Attention

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

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Larry Hogan and Boyd Rutherford Accept the #ALSicebucketchallenge


Maryland gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan and his running mate Boyd Rutherford accepted family members' nominations for the #ALSicebucketchallenge while campaigning in Ocean City, MD and challenge their rivals Anthony Brown and Ken Ulman - You have 24 hours!

Girl, 3, Dies After Maryland Gunbattle Involving Driver, Police

A 3-year-old girl died Saturday after a man and police engaged in a chase and gunbattle, said police in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Police spokesman Lt. Bill Alexander said police began pursuing the man early in the afternoon when he drove a Nissan Maxima away from the scene of a shooting in Temple Hills.

One of the wheels fell off the suspect's car and he stopped and exchanged gunfire with police, Alexander said.

More

Judge Jeanine , Gov. Rick Perry Indictment HOGWASH!

Routine Inspections To Shut Down Lanes On The Bay Bridge

ANNAPOLIS (WJZ)– Lane closures and traffic patterns are scheduled for the Bay Bridge for the week of Aug. 17 to Aug. 23 for routine inspections.

The eastbound span may be closed Sunday from midnight to 5 a.m. the following morning, Monday through Wednesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, Thursday from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning and Saturday from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the following morning.

The closures are for preservation and maintenance work as well as routine inspections. Two-way traffic will operate on the westbound span during the full eastbound span closures.

More

‘Speechless!’ You Won’t Believe What Huffpo Journo Arrested In Ferguson Thought Were Rubber Bullets

Wait, what? As Twitchy reported, Huffington Post justice reporter Ryan Reilly along with journo Wesley Lowery were both arrested briefly in Ferguson, Missouri for not complying with police requests last week.

On Sunday morning, this happened:

 

MORE

Lost Accreditation

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino has been on the job for 18 months, arriving after a two-year stint by Chief Mikel Hollaway, who was appointed after the prior chief, Peter Abbott, resigned in 2010.

Confusion and disappointment in response from SPD's chief

The last five years have been rocky ones for the Sarasota Police Department: excess-force lawsuits, leadership turnover, poor morale, political turmoil and budget cuts -- on top of all the tensions and challenges that come with policing a city.

Despite the difficulty, the department maintained its accreditation -- until recently, when problems persuaded current Chief Bernadette DiPino to relinquish the status and reapply next year.

That news -- reported by the Herald-Tribune's Elizabeth Johnson and Lee Williams -- was startling and disappointing. So was the chief's blame-somebody-else response.

DiPino's explanation for the accreditation gap is confusing. That, sorry to say, does not instill confidence in her leadership.

DiPino has been on the job for 18 months, arriving after a two-year stint by Chief Mikel Hollaway, who was appointed after the prior chief, Peter Abbott, resigned in 2010.

More

Sentencing Changes Sought For White-Collar Crimes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal panel that sets sentencing policy eased penalties this year for potentially tens of thousands of drug dealers. Now, defense lawyers and prisoner advocates are pushing for similar treatment for an arguably less sympathetic category of defendants: swindlers, embezzlers, insider traders and other white-collar criminals.

Lawyers who have long sought the changes said a window to act opened once the U.S. Sentencing Commission cleared a major priority from its agenda by cutting sentencing ranges for nonviolent drug dealers. The commission, which meets today to vote on priorities for the coming year, has already expressed interest in examining punishments for white-collar crime. And the Justice Department, though not advocating wholesale changes, has said it welcomes a review.

It’s unclear what action the commission will take, especially given the public outrage at fraudsters who stole their clients’ life savings and lingering anger over the damage inflicted in the 2008 financial crisis.

More

Sins & Secrets Ocean City, MD

Purported Letter From Inside Gaza Tells Of Tunnel Toil, Hamas Cruelty

An emotional letter purportedly smuggled out of Gaza details one man’s harrowing participation in digging the tunnels that Israel blames for triggering the latest round of fighting and paints a bleak picture of life under Hamas control.

The 30-year-old Palestinian to whom the letter is attributed describes accepting a cryptic job offer, then being taken in a windowless truck with five others to a building where they were forced to dig tunnels for long, gruelling shifts in stretches that lasted 10 days.

“We drove for an hour and finally they stopped and took us into a closed building. We didn’t know where we were,” reads the letter, the text of which has been released on the Internet. “They showed us a hole in the ground and told us to go down.

More

Cardin Aide: ACA Money Back From Insurers Not Ideal

A health insurance refund check might improve customers' outlook, but it does not do for their health all that the insurance should, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced recently that 206,102 consumers in Maryland would get a total of $17.3 million in refunds from insurance companies this summer, as required by the Affordable Care Act's medical loss ratio rule.

The refunds come as part of the ACA, but that is not the ideal outcome the act envisioned. It means that the insurance companies spent too much on administrative costs in comparison with health care, said Sue Walitsky, Cardin's press secretary.

More

SFD Calls For Service 8-16-14

  • Saturday August, 16 2014 @ 22:59Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Saturday August, 16 2014 @ 22:34Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Saturday August, 16 2014 @ 22:14Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Saturday August, 16 2014 @ 21:54Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Saturday August, 16 2014 @ 21:37Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

47 News Interviews Pole Dancer on the OC Boardwalk

Mind you, WMDT only drew "19" views on this video. Let's see what the numbers look like by the end of today.

Pole Dancer On The Boardwalk

The Dispatch

A new type of street performer created quite a stir on Saturday night at 2nd Street. The woman collected tips while showing off her skills as a pole dancer on the Boardwalk. This photo was taken Saturday evening on the Boardwalk and it's the first time we have heard of this all summer. This comes on the heels of last week's concerns expressed by city officials about costumed Boardwalk performers.

Ferguson police NAME officer who shot Michael Brown - and release video stills of 'strong-arm' store robbery for a box of cigars by perp wearing the same clothes as dead man just MINUTES before fatal confrontation

Police today named Darren Wilson as the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown and released video stills and an incident report on a robbery shortly before the shooting that named the teenager as the ‘primary suspect’.

In a shocking twist to the killing which sparked riots in St Louis over the last few days, the officer investigating the convenience store robbery also attended the scene of the shooting and said the suspect and Brown were the same person.

According to the police report, video shows Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson having an altercation with store staff and allegedly stealing box of Swisher Sweets, a type of cigar.

In the grainy images, a large black man wearing a light-colored shirt, distinctive shoes, a red baseball hat and khaki shorts is seen assaulting a clerk and then stealing cigars.

A photograph of Michael Brown’s body in the street after he was shot dead shows that he was wearing a light grey shirt, the same shoes and khaki cargo shorts. There was also a red baseball cap by the body.

More

Why Perdue Going Organic Could Mean Cleaner Water

Perdue Farms’ recent foray into the organic market offers grocery store shoppers another choice in affordable, pesticide-free chicken. But in time, could it also lead to cleaner rivers, lakes and bays?

The company, based in Salisbury, Md., is still growing most of its organic chickens in Pennsylvania, which is home to Coleman Natural, the organic grower Perdue purchased in 2011. But with demand strong, Perdue is looking to expand its no-organic and no-antibiotics offerings.

If it does, it may well look to the 1,100 growers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where Arthur Perdue began selling eggs nearly 100 years ago. That move could prompt Big Chicken’s other large companies, Tyson’s and Pilgrim’s Pride, to offer more organic choices. And although organic growing standards have little to do with water quality, raising chickens differently could be good for the streams and rivers that often bisect poultry farms.

More 

Pole dancing on the O.C. boardwalk? No thanks

Ocean City fears it is powerless to regulate suggestive dancing on the boardwalk

Pole dancing got a toehold on Ocean City’s boardwalk over the weekend, and neither city officials nor area merchants seem too thrilled.

Saturday night, an unidentified woman wearing a bikini set up a pole on the boardwalk and danced for onlookers. Police were powerless to do anything – a federal court recently ruled that street performers have a right to perform in public places like the boardwalk, apparently even if what they do is decidedly adult-oriented. And though she doesn't seem to have been back since, the dancer clearly made an impression.

"It was disgusting, it doesn’t belong anywhere here," said Joe Kro-Art, the owner of Ocean City’s famous Ocean Gallery art shop, who had a front-row seat for Saturday night’s performance – and promptly called the cops. "If this is not dealt with, then every resort on the East Coast is going to have pole dancers."

More

Weekly Rentals In Ocean City May Be Outlawed

Renting a spacious home in Ocean City for a week — a popular summertime escape for many from the Baltimore area — may soon be outlawed.

Local officials are discussing a ban on short-term rentals across a number of large neighborhoods in the vacation town, as a response to complaints about rowdy parties and crowded streets. Though high-schoolers have for years descended in droves during Beach Week to sunbathe, dance and drink, some say the problem is spilling over to quieter districts of single-family homes such as Mallard Island and Caine Woods.

"What we're finding is our quality of life is being impressed on so to speak. ... I want to be able to enjoy my backyard, just like they want to enjoy their hooting and hollering," said Geoffrey Robbins. The dentist and former chair of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission lives in Mallard Island, a bayside enclave known for its powerful, politically connected year-round residents.

More

Adviser: Ben Carson Is ‘Very, Very Serious’ About Running For President

In an interview with The Daily Caller on Friday, a close friend and adviser to Ben Carson said he believes it is likely the neurosurgeon will run as a Republican for president in 2016.

“I think he’s very, very serious,” said Terry Giles, who recently agreed to serve as chairman of the campaign if Carson pulls the trigger on a run. “If it were on the big board in Vegas, I’d probably be betting in favor of the fact he’s going to run.”

Carson — the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital — has acknowledged that he is considering a White House campaign. The author and public speaker has been increasingly mentioned as a possible candidate, following a burst of attention last year for famously arguing a conservative message at the National Prayer Breakfast as President Obama sat just a few feet away.

More

Death/Murder In Ocean City Last Night

Approximately 2:30 am this morning, Ocean City Fire/EMS were dispatched to the Princess bayside 46th St. N. Coastal HWY south building for a reported approximately 38 y/o male, unconscious, nonbreathing. Upon arrival, cpr was initiated by EMS. The victim appeared to have suffered a stab wound to the chest area. The patient was transported by EMS to Atlantic General and pronounced dead on arrival. Ocean City Police investigating.

Local police involved in 400 killings per year

WASHINGTON — Nearly two times a week in the United States, a white police officer killed a black person during a seven-year period ending in 2012, according to the most recent accounts of justifiable homicide reported to the FBI.

On average, there were 96 such incidents among at least 400 police killings each year that were reported to the FBI by local police. The numbers appear to show that the shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., last Saturday was not an isolated event in American policing.

The reports show that 18% of the blacks killed during those seven years were under age 21, compared to 8.7% of whites. The victim in Ferguson was 18-year-old Michael Brown. Police have yet to identify the officer who shot him; witnesses have said the officer was white.

More

BREAKING NEWS: Texas Gov. Perry indicted for coercion over veto threat

A grand jury indicts Texas Gov. Rick Perry for abuse of power after carrying out a threat to veto funding for state public corruption prosecutors, making Perry the state's first indicted governor in nearly a century.

More

Resort Powerless To Stop Boardwalk Pole Dancing Show?

OCEAN CITY — Perhaps emboldened by two prior federal court rulings that essentially defined freedom of expression and First Amendment rights as they apply to street performing in Ocean City, a 27-year-old Frederick woman has created quite a stir and pushed the envelope when she set up a pole dancing operation on the Boardwalk.

Chelsea Bell Plymale, 27, of Frederick, the self-styled “Pole Doll of Ocean City,” set up her pole-dancing operation on the Boardwalk at 2nd Street last Saturday night, instantly causing a large crowd to form and setting off public comments about what is and what is not acceptable on the famous promenade. She has been seen several times this week as well and on Thursday morning told her followers on Facebook she would be back out on 2nd Street after dark.

Backed by two U.S. District Court decisions in the last two years that went against the town of Ocean City and its ordinance regarding street performers, buskers all summer have been nudging closer to the line of what is deemed acceptable and what is not acceptable on the Boardwalk.

More

Are you armed? ‘Knockout’ thugs begin checking

Man 'mercilessly' beaten after confirming he was unarmed

The “knockout game” has become a nationwide menace in which roaming mobs randomly select victims and without warning hit them as hard as they can in an attempt to knock them out.

But there’s a new twist now, with attackers checking their victims first to find out whether they are armed.

The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville reported a witness called police claiming she saw a male juvenile punch a man in the face, “apparently without provocation.”

The victim, who told police he believed the boys were playing the knockout game, said one of the boys approached him and asked if he had a “Glock.” The man was punched after admitting he was unarmed, the paper said.

Four juveniles were arrested.

More

Salisbury Seeks Grant To Fund Skate Park’s Second Phase

SALISBURY – The city moved forward this week in applying for state funding to complete Salisbury’s new skate park.

Under the City Council’s consent agenda this week was a resolution to approve a Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Community Parks and Playgrounds grant application for funding the second phase of the Salisbury Skate Park that is located in the 900 Block of South Park Drive.

Community Development Director Deborah Stam reported the city will be submitting a Community Parks & Playgrounds (CP&P) funding application to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the Fiscal Year 2016 funding round. This application is for $383,000 in CP&P funding for Phase 2 of the Salisbury Skate Park project.

Stam furthered, the Salisbury Skate Park project has been broken into two phases in order to make it affordable. Phase 1 has been funded through CP&P for approximately 6,000 square feet, and Phase 2 will be another 7,400 square feet.

More

Black protesters ‘putting cops on hit list’ in Missouri

'Will we rise up like the people of Gaza? This was a terrorist attack'

At least two more people have been shot as more violence has erupted in Ferguson, Missouri, where there have been several days of rioting in response to a police shooting of a black teenager.

Officials overnight said a police officer shot a man who pointed a handgun at him, and a woman apparently was shot in a drive-by shooting.

At KTVI-TV in St. Louis, some of the details were emerging.

The station reported it was about 1 a.m. when four men, masked and carrying shotguns, approached a crowd. The report said when police arrived they heard shots fired and saw people running. When one officer chased a suspect, the gunman pointed a handgun at the officer and the officer fired.

The report said the suspect was hospitalized in critical condition.

More

Obama scolds police in Missouri: Must be held to ‘higher standard’

President Obama appealed for “peace and calm” Thursday in Ferguson, Mo., where police have clashed with protesters angry about the death of an unarmed black teenager.

“I know that emotions are raw right now in Ferguson,” Mr. Obama said while vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. “Let’s remember that we’re part of one American family. Now’s the time for healing, now’s the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson.”

The president said he spoke Thursday to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon about his concern “over the violent turn of events” as police have confronted protesters for several nights in a row.

He said “there’s no excuse” for police to use excessive force against peaceful protesters or “bullying” journalists, but the president also said protesters should not attack police officers.

“Put simply, we all need to hold ourselves to a higher standard — particularly, those of us in positions of authority.”

More

A Letter To The Editor 8-14-14

I think it is great that you are posting the Credit Card charges for the County and Board of Ed, just wonder why nothing is being done to stop it or charge those who are illegally using the charge cards.

What I believe the public needs an update on is:

1. After all the tax payer dollars that were spend for the "Boot Camp" property and buildings off Fooks Rd. behind the airport what is being done with them now?? Last time I was in the area looked like the building were just sitting there going into disrepair. What did this cost the taxpayers of the County and what is, if any, the intentions for the property??

2. Rick Pollitt requested a tax increase and received it, to listen to Mr. Pollitt the County didn't even have enough funds to survive without a tax increase. The County Roads are falling in disrepair and there were no funds to pave or repair the roads.

Just like the Credit Card charges I think the Roads & Landfill Divisions need to be investigated, especially Roads Division. According to Pollitt there were no funds yet "certain" employees got raises.

Since Mr. Lee Beauchamp took over the Roads Division has been buying equipment like you wouldn't believe (with no money to repair roads!!) There have been new pickups purchased, about seven new John Deere tractors and mowers when nothing was wrong with the old mowers, new bucket truck, dump trucks, rollers, stone box to pave roads with (although not using it) patching machines, and not sure what all else. How do you purchase all this "expensive" equipment when you claim you don't have any money???

Roads are falling apart but instead of repairing the roads you go out and buy fancy equipment!

Mr. Beauchamp is spending tax dollars like crazy and also pushing the unproven gasification plant that we will end up paying for.

3. Is the County Council approving all this spending?? When they know funds are so low?? Also why isn't the Council Council pushing for results on the Credit Card charges??

4. Also do you wonder why Mr. Pollitt is not placing any campaign signs or saying anything about the upcoming elections?? I see Bob Culver signs all around but nothing for Pollitt, does he think he has the election in the bag??

The public appreciate all you do to get the information out, when other sources don't!!

With One Council Member Down, Salisbury Will Make The Right Move With Your Help

There's a lot of talk going on around Salisbury as to who will fill Terry Cohen's shoes on the City Council.

Many have said that Muir Boda is a "shoe in". I can tell you, Muir Boda wasted absolutely no time at all racing into the GOB to put his name in first, that's a fact.

However, Muir is far from being a contender as the City Council recognizes that the Citizens clearly rejected him not once, but FOUR times in past elections.

That being said, the Council will not even consider him as a strong possibility. 

I have been told that several former Council Members have also stepped up to the plate for consideration and they too are on the back burner as they were either rejected by voters or they stepped away from the Council.

The important factor I believe the City Council is considering is not just a replacement. They want to consider people who would be interested in the long haul and not just a fill in. 

All that being said, YOU do have a very serious chance if you've ever considered representing this District. I have even learned that people have applied who don't even live in the City. 

I don't care what side of the political isle you are on, Salisbury needs someone with wisdom and business experience, (in my personal opinion) and now is your chance. 

Contact

Jacob Day

Council President
502 Druid Hill Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
Cell: 443-235-6233
Email: Jacob Day

Salisbury Skatepark

Salisbury Skatepark

Bam! The final design set to begin in October. The blue outlines show phase #1.


OCPD SHUTS DOWN EIGHT HENNA TATTOO STANDS ON THE BOARDWALK

(August 14DSC_0360, 2014) – In the early evening hours of August 9, 2014, Ocean City police, with assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), shut down eight henna tattoo stands operating on the boardwalk.
Through investigation, it was determined that individuals operating the henna tattoo stands were in the country on active F-1 student visas. Officers and federal investigators gave a total of ten students a warning for selling goods and/or services on the boardwalk. Investigators explained to the students that operating a henna tattoo stand did not comply with the parameters of their F-1 visa and they agreed to shut down their stands. This resulted in a total of eight henna tattoo stands being shut down.
This cooperative effort between the Ocean City Police Department and HSI is an example of the OCPD’s dedication to working with its law enforcement partners to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations.

Hogan: End State Income Taxes On Police Pensions

Republican Larry Hogan is pledging to eliminate the state income tax on law-enforcement pensions, if he is elected governor.

Hogan is making the proposal Tuesday. He is speaking to the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police in Solomons, Maryland.

Hogan's campaign estimates the proposal would cost about $10 million annually. He believes the cost would be more than offset by encouraging former police to stay in Maryland when they retire and continue to contribute to the local and state economy.

More

Police Won't Release Name Of Officer Who Shot Missouri Teen, Citing Death Threats

FERGUSON, Mo. – The Rev. Al Sharpton pressed police Tuesday to release the name of the officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in suburban St. Louis, and he pleaded for calm after two nights of violent protests over the young man's death.

Police said death threats prompted them to withhold the name of the officer, who was placed on administrative leave after fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, where the incident has stoked racial tension, rallies and a night of looting.

Investigators have released few details, saying only that a scuffle unfolded after the officer asked Brown and another teen to get out of the street. At some point, the officer's weapon fired inside a patrol car, police said.

More

‘F*ck white America’! Race-obsessed Jerks Lash Out At Robin Williams’ Mourners

We suppose this was inevitable … but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. After news of Robin Williams’ suicide broke, it didn’t take long for identity politics to rear its ugly head:


Many outraged tweeters also feel that Williams’ death has overshadowed what’s happening inFerguson, Missouri, and they’re pointing to fans openly and vocally mourning his death as further evidence of whites’ racism: 
See More

Hogan: Torrential Rainfall Underscores O’Malley-Brown Failure To Protect Bay From Millions Of Tons of Conowingo Sediment.

ANNAPOLIS, MD – August 12 – As rain and flash flood warnings hit Maryland this afternoon, gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan urged state officials to take immediate action to protect the Chesapeake Bay from catastrophic releases of polluted sediment from the long-neglected control reservoirs, or ponds, above the Conowingo Dam. 

When constructed, the 14 mile long “Conowingo Pond” was 125 feet deep, trapping vast quantities of upstream sediment and pollution. Today, it is an ineffective dozen or so feet deep, and releases millions of tons of polluted sediment from Pennsylvania and New York State following heavy rains. In fact, the sediment flows down the Susquehanna are the source of 40 percent of the Bay’s pollution and have virtually destroyed oystering and crabbing above the Chesapeake Bridge. 


According to Hogan, "When torrential rains hit Pennsylvania and New York State, Marylanders and the Bay’s submerged vegetation and aquatic life pay the price. For eight years, Martin O’Malley and Anthony Brown have concluded it’s easier to levy a Rain Tax on Maryland’s watermen, farmers and struggling families than fight to protect the Bay from federal and corporate neglect. 


“Until something is done about the Conowingo Pond, the Chesapeake Bay will never be healthy. As governor I will make it a priority to dredge the pond, work with the EPA, Pennsylvania, and New York to address the Susquehanna River, and always give farmers and watermen a seat at the table. We will work together to find common sense, efficient, and cost-effective measures to cleaning up the Chesapeake for generations to come, and it starts with the Conowingo." 


Satellite photo of Conowingo sediment plume release into Chesapeake Bay, courtesy NOAA.

JUST IN: Federal Judge Upholds Md. Gun-Control Law

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- A federal judge has ruled a Maryland ban on 45 assault weapons and a limit on gun magazines to 10 rounds is constitutional.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake released the ruling on Tuesday in Baltimore.

Maryland lawmakers approved the sweeping gun-control law last year in response to the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Attorneys who argued against key provisions in the law contended it violated Second Amendment rights. But lawyers for the state countered that the state took a reasonable approach by focusing on firearms used in military-assault style attacks and mass shootings to protect the public.

Source

St. Mary's County Teachers Plan a "Back to Basics" Work Action

"We remain committed to our students, and no area of instruction will be compromised. However, our teachers can no longer work for free and continually get passed over year after year for salary increases." ~Anna Laughlin

Teachers in St. Mary's County plan to stop doing the "extras" and will focus only on instruction as part of a protest over pay, union officials said Monday.

When classes begin next week, the majority of the teachers in the school district plan to participate in a "back to basics" job action that includes refusing to give homework, work overtime, volunteer for extracurricular activities and contact parents after school hours.

More

What Are The Best Ways To Parent Black Boys?

There has been lots of buzz surrounding the documentary, “American Promise.” Authors, Joe Brewster and Michele Stevenson asked Philadelphia author Hilary Beard to help them research and co-write a companion book.

The outcome of this collaboration is “Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life,” The book was the primary focus of discussion recently during a talk at Friends’ Central School in Philadelphia.

Beard spent time addressing the ongoing achievement gap issues while also debunking some long-held misconceptions, including statistics that show there are more black males in college than in prison and more black children in gifted & talented programs than in special education.

The auditorium at the school was brimming with eager parents, students, and educators as Beard pulled from solid research and scores of interviews to highlight “what works” in parenting and educating black boys. They were pleased and encouraged by what she had to impart.

During the discussion, most of the talk turned to parenting styles and strategies that have been proven most effective in supporting black boys. Beard combined the findings of research from some of the greatest minds in the fields of psychology, education, health, and child development.

She laid out the four basic parenting styles, all a mixture of how responsive and demanding parents are:

More

Today's Survey Question 8-12-14

What was your favorite Robin Williams 
Performance/Memory?

Tony Stewart Not Too Big To Fail--or Fall

If his name were Kevin Harvick instead of Kevin Ward, would we be taking such a blasé approach to his death?

Tony Stewart, after some deliberation, didn’t race Sunday at Watkins Glen. NASCAR’s honchos should consider whether to prohibit the three-time Sprint Cup champion from ever competing under their auspices.

Stewart crashed into Kevin Ward Jr.’s sprint car Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The bump forced Ward into the wall and out of the running with a rear flat. To add injury to insult, Stewart clipped the 20-year-old driver with a right tire when the race fell under a caution flag. Apparently, sinew and bone is more fragile than steel and aluminum. Who knew? Ward died shortly after impact.

Caution doesn’t mean gas it up. Caution doesn’t mean drive recklessly close to the hot-headed, soft-headed pedestrian (a role that Stewart knows well). It means slow down and beware.

More

MARYLAND MARKS 7TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF RECORD CRIME REDUCTIONS

State officials today announced that 2013 year-end crime data compiled by the Maryland State Police, and submitted to the FBI for use in the national uniform crime report (UCR), shows that violent crime and property crime in Maryland has been driven down to the lowest rates since 1975. Total crime has been driven down 2.3 percent since 2012, with 4,394 fewer crimes reported. This marks the lowest number of total crimes and total crime rate ever reported in Maryland since the Uniform Crime Reporting program was adopted in 1975.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of law enforcement, public safety professionals and community leaders across Maryland, we’ve driven crime down to lows not seen in nearly 40 years, ” said Governor O’Malley.“These reductions don’t happen by chance – they happen because of the choices we continue to make together. We’re investing in public safety -- and we’re setting goals, measuring progress, and improving cross-jurisdictional collaboration in order to deploy our resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. The result: Maryland families and communities are safer than they've been in decades.”

Upon taking office in 2007, the O’Malley-Brown Administration set a goal of driving down violent crime 20 percent by the end of 2012. As a result of efforts by public safety officials at every level of government -- and strategic investments in targeted crime fighting efforts -- law enforcement achieved that goal in 2011 and exceeded it again in 2012. Since then, the Administration set a new goal to drive down violent crime an additional 20 percent by the end of 2018. As of last year’s 2012 UCR, Maryland had driven down violent crime by 27 percent in seven years.

BREAKING NEWS

ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN, DIES AT 63, SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS

We're told it was an apparent suicide.

Maryland Neighborhoods with Lowest Incomes Spend the Most on Lottery Tickets

BALTIMORE - Boarded-up homes, crumbling store fronts and police cameras with blue lights line the streets of Park Heights. It’s in one of Baltimore’s poorest ZIP codes, where the median household income is about $35,000.

Yet people spent $34 million on lottery tickets here in calendar year 2012 -- more than any other ZIP code in the state, a Capital News Service analysis found.

Evert Chapman, a truck driver from Park Heights, said he’s not surprised.

“We play to make some extra money,” said Chapman, 34, as he jotted down numbers on the back of a Keno ticket inside Hoffman’s Liquors on Park Heights Avenue. “I want some extra money. We all do.”

The Maryland Lottery has become the fourth largest source of revenue for the state, contributing $545 million last fiscal year, according to the lottery agency’s comprehensive financial report.

More

74 NEW CAMERA LOCATIONS

Project to begin fall 2014 and estimated completion fall 2016
Estimated Cost: $3.6 million; New camera locations include:


Click HERE to see the entire list

Howard County Judge Rules Daughter Will Be Tried As Adult In Death Of Her Father

A Howard County Circuit Court judge has ruled that a 16-year-old girl will be tried as an adult on charges she plotted with her boyfriend to kill her father.

Morgan Lane Arnold was 14 when her then-boyfriend stabbed her father, Dennis Lane, to death in Lane's Ellicott City home in May 2013. Her lawyers have argued that she suffers from mental illness and has the emotional capacity of a child.

The teen was charged as an adult last year, and her defense team wanted the case to be transferred to juvenile court.

If she were tried as a juvenile, she could have been released by age 21 if found guilty. On Monday, Tucker said there was no guarantee she would get the mental treatment she needs over those five years.

More

Seatbelt Violation Leads to Heroin Arrest


Dagsboro, DE – A seatbelt violation leads to the arrest of one man for heroin possession while another is sought after fleeing during the traffic stop.

The incident occurred on Saturday August 9, 2014 around 4:05 p.m. as a trooper on patrol observed a white Cadillac Deville in the area of Iron Branch Road just south of Bunting Road with the passenger unbelted. The trooper activated the emergency equipment on the patrol car in order to perform a traffic stop when the passenger was observed throwing items, which was later determined to be a sleeve of heroin, from the window. As the Cadillac came to a stop on Bunting Road, the passenger, who was later identified as Lynn D. Trader, 38 of Felton, opened the door and ran eastbound on Bunting Road.

The operator, Frederick H. Mitchell III, 35 of Milford, (Photo attached-black shirt) was contacted and taken into custody without incident. A search of his vehicle revealed 5,374 bags of heroin totaling over 80 grams, 24.3 grams of marijuana, and over $9,000.00 in suspected drug proceeds. Mitchell was transported back to Troop 4 in Georgetown where he was charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, Possession of Heroin, Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, Conspiracy 2nd, Possession of Marijuana, three counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and a Seatbelt violation. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $113,001.00 secured bond.

Lynn D. Trader (Photo attached – brown shirt) was not located and is currently wanted for Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, Possession of Heroin, Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, Conspiracy 2nd, Possession of Marijuana, three counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia from this incident. He is also wanted out of Troop 4 from a separate incident that occurred on May 3, 2014 near Selbyville when he fled from a traffic stop in which a handgun was located in a car that he was a passenger. Those charges are Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Possession of Marijuana, and Resisting Arrest. Sussex County Court of Common Pleas has also placed a capias for his arrest for Failure to Appear for a Trial.

If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of Lynn D. Trader, they are asked to contact Corporal M. Morgan at (302)856-5850 ext. 381 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet atwww.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."


Salisbury News Delivers Investigative Reporting On HOW YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE SPENT: Part 18

The Wicomico County Executive's Office has failed to post any expenses on the County Website since May. So much for transparency! 

Wicomico County Board of Education - 

7/12/11 David Reeve Dunkin' Donuts Berlin 15.98 
11/15/11 Davide Reeve Panera Bread 12.99 
2/29/12 David Reeve Panera Bread 13.77 
3/16/12 David Reeve Dunkin' Donuts Berlin 15.98 
4/25/12 David Reeve Domino's 47.01 
4/25/12 David Reeve Panera Bread 24.98 
7/17/12 David Reeve J&N Restaurant 58.55 
8/17/12 David Reeve Panera Bread 35.97 
10/16/12 David Reeve Dunkin' Donuts Berlin 15.98 
11/8/12 David Reeve Dunkin' Donuts Berlin 7.99 
12/12/12 David Reeve Dunkin' Donuts Berlin 15.98 
3/15/13 David Reeve Dunkin Donuts Berlin 15.98 
3/7/12 Dawn Bennett Papa John's 154.99 
4/25/12 Dawn Bennett Mojo's 167.70 
11/26/12 Dawn Bennett Little Caesars 10.00 
2/8/13 Dawn Bennett Dayton's 13.90 
5/3/11 Dawn Bennett Papa John's 88.80 
5/5/11 Dawn Bennett Chic Fil-A 31.25 
5/10/11 Dawn Bennett Papa John's 34.50 
6/9/11 Dawn Bennett Taylor's BarBQ 100.00 
12/17/11 Dawn Bennett La Tolteca 380.00 
2/23/12 Dawn Bennett Pat's Pizzeria 87.61 
8/2/11 Deborah Emge Red Door Sub Shop 84.67 
4/27/11 Debra Cooper Fratelli's 57.22 
4/25/12 Debra Cooper Fratelli's 57.81 
5/28/12 Debra Cooper Little Caesar's 300.00 
5/31/12 Debra Cooper Domino's 25.73 
6/5/12 Debra Cooper Little Caesar's 90.00 
8/22/12 Debra Cooper Domino's 367.75 
10/24/12 Debra Cooper Domino's 241.75 
11/16/12 Debra Cooper Baskin Robbins 150.00 
12/17/12 Debra Cooper Dunkin Donuts Ocean City 55.93 
12/18/12 Debra Cooper Panera Bread 90.93 
1/16/13 Debra Cooper Domino's 31.23 
3/8/13 Debra Cooper Pat's Pizzeria 63.57 
2/12/13 Debra Cooper Dunkin' Donuts Ocean City 47.94 
3/4/13 Debra Cooper Domino's 36.75 
5/4/12 Dolly Clarke KFC 8.01 
5/4/12 Dolly Clarke KFC 11.34 7
/25/11 Don Brady Red Door Sub Shop 45.85 
7/13/11 Don Brady Back Street Grill 76.20 
8/2/11 Don Brady Back Street Grill 30.49 
8/4/11 Don Brady Back Street Grill 21.73 
8/22/11 Don Brady Chick Fil-A 32.29 
11/2/11 Don Brady Panera Bread 57.74 
12/2011 Don Brady Subway 22.41 
1/4/12 Don Brady Panera Bread West Ocean City 52.15 
1/25/12 Don Brady Panera Bread West Ocean City 29.87 
2/6/12 Don Brady Panera Bread West Ocean City 43.85 
8/17/11 Kimberly Miles My Turn to Cook 400.00 
8/18/12 Kimberly Miles My Turn to Cook 440.00 

Stay tuned - many more to come. Approximately $80,000 per year is being spent on food charges! Remember, it's all for the kids....even if many of these charges are for dates when school in not in session. Hmmmmm.... Interesting!

Riots Turn Violent In Ferguson, Missouri

Ferguson, Missouri looting during a riot following the shooting of a teenager by police. Rioters have turned violent injuring police officers and looting several businesses. Stores are also being lit on fire. Hundreds of police are responding.


Here are more links to other videos
 http://instagram.com/p/rilPKhjI3P/

https://vine.co/v/MVTjXW5tXwa 

https://vine.co/v/MV9ahi2z0j9 

These guys are guarding their store in between lots of looting. Some poor dude tried to buy liquor, but it's past 12. 

Video Shows NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart's Car Striking And Killing Young Driver On Dirt Track

NASCAR's Tony Stewart Hits, Kills Driver At Dirt-track Race In New York

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart hit and killed another driver who was walking on a track during a dirt-track race in upstate New York, authorities said early Sunday.

Kevin Ward Jr., 20, died from injuries suffered in the incident, which occurred Saturday night at the Empire Super Sprints series event at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

The track is about a two-hour drive from Watkins Glen International race track, where Stewart had been scheduled to race in a NASCAR event Sunday.

More

Obama Says It Was Not His Decision To Withdraw Troops From Iraq


Note how he says that if we still had troops on the ground in Iraq, they would increase his headaches, as they’d have to be reinforced. He doesn’t consider the possibility that if he had not left Iraq so precipitously and then boasted about doing so, the Islamic State might not exist today. This is not to say that the Iraq misadventure was any better conceived or better executed than the one in Afghanistan. It would never have been possible to establish a stable secular republic there. But there is no doubt that Obama’s weakness gave the jihadis an opportunity, and he took it. “Obama calls reporter’s question ‘BOGUS and WRONG,’ but his own words prove otherwise,” The Right Scoop, August 9, 2014:

In order to reassure the American people that he’s a NOT complete dithering fool, Obama held a press conference earlier today before going on vacation (again). The very last question he took got him in a little huff and he rambled on and on about it until he finally called it an analysis that is “bogus and wrong.”…

More

White Students No Longer To Be Majority In School

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) -- The cheerful sign outside Jane Cornell's summer school classroom in Pennsylvania's wealthiest county says "Welcome" and "Bienvenidos" in polished handwriting.

Inside, giggling grade-schoolers who mostly come from homes where Spanish is the primary language worked on storytelling with a tale about a crocodile going to the dentist. The children and their classroom at the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center, near both mushroom farms and the borough's bucolic red-brick downtown, are a subtle reminder of America's changing school demographics.

For the first time ever, U.S. public schools are projected this fall to have more minority students than non-Hispanic whites enrolled, a shift largely fueled by growth in the number of Hispanic children.

More

John Kerry Horrified By Child Holding Severed Head: 'That Child Should Be In School'

Secretary of State John Kerry adamantly denounced a photo of a seven-year old Australian boy in the Middle East holding up a severed head for his terrorist father. The photo was published by Australian media.

Kerry called it “one of the most disturbing, stomach-turning, grotesque photographs ever displayed.”

“That child should be in school. That child should be out learning about a future. That child should be playing with other kids, not holding a severed head and out in the field of combat,” Kerry added.

Kerry made his remarks during a press conference in Sydney, Australia with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, and Australian Minister of Defense David Johnston.

“We have evidence that there are a significant number of Australian citizens who are taking part in activities in Iraq and parts of Syria, extremist activities and terrorist activities,” Bishop explained. “Our fear is that they will return home to Australia as hardened, homegrown terrorists and seek to continue their work here in Australia.”

More