Eastern Shore Classic Dog Show

Student, Auto Loans Hit New All Time High Of $2.5 Trillion As Consumer Credit Jumps By $19 Billion

The Fed's latest consumer credit report revealed that in September, overall household credit rose by a greater than expected $19.3 billion, above the $18 billion expected, if below last month's near-record $26.8 billion.

There were no major surprises in the components of overall credit, with revolving, credit-card debt rising by $4.2 billion, in line with the increase observed in recent months.

The ongoing increase in revolving debt, means the total amount of credit card debt outstanding has nearly caught up with the $1.02 trillion peak reached during the credit bubble.

More

Fall Bingo This Thursday

MD Congress and Senator Elections Results (Unofficial)

U.S. Senator

Vote for 1 County Break Down

Name	Party	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
Kathy Szeliga	Republican	230,703	415,658	0	646,361	34.6%
Chris Van Hollen	Democratic	606,553	557,138	0	1,163,691	62.2%
Margaret Flowers	Green	20,638	36,483	0	57,121	3.1%
Other Write-Ins		907	1,533	0	2,440	0.1%

 

Representative in Congress

District 1
Vote for 1 County Break Down

Name	Party	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
Andy Harris	Republican	67,288	124,592	0	191,880	66.8%
Joe Werner	Democratic	37,659	45,639	0	83,298	29.0%
Matt Beers	Libertarian	3,322	8,317	0	11,639	4.1%
Other Write-Ins		165	245	0	410	0.1%

Communities struggle with Muslims' arrival

ATLANTA - Masjid Al-Mu'minun, a mosque in south Atlanta, is one of the few that play the call to prayer over external speakers, letting the sound drift through the neighborhood. Ahmed Najee-ullah, a leader in the congregation, said neighbors set their watches by it.

"We are in those parts of the African-American community where a lot of people wouldn't venture and the communities that we're in appreciate us being there," he said. "They have this perception that we represent the best in them."

Najee-ullah is one of many black Americans who converted to Islam during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and '70s. He said mosques are welcomed as beacons of stability in many black neighborhoods.

Things have changed in the decades since Masjid Al-Mu'minun opened in the early '80s. As the U.S. Muslim population grows, communities are seeking to establish Islamic institutions such as mosques, schools and cemeteries in otherwise homogenous suburban and rural areas.

More

Unofficial 2016 Election results for Wicomico County

Wicomico County

Question A View Question Text 
Local Referendum from General Assembly
Chapter 169-2016
Wicomico County Board of Education - Election and Appointment of Members

Question A	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For Retaining the Current System, a Board of Education with Seven Members Appointed by the Governor	2,881	5,085	0	7,966	25.2%
For a Board of Education with Five Members Elected by District and Two Members Elected at Large	5,319	10,736	0	16,055	50.7%
For a Board of Education with Five Members Elected by District and Two Members Appointed by the Wicomico County Council	2,253	5,365	0	7,618	24.1%

Question B View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016) 
County Council Vacancy - Special Election 
Charter Section 205-206

Question B	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	7,322	15,595	0	22,917	76.5%
Against the Charter Amendment	2,597	4,453	0	7,050	23.5%

Question C View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016) 
Submission of Appointments for Confirmation 
Charter Section 315

Question C	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	6,481	13,377	0	19,858	65.9%
Against the Charter Amendment	3,481	6,801	0	10,282	34.1%

Question D View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016) 
County Executive Vacancy - Special Election 
Charter Section 407

Question D	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	7,261	15,325	0	22,586	74.8%
Against the Charter Amendment	2,720	4,871	0	7,591	25.2%

Question E View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Temporary Absence or Disability of the County Executive
Charter Section 410

Question E	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	7,036	14,458	0	21,494	71.4%
Against the Charter Amendment	2,913	5,686	0	8,599	28.6%

Question F View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Temporary Administrative Appointments
Charter Section 414

Question F	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	7,204	15,018	0	22,222	74.3%
Against the Charter Amendment	2,687	5,001	0	7,688	25.7%

Question G View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Reorganization Defined
Charter Section 504

Question G	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	6,734	14,170	0	20,904	72%
Against the Charter Amendment	2,855	5,269	0	8,124	28%

Question H View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Department of Law
Charter Section 507

Question H	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	5,919	12,362	0	18,281	62.3%
Against the Charter Amendment	3,785	7,256	0	11,041	37.7%

Question I View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Personnel System
Charter Section 601

Question I	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	6,317	13,193	0	19,510	66.6%
Against the Charter Amendment	3,393	6,401	0	9,794	33.4%

Question J View Question Text 
Charter Amendment (Resolution 101-2016)
Expense Budget
Charter Section 705

Question J	Early Voting	Election Day	Absentee / Provisional	Total	Percentage
For the Charter Amendment	6,574	13,399	0	19,973	67.2%
Against the Charter Amendment	3,270	6,485	0	9,755	32.8%

Maryland: Unofficial 2016 Presidential Election Results

Last Updated 11/08/2016 09:38:42 PM

Return to Election Result Index

NR: not reported

Return to Election Results Summary for President and Vice President of the United States

Printer Friendly Version

President and Vice President of the United States

Vote for 1

Jurisdiction	Trump/ Pence Republican	Clinton/ Kaine Democratic	Johnson/ Weld Libertarian	Stein/ Baraka Green	Other Write-Ins
Allegany	12,962	4,815	523	229	167
Anne Arundel	46,762	55,994	3,270	1,096	1,944
Baltimore City	8,058	88,396	1,434	1,576	1,042
Baltimore	81,688	125,030	6,040	2,661	3,091
Calvert	22,170	15,434	1,444	394	553
Caroline	8,999	3,747	415	121	156
Carroll	11,464	7,110	618	143	311
Cecil	22,723	10,676	1,278	431	407
Charles	22,435	42,229	1,400	609	755
Dorchester	5,303	3,090	178	56	64
Frederick	29,715	31,442	2,629	881	1,239
Garrett	6,601	1,622	252	65	101
Harford	52,909	31,858	3,166	991	1,281
Howard	35,254	80,120	4,419	1,651	2,619
Kent	4,598	4,178	288	102	128
Montgomery	43,039	190,877	4,935	2,869	4,537
Prince George's	25,443	283,583	3,423	3,671	3,303
Queen Anne's	16,211	7,316	855	251	314
St. Mary's	25,628	14,268	1,905	420	733
Somerset	3,624	2,535	116	40	66
Talbot	4,365	4,450	206	52	146
Washington	17,265	10,569	942	353	421
Wicomico	17,846	14,381	1,023	333	457
Worcester	5,513	3,614	176	67	100
Totals	530,575 (32.1%)	1,037,334 (62.8%)	40,935 (2.5%)	19,062 (1.2%)	23,935 (1.4%)

New Flu Shot Released To Cull Public

Psychologists identify why certain songs get stuck in your head

If you ever find yourself singing along to a pop song for hours on end, you know how difficult it can be to get a catchy tune out of your head.

Now, psychologists believe they have figured out exactly why certain songs tend to stick in our heads more than others. The phenomenon is called involuntary musical imagery (INMI) — more commonly known as “earworms.”

“Earworms are an extremely common phenomenon and an example of spontaneous cognition,” the study’s lead author, Kelly Jakubowski, PhD, of Durham University in the U.K., told CBS News. “Psychologists know that humans spend up to 40 percent of our days engaging in spontaneous cognition and are starting to try to understand why our brains spend so much time thinking thoughts unrelated to our present task and how such thoughts might be useful.”

The research, published in the academic journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Art, found that earworms are usually faster tunes with a fairly generic and easy-to-remember melody. They also tend to have some additional unique characteristics that set them apart from other songs.

More

Emergency Departments a 'Dumping Ground' for Psych Patients

LAS VEGAS – Dwindling mental health resources are turning the nation's emergency departments (EDs) into a "dumping ground" for psychiatric emergencies, including those involving children.

Results of a poll of more than 1700 emergency physicians conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reveals that almost one quarter of ED physicians (21%) reported they have psychiatric patients waiting in the ED for 2 to 5 days for in-patient beds.

In addition, more than half (52%) of respondents reported that the mental health system in their communities had worsened during the past year.

These "extremely troubling" findings reflect the experience of Rebecca Parker, MD, an emergency physician at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, who is the incoming president of the ACEP.

"Psychiatric patients wait in the emergency department for hours and even days for a bed, which delays the psychiatric care they so desperately need. It also leads to delays in care and diminished resources for other emergency patients. The emergency department has become the dumping ground for these vulnerable patients who have been abandoned by every other part of the healthcare system," Dr Parker said in a press release.

More

Print Newspapers Are Dead? Not After Historic Elections

NEW YORK (AP) — Print newspapers may be disappearing like the home telephone, but not after Election Day.

Remembering the frenzy for old-fashioned papers the morning after Barack Obama’s historic win in 2008, newspapers are printing extra copies and setting up temporary retail stands this year, regardless of whether the nation elects the first woman or reality TV star as president. The Los Angeles Times is also selling a commemorative printing-press plate of the front page.

Many people now rely on Facebook and apps for news, but a screenshot doesn’t have quite the same romance as a newspaper’s front page.

“We like to hold on to things that remind us of the experiences we’ve had,” like campaign buttons, theater programs or shells from a visit to the beach, said Naomi Baron, an American University professor who studies the interplay of language and technology.

More

Don't Get Excited Yet But..........

Source

Maryland AG sues Sojourner-Douglass College to account for or repay $400,000

Maryland's Attorney General has sued Sojourner-Douglass College to account for or repay about $400,000 in state grants that the school, which closed last year, allegedly had not used for authorized purposes.

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh's office, which filed suit in Baltimore City Circuit Court, is seeking full documentation of how the college spent three grants awarded to its nursing program, Frosh said in a statement Friday. Each grant required Sojourner-Douglass to report back to the state on actual amounts spent, and to return any unused funds, the office said.

The suit alleges that the college failed to file all the necessary reports for the three grants, which totaled $2,138,460.

For one grant, which extended over five years, Sojourner-Douglass notified the state it wanted to terminate the final year, but it did not give back any unspent funds, according to the suit. Reports for a second grant showed the college did not spent all the funds, but did not return the extra money, the suit says. And for the third grant, the college did not file a report or account for how funds were spent for its final year, according to the Attorney General's complaint.

"Any state grant funds not used for its intended purpose must be returned," Frosh said. "The State of Maryland is rightfully owed the unspent and undocumented funds the college has not used."

More

I'll Bet The Baltimore Sun Regrets Ever Doing These Interviews

DOWNTOWN SHOPPING IN SNOW HILL, MD

On our recent day trip to Snow Hill, MD, we were pleasantly surprised by just how much the town has to offer! In our first article on the town, we provided some fun facts on the town’s history. More recently, we compared Shad Landing and Milburn Landing in the Pocomoke River State Park for the outdoorsmen on The Shore. However, we cannot forget about the shopping enthusiasts out there. In this department, Snow Hill also, does not disappoint! Read below for more information on Shopping in Snow Hill, MD.

Walking through downtown Snow Hill, the streets are lined with art galleries and shops. If you’re a fan of high end, one-of-a-kind pieces of art, there is something for you. If you prefer rustic decor and wall art, then you sure won’t be disappointed. And, if you prefer vintage pieces and antiques, the town has plenty of antique stores to browse. As we walked along, we popped our heads in a few of the stores to say “hi” and learn more. All of the shop owners were so nice and more than happy to share their stories with us:

It’s no secret that the ShoreBread team loves a good cup of coffee so our first stop was to The Daily Brew Coffeehouse. Having only been open for a few months, it was easy to see that the spot had quickly become quite popular. The attendant behind the counter shared that the cafe was initially only going to serve breakfast but grew in popularity so rapidly, that they had to immediately add a lunch menu. The coffeehouse serves up fantastic sandwiches and baked goods. You can check them out here on Facebook.

More

Pat Buchanan: The Country Will Not Be United If Hillary Wins

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan discussed Sunday on New York AM 970 radio’s “The Cats Roundtable” what a Hillary Clinton presidency with a Republican Congress would look like.

According to Buchanan, the country would be divided if Clinton gets elected president.

He told host John Catsimatidis,“If Hillary wins, she’s going to move to the left. But the country will not be united because the Republicans will really go into the stall — the defense.”

More

FACT: Democrats Elected Not To Promote Their Candidates Throughout Wicomico County

Trick Or Treat?

This reminds me of an old Barrie Tilghman move, relocating a polling place at the last minute. As we reported earlier today, many residents received their voter registration cards telling them this was their polling location, it was not. My guess, most of the registered voters in this district are Republicans.

College Park Refunds Hundreds of Erroneous Citations

WJLA has reported that the City of College Park issued 685 erroneous speed camera citations which will now need to be refunded.

Motorists had received citations in September from a speed camera located on Baltimore Avenue (rt 1) in College Park for violating the 25mph speed limit. However the speed camera was in fact located before the 25mph speed limit sign and was actually within the 30mph zone.

College Park initially agreed to refund 5 citations from motorists who had complained about the citations. However two weeks after being contacted by a reporter from WJLA, the city agreed to refund 685 tickets.

More

BREAKING: Serious Accident In Pocomoke

Pocomoke Fire EMS dispatched to the area of Rt. 113 and Rt. 13 for a serious motor vehicle accident. It's been reported a subject was ejected from a vehicle.

Government Workers Now Outnumber Manufacturing Workers by 9,977,000

(CNSNews.com) - The United States lost 9,000 manufacturing jobs in October while gaining 19,000 jobs in government,according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Government employment grew from 22,216,000 in September to 22,235,000 in October, according to BLS, while manufacturing jobs dropped from 12,267,000 to 12,258,000.

The 22,235,000 employed by government in the United States now outnumber the 12,258,000 employed in manufacturing by 9,977,000.

Over the past year—from October 2015 to October 2016—manufacturing employment fell by 53,000, declining from 12,311,000 to 12,258,000. During the same period, government employment climbed 208,000, rising from 22,027,000 to 22,235,000.

More

Justice Department Files Brief to Address Automatic Suspensions of Driver’s Licenses for Failure to Pay Court Debt

The Justice Department filed a statement of interest today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia addressing the constitutionality of state policies that automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of those who fail to pay court fines or fees. The statement of interest was filed in Stinnie et al. v. Holcomb, a class action brought by four individuals whose driver’s licenses were suspended because they could not afford to pay fines, fees and costs assessed by Virginia courts.

The statement of interest advances the United States’ position that suspending a driver’s license is unconstitutional if it is done without providing due process and without assessing whether the individual’s failure to pay was willful or the result of an inability to pay. As the Supreme Court has affirmed, the Constitution prohibits punishing a person because of his or her poverty. The United States’ brief explains that the defendant’s alleged “practice of automatically suspending the driver’s license of any person who fails to pay outstanding court debt—without inquiring into ability to pay—violates that constitutional principle.” Without taking into account an individual’s ability to pay, the practice results in indigent defendants having their driver’s licenses suspended because they cannot afford fines and fees, while defendants who can afford to pay do not. The brief argues that, if the facts as alleged by plaintiffs are true, such practice violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment.

In Stinnie v. Holcomb, the plaintiffs allege that their driver’s licenses were indefinitely suspended because they did not pay court fines and costs that they could not afford. They further allege that 900,000 people in Virginia, or one in six drivers, have had their licenses suspended for failure to pay court debt. The department’s statement of interest in this case rests on a fundamental principle, developed in a long line of Supreme Court cases, “that conditioning access or outcomes in the justice system solely on a person’s ability to pay violates the Fourteenth Amendment.” The brief also explains that a driver’s license is a constitutionally protected interest under clear Supreme Court precedent and that it cannot be suspended under the circumstances permitted in Virginia without adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard first.

Pew Research Center reveals more American's are deemed 'Middle Class'

It's becoming harder to stay in America's middle class and, according to the Pew Research Center, more are falling out of the category.

In 2015, middle-income Americans no longer made up the majority of the people in the nation.

Across all 50 states, the percentage of 'middle-class' households, those making between 67 percent and 200 percent of the state's median income shrunk between 2000 and 2013.

With the election looming, the struggles of middle-class American families and growing income inequality have risen to the top of the national agenda

But what does it take to be in that category?

More

How much does just 1 slot machine make for Md.?

WASHINGTON — Maryland’s five existing casinos generated about $95.5 million in revenue for the state in October, up 0.8 percent from a year ago. But all that casino revenue is apparently generated just a few hundred dollars at a time.

Monthly data from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission showed that at Maryland Live! Casino in Arundel Mills, the casino that generates the most revenue for the state, gross gaming revenue produced by each slot machine averaged $271.60 per day.

Maryland Live! also has about 4,000 slot machines in house, so even a couple of hundred dollars in revenue per machine per day adds up.

There are also more than 200 table games at Maryland Live!, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and a poker room. Banked (played against the dealer) and unbanked (played against other players) table games generated almost $5,000 per day per table in October.

More

Voting Issues: Some Trump Voters Reporting Ballots Switching To Clinton

CLINTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Today is Election Day and for the most part, voting has been smooth.

Many areas are already seeing long lines with some officials saying they wouldn’t be surprised if voter turnout topped 80 percent.

However, there have been some scattered issues where voters are encountering problems.

“Every time I would push a candidate for the Republican party, it would come up for the Democratic candidate,” said voter David Drane.

More

The Difference Between Parties

Goodwin: Obama promised to unite us but after 8 years leaves us more divided than ever

So this is how Hope & Change ends. With the FBI in turmoil, with surging anti-police violence, with fears of voter fraud and foreign hacking, with a sluggish economy, with a terror warning and with two unpopular presidential candidates tearing at each other like wolves.

Heckuva job, Barack Obama!

The 44th president made history by being elected, but leaves behind a nation on the verge of a crack-up. He flatters himself by insisting his tenure has been a roaring success, but the public mood tells a different story.

Obama promised to unite America, but exits amidst far greater divisions. It is telling that he has stopped portraying himself as a uniter and, like Jimmy Carter, blames the public.

Carter saw malaise, Obama sees bitter clingers, racists and xenophobes. While Obama’s lectures convey disappointment in his fellow Americans, it never occurs to him that he is a disappointment to them.

More

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/07/goodwin-obama-promised-to-unite-us-but-afte-8-years-leaves-us-more-divided-than-ever.html

Scratched screws led Eastern Shore police to $107,000 worth of cocaine inside car

Federal agents knew Michael Mattos was supposed to be bringing 1½ kilos of cocaine from New York to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, but they couldn’t find it during a traffic stop earlier this year in Accomack County.

One, Mattos’ buyer was cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Two, a drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in Mattos’ SUV and his girlfriend’s rental van.

And three, state police found a hidden – albeit empty – compartment inside the SUV.

They still couldn’t find the drugs, though.

More