Salisbury News

Monday, January 28, 2013

Baltimore Hosts Inner Harbor Ravens Sendoff

BALTIMORE —Baltimore sent the Ravens off to the Super Bowl in style with a rally Monday at the Inner Harbor that got both the fans and the team pumped.

The rally kicked off 11:30 a.m. at the Inner Harbor amphitheater. 11 News Sports Director and Voice of the Ravens Gerry Sandusky served as the master of ceremonies.

The cheerleaders got the crowd revved up early. Members of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl championship team then made appearances, including kicker Matt Stover, defensive end Michael McCrary and cornerback Duane Sparks.
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Illinois To Allow Immigrants To Get Licenses

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — Illinois is the fourth state to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license with a new law signed by the governor.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed the legislation Sunday surrounded by hundreds of supporters who say the measure will make Illinois’ roads safer and expand opportunities for undocumented immigrants.

Quinn says people need a way to get to work, drive to the doctor and drive their children to school. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the new law should serve as a model for the nation.

Boy Scouts Close To Ending Ban On Gay Members, Leaders

The Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation’s largest private youth organizations, is actively considering an end to its decades-long policy of banning gay scouts or scout leaders, according to scouting officials and outsiders familiar with internal discussions.

If adopted by the organization’s board of directors, it would represent a profound change on an issue that has been highly controversial -- one that even went to the US Supreme Court. The new policy, now under discussion, would eliminate the ban from the national organization’s rules, leaving local sponsoring organizations free to decide for themselves whether to admit gay scouts.

“The chartered organizations that oversee and deliver scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with their organization’s mission, principles or religious beliefs,” according to Deron Smith, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts’ national organization.
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Senate Votes To Approve $50.5 Billion Sandy Aid Package

The U.S. Senate on Monday approved a $50.5 billion disaster aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy, three months after the storm destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in coastal New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
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Police Charge Man Over Liberty Bell Threat

(CNN) -- An Arizona man accused of threatening to blow up Philadelphia's Liberty Bell was charged Sunday, police said.

Carlos Balsas, 41, of Tempe, Arizona, is charged with terroristic threats, bomb threats and several other offenses, police spokeswoman Christine O'Brien said. Prosecutors approved the charges and will take up the case Monday, she said.

It was unclear whether Balsas had retained an attorney.

Authorities say Balsas claimed to have explosives as he entered the historic site. Later, two black backpacks were found in front of the Liberty Wheels wheelchair and scooter rental shop in downtown Philadelphia.

A work group of members from the state’s House of Delegates has been created to brainstorm ways to improve the Baltimore area’s economy.

The group, announced Friday by House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel, will look at things such as education, transportation and increasing partnerships between state and local governments.

Del. Keiffer Mitchell Jr., D-Baltimore, will chair the work group, all of whose members were chosen because they have experience in developing regional growth, Busch said.
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Congress OKs $50.5B Sandy Aid Bill

Senate passes $50.5 billion Superstorm Sandy aid bill already approved by the House, sending measure to President Obama to sign.

Fasten Your Seatbelts: Google's Driverless Car Is Worth Trillions

Much of the reporting about Google’s driverless car has mistakenly focused on its science-fiction feel. While the car is certainly cool—just watch the video below about a 95%-blind man running errands—the gee-whiz focus suggests that it is just a high-tech dalliance by a couple of brash young multibillionaires, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

In fact, the driverless car has broad implications for society, for the economy and for individual businesses. Just in the U.S., the car puts up for grab some $2 trillion a year in revenue and even more market cap. It creates business opportunities that dwarf Google’s current search-based business and unleashes existential challenges to market leaders across numerous industries, including car makers, auto insurers, energy companies and others that share in car-related revenue.

Hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard thinks an NFL player will die on the field of play.

Pollard said though he hopes he is wrong, he believes "one day there's going to be a death that takes place on the field because of the direction we're going."

Pollard also said he believes the NFL will cease to exist in 30 years before acknowledging he hoped he was wrong.
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Paul Ryan Embraces Spending Cuts He Said Would Devastate The Country

During an interview on Meet The Press on Sunday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) predicted that the sequester cuts are “going to happen” and made no concrete proposals for how to avoid the reductions. The tone represents a sharp rhetorical and policy shift for the onetime GOP vice presidential nominee, who warned during the 2012 presidential campaign that the cuts would “devastate” the country and undermine job growth.

“I think the sequester is going to happen,” Ryan said, referring to the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts to the Pentagon and other government agencies that will go into effect unless Congress approves offsets. He charged that Democrats rejected the GOP’s replacement legislation — the bill cut the food-stamp program, slashed Medicaid, undermined funding for the Affordable Care Act and disaster relief — and failed to produce their own alternatives:

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Private Gun Buyers Ambush Police Buyback, Offer Cash Instead Of Gift Cards For Firearms

Seattle, Washington police held a gun buyback program over the weekend for the first time in two decades, but not all the guns brought to the buyback were handed over to the police.

According to the Seattle Times, individuals gathered underneath Interstate 5 in a parking lot to hand over their guns in return for gift cards.

But, while Seattle PD was exchanging $100 and $200 gift cards for unwanted guns, makeshift gun shows sprang up on the sidewalks as gun enthusiasts offered cash to those standing in line.
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Aurora Health Care Says It Will Lay Off Employees Because Of Obamacare

It looks like Obamacare is having some negative effects on the industry it was intended to help.

Dr. Nick Turkal, CEO of Wisconsin-based non-profit health care provider Aurora Health Care, announced earlier this month that his employer would be cutting jobs due to Obamacare, The Journal Times reports. In a letter to employees he wrote that the company would be receiving $13 million less in government reimbursements forcing it to make “position eliminations plus discontinuation of some positions in the coming weeks.”

The cuts will be small considering Aurora’s 30,000 current employees but things could get worse in the future. Already, staff has been instructed to cut costs by avoiding making color copies; physicians serving Medicare patients may receive a cut in payments.

At first, the Sterlings didn't believe the email that reached their Missouri home: Five Peruvian siblings were orphans and needed a mommy and daddy.

It might’ve been scam. But the five hopeful children whose pictures were in the email weren’t asking for money, just making a plaintive plea that worked its way into the hearts of Scott and Lauren Sterling. When the couple checked into it, they learned the children's parents indeed had both died of tuberculosis.

And although they were already busy with two kids -- Scott's 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage and their 15-month-old girl -- one night. Lauren couldn’t fight the nagging feelings anymore.
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DO PENALTIES FOR SMOKERS AND THE OBESE MAKE SENSE?

NEW YORK (AP) -- Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?

Annual health care costs are roughly $96 billion for smokers and $147 billion for the obese, the government says. These costs accompany sometimes heroic attempts to prolong lives, including surgery, chemotherapy and other measures.

But despite these rescue attempts, smokers tend to die 10 years earlier on average, and the obese die five to 12 years prematurely, according to various researchers' estimates.

Sen. Paul Pinsky, a leader of the left in the state Senate, freely concedes he’d like to see as many “liberals and progressives” elected to Congress as possible.

But the Prince George’s Democrat also acknowledges that Maryland congressional district lines he voted for in 2011 are among the least compact in the nation as well as unfair. He’d like to reform the process in Maryland without the “unilateral disarmament” that would undermine getting Democrats elected to Congress while Republican-controlled legislatures in other states continued to gerrymander for partisan gain.

On Friday, Pinsky introduced legislation that provides for what might be called “bilateral disarmament” on redistricting, one of several bills this session on reapportionment and redistricting.
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WI Sheriff Tells Residents To Get ‘In The Game’ And Arm Themselves

A Wisconsin sheriff has drawn criticism from other public officials for a radio commercial telling residents not to wait for authorities to help them and to arm themselves for protection.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. can be heard in the ad saying, “With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option. You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back.”

Clarke also encourages residents to sign up for firearms training courses, saying, “I need you in the game,” and, “We’re partners now. Can I count on you?”

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Important Hurricane Sandy Relief Information

Today, I received a reminder from FEMA that there are only two weeks left for residents of Somerset County who were affected by Hurricane Sandy to apply for federal and state disaster assistance.
Here are more details:
The deadline to apply with FEMA is Tuesday, February 12, 2013.
Here's how you can apply:
1. Call FEMA's toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585. Both numbers are available from 7 am to 10 pm, seven days a week until further notice, and multilingual operators are also available to answer your call.
2. Go online to www.disasterassistance.gov
3. Via web-enabled mobile device or smartphone, go to m.fema.gov
Other information:
Even if you have insurance, you may still be eligible for disaster assistance.
Assistance available to disaster victims includes grants for temporary disaster housing; repairing disaster-damaged, uninsured homes to a safe and sanitary living condition, and for serious, disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for individuals and businesses to repair or replace damaged property.
For information about SBA programs or to find a location nearby, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), or visit SBA's website atwww.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Individuals may also contact SBA by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Disney On Ice Extends Zip-A-Dee-Deal Tomorrow Only - Salisbury Tickets $1

Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy rolls back prices for the best deal in town!

Salisbury, MD – Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Day, My Oh My What a Wonderful Day! On Tuesday, January 29, Disney On Ice fans in Salisbury will be singing this song when they take advantage of a special opportunity to purchase tickets for only $1.* Audiences will thrill to high-speed stunts as Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney•Pixar's Cars race across the ice. Dive into The Little Mermaid's enchanting undersea kingdom and enter the mystical world of Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies as they reveal the magic that lies within! The toys are back in town with heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever from Feb. 14 - 17 at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center.

Tickets for this one-time-only Zip-A-Dee-Deal will go on sale Tuesday (tomorrow), January 29 at 10 a.m. and are available at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center box office only while supplies last (a total of 350 tickets will be available over 8 shows). Limit 4 per person. Offer does not apply to previously purchased tickets. Those that don’t get the $1 deal will get a $5 savings on tickets to any performance except Opening Night when purchased from the box office during the deal hours.

SHOW INFORMATION

Wicomico Youth and Civic Center | Salisbury, MD| February 14–17, 2013Thursday, February 14th @ 7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 15th @ 10:30am; 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 16th @ 11 a.m. 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 17th @ 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Venue/Ticket Information:

Tickets are $36/VIP, $20 & $15 on-sale now and can be purchased at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center box office, 410-548-4911 or log on to: www.wicomicociviccenter.org To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

OBAMA THREATENS FOX NEWS, LIMBAUGH

In a sycophantic interview with The New Republic, conducted by former campaign staffer Chris Hughes and leftist writer Franklin Foer, President Obama suggested that he had all the answers to the pressing issues facing America and therefore no compromise was necessary with Republicans. He added that Republicans should compromise. And if those Republicans don’t compromise, Obama suggested that the fault would lie at the feet of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh – and that the calculus had to be changed to force Fox News and Limbaugh to stop holding Republicans accountable to conservatism.

Here’s Obama on how he’s going to fix the country:

The truth is that most of the big issues that are going to make a difference in the life of this country for the next thirty or forty years are complicated and require tough decisions, but are not rocket science. We know that to fix our economy, we've got to make sure: that we have the most competitive workforce in the world, that we have a better education system, that we are investing in research and development, that we've got world-class infrastructure, that we're reducing our health care costs, and that we're expanding our exports. On issues like immigration, we have a pretty good sense of what's broken in the system and how to fix it. On climate change, it's a daunting task. But we know what releases carbon into the atmosphere, and we have tools right now that would start scaling that back, although we'd still need some big technological breakthrough. So the question is not, Do we have policies that might work? It is, Can we mobilize the political will to act?

This is now the law of the land:

ADVISORY

BY DECREE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

IT SHALL HENCEFORCE BE ORDERED THAT AMERICANS SHALL NOT UNLOCK THEIR OWN SMARTPHONES.

PENALTY: In some situations, first time offenders may be fined up to $500,000, imprisoned for five years, or both. For repeat offenders, the maximum penalty increases to a fine of $1,000,000, imprisonment for up to ten years, or both.*

That's right, starting this weekend it is illegal to unlock new phones to make them available on other carriers.

I have deep sympathy for any individual who happens to get jail time for this offense. I am sure that other offenders would not take kindly to smartphone un-lockers.

But seriously: It's embarrassing and unacceptable that we are at the mercy of prosecutorial and judicial discretion** to avoid the implementation of draconian laws that could implicate average Americans in a crime subject to up to a $500,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

Attention