Salisbury News: 10/14/12

Sunday, October 14, 2012

'Million Muppet March' To Support PBS

D.C. is used to protests, rallies and demonstrations, but this one might make everyone do a double take.

Two men are planning what they call “The Million Muppet March.”

43-year-old Michael Bellavia and 46-year-old Chris Mecham are organizing the march to show their support for public broadcasting, which was famously put on the chopping block from Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during his first debate with President Barack Obama last week.

Big Bucks For Ballot Issues In Maryland

With just three weeks to go until Election Day, special interest groups are spending millions of dollars on ballot issues in Maryland.

Most of the $53 million spent is over Question 7, which will ask whether or not to build a casino in Prince George’s County.

Groups for and against Question 7 have spent more than $47 million, an amount which is on pace to exceed candidate spending in the past two governor’s races combined.

Top 10 Ways To Deal With The Internet's Biggest Morons

Anyone who's spent a few minutes on the internet can tell you its full of unsavory folk. Some are jerks that incite arguments and hate, while others could be our best friends that just don't know how to handle themselves on Facebook. Whatever the case, here are our top 10 tips for dealing with less considerate internet citizens.

10. Learn to spot fake product reviews

Online shopping is awesome, particularly because of the ability to read reviews on any given product before you buy. Some people are upstanding folk and leave good, well thought-out reviews — but some product manufacturers leave their own fake reviews to try and inflate their product's rating. So how can you spot the fake reviews from the real ones? It isn't as hard as you think: extremely positive language is often a good indicator, as is overuse of first-person comments. Check out this list of things to watch out for, as well as some of the new techniques manufacturers have been employing. Hopefully, armed with the right knowledge, you won't get duped.

Fungus-Tainted Steroid Injection

The Food and Drug Administration said it didn't have clear authority to act against the company that produced fungus-tainted steroid injections. And it said a confused tangle of laws means Massachusetts officials had the same problem. Deborah Autor, deputy FDA commissioner for global operations and policy, said the nation's regulatory apparatus needed updating to handle the compounding industry. The steroid in question is blamed for 14 deaths. It was produced by the now-closed New England Compounding Company. The Washington Post reported that FDA noted problems with the company back in 2006.

Human Trafficing

Crowdsourcing and challenges are all the rage nowadays, as agencies seek fresh ideas from the public through social media and the Internet. Now, USAID is hoping those trends can help solve the complex problem of human trafficking. The agency has launched a campus challenge to alert university students worldwide about trafficking. Officials also hoped to hear new, creative ideas for stopping it. The website challenge — ChallengeSlavery.org — invites students to discuss trafficking online. USAID is also running a contest for tech solutions to combat trafficking.

Beach Theft Cases Solved

During late September and early October of 2012, Ocean City Police received several reports involving thefts of property from the public beach areas south of 28^th Street. During the investigation, officers noticed similarities involving the various victims’ reports. The suspect description was similar as was the type of items being stolen.

On October 5, 2012, at approximately 2:15 p.m. patrol officers responded to a theft of a purse at 16^th street and the beach. When officers arrived at the scene they were met by an off-duty Hagerstown police officer, as well as a previous victim who reported a theft of her purse from the beach the previous day. This previous victim began observing the suspect, identified as Lindsey Marie Lopez, 23, of Berlin; attempt to steal a purse from the beach at 16^th Street. The off-duty officer detained Lopez until OCPD patrol officers arrived at the scene.

Officers recovered the stolen purse. Based on witness and victim statements, as well as information obtained during the investigation, police were able to link Lopez to at least nine additional thefts which had occurred between mid-September and early October. Due to the cumulative value of the stolen property, Lopez was charged with Felony Theft Scheme.

At the time of Lopez’s arrest she was found in possession of a hypodermic syringe, which she admitted was illegal drug paraphernalia.

Lopez was charged with:

9 counts of misdemeanor theft
Felony Theft Scheme
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (syringe)

Lopez was seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and was held on $10,000 bond. The investigation is on-going and Ocean City Police are asking anyone who believes they may be a victim of this crime scheme to please contact Ocean City Police, Officer Moerschel at: 410-520-5368.

Sound Barrier Broken In ‘Space Dive’

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner lands safely in the New Mexico desert minutes after jumping from capsule 24 miles above Earth — breaking the sound barrier along the way, officials say.
From Fox News

California Demands Business Insider Retract False Story On Jobless Claims Misreporting

After yesterday Zero Hedge first reported the reason for the surprising plunge in the past week's initial claims, which as the BLS explained was due to "a state" (whose identity despite all tabloid speculation to the contrary is still unknown) not reporting "some" figures, assorted blogs picked up on what has since been confirmed to be an incorrect report by Business Insider's Henry Blodget claiming that "Well, we're glad to say that we've finally gotten to the bottom of what happened" and that the state in question is none other than California (supposedly as opposed to Illinois to shut up those wacky conspiracy theorists). Turns out the site known best for its slideshow presentations (which will soon double down as advertisements) may have once again fibbed just a little, following an official demand by none other than California state Employment Development Department direct, Pam Harris, that BI retract its article. To wit: "Reports that California failed to fully report data to the U.S. Department of Labor, as required, are incorrect and irresponsible... It’s unfortunate this ‘reporter’ and others who repeated the article’s erroneous statements chose to speculate rather than report, failing to confirm this information with EDD." Sure enough, the 'reporter' in question replied, and it appears that Business Insider is better informed than California when it comes to matters such as these, and has refused to retract.

From California:

SACRAMENTO – California Employment Development Department Director Pam Harris today issued the following statement in response to an un-sourced and unsubstantiated media report from Business Insider that erroneously asserts the state failed to fully and properly report unemployment insurance weekly claims data – also known as the jobless claims report – to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Reports that California failed to fully report data to the U.S. Department of Labor, as required, are incorrect and irresponsible. The California Employment Development Department, which administers the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program in the state, has reported all UI claims data and submitted the data on time.

The original article also erroneously claims that there is a backlog of UI claims in California. California continues to file UI claims on a timely basis. Data on UI claim activity is required to be reported to the Labor Department every week and California has fully complied with the weekly reporting deadlines.

It’s unfortunate this ‘reporter’ and others who repeated the article’s erroneous statements chose to speculate rather than report, failing to confirm this information with EDD. We demand an immediate retraction and encourage writers to verify these ‘stories’ before publishing them.”

Cue Business Insider's response

The Other Awkward Talk You Need To Have With Your Kids

When I was growing up in Iowa, we didn’t talk about money in my family. My parents valued teaching my siblings and me about saving, budgeting and earning money, but conversations about our family’s economic situation and financial decisions were rare. This was typical at the time — especially in the Midwest, so to my friends and me, money was shrouded in some level of secrecy. Later, when my family hit a rough patch during the farm crisis, we began having more open conversations about money. And while those talks were very difficult at first, it was a relief to understand more about our family’s finances.

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Spying

Telecom corporations have once against escaped any sort of punishment for spying on Americans. On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court again granted immunity to telecom giants that helped the U.S. government spy on Americans without a warrant post-9/11 – by refusing to hear a legal challenge brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation alleging that companies like AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon violated federal laws. The lead lawyers on behalf of individuals who were spied on, Richard Wiebe, reacted to the ruling saying, "It's one more example of the court stepping back from taking any role in enforcing the rule of law in the war on terror."

It’s Oakland Vs. Washington In Legal Battle Over Huge Medical Marijuana Dispensary

In what is believed to be the first instance of a municipality suing the federal government on behalf of a medical marijuana dispensary, the city of Oakland has gone to court to ask the feds to please stop trying to close down the largest such dispensary in the country.

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Question 7

The chair of the House of Delegates gaming subcommittee who defended the expansion of gambling that appears on the ballot this fall is telling constituents he “would have voted against the bill” if he hadn’t been the floor leader. In an interview, Del. Frank Turner, a Howard County Democrat, also declined to say how he planned to vote on Question 7 which would add a sixth casino and table games for all of them and reduce taxes for casino operators.

Lost Kitten

Hi Joe,

I'm emailing you in hopes you can spread the word on our lost kitten. I have two sad little children that have been looking for hours. She has been missing since Saturday evening. We live in Hebron off Crooked Oak Lane. She is 15 weeks old calico kitten. She has a pink polka dotted collar with a bell. Her
name is Kaleigh. If anybody has seen her please contact me at 410-845-9939.

BREAKING NEWS: FORMER US SEN. ARLEN SPECTER DIES

Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania dies at 82.

BREAKING NEWS: EXTREME SKYDIVER COMPLETES SPACE JUMP

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner has landed safely on Earth after a 24-mile-high jump from the stratosphere in what could be the world's first supersonic skydive.

From Fox News

The Best Joe Biden Gaffes [VIDEO]

All eyes will be on Joe Biden as he takes center stage with Paul Ryan in tonight's highly anticipated Vice Presidential debate.

With the pressure on Biden to swing the momentum back to his party's ticket, there's a chance the gaffe-prone VP will commit some sort of blunder on stage tonight.

Given his charisma and loose cannon-style of talk, Biden will certainly have the audience's attention.

From telling Obama "this is a big f***ing deal" on live TV to wondering out loud how his parents had sex in a house with thin walls, Biden has made America laugh and groan with his patented "Biden blunders."

Check out Biden's best blunders here >

The Pursuit Of Happiness And The Sociopathology Of Prosperity

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been distilled into a sociopathology of consumption and unrealistic expectations of "prosperity" that do not lead to happiness or well-being.

What's the point of prosperity?

Though few people ever voice this question openly, the general assumption is that prosperity and wealth increase happiness. The pursuit of happiness (famously grouped with “life” and “liberty” in the Declaration of Independence as an inalienable right) has become the pursuit of prosperity and wealth.

That physical comfort and security grease the skids of happiness is self-evident; living a hand-to-mouth existence inside a cardboard box is not as conducive to human happiness as having a comfortable home and secure income.

But it is equally self-evident that a secure dwelling and income do not guarantee happiness; rather, they provide the physical foundation for the much more elusive qualities of happiness. We can make the same distinction between the civil liberties that underpin the pursuit of happiness and the actual pursuit of happiness. The first is a political system devoted to safeguarding liberty; the second is a messy, dynamic process that continues through all of life.

If the basic political and material foundations for the pursuit of happiness are in place, we might anticipate a broadly happy society. If prosperity and wealth are causally linked to greater happiness, we might expect to find that prosperous people are generally happy.

America has great material wealth, but is happiness as abundant as wealth? And if not, why not?

Cashin Remembers Germany's Hyperinflation Birthday

Originally, on this day in 1922, the German Central Bank and the German Treasury took an inevitable step in a process which had begun with their previous effort to "jump start" a stagnant economy. Many months earlier they had decided that what was needed was easier money. Their initial efforts brought little response. So, using the governmental "more is better" theory they simply created more and more money. But economic stagnation continued and so did the money growth. They kept making money more available. No reaction. Then, suddenly prices began to explode unbelievably (but, perversely, not business activity).

So, on this day government officials decided to bring figures in line with market realities. They devalued the mark. The new value would be 2 billion marks to a dollar. At the start of World War I the exchange rate had been a mere 4.2 marks to the dollar. In simple terms you needed 4.2 marks in order to get one dollar. Now it was 2 billion marks to get one dollar. And thirteen months from this date (late November 1923) you would need 4.2 trillion marks to get one dollar. In ten years the amount of money had increased a trillion fold.

Numbers like billions and trillions tend to numb the mind. They are too large to grasp in any “real” sense. Thirty years ago an older member of the NYSE (there were some then) gave me a graphic and memorable (at least for me) example. “Young man,” he said, “would you like a million dollars?” “I sure would, sir!”, I replied anxiously. “Then just put aside $500 every week for the next 40 years.” I have never forgotten that a million dollars is enough to pay you $500 per week for 40 years (and that’s without benefit of interest). To get a billion dollars you would have to set aside $500,000 dollars per week for 40 years. And a…..trillion that would require $500 million every week for 40 years. Even with these examples, the enormity is difficult to grasp.

Let’s take a different tack. To understand the incomprehensible scope of the German inflation maybe it’s best to start with something basic….like a loaf of bread. (To keep things simple we’ll substitute dollars and cents in place of marks and pfennigs. You’ll get the picture.) In the middle of 1914, just before the war, a one pound loaf of bread cost 13 cents. Two years later it was 19 cents. Two years more and it sold for 22 cents. By 1919 it was 26 cents. Now the fun begins.

In 1920, a loaf of bread soared to $1.20, and then in 1921 it hit $1.35. By the middle of 1922 it was $3.50. At the start of 1923 it rocketed to $700 a loaf. Five months later a loaf went for $1200. By September it was $2 million. A month later it was $670 million (wide spread rioting broke out). The next month it hit $3 billion. By mid month it was $100 billion. Then it all collapsed. Let’s go back to “marks”. In 1913, the total currency of Germany was a grand total of 6 billion marks. In November of 1923 that loaf of bread we just talked about cost 428 billion marks. A kilo of fresh butter cost 6000 billion marks (as you will note that kilo of butter cost 1000 times more than the entire money supply of the nation just 10 years earlier).

Unions Fine Members Who Don't Show Support For Elizabeth Warren

A GOP source sends along this video, shot by a Republican tracker, of a union member supporting Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren outside of a debate Wednesday night in Springfield, Massachusetts. The cameraman asks the union member if he was at an earlier debate between Warren and her Republican opponent, Senator Scott Brown.

"Uh-huh," the union member says, nodding.

"Did you guys get fined if you weren't there?" the cameraman asks.

"Yeah," the union member replies.

"How much did you get fined?" the cameraman asks.

"A hundred and fifty," the man says, although he later adds, "It's two-fifty if you don't go." Watch the video below:

O'Malley Pushes Radical Economic AgendaFfor U.S., Maryland

Annapolis - Change Maryland released a fact sheet today to expose a radical nationwide movement underway to redefine economic progress in America. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently hosted an Annapolis summit for advocates of what is called a "Genuine Progress Indicator." The national forum received scant media attention and the issue itself has largely been under the radar of most mainstream media outlets.

The impetus behind the Genuine Progress Indicator, or GPI movement, is to supplant traditional federal government statistics with new and arbitrary criteria that deducts what other government bureaucrats deem as environmental and social costs that accrue from prosperity.

"Under Martin O'Malley, Maryland is falling further and further behind competitors in the region and across the country according to legitimate organizations, and objective, accepted and proven measures," said Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan. "He wants to throw out real economic reports and adopt a radical propaganda campaign inspired by the failed model of central economic planning."

The GPI consists of 26 arbitrarily-chosen economic, environmental and social "indicators" that attempt to deduct or add various scenarios that occur with everyday life to state-government planning models. For example, deducted would be a wide range of wildly-subjective indicators such as noise pollution and income inequality.

Nationally, the GPI agenda is pushed by groups such as New York-based Demos, a liberal public policy non-profit that describes itself as dedicated to "empowering the public sector" and that advocates "re-thinking American capitalism as it exists today."

GPI is also pushed by a cadre of left-wing university professors who say that people just need food and shelter for happiness, economies do not need to grow, individuals are interchangeable with one another and that corporations will collapse.

The web-based Maryland GPI initiative, implemented in the executive branch of Maryland State Government since 2010, also contains a number of meaningless platitudes. For example state government tells us that, "Marylanders' social well-being is reduced when the underemployed are not working to their full potential by consequential negative feelings and actions, such as frustration and substance abuse."

"Maryland's well-being will be greatly enhanced when we stop losing businesses, jobs and our tax base," said Hogan. "It's absolutely ridiculous that accepted measures such as IRS tax migration data are ignored and this radical left-wing nonsense is what the state wants to use to measure it's lack of progress."

Maryland has lost 6,500 businesses and 31,000 members of taxpayer households between 2007 and 2010, which puts Maryland at or near the bottom of the region. The loss of 36,000 jobs since 2007 also cements Maryland's place as a regional laggard in economic performance.

In addition to Maryland, Oregon is exploring the GPI program. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed GPI legislation into law this Spring.

Somerset County Sheriff's Office Press Releases 10-14-12

Juvenile arrested 0n 10-5-12 for disturbing school functions at the Hope Creek School, Marion. Deputies responded to the school for a male student being disruptive, and later walked out of the school. Deputies arrested the juvenile and charged him with disturbing school functions. The juvenile was later released to parents pending juvenile court actions.

Lance William Cline of Princess Anne, arrested 10-5-12 for malicious destruction of property. Deputies were called to a residence on Perryhawkin Church Rd, Princess Anne for a domestic dispute. Deputies later learned that a female victim attempted to leave the residence, and that Cline had punctured all four tires on her vehicle with a pruning tool. Cline was arrested for malicious destruction of property, and later released on personal recognizance.

Aaron Jasper Bridges of Bessemer North Carolina, arrested 10-9-12 for driving on a suspended out of state drivers’ license, driving without license, failure to obey a traffic control device, and driving without required stop lamps. Bridges was later released on signature pending court actions. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies in the area of Crisfield Highway, Kingston.

Raymont A. Womack of Salisbury, arrested 10-10-12 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Womack was held on a $ 250.00 bond.

Chad Michael Bozman of Princess Anne, arrested 10-10-12 on warrants for violation of probation. Bozman was held on a $ 50,000 bond.

Ellwood Henry Morris Jr. of Princess Anne, arrested 10-10-12 on a warrant for violation of probation. Morris was held on a $ 5,000 bond.

Richard Alan McGlothlin Jr. of Rising Sun Maryland , arrested 10-11-12 on a fugitive warrant. McGlothlin was held without bond.

Record Investments And Achievement

Governor O’Malley’s Blog has posted a new item, 'Record Investments and
Achievement'

The most important investments we make as a people are investments in public
education. That's why, even in the toughest of times, together, we've chosen

to increase school funding 45% since 2006. To get our children out of

temporary learning shacks and into state-of-the-art classrooms, we've invested over $2 billion in school construction.

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Republicans In Position To Extend Advantage Among Governor

(Reuters) - Democrats are on the defensive in this year's clutch of U.S. governors' races as four of the party's incumbent state chief executives step down compared with just one Republican.

The battle for the 11 governorships at play on November 6 has received a fraction of the attention paid to the races for the White House and the U.S. Senate, where Democratic control is at risk.

Just half a dozen of the gubernatorial races are even competitive, and Republicans, who hold a 29-to-20 advantage over Democrats, appear to be in a strong position to increase their majority.

They are likely to pick up at least one post, according to recent polls and political analysts.

The Democratic and Republican governors associations are spending millions in the swing states of North Carolina, New Hampshire and Missouri, as well as in close contests in Montana, West Virginia and Washington state.

"Our goal is just to add to our majority of 29 governors, hopefully with a few seats," said Republican Governors Association spokesman Mike Schrimpf. "Any year that you're picking up states is a good year, especially in a presidential (election) year."

Jobless Claims Impacted By One State

UPDATE: A source at the Department of Labor explained to us exactly what happened and which state accounted for the plunge. Read more here.

Earlier this morning, the Department of Labor reported that initial jobless claims plunged to 339K from 369K a week ago.

Economists were looking for a reading of 370k.

Immediately, Twitter exploded with tweets mocking Jack Welch, who claimed last week's jobs report was fixed to artificially drop the September unemployment rate to 7.8 percent from 8.1 percent in August.

Md. Reports 15th Case Of Meningitis Linked To Shot

Maryland health officials and the Centers for Disease Control now say there have been 15 cases of meningitis in the state believed to be linked to steroid injections for back pain.

The revised numbers for Maryland and 11 other states was posted on the CDC website on Saturday afternoon.

Halo Celebrates 5 Years Of Service With Harvest Of Hope Gala Fundraiser

Salisbury, MD – Celebrate Halo’s 5^th year of service to the homeless and hurting in the community at the Harvest of Hope Gala Fundraiser on Sunday, October 21^st. The banquet, which will be held at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, MD, includes dinner, a live and silent auction as well as music by the Wicomico Day School Chorus.

David Burrier will serve as the evening’s keynote speaker. Burrier is a professional speaker, singer, song-writer, author and award-winning poet. He is alos the Chief Development & Community Relations Officer for the largest homeless provider in the state of Iowa.

Doors open at 5:00pm with dinner served at 5:30pm. Tickets are $40 per person or $75 per couple and can be purchased at the Halo Administrative Office, Office of Phil Wheatley, CPA and the Bank of Delmarva. Table sponsorships are also available. All proceeds will support the programs and services of Halo. For additional information please contact Teresa Schevel at 410.742.9356. To learn more about Halo, please visit www.HALOministry.org

Md. teen charged after bullying caught on camera

BRUNSWICK, Md. - Frederick County officials say a 15-year-old boy has been charged with assault for bullying a high school student who was about to be interviewed on the subject by a television news crew.

The teenager, who has not been publicly identified, has been referred to the Department of Juvenile Services.

Jon Stewart Slams Obama On Big Bird: Has 'Given Up'

Jon Stewart has already figured out President Barack Obama's "October surprise":

"He has given up."

That was the start of a furious Stewart takedown on the Obama campaign's much-maligned Big Bird ad, which was panned universally by Republicans and members of the media.

Stewart painted the last few days of the Obama campaign as "The Great Muppet Caper," saying that the "Big Bird" response was a "great next day comeback" — but probably should have ended there.

Stewart buried his face in his hands after showing a clip of the Obama campaign's ad, which sarcastically casts Big Bird as a corporate savage comparable to Bernie Madoff and Kenneth Lay.

The most damning line in that ad, according to Stewart? "I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message."

Watch the full segment HERE

3rd Friday: Art & Entertainment In Downtown Salisbury

Salisbury, MD – This Friday October 19th, Art and Music will take over Downtown Main Street for 3rd Friday’s final outdoor event for the year: RocktoberFest! We will be celebrating all things fall with Halloween themed Art Displays, a pumpkin carving contest, live music and more! Artists and Crafters fill the Main Street Plaza Area, and the shops and restaurants are open with special 3F sales and events. 3rd Fridays are free to the public, so come down, and experience local art against our Downtown’s beautiful backdrop!

The Main Street Plaza will be jam packed and rocking. Grateful Floyd will perform on Plaza Stage from 5:30 – 8pm, with amazing variations on all the classics from The Allman Brothers and Neil Young to The Dave Matthews Band. This Easton-based band has performed all over the region, and is always a crowd favorite! In the spirit of the season, several artists will be displaying special Halloween themed art projects and PLB Comics will be premiering their first ever limited-edition Halloween issue! Carved Pumpkins will also be on display, for our first annual pumpkin carving contest. Pre-carved pumpkins can be brought to 3rd Friday and put on display for a chance to win fantastic prizes!

Powell Building will also be rocking with the B&B Music Annual Rock Show from 6:30 – 7:30. Local B&B music students will be showcasing a variety of solo and ensemble performances of songs in a wide range of genres. So stop in and hear the next generation of local talent, as they show off their skills.

On the way in to the Powell building, be sure to stop and admire the front windows! As a preview to the Annual CCART Show and Sale, which starts next month, the front windows of the Powell Building have been turned into a “Gallery under Glass”, a special exhibit made possible, in part, by a grant from SWAC, MSAC & NEA. Cori Beardsley, an Eastern Shore Native, and previous CCART and SWAC scholarship recipient who has recently returned to the area after pursuing her training, will be transforming the space with “Cave Sculpture”. “My love of the physical relationship with the material and the dram of something emerging in space is why I sculpt.” says Cori. The installation really is amazing, and hard to miss!

The Art Institute and Gallery will have the opening reception of the Fall Members Exhibition and the Foyer Gallery Solo Exhibit of Betty Latourney. In addition the Robinson Gallery will open an exhibit that focuses on recovery from domestic violence, as October is National Domestic Violence Month. This special exhibit titled “Light from the Darkness of Domestic Violence” is a beautiful exhibit with powerful imagery, hoping to raise awareness and spread hope to all affected.

The Kids Activity Area on Government Office Building Lawn will also be “jumping” with Live Music from the “Tommy Buckets”, and a giant moon bounce! Big Brothers Big Sisters will be there with sidewalk art and hoola hoops and SWAC will be doing Pumpkin Art!

3F is an all-volunteer effort, a downtown economic development initiative and a project of the Salisbury Arts & Entertainment District Committee. There is no charge for local artists to set up, only registration is required.

Cellphone 'Valets' At New York City Schools; Students Pay To Store Devices In Trucks

NEW YORK — Thousands of teenagers who can't take their cellphones to school have another option, courtesy of a burgeoning industry of sorts in always-enterprising New York City: paying a dollar a day to leave it in a truck that's parked nearby.

Students might resent an expense that adds up to as much as $180 a year, but even so, leaving a phone at one of the trucks in the morning and then picking it up at the end of the day has become as routine for city teenagers as getting dressed and riding the morning-rush subway.

"Sometimes it's a hassle because not everyone can afford it," said Kelice Charles, a freshman at Gramercy Arts High School in Manhattan. "But then again, it's a living."

Cellphones and other devices, such as iPods and iPads, are banned in all New York City public schools, but the rule is widely ignored except in the 88 buildings that have metal detectors. Administrators at schools without detectors tell students, "If we don't see it, we don't know about it."

Attention