DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
3rd Annual "Beer, Wine, & Spirits Festival"
Trap Pond Partners' & Lakeshore Wine & Spirits'
3rd Annual "Beer, Wine, & Spirits Festival"
Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 from 12- 4pm
Click HERE For More Information
Hillary Clinton and the €1,000-ticket book tour
With low overheads and sky-high ticket prices, Hillary Live is a book tour like no other
On the website of the world’s biggest live music promoter, Live Nation,Hillary Clinton is listed, beside Guns N’ Roses and Ed Sheeran, as an “artist”.
Clinton has just begun a four-month tour to promote her recently published new political memoir, What Happened, and like a many touring act she will be glad that the first show of Hillary Live on Monday, September 18th in Washington, DC was a resounding success. The 1,847-capacity audience welcomed her with a sustained standing ovation.
With great first-night reviews and several shows already sold out, more dates are likely to be added to this four-month North American tour. Clinton has 15 shows listed so far and will play – or talk – to 1,500-2,000 each night.
Clinton is not yet a threat to the Live Nation band that currently have the biggest selling tour of the year: U2. But the Clinton events will be highly profitable in their own right, due to their high ticket prices and low production costs.
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Clinton has just begun a four-month tour to promote her recently published new political memoir, What Happened, and like a many touring act she will be glad that the first show of Hillary Live on Monday, September 18th in Washington, DC was a resounding success. The 1,847-capacity audience welcomed her with a sustained standing ovation.
With great first-night reviews and several shows already sold out, more dates are likely to be added to this four-month North American tour. Clinton has 15 shows listed so far and will play – or talk – to 1,500-2,000 each night.
Clinton is not yet a threat to the Live Nation band that currently have the biggest selling tour of the year: U2. But the Clinton events will be highly profitable in their own right, due to their high ticket prices and low production costs.
More
NYC authorities seize nearly 200 pounds of fentanyl worth $30 million
New York City authorities seized almost 200 pounds of fentanyl in two stings, one of which was the largest bust in the city’s history.
The New York City Police Department and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents carried out the two stings in August and September, WNBC reported.
In the first bust, on Aug. 1, federal agents collected more than 140 pounds of fentanyl, the most ever for the city. Agents said they saw two men, Rogelio Alvardo-Robles and Blanca Flores-Soli collect a package thought to be cocaine at a Walmart store in Manahawkin, NJ. The authorities followed the men to an apartment in the Queens neighborhood of Kew Gardens, where the alleged drugs were transported.
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The New York City Police Department and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents carried out the two stings in August and September, WNBC reported.
In the first bust, on Aug. 1, federal agents collected more than 140 pounds of fentanyl, the most ever for the city. Agents said they saw two men, Rogelio Alvardo-Robles and Blanca Flores-Soli collect a package thought to be cocaine at a Walmart store in Manahawkin, NJ. The authorities followed the men to an apartment in the Queens neighborhood of Kew Gardens, where the alleged drugs were transported.
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5-year-old boy suspended after school claims he made bomb threat, parents say
Jackson Riley was suspended for one day from Great Valley Academy for the incident.
The kindergartener reportedly told one of his teachers there was a bomb in his backpack, which would explode if he took it off.
“So, they look in his backpack, and my son’s 5 years old; obviously there’s no bomb in my kid’s backpack. They called me at work and said, ‘There’s been an incident at the school.’ They told me everything that my son said, and they said, ‘You need to come pick your son up, and this is going to be a one-day suspension,’” Riley’s father said in an interview with KTXL.
The school sent Riley’s parents a letter saying he was suspended for his intent to “threaten, intimidate or harass others,” but Riley’s parents said the code applied to students in 4th through 12th grades.
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39 people arrested during Lincoln St Drug Investigation
A collaborative effort lasting nearly one year by the entire Smyrna PD has resulted in the arrest of 39 persons for charges related to an open-air style drug market and associated quality of life issues in the Lincoln Street area. Key targets involved in the sale of illegal drugs were identified and arrested. Officers employed a zero-tolerance approach to all crimes and violations, resulting in the arrest of several more persons for less serious crimes. During this investigation, the SPD was aided by the city of Dover Police Dept. and the Kent Co. Paramedics. The following suspects were identified and arrested (or are being sought for arrest) in regards to the sale of illegal drugs;
Mark Lawrence, 59, Smyrna: Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in a Tier 2 quantity (cocaine and crack cocaine), Possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a drug property, 4 counts of possession of a prescription drug, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia (initially committed to D.O.C., since released pending a future court hearing)
Mahalon L. Mears, 63, Smyrna: Possession of a controlled substance in a tier 1 quantity (crack cocaine) (initially committed to D.O.C., since released pending a future court hearing)
Statement from Governor Larry Hogan on Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today released the following statement in response to the Graham-Cassidy health care bill:
“As I have said from the start, the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed. We need to keep what works, improve the parts that do not, and do it in a way that protects Marylanders' coverage and stops rates from continually skyrocketing. I will support any solution – no matter which side of the aisle it comes from – that helps us reach this outcome.
“Unfortunately, the Graham-Cassidy bill is not a solution that works for Maryland. It will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens. We need common sense, bipartisan solutions that will stabilize markets and actually expand affordable coverage. It is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together, fix what is so clearly broken, and finally get something done for the American people.”
“As I have said from the start, the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed. We need to keep what works, improve the parts that do not, and do it in a way that protects Marylanders' coverage and stops rates from continually skyrocketing. I will support any solution – no matter which side of the aisle it comes from – that helps us reach this outcome.
“Unfortunately, the Graham-Cassidy bill is not a solution that works for Maryland. It will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens. We need common sense, bipartisan solutions that will stabilize markets and actually expand affordable coverage. It is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together, fix what is so clearly broken, and finally get something done for the American people.”
Former Ravens Cheerleader Completes Weekend Jail Time For Rape Of Teen Boy
Shattuck was found guilty in a Delaware court of fourth degree rape, and was sentenced in August 2015 to spend 48 weekends in jail for the crime that occurred the year before that, over the 2014 Labor Day weekend at a rented house in Bethany Beach.
Although Shattuck allegedly had liaisons with the 15-year-old in Maryland, as well, she never faced charges here.
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The Second Installment of the PACE Lecture Series: “When Democracy Doesn’t Work”
Dr. Eric Rittinger, an assistant professor of Political Science at Salisbury University, typically focuses on Latin American politics and international relations.
Having observed the subsequent collapse of democratic systems around the world, Dr. Rittinger gave a controversial lecture Monday night, asking why democracy might not be the best option for the United States.
The idea that democracy, direct or indirect, is simply the best form of government is an idea that is ingrained and deeply embedded in the minds of many Americans.
The United States has a practice of supporting democratic regimes in other countries, particularly to resist communism in a post WWII era. However Dr. Rittinger pointed out that democracies tend to be an unstable type of government.
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Having observed the subsequent collapse of democratic systems around the world, Dr. Rittinger gave a controversial lecture Monday night, asking why democracy might not be the best option for the United States.
The idea that democracy, direct or indirect, is simply the best form of government is an idea that is ingrained and deeply embedded in the minds of many Americans.
The United States has a practice of supporting democratic regimes in other countries, particularly to resist communism in a post WWII era. However Dr. Rittinger pointed out that democracies tend to be an unstable type of government.
More
Jake LaMotta, the boxer who inspired the film "Raging Bull" and became a pop culture symbol of anger, has died at 95
Jake LaMotta, who brawled his way to the middleweight boxing championship in a life of unbridled fury within the ring and outside it, and whose life became the subject of the acclaimed film “Raging Bull,” died on Tuesday in Miami. He was 95.
Surveillance video shows teen returning wallet stuffed with $1,500 in cash
Tyler Opdyke, 18, of Sacramento, was handing out fliers for his uncle's business when he spotted a wallet in the driveway of Melissa Vang's home. Her husband had dropped it on his way to the car.
"With that cash, we were planning to go shopping with it for a feast that we had yesterday,” Vang said. “But I had no clue [he] had dropped his wallet or how much cash he had carried and was stuck in there.”
It didn't take Opdyke long to figure out what he had to do.
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One Of America's Biggest Food Banks Just Cut Junk Food By 84 Percent In A Year
A year ago, Washington D.C.'s Capital Area Food Bank — one of the largest in the country — decided to turn away junk food, joining a growing trend of food banks that are trying to offer healthier options to low-income Americans. From soda to chips, the CAFB has reduced the junk food it supplies to its 444 nonprofit partners, including soup kitchens and food pantries, by 84 percent.
"This change was in large part driven by the people we're serving," says Hilary Salmon, director of communications at CAFB, which distributes 46 million pounds of food every year to partners in D.C., as well as the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. "The feedback we were getting from our partners, over and over again, was that people were hearing from their doctors that they really need to reduce the salt and sugar in their diet and increase fiber."
Forty-eight percent of the people the CAFB serves have high blood pressure, while 22 percent have diabetes, or they live with someone who has those diseases.
"We see that information and feel it's a moral imperative to be focusing on food that is going to drive better health outcomes for folks," says Salmon.
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"This change was in large part driven by the people we're serving," says Hilary Salmon, director of communications at CAFB, which distributes 46 million pounds of food every year to partners in D.C., as well as the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. "The feedback we were getting from our partners, over and over again, was that people were hearing from their doctors that they really need to reduce the salt and sugar in their diet and increase fiber."
Forty-eight percent of the people the CAFB serves have high blood pressure, while 22 percent have diabetes, or they live with someone who has those diseases.
"We see that information and feel it's a moral imperative to be focusing on food that is going to drive better health outcomes for folks," says Salmon.
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Md. lobbyist the latest charged in federal bribery investigation
Attorney and registered state lobbyist Matthew Gorman, of Hyattsville, Maryland, is facing federal bribery charges for trying to influence a lawmaker, according to court documents. Gorman offered a $1,000 bribe to former Maryland Del. Will Campos on April 22, 2015, the documents allege.
At the time, the documents state Gorman represented clients to the Prince George’s County Council and liquor board.
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Clinton Won't Rule Out Questioning 2016 Election, But Says No Clear Means To Do So
Hillary Clinton says she would not rule out questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 election if new information surfaces that the Russians interfered even more deeply than currently known. In an interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her new memoir, What Happened, Clinton acknowledges that such a challenge would be unprecedented and that "I just don't think we have a mechanism" for it.
Russia is only one aspect of the tumultuous campaign that Clinton reflects on in What Happened, 10 months after losing her bid for the presidency. She also discusses her experiences as the first woman running for president as a part of a major political party and her view on the direction that the country is headed.
"I am fundamentally optimistic about our country, but I am not naive, and I don't think we can change things unless we take it seriously," Clinton says.
More
Russia is only one aspect of the tumultuous campaign that Clinton reflects on in What Happened, 10 months after losing her bid for the presidency. She also discusses her experiences as the first woman running for president as a part of a major political party and her view on the direction that the country is headed.
"I am fundamentally optimistic about our country, but I am not naive, and I don't think we can change things unless we take it seriously," Clinton says.
More
Grasonville Man Charged with Arson of Occupied Home
Queen Anne's County, Deputy State Fire Marshals from the Upper Eastern Regional Office have concluded their investigation of an arson fire in Grasonville with the arrest of an adult male. Sean Nicholas Murphy (27) was taken into custody at his home located at 632 Caspian Drive in Grasonville on Monday night by Deputy State fire Marshals after being issued a warrant for his arrest.
The fire occurred on Sunday, September 17,2017 at an occupied one story single family home located at 102 Jewel Court in Grasonville, Queen Anne's County, MD. The fire was intentionally set in multiple locations on the exterior of the home. A neighbor driving by the scene observed smoke and alerted the two occupants, who were sleeping at the time of the fire. The occupants, a 76 year old woman and her granddaughter were able to exit the home safely. The neighbor then called 911 and alerted the Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department. The neighbor was able to extinguish the fire prior to the arrival of the Grasonville Volunteers.
There were no reported injuries. The small exterior fires caused an estimated $3,000 in damages to the home.
During the investigation, Deputy State Fire Marshals determined the home was owned by Patricia Dotson and that her neighbor, Mr. Sean Nicholas Murphy intentionally poured gasoline and set multiple fires on the exterior of the home.
Many Insurance Plans Cover Opioid Painkillers But Restrict Access To Less-Addictive Drugs
Audit: Maryland social services agency misspent nearly $5 million
Legislative auditors say Maryland’s Department of Human Services mishandled state contracts and unnecessarily spent nearly $5 million — sometimes without getting anything in return.
An audit released Monday found the agency’s handling of a huge IT project “resulted in DHS paying approximately $4 million more than necessary for one project that was ultimately cancelled.”
The same review found the agency overpaid two law firms by $616,000 because of contracts that promised a minimum amount of compensation. The six other law firms that were also providing lawyers to neglected children were paid less per case.
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An audit released Monday found the agency’s handling of a huge IT project “resulted in DHS paying approximately $4 million more than necessary for one project that was ultimately cancelled.”
The same review found the agency overpaid two law firms by $616,000 because of contracts that promised a minimum amount of compensation. The six other law firms that were also providing lawyers to neglected children were paid less per case.
More
Student Lender, Debt Collector To Refund More Than $19M To Borrowers
Two months after private student loan lender National Collegiate Student Loan Trust came under scrutiny amid reports that the company, along with its debt collector TransWorld, filed illegal student loan debt collection lawsuits against defaulted borrowers without citing proper or correct paperwork, federal regulators have ordered the companies to pay $21.6 million in refunds and penalties, and revise their collection practices.
Nolte: MSM Always Knew Trump Camp Was Wiretapped — They Just Lied About It
President Trump’s total vindication over his wiretap claim reminds me of one of the most important things I have discovered over the past couple of years: If the national media loses its ever-loving mind and launches a campaign to brand Trump a liar, that can mean only one thing — that Trump is not only telling the truth, he is telling a Big Truth, an inconvenient truth, a truth the MSM does not want the American people to hear.
Almost exactly two years ago this sick pattern developed over then-candidate Trump’s assertion that he had seen “thousands” of American Muslims celebrate the September 11 terror attacks. For weeks after, every media outlet in America trashed Trump as a racist and liar. What we eventually learned, though, is that Trump was 100% correct; that at the time, local media reported on “swarms” of American Muslims celebrating 9/11, and that for more than a decade our media had bent over backwards to cover this disturbing truth up.
Which brings me to Trump’s March 4 tweet-storm claiming the Obama administration wiretapped his campaign..
More here
Almost exactly two years ago this sick pattern developed over then-candidate Trump’s assertion that he had seen “thousands” of American Muslims celebrate the September 11 terror attacks. For weeks after, every media outlet in America trashed Trump as a racist and liar. What we eventually learned, though, is that Trump was 100% correct; that at the time, local media reported on “swarms” of American Muslims celebrating 9/11, and that for more than a decade our media had bent over backwards to cover this disturbing truth up.
Which brings me to Trump’s March 4 tweet-storm claiming the Obama administration wiretapped his campaign..
More here
Japan Deploys Missile Interceptor near NKorea Flight Path
TOKYO — Japan on Tuesday moved a mobile missile-defense system on the northern island of Hokkaido to a base near recent North Korean missile flyover routes.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor unit was deployed at the Hakodate base on southern Hokkaido "as a precaution" as part of government preparations for a possible emergency.
The relocation came after a North Korean missile was test-fired last week and flew over southern Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific off the island's east coast — the second flyover in less than a month.
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Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor unit was deployed at the Hakodate base on southern Hokkaido "as a precaution" as part of government preparations for a possible emergency.
The relocation came after a North Korean missile was test-fired last week and flew over southern Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific off the island's east coast — the second flyover in less than a month.
More
NFL players who started from age 12 have impaired emotions
Football players who start practicing tackle football from at least age 12 have impaired emotions and behaviors later in life, according to Boston University's brain injury research team.
The team studied 214 former players with an average age of 51, 43 of whom only played through high school and 103 who started in college.
Through a series of clinical tests and interviews, they found players who had been tackling from 12 were twice as likely to have issues with behavioral regulation and apathy, and their risk of depression tripled.
The younger they started, the worse their clinical function.
Aside from a few late bloomers, most professional players start from the age of about six years old.
The report is the latest installment in Boston's ongoing investigation into football-linked brain injury, which is studying hundreds of former players' brains - alive and dead - including Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of murder and committed suicide in his cell.
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The team studied 214 former players with an average age of 51, 43 of whom only played through high school and 103 who started in college.
Through a series of clinical tests and interviews, they found players who had been tackling from 12 were twice as likely to have issues with behavioral regulation and apathy, and their risk of depression tripled.
The younger they started, the worse their clinical function.
Aside from a few late bloomers, most professional players start from the age of about six years old.
The report is the latest installment in Boston's ongoing investigation into football-linked brain injury, which is studying hundreds of former players' brains - alive and dead - including Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of murder and committed suicide in his cell.
More
Confederate monument can't be moved in Virginia Beach, city attorney says
Around the country, similar emblems have been coming down, too, in places like Baltimore and Dallas.
But in Virginia Beach? It’s unlikely.
City Attorney Mark Stiles issued an opinion that the Confederate monument built more than a century ago outside of the former Princess Anne County Courthouse can’t be moved.
He relied on a 1904 law that says war memorials in counties can’t be disturbed or interfered with.
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Economic Improvement Connects to Conservative Policy
America’s working class was a tremendous focus of the 2016 presidential election. Hillary Clinton took for granted voters in the Rust Belt in particular and chose to focus on bicoastal population centers, in keeping with the Democrat Party’s clear and continued leftist direction. Meanwhile, Donald J. Trump’s populist sloganeering stuck. His promises to “Make America Great Again” and to put “America First” not only resonated but created a firm foundation of an intense voter base.
Why?
From 2007 through 2016, the working class was dramatically impacted through a recession that began as a subprime mortgage crisis caused by Democrat policies, with home values tumbling 28% — a drop not seen since the Great Depression of 1929. The widespread foreclosures and the tremendous impact to lending institutions due to bad debt began sinking those whose biggest investment was their home. And, as we all remember, the beginning of massive government spending kicked in with Barack Obama’s “stimulus” of almost $1 trillion and bailouts to rescue companies.
And who bailed out the working class? What “stimulus” made its way into the family budgets of middle America, not just financiers and investment institutions? The unemployment rate spiked to 10% in October 2010 due to six million jobs being eliminated in the previous 12 months, testifying to the fact that the middle class was hurt disproportionately in the recession of 2007-2008.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) review of newly published Census data, real median household income dropped during the Obama presidency with an increase in measurable poverty.
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Why?
From 2007 through 2016, the working class was dramatically impacted through a recession that began as a subprime mortgage crisis caused by Democrat policies, with home values tumbling 28% — a drop not seen since the Great Depression of 1929. The widespread foreclosures and the tremendous impact to lending institutions due to bad debt began sinking those whose biggest investment was their home. And, as we all remember, the beginning of massive government spending kicked in with Barack Obama’s “stimulus” of almost $1 trillion and bailouts to rescue companies.
And who bailed out the working class? What “stimulus” made its way into the family budgets of middle America, not just financiers and investment institutions? The unemployment rate spiked to 10% in October 2010 due to six million jobs being eliminated in the previous 12 months, testifying to the fact that the middle class was hurt disproportionately in the recession of 2007-2008.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) review of newly published Census data, real median household income dropped during the Obama presidency with an increase in measurable poverty.
More
Govt Allows Conversion of Two For-Profit Schools to Nonprofits
Two large for-profit colleges, Kaplan University and the Art Institutes, have been approved to become nonprofits this year by the Education Department, BuzzFeed News reported Monday.
Purdue University in April announced it was buying Kaplan University in an unprecedented move as Kaplan mostly has an online footprint. In March, a philanthropic foundation in Los Angeles said it was purchasing most of the career colleges owned by Education Management Corp., including the 31 Art Institute campuses in the U.S.
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Purdue University in April announced it was buying Kaplan University in an unprecedented move as Kaplan mostly has an online footprint. In March, a philanthropic foundation in Los Angeles said it was purchasing most of the career colleges owned by Education Management Corp., including the 31 Art Institute campuses in the U.S.
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Ben Shapiro Schools Liberal Student on Abortion: 'If You're in a Coma, Can I Stab You?'
During a Q&A following his Sept. 14 speech at the University of California-Berkeley, author and columnist Ben Shapiro explained that a first-trimester fetus has moral value even if it is only potentially sentient because an adult human in a coma is in a similar "potentially sentient" condition and it is not okay to stab or kill someone who is in a coma.
Shapiro, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, spoke at Berkley at the invitation of the Young America's Foundation chapter on campus. His speech was entitled, "Say No to Campus Thuggery."
After the speech, a student asked Shapiro, “My question was about abortion, and I just wanted to know why, exactly, do you think a first-trimester fetus has moral value?”
His answer is here
Shapiro, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, spoke at Berkley at the invitation of the Young America's Foundation chapter on campus. His speech was entitled, "Say No to Campus Thuggery."
After the speech, a student asked Shapiro, “My question was about abortion, and I just wanted to know why, exactly, do you think a first-trimester fetus has moral value?”
His answer is here
Navy Fires Admiral, Captain in USS Fitzgerald, USS McCain Crash Probes
The U.S. Navy has fired Rear Adm. Charles Williams and Capt. Jeffrey Bennett amid probes into multiple incidents of warship collisions in the Western Pacific over the summer, according to US Naval Institute News.
Williams was the officer in charge of Combined Task Force 70 and Bennett was commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15.
"Both reliefs were due to a loss of confidence in their ability to command,"a Navy statement said.
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Williams was the officer in charge of Combined Task Force 70 and Bennett was commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15.
"Both reliefs were due to a loss of confidence in their ability to command,"a Navy statement said.
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VIDEO: People Blame Police For Pursuing Car That Crashed, Killing 5 – But Dash Camera Shows Truth
Dodge Charger Travelling 100 MPH When Officer Called Off Pursuit
Comstock Township, Michigan – Police released dash-cam video of a police chase that ended with a fiery crash that killed five people, all believed to be teenagers, in part to dispel rumors that an officer was pursuing the car at the time of the crash.
Police released the video just hours after the September 2 crash.
The video shows a Kalamazoo Township officer terminating the pursuit after about 30 seconds and turns off his lights and siren after he tells the dispatcher the Dodge Charger was travelling well over 100 mph.
“I’m just going to continue in that direction in case it crashes,” the officer told the dispatcher.
About 38 seconds later while the officer slowed and stopped at red traffic light, he told the dispatcher, “Yeah. It looks like it crashed.”
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Biden on Trump Tweets: 'Stop - Our Children Are Watching'
Former Vice President Joe Biden scolded President Donald Trump for reposting a gif appearing to show him knocking over Hillary Clinton with a golf ball, declaring Monday night: "Enough."
"This has to stop," he tweeted. "Our children are watching."
Trump's retweet was from an account @Fuctupmind and titled "Donald Trump's amazing golf swing." The clip shows Trump hitting a golf ball, which carries over into another clip and is edited to look like it makes Clinton fall.
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Trump's retweet was from an account @Fuctupmind and titled "Donald Trump's amazing golf swing." The clip shows Trump hitting a golf ball, which carries over into another clip and is edited to look like it makes Clinton fall.
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Publishers Notes: Groping Joe Biden, children were watching.
Obama-Era Education Meddling Leaves Minorities Worse Off
On September 12, the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project released a paper about illegal overreaching by the Obama-era Education and Justice Departments, which resulted in policies that still persist today. The paper, written mostly by people with a civil rights background, examines three areas in which the federal government attempted to micromanage educational institutions by imposing new rules that never went through the legally-prescribed rule-making process and purported to do so based on anti-discrimination statutes passed many years ago. These rules dealt with three areas: (1) transgender bathroom, locker, and dormitory room access under Title IX, a statute which bans discrimination based on “sex,” not “gender identity”; (2) investigations by colleges and schools of sexual assault and harassment claims, also under Title IX; and (3) school districts that suspend more students of one race than another, or whose discipline policies have an unintentional “disparate impact,” under Title VI, a statute which bans intentional racial discrimination.
I am the principal author of the portion of the paper dealing with topic (3), the 2014 Obama administration “Dear Colleague” letter that pressured schools to have equal suspension rates for different ethnic groups, even if the only reason ethnic groups had different suspension rates was because of students’ conduct, not racism – i.e., different ethnic groups had different rates of violating school rules.
The Trump administration has taken some action on the first two areas..
More here
I am the principal author of the portion of the paper dealing with topic (3), the 2014 Obama administration “Dear Colleague” letter that pressured schools to have equal suspension rates for different ethnic groups, even if the only reason ethnic groups had different suspension rates was because of students’ conduct, not racism – i.e., different ethnic groups had different rates of violating school rules.
The Trump administration has taken some action on the first two areas..
More here
Rolling Stone Magazine up for Sale
Rolling Stone co-founder, editor and publisher Jann Wenner is looking to sell the iconic music magazine, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Wenner Media, which also owns video game news site Glixel, has initiated a process "to explore strategic options" as a way to "best position the brand for future growth," the privately-held company said in a statement Monday.
Wenner and son Gus, president and chief operating officer of Wenner Media, said the company had hired bankers to explore a sale in an interview with The New York Times, which first reported the development.
Jann Wenner, 71, told the Times he hoped to sell the magazine to a buyer who has "lots of money" and understands Rolling Stone's mission. “I think it’s time for young people to run it,” he said.
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Wenner Media, which also owns video game news site Glixel, has initiated a process "to explore strategic options" as a way to "best position the brand for future growth," the privately-held company said in a statement Monday.
Wenner and son Gus, president and chief operating officer of Wenner Media, said the company had hired bankers to explore a sale in an interview with The New York Times, which first reported the development.
Jann Wenner, 71, told the Times he hoped to sell the magazine to a buyer who has "lots of money" and understands Rolling Stone's mission. “I think it’s time for young people to run it,” he said.
More
Liberal Groups Get $765 Million Payday Courtesy of Union Members
Liberal groups and election campaigns cashed in on about $765 million from union members' paychecks, according to a new report.
Unions nationwide shipped more than $100 million each year to liberal advocacy groups and political groups backing Democratic candidates between 2012 and 2016, according to labor watchdog group Center for Union Facts. Many of these groups are overtly political with more than $300 million spent supporting campaigns and ballot initiatives.
The AFL-CIO-backed Working America was the largest beneficiary of union resources, collecting more than $50 million from national, state, and local unions. Some of the campaigns were focused on advancing labor and Democratic interests at the state level, such as Working Families for Connecticut, the Lone Star Project, and Raise Wisconsin, while others were national organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, the Center for American Progress, and Catalist, a tool used to help drive get-out-the-vote efforts for liberal candidates.
Money was not limited to campaigns; more than $6.6 million in union membership dues was sent to liberal media outlets, including the Nation Institute, American Prospect, and a production company owned by former MSNBC host Ed Schultz.
The flood of money into these liberal organizations did not prevent union members or their family members from defecting and voting against union-backed candidates. Exit polls found that 42 percent of union households voted for President Donald Trump despite the fact that he received endorsements from just three police and border patrol unions.
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Unions nationwide shipped more than $100 million each year to liberal advocacy groups and political groups backing Democratic candidates between 2012 and 2016, according to labor watchdog group Center for Union Facts. Many of these groups are overtly political with more than $300 million spent supporting campaigns and ballot initiatives.
The AFL-CIO-backed Working America was the largest beneficiary of union resources, collecting more than $50 million from national, state, and local unions. Some of the campaigns were focused on advancing labor and Democratic interests at the state level, such as Working Families for Connecticut, the Lone Star Project, and Raise Wisconsin, while others were national organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, the Center for American Progress, and Catalist, a tool used to help drive get-out-the-vote efforts for liberal candidates.
Money was not limited to campaigns; more than $6.6 million in union membership dues was sent to liberal media outlets, including the Nation Institute, American Prospect, and a production company owned by former MSNBC host Ed Schultz.
The flood of money into these liberal organizations did not prevent union members or their family members from defecting and voting against union-backed candidates. Exit polls found that 42 percent of union households voted for President Donald Trump despite the fact that he received endorsements from just three police and border patrol unions.
More
Report: Cutting $2.3 Trillion of Government Waste Would Balance Budget in 3 Years
If Congress were to cut unnecessary and wasteful spending in the federal government, it could balance the budget in three years based on recommendations by Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-partisan organization.
The report, titled "Prime Cuts 2017," outlines 607 recommendations to cut inefficient government spending that would not only balance the budget within three years but also save taxpayers $336.2 billion in the first year and $2.3 trillion over five years.
"The national debt nearly doubled under former President Obama and is poised to exceed $20 trillion before the end of 2017," the group states. "Wasteful government spending can be cut and the nation can start on a path toward fiscal sanity."
The group evaluates this type of wasteful spending in nearly every agency of the federal government including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Labor Department, the Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Justice Department, and the Department of Commerce.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, if Congress were to reduce improper Medicare payments by 50 percent in five years, the department could save taxpayers $20.6 billion (about $4.1 billion per year).
More here
The report, titled "Prime Cuts 2017," outlines 607 recommendations to cut inefficient government spending that would not only balance the budget within three years but also save taxpayers $336.2 billion in the first year and $2.3 trillion over five years.
"The national debt nearly doubled under former President Obama and is poised to exceed $20 trillion before the end of 2017," the group states. "Wasteful government spending can be cut and the nation can start on a path toward fiscal sanity."
The group evaluates this type of wasteful spending in nearly every agency of the federal government including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Labor Department, the Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Justice Department, and the Department of Commerce.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, if Congress were to reduce improper Medicare payments by 50 percent in five years, the department could save taxpayers $20.6 billion (about $4.1 billion per year).
More here
Another South Bound Section To Be Added To Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, WHY?
So you have to wonder, WHY do we let politicians make such stupid and extremely expensive moves? It's nothing like dealing with east bound traffic heading across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, yet they are ready to spend $700,000,000.00+ to build this new span into Virginia.
Let's not forget that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was 100% paid for several years ago and when it was built our politicians assured Americans it would be FREE once it was paid off, they LIED.
When I look at the Salisbury Bypass and watch them rebuilding all of the overpasses after 20 years, (or so) it makes me wonder, is this a scam? Are politicians lining their pockets with selected contractors? Is the contractor who constructed those overpasses still in business? What was the guarantee back then? There is just no way those overpasses should be failing.
Where is the accountability? Why aren't they adding more lanes and an additional bridge from Annapolis to Ocean City, where it would actually make sense? Sorry, nothing our elected officials do make any sense whatsoever, including a new bridge into Ocean City.
Deadbeat Mothers
Go to jail, get hooked on drugs, lose your children to the state and when it comes time to paying child support, even though you're not raising your children, ask the state for a reduction and guess what, they'll give it to you.
Many wonder, how can anyone raise a child on $125.00 a month and then the state reduces that amount? If you turn the children over to the state they'll pay the foster parents a lot more money to raise and feed these children.
Let's hear your stories, male or female.
The Federal Reserve is setting America up for economic disaster
I recently had the opportunity to read the ‘Creature from Jekyll’ Island by G. Edward Griffin, a prodigious tome dealing with the circumstances surrounding the creation of the U.S. Federal Reserve system. I was taken aback by some of its provocative assertions:
America joined World War I largely to help a few bankers profit off the war (despite a long-standing Monroe doctrine that prohibited our involvement in European affairs)
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was supported by international financial interests in order to destabilize Russia and steal the wealth of the Russian people; and
So-called ‘foreign aid’ is merely a clever means of shifting the bad debt incurred by banks and wealthy financiers to American taxpayers.
The book is narrated in a notably conspiratorial tone and contains some obvious contradictions. For example, it contends that President Lincoln was once a liberator who sought to avoid being goaded into a destructive civil war by European powers jealous of America’s success, and had designs on colonizing Mexico. However, the book still raised some very good points that deserve serious consideration.
One that stood out is that over successive generations, people with concentrated wealth have sought to use the American military and the purse power of the taxpayer for personal gain. In fact, Griffin argues, the creation of the current iteration of the Federal Reserve System was a political act designed to hide the fact that a private banking cartel would manage the U.S. currency.
The Federal Reserve, as Griffin explains, is neither "federal" nor a "reserve." It is not owned by the federal government, and it does not hold real assets in reserve. In reality, it is a giant debt factory backed by the "full faith and credit" of the government, or taxpayers.
More here
America joined World War I largely to help a few bankers profit off the war (despite a long-standing Monroe doctrine that prohibited our involvement in European affairs)
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was supported by international financial interests in order to destabilize Russia and steal the wealth of the Russian people; and
So-called ‘foreign aid’ is merely a clever means of shifting the bad debt incurred by banks and wealthy financiers to American taxpayers.
The book is narrated in a notably conspiratorial tone and contains some obvious contradictions. For example, it contends that President Lincoln was once a liberator who sought to avoid being goaded into a destructive civil war by European powers jealous of America’s success, and had designs on colonizing Mexico. However, the book still raised some very good points that deserve serious consideration.
One that stood out is that over successive generations, people with concentrated wealth have sought to use the American military and the purse power of the taxpayer for personal gain. In fact, Griffin argues, the creation of the current iteration of the Federal Reserve System was a political act designed to hide the fact that a private banking cartel would manage the U.S. currency.
The Federal Reserve, as Griffin explains, is neither "federal" nor a "reserve." It is not owned by the federal government, and it does not hold real assets in reserve. In reality, it is a giant debt factory backed by the "full faith and credit" of the government, or taxpayers.
More here
Police: Intruder Kicks in Wrong Door, Dies from Gunshot Wound
Indianapolis police say 34-year-old Percy Walker kicked in the wrong door and was shot and killed by a father protecting two young children.
The incident occurred during the night.
According to CBS 4, police indicate that Walker literally kicked down the front door of the apartment, then rushed inside. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer Aaron Hamer said, “It appears he was yelling to get into the residence because he believed his kids were in the house. It turns out the kids inside did not belong to him.”
The resident of the apartment — a father with a two-year-old and a four-year-old — opened fire on Walker, fatally wounding him.
More
The incident occurred during the night.
According to CBS 4, police indicate that Walker literally kicked down the front door of the apartment, then rushed inside. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer Aaron Hamer said, “It appears he was yelling to get into the residence because he believed his kids were in the house. It turns out the kids inside did not belong to him.”
The resident of the apartment — a father with a two-year-old and a four-year-old — opened fire on Walker, fatally wounding him.
More
Delingpole: Urgent Memo to Donald Trump—Biggest Threat to the Environment Are Environmentalists
Did you hear the scary rumor at the weekend that President Trump was about to renege on his promise to quit the UN Paris Climate Agreement?
The good news is that it was #fakenews. (Shame on you, WSJ!)
The bad news is that it wasn’t so implausible as to make anyone go “Donald Trump? Cave to the Greenies?? That would never happen in a million years!!!”
Because the fact is, he still could very easily.
More
The good news is that it was #fakenews. (Shame on you, WSJ!)
The bad news is that it wasn’t so implausible as to make anyone go “Donald Trump? Cave to the Greenies?? That would never happen in a million years!!!”
Because the fact is, he still could very easily.
More
Breaking News: Hurricane Maria has made landfall on Puerto Rico as a powerful Category 4 storm
| SAN JUAN, P.R. — Hurricane Maria bore down on Puerto Rico as a powerful Category 4 storm early Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 155 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. |
| Shortly after 6 a.m., the eye of the storm hit Yabucoa in southeastern Puerto Rico after crossing the United States Virgin Islands as a Category 5 storm. It had weakened slightly but remained “extremely dangerous,” the center said. |
| Read More » |
Pension Storm Coming: "This Will Become One Of The Most Heated Battles Of My Lifetime"
This time is different are the four most dangerous words any economist or money manager can utter. We learn new things and invent new technologies. Players come and go. But in the big picture, this time is usually not fundamentally different, because fallible humans are still in charge. (Ken Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart wrote an important book called This Time Is Different on the 260-odd times that governments have defaulted on their debts; and on each occasion, up until the moment of collapse, investors kept telling themselves “This time is different.” It never was.)
Nevertheless, I uttered those four words in last week’s letter. I stand by them, too. In the next 20 years, we’re going to see changes that humanity has never seen before, and in some cases never even imagined, and we’re going to have to change. I truly believe this. We have unleashed economic and technological forces we can observe but not entirely control.
I will defend this bold claim at greater length in my forthcoming book, The Age of Transformation.
Today we will zero in on one of those forces, which last week I called “the bubble in government promises,” which I think is arguably the biggest bubble in human history. Elected officials at all levels have promised workers they will receive pension benefits without taking the hard steps necessary to deliver on those promises. This situation will end badly and hurt many people. Unfortunately, massive snafus like this rarely hurt the politicians who made those overly optimistic promises, often years ago.
More
Nevertheless, I uttered those four words in last week’s letter. I stand by them, too. In the next 20 years, we’re going to see changes that humanity has never seen before, and in some cases never even imagined, and we’re going to have to change. I truly believe this. We have unleashed economic and technological forces we can observe but not entirely control.
I will defend this bold claim at greater length in my forthcoming book, The Age of Transformation.
Today we will zero in on one of those forces, which last week I called “the bubble in government promises,” which I think is arguably the biggest bubble in human history. Elected officials at all levels have promised workers they will receive pension benefits without taking the hard steps necessary to deliver on those promises. This situation will end badly and hurt many people. Unfortunately, massive snafus like this rarely hurt the politicians who made those overly optimistic promises, often years ago.
More
UC Berkeley cop takes all of hot dog vendor's earnings
Shocking video has emerged of a UC Berkeley campus officer citing a hot dog vendor for operating without a permit and removing the cash from his wallet.
The clip, shot by alumnus Martin Flores on Saturday afternoon, showed Officer Sean Aranas pulling the money from the vendor's wallet and folding it.
Even as the vendor, identified as Juan, objects, it is to no avail, as Aranas begins writing a citation.
More/Video
The clip, shot by alumnus Martin Flores on Saturday afternoon, showed Officer Sean Aranas pulling the money from the vendor's wallet and folding it.
Even as the vendor, identified as Juan, objects, it is to no avail, as Aranas begins writing a citation.
More/Video
VSP Trooper Recovering after Being Shot in Henrico County
A Virginia State Police trooper is recovering at VCU Medical Center after being shot Tuesday night (Sept. 19) by a pursuit suspect. The pursuit suspect is in state police custody with charges pending.
At 11:35 p.m., Senior Trooper C.A. Putnam initiated a traffic stop on a Toyota Corolla traveling north on Chippenham Parkway. The traffic violation was for speeding, as the Toyota was traveling at 87 mph in a 60 mph zone. When the trooper activated his emergency lights, the Toyota pulled over. As the trooper approached the Toyota, it sped away and a pursuit was initiated.
The pursuit continued north on Chippenham Parkway and then onto Parham Road. The Toyota then turned onto September Drive and into a neighborhood. When the Toyota encountered a dead end, it began to turn around in the cul-de-sac in Lakeway Court. The trooper pulled his patrol car in front of the Toyota to stop it.
The Toyota did stop and its female driver got out on foot. As the trooper approached the driver, she shot at the trooper striking him in the arm. She then ran on foot through the backyard of a nearby residence.
Hogan Administration Awards $38.4 Million in Grants for Local Roads
Awards Will Enable Maryland’s 23 Counties and Baltimore City to Make Critical Road Improvements
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced the administration has awarded $38,390,961 in grants for local roads in municipalities and counties from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. The grants are awarded by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to jurisdictions based on the state’s formula for the distribution of Highway User Revenues (HURs).
“Since the beginning of our administration, we have been committed to rebuilding Maryland’s infrastructure and investing in roads and bridges across the state,” said Governor Hogan. “Local jurisdictions rely on these critical funds to address long-overdue projects that will make our roads more reliable and get Marylanders moving again.”
The $38.4 million in grants are in addition to the estimated $177 million in Highway User Revenues that Maryland counties and municipalities are set to receive in fiscal year 2018. These new funds for local roads are above and beyond Maryland’s current $8 billion six-year investment in state roads and bridges.
Across the state, from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to highways and toll facilities, there are nearly 1,000 projects totaling nearly $9 billion currently under construction. For the past three years, Governor Hogan has fought to return HURs to past levels after they were severely reduced by the previous administration. Despite these efforts, the Maryland General Assembly has significantly and consistently refused to approve the funding.
“We thank municipalities for submitting their applications in a timely fashion, so we can get them funding that will make a difference across the state,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn.
To be considered for the grant funds, county and municipal leaders had to sign and return the Transportation Grant Application Form. These signed applications certify that jurisdictions will participate in the grant and use the funds only on transportation projects. To view the grant distribution, please visit here.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced the administration has awarded $38,390,961 in grants for local roads in municipalities and counties from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. The grants are awarded by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to jurisdictions based on the state’s formula for the distribution of Highway User Revenues (HURs).
“Since the beginning of our administration, we have been committed to rebuilding Maryland’s infrastructure and investing in roads and bridges across the state,” said Governor Hogan. “Local jurisdictions rely on these critical funds to address long-overdue projects that will make our roads more reliable and get Marylanders moving again.”
The $38.4 million in grants are in addition to the estimated $177 million in Highway User Revenues that Maryland counties and municipalities are set to receive in fiscal year 2018. These new funds for local roads are above and beyond Maryland’s current $8 billion six-year investment in state roads and bridges.
Across the state, from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to highways and toll facilities, there are nearly 1,000 projects totaling nearly $9 billion currently under construction. For the past three years, Governor Hogan has fought to return HURs to past levels after they were severely reduced by the previous administration. Despite these efforts, the Maryland General Assembly has significantly and consistently refused to approve the funding.
“We thank municipalities for submitting their applications in a timely fashion, so we can get them funding that will make a difference across the state,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn.
To be considered for the grant funds, county and municipal leaders had to sign and return the Transportation Grant Application Form. These signed applications certify that jurisdictions will participate in the grant and use the funds only on transportation projects. To view the grant distribution, please visit here.
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by a low calorie diet
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by going on a low calorie diet, new research shows.
Consuming just 600 calories a day for eight weeks can save the lives of millions of sufferers of the preventable condition.
Newcastle University scientists said that excess calories lead to a fatty liver, which causes the liver to produce too much glucose.
The excess fat is then passed to the pancreas, which causes the insulin-producing cells to fail and thus causing diabetes.
Losing less than one gram of fat from the pancreas can re-start insulin production, reversing type 2 diabetes, the researchers found.
More
Consuming just 600 calories a day for eight weeks can save the lives of millions of sufferers of the preventable condition.
Newcastle University scientists said that excess calories lead to a fatty liver, which causes the liver to produce too much glucose.
The excess fat is then passed to the pancreas, which causes the insulin-producing cells to fail and thus causing diabetes.
Losing less than one gram of fat from the pancreas can re-start insulin production, reversing type 2 diabetes, the researchers found.
More
After Bengals’ poor start, some players eye Colin Kaepernick to replace quarterback
The Cincinnati Bengals have scored zero touchdowns in their first two games, reportedly causing some in the locker room to cast their eyes upon the NFL’s best-known available quarterback.
According to NBC Sports‘ Pro Football Talk site, some players want to be led by Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers passer now without a team and best-known for protesting the national anthem.
The Bengals offensive struggles have the team at 0-2 and already cost offensive coordinator Ken Zampese his job. NBC Sports reported Sunday evening that quarterback Andy Dalton is also on the hot seat.
“This means that A.J. McCarron would take over, if Dalton is indeed benched. But there’s a feeling among some of the players that the Bengals should go off the board and consider bringing in Colin Kaepernick,” read the report by Mike Florio.
More
According to NBC Sports‘ Pro Football Talk site, some players want to be led by Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers passer now without a team and best-known for protesting the national anthem.
The Bengals offensive struggles have the team at 0-2 and already cost offensive coordinator Ken Zampese his job. NBC Sports reported Sunday evening that quarterback Andy Dalton is also on the hot seat.
“This means that A.J. McCarron would take over, if Dalton is indeed benched. But there’s a feeling among some of the players that the Bengals should go off the board and consider bringing in Colin Kaepernick,” read the report by Mike Florio.
More
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