Delmarva’s chicken industry boosts economic output and generates $1.05 billion in income for workers, farmers

APRIL 3, 2019 – Delmarva's meat chicken industry increased its economic output by 18.6 percent in the past five years by producing 4.3 billion pounds of chicken worth $3.4 billion in 2018, according to new data released by Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI). The 20,425 chicken company employees on Delmarva earned $784 million in wages in 2018, and the region’s 1,302 chicken growers earned $268 million in contract income. In total, income earned by employees and farmers associated with Delmarva’s chicken industry was $1.05 billion.

Since 1957, DPI has collected and compiled data from the poultry companies operating on Maryland's Eastern Shore, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and in Delaware to gauge the scope and growth of Delmarva's chicken economy. Overall, farmers raised 605 million chickens in 2018, about the same number as were raised in 2017. The chickens were raised in 5,166 chicken houses across Delmarva – 9 percent fewer chicken houses than were in active use 20 years ago. Modern chicken houses, larger than those built in the past, are more energy-efficient and have climate, feed and water technology that improves bird health. The average Delmarva chicken farm today has four chicken houses in operation.

“These numbers reflect certain challenges growers and chicken companies faced in 2018, including downward pressure on prices of all proteins, not just chicken,” said Holly Porter, DPI’s executive director. “The chicken community on Delmarva used resources efficiently and achieved modest growth in recent years, while at the same time embracing and extending environmental practices that are measurably improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay.”

Highlights from DPI’s 2018 report on Delmarva’s chicken industry:

• Chicken growers and companies planted more than 7,500 trees as part of DPI’s vegetative environmental buffers program.
• Delmarva’s chicken companies invested $137 million in capital improvements, including investments in wastewater treatment and processing plants.
• To make chicken feed, chicken companies purchased 93 million bushels of corn, 41 million bushels of soybeans, and 266,800 bushels of wheat. Total feed ingredient costs came to $1.01 billion, 3 percent more than the prior year.
• Chicken companies purchased $260 million in packaging and processing supplies.

Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. is the Delmarva chicken industry’s voice as the premier membership association focusing on advocacy, education and member relations. For more information, visit dpichicken.org; like DPI on Facebook; and follow us onTwitter.

$7 Billion In Equipment Looted From Former US Base In Afghanistan

The US handed over the Camp Kearney base in Paktika Province to the Afghan government in 2014, with an estimated $8 billion in equipment still inside.

Today, the estimation is that about $1 billion worth of equipment is left.

So what happened between then and now that cost the site about $7 billion?

Mass looting.

The provincial governor says that former governors, local mayors, MPs, and commanders have all had a go at the site, and everyone has been entering the base and taking anything that isn’t nailed down.

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New York ACLU comes to Chick-fil-A's defense in Buffalo

After Chick-fil-A’s arrival to a New York airport was scrapped over a top executive at the company’s conservative political beliefs, a surprising and powerful advocate has come to the company’s defense.

The New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has sided with Chick-fil-A after the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority decided the fast-food chain could not open a store at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in the fall.

New York Civil Liberties Union Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs Erika Lorshbough told The Hill on Wednesday that the First Amendment does not allow the authority to take action against the restaurant chain for its political beliefs.

“Government actors cannot officially silence speech or take punitive actions based on a person’s or private entity’s political viewpoints,” Lorshbough said in a statement.

Plans to scrap the Chick-fil-A branch came after New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan, a Democrat, pressured the authority. Ryan wrote in a Facebook post, “We can't allow companies who support anti-LGBTQ groups to do business at state owned facilities.”

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91-YEAR-OLD SWEDE PROSECUTED AND HEAVILY FINED FOR STATING THAT MUSLIMS “SEEM TO BE INBRED”

In Skåne in southern Sweden, the judicial system’s resources have recently, among other things, been used to frame a 91-year-old man who wrote negatively about Islam and Muslims on Facebook.

The man who is from Bromölla was convicted of “incitement to racial or ethnic hatred” after he wrote “offensive” about Muslims, according to the local newspaper.

“You cannot, with the best will in the world, call these creatures humans. They seem to be inbred, the way they behave”, the elderly man supposedly wrote.

The local newspaper calls him “Sweden’s oldest online hater”.

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Baltimore Files Major Class-Action Antitrust Lawsuit

Baltimore City is going after some big financial institutions in a class action antitrust lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges price-fixing and conspiracy in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bond market. City Solicitor Andre Davis said he's bringing the suit to protect city taxpayer interests.

"We have focused on those inside the city and outside the city who pose a risk of harm, financial harm or other harm, to the people of Baltimore," Davis said.

Davis said the city has filed the class-action antitrust suit seeking to recover damages for a price-fixing conspiracy in the sale and purchase of debt issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., also known as Freddie Mac. They are referred to as "FFBs," short for Fannie and Freddie bonds.

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Wise words from this 'young' lady!

Wise words from this 'young' lady!

Twice this week, I have watched an elderly individual, fade into the busy life in which we all live. One man just needed Tylenol for his wife but the shop assistant simply said it’s in aisle ‘6’. But he struggled to navigate the supermarket and as I watched him go in the wrong direction, I left all my groceries and took him where he needed to go.

Today, I watched an elderly man struggle in the heat, who had obviously had a fall with a huge scrape and blood on his leg. He walked past people in the cafe, while he slowly made his way to his car. Not one person stopped. Or looked. Or acknowledged him. I took him to his car and checked he was ok. He told me he had a fall and wasn’t sure how the air con worked in his car so he just didn’t use it. I sat with him, until his air con kicked in and heard him talk about the old frail body that he is in, that fails him now, every single day.

When you see an elderly person walking down the street, searching in the supermarket or struggling to their car, take a minute out of your busy schedule and ask them if they need a hand. Think about your grand parents and your parents and how pissed you would be if someone didn’t stop to help them. But more, think of them as you.

Once upon a time they were you. They were busy, they had work, they had children, they were able. Today, they are just in an older body that is not going as fast as it used to and this busy life is confusing. They deserve our utmost respect and consideration. One day it will be you, it will be us. I wish more people gave a shit about them and acknowledged them for their admirable existence and jeez I hope someday, not that far away, someone does it for me.

Chelsea Clinton will stop by the Curious Iguana to sign copies of her latest book

At the Curious Iguana’s next book signing, kids will get a chance to learn more about tigers, rhinos, and whales — and say hi to Chelsea Clinton.

The author and former first daughter is stopping in Frederick on April 9 to promote her newest children’s book, “Don’t Let Them Disappear.”

The illustrated text covers 12 different endangered species and the traits that make them special, from weighty blue whales to paw-washing sea otters.

Curious Iguana Owner Marlene England was thrilled when Clinton’s publicist emailed and asked if the store would host a signing, she said. Clinton is only expected to stop in two other bookstores across the United States, including Avid Bookshop in Atlanta and Women & Children First in Chicago. Earlier on April 9, she’s stopping by the Maryland Zoo for two scheduled readings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

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Salisbury, MD Man Arrested on Fraud Charges-Laurel

Laurel– The Delaware State Police Financial Crimes Unit have arrested a Salisbury, Maryland man on multiple charges related to a fraud investigation.

The investigation began in September 2018, when a fraud report was filed in reference to a sales agreement that was made with Midway RV & Sales located at 32101 Sussex Highway, Laurel.  It was learned that the owner, 57-year-old William G Carey Jr. was taking in consignment used motorhomes and travel trailers and re-selling them.  Carey would take the victim’s money to purchase the consigned motorhomes and travel trailers and not pay off the previous liens.  Carey would then submit falsified sales invoices to the banks and department of motor vehicles.

During the sale, Carey would offer an extended warranty at an additional charge through a separate vendor.  Carey would complete the paperwork but would never submit it to the warranty company or send in the required payment to activate the warranty, keeping the money for himself.  It was also discovered that Carey would falsify the bill of sales to get his purchasers qualified for financing through their local banks on high end RV’s.

On April 4, 2019, Carey was taken into custody at his business without incident.  He was transported back to Troop 4 where he was charged with the following:

• Theft by False Pretense over $1500.00 (4 counts)
• Falsifying Business Records (15 counts)
• Offering False Instrument for Filing
• Defrauding Secured Creditors
• Deceptive Business Practices (6 counts)

Carey was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court and released on $25,000.00 unsecured bond.

The case continues to remain under investigation by the Delaware State Police Financial Crimes Unit.  If you believe you are a victim of this crime, please contact Detective Shockley at 302-856-5850.  Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com.

Berlin Fire Co. budget ask totals over $900,000

While the Town Council looked at a general fund budget proposal 18 percent lower than the current year’s spending, Berlin Fire Company and EMS officials on the same evening asked for a significant funding increase.

Several town officials also questioned some of the fire company’s accounting practices.

The Town Council a year ago approved a $605,000 contract for services for fire and EMS, representing a large increase over previous years. From 2015-2017, the average annual funding was $400,000.

This year, however, fire and EMS officials are requesting $909,000 in total funding, which includes capital requests for several new vehicles.

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WCSO Press Release - April 4, 2019

Incident: Safety Training Exercise: Salisbury Christian School 

Date of Incident: April 5, 2019

Location: Parker Road and Outten Road, Salisbury MD.

Narrative: On April 5, 2019, the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office and Salisbury Fire/EMS will participate in a Full Scale exercise simulating an evacuation of Salisbury Christian School. The exercise will begin at 8:30 a.m. and finish around 11:00 p.m. on the grounds of Salisbury Christian School.
The challenge scenario will present a situation as a real time event.
The Wicomico County Sheriff’s office encourages all motorists to use extra care and caution in this area.

Trump Is Turning NATO Into a Viable Military Force

The Trump administration has made great strides in recent months to transform the cash-strapped and perpetually ailing North Atlantic Treaty Organization into a viable global military force that has the capabilities to confront Russia and other rogue regimes allied with terror forces.

Vice President Mike Pence, in wide-ranging remarks on Wednesday before a gathering of NATO members in Washington, D.C., outlined a series of reforms the Trump administration has taken to boost NATO’s military readiness and position it as a force that can combat Russian aggression, as well as that of regional terror groups.

Pence told NATO members the United States "will no longer agree to any measures or treaties that force unilateral disarmament upon us," a direct reference to Russia's continued construction and use of missile systems that violate international arms treaties.

This vision has guided the Trump administration's efforts to push NATO members into contributing greater financial resources to the organization, as well as recent efforts to create joint forces that can deploy to critical areas on the fly.

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*Update #5* Laurel Man Extradited and Arraigned on Murder Charges

Laurel– Joseph A. Beck, 32 of Laurel has been extradited back to Delaware, where he has been charged and arraigned.

On April 4, 2019, Beck was extradited back to Delaware from Stafford County Virginia, and charged with the following:

• Murder First Degree
• Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
• Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
• Abuse of Corpse

Beck was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $2,062,000.00 cash only bond.

Previous press releases on this case can be found HERE

Michigan boy, 12, fed up with potholes, decides to fix them himself

A 12-year-old boy in Michigan has decided he's not going to wait for officials to fill the large potholes dotting a street near his home and is instead getting his hands dirty and filling the craters himself.

Monte Scott starting filling potholes last week using a shovel and dirt from his backyard in Muskegon Heights after he grew fed up with the state of neighborhood roads.

“I didn't want people messing up their cars like my mom did,” he told WZZM-TV. “If somebody were to drive down the street and hit a pothole, and then would have to pay like $600-700 to get their car fixed, they would be mad."

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-boy-12-fed-up-with-potholes-decides-to-fix-them-himself

After Stressing Need to Present a Budget, House Dems Fail to Get One Done

After Democrats took control of the House with many candidates stressing the importance of passing a budget, party leadership has punted the idea of passing a budget due to internal divides over spending priorities and taxes.

It had become increasingly clear that House Democrats would be unable to agree on a budget blueprint that could pass a floor vote, with more liberal lawmakers demanding cuts to defense spending, an embrace of expensive liberal policies, and tax increases to pay for them. Leadership officially abandoned any prospect of getting a deal done on Monday, according to Bloomberg.

The failure is a blow to Democratic lawmakers in swing districts who bashed Republicans for failing to get a budget passed in recent years. Many of the freshman lawmakers, such as Rep. Cindy Axne (D., Iowa), cosponsored a bill that would raise the stakes for failing to come together on a budget.

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CHINESE NATIONAL CHARGED AFTER SNEAKING INTO MAR-A-LAGO WITH MALICIOUS SOFTWARE

Secret Service agents arrested a woman with two Chinese passports after she reportedly lied to agents and gained access to Mar-a-Lago with malicious software.

Yujing Zhang, 32, arrived at a Secret Service checkpoint Saturday afternoon outside of the president’s club in Palm Beach, Florida, while President Donald Trump was present.

She told agents she was a member of the club and coming to use the pool, The Associated Press reported. Zhang reportedly successfully gained entry to the club after showing the passports to an agent, according to court documents.

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Americans Had To Borrow 88 Billion Dollars To Cover Their Medical Bills Last Year

I know that the headline sounds outrageous, but it is actually true. According to a brand new report that was just released, Americans had to borrow 88 billion dollars to cover their medical bills last year. That is a truly astounding number, and it shows just how dramatically our current health care system has failed. And even though the vast majority of Americans are covered by “health insurance”, millions of us are deathly afraid to go to the hospital because of what it might cost. Today, two-thirds of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical bills, and most of the people going bankrupt actually had health insurance. Overall, more than half a million American families are financially ruined by medical bills each year, and meanwhile our “representatives” in Washington are doing absolutely nothing to fix the problem.

Surveys have shown that up to two-thirds of the country is living paycheck to paycheck at least part of the time, and an unexpected medical bill can be absolutely devastating for those that are just barely scraping by.

Without much of a financial cushion to fall back on, many families must borrow money when confronted with a large medical expense, and the scale at which this is happening is absolutely stunning…

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Trump Savages AOC: 'Young Bartender' Has Dems 'Petrified'

The Democrats have been taken hostage by the "young bartender" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), according to President Trump, who mercilessly mocked the freshman congresswoman and her Green New Deal on Tuesday night, reports The Hill.

"Trump told House GOP lawmakers at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner that he didn't want to be too critical of the Green New Deal because he hoped to campaign against it," reports the outlet. "He went on to chide Ocasio-Cortez without explicitly naming her."

The president characterized the Green New Deal as a ridiculous piece of legislation that Democrats are too afraid to openly denounce because of Ocasio-Cortez's popularity with the progressive base.

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TRUMP TO PURSUE ‘AGGRESSIVE’ EXECUTIVE CRACKDOWN ON IMMIGRATION

The White House is exploring all executive authorities in existing law that will allow an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and legal immigration fraud, senior adviser to the president Stephen Miller told The Daily Caller in an exclusive telephone interview.

“There’s going to be an aggressive effort to utilize every existing authority in statute,” Miller announced, explaining that several authorities exist in immigration laws passed by Congress throughout history, including the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

Miller noted that the White House is “systematically reviewing all authorities that are already on the books, both in terms of cracking down on illegal immigration and […] the abuse of our legal immigration system.” The targeted abuse actions include illegal immigrants who overstay temporary visas, “combatting or addressing legal benefit seeking in the legal immigration system.”

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Greenbelt man ran global 'spearphishing' email scam, nets millions

GREENBELT, Md. — A 24-year-old Greenbelt man by the name of "Albanky" drove a Bentley Continental, a Porsche and a Land Rover. He made a hip-hop video documenting his life as a club denizen in D.C. area nightspots and claimed to run a media production business.

In reality, the man -- with roots in Cameroon -- identified as Aldrin Fon Fomukong, and a crew of collaborators, helped run a destructive series of email frauds that netted them millions and pushed innocent victims to the brink of financial ruin. The collaborators reached from Greenbelt, College Park and Bowie, to South Africa, West Africa and Europe.

The wire fraud and money laundering scheme was documented by prosecutors who have secured six guilty pleas sending at least one scammer to federal prison for more than seven years.

More/Video

Wicomico: Press release for the Alcohol Compliance Spot Check done on 04/03/19

A Viewer Writes.....Pocomoke Election

How about a short blurb on the Pocomoke Election (4/2/19)? DT, WBOC & WMDT could not be bothered. I thought maybe you would at least mention it.

A young, complete newcomer to politics beat incumbent George Tasker and former councilman William Sparrow. Scott Holland now only beat them he creamed both. The tally on election night was Holland 97 votes to 31 for Sparrow and 9 for Tasker. That's right, the incumbent got substantially less than 10% of the vote.

I have known Scott his entire life, he is a good young man who will hopefully do some good things for Pocomoke.


Thanks for reading.

Committee on Oversite and Reform Press Releases

JORDAN AND MEADOWS REQUEST MICHAEL COHEN’S CLOSED-DOOR HPSCI TESTIMONY TO ACCOMMODATE CHAIRMAN CUMMINGS

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Government Operations Subcommittee, sent a letter to Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), and Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), Ranking Member of HPSCI requesting access to the transcripts of Michael Cohen’s closed-door testimony before HPSCI on February 28, 2019 and March 6, 2019.

Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah E. Cummings has said that he needs to review the HPSCI transcripts before referring Cohen for lying to the Oversight Committee. To date, however, Chairman Cummings has not made a written request for the closed-door HPSCI testimony as required by HPSCI rules.
 More/Continue with this press release 

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RANKING MEMBER JORDAN RELEASES REPORT HIGHLIGHTING DEMOCRATS’ PARTISAN INVESTIGATION OF THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION

WASHINGTON, DC– Today, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, released a staff report critical of Chairman Cummings’s use of Committee resources to interfere with the ongoing litigation over the citizenship question before the Supreme Court.

During a business meeting today, the Committee will consider Chairman Cummings’s request for subpoenas as part of his partisan and political investigation into the Commerce Department’s reinstatement of the citizenship question on the census.
More/Continue with this press release 

Florida Business Owner Found Guilty of Millions in Food Stamp Fraud

A Florida business owner was found guilty of conducting a multi-million-dollar food stamp fraud scheme in which he exchanged bribes and other favors with daycare centers to secure catering contracts.

Carlos Montoya, 47, was found guilty by a Miami federal jury Friday of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of bribery for running a scheme at his catering business where he exchanged favors and increased the prices of the meals he provided to his daycare center clients, the Miami Herald reported.

Montoya’s business partner, Sandra Ruballo, 47, represented 200 daycare centers that received government money for food assistance programs meant for low-income children while Montoya’s catering company supplied the meals for the daycare centers.

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Key Democrat pushes new tax on wealthy, targeting unrealized capital gains

Bill Gates backs raising capital gains tax 

RNC spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany says Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’s proposal of raising the capital gains tax will be a drag on the U.S. economy. 

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a ranking member on the influential Senate Finance Committee, announced this week he is developing a new way to tax the wealthy – aimed at overhauling the capital gains tax structure. 

Capital gains taxes are currently paid on the difference between what an individual originally paid for a property or investment and what she sold it for – at the time it is sold. 

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https://www.foxbusiness.com/financials/key-democrat-pushes-new-tax-on-wealthy-targeting-unrealized-capital-gains

Major Upset: Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Shocks Liberals With Surprise Victory

It was a statewide race that only the nerdiest of political nerds were following at the national level, but suffice it to say that we'd be hearing a lot about it if the expected outcome had come to pass. By way of background, Wisconsin's Supreme Court has been decidedly conservative for years, but when a liberal justice won a resounding 12-point victory last fall (Badger State voters choose Supreme Court members in nominally "non-partisan" elections), the Left immediately set it sights on the 2019 contest. If a left-leaning candidate had defeated another right-leaning jurist -- as was widely anticipated by political experts -- liberals believed they'd have a very real shot at wresting ideological control of the state's high court in 2020. But a funny thing happened on the way to that liberal judicial renaissance. Voters intervened:

Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn held a narrow lead early Wednesday in the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, according to unofficial tallies that were so close both sides were bracing for a recount. In an early morning tweet and statement to supporters, Hagedorn claimed victory. "The people of Wisconsin have spoken and our margin of victory is insurmountable,"the statement read...Hagedorn led fellow Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer 50.2% to 49.8% with nearly all of Tuesday's votes unofficially counted — at a margin that allows a recount. A win by Hagedorn would defy the predictions of prominent groups that typically back conservative judicial candidates but counted him out and wouldn't spend on his behalf during the race.

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WCSO Press Releases - April 4, 2019

 

Incident: Possession with intent to distribute narcotics: school zone
Date of Incident: March 22, 2019
Location: 900 block of West Road, Salisbury, Maryland
Suspect: James Lamont Collins, black male, 37 years old
Narrative: On March 22, 2019, members of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office Community Action Team, assisted by members of the Salisbury Police Department, executed a search and seizure warrant at a residence on the 900 block of West Road, Salisbury, Maryland. This execution of said warrant was the result of an investigation into the distribution of controlled dangerous substances. As a result of the search warrant, Deputies located an amount of crack cocaine that is indicative of the intent to distribute. The residence was located within 1000 feet of Salisbury Middle School. As a result, Deputies arrested the target of the investigation, James Lamont Collins, and charged him accordingly. Collins was held without bond at the Wicomico County Detention Center.
Charges: Possession with intent to distribute narcotics within 1000 feet of a school zone, Possession with the intent to distribute narcotics, and possession of CDS 

Incident: Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics
Date of Incident: March 19, 2019
Location: Balinadee Drive and Dykes Road Salisbury, Maryland
Suspect: Damon Lamont Shiles, black male, 35 years old
Narrative: On March 19, 2019, Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Community Action Team conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Damon Lamont Shiles in the area of Dykes Road, Salisbury, Maryland. During the course of the stop, a Sheriff’s Office K-9 conducted a drug scan on the outside of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert. A search revealed an amount crack cocaine and heroin that were both in an amount indicative of the intent to distribute the same. A search and seizure warrant was conducted at Shiles’ residence which led to the seizure of additional evidence. Shiles was arrested and held at the Wicomico County Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Possession with intent to distribute narcotics (heroin and crack cocaine), possession of CDS (two counts). 

Incident: Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance
Date of Incident: March 20, 2019
Location: 600 block of Homer Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Tyree A. Showell Jr, black male, 22 years old
Narrative: On March 20, 2019, Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Community Action Team, assisted by members of the Salisbury Police Department, executed a search and seizure warrant on a residence located on the 600 block of Homer Street, Salisbury, Maryland. During the execution of the warrant, Tyree Showell Jr was located in the residence. Deputies conducted a search of the residence and located an amount of crack cocaine. Showell was arrested and transported to the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was released on his own recognizance.
Charges: Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance, Altering and Destroying Physical Evidence. 

Incident: Residential Burglary
Date of Incident: March 24, 2019
Location: 100 block of Johnson Drive Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Lyle David Roberts, white male, 59 years old
Narrative: On March 20, 2019, Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Community Action Team and Criminal Investigative Division were on patrol in the area of Johnson Drive, Salisbury, Maryland. Deputies observed a male subject, later identified as Lyle David Roberts, force entry into an unoccupied residence. Moments later, Roberts emerged from the residence and began to ride away on his bicycle. Deputies were able to stop and detain Roberts. The investigation yielded evidence that indicated that Roberts had burglarized the residence and unlawfully taken currency and jewelry. Roberts admitted that he burglarized the residence and took items without anyone giving him permission. Roberts was arrested and released to the Wicomico County Detention Center. Roberts was initially held without bond by the District Court Commissioner, during Roberts Bond Review, a District Court Judge released him on his own recognizance.
Charges: 1st degree Burglary, 4th degree Burglary, theft and related charges.

Big jump in school construction funding stalled in Senate

By Diane Rey
For Maryland Reporter

Time is ticking down on the largest school construction bill in Maryland history.

With just five days until the end of the General Assembly session April 8, the Senate has yet to pass HB727, dubbed the Build to Learn Act, which would provide an additional $2.2 billion for school construction, divvying up the bulk of the funding to the state’s largest counties.

The bill was heavily amended by the House Appropriations Committee and passed the full House by a vote of 133-3 on March 18.

Appropriations Committee Chair Maggie McIntosh, D-Baltimore City, told senators on the Budget and Taxation Committee at a hearing last week that school construction funding has fallen short for counties targeted in the bill.

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Tanger Outlets sells four properties, including one in Ocean City

Tanger Outlets announced on Monday that it had closed on the sale of four of its none-core outlet centers, including its location in Ocean City, Md.

Tanger’s Ocean City outlet, along with three other locations in Nags Head, North Carolina, Park City, Utah, and Williamsburg, Iowa, represent 6.8% of the Company’s consolidated portfolio square footage and approximately 5.1% of its forecasted 2019 portfolio net operating income. The sale of the four outlets generated gross proceeds of $130.5 million.

“By completing these asset sales, we are strengthening the overall quality, reducing the average age, and improving the longer-term growth profile of the portfolio,” said Steven B. Tanger, Chief Executive Officer. in a press release.

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Traffic Advisory for Saturday April 6, 2019 **Fruitland Easter Parade/Egg Hunt

House Dem asks IRS for 6 years of Trump's tax returns, setting up showdown with White House

President Trump responded with a dismissive taunt on Wednesday after a House committee chairman formally requested the IRS provide several years of his personal and business tax returns, in a move that prompted congressional Republicans to warn that Democrats had "weaponized" tax law.

Told by a reporter at the White House that Democrats wanted six years of his tax returns, Trump replied: "Is that all? Usually it's 10. So I guess they're giving up. We're under audit, despite what people said, and we're working that out -- I'm always under audit, it seems, but I've been under audit for many years, because the numbers are big, and I guess when you have a name, you're audited. But until such time as I'm not under audit, I would not be inclined to do that."

The request Wednesday by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is the first such demand for a sitting president's tax information in 45 years. The move sets up a virtually certain legal showdown with the White House.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dem-asks-irs-for-6-years-of-trumps-tax-returns

Franchot condemns consultant firm examining UMMS dealings

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot condemned the independent consulting firm tasked with reviewing business dealings between the University of Maryland Medical System and multiple members of its board, including Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.

“This independent commission is independent in name only,” Franchot told Capital News Service Wednesday morning, speaking outside of the Board of Public Works meeting room.

“It should not be relied upon for anything. They just are not set up to get to the bottom of a scandal like this. They’re basically set up to say, ‘Gee, if you changed your board practices in the future, you might not have these scandals.’”

The University of Maryland Medical System hired Nygren Consulting, a California-based business management consultant, to look into the business dealings. Calls to the consulting firm have not been returned.

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Invasive Blue Crab a Menace in Spain

The Chesapeake Bay’s beloved blue crab has made its way to Spain as an invasive Mediterranean species— and it is so despised by fishermen that they have compared it to ISIS.

Now, European marine biologists are studying our favorite crustacean to try to control its population explosion.

On the Bay, we herald the opening of crab season (it officially kicked off on Monday), and we love blue crab so much that we’ll pay top dollar to sit around a picnic table covered in newspaper, picking meat out of jagged pieces of shell.

Meanwhile in Spain, the American blue crab is described as “an invasive voracious alien species, with no known predators and with high reproductive and survival rates, which has now spread throughout the Mediterranean.”

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Maryland church wipes out the medical debt of more than 900 families in a $1.9 million act of kindness with no strings attached

A church in Maryland has eradicated the medical debts of more than 900 families across 14 different counties, in a no-strings-attached act of incredible kindness worth almost $2 million.

Revolution Annapolis, a 170-member nondenominational church, sent anonymous letters out to the lucky families on Monday to tell them their medical bills – both big and small – had been wiped clean.

The church covered costs as little as $200, all the way up to $100,000 as part of the incredible scheme.

To fund the project, Revolution raised $15,000 in December thanks to a fundraising drive, and later partnered with the non-profit, RIP Medical Debt, to help pay $1,893,288.73 worth of medical bills in central and eastern Maryland.

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Announcement of Congressional Art Competition for Maryland’s First District

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) is pleased to announce that the 2019 Congressional Art Competition is now open for submissions. The competition recognizes talented high school artists from around the country, and is supported by the entirety of the U.S. House of Representatives. Winners from each congressional district will be eligible to attend the National Reception in Washington, D.C.
 
All high school students in Maryland’s First Congressional District are encouraged to apply. A winner from each congressional district will be chosen to display his or her artwork in the U.S. Capitol building for one year.

“I am pleased to announce that the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are once again sponsoring a nation-wide high school art competition this spring, and I appreciate this opportunity to recognize the talented young artists of Maryland’s First District,” said Congressman Harris. “I am continuously impressed by the submissions we receive and am honored to display the First District runners-up in my office. I eagerly anticipate seeing the winning piece from the First District hanging in the U.S. Capitol.”

Since the first Congressional Art Competition in 1982, over 650,000 high school students have submitted their art work to the competition judges. For full competition guidelines and the student release forms, please visit Congressman Harris’ website at harris.house.gov. Go to the “Services” tab at the top of the screen and click on “Art Competition.”

The deadline for submissions is April 18, 2019.

Morning Funnies 4-4-19

PRESS RELEASE: Congressman Harris Applauds Department of Homeland Security for H-2B Visa Increase

WASHINGTON, DC: Following the Department of Homeland Security’s approval of an increase in H-2B visas, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) made the following statement:

“Considering the low unemployment rate, the importance of the program to the local economy in Maryland’s First Congressional District, and the constant oversubscription to the program, I support the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to increase the number of H-2B visas by 30,000 this summer season. The H-2B visa program is a crucial resource for the seafood industry, the tourism industry, and other seasonal employers across the First District and supports thousands of related jobs held by American citizens. We have worked for years to see this increase of H-2B visas for workers, and I applaud the Department of Homeland Security and Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen for this decision.”