DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, February 06, 2015
Make Your Valentine's Weekend Reservations at Station 7!
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Harry Reids brother arrested for DUI and assaulting officer
The 73-year-old brother of Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been arrested after allegedly driving drunk and fighting with police officers.
Larry Reid was arrested after being found in a parked Lexus SUV in the dirt median of a state highway in southern Nevada, the state his brother represents.
He faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, battery on an officer and possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. He was also cited for not wearing a seat belt.
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Larry Reid was arrested after being found in a parked Lexus SUV in the dirt median of a state highway in southern Nevada, the state his brother represents.
He faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, battery on an officer and possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. He was also cited for not wearing a seat belt.
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Thursday, February 05, 2015
Troopers Investigate a Vehicle Versus Train Crash, Georgetown
The incident occurred around 8:10 p.m. Thursday February 5, 2015 as 45 year old Lewes man was operating a 2003 Hyundai Sonata westbound on Park Avenue (US9-Truck Route) approaching the railroad tracks east of South Bedford Street. A northbound Norfolk-Southern train with two engines and 79 cars attached was already crossing the roadway with the flashing red signals activated, when the Sonata failed to stop in time. The vehicle struck the wheels of one of the train cars causing the vehicle to spin clockwise and travel off the north side of the roadway where it struck and sheered a telephone pole before coming to a stop. The locomotive and its cars were able to come to a stop without derailment just north of Park Avenue.
The 45 year old male was properly restrained and uninjured in the collision.
None of the personnel on the train were injured in the collision.
Troopers are continuing their investigation into this incident and charges are pending on behalf of the vehicle operator. Park Avenue between South Bedford Road and Cedar is currently closed while electrical crews reset a pole and the train is inspected.
Environment Committee Members Co-Sponsor Manure Solution Bill
(ANNAPOLIS, MD) — Alison Prost, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), issued this statement today following introduction of SB 257 by lead sponsor Senator Paul Pinsky which codifies in legislation a common-sense and science-based solution to a crisis on the Eastern Shore caused by too much chicken manure. On his first day in office, Gov. Hogan pulled pending regulations that would have accomplished the same goal as SB 257. That action prompted over 3,300 CBF members and friends and counting to send more than 15,000 messages telling Gov. Hogan and Maryland leaders, "Don't Backtrack on the Bay."
Seven members representing a majority of the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee were among the 14 co-sponsors of SB 257. Delegate Stephen Lafferty on the House Environmental and Transportation Committee is the lead sponsor in the House of Delegates and will be introducing the cross-file of SB 257 in the coming days. Many other senators and delegates of the Maryland General Assembly already have voiced support for the bill.
"Maryland legislators of both political parties have a history of joining together to support practical solutions to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams in Maryland. We're cautiously optimistic this initial wave of support to reduce agricultural pollution will continue to grow.
"Maryland farmers have done a lot to clean up the Bay and our local waters but science tells us agriculture needs to do more if we are to reach our clean up goals. No one is asking farmers to do more than their fair share.
"The Maryland Department of Agriculture estimates 228,000 tons of excess poultry manure is applied each year on Eastern Shore fields. The excess poop ends up in our water. In fact, we are not seeing improvement in many Eastern Shore rivers. In at least one, phosphorus pollution levels are going up. Scientists offered a tool to help farmers apply the correct amount for their crops so that excess manure would not end up in our waters. Gov. Hogan pulled that tool before it could reach farmers. The legislature can now ensure farmers have access to the resources they need to correct this pollution problem so that all Marylanders enjoy cleaner water.
"The cost of this solution can be shared. The state has offered to increase subsidies to farmers to help with any financial impacts from implementing the tool. CBF believes the large poultry companies also should play a role. There are also new technologies waiting in the wings to take what is currently a source of pollution (manure) and turn it into a valuable commodity, bringing new investments to our farm economy. Farmers also can help themselves by using conservation measures such as cold weather cover crops that help curb excess phosphorus in manure."
"This legislation will be a long term win-win for both farmers' bottom lines, and the health of polluted Eastern Shore rivers such as the Choptank, and the Bay. Less poop on our farm fields means less pollution in the water resulting in safer swimming areas, more fish, crabs and oysters. "
The lead sponsors of the Senate and House bills issued these statements:
"Neither the Chesapeake Bay's water quality nor its rich bounty will improve with kind words. It will take action. The largest contributor to the deadly quantity of phosphorous entering the bay is agricultural runoff, largely resulting from spreading unnecessary levels of chicken manure. We need to measure this over-saturation and reduce it. Anyone opposing these efforts makes them part of the problem rather than part of the solution." —Senator Paul Pinsky
"Maryland has been a leader on environment issues, but we are behind on this issue, and falling further behind each day we delay. Phosphorous from the application of litter as a fertilizer is increasing in our farm soil. That is detrimental to all who enjoy the waters of the state." —Delegate Stephen Lafferty
Seven members representing a majority of the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee were among the 14 co-sponsors of SB 257. Delegate Stephen Lafferty on the House Environmental and Transportation Committee is the lead sponsor in the House of Delegates and will be introducing the cross-file of SB 257 in the coming days. Many other senators and delegates of the Maryland General Assembly already have voiced support for the bill.
"Maryland legislators of both political parties have a history of joining together to support practical solutions to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams in Maryland. We're cautiously optimistic this initial wave of support to reduce agricultural pollution will continue to grow.
"Maryland farmers have done a lot to clean up the Bay and our local waters but science tells us agriculture needs to do more if we are to reach our clean up goals. No one is asking farmers to do more than their fair share.
"The Maryland Department of Agriculture estimates 228,000 tons of excess poultry manure is applied each year on Eastern Shore fields. The excess poop ends up in our water. In fact, we are not seeing improvement in many Eastern Shore rivers. In at least one, phosphorus pollution levels are going up. Scientists offered a tool to help farmers apply the correct amount for their crops so that excess manure would not end up in our waters. Gov. Hogan pulled that tool before it could reach farmers. The legislature can now ensure farmers have access to the resources they need to correct this pollution problem so that all Marylanders enjoy cleaner water.
"The cost of this solution can be shared. The state has offered to increase subsidies to farmers to help with any financial impacts from implementing the tool. CBF believes the large poultry companies also should play a role. There are also new technologies waiting in the wings to take what is currently a source of pollution (manure) and turn it into a valuable commodity, bringing new investments to our farm economy. Farmers also can help themselves by using conservation measures such as cold weather cover crops that help curb excess phosphorus in manure."
"This legislation will be a long term win-win for both farmers' bottom lines, and the health of polluted Eastern Shore rivers such as the Choptank, and the Bay. Less poop on our farm fields means less pollution in the water resulting in safer swimming areas, more fish, crabs and oysters. "
The lead sponsors of the Senate and House bills issued these statements:
"Neither the Chesapeake Bay's water quality nor its rich bounty will improve with kind words. It will take action. The largest contributor to the deadly quantity of phosphorous entering the bay is agricultural runoff, largely resulting from spreading unnecessary levels of chicken manure. We need to measure this over-saturation and reduce it. Anyone opposing these efforts makes them part of the problem rather than part of the solution." —Senator Paul Pinsky
"Maryland has been a leader on environment issues, but we are behind on this issue, and falling further behind each day we delay. Phosphorous from the application of litter as a fertilizer is increasing in our farm soil. That is detrimental to all who enjoy the waters of the state." —Delegate Stephen Lafferty
Laid Off IT Workers Must Train Foreign Replacements
Information technology workers at Southern California Edison (SCE) are being laid off and replaced by workers from India. Some employees are training their H-1B visa holding replacements, and many have already lost their jobs.
The employees are upset and say they can't understand how H-1B guest workers can be used to replace them.
The IT organization's "transition effort" is expected to result in about 400 layoffs, with "another 100 or so employees leaving voluntarily," SCE said in a statement. The "transition," which began in August, will be completed by the end of March, the company said.
"They are bringing in people with a couple of years' experience to replace us and then we have to train them," said one longtime IT worker. "It's demoralizing and in a way I kind of felt betrayed by the company."
SCE, Southern California's largest utility, has confirmed the layoffs and the hiring of Infosys, based in Bangalore, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai. They are two of the largest users of H-1B visas.
More here
The employees are upset and say they can't understand how H-1B guest workers can be used to replace them.
The IT organization's "transition effort" is expected to result in about 400 layoffs, with "another 100 or so employees leaving voluntarily," SCE said in a statement. The "transition," which began in August, will be completed by the end of March, the company said.
"They are bringing in people with a couple of years' experience to replace us and then we have to train them," said one longtime IT worker. "It's demoralizing and in a way I kind of felt betrayed by the company."
SCE, Southern California's largest utility, has confirmed the layoffs and the hiring of Infosys, based in Bangalore, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai. They are two of the largest users of H-1B visas.
More here
If You’ve Downloaded One of These Apps, Your Android Device Could Be at Risk for the Next Big Security Threat
The Prague-based antivirus provider Avast says it received a tip earlier this week that certain apps available on GooglePlay might be infected with malware. Filip Chytry, an analyst with Avast, wrote in a post on the company’s blog Tuesday that upon first glance it didn’t seem like anything extraordinary – but then he took a deeper look.
“First of all, the apps are on Google Play, meaning that they have a huge target audience – in English-speaking and other language regions as well. Second, the apps were already downloaded by millions of users and third, I was surprised that the adware lead to some legitimate companies,” Chytry wrote.
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LAW ENFORCEMENT GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENT
87th Delaware State Police and 79th Municipal Recruit Class
When:
Friday, February 6, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.
Location:
Delaware State University Education Humanities Building (Auditorium)
1200 North DuPont Highway Dover, Delaware
Dignitaries Addressing the Graduates:
Attorney General Matthew P. Denn
Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro
Colonel Nathaniel McQueen Jr.
Key Agenda Events:
Class Speeches:
Trooper Derek Balaguer, Delaware State Police
Patrolman Anthony Y. Smith, Dover Police Department
Keynote Speaker:
The Honorable Matthew P. Denn, Attorney General, State of Delaware
Resume:
Dover, DE - Delaware State Police Superintendent Colonel Nathaniel McQueen Jr. announces the graduation ceremonies for the 87th Delaware State Police and 79thMunicipal Recruit Class.
The ceremonies will celebrate and recognize the successful completion of Law Enforcement training of 32 Delaware State Troopers and 21 Law Enforcement Officers representing the Bethany Police Department, Blades Police Department, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (Divisions of Environmental Control Unit, Fish & Wildlife, and Parks & Recreation), Dover Police Department, Delaware River and Bay Authority, Milton Police Department, Newark Police Department, and the University of Delaware Police Department.
The ceremonies will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Delaware State University Education Humanities Building Dover, Delaware.
After a Deal to Sell Some Stores, RadioShack Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
But its clock has finally run out.
RadioShack, a long-ailing 94-year-old electronics chain, filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday after striking a deal to sell up to 2,400 of its stores to the wireless service provider Sprint and a hedge fund that is its biggest shareholder.
The Chapter 11 filing, made in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, took few unaware. RadioShack had not turned a profit since 2011, and its fate had been a regular topic of speculation in the retail and corporate restructuring circles.
“The surprise is that they survived this long,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. “I didn’t think they’d last through Christmas 2013.”
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Assateague Island Celebrates the Big 5-0!
Assateague Island was identified in a 1934 survey by the National Park Service and Department of the Interior as one of 12 areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts suitable for a national seashore recreation area. Consequently, numerous bills supporting establishment of the national seashore were introduced annually to Congress but with no action taken. In 1943, the Fish and Wildlife Service, another federal bureau interested in Assateague, and the Department of the Interior established the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Virginia end of the island. In the intervening years, most of the Maryland portion of Assateague was purchased for private development. Residential construction, road and infrastructure development were well underway, including a failed attempt to build a bridge to the island. Interestingly, on multiple occasions the state of Maryland proposed creation of a state park on Assateague without result. Then, in 1956, the developer adeptly donated 540 acres to Maryland in exchange for creation of a new state park and construction of a bridge. March 6, 1962, a powerful storm hit Assateague, overwashed the island and destroyed most of the development’s roads and structures. This infamous “Ash Wednesday” storm provided an unexpected opportunity for the Department of the Interior to acquire the remaining portion of Assateague Island as a national seashore.
Assateague Island National Seashore was officially established September 21, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Most of the Maryland district is managed by the National Park Service as Assateague Island National Seashore. The State of Maryland manages two miles of the Maryland district as Assateague State Park. The Virginia district is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The National Park Service operates the Toms Cove Visitor Center and a recreational beach within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
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Gallup CEO Exposes Obama 'Big Lie'
“There’s no other way to say this,” Clifton writes on the Gallup website. “The official unemployment rate, which cruelly overlooks the suffering of the long-term and often permanently unemployed as well as the depressingly underemployed, amounts to a Big Lie.”
Decrying all the “celebrating from the media, the White House and Wall Street about how unemployment is ‘down’ to 5.6 percent,” as well as the “deafening” media cheerleading of the Obama administration, the chairman of one of the biggest and most respected names in polling says the government, media and wall street – all of them – are lying to the American public.
Former Raven Terrence Cody indicted on 15 charges
According to the six-page indictment released Wednesday, Cody, 26, was indicted on two felony counts of animal cruelty and five misdemeanor counts of animal abuse and neglect of his dog Taz, from Dec. 19, 2014, to Jan. 19.
The indictment alleges that Cody intentionally tortured and inflicted unnecessary suffering on the dog and then cruelly killed Taz. It also alleges that Cody failed to provide Taz with sufficient food and drink, access to necessary veterinary care, and proper space and shelter.
Counts eight through 13 of the indictment allege that between Dec. 19, 2014 and Jan. 19, Cody illegally imported a live alligator into Maryland. He failed to provide the alligator with sufficient food and drink, access to necessary veterinary care, and proper space and shelter, according to court documents.
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Republicans Weigh How Far To Push On DHS Funding
For weeks, House and Senate Republicans have rallied behind a Homeland Security spending bill that defunds President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
But Senate Democrats blocked the measure on Tuesday, triggering what will likely be a tough debate within the Republican conferences about how far to challenge the president using the congressional power of the purse.
“I’d like to go toe-to-toe with Obama,” Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. “It’s a worthwhile fight, because what the president has done is blatantly unconstitutional.”
For Boozman and other conservatives in Congress, defunding Obama’s executive actions on immigration is a “must have” in any new legislation to fund DHS.
The debate over what to do next threatens to fracture the newly-minted GOP majority in Congress.
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But Senate Democrats blocked the measure on Tuesday, triggering what will likely be a tough debate within the Republican conferences about how far to challenge the president using the congressional power of the purse.
“I’d like to go toe-to-toe with Obama,” Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. “It’s a worthwhile fight, because what the president has done is blatantly unconstitutional.”
For Boozman and other conservatives in Congress, defunding Obama’s executive actions on immigration is a “must have” in any new legislation to fund DHS.
The debate over what to do next threatens to fracture the newly-minted GOP majority in Congress.
More
Bobbi Kristina is taken off life-support five days after she was found face down in a bath tub
Bobbi Kristina Brown's life-support has been turned off, DailyMail.com has learned.
The 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston was found face down in a bath-tub at the Roswell, Georgia townhouse she shared with partner Nick Gordon on Saturday.
Her father Bobby Brown, whose birthday is today, is at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta hospital with friends and relatives.
'The plug on Bobbi Kristina has been pulled,' a police source with knowledge of her medical condition told DailyMail.com.
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The 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston was found face down in a bath-tub at the Roswell, Georgia townhouse she shared with partner Nick Gordon on Saturday.
Her father Bobby Brown, whose birthday is today, is at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta hospital with friends and relatives.
'The plug on Bobbi Kristina has been pulled,' a police source with knowledge of her medical condition told DailyMail.com.
More
Maryland Health Advocates Push Increase In Tobacco Tax
The Healthy Maryland Initiative is set for a hearing Wednesday before a Senate committee. The proposed legislation would increase the state’s tobacco tax by one dollar per pack.
Advocates for the bill say the additional revenue could help fill gaps in health care coverage for pregnant women and contribute dollars toward overall public health care needs.
The bill is being proposed by Sen. Rich Madaleno, a Montgomery County Democrat.
Source
11-Year-Old Packs Big Surprise for Home Invaders
Rule number one for any child: Never talk to strangers.
But an 11-year-old Lapeer County, Michigan, girl went above and beyond the call of duty, and her heroic actions may have saved her from harm during a home invasion last week by two hardened criminals.
The girl had arrived home from school, but her parents were not yet back from work. She noticed a strange van pull into the driveway of her family’s home in North Branch Township about 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 30 and sprang into action. She did not start by answering the door.
One of the two strangers in the van got out and knocked on all the doors. The girl ran and hid in her bedroom and could hear the man pounding on the doors outside. When there was no response, he forced his way inside the home.
The girl called her parents, who instructed her to get her shotgun out of the safe and hide in the closet in her locked bedroom.
More here
But an 11-year-old Lapeer County, Michigan, girl went above and beyond the call of duty, and her heroic actions may have saved her from harm during a home invasion last week by two hardened criminals.
The girl had arrived home from school, but her parents were not yet back from work. She noticed a strange van pull into the driveway of her family’s home in North Branch Township about 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 30 and sprang into action. She did not start by answering the door.
One of the two strangers in the van got out and knocked on all the doors. The girl ran and hid in her bedroom and could hear the man pounding on the doors outside. When there was no response, he forced his way inside the home.
The girl called her parents, who instructed her to get her shotgun out of the safe and hide in the closet in her locked bedroom.
More here
Officials: Coast Guardsman shot 2 colleagues, ambushed cops
Authorities allege 31-year-old Adrian Loya, of Chesapeake, shot two female coast guard personnel in Bourne, Ma. It happened around 2 a.m. Thursday at a Cape Cod condo where the two women lived. After the shooting, Loya allegedly lit a car on fire to block Bourne police from entering the complex and then ambushed the officers with gunfire.
Massachusetts police said they couldn’t get to an officer who was hit and bleeding for about 15 minutes. Loya was eventually cornered and cuffed.
The series of events left one of the women dead and the other woman and the police officer wounded. Their names haven’t been released.
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How much did Democrats dislike Hogan's speech? A lot
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Democrats took issue with Hogan's tone, his characterization of Maryland and its economy, and that in his first formal address, he gave what sounded like a campaign speech instead of acting like cheerleader-in-chief.
Republicans, meanwhile, were effusive in their praise of a governor they said delivered straight talk, even if it was hard to hear.
Below is a sampling of the best zingers and one-liners offered by Maryland lawmakers in reaction to Hogan's State of the State. Since Democrats outnumber Republicans by big margins in both chambers of the legislature, there's a few more Democrats on this list than Republicans.
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