Rudy Is Right

Rudy Giuliani is in the stocks for saying that he does not believe that President Barack Obama “loves America.” He said this at a small, private dinner for Scott Walker, who probably will not be inviting Giuliani to very many events in the near future. 

Giuliani went on to say that he wasn’t questioning the president’s patriotism — angels and ministers of grace defend us! — only noting that the president’s rhetoric is decidedly low-cal on the American exceptionalism but full-fat when it comes to criticism. 

It may be the case that the president is a practitioner of the Smokey Robinson school of patriotism: “I don’t like you, but I love you.” Something’s really got a hold on this guy, and it is not an excessive fervor for the American order.

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If Your Teacher Likes You, You Might Get A Better Grade

Were you ever the teacher's pet? Or did you just sit behind the teacher's pet and roll your eyes from time to time?

A newly published paper suggests that personality similarity affects teachers' estimation of student achievement. That is, how much you are like your teacher contributes to his or her feelings about you — and your abilities.

"Astonishingly, little is known about the formation of teacher judgments and therefore about the biases in judgments," says Tobias Rausch, an author of the study and a research scientist at the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. "However, research tells us that teacher judgments often are not accurate."

This study looked at a group of 93 teachers and 294 students in eighth grade in Germany. Everyone took a short test to establish basic features of their personalities: extraversion, agreeableness and the like.

They gave the students reading and math tests too, sharing the test items with the teachers. Then they asked the teachers two questions: How good is this student compared to an average eighth grader? How well will this student do on this test?

In other words, the first question asked the teacher to give a global judgment; the second asked for a task-specific judgment.

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When Pot Goes From Illegal To Recreational, Schools Face A Dilemma

Like many schools across Colorado, Arapahoe Ridge High School in Boulder has seen an increase in overall drug incidents since recreational marijuana became legal.

While public schools aren't required to report marijuana incidents separately from other drugs such as cocaine, evidence compiled by Rocky Mountain PBS I-Newssuggests more students are using marijuana.

"Especially since we use the phrase 'recreational marijuana,' " says Odette Edbrooke, health education coordinator for the Boulder Valley School District. "Recreational implies it's fun, and it's something you do in your spare time."

And as with other Colorado schools, Arapahoe Ridge is grappling with how best to discuss the health consequences of pot use. Edbrooke says the state's changing attitudes about marijuana send students a mixed message.

"When it's legal for your parents to smoke it or grow it, that changes the conversation," Edbrooke says.

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A key part of Veterans Affairs reform is a flop

So few veterans are using the so-called VA Choice that Secretary Bob McDonald is asking Congress for permission to reprogram the money for it. VA Choice lets veterans seek care at private providers, with VA paying. VA sent out 10 million Choice Cards since November. Only 27,000 veterans have made outside appointments using them. Republicans and Democrats insist the problem is the department and that it needs to do a better job promoting the choice program. They also want to change a quirk in the law that makes it hard for some veterans in rural areas to prove they live at least 40 miles from a VA health site.

Disney Raises Ticket Prices for US Theme Parks

ANAHEIM – Visiting the Happiest Place on Earth just got more expensive.

With record attendance at its theme parks, Disney said starting Sunday it would raise ticket prices across the board for the Disneyland Resort here and at Walt Disney World in Florida.

An adult one-day ticket to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure will rise from $96 to $99. A one-day park hopper add-on will increase from $54 to $56.

Tickets for children ages 3 to 9 will climb from $90 to $93. A price for a Premium annual pass with parking and no blackout dates will go up 11 percent, from $699 to $779.

Some parkgoers were frustrated, even outraged, at the news, taking to social media to sound off.

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The Obama Pentagon's Benghazi Papers

The DC Establishment hopes if you drag out disclosure about a scandal long enough, it loses a bit of its "wow factor" along the way. That would seem to be the view of the Obama administration regarding many of its wanton acts of mismanagement. Among a long list that ranges from embarrassing stumbles to a flagrant disregard for the rule of law is the disaster that occurred at our Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, Libya. Adding insult to injury (and death) are the lies that were told and the foot-dragging that continues in an effort to minimize the true accountability that this administration and its alumni (such as Hillary Clinton) so justly deserve. Well, this stalling game may work on a media (which is often a co-conspirator in cover-up) and on a hapless Congress. But it doesn't work on Judicial Watch.

In our two-years' of court battles (which include at least eight federal lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act), Judicial Watch has had yet another victory. We released this week hundreds of pages of documents about the military response to the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack.

It is extraordinary that we had to wait for over two years and had to force the release of documents that provide the first glimpse into the military response to the terrorist attack in Benghazi. Where has Congress been? We are happy to do the work of independent oversight of the government on behalf of the American people, but one has to ask why the rest of Washington has broken down in providing citizens accountable government.

Altogether, the Pentagon produced a total of 486 pages to us in response to a federal court order in our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. This particular lawsuit was filed back on September 4, 2014, and you are seeing the results of that effort today. Almost all of the documents had been previously classified as secret. Much of the withheld information, we are told, concerns "military plans and operations," "intelligence" activities, and other legitimate exemptions.

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Pigs, Lipstick and Islam

Russia Boosts Arms, Training for Leftist Latin Militaries

Moscow defense minister inks deals with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua for joint exercises

Russia agreed to provide military training for three leftist regimes in Latin America and increase military visits and exercises following a visit last week to the region by Moscow’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, Pentagon officials said.

Shoygu met with defense and military leaders in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and signed several agreements on warship visits and military training during the visit, which ran from Feb. 11 to 14. It is not clear whether any new arms deals were completed during the visit.

Defense officials said the Russian leader is seeking bases in the region for strategic bomber flights that Shoygu recently promised would include flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

U.S. intelligence agencies closely monitored the visit but a Pentagon spokeswoman played down the Russian military encroachment.

“Just as we have bilateral and multilateral relationships around the world, so do other nations,” Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen M. Lainez told the Washington Free Beacon. “All nations are free to choose their associations as they see fit.”

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Obamacare Proving Not a Burden to U.S. From Chipotle to Wal-Mart

The biggest entitlement legislation in a generation is causing barely a ripple in corporate America.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- otherwise known as Obamacare -- is putting such a small dent in the profits of U.S. companies that many refer to its impact as “not material” or “not significant,” according to a Bloomberg review of conference-call transcripts and interviews with major U.S. employers.

That’s even after a provision went into effect this year requiring companies with 50 or more full-time workers to provide coverage, and after more workers are choosing to enroll in existing company coverage because of another requirement that all Americans get insured.

“It’s just part of doing business,” said Bob Shearer, chief financial officer of VF Corp., which owns the North Face and Vans apparel brands. “Obamacare has added costs, but not so much that we felt we had to talk about it specifically.”

The collective shrug from the nation’s biggest employers undermines the arguments of Republicans, who call the law a job- killer as they seek its repeal.

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ISIS and the left's Vulgar Marxism problem

What is ISIS? What do its members want? What makes them tick?

These sound like basic questions. But it turns out that surprisingly few people have been trying to answer them — including, very scarily, within the U.S. government. And the White House's inability to understand ISIS and its ideology has severely hobbled the West's efforts to fight ISIS.

The celebrated reporter Graeme Wood, on the other hand, has tried very hard to answer these questions, in one of the most important stories to be written on ISIS. (Wood had already done impressive reporting on extreme Islamists.) ISIS, as it turns out, is motivated by a specific interpretation of Islam. And understanding the beliefs of ISIS's members helps to explain — and even predict — their actions.

For example, the main difference between ISIS and al Qaeda is not primarily over tactics or a clash of personalities, as we're often told, but over theology. Both ISIS and al Qaeda believe in apocalyptic end-times where an Islamic caliphate will face off against the forces of Christianity in an ultimate war. But while al Qaeda believes this time to be far off into the future, ISIS believes it is now. This is not an idle difference. This apocalyptic scenario requires the establishment of a new Islamic caliphate, and ISIS has been working to accomplish precisely this, seizing and holding onto territory instead of working as a decentralized underground network like al Qaeda. The centrality of the vision of the caliphate in ISIS's worldview suggests that the group will act in ways that are different from al Qaeda — and can be predicted.

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Why Can't the Public See Obama's Proposed Internet Regulations?

Republican senators Mike Lee, Ben Sasse, and Rand Paul have all been high profile opponents of the Obama administrations current plan to regulate the internet -- in particular, Lee has called the regulation a government "takeover" of the internet and says it amounts to a "a massive tax increase on the middle class, being passed in the dead of night without the American public really being made aware of what is going on.”

And when Lee says that the American public isn't aware of what's going on, that is in no way hyperbole. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai has emerged as a hero for those opposed to the regulation because Pai has been taking to the airwaves decrying the fact that the public is not allowed to see 332 pages of proposed internet regulation before they are potentially passed. Pai's crusade to make the proposed regulations public is the theme of the the latest ad from Protect Internet Freedom:

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East London schoolgirls feared to be heading to Syria to join ISIS

Strolling through Gatwick, these are the ‘naive’ teenage girls who flew out of the UK to join jihadists in Syria.

The trio were at the centre of an international hunt last night after being captured on airport CCTV.

Scotland Yard was facing questions over how the girls – aged 15 and 16 – were able to board a flight to Turkey unchallenged, despite having no parent or guardian with them.

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Secrets of people who never get sick

SURPRISING HABITS

It’s tempting to dismiss it as luck: Some people might catch a slight cold or suffer an occasional ache or pain now and then, but they never seem to suffer from flus, fevers and illnesses that send the rest of us diving under the covers for days. Despite centuries of scientific advances, doctors still can’t tell us definitively how to stay well. So why not look for solutions from the people for whom the common cold is, well, uncommon? Here, 10 surprising habits of those people who never get sick—and how you can adapt them to your own soon-to be healthier life.

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7 Perfect Starter Pets

Beyond the Dog

Before caving and giving in to your child’s constant begging for a puppy, take baby steps with a starter pet. Puppies are a lot of work and at times can be on par with having another child. There are many great options for great starter pets that will take less time, money and commitment than a dog. Plus these are a great way to stall and have your child show you they are ready for the ultimate pet—a dog.

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***POLICE ALERT - MISSING CHILD***

Post by Wicomico First Alert.

Governor Hogan, Members Of Maryland Congressional Delegation Support FBI Relocation To Prince George's County

Move Would Make Prince George’s “A National Security Nexus”

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Hogan, members of the Maryland congressional delegation, including Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Representatives Steny Hoyer and Donna Edwards, met yesterday to express their joint support for the FBI headquarters to relocate from Washington, D.C., to a site in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, Prince George’s County Council Chairman Mel Franklin, Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn, and Business and Economic Development Secretary Mike Gill also participated in the meeting.

The General Services Administration, which manages federal office space, is conducting the new site search on behalf of the FBI. The search has set off a competition among officials in Maryland and Virginia to win the location.

The meeting attendees and Governor Hogan have issued the following joint statement:

“As GSA moves forward with the process of selecting a site, Maryland is united at the federal, state, and local level to bring the new FBI headquarters to Prince George’s County. We will be working closely together to make sure that the FBI gets a fully consolidated modern headquarters that meets the agency’s needs. There is no doubt that Prince George’s County offers a close proximity to Washington, easy access to mass transit, world-class research and education institutions, cyber security and defense facilities, and other assets valuable to the FBI's ongoing missions. Locating the new FBI headquarters in Prince George's will make Maryland's economy stronger by bringing thousands of jobs to the county, boosting our local economy, and generating additional revenues for our community.”

Governor Hogan called the meeting a “united front,” and added, “I want to thank the members of the congressional delegation and the officials from Prince George’s County who have been working so hard for so long to get the FBI to come to Maryland. They’ve said before that they’re ‘all in’ on this project, and so am I. The relocation would be of critical importance to our state, and I am committed to working with our federal and local partners to make this happen.”

The GSA is slated to make its final decision on the new FBI site in early spring 2016.

IRVING JONES III SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSING FENTANYL WITH THE INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE

On January 7, 2015, Irving Henderson Jones III, age 31, of Salisbury, Maryland was convicted by a Wicomico County jury of possessing fentanyl, xanax, and marijuana with the intent to distribute the drugs.

The charges against Jones arose out of his actions, June 19, 2014, when a car he was riding in was stopped for running a stop sign. The Maryland State Police noticed a suspicious interaction between the front seat passenger and Mr. Jones. The facts at trial revealed Jones had $1,004.00 in his pocket and was seated next to a digital scale. Various bags of fentanyl, xanax, and marijuana were found in the Defendant’s possession.

On February 20, 2015, Jones was sentenced as a subsequent offender, having been previously convicted of possessing heroin for distribution in 2010. He was sentenced as a second time offender to a total of 35 years of incarceration--the first 10 years to be served without the possibility of parole. (Note: the Court did not suspend any portion of the Defendant’s sentence).

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Maryland State Police and the Salisbury Police Department for working in tandem to secure this conviction of a repeat narcotics dealer. The State’s Attorney’s Office believes this to be an important conviction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and is roughly 15-20 times more potent than heroin. The combination of fentanyl and heroin has been a factor in many overdose deaths in Maryland and throughout the country. Mr. Maciarello also thanked the citizens of Wicomico County and Safe Streets Prosecutor, Richard J. Brueckner Jr., who prosecuted this case.

For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or go to www.wicomicosao.com.

Obama Now ‘Open’ To Transgendered Soldiers in US Military

Obama’s new Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, has said that he doesn’t think that transgender people should be barred from military service. Today Obama’s press secretary has said that Obama agrees with that.

Earlier in the week, Carter proclaimed that the transgendered person is perfectly acceptable in the military.

“(W)e want to make our conditions and experience of service as attractive as possible to our best people in our country. And I’m very open-minded about — otherwise about what their personal lives and proclivities are, provided they can do what we need them to do for us. That’s the important criteria,” Carter said. “I don’t think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them.”

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3-Year-Old Delaware Girl Found Safe After Allegedly Being Taken By Father

NEW CASTLE, Del. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A Delaware girl who was allegedly kidnapped by her father was found safe Tuesday afternoon, while her father was taken into police custody.

New Jersey State Police announced Tuesday afternoon that Elinor Trotta, 3, had been recovered by police in Massachusetts. She was safe in police hands, New Jersey State Police said.

Her father — Michael Trotta, 43 – was taken into custody, state police said.

A multi-state AMBER Alert had been issued for Elinor, and police earlier believed she was “in imminent danger.”

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FROM CHANGE MARYLAND FACEBOOK.....

''Many in Baltimore’s Jewish day school community were treated to a pleasant surprise recently when Republican Gov. Larry Hogan announced in his first State of the State address that he plans to lead the effort to pass the long-debated Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit.

'[BOAST] provides tax credits to those who make voluntary contributions to private or parochial schools, and it will help free up more money and resources for our students in public schools,' Hogan told the General Assembly in his Feb. 4 address. 'This legislation has been debated in these chambers for more than a decade. The Senate has already voted to support it. We need to work to convince our colleagues in the House that it is the right thing to do.'”

http://jewishtimes.com/34672/new-hope-boast/

BUSTED! Child Porn Ring Recruited Children in Parks For Their FAKE Modeling Agency

WHY are there people out there who feel comfortable with preying on little children? Two such predators were described as a prolific child pornographer and another as a licensed foster parent. These guys finally got busted in California for recruiting children in parks masquerading as talent scouts… but in reality they were adding them to their ‘porn ring’.

Three men have been arrested for allegedly luring children in the Coachella Valley into child pornography by approaching them at city parks posing as representatives of a modeling agency.

On Tuesday investigators called the porn ring one of the most “egregious” cases of child exploitation seen in Southern California in recent years. The investigation into the case spanned from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, but mostly focused on the low-income city of Desert Hot Springs, where most the children were victimized.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said the scheme targeted “multiple” children, but would not specify the number of victims.

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Sally Kohn says 'I am gay and want my daughter to be gay too

A 37-year-old gay mom is set to spark controversy after she said she'd be disappointed if her six-year-old daughter wasn't gay when she grows up.

Sally Kohn a political commentator who has appeared on CNN and MSNBC, describes herself as living in the 'liberal bubble of Park Slope, Brooklyn, where 'yuppies' want their kids to be happy.

She said: 'I'm gay. And I want my kid to be gay, too.'

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It is time for Obama to get real on Terrorism

I wonder if President Obama and his administration are living in a dream world, where everything is okay, or if they are just clueless to ISIS and international terrorism? After admitting that there are numerous internet videos posted asking for terrorist attacks on shopping malls the Obama Administration claims that there are no potential terrorist attacks that the administration is aware of. They have brushed off the warnings as rumors.

This is where the Obama Administration is letting America down. They are letting their guard down. Has President Obama learned anything from September 11, 2001? Has President Obama learned anything from September 11, 2012? Most terrorist attacks have some significance in the attack. The attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was on the eleventh anniversary of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. President Obama failed to respond aggressively showing a sign of weakness. What I fear is that there could be a terrorist attack on an American shopping mall on Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving. That is the biggest shopping day of the year and the terrorist already know this. If this is the case I do not think that their will be one attack but multiple malls attacked on Black Friday, same day in the early morning hours when the mall opens. This year Black Friday, will fall on November 27, 2015.

The terrorist already know that President Obama is very weak when it comes to national security and they will use this to their advantage. The terrorist saw no real response from President Obama after the terrorist attacks on the US Consulate in Benghazi. The terrorist will use this to their advantage and strike again when the moment is right. I feel as if the terrorist are telegraphing every move that President Obama makes. They are noticing his lack of understanding that there is evil in this world.

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COMPUTER HACKERS SCAM

JOE- just got a call this pm from a male calling from a Delaware phone number. Said he was calling to help me with our current computer problems and updates, no name of company or anything did not even id himself. Asked me to please go to my computer so he could get on and assist me, he had a heavy accent. I told him we had no computer problems, or update problems nor had we called anyone regarding these things and hung up on him. I wish I had written down the phone number before I hung up so could be given to the police. Please make everyone aware of this scam ASAP.

Heroin And Opioid Task Force

Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford Establish Maryland Heroin And Opioid Task Force And Coordinating Council Announce Expanded Overdose Prevention Efforts And Allocate Federal Grant For Reentry Program

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today joined with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford to announce the establishment of both the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force and a separate Inter-Agency Coordinating Council. Both groups will work and support efforts to address Maryland’s growing heroin and opioid crisis.

“For far too long, state and local agencies have worked in silos with little communication and less coordination,” said Governor Hogan. “The purpose of the inter-agency council and task force is to connect the dots of prevention, treatment, and recovery and maximize our resources and expertise to come up with real solutions to save and restore lives.”

By signing Executive Order 01.01.2015.12, Governor Hogan formally created the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, a group which is made up of law enforcement professionals, elected officials, and substance abuse experts. The task force will meet regularly and solicit input and guidance from a wide variety of sources throughout the state. The group will also meet with and receive guidance from educators, families of those suffering from addiction, and other vested stakeholders.

Trayvon Martin: DOJ Set to Announce No Charges Against George Zimmerman

While the public waits for a Justice Department announcement over two separate investigations spurred by the summer shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the department is going to first announce its findings in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

ABC News has learned Martin’s family will soon be notified that the Justice Department will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman, who shot the 17-year-old after a confrontation in 2012. Thursday marks three years to the day since Martin was killed.

Federal prosecutors concluded there is not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., intentionally violated Martin’s civil rights, sources told ABC News.

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OC Council’s Split Vote Derails Resident’s Wind Turbine Effort

OCEAN CITY — After a years-long effort to obtain the necessary state and federal approvals and a favorable recommendation from the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, a downtown property owner last week was denied an opportunity to erect a private wind turbine on his bayfront property by the City Council.

For the last few years, Jim Motsko has been working to secure the necessary permits and approvals to put up a 39-foot tall wind turbine on his bayfront property on 6th Street. He had to secure approvals from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) because of the proposed wind turbine’s proximity to the bay and the navigation channels.

The City Council amended the town code to allow wind turbines as a conditional use in certain R-2 residential areas with stringent safeguards in place in terms of height and required setbacks from adjacent properties. Motsko also got little pushback from neighboring properties, save for a few concerns about aesthetics, potential noise and impacts on bay views. Finally, after a public hearing late last year, the Planning Commission voted 6-0 to send a favorable recommendation to the City Council for final approval.

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Mardela Springs

Joe, 

This is the rest area near Mardela Springs and it looks like folks accumulate lots of trash during their commute. Maybe the state or county should set up a 12 yard dumpster to accommodate these road weary visitors.

BREAKING NEWS: Bad Accident On Rt. 113

Showell, Berlin Fire/EMS units on scene of a motor vehicle crash involving heavy entrapment. Rt 113 north bound at Shingle Landing Rd. in Showell. Rt. 113 shut down, expect delays.

Woman sues HERSELF over fatal crash that killed her husband

Woman sues HERSELF over fatal crash that killed her husband

A Utah woman who was the driver in a crash that killed her husband has been given the go-ahead to sue herself for negligence.

The bizarre legal situation arose after Barbara Bagley, as representative of her dead husband’s estate, filed papers suing herself as the driver, in order to claim damages against the insurance company.

The December 27, 2011, accident occurred on Interstate 80 near Battle Mountain, about 225 miles east of Reno.

It was reported at the time she suffered a concussion, broken ribs, a shattered wrist and two punctured lungs, while her husband Brad Vom Baur was initially taken to hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries.

According to court documents, Bagley as the estate representative seeks unspecified amount of damages for medical expenses, loss of financial support and the loss of her husband’s love and companionship, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The claim was initially denied by a district judge in January 2014, only for it to be overruled on appeal.

Lawyers representing her in her capacity as estate representative said she was suing herself because legally, she had to act to benefit the estate.

But those representing her in her own capacity as the driver said: ‘If this suit is allowed to continue, a jury would be asked to determine whether Barbara Bagley’s fault caused Barbara Bagley’s own harm,’ the paper reported.

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The Oscars are too black

You’ve never heard anybody complain, “The Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards are so black!” And you never will.

It’s time for the Oscars! A time when Hollywood will celebrate itself, and a time when race-baiters will seize the moment to discuss race yet again in another nonsensical way.
“Why aren’t there more blacks in the sport of curling!?”

Whether it’s the Oscars or the Hall of Fame for Winter Sports, we must have a discussion on why there are too few black people represented.

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Refinery Workers Strike Spreads

The first nationwide oil refinery strike in more than 30 years was poised to expand this weekend in a labor dispute that may start having more of an impact on the price consumers pay for gasoline.

The United Steelworkers union said Saturday that workers at the largest refinery in the U.S., the Motiva Enterprises refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, started their strike at midnight Friday. Employees at two other refineries and a chemical plant in Louisiana planned to strike at the end of Saturday.

The union said in a statement that it expanded a strike that started Feb. 1 at refineries largely in Texas and California because the industry has refused to "meaningfully address" safety issues through good-faith bargaining. The union also wants to discuss staffing levels and seeks limits on the use of contractors to replace union members in doing daily maintenance work.

The union started negotiating a new contract Jan. 21 with Shell Oil Co., which is serving as the lead company in national bargaining talks.

More here

Stolen Green Beret?: VA Secretary Robert McDonald Falsely Claimed He Served In Special Forces

Serving in the 82 Airborne is honorable service indeed. But, apparently not enough for Robert McDonald who wanted to pump up his volume.

Robert McDonald, the secretary of veterans affairs, wrongly claimed in a videotaped comment earlier this year that he served in special operations forces, the most elite units in the armed forces, when his military service of five years was spent almost entirely with the 82nd Airborne Division during the late 1970s reports The Huffington Post.

U.S. special operations forces (SOF) are composed of exhaustively trained and highly capable troops from each military service, including the Green Berets, Army Rangers, Delta Force and Navy SEALs — but not the 82nd Airborne. They are certified to undertake the most dangerous and delicate missions, including, famously, the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Special operators are a close-knit community deeply hostile to outsiders who try to claim the coveted mantle of special operations.

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Talks ongoing with inmates who control part of Texas prison

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas (AP) - As many as 2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other institutions after inmates seized control of part of a prison in South Texas, causing damage that made the facility "uninhabitable," an official said Saturday.

Ed Ross, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, said the inmates who had taken control are "now compliant" but that negotiations were ongoing Saturday in an effort for staff to "regain complete control" of Willacy County Correctional Center.

"The situation is not resolved, though we're moving toward a peaceful resolution," FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said Saturday evening.

It wasn't immediately clear what progress had been made through the negotiations, but Sheriff Larry Spence said there were no hostages involved in the standoff and only minor injuries reported. Spence said the inmates "have pipes they can use as weapons."

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U.S. woman missionary kidnapped in central Nigeria

(Reuters) - An American woman working as a Christian missionary in Nigeria was kidnapped overnight, the website of the Free Methodist Church and a security source said on Tuesday.

"Early this morning we received a report that Rev. Phyllis Sortor, our missionary in Nigeria, was abducted from the Hope Academy compound in Emiworo, Kogi State, Nigeria by several persons," the church said.

Nigeria is one of the world's worst country's for kidnapping, a major criminal enterprise that makes millions of dollars a year.

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As Ruble Weakens, Central Asian Migrants Head Back Home

When heavy snowfall hit Russia's second-largest city of Saint Petersburg last month it was nothing unusual, but city officials were overwhelmed and scrambled to find anyone to clear the streets.

As pedestrians slipped and suffered bruises and fractures, exasperated city officials ended up telling residents to go out and shovel the snow themselves.

The city was unable to clear the snowdrifts because of an exodus of migrants from Central Asia who normally do such backbreaking work in Russia's largest cities. They have headed back home after Russia's ruble currency plunged in value.

"Almost 30 percent of the workers who left to spend New Year's as usual with their families in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan have not come back," said the head of a street cleaning company, who asked not to be named.

More here

Eric Garner's daughter accuses Al Sharpton of being all about money

NYPD chokehold victim Eric Garner's daughter has called out civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton for being obsessed with financial gain, according to a new undercover video released Monday.

Erica Snipes, the daughter of Eric Garner who died in Staten Island last July after a New York City Police officer put him in a chokehold, aired her complaints about Rev Sharpton, the founder of the National Action Network, during a secretly recorded conversation with two conservative activists.

The undercover video was released online Monday by right-wing filmmaker James O'Keefe's group, Project Veritas.

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ISIS vow to take over Rome and ‘throw homosexuals off of your leaning tower of PIZZA’

Hapless Islamic State militants have vowed online to take over Rome - and 'throw homosexuals off the leaning tower of pizza'.

In the message, posted by a Twitter account linked to the terror group, the ISIS supporter also threatens to bring sharia law to the Italian capital.

It comes just days after masked jihadists warned of their intention to conquer the city in a video that showed the mass beheading of 21 Christians in Libya.

But rather than spark widespread panic, the threats have triggered a flood of mocking responses - with dozens taking to social media to make fun of the jihadists and their takeover plans.

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One-third of Americans are at risk of financial crisis

If your rainy day fund is light, you have plenty of company.

According to a newly released report from Bankrate, 24 percent of Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings, and 13 percent are not much better off—they don't have credit card debt but they don't have emergency savings either. Put another way, more than a third of Americans are living at risk of a financial crisis.

"Americans are woefully undersaved for emergencies," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. "By not having emergency savings and using some of your available credit, your options in the event of unplanned expenses are much more limited."

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It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

 Last nights Delmar sunset.

Snow still lingering today.

Here's What the DNC Thinks Will Help Win Elections

The Democratic National Committee says that Democrats have a messaging problem: no one knows what the Democrat Party stands for.

It is strongly believed that the Democratic Party is loosely understood as a long list of policy statements and not as people with a common set of core goals,” reads the party’s 2014 preliminary autopsy, released Saturday at the DNC’s Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The DNC’s report, nine pages including a front and back cover, lays out several party goals. They include:

Launching a “National Narrative Project” to create a “values-based” message to appeal to voters

Strengthening relations with state parties, winning state legislatures ahead of the 2020 redistricting

Finding more candidates at the state, local, and federal level.

The report also calls on the party to win back white Southern voters, and to build support for an explicit right to vote in the constitution. On Saturday, the DNC unanimously passed a resolution supporting a constitutional amendment protecting every individual’s right to vote at its winter meeting.

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Wesleyan Says 11 Students Hospitalized After Overdose of Molly

Wesleyan University said 11 students were hospitalized after an apparent mass overdose of the club drug known as Molly.

Seven students were transported to area hospitals on Sunday, while another four went by themselves. At least one student, a sophomore, is in critical condition, Mike Whaley, vice president of student affairs, said in an e-mail to the campus community in Middletown, Connecticut. The university isn’t releasing further information about their condition, according to a spokeswoman.

Molly, a pure form of ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug that produces euphoria, emotional warmth and sensory distortion, making it popular in nightclubs. Its effects are similar to amphetamine, or speed, and the hallucinogen mescaline. In high doses, Molly, or MDMA, interferes with the body’s ability to regulate temperature, causing overheating that can lead to liver, kidney and heart failure, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

While the pills are sold as “pure” MDMA, or ecstasy, they’re frequently cut with other drugs such as PCP, cocaine or bath salts.

A bad batch of Molly was responsible for a wave of overdoses that swept the U.S. East Coast in the summer of 2013, causing deaths in nightclubs in Boston and Washington and at a New York music festival. New England colleges at the time, including Boston University, warned students about its use.

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A New Image for Clinton Heading Into 2016 Election

A group of marketing experts is weighing in on how they would re-envision likely 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for a new campaign, the Washington Post reports.

"Clinton and her image-makers are sketching ways to refresh the well-established Hillary brand for tomorrow’s marketplace," the Post wrote of their efforts, geared at presenting future voters "with a winning picture of the likely candidate … from her economic opportunity agenda to the design of the 'H' in her future campaign logo."

For her biggest political challenge yet, marketers will seek to find that perfect blend that will offer voters more authenticity, the Post said, noting her difficulty in her failed 2008 presidential primary run when she appeared "overly programmed."

Here is more

A Viewer Writes: Maybe ID Theft or More

Joe, 

Just a heads-up. I received this email twice over the weekend. I knew from the senders address that it was not from FedEx. There is an attachment in it and I am sure that if it is opened something bad will happen. I also took a copy to the FedEx terminal near the airport and the lady knew about it and told me to contact corporate at the address she wrote on the email. My question is why didn’t she do this? This can cost a person their personal ID info and someone could possibly open accounts or get tour banking info! I believe FedEx is not taking this seriously, Remember Target, Home Depot, Etc.. If anyone gets one of these they should not open the attachment!!! By the way it is perfectly ok to open the copy of the email which is attached. Joe please alert your viewers.

Americans Ready to Welcome Netanyahu

There is no question a majority of Americans support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming U.S. visit to address a joint session of Congress, renowned political strategist John McLaughlin told "The Steve Malzberg Show."

"It's across the board. Republicans, Democrats, independents," McLaughlin said Friday on the Newsmax TV program.

"Americans … want to hear from our closest ally, the prime minister of Israel."

McLaughlin said while questions some other polls on the issue used language that resulted in anti-Netanyahu sentiment, his own polling was straight and unbiased.

"We said: Republican House Speaker John Boehner has invited … Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on March 1. President Obama and some Democrats think it should be canceled because it's two weeks before an Israeli election.

"The Israeli prime minister wants to speak to the American Congress to try to stop a deal that would give Iran nuclear weapons. These negotiations are set to conclude three weeks after the prime minister's speech. Knowing this is true, would you support or oppose the prime minister coming to speak to Congress on March 3?"

Americans supported the visit 59 percent to 23 percent.

Read more here

The World Needs More CEOs Like This Man

The former Japan Airlines (JAL) CEO, Haruka Nishimatsu, is one of the few corporate leaders that epitomizes humility. When the airline hit hard times back in 2009, he selflessly cut his own salary to less than what his pilots earned at the time!

In this world where greed has taken over, stories like these bring back our faith in humanity. Haruka used to stand in the cafeteria line for lunch, just like any other employee and he believed that if his employees who are of his age are suffering pay cuts, he should share in the pain with them.

Nishimatsu says, “A CEO doesn’t motivate by how many millions he makes, but by convincing employees you’re all together in the same boat.” [1]

The business world could certainly learn from this kind man.

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Special Tax Breaks for Military Members

Military service demands sacrifices -- some personal, some financial. But in many cases, Uncle Sam recognizes those hardships and offers special privileges to compensate. When it comes to paying taxes, for example, military members can claim a host of tax advantages that aren't available to civilians. Here are a few to keep in mind:
Combat Pay Perks

Freedom from Taxes

If you serve in a combat zone as an enlisted service member or as a warrant officer for any part of a month, all your income for that month is exempt from federal taxes. For officers, the monthly exclusion is capped at the highest rate of enlisted pay, plus any hostile fire or imminent danger pay received. You’ll find a list of the geographic areas considered tax-qualified combat zones on the IRS website.

Potential for Savings

Tax-free pay can provide a great opportunity to save extra money or reduce debt. In fact, IRS rules allow tax-free combat pay to be used for contributions to an IRA. Since your IRA can grow tax-deferred until you withdraw the money, contributing more today can provide a real savings boost over the years.

And if you choose a Roth IRA, you can do something even more beneficial: You can turn your tax-free pay into a source of potentially tax-free withdrawals in retirement, because qualified distributions of earnings are not taxed.

You can make a 2012 IRA contribution up to $5,000 ($6,000 if you were 50 or older by Dec. 31), along with a spousal IRA contribution, until the April 15, 2013, tax filing deadline, plus any applicable extensions. In 2013, annual contribution limits are rising to $5,500. Individuals who will be 50 or older on the last day of 2013 can contribute $6,500.

Your combat-zone service also entitles you to a special perk within your federal Thrift Savings Plan. While annual contributions are normally limited to $17,000 in 2012 and $17,500 in 2013, you may invest as much as $50,000 when serving in a combat zone in 2012 and $51,000 in 2013. The dollars that go into your TSP tax-free also come out tax-free -- though you will owe tax on any earnings you make on those dollars.
Exceptions to the Rules

Extra Time at Tax Time

When you're defending our country, your tax return is probably the last thing on your mind. You can't put off filing taxes forever, but you and your spouse may qualify for a deadline extension of at least 180 days after you've returned from a combat zone.

Extensions apply to several actions, including:
Filing returns
Paying taxes
Making claims for refunds
Contributing to IRAs

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Airport Parking Lot Maintenance

Community Event

Judge Napolitano on the Fair DUI flyer

Why Nobody Believes Cheap Gas Is Here to Stay

We're bracing for the end of $2-per-gallon fill-ups

Drivers are enjoying the extra money in their pockets after a trip to the gas station, but economists can’t figure out why we’re not going crazyspending all those extra bucks. Now, two new reports reveal what Americans are really thinking: We don’t believe this cheap gas is here to stay.

A survey released las week by the Consumer Federation of America finds that 57% of Americans say the miles per gallon they’ll get out of the next car they purchase is “very important,” and almost nine in 10 say it’s either very important or important. That’s probably because, on average, we expect gas prices to hit $3.20 again in two years, and shoot up to $3.90 in five years. (The highest gas has ever been was in the summer of 2008, when the national average hit $4.11 per gallon.)

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Hebron Savings Bank Post Continues Momentum

CEO Of Hebron Savings Bank Gregory Johnson Resigned Today Post close to 400 comments.

Nullification News: 15 State Bills Move Forward - Obamacare, Surveillance, EPA, Hemp and more

4 of 10 Americans are one bill from disaster

Almost four out of 10 Americans are living on the edge of financial ruin, given rainy-day funds that either match or are lower than their credit card debt.

About 24 percent have more credit card debt than emergency savings, while another 13 percent have neither credit card debt nor emergency savings, a new survey from Bankrate.com found.

While Americans have never been particularly great savers, at least in recent decades, many workers are finding it harder than ever to sock away money for emergencies. That's because wages have been stagnant or falling for most. The country's lowest-paid workers are the only segment to see a significant pay gain last year, thanks to minimum wage hikes.

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10 Best Things to Buy at the Dollar Store

You're missing out if you haven't been visiting the dollar store on a regular basis. Dollar store aisles teem with treasures just waiting to save you money. Cheapism.com has compiled a list of best dollar store buys -- and a few things to leave on the shelves.


Party Supplies.

Dollar stores are awash in party supplies such as balloons filled with helium, which go for $1 each compared with $3 to $8 elsewhere. You can also load up on party decorations, gift bag fillers, and invitations. For those all-important presents, you'll find wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, and tape.

Office Supplies.

While school supplies are best bought in August during back-to-school sales, the dollar store is a good place to stock up year-round. Check your local dollar store for paper, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, Post-it notes, tape, and more. The dollar store is also a good place to get mailing supplies, such as bubble envelopes, for cheap.

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BREAKING NEWS: Reports of injuries after train derails in Southern California

At least 30 people reported injured after three Southern California commuter rail cars derail in crash with truck.

From Fox News

Girl mauled to death by pit bull in Pennsylvania

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. - Police say a 2-year-old girl has died after being mauled by a pit bull in a Pittsburgh suburb.

Police say the dog attacked Paylynn Devaugh inside a home in West Mifflin around 8:45 p.m. Sunday.

The girl was pronounced dead at Jefferson Memorial Hospital.

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VETS DRIVE YELLOW NYC

WELCOME TO VETS DRIVE YELLOW NYC! VETS DRIVE YELLOW IS A COALITION OF NYC TAXI GARAGE OWNERS WHO ARE LOOKING TO HIRE VETS TO DRIVE YELLOW CABS IN NEW YORK CITY. AS MANY VETERANS RETURN HOME AND DISCHARGE FROM THE MILITARY, OR ARE LOOKING TO MAKE SOME EXTRA MONEY WHILE ACTIVE OR ON RESERVES, GARAGE OWNERS ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING NEW DRIVERS. MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

VETS DRIVE YELLOW NYC WILL PROVIDE VETERANS ACCESS TO AFFILIATED GARAGES IN THE FIVE BOROUGHS. THESE GARAGES WILL NOT ONLY GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING A HACK LICENSE, BUT THEY WILL ALSO PAY FOR YOU TO GET LICENSED!

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Hogan proposes curbs on farm pollution

A month after blocking hotly disputed environmental regulations drawn up by his predecessor, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday that he is putting out his own rules to curb Chesapeake Bay pollution from farms — including an immediate ban on spreading poultry manure on some Eastern Shore fields where the water-quality threat is greatest.

But Hogan also vowed to look out for poultry and grain growers, saying he's more slowly phasing in the restrictions on farmers' use of animal manure as fertilizer so that the costs of compliance won't put them out of business.

Flanked by aides, Hogan outlined what he described as a "fair and balanced" plan for tackling runoff from farms that for years have overfertilized their crops with poultry manure rich in bay-fouling phosphorus. He said his approach should bring together environmentalists and farmers, who've been at loggerheads over the issue.

Hogan's announcement drew guarded praise from environmentalists, who had sharply criticized his earlier move to stop the O'Malley administration's rules.

"We're happy that they're taking the problem seriously," said Alison Proust, Maryland director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. But she and other environmentalists said they needed to review the details of his proposal to decide whether it's strong enough.

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Ex-SNL Star Victoria Jackson: Our President Is 'Islamic Jihadist!'

President Barack Obama is a Muslim and Islamic jihadist who "hates America" and has no ties to Christian ideals, former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Victoria Jackson tells "The Steve Malzberg Show."

"Of course, he hates America, he's not even American. His formative years were in Indonesia and he was a Muslim. It says it on his school records," Jackson said Friday on the Newsmax TV program.

"Our formative years are very important … His upbringing was Marxist, his white grandparents were Marxists."

"He doesn't do anything a Christian would do. He even makes fun of the Bible. He supports abortion, same sex marriage, nothing that a Christian would, and he doesn't act like a Christian at all," Jackson said.

"The thing that's frustrating to me is every night I hear the news commentators say 'Why is Obama doing this, why is he helping the enemy, why is he telling them where we're going to hit them, why is he aiding and abetting [the Islamic State]?'

"I'm like, because he's one of them. It's so obvious. It's like the emperor's new clothes. Nobody will tell the truth. He's an Islamic jihadist."

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WCRC Elections

The Wicomico County Republican Club held their elections last night and t he following people had been nominated to one-year terms in these respective offices:

• President: Shawn Jester
• First Vice-President: Muir Boda
• Second Vice-President: Joe Collins
• Secretary: Michael Swartz
• Treasurer: Debra Okerblom

Nominations were closed and they were approved as the Wicomico County Republican Club officers. They will be sworn in at the next Republican Club meeting on March 23, 2015 SACC office.

White House Stiff-Arms IRS Taxpayer Information Sharing Probe

The White House told Congress last week it refused to dig into its computers for emails that could shed light on what kinds of private taxpayer information the IRS shares with President Obama’s top aides, assuring Congress that the IRS will address the issue — eventually.

The tax agency has already said it doesn’t have the capability to dig out the emails in question, but the White House’s chief counsel, W. Neil Eggleston, insisted in a letter last week to House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan that the IRS would try again once it finishes with the tea party-targeting scandal.

The IRS has been under fire for years over several scandals, including its targeting of tea party groups for politically motivated scrutiny and its illegal release of private taxpayer information concerning the National Organization for Marriage. The IRS insisted the disclosure was accidental and not politically motivated, but it did pay a settlement to the organization.

Some outside pressure groups argue the IRS’s improper behavior goes further, and includes disclosing private taxpayer information to the White House. The groups point to comments by a top White House economic adviser who in 2010 said Koch Industries, the company run by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, paid no corporate income taxes.

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Carozza pushing for more veteran-owned businesses

Delegate Mary Beth Carozza will be the first to say changing what she calls the state’s “stringent” procurement laws isn’t easy, but she’s willing to try in order to foster more veteran-owned businesses into the state’s bidding process.

She has sponsored a bill, HB243, that seeks to increase the total dollar value of the state’s procurement going directly or indirectly to veteran-owned businesses by a factor of 10. The state’s existing goal is one half of one percent, and Carozza is trying to push it to five.

“Fiscal 2013 is the first year we have numbers for this, and it’s pretty low at only two-tenths of one percent,” she said this week.

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Professor Offers Extra Credit For Anti-Walker Budget Rally

MADISON, Wis. – A University of Wisconsin-Whitewater English professor is offering her students extra credit for attending a planned rally Thursday evening against Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin System.

Professor Beth Lueck, a Democrat who was soundly defeated by state Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, in the 2014 23rd District Assembly race, sent a memo to her students Wednesday outlining the “extra credit opportunity.”

Matthew Yontz, a second semester freshman in Lueck’s class, said students were not told how much extra credit they would receive. Yontz said the “assignment” is out of line.”

“I took a political science class last semester. I can understand maybe doing this for that class but not an English class,” he said.

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Tighter Adult Shop Regs Sought For Salisbury

SALISBURY — Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton, Jr. this week urged the City Council to approve a code change which would place more stringent regulations on adult entertainment businesses and allow the city to dictate more precisely they can be located.

Ireton introduced amortization legislation that would gradually move questionable adult entertainment businesses away from residential areas, schools and churches. The city’s Planning and Zoning staff recently updated the 2008 analysis regarding potential sites for adult entertainment businesses and confirmed just over six percent of the land area in Salisbury may be eligible for the location of the adult businesses, which exceeds the accepted five percent generally established by case law.

Under the city’s current code, a business is considered an adult entertainment business if at least 20 percent of its square footage is devoted to “adult” material. In addition, the gross revenue received or expected from “adult” sales is 20 percent or more.

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Recent Front Page Of The New York Post

States Seek Alternatives for Highway, Bridge Funding

Touted as one of the first interstate highways, a 200-mile span of Interstate 70 between suburban St. Louis and Kansas City stands as a prime example of the challenges facing the nation's roads.

Built in the 1950s and '60s with a 20-year-life expectancy, the four-lane highway is crumbling beneath its surface and clogged with traffic as it carries more than 30,000 vehicles a day on many of its rural stretches, requiring more frequent repaving. The cost to rebuild and widen it is estimated at $2 billion to $4 billion — as much as five times the projected yearly construction and maintenance budget of Missouri's transportation department.

And there is no easy way to pay for it. The state fuel tax hasn't risen in about 20 years, and voters defeated a three-quarters of a cent sales tax for transportation. Gov. Jay Nixon has since floated the idea of hiking the gasoline tax and reviving a previously failed plan to turn I-70's reconstruction over to a private entity that could charge tolls estimated at up to $30 per car.

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The Pentagon Spends a Lot of Money on Viagra

Thinking about war all day long must put a damper on a man's sex life, or at least that's what a recently-published report would suggest.

According to the Military Times, data from the Defense Health Agency indicate the U.S. Department of Defense spent $41.6 million on Viagra and $84.24 million total on drugs for erectile dysfunction in 2014.

Since 2011, the bill for covering drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra for active and retired military personnel and eligible family members totalled $294 million -- nearly as much as four U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, says the Military Times.

The DoD first began covering the cost of Viagra prescriptions in 2012, and currently another seven types of erectile dysfunction medications are paid for under the federal agency's health plan. Of the 1.18 million prescriptions filled in 2014, 905,083 were for Viagra, at a cost of $41.6 million. Cialis was the second most commonly prescribed ED drug, with 185,841 prescriptions totaling $22.82 million. Revatio, the priciest ED drug, was prescribed the least with 1,699 prescriptions in 2014 for a total cost of $2.24 million.

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SPD Press Release 2-23-15 (Shoplifting)

The most popular new vehicle in each state? Not what you might expect

Sales races in the auto industry tend not to matter much beyond the desks of those who might get a free golf vacation for winning one. With nearly 300 new models of cars and trucks on the market, there's always a close competition somewhere. But rarely, if ever, do we get some geographic insight into what people are buying state by state. Do Texans really differ in their preferences that much from Colorado, or New Yorkers from New Jersey? The answer turns out to be yes.

We asked IHS Automotive to share their count of the most popular vehicles of 2014 broken down by state. IHS Automotive's tracking differs from what automakers report in two important ways; it counts what new vehicles are registered in each state, rather than just national totals as sold by dealers, and it can separate vehicles registered by businesses from those registered to individuals. This list excludes those vehicles sold to large fleet buyers, like rental-car agencies and governments — leaving only those sold and used by individual retail customers.

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SPD Press Release 2-24-15 (Shots Fired Investigation)

Delaware: AMBER ALERT ISSUED for Missing Child

**UPDATE - Tuesday February 24, 2015 at 5:50 a.m.**

The New Castle County Police have located the below mentioned grey Mazda. It is now believed that Michael Trotta could be operating a bright red colored SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer. His last known location is the area of Mount Laurel, NJ.

**Update**

New Castle County, Delaware - On Monday February 23, 2015, the New Castle County Police Department are searching for a child that is missing from her home.

AMBER ALERT ISSUED for Missing Child

This is an AMBER ALERT ACTIVATION

The Delaware State Police are activating an AMBER ALERT at the request of New Castle County Police Department

New Castle County, Delaware - On Monday February 23, 2015, the New Castle County Police Department are searching for a child that is missing from her home.

New Castle County Police are issuing an Amber Alert after a parental abduction this evening. 

(New Castle, 19720) The New Castle County Police Department is investigating a domestic related incident that occurred in the community of School Side Apartments in New Castle.  At approximately 6:48 p.m., County Police responded to the 800 Block of East Basin Rd. (School Side Apartments) for the report of a domestic related assault.  The reporting person advised that her ex-boyfriend, 39 year old Michael Trotta came to her residence, assaulted her, and took their 3 year old daughter. 

Police are currently looking for Michael Trotta.  Trotta is a white male, 5’8” tall, approximately 160 pounds, balding short haircut, scruffy beard and mustache last seen wearing all black clothing.  The suspect fled the scene in a 1989 gray Mazda 626 bearing Delaware registration 247457.   In the vehicle is the suspect’s three year old daughter, Elinor Trotta.  Elinor is a three year old white female, approximately 60 pounds, heavy set, brown shoulder length hair, last seen wearing a purple puffy coat, pink pants and “Frozen” sneakers. 

Police believe the child is in imminent danger and that Trotta may have fled with her to the state of New Jersey possibly heading to New York City.  

Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call 911 immediately. Citizens may also call the New Castle County Police Department at (302) 573-2800 or can visit our website atwww.nccpd.com.  Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or visit us on Facebook at New Castle County Police Department.  Citizens who currently have the smartphone application are encouraged to use the “submit tip” tab to submit tips.  Select a topic by using the “drop down” and complete the tip by “clicking” submit.  The New Castle County Police Smartphone Application is free to download and available for all IPhone and Android smartphones.

Why Don’t We Use More Cheap Caskets Imported From China?

Caskets: they’re boxes that we use for a funeral service and maybe a wake, then either stick in the ground or burn up. Why do we spend so much money on them. More importantly, why are 95% of all caskets used in the United States made in this country when everything from the device you’re using to read this post to the sweater I’m wearing right now was made in China?

There are two ways to look at this: it’s nice that the casket business hasn’t migrated offshore, keeping American manufacturing jobs in the important sector of corpse boxes. Yet the reasons why casket showrooms aren’t full of $400 Chinese versions of caskets that usually cost five times that much will make you want to put down the flag you’re waving.

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WCSO Most Wanted 2-24-15

Laurie Joy Hayes
· White Female 5’06” 200 lbs
· DOB 12/31/1975 39 years of age
· Brown hair, Hazel eyes
· Hayes’ last known address was Salisbury MD
· Hayes is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear for a Violation of Probation hearing in December 2014 on the charges of Disorderly Conduct, Disturb Peace Hinder Passage, Indecent Exposure, False Statement to Officer
· The preset bond is $20,000
· The state will extradite her from DE and VA
· Hayes should be APPROACHED WITH CAUTION

 Justin Thomas Smith
· White Male 5’07” 154 lbs
· DOB 06/06/1984 30 years of age
· Brown hair, Brown eyes
· Smith’s last known address was Fruitland MD
· Smith is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a District Court Bench Warrant issued in October 2014 for Violation of Probation on the charge of CDS Possession Not Marijuana, Paraphernalia, and Admin Equipment
· The preset bond is $30,000
· Smith has history of DRUG ABUSE
· The state will extradite him from those states surrounding MD

Joseph Daryl Webster
· White Male 5’11” 180 lbs
· DOB 08/29/1961 53 years of age
· Brown hair, Brown eyes
· There is no known last address
· Webster is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in December 2014 on the charges of Assault 2nd, Disorderly Conduct, Disturb the Peace by Hindering Passage, and Intoxicated Endanger
· The preset bond is $50,000
· Webster has history of RESIST ARREST, of DRUG ABUSE and should be APPROACHED WITH CAUTION
 

Donnie Lee Waters
· Black Male, 6’01” 300 lbs
· DOB 01/10/1983 32 years of age
· Black hair, Brown eyes
· Waters’ last known address was Salisbury MD
· Waters is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued in November 2014 for Violation of Probation on the charge if Burglary 3rd
· The preset bond is $25,000
0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .75in'>· The state will extradite him from those states surrounding MD
The state will extradite her from DE and VA
· Hayes should be APPROACHED WITH CAUTION 

Dantwyne Lashawn Taylor
· Black Male, 5’09” 210 lbs
· DOB 10/11/1983 31 years of age
· Black hair, Brown eyes
· Taylor’s last known address was Salisbury MD
· Taylor is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in December 2014 on the charge of CDS Possess with Intent to Distribute Narcotics
· There is no preset bond, he must be brought before the court
· Taylor has history of DRUG ABUSE

Caption This Photo 2-14-15