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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Suspect Arrested In Somerset Co. Homicide

(PRINCESS ANNE, MD) — Maryland State Police have arrested and charged a suspect in connection with the murder of a woman in Somerset County early this morning.

The suspect is identified as Jesse L. Copes, 26, of Princess Anne, Md. After consultation with the Somerset County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police Homicide Unit investigators charged Copes with first degree murder, second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree assault, second degree assault, reckless endangerment, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He is currently being held in the Somerset County Detention Center without bond.

The victim is identified as Tawanda L. Blake, 26, of Pocomoke, Md. She was pronounced dead shortly after 2:00 a.m. today at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

Just after 1:30 a.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Princess Anne Barrack received a 911 call for a shooting at the American Legion in the 31000-block of Perryhawkin Road, Princess Anne, Md. Responding troopers found the victim lying in the parking lot. Emergency medical personnel responded and transported her to the hospital.

State Police investigators from the Criminal Enforcement Division at the Princess Anne Barrack and the Homicide Unit responded to conduct the investigation. The preliminary investigation indicated the victim was one of a number of people on the parking lot when several shots were fired by an unknown suspect.

State Police investigators worked through the day today and developed information that led to the identification of Copes as a suspect. Witnesses interviewed indicated Copes was one of a number of people, including the victim, who were the parking lot of the American Legion at about 1:30 a.m. today. Copes reportedly engaged in an altercation with several individuals that included yelling and then led to a scuffle between them. Witnesses indicated Copes pulled out a handgun and began firing.

At this time, the victim is the only person known to have been struck by the gunfire. An autopsy today at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore confirmed her cause of death was a gunshot wound and her manner of death was homicide.

Earlier today, State Police investigators saw Copes leaving his apartment and stopped him as he drove away. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Princess Anne Barrack for questioning. Investigators obtained a search warrant that was served at Copes’ apartment and led to the recovery of evidence. A handgun has not been recovered at this time.

Additional assistance during this investigation was provided by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, and the Princess Anne Police Department.

Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Princess Anne Barrack immediately at 443-260-3700. Callers may remain confidential.

Top 10 Blue States Experiencing Mass Exodus


Of the top-ten Democratic states that Hillary Clinton won by the largest margin, all of them have one thing in common: residents can’t seem to move out fast enough.

It is no shock that Hillary Clinton won the majority of left-leaning states in this past election, especially in the case of California – taking the lead by nearly 1.2 million votes, according to Heavy.com.

What is interesting is the one common denominator of these 10 blue states, which is they are losing more residents than gaining.

It is not heartbreak from the devastating loss in the recent election that is responsible for the great migration; instead, it’s being driven by an economic depression happening in each state.

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Politics and temptation: The Willie Cochran indictment

Another day, another politician indicted in Chicago. This time it's Ald. Willie Cochran, 20th, accused of extorting money in exchange for supporting two real estate projects and a liquor store in his ward. Federal prosecutors say he also dipped into a charity fund to pay for his daughter's college tuition costs and to cover his gambling expenses. The money was supposed to be spent on ward activities, such as a back-to-school picnic, a Valentine's Day party for seniors and holiday season events.

A retired Chicago police sergeant, Cochran was elected in 2007 to represent the South Side ward, which includes parts of Back of the Yards, Washington Park and Englewood. The previous alderman, Arenda "What do I get out of it?" Troutman, pleaded guilty in 2008 to corruption charges for shaking down developers.

Cochran is charged with multiple counts of extortion, bribery and wire fraud. Prosecutors say he misspent tens of thousands of dollars, including $25,000 withdrawn from ATMs near casinos where he was gambling.

Federal prosecutors are never underemployed in Illinois. Last month, former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria was charged with spending campaign money on concert tickets, luxury hotels and private plane rides. He pleaded not guilty on Monday.

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Who said Bowling was EASY

Are Debt-Laden American Consumers About To Get Crushed By Higher Interest Rates?

American consumers love debt, wall street loves securitizing that debt and collecting massive fees for selling it and pension funds, with no viable alternative investments courtesy of accommodative Fed policies, love buying that debt for the extra 25bps of yield it provides. It's a "win, win, win", right?

Well, until it's not. While real median incomes in the U.S. have been stagnant for almost a decade, real household personal consumption has continued its steady rise as American's have simply replaced lost income with new debt. But, with household leverage near all-time highs and interest rates on the rise, we suspect this could all end very badly for the U.S. consumer and those pension funds that were forced to "stretch for yield."

Per a Bloomberg article posted today, the average U.S. household is carrying roughly $133,000 worth of debt, spread between mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, student loans and the newly-popular, crowd-funded, personal loans.

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Fire union contract issue still unresolved

Despite efforts of Ocean City’s legal counsel and representatives of the local firefighter/EMS union to reach an agreement on Wednesday, the impasse over the union’s contract remains unresolved.

Both parties met at the convention center in Ocean City for mediation this Wednesday in attempt to reach a compromise on the City Council’s decision to end the shift schedule of 24 hours on, 72 hours off for paid firefighters. No solution was reached after a day’s worth of discussions, and meetings could carry into the winter.

“According to the town charter, the bargaining period is from December until the end of February, so there is time,” said City Solicitor Guy Ayres. “A date has not been set.”

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Federal Court Might Destroy Cross-Shaped Maryland War Memorial

From Liberty Institute
by Breitbart News15 Dec 2016Washington, DC104
Federal judges are considering arguments about whether to order the destruction of a war memorial because its centerpiece is a large cross.
The case could end up at the Supreme Court, probably after President-elect Donald Trump names a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia.
Bladensburg is a town in Maryland not far from Washington, D.C. In 1925, the mothers of World War I soldiers worked with the American Legion to erect a memorial to the 49 service members from Prince George’s County who served and sacrificed in that conflict. The Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial has stood in the town ever since, with a large cross engraved with words like “courage” and “valor,” which one mother said she regarded as the tombstone of her son, who died in France while serving his nation.
The memorial includes other secular features as well, such as a large bronze plaque explaining the memorial’s meaning and including the names of the men it honors. The area where it is located also features other memorials as well.
Although erected on private land, the plot of ground on which the memorial stands was eventually acquired by the state of Maryland in 1960 because it’s adjacent to a road. Since then, it has stood on public property, though the American Legion continues to care for the memorial and perform private ceremonies there.
The American Humanist Association is a militant atheist organization. It sued the state, arguing that the memorial violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution because a reasonable observer would regard it as an endorsement of Christianity.
The American Legion intervened in the lawsuit to protect the Bladensburg Memorial, represented by First Liberty Institute—the largest law firm in the United States exclusively dedicated to protecting religious liberty—as well as Supreme Court heavyweight Noel Francisco and Chis DiPompeo from Jones Day—one of the world’s top law firms, which First Liberty Institute recruited to represent the American Legion free of charge.
A Clinton-appointed federal district judge in Maryland ruled in favor of First Liberty Institute and Jones Day, holding that this longstanding war memorial does not violate the Constitution’s prohibition on the government’s establishing a religion.
But a three-judge liberal panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit seems poised to reverse. Two Obama-appointed judges—James Wynn and Stephanie Thacker—suggested that the parties should agree to move the memorial to private land, or to destroy the arms of the cross to make it stand as a pillar that no longer resembles a Christian symbol.
“You ought to figure out a way not to put us in this situation,” Wynn admonished the parties.
Only Chief Judge Roger Gregory—a Clinton appointee—expressed any sympathy for the memorial’s defenders, asking of a memorial with religious imagery, “Isn’t it also a place where we remember people who died so that others might live?”
DiPompeo argued that this is precisely the right way for the court to view the memorial, because “a symbol that has religious significance can also take on a secular meaning.” Consequently, the memorial “must remain standing.”
If the Fourth Circuit strikes down the Bladensburg Memorial, the results could be disastrous both for veterans and for religious liberty. The five states within the jurisdiction of the Richmond-based appeals court include Virginia, where thousands of gravestones bear the image of the cross. Other markers of sacrifice and remembrance—within the Fourth Circuit and across the globe, such as the beaches of Normandy—are crosses indistinguishable from the one in Bladensburg.
An adverse ruling from the court of appeals would destroy the Bladensburg memorial, and tee up Arlington National Cemetery for destruction as well, along with other memorials and veterans displays.
“Throughout our nation’s history, the military has used the cross shape to honor military service and sacrifice,” First Liberty Deputy Chief Counsel Hiram Sasser said in a statement accompanying oral argument. “We stand to honor the selfless sacrifice of our fallen heroes and ask the court to uphold the constitutionality of this historic memorial.”
Given that the memorial’s defenders appear likely to lose by a 2-1 split decision, this case is a prime candidate for Supreme Court review.
As recently as 2014, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a watershed decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway, where the majority held that the “endorsement test” argued by the atheists in that case (as well as this one) was wrong when the High Court first adopted it in 1989. The true test of whether the government is establishing a religion is whether it officially adopts an actual religious belief as public policy (such as passing a law saying that bread and wine in communion is the body and blood of Jesus Christ), or whether the government is coercing a person to participate in a religious activity that violates his conscience.
In short, under this “coercion test,” the government violates the Establishment Clause only if it forces someone to engage in something religious. Applying that test here, a quiet roadside war memorial doesn’t coerce anyone to do anything.
The future of religious liberty became uncertain with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February. Now it will turn on whether President Donald Trump selects a true originalist as a successor to the conservative lion.
The American Legion’s Blandensburg case could be the case that sets the future course for this area of religious liberty.
The case is American Human Association v. Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission & The American Legion, No. 15-1297.

REMINDER: Breakfast With Santa Tomorrow

Mark your calendars. Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company is having breakfast with Santa Sunday December 18th. All you can eat breakfast. Pictures with Santa & each child receives a gift. Adults 8$ each Kids 8 to 12 $5 each & Kids under 8 eat free. We hope to see you there!! 

Housing Starts, Permits Crash In November (Despite Soaring Homebuilder Confidence)

Just yesterday homebuilders raged hard about how awesome everything was - sending their optimism index to its highest since the previous peak in 2005. It seems they are all talk and no action as November's data for housing starts and permits collapsed(following the trajectory of mortgage apps).

Housing Starts crashed 18.7% MoM - near the biggest monthly plunge since the crisis peak in 2005.

Driven by a 43.9% collapse in Multi-family Starts MoM: look at the volatility in that time series: is that what a "stable" housing market looks like?

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Snow Hill going green? Dispensary coming next year

Medical marijuana in Maryland is only a year away and it appears that at least one dispensary will be operating in Worcester County.

The state devised a three-tiered system, dividing the new industry into growers, processors and dispensaries. Growers and processors were awarded preliminary approvals in August, and the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission just announced the preliminary approvals for dispensaries this past Friday.

Currently, the state is limiting the number of dispensaries to two per state senate district, with exceptions made for certain growers that also applied for a dispensary license, though no providers availed themselves of this option locally.

State Senate district 38, which is represented by Jim Mathias and contains all of Worcester and Somerset counties, as well as portions of Wicomico will be represented by Positive Energy LLC and OC Botanicals LLC.

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Happy Bill of Rights Day … Are There Any Left?

Today is Bill of Rights Day in America.

Happy Bill of Rights Day!

This post explains the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution – and provides a scorecard on the extent of the loss of each right.

The 1st Amendment protects speech, religion, assembly and the press:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging thefreedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The freedom of the press is under massive attack in America today 

For example, the powers-that-be argue that only highly-paid corporate media shills who will act as stenographers for the fatcats should have the constitutional protections guaranteeing freedom of the press.

A Harvard law school professor argues that the First Amendment is outdated and should be abandoned.

And the government is treating the real investigative reporters like criminals … or even terrorists:

Obama has gone after top reporters. His Department of Justice labeled chief Fox News Washington correspondent James Rosen a “criminal co-conspirator” in a leak case, and for many years threatened to prosecute Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times journalist James Risen

Annual Needy Dinner Sees Record Crowd

OCEAN CITY – Workers and volunteers at The Original Greene Turtle in Ocean City fed nearly 260 community members in need Tuesday evening at its “Feed our Friends” dinner, setting a new record for the annual event.

Through the partnership of the Worcester County Health Department, Diakonia and Shepherd’s Crook Food Pantry, Greene Turtle officials were able to locate and invite individuals for a warm meal from 5-7 p.m., or until every person was served.

Jackie Lensch, health educator with the health department, said her involvement with the function began years ago through her boyfriend, a general manager at the restaurant, and she has since used her work connections to help support the dinner.

“It’s our way to give back to the community,” Lensch said. “It’s a little pick-me-up for them.”

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'UNLAWFUL': China to return seized US Navy drone, Pentagon says

The Pentagon said Saturday that China will return a U.S. Navy drone seized in the international waters of the South China Sea.  
"We have registered our objection to China's unlawful seizure, of a U.S. unmanned-underwater vehicle,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. “Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States." 
Earlier Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump got involved in the controversy with a tweet that accused the Chinese of stealing the drone and ripping “it out of water.”
He tweeted at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Trump, a Republican, called the seizure Thursday “unpresidented,” though he needed to delete and replace the original tweet to correct the spelling of the word.
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act.

China's seizure is being considered by some observers as one of the most significant disputes in years between the world super powers and follows Trump’s post-election victory call with the president of Taiwan.

Marine Corps Ditches Desert Camouflage for Seasonal Uniforms

Marines will wear woodland green year-round, effective immediately, according to a new directive from the commandant of the Marine Corps.

The change was quietly announced Dec. 8 through an all-Marine Corps bulletin, signed by Commandant Gen. Robert Neller.

Previously, Marines would alternate between tan-and-brown desert camouflage in the summer and green woodland camouflage utilities in the winter on dates roughly coinciding with Daylight Savings Time changes. Now all sailors and Marines serving with Marine Corps units will use the woodland pattern throughout the year.

In the summer, Marines will roll the sleeves on their woodland camouflage uniforms the way they now do on their desert cammies; in the winter, sleeves will be rolled down, according to the message.

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Travel Advisories Remain In Effect Through Tomorrow

(PIKESVILLE, MD) — Despite the warming temperatures this afternoon, Maryland State Police are urging motorists to remain cautious as the weather continues to cause hazardous driving conditions around the state and dropping temperatures tomorrow evening could create a scenario similar to this morning.

As of 1:00 p.m. today, preliminary figures indicate Maryland state troopers have responded to 330 crashes across the state in the past 24 hours. None of the storm related crashes have involved a fatality, but more than one dozen involved injuries. Troopers are still dealing with multiple minor crashes throughout the state. Most involve cars sliding off roads and becoming stuck. Troopers are working with MDOT State Highway Administration personnel to remove these vehicles so road clearing operations can continue more effectively.

At about 5:30 a.m. today, 15 vehicles were ultimately involved in a chain reaction crash on the inner loop of I-695 at Rt. 702. Troopers report drivers began losing control due to black ice in the area. Several people were transported to Franklin Square Hospital and Bayview Hospital, although no injuries were reported to be serious.

Just before 8:00 p.m. yesterday, troopers from the La Plata Barrack responded to Rt. 301 at Orlando Park Road in Newburg, for a multi-vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer. Two persons were killed in that crash. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. yesterday, before the storm began, troopers responded to a fatal collision on Rt. 50 at Powellville Road in Wicomico Co. A 70-year-old man was reportedly driving a truck south on Powellville Road and crossed Rt. 50, into the path of a tractor trailer westbound on Rt. 50. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The weather forecast is calling for falling temperatures tomorrow afternoon and evening. Coupled with the predicted drop in temperatures, icy roads could again become a hazard tomorrow night into Monday morning.

Drivers are reminded they can view the latest road conditions on the MDOT State Highway Administration’s website at www.roads.maryland.gov and clicking “CHART.” Travelers may obtain the latest free traffic and weather information by calling 5-1-1 from a landline or a hands-free mobile device or logging onto www.MD511.org.

Woman believed to be frozen to death in car turns out to be CPR mannequin


A quick-acting police officer broke a car window in an attempt to save the life of a woman believed to be frozen to death.

But it turned out that she was actually a CPR mannequin.

About 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, Hudson, New York, police received a call from a "very upset citizen" who said an older woman was alone in a parked car and appeared to be frozen to death.

The woman was in the front passenger's seat with what appeared to be an oxygen mask on.

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Will Achmed Trump Grump? An Exclusive Holiday Interview

CALENDAR APPROVED FOR 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR


Wicomico County Board of Education Approves 
2017-2018 School Year Calendar

The Wicomico County Board of Education has approved a calendar for the 2017-2018 school year. The calendar begins the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017 for most students, and ends the year on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.
After taking public comments for two months to develop a final calendar, the Board approved the 2017-2018 calendar at its Dec. 13 Board meeting. This calendar meets the requirements of the governor’s executive order to begin school after Labor Day and end the school year by June 15. More than 350 people shared input during the calendar process. Respondents favored the post-Labor Day start calendar by a 3-to-1 margin over the pre-Labor Day calendar. 
Other dates in the approved calendar for the 2017-2018 school year:
Sept. 4 (Labor Day): Schools and Central Office closed
Sept. 5: School opens for students in grades 1-6 and 9 (Grade 6 only at Mardela, all grades report at Pittsville). Prekindergarten and Kindergarten students report during the first week as assigned by the school.
Sept. 6: All students grades 1-12 in school
Oct. 20 (Maryland State Education Association Convention): No school for students, professional day for teachers
Nov. 8 (Professional Day): Schools closed for students, open for teachers
Nov. 22-24 (Thanksgiving break): No school (Central Office and school offices closed Nov. 23-24)
Dec. 20-Jan. 1 (winter holiday break): Schools closed for winter holidays (Central Office and school offices closed Dec. 22, 25, 29 and Jan. 1). All schools and offices reopen Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday): Schools and Central Office closed
Jan. 29 (Professional Day): Schools closed for students, open for teachers
Feb. 1: Evening High School Winter Commencement
Feb. 19 (Presidents Day): Schools and Central Office closed
March 29 (Professional Day): Schools closed for students, open for teachers
March 30 and April 2: Central Office and schools closed for spring holiday break. All schools and offices reopen Tuesday, April 3.
May 28 (Memorial Day): Schools and Central Office closed
May 31: Evening High School Spring Commencement
June 8: James M. Bennett High Commencement 7 p.m.
June 9: Commencement ceremonies for Mardela High (10 a.m.), Parkside High (2:30 p.m.), Wicomico High (7 p.m.)
June 8, 11, 12: Two-hour early dismissal days
June 12: Last day of school   

After Only Raising Rates Once During Obama Years, The Fed Is Promising Constant Rate Hikes During The Trump Era

Now that Donald Trump has won the election, the Federal Reserve has decided now would be a great time to start raising interest rates and slowing down the economy.

Over the past several decades, the U.S. economy has always slowed down whenever interest rates have been raised significantly, and on Wednesday the Federal Open Market Committee unanimously voted to raise rates by a quarter point. Stocks immediately started falling, and by the end of the session it was their worst day since October 11th.

The funny thing is that the Federal Reserve could have been raising rates all throughout 2016, but they held off because they didn’t want to hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the election.

And during Barack Obama’s eight years, there has only been one rate increase the entire time up until this point.

But now that Donald Trump is headed for the White House, the Federal Reserve has decided that now would be a wonderful time to raise interest rates. In addition to the rate hike on Wednesday, the Fed also announced that it is anticipating that rates will be raised three more times each year through the end of 2019

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ObamaCare Causing a $10 Billion Premium Hike for Taxpayers


In 2017, nearly $10 billion will need to be paid for to cover double-digit premium hikes for subsidized health insurance. This is all due to President Obama’s healthcare law, “ObamaCare.”

The determination of this grandiose price spike comes from the Center for Health and Economy. Their findings predict the cost of premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act will skyrocket by $9.8 billion next year, rising from $32.8 billion currently to $42.6 billion. On a monthly average, subsidies will increase by 26%. That’s $76 added to the current $291, meaning in 2017 it will be $$367 for a monthly subsidy.

“Under current law, you get a premium increase, you pour more money in,” said economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, founder of the Center for Health and Economy. “The concern is that this will feed more premium increases.”

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University of Wisconsin to Offer Class on ‘The Problem of Whiteness’

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will offer a spring semester class examining “the problem of whiteness” and “what it means to be #woke,” Campus Reformreports.

The course is being offered by the university’s African Cultural Studies department. According to an online description, students will be asked to examine “what it really means to be white,” and consider “how race is experienced by white people” in the United States and abroad.
“Critical Whiteness Studies aims to understand how whiteness is socially constructed and experienced in order to help dismantle white supremacy,” the description reads. “In this class, we will ask what an ethical white identity entails, what it means to be #woke, and consider the journal Race Traitor’s motto, ‘treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity.'”

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Ocean City embraces blue line to honor cops

The side street leading to Ocean City’s Public Safety Building will be getting a splash of color, as the Police Commission has endorsed painting a thin blue line between the double traffic line.

“It shows the community’s support for our Police Department, and sometimes you have to take a stand and show what you believe in,” said Mayor Rick Meehan during Monday’s commission meeting.

The thin blue line movement has taken off in several communities over the course of the past several months. Municipalities such as Ocean City, New Jersey have painted the color down the center of a road to show support for law endorsement in the wake of the shooting of officers in Dallas earlier this year.

Ocean City officials floated the idea of painting Coastal Highway, but that was nixed by the State Highway Administration. Assistant District Engineer Dallas Baker told the department that regulations prohibited painting non-traffic related lines on a state highway.

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Officials: Navy 'Midshipman' Title Will Not Change

Navy officials say they have decided against changing the name "midshipman" because it's a rank, not just a job title.

In January, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus issued a memo to the chief of naval operation seeking an "update of position titles and descriptions to demonstrate through this language that women are included in these positions."

Mabus asked for a review of "the position titles throughout the Navy and ensure that they are gender-integrated....removing 'man' from their titles."

"Midshipman" will not change because it's a rank according to U.S. law, Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Ted Carter said this week. He added that officials only looked at changing the name "very briefly."

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Fuel Tanker Explodes; 2 Die In 55-Car Crash After "Brutal" Northeast Cold Turns I-95 Into Ice Rink

The US northeast, and much of America, woke up to a brutal blast of frigid air sweeping across the United States, which has wreaked havoc on roads in Virginia and Maryland, leaving at least three dead in multi-vehicle wrecks Saturday.

According to CBS, a 55-vehicle crash on a icy stretch of I-95 in Baltimore, which also included a dramatic crash and explosion of a fuel tanker truck, left at least two people dead and motorists stranded for hours about 5 a.m. Saturday, Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Roman Clark said. Eleven people were taken to hospitals.

The frozen roads are the result of an arctic air mass, called Winter Storm Decima, that has chilled large swaths of the northern United States for days will culminate this weekend with dangerous cold in Montana and North Dakota as heavy snow falls in other parts of the country, officials said. People in North Dakota face "life threatening cold" and the risk of frostbite with exposure of 10 minutes or less, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in an advisory. In Montana dangerous wind chills are expected to last through Saturday afternoon and people should guard against hypothermia, the NWS said.

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How the Minimum Wage Hurts Young People

The Conspiracy To Shut Down Truth, Donald Trump, & The American People

There is circumstantial evidence that the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the rest of the presstitute media are part of a conspiracy with the oligarchs, the military/security complex, the Hillary Democrats, and neoconized Republicans to shut down the dissident Internet alternative media and to deny Donald Trump the presidency.

Consider the brand new website PropOrNot and its fake news list of 200 Internet Russian agents. PropOrNot is a website hidden behind multiple screens as would be an offshore tax avoidance scheme. In other words, no known, responsible entity is behind the site, which has libeled 200 other websites, or if it is, it is too ashamed of what it is doing to be associated with it publicly.

Consider the expertise and money required to shield the identity of an organization, whether tax avoidance or website. This is not something that just anyone can do. This type of Klingon cloaking requires real money or the CIA.

As long as it pretends to be a newspaper, the Washington Post is subject to journalistic ethics. But the PropOrNot story by Craig Timberg violated journalistic ethics. Unsupported accusations were leveled against 200 websites, a McCarthyism record.

How did a story, which would have been instantly quashed by editors in my day as a Wall Street Journal editor get past Timberg’s editor?

That is the question.

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Two Dead, 11 Hurt In Icy, 40-Vehicle Crash on I-95

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A crash involving dozens of vehicles and a tractor-trailer shut down Interstate 95 in South Baltimore Saturday morning.

At least two people were killed and 15 were injured in the icy pileup, three of those seriously.

Emergency crews at the scene said at least 55 vehicles and one tanker were involved in the crash near the exit for Washington Boulevard on I-95 south just before 5 a.m.

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How Identity Thieves Use Your Mail to Profit

What Is Mailbox Raiding?

Most people think about identity theft as an issue that only happens when a criminal accesses personal information, and then takes over the checking account or open up a new account under a new name. The reality of this is that identity theft often occurs when a thief gains access to info from paper records or the telephone. It is through these methods that criminals can access your name, Social Security number or address, and then open up a new account or take over an existing one.

When a high-level criminal hacker is cracking databases and stealing millions of records each year, there is someone else who is on the streets using a low-tech version of stealing identities. These thieves live near you, they are in your neighborhood, and they steal your mail in hopes that they can obtain information that can be used to steal your identity.

What Can They Get ​From My Mail?

Statement from Governor Larry Hogan on Dangerous Road Conditions, Traffic Fatalities

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Larry Hogan today released the following statement following multiple traffic fatalities due to dangerous weather conditions:

“I strongly urge all Marylanders to use common sense and put their safety first by heeding all travel warnings from state and local authorities. Road conditions in many areas of the state are still extremely dangerous, and all those who can avoid travel should stay off the roads until conditions have improved.

“The First Lady and I send our deepest condolences and prayers to the families and loved ones of the individuals who lost their lives early this morning as a result of fatal accidents. Our state’s entire emergency management, transportation, and law enforcement resources are fully engaged in managing this situation and are working closely with local jurisdictions to provide needed support. I offer my sincerest gratitude to the state and local first responders who are working diligently at the scene of these incidents and who will continue to do so until the roadways are clear.”

Nurse Practitioners to Treat Vets Without Doctor Supervision

The Veterans Affairs Department beginning next month will allow certain nurse practitioners to treat veterans without the supervision of doctors across the agency for the first time.

The move is designed in part to shorten wait times for patients who are seeking treatment in underserved areas with physician shortages, according to a rule published Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The regulatory change permits three types of nurse practitioners -- certified nurse practitioner (CNP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and certified nurse-midwife (CNM) -- "to practice to the full extent of their education, training and certification, without the clinical supervision or mandatory collaboration of physicians," it states.

While 21 states and the District of Columbia already grant nurse practitioners so-called "full practice authority," the rule marks the first time the VA established a nationwide framework for such specialists to provide direct care to vets throughout its system.

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Carlini facing charges in Worcester for felony theft

West Ocean City resident Joseph Carlini, 38, who pleaded guilty this February in Worcester County Court to operating as an unlicensed contractor, is facing new charges as the result of an investigation by the Maryland State Police.

This week, the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed it is prepared to charge Carlini with two counts of felony theft. Each charge carries maximum prison sentence of 10 years and/or a $10,000 fine.

On Feb. 23, Carlini, who was facing two counts of acting as an unlicensed contractor, pleaded guilty to one charge and had the other placed on the stet docket, which holds the charge for potential future prosecution.

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Voters oppose Clinton pardon by 3-1 margin

More than two-thirds of registered voters do not want President Obamato pardon Hillary Clinton before he leaves office next month, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday evening.

The poll said 68 percent of respondents who were asked from Dec. 11-13 say the Democratic president should not forgive his former secretary of state for potential crimes she may have committed in connection with the Clinton Foundation or by using a private email server in her residence. Less than one-quarter of voters, 23 percent, want Obama to help the unsuccessful 2016 Democratic nominee before President-elect Trump takes office.

Even Clinton supporters overwhelmingly do not want Obama to let Clinton off for alleged wrongdoings. Nearly half of her backers said he should not give her a way out, possibly because she is viewed as innocent. Forty percent said he should help her. Meanwhile, 87 percent of Trump supporters said he should not pardon her.

Trump promised during the general election to appoint a special prosecutor to look into an alleged pay-to-play scheme between Clinton's state department and the Clinton Foundation, among other actions. Following his victory on Nov. 8, Trump has said he is focused on other issues at hand, including creating jobs, reforming U.S. immigrationpolicy and repealing Obamacare.

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FL Court Rules Police Can Compel Suspect to Unlock Cell Phone

A Florida court has ruled that a man suspected of voyeurism using his iPhone must turn over his 4-digit passcode to police.

Even with a warrant, they couldn't access the phone without the combination. A trial judge denied the state's motion to force the man to give up the code, considering it equal to compelling him to testify against himself, which would violate the Fifth Amendment. But the Florida Court of Appeals' Second District reversed that decision today, deciding that the passcode is not related to criminal photos or videos that may or may not exist on his iPhone.

That's clever. Because the passcode is itself not "evidence" against the suspect, he isn't really being compelled to incriminate himself. But the passcode is not a physical object; rather, it's knowledge located in the suspect's mind. The Florida court just ruled the police can have control over the things in your mind. A scary precedent.

Previously, courts have ruled that suspects must "give up" their fingerprints to unlock a phone, but not the combination or code. The difference between the two lies in a distinction between physical evidence (like a fingerprint) andknowledge (like a phone code or password). "This interpretation sources back to the Supreme Court's 1988 Doe v. U.S. decision, in which it ruled that a person may be compelled to give up a key to a strongbox, say, but not a combination to a wall safe," explains Endgaget.

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Are You Living In a Death Spiral?

Being on the hook is not going to be pretty when interest rates are raised back up, and debts come due. At a personal level, it will mean more stress and juggling to make ends meet. For the larger economy, it will mean cities and states unable to meet obligations or balance their budgets – ending in bankruptcy, and bailouts. Meanwhile, millions of people are relying on that money to keep coming in order to survive. Something is going to go very wrong.

Relying upon government to function and send you money is not a secure plan.

The mathematics are terrifying and dismal, and so is being caught up in these collapsing states.

In the next phase of the financial crisis, the debt supercycle will become the most defining feature of the big hurt that will fall on nearly everyone.

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The Transgender Movement Is Preying on the Autistic

Some recent studies suggest a connection between autism and gender dysphoria. But an autistic Catholic writer warned against rushing to conclusions, suggesting the transgender movement is targeting children with disabilities as a way to expand its ranks.

"To help and protect individuals on the spectrum, there needs to be greater awareness of transgenderism's lies and why those on the spectrum could be susceptible to its manipulation," wrote Crisis Magazine's Elise Ehrhard, a Roman Catholic writer who herself has been diagnosed with autism. "Encouraging sex-change or an alternate gender identity is destructive to individuals with autism or Asperger's ... only furthering their private pain."

Ehrhard told the painful story of Dr. Kathleen Levinstein, a professor of social work at the University of Michigan, whose daughter became convinced she was really a man trapped in a woman's body. Transgender activists with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) pressured her to take sex-altering hormones and cut off her breasts. Only after it was too late did Levinstein realize the irreversible mutilation of her daughter's body. The hormones also did not bring peace, but rather further psychological confusion.

"She has been taken advantage of. Healthy organs were amputated," Levinstein wrote of her daughter. "It is a crime not just against women, but particularly against disabled women. So many of these young women who are 'transitioning' are also autistic."

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College becoming less affordable for Maryland students

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — During this past election cycle, presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton both highlighted increasing college debt as one of the most important issues in the country.

Since the 2008 economic recession, student loan debt is the only form of consumer debt that has continued to increase, surpassing auto and credit card loans, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Fifty-eight percent of Maryland undergraduates from public and private nonprofit four-year institutions who graduated in 2014 had debt, and the average total was $27,457, according to the Project on Student Debt.

Many of the reasons loans have increased is because the price to attend college, even at state schools that subsidize costs for some students, has also increased, including in Maryland.

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Suspect Sought In Somerset Co. Homicide

(PRINCESS ANNE, MD) — Maryland State Police are searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of a woman in Somerset County early this morning.

The victim is identified as Tawanda L. Blake, 26, of Pocomoke, Md. She was pronounced dead shortly after 2:00 a.m. today at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

The preliminary information indicates one or more suspects, described at this time only as African American males, were involved. Investigators are working to obtain additional information.

Just after 1:30 a.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Princess Anne Barrack received a 911 call for a shooting at the American Legion in the 31000-block of Perryhawkin Road, Princess Anne, Md. Responding troopers found the victim lying in the parking lot. Emergency medical personnel responded and transported her to the hospital.

State Police investigators from the Criminal Enforcement Division at the Princess Anne Barrack and the Homicide Unit responded to conduct the investigation. The preliminary investigation indicates the victim was one of a number of people on the parking lot when several shots were fired by an unknown suspect. The victim was apparently the only one struck by the gunfire. Investigators do not know at this time if the victim was the intended target of the suspect.

State Police investigators worked throughout the night and are actively continuing their investigation today. Additional assistance is being provided by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, and the Princess Anne Police Department.

Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Princess Anne Barrack immediately at 443-260-3700. Callers may remain confidential.

Why The Bill Of Rights Is Failing

225 years ago today, the first ten amendments were added to the new Constitution of 1787. Those amendments have come to be known as the Bill of Rights, and taken as a whole, these amendments represent what can only be described as one of the few parts of the Constitution worth applauding today.

While most of the Constitution is concerned with centralizing government power, raising tax revenue, protecting the institution of chattel slavery, and hammering the independent states into a consolidated political union, the Bill of Rights, on the other hand, was concerned with limiting government power:

Bizarrely revered by many as a "pro-freedom" document, the document now generally called "the Constitution" was originally devoted almost entirely toward creating a new, bigger, more coercive, more expensive version of the United States. The United States, of course, had already existed since 1777 under a functioning constitution that had allowed the United States to enter into numerous international alliances and win a war against the most powerful empire on earth.

That wasn't good enough for the oligarchs of the day, the crony capitalists with names like Washington, Madison, and, Hamilton. Hamilton and friends had long plotted for a more powerful United States government to allow the mega-rich of the time, like George Washington and James Madison, to more easily develop their lands and investments with the help of government infrastructure. Hamilton wanted to create a clone of the British empire to allow him to indulge his grandiose dreams of financial imperialism.

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Berlin vandals will face violations

Defense Attorney Steven Cox successfully argued in district court last Friday that phone difficulties necessitated a continuance in the probation violation hearing for his client, Jordan Denton.

Denton, who was convicted last June for her role in a January 2015 vandalism spree in Berlin, is scheduled to appear again in court in January, alongside co-defendant in that case, Nicholas Bonser. He also faces a probation violation charge.

This is the second time the pair will return to court on possible probation violations since their conviction in June 2015.

According to court documents, Denton failed to submit to drug and alcohol screenings and pay the associated costs. This condition of her probation was added back in June 2016, when a new deal was struck between the state and Denton, after a previous probationary hearing.

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Obama "Housing Recovery" Crushes "Blacks, Young Adults" As Homeownership Rates Crash

The Obama administration has a tendency to conflate the strong performance of Fed-induced "assets bubbles" with "strong economic growth." Unfortunately, as is often the case these days, the "hard data" paints a slightly different picture than the "narrative" being pushed by Obama and his staff.

Per a new report from the Pew Research Center, and as our readers are undoubtedly aware, home prices have indeed recovered to pre-recession levels with a little help from Janet Yellen and crew.

That said, the Obama narrative breaks down from there as further research readily reveals that home prices have recovered despite a massive drop in overall homeownership rates.

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Black leaders bash Obama for saying U.S. is racist

'Get over the idea of slavery and move forward'

America’s first black president believes the United States still has not overcome the troubling racial issues of its past. Appearing on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” Monday night, Barack Obama claimed that “we have, by no means, overcome the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow and colonialism and racism.”

Two African-American leaders think that’s nonsense.

“Let me offer an extremely brief refresher course on actual, not virtual, racist policies,” said Ben Kinchlow, an exclusive WND columnist and the longtime co-host of CBN’s “The 700 Club.” “Give me an example of the existence of one of the following today: racial segregation of the blind, segregated schools and textbooks, segregated lunch counters, and even segregated cemeteries.”

As a young black man in the 1950s and 1960s, Kinchlow encountered all those racist policies. He was also required to step off sidewalks to let white women pass by, take off his hat when talking to a white man, and say “yes, sir” and “no, sir” when talking to young white boys.

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I Just Couldn't Resist


Donald Trump’s Unhappy Fate is to Oversee a Financial Crisis Far Worse Than the Last

[Ed. Note: Jim Rickards latest New York Times best seller, The Road to Ruin: The Global Elites’ Secret Plan for the Next Financial Crisis (claim your free copy here) goes beyond the election and prepares you for the next crisis]

An earthquake doesn’t care if you’re progressive or populist. It destroys your house all the same. Likewise a financial crisis is indifferent to a politician’s policy mix.

Systemic crises proceed according to their own dynamic based on the array of agents in a system, and systemic scale.

The tempo of recent crises in 1994, 1998, and 2008 says a crisis is likely soon. A new global financial panic will be one legacy of the Trump administration. It won’t be Trump’s fault, merely his misfortune.

The equilibrium and value-at-risk models used by banks will not foresee the new panic. Those models are junk science relying as they do on notions of efficient markets, normally distributed risk, continuous liquidity, and a future that resembles the past. None of those hypotheses match reality.

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