The End of Health Insurance Companies ... Here's a bold prediction for the new year. By 2020, the American health insurance industry will be extinct. Insurance companies will be replaced by accountable care organizations — groups of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers who come together to provide the full range of medical care for patients ... Accountable care organizations will typically be paid a fixed amount per patient, along with bonuses for achieving quality targets. The organizations will make money by keeping their patients healthy and out of the hospital and by avoiding unnecessary tests, drugs and procedures. Thus, they will actually have a financial incentive to hire that nurse for follow-ups. – New York Times
Dominant Social Theme: The US Fedgov has re-engineered health care in the United States. It is a massively exciting and bold plan, and we can't wait to see how it will end up.
Free-Market Analysis: Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Jeffrey B. Liebman – both of whom have Obama administration ties, apparently – have written a massively economically illiterate article on health care that was recently posted to the New York Times Op-Ed.
The main point of the article is excerpted above and has to do with how the Obama administration has "crafted" accountable care organizations that will have financial incentives to keep people healthy via "prevention" and healthcare monitoring.
This is, of course, a power elite dominant social theme of sorts – that government can create laws and regulations that provide private-market facilities with methodologies to "overcome" market failure.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Salisbury Fire Chief Interview
Today the City Council will interview Mr. Hoppes for the position of Fire Chief.
What sort of questions would you ask him if you were the ones doing the interviewing?
The interview is TODAY at 4:00. Do submit your questions before that time.
What sort of questions would you ask him if you were the ones doing the interviewing?
The interview is TODAY at 4:00. Do submit your questions before that time.
New Posts to fall below.
Man Gets Prison After 44 Arrests Net 0 Convictions
A Philadelphia man arrested 44 times without a conviction faces at least 32 years in federal prison for a pair of armed robberies.
A jury convicted 25-year-old John Gassew on Wednesday of two counts each of robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime following two days of deliberations.
More
A jury convicted 25-year-old John Gassew on Wednesday of two counts each of robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime following two days of deliberations.
More
CBO REPORT - OMG!
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is out with its annual report [6]. It’s a blockbuster. This 165 page monster is filled with dozens of charts, graphs and detailed projections. It will be talked about for weeks. The report provides a dismal outlook for the economy. There is one data point I'd like to focus on.
Here is the CBO forecast for real GDP for 2012 and 2013:
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Here is the CBO forecast for real GDP for 2012 and 2013:
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More Winter? The Groundhog Says...
Yes!
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club made their decree Thursday morning in central Pennsylvania: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and there'll be six more weeks of winter. The announcement was met with boos from the enormous crowd gathered in Punxsutawney.
More
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club made their decree Thursday morning in central Pennsylvania: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and there'll be six more weeks of winter. The announcement was met with boos from the enormous crowd gathered in Punxsutawney.
More
TRAFFIC ALERT
Route 54 Traffic Pattern Switch Will Occur on February 8
Fenwick Island -- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that as work continues on the Route 54 Improvement Project, a traffic pattern switch will occur on Wednesday, February 8. This switch will allow for work to begin to widen the northern portion (westbound side) of the road.
The switch will involve work to place all temporary pavement markings to shift traffic to the southern edge of Route 54 (riding on the newly widened portion) and should take about a week to complete.
This traffic switch moves the project to its third phase. Work that will be completed during this phase includes the removal of the existing shoulder, placement of underdrain, placement of electrical conduit, placement of new curb and sidewalk, and placement of a new pavement section to widen the existing road. Intermittent lane closures will occur during this next phase, but it is anticipated that most work will be performed on the shoulder, which will allow two lanes of traffic to be maintained.
Fenwick Island -- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that as work continues on the Route 54 Improvement Project, a traffic pattern switch will occur on Wednesday, February 8. This switch will allow for work to begin to widen the northern portion (westbound side) of the road.
The switch will involve work to place all temporary pavement markings to shift traffic to the southern edge of Route 54 (riding on the newly widened portion) and should take about a week to complete.
This traffic switch moves the project to its third phase. Work that will be completed during this phase includes the removal of the existing shoulder, placement of underdrain, placement of electrical conduit, placement of new curb and sidewalk, and placement of a new pavement section to widen the existing road. Intermittent lane closures will occur during this next phase, but it is anticipated that most work will be performed on the shoulder, which will allow two lanes of traffic to be maintained.
Milwaukee Archdiocese Faces 550 Sex Abuse Claims
(AP)
MILWAUKEE - About 550 people have filed sex abuse claims in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's bankruptcy case.
The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2011, saying sex-abuse lawsuits could leave it with debts it couldn't afford. Church officials have said they have less than $4.6 million available to pay claims.
Will The Dream Become A Reality?
Jill King
While many are intrigued by the upcoming presidential election and perplexed as to why The Sixth Congressional District is gathering so many Republican candidates, a less publicized decision loses its fizz. The Dream Act, which sought an overwhelming majority of distaste, has been shoved into the background.
Could it be that they don’t want us to know what we are up against?
The Dream Act, a path to allow non-citizens a way to gain in-state college tuition was signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011. Marylanders were furious over this legislation and decided to act, creating a state-wide push to fight back.
A successful petition drive, led by Del. Neil Parrot (R., Washington) and co-chaired by Del. Pat McDonough (R., Baltimore/Harford) has placed this issue on the 2012 ballot. Many delegates and engaged citizens worked diligently to exceed the goal of 100,000 signatures, only to have Casa de Maryland dispute the method and signatures through the judicial system; it soon lost its court challenge.
Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, has now created a separate, but affiliated partner, Casa in Action, a 501(c)(4) agency. This related group’s sole purpose is to participate in educational actions and legislative and political sponsorship. Although their funds are not to be comingled, their focus remains the same: supplying needs to immigrants and potential immigrants.
In 1985, Casa de Maryland was organized, creating a shelter, providing jobs, and engaging in social, political, and economic justice for immigrants from Central and South America. They have now risen to the ranks of one of the largest not-for-profits in Maryland.
But this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
Casa de Maryland itself has pledged an all-out war on the referendum, creating a new “exempt” managerial position to seek $10 million in funding to oppose the successful ballot initiative. This position is one that – once filled – will last from January 2012 to November 2012. The responsibilities include raising funds and creating solicitation materials for mass distribution. In occupying this temporary seat, the leader will report and work directly with Educating Maryland Kids.
According to a statement made in 2008 by Jennifer Freedman, Casa de Maryland’s director of development, “about 45% of Casa’s annual $6.3 million budget comes from government sources.”
More
While many are intrigued by the upcoming presidential election and perplexed as to why The Sixth Congressional District is gathering so many Republican candidates, a less publicized decision loses its fizz. The Dream Act, which sought an overwhelming majority of distaste, has been shoved into the background.
Could it be that they don’t want us to know what we are up against?
The Dream Act, a path to allow non-citizens a way to gain in-state college tuition was signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011. Marylanders were furious over this legislation and decided to act, creating a state-wide push to fight back.
A successful petition drive, led by Del. Neil Parrot (R., Washington) and co-chaired by Del. Pat McDonough (R., Baltimore/Harford) has placed this issue on the 2012 ballot. Many delegates and engaged citizens worked diligently to exceed the goal of 100,000 signatures, only to have Casa de Maryland dispute the method and signatures through the judicial system; it soon lost its court challenge.
Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, has now created a separate, but affiliated partner, Casa in Action, a 501(c)(4) agency. This related group’s sole purpose is to participate in educational actions and legislative and political sponsorship. Although their funds are not to be comingled, their focus remains the same: supplying needs to immigrants and potential immigrants.
In 1985, Casa de Maryland was organized, creating a shelter, providing jobs, and engaging in social, political, and economic justice for immigrants from Central and South America. They have now risen to the ranks of one of the largest not-for-profits in Maryland.
But this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
Casa de Maryland itself has pledged an all-out war on the referendum, creating a new “exempt” managerial position to seek $10 million in funding to oppose the successful ballot initiative. This position is one that – once filled – will last from January 2012 to November 2012. The responsibilities include raising funds and creating solicitation materials for mass distribution. In occupying this temporary seat, the leader will report and work directly with Educating Maryland Kids.
According to a statement made in 2008 by Jennifer Freedman, Casa de Maryland’s director of development, “about 45% of Casa’s annual $6.3 million budget comes from government sources.”
More
“Regulate Marijuana Like Wine” Finds 62% Support In New California Poll
A voter survey commissioned by California’s Regulate Marijuana Like Wine(RMLW) initiative campaign suggests the initiative could win at the polls in November—if it manages to make it on the ballot in the first place.
RMLW is one of handful of proposed 2012 California marijuana legalization initiatives, all of them ill-funded. For any of them to make the ballot, they have to come up with more than 500,000 valid voter signatures by April, a task that is considered almost impossibly to accomplish by volunteer efforts alone.
Spring Fashion Show Benefits Women Supporting Women
Warm up to spring at the Birds and Blooms Fashion Show & Luncheon to benefit Women Supporting Women’s Worcester County Chapter, Eunice Sorin Office will be held on Friday, March 30 at the Berlin Fire Hall, 214 N. Main St., Berlin.
Tickets are just $25 each for the event, which includes a full Eastern Shore style luncheon, fashion show, silent and Chinese auctions, 50/50 raffle, door prizes and vendor tables.
Fashions are being provided by Bruder Hill of Berlin, CraZy LadyZ! in West Ocean City and the Women’s Health Boutique at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. This year’s event will feature a dozen models who are either breast cancer survivors or members of a survivor’s family modeling this spring’s casual and formal wear, along with swimsuits specially designed for breast cancer survivors.
The luncheon is being provided by the Berlin Fire Company Auxiliary and includes fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, desserts and beverages. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and the fashion show at about 1:30 p.m.
Vendor tables are available for $50 each. Small businesses and crafters are welcome to participate and sell their wares.
Women Supporting Women is a nonprofit organization that provides free local services and local support for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and their families, and promotes education and awareness about breast cancer. WSW’s programs provides mentoring and support groups, a lending library and educational materials, wigs, scarves and head coverings, prostheses and bras, specially designed pillows and other items to aid in the recovery process. WSW is entirely funded through community support, donations and grants and all funding is returned directly to the local community through its programs and services.
For more tickets or vendor information or more information about Women Supporting Women, call 410-641-2849, visit the Berlin office at 10026 Old Ocean City Blvd., Suite 4, Berlin or contact Rota Knott, Worcester County coordinator, at rota@womensupportingwomen.org.
CALENDER ITEM:
Friday, March 30
Birds and Blooms Fashion Show & Luncheon
Benefits Women Supporting Women’s Worcester County Chapter
Berlin Fire Hall, 214 N. Main St., Berlin.
Tickets $25 each
Fashions by Bruder Hill, CraZy LadyZ! and the Women’s Health Boutique
Lunch by the Berlin Fire Company Auxiliary includes fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, desserts and beverages.
Silent and Chinese auctions, 50/50 raffle, door prizes and vendor tables.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and the fashion show at about 1:30 p.m.
Call 410-641-2849.
Tickets are just $25 each for the event, which includes a full Eastern Shore style luncheon, fashion show, silent and Chinese auctions, 50/50 raffle, door prizes and vendor tables.
Fashions are being provided by Bruder Hill of Berlin, CraZy LadyZ! in West Ocean City and the Women’s Health Boutique at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. This year’s event will feature a dozen models who are either breast cancer survivors or members of a survivor’s family modeling this spring’s casual and formal wear, along with swimsuits specially designed for breast cancer survivors.
The luncheon is being provided by the Berlin Fire Company Auxiliary and includes fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, desserts and beverages. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and the fashion show at about 1:30 p.m.
Vendor tables are available for $50 each. Small businesses and crafters are welcome to participate and sell their wares.
Women Supporting Women is a nonprofit organization that provides free local services and local support for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and their families, and promotes education and awareness about breast cancer. WSW’s programs provides mentoring and support groups, a lending library and educational materials, wigs, scarves and head coverings, prostheses and bras, specially designed pillows and other items to aid in the recovery process. WSW is entirely funded through community support, donations and grants and all funding is returned directly to the local community through its programs and services.
For more tickets or vendor information or more information about Women Supporting Women, call 410-641-2849, visit the Berlin office at 10026 Old Ocean City Blvd., Suite 4, Berlin or contact Rota Knott, Worcester County coordinator, at rota@womensupportingwomen.org.
CALENDER ITEM:
Friday, March 30
Birds and Blooms Fashion Show & Luncheon
Benefits Women Supporting Women’s Worcester County Chapter
Berlin Fire Hall, 214 N. Main St., Berlin.
Tickets $25 each
Fashions by Bruder Hill, CraZy LadyZ! and the Women’s Health Boutique
Lunch by the Berlin Fire Company Auxiliary includes fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, desserts and beverages.
Silent and Chinese auctions, 50/50 raffle, door prizes and vendor tables.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and the fashion show at about 1:30 p.m.
Call 410-641-2849.
LEASED!! Downtown Salisbury, Md
SALISBURY, MD, FEBRUARY 2012 - Advisor Joey Gilkerson of The Gillis Team of Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate closed a 5-year deal downtown Salisbury. The Tenant, White Flint Recovery, has relocated to 130 E Main Street this month. White Flint Recovery is in the Health and Human Services industry; DUI treatment and recovery is their specialty.
The property, listed by The Hanna Team, sat vacant for only one week before a lease was produced. Gilkerson commented.
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Komen Supporters Jumping Ship On Guidestar.Org
Guidestar.org is an extraordinarily important resource for nonprofits. Prospective donors, if they're smart, check out a nonprofit at guidestar.org before even considering giving a donation.
So I wandered over there this evening, and logged in to see what might be going on with Susan G. Komen Foundation. Well, it looks like some now-former supporters found Guidestar just like I did. The Personal Reviews section, which I honestly did not know existed before today, exploded in the last two days, and brought SGK's rating down to one star out of five. Not very good for such a "high class" organization!
Laughing All The Way To The Bank
You would think that having your name published two times in the newspaper would certainly bring you more traffic, right? Nope, not the case at all, which absolutely proves our circulation is far bigger than the Daily Times and would explain why they would run such a stupid article in the first place, they're pissed.
For those of you who do get the Daily Times, a huge sign of their downfall is simply looking at their Classified Ads, (when they actually publish them). Go back and look, they have titles for the classified ads but under the title, notice how there's NOTHING for sale under the title or no jobs published under the title.
People have simply given up on that newspaper and the funniest part now is, we're probably sending them more traffic whenever we mention them, instead of it being the other way around. Sales down, just mention Joe Albero, (ONE PERSON) and sales instantly go UP. ROTFLMAO!
One local Blogger is tearing them apart. One local Blogger is not only calling them out like we do to local politicians, one Blogger is PROVING they are lying, proving they are misleading, proving they publish quotes knowing they are lies but because it's a quote from someone else they are not liable for the lie.
The Daily Times Greg Bassett regularly does interviews stating they are held to a higher journalistic standard, really? Yet they claim the state was to pay 96% of all costs to build Bennett Middle School. I could go on and on, but I won't. We're beating a dead horse.
I am absolutely convinced one Blogger, (Salisbury News) is now, (without any doubt) DelMarva's News Leader. This past weekend Brian Shane produced a fantastic investigative article on the Worcester Board of Education. We not only published that article, we provided a link back to the Daily Times. The Daily Times refuses to mention Salisbury News, they just say Joe Albero or local Blogger. You shouldn't worry so much Joe Carmean or Greg Bassett, we've already surpassed you and that in itself is living proof.
One last thing. We held off the Wicomico Board of Education article knowing the print edition today would hopefully bring in traffic we hadn't already had. I wanted their viewers to see we provide articles a month ahead of the Daily Times and that the Daily Times REFUSES to touch on the TRUTH with the Board of Education. They have INSIDE people there and there's no way you can convince me they aren't aware about the two people terminated, or the others on administrative leave. Oh, they finally got around to telling that story today, WEEKS after we had already published it.
If you want REAL action on your advertising, contact me at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com. Our ads are only $100.00 a month, no contracts, no strings. We'll earn your business and if we can't you should have every right to simply walk away. How's that for old school.
PUBLIC NOTICE
SPECIAL MEETING SCHEDULED
In accordance with §SC2-4 of the Salisbury City Charter, a majority of the City Council have called for a Special Meeting to be held on Monday, February 6, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. for the purpose of considering revisions to Ordinance No. 2185 (Towing Ordinance) and Ordinance No. 2186 (towing fee structure) for first reading.
This special meeting will be held in Conference Room 306 of the City/County Government Office Building (125 N. Division Street).
Who Is Calling?
We are all guilty of it, we look at our cell phone or caller I.D. before we answer the call and based mostly on the Area Code we decide to answer or not.
Well here at SBYNews we have learned that starting in March, March 23rd to be exact the Eastern Shore of Maryland will have a new area code for cell phones.
And the winning number is ....... 667.
So will you answer the call ?
Well here at SBYNews we have learned that starting in March, March 23rd to be exact the Eastern Shore of Maryland will have a new area code for cell phones.
And the winning number is ....... 667.
So will you answer the call ?
Lewes Man Arrested For Rape
Location: Evette Lane, Lewes, DE
Date of Occurrence: Tuesday January 31, 2012 at approximately 3:00 a.m.
Victim:
18 year old female
Defendant, Charges, and Bail Information:
Carl Nathan, 38, Lewes, DE (Photo Attached)
Rape 2nd
Rape 4th
Unlawful Sexual Contact 3rd
Arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $40,500.00 cash bail.
Resume:
Lewes, DE- Delaware State Police have charged a Lewes man in connection with an early morning rape.
The incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. on January 31, after the 18 year old victim gave Carl Nathan, 38, of whom she is an acquaintance, a ride to a residence on Evette Lane in Lewes. As the two were parked outside the residence, Nathan began to make unwanted advances on the victim and eventually sexually assaulted her.
Detectives charged Nathan with the above offenses. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $40,500.00 cash bail.
Nathan, who is a Tier 2 registered sex offender, was convicted of Unlawful Sexual Contact 2nd on August 31, 1999.
Rep. Harris Questions Junk Science Regarding Hydrofracking
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Andy Harris held a subcommittee hearing to review the EPA’s approach to ground water research in Pavillion, Wyoming. Witnesses highlighted a number of concerns with EPA’s December 8, 2011 draft findings, including the failure of the Agency to adequately consult with state and federal experts, the release of conclusions prior to adequate peer review, lack of adherence to information quality guidelines, a lack of data transparency, and sampling and monitoring well issues that call into question many of the results.
“This hearing exposes how the EPA is willing to use junk science to promote unnecessary fear about the safety of hydrofracking in an attempt to carry out the President’s climate change agenda,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “The testimony was clear that this study is not applicable to Marcellus Shale, so hopefully Governor O’Malley won’t use this flawed study as an excuse to advance his own climate change agenda.”
As with all Committee hearings, the hearing was webcast live in its entirety at www.science.house.gov, and an archived version of the webcast will be publicly available on the website.
“This hearing exposes how the EPA is willing to use junk science to promote unnecessary fear about the safety of hydrofracking in an attempt to carry out the President’s climate change agenda,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “The testimony was clear that this study is not applicable to Marcellus Shale, so hopefully Governor O’Malley won’t use this flawed study as an excuse to advance his own climate change agenda.”
As with all Committee hearings, the hearing was webcast live in its entirety at www.science.house.gov, and an archived version of the webcast will be publicly available on the website.
House Transportation Bill Drives Us To Deeper Oil Dependence
BALTIMORE — This afternoon, Representative John Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, officially introduced a major transportation reauthorization bill. The overall plan for the bill includes proposals to open the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, and to open landscapes in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to oil shale extraction. At the same time, it cuts all funding for biking and walking safety and cripples environmental review for transportation projects. On top of this, Speaker of the House John Boehner has said that he would attach approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to this bill if it were not otherwise immediately approved.
Ewa Krason, Field Organizer with Environment Maryland, issued the following response:
“Transportation is responsible for one-third of our global warming pollution and two-thirds of our dangerous dependence on oil. But it doesn’t have to be this way – we can invest in clean, efficient travel choices such as public transit that will move our nation away from oil and toward a brighter, healthier future. These projects, such as expanded and improved bus and rail systems as well as biking and walking pathways, give commuters the chance to escape our heavily congested highways and choose smarter, cleaner transportation options that clean up our air and get our nation off oil.
“The bill introduced by Representative Mica today in the House of Representatives drives us down to the dead end of too many oil spills, too much air pollution, and destroying the places we love. It reads like a wish list for Big Oil, including:
Deepening our oil dependence: slashing programs for biking and walking safety, while continuing to underfund transit;
Destroying our most pristine wilderness areas: drilling in protected places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and opening development for even dirtier, more hazardous sources of oil like oil shale extraction in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that will endanger nearby drinking water while destroying landscapes and pumping out air pollution at truly alarming rates; and
Pumping toxic tar sands into the U.S.: Speaker Boehner has stated that he would attempt to force the approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline through this bill, further deepening our addiction to ever more toxic, high risk forms of oil.
“America needs a smarter, cleaner transportation future, not this destructive proposal that drives us down a road to deeper, more damaging oil dependence. The House of Representatives should reject this bill.”
Ewa Krason, Field Organizer with Environment Maryland, issued the following response:
“Transportation is responsible for one-third of our global warming pollution and two-thirds of our dangerous dependence on oil. But it doesn’t have to be this way – we can invest in clean, efficient travel choices such as public transit that will move our nation away from oil and toward a brighter, healthier future. These projects, such as expanded and improved bus and rail systems as well as biking and walking pathways, give commuters the chance to escape our heavily congested highways and choose smarter, cleaner transportation options that clean up our air and get our nation off oil.
“The bill introduced by Representative Mica today in the House of Representatives drives us down to the dead end of too many oil spills, too much air pollution, and destroying the places we love. It reads like a wish list for Big Oil, including:
Deepening our oil dependence: slashing programs for biking and walking safety, while continuing to underfund transit;
Destroying our most pristine wilderness areas: drilling in protected places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and opening development for even dirtier, more hazardous sources of oil like oil shale extraction in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that will endanger nearby drinking water while destroying landscapes and pumping out air pollution at truly alarming rates; and
Pumping toxic tar sands into the U.S.: Speaker Boehner has stated that he would attempt to force the approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline through this bill, further deepening our addiction to ever more toxic, high risk forms of oil.
“America needs a smarter, cleaner transportation future, not this destructive proposal that drives us down a road to deeper, more damaging oil dependence. The House of Representatives should reject this bill.”
Happy Timers Yard Sale Scheduled For Saturday, February 11
(Salisbury, MD) Hunting for a bargain? Check out some great deals and hidden treasures at the Happy Timers Yard Sale on Saturday, February 11 from 7:00am-11:00am. The yard sale will be held at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in the DaNang Rooms. Members of the Happy Timers will be selling clothing, household items, costume jewelry, baked goods, books and much more!
Happy Timers is a program for men and women ages 50+. Members are residents of Wicomico County and surrounding areas that like to have a great time walking, line dancing, exercising, participating in arts and crafts and playing games like bridge, pinochle and bingo. The Happy Timers also go on trips with local and long distance travel.
For more information about the yard sale please call Sharon Engster at 410-548-4900 ext. 118 or email sengster@wicomicocounty.org. If you would like to learn about becoming a member of Happy Timers, please visit the Wicomico County Recreation, Parks and Tourism website at www.wicomicorecandparks.org
Happy Timers is a program for men and women ages 50+. Members are residents of Wicomico County and surrounding areas that like to have a great time walking, line dancing, exercising, participating in arts and crafts and playing games like bridge, pinochle and bingo. The Happy Timers also go on trips with local and long distance travel.
For more information about the yard sale please call Sharon Engster at 410-548-4900 ext. 118 or email sengster@wicomicocounty.org. If you would like to learn about becoming a member of Happy Timers, please visit the Wicomico County Recreation, Parks and Tourism website at www.wicomicorecandparks.org
Big Story By Atlanta TV Station
This video clip is going to set your teeth on fire!
Atlanta WSB TV Station Breaks Big Story.
Don’t just let this make your day...
make sure we get rid of the problem!!
CSEA Has Collected Nearly $400,000 In Overdue Child Support Payments
CSEA has collected nearly $400,000 in overdue child support payments the largest collection of its kind in Maryland history.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Today, the Department of Human Resources (DHR) announced that the Child Support Enforcement Administration (CSEA) has collected nearly $400,000 in overdue child support payments from a single non-custodial parent — the largest collection of its kind in Maryland history. This historic collection underscores the great progress the department is making towards becoming a national leader in child support collection, and serves as a notice to non-custodial parents that neither time nor distance absolves them from their responsibilities to their children.
“I hope that this collection sends a clear message to non-custodial parents that Maryland is committed to collecting the support that is due to our children,” said Secretary Ted Dallas. “We’re leaving no stone unturned in our effort to make Maryland one of the top ten states in terms of child support collections within the next 18 months.”
This record collection comes as the department is making great strides in increasing collections — having currently collected $2 million more than at this same point in FY 2011 — in part due to an increased focus on interstate cooperation. In December 2010, the department began working in close cooperation with the delinquent parent’s state of residence. In June 2011, following a hearing in the parent’s state of residence, a number of private bank accounts were frozen as a result of the parent’s failure to meet their obligations despite having the ability to pay. That December, funds were seized sufficient to pay the overdue payments in full.
“This is a good day for Maryland families,” said Joe DiPrimio, executive director of the Child Support Enforcement Administration. “Our tough, but fair, approach is putting delinquent parents on notice. Parents who have the ability to pay will pay — no matter where they live. Their children deserve nothing less.”
Last month, the department announced a set of sweeping changes to the Child Support Enforcement Administration, including the appointment of Mr. DiPrimio as executive director. In an effort to make Maryland one of the top ten states in the nation for child support collections, the department announced that it would:
• increase collections by better leveraging targeted enforcement tools, such as the garnishment of wages and bank accounts and the suspension of professional licenses;
• streamline operations by adopting best practices to increase the amount of support collected and expedite the distribution of child support payments to families;
• improve accountability by moving the Audit Unit to the Office of the Inspector General; and
• establish a Child Support Advisory Committee comprised of parents, child advocates and public and private sector stakeholders to help implement improvements and make Maryland’s child support system more responsive.
The Child Support Enforcement Administration is responsible for operating a statewide child support program and provides services to both noncustodial and custodial parents, which include the establishment of paternity and child support orders, the collection of support payments, and the distribution of such funds. CSEA distributes funds to custodial parents and helps custodial parents enforce the legal child support obligations of non-custodial parents.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Today, the Department of Human Resources (DHR) announced that the Child Support Enforcement Administration (CSEA) has collected nearly $400,000 in overdue child support payments from a single non-custodial parent — the largest collection of its kind in Maryland history. This historic collection underscores the great progress the department is making towards becoming a national leader in child support collection, and serves as a notice to non-custodial parents that neither time nor distance absolves them from their responsibilities to their children.
“I hope that this collection sends a clear message to non-custodial parents that Maryland is committed to collecting the support that is due to our children,” said Secretary Ted Dallas. “We’re leaving no stone unturned in our effort to make Maryland one of the top ten states in terms of child support collections within the next 18 months.”
This record collection comes as the department is making great strides in increasing collections — having currently collected $2 million more than at this same point in FY 2011 — in part due to an increased focus on interstate cooperation. In December 2010, the department began working in close cooperation with the delinquent parent’s state of residence. In June 2011, following a hearing in the parent’s state of residence, a number of private bank accounts were frozen as a result of the parent’s failure to meet their obligations despite having the ability to pay. That December, funds were seized sufficient to pay the overdue payments in full.
“This is a good day for Maryland families,” said Joe DiPrimio, executive director of the Child Support Enforcement Administration. “Our tough, but fair, approach is putting delinquent parents on notice. Parents who have the ability to pay will pay — no matter where they live. Their children deserve nothing less.”
Last month, the department announced a set of sweeping changes to the Child Support Enforcement Administration, including the appointment of Mr. DiPrimio as executive director. In an effort to make Maryland one of the top ten states in the nation for child support collections, the department announced that it would:
• increase collections by better leveraging targeted enforcement tools, such as the garnishment of wages and bank accounts and the suspension of professional licenses;
• streamline operations by adopting best practices to increase the amount of support collected and expedite the distribution of child support payments to families;
• improve accountability by moving the Audit Unit to the Office of the Inspector General; and
• establish a Child Support Advisory Committee comprised of parents, child advocates and public and private sector stakeholders to help implement improvements and make Maryland’s child support system more responsive.
The Child Support Enforcement Administration is responsible for operating a statewide child support program and provides services to both noncustodial and custodial parents, which include the establishment of paternity and child support orders, the collection of support payments, and the distribution of such funds. CSEA distributes funds to custodial parents and helps custodial parents enforce the legal child support obligations of non-custodial parents.
A Board Of Education Letter To The Editor Many Of You Have Been Waiting For
Joe,
I am contacting you regarding your blog about the situation involving John Fredericksen and Stephanie Moses and Stacy Messick. I am neither Stephanie nor Stacy and I am not serving in any capacity as their representative. But I am someone with direct knowledge of the situation who has access to direct information and the records in the file.
I saw that eventually you brought the blog discussion back to a place of greater reasonableness and that you seem to have gained some insight into what is happening. However, based on your focus on them being forced or pressured to do things, I don’t know that you have the complete picture at all. I will not be posting to the blog, but I can fill in the blanks for you.
The timing of everything is unfortunate because the board is required by Maryland education law to make the renewal decision on Fredericksen by March 1st (4-201 of Education Article). There is no way that a hearing will occur before then in the case of Moses and Messick. All of that information will have to come to light much later. The board is determined to renew him in part because a majority of them are complicit in what has occurred in Messick and Moses’ case. It appears now that the board will vote to renew him at their February 14, 2012 meeting.
To clarify the facts, they were terminated by Fredericksen for filing a discrimination complaint against them on the basis that he treats female employees badly and creates a hostile environment for females. The board ignored their complaint and refused to investigate it at all. When he wrote them up at the end of September for senseless issues, some of them illegal, they filed their complaint with the board. A separate complaint was filed with the Wicomico County Ethics Commission against Fredericksen for abuse of prestige of office because one of the issues involved the hiring of a board member’s future son-in-law.
First, board president Willey wrote to them asking them to withdraw the complaint and indicating that their complaint was unclear. This letter from Willey dated November 2, 2011 represented that the board was seeking a clarification of their complaint. Willey signed this letter representing a board decision even though the board had never met to consider the complaint. Willey acted after only consulting Fredericksen and Fulton Jeffers. In fact, Willey ordered the board clerk to not forward the complaint to all board members. As you are aware, this violates the Maryland Open Meetings Act.
At that point the two women wrote to the entire board and clarified their complaint and sought documents under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) to confirm that no meeting had occurred prior to the November 2 letter from Willey. They also then made the board aware that Fredericksen had begun to retaliate against them by having their computers files seized and searched. They implored the board to intervene and to investigate the appeal before more retaliation could occur.
The board, which was now complicit for violating the Open Meetings Act, for defyingthe MPIA in response to the request to confirm a meeting, and for violating ex parte communication, began to circle the wagons. They responded illegally by trying to force the two women to fill out discrimination complaint forms rather than assign a qualified investigator. They informed the two women that they had no reason to fear retaliation. And, when pressed, they tried to assign Cathy Townsend to investigate the discrimination complaint despite protests from the two women that Townsend, as Fredericksen’s subordinate, was not a legally acceptable investigator. Townsend even indicated to Willey that she was not appropriate to investigate. To this date, the complaint has not yet been investigated in defiance of federal and state anti-discrimination laws and the board has vicarious liability under Title VII.
Subsequently, the two ladies filed a grievance with the EEOC and an appeal with the State Board. In the meantime, Fredericksen was presented with two separate MPIA requests seeking email correspondence regarding his directive to search the two women’s computers. He twice signed his name that no such email correspondence existed, thereby implying no such directive had happened. These two signed responses represent lies on his part among many others.
Evidently, he was unable to find anything on the computers to use to terminate them. At that point, which is now late December, 2011, he then sought a new vehicle to dismiss them. He used the pretext that they had had lunch in October with the union president, Dave White, where they made derogatory statements about Fredericksen. It should be noted that Dave White is perhaps Fredericksen’s only friend in the system and someone with whom he roomed with and rented a car with at a conference in Denver. White is also someone who was an unsuccessful candidate for Messick’s job at the time she received it. Finally, White is someone who his attorney with the union refers to as being out of control.
Prior to the meeting on this issue with Fredericksen, the ladies’ attorney contacted White who denied having any such conversation with them. They met with Fredericksen on December 28, 2011, informed him that they had no lunch with White in October, and told Fredericksen that White had indicated to their attorney that no conversations had occurred. They were placed on leave that day so that he could “investigate,” which defies normal process. In January, he produced written statements from White, crafted after December 28, claiming such conversation occurred in November (not October), that he gave credibility to White and not them, and that they were terminated.
That is a very accurate factual summary of what transpired. Things like this are always like an onion with too many layers. The underlying issues are at the root of the bigger outcome and involve not only Fredericksen but board members as well, including some no longer on the board. Fredericksen and certain board members frequently held private discussion where decisions were made that should have been deliberated or at least decided in public under the Open Meetings Act. In many of these cases, it involved situations that are very questionable under the Public Ethics Law as abuse of prestige of office. When Moses and Messick offered advice counter to the wishes of certain board members, secret meetings were held, illegal decisions made, and Fredericksen placed the blame on them to appease those board members and help his own cause to be reappointed. These issues are part of an ethics complaint that implicate Fredericksen and board members Willey, Wright and Fitzgerald (more below).
There are some cases that are easy enough for you to verify. One is the case of the daughter of the senior vice-president of Perdue where Michelle Wright worked. She was a first year teacher in school year 2010-11 who was submitted for non-renewal as a probationary teacher. The standard process was used where the recommendation from the principal was reviewed in committee by Fredericksen, the two assistant superintendents, Moses and Messick, and the appropriate school director. It was sent to the board and acted on by the board in April 2011 along with six other non-renewed probationary teachers.
When Michelle Wright became aware of what the board, including her, had done, she lost it. Wright actually told the teacher to file an appeal with the board. When the stickiness of that process became clear, a secret meeting was held with Fredericksen and board members Wright, Holloway, and Willey. Following that meeting, Handy, Townsend, and Moses were called in by Fredericksen and told to ignore the appeal and to rehire the senior vice-president’s daughter for the coming school year. No application process was needed or used, just an order to restore her to a vacancy. She was placed at Beaver Run where she remains. In other words, because Wright was personally affected, three boards members met with Fredericksen in an illegal non-quorum and overturned a legal decision of the full board based on the recommendation of a principal, director, and superintendent’s staff, ordered a hiring outside of the process all other applicants go through, and restored employment without proper action. No other non-renewed probationary teacher gets such treatment.
Another situation easy to verify involves Fitzgerald’s future son-in-law becoming an special ed assistant. This is the issue that caused Fredericksen to go after Moses in late September. The son-in-law was interviewed by a principal of a Title I school who failed to confirm an application on file. The principal forwarded a job offer at which point Human Resources noted that an application was not on file. They worked with him to get it on file and then recognized that he wasn’t qualified under No Child Left Behind to work in a Title I school. Within three hours, he was offered another position at a non-Title I school which he declined. Moses reported the situation to Fredericksen immediately who offered no concern with how it was handled.
One week later, Fitzgerald became involved and Fredericksen made the situation Moses’ issue. As a board member, Fitzgerald met with staff members to voice his displeasure over his future son-in-law not having the job he wanted. Fredericksen then ordered the Director of Special Ed and the Comptroller to create non-budgeted positions for the son-in-law so that he would have a choice to select from for a newly created position just for him, even though he had turned down Moses’ offer out of spite or frustration. An email exists confirming this action of Fredericksen. He is now employed at Williards in a job created outside of the public budget process just for him. An ethics complaint was filed on November 14, 2011 with the Wicomico County Ethics Commission. To date, no known action has occurred on the complaint.
There are many other issues that can and will be discussed but these are some of the more severe issues that directly involved board members, included violations of Open Meetings, and resulted in the board’s majority circling around Fredericksen, at least for now. There obviously will be more situations to come out in a hearing and/or trial.
As usual with people like Fredericksen there is more to it than what first appears. Who knows the level of background check that the board did before hiring him in the first place, but he left Minnesota as Assistant Superintendent in the middle of a major dispute involving a community action group and his then boss, superintendent Susan Hintz. The issue at hand there was budget reduction and school consolidation, but the violations of process are eerily similar: violations of open meetings/secret meetings with non-quorums, bizarre or inappropriate relationships with board members, defiance and dishonesty on public information requires, and perjury in general.
Fredericksen left Minnesota in the middle of that dispute and ended up here. The board there, like this one circled around Hintz, actually gave her a new contract with a golden parachute, and left her retire the next year and collect the lump sum. In the next election cycle, three of the board members were unseated and the superintendent was gone, suddenly working for the consulting firm involved in the contested issue. If you track what occurred there versus how Fredericksen operates here, apparently he learned a lot. Accusations of improper relationships with board members, delay and lack of compliance with the MPIA, lying about events, holding illegal, non-quorum discussions with board members to make decisions of personal interest to them. That community group had to sue in order to get the release of documents under the Minnesota public information law. Emails show that Hintz and staff ordered the deletion of emails on the contested action. They also show the intentional non-disclosure of information to the public (enclosed emails of interest). Furthermore, Fredericksen lied in an affidavit about the date of board budget action (court order enclosed).
Sadly, Wicomico County is about to be subject to four more years of the same once the board takes action to renew him on February 14, 2012. You have said that you will clarify the picture when the time is right. I am sending this to you so that you can do so. The time is right now.
I am contacting you regarding your blog about the situation involving John Fredericksen and Stephanie Moses and Stacy Messick. I am neither Stephanie nor Stacy and I am not serving in any capacity as their representative. But I am someone with direct knowledge of the situation who has access to direct information and the records in the file.
I saw that eventually you brought the blog discussion back to a place of greater reasonableness and that you seem to have gained some insight into what is happening. However, based on your focus on them being forced or pressured to do things, I don’t know that you have the complete picture at all. I will not be posting to the blog, but I can fill in the blanks for you.
The timing of everything is unfortunate because the board is required by Maryland education law to make the renewal decision on Fredericksen by March 1st (4-201 of Education Article). There is no way that a hearing will occur before then in the case of Moses and Messick. All of that information will have to come to light much later. The board is determined to renew him in part because a majority of them are complicit in what has occurred in Messick and Moses’ case. It appears now that the board will vote to renew him at their February 14, 2012 meeting.
To clarify the facts, they were terminated by Fredericksen for filing a discrimination complaint against them on the basis that he treats female employees badly and creates a hostile environment for females. The board ignored their complaint and refused to investigate it at all. When he wrote them up at the end of September for senseless issues, some of them illegal, they filed their complaint with the board. A separate complaint was filed with the Wicomico County Ethics Commission against Fredericksen for abuse of prestige of office because one of the issues involved the hiring of a board member’s future son-in-law.
First, board president Willey wrote to them asking them to withdraw the complaint and indicating that their complaint was unclear. This letter from Willey dated November 2, 2011 represented that the board was seeking a clarification of their complaint. Willey signed this letter representing a board decision even though the board had never met to consider the complaint. Willey acted after only consulting Fredericksen and Fulton Jeffers. In fact, Willey ordered the board clerk to not forward the complaint to all board members. As you are aware, this violates the Maryland Open Meetings Act.
At that point the two women wrote to the entire board and clarified their complaint and sought documents under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) to confirm that no meeting had occurred prior to the November 2 letter from Willey. They also then made the board aware that Fredericksen had begun to retaliate against them by having their computers files seized and searched. They implored the board to intervene and to investigate the appeal before more retaliation could occur.
The board, which was now complicit for violating the Open Meetings Act, for defyingthe MPIA in response to the request to confirm a meeting, and for violating ex parte communication, began to circle the wagons. They responded illegally by trying to force the two women to fill out discrimination complaint forms rather than assign a qualified investigator. They informed the two women that they had no reason to fear retaliation. And, when pressed, they tried to assign Cathy Townsend to investigate the discrimination complaint despite protests from the two women that Townsend, as Fredericksen’s subordinate, was not a legally acceptable investigator. Townsend even indicated to Willey that she was not appropriate to investigate. To this date, the complaint has not yet been investigated in defiance of federal and state anti-discrimination laws and the board has vicarious liability under Title VII.
Subsequently, the two ladies filed a grievance with the EEOC and an appeal with the State Board. In the meantime, Fredericksen was presented with two separate MPIA requests seeking email correspondence regarding his directive to search the two women’s computers. He twice signed his name that no such email correspondence existed, thereby implying no such directive had happened. These two signed responses represent lies on his part among many others.
Evidently, he was unable to find anything on the computers to use to terminate them. At that point, which is now late December, 2011, he then sought a new vehicle to dismiss them. He used the pretext that they had had lunch in October with the union president, Dave White, where they made derogatory statements about Fredericksen. It should be noted that Dave White is perhaps Fredericksen’s only friend in the system and someone with whom he roomed with and rented a car with at a conference in Denver. White is also someone who was an unsuccessful candidate for Messick’s job at the time she received it. Finally, White is someone who his attorney with the union refers to as being out of control.
Prior to the meeting on this issue with Fredericksen, the ladies’ attorney contacted White who denied having any such conversation with them. They met with Fredericksen on December 28, 2011, informed him that they had no lunch with White in October, and told Fredericksen that White had indicated to their attorney that no conversations had occurred. They were placed on leave that day so that he could “investigate,” which defies normal process. In January, he produced written statements from White, crafted after December 28, claiming such conversation occurred in November (not October), that he gave credibility to White and not them, and that they were terminated.
That is a very accurate factual summary of what transpired. Things like this are always like an onion with too many layers. The underlying issues are at the root of the bigger outcome and involve not only Fredericksen but board members as well, including some no longer on the board. Fredericksen and certain board members frequently held private discussion where decisions were made that should have been deliberated or at least decided in public under the Open Meetings Act. In many of these cases, it involved situations that are very questionable under the Public Ethics Law as abuse of prestige of office. When Moses and Messick offered advice counter to the wishes of certain board members, secret meetings were held, illegal decisions made, and Fredericksen placed the blame on them to appease those board members and help his own cause to be reappointed. These issues are part of an ethics complaint that implicate Fredericksen and board members Willey, Wright and Fitzgerald (more below).
There are some cases that are easy enough for you to verify. One is the case of the daughter of the senior vice-president of Perdue where Michelle Wright worked. She was a first year teacher in school year 2010-11 who was submitted for non-renewal as a probationary teacher. The standard process was used where the recommendation from the principal was reviewed in committee by Fredericksen, the two assistant superintendents, Moses and Messick, and the appropriate school director. It was sent to the board and acted on by the board in April 2011 along with six other non-renewed probationary teachers.
When Michelle Wright became aware of what the board, including her, had done, she lost it. Wright actually told the teacher to file an appeal with the board. When the stickiness of that process became clear, a secret meeting was held with Fredericksen and board members Wright, Holloway, and Willey. Following that meeting, Handy, Townsend, and Moses were called in by Fredericksen and told to ignore the appeal and to rehire the senior vice-president’s daughter for the coming school year. No application process was needed or used, just an order to restore her to a vacancy. She was placed at Beaver Run where she remains. In other words, because Wright was personally affected, three boards members met with Fredericksen in an illegal non-quorum and overturned a legal decision of the full board based on the recommendation of a principal, director, and superintendent’s staff, ordered a hiring outside of the process all other applicants go through, and restored employment without proper action. No other non-renewed probationary teacher gets such treatment.
Another situation easy to verify involves Fitzgerald’s future son-in-law becoming an special ed assistant. This is the issue that caused Fredericksen to go after Moses in late September. The son-in-law was interviewed by a principal of a Title I school who failed to confirm an application on file. The principal forwarded a job offer at which point Human Resources noted that an application was not on file. They worked with him to get it on file and then recognized that he wasn’t qualified under No Child Left Behind to work in a Title I school. Within three hours, he was offered another position at a non-Title I school which he declined. Moses reported the situation to Fredericksen immediately who offered no concern with how it was handled.
One week later, Fitzgerald became involved and Fredericksen made the situation Moses’ issue. As a board member, Fitzgerald met with staff members to voice his displeasure over his future son-in-law not having the job he wanted. Fredericksen then ordered the Director of Special Ed and the Comptroller to create non-budgeted positions for the son-in-law so that he would have a choice to select from for a newly created position just for him, even though he had turned down Moses’ offer out of spite or frustration. An email exists confirming this action of Fredericksen. He is now employed at Williards in a job created outside of the public budget process just for him. An ethics complaint was filed on November 14, 2011 with the Wicomico County Ethics Commission. To date, no known action has occurred on the complaint.
There are many other issues that can and will be discussed but these are some of the more severe issues that directly involved board members, included violations of Open Meetings, and resulted in the board’s majority circling around Fredericksen, at least for now. There obviously will be more situations to come out in a hearing and/or trial.
As usual with people like Fredericksen there is more to it than what first appears. Who knows the level of background check that the board did before hiring him in the first place, but he left Minnesota as Assistant Superintendent in the middle of a major dispute involving a community action group and his then boss, superintendent Susan Hintz. The issue at hand there was budget reduction and school consolidation, but the violations of process are eerily similar: violations of open meetings/secret meetings with non-quorums, bizarre or inappropriate relationships with board members, defiance and dishonesty on public information requires, and perjury in general.
Fredericksen left Minnesota in the middle of that dispute and ended up here. The board there, like this one circled around Hintz, actually gave her a new contract with a golden parachute, and left her retire the next year and collect the lump sum. In the next election cycle, three of the board members were unseated and the superintendent was gone, suddenly working for the consulting firm involved in the contested issue. If you track what occurred there versus how Fredericksen operates here, apparently he learned a lot. Accusations of improper relationships with board members, delay and lack of compliance with the MPIA, lying about events, holding illegal, non-quorum discussions with board members to make decisions of personal interest to them. That community group had to sue in order to get the release of documents under the Minnesota public information law. Emails show that Hintz and staff ordered the deletion of emails on the contested action. They also show the intentional non-disclosure of information to the public (enclosed emails of interest). Furthermore, Fredericksen lied in an affidavit about the date of board budget action (court order enclosed).
Sadly, Wicomico County is about to be subject to four more years of the same once the board takes action to renew him on February 14, 2012. You have said that you will clarify the picture when the time is right. I am sending this to you so that you can do so. The time is right now.
New Posts to fall below.
Help Wanted 02/02/12
You Know Your On The Celebrity A-List When You See Such Headlines
Lindsay Lohan Crashes Car Again
Charles Barkley arrested on suspicion of DUI
Regis Philbin’s insurer pays for damage to police car
Kim Kardashian caught for speeding
Actor Morgan Freeman is injured in car accident
Salisbury blogger cited in vehicle crash
Charles Barkley arrested on suspicion of DUI
Regis Philbin’s insurer pays for damage to police car
Kim Kardashian caught for speeding
Actor Morgan Freeman is injured in car accident
Salisbury blogger cited in vehicle crash
Today, the Daily Times made my fender bender headline news. I realize that I have become a real threat to the local media but I hadn't realized I had reached A list celebrity status! Man I feel like Steve Martin in the jerk, finally getting my name in the phone book. I am somebody! I am somebody! Seriously folks, a fender bender?
I called Editor Joe Carmean, (without his knowing who I was) and I asked, why would you publish this article? He replied, "because the guy is a criminal." I said, do you know who you're talking to? This is Joe Albero. Now, do tell me how I'm a CRIMINAL! He replied, "you were cited for criminal neglect, failure to maintain control of your motor vehicle." .
I then told Joe that he was making it easy for us to completely screw up the future of the Daily Times (as if they need any help from an outside source). He said, "You're nothing but a bully Albero. All you do is go around bullying people, how does it feel to be at the other end".
In his final statement before he hung up the phone on me, Gannett Daily Times Editor Joe Carmean said, (and I quote) "FUCK YOU JOE ALBERO." Little does Joe Carmean know, I, (at that point) had opened my phone to speaker phone and I was standing with a LOCAL attorney as he yelled that statement to me. The lawyer's eyes bugged out, his jaw dropped and he couldn't believe Joe Carmean would make such a statement. Boy, we must have REALLY pissed off the Daily Times lately!
Many of the comments on the Daily Times article are challenging them stating this isn't news. Well, considering Greg Bassett is constantly telling everyone they are held to a higher standard, would you like to chime in now Greg Bassett? Really, a higher standard? A fender bender accident warrants a top headline? Using a mug shot as an image of the person you're going after and then LYING by stating this was a criminal act.
I think this is a desperate act from a crew on a sinking ship. I can confidently say that The Daily Times will do anything to sell their paper, even using me as bait to boost sales! Thank you Joe, if you'd like I'll let you know whenever I have any interesting events in my life and you can make them your top stories for the day....oops I think I farted. How' s that for a top story?
New Posts to fall below.
McDonald’s Announces End To ‘Pink Slime’ In Burgers
McDonald’s has announced that it will be discontinuing the use of the controversial meat product known as boneless lean beef trimmings in its burgers.
The product was recently brought to the attention of the public by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who derisively referred to it as “pink slime” on an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,
N.J. Governor Apologizes For Civil Rights Remark
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie apologized today for not being "clear enough" in recent discussions of same-sex marriage and the struggles for racial equality.
Bob Jordan, our Gannett correspondent in Trenton, reports that the uproar over Christie's comments reached far enough to draw Georgia civil rights leader John Lewis to Trenton this week to scold the Republican governor.
More
Bob Jordan, our Gannett correspondent in Trenton, reports that the uproar over Christie's comments reached far enough to draw Georgia civil rights leader John Lewis to Trenton this week to scold the Republican governor.
More
BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump To Endorse Mitt Romney
Fox News confirms that Donald Trump will endorse Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. Watch Fox News andFoxNews.com for complete coverage.
From Fox News
From Fox News
Why We Should Regulate Sugar Like Alcohol
(CNN) -- I am a medical sociologist, which means I study the health of whole societies. I've spent more than 20 years studying the best possible ways to address alcohol problems in societies -- what works and what doesn't to protect people from harm.
I work as a professor in the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and at the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute. This allows me to connect with other scientists who come from very different backgrounds but who want to work together on big problems -- think of a Manhattan Project, only one focused on protecting health through the collaboration of scientists who study everything from tiny cells to entire societies.
More
More
Our Counterfeit Economy
The U.S. economy is in effect a counterfeit economy, living on money created from thin air that is unbacked by an equivalent productive expansion of surplus value.
Yesterday we looked at counterfeiting and money printing and discovered they are one in the same: (Counterfeit Money, Counterfeit Policy [13].) If we apply the same analysis to the U.S. economy, we have to conclude the entire U.S. economy is also counterfeit.
The analysis is not as complicated as store-bought economists would have you think. Much of what passes for "economics and finance" is simply distraction, a sophisticated version of bread and circuses.
Let's start with two basic concepts: productive value and surplus value. The classic example of a productive asset is a factory that produces goods that have a market value that exceed the input (production) costs. In other words, the factory produces surplus value.
We can measure value by any number of means: ounces of gold, quatloos, sea shells, etc. To keep things simple, let's just measure value in units. If it costs 10 units to produce a good (including labor, materials, energy inputs, transportation, and a return on the investment to construct and maintain the factory), then the output (products manufactured by the factory) must fetch 11 units in the open market to create 1 unit of surplus that can be invested or spent on consuming other goods or services.
If it takes 10 units of input costs to make a product that is only worth 9 units, then the process generates a net loss. There is no surplus to spend; rather, there is a loss that must be covered by cash, borrowing or the selling of other assets. When the cash, ability to borrow and assets that can be sold all run out, then the enterprise is recognized as insolvent and it closes.
If the factory's output has little to no market value, then the investment is what we call a mal-investment--an investment that only claimed to be valuable because it was speculative or protected from price discovery in a transparent market.
More
Yesterday we looked at counterfeiting and money printing and discovered they are one in the same: (Counterfeit Money, Counterfeit Policy [13].) If we apply the same analysis to the U.S. economy, we have to conclude the entire U.S. economy is also counterfeit.
The analysis is not as complicated as store-bought economists would have you think. Much of what passes for "economics and finance" is simply distraction, a sophisticated version of bread and circuses.
Let's start with two basic concepts: productive value and surplus value. The classic example of a productive asset is a factory that produces goods that have a market value that exceed the input (production) costs. In other words, the factory produces surplus value.
We can measure value by any number of means: ounces of gold, quatloos, sea shells, etc. To keep things simple, let's just measure value in units. If it costs 10 units to produce a good (including labor, materials, energy inputs, transportation, and a return on the investment to construct and maintain the factory), then the output (products manufactured by the factory) must fetch 11 units in the open market to create 1 unit of surplus that can be invested or spent on consuming other goods or services.
If it takes 10 units of input costs to make a product that is only worth 9 units, then the process generates a net loss. There is no surplus to spend; rather, there is a loss that must be covered by cash, borrowing or the selling of other assets. When the cash, ability to borrow and assets that can be sold all run out, then the enterprise is recognized as insolvent and it closes.
If the factory's output has little to no market value, then the investment is what we call a mal-investment--an investment that only claimed to be valuable because it was speculative or protected from price discovery in a transparent market.
More
'Veterans For Weed' Agrees To Name Change After Complaints
A group of veterans calling for the legalization of marijuana plans to change its acronym after the Veterans of Foreign Wars sent a cease-and-desist order to the pot group’s organizers. But a controversial logo will remain, the pot advocates say.
The “Veterans For Weed,” a Milwaukee-based group that says “the real reefer madness” is when veterans get arrested for pot possession, has been using the acronym VFW on its website and promotional materials.
Some Good News For Those Of Us Who Are Sick Of The Corruption
The last four years have been something of a high-water mark for corruption in the US. Whether it’s Solyndra, Congress’s insider trading, MF Global, the countless pork spending bills from Congress, or any number of the other hundred or so incidents that have made decent ordinary people outraged, we’ve definitely entered a period in which everyone knows the deal: the power elite live by a different set of laws than the rest of us.
A record 64 percent of American adults surveyed by Gallup in a poll released Monday rated the honesty and ethical standards for members of Congress as "low" or "very low.
The question all of us are thinking is “when will this change?” The answer has much to do with the nature of corruption itself. Corruption is only possible if the benefits to the parties engaged in it far outweigh the potential consequences.
More
A record 64 percent of American adults surveyed by Gallup in a poll released Monday rated the honesty and ethical standards for members of Congress as "low" or "very low.
The question all of us are thinking is “when will this change?” The answer has much to do with the nature of corruption itself. Corruption is only possible if the benefits to the parties engaged in it far outweigh the potential consequences.
More
Super PACs Helping Republican Candidates Close In On Obama
Conservative super PACs and other outside groups are helping Republicans close a yawning fundraising gap with President Obama, giving the eventual GOP presidential nominee a better chance at winning the money race by November, according to new disclosures Tuesday.
Obama’s fundraising has continued to outpace that of his Republican challengers, amassing four times as much cash on hand at the end of December as front-runner Mitt Romney, records show. Overall, Obama raised $224.6 million in 2011 for his campaign and the Democratic Party, easily eclipsing the combined hauls of the GOP candidates.
Why Are The Chinese Buying Record Quantities oO Gold?
This month, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department reported that China imported 102,779 kilograms of gold from Hong Kong in November, an increase from October’s 86,299 kilograms. Beijing does not release gold trade figures, so for this and other reasons the Hong Kong numbers are considered the best indication of China’s gold imports.
Analysts believe China bought as much as 490 tons of gold in 2011, double the estimated 245 tons in 2010. “The thing that’s caught people’s minds is the massive increase in Chinese buying,” remarked Ross Norman of Sharps Pixley, a London gold brokerage, this month.
So who in China is buying all this gold?
The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, has been hinting that it is purchasing. “No asset is safe now,” said the PBOC’s Zhang Jianhua at the end of last month. “The only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currency—gold.” He also said it was smart strategy to buy on market dips. Analysts naturally jumped on his comment as proof that China, the world’s fifth-largest holder of the metal, is in the market for more.
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Analysts believe China bought as much as 490 tons of gold in 2011, double the estimated 245 tons in 2010. “The thing that’s caught people’s minds is the massive increase in Chinese buying,” remarked Ross Norman of Sharps Pixley, a London gold brokerage, this month.
So who in China is buying all this gold?
The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, has been hinting that it is purchasing. “No asset is safe now,” said the PBOC’s Zhang Jianhua at the end of last month. “The only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currency—gold.” He also said it was smart strategy to buy on market dips. Analysts naturally jumped on his comment as proof that China, the world’s fifth-largest holder of the metal, is in the market for more.
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Colbert Super PAC Lawyer Explains How Campaign Finance Disclosure Is And Isn't Working
Perhaps no man has made Super PACs more well-known than comedian Stephen Colbert. And he wouldn't be able to do that without the help of his attorney, former FEC commissioner Trevor Potter. Potter said the disclosures come too late and too slowly to help voters make decisions.
Krugman Wants To Lock-In 4% To 5% Price Inflation
Yup.
The man wants the Fed to target in that range. Your daily dose of madness from NYT's economist:
... the truth is that recent experience has made an overwhelming case for the proposition that the 2 percent or so implicit target prior to the Great Recession was too low, that 4 or 5 percent would be much better...The thing is, if we’re going to lock in a formal inflation target, now would be a good time to get it right, instead of waiting until the memory of the crisis fades and everyone gets complacent again.
Krugman is clearly not aware, but price inflation is soon headed for more than 5%, what is he going to call for then?
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The man wants the Fed to target in that range. Your daily dose of madness from NYT's economist:
... the truth is that recent experience has made an overwhelming case for the proposition that the 2 percent or so implicit target prior to the Great Recession was too low, that 4 or 5 percent would be much better...The thing is, if we’re going to lock in a formal inflation target, now would be a good time to get it right, instead of waiting until the memory of the crisis fades and everyone gets complacent again.
Krugman is clearly not aware, but price inflation is soon headed for more than 5%, what is he going to call for then?
More
Maryland's Flush Tax Bill Officially Filed - Significant Tax Increases Especially for City Residents
Today - HB-446 was sponsored - commonly referred to as Maryland's Flush Tax. The legislation imposes a signficant increase - (100%) - for individual septic systems and for the city dwellers - well look out - because the cost basis is based on your water consumption. It is based on .09 cents per 1000 gallons of water usage per month for the 1st 2000 gallons - and then it goes to $1.25 per 1000 gallons that exceeds 2000 gallons per month.By now - most Marylanders should be aware that this what your government does - first passes the tax - then - it increases it exponentially each and every year. The bottom line is - there is an elite group of people who believe that they know how to make your decisions for you as opposed to allowing yourself to make the choice.
Please take note of the official sponsors of this Bill and you will come to recognize these individuals as being the most liberal of the left wing of the Democratic party. And lets not forget that the Republicans are also partially to blame to as they also had a hand in this new tax.
Microsoft, American Air Brace For Reported Layoffs
Layoffs are reportedly coming fast to two large U.S. companies. Microsoft will announce plans to reduce 60 divisions down to seven, with significant layoffs, ABC’s KOMO-TV reports, while American Airlines may jettison thousands of workers in its reorganization.
KOMO-TV’s Brad Goode reports the tech company, based in Redmond, Wash., is undergoing a major restructuring and will eliminate numerous redundancies in the marketing division. Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer has been under increasing pressure from shareholders to improve performance.
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KOMO-TV’s Brad Goode reports the tech company, based in Redmond, Wash., is undergoing a major restructuring and will eliminate numerous redundancies in the marketing division. Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer has been under increasing pressure from shareholders to improve performance.
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Secretary Salazar, Governor O’Malley To Announce Decision On Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C. —On Thursday, February 2, 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Interior’s Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Tommy P. Beaudreau will announce a major step towards developing wind energy on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware.
The news conference will be held at the Baltimore World Trade Center at 11:00 am (EDT).
News media wishing to participate should RSVP to boempublicaffairs@boem.gov by noon tomorrow, Wednesday, February 1, 2011. Those unable to attend the conference can participate in a media teleconference, available by dialing 1-800-779-7685 and providing the code OCSWIND.
WHO: Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland
Tommy P. Beaudreau, Director, DOI Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
WHAT: Announcement regarding decision on offshore wind energy development
WHEN: Thursday, February 2, 2012 11:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE: Baltimore World Trade Center
401 E. Pratt Street – 21st Floor (Constellation Room)
Baltimore, MD 21202
The news conference will be held at the Baltimore World Trade Center at 11:00 am (EDT).
News media wishing to participate should RSVP to boempublicaffairs@boem.gov by noon tomorrow, Wednesday, February 1, 2011. Those unable to attend the conference can participate in a media teleconference, available by dialing 1-800-779-7685 and providing the code OCSWIND.
WHO: Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland
Tommy P. Beaudreau, Director, DOI Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
WHAT: Announcement regarding decision on offshore wind energy development
WHEN: Thursday, February 2, 2012 11:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE: Baltimore World Trade Center
401 E. Pratt Street – 21st Floor (Constellation Room)
Baltimore, MD 21202
Florida Businessman, 48, Adopts Adult Girlfriend, 42, As His Daughter
A 48-year-old Florida businessman has legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend as his daughter in what one attorney is calling an attempt to shield assets in a wrongful death civil suit that has entered a "legal twilight zone," according to a judge.
John Goodman, who founded the International Polo Club Beach in Wellington, legally adopted Heather Hutchins on Oct. 13 in Miami-Dade County, according to a court order by Circuit Court Judge Glenn Kelley.
Read more
Maryland Young Republicans Chairman's Statement On Governor O'Malley's State Of The State Address
ANNAPOLIS- Maryland Young Republicans Chairman Brian Griffiths issued the following statement today on Governor Martin O'Malley's State of the State Address.
"In his State of the State Address Today, Martin O'Malley gave a view of a radically changed Maryland. In O'Malley's vision Maryland will become a state where the ability for our citizens, particularly young professionals, to raise a family and prosper will be drastically curtailed. It was unbelievable when Martin O'Malley proposed an increase of nearly $1 billion in state spending and proceeded to tell the public he was cutting spending by $7.5 billion. But it is unfathomable and unconscionable that Martin O'Malley would suggest additional regressive tax hikes that bring serious harm to middle and working class Maryland."
"This Governor talks about choices. However, his choices to date have determined a strong lack of sound judgment. But that goes beyond tax hikes. Governor O'Malley could have built the new schools and bridges he talks about if he had not raided the transportation and capital funds to cover general fund spending. Instead he has replaced those funds with bond debt, meaning we've already been taxed twice for schools and bridges that have not been built.
"The people of Maryland need common sense solutions to our spending problems and job creation. But this Governor fiddles while the middle and working classes suffer. Martin O'Malley time and time again proves that he is not serious about fixing our state's woes as he continues to focus not on his day job, but on his national profile.
"I urge the General Assembly to side with the people of Maryland and join us in rejecting Martin O'Malley's economic radicalism."
"In his State of the State Address Today, Martin O'Malley gave a view of a radically changed Maryland. In O'Malley's vision Maryland will become a state where the ability for our citizens, particularly young professionals, to raise a family and prosper will be drastically curtailed. It was unbelievable when Martin O'Malley proposed an increase of nearly $1 billion in state spending and proceeded to tell the public he was cutting spending by $7.5 billion. But it is unfathomable and unconscionable that Martin O'Malley would suggest additional regressive tax hikes that bring serious harm to middle and working class Maryland."
"This Governor talks about choices. However, his choices to date have determined a strong lack of sound judgment. But that goes beyond tax hikes. Governor O'Malley could have built the new schools and bridges he talks about if he had not raided the transportation and capital funds to cover general fund spending. Instead he has replaced those funds with bond debt, meaning we've already been taxed twice for schools and bridges that have not been built.
"The people of Maryland need common sense solutions to our spending problems and job creation. But this Governor fiddles while the middle and working classes suffer. Martin O'Malley time and time again proves that he is not serious about fixing our state's woes as he continues to focus not on his day job, but on his national profile.
"I urge the General Assembly to side with the people of Maryland and join us in rejecting Martin O'Malley's economic radicalism."
Occupy D.C.’s ‘Tent Of Dreams’ Still Standing. Not Everyone Is Happy.
After a long, possibly sleepless couple of days, protesters in Occupy D.C.’s McPherson Square encampment are still huddling under their blue-tarped “Tent of Dreams.”
The protesters remaining at the camp were celebrating a small victory after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government must provide 24 hours notice before evicting the camp. Throughout the night, “sleep striking” protesters tweeted that Park Police were inspecting tents, but that interactions between officers and protesters were mostly peaceful.
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The protesters remaining at the camp were celebrating a small victory after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government must provide 24 hours notice before evicting the camp. Throughout the night, “sleep striking” protesters tweeted that Park Police were inspecting tents, but that interactions between officers and protesters were mostly peaceful.
More
Delaware Law Enforcement For Special Olympics Hosting “Dodgeball Madness” Tournament At Caesar Rodney High School, Camden DE
Location:
Caesar Rodney High School
239 Old North Road
Camden, DE 19934
Date of Occurrence:
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time:
Check in at 8:00 a.m.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m.
Resume:
Delaware Law Enforcement for Special Olympics is hosting a Dodgeball Tournament to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Delaware on Saturday, March 24, 2012 beginning at 8:00 a.m. The tournament will be held in the Caesar Rodney High School Gymnasium.
The tournament will consist of the first 30 teams to register. Those 30 teams will be divided into 3 different brackets with trophies being awarded to the winning team in each bracket.
The minimum age to participate is 16 years old. Teams must consist of six players and may have two alternate players. Teams can consist of all male, female, or co-ed members. Each team is guaranteed to play in at least six games. Games will be played under the rules and regulations of the National Dodgeball League. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase on site.
Last year's inaugural Dodgeball Madness event raised over $8000.00 for Special Olympics Delaware.
The entry fee for each team member is $50.00. All team members will receive a Dodgeball Madness event t-shirt. Deadline to register is Friday, March 9, 2012. To register for the event, please visit www.sode.org or call Special Olympics Delaware (302)-831-3482.
Caesar Rodney High School
239 Old North Road
Camden, DE 19934
Date of Occurrence:
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time:
Check in at 8:00 a.m.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m.
Resume:
Delaware Law Enforcement for Special Olympics is hosting a Dodgeball Tournament to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Delaware on Saturday, March 24, 2012 beginning at 8:00 a.m. The tournament will be held in the Caesar Rodney High School Gymnasium.
The tournament will consist of the first 30 teams to register. Those 30 teams will be divided into 3 different brackets with trophies being awarded to the winning team in each bracket.
The minimum age to participate is 16 years old. Teams must consist of six players and may have two alternate players. Teams can consist of all male, female, or co-ed members. Each team is guaranteed to play in at least six games. Games will be played under the rules and regulations of the National Dodgeball League. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase on site.
Last year's inaugural Dodgeball Madness event raised over $8000.00 for Special Olympics Delaware.
The entry fee for each team member is $50.00. All team members will receive a Dodgeball Madness event t-shirt. Deadline to register is Friday, March 9, 2012. To register for the event, please visit www.sode.org or call Special Olympics Delaware (302)-831-3482.
Egypt TV: 73 Die In Clashes After Soccer Match
(AP)
CAIRO - Egyptian state TV has raised the death toll to 73 after fans of rival soccer teams rushed the field, hurling stones and sticks at each other and sparking a stampede.
State TV cited the Health Ministry and says 1,000 other people were injured in Wednesday's melee.
Couple Indicted For Imprisoning Daughter For 10 Years
TEL AVIV – A couple living in the West Bank has been indicted for keeping the husband’s daughter locked up in small dark rooms for 10 years.
The State Attorney’s office in the Israeli town of Petah Tikva filed charges Tuesday against the couple, both Israeli-Arabs, for locking up the now 22-year-old woman since she was 11, abusing her and encouraging her to kill herself.
LEADER OF SALISBURY DRUG CONSPIRACY SENTENCED TO OVER 14 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz, sentenced Jameal Gould, a/k/a “Milio,” age 29, of Salisbury, Maryland, today to 175 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis; and Chief Michael Phillips of the Fruitland Police Department of the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force.
According to Gould’s guilty plea, from November 2009, through January 2010, Jameal Gould conspired with a number of other individuals to distribute powder and crack cocaine in and around Salisbury, Maryland. Gould admitted that he assisted other members of the organization by negotiating with cocaine suppliers and obtaining kilogram quantities of cocaine for distribution by the co-defendants. During the investigation of this drug conspiracy, law enforcement utilized wire intercepts of the cellular telephones of Gould and his co-conspirators, during which Gould was intercepted discussing obtaining amounts of cocaine and referring potential buyers to other members of the organization.
On December 2, 2009, Gould and several co-conspirators, including Erica Vogt, were under surveillance while in New York, where a vehicle stop was conducted on the Cadillac Escalade being operated by Gould. A search revealed an empty trap. A search warrant was obtained for Vogt’s vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of cocaine.
Gould admitted that he, along with other members of the conspiracy, conspired to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine, as well as crack cocaine.
Co-conspirator Erica Vogt, age 23, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charge and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force and Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Christine Celeste, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to drug cases, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis; and Chief Michael Phillips of the Fruitland Police Department of the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force.
According to Gould’s guilty plea, from November 2009, through January 2010, Jameal Gould conspired with a number of other individuals to distribute powder and crack cocaine in and around Salisbury, Maryland. Gould admitted that he assisted other members of the organization by negotiating with cocaine suppliers and obtaining kilogram quantities of cocaine for distribution by the co-defendants. During the investigation of this drug conspiracy, law enforcement utilized wire intercepts of the cellular telephones of Gould and his co-conspirators, during which Gould was intercepted discussing obtaining amounts of cocaine and referring potential buyers to other members of the organization.
On December 2, 2009, Gould and several co-conspirators, including Erica Vogt, were under surveillance while in New York, where a vehicle stop was conducted on the Cadillac Escalade being operated by Gould. A search revealed an empty trap. A search warrant was obtained for Vogt’s vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of cocaine.
Gould admitted that he, along with other members of the conspiracy, conspired to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine, as well as crack cocaine.
Co-conspirator Erica Vogt, age 23, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charge and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force and Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Christine Celeste, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to drug cases, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Salisbury School Teacher Arrested (Letter To The Editor)
At 7:30 this morning a Parkside school teacher Christine Wenker was arrested at the SBY airport for disorderly conduct. This woman made a complete ass of herself when she arrived at the airport late with her daughter. When her daughter was denied travel because she missed the flight, this oh not so nice, ignorant, obnoxious and embarrassment of a school teacher proceeded to go off at the USAIR personnel and then on the Deputy on duty. She was given warning after warning that she would be arrested and I guess she is deaf because she just kept on yelling and creating a scene.
Nice teachers we have in Salisbury. I'm glad my child does not go to Parkside!
Publishers Notes: This has been confirmed by WCSO.
Nice teachers we have in Salisbury. I'm glad my child does not go to Parkside!
Publishers Notes: This has been confirmed by WCSO.
Alabama Immigration Crackdown Costs State Up To $11 Bln: Study
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's crackdown onillegal immigrants, widely seen as the toughest in the United States, has cost the state's economy up to $10.8 billion, according to a new study.
The Alabama law, passed in June, requires police to detain people they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally if they cannot produce proper documentation when stopped for any reason, among other measures.
The cost-benefit analysis by University of Alabama economist Samuel Addy estimated up to 80,000 jobs were vacated by illegal immigrants fleeing the crackdown, costing Alabama's economy up to $10.8 billion.
DAYS AFTER ‘TACO’ BLUNDER, EAST HAVEN MAYOR ASKS IF LATINO APPOINTEE IS ‘NOT DARK ENOUGH FOR YOU’
The mayor of East Haven, Connecticut Joseph Maturo Jr. landed in hot water last week when he suggested he’d “have tacos when I go home” as a Latino outreach tactic. Just days after apologizing for the remark, Maturo served up yet another questionable remark regarding his recent appointment of a Puerto Rican to an advisory board. When asked why he selected a man “of Puerto Rican descent as opposed to one from the dominant group of Ecuadorians,” Maturo replied, “I picked a Latino. Did it have to come from a certain section of the country?” He then added, “Is he not dark enough for you? Light enough for you?” Reacting to the latest comments, Governor Dan Malloy (D-CT) told PIX 11 News, “It’s ridiculous quite frankly. He should be embarrassed by a lot of things that he has said and done since he was reelected.”
Why Is Obama So Chicken, Unwilling To Even Address The Question Of Pot And The Failed Drug War?
“We need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.”
Can you guess which 2012 presidential candidate said the above statement? You’d be forgiven for thinking Ron Paul, or even Gary Johnson, since both have publicly advocated for reforming our country’s drug laws. You’d be forgiven for guessing anyone but Barack Obama, based on his actions during the past few years, but it was. It may be hard to believe, but President Obama is the same person who once called for reforming our marijuana laws, and deemed the drug war an “utter failure” during his 2004 campaign for the US Senate. Despite previous calls for reform, on Monday night, when faced with over 70,000 individuals urging him to address the issue of marijuana prohibition, Obama's only response was his silence. NORML and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition posted two of the most popular questions submitted to the White House’s recent Q&A on YouTube, alongside hundreds of others on the topic of marijuana law reform, but Obama offered no response or acknowledgement.
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