Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Friday, January 17, 2014

SEE 13-YEAR-OLD BOY’S PRICELESS REACTION TO SEEING HIS MILITARY MOM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 MONTHS

Lt. Col. Cotina Jenkins-Sellers had been deployed in Kuwait for eight months, a sacrifice that caused her to miss everything from her 13-year-old son’s football games to Christmas morning.

So when she returned home to San Antonio to surprise her son, Derrick, during his basketball game at Legacy Middle School, both were understandably ecstatic to see each other.

More 

Caught By The NSA


DELEGATE PUSHES FOR STATEWIDE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

ANNAPOLIS -American Indian Heritage Day in Maryland falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving every year.

But Delegate Peter Murphy, D-Charles, wants to see the celebration spread throughout all of November.

Murphy has proposed legislation that would require the governor to proclaim November as Native American Heritage Month.

It would also urge schools and cultural organizations to observe the month.

He said the current day of recognition is sometimes overlooked because it falls so closely to Thanksgiving, and many educational institutions that would recognize the day are closed. 

More 

ObamaCare It’s Good


WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STRANGERS ARE ASKED FOR THEIR OPINION ON JOE BIDEN

People think of certain qualities when they hear certain names.

For instance, many people think of grace and dignity when they hear the name Abraham Lincoln. Likewise, the name George Washington makes people think of honor and strength.

The name Joe Biden, on the other, apparently makes people laugh. At least that’s what the Media Research Center’s Dan Joseph discovered when he interviewed random strangers in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
More

JIM MORAN THIRD DEMOCRAT IN THREE DAYS TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS

On Wednesday, Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) became the third Democratic member of the House of Representatives in the last three days to announce that he will retire and not run for re-election in 2014.

On Tuesday, Congressman Bill Owens (D-NY) announced his retirement. On Monday, prominent Nancy Pelosi ally George Miller (D-CA) announced his retirement.

Though Moran's retirement is not expected to give Republicans a significant chance of wresting control of the Northern Virginia district he has represented in Congress for twelve terms away from the Democrats, it is a clear signal that the ranking Democrat on the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee believes there is little likelihood his party will win the House back in 2014.

More

Attempted Murder Nets 16-Year Sentence

SNOW HILL — An Ocean City woman, who pleaded guilty in October to attempted second-degree murder after a stabbing incident in a resort residence in May, was sentenced last week to 30 years in jail, all but 16 years of which was suspended.

Around 3:50 a.m. on May 9, Ocean City Police and paramedics responded to a residence on Robin Drive for a reported stabbing incident. OCPD officers arrived on the scene and located a victim who had obvious injuries to her neck and shoulders. During the investigation, police learned the victim, whose name was not released, had been in a verbal argument with the suspect, later identified as Sharon Lee Ward, 47, of Ocean City.

During the argument and ensuing struggle, Ward attacked the victim with a kitchen knife, stabbing her multiple times in the neck. The victim was able to flee the unit, and with the assistance of neighbors, was able to contact police. The victim was treated by Ocean City paramedics for stab wounds to the neck and was later transported to PRMC for treatment. Ward was also treated at the scene for minor injuries and was transported to AGH where she was later released to the OCPD.
More

Woman Convicted Of Starving 12-Year-Old Boy Down To 40 Pounds In A Cupboard

These people are evil. Pure evil.

A Florida woman has been found guilty of locking her boyfriend’s son in a cupboard and starving him and could now face up to 120 years behind bars.

Sharon Glass, 49, from Brevard, was found guilty on eight counts of aggravated child abuse on Friday after four days on trial.

She and her boyfriend Michael Marshall, 40, were arrested in 2012 after police found Marshall’s 12-year-old son lying on the bathroom floor weighing just 40 pounds.

More

The Internet Is Dead, Long Live the Internet!

The internet as we know it is dead.

On Tuesday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the second most important court in the country after the Supreme Court, struck down the FCC’s Open Internet Order, the legal framework that protects net neutrality.

This is nothing short of a disaster.

The idea behind net neutrality is pretty simple: big corporate internet service providers, like Verizon, should have to treat all websites and all web users equally and should not be allowed to treat the internet like their own personal toll road.

They should not be allowed, for example, to run your music website at crappy speeds just because that music site could compete with a Verizon-owned music website.
More

Reporter Confronts Union Chief Supporting A Child Molesting Teacher

Local Pet Supply Pantry Launched

WEST OCEAN CITY — Less than two months after stepping down amid some controversy after 37 years, former Worcester County Humane Society Director Kenille Davies is back in the game with Kenille’s Kupboard, a grassroots, non-profit organization aimed at providing for the needs of animals in the community.

With the assistance of longtime Humane Society employee Carolyn Miller and her legion of supporters, Davies is now operating the fledgling operation known as Kenille’s Kupboard.

The organization is collecting needed food and other supplies for pet owners who are faced with challenges of providing for their animals. It’s a labor of love, according to Davies.
More

Gates: Only Passion Obama Ever Showed For Military Was Over ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

The good news is, the president chooses his battles.

The bad new? The battles he chooses.

The book written by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been making headlines for its portrayals of a president ambivalent about war strategy, but a Fox News review of “Duty: Memories of a Secretary at War,” has an even more disturbing angle.

The only time the President Obama showed he really cared about military issues wasn’t strictly related to national security or the safety of Americans serving in the hot spots of Afghanistan and Iraq, Gates wrote — it was while catering to his most progressive political base in the service of an ideological goal.

According to the Fox review, Gates wrote that “the only military matter, apart from leaks, about which I ever sensed deep passion on his part was ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ For him, changing the law seemed to be the inevitable next step in the civil rights movement.”

More

Senate Dems Plan To Pressure TV Networks Into Covering Climate Change

Senate Democrats pledging to get more aggressive on climate change will soon pressure the major TV networks to give the topic far greater attention on the Sunday talking-head shows.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are gathering colleagues’ signatures on a letter to the networks asserting that they’re ignoring global warming.

“It is beyond my comprehension that you have ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, that their Sunday shows have discussed climate change in 2012, collectively, for all of eight minutes,” Sanders said, citinganalysis by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.

Read more

'Not :Loking Good': Coal Workers See Future Dim Amid Regulation Burden

Far below the Appalachian Mountains, in a space barely big enough to stand up straight, Bobby Combs works a job his father and his grandfather worked.

Coal-mining is the highest-paying job available to him in eastern Kentucky. As he skillfully maneuvers a massive machine and rips into a seam of coal, though, Combs wonders if the family tradition ends with him.

"It's not looking good," he says, dirt smudging his face.

Coal has come under the crosshairs of the Obama administration in the push to transition to renewable energy sources. Coal mines are burdened with a never-ending stream of federal regulations.
More

Barack Obama Could Actually Reform Your Email Privacy On Friday, Buuuuut He Might Not

Barack Obama is supposed to make a big speech on Friday, outlining his plans to reign in the National Security Administration and preserve Americans security, years and years after the NSA expanded data collection and privacy intrusion beyond even Bush Administration levels, even as Barack Obama himself publicly decried the surveillance state that had developed in the wake of 9/11.

Anyway, even though most people are highly suspicious of the administration’s commitment to pulling back on their spying habits (after all, they didn’t even abandon a massive cell phone metadata mining program when it was found to be completely useless in detecting and preventing acts of terrorism), there is at least one thing the Obama Administration could do right away to help protect Americans’ privacy. And it’s bipartisan. And common sense. And the panel that reviewed the NSA’s systems recommended it. Which means it probably won’t make it into the final strategy. But it’s worth a shot, right?…

Basically, the Federal laws regarding when an agency needs a warrant to get hold of a person’s electronic communications, like their email, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, hasn’t been updated since 1986 (twenty seven years ago), before any of us started using email, which is probably par for the course for the government, but is a real problem when you consider that Americans spend far more time communicating via the Internet than anywhere else (we send almost 145 billion emails every day). But your emails don’t (currently) even have the same protections as your snail mail.

More

Casino’s Direct Impact Fund Allocations Detailed

SNOW HILL — Despite increased competition the Casino at Ocean Downs is still seeing “moderate growth,” according to General Manager Joe Cavilla. If that growth continues it could mean more impact funding for Worcester County, which is poised to see a boost next year as other casinos in Western Maryland come online and the 18 percent of revenue that Ocean Downs sends across the bridge is returned.

At Monday’s Local Development Council (LDC) meeting, the group reviewed how the casino revenue-generated impact grant funding that Worcester County and some of its municipalities receive is being used.

A common allocation of funding was toward infrastructure improvements. Ocean City directed $454,948 that it received through impact funds toward street repair in FY13 with the intention of doing the same in FY14. Likewise, the Ocean Pines Association has used $591,545 for street paving in FY13 and estimates a similar expenditure for FY14.

More 

Who Is Dropping Out Of The Labor Force, And Why?

Although many economic indicators are heading in a positive direction, last week's December jobs report highlighted the problem of the declining labor force participation rate, the percentage of people aged 16 and over who choose to work or look for work.

The labor force participation rate moved back to 62.8 percent from its November level of 63 percent. In 2007, before the recession, 66 percent of Americans were in the labor force. Today's levels are equivalent to 1978, before the Reagan Revolution and the movement of women into the labor force during the 1980s.

Who is dropping out, and why?

A popular view is that labor force participation is declining because older people are retiring. But since 2000 the labor force participation rates of workers 55 and over have been rising steadily, and the labor force participation rates of workers between 16 and 54 have been declining.

What is clear is that the workforce is aging. Since the beginning of the recession in 2007, 2 million fewer Americans are employed. The 25 to 54 age group has seen a decline in employment of 6 million workers. The 55+ age group, in contrast, has seen an increase in employment of 4.8 million workers. Employment in the 16 to 24 group is down by 1.8 million.

More

Obama Bails Out Insurers

One of the least publicized aspects of Obamacare is its bailout of insurance companies. Far from warring against them as Hillary did in 1993, the Obama program is their new best friend.

Robert Laszewski, a health care consultant, points out that Obamacare is really a giant reinsurance program, capping the liability of health insurance companies. Under its provisions, the first $45,000 of payments to an insured patient come from the company’s coffers. The taxpayer, through the federal government, obligingly picks up 80 percent of the remainder.

And, each year, insurance companies are to estimate their payouts during the coming twelve months. If they miss or the costs are greater than they supposed, the feds will pick up 80 percent of the overage. It is a kind of cost plus deal for insurance companies.

All told, insurance companies are to get $1 trillion in subsidies over the next ten years, a staggering amount of tax money. They will make out far better than General Motors, defense contractors or any TARP recipient banks.

More

NAPOLITANO: Obama Mocks Catholic Nuns For Resisting Obamacare Contraception Mandate

When the Framers were putting together the Constitution in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, they knew the states would not adopt it without written guarantees that the new central government would respect natural rights.

The supporters of the Constitution promised political leaders in the states that the written guarantees would soon be added as amendments, and they were. By late 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified and added to the new Constitution.

The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to assure all in America that their natural rights — areas of human choices for which a permission slip from the government cannot be required and in which the government cannot coerce compliance with its wishes — would not be impaired by the federal government.

More

Chincoteague's Gang Problem


W.Va. Pregnant Women Worry About Late CDC Water Warning After Chemical Spill

(CHARLESTON, W.Va.) — Four days after a chemical spill contaminated drinking water with 4-methylcyclohexane methanol in Charleston, W.Va., Jennifer Kayrouz, who is 38 weeks pregnant, was given the go-ahead, as were others in Charleston, to resume drinking out of the tap.

Residents were told the water was safe to drink on Jan. 13, but late on Jan. 15, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources issued an advisory for pregnant women based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines that recommended “out of an abundance of caution” that “pregnant women drink bottled water until there are no longer detectable levels of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or MCHM, in the water distribution system.”

More

Population Declining In States With Relatively High Dependence On Government

The Census Bureau’s holiday treat is its release of annual state population estimates, to be digested slowly in the new year.

The headline from this year’s release is that population growth from July 2012 to July 2013 was 0.72 percent, lower than in the two preceding years and the lowest since the Great Depression 1930s.

This reflects continuing low, below-replacement-rate birth rates and lower immigration than in 1982-2007. Net immigration from Mexico evidently continues to be zero.

More

Norwegian Bay Freezes Over, Leads To One Of The Freakiest Pictures Ever

Studies Link Alcohol To Early Death, Memory Loss

Nearly 80,000 people die as a result of drinking alcohol each year in North and Latin America, according to a new study published Tuesday in the Journal Addiction.

Researchers looked at alcohol as the cause of death by examining death certificates, over a two-year period in 16 North and Latin American countries. Men accounted for 84% of alcohol-related deaths.

Maristela Monteiro, study author and a senior advisor on alcohol and substance abuse at the Pan American Health Organization, says people are drinking too much and “it’s killing people before they should be dying.”

“These deaths are all 100 percent preventable,” she says.

More

Couple Hangs Puppy And POSTS PICTURES TO FACEBOOK

Not only are these monsters cruel, but they were foolish enough to think that other people on Facebook would find their inhumanity amusing.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s office says a court hearing is now set in an animal abuse case that was discovered after authorities say a Facebook photo post led them to a couple who hanged their small dog from the ceiling.

….Graphic pictures released by Jackson’s office show a small, black puppy strung up and dangling from the ceiling of a Valley Grande home – photos the dog’s owners snapped and posted to Facebook. (Note: WSFA 12 News made an editorial decision to redact those images from our coverage.)

“They decided that they were going to hang a dog from the ceiling by its neck. The poor dog was hanging from the ceiling with some kind of rope around its neck,” said Jackson, District Attorney for Alabama’s 4th Judicial Circuit. “What their motivation was, we don’t know at this point. It’s still under investigation. It was just very callous to have it posted on Facebook. I guess they thought it was a joke or something to hang a poor little dog.”

More

Unions, Pension Board Unhappy O’Malley Cut $100M In Promised Payment To Retirement Fund

The Board of Trustees of the State Retirement and Pension System, headed by State Treasurer Nancy Kopp, is also opposed to reducing the promised $300 million payment down to $200 million. This delays the goal of funding of the state pensions system at 80% by a full year, from 2024 to 2025. The pension system was 100% funded 12 years ago, but 80% is the accepted standard for public systems.

MarylandReporter.com raised the issue at the governor’s news conference on his proposed budget Wednesday. O’Malley had not mentioned cutting the pension payment in his presentation, even though it is listed as the largest spending reduction he is proposing to balance next year’s budget.

After his explanation of the change, O’Malley was specifically asked if the public employee unions had signed off on the reduction. The video of the Jan. 15 news conference shows O’Malley turning to Chief of Staff John Griffin and Budget Secretary Eloise Foster, and both nod their heads indicating the unions had agreed. (The video is in the video library under Jan. 15, 2014 and the exchange takes place around minute 41.)
More

Man Drove Car Almost Four Miles With Dead Cyclist Sticking Out Of His Windshield

How drunk do you have to do be not just to hit a man, but to keep driving with him stuck in your windshield?

A Brazilian drink driver drove five miles with a dying cyclist he had knocked over trapped inside his broken windscreen.

Motorists mistook the victim for a doll but called police after stopping the car and discovering the upper body protruding from the smashed glass and draped over the top of the vehicle was human

…Jose Adil Simioni, 58, was led staggering from his Fiat Strada in handcuffs as tragic Marco Aurelio Dlovski, on his way back from work when he was hit on a bend, was pronounced dead at the scene.

More

Bottom-Feeders In The DC Cesspool

One good thing about having Obama as president (and the only one) is that regular people are learning exactly what happens in the campaigns and the legislative efforts that they have been supporting over the years, previously coded as clever buzz phrases.

Collectively described as the "consultant class," DC firms vie for lucrative contracts and label themselves as "strategists" or "consultants" when the word, "lobbyist" is a dirty word.

Company or group A needs to bend the ear of Congressmen D, G, and N, so they hire lobbyist 7, 4, 2, and 9 of firm XYZ to make it happen.

It's all perfectly legal, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exacerbate the distrust of DC by the American people.

More

Problems With Comments

I received a call this morning referencing some comments not getting published.

I'm not sure how many of you have experienced the same problem but we have experienced other issues where the same comment would come in 4 or 5 times in a row. So obviously there's a problem.

We encourage you to keep trying and hopefully Google/Blogger resolves the issue today. 

Delaware Law Enforcement For Special Olympics Is Hosting The 4th Annual “Dodgeball Madness” Tournament

Location:
Caesar Rodney High School
239 Old North Road
Camden, DE 19934

Date of Event:
Saturday, March 22, 2014

Time:
Check in at 8:00 a.m.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m.

Resume:
Delaware Law Enforcement for Special Olympics is hosting a Dodgeball Tournament to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Delaware on Saturday, March 22, 2014 beginning at 8:00 a.m. The tournament will be held in the Caesar Rodney High School Gymnasium.

The tournament will consist of the first 36 teams to register. Each team is guaranteed to play in at least nine games. The minimum age to participate is 16 years old. Teams must consist of six players and may have two alternate players. Teams can consist of all male, female, or co-ed members. Games will be played under the rules and regulations of the National Dodgeball League. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase on site.

Reason to Dodge and Throw? Special Olympics Delaware is an organization that changes lives by promoting understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Through year round sports training, athletic competition and related programs conducted for more than 3,500 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the organization creates a model community that celebrates people’s diverse gifts. Special Olympics Delaware builds sports skills, confidence, strength, motivation and self-esteem – not just for athletes, but for everyone involved. Dodgeball Madness has raised over $35,000.00 for Special Olympics Delaware since its inception back in 2011.

The entry fee for each team member is $50.00. All team members will receive a Dodgeball Madness event t-shirt. Deadline to register is Friday, March 7, 2014. To register for the event, please visit www.sode.org or call Special Olympics Delaware (302)-831-3482.

This Is Why We Need A Minimum Wage Hike

The Argument for Obama’s $10.10 Minimum Wage Hike, Explained in Dialogue Form:

Worker: “Hi, I’d like to work for you.”

Employer: “Sorry, the government says we have to pay everyone at least 10.10 an hour. We don’t have any money in our budget to hire more workers at that rate.”

Worker: “Well, I still need a job. I’ll gladly work for 6 dollars an hour. Deal?”

Government: “Hold on! You can’t do that. You’re not allowed to sell your services for less than 10.10 an hour!”

Worker: “But… I’d rather make under 10.10 than be unemployed. Why can’t I enter into a private employment contract with this establishment if we both feel that the arrangement benefits us? We are both consenting parties, aren’t we?”

Government: “Because that isn’t fair.”

More

Oh This Is Interesting

Employers who use Obamacare as an excuse to shaft workers may be in for a big surprise. If a company cuts employee hours simply to avoid providing healthcare benefits, they could be violating an overlooked provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act – otherwise known as ERISA. That law forbids employers from interfering with employee benefits, and lawyers say that cutting someone's hours to deny them healthcare could be asking for a lawsuit. In addition to the legal implications, these employers run the risk of public backlash – like Walmart is experiencing over low-pay, lacking benefits, and corporate greed. Companies can cut workers' hours, but they do so at their own risk – and they may live to regret it.

Boardwalk Military Banner Program OK’d For Summer

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City will be honoring its local home town heroes this summer through a military banner program that will recognize active duty personnel along the Boardwalk.

On Tuesday afternoon, Pat Riordan of the OC Elks Lodge Veteran’s Committee came before the Mayor and City Council to request permission to implement an Ocean City Hometown Heroes Military Banner Program to honor active duty personnel who reside in Worcester County.

According to Riordan, the program was created for the community of Ocean City to honor and recognize active duty military personnel that reside in Worcester County. Banners will display the official military photo of the service person, as well as his or her name, rank and branch of the Unites States Armed Forces. There will be no cost to the honoree for this program.
More

A Letter To The Editor: MORE POWER FAILURES TODAY

DelPwr is still replacing poles on Mt Hermon Rd. ANTICIPATE power failures East of the city limits. Do NOT leave your computer in the middle of a program.. Exit the program frequently to store the data and minimize your loss.. STANDBY MODE is just a mouse click away.

Today's Survey Question 1-17-14

How long do you think customers 
should be allowed to sit in a restaurant?

The Fed Will Skate On An Audit

Ron Paul is not a fan of Janet Yellen, the newly confirmed Chair of the Federal Reserve, but he told The Daily Caller Monday she is nowhere near as flawed as the system she is about to take over.

“She’s worse than average,” the former Texas congressman told The Daily Caller in a phone interview shortly after the Senate voted 56-26 to confirm Yellen’s nomination, “but I don’t dwell on that at all.”

“It was never the chairman himself, herself that’s the problem,” Paul said. “It’s the whole system.”

More

Wicomico Bureau Of Investigation Press Release 1-17-14


Repair Shop Worker Takes Customer’s BMW For A Joyride And Wrecks It… Which Is Totally Legal

It sounds too awful to be true, but it is: A man who brought in a BMW to a repair shop for some minor work ended up with a wrecked car instead, after an employee admitted to taking it out for a joyride and wrecking it. And apparently, that is totally legal.

The customer is out one vehicle after the incident, but it appears all he can do is sue the repair shop, reportsWESH.com in Orlando. Police confirmed that the worker was driving the car and was involved in not one, but two accidents in the wee hours of January 8.

More

Saturday Will Be Another 24 Hour News Cycle

Tomorrow will provide another 24 hour news cycle. Have a great weekend.

Maryland Natural Resources Police Make Huge Oyster Poaching Bust

EASTON, Md. - Maryland Natural Resources police busted a Virginia truck driver for one of the largest cases of undersized oyster poaching in recent years, a department spokeswoman confirmed.

Officers seized a tractor-trailer filled with 188 bushels of oysters Wednesday night. Rhoderick J. Newman, 66, was arrested and charged with one count of attempting to transport undersized oysters out of state and five counts of possession of undersized and un-culled oysters, according to the Department of Natural Resources website.

“The taxpayers of Maryland have spent millions of dollars to restore oysters to their natural habitat. … They are keystone species,” Candy Thompson, a Natural Resources Police spokeswoman, said.
More

For Liars Like Obama And Clinton, Ends Justify Means On Benghazi

In the world of philosophy, there are two prime schools of thought about action and consequence.

One, laid out in detail by Immanuel Kant, is deontology, a theory in which the goodness of an act is judged solely by adherence to a rule or set of rules. There are universal duties and obligations, and it is the motive of the actor that matters.

In the second, teleology, determining whether an act is morally right or wrong depends solely on the results of said act (good results, good act; bad results, bad act). In this sort of pragmatic ethics, the ends justify the means — always.

But unlike utilitarianism — in which all actions are deemed morally acceptable if they are directed toward achieving the greater good for the largest number of people — teleological ethics, with its pure moral objectivism, has a simple tenet: If it’s good for you, then it’s good.

Which brings us to Hillary Clinton and President Obama. And Benghazi.

More

Reserve Your Seat For Wicomico Recreation’s Spring Bus Trips

Salisbury, MD – Hit the road with Wicomico Recreation & Parks! Registration is open for our spring bus trips. Reserve your seat now - these trips fill up fast.

Philadelphia Flower Show

Friday, March 7

Arrive in Philadelphia just in time for lunch; enjoy a famous Philly cheese steak or shop across the street at Reading Market, then enjoy the flower show at its best viewing time. Trip includes transportation, flower show ticket and bus driver's tip.
$68 per person

Savannah, GA & Charleston, SC (6 Days & 5 Nights)

Sunday, April 6 - Friday, April 11

Trip includes five nights lodging, five breakfasts, three dinners (including Paula Deen's Lady & Sons), guided tours of Savannah and Charleston, Charleston City Market, Magnolia Plantation Home and Nature Tram Tour, Tour of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor Cruise, Tour of Charleston Tea Plantation, River Street District, transportation, luggage handling, taxes and gratuities.
$689 per person (based on double occupancy)

Virginia International Military Tattoo

Sunday, April 27

The Virginia International Military Tattoo will feature a cast of 900+ from around the world including military bands, bagpipers, drill teams, dancers and choirs. Trip includes transportation, Naval Base tour, show ticket and dinner at the Freemason Abbey in Norfolk, VA.
$130.50 per person

Mystery Trip

Friday, May 2

We can't tell you where we are going but we can tell you we will have fun! Trip includes transportation, bus driver's tip, light breakfast, late lunch and a lot of adventure!
$93.50 per person

Pennsylvania Amishlands (2 Days & 1 Night)

Friday, May 16 - Saturday, May 17

Trip includes one nights lodging, one breakfast, one hobo lunch and ride on the Strasburg Railroad, one family-style dinner, 'Moses' at Sight & Sound Theatre, Gaither Vocal Band at the American Music Theatre, guided tour of the Pennsylvania Amishlands, Bird-In-Hand Farmer's Market, transportation, luggage handling, taxes and gratuities. $298 per person (based on double occupancy)

Registration is available at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office (500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury; M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) or online at www.WicomicoRecandParks.org. For more information, please contact Karen McInturff, Program Director at 410-548-4900 x108 or kmcinturff@wicomicocounty.org.

How Big Is Your Ass?


Obamacare’s Fishy Navigators

In New Mexico, 38 of them turned up in a federal crime database.

One in seven of New Mexico’s certifiedObamacare navigators had a match in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, according to public records obtained by National Review Online.

In total, 38 health-care guides or certified application counselors received their certification despite a match, according to records from the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance (OSI), which certifies navigators working with the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange.

More

WITH TERRY MCAULIFFE IN OFFICE, VA LAWMAKERS ANNOUNCE PUSH FOR GUN CONTROL

Just days after Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) was sworn into office, Virginia Democratic lawmakers announced their plans to push more gun control in 2014.

The Associated Press reports the proposals include the expanded background checks which McAuliffe supported during his gubernatorial campaign.

They want the checks to cover "all commercial purchases" and include a "ban [on] gun ownership for five years for individuals convicted of stalking or sexual battery, and [limits on] gun access for individuals who have been involuntarily treated for mental health issues."

More

New Student Code Of Conduct Proposal Worries Commissioner

SNOW HILL — The removal of some “zero tolerance” discipline policies from schools statewide could become a reality by the end of the month, resulting in a mixed local reaction with the Worcester County Board of Education taking a generally positive view, while at least one County Commissioner has labeled the changes “scary”.

A new, statewide Student Code of Conduct has been under development by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) for more than two years. The public comment period for the draft ended last week. However, it seems to have flown under the radar locally and the announcement that the regulations could soon be adopted caused County Commissioner Virgil Shockley no small amount of alarm.

“You’ve got a situation where now you’re putting bus drivers, aides, teachers, principals really, really in danger,” said Shockley, a school bus contractor as well as a farmer.

More 

Time To Sequester Air Force One Vacation Flights

Land Of The Free No Longer So Free

In 2000 The US ranked Number three in the Frazer Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World index.  Under policies of the Obama Administrationin 2013 we have cascaded to 17th,  shockingly behind such countries as Jordon, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,  Jordon and Estonia.  What a sad commentary on the direction  of the Land of the Free.  Do you suppose that the stagnant economy could have anything to do with the erosion of freedom as spelled out below??  The Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom has also just been issued.  It uses different criteria and ranks the U.S at 12th,   a score that has fallen for seven consecutive years.

The Frazer index measures::
  • Size of Government: Expenditures, Taxes, and Enterprises
  • Legal Structure and Security of Property Rights
  • Access to Sound Money
  • Freedom to Trade Internationally
  • Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business

1
8.97
2
8.73
3
8.49
4
8.30
5
8.07
6
8.01
7
7.98
8
7.93
8
7.93
10
7.88
11
7.87
12
7.85
13
7.81
14
7.78
15
7.77
16
7.76
17
7.73
18
7.72
19
7.68
20

Obama And NSA To The American People (and Congress): F@ck Off

But a poll from November showed that only 11% of Americans trust Obama to actually do anything to rein in spying.

We were right to be skeptical

Today, Obama announced his fake “reforms” … and he’s not doing anything but putting lipstick on the same ‘old pig.

The New York Times notes that Obama’s “reform”:

Largely codifies existing practices.

The Times points out that the reform is meant to placate NSA critics, without actually challenging national security agencies:

The emerging approach, described by current and former government officials who insisted on anonymity in advance of Mr. Obama’s widely anticipated speech, suggested a president trying to straddle a difficult line in hopes of placating foreign leaders and advocates of civil liberties without a backlash from national security agencies. The result seems to be a speech that leaves in place many current programs, but embraces the spirit of reform and keeps the door open to changes later.

The Times includes a revealing quote:

“Is it cosmetic or is there a real thumb on the scale in a different direction?” asked one former government official who worked on intelligence issues. “That’s the question.”

More

‘Walking School Buses’ Picking Up Speed

Programs Help Fight Obesity and Reduce Emissions

More U.S. children are getting to school the old school way – by walking.

Requiring only two volunteers and a neighborhood of children willing to dress for the weather, the “walking school bus” is part of a growing national trend to combat childhood obesity, traffic congestion and auto emission pollution in urban areas.

According to the “Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School” report released October 2013 by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, a greater percentage of children between the grades of kindergarten and eighth grade are choosing active school travel. Parent surveys showed the percentage of children walking to and from school increased from 12.4 percent in 2007 to 15.7 percent in 2012 in the morning and 15.8 percent in 2007 to 19.7 percent in 2012 in the afternoon. The data was compiled from parent surveys submitted by 8,119 schools representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

More

Record 732 Pounds Of Cocaine Seized At Port Of Norfolk

Norfolk, Va. – Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers seized 732 pounds of cocaine concealed in cans of fruit juice in a shipping container at the Port of Norfolk on December 20th.

The wholesale value is about $12 million with a street value as much as $100 million. The seizure is the largest in the port’s history.

“I have children of my own, I’m always worried about where these drugs end up, are they getting to schools and for that reason I could not be more excited that this amount of cocaine is not going to make it out onto the streets,” said Mark Laria, Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director.

More

SFD Calls For Service 1-16-14

  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 21:30:18Nature: Abdominal PainCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 19:40:05Nature: Smoke / Co DetectorAddress: 209 Winterborn Ln Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 19:06:57Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 18:44:08Nature: Unconscious SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 17:33:39Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Parsonsburg
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 16:41:07Nature: Pro Qa EmsCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 15:36:04Nature: Pro Qa EmsCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 15:03:13Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 14:42:08Nature: Heart PatientCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 12:16:54Nature: Diabetic DifficultyCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 11:24:27Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Old Ocean City Rd and parker Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 10:51:40Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 09:09:38Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Parker Rd and old Ocean City Rd Salisbury, MD 21802
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 09:00:25Nature: Heart PatientCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 07:18:59Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 726 Jackson St Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 07:16:11Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Thursday January, 16 2014 @ 01:35:21Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury

West Bound Rt. 50 Shut Down: UPDATE, Bridge Now Open At 8:39 AM

Rt. 50 has been shut down near Vienna heading towards Cambridge/Annapolis. 

Update: Vienna bridge shut down both ways with multiple accidents.

Farm Bureau Reports 9 Va. Farming Deaths In 2013

Farm-related accidents in Virginia resulted in nine deaths in 2013, one less than the year before.

The Farm Bureau reported Thursday that most of the deaths were the result of tractor or equipment failures, and overturned tractors. Two deaths involved farm animals, while one death resulted after a fall from a hayloft.

The Farm Bureau says tractor-related deaths have accounted for the majority of farm deaths for the past two decades. Since 1994, 109 people have died when their tractors overturned. Fifty were run over by tractors or other farm equipment.

Source

Thank God Its Friday 1-17-14

What will you be doing this weekend?

Media-Scales


BREAKING NEWS: Obama To Unveil Reforms To Government Surveillance In Wake Of Leaks

President Obama to call for stripping the National Security Agency’s ability to store phone data from millions of Americans, Fox News confirms.

More

SPD Press Releaes 1-17-14



TONIGHT AT BREW RIVER


Widow Of Philadelphia Cop Expresses Outrage Over Obama Justice Nominee

The widow of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, who was killed in 1981, says she is "outraged" that President Barack Obama has nominated the killer's attorney to head the Justice Department Civil Rights Division.

Debo Adegbile currently works as senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but has been nominated to take over the Civil Rights Division after the post was vacated by Thomas Perez, who is now serving as secretary of Labor.

Adegbile worked as an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund when he argued that the jury in Mumia Abu-Jamal's trial was selected along racial lines and not properly instructed. As a result of that argument, the Abu-Jamal killer was given a reduced sentence of life in prison rather than death for his conviction in the killing of Faulkner.

"To have a man who defended a murderer, someone who murdered a police officer with premeditation and malice, is a radical, is a Black Panther, and to give him an appointment, to nominate him to the Department of Justice, I mean it's a disgrace," Maureen Faulkner said Wednesday on Fox News.

More