WHAT BIBLICAL PLAGUE HAS HIT EGYPT JUST THREE WEEKS BEFORE PASSOVER?

A massive swarm of locusts is descending on Egypt, creating scenes reminiscent of the eighth plague described in the Book of Exodus. The timing is particularly unusual as Jews later this month will be celebrating Passover which retells the Israelites’ dramatic journey to freedom from slavery in Egypt. According to the Bible, Pharaoh released the slaves only after his people were struck by ten plagues.

Though it’s a seasonal scourge – there’s even an “anti-locusts department” in the Agriculture Ministry – this locust infestation is particularly pesky. Egyptian media report that this year’s swarm numbers an estimated 30 million insects making their way north from Suez to Cairo. Farmers along their path are on high alert, worried their crops could be wiped out, and are accusing government officials of doing nothing to prepare for the invasion.

Salah Moawad, an Agriculture Ministry official, says locusts have even landed on the runways of Cairo International Airport after being chased from other locations. Flight delays were not reported.
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Moscow Mayor Says No To More Mosques In The City

The Mayor of Moscow says there are no plans to build a new mosque in the city, and says the 'excessive' number of economic migrants was a ‘harmful thing’.

“It has turned out that the praying Muslims are not at all Russian citizens and they are not Moscow residents. They are labor migrants. There are only 10 percent of Moscow residents among them and building mosques for everyone who wants it – I think this will be over the top,” Sergey Sobyanin said in an interview with Moscow's Echo radio.

The top city official went on to say that “Muscovites now get irritated by people who speak a different language, have different manners, with aggressive behavior. This is not purely ethnic, but this is connected with some ethnic traits,” Sobyanin said.

At the same time, the Moscow Mayor explained that there are no ethnic enclaves in the city and expressed the hope that such enclaves would never appear as closed districts like that usually have a very high crime rate.

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OCEAN CITY EXPECTS TO FACE $1.5M DEFICIT

With next year’s fiscal reserves looking to be un-replenished, the town of Ocean City may be taking measures to generate additional revenue through new and higher fees in order to close its projected budget gap for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins this July.

Among those possibilities are establishing a stormwater utility fund, higher rates on parking meters and charging for trash collection.

In a preliminary overview of revenues for the upcoming financial cycle, City Manager David Recor and Budget Manager Jennie Knapp informed the council this week that the city is looking at a fiscal hole in its FY14 operations of roughly $1.5 million.
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AMID GUN CONTROL PUSH, OBAMA PARDONS MAN SENTENCED FOR GUN CRIMES

Amid the push for more gun control for law-abiding citizens, President Obama exercised his pardoning power for Larry Wayne Thorton, a Forsyth, GA man who had been sentenced to four years probation for firearm-related offenses.

Thorton was sentenced after being found guilty of possession of an unregistered firearmand "possession of a firearm without a serial number."

While issuing pardons is certainly the president's prerogative, this particular pardon comes as the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and others are all making the case that one of the chief reasons behind gun crime is the Obama administration's lax enforcement of gun laws that are already on the books.

That Thorton was one of 17 persons pardoned by Obama on March 1, will only add fuel to this argument.

Source

Proposed New Referendum Requirements Will Be Amended, Election Law Subcommittee Chair Cardin Says

The Referendum Integrity Act, a bill that’s been lambasted as voter suppression, contains numerous clauses that could potentially disqualify thousands of online petition signature pages before they are even signed.

But the chairman of the subcommittee in charge of HB493, Del. Jon Cardin, D-Baltimore County, who is also a co-sponsor, says his goal in reforming petition legislation is not to make the process more difficult.

Cardin said his committee may consider a number of amendments this week that would address concerns of the bill’s opponents, as well as supporters of the legislation’s disclosure provisions.
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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY, SENATE PRESIDENT MILLER, HOUSE SPEAKER BUSCH PROPOSE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT PLAN

Five-year, $3.4 billion investment projected to support 44,000 jobs
ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 4, 2013) – Governor Martin O’Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch today unveiled a joint innovative, multi-faceted plan to increase investment in the State’s transportation system, relieve congestion, and create jobs. The plan raises an average of $800 million annually, and is projected to support more than 8,800 jobs each year over a five-year period. During that five-year period, the package will generate an additional $3.4 billion for Maryland highway and transit projects. 

“Building a 21st Century transportation network won’t happen by itself. We cannot afford the cost of inaction,” said Governor O’Malley. “Together, with Senate President Miller and Speaker Busch, we’re announcing a plan that is balanced, fiscally responsible and is projected to support 44,000 jobs. This plan will help us generate the revenue we need to ease some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation while building and repairing our transportation infrastructure.”

“Our Transportation Trust Fund is about to go broke and we must act now,” said Senate President Miller. “Working together and reaching the consensus reflected in the proposal is a tremendous step forward that can turn our transportation crisis around. I remain committed to working as hard as I can with the Speaker and the Governor to get this done.”

“We have worked hard over the past few weeks to craft a transportation initiative that balances the impact on the consumer with the future infrastructure needs of the State,” said House Speaker Busch. “We must make strategic investments and leverage private dollars to move our State forward. A strong transportation system is the cornerstone of a strong economy.”

The proposal unveiled today includes the following measures that would become effective July 1, 2013:
Reduce the state tax on gasoline by five cents from 23.5 cents per gallon to 18.5 cents per gallon;
Index the 18.5 cents per gallon state gasoline tax to the Consumer Price Index;
Phase-in application of the state sales tax on the wholesale price of gasoline starting at two percent July 1, 2013 and increase to four percent July 1, 2014;
Transportation to receive a percentage of revenue generated by implementation of the federal Marketplace Equity Act (enabling states to apply sales tax to internet sales, provided passage by Congress.);
Index transit fares charged by the Maryland Transit Administration to the Consumer Price Index;
State Treasury to issue General Obligation Bonds for federally required environmental improvements.
The transportation initiative proposed today also contains a “lockbox” provision that outlines a series of requirements that must be met in order to make any transfers from the Transportation Trust Fund, ensuring that revenue generated remains dedicated to transportation.

Thanks Jim!

I guess that Joe Albero and SBYNews should view the Daily Times’ front page article yesterday as an example of the old adage: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.  I doubt that Salisbury’s incumbent mayor will view it the same way.

While Sunday’s flagship article, an excellent piece by Jeremy Cox, has surprising similarities to an SBYNews post just a few days before, there’s one thing missing – any discussion of Jim Ireton’s involvement in this mess!

No, we don’t blame Ireton for the state of the national economy, but the national economy isn’t in the same shape as Salisbury’s either.  While Ireton has held lots of press conferences attacking others during his nearly four years as mayor, what has he done to attract any jobs to Salisbury?
While Ireton claims that he has “revitalized” downtown, just take a stroll down the plaza.  Notice that Ireton never discusses the REST of the city.  THAT’s where the jobs are!

For almost four years Ireton has “borrowed” ideas from others in the city and claimed them as his own.  Since Joe Albero declared as a candidate it’s ironic that NOW Ireton wants to streamline the city’s permitting process and finally start to treat businesses as something other than people to be TAXED, FINED, or charged FEES.  Naturally, we question his sincerity because he’s had FOUR YEARS to accomplish some rather COMMON SENSE tasks.

If Salisbury’s economy was growing rather than BLEEDING JOBS, it wouldn’t be experiencing such a high vacancy rate.
Thanks Jim!

FEDS AFTER YOUR RETIREMENT CASH

This was recently done in Spain. $300 billion was siphoned off from government retirement accounts to buy Spanish bonds (soon to be worthless).

Soon, the Feds may require YOU to buy treasury bills (government IOU’s) with your 401k retirement savings. Don’t think so? guess again, they are laying the groundwork as we speak.

Our socialist government and elites will retain power and continue their addiction to spending no matter the cost. They won’t stop until they’ve spent all of the “other people’s money” that is left in the system. I don’t think they’ll figure out a way of confiscating your physical gold, as long as it’s at your house (but I could be wrong). They may have gold and silver sniffing dogs.

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Damage Estimate About One Million In Dealership Fire

Anne Arundel County fire officials say an early morning fire at a car dealership did almost one-million dollars in damage.

The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. by a worker at the BMW of Annapolis dealership.

Division Fire Chief Keith Swindle tells WBAL Radio when firefighters arrived they found a car in the service bay of the dealership on fire.
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Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan On Sequestration

Annapolis - "Sequestration is a wake up call that Maryland must wean itself from the federal government spending trough. A nation that carries $16 trillion debt and runs chronic $1 trillion deficits is going to downsize its federal presence one way or another.

"There are some things Governors can not control - dysfunction in Washington D.C. being just one of them. What can be controlled is tax and regulatory policy that must be reformed to make Maryland competitive in the region.

"Pennsylvania has 23 Fortune 500 companies; Virginia has 24; Maryland has three. We have lost 6500 small businesses from 2007 to 2010. We need to control our economic future, diversify our economy and grow the private sector employment base.

"The alternative is to blame Congress, blame the President and blame anyone else. The better approach is to develop bipartisan policy solutions that will better prepare Maryland for the era of a downsized federal presence."

Dairy Groups Want Secret Sweetened Milk

The dairy industry wants to start using artificial sweeteners in flavored milks, such as chocolate or strawberry, without labeling it "reduced-" or "low-calorie."

Two milk industry trade groups, The International Dairy Foods Association and National Milk Producers Federation, jointly petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2009 to use aspartame -- the artificial sweetener used in diet soda -- in milk, but to keep labeling it as just "milk."

Although the petition was filed five years ago, the FDA is now asking for the public's comments on the petition.
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QUOTES OF THE DAY 3-4-13

“We need to understand the more government spends, the more freedom is lost…Instead of simply debating spending levels, we ought to be debating whether the departments, agencies, and programs funded by the budget should exist at all.”
― Ron Paul
“When the federal government spends more each year than it collects in tax revenues, it has three choices: It can raise taxes, print money, or borrow money. While these actions may benefit politicians, all three options are bad for average Americans.”
― Ron Paul

“One thing is clear: The Founding Fathers never intended a nation where citizens would pay nearly half of everything they earn to the government.”
― Ron Paul
“Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons.”
― Ron Paul

Teen Driving Deaths Increase For First Time In A Decade

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — There is a disturbing trend involving teen drivers. A sharp increase in fatalities has highway officials wondering why.

Deaths of younger teen drivers increased sharply in the first six months of 2012. It reverses a decade-long trend followed by state highway safety officials.

“Because it certainly relates to teens, it’s obviously a concern to us,” said Ragina Averella, AAA Mid-Atlantic.
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Doctors Report First Cure of HIV in a Child

For the first time, doctors are reporting that they have cured a child of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The landmark finding will help scientists better understand the nature of HIV, doctors say, and could potentially help countless HIV-positive babies in developing countries.

"I'm sort of holding my breath that this child's virus doesn't come back in the future," says Hannah Gay, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, who treated the child, a 2½-year-old Mississippi girl. "I'm certainly very hopeful that it will produce studies that will show us a way to cure other babies in the future."

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Search Continues For Missing Queen Anne's Co. Woman

REPORTERS OPEN UP ABOUT OBSCENITIES AND ABUSE FROM OBAMA SPOKESPEOPLE

Bob Woodward’s alleged “threat” from the White House has touched off a storm of conservative support for the Washington Post editor, and has forced the Obama administration onto the defense. It also may have opened up a floodgate of information — information that suggests that, even if Woodward himself was not threatened or abused, other less venerable reporters have faced such treatment.

The New York Post reports:

This administration is more skilled and disciplined than any other in controlling the narrative, using social media to circumnavigate the press. On the flip side, our YouTube culture means even the slightest gaffe can be devastating, and so you have an army of aides and staffers helicoptering over reporters.

Finally, this week, reporters are pushing back. Even Jonathan Alter — who frequently appears on the Obama-friendly MSNBC — came forward to say he, too, had been treated horribly by the administration for writing something they didn’t like.
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NY Man charged with Faking own Kidnapping — Reportedly to avoid Gal Pal

A 34-year-old Brooklyn man reported missing about two weeks ago has been charged with faking his own kidnapping — and he may have concocted the whole story to avoid his girlfriend's wrath.

The New York Police Department told NBC News that Rahmel Wallace, who also goes by the name Rahmel Pettway, was arrested Feb. 28 and charged with a misdemeanor count of filing a false report after admitting to police that he faked his disappearance.

A police spokeswoman said Wallace, once in custody, admitted he had faked the kidnapping. The New York Post reported that Wallace made up the story to explain his absence to his girlfriend.

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HEAR THE STUNNING 911 CALL WHEN A NURSE REFUSED TO GIVE CPR TO A DYING WOMAN

An elderly California woman died after a nurse at her senior living facility refused to perform CPR, despite a 911 dispatcher begging her over the phone.

Instead, the nurse said the facility’s policy prohibited her from stepping in to save the woman’s life.

“It’s a human being,” dispatcher Tracey Halvorson said in 911 audio released by the Bakersfield, Calif. fire department, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Is there anybody that’s willing to help this lady and not let her die?”

“Not at this time,” came the answer.
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Mayor Bloomberg's Net Worth Jumps $5B, Making Him 13th Richest Person On Planet

Mayor Bloomberg's net worth has skyrocketed in the last year and he's now the 13th richest person on the planet, according to Forbes magazine.

The magazine estimated the mayor's net worth at $27 billion, up $5 billion in a single year.

In 2012, Bloomberg was reportedly worth $22 billion and ranked 20th among the world's most loaded billionaires.
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Disgraced U.K. Cardinal Admits Bad "Sexual Conduct"

The cardinal who until recently served as Britain's highest-ranking Catholic leader on Sunday acknowledged having engaged in unspecified sexual misbehavior and promised to play "no further part" in the public life of the church, a statement that comes at an awkward time for the Vatican.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned Monday from his position as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after a newspaper published unnamed priests' accounts of unspecified inappropriate behavior.

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DOJ: Children Do Not Need—and Have No Right to--Mothers

The Obama Justice Department is arguing in the United States Supreme Court that children do not need mothers.

The Justice Department’s argument on the superfluity of motherhood is presented in a brief the Obama administration filed in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that amended California’s Constitution to say that marriage involves only one man and one woman.

The Justice Department presented its conclusions about parenthood in rebutting an argument made by proponents of Proposition 8 that the traditional two-parent family, led by both a mother and a father, was the ideal place, determined even by nature itself, to raise a child.
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Secretary Kerry, Now Is Not The Time To Give Money To Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

Secretary of State John Kerry has made exactly the wrong move. Releasing $250 million in aid to Egypt’s fragile Muslim Brotherhood government -- based on nothing more than hopes and promises -- is the worst possible course of action and gives a hostile and repressive regime a lifeline at precisely the wrong time.

In fact, given the Muslim Brotherhood’s recent record, it’s impossible to believe any promises of “reform.”

As Egypt’s economy continues to crumble, and periodic violence flares in Cairo and in cities along the Suez canal, and Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi’s consistent priority has been pressing his radical anti-American and anti-Israel agenda. The list of the Muslim Brotherhood’s sins is long and growing:
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Company Removes 'rape' Shirt listed On Amazon

(CNN) -- Twitter users erupted in anger Saturday after discovering shirts listed on Amazon with a slogan that appeared to promote rape and violence against women.

The shirt read "Keep Calm and Rape On" and was available on Amazon's UK website. The company that prints the shirts, U.S.-based Solid Gold Bomb, removed the listing after it was notified of the slogan.

The company also removed a shirt with the slogan "Keep Calm and Hit Her."

Solid Gold Bomb apologized, saying the slogans were computer-generated and the company did not deliberately create them.

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House Government Funding Bill Includes $10.4B To Soften Defense Sequester

The House Appropriations Committee on Monday formally introduced a giant spending bill to keep the government funded and prevent a shutdown.

The $982 billion bill would fund the government through the end of fiscal year 2013 on Sept. 30 and prevent a government shutdown after March 27, when a current temporary spending bill runs out. It assumes that the $85 billion in sequestration cuts that went into effect on March 1 stay in place.

The bill includes detailed appropriations for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and to fund military construction, and shifts $10.4 billion into the Pentagon's operations and maintenance account to soften the blow of the automatic cuts. 
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Napolitano: Obama Secret Service Team Sheltered From Cuts

Despite the sequester, the Secret Service isn't going to skimp when it comes to protecting President Barack Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday.

Speaking at a Playbook breakfast at the Newseum, Napolitano said the teams of Secret Service agents assigned to protect Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be sheltered from the broad spending cuts required as part of the budget reduction that that kicked in on Friday.

"Obviously, one of the major responsibilities, if not the major responsibility, of the Service is the protection of the president and the vice president. So, the protective side, we’re going to protect that, of course," Napolitano told POLITICO's Mike Allen.
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Romney: ‘It Kills Me’ To Not Be President

Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney says it “kills” him to not be in the White House, leading the nation.

“I wish I were there. It kills me not to be there, not to be in the White House doing what needs to be done,” said Romney, in his first television interview since he lost the election.

Romney, speaking on Fox News Sunday, criticized President Obama, saying that he believed he was more focused on campaigning and less on leading the nation in solving its fiscal challenges. 
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National Weather Service

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
107 PM EST MON MAR 4 2013

MDZ021>023-VAZ077-078-084>086-051815-
DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-NORTHUMBERLAND-

LANCASTER-GLOUCESTER-MIDDLESEX-MATHEWS-
107 PM EST MON MAR 4 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE LOWER EASTERN 

SHORE OF MARYLAND...THE MIDDLE PENINSULA OF VIRGINIA 

AND THE NORTHERN NECK OF VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL INTENSIFY OFF THE MID ATLANTIC 

COAST WEDNESDAY THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY. WHILE SOME 

UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE EXACT TRACK OF THE LOW 

REMAINS...RAIN IS EXPECTED TO MIX WITH AND EVENTUALLY

CHANGE TO WET SNOW WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY 

NIGHT. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
OUTLOOK AREA...OCCURRING MAINLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON 

THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. IN ADDITION...STRONG 

GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED...AND TIDAL FLOODING WILL BE 

POSSIBLE OVER FLOOD PRONE AREAS ALONG THE BAY AND 

TIDAL RIVERS. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST 

FORECASTS FOR UPDATES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

$$

Man Gets 18 Months for Child's Methadone Swallowing

The cup was still in the car’s front console when Paul Kristopher Brooks Sr. went to pick up his son, a kindergartner, from school.

Brooks got out of the car to secure his son in a car booster seat. As Brooks walked to the driver’s side, his son sipped the methadone in the cup through a straw. An hour later, at their home in the 1200 block of Reece Road, Brooks’ son was dizzy, thirsty and vomiting.

On Thursday, Brooks was sentenced to 18 months in jail for exposing his young son to illegally purchased methadone. The boy nearly died.

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Gas Prices Spiked At Record Pace In Early 2013

The price of gas shot up at a record pace during the first two months of the year, but drivers haven't heard clear reasons why or when the spike may end.

At one point, the cost of regular unleaded increased for 36 consecutive days, which is the longest streak in nearly two years.

As of Sunday, AAA Mid-Atlantic listed the average price in the District at $3.99. Across the region, drivers fill up for an average of $3.81 per gallon.
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Judge Orders Police to Return Tacoma Man's Marijuana

In what might be a Pierce County precedent, a judge Thursday ordered police to give a Tacoma man back marijuana seized from him during a traffic stop last year.

Municipal Court Judge Jack Emery agreed with Joseph L. Robertson’s arguments that police had no right to seize the less than 40 grams of pot because he is a designated provider of medical marijuana.

Robertson’s attorney, Jay Berneburg, said outside court that it might be the first such ruling in Pierce County history. Almost a year ago, two owners of a medical-marijuana dispensary lost a bid in Pierce County Superior Court to get back pot police seized from them during a case later thrown out of court.

“As far as that goes, it’s a big deal,” said Berneburg, who is active in medical marijuana issues.

More

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/03/01/2494646/judge-orders-police-to-return.html#storylink=cpy

Main Street Gym Update

Landover MD, Sugar Ray Leonard's Gym,

In the second week of 2013 Maryland/DC Golden Gloves Tournament, four Main St. Gym boxers were scheduled to compete.

Nine year old Eric Acosta started the night out in the 65lb division and came away with a solid win that will send him back to compete in two weeks. 

Kobe Moore had one his best performance, overwhelming his opponent from DC, landing solid clean punches nonstop for three rounds. The win send Moore to the Championship. 

Adam Calixto was edged out of a win in a close fought bout in the 11 year old 85lb division and older brother Rudy Calixto gave a crowd pleasing show as he dominated his DC rival for 3 rounds. 

Rudy’s win is over Maki Payne avenges a controversial loss in December that kept Calixto from traveling to regional Silver Gloves in Fort Pierce Fla. He will move on to the next round in hopes of capturing this years championship in the 13/14 year old 85lb division.

“It was a good night and really drove home the point of stepping up in your preparation. Sometimes they don’t understand why we push so hard, but when their hand gets raised like Saturday night, they understand it then.” Said Coach Hal Chernoff. "I love to win and I love to watch my kids after they win. I like to see how they conduct themselves with the mixture of pride and humility. I know they want to just go crazy, but they maintain that discipline of how to conduct conduct yourself in victory just like you do in defeat, it means growth and maturity. 

These kids are serious and getting better and better as time goes on. They need to know how champions conduct themselves because I beleive, in time that’s what they will be” Chernoff added.

Next week Corey Moore and Ivan Calixto are scheduled to complete in the third week of the Golden Gloves.

Scientists Say Baby Born With HIV Apparently Cured

A baby born with the AIDS virus appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2 1/2 and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

There's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure.

Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to eliminate HIV infection in children, especially in AIDS-plagued African countries where too many babies are born with the virus.
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County Council Meeting Agenda 3-5-13

COUNTY COUNCIL OF WICOMICO COUNTY, MARYLANDRoom 301, Government Office Building, Salisbury, Maryland

LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2013-4

March 5, 2013 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m. Matt Holloway, President

Call meeting to order

Opening Prayer

6:03 p.m. Proclamation:
Sheriff Deputies Chip Oakley and Tom Funk-presentation by Sheriff’s Office

6:15 p .m. Approval of Minutes from February 5, 2013 and February 19, 2013

6:16 p.m. Matthew Creamer: Council Administrator:

1. Resolution 20-2013-Confirming the appointment of Lee Beauchamp as Director of Public Works

2. Resolution 22-2013- Approving the Capital Program for Wicomico County for Fiscal years 2014-2018

3. Resolution 23-2013- Approving an agreement for Payment in Lieu of Taxes between Wicomico County, Maryland, and Pine Bluff Estates, LLC and authorizing the County Executive to execute the agreement

4. Resolution 25-2013- Making a supplemental appropriation from Contingency to the Department of Human Resources in the amount of Six Thousand, One Hundred Seventy-Eight Dollars ($6,178)

5. Tier Assessment Discussion

6:30 p.m. Edgar A. Baker, Jr., County Attorney:

a. Public Hearing and Approval: Resolution 24-2013- To authorize the County Executive to execute on behalf of Wicomico County a lease to ITC Services, LLC, trading as “Babykicks”

b. Public Hearing and Adoption: Legislative Bill 2013-01- An act to amend Chapter 203 of the Wicomico County Code, titled “Taxation,” Article VIII, titled “Commercial Inventory Exemption,” Section 203-21, titled “Percentage of assessed value changed” to reduce the percentage of the assessed value of commercial inventory subject to county property tax from 35% to 0% phased over a 5 year period

c. Public Hearing and Adoption: Legislative Bill 2013-02- An act to amend Chapter 141, entitled “Fees,” adding subsection 141-4(A)(7) to the section entitled “Department of Public Works” to add provisions that will allow the Department of Public Works to charge fees for installing pipes

7:15 p.m. Public Comments-Please limit all public comments to five minutes or less; any presented material may be submitted to Council members-Please include eight copies.

7:20 p.m. Council Comments

7:25 p.m. Council President’s Comments

7:30 p.m. Adjourn

7:40 p.m. Open Work Session

2013-03-An act to amend Chapter 29 of the Wicomico County Code, titled “Director of Finance,” changing the title of the Chapter to “Finance” and adding Sections 29-18 through 29-21 to provide for appropriation of authorized grant revenues, conditional appropriation of unanticipated grant revenues, amendment of the budget for such conditional appropriations; certification of the availability of funds; and generally relating to Grants Revenue

8:30 p.m. Closed Work Session:

Lease of Property-State’s Attorney Office 10-508(a)(3)

Internal Auditor

Obama Says He Can’t ‘Jedi Mind Meld’ a Budget Deal

 (WASHINGTON) — A combative President Barack Obama blamed Republican lawmakers Friday for failing to stop automatic spending cuts from beginning to kick in late in the day, arguing he can’t perform a “Jedi mind meld” to get Republicans to agree on a deal. But he and GOP leaders displayed no appetite for letting the fight shut the government down later this month.

Meeting on the day that $85 billion in federal spending cuts were to begin to take effect, the nation’s top government officials made no progress on how to avoid what they all agreed would be damaging reductions in defense and domestic spending.

Read More

Question Of The Day 3-4-13

Speed Citi Moving To Seaford

EASTON -- After four years of working toward bringing the property into compliance, Speed Citi announced Friday it would close its doors in Talbot County and move to Seaford, Del. The decision comes on the heals of an unfavorable verdict from the Talbot County Board of Appeals Monday, Feb. 25.

Steve Wheeler, the property owner, said he was surprised and upset by the decision, given that he had been working with the planning commission and county staff for the past four years to bring the property into compliance.

"I am extremely disappointed in the county staff for not speaking out in my behalf," he said. "The (board's) decision was made as if I had not cooperated with the county."

The track was established by special exception in 2001. In 2009, several violations were discovered at the Speed Citi property and the management was dismissed. Wheeler then set to making the track comply with the rules the county had set out under the special exception. In addition to the reconfiguration of the track, there had been build several outbuildings that lacked building permits.

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Man Killed After Accident At Maryland shooting Range

WALDORF, Md. (AP) - Authorities in Maryland say a man is dead after his gun apparently accidentally discharged at a shooting range, killing him.

The Charles County Sheriff's Office says officers were called Saturday at 9:23 a.m. to The St. Charles Sportsman's Club in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. The Sheriff's Office says officers found 61-year-old Patrick Allen Richards of Hughesville suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Road Closed

Just a warning, if you come down the Plaza you won't be able to go to Mill Street. They are working on the sidewalk across the road, (north west corner) and while traffic can go north and south on Mill Street, for some reason they are not allowing traffic to go west bound from the Plaza. Nevertheless, at least you now know. 

Student Debt Tripled in Eight Years

A new report from the New York Fed shows the explosion of total student loan debt, which shows no sign of stopping

A new report from the New York Federal Reserve further confirms what many commentators have been long saying — student debt is the bubble that just keeps expanding. Total student debt has nearly tripled in the past three years.

Total student debt stands at $966 billion as of the end of 2012, with a 70 percent increase in both the number of borrowers and the average balance per person. The overall number of borrowers past due on their student loan payments has also grown, from under 10 percent in 2004 to 17 percent in 2012.

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Update On House Joint Hearing On HB-294 (Gun Bill)

By Delegate Mike McDermott

(Annapolis) The House Joint Hearing on HB-294, the Governor’s Gun Bill, continues on into the night and is passing 8-hours of testimony at the time of this writing. Well over a thousand signed up to testify against this bill and only a very few testified in favor of the bill. In fact, except for the “professional” panels that came in support of the governor (about 20 people), everyone else has been opposed.

We have heard from retirees and 10-year olds, people in suits and people in working uniforms, people of great means and people of lesser means, people from Worcester and people from Prince George…all in all, we have heard from Maryland and they do not want this bill passed.

There have been a few good exchanges with some of those who have come in to testify. The governor skated today and did not respond to questions as he had surrounded himself with a large panel providing insulation and the right questions were not asked. The Speaker and Chairmen running the joint committee simply did not allow many questions and he quickly escaped out of the chamber and away from questions.

As of 8:00pm, there were still over 600 hanging around to testify against the bill. Sheriff Lewis joined several other Sheriff’s from around the state and provided passionate testimony before the committee in defense of the 2nd Amendment. In fact, we heard from many in law enforcement who stood with the people’s right to defend themselves as they see fit.

We heard from Beretta Arms who strongly indicated that they would look seriously at moving from Southern Maryland to another state. This echoes what we have heard from other manufacturers of firearms in Maryland. Beretta alone would mean over $400 million to our state coffers.

It was nice to see Worcester State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby in attendance as well. It seems the only support the bill had was from inside the beltway. We will be going well into the early morning hours and may well need to come back later in the day on Saturday to insure that every Marylander who wishes to be heard on this issue is heard.

Bill Would Restrict Custody Rights Of Convicted Child Sex-Abusers

Several Maryland legislators are pushing for stricter limits on custody and visitation rights for parents convicted of sex crimes.

Last week, the Judicial Proceedings Committee heard a bill from Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Caroline, which would prevent courts from awarding custody and visitation to a parent guilty of sexual abuse of a minor, unless there is “good cause” to award custody.

Colburn’s bill was cross-filed with legislation by Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, R-Talbot, who learned of two cases where a parent convicted of sexually abusing a minor either won custody of their child, or could get it.
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Beautiful Sunset

Coming from Millsboro near Gumboro about 6:00PM and noticed this vertical column.

Red sky at night!!

Detroit To Be Taken Over By The State

Usually, when the administration needs a distraction from just how broke and insolvent in reality the country is, it sends the stock market soaring higher. As such it is beyond ironic that as the S&P is set to hit an all time high, Detroit - that shining symbol of the Obama administration's bailout of General Motors - effectively goes broke.
MICH. GOV SNYDER TO ANNOUNCE STATE TAKEOVER OF DETROIT

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Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says Governor Rick Snyder will announce a state takeover on Friday

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will announce a state takeover of the city of Detroit on Friday.

Bing says the governor told him his decision during a phone conversation this morning. Bing was talking with reporters following a speech before the Detroit Regional Chamber at the MotorCity Casino.

The city will have 10 days to appeal the decision to the governor.

7 Action News has teams working the story to get more details.

If only Detroit had gone all in the stock market when Bernanke made it his life's crusade to take the Dow to 36,000 and blow up everyone else, trying...
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SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA MARCH 4, 2013

CONFERENCE ROOM.306

GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING

4: 30 Business Disclosure Ordinance— Follow up discussion— Mark Tilghman

5: 05 Ordinance No. Creating a Multi-Use/Non-Residential Zoning District—John Pick, Jack Lenox

5: 40 Update on Fire Service Agreement— John Pick

6: 15 Break

6: 25 Lockout (Nuisance) Ordinance— further discussion

7: 1. 5 General Discussion/Upcoming Agendas

Proposed Retirement Incentive Package

Other

7: 30 Adjournment

Too high to drive? Marijuana-friendly Colorado debates Blood-level Limits

DENVER — When is someone too stoned to drive?

The answer, it turns out, has been anything but simple in Colorado, which last fall became one of the first states in the country to legalize marijuana.

Prosecutors and some lawmakers have long pushed for laws that would set a strict blood-level limit for THC, the key ingredient in cannabis. A driver over the limit would be deemed guilty of driving under the influence, just as with alcohol.

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Ireton's Connection With Non Registered Voters

It takes a lot out of you going door to door in the rain, snow and freezing temperatures. This is something I have done every week, (with exception of one weekend when it snowed and I chose to shovel driveways instead) and let me assure you, it has not been easy.

I have been east, west, north and south of the City and one thing I can tell you is, not one person told me they have seen the Mayor. 

On a few occasions I have seen similar images as the photo above and guess what, the property is occupied by NON registered voters, yet they have a Jim Ireton sign in the front yard. One thing I can assure you of, ALL of my residential Campaign Signs in the City are registered voters.

One other thing you'll notice about my campaign. When someone knocks on your door it's Joe Albero. I want to look you in the eyes and talk to you directly. I want you to hold me accountable for everything we discuss and agree upon. Far too often I hear the horror stories of how Barrie Tilghman and Jim Ireton promised this or that and years later nothing was ever done. You won't get those feel good lines of everything you want to hear from Joe Albero. You won't get empty promises from Joe Albero. 

I have visited literally thousands of homes throughout the City and I will continue to go door to door until election day. If I miss you, please read my brochure and use the phone number on the back to call me if you have any questions or concerns. If I missed you and you'd like a yard sign, call me and we'll have them delivered right away. 

So the next time you drive down the road and you see a Jim Ireton yard sign, (especially on main roads) know that those people residing there are more than likely not registered voters. Funny how Jimmy had the "Slumlord Property Of The Week" on the City's Website when he came into office and now SAPOA is pimping his signs on rental properties. CONNECT THE DOTS. 

"This is not Joe Albero's election to lose, it's the citizens' election to lose".

Week Nine: Transportation Taxes, Death Penalty Repeal & Gun Control Debate Ahead

With just five weeks left in the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session, debate could begin this week on one of the most contentious issues of this session, increasing taxes to pay for road and bridge improvements.

Senate President Mike Miller said Friday that he expects Governor Martin O'Malley to unveil a transportation funding proposal by the time lawmakers go into session Monday night.

Miller has introduced bills to impose a 3% sales tax on gasoline, and another bill to let counties impose their own gasoline tax to fund local road projects.
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Restoring Family-Planning Cuts Without Ruffling Feathers

The fight to restore family-planning financing that was cut from the Texas budget in the last legislative session has taken a turn toward primary care. Republican state senators have proposed adding $100 million to a state-run primary care program specifically for women’s health services, an effort that could help avoid a political fight over subsidizing specialty family-planning clinics.

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