government open until March 18 while zeroing out programs the White House already had targeted for elimination. Coming up with $4 billion in savings every two weeks would add up to the $100 billion Republicans pledged to cut, but the public expects more.
A Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday suggested 53 percent of likely voters believe the GOP plan to be insufficient. Another 58 percent have no problem with a shutdown of the non-essential functions of government to get the job done right.
Nobody is going to lose sleep over the loss of $2.7 billion in earmarked pork projects made in the current CR. Of the $1.2 billion in programs closed, $680 million comes in the form of one-time hits that provide no long-term budget savings. For instance, the Smithsonian Institution will not receive $30 million to renovate a building - funds that weren’t needed because the money was already raised from private donors. Another $650 million in transportation spending that was never part of the president’s budget will also be dropped.
Among the canceled programs, the Election Assistance Commission will lose $75 million it would have doled out to states for electronic voting machines that states don’t want to buy. The Agriculture Department loses $29 million in broadband subsidies, but only because the same handouts are available from other departments.
More here
President Obama will have no problem signing this continuing resolution (CR) into law because it keeps the government open until March 18 while zeroing out programs the White House already had targeted for elimination. Coming up with $4 billion in savings every two weeks would add up to the $100 billion Republicans pledged to cut, but the public expects more.
A Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday suggested 53 percent of likely voters believe the GOP plan to be insufficient. Another 58 percent have no problem with a shutdown of the non-essential functions of government to get the job done right.
Nobody is going to lose sleep over the loss of $2.7 billion in earmarked pork projects made in the current CR. Of the $1.2 billion in programs closed, $680 million comes in the form of one-time hits that provide no long-term budget savings. For instance, the Smithsonian Institution will not receive $30 million to renovate a building - funds that weren’t needed because the money was already raised from private donors. Another $650 million in transportation spending that was never part of the president’s budget will also be dropped.
Among the canceled programs, the Election Assistance Commission will lose $75 million it would have doled out to states for electronic voting machines that states don’t want to buy. The Agriculture Department loses $29 million in broadband subsidies, but only because the same handouts are available from other departments.
More here
White House Agrees To $6.5B More In Budget Cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) - Their opening volleys behind them, the White House and tea party-backed Republicans in Congress still face a gaping disagreement over how much to immediately cut from domestic programs over the next six months as a down payment on out-of-control budget deficits.
Only two weeks remain before a stopgap funding bill runs out, but neither side seems in a hurry to move off of its position in any significant way _ at least yet.
In opening talks Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden offered Republicans a package of mostly recycled budget cuts totaling $6.5 billion in response to GOP-backed legislation slashing domestic agency budgets back to levels in place before President Barack Obama took office.
The White House cuts fell well short of what resurgent Republicans are demanding but were seen by Democrats as an attempt to meet Republicans in the middle.
"Democrats stand ready to meet the Republicans halfway on this," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. "That would be fair."
More
Only two weeks remain before a stopgap funding bill runs out, but neither side seems in a hurry to move off of its position in any significant way _ at least yet.
In opening talks Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden offered Republicans a package of mostly recycled budget cuts totaling $6.5 billion in response to GOP-backed legislation slashing domestic agency budgets back to levels in place before President Barack Obama took office.
The White House cuts fell well short of what resurgent Republicans are demanding but were seen by Democrats as an attempt to meet Republicans in the middle.
"Democrats stand ready to meet the Republicans halfway on this," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. "That would be fair."
More
Feds Could Be Fined For Working During A Shutdown
Md. Asks Why Kids No Longer Walk To School
BETHESDA, Md. - Many of us walked to school when we were kids.
Now that childhood obesity has tripled since the 1980s, one jurisdiction is studying what's keeping kids from walking or biking to school these days.
In one Bethesda neighborhood, the school zone is clearly marked and sidewalks lead to a nearby elementary school. This appears to be the exception to the rule.
In a survey by Maryland's Department of Transportation, principals say they're concerned students don't have the sidewalks or skills to safely walk or bike to school.
The principals were also concerned about liability.
More
Now that childhood obesity has tripled since the 1980s, one jurisdiction is studying what's keeping kids from walking or biking to school these days.
In one Bethesda neighborhood, the school zone is clearly marked and sidewalks lead to a nearby elementary school. This appears to be the exception to the rule.
In a survey by Maryland's Department of Transportation, principals say they're concerned students don't have the sidewalks or skills to safely walk or bike to school.
The principals were also concerned about liability.
More
Eat, Drink And Be Driving — But Don’t Read Your Text Messages At The Wheel
The prohibition against reading text messages while driving gained relatively easy passage in the House of Delegates on Thursday. But the proposed new traffic violation continued to be a point of contention in the Senate, where Republicans proposed six amendments that failed to pass before the measure won preliminary approval.
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Unions Rally Against “Right-To-Work” Bill
Unionized workers filled the Senate Finance Committee hearing room and the third floor of the Miller Building on Wednesday afternoon to urge committee members to kill a bill that they said would deal a crushing blow to the state’s unions. The bill, sponsored by Howard County Republican Sen. Allan Kittleman, would make Maryland a “right-to-work” state, banning mandatory union membership.
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Supporters Say Hiking Minimum Wage Helps Economy, Opponents Say It Hurts
A proposal to increase Maryland’s minimum wage was both applauded and condemned in front of the Senate Finance Committee by economists, business owners, lobbyists and employees on Thursday.
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Could Backscatter Scanners Be Coming To City Streets?
The TSA's rollout of full-body backscatter scanners at airports hasn't pleased too many people (other than the manufacturers of said scanners). Now a handful of newly uncovered documents show that the Dept. of Homeland Security has been considering bringing that invasive technology out of the airport and out to the public realm.
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Get $150 In Dell Inspiron "Deceptively Designed" Class Action
A class action lawsuit claims Dell "deceptively designed" its Inspiron laptop series to have "1) inadequate cooling systems, (2) a power supply system that prematurely fails when used as intended, and (3) motherboards that prematurely fail when used as intended." If you had one of these laptops and paid Dell for a repair, you could be eligible for a $150 payout.
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Government Report Finds 92 Percent Of Nursing Homes Employ Convicts
Though most states require nursing homes to conduct criminal background checks for prospective hires, 92 percent employ at least one worker with a criminal conviction, according to a report released today [1] by the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services.
About 5 percent of nursing home workers—or one out of every 20—had at least one conviction, according to the report, which took a random sample of 260 nursing homes certified by Medicare and ran FBI background checks on their workers.
State rules differ regarding background checks: 43 states require nursing homes to perform background checks against state records, ten of those require an additional FBI background check, and eight states don’t require background checks at all.
The rules also differ on what types of crimes disqualify workers. The report noted that of the workers with convictions, 44 percent had committed property crimes such as theft, vandalism or writing bad checks. Some 16 percent had drug-related crimes, and 13 percent had committed crimes against people, including sexual offenses.
Federal regulations prohibit nursing homes from employing workers convicted of “abusing, neglecting, or mistreating residents,” but because FBI data do not show whether the victims of the crimes were nursing home residents, it’s unclear whether these rules were violated.
The New York Times noted [2] that the current system for background checks—which Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl criticized as “haphazard, inconsistent, and full of gaping holes [3]—has allowed people convicted of crimes in one state simply find jobs at nursing homes in another state.
More
About 5 percent of nursing home workers—or one out of every 20—had at least one conviction, according to the report, which took a random sample of 260 nursing homes certified by Medicare and ran FBI background checks on their workers.
State rules differ regarding background checks: 43 states require nursing homes to perform background checks against state records, ten of those require an additional FBI background check, and eight states don’t require background checks at all.
The rules also differ on what types of crimes disqualify workers. The report noted that of the workers with convictions, 44 percent had committed property crimes such as theft, vandalism or writing bad checks. Some 16 percent had drug-related crimes, and 13 percent had committed crimes against people, including sexual offenses.
Federal regulations prohibit nursing homes from employing workers convicted of “abusing, neglecting, or mistreating residents,” but because FBI data do not show whether the victims of the crimes were nursing home residents, it’s unclear whether these rules were violated.
The New York Times noted [2] that the current system for background checks—which Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl criticized as “haphazard, inconsistent, and full of gaping holes [3]—has allowed people convicted of crimes in one state simply find jobs at nursing homes in another state.
More
Treasury Done ‘Very Little’ To Fix Gov’t Foreclosure Prevention Program, Says Watchdog
Making the argument that the Treasury Department has done “very little” to improve a foreclosure prevention program that has failed to meet its goals, the government’s TARP watchdog testified at a hearing on Wednesday that the case for keeping the program alive has worn thin and is “all but exhausted [1]” [PDF].
We’ve documented many of the major weaknesses in the government’s loan modification program—not least of which is its failure to hold banks accountable [2] for withholding permanent loan modifications from struggling homeowners that the program was intended to help.
House Republicans are now considering a bill to end the troubled program [3]. As the Washington Post reports, consumer advocacy groups have argued for fixing the program [4] rather than ending it at a time when so many homeowners still need housing help.
That’s also what the program’s watchdogs have advocated—though they’re now voicing doubts that Treasury will make any meaningful fixes.
“Treasury, it seems, stands alone in defending the status quo,” testified Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the TARP program. Barofsky noted that last month, a Treasury official attended a Mortgage Bankers Association conference to discuss enhancements to the loan modification program and said there would be no “major new programs coming out.”
“We may tweak around the edges [5],” HousingWire reported the official as saying.
The Treasury Department has continued to defend the program, arguing that while the program has fallen short of its goals, it has still helped modify about 600,000 mortgages. Ending the program, Treasury has argued, would hurt the housing market [6].
“It would cause a huge amount of damage to a very fragile housing market and leave hundreds and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans without the chance to take advantage of a mortgage modification that would allow them to stay in a home they can afford,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said yesterday.
Geithner may be right about one thing. As our data shows [7], by the end of last year, the program had given nearly 1.5 million households “a chance” of a mortgage modification through a trial modification. For most, that chance never turned developed into permanent help.
More
We’ve documented many of the major weaknesses in the government’s loan modification program—not least of which is its failure to hold banks accountable [2] for withholding permanent loan modifications from struggling homeowners that the program was intended to help.
House Republicans are now considering a bill to end the troubled program [3]. As the Washington Post reports, consumer advocacy groups have argued for fixing the program [4] rather than ending it at a time when so many homeowners still need housing help.
That’s also what the program’s watchdogs have advocated—though they’re now voicing doubts that Treasury will make any meaningful fixes.
“Treasury, it seems, stands alone in defending the status quo,” testified Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the TARP program. Barofsky noted that last month, a Treasury official attended a Mortgage Bankers Association conference to discuss enhancements to the loan modification program and said there would be no “major new programs coming out.”
“We may tweak around the edges [5],” HousingWire reported the official as saying.
The Treasury Department has continued to defend the program, arguing that while the program has fallen short of its goals, it has still helped modify about 600,000 mortgages. Ending the program, Treasury has argued, would hurt the housing market [6].
“It would cause a huge amount of damage to a very fragile housing market and leave hundreds and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans without the chance to take advantage of a mortgage modification that would allow them to stay in a home they can afford,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said yesterday.
Geithner may be right about one thing. As our data shows [7], by the end of last year, the program had given nearly 1.5 million households “a chance” of a mortgage modification through a trial modification. For most, that chance never turned developed into permanent help.
More
Teacher Faces 25 Years After Admitting Molestation
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A former teacher is facing a 25-year prison sentence after admitting to a decades-long pattern of molesting teenage boys in the United States and Japan.
Fifty-year-old Kevin Ricks of Federalsburg, Md., had already received a one-year prison sentence in a Virginia court for taking indecent liberties with a minor while teaching at Osbourn High School in Manassas. But his guilty plea Thursday in federal court to child pornography charges exposes him to a much greater prison term.
As part of a plea bargain, both prosecutors and the defense will recommend a 25-year sentence.
Ricks admitted a pattern of assaults that began when he was a 19-year-old camp counselor. Molestations continued while teaching English in Japan and at teaching stints in Danville and Manassas.
Source
Fifty-year-old Kevin Ricks of Federalsburg, Md., had already received a one-year prison sentence in a Virginia court for taking indecent liberties with a minor while teaching at Osbourn High School in Manassas. But his guilty plea Thursday in federal court to child pornography charges exposes him to a much greater prison term.
As part of a plea bargain, both prosecutors and the defense will recommend a 25-year sentence.
Ricks admitted a pattern of assaults that began when he was a 19-year-old camp counselor. Molestations continued while teaching English in Japan and at teaching stints in Danville and Manassas.
Source
Family Farmers Would Pay Less In Estate Tax Under Proposal
Bill by Republican newcomer attracts support of O'Malley
A newly minted Republican lawmaker from Frederick County has found a heavy-hitting Democrat to lend support to her proposal to give tax breaks to family farmers: the governor.Del. Kathryn Afzali wants to exempt the heirs who would keep a farm running from estate taxes on the first $5 million of land value. Property valued above that amount would be subject to a 5 percent rate — a steep reduction from the 16 percent now on the books.
"Maryland's farmland is shrinking," Afzali told members of the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. Older farmers, she said, "are faced with the dilemma of how to pass agricultural property onto the next generation."
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Columbia Man Gets 20 Years For Sexually Abusing Teen
Police recovered pictures, videos of abuse from home
A 43-year-old Columbia man was sentenced in U.S. District in Baltimore Thursday for sexually abusing and taking explicit photos of a teenage girl, officials said.U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Philip Wayne Barto to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and required him to register as a sex offender, according to a statement from the U. S. State's Attorney's office.
According to his plea agreement, Barto sexually abused the girl, in addition to taking photos of her and showing her images of child pornography.
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Northrop Cutting Hundreds Of County Jobs
Company executives blame slowdown in defense spending
Northrop Grumman announced yesterday it would cut about 500 employees at its Maryland plants this spring because of a slowdown in defense spending.
James F. Pitts, president of the Linthicum-based Electronic Systems Sector, said in a memo to employees obtained by The Capital that the company would offer voluntary buyouts at the Linthicum and Bay Bridge facilities, two other Maryland plants and others outside the state.
Pitts said that if the retirements fall short of the number of job cuts planned, layoffs in a variety of positions will be completed by May.
"While I remain confident that our long-term (Electronic Systems) business strategy will further solidify us as a leading provider of top-quality systems for defense and global security markets, we must address the near-term reduction in business volume," Pitts wrote.
"This shortfall of work affects primarily our Maryland campuses, with some effect at other campuses, and is a direct result of delays and uncertainty in domestic and international programs."
More
James F. Pitts, president of the Linthicum-based Electronic Systems Sector, said in a memo to employees obtained by The Capital that the company would offer voluntary buyouts at the Linthicum and Bay Bridge facilities, two other Maryland plants and others outside the state.
Pitts said that if the retirements fall short of the number of job cuts planned, layoffs in a variety of positions will be completed by May.
"While I remain confident that our long-term (Electronic Systems) business strategy will further solidify us as a leading provider of top-quality systems for defense and global security markets, we must address the near-term reduction in business volume," Pitts wrote.
"This shortfall of work affects primarily our Maryland campuses, with some effect at other campuses, and is a direct result of delays and uncertainty in domestic and international programs."
More
REHOBOTH HOME INVASION SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
Defendant(s):
- William J. Maichle Jr.-31 Lewes, DE
Charge(s) and Bond Information:
- Robbery First Degree
- Burglary First Degree
- Criminal Mischief
- Unlawful Use of Credit Card (2 Counts)
- 3 Superior Court Capiases Violation of Probation
- Committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $31,500 Cash Bond
Resume Update:
Georgetown-Thursday evening March 3, 2011, William J. Maichle Jr-31 of Lewes turned himself in to Delaware State Police Detectives at Troop 4 Georgetown.
Maichle was taken into custody and was formally charged with the above listed crimes and then incarcerated in Sussex Correctional Institution on $22,500 Cash Bond for charges related to incident, and $9000 Cash Bond for listed Capiases.
GOVERNOR O’MALLEY TO PARTICIPATE IN 136th MARYLAND STATE TROOPER CANDIDATE CLASS GRADUATION
ANNAPOLIS, MD Governor O’Malley will participate in the 136th Maryland State Trooper candidate class graduation. After 26 weeks of rigorous training in a residential academy setting, the new class of troopers will begin their service to the people of Maryland. The Governor will join the State Police command staff and families and friends of graduates to congratulate and thank them for their service. This is the eighth Maryland State Police trooper candidate class to graduate during the O’Malley-Brown Administration.
This year, the Maryland State Police are celebrating their 90th Anniversary. On January 10, 1921, 36 recruits began training at Saunders Ridge firearms range near Glen Burnie to become members of a new statewide law enforcement agency. They graduated one month later and were charged with protecting citizens, preventing traffic and criminal offenses, and providing the highest quality of law enforcement services as the first members of the Maryland State Police. Today, more than 1,500 troopers and 700 civilian support personnel work across the state around-the-clock to serve and protect Maryland’s citizens.
WHAT: Governor O’Malley to participate in Maryland State Police trooper candidate class graduation
WHEN: TODAY, Friday, March 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Century High School Auditorium 355 Ronsdale Road
Sykesville, MD
Sykesville, MD
GOVERNOR O’MALLEY TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF THE MARYLAND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ACT OF 2011
Bill will boost offshore wind development to generate much needed clean, renewable energy, create new ‘green’ jobs, and promote long-term price stability
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O'Malley appeared before the House of Delegates’ Economic Matters Committee to testify in support of the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011, which will require that public utilities leverage Maryland's outstanding offshore wind resources by entering into long-term purchase agreements with wind power generation facilities off of the Mid-Atlantic coast. The Governor was joined by the Secretary of Business and Economic Development, Secretary of Natural Resources and the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, underscoring the bill’s importance in leveraging Maryland’s natural assets to promote ‘green’ job creation and generate much needed clean, renewable energy.
“In this competitive new economy, the states that win will be those that succeed in leveraging innovation into job creation and economic growth,” said Governor O’Malley. “In Maryland, our emerging green sector is a critically important part of our Innovation Economy, and therefore our ability to create jobs and compete globally. This bill would move us forward towards a prosperous, thriving Maryland powered by sustainable, clean energy.”
An analysis conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the US Department of Energy estimates that offshore wind will create more than twenty direct jobs per annual megawatt, including jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and skilled labor. A 500MW wind generation facility in the waters off of the Delmarva coast could generate as many as 2,000 manufacturing and construction jobs during the five-year development period, with an additional 400 permanent jobs once the turbines are spinning.
Due to its ideal location in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as the deep-water port and manufacturing infrastructure in Baltimore, Maryland is well positioned to be a leader not only in offshore wind energy generation, but also in ongoing construction and maintenance.
In addition to creating new ‘green’ jobs, harnessing the potential of offshore wind power will generate much needed clean, renewable energy, and promote long-term price stability while helping to ensure that Maryland meets its Renewable Portfolio Standard goal of generating 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2022.
The bill seeks to diversify the terms by which energy is purchased in Maryland by requiring long-term power-purchase agreements with offshore wind generation facilities, which would be located more than 10 miles from Maryland’s Atlantic coast. These purchase agreements allow Maryland to lock-in rates over the long-term, providing price stability and predictability in what is otherwise a potentially volatile commodity market.
The bill would require that public utilities purchase between 400-600 megawatts (MW) of power from offshore wind generation facilities in federal waters adjacent to the PJM Control Area for a period of twenty or more years. For residential ratepayer, the PSC currently directs the utilities to procure approximately 25% of their power at a time, in two year contracts, making ratepayers vulnerable to periodic increases in the market price of energy–particularly electricity based on fossil fuel resources. 500 MW of offshore wind energy is enough to power more than half of the homes in the City of Baltimore, or 79% of the homes on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
“Off-shore wind has the potential to be a big “win” for our State: a win for jobs, a win for consumers, a win for business, and a win for our energy future—an energy future which is cleaner, greener, more sustainable, and more affordable,” said Governor O’Malley.
For more information on offshore wind in Maryland, click here to view relevant facts and figures.
For more information, visit the Maryland Energy Administration.
Three Charged in Prescription Pill Distribution Case
Location:
100 block Shorts Corner Road, Clayton, Delaware
Date and Time:
Thursday, February, 24, 2011
Defendant(s) Charges and Bond Information:
Albert Gordy-33 Clayton, DE
Star Brooks-32 Clayton, DE
Delivery of (Oxycodone) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance (2 Counts)
Possession With Intent to Deliver (Oxycodone) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Xanax) Narcotic Schedule III Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For Keeping Controlled Substances
Possession of a Firearm During The Commission Of A Felony
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Endangering The Welfare Of A Child
Albert Gordy committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of Secured Bond
Star Brooks released on Unsecured Bond
Michael P. Stewart-25 Smyrna, DE
Possession Of (Suboxone) Narcotic Schedule IV Controlled Substance
Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia
Released on Unsecured Bond
Resume:
Clayton-Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit completed an investigation into the distribution of prescription pills in the Clayton, Hartly, and Marydel areas of Kent County.
The Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit and the Delaware State Police Kent County Governor’s Task Force completed a 6 Month investigation by executing a search warrant in the 100 block Shorts Corner Road, Clayton, DE. As a result of the investigation and search warrant, Albert Gordy, Star Brooks, and Michael P. Stewart were arrested.
As a result of the search Delaware State Police seized numerous quantities of Oxycodone, Xanax, and Suboxone. Also seized were just over $700.00 United States Currency and a .22 caliber rifle.
Albert Gordy was arrested and charged with the above listed crimes and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of Secured Bond.
Star Brooks and Michael P. Stewart were arrested and charged with the above listed crimes and released on Unsecured Bond.
100 block Shorts Corner Road, Clayton, Delaware
Date and Time:
Thursday, February, 24, 2011
Defendant(s) Charges and Bond Information:
Albert Gordy-33 Clayton, DE
Star Brooks-32 Clayton, DE
Delivery of (Oxycodone) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance (2 Counts)
Possession With Intent to Deliver (Oxycodone) Narcotic Schedule II Controlled Substance
Possession With Intent To Deliver (Xanax) Narcotic Schedule III Controlled Substance
Maintaining A Dwelling For Keeping Controlled Substances
Possession of a Firearm During The Commission Of A Felony
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Endangering The Welfare Of A Child
Albert Gordy committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of Secured Bond
Star Brooks released on Unsecured Bond
Michael P. Stewart-25 Smyrna, DE
Possession Of (Suboxone) Narcotic Schedule IV Controlled Substance
Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia
Released on Unsecured Bond
Resume:
Clayton-Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit completed an investigation into the distribution of prescription pills in the Clayton, Hartly, and Marydel areas of Kent County.
The Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit and the Delaware State Police Kent County Governor’s Task Force completed a 6 Month investigation by executing a search warrant in the 100 block Shorts Corner Road, Clayton, DE. As a result of the investigation and search warrant, Albert Gordy, Star Brooks, and Michael P. Stewart were arrested.
As a result of the search Delaware State Police seized numerous quantities of Oxycodone, Xanax, and Suboxone. Also seized were just over $700.00 United States Currency and a .22 caliber rifle.
Albert Gordy was arrested and charged with the above listed crimes and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of Secured Bond.
Star Brooks and Michael P. Stewart were arrested and charged with the above listed crimes and released on Unsecured Bond.
Lost Dog: UPDATE
Since your site was so helpful finding homes for some pups I had a year or so ago, I was hoping I could enlist your aid in finding a lost dog. He's a yellow lab mix with short ears about a year or so old. He ran off on Saturday when I was out of town and he hasn't been seen since.
He has not been neutered yet so I guess he caught a scent and ran. I live in the Civic avenue area near the Salisbury nursing home. If anyone has any information about him please call me, Roger Walker, at 410-726-3306.
Thanks
Salisbury Police Department Press Releases
On March 2, 2011 at approximately 11:00 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the two hundred (200) block of Maryland Avenue for the report of a burglary in progress. Officers met with the victim who advised that a male subject had tried to make entry to her residence, while she was in the residence, by forcing a rear door and rear window. The suspect was unsuccessful and left the area. A description of the suspect was given and officers located the suspect on Smith Street. The suspect was positively identified by witnesses, and taken into custody.
ARRESTED: Juvenile, 13 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Attempted 3rd degree burglary
Attempted 4th degree burglary
DISPOSITION: Released to Juvenile Justice
CC # 201100007730
On March 2, 2011 at approximately 2:29 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take property from the store without making any attempts at payment. The property was recovered from the suspect and returned to the store.
ARRESTED: Cheryl Lynne Cosner, 49 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 1,000)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100007749
On March 2, 2011 at approximately 10:16 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in May of 2010. On May 27, 2010, officers of Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant at a residence on the two hundred (200) block of Holland Avenue in Salisbury for drug violations. The residence was occupied by the suspect. During the execution of the warrant a number of smoking devices, each containing suspected cocaine, were recovered. As a result of this recovery, officers obtained the arrest warrant for the suspect
ARRESTED: David Russell Johnson, 52 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia (3 counts)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100007801
ARRESTED: Juvenile, 13 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Attempted 3rd degree burglary
Attempted 4th degree burglary
DISPOSITION: Released to Juvenile Justice
CC # 201100007730
On March 2, 2011 at approximately 2:29 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take property from the store without making any attempts at payment. The property was recovered from the suspect and returned to the store.
ARRESTED: Cheryl Lynne Cosner, 49 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 1,000)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100007749
On March 2, 2011 at approximately 10:16 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in May of 2010. On May 27, 2010, officers of Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant at a residence on the two hundred (200) block of Holland Avenue in Salisbury for drug violations. The residence was occupied by the suspect. During the execution of the warrant a number of smoking devices, each containing suspected cocaine, were recovered. As a result of this recovery, officers obtained the arrest warrant for the suspect
ARRESTED: David Russell Johnson, 52 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia (3 counts)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100007801
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