Salisbury News: 07/22/17

Saturday, July 22, 2017

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Press Releases 7-22-17

Brownsville CBP Officers Seize $79K in Cocaine at Gateway International Bridge

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge intercepted a load of alleged cocaine. CBP officers discovered the alleged narcotics, valued at approximately $79,560, hidden within a silver 2003...

CBP Officers from the Hidalgo International Bridge Seized Over $500K in Methamphetamine

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge seized $548,504 worth of alleged methamphetamine. “This seizure is attributable to exceptional interview and observation skills...

Human Smuggler Caught with 2 Adults, 2 Minors

TUCSON, Ariz. – After Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers stopped a 2005 Chevrolet Tuesday afternoon for an expired registration, they called the Border Patrol in Casa Grande for assistance to investigate possible human smuggling. The DPS...

How The Elites Betrayed Working-Class America

Win-win deals get people more of what they want. Win-lose deals – usually imposed by government – bring them less. The few (the insiders) use government to exploit the many (the rest of us).

Win-lose deals also depress economic progress for everybody. Partly, this happens for an obvious reason.

Dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima was a technical milestone, but not the kind of progress we’re talking about. Progress only makes sense if it means that people are able to get more of what they want.

By definition, when a person is forced into a bad deal, he gets less of what he wants.

Progress is also a learning process. You try something. You see what works and what doesn’t. As people experiment in this way, they learn… and the economy accumulates knowledge and wealth.

They learn to get to work in the morning, for example… to say please and thank you… to save their money… and to invest it wisely.

Win-lose deals interrupt the learning process. That’s why welfare programs fail: People get money without learning.

Temptation to Cheat

That is the real reason the Soviet Union failed, too.

Consumers were forced to buy whatever shoddy products were made available to them; producers had no way to learn how to make good ones.

Toward the end, products available for purchase in the Soviet Union were worth less than the raw materials and labor that went into them.

What do you need for win-win deals?

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Texas school district approves paddling as punishment

THREE RIVERS, Texas -- A board of trustees for Three Rivers Independent School District in South Texas approved a new disciplinary method Tuesday that would permit paddling.

The policy would allow for a campus behavior coordinator or principal to deliver the punishment upon a parent approving the new method.

Students will receive one paddling for minor incidents like not following classroom rules. Three Rivers ISD along with 26 other independent school districts in Region 2 permit corporal punishment.

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Delaware jobless rate remains unchanged at 4.7 percent

Delaware’s unemployment rate remained at 4.7 percent in June, unchanged from a month earlier, the Delaware Department of Labor reported.

The June 2016 unempoyment rate was 4.4 percent.

The Delawre jobless rate stayed three-tenths of a percent higher than the national figure, after decades of having a jobless rate below the U.S. number.

Delaware was only one of four states that did not see a single month of decline in the jobless rate in 2017.

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Woman says she wasn’t allowed in Busch Gardens because of her shirt

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — A woman says she was recently denied entry to Busch Gardens because of the shirt she was wearing.

Rachel Holley was wearing a band tee-shirt that said “Handguns” on it when she went to the park on July 15.

Holley says after she entered the park, two security guards pulled her aside and questioned her about the shirt, asking her to explain why she chose to wear it that day. Ultimately, Holley says security told her she wouldn’t be allowed on the premises unless she changed.

Holley says she wasn’t allowed to turn her shirt inside out either. She ended up leaving the park to find a store where she could buy another shirt. Holley purchased a camouflage shirt, changed and then was allowed entry.

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Virginia, Maryland unemployment falls

WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates in Virginia and Maryland both fell in June, and both states posted healthy job gains.

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says the jobless rate in Virginia was 3.7 percent last month, down from 3.8 percent in May. Maryland’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent, from 4.2 percent.

Maryland gained 13,300 jobs in June, while Virginia’s labor force increased by just over 7,800.

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Child begs for food; mom out clubbing

MARIETTA, Ga. – When a little girl knocked on James Fisher’s door asking for food at 7 p.m., Saturday evening, he was more than happy to welcome her inside for a heaping plate of spaghetti and to play with his kittens.

“It was pretty obvious, she wanted help. She wanted us to do something about it,” Fisher said of the girl, whose mother was nowhere to be found.

By about 2 a.m., Fisher said, the 11-year-old girl was sleeping on his couch. Fed up with no sign of her mother, Deborah Oats, he called the police, with the presumption that she was out clubbing--because it happened frequently, he said.

“It’s just unacceptable for a mother to do whatever she wants when she has a kid at home.”

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Special Weather Statement

Event: Special Weather Statement
Alert: ...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOMERSET...WICOMICO AND
WESTERN WORCESTER COUNTIES...

At 745 PM EDT, radar indicated thunderstorms were located along a
line extending from Sharptown to near Deal Island. Movement was
southeast at 30 mph.
Wind gusts in excess of 30 mph are possible with these storms.
Rainfall amounts of up to 1 inch are possible with these storms.
These storms will be near...
Hebron around 755 PM EDT.
Delmar around 800 PM EDT.
Salisbury and Salisbury University around 805 PM EDT.
Parsonsburg and Westover around 815 PM EDT.
Marion Station around 820 PM EDT.
Newark around 830 PM EDT.
Other locations impacted by these storms include Wetipquin, Trinity,
Cokesbury, Goodwill, Eden, Kingston, Shelltown, Longridge, Mount
Vernon and Chesapeake Heights.
Motorists should use extra caution in the vicinity of these storms.
Be prepared for rapid changes in weather and road conditions. Heavy
rain could cause ponding of water on roads...and possible minor
flooding of ditches and poor drainage areas.

Kobach: Lawsuits Seek to Prevent Exposure of Non-Citizens on Voter Rolls

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who serves as vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, talked with Breitbart News Daily on Friday about efforts by groups like the ACLU and NAACP to prevent his commission from doing its work.

Kobach described the Commission on Election Integrity as “the first-ever nationwide bipartisan body investigating voter fraud in America.”

“The first meeting was an important one,” he said. “We heard a significant amount of evidence already, including the fact that there are at least 938 criminal convictions for election crimes since approximately the year 2000 across the country. There may be more. That’s an effort to catalog all of the convictions recorded in newspapers across the country.”

“We also charted the course for what other forms of voter fraud will be studied in the future, what the full menu is going to be for the commission in the coming year,” he added.

Kobach said that “inaccuracies in our voting rolls” will be among the issues the commission will study carefully.

“There are literally millions if you count the voting rolls of all 50 states, millions of individuals on those voting rolls who are either deceased individuals who have not been removed.

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123 arrested in Central and South Texas during ICE operation targeting criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and immigration fugitives

SAN ANTONIO — Federal officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a total of 123 criminal aliens and immigration violators throughout Central and South Texas during an eight-day enforcement action which ended Wednesday.

During the July 10-19 operation, ERO officers made arrests in the following Central and South Texas cities: Austin (13), Waco (3), Harlingen (44), Laredo (27) and San Antonio (36). Of those arrested, 115 were men; eight were women.

All the aliens targeted by ERO officers during this enforcement action had prior criminal convictions. The majority of those arrested, 93, had criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: aggravated assault, assault, child abuse, domestic violence, cocaine possession, fraud, driving under the influence (DUI), drug trafficking, felony marijuana possession, illegal entry, illegal re-entry after deportation, larceny, possessing a controlled substance, and weapons possession; 30 were arrested on immigration violations.

Individuals arrested during this operation are from the following countries: Mexico (102), Honduras (13), Guatemala (5) El Salvador (1) Jamaica (1) and Cuba (1).

Trump’s Pentagon Plans to Challenge Chinese Claims in South China Sea

President Trump approved a Pentagon plan this year that will require regular challenges to China’s excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea, Breitbart News has learned.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sent the plan to the White House in April that outlines a schedule for the whole year of when U.S. Navy ships will sail through international waters China illegally claims, according to a U.S. official.

Although the U.S. Navy has routinely conducted these “freedom of navigation operations” all around the world for decades, the Obama administration put a stop on them in the South China Sea from 2012 to 2015, with only a few in 2016, out of concern for upsetting China.

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DE: State unemployment numbers uncertain — net gain of only 400 jobs this year

DOVER — After years of a better-than-average unemployment rate, Delaware continues to falter. Although the state’s unemployment rate of 4.7 percent did not increase from May to June, it has not decreased from one month to another since August, according to data published Thursday by the Delaware Department of Labor.

Delaware’s unemployment rate has been higher than the nationwide average for the past three months. Before March, it had been more than 10 years since the First State’s unemployment rate was higher than the national figure.

It’s an ominous sign for Gov. John Carney’s administration, which has made job creation one of its core goals but has seen a net gain of only 400 jobs this year, placing Delaware in the bottom third among states.

The numbers could be an omen of a recession, or they could be an anomaly.

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Felon named ‘Fellony’ charged with new felonies

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Fellony Hudson, a 22-year-old man from Salem, Oregon, is accused of felony kidnapping, felony eluding, felony possession of a stolen vehicle and nearly a handful of misdemeanors after being pursued by police across state lines.

Hudson appeared in court Wednesday afternoon in Multnomah County Circuit Court where he was formally charged with a total of 3 felonies and 4 misdemeanors.

According to Vancouver Police spokesperson Kim Kapp, officers received a report around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday of a female being assaulted inside a moving vehicle. The vehicle was traveling northbound on C Street in Vancouver. The driver, later identified as Hudson, ran a red light and continued to drive erratically.

Kapp said the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Portland about a week ago.

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This Might Be The Best Public Service Announcement Ever

Former Officers Indicted In Federal Corruption Case Change Pleas

Two former Baltimore police detectives pleaded guilty Friday in a federal racketeering case.

Evodio Hendrix, 32, of Randallstown, and Detective Maurice Ward, 36, of Middle River, appeared before a judge separately Friday afternoon. They are two of seven members of a now-disbanded gun task force accused of robbing people and falsifying overtime, among other charges.

Outside court, Hendrix's defense attorney, Harvey Bruner, said that his client regrets his conduct.

"Of course he is, he's sorry," Bruner said.

The two former detectives admit they robbed people during search warrants and traffic stops. They admit overtime fraud and falsifying documents to cover their crimes.

Each nearly doubled their salaries in overtime, much of it for time when they weren't working.

One plea agreement reveals new details about the overtime fraud and how it was done, saying: "The practice at the (Gun Trace Task Force) was that if a subset of the GTTF had a gun arrest, all members of the GTTF, regardless of whether they had actually participated in the arrest, would submit individual overtime reports as if they did. On some occasions, this occurred when Detective Ward and his co-defendants were not working at all on the day of the arrest."

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LGBT Activists Mock Christian Ministry's Decision to Reclaim Rainbow

The man behind the world-famous Ark Encounter has decided to reclaim "God's rainbow" - announcing the massive ark exhibit will be permanently bathed in rainbow lights.

"We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is God's rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6," Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham announced on Facebook.

"The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global Flood—next time the world will be judged by fire," he said.

The 500-foot-long ark is the centerpiece of the biblical theme park based in Williamstown, Kentucky. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have toured the replica of Noah's Ark.

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HypoCrat That Profited From Outsourcing Points Finger at Carrier

Exactly one week after Sen. Joe Donnelly's investments in a family business that outsourced manufacturing to Mexico were exposed, the Indiana Democrat is reigniting his call for legislation that would punish companies doing just that.

Donnelly responded quickly after the Associated Press reported on his investments in Stewart Superior, a privately owned business that has been in the Donnelly family for generations and that recently shifted manufacturing to a plant in Guadalajara.

The Indiana senator first announced he was cashing in his stock in the company. Just days later the company removed all traces of the Mexican manufacturing operation from its website, without disclosing why the change was made.

Now, Donnelly is re-embracing the anti-outsourcing rhetoric that initially led to him being branded as a hypocrite.

"We need to change our federal policies to stop the outsourcing of Hoosier and American jobs," Donnelly said in a video posted on Thursday..

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Fourth’s faulty finale forces Labor Day fireworks feature

Making up for fireworks grand finales that fizzled on the Fourth of July, contractor Image Engineering will get a do-over for a Labor Day weekend show with the final Sundaes in the Park event on Sept. 3.

“It’ll be a special show on the same level as our New Year’s Eve fireworks display,” Special Events Superintendent Frank Miller said Tuesday. “We’ll have Separate Ways, a Journey cover band, perform as well. This is an out-of-the box solution and a way to make it up to the visitors that were disappointed by the Fourth of July show.”

The grand finale of this year’s shows at North Division Street and Northside Park failed to launch, cutting the 18-minute programs short by four minutes. During Monday’s session, Councilman Wayne Hartman asked for resolutions to address the disappointing results.

“This week someone in the grocery store mentioned to me the fireworks weren’t what they had in the past,” Hartman said.

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Clinton Campaign Broke Promise to Buy Offsets for Carbon Emissions From Private Jet Travel

Hillary Clinton never purchased carbon offsets to make up for the carbon dioxide emitted from her private jet travel during the 2016 presidential election, breaking a campaign promise.

The Clinton campaign pledged nearly two years ago to go carbon neutral after the former secretary of state was caught flying a private jet the same day she gave a speech on the dangers of man-made global warming.

But the campaign did not follow through on that promise, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of federal election filings.

A Clinton campaign spokesman said in October 2015 that "offsetting our carbon footprint is still an important goal for this campaign.."

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OCPD Investigating Card Skimmers At Two Gas Stations

OCEAN CITY — Ocean City police is investigating at least two cases of theft involving credit and debit card skimmers at gas pumps in two locations, an investigation that extends outside the resort and beyond.

Last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) detectives began investigating recent reports of credit and debit card theft involving skimmers inserted into the payment mechanism at gas pumps in two locations in the resort that allow suspects to gain access to personal bank account information of unknowing victims. An inspection of gas pumps at two locations, including the Sunoco at 129th Street and the Exxon pumps at Oceans Market on 141st Street revealed technically-advanced skimming devices inserted in the payment mechanism at the pumps.

The OCPD this week is continuing to investigate the credit and debit card skimmer cases along with other allied agencies in the resort area and beyond to determine if the thefts are more widespread than initially believed. The credit and debit card skimming cases are certainly not a new trend and similar cases involving gas pumps and even ATM machines have been reported in and around the area for the last few months. OCPD public information specialist Lindsay Richard said this week some locations are more susceptible than others for the scam.

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Top Dems Slow Rolling Ethics Probe to Delay Investigation Into Obama Leaks

Democratic congressional leaders on the House Ethics Committee are charged with intentionally dragging out an investigation into Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes in what multiple sources described as an attempt to influence the Intelligence Committee's sensitive Russia probe and promote their own political careers, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.

Nunes (R., Calif.), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, which is handling the Russia probe, was sidelined from his leadership role in the probe more than three months ago after the Ethics Committee began investigating allegations that he disclosed classified information in comments alleging Obama administration officials had accessed classified intelligence reports in order to gain information on Trump associates.

Democrats are said to be blocking efforts to advance the Nunes case in an effort to discredit the top Republican and keep him sidelined from the sensitive Russia probe, which Democrats have increasingly used to score political points against Trump and boost their own political profiles.

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OC’s Jolly Roger To Hold Christmas In July Toy Drive

OCEAN CITY — Jolly Roger Amusement Parks is celebrating a new partnership with the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots at its inaugural Christmas in July Toy Drive on July 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The parks will be collecting new, unwrapped toys in a donation station at the front of the park to benefit the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. When you drop off a toy, you’ll receive a voucher for 20% off your ticket purchase (good for that day only at any of the 30th Street amusement parks) and a free gift.

The event will kick off at 9:45 a.m. when Pocomoke High School’s ROTC organization will be hosting a flag raising ceremony at the front of the park. Starting promptly at 10 a.m. the American flag, the Marines flag and the Toys for Tots flag will be raised. Frank Del Piano, Commandant of the First State Detachment Marine Corps League, will play the snare drum during the ceremony and will play the National Anthem to start the festivities. Then, the Ocean City Jeep Club will arrive with a toy drive convoy to deliver their donations.

The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots has expressed a need for more interactive and educational toys, but all donations are welcome. Cash donations will also be accepted if visitors don’t have an opportunity to head to the store before heading to the park that morning.

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Gingrich on Mueller's Team: 'So Who's Leaking?'

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team have multiple conflicts of interest due to ties to Democrats, according to Newt Gingrich.

"I don't understand why the House and Senate Judiciary Committees aren't investigating a lot of this stuff," the former House speaker said Thursday on Fox News' "Hannity."

He said leaks of information must be coming from Mueller's team.

"So who's leaking? Why is nothing being done about it? Why are people not being fired? I think it's very reasonable to say that this is a very dangerous witch hunt that Mueller keeps expanding because he can't find anything in the original charge."

The Mueller team will prosecute someone in its investigation into alleged collusion with Russia, Gingrich said.

"There are too many lawyers being paid too much money for them to go home having accomplished nothing," he added.

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Fresh batch: More Hillary emails show ‘pay for play’

'A serious criminal investigation is required'

WASHINGTON – More than eight months after Hillary Clinton’s election loss, her use of a private email server and other conduct during her tenure as U.S. secretary of state continue to haunt her.

A newly released batch of documents obtained by Judicial Watch showcases numerous instances of Clinton Foundation donors receiving favors from the State Department.

In one email exchange, Huma Abedin, Clinton’s former deputy chief of staff in the State Department and longtime aide, negotiated who the next the U.S. ambassador to Barbados would be after Clinton Global Initiative executive Doug Band recommended a candidate to fill the position.

“I know, he’s emailed a few times,” Abedin said in reply to Band’s request. “But she wants to give someone else.”

Another exchange shows Band instructing Abedin to “show love” to Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical.

Judicial Watch pointed out Dow gave between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.

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US Launching Sunday Raids To Arrest Illegal Immigrant Gang Members

With Trump desperate for a distraction from the daily Russian collusion media onslaught, and perhaps under the advice of his brand new counsel, Reuters reports that U.S. immigration agents are set to launch nationwide raids next week to arrest teenagers who entered the country without guardians and are suspected gang members, as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants. The raids, targeting teenagers 16 and 17-years-old, will begin on Sunday and continue through Wednesday.

Trump, who campaigned on the promise of tough immigration enforcement, has made deporting gang members, especially those belonging to the El Salvador-based Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a top priority.

"You have a gang called MS-13. They don't like to shoot people. They like to cut people. They do things that nobody can believe," Trump said at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa last month. In a May speech, the president promised the gang would be "gone from our streets very soon, believe me."

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Driver’s licenses could be coming to your smartphone in Md.

WASHINGTON — Under a recently launched program in Maryland, transportation officials are testing out new technology that could allow you to quickly access your driver’s license on your smartphone.

The digital driver’s license pilot program aims to make obtaining an up-to-date license as easy as downloading an app, officials said.

“We are proud to be on the leading edge of testing technology that will deliver the driver’s license of the future,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn. “This innovative technology will increase customer convenience and enhance safeguards to our already secure driver’s licenses.”

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Police investigate 6 fatal incidents in past 24 hours

BALTIMORE — There have been six fatal incidents on state-maintained roadways in Maryland in the past 24 hours.

"Last night was a very, very bad night on the roadways. We've had some very serious crashes resulting in fatalities," State Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gishlar said.

The SHA said the six incidents were reported in Cecil, Carroll and Prince George's counties. The six crash victims included a pedestrian, a bicyclist and a tow truck driver.

"All of these crashes were preventable. We don't know what happened yet. Police agencies are going to be evaluating each one of these crashes," Gishlar said.

"We do know that one of those crashes involved the use of a cellphone, so this weekend, keep a lookout for drivers around you because, with the increase of traffic this weekend, the risks are higher," Maryland State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo said.

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President Trump's Beautiful Tribute To USS Arizona Survivors

Colorado Girl Scout Troop Pays It Forward To Pocomoke PD

The Pocomoke City Police Department received in the mail a thoughtful tribute to fallen K-9 Jet from the Colorado Girl Scout Troop 63979. "On behalf of Colorado Girl Scout Troop 63979, please accept these stars as a tribute to your fallen hero. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. "With much respect- Elizabeth, Kaitlyn, Veronique, and Bella. FB: Stars for Heros /starsforourtroops.org

Each star had a tag which read "I am part of our American Flag that has flown over the USA. I can no longer fly, the sun and winds caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten. Thank you for your Service."

We thank you for your kindness, thoughts, and prayers. These stars will be given to K-9 Jets handler, Cpl. Matthew Conner along with the members of the Pocomoke City Police Department.

Tomi Lahren DESTROYS CNN In Under 2 Minutes

Alabama man kills massive 820 pound wild hog in front yard

An Alabama man has killed a gigantic 820 pound hog in his front yard.

Wade Seago shot the hog last week when it came within 15 feet of his front porch in the rural town of Samson in the state's far south.

Seago and his daughter spotted the massive hog in their yard after the family's pet Schnauzer Cruiser started barking.

'I jumped up to see what was going on... I couldn't believe what I was seeing,' he told AL.com.

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OC: Federal charges filed in case against alleged bank robber

The local prosecution of alleged bank robber Tyrone D. Pierce has been put on hold, while federal authorities pursue their case against the Ocean City resident accused of sticking up a north Ocean City bank last August.

Last month, State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby told the Worcester County Circuit Court he wished to stop the local proceedings in favor of the federal case.

Pierce, 59, pled not guilty to armed bank robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on June 23.

According to charging documents, Pierce allegedly stole $9,169 from the bank.

Pierce, also known as Tyrone S. Sabr, was arrested earlier this year after the Maryland State Police Crime Lab linked his DNA to the crime.

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Long Beach man sues California Lottery for not honoring winning $5M Scratcher

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Long Beach resident is suing the California State Lottery Commission and a local liquor store for failing to honor a winning Scratchers ticket worth $5 million.

Ward Thomas is suing the commission and Los Altos Mobil gas station along Bellflower Boulevard for damages resulting from the loss and denial of the winning ticket.

In the lawsuit, Thomas claims on or around Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. he and his 16-year-old son Benjamin went to the Mobil Mart to buy California Lottery tickets, which they had done in the past.

At Ward's request, he sent his son inside with 12 "Deluxe 7's" Scratchers that totaled $330 in winnings. He asked his son to exchange the tickets for more Scratchers, according to the lawsuit.

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Taxes Are Killing Small Businesses

Trump's Been President for Six Months Now MAGA

Police Calls For Service Jump In Ocean City In June

OCEAN CITY — A look at some of the statistics from June showed a significant spike in certain calls for service and municipal ordinance violations.

During Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Chief Ross Buzzuro presented his monthly activity report for June, which showed considerable spikes in certain areas over the same month in 2016. Buzzuro explained officer-initiated calls for service increased 66 percent in June 2017 compared to June 2016, while citizen calls for service actually dropped by 6 percent.

The net increase in total calls for service during June 2017 came in at 36 percent. Buzzuro explained the end result was about 500 more calls for service this June compared to last June.

“We had a substantial increase in officer calls for service last month,” he said. “There were about 500 more calls for service in June of this year versus the same month last year. That’s a pretty good number and that is the result of very proactive policing.”

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Kunstler Fears "Violent Revolt" As "Soft Coup" Against Trump Looms

For all his blunders and stumbles in his first half-year as President (cough cough), Donald Trump seems to have more lives than Schrödinger’s Cat. Or maybe it just seems that way. Or maybe he isn’t really there at all (like the news these days). Maybe Trump only represents one comic probability in an infinite number of universes of probability, both comic and tragic. I begin to understand why the folks in Hollywood are having a whack attack over the chief executive: you can’t storyboard this bitch; it’s like leaving The Three Stooges on their own in a sound stage to re-make Gone With the Wind.

But then, you begin to wonder: is Russia really there, or is it, too, just another figment of possibility? Don’t try to figure that out by reading the oracular observations of The Washington Post. These days Russia seems to be at once everywhere and nowhere, like the Devil north of Boston in 1693. For example, this fellow Jeff Sessions. Have you noticed that his name rhymes with Russians? Hmmmm. And wasn’t he caught chatting with the Russian Ambassador at the very same convocation of Republicans that picked notorious colluder Donald Trump to stand for President? That’s enough of your damn evidence right there!

Yes, things are passing strange in the world’s greatest democracy these days. To me, seeing the thing through an historical lens, it’s looking more and more like the Salem Witch Frenzy meets the French Revolution with a spin of quantum confusion on top. Right now we’re in the first phase, sheer political lunacy. Beliefs have become ungrounded from the facts of life. The guy whom fate or a prankish deity put in the White House doesn’t even fit the template of the world’s most infamous heads-of-state. I’m sorry to dredge up old Adolf, but really, Hitler himself seemed to have a much firmer idea about what he was doing than Trump does.

The ObamaCare reform fiasco looks like a tipping point toward a strain of toxic political paralysis that might literally kill the government as we’ve known it. Over the many months of debate, congress never even got around to raising the salient issue: that the 18-or-so-percent of the economy “health care” represents consists largely of outright racketeering. Well, they sure blew that one. The major parties are disintegrating before our eyes, despite the seeming sense of decorum that senators present on TV. The public may seem to be mentally on vacation, snoozing on the beach in the midsummer doldrums, but something vicious is in the wind offshore.

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Want To Do Something Good For Your Community Mayor Day?

Try putting a few of these around Salisbury like they do in other communities.

"May The Bursting Of The Student Loan Bubble Commence!"

The Looming Last Gasp of Indoctrination?

The inevitable collapse of the student loan “market” and with it the take-down of many higher educational institutions will be one of the happiest and much needed events to look forward to in the coming months/years. Whether the student loan bubble bursts on its own or implodes due to a general economic collapse, does not matter as long as higher education is dealt a death blow and can no longer be a conduit of socialist and egalitarian nonsense for the inculcation of young minds.

The perilous condition of the student loan sector can be seen by looking at a few ominous pieces of data:

The US has around $1.3 trillion in non-dischargeable loans to students
Over 120 billion in student loans are already in default
27% of students are a month behind on their payments*

As economic conditions deteriorate and there are even less meaningful jobs for college graduates than there are now, these numbers will only get worse.

Not only have colleges and universities been havens of leftist thought for many years, but they have become ridiculously expensive and beyond the reach of most middle-class income earners to afford without going into significant debt.

Moreover, the incessant barrage by the Establishment about the necessity of a college degree has distorted the labor market to where worthless, debt-ridden degrees are pursued instead of much needed blue-collar employment. The readjustment of the labor market to a proper balance will not only take time, but it will be a costly, painful process.

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Why teenagers should never get drunk

Excessive drinking during adolescence thins areas of the developing brain, new research reveals.

Teenagers that binge or heavily drink have reduced brain tissue in the regions associated with reason, logic, problem solving, planning and memory, a study found.

Researchers believe drinking large quantities of alcohol while the brain is still maturing may permanently damage a person's nervous system and increase their risk of alcoholism.

Study author Professor Anita Cservenka from Oregon State University, said: 'Adolescence is a time when the brain still matures including not only biological development but also maturation of psychosocial behaviors.

'These brain alterations, as a result of heavy alcohol use during adolescence and young adulthood, could result in increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder later on in life.'

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Concealed gun permits hit record 16 million, 50% rate in Pa. county

Driven by safety concerns and reports of terrorist attacks, more Americans than ever have applied for and received permits to carry concealed pistols, and in one Pennsylvania county dubbed "God's Country," over half of all adults are licensed to carry, according to a new report.

The research from economist John Lott's Crime Prevention Center shows that permit granting has continued to surge under President Trump, dispelling expectations that having a pro-gun chief executive in the White House would lead to a dramatic downturn in applications.

Lott said that 16.36 million Americans have permits, and there were an unprecedented 1.83 million approved last year. That means that 6.53 percent of all American adults have a carry permit.

Women and minorities are also getting them at record numbers. Of states that broke out gender and race of permit holders, his latest annual report said that the number of permits granted to women jumped 93 percent in recent years and blacks are getting them at a rate 30 percent higher than whites.

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OCPD Taser, arrest man after tram hit wife

Ocean City Police Tasered and arrested a man for resisting arrest after his wife was reportedly struck by a Boardwalk tram last night.

Transit Manager Mark Rickards said the tram was turning the corner where the ramp leading to the inlet fishing pier connects with the concrete bump-out around 7 p.m., according to incident reports. Conductors said they saw Christopher and Lydia Campbell, of Blossburg, Pennsylvania, nearby, facing away from the tram.

"The conductor yelled out, 'watch the tram please.' ...the woman took a step back, hit the tram, and fell down," Rickards said, reading from the incident report.

At that time, Ocean City police officers and Maryland State Police troopers went to the accident, when onlookers told them that 29-year-old Christopher Campbell was being belligerent.

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Food Stamp Use Falls to Lowest Level in Seven Years

Participation in the food stamp program took a dive to the lowest level it has been in seven years, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

USDA statistics on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation showed that 42,609,852 people in the U.S. took part in the food stamp program in fiscal year (FY) 2017, the lowest level it has been since 2010 when 40,302,000 people enrolled in the program.

Food stamp usage has been on a steady decline after 2013, when enrollment in the government program swelled to 47.6 million, the highest amount it has ever been since the program’s inception.

The increase in the number people receiving food stamps during that period can be attributed to the Obama administration’s effort to allow those with higher incomes to receive benefits. Enrollment in benefits increased by 70 percent from the year former President Barack Obama took office in 2008 to 2013.

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Stop the feds from taking your stuff

Our country’s proud history of opposing government seizures of property goes back to the founding: American colonists protested broad warrants, called “writs of assistance,” that British customs officers used to hunt for contraband.

Those colonists would be shocked to learn that far bolder government seizures are carried out on a daily basis today, using a process called civil forfeiture — which the Justice Department is now expanding. On a federal level, this means Uncle Sam can seize your property if officials believe it’s connected to a crime — even if you haven’t been charged. Worse, the same officials who take your stuff are entitled to keep it, which only encourages asset seizure.

Civil forfeiture is big business. In 2014, the Justice Department reported $4.5 billion in forfeiture revenue (both criminal and civil; about 87 percent of all forfeitures conducted by DOJ are civil).

That doesn’t include substantial amounts confiscated by the Treasury Department or by countless lower-level law enforcement agencies. I would report the amount seized by state and local officials, except transparency is so poor that reliable stats don’t exist.

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MD Sues EPA To Punish Power Plants

Maryland will sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if 36 power plants in surrounding states are not forced to use pollution controls, the Associated Press reports.

Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles notified the agency in a letter Thursday after the offending plants missed a July 15 deadline to institute the controls required under the “good neighbor provision.”

“We need the EPA to step in to ensure that these power plants run their pollution controls on a daily basis,” Grumbles said according to the Associated Press. “We’re in discussions with the states. We need EPA to step in and help. We have the data, and it’s clear, and the pollution is coming from these power plants.”

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LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 7-22-17

Tales from the Hall – Part I

The game of pool has been around for a long time. Actually, pool is a later derivation of billiards. In billiards, there are no pockets and the rules are different, and it is played with only three balls, two white and one red.

In researching the game, the earliest reference I can find lists two “pool rooms” inSalisbury in 1899. One was owned by Percy Brewington on Division St. and the other one was owned by Charles M. Mitchell and was located on Dock St.(which is now Market St.). By 1907, Mitchell’s was the only one still in operation.

Salisbury must have tried to enhance their image by 1940. The two establishments are listed under “Billiard Parlors”. One was the Arcade Billiard Parlor in the Arcade Theater Building. This was where WMDT is now located. It was operated by L. F. Stevens. The other was Moody’s Billiards Rooms on W. Main St. run by Moody Williams.

The 1950 phone book has only one listing under Billiard Parlors. It was the BilliardCenter on E. Main St.

The first “pool hall” I can remember was Salisbury Pocket Billiards on Baptist St. Many a young man of my generation fondly recalls his memories of that place. The building is comprised of law offices now, and I’m not even sure the people who work there know what went on in there some 40-odd years ago.

It was truly a mecca for the local young men. There were legal laws such as no one was admitted under 16, a law that was fairly relaxed by the mid-sixties. And then there was the unwritten law that barred women, so much so that if a wife wanted to contact her husband or boyfriend, she waited in the car outside until the next customer arrived. She would then ask him if he would tell her husband or boyfriend that she wanted to see him. The message was always delivered and, with much grumbling, the husband or boyfriend would go see what she wanted.

Since this was the era before drugs, I never saw any illicit activity in the pool hall. There was never any drinking in the pool hall with the exception of Friday afternoon. A few of the older men would knock off early Friday and bring a bottle to the pool room. They never offered any to the younger patrons.

My mother always told someone if they called at home for me that I was down at the “smoky ol’ pool parlor”. Compared to today, it was relatively tame.

There were never any fights. Smoking was permitted and you just put the butt out on the floor. At the end of the day it was cleaned up by Squirrel or Harlan, the two mainstays in those days. They also had 5 gallon cans placed strategically for the “chewers”. These were nasty and the ultimate occurrence was if the cue ball managed to find its way in one of them – yuck! Even big, hardy men didn’t like retrieving that cue ball.

All of the tables were 4½ by 9 feet in size and all of the balls were 3 1/8 inches in diameter. When the popular “bar table” appeared on the scene, the size was reduced to 4 x 8 and the cue ball was increased in size to 3¼ inches. This was to allow the cue ball to follow a different path under the table and be able to be returned to play.

NEXT WEEK – The Pool Hall – Part II

Police turn to death statute to charge teens who filmed drowning

The group of teenagers who filmed and mocked a man as he was drowning in a Cocoa pond will face charges after all, police said Friday.

Jamel Dunn drowned in a Cocoa pond July 7
5 teens laughed while filming drowning, police say
Cocoa Police turned to state death-reporting statute for charges

In a news conference, Cocoa Police Chief Michael Cantaloupe did not describe the charges that will be filed against the five teenagers who recorded and mocked 31-year-old Jamel Dunn as he drowned July 7. But he said that after looking long and hard at Florida law, the teens would face charges for not reporting a death.

He said that there's no law requiring to report to officials that someone is dying. But after someone has died, people are required to contact authorities.

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Supreme Court Asked to Review Maryland's Gun Ban

Fairfax, Va.— A group of Maryland citizens, with the support of the National Rifle Association, filed a petition to the United States Supreme Court on Friday seeking to reverse a Court of Appeals ruling that stripped some of America’s most popular rifles of Second Amendment protection. The 4th Circuit ruling in the case Kolbe v. Hogan is a direct contradiction of the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision, District of Columbia v. Heller, which re-affirmed American citizens’ right to self-defense.

“Lower courts have been making up their own rules when it comes to the Second Amendment for too long, and the Kolbe decision crossed yet another line,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. “The Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. The popular rifles and standard magazines banned in Maryland are some of the best tools for self-defense. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will reverse this egregious decision.”

In February, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Second Amendment does not protect the most popular rifles in the country – including AR-15s – as well as all standard capacity detachable magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

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A Double Release

WICOMICO COUNTY SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS FOR 2017-2018

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Saturday, July 22, 2017