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Monday, August 14, 2017

Port Deposit and Talbot County Awarded Working Waterfront Grants


Funds Help Enhance and Preserve Maryland’s Maritime Communities
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has awarded Talbot County and the Town of Port Deposit with financial and technical assistance for projects through the Working Waterfronts Program. With a $50,000 grant for each, these projects are slated to begin in October with the goal of enhancing and preserving their waterfront communities.“The history, culture and identity of our coastal communities is inextricably linked to the existence of the working waterfront,” Chesapeake and Coastal Service Director Matthew Fleming said. “Port Deposit and Talbot County are home to water-dependent businesses and industries that support jobs in our state, making them an important component of Maryland’s economy. We look forward to the work these communities will do with this funding to protect and invigorate their coastal communities and marine-based economies.”

This is the third year of grants, made possible by a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Applicants were encouraged to address commercial uses, public access, maritime heritage, tourism, recreation, and natural resources conservation and/or restoration, while taking into account potential flooding and storm surge impacts.

Moving forward, the communities will be working with professionals and local stakeholder groups to address various community needs including strategic waterfront planning, revitalization and maritime job growth.

Why Some U.S. Ex-Spies Don't Buy the Russia Story

Evidence that undermines the "election hack" narrative should get more attention.

In 2003, when a number of former intelligence professionals formed a group to protest the way intelligence was bent to accuse Iraq of producing weapons of mass destruction, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a sympathetic column quoting the group's members. In 2017, you won't read about this same group's latest campaign in the big U.S. newspapers.

The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) have been investigating the now conventional wisdom that last year's leaks of Democratic National Committee files were the result of Russian hacks. What they found instead is evidence to the contrary.

Unlike the "current and former intelligence officials" anonymously quoted in stories about the Trump-Russia scandal, VIPS members actually have names. But their findings and doubts are only being aired by non-mainstream publications that are easy to accuse of being channels for Russian disinformation. The Nation, Consortium News, ZeroHedge and other outlets have pointed to their findings that at least some of the DNC files were taken by an insider rather than by hackers, Russian or otherwise.

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Glucosamine Supplements Don't Help Joint Pain: Study

Oral glucosamine, a natural supplement often marketed for joint pain, has no more effect than a dummy pill, according to a new review of available research.

The analysis of randomized controlled trials from which data have been made public found that at both three-month and 24-month follow-up points, the supplement had no effect on either hip or knee pain from arthritis.

Even analyses of the results for sub-groups of study participants, such as overweight people or those with high inflammation, found no benefit with the supplements.

“Most recent guidelines conclude there is an overall lack of efficacy of glucosamine, however, we knew that osteoarthritis could affect subgroups differently,” said senior study author Sita Bierma-Zeinstra of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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NOI 8/11/17 Wicomico Vehicle Fire Bethel Church Road

 

NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION

Date:   August 11, 2017
Time:  4:51 p.m.
Location / Address:  7026 Bethel Church Rd., Salisbury, Wicomico Co.
Type of Incident:  Fire
Description of Structure / Property:  1998 F-250 Ford Pick-up
Owner / Occupants:   Miguel Quezada
Injuries or Deaths:  None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure:  $3,000                      Contents: $5,000
Smoke Alarm Status:  n/a
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status:  n/a
Arrests(s):  None
Primary Responding Fire Department:  Parsonsburg
# of Alarms:  1    # Of Firefighters:  12
Time to Control:  15 minutes
Discovered By:  Owner
Area of Origin:   Cargo area
Preliminary Cause:  Accidental, ignition of flammable liquid during fueling operation of generator.
Additional Information: 

Diet Drinks Fool Your Body's Metabolism

When we go on a diet, we often add artificially sweetened drinks and low-calorie dishes to help us meet our goal, but we may be tricking our metabolism into piling on even more weight and triggering diabetes, says a new study from Yale University.

The sweetness in naturally sweetened foods tells the body the food contains energy, and the sweeter the food, the more energy it usually contains. But when a beverage is either too sweet or not sweet enough for the number of calories it contains, the body's normal metabolic response is disrupted.

The response explains the association between artificial sweeteners and diabetes discovered in earlier studies.

"A calorie is not a calorie," said senior author Dana Small, professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.

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Alabama judge calls teacher sex charges unconstitutional

DECATUR, Ala. -- An Alabama judge ruled Thursday that a law barring teachers from having sexual relationships with students old enough to consent is unconstitutional.

Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson dismissed charges Thursday against 44-year-old Carrie Witt, a former teacher at Decatur High School, and 27-year-old David Solomon, a former contract teacher at Falkville High School. Witt is accused of having sex with two students who are over the age of 16, the state's legal age of consent. Solomon is accused of having sex with one student over the age of 16.

CBS affiliate WHNT reports that Thompson ruled that prosecutors must prove that the teacher used a "position of authority" to "coerce, groom, or otherwise obtain the illegitimate consent of the alleged victims."

Thompson said that while there may be a gap in power between teacher and student, it "clearly does not exist between every school employee and every student regardless of where that student is enrolled."

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Man dies after getting punched by Uber driver

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A man is dead after he was punched by his Uber driver in a dispute over directions in St. Petersburg.

Terry Kimball, 56, was hospitalized around 7:30 pm Friday with serious brain trauma after a ride with 38-year-old Kabir O’Farril Diaz.

Investigators said Kimball had disagreed with the route Diaz was taken and the two men started arguing.

Diaz pulled over at the Quick Pick Foods store on 58th Street North at 7:30 p.m. where the altercation turned physical.

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Maryland State Trooper Charged In DUI-Related Crash


(CECILTON, MD) – A Maryland state trooper has been charged and is suspended following his involvement yesterday in a DUI-related traffic crash in Cecil County.

The trooper is identified as Trooper First Class Tanner Nickerson, who is assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. He is charged with driving under the influence, driving while impaired, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, reckless driving and negligent driving.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. yesterday, Maryland State Police from the North East Barrack responded to a call for a traffic crash in the 200-block of North Bohemia Ave. (Rt. 213) in Cecilton, Md. Troopers found a Mercedes passenger car and a marked Maryland State Police Chevrolet Tahoe involved.

The preliminary investigation indicates TFC Nickerson, who was off-duty, was northbound on Rt. 213, when he failed to reduce speed and ran into the back of the Mercedes, which was also northbound. The 49-year-old female driver of the Mercedes, from Cherry Hill, NJ, and her 10-year-old passenger were taken to Union Hospital by ambulance. They were treated for what were reported to be minor injuries. The trooper reported no injuries.

Upon contacting TFC Nickerson at the scene of the crash, the investigating trooper detected indications of possible impairment. Further investigation led to the arrest of TFC Nickerson on the scene. He was taken to the North East Barrack for processing and, after receiving traffic citations, was later released to a sober driver.

Witnesses told troopers the emergency lights on the police vehicle were activated. The investigation determined the trooper was off-duty and was not responding to a call.

In addition to the charges being placed against him, TFC Nickerson was suspended with pay, as is Maryland State Police procedure. He has been a member of the Maryland State Police for six years.

The investigation is continuing.

Donald Trump signs vets bill to keep veterans choice program afloat

President Trump on Saturday signed a bill that will pump funds into the Veterans choice program to keep it up and running, while Washington continues to fight over how best to give veterans the care they earned — but which the government has sometimes failed to deliver.

Approved in the wake of the wait-list scandal that saw hundreds of veterans die while stuck on secret wait lists, the choice program allows those caught in backlogs to seek care at from a private clinic or doctor and bill the costs back to the Veterans Affairs Department.

Mr. Trump signed the new legislation while on a working vacation at his golf club in New Jersey.

“Today is another milestone in our work to transform the VA, where we’re doing record-setting business,” Mr. Trump said, calling the bill another campaign promise he’s accomplished.

The choice program needed an immediate infusion of cash to carry it through into the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

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Woman who accidentally smothered newborn sues hospital for $8.6M


PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Oregon woman is suing the hospital where she gave birth to her son after he died from being smothered at just 4-days old.

Monica Thompson filed an $8.6 million lawsuit against Portland Adventist Medical Center, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. She claims the hospital is at fault for her child's death because the newborn was put in bed with her at night to breastfeed while she was unsupervised and medicated with pain and sleep aids.

Thompson said she dozed off on the August 2012 night and woke up to find her son not breathing.

She was medicated with Ambien and Vicodin a few hours before a nurse walked into the room, gave her the baby and left, according to the suit.

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Boy, 14, accused of killing 2 last month in South Carolina

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A 14-year-old South Carolina boy has been accused in two separate fatal shootings last month.

The juvenile is charged with two counts of murder and gun possession during a violent crime for the killings in North Charleston. He is accused of shooting 22-year-old McGill Cason in the head July 2 as the victim drove away from a party. Authorities also say the 14-year-old and a 16-year-old killed 17-year-old Knowledge Sumpter of Lincolnville on July 20.

The Post and Courier reports Saturday that Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has not yet decided whether to pursue prosecuting the 14-year-old as an adult.

Police say the two teens were trying to rob Sumpter when the 14-year-old shot him in the chest. Sumpter was found dead in a yard the next day.

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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/12/boy-14-accused-killing-2-last-month-in-south-carolina.html

UPDATE: Officers Currently Searching for 12-year-old In Ocean City

UPDATE: Morgan was found safe in Pocomoke, MD. Thank you all for sharing!


Officers are currently searching for Morgan Paige Shreaves, a 12-year-old runaway of Accomack County, Virginia. She is believed to be in the downtown area in Ocean City. She is approximately 5' tall and 105 pounds with sandy blond hair. She was last seen wearing jean shorts, gray tank top, white Chuck Taylor sneakers, a visor and a gray backpack embossed with a bear face. If you locate her or have information on her whereabouts, please call OCPD at 410-7232-6600.



Stevensville Couple Remain in Critical Condition Following House Fire


NR-8/14/17-Queen Anne's-Under Investigation-Old Love Point Road, Stevensville


Queen Anne's County, August 14, 2017, a 77 year old man and his 76 year old wife remain in critical condition at Bayview Medical Center following an early morning fire in their Stevensville home.

The Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department and other surrounding Fire Departments were alerted to the 12:08 a.m. blaze located at 808 Old Love Point Road in Stevensville. First arriving firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions near the rear of the one story single family home and were able to gain entry through the front door to remove both occupants out of the house to awaiting EMS units. The male victim was transported by Maryland State Police aviation to John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and his wife was initially transported by ambulance to Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. She was later transferred to the Bayview Medical Center with her husband where they are both currently listed in critical condition. It took nearly 40 firefighters one hour to control the one alarm blaze causing $200,000.00 in damages to the home and another $40,000.00 in damages to contents within the home.

A team of Deputy State Fire Marshals assisted by fire investigators from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms remained on the scene throughout the day conducting the fire investigation. A hard wired smoke alarm with a 9 volt battery backup was found in the residence but cannot be determined at this time if it properly operated. The origin of the fire was determined to be in an attached rear screened in porch however the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Back-To-School Immunization Clinics Planned In Worcester, Wicomico

SALISBURY – The Wicomico County Health Department will begin a series of walk-in immunization clinics this week ahead of the new school year.

Beginning Aug. 16, the health department will be doing its part to bring Wicomico County students up-to-date on required immunizations.

Students entering kindergarten, first, second and third grades are required to have two doses of the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. Students entering seventh through tenth grade are required to have one dose of Tdap, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, and one dose of the Meningococcal vaccine.

Dr. James Cockey, deputy health officer for the Wicomico County Health Department, said the county has offered immunization clinics for several years, but is seeing a growing interest in this year’s clinics.

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NOI 8/14/17 Wicomico Vehicle Fire W. Market St.


NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION


Date:   August 14, 2017
Time:  10:09 a.m.
Location / Address:  130 W. Market Street, Salisbury, Wicomico Co.
Type of Incident:  Fire
Description of Structure / Property:  1993 Chevrolet Caprice
Owner / Occupants:  Peter Battle
Injuries or Deaths:  None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure:  $500                      Contents: $100
Smoke Alarm Status:  n/a
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status:  n/a
Arrests(s):  None
Primary Responding Fire Department:  Salisbury
# of Alarms:  1    # Of Firefighters:  3
Time to Control:  3 minutes
Discovered By:   Pedestrian
Area of Origin:   Interior
Preliminary Cause:  Under Investigation
Additional Information: 

3 Attorneys Found Dead In Wasserman Schultz Florida District In 2 Weeks

Three high profile attorneys have been found dead in Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Florida district in the last two weeks, prompting the plaintiff in the massive DNC fraud lawsuit being held in Florida to request protection from the court for the plaintiffs, their witnesses and their families.

While the DNC fraud lawsuit has been hit with a mainstream media blackout, the case continues to unravel the corruption at the heart of the Democratic National Committee, and with the discovery phase still to come, the skeletons in the DNC’s closet have never been closer to receiving a disinfecting dose of sunlight.

Jared Beck, attorney for the plaintiffs in the DNC fraud lawsuit taking place in Miami, uploaded a video Tuesday in which he thanked supporters for offering their “concerns, prayers and support” in the wake of recent disturbing murders.

“After much consideration and deliberation we have decided it is time to bring these concerns to the court’s attention. Today we filed a motion to judge William Zloch, to issue an order providing for the protection of the plaintiffs and their families, as well as all potential witnesses in the DNC fraud lawsuit.”

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Almanac: Plenty of cold, snow for this winter for Northeast

LEWISTON, MAINE — Northeasterners, keep your mittens, boots and show shovel handy.

The Farmer's Almanac that goes on sale this week predicts a snowy winter from Maryland to Maine with five coastal storms to bring winter misery to the region.

The publication, now in its 200th year, isn't afraid to go out on a limb with long-term weather forecasts that rely on a formula founder David Young first used in 1818 that utilizes sunspots, tidal action and other factors shunned by modern scientists.

Editors are looking to redeem themselves after missing the mark when heavy snow failed to materialize in the Midwest and the Middle Atlantic states were milder than anticipated last winter.

"Being in the business of predicting long-range weather forecasts is exciting, worrisome and rewarding," said managing editor Sandi Duncan. "Many of our readers rejoice when we predict cold and snowy conditions while others complain that it's too cold and wet. Yet we have to stick by our predictions no matter what Mother Nature may throw at us."

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Dershowitz: Being Black Doesn't Give You a License to Call People Racist

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz had some strong words for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who accused him of being a racist.

"Being black doesn't give you a license to call people racist any more than being Jewish gives you a license to call people anti-Semitic," the lifelong Democrat told host Abby Huntsman.

Last week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller impaneled a grand jury for the investigation into the Trump campaign's relationship with Russia.

Dershowitz noted that moving the grand jury from Virginia to District of Columbia was good for those who oppose the president.

"[Washington] has an ethnic and racial composition that would be somewhat less favorable to Donald Trump," Derhsowtiz said.

Congresswoman Waters attacked Dershowitz over his statement, calling it "absolutely racist."

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http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/08/06/maxine-waters-dershowitz-being-black-license-call-people-racist

WICOMICO COUNTY AWARDED FUNDING FOR LOCAL INITIATIVES FROM GOVERNOR’S OFFICE FOR CHILDREN FY2018


Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver in partnership with Governor Hogan are working to assist area families in an enormous and meaningful way. The Governor’s Office for Children has awarded funding for local programs designed to support those in need of help with the various challenges they face.

The County is deeply committed to these initiatives geared towards providing opportunities for underprivileged persons, particularly youth needing vocational/job training as well as families dealing with parental incarceration and homelessness. Therefore, this partnership provides key plans for our focus in this fiscal year.

The total Wicomico funding is $764,487 for an entire series of programs listed below.  

Junior Achievement Fellows (JA), awarded $138,800, has a focus on career and life skills training for youth ages 18-24. It provides a 12-week job placement program while providing a possibility of full-time opportunities at the conclusion. It includes an extensive mentoring program from area business leaders that helps these young adults learn the necessary skills to obtain and retain gainful employment in today’s tough job market.

Navigation, awarded $115,000, is geared towards coordinating existing resources for families in poverty and/or homeless. The program provides solutions for families and children faced with extreme poverty situations such as homelessness and affords them the opportunity to learn and fully utilize services and resources available to them.

Safe Haven, awarded $71,500, concentrates on families with inmate member. It has been shown when one or both parents are absent due to incarceration, it has grave impact on the children in these families; therefore, this program provides coping and life skills to handle this emotional and physically challenging situation. The program has four main components which encompasses the following: 1) home visits, 2) advocacy and referrals, 3) support groups for children, teens and caregivers, and 4) facilitating child’s communication with parent inmates. While Wicomico has received this funding, the vendor has not been awarded until after August 9, 2017.

Summer Youth Employment, awarded $55,900, is designed to help recipients gain summer employment while also providing career coaching for 10 weeks. The focus is to keep teens off the streets and providing a productive use of their off-months from school.

Other programs receiving funds from the above amount includes:

Board Supplies was awarded $176, 265.

Family Education/Parenting and Teens, awarded $103,522, is a program dealing with parent education courses for parents transitioning out of detention centers.

Out of School Time, awarded $40,000, is a center-based afterschool program, which includes transportation, dinners and mentoring opportunities.

Re-Entry Mediation, awarded $63,500, is a program inside the jail for incarcerated parent and parent at home to complete co-parenting planning prior to transitioning from jail back to the home.

Wicomico is enthusiastic about providing these services and life/career coaching to families in need because it not only helps the individuals, it further fosters a better community for all County residents.

Beach cleaners see buried glass bottles as rising issue


The Ocean City Council and volunteer groups are tackling trash from cigarette butts to paper plates on the beach but the staff that drives the beach sweepers say that glass buried under the sand is becoming a bigger problem.

“Over the last three years, we’ve been finding more alcohol bottles and glass, and it’s getting worse each year,” said Public Works Deputy Director John VanFossen. “With a paper cup or a plate, our beach sanitizers gets it easily. But they’ll bury the bottles under the surface of the sand and someone could step on it.”

Every night starting around 9 p.m., roughly six Public Works employees get to work cleaning the beach. Leading the charge is the “Beast from the East,” a hydraulic trash truck designed to go on the beach and collect trash from the 800 barrels without stopping. Two hours later, five beach sweeper tractors, side by side, start cleaning up the litter from the day before.

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A New Kind of Classroom: No Grades, No Failing, No Hurry

Few middle schoolers are as clued in to their mathematical strengths and weakness as Moheeb Kaied. Now a seventh grader at Brooklyn’s Middle School 442, he can easily rattle off his computational profile.

“Let’s see,” he said one morning this spring. “I can find the area and perimeter of a polygon. I can solve mathematical and real-world problems using a coordinate plane. I still need to get better at dividing multiple-digit numbers, which means I should probably practice that more.”

Moheeb is part of a new program that is challenging the way teachers and students think about academic accomplishments, and his school is one of hundreds that have done away with traditional letter grades inside their classrooms. At M.S. 442, students are encouraged to focus instead on mastering a set of grade-level skills, like writing a scientific hypothesis or identifying themes in a story, moving to the next set of skills when they have demonstrated that they are ready. In these schools, there is no such thing as a C or a D for a lazily written term paper. There is no failing. The only goal is to learn the material, sooner or later.

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Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 8-14-17

On Monday, July 31, 2017 a deputy from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office arrested 24 year old Mason dean Budd of 2941 3rd Street, Cambridge, Md. He was charged in connection with an incident in which he is alleged to have had a sexual relationship with a 15 year old female to include taking video. He has been charged with Third Degree Sex Offense, Fourth Degree Sex Offense Sexual Contact, Fourth Degree Sex Offense, Vaginal Intercourse, Second Degree Assault, Performing an Unnatural or Perverted Sex Act and Photographing a Minor Engaged in a Sex Act. He was Incarcerated on $30,000.00 unsecured Bond.


On Monday, August 7, 2017 a deputy from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28 year old Wilneisha Netavia Taylor of 311 North Phillips Street, Seaford, Delaware. She was indicted by a Dorchester County Circuit Court Grand Jury for 3 counts of Distribution of Heroin to an undercover police officer. She was ordered Held on $250,000.00 Bond. 

Ben Cardin accuses Trump of distancing himself from American values in Charlottesville response

Sen. Ben Cardin said Monday that President Trump has “distanced” himself from American values by failing to call out white nationalists over the weekend.

“He’s gotta call it what it is and his missed that opportunity. Moving forward, I would hope the president would be much more sensitive to these types of issues and show leadership. But I must tell you I have not seen that at all — didn’t see it during the campaign, have not seen it during his first months as president — this clarity about our values in this country and that’s disturbing,” Mr. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, said on CNN.

“This country strengthens in our diversity and he has certainly distanced himself from the traditional values of America,” he added.

Mr. Cardin was reacting to Mr. Trump’s response to violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend where one woman and two police officers were killed and scores injured. White supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the city in a white nationalist rally to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

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THE SECOND CIVIL WAR: Left, right brawl in streets of Charlottesville

The extremes of American society are gathering for a showdown in Charlottesville, Virginia today as 2017 meets 1865.

Video shows agitators carrying communist red flags through the streets as another group passed, with many flashing the leftist power fist:

Witness Hector Alcala noted Black Lives Matter at “Democratic Socialists” were on hand, and added the “Defend Cville” hashtag.

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EXCLUSIVE: Tim Kaine's Republican Challenger Corey Stewart Condemns Violence in Charlottesville

Corey Stewart, a Republican who is challenging Tim Kaine (D-VA) for his Senate seat, condemned the violence which resulted in the murder of three people at the “Unite the Right” white nationalist demonstration, as well as “counterprotesters” including Antifa, on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia.

So far three people have died, including two Virginia state troopers who perished in a helicopter crash and one of over 15 people injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd of protesters at Saturday’s rally.

Reports indicate the suspect, James Alex Fields, 20, is being held without bail for second-degree murder among other charges in the Charlottesville hit-and-run.

My reporting tonight: car in  crash registered to 20yo James Fields of Ohio; man w/ same name, age, town booked for murder

“There is no need for violence in a constitutional republic,” Stewart told Breitbart News. He reiterated this message a short time after the interview during an address he gave about Saturday’s events in Charlottesville over Facebook Live.

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Baltimore Mayor Offers Solution To "Out Of Control" Homicides - Free Community College For All

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh announces her crime-fighting initiative last Wednesday, portion of which includes free community college.

Here is what she had to say per WBALTV:

“Community college has become critical in providing the necessary education and training that high school graduates need to pursue a trade or a four-year degree,” Pugh said.

“What we are going to do in Baltimore City is make Baltimore Community College free.”

Earlier this week, ‘Project Baltimore’ asked this question: How can a high school with zero students proficient in math, have one of the highest graduation rates in Baltimore City?

In a stunning interview from one of the masked educators who uncovered this possible great theft of education.. They said, “grade changing. Giving out diplomas to students that did not earn them.”

So, therein lies a major issue of efficiency in the city. An alleged corrupt school system in Baltimore is handing out high school diplomas like candy to students who have zero proficiency in math. Then the expectation is to push these students into free college in the name of stopping homicides. This does not pass the smell test.

Perhaps, the problem is much deeper and it starts with deindustrialization of the city and 50-years of democratic controlled leadership. This has forced a shocking facial wealth divide - 1/3 of black households have zero net worth.

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Charlottesville Police Called Off When Violence Began: “We’re Leaving, It’s Too Dangerous”

Fox News reporter Doug McKelway was in attendance during yesterday’s deadly events in Charlottesville, VA, where he reported that the police were called off as soon as things started turning violent.

“But when the tear gas started to fly, thrown by protesters, the police themselves began to evacuate then. I asked the guy who was in charge, “Where you going?” He said, “We’re leaving. It’s too dangerous.” They had a chance to nip this thing in the bud and they chose not to.“
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Western Md. Residents On Potomac Pipeline Plans: ‘Disaster Waiting To Happen’


BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A proposed pipeline under the Potomac continues to stir up controversy. Dozens of activists took to the waters near Sharpsburg, and called for the project to be shut down before it even starts.

WJZ’s Rick Ritter has a closer look at the concerns.

The project would eventually carry gas produced by fracking, which is a major concern for residents in Washington County. They’re now calling for Governor Hogan to reject the project.

There was a powerful showing in western Maryland on Friday, with voices that are begging to be heard.

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Rand Paul Rages "Civil Asset Forfeiture Turns The American Justice System On Its Head"

“Innocent until proven guilty” is the bedrock of American jurisprudence. Civil asset forfeiture, a legal process in which the government confiscates your property without a guilty verdict, turns that justice on its head.

Take the case of the Motel Caswell in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. In 2009, owner Russ Caswell found himself the target of a civil forfeiture claim by the federal government and his local police department, even though he had never been accused – much less convicted – of a crime. It should also be noted that, historically, the motel had a good working relationship with the police, even providing them with free rooms for stakeouts and contacting them about suspicious activities.

The government’s basis for seizing the property? Fifteen “drug-related incidents” over a 14-year period – out of around 196,000 rooms rented.

In its reporting on the case, WBUR recounted how a DEA agent testified that it was his job “to seek out targets for forfeiture by watching television news and reading newspapers” and to check the Registry of Deeds after discovering properties where drug crimes had taken place. The Motel Caswell, with a more than $1 million value and lack of mortgage, became the focus of a combined effort between the DEA and the local police, according to the agent.

If the Caswells had lost, the federal government and local police department could have split the proceeds of selling the property under so-called “equitable sharing” – with the police department keeping up to 80 percent of the profit.

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McAuliffe: ‘No Place in America’ for Alt-Right, Refuses to Condemn AntiFa

Charlottesville, VA — The usually busy streets of the historic downtown of Charlottesville saw its tourists and locals substituted with heavily armed police and protesters this afternoon, following altercations which lasted from Friday night through to Saturday morning.

Originally billed as a protest in favour of free speech — alongside the disdain over the removal of Confederate statues in the city — the “alt-right” rally found itself transformed into a torch-wielding, Nazi-flag waving dereliction of American values — at least considering the publicity afforded to the event, and the behaviour of some of the rally’s attendees.

In brief, what transpired amounted to a disgusting and unwelcome throwback to segregationist ideas and rhetoric at a time when patriotic conservatism is gaining ground. While many media minutes and deliberations will be afforded to the fascistic right, almost none will be dedicated to the fascistic left.

It can be said with demonstrable authority that while Republicans and conservatives are very swift to decry extremists claiming to act in the name of their causes, the left do no such thing. In fact, they continue to fund and support antiFa and radical elements in their ranks, scarcely asked questions by the establishment media, and without any contritition for the divisions caused as a result..

I just asked @GovernorVA if he wanted to condemn antifa as well as neo Nazi groups. He heard. Refused to answer. pic.twitter.com/W7vcH4fSI0

— Raheem (@RaheemKassam) August 12, 2017

More here

Md. teen found with $10K worth of pot in car arrested

WASHINGTON — A Bethesda man faces multiple charges of marijuana distribution after police found a group trespassing in Walt Whitman High School’s parking lot.

Nicholas Bennett Morris, 18, has been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute and one count of possession with intent to distribute on school property. He’s also charged with one count of trespassing on school grounds.

Sometime after 9:30 p.m. Aug. 6, Montgomery County police got a call that someone was selling marijuana out of a car in the parking lot at Walt Whitman High School.

According to charging documents, police arrived and found a group of people in the parking lot. They immediately recognized Morris, who had been stopped for speeding by one of the officers weeks before. The group was told they’d be charged with trespassing, and officers asked for identification.

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