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Thursday, September 07, 2017

Sad News From Pittsville. Dave White Has Passed Away



We have just been informed of the death of Dave White.  Mr White was the owner of the Pittsville Dinette for many years.  Our condolences to his family. 

Speech Given To OC Council & Mayor Regarding Nathan's Building





 http://nathan-since-1912.org/index.html

22 indicted in ICE-led probe into multimillion dollar theft ring that targeted upscale shopping malls in San Diego area and nationwide

 SAN DIEGO – A San Diego federal grand jury has indicted 22 defendants following a long-term probe spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) into a highly organized, often violent theft ring suspected of stealing more than $20 million worth of merchandise from upscale shopping malls in the San Diego area and nationwide.
Twelve of the defendants named in the indictment were arrested Wednesday morning during a carefully coordinated operation in the San Diego area involving more than 250 federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. Three of those charged in the cases were already in custody. The other seven individuals named in the indictment remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon. The defendants who are in custody are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court Thursday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Lynn Major.
As part of Wednesday’s enforcement actions, investigators searched three homes in Lemon Grove, Chula Vista, and San Diego. The searches resulted in the confiscation of approximately $30,000 in cash, along with about a dozen large trash bags filled with new clothing, the merchandise tags and security devices still attached. The goods included items from Victoria’s Secret, Hollister Co., Guess, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch, and brands such as Calvin Klein, Hurley, Armani, Adidas, Kenneth Cole, and Puma. Agents also recovered piles of new Louis Vuitton shoes and boxes of security sensors that had been removed from clothing.

SBY MSP Press Release 9-7-17 (Theft in Willards)

Scroll down to page 2 to see photo

Kentucky Public Employee Retirements Surge As Fears Of Pension Collapse Mount

Slowly but surely it is becoming increasingly clear to public workers in states with massively underfunded pensions that they've been lied to for the past several decades as their states can't possibly afford to pay for the retirement they've all been promised. As a local radio station in Bowling Green points out today, fears over potential pension changes in Kentucky have resulted in a surge of early retirements as workers move to lock in payouts before any potential cuts go into effect.

More state workers retired last month than the year before amid concerns that the legislature and Gov. Matt Bevin will make changes to state retirement plans.

David Smith, executive director for the Kentucky Association of State Employees, said state workers have been retiring after consultants hired by the state recommended drastic changes to the pension systems.

“There are folks that are saying you know what, I don’t care, I’m going to lock in my retirement now and get out while I can and fight it as a retiree if they go and change the retiree benefits,” he said.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that there was a 20 percent jump in state worker retirements last month.

“Who are they going to replace them with if they truly offer up what they’re proposing or what was proposed? Who is going to want to work for state government? I wouldn’t,” Smith said.

As we pointed out last week, Kentucky's public pensions face a daunting funding hole of $33-$84 billion, depending on your discount rate assumptions, according to a recent analysis conducted by

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Man survives grizzly bear attack near Ennis

ENNIS - A St. Louis, Missouri man was recovering in the hospital on Tuesday after he was attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting with a friend near the Dry Gulch, Cascade Creek area south of Ennis.

The two hunters were bugling for elk on Monday morning when they came upon a grizzly bear eating a carcass, said Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Chief Information Officer Greg Lemon.

The two men yelled at the bear and it began to charge, according to a post from the victim's friend.

The two men attempted to spray the animal with bear spray, but only one man's spray deployed.

The grizzly bear then attacked Tom Sommer, scratching at the man's head and shoulders as he tried to shoot the bear.

The bear bit through Sommer's thigh and then put the victim's head in its mouth, according to Sommer's friend.

Sommer was then able to spray the animal with bear spray from about two feet away and escaped.

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Political reality, tabloid fodder mix in Menendez trial

It's a tale of international jet-setting, $1,500-a-night hotel rooms and, for good measure, allegations of affairs with models and actresses.

Beyond the tabloid angles, this week's corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and a wealthy friend promises to put the very business of governing under a microscope – and could eventually lead to a Republican taking over his seat in the deeply divided Senate.

Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday in the trial of Menendez and a Florida ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen.

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Alaska Airlines Solar Eclipse Flight #870

Md. County Sues Drug Companies, Doctors For Over-Prescribing Potent Pills


BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Anne Arundel County leaders are taking aim at drug companies and so called “Pill Mill doctors” through a first of it’s kind lawsuit in Maryland that holds them accountable for the state’s growing opioid epidemic.

As cities and counties across Maryland continue to struggle to keep up with the state’s opioid epidemic, Anne Arundel County has a new strategy to battle the growing health crisis.

County leaders say they hope to get back some of the millions they’re spending to deal with the problem. They’ve identified doctors and companies who they say are responsible.

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WBOC Owner Tom Draper Injured In Crash In Delaware While Riding Bicycle

Milford - The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a serious crash involving a bicyclist.

Preliminary investigation reveals the incident occurred around 7:35 a.m. Thursday September 7, 2017 when Thomas H. Draper, 76 of Milford, was bicycling eastbound on Slaughter Beach Road in the area of Wells Road when he was struck by a 2013 Ford F150 pickup truck operated by Shawn E. Armstrong, 37 of Lewes, who was also traveling eastbound on Slaughter Beach Road. The pickup truck stopped immediately after the collision and called 9-1-1.


Thomas Draper was initially transported to Bayhealth Milford Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to Baltimore Shock Trauma in critical condition.


Shawn Armstrong was uninjured in the collision.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing their investigation into this incident. Drug and alcohol use do not appear to be a factor in this case. No charges have been filed at this time. Slaughter Beach Road was closed for approximately three hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.

The Islamic Future Of Europe

European leaders accepted the transformation of parts of their countries into enemy territories. They see that a demographic disaster is taking place. They know that in two or three decades, Europe will be ruled by Islam.

Ten years ago, describing what he called "the last days of Europe," the historian Walter Laqueur said that European civilization was dying and that only old monuments and museums would survive. His diagnosis was too optimistic. Old monuments and museums might well be blown up. Look nowhere else than what the black-hooded supporters of "Antifa" -- an "anti-fascist" movement whose actions are totally fascistic -- are doing to statues in the United States.

The terrorist attack in Barcelona received the same reaction as all the large-scale terrorist attacks in Europe: tears, prayers, flowers, candles, teddy bears, and protestations that "Islam means peace ". When people gathered to demand tougher measures against the rising influence of Islamism across the continent, they were confronted by an "anti-fascist" rally. Muslims organized a demonstration to defend Islam; they claimed that Muslims living in Spain are the "main victims" of terrorism. The president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Societies, Mounir Benjelloun El Andaloussi, spoke of a "conspiracy against Islam" and said that terrorists were "instruments" of Islamophobic hatred. The mayor of Barcelona, ?? Ada Colau, cried in front of the cameras and said that her city would remain an "open city" for all immigrants. The governor of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, used almost the same language. Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a conservative, was the only one who dared to call jihadist terrorism by its name. Almost all European journalists said Rajoy's words were too harsh.

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Kindergartner's first day of school outfit is a dress made in 1950

DURANGO - Crayons? Check. Pencils? Check. Great great grandma's dress? Check.

These are some of the items on one Durango kindergartner's school supply list.

Caroline Hirt finally got the chance to wear a special family tradition on her first day of kindergarten on August 28 at the Juniper school.

The dress was handmade in 1950 by Caroline's great great grandmother. Since then, the dress has been worn by 18 different women in at least seven states.

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Arrests Made in Crabapple Lane Drug Investigation

Lincoln – The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit has arrested multiple people following an investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics in the Lincoln area.
Detectives assigned to the Drug Unit, along with the assistance of the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force, Troop 7 Pro-Active Criminal Enforcement (P.A.C.E.) team, State Police Special Operations Response Team (S.O.R.T.), Delaware Department of Correction, and Milford Police Department, conducted search warrants located in the 19000 block of Crabapple Lane and the 8000 block of Greentop Road around 11:00 a.m., Tuesday September 5, 2017.  Upon the detectives arrival, numerous individuals were contacted and taken into custody.  Upon conducting the searches, detectives located a total of 3043 bags of heroin (21.301 grams), 28.24 grams of cocaine, 11 Suboxone strips, over $9,500.00 in suspected drug proceeds, as well as a .22 caliber rifle.
The following suspects were charged as a result of the investigation:

Former lawmaker sentenced to 21 years in Ponzi scheme

A former Tennessee lawmaker who led a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme centered on buying and selling gold and silver coins has been sentenced to 21 years behind bars.

Along with the jail sentence, 73-year-old former Democratic state rep. Larry Bates was ordered to pay more than $21million in restitution to more than 400 customers he swindled.

Bates, his two sons, and daughter-in-law were found guilty in May of mail and wire fraud.

The Democrat who served in the Tennessee House from 1971 to 1976, promoted the company though Christian television and radio programs.

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Breaking News: A breach at Equifax may have exposed the data of 143 million people, including Social Security and driver's license numb

Criminals gained access to certain files in the company’s system from mid-May to July, according to an investigation by Equifax. The company said it found no evidence of unauthorized activity on its main consumer or commercial credit reporting databases and that the breach was discovered on July 29.
Read More »

Cop with terminal cancer rescues hundreds of Harvey victims

HOUSTON - Among the heroes during Hurricane Harvey was Houston police officer Norbert Ramon, a 24-year veteran of the department who helped rescue 1,500 Houstonians while fighting stage four colon cancer.

“My main concern was to help the citizens,” said Ramon, 55. Nothing else was on my mind. I didn’t worry about me or anything.”

“I don’t dwell on it. I don’t like to let people know because I like to be treated equal.”

Harvey might have been his finest hour, colleagues said.

“It was desperate. I mean you’ve never seen so much water before,” added the senior police officer.

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SPD: Armed Robbery Suspect In Custody


Bannon's Take on North Korea Crisis: ‘This Is 100 Percent About China’

As the United States, United Nations, and nation states around the world react to North Korea’s most aggressive nuclear test to date, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist’s take on how to deal with its benefactor, China, takes on new significance.

“This is 100 percent about China,” Steve Bannon, who has returned to Breitbart News as its executive chairman, said in an article published by the New York Times on Sunday.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News Sunday that he is drafting a new sanctions package that will cut economic ties with anyone who does business with North Korea — a stance both Trump and Bannon have championed.

“There’s a lot we can do to cut them off economically, much more than we’ve done,” Mnuchin said.

China accounts for as much as 85 percent of North Korea’s trade market, according to theTimes.

“Some critics dismissed the president’s suggestion as an empty threat, because, if carried out, it would most likely prompt an immediate legislative remedy by congressional leaders from both parties,” the Times speculated.

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Facts always make the snowflakes angry.


Exposing The Narrative Of Debt, Fear, And Insecurity

On March 4 1933 FDR in his inaugural address to the American people said,

“…the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself….”

And it’s true. It is fear more than anything else that prevents people from turning away from what has failed them and stays their hand from picking up the tools which would allow them to build what would work better. And precisely because it is true, every politician, banker, judge and general has realised that if they wished to stop change from weakening their grip on power and wealth, then what they need above all else is …more fear.

As FDR went on to say, it is

“…nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes….”

So if you want to control a people and contain their desire to replace the system which benefits you, with one that benefits them, then you need to feed them fear and the more of it and the more slippery and inscrutable it seems to them, the better.

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It's "now officially the creepiest little town in America..."

Houston family's home saved from flooding thanks to dam

One Texas family has escaped the worst of Harvey's flooding thanks to an ingenious dam.

Randy and Jennifer Socha's home in Rosenberg, Texas suffered severe flooding last year.

So when they heard that Harvey was on its way, they knew they needed to get inventive to keep their home dry.

Randy quickly went online in search of a way to keep their home dry and found a Louisiana-based company that makes water-fulled dams, called Aqua Dams.

The Aqua Dam is a waterproof fabric tube that is filled with water and used like a sandbag.

Any rain water that comes onto his property is pumped into the tube and then out and into the flood, keeping his home dry.

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Darci Lynn Does It Again, This Time She Makes Simon Blush

Former Trump Insiders Predict Paul Manafort Close To Being Indicted For Financial Crimes, Report

It has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that Special Counsel Mueller is intent upon either flipping Paul Manafort against Trump in his 'Russian collusion' investigation or filing charges against him for crimes unrelated to the 2016 presidential campaign. Either way, Manafort's future looks to be dimming.

As the Daily Caller has just revealed in an exclusive report, former Trump campaign aides are now saying that Manafort could be indicted for financial crimes, allegedly including money laundering and/or tax evasion, in the very near future.

Former Trump campaign aides are telling The Daily Caller that they increasingly believe former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort will be indicted for crimes such as money laundering or tax evasion.

One of the former campaign advisers has knowledge of the ongoing investigations into Manafort, a longtime Republican operative who joined the Trump campaign last March. Another former aide said his own knowledge of Manafort’s past history working with despots, coupled with news reports about Mueller’s investigation, led him to believe that an indictment of Manafort is becoming more likely.

The former Trump advisers told TheDC they have no knowledge of any collusion with the Russian government on the presidential campaign. One aide stressed that any financial crimes by Manafort are his own problem and not that of the White House.

“Ill-informed speculation has become the new Washington parlor game. Despite breathless headlines, it is increasingly clear the Russia Collusion story is eroding,” Manafort’s spokesman Jason Maloni told TheDC. Maloni declined to comment when asked specifically about financial crimes.

One of the former aides was interviewed by a Congressional committee investigating Russian interference and told TheDC that many of the questions were about Manafort’s finances.

“Investigators appeared focused on finances and business relationships of the Trump family and top associates such as Paul Manafort and General Michael Flynn,” the former Trump campaign adviser told TheDC.

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What's Happening 9-7-17

Here is your chance to get it off your chest.  Let us know what is going on in the area.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Claims of 'massive election fraud' in Chicago

There were nearly 15,000 more general election votes cast in Chicago than the number of voters, the Republican Party claims.

The head of the Chicago GOP Chris Cleveland has accused the Chicago Board of Elections of 'massive incompetence or massive fraud' over a discrepancy in voting figures.

He filed a Freedom of Information Act request in January for a list of voters who had cast ballots in November.

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2,139 DACA Recipients Convicted or Accused of Crimes Against Americans

As Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), from which more than 800,000 un-vetted young illegal aliens have been given protected status and work permits, the number of them who are convicted criminals, gang members, or suspects in crimes remains staggering.

Below, Breitbart News has compiled a list of 50 of the 2,139 DACA recipients, deemed “DREAMers” by the open borders lobby, who have had their temporary protected statusrevoked due to crimes including: “A felony criminal conviction; a significant misdemeanor conviction; multiple misdemeanor convictions; gang affiliation; or arrest of any crime in which there is deemed to be a public safety concern,” according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency.

The majority of crimes by DACA recipients include: “Alien smuggling, assaultive offenses, domestic violence, drug offenses, DUI, larceny and thefts, criminal trespass and burglary, sexual offenses with minors, other sex offenses and weapons offenses,” USCIS has stated.

DREAMer Who Killed Two Girls in Hit-and-Run Won’t Be Deported
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Centennial competitor grows beard for Brothers of the Brush contest

Albert Tingle is shown here in a photo from 1970. Credit: Family Photo.
Albert Tingle, 82, participated in a beard-growing contest for Wicomico County’s centennial celebration and is also growing a beard for the Brothers of the Brush contest during this year’s 150 Year Celebration. Here, he poses for a photo on Aug. 25.

Albert Tingle also participated in 1967 competition


SALISBURY, Md. –
Plenty has changed in the past 50 years – including the look of Albert Tingle’s beard.

“It’s turned gray,” Tingle said.

Tingle, 82, participated in the facial-hair growing competition held for the Wicomico County Centennial celebration in 1967, when he was 32. Fifty years later, he’s growing a beard for the Brothers of the Brush contest, which is part of Wicomico County’s 150 Year Celebration festivities. The 150 Year Celebration honors the anniversary of Wicomico County’s founding in 1867.

Tingle, a lifelong Wicomico County resident, is participating in the full beard category, which is the same category he competed in a half-century ago.

He doesn’t normally have a beard, but he likes growing it for the competition.

“I think it’s a fun thing to do,” Tingle said. “And it recognizes our County.”

The contest was a big deal in 1967. Tingle said different communities had clubs for the contest – for example, one was sponsored by the Hebron Fire Company, and another one was based in Parsonsburg.

This year’s contest includes 30-plus men growing facial hair.

The judging will be held in conjunction with 3rd Friday on Sept. 15. Judging will take place that day at 7 p.m. on the steps of the Government Office Building in downtown Salisbury.

There’s still time to register for the Brothers of the Brush contest – five categories don’t require shaving. These categories include moustache, partial beard, full beard, most unusual and worst beard. There’s also a fastest growing beard category, for which participants had to be clean-shaven on or after June 3.

The registration deadline has been extended. Registration is now open until Sept. 15, the day of the contest. Space is limited.

Competitors have a chance to win sesquicentennial prizes and trophies, and it is free to participate.

Register online or download a registration form at www.WicomicoCounty.org/653/Wicomico-County-150-Year-Celebration. The contest rules and a schedule of other 150 Year Celebration events can also be found at that link.

Book By Hillary Clinton’s Pastor To Be Pulled For Plagiarism RYAN SAAVEDRA

Rev. Bill Shillady, Hillary Clinton’s spiritual adviser, will have his recently published book pulled from bookshelves after a pastor found an extensive amount of plagiarism in the book.

The book, “Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton,” was based on emails that were sent to Clinton from Shillady starting in April 2015 continuing through December 2016.

According to CNN, Rev. Brian Milford, the president of the book’s publisher, the Abingdon Press, was alarmed by allegations and conducted a subsequent investigation that was described as an “extensive review,” which confirmed suspicions.

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Republicans Furious As Trump Sides With Democrats On Short-Term Debt Limit Extension

It appears President Trump has found a new ally in Congress: the Democrats whose plan - derided earlier by Paul Ryan - to keep any 'fix' for the debt-ceiling, short-term was approved over the Republicans' howls of objection. As The Hill reports, President Trump agreed with top congressional Democrats at a White House meeting to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling through Dec. 15. despite objections from virtually all GOP leaders.

"In the meeting, the President and Congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey, an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to December 15, all together," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.

While the report give the impression of delightful civility, the reality was rather different, as Trump concluded a deal with Schumer, Pelosi et al behind Ryan and McConnell's backs. Politico's Jake Sherman reports that:

I am told by multiple sources Rs are furious. The Democratic ploy — to keep debt limit short term — worked. It took just a few hours.

TRUMP also agreed to extend government funding until December 15, setting up a wild final month of the year.

TRUMP agrees to 3-month debt limit increase in meeting w hill leaders. All GOP leaders were opposed, per multiple sources.

TO BE CLEAR: Debt limit, govt funding expires 12/15. Ryan, McConnell, McCarthy were all opposed. Trump, Pelosi, Schumer were on same side.

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Weekly Fishing Report: Sept. 6, 2017

This is Erik Zlokovitz filling in once again for Keith Lockwood on the weekly fishing report.

The big weather story this week is Hurricane Irma, which is making landfall in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean islands. The storm made landfall as a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, making it the most powerful hurricane on record to ever form in the open Atlantic Ocean. With Florida in Irma’s path, some residents will inevitably see a lot of wind and rain. Irma or her remnants won’t affect Maryland if at all until next week, setting up a fair to good forecast for the weekend, with light northerly winds on the water. Those cool winds are ushering in a taste of fall, lowering water temperatures across the region.

You should get out soon if you are interested in targeting our warm water visitors such as Spanish mackerel, red drum and bluefish. Read the full report here.

House Intel Committee Subpoenas FBI, DOJ Over Trump Dossier

The House Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed the FBI and the Justice Department for documents relating to the Trump "dodgy dossier," the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday evening. The committee is seeking information regarding the FBI's relationship with dossier author Christopher Steele and its possible role in funding what started out as an opposition research project by shady lefty research firm Fusion GPS.

While it has been widely reported that "a wealthy GOP donor" originally funded the anti-Trump dossier, the managers of the Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and John Kasich campaigns have all told the Examiner's Byron York that they knew nothing about a GOP-funded oppo-research project on Trump. Meanwhile, Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson has refused to answer the question about who bankrolled the dossier.

The House Intel Committee is one of several congressional committees looking into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Additionally, Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller is leading a separate investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

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Survey: White Christians are now a minority of US population

The share of Americans who identify as white and Christian has dropped below 50 percent, a transformation fueled by immigration and by growing numbers of people who reject organized religion altogether, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

Christians overall remain a large majority in the U.S., at nearly 70 percent of Americans. However, white Christians, once predominant in the country's religious life, now comprise only 43 percent of the population, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, a polling organization based in Washington.

The survey also found that more than a third of all Republicans say they are white evangelicals, and nearly three-quarter identify as white Christians. By comparison, white Christians have become a minority in the Democratic Party, shrinking from 47 percent a decade ago, to 29 percent now. Forty percent of Democrats say they have no religious affiliation.

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Monthly Crimes Reported to the WCSO - August 2017

 
Monthly Crimes Reported to the WCSO

  • Sector 1- Salisbury, Allen, Deer Harbour, Fruitland, Fox Chase
  • Sector 2- Parsonsburg, Delmar
  • Sector 3- Delmar, Log Cabin Road, Adkins Road
  • Sector 4- Nanticoke, Waterview, White Haven, Tyaskin
  • Sector 5- Booth Street, Reservation
  • Sector 6- Hebron, Mardela Springs, Sharptown
  • Sector 7- Pittsville, Willards, Powellville

Unsure of your WCSO Sector? Click HERE for the interactive map below.

OCPD Charges Suspect in Hit & Run Collision


OCEAN CITY, MD – (September 7, 2017): The Ocean City Police Department has filed charges against the suspect involved in last week’s hit and run collision involving a bicyclist. The collision occurred Wednesday, August 30, 2017, at approximately 3 a.m. in the area of 2nd Street and Philadelphia Avenue.

The bicyclist, Veronika Badurova, 21, of Slovakia, passed away at Peninsula Regional Medical Center on Friday, September 1, due to injuries sustained during the collision. The suspect has been identified as Brooks T. Bratten, 38, of Snow Hill, MD. Officers have charged him with two counts of failure to remain at the scene of a fatal traffic collision, two counts of failure to remain at the scene of a traffic collision causing bodily injury, failing to render aid following a traffic collision and negligent driving. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Badurova was riding her bicycle southbound on Philadelphia Avenue when she was struck by an SUV travelling southbound driven by Bratten. Bratten failed to stop after the personal injury collision. The victim was transported by Ocean City EMS to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries two days later.

Popular YouTube-To-MP3 Site Will Shut Down Following Recording Industry Lawsuit

Even though YouTube is primarily thought of as a video platform, many people use the site as a way to host and listen to just about any song they would want to hear for free. Some online services let users easily convert those streaming audio clips into MP3 files, but one of the more popular destinations for this conversion will be shutting down as part of a legal settlement with several record companies.

In 2016, several of the biggest names in music — including Warner Bros., Capitol, Sony, and Universal — sued the operators of YouTube-mp3.org (YTMP3), a site that takes the audio from any YouTube clip and creates a separate MP3 file for the user. They claimed the site aided and participated in an “enormous” level of copyright infringement.

YTMP3 is incredibly popular, with the lawsuit dubbing it “one of the most visited sites in the world,” and claiming that some 40% of all MP3s ripped from YouTube without authorization are made via YTMP3.

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IMMORTALITY FOR BOB EHRLICH: ICC TO BE NAMED FOR HIM

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) plans to name the Intercounty Connector highway after former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) on Thursday, Ehrlich confirmed to Maryland Matters late Wednesday afternoon.

“Obviously, it’s a very nice gesture,” Ehrlich said. “I really appreciate it. It takes you back to a lot of battles.”

Ehrlich revived the long-debated highway linking Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg to U.S. 1 in Laurel after his predecessor, former Gov. Parris Glendening (D), killed the project in 1999. The first section of the 17.5-mile tollway opened in 2011, and it was fully completed in 2014.

Hogan’s office announced Wednesday that the governor would be appearing at an ICC dedication ceremony Thursday morning on Muncaster Mill Road in Rockville, near the highway, but was mum on the details. Ehrlich said he didn’t know what to expect.

“I know nothing,” he said. “I’m showing up at 9:45.”

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North Korea Attack on US Power Grid Threatened

North Korea threatened an attack on the U.S. power grid using electromagnetic pulses to knock out electricity throughout America. The warning came directly from the state news agency.

Experts told the Fox News that North Korea could actually pull off the attack by detonating a hydrogen bomb at high altitude, which would create an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, that would knock out key infrastructure in parts of the United States.

"The biggest danger would be shorting out of the power grid, especially on the East Coast," Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, told Fox News. "Imagine a situation where large sections of the U.S. had no power.”

"Imagine New York or Washington D.C. with no power for just a week. The implications would be hard to fathom. The casualty rates would be off the charts,"

An EMP, something that appears more like Hollywood fiction like in "The Matrix" movies, can cause more damage at higher elevations, Fox News noted. A detonation at 250 miles, a distance of roughly of the International Space Station, could fry electronics in most of the U.S. along with parts of Canada and Mexico.

James Woolsey, former chief of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1993 to 1995, warned of such an attack during an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune in March.

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Armed Taco Bell workers shoot, kill robbery suspect

Cleveland Police respond to the Taco Bell after a would-be robber was shot and killed by employees (Fox 8)

Armed employees at a Cleveland Taco Bell shot and killed a would-be robber early Wednesday, police said.

Police responded to the store in the city's Edgewater neighborhood shortly before 3 a.m. and found the suspect suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The unidentified man was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

A second suspect fled the scene.

Investigators say five Taco Bell employees were in the store when the suspects came in wearing masks and ordered them to get on the ground. Three of the employees opened fire, striking the suspect.

Police said no arrests had been made.

In a statement, Taco Bell said the company was offering counseling to the restaurant workers and was cooperating with the investigation.

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Democrats claim deal with Trump on three month spending, debt ceiling fix

Democratic leaders said Wednesday that President Trump and Republicans have agreed to a deal to lift the nation's borrowing limit and continue government funding through December 15.

The package will be paired with $8 billion in Hurricane Harvey disaster aid.

"In the meeting, the president and congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey, an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to Dec. 15, all together," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "Both sides have every intention of avoiding default in December and look forward to working together on the many issues before us."

Republicans had yet to comment on the apparent agreement, which came just hours after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said a three-month solution on the debt ceiling would be "ridiculous."

The deal comes after Democrats declared they would not support a debt ceiling increase longer than three months because they are eager to negotiate wish list items, including Obamacare funding and immigration reform.

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Local Fruitland School Awarded Grant To Improve Student Nutrition, Activity Programs

Action for Healthy Kids® and CSX Provide Grants to 300 Schools for 2017-2018 School Year

CHICAGO –
Action for Healthy Kids® (AFHK) announces the 300 recipients of School Grants for Healthy Kids for the 2017-2018 school year, provided through funding from CSX Transportation. Awarded in 12 states and Washington D.C. the Game On grants aim to expand student access to in-school physical activity and healthy foods, improve knowledge and behaviors around exercise and nutrition, and engage parents in activities that reinforce healthy habits at home. The grants are expected to impact an estimated 152,000 students in 186 school districts.

The grants, ranging from $500 to help returning grantees sustain their programs and $1,000 for new grantees, can be used for a variety of wellness purposes including:
Physical activity components, such as funding for physical education, active indoor and outdoor recess, classroom energizers, walking and running clubs, and before- and after-school programs; and Nutrition components, such as education, school gardens, taste tests, and healthy classroom parties and celebrations that introduce students to the value of an active, healthy lifestyle.

“The funding from CSX connects schools with much-needed resources for their wellness initiatives and acknowledges the impact of physical activity and good nutrition on children’s health and learning,” said Rob Bisceglie, CEO, Action for Healthy Kids. “Partners like CSX are not only helping us to make positive changes at the local level through school grants, but also to drive a greater national focus on the importance of health and nutrition in schools.”

Additionally, 800 school health teams nationwide will be trained on how to build and maintain sustainable wellness teams, augment school health and wellness best practices, and use AFHK resources and programs to implement wellness policies.AFHK also provides technical assistance to help the 300 grantee schools successfully implement their grants, develop their school health team and assess their school health environment.

BREAKING NEWS: Rt. 50 West Bound Shut Down In Willards: UPDATE

There's been a serious accident near the Shell Gas Station in Willards, west bound. Rt. 50 is closed for the time being. 

UPDATE: They have opened one lane.

Guess Who Didn’t Make It Onto Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List


Vanity Fair’s 2017 International Best-Dressed List honors celebrities and politicians who stand out as fashion icons of the year, but one usually well-dressed figure is notably absent.

Melania Trump, a former model and current first lady of the U.S., did not make the cut, but former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made the list for the third time.

“Heads of state are particularly well represented this year,” a press release for the list said, “with former president and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama (Couples) honored for the third time.”

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Tropical Storm Jose forms behind Hurricane Irma

Irma, meet Jose.

Tropical Storm Jose has formed in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 monster plowing toward Antigua and perhaps Florida.

Jose, the 10th tropical storm of the season, has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is about 1,505 miles east of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The tropical storm is expected to gain strength in the next couple of days as it moves west-northwest and may become a hurricane by Friday, meteorologists said Tuesday.

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Hillary Clinton targets women marchers in election blame

Hillary Clinton has added another name her long list of grievances about those who cost her the election, this time singling out energized anti-Trump women marchers for failing to deliver before her historic loss.

Clinton referenced the throngs of protesters who took the streets of Washington and other cities in a Women's march shortly after his election. But her thoughts moved from the calls to resistance to the Trump agenda to why they hadn't summoned that same passion for her own campaign.

'I couldn’t help but ask where those feelings of solidarity, outrage and passion had been during the election,' Clinton writes in her new memoir, 'What Happened.'

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Confederate stained glass windows removed from cathedral

The Washington National Cathedral will remove two stained glass windows honoring Confederate generals as they are acting as a 'barrier to our important work on racial justice and racial reconciliation'.

The windows being removed depict Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson commanding an army and looking through binoculars with a Confederate flag in one of the windows.

Removal of the windows has been in discussion since the racially charged shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, two years ago.

The shooting occurred when a white gunman, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, shot and killed nine people at Emanuel AME church during a bible study meeting.

But other events such as the clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville over the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee pushed their decision.

Other establishments and universities have been debating removing statues and memorials of Confederate figures since the protest as well.

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Salisbury's Emergency Hurricane Procedures


Gannett makes company-wide cuts in reorganization

Gannett is cutting less than 1 percent of its total workforce in a company-wide reorganization, a Gannett spokesperson told Poynter Wednesday.

The cuts were announced to employees by CEO Bob Dickey in a video to employees Wednesday. Gannett, which has more than 20,000 employees globally, continues to battle declining print advertising earnings alongside the rest of the newspaper industry.

Its first-quarter earnings showed print advertising revenue decline 17.7 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016, with circulation revenues down 8 percent year-over-year.

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A Viewer Writes: How To Fix A Pothole

So, for three years or better at the corner of Zion Rd. & Naylor Mill, there’s been a pothole developing at the drainage grate. It started out as a little 9 inch hole until whatever Public Works/SHA takes care of that intersection tossed some asphalt in it without packing it down and by the end of that week the asphalt had been bounced out of the hole and was mounded up just after the hole. After that was rolled kind of flat by passing traffic, more was tossed in the hole and pretty much stayed, and over the course of the last three years, the broken, alligatored pavement has come up several times expanding the pothole area and has been occasionally patched over and over again.

Then, during the past year, another pothole has opened up in a spot not 50 feet away where a depression has formed under the road in a spot where every tire of any vehicle turning off Zion onto Naylor Mill must travel. Being open for most of the summer, I snapped a photo on 8/15 showing it in a depression that would clearly hold water and soften the soil under the roadbed which furthered the damage surrounding the hole.

 Well, shortly after these pictures were taken, this pothole got “patched”. Now, I’d like to imagine the men and equipment dispatched out to make this repair. I’m sure the Big Yellow Dump Truck was there with driver and flashing lights. Maybe the Supervisor was on that truck or stopped by in his own pickup to instruct. Then, let’s add the required flagger or two to set out the cones and direct traffic around the Big Yellow Truck at a VERY busy intersection while what, at least one more made the “repair”.
 Let’s see, that’s at LEAST one dump truck, four men and a load of hot mix and they left us with this gem!
Then, the traffic packed it down, leaving us a pothole that collects water and soaks the soil under which will freeze this winter and pop up making an even bigger pothole much like the one 50 feet away grew to!


OH! And the one 50 feet away with the same botched workmanship? Well, let’s just take a walk over there and see what all that equipment and manpower did while they were there “fixing” stuff.

NOTHING.

Now, you and I all know these two spots will be turning to garbage just as the asphalt plants are shutting down for the winter and the crappy weather is upon us! All that money spent on men, materials and equipment and nobody could get out the saw, cut out all the bad areas and use the asphalt that was already on the truck to do a job right the first time is now going to have to be spent all over again once on a temporary wintertime repair and second on an even larger repair in the spring, probably involving a paving machine then!

Bend over, folks, and be sure to pay your taxes on time this year! We’re doing this to ALL your roads, LOL! And the job security is FANTASTIC !

Caption This Photo 9-7-17


Station 1 Salisbury


The Saddest Aisle In The Grocery Store


Millennials


WBOC's Predicted Track Of Hurricane Irma


Church Ladies With Typewriters

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for the church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced at church services:
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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Scouts are saving aluminium cans, bottles and other items to be recycled Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.'The sermon tonight:'Searching for Jesus.'
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be try-outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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Pot-luck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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And this one just about sums them all up........

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday:
I Upped My Pledge - Now Up Yours.

Infamous 'Pepper Balls' is in Jail with 3 Felonies

Black woman travels across South planting Confederate flags

An Oklahoma woman is taking on the movement to remove Confederate monuments and symbols, one flag at a time.

Arlene Barnum, a black veteran, is touring cemeteries across the South to place Confederate flags on the grave sites of soldiers who died fighting for what they believed in, and she doesn’t plan on letting up any time soon, KWTV reports.

Before the Labor Day weekend Barnum made a stop at her local Rose Hill Cemetery in Ardmore, Oklahoma to pay homage to those who fought for the Confederacy and offered her thoughts on the current movement to erase that history.

“Most of the white people are afraid of being called racist. And I let them know that’s their personal problem, but I don’t have that issue,” Barnum said. “And I’m not going to tuck and run.”

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