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Monday, February 15, 2016

Hello cruel world: You earn what you’re worth

Four trillion dollars. It’s a lot of money no matter how you look at it. Only a rich nation can break mankind’s spending records every year for years and years. In that $4 trillion the President is requesting from Congress for 2017, I’d like to ask: What should federal employees be paid?

If you ask them, a lot more than they’re getting now.

In that respect, they’re just like the rest of us; only the scale changes. The Alphabet board just handed Google’s CEO $199 million in stock. By one reckoning, the CEO of McDonald’s makes the equivalent of $9,247 per hour. The CEO of Starbucks — the McDonald’s of coffee — collects more than $20 million in salary and stock in a good year. Trust me, those guys aren’t ashamed of asking for more and more from their boards. They probably have $500 per hour compensation specialists work it out for them.

Federal employees on Jan. 1 received a 1 percent raise, putting the average SES increase at a whopping, what, $1,700? $1,600? After taxes that’s enough to buy a curved TV set.

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Cameras show newly nesting National Arboretum bald eagles

WASHINGTON — A pair of bald eagles who are nesting at the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C., will be busy tending to their future family, after two eggs were laid over the weekend.

The American Eagle Foundation says the eagles, nicknamed “Mr. President” and “The First Lady,” have been nesting at the National Arboretum since October 2014. Last summer, the pair successfully raised one healthy eaglet.

Viewers from around the world have been watching their pair via two live-streaming high-definition video cameras. The eagles’ nest is atop a Tulip Poplar tree, surrounded by the Arboretum’s azalea collection.

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Your Replacement Robot Is Here

An Event You Won't Want To Miss


Cancer patients snagged in health law’s tangled paperwork

WASHINGTON (AP) — Walt Whitlow was under treatment for cancer when he got an unwelcome surprise.

His financial assistance under President Barack Obama’s health care law got slashed. That meant his premium quadrupled and his deductible went from $900 to $4,600.

Hundreds of thousands of people lose subsidies under the health law, or even their policies, when they get tangled in a web of paperwork problems involving income, citizenship and taxes. Some are dealing with serious illnesses like cancer. Advocates fear the problems, if left unresolved, could undermine the nation’s historic gains in health insurance.

Ana Granado was scheduled for reconstruction after breast cancer surgery when she was notified that her coverage would be canceled because of questions about her immigration status. Legal aid attorneys got that cleared up quickly, but Granado’s financial assistance for her premiums was suspended.

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Worcester County Tea Party Speaker Series

Event: Worcester County Tea Party Speaker Series 2016

Speaker: Worcester County Board of Elections

Topic: Learning All About the New Maryland Voting System!

Date: Thursday February 18, 12016

Time: Meeting begins at 7PM, doors open at 6:30PM

Location: Worcester County Library - Ocean Pines Branch, 11107 Cathell Rd., Ocean Pines, MD 21811

Admission: Free and Open to the Public.

For more information email WCTPPatriots@gmail.com, go to the web sitewww.worcestercountyteaparty.com, https://www.facebook.com/WorcesterCountyTeaParty or call 443-614-7214

Philanthropist gives $18M to refurbish Lincoln Memorial

Philanthropist David Rubenstein, who has already donated tens of millions of dollars to refurbish the Washington Monument and other icons, is giving $18 million to fix up the Lincoln Memorial.

The National Park Service announced the gift Monday. The money will be used to fix the memorial’s roof, clean the marble and improve accessibility by adding a second elevator. The park service also plans to create 15,000 square feet of visitor space tucked beneath the memorial for exhibits.

Rubenstein said his admiration for Lincoln drew him to this project.

“Lincoln deserves to have his memorial in tip-top shape,” he said in a phone interview.

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NAPO letter to Goodell

Mr. Roger Goodell 
Commissioner, National Football League 
280 Park Avenue, 15th Floor 
New York, New York 10017 

Re: NFL’s support of cop-killing “entertainment” 

Dear Commissioner Goodell, 

On behalf of the more than 240,000 law enforcement officers represented by our Association, including officers in a sizable majority of the cities represented by the League’s teams, I write to you to condemn in the strongest possible terms your support of cop-killer “entertainment”. Last night’s half-time performance by BeyoncĂ© Knowles-Carter hit an all-time low, even for a League that already turned a blind eye to its players perpetuating the “hands up, don’t shoot” blood libel on American police. 

Last night, your League made the jump from slandering police as killers, to celebrating cop-killers themselves. Your Black Panther themed half-time show was an obnoxious spectacle of ignorance and malice. You’ve done your part to make trendy and acceptable the symbols of kidnapping and murder of American police officers. The black berets and high-fisted salutes were a deliberate tribute to the likes of cop-killers H. Rap Brown, Joanne Chesimard and Wesley Cook. 

Ms. Knowles-Carter, whose resume includes such all-American items as private performance for the late Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi’s family, can’t pretend that her act wasn’t deliberately designed to glamorize attacks on police. But what about the NFL? On the same night that hundreds of officers gave up their evenings with their own families to protect you and your players and fans, you honor them by promoting song and dance celebrating cop-killers. Any player who displayed such lunacy and lack of touch with reality would be prohibited from returning to the field under your League’s own brain injury policy. You should do the same and either publicly apologize to America’s men and women in law enforcement, or step aside in favor of someone who can recognize just how much your League and teams owe to the rule of law in this country. 

Sincerely, 
Michael McHale 
President

WHAT I LEARNED FROM WATCHING THE DEMOCRAT’S DEBATE

*       Black Lives Matter, All Lives Don't Matter.

*       College should be free and all student loans cancelled.

*       All medical treatment should be free.

*       To become an American citizen you just need to show up here.

*       The economy sucks and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.

*       The Middle Class is shrinking rapidly and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.

*       Average family income is continuing to drop and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.

*       Black youths have over a 50% unemployment rate and after 7 years in office it's not Obama's fault.

*       Hispanic youth unemployment is over 35% and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.

*       50% of the population is paying 100% of all the taxes and they are still not paying their “fair share.”   The other 50% are not receiving nearly enough free stuff and deserve more.

*       Everyone who votes Democrat will work less, make more money, get more time off, spend more time with family, pay less taxes, and get more government subsidies.

*       Government wants even more money to squander on old promises already broken.

*       Being a  "Progressive" is less cringe-worthy than saying you're a Liberal.  
*       When  America grows up, we want to be Norway,  Sweden or the  Netherlands .

*       There's a quagmire in Iraq and Obama's complete retreat from there has nothing to do with the situation.

*       Republicans want dirty air, oil spills, trash in the streets, polluted oceans, no medical treatment, young people without any education being paid the lowest possible wages, starving children, were responsible for Jim Crow Laws and don't believe in equal rights.

*       Snowden and General Petraeus broke laws for releasing and not securing secret documents but Hillary Clinton shares no responsibility for doing WORSE.

*       If Hilary is elected, everything will be rainbows and Unicorns - just like with Obama.

*       Hillary Clinton does walk on water.

*       Cheaters do prosper.

*       People often cheer stupidity.

*       There is only one candidate given a voice in the Democrat Race.

*       Hillary and Bill Clinton were born poor Black Children.

*       All the qualifications needed to be President is to be a woman.

*       Evil looks like anything white, rich, successful and productive.

*       You will receive a participation trophy in life.

*       Agreements of any kind should be signed and committed to, even if the other agreeing party doesn't live up to its obligations.

*       Everyone else does it, so should we, regardless of any results in those other countries.

*       Everything is still Bush's fault.

MSP DUI Press Release 2-15-16 (Berlin Barrack)

Click to enlarge

How To Explain The Small Business Failure Rate

4 Things Entrepreneurs May Be Doing Wrong

Within the timeframe of a year and a half, about 80 percent of new businesses fail, according to Bloomberg Business research.

And, throughout the past 30-plus years, the amount of new businesses has drastically declined, according to Gallup. During the economic meltdown of 2008, it was the first time in several decades in which more businesses failed than new ones were started. About 70,000 more businesses fail than are launched.

“We see it all the time in our communities – signs on doors that read, ‘Due to circumstances beyond our control we have to close our business…’ What business owners today don’t seem to understand is that what’s required, not only to survive but to thrive, is absolutely within their control,” says Pamela Herrmann, author of the bestseller “The Customer Manifesto, How Business Has Failed Customers And What It Takes To Earn Lasting Loyalty,” ranked No. 3 on the list of customer service books every business owner should read by Business.com.

“The truth is, what is required is way outside their skill sets. The typical business owner has no idea how to create leverage, how to utilize new technologies, how to strategize on any level that makes them competitive or how to stop the hemorrhaging of cash in the form of failed online marketing investments.

Herrmann is co-founder, along with Patty Dominguez, of CREATE Buzz (www.CreateBuzzNow.com), a Fortune 50 branding expert which is changing the way small businesses connect with their customers – both online and offline. Dominguez and Herrmann review four mistakes – and ways to correct them – to keep businesses thriving:

• They miss their biggest revenue opportunity. “When we look at traditional marketing, so many solutions providers are focused on customer acquisition and how to get prospects into their marketing funnel – which is totally necessary and valid,” Dominguez says. “However, the biggest revenue opportunity is in knowing how to keep these customers, because that’s where the higher profits are in the lifecycle of a customer.”

“We teach our small business clients not only how to get new customers but more importantly, how to keep their existing customers,” Herrmann says. “Most small businesses don’t have the foundational strategy for how to build their business for growth. Once you have that in place, marketing tactics such as word of mouth online can be fully leveraged, and that is the key to organic growth.”

• Entrepreneurs not only track the wrong metrics, they don’t even know what they are. In the absence of a strategy, business owners make marketing decisions based on short-term data, like how much money is in the bank or how many sales they made last month. This is reactive — not proactive.

“In life and in business, it’s often not the ability to answer a question, but rather whether or not you’re asking the right questions,” Dominguez says.

So, what are some of those questions? – The duo have come up with the following:

How many new leads did you get this month? 

WBOC Just Can't Say They Are Sorry




While their own numbers finally tell the truth, WBOC refused to own up to their massive screw up last night and today on this afternoon and evening broadcasts.

Perhaps after they read this they'll come clean and apologize and simply own up to their failure. 

I know people who chose not to go to work today because the road conditions were so bad and when they watched the early news there was nothing mentioned about how bad the roads were. 

WBOC failed us again. 

Snow Emergency Plan Lifted In Wicomico County


This press release is to inform residents of Wicomico County that as of 1600 hrs on Monday February 15, 2016 the Snow Emergency Plan in effect for Wicomico County is being lifted. Motorists are reminded to use due care when traveling on the roadways and leave plenty of time for travel. As always, motorists are reminded that if they need assistance to dial 911 or #77.

How I Quit My Smartphone Addiction and Really Started Living

The phone rings: it’s my friend checking to see if I can pick her up on the way to a dinner party. I ask her where she is and as she explains, I reach as far as I can across the countertop for a pen. I scribble the address in my trusty notebook I keep in my back pocket. I tell her I’ll be at her place in about 20 minutes, give or take a few. Then I hang up. Literally.

I physically take the handset receiver away from my ear and hang it on the weight-triggered click switch that cuts off my landline’s dial tone.

I take my laptop, Google the address, add better directions to my notes and head outside to my 1989 pick-up truck (whose most recent technological feature is a cassette player) and drive over. If I get lost on the way, I’ll need to ask someone for directions. If she changes her plans, she won’t be able to tell me or cancel at a moment’s notice. If I crash on the way, I won’t be calling 911.

I’m fine with all of this. As you guessed by now, I haven’t had a cellphone for more than 18 months.

I didn’t just cancel cellular service and keep the smartphone for Wi-Fi fun, nor did I downgrade to a flip phone to “simplify”; I opted out entirely. There is no mobile phone in my life, in any form, at all.

Arguably, there should be. I’m a freelance writer and graphic designer with many reasons to have a little computer in my holster, but I don’t miss it. There are a dozen ways to contact me between email and social media. When I check in, it’s on my terms. No one can interrupt my bad singing of Hooked on a Feeling with a text message. It’s as freeing as the first night of a vacation.

“My phone” has become “the phone”. It’s no longer my personal assistant; it has reverted back to being a piece of furniture – like “the fridge” or “the couch”, two other items you also wouldn’t carry around on your butt.

I didn’t get rid of it for some hipster-inspired luddite ideal or because I couldn’t afford it. I cut myself off because my life is better without a cellphone. I’m less distracted and less accessible, two things I didn’t realize were far more important than instantly knowing how many movies Kevin Kline’s been in since 2010 at a moment’s notice.

I can’t be bothered unless I choose to be. It makes a woman feel rich.

Keep reading..

Comcast outage affecting customers nationwide

Comcast is responding to a nationwide outage that's affecting thousands of its television and internet customers Monday morning.

Comcast official outage map on their website shows affected customers in the Bay Area, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Boston, Washington, DC, and Fort Lauderdale.

Comcast released the following statement, "we’re continuing to investigate what appears to be a temporary network interruption that impacted some of our services (Monday) morning. Our engineers have been working on this and services are starting to be restored. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our customers."

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WICOMICO PUBLIC LIBRARIES CENTRE BRANCH TO HOST HEALTH & WELLNESS FAIR

Pastor Offers Free Prayers At Coffee Houses

Coffee is not exactly Thomas Rusert’s cup of tea.

Nevertheless, every Thursday morning Pastor Thomas indulges himself in a steaming cup of java at local coffee houses.

“I’m a tea drinker all the other days of the week,” said Thomas, the associate pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. “I’m a weirdly patterned person.”

It does seem a bit unusual – akin to a vegetarian ordering tofu at a barbecue joint. But it turns the pastor’s weekly coffee klatch is all about prayer. Yes, prayer.

Every Thursday morning, Pastor Thomas puts on a clergy collar and sets up shop in a local coffee house. He sets out a little sign that reads, “Free Prayer,” and then waits to see who God sends his way.

“I’m humbled all the time by the way that the Spirit works,” the pastor told me. “God is working to give people the courage to say, ‘All right – I’m going to take this pastor up on this offer.’”

And they have – by the hundreds.

The “Free Prayer” program started quietly last summer – inspired by a word of advice Pastor Thomas had received from another member of the clergy..

Read more here

Flags for Heroes Memorial Day 2016

http://www.flags4heroes.org/ 


Flags for Heroes

Memorial Day 2016

Remembering those who served.

Honoring those who serve.

All gave some. Some gave all.

500 flags will be displayed at the Hobbs Road & Rt 50 intersection in Salisbury, MD, located directly next to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The flags will be displayed the week before and the week after Memorial Day 2016 with a small ceremony to honor heroes (date TBD).

Honor your personal hero by sponsoring a flag with a tax deductible $50 donation. Heroes include, but are not limited to: military, first-responder, or other hero (past or present).

Heroes and sponsors will be recognized in a local newspaper insert. Sponsors will also receive a certificate of appreciation.

Proceeds support local veteran causes and Rotary’s community projects

If you have a printed form/brochure and you would like to mail in a check... make your $50 check payable to: Salisbury Sunrise Rotary Foundation (makes your contribution tax-deductible). Please write Flags for Heroes on the memo line. Give to a Rotarian or mail to: Rotary Club of Salisbury-Sunrise, PO Box 4473, Salisbury, MD, 21803-44. One check may be written for multiple flag sponsorship forms at $50 each.

Questions? Contact us via email at salisburysunrise@gmail.com.

SNOW EMERGENCY LIFTED IN WORCESTER COUNTY


SNOW EMERGENCY LIFTED

Effective 2-15-2016 at 1400 hours, The Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack in conjunction with local agencies and the State Highway Administration have LIFTED the Snow Emergency Plan for Worcester County.

SNOW EMERGENCY LIFTED

Effective 2-15-2016 at 1400 hours, The Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack in conjunction with local agencies and the State Highway Administration have LIFTED the Snow Emergency Plan for Worcester County.

'A Planned Invasion’ For The ‘Purpose of Destroying Western Christendom’

The movement of Muslims, not a few of whom are radicalized, into Europe and the United States is a “planned invasion” for the “specific purpose of destroying Western Christendom,” said former House Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who stressed that you do not see “this mass migration into Russia or into China” – it is “all headed toward Western Christendom.”

““We saw this mass migration, this people movement, which is a historic people movement of Muslims from Islamic nations tending to be the most radicalized nations -- from those nations into nations that are known as Western Christendom,” said Rep. Bachmann during a Feb. 6 interview on the Understanding The Times with Jan Markell radio program.

“So, you don’t see this mass migration into Russia, or into China, or into Indonesia,” she said. “This mass migration is all headed toward Western Christendom.”

Bachmann then said Minnesota is expected to have its “highest level immigration” this year.

On the migration in general, she said, “The people that are coming in are not Christians, generally speaking, very, very few Christians that are being moved. It is primarily Muslims and only young men, 80% tend to be young men going into Europe right now, for instance, but they also come from the most radicalized Islamists.”

“This clearly is an invasion,” said the former congresswoman. “This is a planned invasion, not only in Europe but also in the United States.”

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What's For Dinner: MINI-TURKEY MEATLOAVES

Ingredients
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 Tb Olive Oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1⁄2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 11⁄2 pounds lean ground turkey
  • 1 small zucchini (6 oz.) shredded (11⁄4 Cups)
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3⁄4 Cup quick-cooking oats
  • One 8 oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tb yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens slightly, 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, onion-pepper mixture, zucchini, egg, oats, 1⁄4 cup of the tomato sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt. Mix with your hands until just combined. Using an ice-scream scoop, transfer the mixture into a muffin tin, then top each meatloaf with 1 Tb of the remaining tomato sauce. Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 F, about 25 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin by running a butter knife or offset spatula around each loaf.

Source

Majority Wants Independent Prosecutor in Hillary Email Probe

A majority of voters think the Justice Department should name an independent prosecutor to decide if criminal charges ought to be brought against Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while serving as secretary of state, a new poll shows.

A Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday shows 54 percent of likely voters believe the appointment of a special prosecutor is the way to avoid any possible conflict of interest in the case.

Top GOP lawmakers have already called for Attorney General Loretta Lynch to step aside, skeptical of her neutrality when it comes time to decide on criminal prosecution if an FBI probe finds Clinton broke the law.

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Troopers Investigate Robbery West of Georgetown

Georgetown, DE - Delaware State Police are investigating the robbery of an individual as he was driving on Warrington Road just west of Georgetown Sunday afternoon.

The initial investigation has determined that the incident occurred at approximately 4:45 p.m., Sunday February, 2016, as a 34-year-old male victim was traveling westbound on Warrington Road and came to a stop at the intersection with Asbury Road. At that point, two vehicles blocked him in so he could not pull away and three male subjects jumped out of one of vehicles. One of the males was armed with an unknown type handgun and stood at the front of the car pointing the gun at him while the other two opened the driver’s side and passenger’s side doors. Once the doors were open, the two demanded his money and began punching him in the face before removing his wallet from his pants. The suspects then jumped back into their vehicle, which was described as a red Ford Bronco and drove northbound on Ashbury Road with the second vehicle, which was described as a black Chevrolet Silverado, following right behind.  The victim was slightly injured in the incident, but did not require immediate medical attention and was able to call 9-1-1.

The three suspects were only described as white males with one of them being armed with an unknown type handgun (No further physical or clothing description is available at this time).

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact Detective K. Archer at 302-752-3791. Information may also be provided by callingDelaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet atwww.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Treasury Dept Officials Stunned by Clinton’s Private Email Use

Two records officials regarded scandal as ‘unbelievable’

Two officials at the Treasury Department were stunned by the report that Hillary Clinton used private email to conduct government business during her tenure as secretary of state, according to newly released emails.

The emails, first reported by the Washington Examiner, show two officials in the Treasury’s records department reacting with disbelief to the first report last March that Clinton used a personal email at the State Department, a matter that has precipitated an FBI investigation into Clinton’s server.

Marcus Smallwood, the Treasury’s records management officer, circulated a message to colleagues on March 3 with a link to the story about Clinton’s email use, writing “Wow” in the subject line. “Unbelievable,” the official remarked in the body of the email.

Helen Foster, deputy assistant secretary for privacy, transparency, and records at the Treasury Department, echoed Smallwood’s awe in her response.

“That is just what I said when I heard it on the news this [morning]. Unbelievable,” she wrote.

The emails, which were obtained by America Rising through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, provide insight into the way in which Obama administration employees have reacted to Clinton’s decision to use a private, unsecured email to conduct sensitive State Department business.

A separate string of emails released in December showed two Labor Department employees reacting to the news and suggesting that the State Department and Clinton did not handle the situation properly.

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Expert: Iranian Has Used Dual Nationals in Terror Plots Against US, Israel

(CNSNews) – Iranians with dual nationality have been involved in terror plots against the U.S. and Israel, including a foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in a Washington restaurant, an expert on Iran told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Fellow Emanuele Ottolenghi was testifying before two House Oversight subcommittees, looking into the administration’s response to newly enacted changes to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), designed to prevent terrorists from exploiting the program.

The restrictions apply both to citizens of the 38 VWP partner countries who have visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan since 2011, and to citizens of VWP partner countries who hold dual Iranian, Syrian, Sudanese or Iraqi citizenship.

Secretary of State John Kerry assured his Iranian counterpart in a December letter that the administration would ensure the changes did not impact Iran’s “legitimate business interests” in the light of sanctions relief under the nuclear deal, citing the waiver authority built into the legislation.

Republican lawmakers accused Kerry of trying to “appease the regime,” and two separate hearings were held on Capitol Hill on the subject Wednesday.

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U.S. Election Commission Quietly Lets States Verify U.S. Citizenship

Recognizing that voter identification is not sufficient, the government agency created by Congress to oversee the administration of elections has quietly reversed itself to allow states to verify U.S. citizenship before permitting voters to register.

It’s a crucial issue that has left the voter ID argument in the dust, considering that it has been proven that identification measures aren’t enough to keep illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections.

Regardless, liberals and Democrats in Congress assert that requiring voters to provide a government-issued ID to vote discriminates against minorities because they are either too poor or too ignorant to get one. The powerful chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calls voter ID laws a “full-scale assault” on minority voters, designed to “rig” elections.

Nevertheless, election officials in some states have confirmed that requiring an ID is not enough to prevent fraud. American citizenship, mandatory to vote in U.S. elections at every level, must also be verified. But first states must get approval from the feds, specifically the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The bipartisan commission is tasked with assuring that elections are administered in accordance with federal laws. This includes accrediting voting system test labs, certifying voting equipment and keeping a national mail voter registration form.

For years the EAC has rejected requests from several states to allow the citizenship verification of its registered voters. Judicial Watch has been involved in several of the cases and years ago filed documents with the EAC in support of efforts by Arizona, Kansas and Georgia to require voter registration applicants to provide proof of citizenship.

In the last few weeks, however, the EAC has quietly reversed itself by approving the petition of three states—Kansas, Georgia and Alabama—to add a citizenship requirement to their voter registration forms. The letters, signed by the EAC’s new executive director, Brian D. Newby, were issued on January 29, 2016.

Read more here

Police uncover more victims, new location in Md. child porn investigation

WASHINGTON — As many as 16 children were victimized by a former Prince George’s County school volunteer who faces child sex abuse and child pornography charges, police said Saturday.

Police said Saturday they believe 22-year-old Deonte Carraway, of Lanham, Maryland, victimized 16 children, including one at Zion Praise Tabernacle Lutheran Church in Bowie, Maryland. Police did not describe in what way the child was harmed or exploited.

Police have said previously that Carraway filmed children performing sex acts at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School, where was a paid assistant and director of a youth choir.

He engaged in similar behavior at a Glenarden municipal building where he led choir practices. Children were exploited and/or abused at an aquatic center and private homes, as well.

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Political Correctness Is A Mask For Leftists’ Intellectual Insecurity

To legitimize itself, the Left needs to hide the truth that the central planning it loves only begets misery. So all it has remaining is trying to shut the rest of us up.

2015 will undoubtedly go down as the year the Left’s efforts to impose its absolutist ideology went well beyond targeting lecturers and graduation speakers invited to colleges.

In late spring, the University of California distributed a guide to forbidden classroom phrases, including “America is the land of opportunity” and “America is a melting pot,” to faculty at each of its 10 campuses. Later in the year, George Mason University professor Jagadish Shukla and 19 others went national with a letter to President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, demanding they criminally prosecute any company or organization that denies climate change.

Now, in 2016, we discover that even public officials directly responsible for the safety of millions—the police chief of Cologne, Germany, and the mayor of Philadelphia, for example—have been cowed into a stunning dereliction of duty by the apostles of political correctness.

Many on the Left will argue that prescience justifies their rigidly enforced opinions. Having twice elected a liberal black president, successfully promoted gay marriage, enabled women to serve in combat roles, and taken major steps toward legalizing marijuana—all in less than a decade—liberals like to see themselves as prodding a cautious public to go where it sooner or later will agreeably follow.

Yet a much stronger case can be made that the Left’s aggressive enforcement of its ideology stems, not from any victory-inspired confidence, but from the very opposite. It stems from recognizing that its most fundamental conviction—that a government of enlightened bureaucrats (like themselves) can best guide society—has never proved true in any country, be it communist, socialist, or social democratic.

Government By ‘Experts’ Is Failing Everywhere.

Consider the fate of the two nations historically most identified with benevolent control from the top. One, the Soviet Union, nearly imploded at the end of the twentieth century while the other, China, has been privatizing its economy for more than 40 years.

More here

Poll: Millennials Pick Socialism Over Capitalism

A new survey from YouGov finds that millennials have more favorable views of socialism than of capitalism.

As Santayana said, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Less than two decades after socialism seemed to have been confined to the dust-heap of history, another generation may have to learn hard lessons.

The survey, taken at the end of January, found that 43 percent of Americans under 30 had a favorable view of socialism. Less than a third of millennials had a favorable view of capitalism. No other age or ethnic demographic preferred socialism over capitalism.

Seniors, unsurprisingly, had the most favorable view of capitalism. Just 23 percent of Americans older than 65 had a positive view of socialism. Sixty-three percent of seniors, though, had a favorable view of capitalism.

Seniors, after all, experienced the long-standing intellectual battle between capitalism and socialism played out in real life. They witnessed a post-war economic euphoria grind down into a socialist malaise, only to be reinvigorated by a global embrace of disruptive technology, deregulation, and global trade.

In the past 20 years, the number of people living in poverty worldwide has fallen by half. In 1990, 43 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. In 2013, the United Nations estimated that just 22 percent of the world’s population continued to live in extreme poverty.

“Never in history have the living conditions and prospects of so many people changed so dramatically and so fast,” the UN Human Development report said.

Even if millenials aren’t swayed by the dramatic improvement in worldwide living standards, one would hope they would see the benefits of capitalism in the products and services that inhabit their world.

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Obama's Supreme Court short list

The president has a chance to make a big statement with his pick to replace Scalia.

The unexpected passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia immediately set lawyers and politicians talking about who would get the nod from President Barack Obama to fill Scalia's slot.

However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's vow to not confirm any nominee during the remainder of Obama's term creates an awkward dynamic around any potential pick.

Whoever is nominated will have to consider the possibility of being in limbo for a year or more, if the Senate fails to act during the election year. However, that person might also have a leg up on being nominated by Hillary Clinton, if she wins the nomination and the general election in November.

“It certainly is a lot for a person to take on to be the nominee in this heated political climate,” said Elizabeth Wydra of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center.

Here are a look at some of the leading possibilities to be Obama's third nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court:

Sri Srinivasan

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FROM ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

Written by Andy Rooney, a man who had the gift of saying so much with so few words. Rooney used to be on 60 Minutes TV show.

I've learned....

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned...

That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned ....

That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned....

That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned....

That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned....

That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned....

That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in any other way.

I've learned....

That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned....

That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned....

That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned....

That life is like a roll of toilet paper.
The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned....

That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....

That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned....

That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...

That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned....

That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....

That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned....

That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned....

That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned....

That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned....

That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned...

That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned....

That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned....

That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned....

That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned....

That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned....

That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned....

That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, you're hooked for life.

I've learned....

That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned....

That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

A Viewer Writes: Hey Joe, this is what we got in Nanticoke.


GOP Worries Obama Could Install Scalia Successor Through Recess Appointment

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed not to confirm a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but some Republicans worry that President Obama could install a replacement anyway.

"We're in recess, so Obama can, in theory, appoint someone," a senior GOP aide told the Washington Examiner. "He could appoint [Vice President Joe] Biden tonight if he wanted to."

Obama wouldn't be the first president to use a recess appointment to place a justice on the high court. There are have been 12 justices appointed to the Supreme Court while the Senate was in recess. Dwight Eisenhower was the last president to use that power — he did so three times, according to Scotusblog.

The Senate is scheduled to be in recess until Feb. 22, giving Obama nine days to mull the idea. If Obama were to pursue that route, Republicans likely would argue that the Senate was out of session for too short a time for Obama to take advantage of the recess appointment power. But the Supreme Court has never said exactly how long a recess must be for the president to make recess appointments.

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Black Studies Professor Accuses Cops of Racial Discrimination — So Police Released the Dashcam Video


After being accused of mistreating a Princeton University professor this past weekend, the Princeton, N.J., police department released dashcam video of their arrest, which purports to show very polite and friendly treatment by the law enforcement officers.

Imani Perry, a professor of African American Studies at the university, wrote on social media earlier this week that she was arrested for failing to pay a 3-year-old parking ticket. She was pulled over for speeding and the police did confirm that she was arrested Saturday.

“The police treated me inappropriately and disproportionately,” Perry wrote in a lengthy Facebook post, which she has since taken down over fears of hacking and harassment. “The fact of my blackness is not incidental to this matter.”
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is an update to a story we posted last week. Click HERE to see the original story 

EVO Beer Dinner

Now Accepting Reservations...

EVO's NOSE to TAIL Beer Dinner
Thursday, Feb. 25th  6:30pm

Space is limited... Call today!
443.260.2337

It's Just After 11 AM

It's still snowing in Ocean City.

States: EPA Defying Supreme Court Halt of Climate Rule

A new fight emerged Friday between states and the Environmental Protection Agency over whether the Obama administration can still work with states on its climate rules during a Supreme Court stay.

Attorneys general representing 29 states suing the EPA over its climate rules, called the Clean Power Plan, sent a letter to the heads of associations representing state utility and air regulators advising them that states are under no legal obligation to continue to work with the administration on compliance plans.

"We want to ensure that states understand that there is no legal obligation to continue to spend taxpayer funds on compliance efforts and that, in the unlikely event the Power Plan is ultimately upheld by the courts more than a year from now, there will be ample time then to restart those efforts," attorneys general Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia and Ken Paxton of Texas wrote in the letter.

The attorneys general were responding to news reports that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy met with a group of state regulators in Washington on Thursday, encouraging them to continue working on compliance with the Clean Power Plan despite the stay.

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Mystery Dinner Theater

Tickets are on sale now at Sobo's...
SoBo's MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE 
"Mafia Murders" presented by: Ovation Dinner Theatre
Sunday, March 13th  5:00pm

Advance Tickets Available... while they last!
$60 each - Includes Dinner & The Show
3 Course Buffet & Pairings (Beer or Wine)
soboswinebeerstro.com

"Seaside Prince and Princess Ball"


(Ocean City, MD) Seaside Christian Academy is excited to announce the annual "Seaside Prince and Princess Ball" to be held on Sunday, March 6th at 1:30p.m. at the Grand Hotel & Spa located on 22nd Street and the Boardwalk in Ocean City, MD.

This event provides an opportunity for families to spend time together creating lasting memories. This year's honorary Queen of the Ball and school board member, Ms. Maureen Purnell, remarks that, "Opportunities for families to do things together are precious. We are meeting that need with the Seaside Ball, and at the same time raising funds for our scholarship program."

The theme this year is: “Spend an Afternoon in the Enchanted Forest”. Tickets include a formal invitation, music, dancing, plated hot lunch with drink, specially catered for guests of ages, a sundae bar, a red carpet Grand March, photo opportunities and more! Horse-drawn carriage rides on the boardwalk will be available ($5/couple) and will provide the crowning touch of the “Seaside Ball.”

Tickets will be $50/adult and $30/child (age 13 and under). Only 200 tickets will be sold and must be purchased in advance prior to March 1st. Business sponsors wishing to purchase a table should contact the school. Individuals may also donate “Fairy Godmother Tickets” for those students who may not be able to afford to attend.

Tickets are expected to sell quickly and are available at Seaside Christian Academy located in West Ocean City (behind Baja Amusements), by phone at 410.213.7595, or online at www.seasidechristianacademy.com.

All proceeds will support Seaside Christian Academy, a non-profit Pre-K through 8th grade school that is committed to establishing an academic institution that will honor God's spirit and the spirit of our founding fathers.

The Grand Hotel & Spa has reserved a block of rooms for those who are traveling from out of town or for locals who want to make it a family fun mini getaway. For more information on hotel rooms or to make reservations please call 410.289.6191 and mention the Seaside Prince and Princess Ball

Wicomico County Has Been Out With Salt Trucks Since 3 AM Today

Because the local meteorologists failed to call this storm properly, Wicomico County was simply not prepared for this storm, that's a fact. 

Another problem the County had was the fact that today is a holiday and many employees even took off on Friday to enjoy an extended weekend. 

That being said, the plows were not on the majority of county vehicles, (which can take 3 to 4 hours to install with a normal crew) as those vehicles are used for other purposes.

So working with a skeleton crew at this point, the county will be plowing main roads only and not developments. Considering the local forecasters are still claiming this will turn to rain, most everything on the roads should clear up in those developments anyway. 

Session Week #5

Session Week #5

Legislative sessions in Annapolis begin fast and then tend to get more and more hectic as the 90 days go by and this current session is no exception. This past Friday there were one hundred sixty bills “read across the desk” in the House of Delegates. Once a bill is read it is made public, given a bill number, and assigned to a committee. Two of the one hundred and sixty bills were submitted by our Wicomico County Delegation. I am blessed to serve as the chair of our county delegation. It is composed of all five Delegate who represent portions of our county. In addition to myself, they are: Delegates Christopher Adams (District 37b), Mary Beth Carozza (District 38c), Johnny Mautz (District 37b), and Sheree Sample-Hughes (District 37a).

As a delegation we are able to come together and submit bills. This session we have voted for two that will be heard in the coming weeks. First, isHB1352, which would allow the citizens of the county to vote for how their school board is selected via referendum. The second is a bill,HB1359, that would authorize a Class 9 limited distillery license to be issued in Wicomico County. There is currently some interest by investors in opening one of more distilleries in our county and if this bill is successful it would allow those investors to open distilleries in our county, which would create jobs.
        
(Delegate Christopher Adams joined me in welcoming WorWic students to Annapolis)
The big story this week was a continuation of the “Felons voting” override. While this previously passed along party lines in the House, the Senate finally voted on the measure this week. They also voted to override the Governor’s veto so in 30 days people with felony records will be able to vote as soon as they leave incarceration- even if they are still serving parole. During the House vote I remained consistent with my vote and in support of Governor Hogan’s veto.

     
         (Great to visit with the Physical Therapy Students from UMES)
This week also featured UMES Day in Annapolis and the annual “Taste of Maryland” reception. There were far too many people from the district who visited us this week in conjunction with those two events to name, but I would like to highlight a few. It was great to see students, administration, and professors from UMES advocate and underscore the importance of their university to members of the House and Senate. It was also nice to join Salisbury Mayor Jake Day and Assistant City Administrator Julia Glanz in showing and explaining a new vision of a reinvigorated Salisbury.

In addition to the Wicomico County Delegation bills cited previously, the bill I want to spotlight this week is HB1315. This bill would exempt sales tax on purchases made from nonprofits that support veteran’s groups with at least 88% of the proceeds.
Coming Up This Week:

Boy Scouts from around the state will meet with Governor Hogan to discuss Scouting and state government. “Chicken Day” in Annapolis is also scheduled for this week. Last year we had a Delegate who previously sponsored the failed “Chicken Tax” bill show up and discuss poultry with our farmers and elected officials. A huge part of my job is educating my colleagues about the Eastern Shore and I am thankful to those who keep an open mind and listen to our concerns as I do the same regarding issues in other parts of the state.

Thanks to everyone for your support. If you have an idea, issue, or concern, please contact our office in Annapolis and let us know what you think! We value your voice.

Blessed to be your Delegate,

Carl

Contact information:

Phone: 410-841-3431

Email: carl.anderton@house.state.md.us

Patiently Waiting For Summer To Arrive


BREAKING: French teen Vincent Lauton arrested over global spate of school bomb threats

A French teenager is being held by police in relation to a spate of bomb threats made to schools across Europe, the US, Asia and Australia, according to reports.

The 18-year-old, named Vincent Lauton, is "a sophisticated computer operative" who is "known for previous acts of piracy", but is so respected as a hacker that he is sometimes consulted by detectives for his advice, according to an article in The Daily Mail, which details his apparent connection to the threats.

Now Lauton is being held by French police and questioned over his alleged connection to a dark web operation that takes requests for bomb threats that can be made to schools or businesses, the article.

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Some Latinos Sympathetic to Donald Trump’s Migration-Enforcement Policy

The establishment media sometimes admits that Americans with Latino heritage really don’t want their struggling neighborhoods and crowded schools hit by another wave of unskilled, poor, welfare-dependent, Spanish-speaking Latino migrants and their teenagers.

In his Feb. 12 column for The Daily Beast, Reuben Navarette admitted the existence of that rational pro-American perspective among Latino-Americans, as he acknowledged some Latino support for Donald Trump’s immigration-reform plans.

…it is in the Mexican-American community in the Southwest where you are most likely to find Latinos lining up with Trump.

They’re in red states like Texas and Arizona, and the battleground state of Colorado. There’s a lot they like about Trump, including his independence, plainspokenness, success in business, and disdain for political correctness. They see him as strong and resolute, and not having to cater to moneyed interests since he is self-funding his campaign. And either they don’t buy the idea that he is anti-Mexican, or they don’t care …

As a Mexican-American, I can tell you that many Mexican-Americans think that Mexican immigrants who come to the United States illegally are taking advantage—of a porous border, of the social-services safety net, of loopholes in immigration law, and of an insatiable appetite among U.S. employers for cheap and dependable labor. And they’re not wrong about that.

There’s plenty of evidence in the tail-end of business-funded polls showing American Latinos recognize that mass-immigration hurts them economically, and that they want a sharp drop in migration, despite media and activist pressure to for ethnic loyalty and lock-step support for La Raza.

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There’s Ample Precedent For Rejecting Lame Duck Supreme Court Nominees

Historically, many Supreme Court nominations made in a President’s final year in office are rejected by the Senate. That started with John Quincy Adams and last occurred to Lyndon B. Johnson.

It is critically important that the Senate hold pro forma sessions, since President Barack Obama would be able to make a recess appointment to the Supreme Court if the Senate goes out of session. Critically, there is a five-day recess this week and a two-week recess currently scheduled for April. There have been twelve such recess appointments to the high court. A recess appointment would last until the end of the Senate’s next session.

Historically, most presidents select a nominee within a week of a Supreme Court vacancy. However, there have been several lengthy vacancies when the Senate refused to play ball with controversial presidents or controversial nominees.

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SNOW EMERGENCY IN EFFECT

The Maryland State Police at the Berlin Barrack in Worcester County in conjunction with local agencies and the State Highway Administration have implemented the Snow Emergency Plan. This plan is to assist the State Highway Administration in snow clearing operations throughout the county.

Effective on 2-15-2016 at 0900 hours all vehicles on the roadway must be equipped with snow chains or snow tires on both driving wheels of motor vehicles. In addition, a parking ban is imposed on all snow emergency routes in the County.

A press release will be sent out advising when the snow emergency plan has been lifted. Questions should be addressed to the Maryland State Police Barrack in Berlin at 410-641-3101.


The Last Plantation in America

Hillary Clinton’s “firewall,” they call it. They don’t even wink and nod anymore. But they all know what they mean by it.

By “they,” we are talking about the Democratic Party, the last plantation left in America. And by “firewall,” they are talking about the black voters they haul out every election to do whatever dirty work party leaders need done.

This year’s dirty work, of course, is finally heaving that cackling, pant-suited enabler Hillary Clinton over the line to the nomination. Let her have her shot so she will finally go away.

But the blindingly white Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire either refused to do the dirty work or kicked up such a ruckus over being forced to do it that they made it plenty clear to the entire world just how much even Democrats cannot stand the Clintons anymore — especially Hillary.

Now on to Nevada and South Carolina where Democrats can boss voters around a little easier and order them into line for Mrs. Clinton. In South Carolina, the Democratic Party chairman once famously dismissed the notion that Democrats buy “the black vote” down there.

“I just want to rent it for one day,” he said. Funny guy.

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WBOC's Forecast Last Night


IRS likely erased hard drive of former agency official

IRS says it will fix ‘shortcomings’ that fail to archive employee emails

Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chastised IRS leaders Wednesday for the agency’s inability to preserve its employees’ emails and track those records down when needed. The IRS says it will have a system that complies with federal recordkeeping standards by December, but critics said the promised changes are years overdue.

The latest dustup over document retention surrounds a pending Freedom of Information Act lawsuit between Microsoft and the IRS.

Last month, the agency told a federal judge that it couldn’t comply with a court order to save emails from former IRS official Samuel Maruca because it had already tagged his computer’s hard drive for destruction shortly after he left the agency in 2014; the hard drive was likely erased later that year or early in 2015.

Although the IRS now says it can cobble together most of the relevant emails from other backup sources, GOP members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who have held dozens of IRS hearings dating back to 2013 said record destruction was an “ongoing problem” that validated their calls to impeach Commissioner John Koskinen.

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POLL: DO YOU SUSPECT FOUL PLAY IN THE DEATH OF JUSTICE SCALIA?

What do you think in light of recent reports and conflicting information about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia?

Click HERE to vote

Veto override drawing vitriol from constituents in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland's Senate president called for civility Friday after Democrats received what he called "the most vicious hate mail you can possibly imagine" in the aftermath of overriding the Republican governor's veto. One caller expressed the hope a senator's wife would be raped and killed.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller asked Gov. Larry Hogan to stop his supporters from singling out senators in messages on social media. Hogan's spokesman said it was "ridiculous" and "beyond outrageous" to imply the governor was responsible for encouraging people to make such calls and comments.

"If they don't want their constituents to be upset with them, then they shouldn't vote in favor of items that their constituents absolutely despise," Hogan's spokesman Doug Mayer said.

The uproar happened after the Democratic-led legislature overrode the veto of a bill this week allowing felons to vote when they are on parole and probation. The override succeeded by the thinnest of margins for a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate.

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FBI Probes Machete Attack at Ohio Restaurant

The FBI is investigating a machete attack Thursday night that turned a popular, Israeli-owned restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, into a bloodbath, but local police say there is no indication so far of a terror motive.

Of the four patrons wounded in the attack at the Nazareth Restaurant and Deli, one was in critical condition before being upgraded to “stable.” The attacker was identified as Mohammad Barry, a law enforcement source told Fox News.

"There's nothing to lead us to believe this is anything more than a random attack," Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner told the The Columbus Dispatch.

Weiner added that the FBI is also investigating the attack but declined say why.

A source told Fox News the FBI is scouring Barry's background, which includes interviewing associates and digging into his travel history. Fox is also told that investigators are looking into Barry's digital and online footprint for terrorist propaganda or evidence of communication extremists.

Police said the suspect walked into the restaurant around 5:30 p.m. and spoke with an employee before leaving. Local reports said he asked for the owner, but police did not confirm that. The suspect returned nearly 30 minutes later with machete in hand and attacked a couple, and then turned on diners who came to their aid, police said.

The suspect fled in a car, which was eventually stopped by cops, triggering the fatal encounter. According to local reports, as officers approached the man’s vehicle, he got out with a knife in one hand and the machete in the other. After an unsuccessful attempt to subdue the man with a Taser, he lunged towards cops forcing them to open fire.

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Islam Banned from U.S. in 1952