Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Sunday, July 26, 2020

BREAKING NEWS: Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver Passed Away This Morning

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob and his entire Family. Till we meet again Bob...

The family of County Executive Bob Culver is sad to announce that he passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family this morning. Well known for his spirit and tenacity, he had fought a courageous battle for several months. More information will follow.

A Viewer Writes: Sams Club check out aisles deathtraps

Anyone been to Sam's lately? They reconfigured the store and instead of the nice wide check out - waiting line - aisle, they have now got you trapped into these narrow aisles where you are surrounded by rows of junk food. Who thought this was a smart idea? They are not 2 carts wide like the normal aisles. Such a ridiculous and unsafe configuration. The hazardous wall of pallets out front was bad enough, protruding into the traffic lane, forcing you to dodge oncoming traffic as you attempt to get into the store and trapping you between a wall of pallets and the building but now this? Who thinks up these hazardous plans and implements them? Even Walmart has cleaned up their entryways and made them safer and shorter, but not Sams, they are sticking with, what seems to be "putting our customers at risk" strategy.

BREAKING NEWS: GARY WALKER OWNER OF PURPLE MOOSE DECEASED

The owner of the Purple Moose in Ocean City was recently found deceased allegedly from CIVID 19.

Is the Teachers Union in Wicomico County planning on blocking the Reopening of county schools?

Why do they need to send out a survey to the "members?" This should be up to the parents and the taxpayers.

A Viewer Writes: Our Children or Our Jobs

Wicomico County Board of Education was directed to submit three possible plans to the State of Maryland’s Department of Education, and according to Dr. Donna Hanlin’s statements they are leaning toward the “yellow” option. This is a hybrid option where students go to school either week on, week off, or they go two days a week and do distance learning the other days. The third option was for parents to have their children do school entirely online from home if they weren’t comfortable returning to school. Parents were sent a survey asking which choice their children would follow, but there was no space available to indicate that none of the 3 choices would work for a family.

Wicomico County had just over 103,600 citizens in 2019, with a continuous growth rate. The number of people that have died in Wicomico County from Covid19-related deaths according to the Wicomico County Health department is 41. That equates to 0.04% of the population. How many of these deaths were school aged citizens? Zero. In fact, the number of citizens in the entire state of Maryland to die under the age of 19? One. In a state of over 6 million citizens, with more than 1.32 million citizens under 18.

What I would like to hear from Dr. Donna Hanlin and Dr. Rick Briggs is what they plan to do to provide students an opportunity to learn on the days or weeks that they are not receiving direct instruction in a classroom. What are working parents supposed to do? Leave our children home alone? Drop our children off at random friend and family members’ houses? Doesn’t that create MORE exposure than simply allowing students to return to school? Or, are working parents expected to pay for daycare- provided we can find it- despite the fact that we are paying taxes for our children to be provided a FREE and APPROPRIATE education? Our students need interaction. They need school. They need to move, and play, and learn. They do NOT need another extended period of time of distance learning…when the elephant in the room is that ‘distance learning’ is an oxymoron for young children in particular. Why can students who need or want to return full time not do so with safety measures from the green plan in place?

I would sincerely appreciate actual responses to these questions, because thousands of us are being forced to choose between our careers and the education of our children. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to work from home or having a spouse or family member available to be a quasi-teacher.

Barn 34 In Ocean City Closes



Beginning today July 18th, we will be closing as an employee has tested positive for covid-19.

We are taking all necessary preventative measures to make sure our staff and customers remain safe. We are having our whole building professionally disinfected and all employees will be tested. We hope to be open late next week, after we receive test results back from all of our employees.

Please know that everyone's safety is our main concern and we will keep up with all cleaning procedures and safety measures as we always have.

Thank you for your understanding and kindness as we navigate through these times.

- barn 34 fam

Anti-America’s Game: San Francisco Giants Players and Their Manager Kneel During National Anthem – MLB Defends the Players

Citizen Free Press reported that the professional baseball players and coaches of the San Francisco Giants took a knew today during the playing of our National Anthem:

The San Francisco Giants manager and several coaches and team members took a knee during the national anthem before their first exhibition game in the Bay Area on Monday night.

Manager Gabe Kapler and members of the coaching staff joined players Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, and Jaylin Davis and coaches Antoan Richardson and Justin Viele in taking a knee, according to NBC Bay Area. Shortstop Brandon Crawford stood between Richardson and Davis and placed his hands on their shoulders in an apparent sign of support.

More

Ocean City becoming one of Maryland's coronavirus hot spots

OCEAN CITY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Maryland’s governor has asked residents not to travel outside the state because of coronavirus spikes – but traveling within the state may also be a concern.

Ocean City is fast becoming one of Maryland's new coronavirus hot spots.

FOX 5's Tisha Lewis spoke with one restaurant owner who has staff still recovering from the coronavirus. They’re finally reopening today.

The Blu Crabhouse and Raw Bar posted about the positive case on its Facebook page and they’re not alone. Several restaurants in Ocean City have been forced to scale back amid jumps in coronavirus cases.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan says Worcester County has seen an increase in per capita cases this month.

In Ocean City itself, 38 people had tested positive through the end of June. Now, it’s up to 113 cases.

More

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/ocean-city-becoming-one-of-marylands-coronavirus-hot-spots

A Viewer Writes: Another Salisbury Fire Department Member Arrested

Did you see this about Rathel? The Salisbury Fire Department is already trying to scrub him but Google still has him. If you click on the SFD link for Rathel's profile it is a blank. It's very obvious that the City is trying to distance themselves from him and they didn't waste any time.

COIN SHORTAGE?

In 2018 the US Mint produced more than 12.5 billion coins for circulation. From 2008-18 more than 123 billion. The average length of time a coin circulates is 30 years. Where did they all go in four months?

The Line Just To Get To Checkout At Sam's Club


GEORGE FLOYD ON JUDGE JUDY YEARS AGO

A county on Maryland’s Eastern Shore quietly takes down a Confederate memorial, after years of rejecting the idea

Every time Amber Green walked past the Wicomico County Courthouse in Salisbury, it angered her to see the historical marker on its grounds dedicated to a notorious Confederate general.

Gen. John Winder wasn’t just a military leader who used his talents in service of the white supremacist South. Many historians consider him a war criminal for directing a Confederate prison system in which more than 13,000 Union soldiers died in one camp alone, chiefly of diarrhea and scurvy.

Even worse, the tribute to Winder — a native of a rural Eastern Shore enclave with no known connection to Salisbury or Wicomico — stood within feet of where a mob of whites is known to have lynched a Black resident, Matthew Williams, in 1931.

More

Viewers Write: Another Retired SFD career firefighter arrested on child porn.

Hey Joe here is a story that hasn't broke about the child porn distribution. The 66 year old Richard rathel currently is the volunteer president of SFD station 2. I also like to add that he is the second Retired Salisbury firefighter that has been arrested or convicted for child crimes the 1st being retired salisbury paramedic Bruce Fowler. Both of these Gentlemen served together back in the late SFD when SFD had so many retire back in 03. Just a little less service time between the 2. Richard rathel son also was terminated for misconduct involving a female and gang reflex on the back of a SFD ambulance. Seems to me that apparently SFD has a lot of hidden sexual secrets and maybe some investigation and enlightenment by SBY news would be much more better read then the article WMDT posted.

Also stated by another viewer:

**NEWS TIP** One of Jake Day's biggest supporters from the Salisbury Fire Department has been arrested by the Maryland State Police today on pornography charges. Former Fire Lieutenant and current Station 2 Volunteer Rick Rathel has been arrested but the news doesn't say he is a current volunteer and former paid lieutenant. I don't know if they are trying to protect Jake Day or not. If the MSP was smart they would confiscate all the computers at Station #2. Rick Rathel is also the one you called out on this post making racist comments as "Fire Walker."https://sbynews.blogspot.com/2007/10/soapbox-is-none-other-than-spotted-dog.html The Salisbury Fire Department has immediately scrubbed his profile from their website but this can still be found on a Google search of his name. Profile - Salisbury Fire Department - Maryland www.salisburyfd.com › node › profile Profile. Richard Rathel. In the past, Richard has held the positions of President. Richard has been awarded the on BACKLASH AFTER NYT COLUMNIST SAYS REPUBLICAN VOTERS WOULD RATHER BURN ‘ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD’ THAN RENT

CENSORSHIP???

Joe,

Not sure if anyone else is having this problem, but when I try to search for “sby news” on Google Chrome or Firefox today, your blog is not showing up in the search results. Normally it is the first thing that appears in the results. Same with facebook – a search for Salisbury News does not show your page.

I was able to find it via Microsoft Edge.

Just thought you’d like to know in case this is some sort of censorship.

Where is the Decorum? Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema Shows Up to Work Sporting Blue Wig

Where is the decorum?

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) showed up to work on Tuesday sporting a blue wig.

Senator Sinema clarifies to @GarrettHaake her new wig color is “Mint Green,” not bluepic.twitter.com/GegeHvqlwt

— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) July 21, 2020

More

Jemele Hill: ‘If You Vote for Donald Trump, You Are a Racist’

Atlantic writer and former ESPN talker Jemele Hill, says that each and every Trump voter is a racist.

On Saturday, Hill took to her Twitter account to make the accusation.

“If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist. You have no wiggle room,” she wrote.

If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist. You have no wiggle room.

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 19, 2020

Hill later responded to one Twitter user who said he votes “with his wallet.” To that, Hill exclaimed, “Ok, your wallet is racist then.”

Ok, your wallet is racist then. https://t.co/x0q1vGgbC1

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 19, 2020

It appears that Hill was spurred to make her hateful accusation after watching Fox News host Chris Wallace’s interview with the president. In an earlier tweet, Hill praised Wallace and wrote, “Fox News truly doesn’t deserve Chris Wallace.”

Wallace conducted a combative interview with the president that aired over the weekend. For instance, in one segment, Wallace rejected Trump’s assertions that Biden has signed onto the radical, anti-American defund the police movement and that most of the riots and chaos are being seen in Democrat-controlled cities.

Wallace insisted that Biden has not signed onto the defunding of the police movement, and said that Biden has never directly

More

Here's What We've Come To Learn While Moderating Comments On SBYNews.com

During the day the majority of the comments are liberal, but in the evening and night they are the very conservative! That tells me that the Democrats are at home sitting on their butts while the republicans work and they don't have time to comment until they get home!

What Happened to Kamala Harris’s Face?’ – Democrat Senator Kamala Harris Debuts New, Bizarre Cheeky Look (VIDEO)

Democrat Senator Kamala Harris (CA) on Saturday night appeared on MSNBC to discuss late Congressman John Lewis.

But everyone was talking about her *new* face.

What happened to Kamala’s face?

Kamala’s cosmetic work fueled rumors that she may be Biden’s VP pick.

More

AP says it will keep 'White' Lowercase , but will Capitalize 'Black'

'White people generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color'

The Associated Press on Monday announced that it will continue to keep the term "white" lowercase "in racial, ethnic and cultural senses."

The move follows the outlet's decision last month to capitalize "Black."


John Daniszewski, the AP's vice president for Standards, noted in a blog post that the news outlet "consulted with a wide group of people internally and externally around the globe and considered a variety of commentary in making these decisions."

"There was clear desire and reason to capitalize Black," Daniszewski continued. "Most notably, people who are Black have strong historical and cultural commonalities, even if they are from different parts of the world, and even if they now live in different parts of the world. That includes the shared experience of discrimination due solely to the color of one's skin."

He added, however, that at the moment there's "less support for capitalizing white."

More

U.S. May Be Headed for a ‘Full-Blown’ COVID-19 Outbreak: How to Prepare

Experts have voiced concerns that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases could indicate the United States is heading toward a “full-blown” outbreak.
In some states, the number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospital has exponentially increased.
A number of hospitals in some counties are at, or near, ICU capacity, meaning they can’t admit additional patients.
Experts say maintaining good hygiene, physical distancing, and wearing face masks are the best way to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

More than 130,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, and more than 3 million people have had an infection, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, which tracks the virus worldwide.

Hot spots in the South and West have helped the United States maintain its global COVID-19 lead, with confirmed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continuing to rise even as other countries see their numbers dropping.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Monday that the coronavirus situation in the United States is “really not good,” and more work is needed to slow the spread of the virus.

Florida and Texas both broke single-day records over the weekend, according to NPR. Florida reported 11,443 new cases and Texas 8,258 new cases on Saturday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned on Monday of “greater fatalities” due to COVID-19 in coming weeks.

Other hot spots have seen weeks-long spikes, with California reporting 5,410 new cases and Arizona 3,536 new cases on Sunday, says NPR.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pushed back on President Donald Trump’s assertion over the weekend that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless.” Trump didn’t provide any evidence to back up this claim.

“The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased,” Turner told CBS. “The number of people in our ICU beds has exponentially increased. In fact, if we don’t get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble.”

Many experts are similarly worried about what the coming weeks will bring in America’s runaway COVID-19 pandemic. Some have voiced concerns that the United States could be heading toward a “full-blown” outbreak.

Although the South and West are seeing the sharpest surges, infections are rising in most states, according to data compiled by the volunteer COVID Tracking Project.

“We are in free fall,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNN.

And we have yet to see the impact of the holiday weekend, when many Americans crowded together without masks to celebrate.

It can take up to 14 daysTrusted Source for people exposed to the new coronavirus to show symptoms. Similarly, there’s a lag between newly confirmed infections and hospitalizations, and between hospitalizations and deaths.

Many hospitals at or near ICU capacity

As we saw in New York City and Italy, there are limits to what the healthcare system can handle. Some hospitals in the United States are quickly reaching that line.

Hospitals in at least two counties in South Texas were at full capacity before the weekend. Judges in those counties urged residents to shelter in place, although this wasn’t a mandatory order.

The Texas government stopped releasing information about hospital capacity, but the Texas Tribune reports that many areas of the state — including Austin, Dallas, and Houston — are near their limit.

Likewise, Florida has seen spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations, as well as patients in intensive care units (ICUs) or on ventilators. As of Monday, 44 Florida hospitals had reached their ICU capacity.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that the state is “not going back” on reopening, saying younger people were driving the rise in cases and that they are less at risk from COVID-19.

But as Sweden discovered with outbreaks in its long-term care homes, it’s difficult to keep the virus from spreading from lower risk to higher risk groups. Especially since people without symptoms can easily infect others.

More

A Viewer Asks...

Will all the school zone speed cameras be turned off if school is virtual this fall?

DON'T FALL FOR FAKE NEWS HOAXES. THIS WAS SELF DEFENSE


Donald Trump: ‘Game over for Me’ if Players Kneel During National Anthem

President Donald Trump on Tuesday responded to renewed player protests at sporting events during the national anthem.

“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2020

Trump commented after several team members of the San Francisco Giants took a knee on Monday night during the national anthem prior to a game hosted by the Oakland Athletics.

The team’s Twitter account played video of the protest with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.

More

Caitlyn Jenner Wants To Be Kanye West's Vice President

Just when you thought you'd heard it all about Kanye West's presidential campaign, Caitlyn Jenner has revealed she wants to be vice president.

Earlier this month, Kanye West followed through on his earlier promise of running for president in 2020, by registering a political party. He followed up with a tweet which read, "We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States #2020VISION."

Previously, in a speech at the 2015 Video Music Awards, he'd said: "It’s about ideas, people who believe in truth. And yes, as you probably could have guessed, I have decided in 2020 to run for president."

More

Joe Biden's disastrous plans for America's suburbs

If you live in the suburbs or you’re a city dweller eyeing a move to a quiet cul-de-sac where your kids can play outside, you need to know about Joe Biden’s plan for a federal takeover of local zoning laws.

The ex-veep wants to ramp up an Obama-era social engineering scheme called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing that mercifully barely got underway before President Trump took office, vowing to stop it.

Biden’s plan is to force suburban towns with single-family homes and minimum lot sizes to build high-density affordable housing smack in the middle of their leafy neighborhoods — local preferences and local control be damned.

Starting in 2015, President Barack Obama’s Department of Housing and Urban Development floated a cookie-cutter requirement for “balanced housing” in every suburb. “Balanced” meant affordable even for people who need federal vouchers. Towns were obligated to “do more than simply not discriminate,” as a 2013 HUD proposal explained. Rather, towns had to make it possible forlow-income minorities to choose suburban living and provide “adequate support to make their choices possible.”

Had the rule been implemented nationwide, towns everywhere would have had to scrap zoning, build bigger water and sewer lines to support high-density living, expand schools and social services and add mass transit. All pushing up local taxes. Towns that refused would lose their federal aid.

The rule was one of the worst abuses of the Obama-Biden administration — a raw power grab masquerading as racial justice.

More