Man Rescued Twice In One Month By Rangers In Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain National Park rangers don't typically charge imperiled hikers for rescue operations, but the agency may want to re-think its policy after having to save the same 68-year-old man with elaborate, time-consuming operations twice in a month.

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If The Debt Ceiling Isn't Raised, You'll Pay For It On Your Credit Card

The game of political brinkmanship over the debt ceiling isn't just an abstract battle of wills. If it isn't raised, you can expect that your credit card interest rate surely will be.

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Rollover Risk And American Hegemony

The debt limit will be raised. Neither side will get its way.

The U.S. government always raises the debt limit. How else would the debt and the government have gotten so large?

Not raising the debt limit means that the government takes the road to financial suicide. That step would shock its creditors. The government would increase its own debt costs dramatically. Washington is not that stupid.

After this episode, budget-cutters will seek other remedies to narrow the gap between government spending and government revenues. They should have done that last December. They should have started cutting at that time, but they were naive and afraid of losing votes.

The debt limit threat is not a viable threat for either side. Obama has to sign whatever comes to his desk. The Republicans cannot make draconian cuts without some sort of American consensus. They won’t do it.

Obama wants his way in forging such a consensus. He can’t get it. He’s harping on a non-solution, which is tax increases on higher income Americans.

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Paperwork Shows GMAC Created Fake Document To Foreclose On Property

Last summer, GMAC was looking to foreclose on a property here in Brooklyn. Only problem was, it didn't have documentation proving that it actually owned the mortgage and the original lender, Ameriquest, couldn't help because it had gone the way of the dodo a few years earlier. So what's a mortgage servicer to do but fabricate the paperwork?

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Four Condos Left After GrandView Auction

Bidders snapped up 21 condos at a second auction at GrandView at Annapolis Towne Centre, leaving four in the 150-unit project unsold, the auctioneer reports. 


Mark Troen, chief operating officer of auctioneer Sheldon Good & Co., told me in June he was confident that everything at the high-end project would sell. Yesterday he said the builder could have auctioned the few remaining units at the Sunday event but decided a traditional transaction for the rest would bring an equal or higher price.

"We always promised that at least 10 would sell," Troen said. "We actually got to 21, so I think that's a pretty good result."

The winning bids ranged from $337,600 to $810,000 on units that Sheldon Good said were originally priced at $514,000 to $937,900.

About 200 people attended the Sunday auction, including 55 who registered to bid, Troen said.

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Md. Launches Plan To Cut Cancer Deaths

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Maryland is launching a plan to reduce cancer deaths.

The Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan announced Tuesday aims to save the lives of an additional 1,200 residents annually by preventing, detecting and treating the illness.

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NAACP urges minorities to up vote in 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- NAACP leaders are calling on members to launch an unprecedented drive to get minorities to vote in 2012.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People officials are telling the organization's annual convention Wednesday that the NAACP will reach out to black churches, fraternities and sororities to register and educate voters over the next year.

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Senate Budget Committee Gets Lesson In Sales Tax Options

Analysts outline potential revenue from taxing services, Internet purchases

A Senate committee listened Tuesday to the pros and cons of expanding Maryland's sales tax base to include more services, as well as goods purchased over the Internet.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee spent the day in Annapolis receiving briefings on taxes, the federal debt ceiling, education funding and toll increases. Legislative committees meet occasionally between the 90-day General Assembly sessions.

Tangible products, but few services, sold by Maryland retailers are taxed at 6 percent. This year, the sales tax is predicted to generate $4.2 billion, about 30 percent of the state's general fund revenue, according to the Department of Legislative Services.

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ALL ARE INVITED, GREAT TIME LAST YEAR!!

Is US A Nation Of Liars? Casey Anthony Isn't The Only One.

Recent court cases – from Casey Anthony to Roger Clemens to Atlanta school teachers – may point to a prevalence of lying and cheating in US culture. Has America's moral compass gone haywire?

In court cases, witnesses pledge to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." In Judeo-Christian tradition, there's the Ninth Commandment – "thou shalt not bear false witness." Most parents admonish their children to be honest.

But as the news fills with one example after another of people – both humble and mighty – telling lies, it's easy to wonder: Can America even see the truth anymore, let alone tell it?

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Big Boys Duke It Out

Some of the biggest titans of industry are currently in brawl over a ton of money. As is usual in America, when powerful forces get into a fight they turn to their lawyers (and lobbyists) to do the actual punching. While this may appear to be civil, it’s not. There’s too much at stake.

The issue is the $1 trillion of earnings that corporate America has piled up outside of our borders. This money represents the profits from foreign activities that have not been repatriated back home. This loot has already been taxed in the foreign jurisdiction where the profits have been made. The average tax on this pile of money is only 12%. To bring the money home would trigger an additional tax liability to the IRS equal to ~23% (35% marginal tax minus 12%, foreign taxes paid).

What’s at stake is $250 billion. With that much money on the table the big hitters get the best lawyers and lobbyists to “Get tough”.

On one side of this slug fest are 50 big companies including Apple, Cisco Systems, Devon Energy, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and Pfizer. They are jointly represented by a slick lobbying outfit called WinAmerica. (link [12]) This is the mission statement of WinA:

Congress should pass legislation to offer an immediate reduction of taxation on income earned overseas by innovative American businesses to allow that money to be brought home and invested in the United States.

Gee! That sounds smart doesn’t it? Some details from WinAmerica:

Currently, there is over $1 trillion earned by American businesses trapped overseas. An essential first step would be to allow these worldwide American businesses the freedom to bring up to $1 trillion in global earnings home to invest it now into our still fragile economy.

Let’s be very clear on this. GOOG/AAPL/MSFT/GE etc. are pushing for a tax holiday. They want to bring all of their foreign profits back home and pay no US tax. This has been done before and there is very little evidence that those companies who benefited in the past actually invested in the US and created jobs. They paid dividends and reduced debt with most of the money.

On the other side of the tax holiday being pushed by WinAmerica are Kimberly-Clark, Zimmer, United Technologies and Caterpillar. Corporate officers of these big hitters testified on this matter to Congress. This group is arguing against a holiday. From a Newsweek [14] report:

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Junk It?

Russia announces that the International Space Station, which billions of U.S. tax dollars helped build and maintain some 200 miles above the Earth, would be de-orbited and sunk into the Pacific in 2020.

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Fresh & Green's Opening Tomorrow In The Old Superfresh Space

But who are the owners?

That was fast. A Fresh & Green's market is opening tomorrow in the Charles Plaza location where Superfresh was until just this past Tuesday.

What do we know about Fresh & Green's? (Try Googling them yourself.)  Not much beyond what's in their pamphlet.

UPDATE:  Fresh & Green's appears to be owned by the Natural Market Restaurants Corp., which owns Scarsdale, N.Y.-based Mrs. Green’s. It is unclear whether Mrs. Green's will be associated with the running of Fresh & Green's, or whether NMR Corp. will operate Fresh & Green's separately from Mrs. Green's. But that 'u" in the spelling of "neighbourhood" in the store's pamphlet suggests that Fresh & Green's will operate independently from, and as a different concept than, Mrs. Field's.

Seven Superfresh locations in Maryland and D.C. were acquired in May by NRM Corp. from Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. According to press release the company issued at the time of the Superfresh purcahase, NMR Corp. "is a privately-held, Toronto-based food services company that has created and operates innovative, open marketplace concepts and natural food retail stores in a number of high profile Canadian and US markets. Banners include Planet Organic Market, Richtree Market Restaurants, Mrs. Green's and Wilde & Greene."

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Debt Impasse Or Not, Social Security Reform Is Coming

Here's how proposals would change your retirement benefits

No matter what plan emerges from the debt talks in Washington, future Social Security benefits will be trimmed back. 

As Congress and the White House continue their dysfunctional dance toward financial Armageddon, the elusive, $4 trillion Grand Plan that would include Social Security and Medicare reform has fallen off the table.

But in the early stages of the budget battle, a series of proposals surfaced that provide some clues about what broad reform of Social Security might look like.

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Man Who Killed Cop Gets Maximum Sentence

Sian James Gets 10 Years In Prison

A judge sentenced a Baltimore man to 10 years in prison for killing a city police officer over a parking spot in 2010.

Sian James was handed the maximum sentence Wednesday in the death of Officer Brian Stevenson in Canton on Oct. 16, 2010.

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Salisbury Police Department Press Releases

On July 22, 2011 at approximately 5:02 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police Safe Streets Unit executed a search and seizure warrant at a residence on the two hundred (200) block of Tilghman Street for controlled dangerous substances. As a result of the search the officers seized a quantity of suspected “crack”/cocaine, a set of digital weighing scales, and a .410 caliber shotgun. During the execution of the warrant, both of the below listed suspects were located in the residence with below listed suspect # 1 in close proximity to the shotgun. A routine records check revealed that suspect # 1 was found to have a previous felony conviction, prohibiting his possession of a firearm.

ARRESTED #1: Willie Edward Balam, 29 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES:
Possession of CDS w/intent to distribute
Possession of cocaine (2 counts)
Possession of CDS/paraphernalia
Poss. Of CDS within 1000 feet of a school
Poss. of a firearm with a prior felony conviction

ARRESTED #2: Tiffany Lynn Melvin, 29 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES:
Possession of CDS w/intent to distribute
Possession of cocaine
Poss. Of CDS within 1000 feet of a school
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia (2 counts)

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100025083

On July 25, 2011 at approximately 2:14 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on routine patrol in the area of Harbor Pointe and stopped a vehicle operated by the below listed suspect for traffic violations. A routine records check of the operator revealed that he was operating the vehicle on a suspended and revoked license resulting in his arrest. The records check also revealed that he was currently wanted on two (2) outstanding Circuit Court Body Attachments and on outstanding charges in the State of Delaware.

ARRESTED: Adarrin Darnell Smith, 44 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES:
Operating a vehicle on a suspended license
Wicomico Co. Circuit Court Body Attachment-
Failure to comply with court order
Somerset Co. Circuit Court Body Attachment-
Failure to comply with court order
Fugitive – State of Delaware
Issuing a bad check

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100029023/201100029031/201100029032/201100029032

On July 26, 2011 at approximately 5:30 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with a theft that occurred on July 24. On that date it was reported to the Salisbury Police that the suspect had responded to a residence known to the suspect and had made contact with the occupant requesting to use the telephone. The suspect was allowed entry into the residence and while in the residence took U.S. currency from the occupant’s wallet. While at the residence, the suspect also damaged the porch area of the residence.

ARRESTED: Ashley Nicole Dunford, 25 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES:
Theft (under $ 100.00) – 2 counts
Malicious destruction of property

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100028832

On July 26, 2011 at approximately 5:41 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the one thousand (1000) block of Camden Avenue for the report of a domestic assault between two (2) family members. Upon arrival the officers met with both parties and found that during a domestic type argument, both suspects assaulted each other. Neither of the parties required medical attention.

ARRESTED #1: Caroline Ashley Crumbacker, 23 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

ARRESTED #2: Carl Leroy Crumbacker, 23 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES (Both): Second degree assault

DISPOSITION: Both released to Central Booking CC # 20110002917

Assateague Struggles To Keep Horses, Tourists Apart

Park Service Steps Up Awareness Campaign, Threatens Fines

The Maryland side of Assateague Island  is home to 112 wild horses, and park rangers are dealing with a problem that threatens the very thing that makes the horses a national treasure.

Horses wandering onto the roadway, or even grazing next to it, are enough to make tourists drop everything -- except their cameras, of course. The temptation to interact is overwhelming, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter David Collins learned.

"Just today, I saw people feeding them potato chips," said Phil Gregolia of Assateague's Pony Patrol. "Potato chips get horses sick."

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Is It That Time Again? Military Conducting Training Exercises In And Around Boston

**MEDIA ALERT** Military Training Exercises to Take Place In and Around Boston
More
For Immediate Release
July 25, 2011
Released By:
Mayor’s Office For More Information Contact:
Mayor’s Press Office
Press.Office@cityofboston.gov [3]

Joint federal military training exercises will take place within and around the Boston area between July 26th and August 5th. Military personnel will conduct training exercises to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments, and meet mandatory training certification requirements. Helicopters will be used in some exercises.

The Boston Police Department is working with military personnel to coordinate training sites that will minimize negative impacts on our Boston citizens and their daily routines. Safety precautions have been taken to prevent risk to the general public and the military personnel involved. With that, training site locations are not open to the public and will be guarded by uniformed personnel to provide additional safety.

Flying Saucer

NASEOUS, GASEOUS, IMAGINARY & DELUSIONAL

Dear Mr. Speaker:
As you requested, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated the impact on the
deficit of the Budget Control Act of 2011, as posted on the Web site of the Committee on Rules on July 25, 2011.
…
In total, if appropriations in the next 10 years are equal to the caps on discretionary spending and the maximum amount of funding is provided for the program integrity initiatives, CBO estimates that the legislation would reduce budget deficits by about $850 billion between 2012 and 2021 relative to CBO’s March 2011 baseline adjusted for subsequent appropriation action.
As requested, CBO has also calculated the net budgetary impact if discretionary savings are measured relative to its January baseline projections. Relative to that baseline, CBO estimates that the legislation would reduce budget deficits by about $1.1 trillion between 2012 and 2021.

There you have it. Boehner has proposed a $850 billion reduction over 10 years, a minuscule $85 billion a year on a deficit of $1.4 trillion.
Bear in mind it is far worse than it looks because it is heavily back-loaded. The 2012 reduction is only $4 billion.
ZeroHedge Comments As CBO Scores Boehner’s (Laughable) Deficit Cut Plan, Jay Carney Admits Obama Still Does Not Have An Actual Plan

Boehner’s plan is an abysmal joke, with $4 billion in discretionary spending cuts in 2012 growing mysteriously to $111 billion by 2021, and $0 billion in debt service reduction for 2012 and 2013 (growing to $37 billion in 2021), for a combined cumulative deficit impact of $850 billion, which on a NPV basis is more like $50 billion, but at least it is a plan.
In the meantime, here is what is going on on the other side of the spectrum.
From the NRO: After bobbing-and-weaving for nine minutes, Carney [Obama's Press Secretary] finally says what everybody knows: the president won’t put his plan on paper because he doesn’t want it to become “politically charged” before a compromise can be reached. In other words, you’ve got to pass it to find out what’s in it.

$1 Trillion Budget Gimmick
House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan writes about Senator Reid’s Trillion-Dollar Gimmick

The $2.7 trillion debt-limit increase proposal offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid contains a $1 trillion gimmick meant to disguise the plan’s shallowness on spending cuts. Supporters of the Reid plan are measuring their savings against a baseline that assumes the continuation of surge-level spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though the President has neither requested this funding nor signaled that he might request it. Instead, the President has signaled the opposite: a troop drawdown over the next few years. In other words, the Reid plan is claiming credit for “savings” that were already scheduled to occur, and for “cutting” spending that no one has requested.

Ryan’s article included a humorous flashback to a March 12, 2009 article at Washington Post, Paved With Magnificent Intentions.
Writing on the credibility of Obama’s budget assumptions in 2009, George Will concludes …

Although only a small fraction of the supposedly countercyclical stimulus will be spent by the end of the year, the budget assumes that by then the economy will have perked up, and that it will grow robustly — 3.2 percent, 4 percent and 4.6 percent — in the next three years. Growth supposedly will cut the deficit in half — growth and the $1.6 trillion “saved” by first assuming, and then “canceling,” a 10-year continuation of the surge in Iraq.
Why, one wonders, not “save” $5 trillion by proposing to spend that amount to cover the moon with yogurt and then canceling the proposal?

Obama’s Growth Estimates

• 3.2% 2009
• 4.0% 2010
• 4.6% 2011

How credible was that?
Veto Credibility
The president has vowed to veto deficit cutting legislation if it contains a balanced budget amendment or if it does not go past the 2012 elections.
How credible is that threat? The correct answer is not at all. The veto threat is nothing but hot air because Reid will see to it that such bills will never make it out of the Senate.
Whatever does make it out of the House and Senate, Obama will sign. Thus, a veto is an imaginary threat.
With that backdrop, it’s time to rate the Obama, Reid, and Boehner Deficit reduction plans on a credibility scale.
10-Point Credibility Scale

1. Golden
2. Rock Solid
3. Fudge
4. Jello
5. Marshmallow
6. Cream Puff
7. Nauseous
8. Gaseous
9. Imaginary
10. Delusional

Scoring the Proposals

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Suspended Blogging Teacher To Return To Class

She got in hot water after posting that her students were 'rude, disengaged, lazy whiners'

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — The Central Bucks East High School teacher who blogged complaints about her students will return to school this fall.

Natalie Munroe, who has taught English at CB East since 2006 and earned $54,500 this year, was suspended with payafter students found her blog this February.

Superintendent N. Robert Laws said at the time that Munroe's blog posts about her students and co-workers were "very egregious" and "certainly could result in termination."

The school district's human resources director confirmed Wednesday that Munroe would return, but declined to comment further. Laws later sent an email to the newspaper, saying the district will hold a press briefing next week and will have no further comment until that time. It is unclear why the district is allowing Munroe to return.

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Jon Stewart Takes On Obama's Debt Ceiling Address: 'Did The President Just Quit?' (VIDEO)

As the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the nation's debt ceiling approaches, Jon Stewart continues to take note of the ridiculous back-and-forth between President Obama and the Republicans in Congress. On Tuesday night's "Daily Show," Stewart focused on Obama's Monday night address and how it's starting to seem like the President is giving up.

First, Obama warned in his speech about potentially serious damage to our economy if the debt ceiling is not raised, but Stewart felt the message was undercut slightly by the "golden-chaired red carpet" room (or the "I killed bin Laden room" as it's known) in which he was giving the speech:

"Isn't there any way to do the 'tighten your belt' speech from a room that doesn't look like the foyer of the Vatican?"

GO HERE to see video and more.

State To Reconsider Bay Bridge Toll Hikes

Transportation secretary tells senators she is working on a new proposal

Public opposition to the planned tripling of tolls for the Bay Bridge and other facilities is causing state transportation officials to reconsider some of the rate increases.

Testifying before a state Senate committee Tuesday, Maryland Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley said her department is listening to the public and commercial interests.

"The final product will be different from what we initially put out," she said after Tuesday's hearing in Annapolis.

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PATRIOT ACT IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE 4TH AMENDMENT

Reconsidering the Patriot Act

by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

When Congress passed the Patriot Act in the emotional aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, a sunset provision was inserted in the bill that causes certain sections to expire at the end of 2005. But this begs the question: If these provisions are critical tools in the fight against terrorism, why revoke them after five years? Conversely, if these provisions violate civil liberties, why is it acceptable to suspend the Constitution for any amount of time?

Congress is scheduled to review those sections this year, but there is little chance any portion of the Act will be allowed to lapse. If anything, many members of Congress are eager to expand federal police powers.
Supporters of the Patriot Act argue that its provisions have not been abused since its passage in 2001. In essence, Justice Department officials are claiming, “Trust us — we’re the government and we say the Patriot Act does not threaten civil liberties.”

But this argument misses the point. Government assurances simply are not good enough in a free society. The overwhelming burden always must be placed on government to justify any new encroachment on our liberty. Now that the emotions of September 11th have cooled, the American people are less willing to blindly accept terrorism as an excuse for expanding federal surveillance powers.

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Department Of Justice Investigates Wells Fargo For Discriminatory Lending Allegations

The U.S. Department of Justice is said to be investigating allegations that Wells Fargo discriminated against black borrowers, offering high-interest, subprime mortgages that seemed geared to lead to default.

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Mueller Confirmed By Senate

Senate unanimously confirms FBI Director Robert Mueller to remain in the position for another two years.
From Fox News

OCEAN CITY POLICE HOLDING TESTING FOR 2012 FULL TIME & SEASONAL POSITIONS

Do you have what it takes to be an Ocean City Police employee? Do you have integrity, courage, professionalism and desire to serve the Ocean City community? If you possess these qualities, then the Ocean City Police Department may have a job opportunity for you.

The Ocean City Police Department will be conducting applicant testing on August 6 and August 7, 2011. This test will be for full-time and seasonal police officer and public safety aid positions. Testing will begin at the Ocean City Convention Center, 4001 Coastal Highway, on Saturday, August 6 at 8 a.m. Applicants must arrive no later than 7:45 a.m.

Testing on Saturday will consist of the written exam followed by the physical ability test.

Applicants should wear workout clothes and must have an application, physician’s statement and photo ID to be admitted to the test. The interview portion of the test will take place at the Ocean City Public Safety Building, 6501 Coastal Highway, on Sunday, August 7.

For more information about the testing process, please contact the Ocean City Police Department Training and Recruiting Section at 410-723-6612 or pdtrain@oceanitymd.gov.

Applicants that wish to take the exam are asked to make a reservation with the OCPD Training and Recruiting Section.

Job Destruction Makes Us Richer

by Walter E. Williams

Here's what President Barack Obama said about our high rate of unemployment in an interview with NBC's Ann Curry: "The other thing that happened, though — and this goes to the point you were just making — is there are some structural issues with our economy, where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient with a lot fewer workers," adding that "you see it when you go to a bank and you use an ATM; you don't go to a bank teller. Or you go to the airport and you're using a kiosk instead of checking in at the gate." The president's statements suggest that he sees labor-saving technological innovation as a contributor to today's high rate of unemployment. That's unmitigated nonsense. Let's see whether technological innovation causes unemployment.

In 1790, farmers were 90 percent, out of a population of nearly 3 million, of the U.S. labor force. By 1900, only about 41 percent of our labor force was employed in agriculture. By 2008, fewer than 3 percent of Americans were employed in agriculture. Through labor-saving technological advances and machinery, our farmers are the world's most productive. As a result, Americans are better off.

In 1970, the telecommunications industry employed 421,000 workers as switchboard operators, annually handling 9.8 billion long-distance calls. Today the telecommunications industry employs only 78,000 operators. That's a tremendous 80 percent job loss. What happened? The answer: There have been spectacular labor-saving advances in telecommunications. Today more than 100 billion long-distance calls a year require only 78,000 switchboard operators. What's more is the cost of making a long-distance call is a tiny fraction of what it was in 1970. Can we say these technological innovations made the nation worse off?

READ MORE …

At Least One White House Staffer Knew About Gun Running

WASHINGTON – At least one person in the White House knew about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gun-running operation three months before weapons from the botched sting were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

That’s what a high-ranking ATF official told Congress on Tuesday.

William Newell, the former ATF special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he communicated with Kevin O'Reilly, a staffer on President Obama’s National Security Council, about Operation Fast and Furious in September 2010.

By that time, at least one thousand guns straw-purchased in the U.S. had been transferred to Mexican criminals under the noses of ATF officials who intended, but failed, to track them to see where they’d end up.

READ MORE …

White Marlin Open Begins on August 8th

OCEAN CITY, MD — Offshore fishing is red hot in Ocean City, and White Marlin Open directors are looking forward to an action-packed tournament. The marlin season in Ocean City started with an early bang when the first white was caught on May 29, breaking the old record of June 1. Fishing has only gotten better with large numbers of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna and gaffer dolphin being caught. Lots of fish always make for an exciting White Marlin Open and with over 300 boats and $2.25 million in prize money expected, it is guaranteed not to disappoint.

This year’s event is rapidly approaching with fishing taking place the week of August 8-12. Boats may enter through Sunday August 7. Charter boats and boat slips are still available.

Voted by readers of In The Bite magazine as the tournament they would most like to fish, the White Marlin Open is a billfish tournament you don’t want to miss. As stated in Marlin Magazine, “With solid fishing and huge payouts, it’s tough to compete with the White Marlin Open.”

For more information, log on to www.whitemarlinopen.com or call 410-289-9229.

Is Nebraska’s Cash Balance Pension a Model?

Nebraska takes an approach to managing its public pension system that is unusual among the states. It does not offer its employees and legislators a traditional fixed-benefit pension or a health care plan when they retire.   

Instead, Nebraska state employees hired since 2003 join what public pension analysts call a “cash balance” retirement plan, which includes features of both a traditional defined benefit pension and a 401(k)-style system. The hybrid plan is getting new attention from other states searching for alternatives to the decades-old defined benefit system whose cost is rising as Baby Boomers retire and pension portfolios recover from record losses during the Great Recession.   

Kansas, Maryland, Montana and Pennsylvania lawmakers took a look this year at proposals shifting from traditional pensions to cash balance plans. Though none was approved, interest in cash balance systems continues because lawmakers looking to slash public pension costs are discovering that their preferred alternative — changing from a traditional defined benefit to a 401(k)-style plan — is initially too expensive or faces strong opposition from politically powerful labor unions.

READ MORE …

Salisbury Built Sternwheeler to Cruise Ohio River

A new 150-passenger sternwheeler is scheduled to make at least two stops in Marietta during the fall of 2012.

The Queen of the Mississippi from American Cruise Lines, currently under construction in Salisbury, Md., is slated to make port in the Pioneer City during cruises between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in September and October 2012.

"I'm very happy to hear they're bringing a boat back to Marietta," said Councilman Harley Noland, operator of the local Trolley Tours business and former proprietor of the Levee House Cafe.

It's been three years since the historic Delta Queen paid its last visit to the Ohio River levee before the sternwheeler was taken out of service. The Delta Queen is now a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Two other sternwheelers that once made stops in Marietta-The Mississippi Queen and American Queen- have also been taken out of passenger service since 2008.

READ MORE …

The Queen of the Mississippi is being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD. – Ed.

Wicomico NAACP Hosts Back-to-School Rally on August 4th

Back-To-School Rally. Wicomico County Branch #7028 of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will hold its annual Back-To-School Rally at Salisbury Middle School, 607 Morris St. in Salisbury, from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. Motivational speakers, entertainment, and free school supplies for those attending. 410-543-4187

Senate Committee Gets Sales Tax Lesson

A Senate committee today listened to the pros and cons of expanding Maryland's sales tax base to include more services, as well as goods purchased over the Internet.

Tangible products, but few services, sold by Maryland retailers are taxed at 6 percent. This year, the sales tax is predicted to generate $4.2 billion, about 30 percent of the state's general fund revenues, according to the Department of Legislative Services.

Legislative services analysts prepared a chart to show how much additional revenue the state could make by taxing engineering services, cable television, automobile repair, golf and other matters. If the state imposed a 6 percent tax on those and a dozen other services, it could bring in at least $1 billion more each year, the department estimated.

READ MORE …

Sussex County Paramedics Earn Award As Top Paid EMS Unit in Nation

GEORGETOWN, DE – Sussex County paramedics offer the best emergency medical care money can buy, and a national group is awarding the County’s EMS division with top honors. The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians recently announced that Sussex County Emergency Medical Services is the 2011 winner of the Dick Ferneau Paid EMS Service of the Year award, to be presented at the end of August in Las Vegas.

The award is the most significant national recognition for Sussex County EMS in its 20-year history, and adds to a long list of other achievements and accolades earned by the organization. Earlier this year, a competition team from Sussex County EMS won a gold medal during the 2011 Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) Games in Baltimore.

Other previous honors for the organization include JEMS gold medal performances in 2005, as well as silver medals in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Sussex County EMS also placed third during the Magen David Adom (MDA) 2008 Olympics, an international EMS competition held in the Dead Sea region of Israel.

EMS Director Robert Stuart said the latest honor is a reflection of the professionalism and high-standards practiced every day by the agency and its 92 medics.

READ MORE …

The Creepy Enablers of Wu

by Michelle Malkin

Wu-hoo! Welcome to another freaky ethics fiasco brought to you by the D.C. den of dysfunctional Democrats. This one comes clothed in a Tigger costume, wrapped in blinders and bathed in the fetid Beltway odor of eau de Pass le Buck.

Liberal David Wu is a seven-term Democratic congressman from Oregon who announced Tuesday that he'll resign amid a festering sex scandal involving the teenage daughter of a longtime campaign donor. He won't, however, be vacating public office until "the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis." Translation: Call off the U-Haul trucks. Wu's staying awhile.

Wu's sexually aggressive, alcohol-addled and erratic outbursts stretch over decades. He admitted in 2004 that he engaged in "inexcusable behavior" as a 1970s undergrad at Stanford University. School officials disciplined Wu after his ex-girlfriend told campus police he attempted to rape her and stifle her screams with a pillow after they broke up. Last fall, Wu's senior campaign staff quit en masse after confronting him about his ongoing drinking problem, watching him throw hissy fits at the Portland International Airport and at a local Democratic Party event, and receiving the now-infamous e-mail photo of him smiling in a Tigger costume.

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BREAKING NEWS: Ervin Santana Throws No-Hitter

Los Angeles Angels' Ervin Santana pitches no-hitter in win over Cleveland Indians.

From Fox News

Two Linkwood Men Face Multiple Burglary Charges

TAYLORS ISLAND, MD - Two Linkwood men were arrested July 19 on multiple burglary and theft charges after they allegedly stole tools from a Taylors Island home in April.

David Hobart Tyler, 35, of 3645 Karen Circle, Linkwood and Rankin Scott Creighton, 31, of 3636 Karen Circle, Linkwood, were each charged with first-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary and theft under $1,000.

David Tyler and Creighton were released Thursday from the Dorchester County Detention Center in Cambridge after they each posted $50,000 bond.

According to charging documents, Dorchester County Sheriff's deputies responded at 1:42 p.m. April 10 to the 4300-block of Smithville Road for a report of several burglaries.

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The Howard County teachers union has ratified a tentative agreement with the county Board of Education, officials from both sides said Tuesday.

The Howard County Education Association, which also represents counselors, interpreters and secretaries, voted "overwhelmingly" to ratify the agreement, according to a statement.

The tentative agreement, which had been reached June 30, must now be ratified by the school board in August. If ratified, the HCEA would be last of the four unions in the school system to finalize an agreement.

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Pictorial History of Ocean City Reprinted for Fourth Time

Thanks to an extremely generous donation from Ocean City Museum Society member Janice K. Davis, and the Board of Directors of the Society agreeing to match her donation funds, the book Ocean City, Maryland: A Pictorial History by George and Suzanne Hurley is being reprinted for the fourth time. It had been out of print for 10 years.

The story begins with an 1877 map of Worcester County and continues on to the early 1980s. This book is filled with priceless photographs of Ocean City and is now available in the gift shop of the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum and online at www.ocmuseum.org. Retail price is $19.99. According to the museum, Janice Davis was quoted as saying that “she wanted to be able to give her grandchildren a copy of the book which captures so much of their family history and heritage.”

Homeowner Fires Shotgun to Scare Off Burglars

TAYLOR'S ISLAND, MD - A burglary attempt Monday at a Hoopers Neck home was thwarted by the shotgun-wielding homeowner, who sustained minor cuts after tangling with one of the suspects, according to a press release from the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.

The burglary attempt occurred early Monday morning, according to Dorchester Sheriff James Phillips, who said a homeowner at 4613 Hoopers Neck was awakened by noises coming from his garage.

The homeowner, who remains unnamed, according to policy of the sheriff's office, carried a shotgun when he went to investigate and told deputies that he fired twice in the direction of a porch on the garage after observing two men in his garage.

After the homeowner fired his shotgun, he told deputies, one of the men ran away, but the other attacked him with what he believed to be a box knife. Phillips said the homeowner sustained two minor cuts, one on his face and another on his chest. He was treated at the scene by Dorchester Emergency Medical Services.

The two people observed by the homeowner in his garage are described as black males. Anyone with information should call the sheriff's office at 410-228-4141; calls may remain confidential.

from Gail Dean @ the Star-Democrat

Smullen Fundraiser – Aug. 7th

Denton Man Charged With Arson

DENTON, MD - Maryland Deputy Fire Marshals have charged a Caroline County man with first-degree arson stemming from an early morning incident July 26 at 514 Market St. in Denton, according to a news release.

Court records from the Maryland Judiciary website show Richard Taylor Chapline, 23, who lived in the burned apartment building, is charged with first- and second-degree arson and first-degree malicious burning.

The records show Chapline is being held without bail in the Caroline County Detention Center.

Fire marshals said 35 firefighters from the Denton, Greensboro and Ridgely volunteer fire companies came to the apartment building at about 12:30 a.m. for the fire, which caused about $20,000 worth of damage. Fire marshals said the first floor was under renovations at the time and unoccupied, but sustained water damage.

Fire marshals said the fire originated in a second-floor bedroom of Chapline's apartment and was contained to the building's second floor. Fire marshals said the Denton Police Department detained Chapline at the scene for questioning and Chapline admitted to setting the fire.

from the Star-Democrat

Complexity And Collapse

Adding complexity offers a facsimile of "reform" that actually serves the Prime Directive of fiefdoms and cartels: self-preservation.

The most obvious features of recent political and financial "solutions" are their staggering complexity and their failure to fix what's broken. The first leads to the second. Consider the healthcare "reform," thousands of pages of mind-numbing complexity which slathers on thick layers of bureaucratic control on a system which already costs twice as much per capita as competing developed-world systems.

Sadly, the "reform" simply solidifies the Status Quo fiefdoms and cartels that control the U.S. sickcare system.

The healthcare reform fixes nothing, while further burdening the nation with useless complexity and cost. The same can be said of the Dodd-Frank "reforms" of the embezzlement-based U.S. financial system. The original Glass–Steagall Act separating investment banking from depository banking was a few pages in length; by one count, Dodd-Frank requires that regulators create 243 rules, conduct 67 studies, and issue 22 periodic reports.

Meanwhile, back in reality, the Financial Elites of Wall Street and the "too big to fail" banks still have the nation (and Europe) by the throat.

Complexity is itself a tax; the maintenance cost of complexity is high, and can only be justified when the added complexity solves a critical problem of the society as a whole.

Adding ineffectual complexity leads to diminishing returns, as the complexity itself crushes the system supposedly being "improved" or "reformed."

Here is the "problem" which complexity "solves": it protects Savior State fiefdoms and private-sector cartels from losses. State fiefdoms and cartels have one goal: self-preservation. Once sufficient power and wealth (or control of wealth) is concentrated in a fiefdom or cartel (generally the two are partnered, as each supports the other), then the power can be devoted to limiting losses or encroachment.
That becomes the raison d'etre of the agency or enterprise.

Complexity works beautifully as self-preservation, because it actually expands the bureaucratic power of fiefdoms and widens the moat protecting cartels. Once the fiefdom expands to manage all those new rules, only a handful of corporations can possibly afford the regulatory reporting burdens. They are thus free to exploit the populace as an informal cartel.

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Delaware Delegation Hears from Home on Debt Crisis

WASHINGTON - Delawareans are among the many who bombarded congressional offices with phone calls Tuesday in response to President Barack Obama's suggestion that Americans lobby their lawmakers to compromise on a deficit reduction deal.

With next Tuesday's deadline to raise the government's borrowing authority approaching, websites and phone service for House lawmakers was disrupted as constituents weighed in on the debt-ceiling debate gripping Washington. At the peak, more than 40,000 calls flooded the Capitol switchboard between noon and 1 p.m. Tuesday -- double the usual amount of calls received in an hour.

Rep. John Carney, D-Del., said his website crashed for about an hour Monday night after Obama's prime-time speech. Calls to Carney's offices in Wilmington and Washington doubled.

"The switchboards lit up big time," Carney said.

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Boonies Build Your Own Burger Special Tonight

Rolley Rolls Out Plan to Cut City Property Taxes

Mayoral candidate Otis Rolley unveiled a plan Tuesday that he says would cut property tax rates for most homeowners by more than half in a decade.

Rolley's plan would keep property tax rates at current levels for commercial properties, including rental homes and apartments, and dramatically increase rates for vacant plots and buildings. He would also tax homes worth more than $200,000 at a slightly higher rate-- but only on the portion of the home's value that exceeds $200,000.

Rolley said that the increased revenue from blighted buildings would compensate for some of the revenue lost by the tax cuts to residential properties. He said he would also trim to city government, but did not specify which cuts he would make.

"There is enough fat within [city government] to enable us to do what we need to do," he said.

Rolley, the city's former planning director, is the third candidate to release a detailed plan to cut property taxes.

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Caption This Photo

The Hate-GOP Machine

by L. Brent Bozell, III

The latest polls show the people are not happy with President Obama's handling of budget matters, but Republicans look even worse. And yet, while the GOP delivers one idea after another, Obama has offered nothing, instead just attacking, attacking, attacking, blaming everyone but himself in utter denial of the reality that no man on the face of this Earth is more responsible for our debt catastrophe than he.

Why then is the public blaming Republicans more? It is because of the ceaseless, shameless and oftentimes utterly dishonest attacks on them coming from Obama's media hit men. A day doesn't go by without a leftist "news" media outrage. They come in all shapes, too.

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Program Won't Cover 9/11 Responders For Cancer

New York (CNN) -- Workers who were involved in the response to the World Trade Center attack will not have their cancer treatments compensated under a program set up after September 11, according to a controversial decision released Tuesday by the World Trade Center Health Program.

There is inadequate "published scientific and medical findings" that a causal link exists between September 11 exposures and the occurrence of cancer in responders and survivors, program Administrator John Howard said in a statement.

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MoCo Approves First Charter

Charter schools usually don’t appeal to Montgomery County Board of Education President Christopher S. Barclay.

But Monday night, he supported Community Montessori Public Charter School’s application, because he believes it might help the school system consider education from a holistic perspective.

“I’m hopeful that what we haven’t done is given way too much focus on test scores,” said Barclay (Dist. 4) of Takoma Park.

Community Montessori, which will serve students in pre-kindergarten through the third grade in Kensington, was approved in a 6-2 vote Monday evening by the Board of Education. Judith Docca (Dist. 1) of Montgomery Village and Michael A. Durso (Dist. 5) of Silver Spring were opposed.

The school will be run by Crossway Community, a nonprofit organization that serves low-income women and children and already operates a Montessori school for children. Crossway has operated as a nonprofit since 1990. It listed $2.42 million in total revenue according to its tax information from 2009.

READ MORE…

U.S. Olympic Skier Peterson Takes Own Life

(CNN) -- Freestyle skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Games, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police in Utah said Tuesday.

The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake responded to a 911 call from Peterson, 29, Monday night, said Lt. Justin Hoyal.

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Hurlock Man Charged With Raping 9 Year Old Girl

HURLOCK, MD - A Hurlock man was arrested Saturday on charges including sexual abuse of a minor after he allegedly raped a 9-year-old girl.

Donald Christopher Patrick, 35, of 302 North Main St., Apt B, was charged with second-degree rape, sexual solicitation of a minor, sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree assault and possession of child pornography.

He is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center on $350,000 bond.

According to charging documents, at 6:10 p.m. July 18, a man went to the Hurlock Police Department and told police a man had raped his 9-year-old daughter.

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An increasing Number Of Veterans Homeless

The number of homeless veterans has exploded in recent years. New figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that more than 10,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are homeless or are in programs designed to keep them from becoming homeless. USA Today reports that number has doubled three times since 2006. The VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are spending more than $46 million to expand a voucher program to provide housing for veterans. And, VA officials are scheduled to announce today another $60 million for grants to veterans with families who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes.

Work Commences on Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse

An offshore work platform was moved into place beside the National Harbor of Refuge Breakwater July 25 in preparation for nearly $3 million in emergency repairs to the 110-year-old stone wall.

Strictly by chance, participants in a tour sponsored by the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation were on hand to see the barge being anchored down. The foundation, which has been the major force in advocating for the repairs owns the historic Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse that is built into the south end of the breakwater. The Corps of Engineers originally built and still owns the breakwater.

Work will include replacing numerous 8 to 10-ton capstones that have been eroded away from the top of the breakwater wall in several spots and filling large voids where the breakwater has been completely washed away around and under the lighthouse.

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California Mulls Microchip Law On Pet Shelter Adoptions

LOS ANGELES (AP) - When Gabriela Dorame of Fullerton, Calif., got a German shepherd puppy named Bolto last year, she and her kids decided to have a microchip implanted in the dog with an identification number that makes it easy to reunite lost pets with owners.

It paid off a day later when the rambunctious puppy bolted through an open door. Animal control officers found the dog, scanned him and knew immediately where he belonged, Dorame said.

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A Proposal For Downtown – Is Urban Salisbury a Damaged Brand?

Currently downtown Salisbury’s marketing arm is Urban Salisbury.  Has it been effective?  If not, can it be made effective?

Before we begin discussing those questions, let’s get a few things straight.  I don’t know Urban Salisbury Executive Director  Allan Hope.  I don’t know half of their board.  This isn’t about trashing people or an organization.  However, these questions must be asked if you are serious about adding some vigor into Salisbury’s downtown.

I think that almost anyone looking from the outside in would have to concur that Urban Salisbury has not been an effective “face” for downtown.  Many of the reasons for this may not be the fault of the members of Urban Salisbury.  Nonetheless, the perception among many on the outside is that they simply have not done an effective job marketing Salisbury.

Let’s forget about assigning blame for now.  Let’s look at what can be done moving forward.  I would argue that the Urban Salisbury “brand” is so damaged that we need a new organization.  Sure most of the same people will be involved, but we need the proverbial fresh coat of paint.

Start with the name.  Urban Salisbury?  Salisbury isn’t urban.  Baltimore is urban.  Philadelphia is urban.  Even Wilmington.  But Salisbury?  Let’s face it, Salisbury is a small to moderate sized town in the middle of a rural / suburban area.  So, why Urban Salisbury?

Besides, what pops into your mind when someone says “urban”?  Bligh?  Muggings? Hookers? (yeah, I know we have those here)

Last week I talked about a similar group – Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance.  Urban.  Renaissance.  One name brings forth images of muggings and hookers.  The other makes you think of re-birth, of Michelangelo and DaVinci.

Simply go to the websites of the two organizations.  Which place would you want to start a business in, move your family to, or invest your hard earned capital?

There’s a saying – Perception is 90% of reality.  The perception is that Urban Salisbury has not been doing an effective job.  It doesn’t matter whether that is objectively true or not.  The perception is there.

Urban Salisbury is a damaged brand.  If the city and the downtown business community are serious about re-vitalizing downtown, then they need a new cheerleader.

G. A. Harrison is the Managing Editor of “Salisbury News”. Delmarva Dealings appears each Wednesday and Sunday at SbyNEWS.com.

Troopers Search For Juvenile Escapee

Location of Residence: Unit block of Keith Street, Newark, DE

 

Location Missing From: Snowden Cottage, 1825 Faulkland Road, Wilmington, DE

 

Date of Occurrence: Tuesday, July 27, 2011 

 

Suspect: 

 

-Karel Blalock, 14, Newark, DE

-5’05” tall, 130 lbs, brown eyes, black hair

-Last seen wearing a navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants

 

Charge: Escape after Conviction

 

Resume:  

Newark- The Delaware State Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a 14 year old escapee from the Snowden Cottage located on the grounds of the New Castle County Detention Center, in Wilmington. 

 

The incident occurred yesterday, Tuesday, July 26, as Karel Blalock was escorted from the Snowden Cottage in Wilmington to his mother’s residence located in the unit block of Keith Street in Newark, DE for a visit. While inside the home, Blalock asked to use a second floor bathroom. After he did not exit the bathroom after several minutes, it was learned that he had fled from the residence by climbing out of the bathroom window.

 

Karel Blalock, who had been committed to the Snowden Cottage after a Family Court conviction in May of 2011, has ties to the Newark and Wilmington areas. Detectives have a warrant on file for Karel Blalock charging him with one count of escape after conviction.

 

The Delaware State Police are asking anyone who may know the location of Karel Blalock to contact detectives at Troop 2 at 302-834-2630 ext. 0. Citizens may also provide a tip by texting keyword “DSP” plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).  Tipsters may also provide information through lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333. Callers can also submit information via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY 7-27-11

Question: Your solutions, on stopping drug trade, is, give up, give up to world drugs. I say zero tolerance, we use the military for aid, we stop it from getting into the country, we cut it off at the source. Why give up on that fight?

Ron Paul: What you give up on is a tyrannical approach to solving a social and medical problem. We endorse the idea of voluntarism, self-responsibility, family, friends, and churches to solve problems, rather than saying that some monolithic government is going to make you take care of yourself and be a better person. It’s a preposterous notion, it never worked, it never will. The government can’t make you a better person, it can’t make you follow good habits. Why don’t they put you on a diet; you’re a little overweight!

• The Morton Downey Jr. Show, July 4, 1988

Police Issue Homeless Sex Offender Notification

FRANKFORD, DE - A registered sex offender says he is living as a transient in Frankford.

Members of the Delaware State Police Sex Offenders Apprehension and Registration Unit say Gino L. Terrace, 52, is classified as a moderate-risk Tier-2 sex offender who recently registered as being homeless.

Police say Terrace is not suspected of any crime but is required to register his current address. DSP issues public notifications when a registered sex offender says he is living as a transient.

Anyone with information about Terrace living at a specific residence is asked to call the DSP Sex Offenders Apprehension and Registration Unit at 302-741-8086.

from Andrea Dearden @ the Sussex Countian

SAMPLE-HUGHES ELECTED TO STATE COMMISSION

WICOMICO COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER ELECTED

VICE-CHAIRPERSON OF MARYLAND COMMISSION ON

CORRECTIONAL STANDARDS

On behalf of the Wicomico County Council and all residents of Wicomico County, County Council President Gail M. Bartkovich announced today that Wicomico County Council member Sheree Sample-Hughes has been elected by her peers to the office of Vice Chairperson of the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards. Established by the General Assembly, the Commission on Correctional Standards provides oversight for the adherence to quality, security and performance standards in county, state and private correctional facilities in Maryland and reports its findings to the Secretary, Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Commission members are appointed by the Governor and represent corrections and law enforcement professionals, elected officials and private citizens. In making the announcement, Mrs. Bartkovich extended her “sincerest congratulations” to Ms. Sample-Hughes.

Howard Ray, Jr., Executive Director of the Commission on Correctional Standards stated, “Mrs. Sample-Hughes is well respected among her peers on the Commission and is a tremendous asset to her community and the state at large.”

In Wicomico County, Mrs. Sample-Hughes has represented the County Council on numerous boards and commissions and has served as County Council Vice President. Having been elected from District 1, she is serving her second term on the County Council.

Police Arrest Man Wanted in St. Michaels Shooting

CAMBRIDGE, MD - Cambridge police Saturday arrested Clifton Levante Morton, 36, of St. Michaels, who was wanted on charges relating to an alleged shooting in St. Michaels.

Morton, of 111 Mitchell St., is being held without bond at the Talbot County Detention Center on charges of first- and second-degree assault, possession of a handgun and reckless endangerment.

According to St. Michaels police, officers responded at 10:15 p.m. Monday, July 18, to Morton's home for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, police said a man identified as Christopher Carroll allegedly hit Antwan Johnson in the face. During the fight, police allege Johnson was shot in the leg by Morton and Morton left the home on foot.

READ MORE …

Worcester County Bureau of Investigation Press Release

DATE:July 27, 2011      
CBI Case #  11-0135     
LOCATION:Kelly Foods Corporation
Berlin, Maryland
CRIME:Theft, Theft Scheme and Conspiracy
VICTIM: Brian Paul Wicks - Berlin, Maryland        
ACCUSED:   

1) Greg Jay Petersen W/M/48yoa     
Hidden Bay Drive, Berlin, MD

2) Chad Albert Alana   O/M/40yoa
Dagsboro Road, Delmar, MD

NARRATIVE:   On Thursday, May 11, 2011 a Deputy from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Kelly Foods Corporation, Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland for the report of theft of pallets from their warehouse.
The investigation quickly identified that there was a substantial loss associated with the theft and that two former employees may be involved. At that point the investigation was forwarded to the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation.

As a result of interviews and further investigation Petersen and Alana were verified as being involved in these thefts. The thefts occurred during a period between July 2010 and March 2011 from the Dale Road Warehouse. The Kelly Foods – Accounting Department calculate the loss of 3,060 pallets having a combined replacement value of $17,595.00.

As of Wednesday, July 27, 2011 both Petersen and Alana have been served on the charges of; Theft, Theft Scheme and Conspiracy.

Rehoboth Candidates Forum Set for August 1st

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce will host a Mayoral Debate and Commissioner’s Candidate’s Forum at 9:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 1, in the Rehoboth Beach Conventional Hall Conference Suite. The forum will end of approximately one hour and 15 minutes from the start time.

The chamber has invited all declared candidates, resident incumbent Mayor Sam Cooper, mayoral candidate resident Tom McGlone, commissioner candidates nonresident Mark Hunker, resident Richard Kirchhoff and nonresident Lorraine Zellers. Matt Turlinski, chairman of the chamber board of directors, will provide introductions, and Dennis Forney, Publisher of the Cape Gazette, will serve as moderator. Chip Hearn, member of the board, will act as timekeeper, enforcing all rules and procedures.

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Idea Of Sales Tax Extension Floated

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland analysts are presenting revenue estimates that an extension of the sales tax to various services would generate.

Revenues that would be raised by either a 2 percent sales tax or a 6 percent sales tax to 16 different services were outlined to lawmakers on the state's Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Tuesday.

Engineering services, employment placing agencies, cable television, health and fitness centers, golf courses and taxis were some of the services mentioned.

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Today’s Survey Question – 07/27/2011

Texas Lawmaker Calls For Congressional Probe Into Ban Of Christian Prayers At Military Funerals

A Texas lawmaker is calling for a congressional investigation of the Houston National Cemetery after he went undercover and determined that cemetery officials are still preventing Christian prayers at the funerals of military veterans.

“The Obama administration continues to try to prevent the word ‘God’ from being used at the funerals of our heroes,” said. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas).

“It’s unacceptable and I’m going to put a stop to it as fast as humanly possible,” Culberson told Fox News Radio. He attended a burial service at the cemetery undercover on July 8, when he says he witnessed volunteer members of the honor guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars being prohibited from using any references to God. 

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Fliers Irked As Airlines Pocket Suspended FAA Taxes

Many fliers are outraged, but few are surprised, that most airlines have chosen to raise fares rather than cut ticket costs to reflect a suspension of airline ticket taxes.

Several aviation taxes expired after midnight Friday when Congress failed to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, which collects the revenue. The suspended taxes could save passengers 10% to 15% on their ticket prices, but most U.S. carriers have boosted fares to the levels ticket prices would have been with the taxes still in place, allowing the airlines to take in roughly an extra $25 million a day, says Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com.

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Senate Plan Saves $2.2 Trillion

Budget analysts said Wednesday that a Senate Democratic plan to reduce the deficit and increase the nation's borrowing authority would save $2.2 trillion over a decade, more than a rival House Republican proposal but less than promised.

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89 Kidnapped Infants Rescued In China

Children were aged from just 10 days to seven months

BEIJING — Chinese police rescued 89 infants kidnapped for sale and arrested 369 people they said were linked to two human trafficking rings this month, state media reported on Wednesday.

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Caroline Leads Mid-Shore in Number of Sex Offenders

DENTON, MD - The Caroline County Sheriff's Office manages more sex offenders than any other county in Maryland's Mid-Shore region, and the majority of those on its registry are categorized as the most dangerous offenders.

Lt. Ron Dixon has been in charge of overseeing Caroline's sex offender registry for three and a half years and enforcing its zero tolerance policy for those who try to skip out on their court-ordered appointments.

Dixon said as of July 18, Caroline has 73 registered sex offenders, the highest concentration of whom live in the Federalsburg area. He said on the Mid-Shore, Dorchester County currently has 61 sex offenders, while Talbot County has 45, Queen Anne's County has 31 and Kent County has 23.

"Every zip code in Caroline County has some sex offenders living in it," Dixon said.

READ MORE …

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Sides With Obama Administration In Stem Cell Ruling

Federal judge grants motion to dismiss lawsuit challenging government funding of embryonic stem cell research.
From Fox News

Homeland Security Pulls Plug On Its Next Generation Radiation Detectors

The Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) was meant to check for nuclear and other radiological material in cargo but the project had significant technical issues. A GAO report found it would take $300 million over four years to re-test and fix. Gov Exec reports DHS hoped to deploy 1,400 machines to ports of entry around the country

Neighbor Arrested in Dover Slayings

The 27-year-old next-door neighbor of two men found slain Monday inside their Dover home has been charged with their killings, police said Tuesday.

Nothing apparently was taken from the house, they said.

Jason T. Oneil, a convicted burglar and sex offender, was arrested by Dover police shortly after detectives began the homicide investigation Monday morning -- the first double slaying in the city in 34 years, police said.

In the hours leading up to the slayings of 91-year-old Howard A. Sheppard and his 60-year-old son Howard early Sunday, Oneil engaged in a heated argument with a woman that spilled from inside his North Governors Avenue house to the rear yard, according to court papers.

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Congressional Websites Crashing

Congressional websites have been crashing amid public response to the debt ceiling impasse. President Barack Obama, in his speech to the nation earlier this week, asked the American public to let members of Congress know what they think about the budget debate, and they answered the call with visits to congressional websites. The Washington Post reports, since the speech at least nine websites for House and Senate leaders went down. And it's not just websites. House telephone circuits were near capacity too.

BREAKING NEWS: Stocks Slide Amid Debt Impasse Woes

The Dow shed 100 points, while the Nasdaq sold off by more than 1.6%, as debt negotiations on Capitol Hill dragged on with the deadline to raise the U.S. borrowing limit looming just days away.
From Fox News

Educator Quits State Board Amid Plagiarism Charges

A school administrator accused of plagiarizing parts of her doctoral dissertation has resigned from Indiana's State Board of Education.

Gwendolyn Griffith Adell submitted a resignation letter last week effective immediately, saying she was stepping down for personal and family reasons.

The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne reported in May that portions of the dissertation Adell submitted to Purdue University in 2004 are nearly identical to information in a 1999 dissertation by a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech.

Adell has denied copying anyone's work. She's the chief administrative officer of Gary's Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.

Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed Adell to the board in 2006. A Department of Education spokeswoman says it is working with the governor's office to find a replacement for the 11-member board.

from the AP / Washington Examiner

House Lawmakers Have Filed A Clean Extension Of Federal Aviation Administration Funding

Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said the bill would fund the FAA in the short-term, ending a current partial shutdown. The Hill reports, the proposal does not include sticking points like cutting grants for rural air service. A longer-term bill is bogged down by a House effort to undo some rules for unionization of railroad and airline employees. 4,000 FAA workers are in their third day of furloughs. No word on when this plan could be voted on.

Federal Budget Cuts Could Devastate Maryland Economy

Maryland’s economy would suffer disproportionately from the likely downsizing of the federal government in coming years, perhaps losing 150,000 jobs if the 22% reduction in spending recommended by the president’s budget commission were implemented, a new report says.

The report commissioned by business group Blueprint Maryland and done by Anirban Basu’s Sage Policy Group paints a bleak picture of state economy that “has come to rely heavily upon the federal government as a source of economic vitality.”

“The state has arguably taken prosperity for granted,” said the report. “The business climate has become unappealing, which has translated into outmigration from Maryland to other states of both people and businesses.”

“The business climate is associated with high taxes, high energy costs, high land costs, collective bargaining, health insurance mandates and a poor reputation,” the report said. If the federal government downsizes, “Maryland will need to attract significant private sector investment to offset the loss in economic activity.”

But that will be difficult because “Maryland is not properly positioned to take advantage of its array of economic developments amenities, including its scientific and technical talent, its highly competitive public school system, intermodal transportation network, phenomenal spending power, and high quality of life.”

These should make the state appealing, “but conducting business here has become far more difficult than it should be.”

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CBS Back On Top In Nielsen Ratings

NEW YORK (AP) - NBC may have talent, but CBS has virtually everything else that prime-time viewers are interested in these days.

The Nielsen Co.'s list of last week's top programs was led by the two showings of the NBC's "America's Got Talent" contest, as it has for much of the time it has been on the air this summer.

Sixteen of the next 18 shows on Nielsen's list were televised by CBS last week. They included three prime-time visits to the "Big Brother" household, version 13, and several reruns of crime dramas.

NBC did have an edge in reality show premieres last week, with "It's Worth What?" finishing just out of the top 10 at No. 11. CBS' "Same Name," with regular folks that have the same monikers as celebrities, was No. 33 in its first episode.

HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is showing strength, with Sunday's episode the most-watched edition of the comedy in more than seven years. "True Blood" also had a season high with 6.6 million viewers combined for its two Sunday showings, Nielsen said.

For the week, CBS averaged 6.3 million viewers in prime-time (4.1 rating, 7 share). NBC was second with 5 million (3.1, 6), ABC had 4.7 million (2.9, 5), Fox had 4 million (2.4, 4), ION Television had 1.1 million (0.7, 1) and the CW had 760,000 (0.5, 1).

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