The 251-page appeal was filed Thursday.
The Oklahoma businesses have operated under a court order that allows them to avoid fines while they challenge a portion of the new law requiring them to provide the coverage.
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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
Friday, September 20, 2013
U.S. Asks Justices To Take Hobby Lobby Case
The 251-page appeal was filed Thursday.
The Oklahoma businesses have operated under a court order that allows them to avoid fines while they challenge a portion of the new law requiring them to provide the coverage.
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U.S. Pilot Scares Off Iranians With ‘Top Gun’-Worthy Stunt
In what only can be described as a scene out of Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun,” Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, describes how F-22 stealth jets scared off Iranian jets from a U.S. drone flying in international airspace.
The Aviationist reports that in March a U.S. MQ-1 drone came close to being intercepted by an Iranian F-4 Phantom combat plane, but the Iranian aircraft stopped short after a warning by an American pilot.
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Illegal Immigrants Chain Themselves To White House Fence
Seven illegal immigrants have chained themselves to the White House fence Wednesday to demand President Obama halt all deportations, saying he has a moral obligation to keep families together.
“Stop deportations — not one more,” onlookers chanted as police moved in to remove the activists, who activists broadcast a live video of their action.
A day earlier, Mr. Obama had rejected their calls, telling Telemundo, a Spanish-language network, that halting more deportations is “not an option.”
Activists said Mr. Obama drew the same line in his first term when he rejected calls to stop deporting young illegal immigrants, the so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to the U.S. as young children, but the president relented just ahead of the election — and went on to win a large share of Hispanic votes en route to reelection.
After that previous reversal, activists hope — and some expect — Mr. Obama to change his mind this year, if House Republicans don’t pass a bill legalizing illegal immigrants.
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“Stop deportations — not one more,” onlookers chanted as police moved in to remove the activists, who activists broadcast a live video of their action.
A day earlier, Mr. Obama had rejected their calls, telling Telemundo, a Spanish-language network, that halting more deportations is “not an option.”
Activists said Mr. Obama drew the same line in his first term when he rejected calls to stop deporting young illegal immigrants, the so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to the U.S. as young children, but the president relented just ahead of the election — and went on to win a large share of Hispanic votes en route to reelection.
After that previous reversal, activists hope — and some expect — Mr. Obama to change his mind this year, if House Republicans don’t pass a bill legalizing illegal immigrants.
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Four Fatally Beat Man In Broad Daylight
According to police, Kwan Blackburn, Malik Hampton-Cummings, and Willie and Latiqua Mayes have all been charged with murder and assault for the incident.
Witnesses told police that they watched the group chase down Donald Robinson and beat him to death.
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For Obama, Brazil Decision Compounds Rough Stretch
WASHINGTON (AP) - For President Barack Obama, an embarrassing diplomatic rebuke by Brazil has compounded an already troublesome stretch for the White House both at home and abroad.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced Tuesday that she was putting off a state visit to the U.S. next month to protest an American spy program that has aggressively targeted her nation's government and private citizens alike.
Rousseff's decision deepened the global fallout for Obama from revelations about National Security Agency surveillance programs, which have also angered many Americans. The announcement also came amid criticism of Obama's public shifting over the threat of U.S. military action against Syria.
Some foreign policy analysts say such issues raise questions about Obama's standing around the world.
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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced Tuesday that she was putting off a state visit to the U.S. next month to protest an American spy program that has aggressively targeted her nation's government and private citizens alike.
Rousseff's decision deepened the global fallout for Obama from revelations about National Security Agency surveillance programs, which have also angered many Americans. The announcement also came amid criticism of Obama's public shifting over the threat of U.S. military action against Syria.
Some foreign policy analysts say such issues raise questions about Obama's standing around the world.
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200K Bikers In Area For Events; Ticket Sales Soar For OC BikeFest
For the first time this year, OC Bikefest and Delmarva Bike Week operated under a single umbrella with both events owned and operated by OC Jams LLC and event producer Cliff Sutherland. With near perfect weather, aside from thunderstorms Thursday evening, everything line up for a highly successful Bike Week event this year with an estimated 200,000 motorcycles converging on Ocean City and across the Lower Shore.
“There were probably 200,000 bikers, of which at least 150,000 were in Ocean City,” said Sutherland this week. “I have talked to a lot of merchants, hotels and restaurants and everybody seemed really happy.”
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McAuliffe Vows To Keep Sub-Standard Abortion Clinics Open If Elected
Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has been caught on tape saying that, if elected, he will issue a directive to unilaterally allow abortion clinics that do not meet state health standards to remain open.
According to LifeSiteNews, McAuliffe said he will take executive action to get around regulations on behalf of abortion facilities that do not meet board of health criteria.
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According to LifeSiteNews, McAuliffe said he will take executive action to get around regulations on behalf of abortion facilities that do not meet board of health criteria.
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Chesapeake Wildfowl Expo Presented By Ward Museum
SALISBURY–The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, will host the 16th annual Chesapeake Wildfowl Expo, Saturday, Oct. 12.
This event pays tribute to old decoys while encouraging the carving of new ones. The museum, located on Schumaker Pond, provides the setting for this annual celebration of waterfowling events, which are an important part of the Delmarva Peninsula’s history.
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This event pays tribute to old decoys while encouraging the carving of new ones. The museum, located on Schumaker Pond, provides the setting for this annual celebration of waterfowling events, which are an important part of the Delmarva Peninsula’s history.
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France Bans Beauty Contests For Girls
France's upper house of parliament has voted to outlaw beauty contests for girls under 16 years old under threat of prison sentences and fines in an attempt to halt the "hypersexualisation" of youngsters.
The Sénat voted for the proposal on Wednesday after Chantal Jouanno, a former sports minister under the right-of-centre president Nicolas Sarkozy, introduced the ban as part of a bill on gender equality.
"Don't let us allow our girls to believe from an early age that their only value is their looks," Jouanno told senators. "Don't let us allow commercial interests to outweigh social interests.
"Lawmakers are not moralisers, but we have a duty to defend the superior interest of the child."
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The Sénat voted for the proposal on Wednesday after Chantal Jouanno, a former sports minister under the right-of-centre president Nicolas Sarkozy, introduced the ban as part of a bill on gender equality.
"Don't let us allow our girls to believe from an early age that their only value is their looks," Jouanno told senators. "Don't let us allow commercial interests to outweigh social interests.
"Lawmakers are not moralisers, but we have a duty to defend the superior interest of the child."
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Mid-Atlantic Sports Alliance Eyed; Wicomico, Worcester, OC Partnership On Table
On Tuesday morning, the Wicomico County voted unanimously to approve a resolution to authorize County Executive Rick Pollitt to execute an Inter-Agency Agreement with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) to accept funds up to $100,000 to be used to retain youth amateur sports tournaments and events in Wicomico County.
According to the resolution, “amateur youth sports tournaments and events held annually in and around Wicomico County greatly impact the local economy when participants and visitors utilize area hotels, dine in local restaurants, shop and sight-see. The county desires to continue to attract and retain amateur youth sport events, specifically the USSSA Girls World Series, MAWA Regional & National Wrestling Tournaments, AAU sanctioned events and other sports events that can demonstrate a return on investment.”
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Iowa Farmer Says He's Grown The Perfect American Pig
Ionia, IA – From California's Silicon Valley to the cornfields of Iowa, former computer engineer and now pig farmer, Carl Blake is reinventing the way that Americans eat their pork. Through his technology-based approach and good ol’ fashioned farming, he says he has bred the perfect tasting American pig.
"We're raising our pigs differently because we're raising them how grandma and grandpa used to raise them,” said Blake, owner of Rustik Rooster Farms.
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"We're raising our pigs differently because we're raising them how grandma and grandpa used to raise them,” said Blake, owner of Rustik Rooster Farms.
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Teacher Mamas!
I know life as a teacher-mama is tough work. I know you come home from school completely exhausted, but still somehow manage to find the energy to make dinner for your family, play with your kids, take them to piano lessons and soccer practice, help them with their own homework, put them in the tub, do the whole bedtime routine, and then kiss your kids goodnight. I know that on Monday and Tuesday this job doesn't seems so hard, but by Thursday and Friday, you can hardly keep your eyes open through dinner.
This post is dedicated to all the mamas (and daddies...) in the world who have to juggle two very important jobs: teaching your 20-30+ students and loving your own little darlings.
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Another McAuliffe Concoction: Invents ‘Guidance Opinion’ To Help Virginia Abortion Clinics
Democrat Terry McAuliffe is telling supporters that as Virginia governor he would issue a “guidance opinion” that would exempt existing abortion clinics from complying with strict new health and safety standards
. The only problem: State officials say there is no such thing as a guidance opinion and that governors have no such formal authority.
Mr. McAuliffe said last week that he plans to take the action to keep 18 remaining centers open after abortion clinics in Fairfax City and Hampton Roads announced that they would shut their doors as a result of the standards.
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. The only problem: State officials say there is no such thing as a guidance opinion and that governors have no such formal authority.Mr. McAuliffe said last week that he plans to take the action to keep 18 remaining centers open after abortion clinics in Fairfax City and Hampton Roads announced that they would shut their doors as a result of the standards.
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Free Course
"Economics 101: The Principles of Free Market Economics"
This is a free, ten-week, not-for-credit online course offered by Hillsdale College. With introductory and concluding lectures by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, the eight lectures at its core--by Gary Wolfram, the William E. Simon Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Hillsdale College--will focus on the foundational principles of the free market. Topics will include the relationship of supply and demand, the “information problem” behind the failure of central planning, the rise of macroeconomics under the influence of John Maynard Keynes, and the 2008 financial crisis.
Lectures will be released weekly and archived to view on-demand, and the lecturers will participate in weekly Q&A sessions on the lecture topics. Registered participants will also have access to readings and quizzes, a study guide, and discussion boards.
Questions about the course may be submitted to onlinecourses@hillsdale.edu.
This is a free, ten-week, not-for-credit online course offered by Hillsdale College. With introductory and concluding lectures by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, the eight lectures at its core--by Gary Wolfram, the William E. Simon Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Hillsdale College--will focus on the foundational principles of the free market. Topics will include the relationship of supply and demand, the “information problem” behind the failure of central planning, the rise of macroeconomics under the influence of John Maynard Keynes, and the 2008 financial crisis.
Lectures will be released weekly and archived to view on-demand, and the lecturers will participate in weekly Q&A sessions on the lecture topics. Registered participants will also have access to readings and quizzes, a study guide, and discussion boards.
Questions about the course may be submitted to onlinecourses@hillsdale.edu.
TESTING DATES COMING SOON FOR PROSPECTIVE SEASONAL OFFICERS
Many leading law enforcement professionals got their start with OCPD. Watch as they tell you just how valuable a summer as a Seasonal Officer can be to your future in law enforcement. Visit this website to find out more information:http://oceancitymd.gov/Police/police_employment.html
PARENTS OUTRAGED BY FIELD TRIP TO MOSQUE
Students offered copies of Quran
(FOX NEWS RADIO) A Tennessee high school field trip to an Islamic mosque where students received copies of the Quran has parents questioning the decision, and has prompted the school to revise its field trip policy.
As reported by Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes, the students involved were in an honors world studies class at Hendersonville High School and the field trips to the mosque as well as a Hindu temple were part of a three-week course on world religions.
But some parents objected to the trips, asking why the school would tour a mosque but not a Christian church or a Jewish synagogue.
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(FOX NEWS RADIO) A Tennessee high school field trip to an Islamic mosque where students received copies of the Quran has parents questioning the decision, and has prompted the school to revise its field trip policy.
As reported by Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes, the students involved were in an honors world studies class at Hendersonville High School and the field trips to the mosque as well as a Hindu temple were part of a three-week course on world religions.
But some parents objected to the trips, asking why the school would tour a mosque but not a Christian church or a Jewish synagogue.
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You’re Buying: Can Pennsylvania Drink Its Way Out Of Debt With New Alcohol Tax?
A proposed tax on alcoholic drinks could give new meaning to the phrase "drinking away your problems" by funneling new revenue toward municipalities in financial distress.
The "Optional Distressed Municipality Alcohol Consumption Tax" is one of three new levies in the proposed legislation from the Local Government Commission Act 47 Task Force, which is working through an update to the state's designation for fiscally distressed municipalities.
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The "Optional Distressed Municipality Alcohol Consumption Tax" is one of three new levies in the proposed legislation from the Local Government Commission Act 47 Task Force, which is working through an update to the state's designation for fiscally distressed municipalities.
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Median Household Income Has Fallen For FIVE YEARS IN A ROW
If the economy is getting better, then why do incomes keep falling? According to a shocking new report that was just released by the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income (adjusted for inflation) has declined for five years in a row.
This has happened even though the federal government has been borrowing and spending money at an unprecedented rate and the Federal Reserve has been on the most reckless money printing spree in U.S. history. Despite all of the “emergency measures” that have been taken to “stimulate the economy”, things just continue to get worse for average American families. Americans are working harder than ever, but their paychecks are not reflecting that. Meanwhile, the cost of everything just keeps going up. The Federal Reserve insists that inflation is “low”, but anyone that goes grocery shopping or that stops at a gas station knows that is a lie. In fact, if inflation was calculated the exact same way that it was calculated back in 1980, the inflation rate would be somewhere between 8 and 10 percent right now. Paychecks are being stretched more than ever before, and that is probably the reason why about three-fourths of the entire country is living paycheck to paycheck at this point.
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This has happened even though the federal government has been borrowing and spending money at an unprecedented rate and the Federal Reserve has been on the most reckless money printing spree in U.S. history. Despite all of the “emergency measures” that have been taken to “stimulate the economy”, things just continue to get worse for average American families. Americans are working harder than ever, but their paychecks are not reflecting that. Meanwhile, the cost of everything just keeps going up. The Federal Reserve insists that inflation is “low”, but anyone that goes grocery shopping or that stops at a gas station knows that is a lie. In fact, if inflation was calculated the exact same way that it was calculated back in 1980, the inflation rate would be somewhere between 8 and 10 percent right now. Paychecks are being stretched more than ever before, and that is probably the reason why about three-fourths of the entire country is living paycheck to paycheck at this point.
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Details Emerge On How Navy Yard Shooter Was Stopped
More details have been released about exactly how law enforcement officers tracked down and killed the Navy Yard shooter.
At the scene of the shooting, a U.S. Park Police patrol officer and a D.C. Police officer got together to form what's called an "active shooter team." Each officer was armed with a rifle, says Park Police Union chairman Ian Glick.
"They went in, addressed the threat, and neutralized him," he says.
He says inside Building 197, the two had to navigate a maze of office cubicles.
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At the scene of the shooting, a U.S. Park Police patrol officer and a D.C. Police officer got together to form what's called an "active shooter team." Each officer was armed with a rifle, says Park Police Union chairman Ian Glick.
"They went in, addressed the threat, and neutralized him," he says.
He says inside Building 197, the two had to navigate a maze of office cubicles.
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Federal Court Rules That Facebook 'Likes' Are Protected By The US Constitution
A guy who got canned for "liking" the wrong sheriff's candidate on Facebook won a victory Wednesday when an appeals court said his "like" is constitutionally protected speech.
The ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (posted online by the Wall Street Journal) revives a lawsuit filed by fired Hampton, Va., sheriff's deputy Danny Carter. A judge threw out his case after finding that "one click of a button" did not qualify as speech protected by the First Amendment, Bloomberg reported at the time.
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The ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (posted online by the Wall Street Journal) revives a lawsuit filed by fired Hampton, Va., sheriff's deputy Danny Carter. A judge threw out his case after finding that "one click of a button" did not qualify as speech protected by the First Amendment, Bloomberg reported at the time.
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RUMOR CHECK: WHAT EXACTLY DID THIS GOP REP. MEAN WHEN HE SAID HE’S ‘STUCK’ IN CONGRESS MAKING $172,000?
For Americans still struggling in a tough economy Rep. Phil Gingrey’s (R-Ga.) recent comments about lobbyists and his own six-figure salary may, on the surface, seem odd, unfair and patently insensitive. But providing some context actually shows that his proclamations were possibly rooted in sarcasm and an effort to ensure Congress is not afforded special rights and privileges.
At the least, the media’s treatment of his alleged statements hasn’t been the fairest.
“[Congressional staffers] may be 33 years old now and not making a lot of money,” he purportedly said, according to an account published by National Review. “But in a few years they can just go to K Street and make 500,000 a year. Meanwhile I’m stuck here making $172,000 a year.”
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At the least, the media’s treatment of his alleged statements hasn’t been the fairest.
“[Congressional staffers] may be 33 years old now and not making a lot of money,” he purportedly said, according to an account published by National Review. “But in a few years they can just go to K Street and make 500,000 a year. Meanwhile I’m stuck here making $172,000 a year.”
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Police Serve Warrrant At Wrong House, Shoot Their Dog, Now Refuse To Pay Vet Bills
The City of Leander, Texas is refusing to pay the medical bills for a German Shepherd dog that was shot when police served a warrant at the wrong address. An officer shot “Vinny” in June, putting the dog in the hospital with $1,500 in medical bills. Luckily he survived and is recovering, but the city is denying the claim against them. The family is planning to sue.
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Sanity On Food Stamps
House Republicans are on the cusp of passing food-stamps legislation that would enact significant cuts to the program and revive requirements that able-bodied adults also work if they receive food stamps for the long term.
“What we pushed for in the food-stamp bill was to put real work requirements in place,” says Representative Steve Scalise (R., La.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
“Most Americans get that there is a need for a safety net in our country, and we support that safety net,” Scalise adds. “But we also feel strongly that if somebody’s able to work, they ought to be working and not getting food stamps on the taxpayer benefits, and turning down jobs, and yet the current law encourages that.”
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“What we pushed for in the food-stamp bill was to put real work requirements in place,” says Representative Steve Scalise (R., La.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
“Most Americans get that there is a need for a safety net in our country, and we support that safety net,” Scalise adds. “But we also feel strongly that if somebody’s able to work, they ought to be working and not getting food stamps on the taxpayer benefits, and turning down jobs, and yet the current law encourages that.”
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Bills Would Require Michiganders To Work For Welfare, Pass Drug Test
LANSING (WWJ) - Could this mean the end of welfare as we know it?
A bill has passed in the Michigan Senate that would require those receiving public assistance to do some “volunteer” work. Another bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee, requires drug testing, revoking benefits for welfare recipients who refuse the test or who test positive.
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A bill has passed in the Michigan Senate that would require those receiving public assistance to do some “volunteer” work. Another bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee, requires drug testing, revoking benefits for welfare recipients who refuse the test or who test positive.
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Berlin Presents Fiddler's Convention This Weekend
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Frank Nana, originally from Kingwood, W. Va., and a longtime Berlin resident, is a performer and manager of note in the genre himself. He has coordinated the program side of the event. He said during a Sept. 12 interview that he has been showcasing the uniquely American musical art form for the past 40 years.
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Home Brew Competition Returns To Good Beer Festival
Entry Deadline October 1
The Good Beer Festival’s Home Brew Competition will return to Pemberton Park on Sunday, October 13. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) sanctioned event will bring professional judges together to rate the creations of home brewing enthusiasts. The competition is accepting entries now through October 1.
The registration fee is $5.00 per entry; there is no limit to the number of entries submitted per person. Judging for the Home Brew Competition will take place during the festival on Sunday, October 13, award ceremonies will begin at 4:30 p.m. Entries will be graded on a point system that includes aroma, appearance, flavor, mouth feel and overall impression. Winners will be selected from each style/category, and those selected will move on to compete for Best in Show. The top three brews in Best in Show will take home cash prizes; 1st Place $300, 2nd Place $200, 3rd Place $100. Participants do not have to be present to win.
Complete rules, entry forms and submission instructions are available at www.GoodBeerFestival.org. For more information, contact Andy Kitzrow at 410-548-4900 x114 or akitzrow@wicomicocounty.org.
Dates & Info:
Good Beer Festival
Saturday, October 12 / Sunday, October 13 from 12:30pm to 6:30pm
www.GoodBeerFestival.org
Tickets:
Available in Advance (Sold until Friday, October 11 at 6pm): One Day $25 / Two Day $40 / Non-Tasting Ticket One Day $5
At the Gate: One Day $35 / Non-Tasting Ticket $10
The Good Beer Festival’s Home Brew Competition will return to Pemberton Park on Sunday, October 13. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) sanctioned event will bring professional judges together to rate the creations of home brewing enthusiasts. The competition is accepting entries now through October 1.
The registration fee is $5.00 per entry; there is no limit to the number of entries submitted per person. Judging for the Home Brew Competition will take place during the festival on Sunday, October 13, award ceremonies will begin at 4:30 p.m. Entries will be graded on a point system that includes aroma, appearance, flavor, mouth feel and overall impression. Winners will be selected from each style/category, and those selected will move on to compete for Best in Show. The top three brews in Best in Show will take home cash prizes; 1st Place $300, 2nd Place $200, 3rd Place $100. Participants do not have to be present to win.
Complete rules, entry forms and submission instructions are available at www.GoodBeerFestival.org. For more information, contact Andy Kitzrow at 410-548-4900 x114 or akitzrow@wicomicocounty.org.
Dates & Info:
Good Beer Festival
Saturday, October 12 / Sunday, October 13 from 12:30pm to 6:30pm
www.GoodBeerFestival.org
Tickets:
Available in Advance (Sold until Friday, October 11 at 6pm): One Day $25 / Two Day $40 / Non-Tasting Ticket One Day $5
At the Gate: One Day $35 / Non-Tasting Ticket $10
The Republican Replacement
As polls highlight the American public’s uneaseabout President Obama’s signature health-care law, House Republicans on Wednesday introduced legislation to repeal and replace it completely with a plan of their own.
The bill, called the American Health Care Reform Act, is the product of a health-care working group convened by Representative Steve Scalise (R., La.), chairman of the 175-member Republican Study Committee (RSC).
“I think we’ve done a very effective job of pointing out all the things that are bad about the president’s health-care law, but people want to know what we stand for as well,” Scalise told reporters during a briefing at the National Review office on Capitol Hill. “The public, as they get more angry about the existing law, they are going to want to have something else to put in its place.”
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The bill, called the American Health Care Reform Act, is the product of a health-care working group convened by Representative Steve Scalise (R., La.), chairman of the 175-member Republican Study Committee (RSC).
“I think we’ve done a very effective job of pointing out all the things that are bad about the president’s health-care law, but people want to know what we stand for as well,” Scalise told reporters during a briefing at the National Review office on Capitol Hill. “The public, as they get more angry about the existing law, they are going to want to have something else to put in its place.”
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David Craig Says GAO Report Shows Maryland Fumbling National Education Reforms
Harford County Executive and Maryland candidate for Governor David R. Craig said public schools across the state are faltering because too many federal education initiatives are hitting them at once, namely the Obama Administration’s “Race to the Top” competitive grant program and the Common Core national education standard.
In the most recent evidence of the state’s difficulty implementing national education programs, the Government Accountability Office identified Maryland’s implementation of Race to the Top as having the lowest participation rates evaluating teachers and principals among any of the 12 states cited in the study. Hawaii and Maryland are singled out for rates that are 30% and 14% respectively. Moreover, Maryland is in what the U.S. Department of Education calls a “pilot phase” meaning the state joins four others that have not even finished implementing the basic evaluation procedures that is the basis of Race to the Top. Implementation of the pilot evaluation program also sharply diverges in Maryland school districts participating in Race to the Top – with participation rates among teachers and principals as low as 4%.
“If the Maryland State Department of Education wants to show it is relevant, now is the time to do it,” said Craig. “They are missing in action regarding this GAO report that shows systemic problems in Maryland’s school districts.”
The GAO report, “States Implementing Teacher and Evaluation Systems despite Challenges,” was issued yesterday. The Maryland Department of Education previously claimed that it is not only “ready” to implement Race to the Top, “but willing and able to continue the progress that has been made.” Maryland was awarded $250 million in the competitive grant program three years ago.
The GAO found that officials in one Maryland school district, the one that piloted just 4 percent of educators, said they will implement the evaluation system without sufficient time to address problems that arose during the testing phase. In a similar situation, another Maryland school district, despite admitting they too are not ready, is nevertheless proceeding to evaluate more than 3000 educators.
“Teacher evaluations are facing a credibility gap,” said Craig. “If these complicated evaluation systems won’t work, then let’s just say so and let teacher’s teach without the fear of being evaluated incorrectly.”
Meanwhile, the state is proceeding with Common Core, a nationwide K-12 uniform education standard. This July, almost every Maryland county saw test scores decline at the elementary and middle school levels. State and some local school officials blamed the decline on an old test that was not updated for Common Core.
Craig, who worked 34 years in the Harford County School system as a teacher and assistant principal, characterized Common Core this summer as an “education fad” that attempts to change how children learn. Race to the Top grant funding is partly conditioned on adherence to Common Core. Maryland school officials told GAO that their evaluation reform efforts took precedence over implementation of the Common Core curriculum.
In the most recent evidence of the state’s difficulty implementing national education programs, the Government Accountability Office identified Maryland’s implementation of Race to the Top as having the lowest participation rates evaluating teachers and principals among any of the 12 states cited in the study. Hawaii and Maryland are singled out for rates that are 30% and 14% respectively. Moreover, Maryland is in what the U.S. Department of Education calls a “pilot phase” meaning the state joins four others that have not even finished implementing the basic evaluation procedures that is the basis of Race to the Top. Implementation of the pilot evaluation program also sharply diverges in Maryland school districts participating in Race to the Top – with participation rates among teachers and principals as low as 4%.
“If the Maryland State Department of Education wants to show it is relevant, now is the time to do it,” said Craig. “They are missing in action regarding this GAO report that shows systemic problems in Maryland’s school districts.”
The GAO report, “States Implementing Teacher and Evaluation Systems despite Challenges,” was issued yesterday. The Maryland Department of Education previously claimed that it is not only “ready” to implement Race to the Top, “but willing and able to continue the progress that has been made.” Maryland was awarded $250 million in the competitive grant program three years ago.
The GAO found that officials in one Maryland school district, the one that piloted just 4 percent of educators, said they will implement the evaluation system without sufficient time to address problems that arose during the testing phase. In a similar situation, another Maryland school district, despite admitting they too are not ready, is nevertheless proceeding to evaluate more than 3000 educators.
“Teacher evaluations are facing a credibility gap,” said Craig. “If these complicated evaluation systems won’t work, then let’s just say so and let teacher’s teach without the fear of being evaluated incorrectly.”
Meanwhile, the state is proceeding with Common Core, a nationwide K-12 uniform education standard. This July, almost every Maryland county saw test scores decline at the elementary and middle school levels. State and some local school officials blamed the decline on an old test that was not updated for Common Core.
Craig, who worked 34 years in the Harford County School system as a teacher and assistant principal, characterized Common Core this summer as an “education fad” that attempts to change how children learn. Race to the Top grant funding is partly conditioned on adherence to Common Core. Maryland school officials told GAO that their evaluation reform efforts took precedence over implementation of the Common Core curriculum.
CONGRESSMAN: 'CLOSE TO 250' HOUSE MEMBERS READY DEFUND OBAMACARE TODAY
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) said he expects there to be somewhere close to 250 House members to vote for the plan to defund Obamacare in the Continuing Resolution (CR) on Friday, when House GOP leadership brings the plan up for a vote.
“I would predict that will we get closer to 250 votes,” Meadows said at a Conversations with Conservatives (CWC) press event that the Heritage Foundation’s Rob Bluey moderated on Thursday. “If you look at the Democrats, 25 of the most competitive Democratic races are outlined. Twenty-one of those people voted with us to delay the individual mandate. Now if that says that they aren’t paying attention to what the people say back home I don’t know what is. They’re having to vote so that they justify that.
Meadows added that “I’m hopeful that we get an overwhelming majority tomorrow, and I believe that we will.”
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“I would predict that will we get closer to 250 votes,” Meadows said at a Conversations with Conservatives (CWC) press event that the Heritage Foundation’s Rob Bluey moderated on Thursday. “If you look at the Democrats, 25 of the most competitive Democratic races are outlined. Twenty-one of those people voted with us to delay the individual mandate. Now if that says that they aren’t paying attention to what the people say back home I don’t know what is. They’re having to vote so that they justify that.
Meadows added that “I’m hopeful that we get an overwhelming majority tomorrow, and I believe that we will.”
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Company Behind Snowden Vetting Did Check on D.C. Shooter
The U.S. government contractor that vetted Edward Snowden, who leaked information about national surveillance programs, said it also performed a background check on the Washington Navy Yard shooter.
USIS, a unit of Falls Church, Virginia-based Altegrity Inc., owned by Providence Equity Partners LLC, did Aaron Alexis’s background investigation in 2007, Ray Howell, a USIS spokesman, said in an e-mail. “Today we were informed that in 2007, USIS conducted a background check of Aaron Alexis” for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Howell said.
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USIS, a unit of Falls Church, Virginia-based Altegrity Inc., owned by Providence Equity Partners LLC, did Aaron Alexis’s background investigation in 2007, Ray Howell, a USIS spokesman, said in an e-mail. “Today we were informed that in 2007, USIS conducted a background check of Aaron Alexis” for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Howell said.
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Rand Paul: Misguided Sentencing Laws Hurt Black Defendants
Sen. Rand Paul told his Senate colleagues Wednesday that the nation’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws disproportionately affect the black community and need to be changed — putting the Kentucky Republican at the front of a push on Capitol Hill to move away from decades of punitive drug policies.
Mr. Paul is thought to be laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2016 and has been busy making the case that his libertarian brand of Republicanism can broaden his party’s appeal with minority groups that turned out heavily for President Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Testifying before the SenateJudiciary Committee, Mr. Paul’s remarks fell in line with several of his colleagues on the panel, who agreed that Congress should give judges more leeway in sentencing to reduce the size of the nation’s prison population and save taxpayers money.
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Mr. Paul is thought to be laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2016 and has been busy making the case that his libertarian brand of Republicanism can broaden his party’s appeal with minority groups that turned out heavily for President Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Testifying before the SenateJudiciary Committee, Mr. Paul’s remarks fell in line with several of his colleagues on the panel, who agreed that Congress should give judges more leeway in sentencing to reduce the size of the nation’s prison population and save taxpayers money.
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GOVERNOR O'MALLEY STATEMENT ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CARBON POLLUTION STANDARD FOR NEW POWER PLANTS
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley today released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of a carbon pollution standard for new power plants:
“We in Maryland commend President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency for taking this important step forward to limit carbon pollution from future power plants. Power plants are the nation's largest source of carbon pollution, representing 34 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. By targeting the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions, President Obama is moving the United States in the right direction toward strongly emphasizing renewable energy, improving air quality for our vulnerable populations, and mitigating the effects of severe weather events and flooding on our coastlines and low-lying areas. We are committed to partnering with him so that together, we can make the better choices these times demand.
“By making these better choices we are delivering better results. We recently released our Maryland Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, a roadmap for how we move forward. Our Plan will create an estimated 37,000 jobs, generate $1.6 billion into Maryland’s economy, and enable us to achieve our goal of reducing greenhouse emissions 25 percent by 2020.
“The climate-related actions in the Plan show that we can use the prospect of a carbon constrained world as the means to invent a more prosperous future, to drive innovation, education, industry, jobs, and expansion of opportunity. We're reducing carbon pollution from our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is generating revenues for investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, our Renewable Portfolio Standard and our energy efficiency goals.
“Working together with the utilities in our State, we've made the better choices to reduce harmful emissions. By investing approximately $2.6 billion in pollution controls to meet the requirements of the Healthy Air Act, Maryland utilities reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by almost 70 percent and sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions by 80 percent since the first phase of the Maryland Healthy Air Act implementation.
“In Maryland, we know we have a moral obligation to our children and to our grandchildren to give to them a planet that is not on the trajectory that we currently find ourselves on; a planet that is becoming increasingly more damaged, more polluted, more unhealthy. The President’s plan is a commonsense approach that will protect public health from the impacts of climate change and spur growth by fostering innovation in cleaner energy technologies like wind power and solar.”
“We in Maryland commend President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency for taking this important step forward to limit carbon pollution from future power plants. Power plants are the nation's largest source of carbon pollution, representing 34 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. By targeting the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions, President Obama is moving the United States in the right direction toward strongly emphasizing renewable energy, improving air quality for our vulnerable populations, and mitigating the effects of severe weather events and flooding on our coastlines and low-lying areas. We are committed to partnering with him so that together, we can make the better choices these times demand.
“By making these better choices we are delivering better results. We recently released our Maryland Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, a roadmap for how we move forward. Our Plan will create an estimated 37,000 jobs, generate $1.6 billion into Maryland’s economy, and enable us to achieve our goal of reducing greenhouse emissions 25 percent by 2020.
“The climate-related actions in the Plan show that we can use the prospect of a carbon constrained world as the means to invent a more prosperous future, to drive innovation, education, industry, jobs, and expansion of opportunity. We're reducing carbon pollution from our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is generating revenues for investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, our Renewable Portfolio Standard and our energy efficiency goals.
“Working together with the utilities in our State, we've made the better choices to reduce harmful emissions. By investing approximately $2.6 billion in pollution controls to meet the requirements of the Healthy Air Act, Maryland utilities reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by almost 70 percent and sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions by 80 percent since the first phase of the Maryland Healthy Air Act implementation.
“In Maryland, we know we have a moral obligation to our children and to our grandchildren to give to them a planet that is not on the trajectory that we currently find ourselves on; a planet that is becoming increasingly more damaged, more polluted, more unhealthy. The President’s plan is a commonsense approach that will protect public health from the impacts of climate change and spur growth by fostering innovation in cleaner energy technologies like wind power and solar.”
The Real Reason The Fed Didn’t Taper
Ben Bernanke is the don of the greatest criminal enterprise in the world.
And yesterday his made monsters, the Five Families, lined up to kiss his ring, again.
By not “tapering” or reducing the $85 billion a month ($45 billion in Treasuries and $40 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities) the Fed is buying from banks, the Fed is saying to its hit men, “We are family, and as long as Johnny Law is coming after you, we’ve got your back.”
The “legal and litigation costs” (that means lawyers and fines) racked up by America’s Five Families since the credit crisis gently (not) ushered in the Great Recession is over $103 billion, by some estimates. That doesn’t include actual losses from related activities.
The Five Families, according to the Federal Reserve, are big, very big bosses in their territories, which means America and a good part of the world.
Let’s name names… and then I’ll tell you the REAL reason the Fed didn’t taper yesterday.
Here are the Five and how big (by total assets) they are as of 06/30/2013:
| 1. JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $2,439,494,000,000 |
| 2. Bank of America Corp. | $2,125,686,000,000 |
| 3. Citigroup Inc. | $1,883,988,000,000 |
| 4. Wells Fargo & Co.. | $1,440,563,000,000 |
| 5. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. | $938,611,000,000 |
That’s a lot of muscle.
What 4th Amendment?
When Edward Snowden first revealed the spying the NSA has been conducting on what was then thought to be only customers of Verizon, the government was embarrassed, but it reluctantly acknowledged that Snowden revealed a truth. He had, after all, displayed an accurate and faithful copy of a judicial order signed by a FISA Court judge directing Verizon to give billing information to NSA agents about its 113,000,000 American customers.
Not to worry, the government’s apologists offered, this is only telephone macro-metadata, meaning information about who spoke to whom, when they talked and for how long, and where they were when they talked, but not what they actually said to each other. When Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, stated under oath at a House hearing that his spies lack the authority to capture content, he avoided addressing whether they have the ability to do so, because he knows they do. His boss, James Clapper, the director of nationalintelligence and a less finessed liar than the general, said under oath at a Senate hearing flatly that the feds were not gathering massive amounts of data about hundreds of millions of Americans, when he knew that they were. And President Obama himself has stated on a few occasions that the government “is not reading” your emails or “listening” to your phone conversations, even though he knows they can.
Since the essence of spying is stealing and keeping secrets, we should not be surprised when that essence is supported by deception and lying. But lying to one’s employers (the American people) is a fireable offense, and lying under oath (to Congress) is a criminal offense. And a government that lies over and over again to the people it is lawfully obliged to serve is not believable and leads to lawlessness.
Not to worry, the government’s apologists offered, this is only telephone macro-metadata, meaning information about who spoke to whom, when they talked and for how long, and where they were when they talked, but not what they actually said to each other. When Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, stated under oath at a House hearing that his spies lack the authority to capture content, he avoided addressing whether they have the ability to do so, because he knows they do. His boss, James Clapper, the director of nationalintelligence and a less finessed liar than the general, said under oath at a Senate hearing flatly that the feds were not gathering massive amounts of data about hundreds of millions of Americans, when he knew that they were. And President Obama himself has stated on a few occasions that the government “is not reading” your emails or “listening” to your phone conversations, even though he knows they can.
Since the essence of spying is stealing and keeping secrets, we should not be surprised when that essence is supported by deception and lying. But lying to one’s employers (the American people) is a fireable offense, and lying under oath (to Congress) is a criminal offense. And a government that lies over and over again to the people it is lawfully obliged to serve is not believable and leads to lawlessness.
Contrary To Claims, IRS Has Not Destroyed Conservative Donor Lists
The House Ways and Means Committee says that, despite the IRS’s promises to destroy the donor lists it demanded from tea-party and other conservative groups, it has discovered those lists in the case files it has reviewed in the course of its investigation into the targeting scandal. A Ways and Means Committee source tellsNational Review Online that, of the 27 groups asked for a list of donors, the committee identified 24 as conservative. Former acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller told the committee in May that a majority of the groups from whom donor lists were requested were not tea-party groups; a commitee spokeswoman surmised that Miller was using a narrow definition of “tea party” that did not apply more broadly to conservative groups.
Requests for donor lists, which applicants for 501(c)(4) status are not required to disclose, raised concern because if a group’s application for tax exemption is approved, the application, including the donor list, becomes public. Groups have raised concerns that making their donors public will deter potential donors. The IRS previously told the committee that it would destroy the lists, which Miller conceded were “not necessary.”
“When we saw that it happened, we asked that, you know, if they hadn’t sent them in, we reached out and said, don’t send them in,” Miller told the committee in May. ”If they had sent them in we said, you know, we’re not gonna use these, and we didn’t. You will not find them used in any of these cases.”
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Requests for donor lists, which applicants for 501(c)(4) status are not required to disclose, raised concern because if a group’s application for tax exemption is approved, the application, including the donor list, becomes public. Groups have raised concerns that making their donors public will deter potential donors. The IRS previously told the committee that it would destroy the lists, which Miller conceded were “not necessary.”
“When we saw that it happened, we asked that, you know, if they hadn’t sent them in, we reached out and said, don’t send them in,” Miller told the committee in May. ”If they had sent them in we said, you know, we’re not gonna use these, and we didn’t. You will not find them used in any of these cases.”
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Jerome Corsi: LBJ Knew About And Supported JFK's Assassination
President Lyndon B. Johnson knew about and supported President John F. Kennedy's assassination, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Jerome Corsi tells Newsmax.
As the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy approaches, Corsi released his latest book Wednesday, "Who Really Killed Kennedy?" looking at who was really behind the assassination of the president and the veracity of the Warren Commission, who headed up the investigation.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/NewsmaxTv/corsi-lbj-jfk-assassination/2013/09/19/id/526615#ixzz2fQl9Dsr9
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!
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Judge Denies Restraining Order In Gun Backlog Case
An Anne Arundel County judge Thursday denied a request to stop the Maryland State Police from using data entry workers to process the background checks of gun buyers.
A coalition of four gun-rights group and an anonymous man from Anne Arundel County filed a lawsuit this week against the state police, alleging privacy breaches after the state deployed dozens of workers to input sensitive information about gun buyers into a database.
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A coalition of four gun-rights group and an anonymous man from Anne Arundel County filed a lawsuit this week against the state police, alleging privacy breaches after the state deployed dozens of workers to input sensitive information about gun buyers into a database.
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SFD Calls For Service 9-19-20
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 21:04:16 Nature: Injury City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 20:10:18 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 19:46:50 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 19:35:40 Nature: Emergency Unknown City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 18:57:50 Nature: Chest Pain City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 18:55:09 Nature: Medical Assist Address: 2213 Northwood Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 17:52:28 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 17:48:13 Nature: Pi Accident City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 17:08:21 Nature: Industrial Accident Address: 700-blk Baker St Salisbury, MD 21801
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 16:30:17 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 15:57:52 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 15:24:51 Nature: Assault Ems City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 15:09:53 Nature: Stroke City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 14:42:04 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 13:34:15 Nature: Elevator Rescue City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 12:37:10 Nature: Altered Mental Status City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 12:12:20 Nature: Difficulty Breathing City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 10:22:56 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 09:11:55 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 07:38:48 Nature: Pi Accident Address: 1015 Beaglin Park Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
- Thursday September, 19 2013 @ 03:16:10 Nature: Pro Qa Ems City: Salisbury
A Letter To The Editor: Local Government Waste
Joe,
I totally love you Salisbury News!!!!
I as a taxpayer in Wicomico county am tired of most of the local school systems specifying roof systems that are using proprietary materials that only that manufactures produces. The selling point to the school boards are as follows.
They will provide all the specifications for the projects. They will do allow the roof surveys. They dangle out to them a 30 year warranty. But if you look at the warranty it is nothing more than a five year renewable warranty. If they don't call them for the inspection the warranty is void. It is a great deal for the manufactures to sell more materials due when they come and do the inspections the owner is responsible for the cost of the materials and the repairs.
The schools are being charged 300 to 400 percent more than other manufactures top of the line materials. What a deal for the schools!!!! This is a perfect example of waste by county employees making the wrong decisions. I guess it's due to they have someone else do there jobs for them. The manufacture has been known to change the materials specified to another cheaper material after the bid has been awarded. They have complete control of the materials that are being installed.
The school systems that use these manufactures
Wicomico
Worcester
Seaford
Salisbury U
Others Town of Ocean City
The two manufactures are Tremco and Garland
You can do google searches about both companies
You can go to DOJ viruses Tremco lawsuit
Local Man Dies After Vehicle Crashes Off Route 50
BERLIN — An unidentified local man was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Route 50 at Sam Bowen Blvd. on Thursday morning.
Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 50 near Sam Bowen Blvd. near the Wal-Mart and Home Depot shopping complex and across from the Glen Riddle community left the roadway, traveled across a field and crashed into a ditch.
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Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 50 near Sam Bowen Blvd. near the Wal-Mart and Home Depot shopping complex and across from the Glen Riddle community left the roadway, traveled across a field and crashed into a ditch.
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Yard Sale 9-20-13
27922 Cross Creek Dr.Salisbury
Nanticoke rd, left on Crooked Oak, left on Cross Creek – middle of development on left
Dale Earnhardt memorabilia, tools, Longaberger, vintage arcade games, holiday decorations and much much more.
SATURDAY, September 21
Seaford, DE 110 E. Locust Street 7am-2pm (No Early Birds)
New in box: Smoker, Ride on toys, Shoes, Kids Bounce House, Quick release MC windshield
Like New: Halloween and Christmas decorations, step rails, kids clothes and toys, Hardcover kids books
Gently Used: Kids bikes, Ladder rack system for truck, MC windshield, MC stock pipes
Lots to choose from and priced to go!
Licensed To Kill?
Here’s a recipe for disaster: Take a young man (or woman), raise him on a diet of violence, hype him up on the power of the gun in his holster and the superiority of his uniform, render him woefully ignorant of how to handle a situation without resorting to violence, train him well in military tactics but allow him to be illiterate about the Constitution, and never stress to him that he is to be a peacemaker and a peacekeeper, respectful of and subservient to the taxpayers, who are in fact his masters and employers.
Once you have fully indoctrinated this young man (or woman) on the idea that the police belong to a brotherhood of sorts, with its own honor code and rule of law, then place this person in situations where he will encounter individuals who knowingly or unknowingly challenge his authority, where he may, justifiably or not, feel threatened, and where he will have to decide between firing a weapon or, the more difficult option, adequately investigating a situation in order to better assess the danger and risk posed to himself and others, and then act on it by defusing the tension or de-escalating the violence.
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Once you have fully indoctrinated this young man (or woman) on the idea that the police belong to a brotherhood of sorts, with its own honor code and rule of law, then place this person in situations where he will encounter individuals who knowingly or unknowingly challenge his authority, where he may, justifiably or not, feel threatened, and where he will have to decide between firing a weapon or, the more difficult option, adequately investigating a situation in order to better assess the danger and risk posed to himself and others, and then act on it by defusing the tension or de-escalating the violence.
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