I TOLD YOU DELEGATE RUDY CANE WOULD BACK OUT AT THE LAST MINUTE!

"Like I said in the past, I'd bet just about anything that Rudy Cane will back out on the last day with the hope of discouraging ANYONE else filing for that Delegate seat. Will the trick work"?

That is what I said back on January 19th and now Rudy Cane has in fact dropped out of the race after all, just as I had predicted. 

So now Liberals are into political trickery. This move was simply to assure no other Democrat would file against Mrs. Houghes.

Now let's see if the Republican Central Committee will do their job and find someone to run against Sharee. 

DSP Collision Reconstruction Unit Investigates Fatal Crash in Seaford

DSP News Release: DSP Collision Reconstruction Unit Investigates Fatal Crash in Seaford

Location: Ross Station Road south of Herring Run Road, Seaford, DE

Date of Occurrence: Friday February 28, 2014 at approximately 5:10 p.m.

Operator and Vehicle Information:

• Operator #1:  Herbert F. Cummings, 83, Seaford, DE 
• Vehicle #1:  2006 GMC Sierra 

• Operator #2:  John M. Russell Jr., 81, Bridgeville, DE 
• Vehicle #2: 1999 Oldsmobile 88

Reid Hammered By GOP After Claiming All ObamaCare 'Horror Stories' Untrue

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is being hammered by Republican lawmakers after he claimed on the Senate floor that all the ObamaCare "horror stories" being circulated are untrue.

Reid tried to clarify his remarks late Wednesday by saying he was only referring to the “vast majority” of stories featured in ads funded by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group, and not the complaints of everyday Americans. However, he added fuel to the fire by continuing to slam the group’s backers, the Koch brothers, calling them “un-American.”

Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips, in response, said Reid had effectively "attacked the character and integrity of every American who had the courage to share how they're being hurt by the president's health care law."

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Christine O’Donnell: I Was A Victim Of The IRS

Whether Democrat or Republican, do you really want your private tax information leaked with impunity?

On March 9, 2010, around 10 a.m., I announced my plans to run for senate representing Delaware.

Later that same day, my office received a call from a reporter asking about my taxes.

It’s since come out, after a halting and unenthusiastic investigation, that a Delaware Department of Revenue employee named David Smith accessed my records that day at approximately 2 p.m. — out of curiosity, he says.

That these records ended up in the hands of the press is just a coincidence, the IRS claims.

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Federal Audit Calls New School Lunch Rules A Failure

The federal government’s changes to school lunch menus have been disastrous, causing problems for cafeterias trying to comply with the rules and leaving the menu so expensive or unpalatable that more than 1 million students have stopped buying lunch, according to a government audit released Thursday.

One school district told federal investigators that it had to add unhealthy pudding and potato chips to its menu to meet the government’s minimum calorie requirements. Other school districts removed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from their elementary school menus.

Five of the eight school districts surveyed by the Government Accountability Office, the official watchdog for Congress, said they believed students were going hungry because of smaller entree portions demanded by the rules.

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More Positive Effects Of Medicinal Marijuana

There may be even more important health benefits behind those Munchies. It's widely known that Marijuana use is medically proven to help with symptoms of glaucoma, chronic pain and cancer. But now, there's some new evidence to suggest that cannibas may also protect critical immune tissue damaged by HIV. 

Scientists from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center have discovered that "chronic intake of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can protect critical immune tissue in the gut from the damaging effects of HIV infection." 

According to the researchers, gut-associated lymphoid tissue is an important target for HIV. The presence of cannabinoid receptors showed potential for changing the gastrointestinal responses to infection, which could prove to be a defense from HIV. 

These promising results could provide insight for further studies that focus on the positive effects of medicinal marijuana, especially for cases of HIV.

Struggling Tea Party Movement Throws 5-Year Birthday Party, Counts Achievements

Tea party leaders said Thursday that five years after the movement began, it remains relevant to American politics, even at a time when its legislative accomplishments are slipping and its candidates are struggling to gain traction in Republican primaries.

Members of Congress and activists who turned out for the Tea Party Patriots‘ fifth anniversary celebration, held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, said they are still a major faction in Congress and hope to add to their limited-government faction in November.

“I am a little bit confused, I could have sworn I read in The New York Times that the tea party was dead,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who won his seat in 2012 on a tea party-backed platform and who urged his followers not to get demoralized by the exploding size of government under President Obama. “I am hopeful. I am optimistic. I am filled with the promise that we are going to turn this country around because there is a grass-roots revolution going on.”

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RadCast.org Update

According to RadCast.org, there are major issues at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Energy Department officials continue to claim that the leak poses no threat to human health, but some scientists disagree. 

Russell Hardy, the director of the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, said that the levels of americium and plutonium were the highest ever recorded at that site. 

Dan Hancock, the director of the Nuclear Waste Safety Program in Albuquerque, posed the questions, "Does anybody really know what happened in the underground [site] and how much [radiation] was released or is continuing to be released? And therefore, how much is being captured by the filters and how much is getting into the environment?" 

In addition, one of RadCast's contributors reported levels spiking to 108 counts per minute yesterday, despite being 200 miles down-wind of that plant. It appears this leak may be more serious than officials are letting on, and RadCast will continue monitoring this situation closely. You can find more information and all the latest updates on the Carlsbad leak at RadCast.org.

Delegate Argues For 6-month Foreclosure Freeze

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Two of the Maryland House's more liberal Democrats are pushing for new protections against foreclosures: a six-month freeze on foreclosures and a ban on deficiency judgments.

Aisha Braveboy, a Prince George's County delegate running for attorney general, testified for the moratorium bill Thursday before the House Environmental Matters Committee. She said it could save homeowners struggling through bureaucratic delays with banks, such as lost paperwork.

Heather Mizeur, who is running for governor from Montgomery County, argued for banning deficiency judgments. Judges sometimes impose these on homeowners who default on their mortgages when the sale of their homes doesn't cover what they owe.

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Oysters Rockefeller At Brew River

Report: Health Exchange Glitch Could Cost $30.5M

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- A state report says a mistake with Maryland's defective health care exchange could cost the state $30.5 million.

The report made public Thursday by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services says the problem relates to Medicaid enrollees in the exchange. The report says the system is currently incapable of handling determinations of whether people remain eligible for Medicaid.

The report is citing "a variety of system architectural flaws" with software in the health exchange. In effect, the state can't determine who is no longer eligible for Medicaid, so the state has agreed with the federal government to a six-month delay in determining eligibility.

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Journalist Assaulted By Trayvon Martin Protestors

GIRL SCOUTS CEO 'MISLEADING AND DECEITFUL,' SAY ANGRY MOMS

Girl Scout moms participating in the national Girl Scout cookie boycott released a video Thursday calling Girl Scout CEO Anna Marie Chavez “misleading and deceitful.”

The moms are responding to a YouTube video released by Anna Marie Chavez last week that was intended to quell a growing protest movement coming during the crucial annual cookie-buying season.

In her video, Chavez bluntly states the Girl Scouts stand committed to “serving God.”

The moms' video claims this assertion is only made “when it is convenient” and points out that duty to God in the Girl Scouts “is optional.”

Chavez claims the Girl Scouts “have not now [nor] ever have had a relationship with Planned Parenthood.”
 
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Princess Anne Police Department Press Release

On 2-18-14, the Princess Anne Police Department arrested Porsha Simone Harvey, 21, of Newark Delaware, for possession of a controlled dangerous substance. The arrest stemmed from Harvey having the controlled dangerous substance on her person when she entered the District Court security scanners. Harvey was released from custody upon signing her criminal citation.

Porsha Harvey was known as Miss UMES Campus Queen. She has retired from the position effective immediately.

The Single Most Important Item For Investors In The Capital Markets

The single most important item for investors to understand is collateral. Specifically, how there is a huge shortage of high-grade collateral backstopping the trillions in derivatives trades owned by the TBTFs

The senior most assets backstopping the $600 trillion derivatives market are SOVEREIGN BONDS: US Treasuries, Japanese Government Bonds, German Bunds.

By keeping interest rates near zero, and pumping over $10 trillion into the financial system since 2007, the world’s Central Banks have forced investors to misprice the most prized collateral backstopping the entire derivatives system: SOVEREIGN BONDS.

SO what happens when the current bond bubble bursts and we begin to see bonds falling and yields rising?

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Kindergarten Teacher Suspended After Two Of Her Students, Aged Five, Are Caught 'Having Sex' In School Bathroom

A kindergarten teacher has been suspended from her job after two of her students were found ‘having sex’ while naked in her classroom's bathroom.

Kelly Mascio, who has been teaching for more than 15 years in Mullica Township, New Jersey, has been suspended with pay since the incident on September 30.

According to a police report, Mascio found the two five-year-olds - a boy and girl – naked in her in-classroom bathroom. They told her they were ‘having sex.’

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“REVENGE PORN BILL PASSES HOUSE OF DELEGATES”

(ANNAPOLIS) -- Today House Bill 43, entitled “Criminal Law - Harassment - Revenge Porn Bill,” passed the House of Delegates. Delegate McDermott’s bill, House Bill 204 was merged into House Bill 43. Delegate McDermott (R-Worcester & Wicomico Counties) joined the efforts to supprt House Bill 204, one of the so called “Revenge Porn” bills that the Judiciary Committee heard this year.

HB 43 makes it a misdemeanor for a person to disclose sexual images of another person without the consent of that person. However, this bill does not address the extortion issues that Delegate McDermott sought to address in HB 204.

Delegate McDermott’s “Revenge Porn” bill made it illegal for any individual to hold a person’s sexual image against them in return for goods or services, accounting for the emotional damage upon the extorted person. Not only would HB 204 protect individuals from their past sexual images getting released to the public, but it would also work to prevent anyone from using a person’s images against them.

SEX OFFENDER CONVICTED AFTER TWO DAY TRIAL

TROY R. ALLEN CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR

On February 28, 2014, after a two day jury trial, Troy Robert Allen, age 23, of Wicomico County, Maryland, was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, two counts of Third Degree Sexual Offense, one count of Fourth Degree Sexual Offense, and three counts of Second Degree Assault. The State expects sentencing to be held in approximately sixty (60) days. The Defendant faces a maximum penalty of forty-six (46) years in prison for his crimes and lifetime registration on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Wicomico Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and its partners (Maryland State Police, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury Police Department, Department of Social Services and Life Crisis Center). Mr. Maciarello also thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Illuminati and Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes who prosecuted this case.

$500K In Safety Upgrades Coming To The Bay Bridge In Time For Summer

STEVENSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) — A new push to make the Chesapeake Bay Bridge safer. It’s part of a multi-million dollar, six-year plan to restore faith in the bridge–recently named the nation’s scariest.

Christie Ileto has more on the changes you’ll notice starting this summer.

Tragedy strikes in 2008. The driver of a tractor trailer dies while trying to avoid a head-on collision when another crosses into his lane.

Last March, a truck nearly overturns while crossing during a wind storm. The driver is fined.
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Is This You?

MSP Press Release 2-28-14

Maryland State Police Press Release
02/28/2014 10:34

STATE POLICE MOURN PASSING OF FORMER SUPERINTENDENT

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – On behalf of the entire Maryland State Police family, Colonel Marcus L. Brown regrets to announce the passing of a former State Police Superintendent and federal law enforcement executive.

Colonel George B. Brosan, of Annapolis, Md., died last evening after a valiant battle with a lengthy illness. He served as Maryland State Police Superintendent from November 1, 1985 to April 22, 1987.

“Colonel Brosan led the members of the Maryland State Police by example and served the people of our state with a diligent commitment to excellence,” Colonel Brown said. “He recognized the important statewide public safety role of the Maryland State Police and worked throughout his tenure to enhance the effectiveness of the law enforcement services our troopers and civilian employees provided to our citizens.”

Governor Harry Hughes appointed Colonel Brosan to the position of Maryland State Police Superintendent. His appointment came following the retirement of the previous Superintendent, Colonel Wilbert T. Travers, Jr.

Prior to his appointment as Superintendent, Colonel Brosan had served in law enforcement for 26 years. He was a member of the New York Police Department from 1959 until 1962, when he became a special agent for the U.S. Customs Service. In 1973, he joined the Drug Enforcement Administration. He served as Special Agent In Charge of the Baltimore office from 1977 to 1984, before being appointed Deputy Assistant Administrator of the DEA.

Berlin To Use ‘Coolest Town’ Title For Publicity Push

BERLIN — With a new title to boast about, the historic hamlet of Berlin is now looking to leverage the national recognition into a huge year for tourism and growth.

“I do believe it’ll make for a heck of a great year for Berlin,” said Lisa Challenger, director of Tourism for Worcester County.

It was all toasts and victory songs this week as Berlin celebrated coming in first in the hard fought contest. Already the town is working to incorporate Budget Travel’s America’s Coolest Small Town designation into official advertising, such as a new billboard along Route 50.

“It’s already today even huge from publicity. I couldn’t even begin to put a dollar amount on the publicity that we’ve already generated,” said Michael Day, director of Economic and Community Development for Berlin.
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Clean Teeth Can Hold Off Arthritis

Scientists discover link between gum disease bacteria and early onset of the condition

Brushing your teeth well could help prevent arthritis, scientists claim.

Researchers found a link between the bacterium responsible for gum disease and earlier onset of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as faster progression and greater severity of the condition.

The bacterium produces an enzyme which reacts with the residue of certain proteins.

The body recognises these proteins as intruders, leading to an immune attack, the researchers from the University of Louisville’s School of Dentistry in Kentucky said.

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Higher Pay Sought For Caregivers Of Disabled

With the governor and legislators pushing for an increase in Maryland’s state minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, advocates of people with disabilities want to make sure their paid caregivers get higher wages, since the state now only reimburses them at $9.82 an hour.

Thursday, these advocates came out to support legislation by Senate Finance Chairman Thomas Mac Middleton, D-Charles, that would guarantee those providers higher pay. His committee is also handling the bills to raise the statewide minimum wage.

Middleton’s bill, SB 890, dictates that caregivers of individuals with developmental and physical disabilities, as well as community mental health service providers, be paid an hourly rate 50% higher than state’s minimum wage.
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Fla. Gov. Scott: Obama Raiding Medicare To Fund ACA

Citing proposed cuts in Medicare Advantage plans, Florida Gov. Rick Scott says the Obama administration is raiding Medicare to pay for Obamacare.

Scott was in Washington over the weekend for a National Governors Association meeting and met with President Barack Obama. In a press release Monday, Scott said he had asked Obama "to fix Obamacare immediately."

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More State Signs Will Better Direct Tourists, Says SHA

CHESTERTOWN — At their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Kent County Commissioners heard about new highway signs.

Steve Hollie and Nataliya Schroaeder, from the State Highway Administration, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the TAC, or Tourism Area and Corridor, sign program.

The new signs replace several older programs, which concentrated on freeway signs to gas, lodging and “attractions.”
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Reining In The IRS

The House GOP unveils its plan.

A comprehensive tax-reform plan House Republicans will unveil this morning takes dead aim at what Republicans perceive to be the IRS’s persistent abuse of its authority. According to Republican aides familiar with the plan, it will curb the power of the nation’s tax-collecting agency, something Republicans have attempted to do since the agency admitted to improperly singling out conservative non-profit groups last May.

The legislation, authored by Ways and Means Committee chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.), introduces reforms that directly address the circumstances that led to last year’s scandal. The specter of Lois Lerner looms large in the minds of many Republicans, and the plan mandates the termination of any IRS employee found to have taken official action for political purposes. The 1988 bill that restructured and reformed the IRS spells out ten actions for which the IRS commissioner must terminate an agency employee after an “administrative or judicial determination” that the employee has committed the prohibited action — among them, providing a false statement under oath on a matter involving a taxpayer and violating the rights of a taxpayer. Today’s bill would add the commission of politically motivated acts to the list.

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Lawyer: Teacher Films Autistic Boy In Distress, Shares Video "For Laughs"

GOODRICH, Mich. - An elementary school teacher is on paid leave from her school in Goodrich, Michigan over an incident involving a 10-year-old autistic student.

CBS Detroit reports that Oaktree Elementary teacher Nicole McVey allegedly shot a cellphone video of the 5th grade child after he got his head stuck in a chair.

McVey can be heard on the video seemingly taunting the student in a classroom full of kids.

"Do you wanna get tasered?" she asked.

Family attorney Patrick Greenfelder said McVey played the video at least three times for her class on a large-screen television.
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Mortgage Applications Plunge Most In 3 Months; "Purchases" Collapse To 19 Year Lows

Despite the surge in "seasonally-adjusted new home sales", un-seasonally-adjusted mortgage applications tumbled 8.5% this week, the biggest drop in 3 months as the modest January bounce has been almost entirely unwound. This pushes the broad MBA mortgage applications index down to near its lowest in 14 years. However, the home-purchase index continues to collapse. Purchase applications are down 30% from their May highs plunging in the last few weeks to their lowest level since 1995. Must be the weather, eh? Or is it like Bob Shiller warned yesterday, the unwind of "bubble thinking," especially as "gains are slowing from month-to-month and the strongest part of the recovery in home values may be over."

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Top US And Chinese Military Officers Meet

Trey Gowdy: I Get Tougher Questions At A Bojangles Drive-Thru Than NBC Asked Of Susan Rice

National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s continued narrative about what the Obama administration knew of the Benghazi attack may turn around to bite her in the posterior, according to U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

There’s “not a scintilla of evidence” to support the notion that the best evidence the White House had on the Sunday following the attack was the it was the result of a “spontaneous demonstration,” he told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. That was the story presented by Rice, who was then-Ambassador to the U.N. when she appeared on five Sunday talk shows.

“She was fabulously wrong when she said it the first time,” he said. “And stunningly arrogant in her refusal to express any regret for lying to our fellow citizens.”

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Rand Paul: Dems Ought To Be 'Embarrassed' To Be Seen With Bill Clinton

Sen. Rand Paul is keeping up his assault on President Clinton, saying Tuesday that Mr. Clinton is a bad role model for women’s rights and that Democratic candidates ought to be “a little embarrassed” to be seen with him.

“I think the Democrats mistake Bill Clinton’s popularity,” Mr. Paul told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We have a lot of conservative Democrats in our state who go to church each week and really don’t approve of his behavior — what he’s done with women, with sexual harassment in the workplace.”

The comments came after Mr. Clinton made a campaign stop for Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky against GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Though Mr. Paul said if he were Mrs. Grimes, he’d return any money given by Mr. Clinton, the former president’s behavior per se isn’t so much an issue.

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State Board Gives Local Election Officials 12% Pay Raise

The State Board of Elections voted unanimously Thursday to give county election directors and their deputies a 12% salary increase.

In a 4-0 vote, the board voted to make the raises effective March 1, instead of being retroactive to July 2013, which State Election Administrator Linda Lamone originally requested. Local election officials have not received a pay raise in 14 years.

The current pay ranges from a low of $41,000 in Dorchester County to a high of $138,000 in Montgomery County.

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Rand Paul: Obama’s Surgeon General Pick Will Use Position To Attack Second Amendment

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, is objecting to President Obama’s nominee to be the next Surgeon General of the United States because of what he says is a history of political advocacy and push for gun controls.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, Mr. Paul writes that he has “serious concerns” about Dr. Vivek Murphy’s ability to “impartially serve as ‘the Nation’s Doctor.’ “

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Black Pastor: Obama ‘Has Done More To Hurt The American People Than Any Other President’

(CNSNews.com) – During a press conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to announce a signature campaign to impeach U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Rev. Bill Owens said President Barack Obama has “hurt the American people.” “We’re on a downward road,” Owens, who is founder and president of the Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP), said at the event at the National Press Club. “And this president has done more to hurt the American people than any president, as I see it, in my lifetime and in history.”

Owens cited Holder’s “repeated lawlessness” of disregarding state laws and the Constitution.

“What we have in Attorney General Holder is a man so political in his zeal to redefine marriage that he is willing to run roughshod over the rulings of the Supreme Court, binging federal law, and the United States Constitution along with the constitutions of a majority of states,” Owens said in a statement distributed at the press conference.

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California College Student Teaches School $50,000 Lesson On Constitution

A California college student who was blocked last year from handing out copies of the Constitution gave his school a lesson in civics and the law, winning a $50,000 settlement and an agreement to revise its speech codes.

Robert Van Tuinen, 26, settled with Modesto Junior College just five months after his run-in with school officials on Sept. 17 – National Constitution Day. Van Tuinen said he’s more excited about getting the school to revise its speech codes, which previously confined the First Amendment to a small area students had to sign up to use.

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Judge Deals Blow To Ohio Village's Use Of Speeding Traffic Cameras

HAMILTON, Ohio – A judge Tuesday ordered a southwest Ohio village to stop using speeding cameras and said they're being used to violate motorists' rights to due process, in the latest ruling against automatic traffic enforcement around the state.

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Sage also approved class action status, meaning thousands of drivers potentially could seek refunds from the village of New Miami.

It was estimated in court Tuesday that more than $1 million has been collected from more than 10,000 drivers, although some may have been ticketed multiple times. An attorney for the village said an appeal was likely. The village had contended it had the right under state law to use the cameras to ticket motorists, with a compelling interest for safety.

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Have You Ever Seen A Press Release From Governor O'Malley Announcing A Business Coming To Or Expanding In Wicomico County?

STATE, HARFORD COUNTY OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE SPECIALTY TIN MANUFACTURER PLANS UPGRADE OF HEADQUARTERS

BALTIMORE, MD (February 20, 2014) – Governor Martin O’Malley joined today with Harford County Economic Development to announce that the State has approved a $535,000 conditional loan to the Independent Can Company in Belcamp. The loan comes from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development’s Economic Development Assistance Authority and Fund (MEDAAF) to assist the company with facility upgrades and new equipment for its headquarters and manufacturing plant. As part of the upgrade, the company plans to add an additional 25 employees by December 2018, and retain its existing workforce of 221 employees.

“By working with our partners in Harford County as well the leadership of Independent Can, we are preserving 221 jobs, creating 25 new jobs and ensuring that this company will continue to grow and invest in Maryland,” said Governor O’Malley. “Our most important priority continues to be creating and retaining the kinds of highly-skilled jobs that will help sustain Maryland’s economy for today and for decades to come.”

States Fear 'Power Grab' By EPA In Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Effort

Attorneys general in 21 states are fighting to block Environmental Protection Agency pollution limits designed to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, fearing the Obama administration will use that authority to regulate wetlands in their states.

The attorneys general filed an amicus brief earlier this month in support of the American Farm Bureau Federation's challenge to the cleanup plan, which aims to reduce pollutants and get the bay up to federal clean-water standards by 2025, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The states argue that the effort is "the culmination of (the EPA's) decade-long attempt to control exactly how states achieve federal water quality requirements under the (Clean Water Act), and marks the beginning of the end of meaningful state participation in water pollution regulation."

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Too Late For A Short-Term Unemployment Fix?

Nearly two months after federal unemployment benefits expired, hope for a short-term restoration of jobless aid has all but disappeared on Capitol Hill. But rather than scale back their expectations, Democrats are aiming for an even more ambitious unemployment insurance package.

Despite weeks of wrangling, Senate Democrats remain still one GOP vote short to restore the federal jobless aid that expired on Dec. 28—and face an even steeper climb in the House. Their original plan had been to pass a three-month extension, then move onto a longer-term fix. But given how much time that has already passed, the focus has now shifted to a six-month or year-long restoration of benefits, according to sources familiar with the talks.

“The Dems no longer want to talk about a three-month extension because quite frankly, by the time it ever passed, it would be one lump sum retroactive check, and we’d be fighting all over again,” says Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordinator for the National Employment Law Project, who has been lobbying Congress for an extension.

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Pepsi MAX & Jeff Gordon Present: "Test Drive 2"

TRAFFIC ALERT - Early Morning Temporary Road Closures For An Oversized Load

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Delmar -- The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that temporary road closures for a short period of time beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 1 will be in effect to move an oversized load.

The following roadways will experience temporary road closures:

* Bi-State Boulevard
* Old Racetrack Road

Delaware State Police and DelDOT will accompany the oversized load to help alert motorists of the closure and provide intersection control along the route.

Motorists are advised to be aware of lane shifts and expect delays.

Man Claims He Was Burned Having Relations With A Pizza, Domino’s Responds Perfectly: WARNING, Graphic

Listen, pizzas are for eating. Whatever else you do with them — and we won’t judge you but also do not necessarily want to know — you’re probably on your own, so far as injuries go. That being said, whoever runs the Domino’s UK Twitter account is more than patient than someone else might be when dealing with complaints of alleged burns incurred during pizza fornication.

In an exchange that could possibly be a joke and might definitely constitute “misuse of the pizza,” a customer who is just so darn mad that he burned his bits while he “made love” to a pizza unleashed a series of all caps tweets at Domino’s asking for advice.

He started things off asking for how to get a refund after his too-hot-to-handle encounter. We’ve taken his tweets out of all caps for easier reading (H/T to Gawker):

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WSCO MOST WANTED 2-28-14

Denise Elizabeth Headley
• White Female, 5’01” 110 lbs
• DOB 11/28/1987 26 years of age
• Brown hair, Blue eyes
• Headley’s last known address was Laurel DE
• Headley is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a three District Court Bench Warrants issued for Failure to Appear in Drug Court in December 2013
• There is no preset bond, she must be brought before the court
• The State will extradite Headley from DE and VA
• Headley has history of DRUG ABUSE and should be APPROACHED WITH CAUTION

Brian Keith Cooper
• White Male, 5’11” 155 lbs
• DOB 08/21/1966 47 years of age
• Brown hair, Green eyes
• Cooper’s last known addresses were Willards MD and Laurel DE
• Cooper uses the nickname Thor and has tattoos on his left arm
• Cooper is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a District Court Arrest Warrant issued in September 2013 for Theft under $1000 and Conspiracy Theft
• And on a District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in October 2013 on the charges of Violating a Protective Order, Burglary 4th, and Trespass Private
• And on a Child Support Body Attachment issued in January 2014
• The total preset bond is $5,557.50
• The state will extradite Cooper from DE and VA

CLICK READ MORE TO SEE COMPLETE LIST

Joe Biden: Obamacare Not A Jobs Killer

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday denied that Obamacare would cost many Americans their jobs, insisting that it gave workers, in particular women, more employment freedom.

In an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Biden was asked by host Barbara Walters if the health law was a “jobs killer.”

A recent Congressional Budget Office report projected that the health law could cost the equivalent of more than 2 million workers over coming years, a finding the Obama administration has pushed back against.

Biden said that a closer reading of the report showed that President Obama's health care reform law would actually help struggling workers.

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Have Fun This Weekend While Supporting Our Students And Schools!

Feb. 28 and March 1

Seussical the Musical

Salisbury Middle School

Salisbury Middle School will have two performances of Seussical the Musical, a zany musical about some of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved characters, at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1 at the school. The performance weekend coincides with the birthday weekend of beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss, born March 2, 1904. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, and are available from any cast member, in the school office or at the door. 410-677-5149.

The Coming Collapse Of The Welfare State

In 1935, the year that FDR signed the Social Security Act into law, the birth rate was 18.7 per 1,000. In 1940, when the first monthly check was issued, it had gone up to 19.4. By 1954, when Disability had been added, the birth rate at the heart of the Baby Boom stood at 25.3.

In a nation of 163 million people, 4 million babies were being born each year.

In 1935, the year that FDR signed the Social Security Act into law, the birth rate was 18.7 per 1,000. In 1940, when the first monthly check was issued, it had gone up to 19.4. By 1954, when Disability had been added, the birth rate at the heart of the Baby Boom stood at 25.3.

In a nation of 163 million people, 4 million babies were being born each year.

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The Conspiracy Theory Is True: Agents Infiltrate Websites Intending To "Manipulate, Deceive, And Destroy Reputations"

In the annals of internet conspiracy theories, none is more pervasive than the one speculating paid government plants infiltrate websites, social network sites, and comment sections with an intent to sow discord, troll, and generally manipulate, deceive and destroy reputations. Guess what: it was all true.

And this time we have a pretty slideshow of formerly confidential data prepared by the UK NSA equivalent, the GCHQ, to confirm it, and Edward Snowden to thank for disclosing it. The messenger in this case is Glenn Greenwald, who has released the data in an article in his new website, firstlook.org, which he summarizes as follows: "by publishing these stories one by one, our NBC reporting highlighted some of the key, discrete revelations: the monitoring of YouTube and Blogger, the targeting of Anonymous with the very same DDoS attacks they accuse “hacktivists” of using, the use of “honey traps” (luring people into compromising situations using sex) and destructive viruses. But, here, I want to focus and elaborate on the overarching point revealed by all of these documents: namely, that these agencies are attempting to control, infiltrate, manipulate, and warp online discourse, and in doing so, are compromising the integrity of the internet itself." Call it Stasi for "Generation Internet."

Greenwald's latest revelation focuses on GCHQ’s previously secret unit, the JTRIG (Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group).

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Marching Toward Genuine Collectivism?

Whenever one is involved in a debate or argument about normative matters – ethics or politics, for instance – certain moves are made by means of using labels. One might characterize another's position as "extreme right or left wing," "fascist," "socialist," "ultra conservative," "radical individualist" and so forth. All such labels contain a charge to the effect that the other's position is misguided and maybe out and out disastrous and vicious in its implications. Which is why the labels are so vigorously rejected, why they are deemed to be a variety of "name calling." 

Yet they are not always off-base. Some people's viewpoint and policy proposals do amount to one of those on the list above. Slightly rephrased, they might even be openly embraced by one's adversary. 

Thus, for example, one might consider someone's position socialist and the person might accept it so long as it is a socialism "with a human face." Even Nazis, national socialists, might fess up to their viewpoint provided it doesn't get linked to Hitler and concentration camps, just as communists might accept being communists so long as Stalin and the gulags are not linked to it.

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Obama Presents Moe, Larry & Curly

Three nominees for ambassadorships will face a confidence vote from people they might end up leading. The American Foreign Service Association plans a March 5 vote on whether to oppose the nominees, all of whom were major fundraisers for President Obama. 

The trio has already faced difficult hearings before the Senators who get the real vote. Association President Robert Silverman says the poll will send a signal about whether career diplomats feel the nominees are qualified to run diplomatic missions abroad. The three are George Tsunis for Norway, Noah Bryson for Argentina and Colleen Bell for Hungary.

LOUISIANA STRIPS FOOD STAMP FRAUD SUSPECTS OF BENEFITS

On Monday, Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) stripped six citizens of their food stamp benefits because they took advantage of an October glitch with EBT cards to overspend their monthly allowance. DCFS added that 25 more people were going to be disqualified as well.

On October 11-12, in Springhill and Mansfield, Louisiana, cards indicated they had no spending limits, and more than 12,000 people took advantage to overspend. One woman had an EBT card with a balance of 49 cents but still had $700 worth of goods in her shopping cart.

DCFS is targeting 500 of those people whom they call the “most egregious transgressors.” Those people spent a combined $315,000 over their limits, in transactions ranging from $300 to $2,000.

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Treasurer, Comptroller Urge Senators To Restore $100M Cut In Pension Funding

In unusual joint testimony, Maryland State Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot, chair and vice-chair of the state pension board, pleaded with Senate budgeters not to permanently cut $100 million in state payments to the retirement system.

They said the cut proposed by Gov. Martin O’Malley had high long-term repercussions and undermined the state’s credibility with bond rating agencies by reneging on promises made in 2011 pension reforms.

Leaders of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee asked the state two top financial officials where they would make up the $100 million O’Malley has used to balance the budget as the senators search for other potential ways to trim the $39 billion spending plan.
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Two Illegal Immigrants Sentenced For $1.4 Million Food Stamp Fraud

Two Korean citizens in the United States illegally were sentenced last week in Baltimore to prison for obtaining over $1,400,000 in payments for food sales that never occurred as part of a food stamp and wire fraud scheme.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III gave Hyung Cho 38 months in prison and three years of supervised release and his mother, Dae Cho, 18 months in prison. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Maryland, "Both defendants resided in Catonsville, Maryland and are Korean citizens who are illegally present in the United States."

The U.S. Attorney's Office says that the Chos "agreed not to object to any proceedings that may be brought to remove them from the United States upon completion of their sentence."

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Federal unions Want A 4% Raise, Not 1%

A 1 percent pay raise is "pitiful," according to federal labor unions. They're coming out with their own proposals to counter the request President Barack Obama will make in his fiscal 2015 budget. The American Federation of Government Employees calls for a 4 percent pay raise. It says that's enough for employees to keep up with the rising costs of retirement and health care. The National Treasury Employees Union advocates for a slightly more modest 3.3 percent raise. Feds got a 1 percent lift this year and no raise for the past three years.

A Woman's Place???

An Army survey shows just 8 percent of female soldiers want to fight on the front lines. And it suggests male soldiers worry that women cannot do the physical tasks required. The findings reflect nagging fears as the Pentagon prepares to open more combat roles to women. The Army is revising physical fitness requirements to be more gender-neutral. In studies, commanders are forgoing counting pushups and sit-ups. Instead they test soldiers' abilities to do battlefield tasks, like dragging a wounded person to safety. In April, the Army opens 33,000 roles to women that were previously classified as direct ground combat.

In Or Out?

President Barack Obama tells his Afghan counterpart, all U.S. troops will withdraw this year unless Kabul signs a security agreement. The White House asks the Pentagon to prepare for the possibility. 

There's already a blueprint, but the longer action takes, the more expensive a withdrawal would become. Closing a military base takes about 10 months. Officials say they can do it in less time for more money. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has delaying signing the deal as his term in office ends. He says he wants his successor to sign the pact. It would keep up to 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. They would focus on counterterrorism and training Afghan security forces.

24 Hour News Cycle

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

10 Things You Should Never Buy At The Dollar Store

A few weeks ago, we presented you with a list of 15 things that you should buy at the dollar store. Okay, great, but it’s a big store: there must be something that you should avoid, either because of crappy quality or because paying a dollar isn’t such a good deal. Right?

Over at Wisebread, they wrote up a list and also flipped it around, detailing ten items you should buy at the dollar store and then that you should avoid.

1. Electric Appliances

If it has an electric plug, don’t buy it. Counterfeit Underwriters Laboratories seals are a thing, so that’s no guarantee of quality. Just stay away.

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Grant, Loan Allow Wicomico To Address Water Issues

SALISBURY – The Wicomico County Council accepted funding this month to construct a clean water supply for Morris Mill Road area residents coping with contaminated water for some time.

Last Tuesday morning, the Wicomico County Council voted to approve a resolution authorizing County Executive Rick Pollitt to accept and execute a $1.5 million grant award, and a low interest loan in the amount of $900,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Rural Development, Water and Environmental Programs (WEP).

According to the resolution, the WEP through the USDA-Rural Development offers loans, grants and loan guarantees to public bodies to assist rural communities with their water, wastewater, and solid waste problems.
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TRAFFIC ALERT - Update Of Tina Fallon/Woodland Ferry

Seaford -- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) reminds motorists that the Tina Fallon/Woodland Ferry vessel was closed for service on October 1, 2013 for the inspection of the ferry by the U. S. Coast Guard, as well as extended maintenance service. The contractor for the work was General Ship Repair Corp.

The U. S. Coast Guard inspection involved placing the vessel in a dry dock facility where the engine, hull, gates, hydraulic system, fuel system, bilge and fire suppression systems were all checked. The inspection found no serious or unexpected issues on the vessel. The necessary maintenance work which included painting was performed, but the pace has been hampered by extreme weather this winter.

Thank God Its Friday 2-28-14

What will you be doing this weekend?

SFD Calls For Service 2-27-14

• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 22:01:15Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 20:15:08Nature: Back PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 18:46:08Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 18:24:56Nature: Odor InvestigationAddress: 334 Barclay St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 17:15:58Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Airport Terminal Rd and airport Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 17:15:58Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 16:31:40Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 16:30:22Nature: Assault EmsCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 15:25:03Nature: Medical AlarmCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 14:41:42Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 13:43:16Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 13:10:26Nature: Natural CoverAddress: 1008 Adams Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 13:10:23Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 11:28:26Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: E Salisbury Pkwy and e Main St Salisbury, MD 21802
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 11:05:17Nature: Structure FireCity: Parsonsburg
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 11:05:15Nature: Structure FireAddress: 6507 Deer Pointe Dr Parsonsburg, MD 21849
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 09:20:28Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 06:32:48Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 06:15:58Nature: Abdominal PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 04:59:01Nature: Structure FireAddress: 111 First St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 04:59:00Nature: Structure FireCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 04:59:00Nature: Structure FireAddress: 111 First St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 27 2014 @ 02:34:59Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury

Senate Considers Bill To Allow Police To Ignore Federal Immigration Requests

There's legislation in Annapolis that would allow local police departments to ignore orders from federal immigration officials to detain illegal immigrants, who are charged with non-violent offenses.

The bill, sponsored by Prince George's County Democratic Senator Victor Ramirez would prohibit judges in Maryland from denying bail to defendants who federal officials believe are in the U.S. illegally.

Ramirez says that judges could still deny bail, if it is determined the defendant is a threat to the community.

Ramirez says the measure goes "hand in hand" with the federal "Secure Communities" where violent offenders were held in local jails, if their immigration status was questioned by federal officials.

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In Md. Governor’s Race, Gansler Pushes Jobs Plan With Tax Breaks, Tuition Discounts

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Douglas F. Gansler on Thursday released a 30-point plan to boost job creation in Maryland, saying the state has to both modernize its workforce and do more to support existing businesses.

“This plan is built around one core truth: Maryland needs more jobs,” Gansler, the state’s attorney general, said at a news conference at Baltimore’s shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, where he was joined by several workers who had lost their livelihoods.

Gansler has sought to distinguish himself as the pro-business candidate in the Democratic primary, and his plan calls for a wide array of policy changes and new programs, some spelled out in more detail than others. The plan is more comprehensive than anything released to date by other candidates.

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Hearing Today On Setting Up Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers

For the second time this week, a legislative committee in Annapolis is reviewing bills dealing with marijuana.

Unlike Tuesday's hearing in the Senate which dealt with legalizing marijuana for recreational use, or decriminalizing marijuana, today's hearing in the House Health and Government Operations Hearing deals with a bill to expand medical marijuana, which was legalized last year.

Baltimore City Delegate Cheryl Glenn's bill would allow the state to license up to 20 marijuana treatment centers, where patients with a prescription could obtain a 60 day supply of marijuana to be used for treatment of cancer, glaucoma and other illnesses.

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VA Employees Actually Destroy Veterans’ Records To Ease Backlog

There can be no debate that the Obama administration has a disdain for our military and its veterans. Now it seems we’ll no longer see Obama attend VFW and American Legion conferences — not that anyone will miss him.

Remember the empty promises about easing the veterans’ claims backlog? As a matter of fact, when was the last time you saw the FLOTUS and Dr. Jill Biden on a military base talking about supporting military families? Yep, the true colors of Barack Hussein Obama are as brilliant as ever.

But I’m not sure anything can be more disgusting and heinous than what the Daily Caller reported: Employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) destroyed veterans’ medical files in a systematic attempt to eliminate backlogged veteran medical exam requests, a former VA employee said. Audio of an internal VA meeting obtained by The Daily Caller confirms that VA officials in Los Angeles intentionally canceled backlogged patient exam requests.”

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