Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Park Quest Registration Opens for Maryland Families Seeking Outdoor Adventure

Popular State Parks Challenge Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today is opening registration for Park Quest, the popular family-based outdoor adventure program.

Park Quest allows families to engage in outdoor activities and adventures at Maryland’s beautiful state parks and public lands throughout the summer.

“We are marking the 10th anniversary of Park Quest, and we’re featuring our best quests for this year’s celebration,” Maryland Park Service Superintendent Nita Settina said. “These outdoor adventures engage families in pursuits that teach young and old alike about Maryland’s history, wildlife, and available recreational activities such as fishing, hiking and paddling.”

Running from May 26 through Sept. 4, Park Quest challenges families to complete outdoor excursions at 18 specific sites throughout Maryland’s extensive public lands. Teams will explore caves as a miner at Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area, paddle the 90-acre lake at Seneca Creek State Park, solve nature puzzles at Rocky Gap State Park and much, much more.

Many teams may take advantage of campsite and cabin reservations and spend a night or two under the stars as they explore our network of state parks.

Registration for Park Quest 2017 will be done on a first-come, first-served basis via the online store, and will remain open until 1,000 team slots are filled.

Cost to participate is $10 per team at registration. Teams who completed 10 or more quests last year are automatically enrolled in this year’s program. Teams must consist of at least one member 16 years of age or younger and at least one adult, with a maximum of 10 participants per team.

Howard County Police Press Release on Capture of Escaped Prisoner

A Howard County police tactical team captured escaped prisoner David Watson around 9:40 p.m. in a wooded area off of Dorsey Run Road in Jessup. Tactical officers were rechecking terrain, including a small drainage pipe, approximately 18 inches in size, a few hundred yards from this morning's sighting. Although the pipe had been confirmed empty earlier in the day, officers with night vision equipment rechecked the area after dark. They found Watson laying inside, attempting to hide. He surrendered and was taken into custody in good condition. He is currently in the custody of Howard County police and has been taken to Howard County central booking. Police will hold a press briefing at 9:30 a.m. at HCPD Headquarters in Ellicott City, with additional information after details have been confirmed with investigators.

US Airlines collected $4.2B in Baggage Fees Last Year

Airline passengers paid about $1 million more a day in baggage fees last year, according to figures released by the Department of Transportation Tuesday.

Baggage fees collected across the 25 largest U.S. airlines in 2016 totaled $4.2 billion, up 10% from 2015.

Not all fees climbed last year -- fees collected for changing a reservation actually fell by 4% to $2.9 billion.

More

JUST IN: Md. Escaped Prisoner Is Now In Custody

WASHINGTON — Howard County police say the prisoner who escaped guards’ custody last week has been taken into custody Wednesday night.

Police announced David Watson’s capture on Twitter shortly after 10 p.m.

Earlier Wednesday, Watson may have been spotted in Jessup, Maryland, leading officials to ramp up their search in that area.

Around 9:30 a.m., a man was spotted near the railroad tracks behind a building in the 8200 block of Dorsey Run Road in Jessup. A caller reported the man was wearing a white hard hat and a safety vest, and ran when he was spotted.

When officers responded to the area, they learned that a hard hat and safety vest had been stolen from a nearby storage building.

More

Video shows Topeka officer’s valiant rescue of 4-year-old who fell into pond

The quick action of a police officer may have saved a 4-year-old Topeka boy with autism from drowning after the child fell into a pond.

Video released Tuesday shows the valiant effort it took for Topeka Police Officer Aaron Bulmer to rescue the boy from a pond at Central Park Community Center.

Bulmer came upon the child Sunday while responding to a separate call.

More/Video

Auto Sales fall 4.7% - 7 Year win Streak may come to end

U.S. auto sales fell 4.7 percent last month, the most pronounced slowdown of the year and a strong indication that 2017 will put an end to seven straight years of growth.

Auto executives and analysts, who have been anticipating a slowdown, saw no cause for panic. Many expect sales in the important economic sector to top 17 million for the third straight year, an industry first.

"The demand for the light vehicles is still holding up quite well," said George Mokrzan, director of economics for Huntington Bank in Columbus, Ohio. "It's been coming down from a very high level."

Still, sales have dropped for four straight months, the first time that's happened since the economy ground to a halt in 2009. April sales totaled just over 1.4 million, a figure that translates to an annual sales rate of 16.9 million, far below last year's record of 17.5 million. The April decline brought year-to-date sales down by 2.4 percent from a year ago.

More

Canadian Crowd At NHL Playoff Game Sings Star Spangled Banner After Singer’s Mic Malfunctions

An incredible moment
When the mic doesn’t work, the crowd takes over & belts out The Star-Spangled Banner...
...In Edmonton
🇺🇸🇨🇦 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/pWvrlknbV6
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2017

One of the sports world’s great traditions is the singing of the national anthem before two teams face off against each other, reminding us that we are all, in fact, united, even though we root for different teams from different cities.

In the case of the NHL — and other American sports leagues with Canada-based teams — both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems are played at games to represent both countries. On Sunday night in Edmonton, Canada, when the home Oilers played the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs, that was the case as well.

Anthem singer and Canadian country music star Brett Kissel took to the ice to sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ first, but realized his mic wasn’t working properly.

More

Breaking News: The health care bill is headed to a House vote on Thursday. "We have enough votes," the majority leader said.

House Republican leaders planned to hold a high-stakes vote Thursday on their bill to repeal and replace large portions of the Affordable Care Act after adding $8 billion to the measure to help cover insurance costs for people with pre-existing conditions.

The amendment, drafted by Representative Fred Upton of Michigan, secured the support of Mr. Upton and of Representative Billy Long of Missouri, two key Republican lawmakers who had come out against the health care legislation earlier this week, warning that it did not do enough to protect the sick.

Judicial Watch claims more evidence of classified info in Clinton emails

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch released almost 900 new emails from a Huma Abedin email account on Tuesday, which the group said offer more proof that Hillary Clinton sent and received classified information through her unsecured home server when she was secretary of state. Abedin was a long-time top aide to Clinton.

Judicial Watch obtained the emails with a Freedom of Information Act request that also required a follow-up lawsuit in 2015 after the State Department failed to produce any records.

"These new emails show Hillary Clinton is a serial violator of various laws concerning the handling of classified material," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a press release. "This new information should spur new federal criminal investigations."

As one example of their claim, Judicial Watch pointed to a 2009 email from then-Secretary of State for African affairs Johnnie Carson in which the final, released version contained paragraphs redacted because of "Foreign Government information."

Another email contained redactions due to "information specifically authorized by an executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy."

Other released emails show Clinton emailing her daily schedule to top officials at theClinton Foundation

More

Fidget Spinner: What Is The Popular New ‘Toy’?

CBS Local– Admit it, you thought new “toys” would largely be based on emerging technology, such as the now-mainstream virtual reality. But there’s a new gadget on the block that’s all too simple, and to call it a toy would be to belie its educational benefits. Introducing, the fidget spinner

The fidget spinner is made of plastic, a three-pronged device, that, as you may have gathered from its name, spins. It’s meant to help kids (and adults) who fidget. It gives them something to do with their hands. Instead of clicking pens at annoying decibel levels, they can quietly occupy their fingers and keep their minds focused on the task at hand.

More

Why Did Hillary Clinton Lose To Trump? Here's Who She Blames

Hillary Clinton continues to try to spin her loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Speaking at a Women for Women International event on Tuesday, Clinton claimed to take “personal responsibility” for losing to Trump, and then immediately proceeded to lay that responsibility at the feet of James Comey and “Russian WikiLeaks.”

“I take absolute personal responsibility. I was the candidatel I was the person who was on the ballot and I am very aware of the challenges, the problems, the shortfalls that we had. Again I will write all this out for you,” Clinton said, referencing her forthcoming book about the campaign. “But I will say this: I’ve been in a lot of campaigns and I’m very proud of the campaign we ran and I’m very proud of the staff and the volunteers and the people who were out there day after day.

And it wasn’t a perfect campaign. There is no such thing. But I was on the way to winning until the combination of Jim Comey’s letter on October 28 and Russia WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off,” she continued. “We overcame a lot in the campaign, we overcame a barrage of negativity, of false equivalency, but as Nate Silver…has concluded, if the election had been on October 27 I would be your president. But it wasn’t.”

More

Breaking News: President Trump plans to sign an order easing limits on political action by tax-exempt churches, a move long sought by some faith leaders

President Trump plans to mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday by issuing an executive order that makes it easier for churches and other religious groups to actively participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, several administration officials said.

Taking action as he hosts conservative religious leaders Thursday morning, Mr. Trump’s executive order would attempt to overcome a provision in the federal tax code that prohibits religious organizations like churches from directly opposing or supporting political candidates.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore is seeing some of the worst violence in the city’s history and this year and has now reached the second-highest murder rate ever through April.

The mayor has pleaded for federal help, and on Tuesday, the ATF unveiled a new mobile lab to trace guns.

When someone fires a gun, the casings provide unique markings, much like fingerprints. Now, police will be able to quickly trace those casings to other murders, and build stronger cases.

More

Former Dem Congressman: Dems Leaving Party Over Extreme Abortion Views

Party's radicalization speeding up its demise

Top Democrats recently told their party to get in line with their radical abortion agenda or step aside.

As a way to bury the controversy over the Democrat National Committee campaigning with a Democratic mayoral candidate, Heath Mello, who once voted for pro-life legislation, DNC Chair Tom Perez and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) insisted that it was a mistake and that Roe v. Wade is non-negotiable.

For many Democrats, that was the last straw.

They are now leaving the party in droves, according to former Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). He told the Media Research Center on Monday that he’s been having conversations with some angry constituents.

Read more

Why has the left gotten so violent?

Tea Party protests from the right were largely peaceful a few years ago. But unrest from the left, from Berkeley to May Day protests in Oregon, has been marked violence. Tucker takes on immigrant activist Jose Antonio Varga

Democrats confident they can block Trump’s agenda after spending-bill win

Democrats think they have set the stage to block President Trump’s legislative priorities for years to come by winning major concessions in a spending bill to keep the government open.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) secured nearly $5 billion in new domestic spending by exploiting disagreements between Trump and GOP lawmakers over spending priorities.

Democrats’ lopsided victory on the five-month deal, which is likely to be approved this week, means it will be very difficult — if not impossible — for the GOP to exert its will in future budget negotiations, including when it comes to Trump’s 2018 budget blueprint.

That’s because Republicans are hopelessly divided over how much to spend on government programs, with a small but vocal minority unwilling to support such measures at all. That has forced Republicans to work with Democrats to avoid politically damaging government shutdowns.

And that means Democrats are in the driver’s seat when it comes to budget battles, even with Trump in the White House.

More

MS-13 street gang grips Long Island suburbs in violence

Late at night, when helicopters thrum overhead and spotlights beam down onto lawns, many people here know exactly what's going on.

"You just think, 'Oh, God, whose child is it now?'" said Stephanie Spezia, a longtime resident of this suburb in the heart of Long Island that's caught in the grip of a violent street gang with Central American ties, MS-13.

MS-13 has been blamed for a trail of 11 corpses of mostly young people discovered in woods and vacant lots in Brentwood and neighboring Central Islip since the start of the school year.

The bloodshed in the blue-collar towns has gotten the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it's the result of lax immigration policies that let too many criminal "scum" slip through.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday gave a speech about the violence to law enforcement officials near a park where the bodies of four young men were found this month bearing MS-13's hallmarks: repeated slashes from a blade that left them nearly unrecognizable.

More

Frederick ER reopens after suspicious package investigation

WASHINGTON — Police are investigating a suspicious package that supposedly burned two adults in Frederick and forced an emergency room to stop admitting patients.

Around noon on Tuesday, two men arrived at Frederick Memorial Hospital complaining of burns and respiratory problems after they opened a package that came in the mail at a home on Military Road in Frederick, according to police.

The men brought the package with them to the hospital emergency room, prompting the emergency department to close down to new patients and reroute ambulances to other hospitals, said Lt. Clark Pennington, commander of the investigations division for the Frederick Police Department.

More

Cheap foreign labor to flood workforce after spending bill doubles number of visas

Congress tucked a sweetheart deal for America's vacation resorts and other seasonal employers into the massive spending bill announced Monday, paving the way for the administration to more than double the number of temporary visas to foreign workers this year and “flooding the labor force” with cheap competition for jobs.

Lawmakers also agreed to make the first down payment on President Trump’s deportation force but stymied most of the rest of his immigration plans in the 2017 spending bill, including denying him any money to begin building his signature border wall.

Those moves had been telegraphed before, but the boost in H-2B visas was a surprise to analysts and drew immediate condemnation from Trump backers, who said Congress was undermining the president’s vow to protect American workers from foreign competitors.

More here

Limbaugh Presses Pence: Sick of This 'We'll Get 'Em Next Time'

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh drilled down on Vice President Mike Pence over budget bill concessions to Democrats on funding for a border wall, sanctuary cities, and Planned Parenthood.

When Pence called into Limbaugh's daily show Tuesday to defend the $1 trillion budget deal, Limbaugh scolded the vice president, saying: "You guys were sent there to drain the swamp."

But when Pence told Limbaugh to wait until next fall to see more of "President Trump's leadership priorities," Limbaugh pounced.

"Mr. Vice President, we have been told this for 15 years: 'We'll get 'em next time,'" Limbaugh said. "After every continuing resolution, we bite the dust. 'We'll get 'em next time;' we'll kick the can down the road; we'll get 'em next time."

More here

Somerset County Sheriff's Office Press Release 5-3-17

Yesterday evening, May 2nd, in the Marion area of Somerset Co., a Somerset Co. Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on Tulls Corner Road when the vehicle sped away, failed to stop and attempted to flee. The vehicle pulled into a driveway and stopped. While the Deputy was detaining the driver the passenger exited the vehicle and fled. When backup arrived on location, a backpack was located where the passenger was seen fleeing. Located in the backpack was a 9mm handgun, almost 24g of suspected "crack" cocaine and 16g of marihuana (both packaged for distribution). The driver of the vehicle was arrested on various traffic offenses to include DUI/DWI. The vehicle was towed to the Somerset Co. Sheriff's Office where an inventory led to the discovery of another small bag of suspected "crack" cocaine, numerous plastic baggies used for distribution and $1621 in cash. Investigation is ongoing.

What's Happening 5-3-17

What's happening in the area? The good the bad and the ugly. Let everyone know!

Boeing Reps Meet With Iranian Terror Leader Who Threatened to ‘Destroy’ U.S. Forces

Leaders from Boeing reportedly traveled to Tehran recently to meet and sign a deal with a top former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) member who threatened to blow up U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region, raising new questions about the U.S. aerospace company's continued efforts to ink multi-billion dollar deals with the Iranian regime.

Representatives from Boeing traveled to Iran last month to meet with Hossein Alaei, CEO of Aseman Airlines, which is owned and controlled by the state. Boeing is moving forward with a $3 billion dollar deal to sell new planes to Aseman despite fierce opposition on Capitol Hill and direct evidence Iran has used commercial aircraft to ferry weapons and fighters across the region.

A photograph from the meeting shows a Boeing representative shaking hands with Alaei, who has been identified by Congress as a "prominent and longtime member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," which is responsible for killing and wounding scores of U.S. troops.

More

Graham: ‘Democrats Cleaned Our Clock’ on Spending Bill

Tuesday on CNN’s “At This Hour,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he believed the congressional Democrats “cleaned our clock” in the proposed $1 trillion-plus government spending bill.

Graham said, “I don’t know if I’m going to vote for the bill they’re going to present to the Senate here soon.”

He continued, “I think the Democrats cleaned our clock. I think there are things in this bill that I just don’t understand. This is not winning from the Republican point of view. The bottom line is I don’t want to shut the government down, but I don’t want to continue to fund Obamacare, either and that is what we do here.”

More

NSA Plans To Cut Back On The Number Of Private Citizen Emails It Reads

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The National Security Agency is promising to cut back on the number of private emails it’s been reading and collecting.

Alex DeMetrick reports, it’s ending a controversial surveillance technique that’s focused on U.S. citizens.

For nearly 10 years, the NSA has been prying into the private emails of citizens. Congress OK’d it when it amended how foreign intelligence can be collected.

“It authorized NSA to look into strictly personal e-mails between U.S. citizens,” says Dr. Michael Greenberger, of the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. “They got the right simply because a foreign operative of foreign operation was mentioned.”

That practice came to light when former NSA contractor Edward Snowden publicly revealed it.

More

Missouri Official: Clarence Thomas Is ‘A Black Political Zombie’ Who Shouldn’t Be Asked to Speak

St. Louis’ Bar Association has invited Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas to give the keynote speech at its annual Law Day Celebration—an invitation that piqued a member of the Missouri Board of Education.

Mike Jones, who is also a columnist for the St. Louis American, described Clarence Thomas as “a black political zombie” and “a breathing example of what the evil of American racism looks like when it metastasizes in a black body.”

Jones says that Thomas is one of two Supreme Court Justices “uniquely worthy of the contempt of black Americans”—the other one being Chief Justice Roger Taney, who led the notorious 1857 Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery.

Much of Jones’ attack on Thomas is ad hominem. To the extent he does explain his ire, Jones is furious that the Justice would hold different political opinions than he does.

More here

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, (local video)

Dear Friends,

May also marks two years since my son, Alex, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. We have learned so much and encountered many blessings during this journey. While Alex’s recovery has been ongoing, we are grateful for the fact that he still remains tumor-free and thriving. Watch the video of our story.

We incorporated the Raymond A. Wood Foundation (RAWF) as a 501(c)(3) at the end of last year after we met the chief of pediatric endocrinology at CHOP at Alex's routine endocrine appointment. He wanted to know all about the iSTAT handheld blood analyzer — the device we use to monitor Alex’s blood sodium levels. Typically this device is used in hospital ERs and he was not aware of people using it at home. He asked us if it was okay to let other endocrine doctors know about this possibility. In turn, I ended up talking with pediatric endocrine doctors all over the nation and families who wanted to know more about how we use the iSTAT.

Long story short, this moved us to action. We felt like it was time to find a way to pay it forward. With the iSTAT there are roadblocks to getting this device — accessibility and cost. By setting up a foundation, we have way to work with distributors of the iSTAT to directly purchase the device since the iSTAT is not sold for home use. Secondly, with supporters like you, we are able to raise funds to provide devices or match grants to get these devices to patients that need them.

Alex has not been hospitalized in the last year since we had the iSTAT which has been extremely important in his recovery from the trauma of his initial treatment. We are better able to manage his sodium levels and found the optimal sodium level for his overall well-being.

Many families in our situation start foundations — this is not a new concept. In the brain tumor world, most foundations that are dedicated to much needed research which we absolutely support. But there are challenges in the ongoing care for patients after treatment. The iSTAT is just one part of the bigger picture of helping these warriors "survive survival."

How can you help? We have lots of opportunities in May during Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Buy a shirt, make a donation or choose RAWF when shopping on Amazon Smile. Our goal is to get the first iSTAT out to a patient in September 2017 for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We are well on our way.

Thank you and God bless!

Amy Wood, Director

DRAMA: White House reporters spar with indie journalist in briefing room

White House reporters excused their actions, deflected, or were totally silent on Monday when independent journalist Mike Cernovich challenged their lack of coverage of the domestic terrorism group “Antifa.”

Cell phone video taken from inside the briefing room shows Cernovich standing to the side and addressing the reporters.

“Why will nobody here cover the violence against Trump supporters and why won’t you demand that leaders in the Democrats disavow the violence from Antifa the way you demanderump disavow violence from his supporters,” Cernovich said, referring to the blad-clad agitators who have been wreaking havoc in Berkeley, California, Portland, Oregon and elsewhere around the country.

Groans could be heard.

“This is being completely covered up,” he continued, “You have no answer.”

“Are you a reporter, sir?” April Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks, interrupted.

“I am, madam,” Cernovich responded.

“No way, with who?” Ryan quizzed..

More here/video

Troopers Investigate Shooting East of Seaford

Antonio Britt

Seaford - Delaware State Police are currently investigating an incident in which a 21-year-old Seaford man was shot outside a local dairy market.

The investigation began Monday May 1, 2017, at approximately 6:24 p.m., after troopers were called to respond to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital Emergency Room for the report of a male subject that was shot. Upon their arrival, troopers learned that a 21-year-old male had been shot from behind in the upper torso area while he was leaving the De-Lux Dairy Market located at 10599 Concord Road. The victim was transported by a friend in a private vehicle to the hospital where he was treated for his non-life threatening injuries.

Through further investigation, troopers learned that the victim had been inside the De-Lux Dairy Market visiting with a friend. When he walked outside the business, he heard gunshots due to some sort of altercation in the parking lot and began to run. As he was running, he fell to the ground and a friend that he was with informed him that he was bleeding from the back from an apparent gunshot wound.

While troopers were on the scene of the shooting, they were contacted by a relative of the suspect and provided with his information. At approximately 9:25 p.m. that same evening, Antonio Britt, 21 of Laurel, turned himself in to detectives at Troop 4 in Georgetown. He was charged with Assault 1st, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Reckless Endangering 1st, Conspiracy 2nd. He was arraigned at JP3 and has since been released on $52,500.00 secured bond.

No other individuals were injured as a result of this incident.

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

NOI 5/2/17 Somerset Apartment Fire Bratten Avenue

NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION

Date: May 2, 2017

Time: 7:23 p.m.

Location / Address: 11408 Bratten Ave., Apt. 24, Princess Anne, Somerset Co.

Type of Incident: Fire

Description of Structure / Property: Two story wood frame multi-unit apartment building

Owner / Occupants: Robert Sindley Management (Owner) Tylisha Sullivan (Occupant)

Injuries or Deaths: None

Estimated $ Loss: Structure: $25,000 Contents: $2,500

Smoke Alarm Status: Present and activated

Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: n/a

Arrests(s): None

Primary Responding Fire Department: Princess Anne

# of Alarms: 1 # Of Firefighters: 20

Time to Control: 25 minutes

Discovered By: Occupant

Area of Origin: Upstairs rear bedroom

Preliminary Cause: Under Investigation

Additional Information: As a result of the fire, the occupants were displaced and being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Health Department-Main Street -HURDLE BUILDING CLOSED TODAY May 3, 2017

(Salisbury, MD) Due to a disruption in water service, the Wicomico County Health Department, located at 108 East Main Street, Salisbury, MD is closed for the day. Anyone who had an appointment with the Health Department, should call on Thursday, May 4, 2017 to reschedule.

Immigrant Workers Challenge Firing after Skipping Work for Anti-Trump Protest

Over 20 immigrant workers are claiming a case of wrongful termination from a Michigan car factory after they skipped work to participate in the anti-Trump “Day Without Immigrants” rally in February, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The former employees of EZ Industrial Solutions, an auto parts manufacturer based in Detroit, have taken their case to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on grounds that they were wrongfully fired for participating in a political protest.

The complaint claims that the employees, who were nearly all women from Mexico and Central America, were “coercively questioned” by their employer about their plans to participate, and were originally warned they would only be suspended for one week.

However, the company denies the allegations, saying that their decision was within the confines of the law. In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, EZ Industrial Solutions operations manager Jordan Yoder said:

"The law is quite clear that employees can’t just not show up to work when they’re expected, and also that they are not free to participate in political, non-work related protests during their work day without consequences. We therefore deny any wrongdoing and are confident that the charge will be dismissed."

More

Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann

Photo courtesy of Hazel Clark Raber

In June 1990, Ocean City attempted to build the “world’s largest sandcastle” with hopes that it would make the Guinness Book of Records.

Built on the beach at North Division Street, it was over 40 feet tall and was visible from the Route 50 Bridge. A light show was featured at night. The big castle attracted much attention and delighted tourists who paid $1 to walk to the top and see the sand sculptures up close.

The project was an artistic success and attracted much attention but failed to make the Guinness Book of Records. It missed setting a world record by only two inches.

Fruitland Police Department: Thefts from unsecured vehicles

INCIDENT: Thefts from unsecured vehicles

LOCATION: Nina Lane, Chelsea Ann Lane, Paddock Drive areas

DISPOSITION: Under Investigation

INVESTIGATOR: Officer Newton / Detective Beaver

SYNOPSIS: During the evening of May 2, 2017 and early morning of May 3, 2017, numerous unsecured vehicles, in the area of Nina Lane, Chelsea Ann Lane and Paddock Drive were entered and in some cases items were taken. It is believed that this occurred between midnight and 5am, based on information received. Surveillance cameras from private residences have been identified and are being reviewed. The Fruitland Police would like to remind people to lock their vehicles and to please report any suspicious persons or activity immediately. Anyone having video or other information is asked to contact the Fruitland Police and ask for Detective Beaver or the Duty Officer (410) 548-2803.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 5-3-17

When you contact Joe Albero, requesting help, he allows you to tell your story in YOUR OWN words, and does not twist the story as he may interpret it like the news does. You get to explain the whole incident as you see fit, and the news will overlook or leave out certain details. It is because of this that people understand the magnitude and importance of things like this, and it is not just a headline that is overlooked. I LOVE that you responded to the original post with the update, and it would have been much more difficult if not impossible to have made the progress you have without Joe's Blog, allowing it to be posted. If this had not been posted as it is written in your words, then your meeting with the board, and possibly even the police would be kept hush hush, as they do not want to tarnish their reputation, and put funding in jeopardy for the schools. The schools, as you are aware, do not get certain funding if they have too many office referrals, suspensions, etc. Joe, you deserve more credit than anyone will ever give you, for allowing us to have a voice.

LACK OF CITY WATER SHUTS DOWN GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING & MORE

Due to the lack of water downtown, the Government Office Building, State's Attorney's office, Wicomico County Health Department and other County offices have closed for the day.

Please call ahead if you have to visit a County office. I regret the inconvenience this may have caused.

Trump: US "Needs A Good Shutdown In September To Fix This Mess"

With Congress poised this week to approve a deal to fund the government through September, the first major bipartisan legislation of Trump's presidency, after lengthy negotiations (which have appeared to signal numerous 'folds' by President Trump), apparently frustrated by the lack of tryannical powers that a simple majority grants him, President Trump has lashed out this morning at disagreeable Democrats, and in particular Senate Democrats.

But Trump has a solution.

As a reminder, the proposed government funding deal does not include funding for Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border or include language stripping federal money from so-called sanctuary cities, both of which the White House demanded at the outset of negotiations. In fact, as we reported yesterday, the bill has been seen widely as a victory for Democrats, something which has been panned by the conservative press. While the White House also backed off a threat to withhold ObamaCare subsidy payments to insurance companies, Trump did secure increased military spending in the 2017 budget deal.

According to the Hill, the comments are likely irk top Republican lawmakers, who have been frustrated by Trump’s repeated attempts to intervene in the legislative process. The businessman-turned-president, in turn, has vented frustration with the slow pace of work on Capitol Hill.

More

Yellow-Light Crusader Fined for Doing Math Without a License

Mats Jarlstrom acknowledges that he is unusually passionate about traffic signals — and that his zeal is not particularly appreciated by Oregon officials.

His crusade to make traffic lights remain yellow longer — which began after his wife received a red-light camera ticket — has drawn some interest among transportation specialists and the media. But among the power brokers in his hometown, Beaverton, it has elicited ridicule and exasperation.

“They literally laughed at me at City Hall,” Mr. Jarlstrom recalled of a visit there in 2013, when he tried to share his ideas with city counselors and the police chief.

More

A Viewer Writes: Grow up SPD

According to WMDT, WBOC, and The Daily Times... There is a missing teen in Salisbury. Know anything about it? Of course you don't. They refuse to send you such press releases. They also refuse to post it on Facebook or Twitter. I guess Facebook and Twitter are reserved for things to pat themselves on the back. However they did find it in their hearts to retweet a press release from Montgomery County Police about a missing teen. A real press release from a REAL police department. Their stubbornness and petty grudge by not sending you or posting these press releases for the PUBLIC to see could be putting children's lives in danger.

Salisbury Police asking for assistance in finding missing 13-year-old

www.wmdt.com

Salisbury Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in locating a missing teen.

Publishers Notes: When you have a current and former Mayor so childish they refuse to allow the Chief of Police to do her job and micro manage that department, nothing will change. Chief Duncan is a coward, too afraid of her own shadow to do what is best for the community and I am the only person man enough to say so with my name attached to it. No, I am not being cocky, I'm simply telling the truth.

Each and every one of you know by now that what you receive from your local media is a load of crap. What you are fed from your local law enforcement is crooked, fixed, lies and twisted.

When we sit back each day and look at the actual numbers we get, we know based on repeat traffic and daily increases that the community is listening. IF the masses disagreed, well, it's simple, our numbers would drop. I know I wouldn't go to some place I thought was lying or not telling the truth by twisting things.

Anyhow, this is why Jake Day spearheaded trying to tell people SBYNews isn't getting the traffic we claim we are. This is also why, (for the first time ever) I chose to publish our daily traffic for a solid week. It shut his big fat mouth up for good and hopefully embarrassed the Boy Mayor enough to keep it shut.

In the end it doesn't really matter if the SPD sends us information, we'll get it anyway, as we always do. Finally, we're on to what has been alleged about the Sheriff's Department using questionable tactics to investigate SBYNews. That story is still developing and hopefully soon enough the feds will get to the bottom of it.

Rep. Andy Harris on Conversations with Conservatives, Wednesday 2:30-3:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON, DC: On Wednesday, May 3, at 2:30 PM, Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01) will appear on Conversations with Conservatives. Conversations with Conservatives is a group of free market and liberty-minded members of Congress that meets monthly with press to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. The group is chaired by Reps. Raúl Labrador (ID-01), Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Mark Meadows (NC-11), and each month meets with different conservative members of Congress to share ideas and answer questions from the media.

This month’s topics will include the government spending bill, health care reform, North Korea’s aggression, and tax reform. Other participating members for the meeting include Reps. Justin Amash (MI-03), Dave Brat (VA-07), Mo Brooks (AL-05), Scott Perry (PA-04), and Mark Walker (NC-06).

Rob Bluey of The Heritage Foundation will moderate the event, which will be live-streamed on the Conversations with Conservatives Facebook page. Members of the press can participate online by following Conversations with Conservatives on Twitter and using #CWC115.

· Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2017

· Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM ET

· Location: 2247 Rayburn

Attention

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION