DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, August 21, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: Libyan Rebels Reportedly Enter Tripoli
Rebel forces in Libya enter Muammar al-Qaddafi's stronghold city and reportedly arrest one of the leader’s sons.
Deaf ROTC Auditor Fights To Join The Army
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Keith Nolan spent a decade applying repeatedly to the Army's Reserve Officers Training Corps' program before the deaf man's tenacity paid off and a commander finally let him audit the classes.
Nolan became a top performer in the ROTC program's Bravo Company at California State University at Northridge, and his instructors were so impressed they let him wear a uniform. He was distraught when he turned it back in and said goodbye to the other cadets in May. He could advance no further under the military's current policy that requires cadets pass a hearing test to be commissioned by the Army.
10-Year Sentence In Resort Drug Overdose Case
SNOW HILL -- A Westminster man, convicted in May of manslaughter for providing a female victim with a fatal dose of methadone and then slowly watching her die while on vacation in Ocean City last July, was sentenced to 10 years in jail last week.
After deliberating for over 10 hours following a two-day trial in Worcester County Circuit Court in May, a jury found Michael Thomas Dill, 30, guilty of manslaughter, distribution of methadone and reckless endangerment. Back in court last Frhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifiday, Dill was sentenced to 10 years each for the manslaughter and methadone distribution charge and the reckless endangerment charge was merged for sentencing.
Dill was found guilty of providing the victim, 31-year-old Quianna Dinkens, also of Westminster, with a lethal dose of methadone and then watching her slowly overdose in front of him and her young son while vacationing in Ocean City last July. Dill also admitted taking pictures of the victim as she slowly died because, he told police, he wanted to show her what she looked like the following day.
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After deliberating for over 10 hours following a two-day trial in Worcester County Circuit Court in May, a jury found Michael Thomas Dill, 30, guilty of manslaughter, distribution of methadone and reckless endangerment. Back in court last Frhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifiday, Dill was sentenced to 10 years each for the manslaughter and methadone distribution charge and the reckless endangerment charge was merged for sentencing.
Dill was found guilty of providing the victim, 31-year-old Quianna Dinkens, also of Westminster, with a lethal dose of methadone and then watching her slowly overdose in front of him and her young son while vacationing in Ocean City last July. Dill also admitted taking pictures of the victim as she slowly died because, he told police, he wanted to show her what she looked like the following day.
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Jerry Lewis Reportedly Reinstated as MDA Labor Day Telethon Host
LAS VEGAS – The Muscular Dystrophy Association has reinstated comedian Jerry Lewis as the host of the MDA Labor Day Telethon, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
In a stunning reversal, Lewis was reinstated Saturday to the MDA Labor Day Telethon he has hosted since 1966, according to a source close to Lewis, reports Norm Clarke, who writes the paper's Vegas Confidential column.
Police Arrest 65 Near White House In Oil Protest
WASHINGTON (AP) - Dozens of environmentalist protesters have been arrested outside the White House on the first day of a planned two-week protest over a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Park Police spokesman David Schlosser tells WJLA-TV that 65 people were arrested Saturday. The protest is scheduled to run through Sept. 3.
Ohio Hamburger Festival Dishes Up Fried Patties To Brave Attendees
(CNN) -- Step aside Iowa and fried butter -- there is a new national fried treasure to feast upon.
The country's first deep-fried cheeseburger is making its debut among at least 30 other varieties of hamburgers served by 15 different vendors at the National Hamburger Festival in Akron, Ohio, this weekend.
No One Can Sum It Up Better Than Trump!
"Obama Care Explained"
Can The Christian Crusade Against Pornography Bear Fruit?
Atlanta (CNN) - He is a good Christian, Michael is telling his two therapists. He goes to church most Sundays. He’s a devoted husband and father of two daughters.
“But when I would leave on business trips,” he says, “I knew I was going to get to be someone else.”
“Prostitutes, porn - I took anything I wanted.”
Blair Says Riots Not Symptom of Britain’s Moral Decline
LONDON — Former Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday rejected the British government’s claim that this month’s riots were caused by the country’s moral decline, and said talk of “broken Britain” would unfairly tarnish the nation’s reputation.
Prime Minister David Cameron has blamed Britain’s “slow-motion moral collapse” for the riots which raged for four nights in London and other English cities.
Blair wrote in The Observer newspaper that the violence was not caused by social rot, but by “alienated, disaffected youth,” who are found in most developed nations.
Virginia Faces More Borrowing to Cover Unemployment Tab
RICHMOND — Virginia may have finished the last fiscal year with a $545 million surplus, but the state will likely have to borrow an additional $251 million between September and April 2013 to pay back the federal government for loans to its unemployment insurance trust fund — which remains underwater for the second consecutive year.
The status of the trust fund was among the subjects of a meeting Friday of the Virginia General Assembly's Commission on Unemployment Compensation.
The state has borrowed about $568 million from the federal government after the fund, which comes from employer taxes, ran out of money in 2009 due largely to a spike in initial unemployment claims during the nationwide economic recession.
WI HI Football Teams Off To A Great Start
Last night BOTH Varsity and Junior football teams of Wicomico High School won their first games.
The varsity score was 2 to nothing and the junior teams score was 3 to nothing!!
Just ONE more game closer to taking on Delmar High School!
Maryland Has Lowest Costs for Weight-Loss Surgery
Weight-loss surgery in the land of ham and peanuts turns out to be a reasonable deal compared with other states.
The average charge in Virginia for stomach-stapling and gastric bypass was $32,603 - below the mean for 19 states recently studied by HealthGrades, a national health care ratings organization.
Not surprisingly, the surgery was most expensive in California, where health care providers charged an average of $65,251. In Maryland, the state with the lowest prices, $16,390 could buy a bariatric procedure.
Capitol Police Arrest Lemonade Protesters
They set out to sell ice-cold lemonade, but now three Washington, D.C. protesters might need some legal aid.
Capitol police arrested three people Saturday afternoon for selling lemonade on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building. They were participating in “Lemonade Freedom Day” — a national demonstration against a spate of recent lemonade stand shutdowns by police and health inspectors.
According to the D.C. group’s Facebook event page, three lemonistas — Meg Mclain, K.n. Dill and Will Duffield — were taken into custody by Capitol Police. It is not known what the protesters were charged with. The Capitol Police did not return calls for information.
Deadly Airliner Crash in Arctic
OTTAWA — A Boeing 737 crashed in Canada’s high Arctic on Saturday, killing 12 of the 15 people on board, the government transportation agency said.
The plane, owned by First Air, crashed about 1:30 p.m. while approaching Resolute Bay, Nunavut, for a landing, according to the agency, Transport Canada.
Members of a large Canadian military contingent, who were in the area for an Arctic training exercise, rushed to the scene to put out fires and rescue survivors.
CTV, a Canadian broadcaster, reported that two adults and one child were airlifted to a hospital in Iqaluit, Nunavut. One of the adults was reported to be in critical condition.
Because the military intended to stage a mock airliner crash rescue on Monday, investigators were already in the community.
Levin Calls for Integration of Obama Vacation Spot
Although a lot has been said about the timing of President Obama’s vacation to Martha’s Vineyard, not much has been said about the spot itself, other than some criticism about the tone-deafness of a president vacationing at a haven for the well-to-do while so many Americans are struggling financially.
On his Friday radio program, Mark Levin took a look at the racial makeup of the Obama vacation spot and likened it to the left-leaning MSNBC cable news network.
“But what about on Martha’s Vineyard?” Levin said. “I’m just asking. Doesn’t Martha’s Vineyard kind of reflect the racial make-up of the hosts on MSNBC, or as we affectionately call them ‘MSLSD’ because they all seem like they’re on some kind of a drug kick? I’m not saying they are. I’m saying they seem like it.”
Accomack Man Dies in Car Crash
A man died early Saturday morning in a vehicle accident that left his car submerged in a pond on Winterville Road, north of Anns Cove Road, State Police said.
When police arrived to the scene, they discovered a 1973 Plymouth Roadrunnner that had run off to the left side of the road and submerged in a pond, according to State Police Spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Anaya.
The driver, 48-year-old Lester Wade McMahan of the 24000 block of Savannah Road in Hallwood, died prior to the car being submerged, Anaya said.
Police determined that the car ran off the road, overturned and landed in the pond between 3 and 5 a.m.
A passer by discovered the half-submerged vehicle and called State Police.
Anaya said it is not known if alcohol played a factor in the accident.
Kent Planning Commission Pans PlanMaryland
CHESTERTOWN, MD - The Kent County Planning Commission isn't happy with Gov. Martin O'Malley's "PlanMaryland" and said as much, politely, in a three-page comment letter sent Aug. 4 to the Maryland Department of Planning.
The main bullet points were:
"Growth or lack thereof in several areas of the state is not directly related to sprawl emanating from the Baltimore and Washington corridor ... not all areas of the state are facing rapid growth."
And, "The plan states ... many farmers find selling their land for development is more lucrative than farming. This picture of the farmer waiting to sell out is misleading. ... In our region, few farms are sold, and those sold are generally purchased by other farmers wishing to continue ...."
The letter also noted there are many partners at all levels in land preservation and the section about land preservation does not reflect that reality.
M&T Faces Challenges After Bumpy Transition
The signs in front of the branches still say Wilmington Trust. But not for long.
On Friday, temporary covers will be pulled off, revealing the M&T Bank logo for the first time. After 108 years in business, Wilmington Trust's history as a retail powerhouse in Delaware will end.
For a state that tends to revere its local institutions, it will be another wistful moment, much like the takeover of Happy Harry's by Walgreens. For thousands of customers, it will mean the end of a long relationship, and the beginning of one that carries some uncertainty.
And for rival banks, it will be an opportunity to capitalize on any discontent that may arise.
Rock Hall – Council Won’t Rush Decision on Prayer
ROCK HALL, MD – Mayor Robert Willis says that the Town Council will not be rushed into any decision on whether council meetings will begin with Lord’s Prayer. This controversy is in response to objections filed last month by town resident Gren Whitman. Whitman argues that the prayer is sectarian, and therefore unconstitutional.
Rosecroft Raceway to Re-open on Thursday
FT WASHINGTON, MD – In a move to bring slots to PG County, the closed Rosecroft harness racing track will re-open on Thursday with simulcasting. Penn National Gaming, the company which bought Rosecroft at a bankruptcy auction plans to bring live racing back in the fall.
O’Malley – Tough Budget Work Is Ahead
OCEAN CITY, MD – At the close of the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley discussed a projected $1 billion shortfall for FY 2013. O’Malley stated that additional budget cuts would be necessary, but that “we must be open to new revenues” (taxes). When asked to be discuss what new taxes may be in the works, O’Malley replied, “I’m not talking about those today”.
Direct-Sales Businesses Boom As Economy Lags
When Cristina Prince's husband was laid off from his IT job last fall, the Pasadena woman turned to Tupperware.
Prince, a Severna Park Elementary School teacher and a Tupperware consultant, shows off some of her merchandise. Prince started selling the kitchen accessories to compensate for some of her husband's lost income, but has continued with Tupperware since her husband's return to work.
The Severna Park Elementary teacher held her own Tupperware party and was initially motivated by the promise of free merchandise for party hostesses. Then Prince started thinking that maybe she could start selling the kitchen accessories and compensate for some of her husband's lost income.
"I wanted to pick up the pieces from his not having a full-time job," she said.
Christine O’Donnell Brings Buzz Back to First State
As Christine O'Donnell signed copies of her new book Saturday, people were still buzzing about the failed Senate candidate's headline-grabbing walkout during an interview earlier in the week on CNN.
Supporters approached O'Donnell at a table at the Barnes & Noble at Concord Mall and said she was right to bolt from Piers Morgan's show after he asked the onetime abstinence activist about her views on sex and gay marriage. O'Donnell has called the questions "creepy" and borderline sexual harassment.
"He would have never done that to a male politician," Don Criscuolo, 69, of Wilmington, said after O'Donnell signed his audiobook copy of "Troublemaker."
O'Donnell walked out of Morgan's New York studio Wednesday, 23 minutes into an interview about the book, refusing to answer his questions about whether she supports gay marriage and whether she still thinks masturbation is wrong -- issues she addresses in the book. O'Donnell told Morgan she wanted to talk about fiscal and constitutional issues, instead.
Is Crime Reduction Part of Trend?
Violent crime in Salisbury and the Lower Eastern Shore was down significantly last year. This follows a statewide reduction. Police officials cite many possible reasons for the reduction, including better information.
Facebook Apologizes for Deleting Arizona Governor’s Post
Facebook issued an apology Saturday for deleting a post by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that criticized President Obama over his administration's new policy on prioritizing deportations of illegal immigrants.
Brewer's picture and a statement that accompanied it were removed Friday from Facebook, apparently because they "violated Facebook community standards."
"The post was removed in error," Andrew Noyes, Manager of Public Policy Communications at Facebook said in a statement. "We apologize for any inconvenience."
Anti-Qaddafi Forces Advance on Tripoli
Tripoli – Four strong explosions rocked Tripoli early Sunday amid reports that rebels had cut off crucial supply lines to the capital as clashes raged between forces loyal to Col. Muammar Qaddafi and fighters challenging his long rule.
The blasts were heard shortly after 4:00am local time in the heart of the city as NATO warplanes flew overhead, an AFP journalist said. The targets were not immediately identifiable.
The continued fighting followed reports Saturday that rebels had advanced on the capital, with residents telling various news media organizations that they had sighted the fighters in their neighborhoods.
Today in History – 08/21/2011
1680 - The Pueblo Indians drove the Spanish out and took possession of Santa Fe, NM.
1831 - Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia. He was later executed.
1841 - A patent for venetian blinds was issued to John Hampton.
1878 - The American Bar Association was formed by a group of lawyers, judges and law professors in Saratoga, NY.
1888 - The adding machine was patented by William Burroughs.
1912 - Arthur R. Eldred became the first American boy to become an Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
1940 - Exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in Mexico City from wounds that had inflicted by an assassin.
1943 - Japan evacuated the Aleutian island of Kiaska. Kiaska had been the last North American foothold held by the Japanese.
1945 - U.S. President Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America's Allies during World War II.
1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50 star flag.
1963 - In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crackdown on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.
1971 - Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United States Women's Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.
1983 - Philippine politician Benigno Simeon Aquino was assassinated as he deplaned in Manila.
1984 - Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.
1986 - In Cameroon, a nation in West Africa, toxic gas erupted from a volcanic lake. The gas killed more than 1,700 people.
1987 - A U.S. Marine was convicted for spying for the first time. Sergeant Clayton Lonetree was giving secrets to the KGB while working as a guard at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. He served eight years in a military prison.
1988 - An earthquake on the Nepal-India border killed over 1,000 people.
1991 - The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.
1992 - Randall Weaver, a neo-Nazi leader, opened fire on U.S. marshals from his home in Idaho. Weaver surrendered 11 days later ending the standoff. During the standoff a deputy marshal, Weaver's wife and his son were killed.
1997 - Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557:H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.
1998 - Samuel Bowers, a 73-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader, was convicted in Hattiesburg, MS, of ordering a firebombing that killed civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer in 1966.
Quote of the Day – 08/21/2011
“Television – a medium. So called because it is neither rare nor well done.”
- Ernie Kovacs
from 
Today’s Weather – 08/21/2011
for Salisbury, MD -
Today -
Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tonight -
Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow -
Abundant sunshine. High around 85F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.