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Monday, August 03, 2015

Prisoners Will Soon Be Eligible For Pell Grants To Finance Education

Twenty years after passing a law that banned prisoners from financing higher education with federal grants while incarcerated, the government is ready to begin investing in the education of inmates.

The Washington Post reports that the government announced plans today that it will initiate an experiment — called the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program — to offer a limited number of prisoners Pell grants to finance their education from a select number of colleges starting as soon as next year.

The move, which is being made under the Obama administration’s authority for limited financial aid experiments, doesn’t immediately change the status of the ban put in place in 1994. At the time, Congress decided it was unfair for prisoners to claim a share of federal financial aid dollars that were in limited supply at the time — $5 billion, compared to the $29 billion available today.

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Soldiers Surprise Daughter at School Magic Show!

Julia and Brian Woodburn (US Army) have been deployed for a while, separating them not only from each other, but their daughter, Addison. They decided to show up through a magic show at Gilbert Jr. High in Louisiana to surprise their baby girl with their return.

Watch How Cop Reacts When Mom Returns With Loaded Shopping Cart After They Rescued Her Kid From Hot Car

Volunteer groups clean Vietnam Veterans Memorial

WASHINGTON (WJLA) -- Once a month, volunteers from all around the area gather in Northwest D.C. at 6:30 a.m. to clean the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Some of the volunteers are local, some have traveled many miles. All share the goal of paying tribute to those who we have lost.

The group pictured was organized by the National Capital Wall Vietnam Veterans of America. If you would like to volunteer, call 301-585-4000 x131.

Source

Woman Drowns Three Month Old Puppy in Airport Toilet When She’s Told It’s Not Allowed on the Plane

57-year-old Cynthia Anderson tried to take a 3-month-old Doberman puppy on a flight out of a Nebraska airport on January 23rd. After she was told that the pup was too young to be allowed on the flight, she allegedly drowned it in a bathroom toilet.

A Florida woman has been given two years probation for drowning a three-week-old puppy in a Nebraska airport toilet.

Cynthia Anderson, 57, of Florida, was barred from boarding a January 23 flight at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport because the puppy was so young and was not properly contained.

Authorities say she then was seen entering the restroom and another woman soon reported finding the Doberman puppy dead in a toilet.

Anderson was sentenced on Thursday in Hall County District Court in Grand Island, and also received a five year ban on owning or living with animals and was ordered to pay $100 in restitution.

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Worcester County Sheriff’s OfficePress Release 8-3-15

 

On July 31, 2015 the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a shoplifter at the Wal-Mart in Berlin. Upon arrival of the Deputy, he learned that Wal-Mart had stopped a subject leaving the store with a cart full of merchandise with a value of $166.63. The shoplifter was identified as Donna Romero 55 of Newark Md. .

Further investigation revealed that Ms. Romero had allegedly been involved with a shoplifting scheme over the month of July. The total value for all the thefts was $332.19.
A search of Ms. Romero’s purse revealed 2 prescription pills with no accompanying prescription. A search of Ms. Romero’s vehicle revealed 4 bags of heroin.
Ms. Romero was charged with theft less than $1,000, theft less than $100 (6 Counts), a theft scheme less than $1,000 (1 Count), C.D.S. possession (2 Counts).
Ms. Romero was released pending trial.


Click 'READ MORE' below to see additional releases

Students Threatened WITH ARREST For Protesting Hillary Clinton

MSP DUI Press Release 7-27-15 thru 8-2-15 (Berlin Barrack)


BREAKING NEWS: Fox News Poll shows Donald Trump gaining ground in 2016 GOP primary race

A Fox News Poll out Monday evening shows businessman Donald Trump, at 26 percent, gaining ground in the race for the Republican nomination, while Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s support, while remaining high, slides to its lowest level yet at 51 percent.

BREAKING NEWS: Suspect in fatal shooting of Memphis police officer turns himself in

The alleged gunman who shot and killed a Memphis police officer during a traffic stop turned himself in late Monday, ending a two-day manhunt, officials said.

Governor Larry Hogan Encourages Marylanders to Participate in August 4th National Night Out Against Crime Events

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Larry Hogan today encouraged Marylanders to participate in “National Night Out Against Crime,” which will take place in counties and law enforcement agencies throughout the state on Aug. 4. National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event, held each year on the first Tuesday of August.

“National Night Out represents a commitment from our neighbors to celebrate our safety and crime prevention successes, as well as the continued partnership between the community and police to heighten public awareness,” said Governor Hogan. “Whether it’s a porch vigil or a community block party, I encourage Marylanders to participate in one of the many events being held across the state.”
As part of the event, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford will participate in two National Night Out gatherings on Aug. 4: the first at Beckett Field from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 8511 Legation Road in New Carrollton, and the second at the Berwyn Heights Town Center from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 5700 Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights. Families are welcome to attend and will have the opportunity to meet with the police officers and volunteers who protect their community.


“This is a great opportunity to learn about local crime initiatives, meet with your local police department and participate in activities for the kids,” said Lt. Governor Rutherford. “These events are about educating the public on what they can do to work with the police to help keep our neighborhoods safe.”


This year marks the 32nd year of National Night activities across the country. Last year, more than 38 million people participated in the activities nationwide.


As part of the National Night Out effort, Maryland State Police is assigning command staff and personnel to work with local jurisdictions around the state. For more information about the Maryland Transit Administration’s National Night Out event, please visit http://mta.maryland.gov/news/mta-police-national-night-out-events.

After 30 year legal battle, farmer wins his land back from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management

A Texas farmer spent 30 years battling the illegal actions of the federal government. But now he has finally won his case.

The decision returns the land to a Texas family that has owned it since 1904 and gives hope to others who are battling our out of control government.

Tommy Henderson met with BLM officials on the steps of the Clay County Courthouse in Henrietta, Texas, where he was presented a patent from the U.S. government bestowing rights to ownership and use of the property, according to an article by Lynn Walker in the Wichita Falls Times Record News. Henderson told the Times Record he hopes this will pave the way for dozens of other Red River land owners in Texas who are battling to keep their land from being taken by the BLM.

In a federal court decision in 1984, a judge stripped Henderson of ownership of a portion of his land located along the Red River in Texas. The Red River is Texas’ northern border with Oklahoma. Some of that land was given to the BLM and a small section was awarded to an Oklahoma man who brought the lawsuit. The Oklahoma rancher was attempting to claim land because of boundary changes due to erosion and evulsion.

Texas Governor Rick Perry was right when he recently said, “The federal government already owns too much land.”

Now the government should be forced to pay all his legal fees.

Times And Locations: Nation Night Out Events For August 4th 2015

Berlin
  • 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  • William Henry Park
  • Flower Street, Berlin, MD 21811
Cambridge
  • 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • 107 Virginia Avenue Cambridge, Maryland
Easton
  •  5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  • Moton Park and the George Murphy pool
Fruitland
  • 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm  
  • Pavilion Located on S. Brown Street
Princess Anne
  • 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Garland Hayward Youth Center
  • Rosa Parks Boulevard
Pocomoke
  • 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm  
  • Cypress Park, Pocomoke City
Salisbury
  • 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Salisbury City Park, by the bandstand
Snow Hill
  • 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm 
  • Byrd Park Pavilions

Wasserman Schultz doubles down on stupidity; receives POUNDING on social media

Wasserman Schultz is just the gift that keeps on giving for the Republicans. She’s a weapon of mass destruction for the Socialists… er, Democrats. She didn’t just screw up once when asked if she could tell the media the difference between Socialists and Democrats, she did it twice. Once with Chris Wallace last week and she just did it again with Chuck Todd. What a moron. It’s not just that she can’t answer a question, it’s that she’s so very bad at it. Then she lumped Hillary Clinton in with right-wing Republicans when she attacked the GOP. That one may have been on purpose. With the likes of brain trusts like Joe Biden and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, you can see why the Democrats have fallen to the Marxists. The stupid are easily infiltrated and overthrown from within. As Charles Payne said, the Debster couldn’t answer the question because there is no difference between the Democrats and Socialists. None.

Having flubbed the question once, it’d be a safe bet to assume that Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be better prepared the next time she’s asked to explain the differences between Democrats and socialists.

But the Democratic National Committee chairwoman flailed away a second time Sunday when NBC’s Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press,” hit her with the very same question MSNBC’s Chris Matthews did on Thursday, answering much as she did then.

And looking just as stupid as she did the first time.

After playing the embarrassing clip from Thursday, Todd noted that Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders is “an unabashed socialist,” then asked Wasserman Schultz how a socialist differs from a Democrat — only Todd did not press her as Wallace did, allowing her to filibuster with prepared talking points.
Wasserman Schultz’s encounter with Matthews produced a slew of social media comment criticizing the South Florida congresswoman, and Sunday’s “Meet the Press” interview had the same effect.

National Fox News host Charles Payne posted on social media that the reason Wasserman Schultz “still” can’t explain the differences is because there are “NONE.”

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Training Officers to Shoot First, and He Will Answer Questions Later

WASHINGTON — The shooting looked bad. But that is when the professor is at his best. A black motorist, pulled to the side of the road for a turn-signal violation, had stuffed his hand into his pocket. The white officer yelled for him to take it out. When the driver started to comply, the officer shot him dead.

The driver was unarmed.

Taking the stand at a public inquest, William J. Lewinski, the psychology professor, explained that the officer had no choice but to act.

“In simple terms,” the district attorney in Portland, Ore., asked, “if I see the gun, I’m dead?”

“In simple terms, that’s it,” Dr. Lewinski replied.

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Pork...What?! | Family Feud

Newborn girl found alive in dumpster after 15-year-old mom gave birth & boyfriend ‘threw it away’

A man heard a loud noise outside, and saw a young man walking away from a dumpster. He walked over to the dumpster and heard a newborn infant crying. He immediately called the police.

The UK Guardian reports,

The 17-year-old boyfriend of the baby’s mom, 15, has now been arrested and charged with the child’s attempted murder.

The McCracken County sheriff’s office said the baby was in a stable condition after being found by the man from a Paducah business in the rubbish container at Fernwood Apartments at Berger Road and Goodman Drive on Thursday afternoon. On Friday the child was being cared for in hospital.

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Hitchhiking robot’s cross-country trip in US ends in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A hitchhiking robot that captured the hearts of fans worldwide met its demise in the U.S.

The Canadian researchers who created hitchBOT as a social experiment told The Associated Press that someone in Philadelphia damaged the robot beyond repair early Saturday, ending its first American tour after about two weeks.

“Sadly, sadly it’s come to an end,” said Frauke Zeller, one of its co-creators.

The kid-size robot set out to travel cross-country after successfully hitchhiking across Canada in 26 days last year and parts of Europe. It’s immobile on its own, relying on the kindness of strangers. Those who picked it up often passed it to other travelers or left it where others might notice it.

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There’s Nothing Academic About Campus Rape

“The price of a college education should never be the risk of a sexual assault,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told a Senate hearing Wednesday. Too many colleges don’t treat rape, she observed, as “the violent felony that it actually is.” Her solution is the bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act, or CASA, which would require college campuses to designate confidential advisers to victims of sexual assault and establish rules for campus investigations of sexual assaults.

Gillibrand means well; there’s no question about it. But Congress telling American universities how they should handle campus rape truly is an instance of the blind leading the blind. If the goal is to treat campus rape as the violent felony it is, don’t expect deans and assistant deans to conduct investigations — unless you want to over-politicize the process. If you want to treat rape as a crime, leave assault investigations to the police.

When you think about it, it doesn’t make any sense to treat rape differently just because it happened on a campus. Victim activists support allowing students to bypass the judicial system by appealing to university tribunals, which could result in perpetrators being expelled or removed from campus. “We’re going to throw him off campus,” Kevin O’Neill, executive director of the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee, told me. If a sexual predator is kicked off campus but free to roam the streets, the public at large will be less safe. If victims file complaints with their colleges but not cops, sexual predators win.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, rape and sexual assault rates are greater for women ages 18 to 24 who are not in school (7.6 per 1,000) than they are for students (6.1 per 1,000). So you’ve got Congress looking to create an extra layer of enforcement for a population less at risk.

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BREAKING NEWS: Jury rules James Holmes can be sentenced to death for Aurora, Colo., movie massacre

A Colorado jury rules that James Holmes qualifies for the death penalty for the Aurora movie massacre. The jury now must decide whether to sentence Holmes to death or life in prison without parole.

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Yes, my teenage son is transgender. No, you may not ask about his genitals.

The phone rang early Sunday morning. I glanced at the caller ID, wondering who could be calling me at this hour.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I thought, recognizing the name as someone I had talked to once in probably five years.

This was the fourth such call we’d gotten in the past month. Once again, some random friend of my mother-in-law was calling to talk about my son. People just couldn’t stay out of our business.

“Hi Sharon,” came the overly sweet voice on the other end. She quickly got around to asking what they all ask: “But what does he look like physically?”

“That’s private,” I said, matching her sweet tone. “We don’t talk about that.”

“I’m just asking you because you’re a doctor.”

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Being A Woman: Who Gets To Decide?

This week, Switzerland's Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand may race as a woman in international competition.

This decision is significant because, just last year, Chand was denied by track and field's governing body (the International Association of Athletics Federations or IAAF) the right to compete against women because her natural levels of testosterone were considered too high for a female athlete.

As The New York Times reported Monday, Chand is now cleared for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — if she qualifies. It's likely that this ruling also will serve as a legal precedent for women in sports beyond just track and field.

The court did grant the IAAF two years to provide further evidence in support of their so-called "hyperandrogenism regulation." Chand's victory, therefore, rests on a suspension, rather than an outright overturning, of the biologically based rule.

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SPD Press Release 8-3-15 (Shoplifting)

Valero On Mt. Hermon Rd. Won't Accept Credit/Debit Cards For Advertised Gas Prices

There are people who follow "Gas Buddy" for the best rates on local gas prices. Today the Valero on Mt. Hermon Rd. refused to take one of our viewers debit card to pay for the full tank of gas he wanted to purchase. The pumps said they accept cards but when he put his debit card in it said see cashier. 

When he went inside they informed him they couldn't take the card to pay for his full tank of gas. She kept asking how much gas did he want and he said, I want to fill my tank. She again said, how much do you want? And Obama/O'Malley want these people to get $15.00 an hour. Just know that Valero may have the best advertised rate but you have to pay cash. 

Mormons Face A Difficult Loss If The Church Severs Boy Scout Ties

The vote by the Boy Scouts of America to lift its ban on openly gay troop leaders last week was a blow to some religious conservative organizations that have long been connected to scouting, especially the Mormon Church, which has deep roots in the Boy Scouts.

The church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has used the Boy Scouts as its official program for young men for more than 100 years, according to Quin Monson, a political science professor at Brigham Young University.

"The church took the Boy Scout program and decided its values and mission aligned closely enough with that of the church's program for young men that they just wholesale adopted it," says Monson, who is Mormon, the father of a Boy Scout and a former Boy Scout himself. "Basically, if you are a young Mormon male, you join the Boy Scouts."

Monson just returned from two nights at scout camp with his son. He tells NPR's Rachel Martin that the secular and religious overlap in Mormon scouting. "In some senses, it's hard to tell the two apart," he says.

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SADISTIC COP SHOOTS PUPPY IN FRONT OF CHILDREN, LAUGHS ABOUT IT, CHARGES OWNER WITH A CRIME

“When the gun went off, my son went down in the yard crying..."

A tragic and insidious puppycide was reported this week in Clayton County when an officer callously and sadistically shot a puppy in front of children.

A family is grieving after witnessing Clayton County police officer Walter Dennard walk up to their five-month-old lab-pit mix and shoot it, claiming the puppy “lunged at him.”

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Lou Holtz: Undergraduate Commencement Address 2015

Verizon Strike Averted For Now

Verizon and unions representing workers in nine states said employees will work without a contract as more negotiations are scheduled.

The wireless carrier and leaders of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers announced the decision early Sunday, shortly after a contract covering 39,000 workers expired.

The unions said they are prepared to schedule regular bargaining sessions, but that they will leave the sites of their round-the-clock negotiations in Philadelphia and Rye, New York.

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Iranian Negotiator Discusses Nuclear Deal

Humor In Truth


Here’s What Happens to Good Cops When They Stand up to Bad Cops

Headlines and social media posts attest an inexcusable escalation in instances where law enforcement’s use of brutal tactics or lethal force are alarmingly unwarranted. In fact, the reality that police regularly inflict indiscriminate violence with blatant impunity has exhausted any expectations of justice for family members of countless victims. With numb cynicism, a sardonic common theory concludes that good cophas to be an oxymoron—because if there were any good cops they would arrest the rotten ones . . . right?

As a theory, that scenario works surprisingly well. But it ignores two interrelated points of considerable weight—and the first might shock you, so brace yourself. Good cops aren’t just a fairy tale—and they are everywhere. However, the reason the corrupt cops aren’t being arrested in droves or having their crimes exposed isn’t for lack of effort. For Lorenzo Davis, holding police accountable was in his job description—until he ran headfirst into the Blue Wall of Silence for trying to do exactly that.

As former supervisor of the Chicago Police Department’s Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), Davis was tasked with investigating the department’s shooting incidents with an impartial eye to determine if they were justified. In eight years of shootings, as Davis told the Daily Beast, he discovered six cases where no possible justification existed for the officers involved to have used a firearm. Tragically, three of those “bad shootings”—police jargon for unjustified officer-involved shootings—cost people their lives.

But Davis’ findings were never made public.

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Indiana Man Sleeps Through Train Striking Him

A Richmond man continued sleeping between train tracks Saturday night until a conductor woke him to say he had gotten hit by a train.

“No I didn’t,” replied Josh Napier to the conductor, said Richmond Police Department Lt. Donnie Benedict, supervisor of the traffic division.

Then, Benedict said, Napier put his head back down to return to sleep.

Napier, 30, was carried by police and Richmond Fire Department personnel to an ambulance in the 1900 block of North West N Street. He was transported to Reid Health with non-life-threatening injuries after the incident about 10:45 p.m.

Benedict said personnel on the Norfolk Southern train told him Napier was asleep in the middle of the tracks when the train passed over him.

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Delaware State Police is Providing a Scam Alert Advisory

Dover, DE – The Delaware State Police is providing a Scam Alert Advisory.  This is a general alert which covers any part of the State of Delaware.
 
Troopers are warning people to be on the lookout for scammers who make phone calls requesting or demanding money for car crashes, overdue bills, to obtain a Federal Grant or to receive gold. There have also been complaints made recently concerning demands for money with no formal organization identified. The below are some of the calls recently investigated:
 
On July 13, 2015, a 68 year old victim contacted 9-1-1 and stated that an unknown person with a foreign accent called from the telephone number 240-357-2565 and informed him that his son had been in a car accident and injured another person.  The victim advised that the person demanded $2000.00 to cover the expenses and prevent further injury to his son.  The victim stated that once the phone call was received he and his wife were able to make contact with their son and determine that he was okay.  The victim stated that he disconnected once he determined his son was okay and contacted 9-1-1.
 
On July 21, 2015, a concerned citizen called the State Police and reported a call from an unknown suspect with a heavy middle-eastern accent, who advised her that she would receive a $9000.00, a US Federal Government Grant because she paid her taxes, mortgage and is a good citizen.  The caller then asked for her name, address, and home phone number.  She got off the line with them and then called the number back. When she started questioning them about how they got her information, the subjects hung up the phone. 
 
On July 23rd & 24th 2015, there were two complaints were the victims received a phone call from 302-736-7035. The caller ID showed "City of Dover".  The male suspect advised them that they owed the electric company money and that if they did not pay, their electric was going to be turned off. The suspects advised the victims to go to Royal Farms and withdraw money and place it on a pre-paid credit card. The suspect advised the victims to call 1-877-432-9325 extension 1 once they obtain the money. 
 
On August 1, 2015, a 53 year old victim advised she met Lt. Col. Danny Hampton on ChristianMingle.com. This person was described to be in the U.S. Army and currently stationed in Afghanistan.  It was reported the person she met was going to send her $5 million in gold, which he received after helping a small town avoid terrorist capture.  Unfortunately, the gold got held up in customs and victim was required to send money in order to have it released and sent to her.  After wiring $21,000 to various addresses, it was learned, Lt. Col. Danny Hampton did not exist.
 
The investigation into these incidents is continuing at this time.
 
Troopers advise people of the following to avoid becoming a victim of a phone scam we recommend you take the following steps:
 
  • Do not wire money.
  • Do not provide the caller with any information.
  • Attempt to get the caller’s phone number and address.
  • Check all the facts. If you get a call and are concerned that it may be a scammer, ask, the caller where they are calling from and call the agency.
  • Google or internet search the company and check for a valid website.
  • If you believe it is a scam do not cooperate with the caller.  The best thing to do is to hang up the phone.
  • If something seems suspicious do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.
These scams are difficult to investigate.  They will target persons of all age groups.  Delaware State Police are asking citizens to remember the tips previously mentioned in order to not become a victim of one of these phone scams. 

Mosby Thwarts Homicide Commission

A commission established to review homicides in Baltimore has stalled because its leaders say the city's top prosecutor isn't sharing information that's needed for the program to work.

The city spent nearly $200,000 last year to launch the Homicide Review Commission. It was meant to bring together elected officials, police leaders, academics, public health officials and others to identify trends that leads to slayings and how best to respond.

Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, was tapped to lead the project. He tells The Baltimore Sun that Mosby's refusal to provide information on ongoing cases "took the air out of the whole process."

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Troopers Investigate Crashes in Seaford

Seaford, DE – Troopers are investigating a series of crashes that occurred Sunday evening after the same operator struck three different vehicles.

The incident happened around 10:20 p.m. Sunday August 2, 2015 as Sherman W. Henry, 57 of Seaford, was operating a 1998 Plymouth Breeze eastbound on Concord Road (SR20) approaching Sussex Highway (US13). Edward T. Winder, 42 of Seaford, was operating a 2003 Ford F550 eastbound on SR20 and was stopped for the red light at the intersection with US13. Henry failed to stop for the traffic in front of him and struck the rear of the Ford with the front bumper of the Plymouth. Henry then fled the scene and turned northbound on US13 where he then struck the rear of a 2009 Honda Accord that was being operated by Dennis C. Bransome Jr., 19 of Houston, Texas near the entrance to the Dairy Queen. Henry again fled the scene and failed to negotiate a right turn onto Middleford Road where the vehicle crossed the roadway and struck an embankment on the north side of Middleford Road. The Plymouth became airborne and came to a stop after striking a 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was parked in the Popeye’s parking lot.

Sherman Henry was removed from the vehicle by Seaford Volunteer Fire Department after he was entrapped for a short period of time. He was then transported by EMS to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Charges are pending his release from the hospital which include 3rd Offense Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, two counts of Vehicular Assault 2nd, Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Collision, and various other traffic offenses.

Dennis Bransome, and a 19 year old passenger, were both transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries.

Edward Winder was uninjured.

The Crisis of Attention: From Enlightenment to iPad

Recently, my father, who has worked in technology education for a long time, texted me a picture from an airport restaurant in which he was eating. In the picture, a waiter stood at a table waiting for a family of six to finish looking at their iPads. Each person had bent his or her head to stare at the iPad screen, ignoring one another and the waiter.

According to Matthew Crawford in his wonderful new book The World Beyond Your Head, we now face a cultural crisis of attention, an inability to focus on the things beyond our heads. While it may at first appear that this crisis has been caused by technology, Crawford, the author of Shop Class as Soulcraft and a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, traces the genealogy of this crisis to a source that some readers might find surprising: Enlightenment philosophy—specifically its attempt to free human beings from dependence on external authority.

Crawford’s explanation begins with John Locke..

RANKED: The economies of all 50 US states and DC from worst to best

The US has an enormous economy, and that economy is the sum of the economies of 50 states and the District of Columbia.

We noted previously that those state economies are big enough and complex enough to compare with those of entire countries, and so we are once again taking a closer look at what makes those economies work.

We ranked the economies of these states, and DC's, on seven measures: unemployment rates, gross domestic product per capita, average weekly wages, and recent growth rates for nonfarm payroll jobs, GDP, house prices, and wages.

While we didn't factor them into the ranking, we also looked at the Fortune 1000 companies that have their headquarters in each state and which industries were disproportionately important in each state. This helped us get a little more insight into what makes each state economy tick.

For more details on methodology and sources, click here.

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That Boss Who Set Minimum $70,000 Salaries for All Employees? Here’s How That’s Working Out So Far

Dan Price got a lot of kudos a few months back after establishing minimum $70,000 salaries for all employees at his credit card processing company, Gravity Payments, in Seattle.

“Income inequality has been racing in the wrong direction,” he told the New York Times. “I want to fight for the idea that if someone is intelligent, hard-working and does a good job, then they are entitled to live a middle-class lifestyle.”

But it appears Price’s fight hasn’t been a cakewalk.

Apart from the hit his own salary took — $1 million down to $70k — Price began renting out his house to help with his diminished income. He also had to hire a dozen new employees at much higher wages to handle new clients intrigued by his stance. And then some older clients backed out believing fee spikes were around the corner, while others walked away because they took Price’s announcement as political.

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Baltimore sees ANOTHER deadly weekend with 11 people shot and 2 fatalities

Fresh off its deadliest month in 43 years, Baltimore saw 11 people shot - and two of them killed - in the first two days of August.

The latest incident occurred early Sunday in northwest Baltimore, acting Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said at a news conference held to announce the creation of a multi-agency task for to deal with the upswing in homicides plaguing the city.

Davis said the Baltimore Federal Homicide Task Force, a new partnership among the police department and five federal law enforcement agencies, will go into effect Monday and operate for 60 days.

The task force will include two agents each from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Secret Service, who will be embedded on the streets of Baltimore with the police department's homicide unit.

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5 Minute Speech that Got Judge Napolitano Fired from Fox News

State Department Ordered to Obtain Answers

While Hillary Clinton’s lawyers are stalling Congress and “negotiating” the terms of her testimony before the Benghazi committee—an option not allowed to ordinary Americans like bankers, executives, or accountants, federal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has hit “refrigerator rule #6: Enough is enough.”

Earlier this week, federal Judge Richard Leon lambasted the State Department lawyers for their stonewalling. Now Judge Sullivan has chiseled a line in concrete. He has given the State Department only a week—until August 7—to get some answers from Hillary Clinton, and her top aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills—under penalty of perjury.

Last night on NewsMax TV, I noted that Judge Sullivan recently reopened the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Judicial Watch to obtain emails from Huma Abedin, the top Clinton aide who is married to infamous and disgraced former Congressman Anthony Wiener. Judge Sullivan reopened the case when he learned that Clinton and her staff used personal email accounts to conduct government business. This is a flagrant violation of the Federal Records Act and jeopardizes national security—prompting rapidly escalating concerns of countless ramifications internationally, nationally, and criminally.

Just hours ago, in that very case, Judge Sullivan entered a remarkable order, and he has given the State Department only a week to comply.

Read more here

The Democratic Party, Explained in One Tweet

Want to understand the current state of the Democratic Party? There’s a tweet for that:

How is the one Democratic candidate with an actually pending scandal also the one leading the polls?

— KStreetHipster (@KStreetHipster) July 31, 2015

Great question. The leading Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton, is facing a number of scandals, including one that involves the potential mishandling of classified information over an unsecured network. It is a scandal of Clinton’s own making, stemming solely from her insistence on using a personal email address on a private server to conduct her work at the State Department, an arrangement the department’s chief transparency officer has called “not acceptable.”

It’s safe to assume that Hillary deleted any emails that would be politically damaging, but who knows what new information may come out down the line. Seems a bit risky, to say the least.

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Iraq War Veteran Receives Letter That Reads ‘All of You Islamaphobe Vets Deserve to Die’

A New York-area Iraq War veteran discovered an angry letter left on his car Thursday that criticized him for serving in the military.

News 10 reported that the Queensbury, New York, Marine found the note on his vehicle after a shopping trip Thursday morning.

The letter criticized the veteran for earning a Purple Heart and fighting for the United States military overseas.

“All of you Islamaphobe vets deserve to die,” read the note, which was authored by an anonymous individual.

Those in the area interviewed about the letter expressed outrage. The sheriff’s office said that similar incidents have occurred across the state.

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O'Malley Pledges Help For Puerto Rico

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley became the first Democratic presidential candidate to make a campaign stop in Puerto Rico this year as part of an effort to woo Latino voters.

He met Saturday with local legislators and residents to talk about their concerns as the U.S. territory tries to emerge from a nearly decade-long economic slump and struggles with $72 billion in public debt. O'Malley also was scheduled to attend a fundraiser Saturday night.

In a brief interview with The Associated Press, O'Malley said Puerto Rico should receive the same treatment as the U.S. mainland.

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Gun in Muhammad Cartoon Shooting Tied to Fast and Furious

A gunman shot dead by police at an anti-Muslim event in Garland, Texas, in May reportedly bought his weapon five years earlier through the Justice Department's botched Fast and Furious operation.

Nadir Soofi, 34, bought a 9-mm pistol at a Phoenix gun shop in 2010 that sold the gun through the program run by the department's Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives division, The Los Angeles Times reports.

When Soofi bought the gun, the purchase was placed on hold for a week, but it was lifted by authorities after only one day, according to the Times.

The controversial gun-running effort, initiated under former Attorney General Eric Holder, sought to use the firearms to track Mexican drug cartels. The scheme led to the deaths of two federal law-enforcement agents and pushed Republicans to seek Holder's impeachment.

Questions on whether Soofi's gun was sold through Fast and Furious led Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson to query Holder's successor, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, last month on the matter, the Times reports.

Soofi and his roommate, Elton Simpson, 30, were armed with assault rifles — and both were killed in the May 3 gunfight with police at an anti-Islam event held by activist Pamela Geller.

However, the FBI and Justice Department have since failed to provide serial numbers for the firearms used by Soofi and Simpson, raising fears that the guns were linked to the bungled gun-running scheme, the Times reports.

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Seattle CEO Who Set Firm's Minimum Wage To $70G Has Hit Hard Times

The Seattle CEO who reaped a publicity bonanza when he boosted the salaries of his employees to a minimum of $70,000 a year says he has fallen on hard times.

Dan Price, 31, tells the New York Times that things have gotten so bad he’s been forced to rent out his house.

Only three months ago Price was generating headlines—and accusations of being a socialist -- when he announced the new salary minimum for all 120 employees at his Gravity Payments credit card processing firm. Price said he was doing it, and slashing his $1 million pay package to pay for it, to address the wealth gap.

The Times article said Price’s decision ended up costing him a few customers and two of his “most valued” employees, who quit after newer employees ended up with bigger salary hikes than older ones.

“He gave raises to people who have the least skills and are the least equipped to do the job, and the ones who were taking on the most didn’t get much of a bump,” Gravity financial manager Maisey McMaster, 26, told the paper.

Approaching burnout, she quit.

Grant Moran, 29, also quit, saying the new pay-scale was disconcerting

“Now the people who were just clocking in and out were making the same as me,” he told the paper. “It shackles high performers to less motivated team members.”

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