Is Fracking Study a “Political Maneuver”?

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley’s executive order calling for a study on natural-gas drilling has upset some political opponents, who note that a similar proposal failed in this year’s General Assembly.

Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, issued an order last week calling for a study into the economic and environmental effects of drilling the Marcellus Shale — a 95,000-square-mile Appalachian natural-gas reserve located partially in Western Maryland.

States including Pennsylvania and West Virginia already allow drilling, but Maryland’s study places an effective three-year moratorium within the state. A Maryland bill that called for a two-year study passed the House this year, but never reached the Senate floor.

Sen. George C. Edwards, Garrett Republican, criticized the governor’s unilateral decision and argued it was done in part to satisfy environmental groups that have long given him support.

“It’s a little disheartening that he did this,” said Mr. Edwards, whose district sits on the shale. “I think it’s somewhat political. Who you get support from is who you side with on those issues.”

Drilling supporters have touted the jobs and domestic energy that could be created, while opponents have raised concerns over drilling’s potential effect on drinking water.

The practice has proved controversial, as some studies have found high methane levels in drinking water near drilling sites, as well as illness in drill workers.

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Panetta Asserts Broad Presidential Power to Commit Troops

CIA Director Leon Panetta, who President Barack Obama has nominated to be secretary of Defense, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that he believes the president can unilaterally use military force, without congressional authorization to “protect our national interests.”

Panetta’s claim of broad unilateral presidential power to initiate U.S. military action absent an attack or imminent threat to the United States came in response to a question from Sen. John McCain—who said he agreed with Panetta.

The U.S. is now involved militarily in Libya even though Congress has never authorized that involvement.

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OC Beauty Spot Nominees Sought

The Ocean City Beautification Committee is seeking nominations in eight categories in which someone can win a 2011 Beauty Spot Award, including residential, condominium, retail, hotel, motel, commercial, restaurant and Boardwalk. Only nominated properties will be judged.

Help is needed by the Beautification Committee in finding those special properties that are evidence of civic pride and community beauty. A property can be nominated by anyone– the resident or owner of a residence or business, a relative, neighbor, friend, customer or just a passerby. Once all nominations are in the Beautification Committee will travel around town to view all nominated properties.

Judging is based on plants, flowers, trees, shrubbery, grasses, design, layout, etc. that compliment the property. Even those properties with little or no ground in which to plant can imaginatively use containers, planters, window boxes, hanging baskets or something else to improve the “curb-side” appeal of their property. Also, those who make an effort to beautify unattractive areas such as dumpsters, electric boxes, etc., can be recognized. In the fall at a City Council meeting, the Mayor and City Council will present the winners with their awards.

To nominate a property, please call Donna Greenwood, chairperson, at 410-289-7060, mail nominations to OCBC, Department of Recreation and Parks, 200 – 125th Street, Ocean City, MD 21842 or email toocbeautificiation@hotmail.com before the July 4 deadline.  Please be sure to include the property owner’s name, correct street address and phone number, as well as your name with a phone number so that the location and information can be verified.

Visit the Beautification Committee’s website at www.oceancitymd.gov/bc to learn more about the Ocean City Beautification Committee’s activities, and events, helpful hints on gardening and tree care and to see past Beauty Spot winners and their gardens.

Weiner Will Continue to Collect Salary While on Leave

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will continue to collect his $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary without interruption while he is taking a leave of absence to seek “professional treatment,” according to the House Administration Committee, which has oversight over the congressional payroll.

In a 365-day year, a congressman’s $174,000 annual salary works out to $476.71 per day.

Weiner announced Saturday through a spokeswoman that he would be taking a leave of absence from his duties in the House of Representatives.

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Avoid Credit Card Problems When Traveling Overseas

Most credit cards in Europe have an embedded PIN chip in them, called an EMV card. Almost no American credit cards do. This causes big problems for Americans traveling in Europe but there are a few ways to minimize the hassle.

It's very common to swipe your American credit card over there and have the transaction be denied either because of the system itself or because the cashier doesn't know how to work it. NYT says the best thing to do is carry several credit cards and if one doesn't work, politely ask the merchant to try another one. You may have to try several times.

However, that doesn't help when dealing with things like a telephone, parking meter, or gas pump that can't recognize a magnetic-strip only card. You can't charm a kiosk.

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Santorum Endorses Ryan Medicare Plan in NH Debate

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R.-Pa.) drew a sharp distinction between himself and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) in the Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire Monday night when he firmly endorsed House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R.-Wis.) Medicare reform plan immediately after Gingrich reiterated his reservations about the plan.

After Gingrich said Republicans should “slow down” on Medicare reform and that there were “certain things” he would do differently than Ryan in reforming Medicare, debate moderator John King of CNN asked Santorum if Republicans should slow down.

Santorum said, “No.”

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Supreme Court Weighs Citizenship Rules

A Mexican-born man who contested a federal law on citizenship that treats men and women differently, has lost his appeal at the Supreme Court.

The justices split 4-4 on Monday to uphold the criminal conviction of Ruben Flores-Villar. When these rare ties occur, the lower court ruling is automatically upheld, but no national precedent is set.

At issue is whether his equal protection rights were violated by what he claimed was gender discrimination.

Flores-Villar was born in Mexico to an American father and Mexican mother. The couple never married and the child was brought to the San Diego, California area at age two and raised by his father and grandmother, both U.S. citizens.

As an adult he was convicted of smuggling marijuana and illegal entry, and after a prison term he was deported to Tijuana.

The man tried to avoid deportation by claiming he was a U.S. citizen. The case turned on a federal five-year residence requirement, after the age of 14, on U.S. male citizen fathers -- but not on U.S. citizen mothers -- before they may transmit citizenship to a child born out of wedlock abroad to a non-citizen.

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Big Changes Coming to Harford Board of Education

As the end of June approaches, many changes are coming to the Harford County Board of Education.

The board will not only be expanding from seven to nine members, effective July 1, but three of the sitting seven members will be leaving.

As a result, the board will be larger and have many more new faces, a fact that isn't being overlooked by an emerging body of critics of Superintendent Robert Tomback.

Once the new board is seated later this summer, only two of the members will be left from the board that hired Tomback in the summer of 2009.

Perhaps the biggest pending departure is President Mark Wolkow, the board's longest serving member, whose term is expiring.

Wolkow was eligible for reappointment under the convoluted phase-in of a nine-member part elected and part appointed board created by a law passed in 2009. In April, however, he announced he would not seek a new term, citing additional work obligations.

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Bill Gates, Donors Pledge $4.3 Billion for Vaccines

International donors led by Britain and Bill Gates pledged $4.3 billion on Monday to buy vaccines to protect children in poor countries against potential killers such as diarrheal diseases and pneumonia.

The funding should allow more than 250 million of the world's poorest children to be vaccinated by 2015, helping to prevent more than four million premature deaths, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said.

"Today is an important moment in our collective commitment to protecting children in developing countries from disease," said Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who attended the pledging conference in London. "But every 20 seconds, a child still dies of a vaccine-preventable disease. There's more work to be done."

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has defended increased spending on aid at a time of sharp domestic spending cuts, pledged $1.3 billion — almost a third of the total raised, which was more than the $3.7 billion GAVI had hoped for.

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Nine of the Most Annoying Bank Fees

The banks of America are breaking new ground every day in the science of nickel-and-diming consumers with fees that start from the second you open an account to the moment you angrily close your account... only to move it to another bank with a different set of fees. But since there are so many ways in which financial institutions can bleed your account dry, the folks at CNN Money have come up with their list of the most annoying fees.

READ MORE …

Salisbury Council Postpones Decision on “The Bricks”

The Salisbury City Council voted this evening to postpone consideration of “The Bricks” pending information from both the administration and City Attorney Paul Wilber.

The council also did not accept a grant from the state for “Disproportionate Minority Youth”.  The 2 – 2 (councilwoman Debbie Campbell was out of town on business) vote was primarily due to questions regarding the city’s long term financial obligation under this grant.

More to follow Tuesday Morning.

BREAKING NEWS: High Speed Chase in Hebron

A motorcycle, traveling at a high rate of speed down N. Main Street in Hebron was pursued by a Wicomico County Sheriff’s deputy.  The motorcycle appears to have lost control and wrecked.

Hebron fire and EMS personnel were dispatched.

More to follow ….

Unknown Police Activity At Backstreet Grill

OC Accident Last Night

BREAKING NEWS: Bachmann Files To Run For President

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says at GOP debate that she has filed paperwork to run for president.

Rally Against Toll Hike With Eastern Shore Senator And Delegates

In response to the Maryland Transportation Authority’s proposal to massively increase Maryland’s tolls Americans for Prosperity Maryland is hosting a press conference and rally to opposition to the proposals.

“With Maryland running billion dollar plus yearly deficits and borrowing more money, now is not the time to take more money out of a struggling economy” said Deputy State Director Nick Loffer. “It is bad policy to see unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats pass a major tax hike that will discourage commerce and raise the cost of goods and services for all Marylanders.”

The Eastern Shore, especially Queen Anne’s County, will suffer a negative impact from these toll increases as the Bay Bridge is a major link to the Eastern Shore.

“Raising the cost of travel is never a good idea. Local economies and the tourist industry need every penny in this struggling economy, not a new barrier to keep Maryland’s economy from growing.”

What: Press Conference and Rally Against the Toll Hikes

When: Wednesday, June 15

Where: Kent Island High School 900 Love Point Road, Stevensville, Md.

Time: 4:45pm

With: State Senator EJ Pipkin and State Delegates Michael Smigiel, Steve Hershey, Mike McDermott, and Addie Eckhardt.

Local commuters and business owners.

Note – All Eastern Shore State Representatives have been invited.

Contact Deputy State Director Nick Loffer at 443-994-9395 or at nick@afpmaryland.com

Pollitt on Tax Hike – “It’s Just No Fair”

No, that’s not Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt’s view about hiking the Wicomico property tax rate by 5 cents; it’s his view of having his property taxes in Ocean City go up.

On September 2, 2007 the Daily Times ran a very sympathetic article (I’m so surprised) regarding a tax hike on the Pollitt family beach house. While quoting numerous members of the Pollitt clan, Rick’s response was:

”It’s just no fair”. …

I realize that Pollitt would argue that this is apples and oranges. In one sense it is. Pollitt claims that his proposed hike would only hit the average Wicomico taxpayer for the cost of “a dinner out”. Maybe, but what about those taxpayers who can’t afford that dinner out?

The Wicomico council has worked diligently to spare taxpayers that rate hike. Tomorrow, we’ll know for sure whether they have been successful. I empathize with Pollitt’s desire not to “oversee the dismantling of the Wicomico County government”. We need government, but less of it. We need core services; but we need those services delivered efficiently and in a cost effective manner. It’s in limiting government and providing those services in a cost effective manner where Pollitt has failed.

My advice to Pollitt is simple:

Restructure the county government; as you promised. Do so, keeping in mind that we are operating under a new paradigm.

Quit worrying about “getting out and about”, at least for now. You speny three years trying to sell the repeal of the revenue cap. You spent a year running for re-election. You’ve now spent most of the first few months of a second tem trying to sell a rate hike. Seems like you’ve been “out and about” quite enough for a while. If you feel the need to meet with the public, show up at a council meeting. We know that you watch the meetings on TV; just walk down the hall and turn left.

Start acting less like a bureaucrat and more like a businessman. If your employees can’t show up to work on time – replace them. If you have positions that are redundant – eliminate them. If you can afford to furlough employees it seems that you may have more people on the county payroll than you really need. Yes, I know that government isn’t a business. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn a few things from the private sector.

The next time Pollitt proposes a tax increase, perhaps he will remember how he felt when it was done to him.

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BREAKING NEWS - Wicomico Council Kow-Tows to County Exec

The Wicomico County Council has decided to flip again and allow County Executive Rick Pollitt to keep level funding in the FY 2012 budget. The vote was:

Gail Bartkovich, Bob Caldwell, Stevie Prettyman, and Sheree Sample-Hughes to give Pollitt’s office level funding. Bob Culver and Joe Holloway voted to cut $100.000 from the County Executive’s salary account and place in contingency until council approves his “reorganization plan”. Matt Holloway was not present, but Bartkovich noted that he was in favor of level funding.

STICKY POST! NEW POSTS WILL SHOW UP BELOW THIS ONE UNTIL 3:30 PM.

Is It Even Worth Going Out To Eat Any More?

Over the weekend I asked my Wife, where would you like to eat tonight. She opened the phone book and started searching for a restaurant we hadn't been to yet and nothing seemed satisfying. To my amazement she said, how about Outback.

Some of our loyal readers will recall, the last time we went to Outback it was a complete disaster. I thought, well, it's been at least two years, why not. Talk about a huge mistake!

I wasn't that hungry so I decided to order a cheeseburger. I mean, how bad can you screw that up, right?

We were conveniently seated right next to the kitchen. You know, the seats where you walk out of a restaurant and your clothes not only stink, you can feel the grease in your clothes. I didn't complain about the seating because I thought I'd give them a fair chance. Yes, there was seating available elsewhere and I made sure NOT to wear clothing that had Salisbury News advertised all over it.

We were trying to hold a conversation but found it very difficult as a group of intoxicated people sat at the next booth talking Nascar. I can deal with that but the screaming infant that just wouldn't stop crying was starting to get on our nerves. Just as it got to the point of no return, our food finally arrived.

My Wife ordered the Alice's Spring Chicken, which is usually fail proof. Fortunately it was very good but I have to say, this is a meal that used to cost $7.49 in Outback and is now over $14.00 and the portion is about 1/2 of what they used to serve.

Then there was my burger. What used to come in an over sized bun and a 1/2 pound was clearly smaller, (bun wise) and about 1/3 of a pound of meat. I went to lift the top bun to see if they did in fact put mayo on it and the bun was as hard as a rock, seriously. I looked at the waitress and said, this bun is as hard as a rock. She replied, oh, you didn't want it toasted? My reply, did I ask for it toasted.

She then said, let me go get you another bun and left. While she was away I felt the bottom bun and it too was hard as a rock. When she returned with the top bun I told her the bottom one was hard as well and she said, let me get you another one. She returned with a small plate with the bun on it, expecting ME to use my hands to remove and replace the burger onto the new buns and scrape the lettuce and mayo from the other bun onto the new buns.

I'm sure many of you have had experiences whereas you weren't satisfied and they took the entire thing back to the kitchen and fixed it to your liking but this just wasn't the case at Outback. The burger had an unusual flavor to it and I had asked that they not put any seasoning on it. I can't exactly explain what it was but as I enjoy a good burger on the grill, this meat tasted nothing like the ground beef I'm used to.

We couldn't get the bill quick enough to b-line it out of there and quite frankly that will be the very last time I ever go back to Outback. Every one has bad experiences once in a while but Outback continues to fail to deliver, especially at the prices they're charging. My burger was around $10.00 and it sucked. We got home and immediately changed out of the greasy clothes we had on and agreed we'd never return.

This Years First Total Eclipse

The year's first total eclipse of the moon will last an unusually long time. But you probably won't get to see it. Wednesday's lunar eclipse will be visible for five and a half hours, but only to people in eastern Africa, central Asia, the Middle East and western Australia. The period when the Earth's shadow completely blocks the moon will last an hour and 40 minutes. NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland says the eclipse will last extra long because the moon is passing closer to the center of the Earth's shadow. It will be April 15th, 2014 before the continental U.S. will be able to see another total lunar eclipse.