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Saturday, March 14, 2020

Wicomico County Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Civic Center COVID-19 Update

SALISBURY, Md. – Out of an abundance of caution, all public programs and events operated through the Wicomico Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Civic Center department will be suspended through Sunday, March 29.

This decision was made after consulting with the Wicomico County Health Department and the Department of Emergency Services.

This timeline is fluid and could be changed at any time.

Wicomico Civic Center

All public events scheduled through Sunday, March 29 will be postponed or canceled.

Postponed events include the Coastal Kids Consignment Sale, Krendl Magic Dinner & Show, Aspire to Succeed & Lead Women's Conference and the Faith Filled Women Conference. Rescheduled dates will be forthcoming.

The Indoor Community Yard Sale, Potomac Youth Conference and Wicomico County Suitcase Party have been canceled.

The facility itself will remain open. Those who have scheduled small private events during this timeframe should contact the Civic Center event manager.

For more information, visit www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org.

Recreation & Parks

All Wicomico County Recreation programs will be suspended through Sunday, March 29. These include Kids Klub After School, Westside Community Center programs, Little League Challenger Registration Day and all sports programs.

Kids Klub After School and karate program customers who have paid for March will automatically receive a 50% credit to their Active account toward a future program. Customers will need to register for future programs to use their credit.

The Happy Timers program has been suspended in accordance with the state’s guidelines regarding senior centers.

Public parks will remain open.

For more information, visit www.WicomicoRecandParks.org.

Tourism

The Wicomico County Welcome Center will remain open to the public.

For more information, visit www.WicomicoTourism.org.


The department will continue with increased efforts to prevent the spread of disease per the CDC’s recommendations.

Guests are encouraged to practice everyday preventative actions recommended by the CDC, including those listed at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html.

Decisions made by officials are fluid and can be changed at any time.

The Wicomico Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Civic Center department will continue to monitor the situation through regular updates from the CDC and the Wicomico County Health Department. Any updates will be shared with the press, as well as posted to department websites and social media outlets.

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Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Coronavirus will bankrupt more people than it kills — and that's the real global emergency

Coronavirus’s economic danger is exponentially greater than its health risks to the public. If the virus does directly affect your life, it is most likely to be through stopping you going to work, forcing your employer to make you redundant, or bankrupting your business.

The trillions of dollars wiped from financial markets this week will be just the beginning, if our governments do not step in. And if President Trump continues to stumble in his handling of the situation, it may well affect his chances of re-election. Joe Biden in particular has identified Covid-19 as a weakness for Trump, promising “steady, reassuring” leadership during America’s hour of need.

Worldwide, Covid-19 has killed 4,389 with 31 US deaths as of today. But it will economically cripple millions, especially since the epidemic has formed a perfect storm with stock market crashes, an oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, and the spilling over of an actual war in Syria into another potential migrant crisis.

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Using tote bags instead of plastic could help spread the coronavirus

The COVID-19 outbreak is giving new meaning to those “sustainable” shopping bags that politicians and environmentalists have been so eager to impose on the public. These reusable tote bags can sustain the COVID-19 and flu viruses — and spread the viruses throughout the store.

Researchers have been warning for years about the risks of these bags spreading deadly viral and bacterial diseases, but public officials have ignored their concerns, determined to eliminate single-use bags and other plastic products despite their obvious advantages in reducing the spread of pathogens. In New York state, a new law took effect this month banning single-use plastic bags in most retail businesses, and this week Democratic state legislators advanced a bill that would force coffee shops to accept consumers’ reusable cups — a practice that Starbucks and other chains have wisely suspended to avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus.

John Flanagan, the Republican leader of the New York state Senate, has criticized the new legislation and called for a suspension of the law banning plastic bags. “Senate Democrats’ desperate need to be green is unclean during the coronavirus outbreak,” he said Tuesday, but so far he’s been a lonely voice among public officials.

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Man busted with Andrew Gillum in hotel room with meth was gay escort

Andrew Gillum was caught in a room with more than just drugs.

The man who overdosed on crystal meth in a Florida hotel room with Gillum, a Democrat who made an unsuccessful bid for Florida governor, was an openly gay male escort with a profile on the website RentMen.com, Florida’s Local10 reported Friday.

Travis Dyson also identified himself as a “pornstar performer” who offered services including “gay massage”

Gillum has been married to wife R. Jai Gillum since 2009. Together. the couple has three children.

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Stop Calling It A "Stutter": Here Are Dozens Of Examples Of Biden's Dementia Symptoms

It’s very bizarre and dissonant how there are currently two separate and non-overlapping lines of criticism going on against the campaign of establishment-anointed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. There are the perfectly accurate criticisms regarding the right-wing, militaristic policy positions of the politician Joe Biden used to be, and then there are the equally accurate criticisms of Biden’s handlers and Democratic Party leadership for wheeling out the dementia-addled husk of a man he currently is to run for the world’s most powerful elected office.

These two debates do not interweave, because they are not relevant to one another. It doesn’t matter what political positions a dementia victim once had; what matters is taking care of him and keeping him away from hazards, like sharp objects and nuclear launch codes. It’s impossible to know what actual political convictions still remain held within a mind that can no longer lucidly string thoughts together anyway.

I hate doing this. I hate repeatedly writing about the obvious and undeniable fact that an old man is exhibiting obvious and undeniable symptoms of incipient dementia. It isn’t fun, and it doesn’t feel good. But the alternative is laying down and allowing the Democratic party and its allied media to gaslight people into believing it’s not a thing, as they are doing currently.

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That’s adora-bowl! Labrador puppies pile into a dish for a nap after dinner, but how many will fit?

How many Labrador Retriever puppies can you fit in a single bucket?

Thankfully, that question has been answered by a gleeful California breeder's adorable video.

At first two pups are fitting quite comfortably in a bowl as they prepare for a nap.

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Big Mac gets a McMassive makeover! McDonald's now sells a four-patty Double Big Mac

McDonald's is expanding its Big Mac offerings for a limited period from this Wednesday, doubling up on the number of meat patties in its latest product to give us the Double Big Mac.

The iconic burger is getting a new look this week as the fast food giant launches two new sandwiches on its limited menu: The Double Big Mac and the Little Mac.

The Double Big Mac is a four-patty giant which keeps the Big Mac's signature third sesaame seed bun in the center but throws in an extra patty both above and below.

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No Cell Signal, No Wi-Fi, No Problem. Growing Up Inside America’s ‘Quiet Zone’

Viral dance memes and dance challenges on TikTok largely bypass Green Bank, W.Va. So do viral sensations like augmented reality filters on Snapchat and Instagram.

And when a Facebook fad had people all over the globe dumping ice water on their heads a few summers ago, Charity Warder, now a senior at Pocahontas County High School, was late to the game.

Sure, Charity has an iPhone, but she uses it mostly as a clock and a calculator. She makes phone calls from a land line, and she rarely texts her friends. Texting and driving? “It’s not a thing here,” she said.

When Charity wants to get online at home, she sits at her family’s desktop computer, which has a broadband connection that is so sluggish, it takes minutes to load a YouTube video.

“We fight over the computer,” said Charity, 18. “That’s actually a thing here.”

“People come to our gym to play and they walk around with their phones looking for Wi-Fi and we’re like, there’s none of that, so live like the rest of us.”

Welcome to Green Bank, population 143, where Wi-Fi is both unavailable and banned and where cellphone signals are non-existent.

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The 1619 Project’s Outrageous, Lying Slander of Abe Lincoln

The New York Times’ 1619 Project has aimed at nothing less than a revolutionary reinterpretation of the entirety of U.S. history, “re-centering” African Americans as the sole banner-carriers of America’s principles, even as they have been ruthlessly smashed down, enslaved, and obliterated from memory by more numerous and more powerful whites.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison come in for bashing. So does Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln? Jefferson and Madison, we know, were slave owners. But Lincoln? The author of the Emancipation Proclamation?

In project leader Nikole Hannah-Jones’ verdict, Lincoln, too, is guilty, largely because of one incident. In August 1862, Lincoln invited a committee of black men to the White House. He read to them a prepared statement, urging them to recruit volunteers for colonization outside the United States.

Colonization meant that once freed, former slaves would have to relocate, preferably for a reservation Congress would purchase in Central America.

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JUST IN: Maryland casinos to reduce the number of patrons allowed in facilities by 50%

ANNAPOLIS (WBFF) Maryland's casinos will cut customer interactions on their gaming floors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Effective Monday, March 16. five Maryland casinos- Live! Casino, Horseshoe Casino, Hollywood Casino, Ocean Downs Casino and Rocky Gap Casino will reduce the number of patrons allowed in their facilities by 50%.

Each of the five casinos will put this reduction in place in ways that best create social distancing. Officials say they expect elimination of chairs at slot machines and table games, limiting the number of patrols allowed onto the gaming floor, restrictions in food and beverage outlets and other measures.

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'Frozen 2' will stream on Disney+ three months early. You're welcome, parents

Parents, Disney+ gets it.

Referencing the ongoing coronavirus outbreak as a "challenging period," Disney announced on Friday that "Frozen 2" will be made available on its streaming service three months ahead of schedule.

The move comes as an increasing number of family attractions — including Disney's own parks — are being shut down out of concerns over the spread of Covid-19. At the same time, thousands of schools have closed, leaving millions of children at home.

The film will stream on Disney+ in the U.S. starting Sunday.

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Hillary Clinton asks appeals court to overturn order for deposition about email server and Benghazi

Hillary Clinton asked an appeals court on Friday to overturn a judge's order for her to appear for a sworn deposition about her use of a private email server and the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack.

The case stems from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch against the former secretary of state. Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled, “The Court agrees with Judicial Watch — it is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton.” The judicial opinion also ordered former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills to be deposed.

Clinton's legal team responded with an 83-page petition for a writ of mandamus filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, calling the district ruling outrageous and asking the appeals court to order the lower court to correct the ruling.

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Committee Hears Support Behind Special Event Zone Changes; Officials Seek More Tools For Police This Year

OCEAN CITY — The forum was different, but the message was strong and consistent this week as a local delegation testified in Annapolis on proposed legislation strengthening the resort’s motorized special event laws.

Last week, a large contingent from Ocean City testified in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Senate Bill 878, which, among other things, adds the offense of exhibition driving to the original legislation approved by state lawmakers two years ago. Less than a week later, many of those same local delegation members testified in the House Environment and Transportation Committee on sister legislation filed in the House by Delegate Wayne Hartman. The message was clear and concise and delivered with passion for the second time in less than a week.

House Bill 1493 would add the offense of exhibition driving to the existing special event zone legislation. According to the bill’s language, among the offenses under the umbrella of exhibition driving are operating a vehicle in a manner that produces abrupt acceleration or deceleration, skidding, swerving, raucous engine noise, gear grinding or wheels losing contact with the ground. For the first time in the evolution of the special event zone legislation, the potential penalties described in the bill include potential jail time. For example, violations could result in a term of imprisonment not exceeding 60 days, or a fine of $1,000 or both.

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Nutritionist reveals how looking after your GUT is the best way to boost your immune system during coronavirus outbreak

A nutritionist has revealed that a diet which supports gut health is the boost your immune system amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kate Llewellyn-Waters, from London, told Femail that eating foods rich in zinc, probiotics, antioxidants and vitamin C will support healthy bacteria in the gut, which is responsible for 70 per cent of the immune system.

Here she explains which foods to eat to help protect your gut, and boost your immune system in the battle against Covid-19.

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Trump declares Sunday a National Day of Prayer

Hours after declaring a national emergency because of the coronavirus, President Trump suggested the nation look to God for "protection and strength."

On Friday evening, Trump declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer and pointed out how the public has historically found solace in faith during times of crisis. The first Sunday of every March since 1988 has been designated a National Day of Prayer in the United States, but Trump personalized this year's day of prayer to address the outbreak of COVID-19.

“It is my great honor to declare Sunday, March 15th as a National Day of Prayer,” Trump wrote.

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Biden Ad Attacking Trump on Coronavirus Gets ‘Four Pinocchios’ From WaPo

A Joe Biden ad received the worst possible rating from the Washington Post fact-checker for attacking President Donald Trump with manipulated video.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee received "Four Pinocchios" for an ad that deceptively edited video of a Trump campaign rally to make it appear that the president called the coronavirus a hoax. In the ad, Trump can be seen saying "coronavirus," followed immediately by "This is their new hoax."
We can't sit by and lose this country to Donald Trump. Today, we take it back — together.
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Mnuchin floats suspending student loan payments as part of pandemic economic response

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday that the administration is considering a three-month suspension for student loan payments to help shore up the economy as it is hit by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

"I can tell you that's on our list of 50 different items we're bringing to the president for a decision. So that will be something we're looking at," Mnuchin told CNBC.

The proposal would only suspend payments on what students owe. It would not reduce the amount owed.

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Parents Worried They'll Have To Raise Their Own Children As Government Schools Shut Down

U.S.—Parents across the nation have expressed their worry, fear, and shock at having to raise their own children now that government schools have temporarily shut down.

Those who send their children to public schools registered their displeasure at the government for not doing its main job of indoctrinating their children, even temporarily.

"Raise, educate, and parent my children?" said one exasperated mother as her teen sat at home, bored and with nothing to do. "But that's the government's job! What am I supposed to do? Teach them things? Instill them with my values? Train them up in the way that they should go?"

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Florida lawmakers consider legislation protecting school prayer

Lawmakers in Florida are considering a bill that would allow prayer before school sports games, spurred by a contentious lawsuit between a Christian school and the Florida High School Athletic Association.

According to local news station WCTV, the proposal would require “the Florida High School Athletic Association to make changes that would lead to schools being offered 30 seconds for opening remarks over public-address systems.” Religious liberty advocates are hoping the Florida House passes the bill, which Education Chairwoman Jennifer Sullivan sponsored. The two chambers would need to reach an agreement before the bill could become law. The legislative session ended Friday.

The bill originated from a controversy about prayer before a major football game.

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Canada ratifies USMCA trade deal, replacing NAFTA

The Canadian Parliament on Friday ratified the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, making Canada the third and final country needed to make the trade pact official and replace the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement.

The USMCA had faced opposition in the Canadian Parliament and became stuck in a committee for several weeks. That delayed the adoption of the deal for two months after the United States ratified it and even held a signing ceremony. Mexico approved the deal last year.

"Now that the USMCA has been approved by all three countries, a historic new chapter for North American trade has begun," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

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Trump Enlists Help of American Companies to Stop Coronavirus Spread: ‘All of America’ Approach

President Trump announced Friday that he has enlisted the help of some of America’s biggest companies to contain the spread of coronavirus in the United States, in an “all-of-America” approach.

The corporations include Walmart, Walgreens, Target, CVS, and other major companies.

Trump introduced and thanked the companies’ leaders individually during a press conference in the White House Rose Garden.

“They are simply celebrities in their own right. They’re the biggest business people, the greatest retailers anywhere in the world,” he said.

Doug McMillon from Walmart said the White House has asked them to make portions of their parking lots available in select locations so that people can do drive-through testing for coronavirus.

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Illinois mayor signs executive order granting power to ban sale of guns and alcohol while addressing coronavirus

The mayor of Champaign, Illinois, gave herself the power to ban the sale of guns and alcohol after declaring a citywide emergency to address the coronavirus.

Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen signed the executive order on Thursday declaring a state of emergency for the city. That executive order, which is in line with municipal code, comes with extraordinary powers for the mayor to enact over a short period of time as the city combats the spread of the coronavirus.

Among the powers Feinen gained after signing the executive order was the power to ban the sale of guns, ammunition, alcohol, and gasoline. Feinen could also cut off access to individuals' gas, water, or electricity. The city also has the ability to "take possession of private property" or order the temporary closing of all bars or liquor stores.

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GOP challenger accuses Michigan senator of wielding coronavirus as a political weapon

The coronavirus is seeping into the 2020 campaign, this time in the critical battleground of Michigan, where Republican Senate candidate John James is running a new television ad accusing Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of using the global pandemic to distort his position on healthcare.

The James campaign is spending "six figures" to air the 30-second spot on broadcast and cable television across Michigan, a state that offers the GOP a legitimate opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in November. In the ad, James speaks directly to the camera as he calls Peters a liar and suggests that the Democrat is using the spread of COVID-19 to score political points. James is mounting his second campaign for Senate after coming up short against Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2018.

"Sen. Gary Peters just launched his campaign with a lie. A lie about healthcare while America is facing its worst health crisis in decades. He’s exploiting our fears for his own political gain," James says at the spot opens.

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Maryland bill would ease rules for mortician apprenticeships

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — An emergency bill would deaden the requirement that Maryland mortuary science students must complete the majority of their education prior to starting an apprenticeship.

House bill 106, a bipartisan effort from Delegates Susan Krebs, R-Carroll, and Joseline Peña-Melnyk, D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel, would allow anyone enrolled in a mortuary science program the ability to begin an apprenticeship.

Under current law, mortuary science students must have completed at least two-thirds of their academic program with at least a 2.0 GPA in order to begin an apprenticeship program.

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Maryland Business Groups Urge General Assembly to Forego Tax Increases

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan recently declared a state of emergency in reaction to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Meanwhile, the Maryland General Assembly is currently weighing several tax increases to help pay for an overhaul of the state’s public education system. NFIB and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce —partners in protecting the business community in Maryland—warn that any drastic increase in state taxes would be ill-advised given the unknown impact the COVID-19 virus will have on Maryland’s economy.

“COVID-19 has already had a tremendous impact on our economy—an impact that stands to intensify in the coming days and weeks,” said Christine Ross, president and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. “In the last two weeks alone, we have seen historic plunges in the stock market and an emergency rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Maryland’s own fiscal leaders have described the situation as ‘highly volatile’ and expressed their concern that we are headed for a full-blown recession.”

The legislature is nearing the end of its annual 90-day legislative session with several proposals being considered that would raise taxes on businesses by an estimated $700 million to pay, in part, for the state’s education overhaul.
“Given the unknowns of how this global pandemic will impact Maryland’s economy, we strongly feel that it would be ill-advised for the legislature to pass a $700 million tax increase on our state’s job creators,” said Mike O’Halloran, state director of NFIB in Maryland. “Such a massive tax increase will surely have a negative effect on Maryland businesses, and considering the unchartered waters we find ourselves in, the General Assembly should resist passing any tax increases on businesses.”

The NFIB Research Center released a new survey on the current impact of the coronavirus on small businesses and found that owners are concerned about future disruptions if the outbreak continues to escalate. More than 80% of respondents said they are concerned about the impact the outbreak will have on their business.

“Policymakers must remember that our small businesses, which employ a majority of Marylanders, are facing possible supply-chain disruptions, and these are expected to increase the cost of doing business,” added O’Halloran.

“We are mindful that the General Assembly is considering several business tax measures aimed at raising revenue to fund its priorities,” said Ross. “However, tax policy is complex and results in many unintended consequences. The imposition of new taxes will only worsen this crisis for Maryland businesses and the citizens they employ.”

To learn more about the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Maryland’s only statewide business advocacy organization, please visit www.mdchamber.org.

China hints at denying Americans life-saving coronavirus drugs

Now that the number of new people infected with the coronavirus in China is slowing down, the country's Communist Party is ratcheting up threats against the West, with a particularly nasty warning about access to life-saving drugs aimed at the United States.

In an article in Xinhua, the state-run media agency that's largely considered the mouthpiece of the party, Beijing bragged about its handling of COVID-19, a virus that originated in the city of Wuhan and has spread quickly around the world, killing nearly 5,000 people and infecting thousands more. The article also claimed that China could impose pharmaceutical export controls which would plunge America into "the mighty sea of coronavirus."

The disturbing threats made during a global pandemic as well as the scary consequences if that threat becomes real highlight just how tight China's grip is on the global supply chain. Already, the Food and Drug Administration has announced the first drug shortage related to the coronavirus. Though it did not disclose which drug was in short supply, the FDA did say it could not access enough raw components needed because they are made in China.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/chinese-deny-americans-coronavirus-drugs

Biden’s Coronavirus Plan: No Travel Bans on Any Countries, Allow Welfare-Dependent Immigration to U.S.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s plan to combat the coronavirus in the United States does not include a single travel ban on any foreign country and revamps welfare-dependent legal immigration to the U.S. that President Trump’s administration has sought to end.

On Thursday, Biden unveiled a series of measures to fight the coronavirus but did not include so much as a travel ban on Wuhan, China, where the virus originated and where the majority of the more than 80,000 Chinese nationals infected with the coronavirus live.

If implemented, Biden’s plan would mean that flights directly from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan could continue as regularly scheduled into the interior of the U.S. and every major American city.

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Major changes: Trimper’s sees total shift in management

Trimper’s Rides, the oldest continuously family-operated amusement park in the country, is about to undergo some changes, as will the family corporation, Windsor Resorts Inc., which owns the amusements and numerous other Boardwalk properties in Ocean City.

Exactly what kind of changes are unknown, except that the branch of the Trimper family that has managed the company since 1980, stepped down this week, thus allowing other members of the clan to assume control.

People familiar with the operation — family members had no comment — said the change in management was precipitated by the 2018 death of a stockholder who had resisted suggestions that the company change directions.

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BREAKING: Hillary Clinton Files Appeal to Stop Her Court-Ordered Email Testimony

Judicial Watch founder and President Tom Fitton dropped a bomb last Monday morning.

A federal court ordered a deposition of Hillary Clinton on her emails and Benghazi attack records.

Hillary Clinton hit back on Friday and filed an appeal to stop her court-ordered email testimony.

In September Judge Royce Lamberth granted Judicial Watch SIGNIFICANT new discovery on the Hillary Clinton email and Benghazi scandals.

Judicial Watch in September released transcript from their hearing on August 22 where Judge Royce Lamberth granted new discovery and witnesses on Hillary Clinton’s email case.

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