Proposed Redistrcting Map Would Bring Major Changes To The Lower Shore

Here is the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee’s proposed map of new legislative districts for the lower Shore. Charles Otto and Mike McDermott have been placed in the same legislative district.

Under the proposal, the 38th legislative district would be broken up into three single member districts. 38A would now include Somerset County and Southern Worcester County, including Pocomoke, Snow Hill and Berlin. 38B would include the rest of Worcester County (Ocean City and Ocean Pines) and western Wicomico County. 38C would include Salisbury, Fruitland and Delmar.

What used to be the Wicomico County portion of 38A gets added to 37B, which is the two member district currently represented by Jeannie Haddaway and Addie Eckerdt. The minority district currently held by Rudy Cane (37A) stays largely the same.

This map would place Republican incumbents Charles Otto and Mike McDermott in the same legislative district, although McDermott talks about running against Jim Mathias for the Senate. Any aspirations that Carolyn Elmore may have would force her to run in 37B, held by two incumbent republican women. Norm Conway seems safe because he would not have to run in Worcester County where Michael James came close to unseating him in 2008. 38B seems wide open for Michael James if he wants to give the house of delegates another run.

This is just the Governor’s committee’s proposal. The Governor can submit whatever plan he wants to be voted on by the General Assembly in the 2012 session. These districts would take effect for the 2014 gubernatorial election.

Click on image to enlarge.

INFANT IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER CAR CRASH

On December 16, 2011, at approximately 12:13 p.m. Ocean City Police and Fire Departments responded to the area of 142nd Street and Coastal Highway, in reference to a two car vehicle crash involving a 2 door car and a full sized pick-up truck.

Upon arrival at the scene, emergency responders observed two badly damaged vehicles, one of which (the pick-up) was on fire. Fire department personnel quickly extinguished the fire and located the driver of pick-up who was removed from the truck by a citizen prior to emergency responders arrival. A driver and an infant child passenger were found trapped in the car. (These victims’ names are not being released at this time.) Fire department personnel worked quickly to extricate the driver of the car as well as the 18 month old infant who was trapped in a child safety seat which was located in the rear passenger side seat of the car.

The drivers of both vehicles were taken by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The infant was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to PRMC trauma care unit with life threatening injuries. The infant was stabilized and then flown to Johns Hopkins Shock Trauma for additional treatment and remains listed in critical condition.

Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed the 2 door car was stopped at a red signal in lane three on the north bound side of coastal highway at 142nd Street when it was struck from behind by the pick-up truck that was traveling at a high rate of speed. The collision caused the two vehicles to move approximately 100 feet from the intersection before coming to a stop north of 142nd Street. A search of the pick-up truck revealed an amount of a suspected Phencyclidine (PCP), a schedule II, controlled dangerous substance.

The driver of the car remains hospitalized; the driver of the pick-up was treated and released. Upon his release from the hospital, the driver of the pick-up truck identified as Andre James Kaczynski, 47, of Ocean Pines, Maryland was taken into custody and transported to the Ocean City Public Safety building under suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. After several sobriety tests Kaczynski has been charged with:
… unlawfully, as a result of his negligent driving, operation and control of a motor vehicle while under the influence, did cause a life threatening injury to (victim)
… unlawfully, as a result of his negligent driving, operation and control of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, did cause a life threatening injury to (victim)
… unlawfully, as a result of his negligent driving, operation and control of a motor vehicle while impaired by controlled dangerous substance, did cause a life threatening injury to (victim)
…did possess a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II, to wit: Phencyclidine

Kaczynski was seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and is being held on $100,000.00 bond. Kaczynski has been transferred to the Worcester County Jail. The investigation is continuing.

Senate Passes Payroll Tax Cut Extension Bill

In an 89-10 vote, Senate approves a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment aid, including a provision to compel a presidential decision on the Keystone pipeline.

From Fox News

Great e-Gifts For Everyone

Do you know that certain someone who is helplessly addicted to their computer, smartphone, or tablet? Maybe you are coming up short on gift ideas this holiday season or just looking for a little something for a friend or coworker? A growing trend this season is giving e-gifts. It doesn't require you to go fight the hordes of shoppers at WalMart or the mall, but instead can provide you with a relatively inexpensive gift that can provide hours of entertainment to the right person. This year, companies like Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon let you purchase the gift online and deliver it right to someone's inbox. Through iTunes, Apple is letting users gift just about anything they can buy for themselves, from music to apps to TV shows and movies. Amazon and B&N are letting users gift music and e-books for the Kindle and Nook respectively. Barnes and Noble is even letting recipients exchange gifts such as an unwanted or duplicate e-book for store credit. Even popular custom radio app Pandora and the infamous Netflix are selling subscriptions to their services that can be gifted.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/14/tech/web/digital-holiday-gifts/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=2518188011 For giving e-books on Amazon

http://www.pandora.com/p1_gift/gift_about.vm Pandora One gift subscription

http://www.netflix.com/Gift Netflix gift subscription

Mike's Tech Service
mdtechservice@comcast.net

Federal Reserve

Joe,

Just a recurring thought here that has bothered me the last few years.

When I was 12-16 years old and getting into banking, savings, getting my first job, budgeting, and saving, I remember the big bronze engraved plaque riveted to the concrete door column of the First National Bank of Springfield that said “The F.D.I.C insures all deposits to $250,000.00”.

Back then, bread was 33 cents a loaf, and milk was 33 cents a gallon, as was gas unless a gas war would bring it to 25.9. Now it’s ten times that amount.

So, now that bread is $3.00 a loaf (or half a loaf that’s too wide for any American toaster) gas is over $3.30.00, and milk is $3.50 to $4.00, (10x) why isn’t my deposit insured to 2.5 million dollars? It’s still at $250k!

Gary Bullard

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release 12-17-11

Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 15 December 2011
Location: 1000 block of Kiowa Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Marcelene C. Dixon, 40, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 15 December 2011 at 7:59 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported assault inside a residence in the 1000 block of Kiowa Avenue in Salisbury. Upon arrival, the deputy met with a male subject who advised that he had an altercation with his live in girlfriend, Marcelene Dixon upon telling her their relationship was over and she needed to leave the house they shared. During this, Dixon allegedly punched her boyfriend in the head. The investigating deputy saw that the male subject he was meeting with was bleeding from his forehead.

The deputy located Dixon at a nearby residence and took her into custody for the assault. Dixon was transported to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Dixon on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

TROOPERS INVESTIGATING EARLY MORNING SHOOTING AND ROBBERY IN CARROLL CO.

(TANEYTOWN, MD) – Three people are in custody, two more are being sought, and a victim is recovering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound as Maryland State Police continue their investigation into an early morning robbery and shooting in northwestern Carroll County.

Criminal charges are pending against three male suspects who are currently in State Police custody at the Westminster Barrack. State Police are continuing to search for two additional suspects. They are described as two light complected African American males. One is about 5’7” tall, with black, buzzed-cut hair, who was wearing a black jacket and black pants. The other at-large suspect is described as wearing a dark bandana across his face, a black jacket, and a black hood over his head.

The victims are identified as Alan J. Kent, 26, of the 3900-block of Old Taneytown Road, Taneytown, Md., and Samantha L. Stanley, 19, of the unit block of Zephyr Court, Taneytown. Kent sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he is being treated for what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. Stanley was not physically injured in the incident.

Just before 2:30 a.m. today, troopers from the Westminster Barrack responded to a call for a reported armed robbery and shooting at a home in the 3900-block of Old Taneytown Road, Taneytown, Md. When they arrived, they found Kent, who had been wounded by a gunshot and from being struck in the back of the head by what may have been an expandable baton. The suspects had fled the scene.

The preliminary investigation indicates Stanley was visiting at Kent’s residence when a male suspect arrived at the home about 2:00 a.m. and called Kent outside. Stanley said she heard yelling and a gunshot, before three suspects entered the house and a fourth stayed outside with Kent.
One of the suspects pointed a handgun at her and demanded information about what was in the home. She said the man shot Kent’s dog when it came toward the suspect. The dog has been transported to a veterinarian for treatment.

After removing a suitcase from the house, the victims said all four suspects left in a light colored Ford Explorer. State Police at Westminster issued a broadcast for the suspects. Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies and officers from the Taneytown Police Department responded to the area to assist with the search.

A Taneytown police officer searching the area spotted a light-colored Ford Explorer on Courier Court in Taneytown. When he stopped it, two African American males fled on foot and were not located. The officer took two other males into custody. Police observed what appears to be blood on the vehicle and said an expandable baton was visible inside the truck. The vehicle was towed to the Westminster Barrack where it will be processed for evidence after a search warrant is obtained.

Maryland State Police investigators from the Westminster Barrack are continuing the investigation. Troopers from the State Apprehension Team are assisting with the search for the remaining suspects. Deputies and Taneytown officers are also searching the area.

Maryland Fifth Best In Tracking Where Subsidy Money Goes, But Still Earns C+

Maryland is one of the best states in requiring quantifiable job creation and employee wage and benefit data for business tax subsidies, the authors of a new study found, but they still gave the state a grade of C+ for its efforts. “That means states have a long way to go to make themselves accountable,” said Philip Mattera, research director for Good Jobs First, a policy group focusing on economic development accountability.

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Spending Committee Recommends Halving Next Year’s Deficit; Both Cuts And Tax Hikes Possible

Legislative leaders Thursday night embraced a “balanced approach” to balancing next year’s state budget, recommending that the governor halve the ongoing billion-dollar deficit using both unspecified spending cuts and possible tax hikes.

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Government Cuts Off Funding For New Chimp Research

Rest assured that the government is determined to prevent the events from Rise of the Planet of the Apes from unfolding. Kidding aside, the government aims to ensure humane treatment of chimpanzees. The National Institutes of Health announced that they won't give out new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimps because they deserve "special consideration and respect." The organization acted on a recommendation from the Institute of Medicine that concluded most chimp research is unnecessary.

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Old School Incandescent Bulbs Get 9-Month Stay Of Execution

In spite of the fact that regulations to phase out high-wattage incandescent bulbs were signed into law in 2007, the ability to buy antiquated, inefficient lighting somehow became a lightning rod topic in recent months. And so legislators who want to defend your right to waste electricity (and still be able to use your old Easy Bake Oven) managed to find a way to stave off enforcing the rules until next fall.

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Dollar Store

Joe,

I know people are really trying to stretch every dollar that they can this year. I went to the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar looking for stuff for our church Christmas program and they had some great stuff. Dollar Tree has a lot of really great gift bags, tissue paper, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, bows etc for $1.00. I went to Walmart after I had been there and you would be spending much more on the same paper. Plus knowing that it's going to get torn off anyway it's really good to get wrapping paper for $1.00. The Family Dollar had some really great toys for $5.00 as well as wrapping paper, etc. Sometimes people forget about the dollar stores, but they can stretch their dollar even further. It's worth checking out. I found bows for my xmas tree for $1.00 for eight. These were priced at $4.00 to $5.00 at other stores. Just thought your readers might be looking for some good deals. God Bless You and Your Family and Have a Merry Christmas.

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO ACCEPT “PLANMARYLAND”

ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 16, 2011) – On MONDAY, Governor Martin O’Malley will join Governors Harry R. Hughes and Parris N. Glendening, Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission Chariman Jon Laria, and other state and local officials to officially accept “PlanMaryland,” the State’s first long-range plan for sustainable growth from Secretary Richard Hall of the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP).

WHAT: Governor O’Malley to accept “PlanMaryland”

WHEN: MONDAY, December 19th at 9:30 a.m.

WHERE:
Governor’s Reception Room
2nd Floor, State House
Annapolis, MD

Sunset In Vienna

Revised City Council Work Session Agenda - December 19, 2011

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA
-------------
DECEMBER 19, 2011
REVISED
CONFERENCE ROOM 306
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING


1:40 p.m. Capital Improvement Plan – John Pick

3:10 p.m. Break

3:25 p.m. Follow-up discussion on Rental Inspection Program – Paul Wilber/Tom Stevenson

4:25 p.m. Follow-up discussion on Election Redistricting – Paul Wilber/Frank McKenzie

5:15 p.m. Feldman’s Property – Council/Palmer Gillis

6:00 p.m. Dinner Break

6:30 p.m. Establishment of special assessment district for the Harbor Pointe sidewalk – John Pick

7:00 p.m. General discussion/upcoming agendas
Tri-County Council appointment
Other

7:30 p.m. Adjournment

They Love Ron Paul In Europe

Iris Mack sends along this email:

Ron Paul has folks rooting for him all around the world
Below is an email exchange from a French banker who lives in London.
We were colleagues on the derivatives desk at French Banque BNP Paribas in London.

i so hope ron paul wins the elections.

he's much better than all of them put together.

mark my words Iris:

should Ron Paul win the elections I may consider moving back to the States

Grosses bises

Source

Finis America: Year End Report 2011

It's over, and I mean all of it. If Obama is re-elected, America is doomed. The progressive process begun by President Wilson and then carried forward by FDR, Carter, Clinton and W. Bush will be institutionalized with Obama's second term and the republic will die. Leading up to this has been a long line of Republocrat progressives, i.e., socialists in disguise – people like Senator McCain (R, AZ). I know many will not believe me so let me tell you how I came to this horrific conclusion.

In the first week of December 2011 the Senate – or more exactly, 93 US senators – committed high treason when they voted to pass the McCain/Levin Defense Spending bill (NDAA). This was hardly the first act but rather the last straw. The only opposition came from Senators Rand Paul (R, KY), Mike Lee (R, UT) and five other senators who are literate and able to read the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In the end, 7 senators voted correctly against and 93 voted for the bill and against America.

First came the USA Patriot Act that was passed by both houses within six weeks of 9-11, in October 2001. In 2011 when it was due to expire, Congress voted for it again with a huge majority. This law violates the habeas corpus provision of the US Constitution, which has been part of law in the English-speaking world since 1679 with the passage by the English parliament of the Habeas Corpus Act, a concept that had been enshrined in the Magna Carta, signed at Runnymede in 1215.

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ONLY ONE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WAS RIGHT ON IRAQ WAR

All U.S. ground troops will be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, and soon this sorry conflict will fade quietly into the past, the second-dumbest war in American history. Yet the Iraq War has been missing in action during the Republican presidential campaign.

Like “body counts,” “Khe Sanh” and “My Lai” from Vietnam, “IEDs,” “Fallujah” and “Abu Ghraib” are already meaningless to many younger Americans. Today’s young voters were preteens when the war began in 2003.

The forgetting will be faster than with Vietnam because Iraq never penetrated our consciousness in the same way — unless you were among the 30,000 who came back physically wounded or the more than 100,000 with psychological problems. If you add these 130,000 to the 4,500 dead and include the toll on their families, more than half a million Americans were directly affected by this war.

Our soldiers served with great courage, and they deserve respect (and jobs) when they return. But only now are we learning some of the chilling consequences of what took place. The New York Times revealed this week an internal report that details massacres of civilians in Haditha by U.S. forces. One U.S. officer, Major General Steve Johnson, described the killings as “a cost of doing business.”

Speaking of cost, the full price of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is at least $1 trillion, which President George W. Bush and the Republican Congress put on the credit card.

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And Was The Mission Accomplished?

For the Army and Marines who lost 4,500 dead and more than 30,000 wounded, many of them amputees, the second-longest war in U.S. history is over. America is coming home from Iraq.

On May 1, 2003, on the carrier Abraham Lincoln, the huge banner behind President George W. Bush proclaimed, "Mission Accomplished!"

That was eight years ago. And so, was the mission accomplished?

Two-thirds of all Americans have concluded the war was not worth it.

And reading the description of Iraq from the editorial page of the pro-war Washington Post, who can answer yes?

"Al-Qaida continues to carry out terrorist attacks. Iranian-sponsored militias still operate, and a power struggle between Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq and Mr. Maliki's government goes on. More Iraqis worry that, after the U.S. troops depart this month, the sectarian bloodletting that ravaged the country between 2002 and 2007 will resume."

And not all the Americans are really coming home.

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Dog Found In Fruitland: UPDATE

The owner just came and got the dog. Thanks for the help!

Hi Joe.

I found a dog last night in the MeadowBrook neighborhood in Fruitland last night wondering around aimlessly. It seems to be half blind, older, Pekingese. I can send a picture if need be. It is definitely someones pet.

Thanks for any help. carlipm13@yahoo.com 410-251-3550