Attention

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

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Taken At Just The Right Moment (Part 2 of 3)




DelMarVa Sunset Tonight



CHURCH WINS DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST CITY

A north Florida city twice denied a permit for a church to build on a main boulevard but the church took the city to court and prevailed at trial.

The city of Jacksonville Beach denied Church of Our Savior a conditional-use permit because city officials preferred that the church property be used for some other purpose and had zoned it accordingly. But the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida ruled Tuesday that federal law prevents the city from engaging in that type of discrimination.

More

Ulman has no regrets about teaming with Brown, wants to play role in Maryland's 'innovation economy'

The empty boxes sit stacked in the Howard County executive's office, ready to be packed.


County Executive Ken Ulman, 40, is preparing to move out when his two terms end at the beginning of next week. It's a time of transition for Ulman, who three weeks ago was campaigning in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to become Maryland's next lieutenant governor under Anthony Brown.

Ulman set aside time earlier this week to answer questions for one of the first times since Republican Larry Hogan defeated Democrat Brown for the governorship. He talked about Howard County's future, economic development, the economy and transportation for a Baltimore Business Journal Q&A.

More

In Wisconsin, Black Friday Shoppers Come For Beer

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Some people wait for hours in the cold to buy cheap televisions or video games. People in Wisconsin do it for beer.

About 800 people were in line by 8 a.m. Friday -- waiting in 15-degree, snowy weather -- outside of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee to buy a limited edition Black Friday brew. In less than four hours, the brewery was sold out of its 5,000 22-ounce bottles, each of which sold for $15.

Along with snatching four bottles, the per-customer limit, 30-year-old analyst John Graham said he wanted to be part of the buzz and the festive atmosphere that included a DJ, tap beer and breakfast.

"I've never been out for Black Friday before, never bought a TV or an X-box or anything," he said. "But here I am drinking beer at 8 a.m."

More

I'll Bet You Didn't Know...


From The Facebook Page Of Ted Nugent

The below comment was posted by Ted Nugent on his facebook page.  
Ted Nugent
Here's the lessons from Ferguson America- Don't let your kids growup to be thugs who think they can steal, assault & attack cops as a way of life & badge of black (dis)honor. Don't preach your racist bullshit "no justice no peace" as blabbered by Obama's racist Czar Al Not So Sharpton & their black klansmen. When a cop tells you to get out of the middle of the street, obey him & don't attack him as brainwashed by the gangsta assholes you hang with & look up to. It's that simple unless you have no brains, no soul, no sense of decency whatsoever. And dont claim that "black lives matter" when you ignore the millions you abort & slaughter each & every day by other blacks. Those of us with a soul do indeed believe black lives matter, as all lives matter. So quit killin each other you fuckin idiots. Drive safely.

Male Ebola Survivors Told to Abstain from Sex for Three Months

The Ebola virus can persist in semen for longer than in blood or other body fluids

Men who recover from the Ebola virus should avoid having sex for three months to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus on in their semen, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday via Twitter.

WHO also gave a fuller statement on its website, saying that while the sexual transmission of Ebola has not been documented, studies have found that the live virus can remain in semen for up to 82 days after the onset of symptoms.

More

The Coming Wave Of Anti-Abortion Laws

The big Republican gains in the November elections strengthened and enlarged the anti-abortion forces in the House and the Senate. But it’s the GOP victories in the statehouses and governor’s mansions that are priming the ground for another round of legal restrictions on abortion.

Arkansas, for instance, already has strict anti-abortion laws. But with a Republican governor succeeding a Democrat who had vetoed two measures that would have banned most abortions beyond a certain stage of pregnancy, lawmakers plan to seek more restrictions — such as barring doctors from administering abortion drugs through telemedicine. Republican gains in the West Virginia Legislature will redouble pressure on Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to accept a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks, which he has previously deemed unconstitutional. And Tennessee voters approved a ballot initiative that removes a 15-year barrier to legislation limiting abortion legislation in that deeply conservative state.


Abortion rights advocates have had setbacks in the states for several years, with a surge of legislative activity since 2011. Women seeking abortions may face mandatory waiting periods or ultrasound requirements. Clinics may face stricter building codes or hospital admitting privilege rules they can’t satisfy. Dozens of clinics have shut down in multiple states. Texas, for instance, has fewer than 10 abortion clinics now. A year ago, it had 40. 
More

JUST IN: Darren Wilson resigns from Ferguson Police Department

FERGUSON, Mo. - The white police officer who killed Michael Brown has resigned from the Ferguson Police Department, nearly four months after the confrontation that fueled protests in the St. Louis suburb and across the nation.

Darren Wilson has been on administrative leave since the Aug. 9 shooting. His resignation was announced Saturday by one of his attorneys, Neil Bruntrager. Bruntrager says the resignation is effective immediately.

A grand jury spent more than three months reviewing evidence in the case before declining in November to issue any charges against the 28-year-old Wilson. He told jurors that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and grabbed for his gun.

More

Four Bald Eagles Found Poisoned Near Marsh Creek

USFWS Northeast Region

We're sorry to say, but we once again need your help. Between November 22 and November 23, four bald eagles were found poisoned near Marsh Creek and Poplar Neck in Preston, MD. It is believed that they were injured as a result of secondary poisoning after feeding on a fox carcass. We, along withh Phoenix Wildlife Center, Inc. - where they are being rehabilitated - are offering a combined reward of up to $5000 for information leading to a conviction of the responsible parties. Anyone with information should call Special Agent John LaCorte at (410) 228-2476 http://bit.ly/1uWMApb

16 Arrested As Demonstrations Return To Ferguson


Disrupting commerce, transit and traffic became focal points for demonstrators across the country days after the announcement that a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri declined to indict the police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.

As Small Business Saturday approached, numerous storefronts in the Ferguson area had their windows covered with plywood with messages painted across many of them letting neighbors know that the shops are still open. Demonstrators temporarily shut down three large malls in suburban St. Louis on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and then marched in front of the Ferguson police department to protest the grand jury's decision.

Several stores lowered their security doors or locked entrances as at least 200 protesters sprawled onto the floor while chanting, "Stop shopping and join the movement," at the Galleria mall in Richmond Heights a few miles south of Ferguson, Missouri, where Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown, who was unarmed, in August.

More

You Are Cordially Invited


JUST IN: Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes found dead in apparent suicide

WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) - Authorities say the longtime top prosecutor in Carroll County is dead of an apparent suicide.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office says Jerry Barnes was found around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning at a home in Westminster with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnes was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The 66-year-old Barnes had served as state's attorney for Carroll County since 1994. He lost his bid for re-election in this year's Republican primary. Before his career as a prosecutor, Barnes was an Army Green Beret who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.

More

The WYC Christmas Boat Parade Has Begun, ETA In Salisbury Is 7:00 PM



A list of Ferguson businesses destroyed

See list of the Ferguson businesses destroyed during the riots, as well as links to their fund raising pages if they can be found, as reported at the Saint Louis Post Dispatch, Yahoo News, the New York Post, Breitbart, the Wall Street Journal, and other sources. Some businesses had windows smashed in, and others were burned to the ground. Some have had more publicity and support than others, but they have all suffered.

The Dellwood Conoco, for example, was burned to the ground and has received $385 dollars on their fundraising page at the time of this writing. Natalie Dubose, who had a window smashed out but received media attention, has received $257,000 at the time of this writing. Aside from businesses, cars were burned and there were multiple reports of shots being fired. Some of the incidents are mapped here, and also documented at Broadside News.
More

Sorry, but the Grand Jury Got It Right

For many in the media, the St. Louis County grand jury’s decision was going to confirm the existence of deep American injustice one way or another. If it found there was insufficient evidence for an indictment against Darren Wilson — the white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, a black teenager, in August in Ferguson, Missouri — it would mean that the American justice system is corrupt, unjust and rife with racism. If the grand jury decided to move forward with an indictment, it could only mean that American law enforcement is corrupt, unjust and rife with racism.

Even if many of your grievances are legitimate, “justice” doesn’t exist to soothe your anger. In the end, there wasn’t probable cause to file charges against Wilson. And after all the intense coverage and buildup, the predictable happened. Even taking a cursory look at the evidence the grand jury saw and heard, the details of Brown’s death were far more complex than what we heard when the incident first broke. Lawyers will, no doubt, analyze every morsel of evidence in the coming days. But if Wilson’s testimony is corroborated by forensic evidence — and much of it seems to be — it seems unlikely that any jury would be able to convict him.

More

The Salisbury Fire Department will be participating in the Annual Christmas Boat Parade tonight.


Is Your Christmas Tree A Threat?

Christmas trees are a beautiful way to welcome in the spirit of the holidays, but, be warned, they bring with them an element of danger. As the White House celebrates the arrival of the holiday tree, it's time to for a refresher course in holiday decorating safety.

Emergency room visits due to holiday decorating accidents have been on the rise for the past four years, according to The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2012 alone, the CPSC estimated there were 15,000 injuries involving holiday decorating seen in emergency departments nationwide.

While falling from ladders and stepping on broken ornaments may look hilarious on "Home Alone," they aren't so funny in real life, and they can stop holiday cheer in its tracks.

More

Maggie McIntosh - Lead Sponsor Exempting All MD School Teachers from having to pay any Real Estate Taxes on their own homes

This is what our new House Appropriations Chairman - Maggie McIntosh has accomplished in the past!

Try and raise everyone else's taxes in order to pick-up the tab to exempt MD's public school teachers from having to pay any real estate taxes.

I am not making this stuff up. Read the bill yourself - particularly the fiscal note!
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?tab=subject3&ys=2005rs/billfile/hb0965.htm

It gets even better - the very next year - (2006) - Maggie McIntosh sponsored yet another bill - this time proposing to exempt not only the school teachers - but also the fire fighters, and Law enforcement from having to pay any real estate taxes.
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2006rs/bills_noln/hb/thb0197.pdf

The PEOPLE need to know this type of information. Also - do you recognize some of the other lead sponsors?

And our citizens wonder why our State is so deep in debt - it's really a no-brainer.

Worcester County Sheriff's Office Press Releases 11-29-14

On Friday 11/28/2014 at approximately 1530 hours Deputy Sheriffs of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an address on Doe Drive Berlin, MD to assist with a stolen vehicle investigation reported to the Seaford Police Department. Upon arrival the deputies observed a vehicle matching the description of the stolen vehicle. 

During the investigation and subsequent interviews it was learned that Ms. Jerrianne Morris, 36 years of age of Seaford, De. stole the vehicle from the Seaford Wal-Mart parking lot. A tracking device that was installed on the vehicle identified the location where it was recovered. The total amount stolen was approximately $8,000.00. Ms. Morris was charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle. A wanted check was conducted on Ms. Morris and revealed Ms. Morris has two District Court of Maryland Bench Warrants and an out of state warrant issued by Delaware. 

Ms. Morris appeared before a District Court Commissioner and was held on a $25,000.00 bond for the Motor Vehicle Theft. Ms. Morris was held on a $25,000.00 bond and a $20,000.00 unsecured bond on the Maryland District Court warrants. Ms. Morris was held without bond on the Delaware Fugitive Warrant.

********************************************************************
Date: November 24, 2014 @ 4:50PM
WCSO Case # 14-0001240 

LOCATION: Walmart – 11416 Ocean Gateway
Berlin, Worcester County 

ACCUSED : 1) Fatima MEJBER 42yoa Female
Ocean City, Maryland
- Theft less than $1,000
- Disposition: Released on Criminal Citation

NARRATIVE:
On Monday, November 24, 2014 at 4:50PM members of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Walmart - 11416 Ocean Gateway, Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland for a Theft. 

Prior to units arriving on scene, it was reported that the individual involved had fled the area and a vehicle/suspect description were broadcast to area law enforcement. Unfortunately, the suspect (Fatima MEJBER) was not apprehended until the following day.

During an interview with MEJBER she acknowledged that she was responsible for the theft and provided a written confession. She voluntarily surrendered all items and they were returned to Walmart. The combined total value of items stolen was $197.87. 

MEJBER was released after being issued a Criminal Citation and the case is pending adjudication in the District Court.

 

Past Ban On Marrying Blacks May Mar Tribe's Future

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus are urging the Obama administration to withhold federal recognition of a Virginia Indian tribe because of its history of banning intermarriage with blacks.

In January, the Interior Department proposed recognizing the Pamunkey tribe in southeast Virginia, which would make members eligible for special benefits in education, housing and medical care -- and allow the tribe to pursue a casino. A decision on recognition, which would be the first for a Virginia tribe, is due by March 30.

The Congressional Black Caucus members urged Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Attorney General Eric Holder to hold off until the Justice Department investigates any discriminatory practices by the tribe. Neither department has responded to the request, made in a Sept. 23 letter, according to a spokeswoman for Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson, who signed the letter.

More

‘Off Switch’ For Pain Discovered: Activating The Adenosine A3 Receptor Subtype Is Key To Powerful Pain Relief

In research published in the medical journal Brain, Saint Louis University researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D. and colleagues within SLU, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other academic institutions have discovered a way to block a pain pathway in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain including pain caused by chemotherapeutic agents and bone cancer pain suggesting a promising new approach to pain relief.

The scientific efforts led by Salvemini, who is professor of pharmacological and physiological sciences at SLU, demonstrated that turning on a receptor in the brain and spinal cord counteracts chronic nerve pain in male and female rodents. Activating the A3 receptor -- either by its native chemical stimulator, the small molecule adenosine, or by powerful synthetic small molecule drugs invented at the NIH -- prevents or reverses pain that develops slowly from nerve damage without causing analgesic tolerance or intrinsic reward (unlike opioids).

An Unmet Medical Need

Pain is an enormous problem. As an unmet medical need, pain causes suffering and comes with a multi-billion dollar societal cost. Current treatments are problematic because they cause intolerable side effects, diminish quality of life and do not sufficiently quell pain.

The most successful pharmacological approaches for the treatment of chronic pain rely on certain "pathways": circuits involving opioid, adrenergic, and calcium channels.

For the past decade, scientists have tried to take advantage of these known pathways -- the series of interactions between molecular-level components that lead to pain. While adenosine had shown potential for pain-killing in humans, researchers had not yet successfully leveraged this particular pain pathway because the targeted receptors engaged many side effects

More

Ocean City Mobile Home District Changes Near

OCEAN CITY – The code regarding Mobile Home Districts will likely soon be changed on the height of homes, while the council will further deliberate allowing more flexibility regarding the height of a roof pitch at a later date.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Mayor and City Council considered a recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission to amend the Code regarding the Mobile Home (MH) Residential District to state, “The area above the maximum building height under a sloped roof not exceeding a 7/12 roof pitch may be used for habitation subject to the dormers not exceeding the ridge line, which shall be determined by the narrow width (and not the length), of the main building and in compliance with all applicable life safety regulations.”

The Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 16 to discuss the matter following a request by residents of those communities to consider this issue proactively to minimize light, air and ventilation restrictions and hazards that might be associated with such narrow lots and minimum setbacks in the MH District.

More

Boat Parade TONIGHT


SFD Calls For Service 11-28-14

  • Friday November, 28 2014 @ 23:45Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Friday November, 28 2014 @ 23:01Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Friday November, 28 2014 @ 20:51Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Hebron
  • Friday November, 28 2014 @ 20:01Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Friday November, 28 2014 @ 18:42Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

Americans Bought Guns at a Record-Setting Clip on Black Friday — Wait Until You Read How Fast the FBI Was Getting Background Check Requests

Forget the Xboxes, iPhones and Tickle Me Elmos — Americans were really going crazy for guns this Black Friday, in record-setting numbers.

The typical Black Friday boom in gun sales doubles the number of background checks handled by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), from one per second on an average day to two per second.

By Friday afternoon, that figure had reached three checks per second, CNN reported, putting 2014 on track to blow past the prior Black Friday record of 144,758 FBI-processed gun transactions in a single day.

More

How Dogs Understand What We Say

Scientists — and anyone who lives with a canine — know that dogs pay close attention to the emotion in our voices. They listen for whether our tone is friendly or mean, how the pitch goes up or down and even the rhythms in our speech.

But what about the meaning of the words we say?

Sure, a few studies have reported on super smart dogs that know hundreds of words. And Chaser, a border collie in South Carolina, even learned 1,022 nouns and commands to go with them.

But otherwise, there's little evidence that dogs differentiate between speech with meaningful words from sounds that contain only inflections, says neurobiologistAttila Andics, at the MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group in Budapest.

"We know quite a bit about how much dogs get about how we say things, Andics says, "but we know quite little about how much dogs get about what we say to them."

That's about to change.

Psychologists reported Wednesday in the journal Current Biology that dogs do pay attention to the meaning of words. And they process that information in a different part of the brain than where they process emotional cues in speech.

More

Why Amnesty will force Layoffs

President Obama’s amnesty for illegal immigrants will produce a disaster of unparalleled magnitude when the ObamaCare employer mandate kicks in.

Those granted amnesty will not be eligible for ObamaCare. The amnesty will merely keep them safe from deportation; it won’t make them legal. And ObamaCare can only go to citizens and legal noncitizens living in the U.S.

But the employer mandate in ObamaCare requires large companies to offer insurance to each of their full-time workers or pay a hefty fine to the government for failing to do so.

Combine these two programs and you have a huge incentive for employers to dismiss any blue-collar workers on their payroll and replace them with illegal immigrants covered by amnesty. These folks are allowed to work but not to get ObamaCare. An employer can’t be fined for failing to offer ObamaCare to employees who are ineligible to receive it. It’s an employer’s dream!

Some argue that the anti-discrimination provisions of ObamaCare will bar employers from offering insurance to some of their workers (citizens and legal immigrants) and not to others (illegal immigrants). But that argument seems far-fetched, because the illegal immigrants cannot enroll in ObamaCare.

Even if the argument holds water, what is to prevent an employer from simply refusing to insure any of his workers at all? He couldn’t be fined for not insuring a workforce that cannot accept the insurance!

More

Black Friday fight at Annapolis Mall causes panic

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJLA) – A fight that broke out at Westfield Annapolis Mall the afternoon of Black Friday caused panic among shoppers, many of whom thought there was an active shooter in the building.

According to Anne Arundel County Police, the fight took place in the food court. The involved parties overturned tables, causing glass to shatter and a loud bang. Many shoppers mistook the noises for gunfire.

More
 

Pharrell Williams accuses US teen shot dead by cop of 'bully-ish' behavior, says he was 'asking for trouble' and attacks rioters

Pharrell Williams, one of the biggest black figures in the music industry, has spoken out about the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, saying he is 'troubled' a grand jury decided not to indict the white police officer responsible.

But the 'Happy' singer also sparked heated debate by calling Brown's behavior leading up to his August 9 death 'bully-ish'.

Before he was shot dead, Brown was caught on surveillance camera stealing a handful of cigarillos from a convenience store in Ferguson, Missouri, and intimidating the shop owner.

While Pharrell says that was no excuse for Officer Darren Wilson to use lethal force against the unarmed teen, he thinks Brown's actions are being overlooking in the national discussion about the tragedy.

'It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with,' Pharrell told Ebony magazine. 'Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren't we talking about that?'

More

‘Terrified’ Young Christmas Carolers ‘Burst Into Tears’ as Michael Brown Protesters Surround Them, Shut Down Show

Among the feats many Michael Brown protesters pulled off as they stormed Seattle’s Westlake Mall on Black Friday was targeting a children’s choir set to sing Christmas carols, KING-TV reported as part of a video segment.

A journalist with KING, Mark Wright, wrote this on his Facebook page:
Some of you may know that tonight’s tree lighting at Westlake Center was cut short by protesters. I feel really bad for a group of children from the 5th Avenue Theater. They came tonight, excited to sing. When the protesters overtook the balcony, the children were absolutely terrified. I helped usher them to the far end of the balcony where they would be safe. They huddled with their chaperones and each other, some of them crying, until police got the protesters out of there. As a journalist, I’m absolutely in favor of the right to free speech. This was not free speech tonight. The protesters appear to simply want to disrupt, and in doing so, traumatized some beautiful young kids.
Local photojournalist Joshua Trujillo tweeted that the protesters actually surrounded the children, aged 7 to 10, who were set to sing carols:More 

FERGUSON AND THE REAL RACE WAR

Comptroller Recognizes Berlin For Efforts, Success

BERLIN – Comptroller Peter Franchot got a firsthand look at “America’s Coolest Small Town” with a tour of Main Street and visits to several downtown shops last week.

Franchot, who started his Nov. 21 tour at the town’s visitor’s center, offered town leaders a proclamation recognizing the town’s ongoing effort to maintain its commercial and residential districts before embarking on an excursion down Main Street.

“We’re honored he’s come to see what has made Berlin not just cool but economically successful,” Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said.

Williams took the opportunity to tell Franchot how the town had made the most of its commercial space and about the excursion train he was hoping to see come through the area.

More

Mayor Delivers Audit to Council Earlier Than Last Year


Mayor James Ireton, Jr., is pleased to announce that the preliminary Audit Report, prepared by Barbacane, Thornton & Company LLP, is being presented to the City Council a day earlier than last year.

Keith Cordrey, Director of Internal Services, said the City of Salisbury is in a strong financial position.  A few indicators below provide evidence of the positive results:

-          General Fund unassigned surplus is over 8 million.

-          The use of surplus in FY14 was less than budgeted.

-          All departments came in under budget.

-          Water Sewer fund unrestricted surplus is over 7 million.


Pam Baker of Barbacane Thornton reported, “Every year for the last 4 years the audit has gone smoother due to improvements in staff preparation, and audit team planning and responsiveness.”

Mayor Ireton said, “Once again, we continue to get the fiscal work of the City completed in a much faster fashion. Mr. Cordrey reports that we are in sound financial shape in both the General Fund and the Water & Sewer Fund.  With this audit complete, I will begin the FY16 budget processes.  In the past 5 years we have been able to expedite completion of this fiscal document by two full months.  I am proud to be able to say to our taxpayers that we continue to improve.”

The draft audit is under final review by Barbacane Thornton and city staff.  The final audit is scheduled to be submitted Monday, December 8th.

Darren Wilson Switched Homes, Preferred Dark Movie Theaters To Avoid Detection

(CNN) -- Days after he fatally shot an unarmed black teen in August, Officer Darren Wilson was cutting grass when he was told his home address was circulating online.

Within three hours, he'd grabbed some bags and gone into hiding, according to his attorneys.

"He had to leave the grass, literally, half mowed," his lawyer, Neil Bruntrager, told CNN's Don Lemon late Wednesday.

More

Media Blackout: Possible Grand Jury Witness Murdered in Ferguson

On Tuesday morning, the body of 20-year -old DeAndre Joshua was found near the Canfield Greens Apartments in Ferguson. The young man was shot to death.

His body was discovered still behind the wheel of his white Pontiac Grand Prix, and identified by family members. Joshua had been shot through the driver’s side window, reported KTVI.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar would only confirm the identity of the victim, and that the case is under investigation. While officials would not say if Joshua was in fact, a witness to the shooting death of Michael Brown, nor if he actually provided testimony to the grand jury which ultimately cleared Officer Darren Wilson of any wrongdoing in the shooting, his murder does point to a retribution-type killing…

More

Dorothy Thompson Was Right

"No people ever recognize their dictator in advance. He never stands for election on the platform of dictatorship. He always represents himself as the instrument [of] the Incorporated National Will. ... When our dictator turns up you can depend on it that he will be one of the boys, and he will stand for everything traditionally American. And nobody will ever say 'Heil' to him, nor will they call him 'Führer' or 'Duce.' But they will greet him with one great big, universal, democratic, sheeplike bleat of 'O.K., Chief! Fix it like you wanna, Chief! Oh Kaaaay!'"

[Written in 1935]

County Executive Bob Culver Announces Official Swearing In Ceremony

Salisbury, MD… Bob Culver, the newly elected Wicomico County Executive, will be sworn in on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at a ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Guerrieri Hall, Wor Wic Community College. By authority of the Wicomico County Charter, Culver is to be sworn in by noon on the first Tuesday in December. Mark Bowen, Wicomico Clerk of Court, will administer the Oath of Office.

Governor-Elect Larry J. Hogan, Jr. will be in attendance as well as a number of State and County elected officials, other dignitaries, family and friends. A reception for invited guests will immediately follow the ceremony.

Members of the public who wish to attend are asked to call the Office of the County Executive to confirm no later than Monday, December 1st as seating is limited. All attendees are urged to arrive early as the ceremony will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m.
For more information contact the Office of the County Executive, 410-548-4801.

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 11-29-14

School Lunch

Throughout the years, school lunches have changed dramatically. The children of a hundred years ago were usually fed as a group by either the teacher or some parent that would send something with their child and then it was heated up on the ever-present wood stove. Some children brought a sandwich and maybe some cookies or a piece of fruit.
         
This arrangement continued for many years except for the wood stove. There were no cafeterias as there are today, and certainly no free lunches. I remember lunch time at St. Francis as being herded to the basement where several 8-person tables were set up. The only thing available was milk, which cost three cents. At the end of lunch two of the older boys walked around with a trash can and emptied the trash from each table that the children had passed down to the end of the table. A vivid memory I have is of one boy who always positioned himself at the end of the table so that he could take anything edible and consume it. When I think back on the situation, he must have been desperate to do what he did. The remnants of a sandwich or a half eaten apple never escaped his grasp.
         
Since no food was provided by the school, everybody had to “pack”. The different methods of carrying lunch varied from the standard brown paper bag to fancy metal boxes that displayed your favorite TV show or maybe a hero of the day. Some of them are quite collectible now. Of course, the most valuable are the ones that weren’t so popular then and therefore fewer of them were made. Mine was what you would call generic. It was gray and green like the one pictured above. I used mine from the second through the eighth grades and by the eighth grade it looked like chrome. I did go through many Thermos liners, though, as did every kid that carried this type of lunch box. If you dropped the Thermos, the glass liner was sure to shatter. They screwed in and were fairly easy to replace. I imagine Thermos made quite a bit selling glass liner replacements as everyone was good for a couple each year.
         
I was looking at my granddaughter’s lunch box this year and it was something to behold. She didn’t have a Thermos as she got her drink at her school. I went there for lunch a couple of times and they have a selection that would make any restaurant proud. They have a regular cafeteria where you can obtain a hearty meal and dessert. Kids have their favorites and I think everyone buys on pizza day. Ice cream is always popular. They have a computer set up that the parent pays into and from which the student can draw.
           
Things have certainly changed over the years and the responsibility of feeding our own children has been taken over by “the government” because they know best. People of my generation seemed to have survived because our mothers made sure we had what we needed, not what we wanted.

Salisbury To Form Stormwater Utility

SALISBURY –The city’s stormwater infrastructure has gone ignored for over 100 years, and as the system continues to fail causing flooding and impacting surrounding waterways the city takes a stand by forming a Stormwater Utility Fund.

On Monday evening, an ordinance to establish a Stormwater Utility under the direction and supervision of the Public Works Department and further establishing a Stormwater Utility Fee System came before the City Council for approval in its second and final reading.

The ordinance furthers an annual service charge, or Stormwater Utility Fee, will be imposed on property owners starting July 1 to fund the Stormwater Utility. Currently, the average fee being proposed comes to about $20 a year being based on a property’s amount of impervious surface.

More

Ferguson grand jury papers full of inconsistencies

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Some witnesses said Michael Brown had been shot in the back. Another said he was face-down on the ground when Officer Darren Wilson "finished him off." Still others acknowledged changing their stories to fit published details about the autopsy or admitted that they did not see the shooting at all.

An Associated Press review of thousands of pages of grand jury documents reveals numerous examples of statements made during the shooting investigation that were inconsistent, fabricated or provably wrong. For one, the autopsies ultimately showed Brown was not struck by any bullets in his back.

Prosecutors exposed these inconsistencies before the jurors, which likely influenced their decision not to indict Wilson in Brown's death.

Bob McCulloch, the St. Louis County prosecutor, said the grand jury had to weigh testimony that conflicted with physical evidence and conflicting statements by witnesses as it decided whether Wilson should face charges.

"Many witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown made statements inconsistent with other statements they made and also conflicting with the physical evidence. Some were completely refuted by the physical evidence," McCulloch said.

The decision Monday not to charge Wilson with any crime set off more violent protests in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson and around the country, fueled by claims that the unarmed black 18-year-old was shot while surrendering to the white officer in the mostly African-American city.

More

OYSTER FEST TODAY


MSP Press Release 11-29-14 (DUI-related Collision)‏

Operation Cookie Drop-off delivers dozens to armed forces overseas

For 10 years now, Lewes resident Judy Mangini has been shipping thousands of cookies overseas at the holidays and this year, the organizer says she's got her work cut out for her to send more than last year's record of 2,300 dozen cookies.

That's 57,600 cookies; but this year, Mangini would like to send an additional 200 dozen to troops in Afghanistan, where a Delaware National Guard unit is stationed.

"I’d like to see 2,500 dozen this year," Mangini said. "I like to keep breaking the record, but I’ll be happy the day I don’t have to do this anymore because they are all at home."

More

Kale: The New "It" Vegetable

Kale, a dark green, leafy vegetable in the cabbage family, is all the rage these days. Is it the gorgeous frilly leaves? The stellar nutritional profile? Its versatility in the kitchen? Check “all of the above.” Then start getting to know this star-quality veggie.

Powerful Health Benefits

Kale is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K. It provides healthy doses of calcium, copper, iron, manganese, and potassium, too. But its real claim to fame is its array of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals give plants their unique colors, flavors, and odors, and they bring powerful health benefits. Here are a few that are found in kale.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin for Healthy Eyes

Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants in the carotenoid family. They help prevent eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, these compounds may help ward off cancer and boost immunity, too.
A cup of cooked kale provides 24 milligrams of lutein and zeaxanthin. That’s twice the daily amount shown to have benefits in medical studies.