DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
GOVERNOR O’MALLEY SIGNS BILLS TO PREPARE FOR IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME WEATHER
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law two pieces of legislation that will help the State prepare for the impacts of climate change and extreme weather in Maryland. The first, the Bay Acidification Bill, will create a Task Force to evaluate and address the effects of changing chemistry in the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland waterways. The second, the CoastSmart Bill, will ensure the State follows standards to make safe and fiscally-wise investments when building or updating State agency structures located in vulnerable coastal areas.
“As severe weather events grow in size and impact, and our Bay’s resources become threatened, the costs of inaction to our economy, society and environment will only grow exponentially,” said Governor O’Malley. “This legislation helps us to get out in front of these very real, very important climate issues, and to secure the health, safety and future of our State and its citizens.”
Underscoring the critical importance of preparing for these impacts, the Third National Climate Assessment, released today by the Obama Administration, confirmed that global warming is contributing to the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme weather events, including “superstorms” such as Hurricane Sandy, extreme precipitation events, heat waves, and coastal flooding due to heightened sea level rise and storm surge.
The Bay Acidification Bill (House Bill 118) will allow for the State to devise a team, or Task Force, of State leaders, and water quality, fishery and climate experts, to address how changing Bay chemistry negatively impacts Maryland’s coast and shellfish industry. The Task Force will study and assess water quality in Maryland’s Chesapeake and coastal bays, and review ocean acidification studies and findings from other states. The group will then present to policymakers recommendations for monitoring and addressing acidification, and its effects on Maryland’s commercial fishery and aquaculture industry by January 1, 2015.
“As severe weather events grow in size and impact, and our Bay’s resources become threatened, the costs of inaction to our economy, society and environment will only grow exponentially,” said Governor O’Malley. “This legislation helps us to get out in front of these very real, very important climate issues, and to secure the health, safety and future of our State and its citizens.”
Underscoring the critical importance of preparing for these impacts, the Third National Climate Assessment, released today by the Obama Administration, confirmed that global warming is contributing to the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme weather events, including “superstorms” such as Hurricane Sandy, extreme precipitation events, heat waves, and coastal flooding due to heightened sea level rise and storm surge.
The Bay Acidification Bill (House Bill 118) will allow for the State to devise a team, or Task Force, of State leaders, and water quality, fishery and climate experts, to address how changing Bay chemistry negatively impacts Maryland’s coast and shellfish industry. The Task Force will study and assess water quality in Maryland’s Chesapeake and coastal bays, and review ocean acidification studies and findings from other states. The group will then present to policymakers recommendations for monitoring and addressing acidification, and its effects on Maryland’s commercial fishery and aquaculture industry by January 1, 2015.
CHRISTIAN HOSTS LOSE HGTV SHOW FOR OPPOSING HOMOSEXUALITY, ABORTION
David Benham had led a prayer rally outside of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC in 2012, in which he told conservative radio host Janet Mefferd that America’s Christian majority must repent for tolerating “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation” and “demonic ideologies tak[ing] our universities and our public school systems.” He also said his brother had joined him in the prayer protest. The group also claimed David leads protests outside of abortion clinics.
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NAACP TO ADDRESS “The Importance of Early Childhood Behavior Intervention”
Salisbury, MD … Ms. Anna Simulis, LCSW-C will be the guest speaker for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) monthly meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 7:00 P.M. This meeting will be held at Chipman Cultural Center, 325 Broad Street, Salisbury, MD.
Anna Simulis is a behavioral interventionist for children from birth to five years of age. Currently, she manages the Lower Shore Early Intervention Program at Salisbury University (LSEIP). Ms. Simulis will discuss the role that the community plays in early childhood behavior intervention: a behavioral interventionist perspective. She will bridge the gap between children’s need for help in beginning school ready to learn and their right to that help by explaining:
-how a behavioral interventionist in cooperation with parents and other providers can help a child overcome emotional/behavioral obstacles to success in school.
-how emotional/behavioral difficulties can interfere with a child’s ability to begin school ready to learn.
For additional information about this meeting, contact Mary Ashanti, President, at 410-543-4187.
The public is invited to attend this meeting.
Anna Simulis is a behavioral interventionist for children from birth to five years of age. Currently, she manages the Lower Shore Early Intervention Program at Salisbury University (LSEIP). Ms. Simulis will discuss the role that the community plays in early childhood behavior intervention: a behavioral interventionist perspective. She will bridge the gap between children’s need for help in beginning school ready to learn and their right to that help by explaining:
-how a behavioral interventionist in cooperation with parents and other providers can help a child overcome emotional/behavioral obstacles to success in school.
-how emotional/behavioral difficulties can interfere with a child’s ability to begin school ready to learn.
For additional information about this meeting, contact Mary Ashanti, President, at 410-543-4187.
The public is invited to attend this meeting.
Harry Reid: The Koch Brothers Are Causing Climate Change
This is a point he made explicitly, delivering it with both conviction and certainty. But while trolling the Koch brothers (who most Americans have never heard of, by the way) might be his latest obsession, at what point do his crazy rants reach the point of diminishing returns?
For example, Forbes contributor and Townhall columnist Ralph Benko is already calling on Republicans to censure him. That is, if and when they wield enough political power to bring that tantalizing idea to fruition:
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Watch a Student Go Absolutely Berserk on a Man Displaying an Anti-Gay Sign on an Arizona Campus
A video posted online Monday shows a student at Arizona State University engage in a physical and verbal altercation with a man displaying an anti-gay sign on campus.
“It’s filthy!” the student is heard shouting at the outset of the video toward the man.
The sign appeared to issue a “warning” to “masturbators” and “homosexuals,” among others, that “judgement day” is coming.
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Watch video of the incident (Content warning: rampant use of vulgar language)
“It’s filthy!” the student is heard shouting at the outset of the video toward the man.
The sign appeared to issue a “warning” to “masturbators” and “homosexuals,” among others, that “judgement day” is coming.
More
Watch video of the incident (Content warning: rampant use of vulgar language)
WBOC TONIGHT
Obama hits campaign trail for wary Dems
Although he’s shunned by some fellow Democrats on the campaign trail, President Obama will work to fill their coffers when he embarks Wednesday on a three-day fundraising trip to the West Coast.
Mr. Obama will appear at five fundraisers in California to raise millions for Democratic congressional candidates, at parties hosted by the executives of Disney studios, Yahoo and the former chairman of Qualcomm. The events are among more than 20 fundraisers that the president has committed to attend this year as Democrats try against the odds to keep control of the Senateand pick up seats in the House.
With his job-approval ratings near the lowest point of his presidency, Mr. Obama managed to joke at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday about Democrats avoiding him.
“Folks are saying that with my sagging poll numbers, my fellow Democrats don’t really want me campaigning with them,” Mr. Obama said. “And I don’t think that’s true — although I did notice the other day that [daughter] Sasha needed a speaker at career day, and she invited Bill Clinton. I was a little hurt by that.”
Mr. Obama will appear at five fundraisers in California to raise millions for Democratic congressional candidates, at parties hosted by the executives of Disney studios, Yahoo and the former chairman of Qualcomm. The events are among more than 20 fundraisers that the president has committed to attend this year as Democrats try against the odds to keep control of the Senateand pick up seats in the House.
With his job-approval ratings near the lowest point of his presidency, Mr. Obama managed to joke at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday about Democrats avoiding him.
“Folks are saying that with my sagging poll numbers, my fellow Democrats don’t really want me campaigning with them,” Mr. Obama said. “And I don’t think that’s true — although I did notice the other day that [daughter] Sasha needed a speaker at career day, and she invited Bill Clinton. I was a little hurt by that.”
BREAKING NEWS: House votes to hold ex-IRS official Lerner in contempt of Congress
The House of Representatives votes 231-187 to hold ex-IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify at a pair of committee hearings about her role in the agency's targeting of conservative groups.
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RUBEN ARNAZ COLLINS CONVICTED OF ARMED ROBBERY
Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Delmar Police Department, the Salisbury Police Department, and the Wicomico Bureau of Investigation for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Mr. Maciarello also thanked Deputy State’s Attorney Ella Disharoon who prosecuted the case.
New Law Puts Tow Trucks In Md. “Move Over” Category
Pat Warren reports a new law puts tow trucks in that move over category.
Dominic Taylor has been answering AAA emergency calls for 10 years. Just last week, a tow truck operator was hit and killed assisting a customer in Virginia.
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Number-two nuke commander demoted
The Navy has reprimanded a former top leader of U.S. nuclear forces for gambling, but it's letting Rear Admiral Timothy Giardina remain in uniform as a staff officer. Giardina was the number-two nuke commander. The Navy says he violated the military's code of conduct. A Navy criminal investigation failed to determine with certainty how he got fake poker chips that he used last summer at a casino in Iowa. The Navy says Giardina will not challenge the letter of reprimand and the $4,000 fine by requesting a court-martial.
Gubernatorial Debate Tonight At 7pm
The Baltimore Sun
Need a way to watch the Maryland gubernatorial debate between Anthony G. Brown, Heather Mizeur for Maryland and Doug Gansler? We'll have a live stream here, starting at 7 p.m.
http://bsun.md/1j3HY5C
Need a way to watch the Maryland gubernatorial debate between Anthony G. Brown, Heather Mizeur for Maryland and Doug Gansler? We'll have a live stream here, starting at 7 p.m.
http://bsun.md/1j3HY5C
Monica Lewinsky Breaks Her Silence On ‘Consensual’ Bill Clinton Affair
Ms. Lewinsky wrote an exclusive essay for Vanity Fair that’s due for digital publication on Thursday in which she shared her thoughts of her affair.
“[T]hanks to the Drudge Report, I was also possibly the first person whose global humiliation was driven by the Internet,” she said, the Huffington Post reported. But, she said, she now wants to tell her story to “be able to help others in their darkest moments of humiliation,” she said
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Pro-Russian crowd storms police headquarters in Ukrainian of Odessa
Gunbattles were reported and at least one death confirmed in a city in eastern Ukraine as Kiev sent troops in to tackle pro-Russian militants amid mounting tension in the country.
Slovyansk is now the focus of the armed anti-government insurgency, which Kiev claims is being organised by the Kremlin, a claim denied by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.
The city of 125,000 people had been ringed with checkpoints manned by the pro-Russian forces, some of them in armoured personnel carriers but today Ukrainian forces moved in, fighting pitched gunbattles.
A spokesman with the pro-Russia militia in Slovyansk said people were being killed and wounded in the fighting, but offered no specific figures.
The Interfax news agency cited Interior Minister Arsen Avakov as saying that pro-Russia forces were deploying large-calibre weapons and mortars.
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Slovyansk is now the focus of the armed anti-government insurgency, which Kiev claims is being organised by the Kremlin, a claim denied by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.
The city of 125,000 people had been ringed with checkpoints manned by the pro-Russian forces, some of them in armoured personnel carriers but today Ukrainian forces moved in, fighting pitched gunbattles.
A spokesman with the pro-Russia militia in Slovyansk said people were being killed and wounded in the fighting, but offered no specific figures.
The Interfax news agency cited Interior Minister Arsen Avakov as saying that pro-Russia forces were deploying large-calibre weapons and mortars.
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Maryland Lt. Gov. Brown Releases Jobs Plan
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown released a $112 million plan Tuesday to grow Maryland’s economy over four years, if he becomes governor.
Brown, who is running in the Democratic primary, and his running mate,Ken Ulman, released the five-point plan. It focuses on using more public-private partnerships to pay for infrastructure and improving training for jobs in high demand. The lieutenant governor’s plan also calls for steps to grow the small and entrepreneurial business community and creating a more transparent government. He also wants to create a commission to study tax reform in the state in the first 100 days of a Brown administration.
“The Brown-Ulman jobs plan is designed to create jobs, spur economic growth and strengthen Maryland’s partnership with the private sector so that we can create the nation’s best business climate,” according to an executive summary of the proposal.
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Castro left house of horrors dungeon unlocked for a YEAR
Ariel Castro intentionally left the doors of his Cleveland house of horrors unlocked for up to a year before Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped, his lawyer claimed on Tuesday.
Speaking in an exclusive interview exactly one-year to the day the gruesome kidnappings captured the world's attention, Craig Weintraub said that Castro knew for a year beforehand that he could not keep them in his suburban house any longer.
Castro told Weintraub he wanted his daughter by Berry to have a normal life at school and the three girls he had subjected to a decade of torturous captivity to be free - but he did not have the guts to turn himself in.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview exactly one-year to the day the gruesome kidnappings captured the world's attention, Craig Weintraub said that Castro knew for a year beforehand that he could not keep them in his suburban house any longer.
Castro told Weintraub he wanted his daughter by Berry to have a normal life at school and the three girls he had subjected to a decade of torturous captivity to be free - but he did not have the guts to turn himself in.
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37B Candidates Make Their Case
EASTON — The June 24 primary is edging closer, and District 37B residents have some decisions to make about who should be their new delegates.
With Del. Addie Eckardt, R-37B-Dorchester, in the District 37 Senate race and Del. Jeannie Haddaway, R-37B-Talbot, as the running mate for Harford County Executive David Craig in the race for governor, the House of Delegates seats in District 37B are wide open for two candidates to fill.
Seven have filed — two Democrats and five Republicans — but ultimately only two can be chosen to represent the district that’s made up of Talbot and parts of Dorchester, Caroline and Wicomico counties.
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With Del. Addie Eckardt, R-37B-Dorchester, in the District 37 Senate race and Del. Jeannie Haddaway, R-37B-Talbot, as the running mate for Harford County Executive David Craig in the race for governor, the House of Delegates seats in District 37B are wide open for two candidates to fill.
Seven have filed — two Democrats and five Republicans — but ultimately only two can be chosen to represent the district that’s made up of Talbot and parts of Dorchester, Caroline and Wicomico counties.
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Maryland Mega Millions Jackpot Winner Claims Prize
The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot prize in Maryland history was quietly claimed late last week.
The lucky Marylander bought one of the two winning tickets in the March 18 drawing for the $414 million Mega Millions jackpot. A Florida couple last week claimed the second ticket, which was sold in their state.
The jackpot gave the Maryland and Florida ticket holders, before taxes, $115.5 million each through the cash option selected by the winners. After taxes, the Maryland winner receives $76.4 million.
Make Your Mother's Day Reservations Today At Red Roost!
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| Join Us This Mother's Day Weekend to Celebrate the Special Women in Your Life |
 ~Complimentary flower for every mom on Mother's Day~
~$4 Mimosas all day on Mother's Day~
~Delicious entree specials available all weekend~
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Mother's Day Weekend Specials
Appetizer: Lobster Au Gratin
Entrees:
~Filet Marsala
~Shrimp and Scallop Imperial
~Whole Steamed Lobster
~Chicken New Orleans
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Open at Noon Saturday and Sunday. Call for Reservations!
410.546.5443
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NFL Hopeful Teddy Bridgewater Surprises His 'Survivor' Mom With Ultimate Mother's Day Gift
Rose Murphy raised her son while battling and eventually beating breast cancer in Miami. Bridgewater’s story of rising from a young peewee football player to a potential NFL star, all while caring for his mom, caught filmmaker Spike Lee's attention. Lee produced a short documentary about the family, "A #Promise2Rose, ABC News reported.
“When I make it to the NFL, I’m going to buy you a pink Cadillac Escalade with pink rims,” Bridgewater, now 21, recalled telling his mom when he was in the third grade, ABC News reported.
Because Murphy is a breast cancer survivor, the Cadillac’s pink color has significant meaning to her.
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Time for Truth & Consequences on the Benghazi Cover Up
As Hillary Clinton contemplates running for president in 2016, does she have dreams conjuring up the Benghazi tragedy and cover-up and repeating in her sleep, “What difference does it make?” Even Lady Macbeth had her moment of guilt when, imagining a spot of the murdered Scottish king’s blood on her hand, she exclaimed: “Out, damned spot!”
Hillary just cannot get rid of the Benghazi stain on her record. Every time she thinks it is safe to go back into the water and leave Benghazi behind, another bit of the truth is revealed that calls into question the honesty of the Obama administration, including its former Secretary of State, about what happened before, during, and after the September 11, 2012 jihadist attack. And every time, we can count on spinmeisters in President Obama’s camp such as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney to say things like Benghazi is old news and that Republicans are engaging in unfounded conspiracy theories. Carney’s line sounds like a re-booting of Hillary’s old lament about vast right-wing conspiracies. We can also count on Democratic partisans like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complaining: “Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi! Why aren’t we talking about something else?” In another re-booting of a famous Hillary Clinton line, Pelosi is essentially asking – what difference does it make? Isn’t it time that we just moved on?
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Hillary just cannot get rid of the Benghazi stain on her record. Every time she thinks it is safe to go back into the water and leave Benghazi behind, another bit of the truth is revealed that calls into question the honesty of the Obama administration, including its former Secretary of State, about what happened before, during, and after the September 11, 2012 jihadist attack. And every time, we can count on spinmeisters in President Obama’s camp such as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney to say things like Benghazi is old news and that Republicans are engaging in unfounded conspiracy theories. Carney’s line sounds like a re-booting of Hillary’s old lament about vast right-wing conspiracies. We can also count on Democratic partisans like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complaining: “Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi! Why aren’t we talking about something else?” In another re-booting of a famous Hillary Clinton line, Pelosi is essentially asking – what difference does it make? Isn’t it time that we just moved on?
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Rand Paul: Subpoena Hillary Clinton to Testify on Benghazi
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said former Secretary of State and likely 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be subpoenaed to testify before the new House Select Committee on Benghazi.
During a Monday evening appearance on Sean Hannity’s television program on the Fox News Channel with guest host Eric Bolling, Paul replied, “Well, absolutely” when Bolling asked if Clinton should be subpoenaed. “We need to know who was responsible, and she was in charge," he stated.
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During a Monday evening appearance on Sean Hannity’s television program on the Fox News Channel with guest host Eric Bolling, Paul replied, “Well, absolutely” when Bolling asked if Clinton should be subpoenaed. “We need to know who was responsible, and she was in charge," he stated.
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Book: Clinton blamed Clyburn for Hillary's SC primary loss
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) revealed in a new memoir that he received a tongue lashing from former President Clinton after the 2008 South Carolina primary, according to a report.
Clinton blamed the South Carolina representative for his wife's primary loss in the state to President Obama, then an Illinois senator. Clinton, during a 2 a.m. phone call, also said: "If you bastards want a fight, you damn well will get one."
U.S. News and World Report highlighted the exchange that is part of Clyburn's memoir slated for publication in the summer titled: Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black.
Clyburn had remained publicly neutral throughout the Democratic primary, though he voted for Obama in his state's primary.
“I had kept that promise. I asked [Clinton] to tell me why he felt otherwise," Clyburn writes. "He exploded, used the word ‘bastard’ again, and accused me of causing her defeat and injecting race into the contest."
He added: “It was clear that the former president was holding me personally responsible for his wife’s poor showing among South Carolina black voters, and it was also clear that our heated conversation had not changed his mind.”
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Clinton blamed the South Carolina representative for his wife's primary loss in the state to President Obama, then an Illinois senator. Clinton, during a 2 a.m. phone call, also said: "If you bastards want a fight, you damn well will get one."
U.S. News and World Report highlighted the exchange that is part of Clyburn's memoir slated for publication in the summer titled: Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black.
Clyburn had remained publicly neutral throughout the Democratic primary, though he voted for Obama in his state's primary.
“I had kept that promise. I asked [Clinton] to tell me why he felt otherwise," Clyburn writes. "He exploded, used the word ‘bastard’ again, and accused me of causing her defeat and injecting race into the contest."
He added: “It was clear that the former president was holding me personally responsible for his wife’s poor showing among South Carolina black voters, and it was also clear that our heated conversation had not changed his mind.”
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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER TO STUDY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING IN MARYLAND
O’Malley-Brown Administration to examine funding structures to maximize investments in state school construction projects
Annapolis, MD -- Governor O’Malley issued an executive order as part of an effort to build on the record investments Maryland has made in recent years to construct 21st century school facilities across Maryland.
The Governor signed the order directing the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) to work with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) and conduct a study on school construction in Maryland. Building on the record school construction fundingduring the O’Malley-Brown Administration, the State will work to continue investment in school facilities and ensure that we replace temporary learning shacks with 21st century teaching and learning environments to better prepare Maryland students for the new innovation economy.
“We’ve made a commitment to Maryland families to make education a top priority and improve student achievement by 25 percent by 2015. Even in the face of the worst national recession since the Great Depression, we’ve made record investments for the last seven years in our top-ranked public schools, along with $2.7 billion in school construction, to make this goal a reality,” Governor O’Malley said. “We've made tremendous progress, and our efforts are paying off, but there is still more work to do. This executive order will lay the groundwork for protecting our hard-earned progress so that every child, parent and educator will have the tools they need to win the 21st century, not just in Maryland, but across the globe.”
“When we invest in school construction, we’re building a brighter future for more of Maryland’s young people and ensuring that every student in our state has the opportunity to learn and train in a safe, high quality facility,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. “While we’ve made record investments in Maryland’s schools and built one of the best school systems in the country, our work is far from finished. Together, we’re going to continue to invest in our children’s futures, giving them the education and training today that they’ll need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Annapolis, MD -- Governor O’Malley issued an executive order as part of an effort to build on the record investments Maryland has made in recent years to construct 21st century school facilities across Maryland.
The Governor signed the order directing the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) to work with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) and conduct a study on school construction in Maryland. Building on the record school construction fundingduring the O’Malley-Brown Administration, the State will work to continue investment in school facilities and ensure that we replace temporary learning shacks with 21st century teaching and learning environments to better prepare Maryland students for the new innovation economy.
“We’ve made a commitment to Maryland families to make education a top priority and improve student achievement by 25 percent by 2015. Even in the face of the worst national recession since the Great Depression, we’ve made record investments for the last seven years in our top-ranked public schools, along with $2.7 billion in school construction, to make this goal a reality,” Governor O’Malley said. “We've made tremendous progress, and our efforts are paying off, but there is still more work to do. This executive order will lay the groundwork for protecting our hard-earned progress so that every child, parent and educator will have the tools they need to win the 21st century, not just in Maryland, but across the globe.”
“When we invest in school construction, we’re building a brighter future for more of Maryland’s young people and ensuring that every student in our state has the opportunity to learn and train in a safe, high quality facility,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. “While we’ve made record investments in Maryland’s schools and built one of the best school systems in the country, our work is far from finished. Together, we’re going to continue to invest in our children’s futures, giving them the education and training today that they’ll need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.”
5 Life Lessons You Should Learn As Early As Possible
I don't necessarily consider making mistakes a bad thing, because I've learned so much more from them than my successes. If you own up to the mistakes you make and do your best to learn from them, they can be helpful, actually. I like to think of them as necessary evils.
That having been said, who doesn't want to make fewer of them? Consider employing these five tips to make fewer mistakes:
That having been said, who doesn't want to make fewer of them? Consider employing these five tips to make fewer mistakes:
1. Follow your gut.
Over the years, I've learned to trust my instincts, because they're almost always right. If something doesn't feel or look right, there's probably a reason. Do due diligence and look into whatever is concerning you. You know more than you think you do. If it walks like a duck and looks like a duck — it's probably a duck.
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Over the years, I've learned to trust my instincts, because they're almost always right. If something doesn't feel or look right, there's probably a reason. Do due diligence and look into whatever is concerning you. You know more than you think you do. If it walks like a duck and looks like a duck — it's probably a duck.
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U.S. businesses being destroyed faster than created
Economy less entrepreneurial now than any point in last 3 decades
(WASHINGTON POST) The American economy is less entrepreneurial now than at any point in the last three decades. That’s the conclusion of a new study out from the Brookings Institution, which looks at the rates of new business creation and destruction since 1978.
Not only that, but during the most recent three years of the study — 2009, 2010 and 2011 — businesses were collapsing faster than they were being formed, a first. Overall, new businesses creation (measured as the share of all businesses less than one year old) declined by about half from 1978 to 2011.
The authors don’t mince words about the stakes here: If the decline persists, “it implies a continuation of slow growth for the indefinite future.” This lack of economic dynamism, particularly the steep drop since 2006, may be one reason why our current recovery has felt like much less than a recovery. As Matt O’Brien noted on Wonkbloglast week, annual job growth rates have stubbornly refused to budge above 2 percent for the duration of the recovery.
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(WASHINGTON POST) The American economy is less entrepreneurial now than at any point in the last three decades. That’s the conclusion of a new study out from the Brookings Institution, which looks at the rates of new business creation and destruction since 1978.
Not only that, but during the most recent three years of the study — 2009, 2010 and 2011 — businesses were collapsing faster than they were being formed, a first. Overall, new businesses creation (measured as the share of all businesses less than one year old) declined by about half from 1978 to 2011.
The authors don’t mince words about the stakes here: If the decline persists, “it implies a continuation of slow growth for the indefinite future.” This lack of economic dynamism, particularly the steep drop since 2006, may be one reason why our current recovery has felt like much less than a recovery. As Matt O’Brien noted on Wonkbloglast week, annual job growth rates have stubbornly refused to budge above 2 percent for the duration of the recovery.
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Professor bans students from thanking God in graduation statements
In an email obtained by Campus Reform, Assistant Professor Eli Hvastkovs, who teaches chemistry at East Carolina University (ECU), instructed his students to prepare a “family friendly” 35 word personal statement that mentions future plans or “thanks someone.” The students, however, were explicitly forbidden from thanking God.
“I've had some submissions that needed to be edited. so [sic] here are some guidelines,” the email reads. “1. You can't thank God. I'm sorry about this – and I don't want to have to outline the reasons why.”
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Liberals Can Pass Legislation For Transgenders And Gays But Refuse To Tackle The N-Word
A local person can say the word "ammo" on Facebook and get arrested, yet never mention a gun or produce one.
We as a Country, as a majority, firmly believe the N-Word should be eliminated. We believe it is RACIST to do so, again, as a majority. Yet the owner of the Basketball Team says the word "black" and he is labeled a racist.
We can pass laws in which the majority of people in America disagree with like Transgenders using the bathroom of their choice or even Gay Marriage, yet the N-Word still exists.
Isn't it time businesses like Facebook/YouTube forbid such language from ANY race? Isn't it time we actually have a President and other Leaders like Governor O'Malley finally put their foot down and shame those Americans of any race from using it?
You can't CURSE in School, yet you can use the N-Word. It's almost as if they want it to exist to divide people.
A President is the leader of the United States. Perhaps Obama should start acting like one. That goes for ANYONE who follows him.
I'll say this as well. For once in their life the African American leaders and communities need to decide, just what is it that they'd like to be called because in my honest opinion they are NOT African Americans. They are AMERICANS just like you and me.
Let's get an answer on that so as we all know what the PROPER language is so people like Sterling aren't labeled racists any more. You see, I am a WHITE person. So if a black person were to call me white, are they racist like Sterling was labeled?
Can I get an AMEN?
MEET THE POSTER CHILD FOR ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ – THEN HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN
He’s 20, he’s white, and he’s a freshman at Princeton University.
According to the ethnic and feminist studies college students and professors who frequently and vehemently complain that this country is steeped in racism and sexism and is only fair and just and equal for white, heterosexual males – he is the poster child for so-called “White Privilege.”
His name is Tal Fortgang, and just eight months into his Ivy League experience, he’s been told on numerous occasions to “check his privilege” – a phrase that has taken social media social justice campaigning by storm.
It is meant to remind white, heterosexual males that they have it so good because they’re white, heterosexual males. They haven’t faced tough times, they don’t know what it’s like to be judged by the color of their skin.
Oh, but they do.
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According to the ethnic and feminist studies college students and professors who frequently and vehemently complain that this country is steeped in racism and sexism and is only fair and just and equal for white, heterosexual males – he is the poster child for so-called “White Privilege.”
His name is Tal Fortgang, and just eight months into his Ivy League experience, he’s been told on numerous occasions to “check his privilege” – a phrase that has taken social media social justice campaigning by storm.
It is meant to remind white, heterosexual males that they have it so good because they’re white, heterosexual males. They haven’t faced tough times, they don’t know what it’s like to be judged by the color of their skin.
Oh, but they do.
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Gansler Seeks Warning Labels On E-Cigarettes
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He is also asking manufacturers to stop selling liquid nicotine in flavors that might be attractive to kids.
In his letters sent Monday, Gansler cites figures from the Centers for Disease Control which show a spike in calls to poison control centers related to people who have ingested liquid nicotine.
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BREAKING NEWS: Putin says Russian troops pull back from border with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russian troops have pulled back from the Ukrainian border, and is urging separatists in eastern Ukraine to postpone Sunday's referendum on secession.
From Fox News
From Fox News
Uh oh: House committee claims only two-thirds of federal ObamaCare enrollees paid first premium by April 15
And you know what that means: No money, no coverage, which means the widely touted figure of eight million enrollments that Barack “Mission Accomplished” Obama’s been pushing lately is flatly bogus. Anyone who hasn’t paid by the end of the grace period offered by their insurer — and some of those grace periods were undoubtedly extended beyond April 15th, the cut-off date for this analysis — will be tossed from the rolls.
The figure that’s been cited for months on payment rates is 80 percent. The Energy and Commerce Committee claims it’s actually significantly lower, at least when it comes to enrollees on the federal exchange, i.e. Healthcare.gov. As you read, focus on the following question. Why couldn’t HHS have calculated this?
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The figure that’s been cited for months on payment rates is 80 percent. The Energy and Commerce Committee claims it’s actually significantly lower, at least when it comes to enrollees on the federal exchange, i.e. Healthcare.gov. As you read, focus on the following question. Why couldn’t HHS have calculated this?
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Why Liberals Don’t Care About Consequences
No amount of evidence will convince liberals that they were wrong. Evidence abounds, to be sure: Appeasement invites aggression. Handouts increase dependency. Coddling terror-states like Iran elicits megalomania. Big government stifles the economy. They don’t care. Really.
John Kerry romanced Basher Assad and Vanity Fair published a fawning profile of the Assad family, while the Obama administration secretly courted Iran. As a result we have in Syria the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the Arab world in modern times. Algeria racked up more casualties during the independence war of 1954-1962 and the civil war of 1991-2002, to be sure, but the casualties are coming faster in Syria and the displacement of immiserated civilians is greater. Do you hear liberals wringing their hands and asking, “Where did we go wrong?” They don’t, and they won’t. Ditto the disaster in Libya, which is turning into a Petri dish for terrorists post-Qaddafi. It doesn’t matter. Being in love with yourself means never having to say you’re sorry.
In the one part of the Middle East where nothing bad is happening or likely to happen–namely Israel–liberals are in full-tilt panic, with John Kerry warning that Israel will turn into an apartheid state. It’s not just Kerry, who is a national embarrassment, but the whole liberal world that thinks this way. In reality, Israel’s booming economy is enriching Israeli as well as Palestinian Arabs, to the extent that the kleptocratic Palestinian Authority lets them do business. There is no urgency at all to Israel’s situation–not, at least, where the Palestinians are concerned. Iran is another story.
Why don’t liberals seem to notice the catastrophic consequences of their policies, and why to they imagine imminent horrors where none exist? If you corner a liberal and point to a disaster that followed upon his policy, at very most he will say–with a tear in the eye and a quivering upper lip–”We did the right thing.”
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John Kerry romanced Basher Assad and Vanity Fair published a fawning profile of the Assad family, while the Obama administration secretly courted Iran. As a result we have in Syria the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the Arab world in modern times. Algeria racked up more casualties during the independence war of 1954-1962 and the civil war of 1991-2002, to be sure, but the casualties are coming faster in Syria and the displacement of immiserated civilians is greater. Do you hear liberals wringing their hands and asking, “Where did we go wrong?” They don’t, and they won’t. Ditto the disaster in Libya, which is turning into a Petri dish for terrorists post-Qaddafi. It doesn’t matter. Being in love with yourself means never having to say you’re sorry.
In the one part of the Middle East where nothing bad is happening or likely to happen–namely Israel–liberals are in full-tilt panic, with John Kerry warning that Israel will turn into an apartheid state. It’s not just Kerry, who is a national embarrassment, but the whole liberal world that thinks this way. In reality, Israel’s booming economy is enriching Israeli as well as Palestinian Arabs, to the extent that the kleptocratic Palestinian Authority lets them do business. There is no urgency at all to Israel’s situation–not, at least, where the Palestinians are concerned. Iran is another story.
Why don’t liberals seem to notice the catastrophic consequences of their policies, and why to they imagine imminent horrors where none exist? If you corner a liberal and point to a disaster that followed upon his policy, at very most he will say–with a tear in the eye and a quivering upper lip–”We did the right thing.”
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O'Malley Signs Executive Order On School Construction
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The governor announced Monday he was directing the Interagency Committee on School Construction to work with the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Legislative Services to conduct the study.
O'Malley has made school construction funding a top priority of his tenure in Annapolis. The state has made $2.7 billion in school construction investments under the O'Malley administration.
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Moonshine Task Force Going After Alabama Bootleggers Like It’s 1924
At first you might think you’ve fallen asleep watching Boardwalk Empire yet again (which reminds me, Steve Buscemi is really nice when he shows up in your dreams) upon hearing that not only is bootlegging whiskey a living, viable business in modern times, but that there’s a special Moonshine Task Force ins states like Alabama designed to go after anyone making and selling illegal hooch.
USA Today takes a look at the thriving illegal liquor trade in Alabama, where Woods Whiskey, White Lightning or anything else you can call Moonshine is still very much on the market.
A special unit of the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board calls itself the Moonshine Task Force, and it’s trying to stop the flood of black market booze.
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USA Today takes a look at the thriving illegal liquor trade in Alabama, where Woods Whiskey, White Lightning or anything else you can call Moonshine is still very much on the market.
A special unit of the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board calls itself the Moonshine Task Force, and it’s trying to stop the flood of black market booze.
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Panera Bread Replacing Some Cashiers With Kiosks — So Yes, The Robots Have Already Won
No one panic, but it appears we’re already too late to stem the inevitable tide of robot overlords waiting to take over our planet and suck out our souls via some as yet unimagined technological terror. Because clearly, adding more kiosks and taking away a few cashiers at Panera Bread is a clear sign of that impending doom.
Okay, it’s not that dire. Probably. But Panera is going to be cutting down on the number of cashiers in a new store design, as it attempts to fix its speed problems.
The chain has faced criticism in the fast over its service, notes Businessweek, so why not put the power in customers’ hands with kiosks to order from directly?
“The dirty little secret in the food industry is one in seven orders is wrong,” Panera Chief Executive Ron Shaich said in an interview. “We’re one in ten, a little better than average. Half of those inaccuracies happen during order input.”
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Okay, it’s not that dire. Probably. But Panera is going to be cutting down on the number of cashiers in a new store design, as it attempts to fix its speed problems.
The chain has faced criticism in the fast over its service, notes Businessweek, so why not put the power in customers’ hands with kiosks to order from directly?
“The dirty little secret in the food industry is one in seven orders is wrong,” Panera Chief Executive Ron Shaich said in an interview. “We’re one in ten, a little better than average. Half of those inaccuracies happen during order input.”
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Mayor to Resurrect Attempt at NYC Big Soda Ban
Hide your Big Gulps, again, New York.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week his administration will pick up where former mayor Michael Bloomberg left off and will continue the battle to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces. The city will appeal a state court ruling that axed the ban last year.
City lawyers will argue the case at the Court of Appeals on June 4, the New York Daily News reported this week.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg got lots of headlines in 2012 when he declared war on Big Gulps and other large sugary drinks.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week his administration will pick up where former mayor Michael Bloomberg left off and will continue the battle to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces. The city will appeal a state court ruling that axed the ban last year.
City lawyers will argue the case at the Court of Appeals on June 4, the New York Daily News reported this week.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg got lots of headlines in 2012 when he declared war on Big Gulps and other large sugary drinks.
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Rialto Assignment Asking Students to Question Holocaust to Be Revised
The Rialto school district planned to revise an eighth-grade assignment that raised red flags by asking students to consider arguments about whether the Holocaust — the systematic killing by the Nazis of some 6 million Jews and millions of others — was not an “actual event” but instead a “propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain.”
In a statement released Monday, a spokeswoman for the Rialto Unified School District said an academic team was meeting to revise the assignment.
Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam was set to talk with administrators to “assure that any references to the holocaust ‘not occurring’ will be stricken on any current or future Argumentative Research assignments,” a statement from district spokeswoman Syeda Jafri read.
“The holocaust should be taught in classrooms with sensitivity and profound consideration to the victims who endured the atrocities committed,” Jafri said.
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In a statement released Monday, a spokeswoman for the Rialto Unified School District said an academic team was meeting to revise the assignment.
Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam was set to talk with administrators to “assure that any references to the holocaust ‘not occurring’ will be stricken on any current or future Argumentative Research assignments,” a statement from district spokeswoman Syeda Jafri read.
“The holocaust should be taught in classrooms with sensitivity and profound consideration to the victims who endured the atrocities committed,” Jafri said.
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Fireworks Added To Beach Lights Weekly Events, Sundaes In Park
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These shows feature lasers, lights, video, music and special effects all displayed on a five-story tall giant beach ball. Fireworks will be added this year to the nightly display.
These shows will be lighting up the beach at North Division Street three times every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Show times are 9:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The premier show will be a special patriotic show on Saturday, May 24.
The Sunday night show dates will be May 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, July 6, 13, 20 and 27 and Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.
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SBYNews Article Picked Up By Seriusxm Radio and Fox
Now I've never heard of the Opie & Anthony Show but they must have a pretty good following because that post went viral.
Md. Principal Admits Pressure To Not Report School Violence
Denise Koch investigates how bad the violence is and if there is pressure not to report it.
Teachers are under attack, fight back against their own students—and losing.
In 2012, students assaulted a substitute teacher at Digital Harbor High School in Federal Hill. A year earlier, a heated argument between a student and a teacher at the Youth in Transition School in Windsor Mill was caught on camera. Jeff Slattery told WJZsomething like this also happened to him. He was hospitalized for a week—his jaw wired shut for six weeks—after a student brutally beat him until he blacked out.
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David Kear, former Director-General of NZ Scientific Research, says global warming is a non-existent threat
Climate Depot reports on a New Zealand geoscientist who has worked at the highest levels and has just released a detailed statement about why the threat of rising sea-levels has been blown out of all proportions, and “An ‘innocent gas, CO2, has been demonized and criminalized’”.
“The widespread obsession with Global-Warming-Climate-Change, in opposition to all factual evidence, is quite incredible.”
Kear laments the ‘Astronomical Cost of Major Measures to Combat a Non-Existent Threat’.
His scientific caliber: “Dr David Kear has a background in geology and engineering, becoming the Director General of the DSIR (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) in 1980. He is a Fellow and Past Vice-President of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and Past President of the New Zealand Geological Society [which promises to catalogue his work here]. Dr Kear has over 100 publications on New Zealand and Pacific geology, vulcanology and mineral resources.” Apparently aforaminifera shell was named after him in 1962.
He has been in this for a very long time.
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“The widespread obsession with Global-Warming-Climate-Change, in opposition to all factual evidence, is quite incredible.”
Kear laments the ‘Astronomical Cost of Major Measures to Combat a Non-Existent Threat’.
His scientific caliber: “Dr David Kear has a background in geology and engineering, becoming the Director General of the DSIR (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) in 1980. He is a Fellow and Past Vice-President of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and Past President of the New Zealand Geological Society [which promises to catalogue his work here]. Dr Kear has over 100 publications on New Zealand and Pacific geology, vulcanology and mineral resources.” Apparently aforaminifera shell was named after him in 1962.
He has been in this for a very long time.
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Afghanistan’s ‘torturer in chief’ now living in Los Angeles
The Washington Post is reporting that Haji Gulalai, also known as Kamal Achakzai, has been accommodated in the US in “murky” circumstances.
The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have not commented on his case, citing privacy concerns. A spokesman for the CIA told the paper that the agency had no role in the relocation.
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DA VINCI TOWER
The Da Vinci Tower (also known as Dynamic Architecture Building) is a proposed 313 m (1,027 ft), 68-floor tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower is expected to be architecturally innovative. Uniquely, each floor will be able to rotate independently. This will result in a constantly changing shape of the tower. Each floor will rotate a maximum of one full rotation in 90 minutes. The entire tower will be powered from wind turbines and solar panels. Five other buildings in the vicinity will also be provided with electricity. The turbines will be located between each of the rotating floors. They could generate up to 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy. If you think you've seen everything? Get a look at this!
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Lindsey Graham: White House officials ‘scumbags’
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday again went after the Obama administration on Benghazi, calling White House officials “scumbags” that “lied about” the September 2012 attacks.
“Our Democratic friends, for the most part, have been in the tank over Benghazi. They think it’s to get me reelected,” the South Carolina Republican said on The Mike Gallagher Show on Thursday morning. “Some guy said this about me yesterday on the left: The only reason I cared about this was because I have six tea party opponents. Well, if that’s true, I’m the biggest scumbag in America. I don’t think that’s true. I know it’s not true. It would be almost impossible for Lindsey Graham — given who I am and what I’ve been doing for the last 20 years — not to care about those in harm’s way, who get killed, and not go on to hold the administration accountable that lied about it.”
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“Our Democratic friends, for the most part, have been in the tank over Benghazi. They think it’s to get me reelected,” the South Carolina Republican said on The Mike Gallagher Show on Thursday morning. “Some guy said this about me yesterday on the left: The only reason I cared about this was because I have six tea party opponents. Well, if that’s true, I’m the biggest scumbag in America. I don’t think that’s true. I know it’s not true. It would be almost impossible for Lindsey Graham — given who I am and what I’ve been doing for the last 20 years — not to care about those in harm’s way, who get killed, and not go on to hold the administration accountable that lied about it.”
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The Man Behind Hidalgo County's Biggest Law Enforcement Scandal
For more than six months, Miguel Flores lived a double life. In his day job, he was a narcotics investigator for the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department. But underneath his uniform, he secretly wore a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of a probe into corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement along the border.
With four children to feed and clothe, Flores saw a solid middle-class future in law enforcement. He worked hard, and in 2011 earned a promotion from deputy patrol officer to narcotics investigator. “I was doing really good, taking down a lot of loads,” Flores said in an exclusive interview with the Observer. “I had good informants.”
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With four children to feed and clothe, Flores saw a solid middle-class future in law enforcement. He worked hard, and in 2011 earned a promotion from deputy patrol officer to narcotics investigator. “I was doing really good, taking down a lot of loads,” Flores said in an exclusive interview with the Observer. “I had good informants.”
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