Stock tank pools are going to be all the rage this summer

As the temperatures rise, installing a pool in your backyard probably sounds like a really good idea—until you learn that the average cost of a backyard pool is $20,000 to $30,000. Instead of dropping a ton of cash just to stay cool this summer, you may want to consider a stock tank pool.

These inexpensive farm staples, originally designed as water troughs for livestock and affectionately referred to as "hillbilly hot tubs," are popping up in more backyards across the country than ever before. "More and more, we see our customers turning to this innovative solution as a way to enjoy many of the benefits of a pool without the high cost," reads the Tractor Supply Company's website.

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Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Hosts Maryland Heroin and Opioid Educational Forum

State and Local Officials Visit Westminster High School, Address Students

WESTMINSTER, MD – Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford today hosted the first-ever Maryland Heroin and Opioid Educational Forum for students at Westminster High School in Carroll County. The forum was part of a full day of events in the county with the Hogan-Rutherford administration, following a Regional Cabinet Meeting hosted at Carroll Community College.

“Any third grader can tell you that smoking is dangerous, and we must work to make sure that our kids fully understand the dangers of the opioids that are ravaging our communities and taking the lives of Marylanders every single day,” said Lt. Governor Rutherford. “Education and public awareness go hand-in-hand with prevention, and are an essential component of our efforts to turn the tide in this heroin and opioid crisis.”

Lt. Governor Rutherford was joined by state and local officials leading efforts to combat the heroin and opioid crisis, including Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dennis Schrader; Executive Director of the Governor’s Opioid Operational Command Center, Clay Stamp; Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, Glenn Fueston; Carroll County Commissioner Steve Wantz; Carroll County State’s Attorney Brian DeLeonardo; Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees; Carroll County Health Officer Ed Singer; Presiding Judge of the Carroll County Drug Treatment Court, Judge Fred Hecker; and Clinical Director of the Carroll County Youth Service Bureau, Joyce Agatone.

During the forum, panelists discussed Maryland’s evolving heroin and opioid epidemic, for which the Hogan administration declared a State of Emergency this past January. The forum highlighted the work being done by the Hogan-Rutherford administration, including the newly established Opioid Operational Command Center, a joint effort of twelve state agencies to facilitate better and more rapid collaboration between state and local public health, human services, and public safety entities to reduce the harmful impact of opioid addiction on Maryland communities.

The forum also highlighted the administration’s 2017 Heroin Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement Initiative, a multi-pronged legislative package including bills to increase the penalty for drug dealers who knowingly sell deadly fentanyl, require health care providers to prescribe the lowest effective dose of an opioid, deliver life-saving naloxone to additional at-risk individuals, and increase school and community-based education.

Escaped convict deemed not competent to stand trial

A Wicomico County judge deemed an escaped convict who eluded authorities in Howard County for nearly a week not competent to stand trial.

David Watson, 28, appeared before a judge Friday. The Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office said Watson will be re-evaluated for competency again in six months to a year.

Watson escaped on April 28 while being transported to Clifton T. Perkins Hospital in Jessup and was found six days later.

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Most men just want a woman who's nice

At the end of the day, most men just want a woman who’s nice. “Nice,” to a man, means being soft, gentle and kind. It means asking your husband how his day was and really listening. It means doing something nice for him with no expectation of getting something in return—you know, the way you did when you were dating.

But wait a minute, you say. Don’t women want the same thing? A man who’s nice?

Not exactly. Most women do want a man who’s kind, but that’s not the same as nice. Ask any guy you know, and he’ll likely give you example after example of women they know who said they wanted a nice guy but in reality wanted a bad boy. That’s because just as most men are attracted to femininity, or softness, most women are attracted to masculinity. And masculinity is hard. Gruff. Take charge.

So, where are you on the nice scale? If you’re not an inherently nice person, believe me I get it. I think I’m pretty nice, but that isn’t the first word one would think of to describe me. The truth is, I’ve had to exercise my nice muscle.

I’ve had to learn how to be be nice.

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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/05/10/most-men-just-want-woman-whos-nice.html

Comptroller’s FED Agents Assist in Two-State Illegal Cigarettes Probe

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Agents from the Comptroller of Maryland’s Field Enforcement Division (FED) assisted Maryland State Police and the Henrico County (Va.) Police Department, as well as federal and state law enforcement agencies, in a nearly two-year investigation of illegal cigarette trafficking, ultimately involving a total of 600,000 cartons with a value of $30 million.

FED agents assisted Maryland State Police in the arrest of four men following traffic stops in Cecil, Harford and Prince George’s counties. Officers confiscated 23,840 packs of contraband cigarettes with a value of $153,767, representing a tax loss to Maryland of $47,680. More than 20 local, state and federal agencies were involved in the two-state probe, which resulted in 43 arrests and 743 indictments.

“I’m very proud of the work my Field Enforcement Division officers do each and every day to safeguard the State of Maryland and its citizens from those who try to cheat the system,” Comptroller Peter Franchot said. “Be it assisting other law enforcement agencies in a large investigation of this sort or catching fraudsters trying to take money out of Maryland taxpayers’ pockets, my team of investigators is vigilant in their quest to do what is right.”

Each arrest in Maryland and its documentation was forwarded to the Henrico County Police Department. The arrests in Maryland include:

Surging Fraud In Auto Loans Looking Eerily Reminiscent Of Mortgage Bubble

So what do you do when you've pulled forward every single car sale you possibly can courtesy of low interest rates, lengthening terms and generally loosening credit standards targeting incremental subprime buyers? Well, you take a play out of the 2008 mortgage crisis playbook and just start submitting fraudulent loan applications, of course.

And, at least according to a new study from Point predictive, that is exactly what is starting to happen. Per Bloomberg:

Borrower fraud in U.S. auto loans is surging, and may approach levels seen in mortgages during last decade’s housing bubble, according to a startup firm that helps lenders sniff out bogus borrowers.

As many as 1 percent of U.S. car loan applications include some type of material misrepresentation, executives at data analytics firm Point Predictive estimated based on reports from banks, finance companies and others. Lenders’ losses from deception may double this year to $6 billion from 2015, the firm forecast.

Those fraud rates are coming closer to the over-1-percent level for mortgages in 2009, when the financial crisis was boiling and more lenders started reporting incidents to one another, Frank McKenna, chief fraud strategist at the firm, said in an interview. While those losses will sting lenders, the impact on the overall economy will likely be much more muted than with the housing crisis, just because there’s less car debt outstanding.



Even so, “We see an extraordinary amount of parallels between the auto and mortgage industries, in terms of the rising levels of hidden fraud,” McKenna said. For home loans, it’s hard to know how widespread the deception was before 2009, because lenders often didn’t report information to one another and may not have even investigated incidents of probable lying much on their own, McKenna said.

Shocking, and we thought this exponential auto loan growth was all legit...

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UMD Students Fed Up With Diversity Issues Following Found Noose

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Many University of Maryland students remain on edge in College Park after a noose is found hanging inside a fraternity house.

Police are calling this a hate bias incident.

Students are getting impatient on a campus where racial tensions are being felt more than ever.

Students are fed up with diversity issues that have rocked the entire campus.

“We pay tuition here, we fund this university,” one student said.

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The Real Reason Hillary Lost: Black People Just Don't Like Her

Back in September 2016 we noted that unprecedented black voter turnout was a huge component of Obama's victories in both 2008 and 2012. After running in the low-to-mid 50% range for decades, black voter participation surged to over 60% for Obama in 2008 and 2012, the highest levels ever recorded.

As we noted then, the key question for Hillary in 2016 was whether she should expect the same level of unprecedented black voter turnout that Obama was able to garner in his two elections? Now, courtesy of new 2016 voter data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau, we now know definitively that the answer to that question is a resounding 'NO'.

After surging to 62% in 2012, an all-time record high, Black voter turnout once again dipped back to its historical range in 2016 with only 56% of Black voters turning up to support Hillary. Just doing some simple math, there are roughly 245 million voting age people in the United States and just over 13% of them, or 32.5 million, are Black. Therefore, a 6% decline in turnout equates to roughly 2 million votes, the overwhelming majority of which would have undoubtedly gone to Hillary.

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Steamboats engineered change along the Chesapeake

Inside the foyer of the Steamboat Era Museum in Irvington, VA, 200 small white lights illuminate a map of the Chesapeake Bay. Together, they trace a constellation along the estuary’s shorelines, meandering up its rivers and marking ports of call for the large fleet of steamships that traversed these waters for nearly 150 years.

“Once people see the map,” said Barbara Brecher, director of the museum, “it makes perfect sense to them that the steamboat was the engine of commerce, life — virtually everything.”

If you follow the history of the Chesapeake Bay steamboat era, you’ll learn much about the Bay region as a whole. The rise and fall of these vessels between 1813 and 1962 is, in many ways, the story of lives and communities connected by water and enhanced by the power of steam.

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Afghanistan village’s oldest man offers secret to longevity

PANJSHIR VALLEY, Afghanistan – Every day, just before sunrise, a hunched figure moves down the mountain from his mud-hut home in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, ready to work from dawn to dusk collecting wood, cutting stones and using them to build houses.

Only this is no ordinary mountain man. This is Abdul Satar, known by locals simply as "Sheikh." At an estimated 105 years of age – Afghanistan does not have standardized birth records in some rural areas – he has the mental and physical aptitude of men half his age.

With his cheeky toothless smile and a notorious penchant for pulling pranks, Satar has survived through decades of successive rulers, invasions, wars and famines.

His No. 1 longevity secret? He eats butter by the spoonful.

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/08/afghanistan-village-s-oldest-man-offers-secret-to-longevity.html

Aetna Exits ACA Exchange in Delaware for 2018

Dover, DE – On Wednesday, May 10, 2017, Aetna, Inc. (“Aetna”), informed the Delaware Department of Insurance that it would not be participating in the Health Insurance Marketplace (“Marketplace”) in Delaware for 2018. As a main reason for their exit, Aetna cited an approximate $700 million loss for individual policies between 2014 and 2016, and an estimated loss of $200 million for 2017 throughout the United States.

In response, Commissioner Navarro issued the following statement:

“I am disappointed that Aetna will not be servicing the health needs of Delawareans in 2018. Given the uncertainty and instability surrounding the future of the Affordable Care Act, however, I understand their reasoning. I would hope that our elected officials in Washington will come up with solutions to guarantee that health insurance in Delaware and elsewhere is both available and affordable. Continuing funding for Cost-Sharing Reductions is a first step in the right direction.”

There are currently 11,854 Delawareans insured through Aetna’s exchange plans. Coverage will last through the end of 2017. After that period, anyone with a pre-existing condition for which they were being treated may be able to continue having that treatment covered with that provider.

Consumers who have questions regarding Aetna’s departure are encouraged to contact the Delaware Department of Insurance at 1-800-282-8611 or 302-674-7300, or by e-mail at DOI_Consumer_Resource@state.de.us.

ANSWER: Question of The Day 5-12-17

Somewhere in the detailed sketch below is the face of a man. Can you find it? 

Click 'READ MORE' to see the answer

Teas That Give Your Health a Boost

Hundreds of studies show that teas bestow a multitude of health benefits. And with teas ranging from mild green to robust Earl Grey along with a wide variety of herbal teas, you're sure to find one to suit your taste — and your ailment.

Below are different types of tea along with their health benefits.

Black: A study published in Frontiers of Nutrition found that black tea may reduce blood sugar levels naturally, and that drinking three or more cups a day lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes and helps those who have the disease keep it under control. Researchers at Framingham State University extracted several types of antioxidants from black tea that block the enzymes responsible for increasing blood sugar.

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Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey reveals mixed results

The crab outlook for this season is … mixed. That’s what local restaurateurs have concluded following the 2017 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey of the Chesapeake Bay.

The results of the survey ran along a good news/marginally bad news dividing line. Researchers found that spawning females would increase for the fourth straight year, while juvenile crab populations decreased from the previous year.

The winter dredge survey, which has been conducted annually since 1990, is a joint effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Biologists spend the winter season excavating crabs buried in mud from 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay to record their lengths and to develop population estimates.

Morgan Tolley, general manager for A.E. Phillips & Son processing plant on Hoopers Island, said this year’s dredge survey data showed a historic spawning female set.

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Accident on Route 13 in Salisbury right by Best Western

Traffic is backed up to Delmarva Power Sports.

NAACP, Teachers Unions Stir Protest over DeVos Commencement Address at Black University

The NAACP, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Florida Education Association and other leftist groups are stirring protest against the president of Bethune-Cookman University for his invitation to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to be the school’s commencement speaker Wednesday.

Some 50,000 signed petitions were delivered Tuesday to the administration of Bethune-Cookman (B-CU), an historically black university, by “students, alumni, and friends” of the school, reports Fox 35.

Leftist groups Change.org, Color of Change, and Dream Defenders are also promoting the petition, using social media hashtags #BackstoBetsy and #StopDeVosBCU.

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida chapter of the NAACP, released a statement Monday that also called upon B-CU’s president, Dr. Edison Jackson, and the school’s board chairman, Dr. Joe Petrock, to resign immediately for extending its invitation to DeVos to speak at the Daytona Beach school. Nweze says DeVos should never have been asked to give the commencement address because she “still has not pledged to drastically increase funding for all historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).”

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Pocomoke Council backs land swap with fire company

Swapping a few dozen feet of land between the Pocomoke City and the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company elicited an extended discussion over procedures during a council meeting last Monday.

The fire company recently deeded its storage building and associated property at the site of the former Fifth Street firehouse in exchange for VFW property on Dun Swamp Road owned by the city.

Jerry Barbierri, fire company board of directors chairman, said the move would require erecting a new 40-foot by 60-foot storage building on the Dun Swamp Road property at cost of about $50,000.

“The transfer was intended to help the city to sell the entire Fifth Street parcel as one property,” he said.

After the fire company entered into a contract to design and build a new storage building, which was designated for the south side of the property to allow access to the current driveway, a problem became apparent, Barbierri said.
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15 Illegal Immigrants Arrested for Identity Theft

A total of 15 illegal immigrants were arrested after allegedly stealing Americans’ Social Security numbers and claiming to hold U.S. citizenship to gain employment.

While the 15 illegal immigrants were working at the LNG construction company site in Cameron, Louisiana, federal and state agents showed up to arrest the men, primarily from Mexico, for alleged identity theft, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The 15 illegal immigrants were indicted by a federal grand jury for identity theft, accusing the men of “using social security numbers of actual citizens, and making false claims of United States citizenship in order to obtain jobs at the facility over the past three years,” the statement read.

According to prosecutors, the illegal immigrants were working under names of actual U.S. citizens. The stolen identities primarily came from citizens living in Puerto Rico.

Prosecutors said that after the illegal immigrants stole the Social Security numbers, they received state-issued identification cards from Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Arkansas in order to work in those states.

The stolen Social Security numbers allowed the illegal immigrants to get past the E-Verify systems.

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NR 05-12-17 Dorchester Arrest

ARREST MADE IN LIBRARY FIRE  DORCHESTER COUNTY, MD (May 12, 2017) – Deputy State Fire Marshals have arrested 18 year old, Bonnie M Andrews for intentionally setting a fire at the Dorchester County Public Library.  The origin and cause investigation determined that an intentional fire was set in a recessed trash receptacle located on the second floor inside the women’s restroom.  The incident which occurred on May 10th 2017 at 12:16 pm brought 15 firefighters from the Rescue Fire Company to 303 Gay Street, Cambridge. The fire was brought under control by library personnel and patrons prior to the fire departments arrival. Damage was estimated at $5,000.00.  Andrews was established as the suspect through a joint investigation with the Cambridge Police Department.  Andrews was detained at the Dorchester County Detention Center with no bond on charges of 1st Degree Arson, Malicious Burning 1st & 2nd Degree, Malicious Destruction of Property – less than $1,000.00, Reckless Endangerment, and Burning of a trash container.  If convicted of all charges, Andrews faces 41 years and 9 months incarceration and / or $61,500.00 in fines.

Md. Gov. Hogan asks for legal remedy in stalled Purple Line case

WASHINGTON — Gov. Larry Hogan is urging Maryland’s attorney general to take the next step in pushing a federal judge to issue a decision in the court case that has stalled the Purple Line.

In a letter released to reporters by the Hogan administration late Thursday, the governor asked Attorney General Brian Frosh “to immediately proceed” with a new legal strategy: petitioning a higher court (the U.S. Court of Appeals, in this case) for a writ of mandamus.

The move is designed to compel U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to make a ruling in the Purple Line case.

The writ would not indicate which way Leon should rule. In strict legal terms, it simply orders the lower court to do its duty: issue a ruling in the Purple Line suit.

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