At least 130 current and former employees of the District of Columbia have been caught up in a fraud investigation.
The nearly year-long probe looked into suspected abuse of unemployment insurance benefits paid out by the D.C. government.
Investigators found that 130 people drew on unemployment benefits while actually still holding jobs with the District, including D.C. Council staffers, employees of the Department of Transportation and the school system, and one who works in the Department of Employment Services, News4's Pat Collins reported. Those 90 people suspected who are currently working for the District have been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of the investigation.
About $840,000 was taken in about three years, Collins reported.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, February 06, 2012
Robbery At Lewes Bank
Location:
Bank of Delmarva, 18572 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE
Date of Occurrence:
Monday February 6, 2012 at 2:15 p.m.
Victim:
45 year old female bank employee
Suspect:
Black male, 20-26 years of age, 5”11”-6’02” tall. Last seen wearing a blue jacket, blue pants, black sneakers, and a yellow flat brimmed hat.
Operating a grey colored sedan
Surveillance photos attached.
Resume:
Lewes, DE-Delaware State Police Detectives are investigating the robbery of the Bank of Delmarva located on Coastal Highway, which occurred earlier this afternoon.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. this afternoon, as a suspect entered the Bank of Delmarva located on Coastal Highway in Lewes. The suspect approached the bank teller and presented a demand note for money. The teller complied and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled the bank on foot southbound in the parking lot and got into a grey colored sedan before leaving the area.
There were no injuries as a result of this incident.
To offer information in reference to this incident, the public is asked to contact Troop 4 Criminal Investigations at 302-856-5850 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com
Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Why Romney Is Winning
Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- With his victories in Florida and Nevada, Mitt Romney has re-emerged at the front of the GOP pack.
Given the primary and caucus schedule for the rest of February, it will be extremely difficult for Newt Gingrich to regain the momentum that he had after South Carolina. Romney finds himself in a strong position to win the nomination.
Although there have been countless stories in the past few months about the latest "Anyone But Romney" candidate who was going to steal the crown from him, the former Massachusetts governor is still standing.
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Given the primary and caucus schedule for the rest of February, it will be extremely difficult for Newt Gingrich to regain the momentum that he had after South Carolina. Romney finds himself in a strong position to win the nomination.
Although there have been countless stories in the past few months about the latest "Anyone But Romney" candidate who was going to steal the crown from him, the former Massachusetts governor is still standing.
More
House Bill Bans Welfare Spending At Strip Clubs
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- If welfare recipients want to dole out the dollar bills at a strip club, they'd better make sure it's not government money ... at least if a bill in Congress becomes law.
The House last week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would require states to ban the ability to access government benefits at strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos.
More
The House last week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would require states to ban the ability to access government benefits at strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos.
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$10 Million Fine on Red Cross Highlights Its Troubled History Of Blood Services
A few weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration hit the American Red Cross with a nearly $10 million fine [1] for safety violations, lax oversight and faulty testing of its blood services. The fine is just the latest of more than a dozen the Red Cross has racked up in the last decade.
In 2003, a federal court, frustrated by repeated blood safety violations by the Red Cross, gave the FDA the power to fine the organization. Forty-six million dollars in penalties later, many of the same violations -- understaffing, ineffective screening of donors, failure to recall infected blood -- are outlined in the recent letter the FDA [2] sent to the executive vice president of Biomedical Services for the Red Cross.
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In 2003, a federal court, frustrated by repeated blood safety violations by the Red Cross, gave the FDA the power to fine the organization. Forty-six million dollars in penalties later, many of the same violations -- understaffing, ineffective screening of donors, failure to recall infected blood -- are outlined in the recent letter the FDA [2] sent to the executive vice president of Biomedical Services for the Red Cross.
More
How "Occupy Our Homes" Can Win
An interview with anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston
Since most of the original Occupy encampments were evicted by wintertime, the question now is, what's next for activists? One of the most popular suggestions is "Occupy Our Homes," a campaign in which occupiers around the country would do actions at foreclosed houses or at bailed-out banks that are throwing people out of their homes. A national day of action on December 6 focused on this approach and featured home occupations or solidarity marches in 25 cities, including New York and Chicago.
Occupy Our Homes has three particularly good instincts.
More
Since most of the original Occupy encampments were evicted by wintertime, the question now is, what's next for activists? One of the most popular suggestions is "Occupy Our Homes," a campaign in which occupiers around the country would do actions at foreclosed houses or at bailed-out banks that are throwing people out of their homes. A national day of action on December 6 focused on this approach and featured home occupations or solidarity marches in 25 cities, including New York and Chicago.
Occupy Our Homes has three particularly good instincts.
More
Walmart Whistleblowers Stand Up To Retaliation
Unseen but ever present, behind the well-stocked shelves of Walmarts around the country are warehouse workers. This labor force is primarily employed by contracting firms that underpay workers and fire them summarily, according to advocates, but a group of 60 former employees at a Walmart warehouse in the Chicago suburbs are holding these contractors accountable for what they say are numerous labor violations.
The workers allege that, after they filed a complaint in November 2011 calling for lost wages from their temp employer, Eclipse, they were dismissed without notice when Schnieder Logistics, the company that operates the Walmart warehouse in Elmwood, Illinois, canceled their temp agency's contract.
More
The workers allege that, after they filed a complaint in November 2011 calling for lost wages from their temp employer, Eclipse, they were dismissed without notice when Schnieder Logistics, the company that operates the Walmart warehouse in Elmwood, Illinois, canceled their temp agency's contract.
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The Scary Danger Of Meat (Even For Those Who Don't Eat It)
The government has rolled over once again for Big Meat and we may be in more danger from antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
So far, 2012 is bringing bad news for people who don't want "free antibiotics" in their food.
Antibiotics are routinely given to livestock on factory farms to make them gain weight with less feed and keep them from getting sick in confinement conditions. But the daily dosing, at the same time it lowers feed needs, lowers drug effectiveness and produces antibiotic resistant bacteria or super bugs that can be deadly to people.
This month, researchers found 230 out of 395 pork cuts bought in US stores were contaminated with a super bug called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Worse--there were "no statistically significant differences" between "conventionally raised swine and swine raised without antibiotics," reported the researchers.
Why would meat labeled "raised without antibiotics" be as full of super bugs as conventional and factory farmed meat? It can be contaminated with MRSA at the farm, by slaughterhouse workers who carry MRSA or by other meat, if processing equipment is not "cleaned out between runs of certified organic and non-certified organic meats," say the researchers. A 2009 study of swine workers in Iowa and Illinois found that almost half carried MRSA.
And last month, the FDA scrapped its three-decade-long effort to regulate the use of the popular human antibiotics penicillin and tetracycline in livestock. While the FDA says in the announcement that it "remains concerned about the issue of antimicrobial resistance," it also says "contested, formal withdrawal proceedings" consume too much of its time and money. For example, withdrawing nitrofurans from livestock use took 20 years, DES (diethylstilbestrol) took seven years and enrofloxacin took five years and cost $3.3 million, says the agency. Hey, we're just the government that makes the laws and enforces them. They're Big Meat!
More
So far, 2012 is bringing bad news for people who don't want "free antibiotics" in their food.
Antibiotics are routinely given to livestock on factory farms to make them gain weight with less feed and keep them from getting sick in confinement conditions. But the daily dosing, at the same time it lowers feed needs, lowers drug effectiveness and produces antibiotic resistant bacteria or super bugs that can be deadly to people.
This month, researchers found 230 out of 395 pork cuts bought in US stores were contaminated with a super bug called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Worse--there were "no statistically significant differences" between "conventionally raised swine and swine raised without antibiotics," reported the researchers.
Why would meat labeled "raised without antibiotics" be as full of super bugs as conventional and factory farmed meat? It can be contaminated with MRSA at the farm, by slaughterhouse workers who carry MRSA or by other meat, if processing equipment is not "cleaned out between runs of certified organic and non-certified organic meats," say the researchers. A 2009 study of swine workers in Iowa and Illinois found that almost half carried MRSA.
And last month, the FDA scrapped its three-decade-long effort to regulate the use of the popular human antibiotics penicillin and tetracycline in livestock. While the FDA says in the announcement that it "remains concerned about the issue of antimicrobial resistance," it also says "contested, formal withdrawal proceedings" consume too much of its time and money. For example, withdrawing nitrofurans from livestock use took 20 years, DES (diethylstilbestrol) took seven years and enrofloxacin took five years and cost $3.3 million, says the agency. Hey, we're just the government that makes the laws and enforces them. They're Big Meat!
More
Adding It Up: Press Freedom, Democratic Health And Public Media Funding
This week Reporters Without Borders released its 2011–2012 Press Freedom Index, and much of the attention has focused on the fact that the United States has dropped 27 places to 47th in the world, thanks in large part to the journalist arrests at Occupy Wall Street events. For a nation that has built its model of governance on freedom of the press, that ranking should be a wake-up call, and should spark a national debate about how we are going to defend the First Amendment in the digital age.
On its own, the study from Reporters Without Borders is a powerful snapshot of press freedom around the world. However, it’s worth cross-referencing the report’s findings with a few other data points to better understand how the United States stacks up, and why this ranking is so important. When the lists below are viewed side by side, it becomes clear that press freedom correlates directly with other measures of democratic health.
Bipartisan Strategy Takes Shape To Close Overseas US Bases
At a time when bipartisanship on Capitol Hill has essentially disappeared, an intriguing example of cross-party consensus has emerged in a relatively obscure area of foreign policy: closing overseas military bases.
Since debt debates heated up last summer and with the Pentagon soon to release the details of budget reductions, a growing group of prominent politicians across a broad political spectrum has called for reducing U.S. military installations and forces overseas to produce significant savings. The unusual coalition includes Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul and outgoing House Democrat Barney Frank.
While last week the Pentagon announced it will request another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round, a large network of bases abroad remains. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. maintains nearly 700 military base sites outside the 50 states and Washington (and this number does not include our 400 bases in Afghanistan). Many are relics of the Cold War, with some in place for nearly seven decades. Today, the U.S. has almost 200 base sites in Germany, 108 in Japan and 82 in South Korea.
The supporters of the status quo will say that countries like Japan, South Korea and some NATO allies will often cover some of our bases’ expenses. While this is true, there are the additional costs of providing housing and transportation for U.S. troops and their families overseas, of providing schools for children, of shipping cars to service members abroad, of providing base security and of paying unofficial forms of “rent” to foreign governments.
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Since debt debates heated up last summer and with the Pentagon soon to release the details of budget reductions, a growing group of prominent politicians across a broad political spectrum has called for reducing U.S. military installations and forces overseas to produce significant savings. The unusual coalition includes Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul and outgoing House Democrat Barney Frank.
While last week the Pentagon announced it will request another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round, a large network of bases abroad remains. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. maintains nearly 700 military base sites outside the 50 states and Washington (and this number does not include our 400 bases in Afghanistan). Many are relics of the Cold War, with some in place for nearly seven decades. Today, the U.S. has almost 200 base sites in Germany, 108 in Japan and 82 in South Korea.
The supporters of the status quo will say that countries like Japan, South Korea and some NATO allies will often cover some of our bases’ expenses. While this is true, there are the additional costs of providing housing and transportation for U.S. troops and their families overseas, of providing schools for children, of shipping cars to service members abroad, of providing base security and of paying unofficial forms of “rent” to foreign governments.
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The Path to Peace By Ron Paul
This speech before the House of Representatives, March 25, 1999, is collected in A Foreign Policy of Freedom (2007).
Mr. Speaker, today I rise with gratitude to Edmund Burke and paraphrase words he first spoke 224 years ago this week. It is presently true that to restore liberty and dignity to a nation so great and distracted as ours is indeed a significant undertaking. For, judging of what we are by what we ought to be, I have persuaded myself that this body might accept this reasonable proposition.
The proposition is peace. Not peace through the medium of war, not peace to be hunted through the labyrinth of intricate and endless negotiations; not peace to arise out of universal discord, fomented from principle, in all parts of the earth; not peace to depend on juridical determination of perplexing questions, or the precise marking the shadowy boundaries of distant nations. It is simply peace, sought in its natural course and in its ordinary haunts.
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise with gratitude to Edmund Burke and paraphrase words he first spoke 224 years ago this week. It is presently true that to restore liberty and dignity to a nation so great and distracted as ours is indeed a significant undertaking. For, judging of what we are by what we ought to be, I have persuaded myself that this body might accept this reasonable proposition.
The proposition is peace. Not peace through the medium of war, not peace to be hunted through the labyrinth of intricate and endless negotiations; not peace to arise out of universal discord, fomented from principle, in all parts of the earth; not peace to depend on juridical determination of perplexing questions, or the precise marking the shadowy boundaries of distant nations. It is simply peace, sought in its natural course and in its ordinary haunts.
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Occupy DC Raided By Police In Riot Gear
United States Park Police bearing riot gear and on horse back raided Occupy DC Saturday morning and throughout the day, removing tents that were deemed to be in violation of a no camping rule at McPherson Square. Park Police spokesperson Sgt. David Schlosser said the raid did not constitute an eviction and that protesters would be allowed to continue activities at the park as long as they complied with the no camping rule.
Six protesters had been arrested as of about four o’clock this afternoon — two for crossing a police barricade and four for violating police orders — but the majority were “very cooperative” as police moved through the park, Schlosser said. Two more were arrested later, according to various reports. Park Police moved methodically through the park, closing sections at a time while the rest remained open, using riot shields and sticks to move protesters as Park Service employees in hazardous materials suits cleared and removed tents.
At different times, small groups of protesters collided with police, who pushed protesters back with riot shields. One police officer was struck by a brick in the face and taken to the hospital. At one point, multiple protesters were struck by riot sticks as they clashed with police moving through the park. Watch:
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Six protesters had been arrested as of about four o’clock this afternoon — two for crossing a police barricade and four for violating police orders — but the majority were “very cooperative” as police moved through the park, Schlosser said. Two more were arrested later, according to various reports. Park Police moved methodically through the park, closing sections at a time while the rest remained open, using riot shields and sticks to move protesters as Park Service employees in hazardous materials suits cleared and removed tents.
At different times, small groups of protesters collided with police, who pushed protesters back with riot shields. One police officer was struck by a brick in the face and taken to the hospital. At one point, multiple protesters were struck by riot sticks as they clashed with police moving through the park. Watch:
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Why State Attorneys General Shouldn't Settle On Robo-Signing
A foreclosure settlement between five major banks guilty of “robo-signing” and the attorneys general of the 50 states is pending for Monday, February 6th; but it is still not clear if all the AGs will sign. California was to get over half of the $25 billion in settlement money, and California AG Kamala Harris has withstood pressure to settle.
That is good. She and the other AGs should not sign until a thorough investigation has been conducted. The evidence to date suggests that “robo-signing” was not a mere technical default or sloppy business practice but was part and parcel of a much larger fraud, the fraud that brought down the whole economy in 2008. It is not just distressed homeowners but the entire economy that has paid the price, resulting in massive unemployment and a shrunken tax base, throwing state and local governments into insolvency and forcing austerity measures and cutbacks in government services across the nation.
The details of the robo-signing scam were spelled out in my last article, here. The robo-signing fraud and its implications are expanded on below.
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That is good. She and the other AGs should not sign until a thorough investigation has been conducted. The evidence to date suggests that “robo-signing” was not a mere technical default or sloppy business practice but was part and parcel of a much larger fraud, the fraud that brought down the whole economy in 2008. It is not just distressed homeowners but the entire economy that has paid the price, resulting in massive unemployment and a shrunken tax base, throwing state and local governments into insolvency and forcing austerity measures and cutbacks in government services across the nation.
The details of the robo-signing scam were spelled out in my last article, here. The robo-signing fraud and its implications are expanded on below.
More
Second Opinions
Last week Governor O’Malley delivered the State of the State address where he laid out a clear vision for the future of our State focused on job creation, strengthening our middle class, and the dignity of every Maryland family and individual.
The Governor’s plan balances record cuts–$7.5 billion over the last six years—with the highest-ever $32 billion investment in our public education. It also balances investments in our critical infrastructure—our roads, bridges, tunnels and transit—with a phased-in proposal to lift the sales tax exemption on gasoline over the years.
In his remarks, the Governor acknowledged that while some of these proposals may not be popular, they are the right thing to do for Maryland’s future. But don’t take our word for it..
Here are a few second opinions:
“For me, raising the gasoline tax is a no-brainer. The state desperately needs money to maintain and improve roads and mass transit, not to mention build the light-rail Purple Line. A higher tax would also discourage gasoline use, thus combating global warming and reducing dependence on imported petroleum.”—Robert McCartney, Washington Post
“What’s been done in the past to avoid raising the gas tax — the usual motley assortment of fees, fares and transportation-related taxes — is no longer good enough. If Maryland continues to embrace a 1992 tax rate, it will have to settle for crumbling 1992-era infrastructure.”—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
“Higher prices at the pump may be unwanted, but a deteriorating transportation system is costly, too. Not only in mere congestion but also in lost economic opportunity. Raising the gas tax is the right thing to do today if Maryland is to preserve its quality of life tomorrow and for the next generation.”—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
From the Baltimore Sun: “It is true that Governor O’Malley has relied far more on spending cuts than on tax increases to keep the state budget balanced since the start of the recession — it’s even true of this year’s proposal”
“In the battle for balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility, we should view applying the sales tax to gasoline as a victory.”—Peter T. Smith, Baltimore
“Ending the sales tax exemption, rather than increasing the gas tax beyond the current 23½¢ per gallon, accomplishes two things. First, sales tax revenue keeps pace with inflation. With the current structure of the gas tax, politically difficult tax increases are needed just to keep transit operations and road maintenance constant.”—Ben Ross, Washington
Source
The Governor’s plan balances record cuts–$7.5 billion over the last six years—with the highest-ever $32 billion investment in our public education. It also balances investments in our critical infrastructure—our roads, bridges, tunnels and transit—with a phased-in proposal to lift the sales tax exemption on gasoline over the years.
In his remarks, the Governor acknowledged that while some of these proposals may not be popular, they are the right thing to do for Maryland’s future. But don’t take our word for it..
Here are a few second opinions:
“For me, raising the gasoline tax is a no-brainer. The state desperately needs money to maintain and improve roads and mass transit, not to mention build the light-rail Purple Line. A higher tax would also discourage gasoline use, thus combating global warming and reducing dependence on imported petroleum.”—Robert McCartney, Washington Post
“What’s been done in the past to avoid raising the gas tax — the usual motley assortment of fees, fares and transportation-related taxes — is no longer good enough. If Maryland continues to embrace a 1992 tax rate, it will have to settle for crumbling 1992-era infrastructure.”—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
“Higher prices at the pump may be unwanted, but a deteriorating transportation system is costly, too. Not only in mere congestion but also in lost economic opportunity. Raising the gas tax is the right thing to do today if Maryland is to preserve its quality of life tomorrow and for the next generation.”—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
From the Baltimore Sun: “It is true that Governor O’Malley has relied far more on spending cuts than on tax increases to keep the state budget balanced since the start of the recession — it’s even true of this year’s proposal”
“In the battle for balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility, we should view applying the sales tax to gasoline as a victory.”—Peter T. Smith, Baltimore
“Ending the sales tax exemption, rather than increasing the gas tax beyond the current 23½¢ per gallon, accomplishes two things. First, sales tax revenue keeps pace with inflation. With the current structure of the gas tax, politically difficult tax increases are needed just to keep transit operations and road maintenance constant.”—Ben Ross, Washington
Source
DELMARVA POSTCARD CLUB’S 13th ANNUAL SHOW
SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 12, 2012
WICOMICO CIVIC CENTER
CIVIC AVENUE, SALISBURY, MD
DANANG ROOM - 10 AM TO 4 PM
POSTCARD DISPLAYS
FREE ADMISSION & PARKING
POSTCARDS, POSTCARDS & MORE
POSTCARDS!
LOCAL AND OUT OF TOWN DEALERS
FOR INFO CALL: NICK CARTER (410) 632-1474
or GEORGE CHEVALLIER (410) 749-1021
Elite Campaign To Re-Elect Obama In Full Swing?
From the Washington Post, we learn that "January job gains have economists rethinking outlooks."
Oh, really? Last I looked, the bear leg of the larger business cycle was still in full effect. Nothing's changed in other words, since 2001 – or more pertinently 2008, when according to our elvish analysis the fiat-dollar economy, worldwide, collapsed.
How do we know it collapsed? Well, various central banks have committed possibly more than US$50 trillion since then to propping up various financial facilities. That doesn't sound very healthy, does it? Say, you go ask for a US$50 trillion loan (if you can figure out where to apply) and see whether you get it.
More on this in a minute. The idea of an up-trending of the US economy is nothing more than a bald-faced lie, the most devious kind of propaganda. Here's a bit more from the article:
An unexpectedly rosy jobs report set off a chain reaction Friday, upending economists' gloomy predictions for the coming year, leading to a surge on Wall Street and potentially boggling the political calculus of the 2012 presidential campaigns.
The surprise — that the unemployment rate had dipped for the fifth straight month, to 8.3 percent — was first reflected in the stock market, where the Dow Jones industrial average soared to its highest mark since the beginning of the financial crisis. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, meanwhile, hit an 11-year high.
By noon, President Obama, whose reelection chances have been threatened by the nation's economic woes, seized on the figures as proof that the recovery from the recession "is speeding up."
More
Oh, really? Last I looked, the bear leg of the larger business cycle was still in full effect. Nothing's changed in other words, since 2001 – or more pertinently 2008, when according to our elvish analysis the fiat-dollar economy, worldwide, collapsed.
How do we know it collapsed? Well, various central banks have committed possibly more than US$50 trillion since then to propping up various financial facilities. That doesn't sound very healthy, does it? Say, you go ask for a US$50 trillion loan (if you can figure out where to apply) and see whether you get it.
More on this in a minute. The idea of an up-trending of the US economy is nothing more than a bald-faced lie, the most devious kind of propaganda. Here's a bit more from the article:
An unexpectedly rosy jobs report set off a chain reaction Friday, upending economists' gloomy predictions for the coming year, leading to a surge on Wall Street and potentially boggling the political calculus of the 2012 presidential campaigns.
The surprise — that the unemployment rate had dipped for the fifth straight month, to 8.3 percent — was first reflected in the stock market, where the Dow Jones industrial average soared to its highest mark since the beginning of the financial crisis. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, meanwhile, hit an 11-year high.
By noon, President Obama, whose reelection chances have been threatened by the nation's economic woes, seized on the figures as proof that the recovery from the recession "is speeding up."
More
Study Finds Chicken Manure Pollution Overstated
Eastern Shore farmers and representatives of the poultry industry told lawmakers Friday that EPA estimates on nutrient pollution from poultry production are outdated and way overstated, according to a new study from the University of Delaware.
Continue Reading...
Continue Reading...
OCPD SEEKS PUBLIC’S ASSISTANCE IN CHARITY THEFT CASE
On February 2, 2012 at approximately 12:30 p.m., Ocean City Police responded to 501 South Baltimore Avenue, the Pour House Saloon for a theft that had previously occurred.
Police met with the manager/owner who advised that on January 28, 2012, the Pour House Saloon had a fundraiser for car crash victim baby Ava Delricco.
Approximately 200 hundred people attended the benefit. During this benefit there was a silent charity auction. The management reported that one of the auction items had been stolen. The item was described as a large canvas, red and maroon 6-foot-tall Molson beer beach umbrella with a wood pole. The beach umbrella has an approximate retail value of $125.
The Pour House Saloon video surveillance system recorded a person of interest, described as a white male wearing a dark t-shirt and white baseball cap, with a goatee, carry the umbrella out of the business.
Ocean City Police are asking anyone with any information about the identity of the male seen in the surveillance footage or who may have any information about the theft to please contact OCPD- PFC John Spicer at 410-520-5295. You do not have to provide your name.
Police met with the manager/owner who advised that on January 28, 2012, the Pour House Saloon had a fundraiser for car crash victim baby Ava Delricco.
Approximately 200 hundred people attended the benefit. During this benefit there was a silent charity auction. The management reported that one of the auction items had been stolen. The item was described as a large canvas, red and maroon 6-foot-tall Molson beer beach umbrella with a wood pole. The beach umbrella has an approximate retail value of $125.
The Pour House Saloon video surveillance system recorded a person of interest, described as a white male wearing a dark t-shirt and white baseball cap, with a goatee, carry the umbrella out of the business.
Ocean City Police are asking anyone with any information about the identity of the male seen in the surveillance footage or who may have any information about the theft to please contact OCPD- PFC John Spicer at 410-520-5295. You do not have to provide your name.
Comedic Relief
The liberals are asking us to give Obama time.
We agree...and think 25 to life would be appropriate.
--Jay Leno
America needs Obama-care like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloween mask.
--Jay Leno
Q: Have you heard about McDonald's new Obama Value Meal?
A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay for it.
--Conan O'Brien
Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon?
A: A fund raiser.
--Jay Leno
Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and a penitentiary?
A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers, and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
--David Letterman
Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved?
A: America !
--Jimmy Fallon
Q: What's the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo?
A: Bo has papers.
--Jimmy Kimmel
Q: What was the most positive result of the "Cash for Clunkers" program?
A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road.
--David Letterman
We agree...and think 25 to life would be appropriate.
--Jay Leno
America needs Obama-care like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloween mask.
--Jay Leno
Q: Have you heard about McDonald's new Obama Value Meal?
A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay for it.
--Conan O'Brien
Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon?
A: A fund raiser.
--Jay Leno
Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and a penitentiary?
A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers, and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
--David Letterman
Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved?
A: America !
--Jimmy Fallon
Q: What's the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo?
A: Bo has papers.
--Jimmy Kimmel
Q: What was the most positive result of the "Cash for Clunkers" program?
A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road.
--David Letterman
Wicomico County’s Board of Education Kingdom Is Collapsing
Although Stephanie Moses has mastered malfeasance herself, apparently she caught the short end on this one! On your January 3, 2012 article I read all of the post responses ad nauseam. Several respondents were concerned about the lawsuits pending against the Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE). As a person that is knowledgeable of the legal profession, I submit to you that Larry F. Williams (former Social Studies teacher) does have a “viable” case pending against the BOE that includes five defendants: Stephanie Moses, Dr. Fredericksen, William Cain, Tom Field and the WCBOE. Sovereign Immunity does protect the BOE in part but Mr. Williams can also sue the individual defendants as well. “His case has not been adjudicated.” Since the case has been “Ripe for Adjudication” since last July, a “Scheduling Order” has been produced and his case should be heard sometime this year. The current schism at the BOE and Moses’ termination boosts his case because all five defendants have now exposed a credibility issue of past improprieties as they covered up Civil Rights and Maryland Public Information Act issues.
Larry Williams’ case (Civil Action WMN-10-3582) will be heard by the Honorable William M. Nickerson. He really goes by the book and he will allow the court to ferret-out relevant information that is germane to this case. This case has the potential to go national because Mr. Williams is an African American honorably retired U.S. Air Force veteran with a 70% service connected disability. Mr. Williams was arguably the best teacher they had at the alternative school with measurable results. All of his observations were commendable with no non compliance issues at the school and he was very committed to student achievement. Moreover, his lack of “Due Process” really captured Judge Nickerson’s attention and he obviously saw a lot of malfeasance in this case. WCBOE tried their best to get his case dismissed to no avail. It’s now pending adjudication at the Federal District Court in Baltimore.
Mr. Williams was threatened by a knife carrying alternative school student with a lot of priors. I’ve found out that the BOE knew of the aberrations of the student and covered up the fact that the student was in fact suspended and came on school property and threatened Mr. Williams. The student wasn’t arrested for trespassing by the principal Ike Humphrey and Mr. Williams was charged with assault for having to restrain the student in an afterschool altercation when the student threatened to punch Mr. Williams in the face. The following week the student was disarmed with a knife on the premises after getting into an altercation with another student. The Department of Social Services (DSS) “Indicated” Mr. Williams of physical child abuse. Although he wasn’t arrested, he did receive a criminal summons from Davis Ruark for assault.
According to the original complaint, Mr. Williams was “Recommended for Termination” by Robin Holloway (president of the BOE) on September 11, 2007. Additionally, on September 17, 2007, before any appeal could even occur, before the criminal court date and without any type of hearing or official finding by the WCBOE, Mr. Tom Field wrote a letter to Dr. John Smilie, the Assistant State Superintendent with the Maryland State Department of Education, requesting that Mr. Williams’ teaching certificate be revoked. On October 8, 2007, without a hearing and in violation of the standard contract, Defendant Field issued a letter to Mr. Williams’ that changed his employment status from administrative leave with pay to suspension without pay. WCBOE’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2007 stated: “Any suspension of a teacher by the Superintendent, pending a proper initial hearing by the Board, shall be with pay and shall continue until the date of the hearing of same shall be scheduled by the Board according to law.” Apparently three of the five months that Williams was suspended “without pay” was after the case was tried in Wicomico County District Court by the Honorable L. Bruce Wade. “It must be therefore emphasized that Mr. Williams was suspended three months without pay by WCBOE after he went to court and was found Not Guilty.” In those three months Mr. Field or Mr. Mark Thompson (president of the BOE 08-09) didn’t bother to find the time to schedule and conduct a hearing to restore this teacher’s pay. Moreover, Stephanie Moses endorsed the actions of the superintendent and the BOE. Irrespective of who signed the change of status letters to Mr. Williams, the guidance and endorsement came from the Director of Human Resources (HR) Stephanie Moses.
On December 3, 2007, Williams was found “Not Guilty” and DSS “Ruled Out” any physical child abuse. All of his court and DSS records were expunged in 2008. After the five month suspension, WCBOE did restore his pay retroactively to November 2007 in March of 2008. He was then placed back on “Administrative Leave with Pay” for the remainder of the school year without given a reason why and later terminated without given the opportunity to have a hearing in accordance with his contract as a certified teacher. Mr. Williams’ counsel alleges that the HR office and the BOE knowingly disclosed expunged information to prospective employers concerning his assault charge. He obviously has proof! Although Dr. Fredericksen wasn’t the superintendent when this initiated, Mr. Williams did write him a letter informing him of the impropriety and requested a meeting with him and Dr. Margo Handy to no avail. Dr. Fredericksen had two full years to straighten out this debacle. He could’ve ensured that this fine veteran that had his day in court be left alone by his HR office and given a neutral reference. Now that he and Moses are at odds, I don’t envision those five defendants agreeing to the same story at this point once they go to court. A lot of lies had to transpire to hide four years of job verifications accusing Mr. Williams as a physical child abuser.
Your blog has mentioned several teachers that WCBOE has terminated for “Sexual Improprieties” in the past. I have zero tolerance for sexually abusing children and if this was Mr. Williams’ outcome I wouldn’t waste my time in the research and the writing of this article. All of them but Nettles were white. If Robert Alan Borrello, Candice Renee Pianka and Steven Mark Kiggins were all placed on administrative leave with pay and not suspended without pay in accordance with their CBA, WCBOE has a serious discrimination hurdle to overcome. The news paper did say that Pianka’s employment disposition wouldn’t change until her case was adjudicated. If this is true then she wasn’t suspended without pay. Borello was arrested in 2006 and was criminally sentenced in 2007. May of 2007 was when Williams’ incident occurred. His counsel needs to know if Robert Alan Borello was ever suspended without pay. This is of the timeframe of Mr. Williams’ incident. Moreover, his original complaint emphasized that he applied to 14 different school systems since his termination to no avail. Although he has incontrovertible evidence in a letter that one school district has his expunged information, WCBOE’s HR knows that they didn’t just start disclosing his expunged record in 2009. This is where Stephanie Moses comes in and anyone else in her office that responded to job verifications. It is highly unlikely that an African American male with a Master of Education degree in School Administration couldn’t find a job in a school system teaching anywhere for five years. I didn’t say “Black Balled” You did!
If you bold BOE employees have relevant information about any of the five defendants you may want to contact his lawyer: Neil R. Lebowitz. I can understand that persons in the HR office may be concerned about their own careers. They know how things were run under Moses. His case will be tried in Baltimore long before anyone else’s. Moreover, you helping Mr. Williams through his very fine lawyer may ferret- out many other improprieties that need to be exposed that may help you in the near future. WCBOE’s insurance will have to pay for Mr. Williams astronomical legal fees in addition to any settlement that the jury may award Mr. Williams if he proves discrimination in his treatment. The days of “Secret Meetings” and the culture of corruption is being exposed by this site. Although Mr. Williams’ case may not be a “Slam Dunk,” the current schism may turn around and “Bite the Board in the Butt.” I wouldn’t want this case to meet the Honorable Judge William M. Nickerson if I were WCBOE! Lastly, their insurance has spent a lot of money too. Hodes, Pessin & Katz don’t come cheap. This law firm is arguably the “Top Dog” in Maryland as it relates to Educational Law. WCBOE’s insurance will definitely go up if this case continues and they were to lose in court. “In my profession, I want right to win and WCBOE don’t do things right.” As I mentioned in paragraph one, Moses appears to have been wronged by Dr. Fredericksen. But for years a lot of WCBOE employees have been eviscerated by her. Another Moses said…, “Be sure your sins don’t find you out!
New Posts to fall below.
MD State Superintendent's Contact Info
Given the recent storm coming down on the BOE I am concerned for my children in the system and for those educators that I know personally. The retaliation is brutal and all encompassing.
As I’m sure you know, the County Council or Executive do not have authority over the School Board or their employee, the Superintendent. However, the State Superintendent does have the legal right to remove a Superintendent from office for misconduct etc..
Perhaps your readers would like to contact:
Bernard J. Sadusky, Ed.D.Maryland Interim State Superintendent of Schools
At bsadusky@msde.state.md.us
Copying comments to Wicomico County School Board members to this address. A fair examination of the facts surrounding accusations should never be feared by an individual or organization with nothing to hide.
As I’m sure you know, the County Council or Executive do not have authority over the School Board or their employee, the Superintendent. However, the State Superintendent does have the legal right to remove a Superintendent from office for misconduct etc..
Perhaps your readers would like to contact:
Bernard J. Sadusky, Ed.D.Maryland Interim State Superintendent of Schools
At bsadusky@msde.state.md.us
Copying comments to Wicomico County School Board members to this address. A fair examination of the facts surrounding accusations should never be feared by an individual or organization with nothing to hide.
GOVERNMENT PLANTATION
Here’s free advice for Mitt Romney. Before bringing up the poor again, read my book “Uncle Sam’s Plantation.”Romney has been taking a drubbing about his remarks in a CNN interview that he is “not worried about the very poor … we have a safety net there…. If it needs a repair, I will fix it.” And then going on to say it is “… middle income Americans … that are really struggling…” that are his concern.What the now Republican presidential front-runner missed in his off-the-cuff economic analysis of American class is that the cause driving the struggle among both low and middle income Americans is the same: Economic stagnation and social breakdown caused by welfare state socialism.
As I explain in “Uncle Sam’s Plantation,” America’s inner cities offer laboratory results for what is wrong today with the whole country.
If you want to know why America is failing, look at why our inner cities are failing.
Romney is incorrect to label as a safety net welfare state programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training, Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children, Section 8 Housing, and Food Stamps.
A safety net is what is provided when a free person, acting on his or her own initiative, falls and we offer assistance to help them get back up and start again.
The welfare state amounts to wholesale takeover of individual lives. As opposed to government stepping in to soften the blow, the welfare state assumes from the start that individuals won’t make it without government managing their lives.
It is not an accident that despite some $10 trillion spent on anti-poverty programs since the 1960s, there is little discernable change in our poverty rate.
The problem was made worse because the broken families and broken spirits resulting from government-plantation dependence have institutionalized inner-city poverty.
If America is going to get back on track, we must appreciate that we are doing to our whole country what we did to America’s poor.
Seventy percent of government spending today consists of transfer payments — government redistributing funds from one set of individuals to others.
More
As I explain in “Uncle Sam’s Plantation,” America’s inner cities offer laboratory results for what is wrong today with the whole country.
If you want to know why America is failing, look at why our inner cities are failing.
Romney is incorrect to label as a safety net welfare state programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training, Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children, Section 8 Housing, and Food Stamps.
A safety net is what is provided when a free person, acting on his or her own initiative, falls and we offer assistance to help them get back up and start again.
The welfare state amounts to wholesale takeover of individual lives. As opposed to government stepping in to soften the blow, the welfare state assumes from the start that individuals won’t make it without government managing their lives.
It is not an accident that despite some $10 trillion spent on anti-poverty programs since the 1960s, there is little discernable change in our poverty rate.
The problem was made worse because the broken families and broken spirits resulting from government-plantation dependence have institutionalized inner-city poverty.
If America is going to get back on track, we must appreciate that we are doing to our whole country what we did to America’s poor.
Seventy percent of government spending today consists of transfer payments — government redistributing funds from one set of individuals to others.
More
WAR - WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
I’ve gotten to the point where I cringe whenever I hear the word ‘war’. Even when it’s used to seemingly combat something noble sounding such as the war on poverty or the war on hunger. It’s become apparent that all wars cause damage no matter if it’s a figurative war or an actual war. It’s also obvious that when a war is declared on a social problem, the State is announcing a power grab which is going to result in less freedom.
War creates an enemy that must be extinguished by government force. The more broadly defined the enemy is, the bigger the government’s role becomes in eradicating it. And when the government wages war against anything, it’s a cycle that’s nearly impossible to stop. The government creates new agencies, and staffs them with union jobs that depend on never actually winning the wars, but rather only perpetuating them.
When poverty rates climb, there’s a crew of government workers secretly high-fiving that their job is safe. When marijuana legalization measures fail, the police and prison unions celebrate. When America is attacked, the weapons manufacturers rejoice. When all Americans are considered terror suspects, surveillance industry stocks soar. And we pay for it all in treasure and freedom.
This self-fueling cycle is destructive and must end for peace and freedom to expand. That begins with realizing that there is no real enemy, but rather the inflated or imagined creations of the government/corporate power structures that benefit most from war. Never lacking in genuine empathy, most who support funding these social wars also rail against the corporate interests that control Washington, while never realizing they’re one and the same. They feed each other. When one grows fat, so does the other, while the citizen grows skinny and weak.
Here are five wars that must end for peace and freedom to prevail:
More
War creates an enemy that must be extinguished by government force. The more broadly defined the enemy is, the bigger the government’s role becomes in eradicating it. And when the government wages war against anything, it’s a cycle that’s nearly impossible to stop. The government creates new agencies, and staffs them with union jobs that depend on never actually winning the wars, but rather only perpetuating them.
When poverty rates climb, there’s a crew of government workers secretly high-fiving that their job is safe. When marijuana legalization measures fail, the police and prison unions celebrate. When America is attacked, the weapons manufacturers rejoice. When all Americans are considered terror suspects, surveillance industry stocks soar. And we pay for it all in treasure and freedom.
This self-fueling cycle is destructive and must end for peace and freedom to expand. That begins with realizing that there is no real enemy, but rather the inflated or imagined creations of the government/corporate power structures that benefit most from war. Never lacking in genuine empathy, most who support funding these social wars also rail against the corporate interests that control Washington, while never realizing they’re one and the same. They feed each other. When one grows fat, so does the other, while the citizen grows skinny and weak.
Here are five wars that must end for peace and freedom to prevail:
More
The State Of US Surveillance
Lovers of liberty have seemingly had a good bit to celebrate recently.
First, there was an unprecedented outpouring of negative public sentiment about the Congressional bills SOPA (House) and PIPA (Senate); they are legislation that would have thrown a large governmental monkey wrench into the relatively smooth-running cogs of the Internet. Millions of Americans signed online petitions against the bills after seeing websites' various protests. Google shrouded its search page in black; Wikipedia and Reddit went dark entirely (although Wikipedia could be accessed if one read the information available via clicking the sole link on its protest page); Facebook and Twitter urged users to contact their representatives; and many other core Internet businesses also raised their voices in opposition.
Such was the outpouring of dissent that even Washington, D.C. had to listen. The bills, which a week earlier had seem assured of swift passage, suddenly turned to poison. Supporters, forced to concede that the public really was pissed off this time, fled. Leadership in both houses tabled the legislation, pending further review and revision.
But before we get too self-congratulatory, however, it's wise to note that this victory dish is probably best enjoyed with a serving of caution. As Casey Extraordinary Technology editor Alex Daley summed up the situation for us here at Casey Research: "Be sure this will come back again, likely post-election, and snuck through as part of a bigger package. It arrests power from the judiciary, and the legislature likes nothing more than to thumb its nose at those ridiculous judges and all their due process this and Constitution that. It will eventually pass, just not like this." We can't now go to sleep on this one.
Second, the Supreme Court recently ruled 9-0 that police may not attach a GPS tracking device to a suspect's car without a search warrant. This is a landmark decision to be sure, but one that was carefully circumscribed by the justices. The placing of the device constituted a physical intrusion on the suspect, they wrote, and thus was impermissible. Left unruled upon was the larger question of tracking someone's movements when there was no physical violation, as would be the case when, say, police access signals from a GPS-enabled smartphone. Though it wasn't directly addressed, the concurring opinions strongly suggest that the justices might be more sharply divided on that issue.
A lapse of vigilance in these matters would be a mistake.
More
First, there was an unprecedented outpouring of negative public sentiment about the Congressional bills SOPA (House) and PIPA (Senate); they are legislation that would have thrown a large governmental monkey wrench into the relatively smooth-running cogs of the Internet. Millions of Americans signed online petitions against the bills after seeing websites' various protests. Google shrouded its search page in black; Wikipedia and Reddit went dark entirely (although Wikipedia could be accessed if one read the information available via clicking the sole link on its protest page); Facebook and Twitter urged users to contact their representatives; and many other core Internet businesses also raised their voices in opposition.
Such was the outpouring of dissent that even Washington, D.C. had to listen. The bills, which a week earlier had seem assured of swift passage, suddenly turned to poison. Supporters, forced to concede that the public really was pissed off this time, fled. Leadership in both houses tabled the legislation, pending further review and revision.
But before we get too self-congratulatory, however, it's wise to note that this victory dish is probably best enjoyed with a serving of caution. As Casey Extraordinary Technology editor Alex Daley summed up the situation for us here at Casey Research: "Be sure this will come back again, likely post-election, and snuck through as part of a bigger package. It arrests power from the judiciary, and the legislature likes nothing more than to thumb its nose at those ridiculous judges and all their due process this and Constitution that. It will eventually pass, just not like this." We can't now go to sleep on this one.
Second, the Supreme Court recently ruled 9-0 that police may not attach a GPS tracking device to a suspect's car without a search warrant. This is a landmark decision to be sure, but one that was carefully circumscribed by the justices. The placing of the device constituted a physical intrusion on the suspect, they wrote, and thus was impermissible. Left unruled upon was the larger question of tracking someone's movements when there was no physical violation, as would be the case when, say, police access signals from a GPS-enabled smartphone. Though it wasn't directly addressed, the concurring opinions strongly suggest that the justices might be more sharply divided on that issue.
A lapse of vigilance in these matters would be a mistake.
More
A Letter To The Editor 2-6-12
Joe,
I wanted to comment on the idiotic vote to reject deputy chief rick hoppes as the next chief of the salisbury fire dept. I cannot comprehend how council persons campbell, spies and cohen can deny someone of rick's caliber and integrity, when he has now been acting chief twice now and has obviously done a better job of running the fire department than these three have done in doing the city's business; oh, excuse me their own little town that they control like a dictatorship, denying anyone who doesn't agree with their agendas. rick hoppes has given over 25 years in the fire department, doing his utmost best to protect the citizens of salisbury, and in turn these three basically have spit in his face, saying that he isn't qualified to run the department because he doesn't have a bs degree! do these people have advanced degrees in business that actually qualify them to run the city,and if they don't then they should be kicked out of office as soon as possible so that someone who is able can take over and run this city as it should be run, with the concerns of the citizens of this city put first. it is the same situation here, if they think that rick cannot run this department because he doesn't have said degree. the mayor put rick up to be the next chief because he obviously felt that he was the best candidate for the position. i do not understand why the three cohorts think that a person from outside the area would be better suited for this job, than someone who has lived in this city his entire life, and knows the people who works for him a lot better than some person who probably could come into this town and disrupt an already well run department, in my opinion. these three make up their own rules as they go along; i know of noone that can get away with not following the city charter, but they run amendments through that help them, not the citizens of this city that i love and have lived in my entire life.
I wanted to comment on the idiotic vote to reject deputy chief rick hoppes as the next chief of the salisbury fire dept. I cannot comprehend how council persons campbell, spies and cohen can deny someone of rick's caliber and integrity, when he has now been acting chief twice now and has obviously done a better job of running the fire department than these three have done in doing the city's business; oh, excuse me their own little town that they control like a dictatorship, denying anyone who doesn't agree with their agendas. rick hoppes has given over 25 years in the fire department, doing his utmost best to protect the citizens of salisbury, and in turn these three basically have spit in his face, saying that he isn't qualified to run the department because he doesn't have a bs degree! do these people have advanced degrees in business that actually qualify them to run the city,and if they don't then they should be kicked out of office as soon as possible so that someone who is able can take over and run this city as it should be run, with the concerns of the citizens of this city put first. it is the same situation here, if they think that rick cannot run this department because he doesn't have said degree. the mayor put rick up to be the next chief because he obviously felt that he was the best candidate for the position. i do not understand why the three cohorts think that a person from outside the area would be better suited for this job, than someone who has lived in this city his entire life, and knows the people who works for him a lot better than some person who probably could come into this town and disrupt an already well run department, in my opinion. these three make up their own rules as they go along; i know of noone that can get away with not following the city charter, but they run amendments through that help them, not the citizens of this city that i love and have lived in my entire life.
Do You Know How Many Countries Border America?
Take a look at this video called "Lunch Scholars" if you want to see what the future of America looks like. A reporter asked high schools teens a variety of questions, and the answers were stunning. How many states are there in the U.S.? 51? Who is the vice president of the United States? That Clinton guy? Or is it bin Laden? And one of my favorites: How many countries border the United States? There are too many to name. See for yourself...
Thanks goes out to The Blaze for catching my attention with this video. The story was first reported by the Huffington Post, and it notes that "Austin, an intrepid young student-reporter, embarks on the noble mission of answering the question, 'How much basic knowledge do American high school students really have?' The answer, however, may not be exactly what you want to hear."
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Thanks goes out to The Blaze for catching my attention with this video. The story was first reported by the Huffington Post, and it notes that "Austin, an intrepid young student-reporter, embarks on the noble mission of answering the question, 'How much basic knowledge do American high school students really have?' The answer, however, may not be exactly what you want to hear."
More
Glasgow High School Teacher Charged In Sexual Relationship With Student
Location:
Glasgow High School, 1901 South College Avenue, Newark, DE
Date of Occurrence:
Between September 2011 and January 2012
Victim:
17 year old female student
Defendant/Charges/Bond Information:
Matthew F. Pleasanton-30, of Middletown, DE
Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child
Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person of Trust First Degree (10 counts)
Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree with Person less than 18 years of age (10 counts)
Arraigned and released after posting $112, 500 Secured Bond
Resume:
Newark-The Delaware State Police have arrested and charged a Glasgow High School teacher in connection with a sexual relationship involving a 17 year old student.
On January 25, 2012 State Police Detectives were contacted by Glasgow High School administration reporting that a male teacher was involved in a sexual relationship with a 17 year old female student. After a thorough and comprehensive investigation, it was determined that the teacher involved and student had an apparent sexual relationship at the school since September 2011.
On Monday, February 6, 2012, Matthew F. Pleasanton-30 of Middletown, DE was charged with 21 charges, consisting of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person of Trust First Degree (10 Counts), and Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree with Person less than 18 years of age (10 counts). Pleasanton was arraigned on the charges and released after posting $112,500 Secured Bond.
Inquiries regarding Matthew F. Pleasanton’s status with Glasgow High School should be directed to the Christina School District.
Written By A 21 Year Old Female
PUT ME IN CHARGE . . .
Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.
Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal legations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job.
Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.
In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.."
Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.
AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes, that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.
Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.
Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal legations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job.
Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.
In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.."
Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.
AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes, that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.
Robocalls Trial Set To Begin For Ehrlich Campaign Consultant
BALTIMORE (AP) — A political operative accused of using robocalls to suppress black voter turnout during the 2010 gubernatorial election will be back in court this week.
The trial for Julius Henson, a campaign consultant for former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich in his rematch with Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, is scheduled to begin Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court.
More
The trial for Julius Henson, a campaign consultant for former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich in his rematch with Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, is scheduled to begin Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court.
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On TV, O’Malley Sticks Up For Obama On Job Creation
Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley played surrogate for the Obama administration Sunday morning, appearing on CNN's State of the Union to offer his views on the GOP presidential nomination fight, the president's chances for re-election and the economy.
O'Malley was paired with Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell of Virginia for the roughly 10 minute piece. Each chairs his respective party's governors association.
More
O'Malley was paired with Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell of Virginia for the roughly 10 minute piece. Each chairs his respective party's governors association.
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Update On Joe Hall & OC Council
Joe,
I know your time is limited. But have you read the comments that Councilman Joe Hall made about tourists on the Citizens for Ocean City Facebook page? The guy really put his foot in his mouth. Also it was reported at last week's work session how this current Council Majority (Jim Hall, Joe Hall, Margaret Pillas, and Brent Ashley) cost the taxpayers and additional $600,000 this year by closing out the emploiyee's Pension plan. This new expense will continue to be felt for at least 10 years costing today's taxpayer millions.
Yes, we published the exact Facebook quote last week HERE.
I know your time is limited. But have you read the comments that Councilman Joe Hall made about tourists on the Citizens for Ocean City Facebook page? The guy really put his foot in his mouth. Also it was reported at last week's work session how this current Council Majority (Jim Hall, Joe Hall, Margaret Pillas, and Brent Ashley) cost the taxpayers and additional $600,000 this year by closing out the emploiyee's Pension plan. This new expense will continue to be felt for at least 10 years costing today's taxpayer millions.
Yes, we published the exact Facebook quote last week HERE.
Will Mexico Elect Its First Female President?
Charismatic Josefina Vazquez Mota, 51, chosen in primary contest upset.
MEXICO CITY — A major political party in Mexico has chosen a female presidential candidate for the first time, as the ruling party bet that a charismatic former congresswoman will help it erode the lead held by its powerful rival.
After easily winning the National Action Party's primary Sunday night, Josefina Vazquez Mota vowed to unite a party battered by a bloody drug war and help it defeat the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 71 years before being ousted by National Action in 2000.
More
MEXICO CITY — A major political party in Mexico has chosen a female presidential candidate for the first time, as the ruling party bet that a charismatic former congresswoman will help it erode the lead held by its powerful rival.
After easily winning the National Action Party's primary Sunday night, Josefina Vazquez Mota vowed to unite a party battered by a bloody drug war and help it defeat the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 71 years before being ousted by National Action in 2000.
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Amtrak Less Dependent?
Amtrak is telling lawmakers that it's becoming less reliant on federal subsidies to operate the nation's passenger rail system. The National Passenger Rail Corporation says because of record ridership and more efficient operations, it'll ask Congress for $450 million in federal operating support next year. That's $16 million less than it got this year. But operating costs aren't the whole story. Amtrak also plans to ask Congress for $1.4 billion in capital and infrastructure funding. That's more than twice what it got this year. Officials say that's because the rail operator needs to move beyond maintaining its existing equipment and infrastructure, and start making improvements. It also wants to start addressing a backlog of deferred maintenance from prior years.
A Closed Session Means You Say NOTHING About What Happened In That Meeting
Do tell me how the Daily Times know who voted what way? While this audio states that the Council votes 3 to 2, just WHO leaked the information telling them who the three Council Members were who voted against Rick Hoppes. I'll give you THREE choices. Jim Ireton, Laura Mitchell or Shanie Shields. They have no respect for the law. It makes me sick to my stomach that these Council Members would file ethics violations against the three HONORABLE Council Members.
Look, I really don't care that the Daily Times knew for a fact who voted what way but come on Folks, there are laws against this and there are a select few who couldn't care less about the law. We're right back to the old Tilghman Administration style of politics.
Here's another thought. The Daily Times knows more than any one else that they are supposed to be held to a higher standard, well, are they? Each and every one of you reading Salisbury News knows that I am friends with Terry, Debbie and Tim. I can assure you of one thing. They have NEVER violated the law with me. We have started conversations on my behalf where I bring something up and IMMEDIATELY they say, I can't talk about that Joe. Then it hits me, oh, they're right.
The audio above clearly states the Council voted 3 to 2, NOTHING MORE. Once again, shame on Laura Mitchell, Shanie Shields or Jim Ireton. More importantly, shame on the Daily Times.
Army Brigadier General Dies In Afghanistan
The leader of the Army's 13th Sustainment Command has died in Afghanistan, according to Defense Department officials. Brigadier General Terence Hildner died Friday of what the Pentagon says were apparent natural causes, though they say the death is under investigation. Hildner listed his home as Fairfax, Va. His father told the Washington Post it's likely the general suffered a heart attack. He was 49. Hildner deployed to Afghanistan in December to take over the management of military supplies for the NATO training mission there.
Air Force Plans To Cut 10,000 Airmen
The Air Force plans to cut its ranks by about 10,000 airmen over the next five years. And the service is now saying those cuts will fall heavily on the National Guard. 3,900 active duty personnel will be cut, as will 900 members of the Air Force reserve. The Air National Guard's ranks will go down by 5,100. The personnel reductions are a direct result of the shrinking number of aircraft the service will operate. In its 2013 budget, the Air Force will propose to get rid of 227 planes in its current inventory. That's part of a larger reduction of 286 aircraft over the next five years. Leaders say they've taken steps to mitigate the impact the changes will have on individual bases by remissioning certain units and creating more partnerships between active component Air Force units and members of the reserve components.
Industry Is Balking At Cybersecurity Legislation
Industry is balking at cybersecurity legislation developing in the Senate. The bill would give the Homeland Security Department authority to regulate cyber practices of companies who operate critical infrastructure. In the bill, critical means interruption could threaten life, national security or the economy. Homeland Security, with input from business, would select which companies to regulate. Some operators feel the bill goes too far. It's expected out of committee within a few weeks.
Congress To Consider Pay Freeze
Congress will consider a freeze on in-grade pay increases in 2012. That provision is part of a bill mainly aimed at appropriations transparency. It would toughen the pay freeze already in effect by stopping so-called step increases. The 2012 Honest Budget Act was introduced by Alabama Republican Martha Roby. The bill would also make it harder to pass appropriations bills until a budget was approved.
Maryland Struggles To Avoid Bond Downgrading
Despite the state’s efforts to remain fiscally sound, Maryland is struggling to avoid the downgrading of its cherished top triple A bond rating due to possible federal budget cuts, State Treasurer Nancy Kopp told the House Appropriations Committee Friday.
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State Roundup, February 6, 2012
Gambling bill would add casino to Prince George’s; marriage bills set for hearings this week; Del. Parrott hopes to streamline petition process; O’Malley agenda scrutinized, and competes with Va. Gov. McDonnell on CNN; Del. Rosenberg introduces bill to protect professors’ academic freedom but open government advocates concerned it will draw curtain over transparency; in a long look ahead, Gov. Cuomo leads among Democrats in 2016 presidential run, with O’Malley in the pack; and Julius Henson goes to trial today in robocall case.
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Mechanic Needed
Luckys garage
Job opening
We need a good mechanic
Pay based on experience
Must have at least 5 years exp
Ask for Mack Malone
Luckys garage
31585 e line rd
Delmar Md
Job opening
We need a good mechanic
Pay based on experience
Must have at least 5 years exp
Ask for Mack Malone
Luckys garage
31585 e line rd
Delmar Md
A Comment Worthy Of A Post 2-6-12
Please contact the WCBOE members and convince them not to renew Dr. Fredericksen's contract.
Marvin Blye - Mblye@wcboe.org
Tyrone Chase - tchase@shoreup.org
Larry Dodd - lwd7734@comcast.net
Carolyn Elmore - cjelmore@comcast.net
Donald Fitzgerald - donfitz64@comcast.net
Ronald Willey - row76@comcast.net
Michelle Wright - michelle@wrightsmarket.com
Marvin Blye - Mblye@wcboe.org
Tyrone Chase - tchase@shoreup.org
Larry Dodd - lwd7734@comcast.net
Carolyn Elmore - cjelmore@comcast.net
Donald Fitzgerald - donfitz64@comcast.net
Ronald Willey - row76@comcast.net
Michelle Wright - michelle@wrightsmarket.com
Update On Rick Hoppes
The audio link above comes directly from the City's website. It gives you a very brief detail as to how the special meeting ended.
I want you to listen very carefully as what I told you is spot on. The Council HAD to vote NO based on the City Charter.
Shanie Shields and Laura Mitchell voted to break the law by voting yes for Rick Hoppes. Folks, this cannot be done. While there are many of us who truly like Rick Hoppes, he has yet to finish his course and get the degree necessary by law to fill that position.
What you have been fed by the Daily Times and the Mayor is simply a load of crap. Look, we have ALL been working very hard to rid of the Good Ol' Boy system around here. My personal opinion is as follows. The Mayor, Shanie Shields and Laura Mitchell need to stop grandstanding on this matter and start following the letter of the law. The Mayor and Council need to keep Rick Hoppes in as the interim Chief and allow him the time to finish his course and get his degree. At that point they can vote him in as the new Chief.
I have been getting feedback from Firefighters who are upset that Rick was voted down. I tried explaining this last week but I did so in comments and perhaps some of you missed it. Now that you are educated, stop running around acting like Terry, Debbie and Tim are the Anti Christ. They are doing exactly what you elected them to do. The Daily Times and the Mayor are NOT filling you in properly on this matter.
Property Tax May Need To Rise To Pay Back Bonds
If property values don’t start increasing, the state may need to increase property taxes or tap the general fund to pay off its bond debt, legislative analysts told lawmakers.
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Moody's Credit Rating Agency - Outlook for Maryland Remains Negative
Moody's Credit Rating Agency has Maryland listed as Negative Outlook due to its reliability on Federal spending. With federal deficits continuing to soar and federal budgets slated to be slashed due to Congress being unable to agree to an overall deficit reduction plan - Moody's has Maryland listed as one of Negative - due to its close linkage with the US Government.
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Md. Mall Closed As Unruly Crowd Awaits New Nikes
HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Authorities say a Hagerstown, Md., mall was closed temporarily after a crowd became unruly while waiting for a shoe store to open and begin selling Nike's new Foamposite sneaker.
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Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About The Budget for FY 2012-13
Is the budget for fiscal year 2012-13 already final?
No, it’s in process. When the Board of Education approved its budget for 2011-12 last June, it spoke of the strong possibility of a structural deficit the following year (2012-13) due to rising costs of operating the school system even as revenues have declined. Over the summer and into the fall, the Superintendent and staff began planning how to continue providing high quality education services in Wicomico schools despite a projected structural budget deficit of $5 million to $7 million. This financial information was shared with the community through budget awareness and input sessions, PTA meetings, and presentations in other forums.
The Board of Education held a budget input session Jan. 5, and is now beginning a series of work sessions on the budget. These work sessions are open to the public, though public comment is not taken during work sessions. By state law, the Board must adopt a proposed budget and submit it to the County Executive by March 15. Both the County Executive and the Wicomico County Council will hold public meetings at which the public can comment on the draft county budget, which will include funding for Wicomico County Public Schools. The Board of Education will hold a second budget hearing on May 24. Once the County budget has been approved, the Board will meet to adopt a final budget prior to the start of the new budget year on July 1.
Can I still give input on the budget?
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No, it’s in process. When the Board of Education approved its budget for 2011-12 last June, it spoke of the strong possibility of a structural deficit the following year (2012-13) due to rising costs of operating the school system even as revenues have declined. Over the summer and into the fall, the Superintendent and staff began planning how to continue providing high quality education services in Wicomico schools despite a projected structural budget deficit of $5 million to $7 million. This financial information was shared with the community through budget awareness and input sessions, PTA meetings, and presentations in other forums.
The Board of Education held a budget input session Jan. 5, and is now beginning a series of work sessions on the budget. These work sessions are open to the public, though public comment is not taken during work sessions. By state law, the Board must adopt a proposed budget and submit it to the County Executive by March 15. Both the County Executive and the Wicomico County Council will hold public meetings at which the public can comment on the draft county budget, which will include funding for Wicomico County Public Schools. The Board of Education will hold a second budget hearing on May 24. Once the County budget has been approved, the Board will meet to adopt a final budget prior to the start of the new budget year on July 1.
Can I still give input on the budget?
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Nominees Sought For Family Leadership Council
The Wicomico County Board of Education is seeking nominations for members to be appointed to the Family Leadership Council.
This committee is being formed to advise the Superintendent on long and short range issues of interest to the school system. We are seeking to form a council of approximately 35 members, representing our schools and various community groups. Of particular interest is having the members of the council represent the various populations in the school system.
Please feel free to nominate one or two people to be considered for the council who can speak for themselves on school issues and the perspectives of their sending groups.
Nominations - A 100-word biography per nominee should be sent to John E. Fredericksen, Superintendent of Schools. Nominations may be emailed to comments@wcboe.org, hand delivered to the Board Office at 101 Long Avenue, Salisbury, or mailed to Dr. John Fredericksen, ATTN: Family Leadership Council, WCBOE, PO Box 1538, Salisbury MD 21802.
This committee is being formed to advise the Superintendent on long and short range issues of interest to the school system. We are seeking to form a council of approximately 35 members, representing our schools and various community groups. Of particular interest is having the members of the council represent the various populations in the school system.
Please feel free to nominate one or two people to be considered for the council who can speak for themselves on school issues and the perspectives of their sending groups.
Nominations - A 100-word biography per nominee should be sent to John E. Fredericksen, Superintendent of Schools. Nominations may be emailed to comments@wcboe.org, hand delivered to the Board Office at 101 Long Avenue, Salisbury, or mailed to Dr. John Fredericksen, ATTN: Family Leadership Council, WCBOE, PO Box 1538, Salisbury MD 21802.
A Letter To The Editor On PRMC Issues
Mr. Albero,
For obvious reasons, I cannot disclose my true identity. However, I have read with interest your ability to expose the truth in so many situations and open the public's eyes to things that are wrong within certain agencies and organizations. I have written the Daily Times so they could expose some of the goings-on within our hospital (PRMC) over the past two years, and they stated "We don't see the merit in this story." Well, forget them, you can have the story, especially since you reach so many more people than they ever could think of.
This letter will be just a small teaser of things to come. Let's just say I am in a high position to know some very intimate details of wrongdoing and a lawsuit that will be filed this coming week. This lawsuit involves not only sexual harassment, but Equal Opportunity issues similar to what is going on within Wicomico County schools. Several employees have been retaliated against for their filings.
Two head administrators will be named in this suit. These include Monty Sayler, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and Martin Neat, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Four females who were part of the administrative support staff are filing this suit in what could be a groundshaking civil suit.
I think that the public should know about this since this is one of the "only games in town." It is truly amazing as to some of the damning evidence that has come forth regarding multiple layers of leadership. If the leadership at the very top cannot be trusted, then it is no wonder that so many of our patients are traveling farther and farther to hospitals such as Atlantic General to receive care.
For obvious reasons, I cannot disclose my true identity. However, I have read with interest your ability to expose the truth in so many situations and open the public's eyes to things that are wrong within certain agencies and organizations. I have written the Daily Times so they could expose some of the goings-on within our hospital (PRMC) over the past two years, and they stated "We don't see the merit in this story." Well, forget them, you can have the story, especially since you reach so many more people than they ever could think of.
This letter will be just a small teaser of things to come. Let's just say I am in a high position to know some very intimate details of wrongdoing and a lawsuit that will be filed this coming week. This lawsuit involves not only sexual harassment, but Equal Opportunity issues similar to what is going on within Wicomico County schools. Several employees have been retaliated against for their filings.
Two head administrators will be named in this suit. These include Monty Sayler, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and Martin Neat, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Four females who were part of the administrative support staff are filing this suit in what could be a groundshaking civil suit.
I think that the public should know about this since this is one of the "only games in town." It is truly amazing as to some of the damning evidence that has come forth regarding multiple layers of leadership. If the leadership at the very top cannot be trusted, then it is no wonder that so many of our patients are traveling farther and farther to hospitals such as Atlantic General to receive care.
West: Someone's 'Playing Around' With Unemployment Numbers
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is suspicious about the newly released January unemployment numbers.
In response to news that the overall unemployment rate had dropped to 8.3 percent and the unemployment rate in the black community declined from 15.8 percent to 13.6 percent, West floated the possibility that the numbers might have been cooked.
"Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned," West wondered Friday. "Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers??"
Economists reached by The Hill for comment couldn't fully explain the unemployment rate change for the black community. William Darity, a professor of public policy at Duke University specializing in African-American studies and economics, wrote in an email to The Hill that the decline could have been due to a smaller labor force. He called the drop an "unbelievably dramatic drop" but didn't rule out the possibility of someone tampering with the numbers; he said there was no evidence one way or the other.
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In response to news that the overall unemployment rate had dropped to 8.3 percent and the unemployment rate in the black community declined from 15.8 percent to 13.6 percent, West floated the possibility that the numbers might have been cooked.
"Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned," West wondered Friday. "Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers??"
Economists reached by The Hill for comment couldn't fully explain the unemployment rate change for the black community. William Darity, a professor of public policy at Duke University specializing in African-American studies and economics, wrote in an email to The Hill that the decline could have been due to a smaller labor force. He called the drop an "unbelievably dramatic drop" but didn't rule out the possibility of someone tampering with the numbers; he said there was no evidence one way or the other.
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APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR FIVE STAR RESTORATION GRANTS
Five Star Restoration Grants
What is Five Star?
Five Star provides $10,000 to $40,000 grants on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities.
Project sites may be public land - parks, streams, school campuses - or private land such as corporate facilities. Because public participation is paramount in community-based restoration, these sites should be accessible to the community.
The Five Star Restoration Program is a partnership among the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), and corporate sponsors Southern Company and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).
Five Star Projects have several key components ensuring successful, community-based restoration:
Key Partnerships
Project partners are innovative, diverse and include at least five participants. Local governments, businesses, schools and youth groups as well as environmental and citizen organizations may apply as grantees or as part of a partnership.
Partner contributions can be cash or in-kind donations and should match the grant funds at a ratio of about 1:1. Our most competitive projects leverage grant funds at a rate of 2:1 or higher.
Key Project Elements
On-the-Ground RestorationEcological habitat restoration (wetland, riparian, in stream, coastal)
Environmental EducationMeaningful community participation and/or school curriculum integration
PartnershipsEngagement of diverse community partners to achieve project objectives
Measurable ResultsEcological and educational/social benefits that can be measured
Keys to Success
Five Star projects create stream buffers to improve local water quality and habitat. These grants build riverfronts, wetlands or coastal habitats for outdoor classrooms, ecotourism and recreation and restore natural function and community value to native ecosystems by enhancing parks and natural areas. These projects empower communities to support spaces for learning, recreation and growth while protecting vital resources and fostering stewardship of our local landscapes.
Applicants can submit proposals until February 15, 2012. Please visit www.naco.org/fivestar or contact Carrie Clingan at cclingan@naco.org for more information and application instructions.
What is Five Star?
Five Star provides $10,000 to $40,000 grants on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities.
Project sites may be public land - parks, streams, school campuses - or private land such as corporate facilities. Because public participation is paramount in community-based restoration, these sites should be accessible to the community.
The Five Star Restoration Program is a partnership among the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), and corporate sponsors Southern Company and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).
Five Star Projects have several key components ensuring successful, community-based restoration:
Key Partnerships
Project partners are innovative, diverse and include at least five participants. Local governments, businesses, schools and youth groups as well as environmental and citizen organizations may apply as grantees or as part of a partnership.
Partner contributions can be cash or in-kind donations and should match the grant funds at a ratio of about 1:1. Our most competitive projects leverage grant funds at a rate of 2:1 or higher.
Key Project Elements
On-the-Ground RestorationEcological habitat restoration (wetland, riparian, in stream, coastal)
Environmental EducationMeaningful community participation and/or school curriculum integration
PartnershipsEngagement of diverse community partners to achieve project objectives
Measurable ResultsEcological and educational/social benefits that can be measured
Keys to Success
Five Star projects create stream buffers to improve local water quality and habitat. These grants build riverfronts, wetlands or coastal habitats for outdoor classrooms, ecotourism and recreation and restore natural function and community value to native ecosystems by enhancing parks and natural areas. These projects empower communities to support spaces for learning, recreation and growth while protecting vital resources and fostering stewardship of our local landscapes.
Applicants can submit proposals until February 15, 2012. Please visit www.naco.org/fivestar or contact Carrie Clingan at cclingan@naco.org for more information and application instructions.
Protect Wicomico Students & Employees
Hi,
Wicomico County Public Schools has subjected many teachers to unimaginable methods of retaliation in order to protect their circle of corruption. WCBOE has also denied many students an appropriate education by their actions of constructively terminating many of these teachers.
That's why I created a petition to Governor Martin O'Malley and President Barack Obama, which says:
"Stop the corruption in Wicomico County Public Schools! Please launch an independent investigation which will not only allow the investigator to collect all the data to support the unjustice, but also protect these teachers by making them "whole" again!"
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://signon.org/sign/protect-wicomico-students?source=c.em.cp&r_by=2342836
Thanks!
Wicomico County Public Schools has subjected many teachers to unimaginable methods of retaliation in order to protect their circle of corruption. WCBOE has also denied many students an appropriate education by their actions of constructively terminating many of these teachers.
That's why I created a petition to Governor Martin O'Malley and President Barack Obama, which says:
"Stop the corruption in Wicomico County Public Schools! Please launch an independent investigation which will not only allow the investigator to collect all the data to support the unjustice, but also protect these teachers by making them "whole" again!"
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://signon.org/sign/protect-wicomico-students?source=c.em.cp&r_by=2342836
Thanks!
Public Surveillance From Private Property Questioned
When D.C. police began installing surveillance cameras in neighborhoods more than five years ago as crime-fighting tools, privacy concerns voiced by civil liberties groups limited their scope and use.
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Romney, Ron Paul Forging Unlikely Alliance
As the Republican presidential race goes on, front-runner Mitt Romney and long shot Ron Paul are said to be forging a “strategic alliance between establishment and outsider.”
The Romney-Paul alliance “is more than a curious connection,” The Washington Post reports. “It is a strategic partnership: for Paul, an opportunity to gain a seat at the table if his long-shot bid for the presidency fails; for Romney, a chance to gain support from one of the most vibrant subgroups within the Republican Party.”
A senior GOP aide in Washington told the Post: “Ron Paul plays a very valuable part in the process and brings a lot of voters toward the Republican Party and ultimately into the voting booth, and that’s something that can’t be ignored.”
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The Romney-Paul alliance “is more than a curious connection,” The Washington Post reports. “It is a strategic partnership: for Paul, an opportunity to gain a seat at the table if his long-shot bid for the presidency fails; for Romney, a chance to gain support from one of the most vibrant subgroups within the Republican Party.”
A senior GOP aide in Washington told the Post: “Ron Paul plays a very valuable part in the process and brings a lot of voters toward the Republican Party and ultimately into the voting booth, and that’s something that can’t be ignored.”
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EDITORIAL: Big Spenders On The Chesapeake
O’Malley’s tax-the-rich schemes will impoverish the Free State
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley may be more skilled at implementing President Obama’s agenda than the White House itself. The Democratic governor is bringing the same big-spending, high-tax and class-warfare policies to the Free State. It’s going to cost residents a bundle.
Tough economic times have forced ordinary Americans to cut back in order to get by. Not so Mr. O’Malley, who spends $35.9 billion in the budget released last month. That’s up from $34.2 billion last year and $32 billion the year before that. As Maryland Business for Responsive Government points out, the general fund budget fattened 11.4 percent last year, creating yet another deficit. This budgetary gap is covered by a combination of higher taxes and borrowing. This year’s deficit will be about $1 billion, an improvement over the $2.4 billion from a couple of years ago, but Maryland’s already large debt burden is growing larger.
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Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley may be more skilled at implementing President Obama’s agenda than the White House itself. The Democratic governor is bringing the same big-spending, high-tax and class-warfare policies to the Free State. It’s going to cost residents a bundle.
Tough economic times have forced ordinary Americans to cut back in order to get by. Not so Mr. O’Malley, who spends $35.9 billion in the budget released last month. That’s up from $34.2 billion last year and $32 billion the year before that. As Maryland Business for Responsive Government points out, the general fund budget fattened 11.4 percent last year, creating yet another deficit. This budgetary gap is covered by a combination of higher taxes and borrowing. This year’s deficit will be about $1 billion, an improvement over the $2.4 billion from a couple of years ago, but Maryland’s already large debt burden is growing larger.
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Controversial Artist Depicts Obama Trampling The Constitution
In front of the White House a man is sitting on a park bench in the throes of depression. He is surrounded by 43 presidents. In the forefront, purposefully ignoring the depressed man is President Obama, whose right foot is stepping on the Constitution. James Madison is next to Obama, pleading with him to stop.
This tableau is called “The Forgotten Man”, a painting by Jon McNaughton, an artist who is known for his politically-charged work.
The painting, which uses objects such as discarded dollar bills as symbols and scraps of paper with individual constitutional amendments scrawled onto them, has been making the rounds across the Internet.
The painting was initially released in 2010 and has resurfaced, causing a stir when it appeared for a caption contest on MSNBC's Rachael Maddow's blog.
The responses have ranged from sarcastic — “We’ll trade you this peasant for that constitution. We’ll even throw in the bench.” – to Photoshop works of art.
McNaughton released an accompanying YouTube video for his painting. The video shows McNaughton painting the piece with a soundtrack that emulates a movie trailer.
“For a long time I didn’t know if I wanted to paint this picture, because I worried it might be too controversial,” McNaughton explains in a voice over. “(T)his man (on the park bench) represents every man, woman, and child who is an American… he hopes to find the American dream of happiness and prosperity.
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Myth Versus Fact On The Gas Tax Increase
From the Maryland Public Policy Institute...
MYTH: The money raised through the higher gas tax would only be used for transportation projects.
FACT: As Delegate Herb McMillan wrote in The Baltimore Sun, in the past three years, Maryland has diverted $1 billion from the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for other projects. Absent a constitutional ban on doing so, ongoing deficits make it likely legislators will be tempted to take more money from the Transportation Trust Fund in the future.
MYTH: A higher gas tax will improve the state economy by creating more jobs.
FACT: The higher gas tax would remove $491 million per year from the Maryland economy. Combined with other proposed transportation fees and taxes, $810 million would be removed. As such, whatever jobs would be created through higher spending would be offset by the $810 million lost in other spending.
Also, higher gas taxes disproportionately hurt the poor and those with lower incomes as they spend a higher percentage of their income on transportation than other people.
MYTH: Money from the Transportation Trust Fund would only be used to reduce road congestion and increase mobility on roads.
FACT: This Fiscal Year the Maryland Department of Transportation will spend 54 percent of total highway and transportation money on transit projects. Over the past five years, 50 percent of transportation spending has been focused on transit. In 2009, 48 percent of transportation funding went to transit - 20 times the statewide transit share of 4 percent of passenger movement. At 55 percent, the imbalance would reach 25 times.
MYTH: Transit could be the easiest way to reach work for all commuters.
FACT: There is virtually no potential for transit to carry a material share of travel to the 80 or 90 percent of the jobs outside major metropolitan areas since the concentration of destinations needed to compete with cars exists nowhere else.
MYTH: More people ride transit than ever before.
FACT: Even with a big increase in MARC train service and the addition of light rail in Baltimore, about the same share of Marylanders get to work by transit today as in 1980.
MYTH: Transit is convenient.
FACT: The average transit trip is much longer than one by car. In the Baltimore metropolitan area, the average one-way transit commute is 53 minutes, while the average car commute is 28 minutes. In the Washington metropolitan area, the average one-way transit commute is 47 minutes, while the average car commute is 32 minutes.
Of note, the Brookings Institution found that, on average, fewer than 10 percent of jobs in Washington and Baltimore can be reached by transit within 45 minutes.
MYTH: The money raised through the higher gas tax would only be used for transportation projects.
FACT: As Delegate Herb McMillan wrote in The Baltimore Sun, in the past three years, Maryland has diverted $1 billion from the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for other projects. Absent a constitutional ban on doing so, ongoing deficits make it likely legislators will be tempted to take more money from the Transportation Trust Fund in the future.
MYTH: A higher gas tax will improve the state economy by creating more jobs.
FACT: The higher gas tax would remove $491 million per year from the Maryland economy. Combined with other proposed transportation fees and taxes, $810 million would be removed. As such, whatever jobs would be created through higher spending would be offset by the $810 million lost in other spending.
Also, higher gas taxes disproportionately hurt the poor and those with lower incomes as they spend a higher percentage of their income on transportation than other people.
MYTH: Money from the Transportation Trust Fund would only be used to reduce road congestion and increase mobility on roads.
FACT: This Fiscal Year the Maryland Department of Transportation will spend 54 percent of total highway and transportation money on transit projects. Over the past five years, 50 percent of transportation spending has been focused on transit. In 2009, 48 percent of transportation funding went to transit - 20 times the statewide transit share of 4 percent of passenger movement. At 55 percent, the imbalance would reach 25 times.
MYTH: Transit could be the easiest way to reach work for all commuters.
FACT: There is virtually no potential for transit to carry a material share of travel to the 80 or 90 percent of the jobs outside major metropolitan areas since the concentration of destinations needed to compete with cars exists nowhere else.
MYTH: More people ride transit than ever before.
FACT: Even with a big increase in MARC train service and the addition of light rail in Baltimore, about the same share of Marylanders get to work by transit today as in 1980.
MYTH: Transit is convenient.
FACT: The average transit trip is much longer than one by car. In the Baltimore metropolitan area, the average one-way transit commute is 53 minutes, while the average car commute is 28 minutes. In the Washington metropolitan area, the average one-way transit commute is 47 minutes, while the average car commute is 32 minutes.
Of note, the Brookings Institution found that, on average, fewer than 10 percent of jobs in Washington and Baltimore can be reached by transit within 45 minutes.
Voter Fraud Is Major Election Threat Based on Recent Cases, Analyst Says
Even as one election-fraud case in Lincoln County, W. Va., comes to a close, another case in Troy, N.Y., continues.Still, Attorney General Eric Holder asserts that voter fraud is “uncommon,” in defending the Justice Department’s lawsuit to stamp out voter ID laws in South Carolina and potentially other states.
Election fraud is a greater threat to the right to vote than poll taxes and other Jim Crow restrictions, said Horace Cooper, adjunct fellow with National Center for Public Policy Research.
The legal analyst cited “ghost voting” as the biggest problem.
The term “ghost voter” is used to describe dead people that remain on the voter rolls.
“Far worse, than standing up and being seen blocking the vote, this is the contravening of the vote without even having a record or a shadow of it happening,” Cooper told CNSNews.com.
Cooper cited voter fraud and election cases in West Virginia, Colorado, New York state, Wisconsin and various localities to make the point that voter ID laws are needed to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“One of the problems with a ghost voting situation is that it’s very difficult to ascertain when it’s happening,” Cooper said.
Last year, eight states adopted voter ID laws.
Last December, the Justice Department objected to a new South Carolina law that requires voters to show photo IDs to vote and brought suit. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of voter ID laws in Indiana in the decision on Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.
There are more than 3 million dead people still on the voter rolls across America, according to a 2009 study by Aristotle International Inc., a technology firm specializing in political campaigns, while another 12.9 million remain on voter lists in areas where they no longer live. In total about 8.9 percent of all registered voters fall under the category of “deadwood” voters, a term for voters who should not be eligible to vote in a precinct, according to the study.
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Election fraud is a greater threat to the right to vote than poll taxes and other Jim Crow restrictions, said Horace Cooper, adjunct fellow with National Center for Public Policy Research.
The legal analyst cited “ghost voting” as the biggest problem.
The term “ghost voter” is used to describe dead people that remain on the voter rolls.
“Far worse, than standing up and being seen blocking the vote, this is the contravening of the vote without even having a record or a shadow of it happening,” Cooper told CNSNews.com.
Cooper cited voter fraud and election cases in West Virginia, Colorado, New York state, Wisconsin and various localities to make the point that voter ID laws are needed to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“One of the problems with a ghost voting situation is that it’s very difficult to ascertain when it’s happening,” Cooper said.
Last year, eight states adopted voter ID laws.
Last December, the Justice Department objected to a new South Carolina law that requires voters to show photo IDs to vote and brought suit. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of voter ID laws in Indiana in the decision on Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.
There are more than 3 million dead people still on the voter rolls across America, according to a 2009 study by Aristotle International Inc., a technology firm specializing in political campaigns, while another 12.9 million remain on voter lists in areas where they no longer live. In total about 8.9 percent of all registered voters fall under the category of “deadwood” voters, a term for voters who should not be eligible to vote in a precinct, according to the study.
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Trump's NJ Cemetery Likely Wouldn't Be Costliest
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A final resting place at Donald Trump's golf course in New Jersey will surely cost a lot, but will be a bargain compared to some of the country's other swanky cemeteries.
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Holder Admits ‘National Security Crisis Along Our Southwest Border’
There is a “national security crisis” along the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, head of Obama’s Department of Justice (DOJ), told lawmakers on Thursday.
Nevertheless, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said that the southwest border is “as secure now as it has ever been” due to the Obama administration efforts.
“I reiterate my willingness to work with Congress generally and with this committee more specifically to address the public safety and national security crisis along our southwest border that has taken far too many lives,” said Holder during a contentious hearing on the botched gun-running Operation Fast and Furious held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Earlier this week, during her State of America’s Homeland Security address from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Napolitano said, “The Obama administration has undertaken the most serious and sustained actions to secure our borders in our nation’s history, and it is clear from every measure we currently have that this approach is working.”
The latest Drug Threat Assessment from DOJ conceded that Mexican criminals “control access to the U.S.-Mexico border” and the “smuggling routes across” it, “resulting in unprecedented levels of violence in Mexico” and allowing those drug trafficking organizations and their associates to “dominate the supply and wholesale distribution of most illicit drugs in the United States.”
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Nevertheless, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said that the southwest border is “as secure now as it has ever been” due to the Obama administration efforts.
“I reiterate my willingness to work with Congress generally and with this committee more specifically to address the public safety and national security crisis along our southwest border that has taken far too many lives,” said Holder during a contentious hearing on the botched gun-running Operation Fast and Furious held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Earlier this week, during her State of America’s Homeland Security address from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Napolitano said, “The Obama administration has undertaken the most serious and sustained actions to secure our borders in our nation’s history, and it is clear from every measure we currently have that this approach is working.”
The latest Drug Threat Assessment from DOJ conceded that Mexican criminals “control access to the U.S.-Mexico border” and the “smuggling routes across” it, “resulting in unprecedented levels of violence in Mexico” and allowing those drug trafficking organizations and their associates to “dominate the supply and wholesale distribution of most illicit drugs in the United States.”
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Queen Celebrates 60 Years On Throne
LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II marked 60 years on the throne Monday with a message thanking all those who have supported her over her reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people.
Tributes from British officials poured in to honor the 85-year-old monarch on Accession Day. She ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952 and is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.
Before a year's worth of festivities to celebrate her milestone, the queen said she and her husband have been "deeply moved" to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.
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Tributes from British officials poured in to honor the 85-year-old monarch on Accession Day. She ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952 and is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.
Before a year's worth of festivities to celebrate her milestone, the queen said she and her husband have been "deeply moved" to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.
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Southwest Border-- ‘Hell To Pay In The Not Too Distant Future’
The Iranian-supported Shi’ite terrorist group Hezbollah has spread its influence all the way to the U.S. border with Mexico, a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Iran’s influence in the Western Hemisphere heard on Thursday.
Michael Braun, a former chief of operations at the Drug Enforcement Agency, said Hezbollah had developed relationships with the powerful Mexican drug cartels to “move their agenda forward.” He cited a plot, recently uncovered by the DEA, involving an Iranian operative in Mexico allegedly planning to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C.
“Hezbollah are absolute masters at forming close relationships with existing organized crime groups around the world that helps them facilitate what they need to do to move their agendas forward,” Braun told CNSNews.com following the hearing. “And if anyone thinks for a moment that they don’t have their eye on the southwest border and all of our country, then they couldn’t be more wrong.”
In his prepared remarks Braun, who also served as interim director of the Department of Justice’s Drug Intelligence Fusion Center, said Hezbollah and other terrorist groups understand that the Mexican cartels are already operating successfully inside the United States.
“If anyone thinks for one moment that these terrorist organizations do not understand that the Mexican drug trafficking cartels now dominate drug trafficking in our country – reportedly in more than 250 cities – than they are very stupid or very naive,” he said.
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Michael Braun, a former chief of operations at the Drug Enforcement Agency, said Hezbollah had developed relationships with the powerful Mexican drug cartels to “move their agenda forward.” He cited a plot, recently uncovered by the DEA, involving an Iranian operative in Mexico allegedly planning to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C.
“Hezbollah are absolute masters at forming close relationships with existing organized crime groups around the world that helps them facilitate what they need to do to move their agendas forward,” Braun told CNSNews.com following the hearing. “And if anyone thinks for a moment that they don’t have their eye on the southwest border and all of our country, then they couldn’t be more wrong.”
In his prepared remarks Braun, who also served as interim director of the Department of Justice’s Drug Intelligence Fusion Center, said Hezbollah and other terrorist groups understand that the Mexican cartels are already operating successfully inside the United States.
“If anyone thinks for one moment that these terrorist organizations do not understand that the Mexican drug trafficking cartels now dominate drug trafficking in our country – reportedly in more than 250 cities – than they are very stupid or very naive,” he said.
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Debate To Be Held Prior To Early Voting In Maryland
10 candidates that are running for the US Senate in Maryland against Ben Cardin (D) are going to participate in a debate on Friday 2 March at 6:30 in the Assateague Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center. This is the US Senate Candidate Debate. This event will be free of charge and a great opportunity to get a snapshot of who is running and who might be the best candidate to earn your vote!
Topics: Current events (state or federal); the economy; immigration; foreign policy; national security; energy, etc.
Early voting in Maryland is 24-29 March and the Maryland Primary is 3 April 2012.
What questions would you ask? Do you plan to attend?
Topics: Current events (state or federal); the economy; immigration; foreign policy; national security; energy, etc.
Early voting in Maryland is 24-29 March and the Maryland Primary is 3 April 2012.
What questions would you ask? Do you plan to attend?
Family Calls For Apology After Student Told To Remove Yarmulke
SILVER SPRING, Md. - A Montgomery County family wants an apology after a high school principal told their son he'd need a note from his rabbi if he wanted to wear his knitted kippa sruga to school.
Dr. Henry Johnson, principal at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, told the Washington Post the he was enforcing the school's policy on the wearing of hats, and that 17-year-old Caleb Tanenbaum's kippa — a knitted black cap that covers the teenager's dreadlocks - didn't look at all like the more typical yarmulke worn by Jewish students.
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Dr. Henry Johnson, principal at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, told the Washington Post the he was enforcing the school's policy on the wearing of hats, and that 17-year-old Caleb Tanenbaum's kippa — a knitted black cap that covers the teenager's dreadlocks - didn't look at all like the more typical yarmulke worn by Jewish students.
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Voter Fraud in Maryland!
Get involved! How many dead people do you know that vote? Turns out there are many...
As a volunteer, you can participate with True the Vote in a variety of ways – leading an effort in your county/area, working at the polls, registering new voters and helping in other efforts to ensure the accuracy of our elections. Are you ready to Get Involved to ensure a Free and Fair Election?
http://www.truethevote.org/volunteer/
Read about what is taking place elsewhere!....
http://www.truethevote.org/
As a volunteer, you can participate with True the Vote in a variety of ways – leading an effort in your county/area, working at the polls, registering new voters and helping in other efforts to ensure the accuracy of our elections. Are you ready to Get Involved to ensure a Free and Fair Election?
http://www.truethevote.org/volunteer/
Read about what is taking place elsewhere!....
http://www.truethevote.org/
Inlet parking rates will not change, other parking rates might
By Lockerz(Feb. 3, 2012) The Ocean City Council appears torn on whether to fund $41 million in roadway improvements by charging more for existing parking meters or by adding new ones.
...The options McGean presented for new parking meter spaces included three lists. The first list option included what he termed the “Boardwalk spaces,” in the downtown areas south of 27th Street. The second group was the ocean block streets north of 27th Street, which could result in conflicts with adjacent property owners if new meters were added in those areas. The third group, dubbed “bayside business” by McGean, consisted mainly of locations west of Philadelphia Avenue or Coastal Highway that are zoned commercial or mixed use and have commercial developments nearby.
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...The options McGean presented for new parking meter spaces included three lists. The first list option included what he termed the “Boardwalk spaces,” in the downtown areas south of 27th Street. The second group was the ocean block streets north of 27th Street, which could result in conflicts with adjacent property owners if new meters were added in those areas. The third group, dubbed “bayside business” by McGean, consisted mainly of locations west of Philadelphia Avenue or Coastal Highway that are zoned commercial or mixed use and have commercial developments nearby.
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