Salisbury News

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

West Virginia Governor’s Race Tightens 2 Weeks Before Special Election

While the nation begins to focus its collective microscope on the 2012 presidential race, West Virginians — and political junkies — have set their sights on the state’s gubernatorial special election, for which early voting begins today.

In a state that voted Republican in the past three presidential elections, the Democratic candidate, acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, still has a slight edge in the polls over his Republican rival, businessman Bill Maloney, although Ray’s lead has been cut in half in the past month.

Fresno's Illegal Needle Exchange Program Booms Despite Law

For 15 years, Dr. Marc Lasher has been hitting the streets of Fresno, Calif., on Saturday mornings in a school bus-turned-medical clinic, collecting used syringes and handing out sterile ones to addicts who need them.

And that's only a piece of it. Lasher and his volunteer staff also provide basic medical care to addicts who visit the bus, and give out referral information for detox and treatment centers in the area.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Who In Downtown Salisbury Needs A Rest Room When Y...":

does anyone remember when flannerys left downtown. if i remember correctly it was about the people waiting at the bus stop taking leaks and dumps on his property while they waited. the city did nothing to stop this and he packed up and left. way to support downtown business guys! who wants to walk around downtown if you have to avoid puddles of pee and feces landmines? we can go to the zoo and do that anytime.

Mississippi Teen Charged With Capital Murder In Alleged Hate Killing

(CNN) -- A 19-year-old Mississippi man was charged with capital murder Tuesday in the death of an African-American man who died after allegedly being beaten by a group of white teens and run over by a truck, authorities said.Deryl Paul Dedmon, 19, of Brandon, Mississippi was also charged by a grand jury with hate-crime enhancement in the murder of James Craig Anderson, said Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith.

The indictment alleges that Dedmon killed Anderson while in the commission of committing felony robbery, Smith said in a statement.

Its another big day for news Folks. We will have Posts every 15 minutes and many in-between until midnight tonight. Enjoy.

Today's Survey Question

Do you support President Obama's proposed "Buffett Rule" for millionaires' tax rates?

Maryland Court Upholds Standard For Death Penalty

Highest court in Md. upholds jurors' standard for imposing death penalty

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Maryland's highest court has ruled that the standard jurors use in deciding whether to impose the death penalty is constitutional.

The Daily Record of Baltimore reports that the Court of Appeals, by a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, disagreed with Jody Lee Miles' claim that the process for weighing the circumstances of the crime is unconstitutional in Maryland, because it doesn't use the court's highest threshold of certainty.

Iran Blasts Killing of Its Nuclear Scientists

(VIENNA) — Blaming Israel for assassinating its nuclear scientists, Iran said Tuesday it would not retaliate for the "ugly phenomenon" but would seek more international support against such killings.

Israel in turn accused Tehran of secretly working on nuclear arms, warning that it may be the first nation to develop such weapons while being a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

D.C. Council Raises Tax For Wealthiest Residents

WASHINGTON (AP) — After nearly three hours of angry debate, the D.C. Council voted Tuesday to raise income taxes for the district’s wealthiest residents, a last-minute move intended to soften the blow of a previously approved new tax on municipal bonds.

The Council voted 7-6 to hike the tax rate for residents making $350,000 or more to 8.95 percent, one of the highest in the country.

Presently, all district residents making $40,000 or more are taxed at an 8.5 percent rate.

Police Warn of Danger as New York Mom Goes on the Run With Her Eight Children

New York – A New York mother is on the run with her eight children after taking them from a child protective agency Tuesday.

Police fear the children may be in danger, myFOXny.com reported, after Shanel Nadal absconded with them during a supervised visit Monday afternoon at Forestdale Inc., an Administration for Children's Services facility in Forest Hills, Queens.

Debt Collectors: Business Is Great But Harder Than Ever

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - These are the best of times, and the worst of times, for America's debt collectors.

The prolonged economic turmoil has created more opportunity than ever for the profession, even while making it harder than ever to get folks to pay up.

A gathering of debt collectors in Atlantic City this week found many willing to work out payment plans with debtors in which payments of as little as $5 or $10 a month are acceptable.

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BREAKING NEWS: Freed American Hikers Heading To Tehran Airport

Two American hikers jailed for the past two years in Iran on spy charges have been released from prison and are heading to Tehran international airport.
From Fox News

Troy Davis, Facing Execution, Seeks Polygraph

(CBS/AP)

ATLANTA - A condemned Georgia inmate who has drawn supporters from an ex-president to the pope is set to be executed Wednesday after he lost what had been his most realistic chance at avoiding lethal injection.

Troy Davis was left with little to do Tuesday but wait to be executed for a murder he insists he did not commit after Georgia's pardons board rejected his appeal for clemency. As his scheduled 7 p.m. Wednesday execution neared, his backers resorted to far-fetched measures. They asked prisons officials to let him take a polygraph test; urged prison workers to strike or call in sick; asked prosecutors to block the execution and they even considered a desperate appeal for White House intervention.

BREAKING NEWS: Existing Home Sales Rise More Than Expected

Existing home sales rose 7.7% in August from July to a 5.03 million unit rate, topping the 1.4% gain economists had expected.
From Fox News

Virginia Foreclosures Top Numbers In Maryland

WASHINGTON - Foreclosures: They're still pulling down the housing market across the country and here in the D.C. area. But where are they the biggest problem?

More homes in Virginia are falling to foreclosure compared to Maryland. Nearly one out of every 780 housing units received a foreclosure notice in August, according to RealtyTrac. Fairfax County saw the greatest number in Northern Virginia -- 518 -- followed by Prince William, Loudoun and Stafford counties.

In Maryland, there were 958 new foreclosures in August, when one in every 2,444 housing units received a foreclosure notice. Prince George's County had the greatest number with 247, followed by Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Montgomery County had fewer than 100.

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Puppy Has Hiccups

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty To $4M Pay Phone Scheme

WASHINGTON - A businessman has pleaded guilty to rigging pay phones he owned to robotically call toll-free numbers, illegally racking up $4 million in 50-cent fees.

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BWI Posts Its Best Month Ever

Airport served 2.2 million passengers in July

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airportposted its best month ever in terms of passenger count in July, with 2.2 million fliers landing at or taking off from the airport, the Maryland Aviation Administration said Tuesday.

The total represented a 1.6 percent increase over July 2010, the top previous month for BWI passengers.

The new record did not come as a surprise. The airport has been enjoying steady growth in recent years, posting monthly passenger records in 14 of the past 15 months.

Transportation Board To Ask Drivers How They Should Be Taxed

WASHINGTON - An area transportation organization is trying to manage our region's congestion by finding new ways to charge drivers, and they're turning to those behind the wheel for help.

The region's Transportation Planning Board is studying a series of scenarios for additional tolls, taxes or fees, and will ask the public how they feel about the possibilities over the next six months.

Some of the options they are considering include:

Tracking drivers by GPS and charged a fee on a per-mile basis every time they take the car out of the driveway
Charging drivers a toll every time they want to put wear-and-tear on a major highway
Follow London's lead, and requiring drivers pay a fee to enter a congested area like downtown D.C.

Solyndra Executives to Plead Fifth at Congressional Hearing

Executives with the bankrupt solar energy firm at the heart of a widening federal controversy plan to plead the Fifth when they head to Capitol Hill for a hearing Friday.

A statement Tuesday from California-based Solyndra said CEO Brian Harrison and Chief Financial Officer Bill Stover have informed members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that they will not be able to provide "substantive answers" to lawmakers' questions due to the ongoing Justice Department probe.

Attention