WCSO Press Release 6-23-15 (Part 2 of 2)

Incident: Assault

Date of Incident: 21 June 2015

Location: 700 block of Friar Tuck Lane, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Ronnie Lee McClean, 55, Salisbury, MD

Ronnie McClean

Narrative: On 21 June 2015 at 10:16 PM a deputy responded to a residence in the 700 block of Friar Tuck Lane in reference to a reported domestic related disturbance. Upon arrival, the deputy met with a male victim who advised that he had been assaulted by Ronnie McClean during an argument. Both the male victim and McClean resided together. During the investigation, the deputy observed signs of injury that corroborated the account.

The deputy placed McClean under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained McClean in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

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Incident: WCSO Warrant Arrests

Date of Incident: 16 June 2015

        

     On 16 June 2015 a deputy arrested Kaitlin Elizabeth Frantz, 20 of Salisbury, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Frantz failed to appear for a Theft case. Frantz was detained on a bond of $20,000.00.

Kaitlin Frantz

    On 16 June 2015 a deputy arrested Katherine Anne Palguta, 26 of Preston, MD; on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Palguta violated the terms of her pre-trial release in a case where she was charged with CDS Possession. Palguta was detained without bond.

Katherine Palguta

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Incident: WCSO Warrant Arrests

Date of Incident: 17/18 June 2015

On 17 June 2015 a deputy arrested Dana Lynn Chamberlain, 36 of Salisbury, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Chamberlain failed to appear for an Assault 2nd Degree case. Chamberlain was detained on a bond of $10,000.00

Dana Chamberlin

On 18 June 2015 a deputy arrested Victor Vaughn Armwood Jr., 28 of Salisbury, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued in connection with a Child Support Case. Armwood was detained on a bond of $500.00

Victor Armwood

On 18 June 2015 a deputy arrested Melissa Ray Cooper, 37 of Willards, MD; on a District Court Bench Warrant. The Warrant was issued after Cooper failed to appear for a Driving Uninsured case. Cooper was detained on a bond of $1,000.00

Melissa Cooper

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Incident: Fugitive from Delaware

Date of Incident: 20 June 2015

Location: 9000 block of Ocean Highway, Delmar, MD

Suspect: Samantha Rose Krumm, 24, Delmar, MD

Samantha Krumm

Narrative: On 20 June 2015 at 9:00 PM a deputy located a wanted fugitive from the State of Delaware at XXXX. Upon discovering that Delaware authorities wanted Krumm in connection with a CDS Possession with the Intent to Deliver case, the deputy placed Krumm under arrest.

Krumm was transported to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Krumm was detained without bond pending extradition back to Delaware.

Charges: Fugitive from the State of Delaware

 Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date:  23 June 2015

Hammerhead Shark Birthed About 20 Pups Before Dying, Witnesses Say

OCEAN CITY — More details emerged on Tuesday about the mature 10-foot female hammerhead caught by surf anglers early Monday morning and the frantic attempt to return at least 20 pups she birthed on the beach back into the ocean.

Just after midnight on Monday, a group, including Jess Rutherford and her brother Chad, of Harford County, along with friend Cory Yoviene of Easton, were surf fishing and hanging out on the beach at 144th Street. About a block south, another group was surf fishing at 143rd Street when they had an unusual and quite substantial catch, a roughly 10-foot female hammerhead.

Jess Rutherford said her group could hear the other group yelling and screaming about their large and unexpected catch and they ran down the beach to see what the commotion was all about. The other group had beached the hammerhead and were attempting to put the ailing shark back into the ocean. Rutherford and her group helped them attempt to put the shark back in the ocean when they made a surprise discovery.

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Colorado teen dies from rare case of plague

A 16-year-old boy in Colorado who appeared to have the common flu has died from a rare case of the plague, officials said.

Taylor Gaes' illness didn't present with the telltale sign of the infection -- swollen lymph nodes -- which would have alerted officials to the illness sooner, said Katie O'Donnell, a Larimer County Health Department spokeswoman.

Instead, he suffered from a fever and muscle aches, which at first made his sickness look like the flu.

The plague is "very rare, which makes it hard to diagnose," O'Donnell said Saturday. Taylor died June 8 but officials revealed his illness Friday.

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BREAKING NEWS: Obama to change longstanding policy of hostage ransoms

In a softening of longstanding policy, the Obama administration will tell families of Americans held by terror groups that they can communicate with captors and even pay ransom without fear of prosecution — part of a broad review of U.S. hostage guidelines that will be released Wednesday.

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MARYLAND TASK FORCE INCLUDED IN NATIONAL INITIATIVE “OPERATION BROKEN HEART”

Maryland State Police Press Release

(Columbia, MD) Maryland’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force participated in “Operation Broken Heart,” a nationwide, two month push targeting child sexual exploitation offenders.

The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) was one of 61 task forces included in the two month initiative, “Operation Broken Heart II.” This coordinated effort by law enforcement representing more than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with the purpose of arresting as many child predators as possible, along with internet safety education and outreach. Members from the Maryland ICAC worked tirelessly during the months of April and May in support of this initiative. Their efforts resulted in a total of 949 investigations initiated. Investigators executed 136 search warrants with 86 arrests. There were also six public outreach sessions which reached over 9,500 people. Investigators educated over 2,600 individuals during 45 educational programs.

The Maryland ICAC Task Force, comprised of police agencies from around the state, concentrated on those offenders who possess, manufacture, and distribute child pornography; engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes; child prostitution, and those traveling abroad to sexually abuse foreign children. The Task Force’s primary mission continues to be to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. This goal is achieved by cooperation between law enforcement agencies and prosecutors as they combine resources to combat these crimes. Additionally, the Task Force provides community awareness campaigns helping to prevent the spread of these crimes through education.

CONTACT: LT. Matthew Kail
Commander, Computer Crimes Section
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
410-653-4236

SPD Press Release 6-23-15 (Shoplifting Arrests)

Pension tidal wave is about to crash down on taxpayers

The New Jersey legislature, looking to solve a budget crisis back in 1992, passed a bill that changed some of the accounting principles of the state's government employee pension system. The technical changes, little understood at the time, made the system seem in better financial shape than it actually was, allowing the legislature to reduce contributions for pensions by $1.5 billion over the next two years. Legislators seized those extra dollars and redirected them into other spending.

Jersey officials could manipulate their pension system because local governments have latitude in how they run their own retirement plans. So what they did was not unique. Around the country, state and local officials have increasingly discovered over the years that they can exploit the complex and sometimes ill-defined accounting of government pension systems, as well as loopholes in their own laws governing those pensions.

Over time, elected officials came to promise workers politically popular new benefits without setting aside the money to pay for them, declared "holidays" from contributions into pension systems and changed their own accounting systems midstream to make the systems seem better funded — all just ways of passing obligations on to future taxpayers. In the process, government pension systems became one of the chief vehicles that state and local politicians used to massage their budgets.

Now we face the consequences. Our elected representatives played a deceptive game of chicken with pension funds. And now the chickens have come home to roost.

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Top US CEO's Make 300 Times what Workers Earn

How do you value the efforts of America's top chief executives? Are they worth 10 times what their average worker makes, 20 times or even 100 times?

The current answer appears to be a ratio of more than 300-to-1, according to a new study from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The meteoric rise of CEO pay is nothing short of breathtaking, outpacing not only the wages of ordinary workers, but also gains in the stock market and the not-too-shabby rise of income among America's 0.1 percent of top earners.

Surging CEO pay has potentially negative implications for other employees, leaving less on the table for wages, benefits and other compensation. Top execs at large public companies are keeping about 10 percent of their companies' net profits, about double the rate in the early 1990s, according to the AFL-CIO.

While some would argue that CEOs are earning more because they provide extraordinary benefits to their companies, EPI president Lawrence Mishel says the evidence doesn't support that.

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Theses States Depend on 'O Phone' the Most

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to expand Lifeline, a government program that subsidizes telephone service for the poor. Yet very little is understood about the people who depend on the assistance.

California, New York and Florida are among the states that depend on the subsidy the most. The Golden State tops the list with about 1.5 million subscribers, according to data from the Universal ServiceAdministrative Company (USAC), while the Empire State has just under 1 million. Wyoming and South Dakota have the fewest subscribers.

States and tribal territories that offer both of the top Lifeline providers—Assurance Wireless, a subsidiary of Virgin Mobile, and SafeLink Wireless, a subsidy of TracFone—tend to have the largest subscriber figures, according to Philip Colvin of USAC, which serves as the program's administrator.

He added that those mobile providers are the most aggressive at promoting Lifeline plans, which is probably why they have the most subscribers.

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Supreme Court Caught Messing With Marriage Case?

A series of events that has been described as a “troubling turn” has been found to have taken place at the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the justices’ looming decision on marriage – whether they will affirm the millennia old standard of one man and one woman or whether they will create a right to homosexual “marriage.”

The report is from the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C., the workplace of Olson, who served in several positions for the Reagan administration, and Herb Titus, a longtime constitutional law professor.

The organization has issued a series of reports on the issue of marriage, under funding from the United States Justice Foundation.

The circumstances concern efforts to have Ruth Ginsburg and Elena Kagan recused from the marriage case because they both have taken public advocacy positions for same-sex “marriage” by performing those ceremonies even while the case was pending before the justices.

More here

Israel Fires Back At UN Report

A UN report released Monday found both Israel and Palestinians committed “serious violations” of international law and possible war crimes in last summer’s seven-week battle in Gaza, a finding Israel swiftly denounced.

The report from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council was expected to come down on Israel, which publicized a preemptive report last week from military and political leaders around the world that determined Israel went to lengths above and beyond international requirements to minimize civilian casualties.

The report called for Israel to “break with its recent lamentable track record in holding wrongdoers accountable,” but also cited Palestinian militants for the “inherently indiscriminate nature” of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel and condemned Hamas’ summary executions of suspected collaborators.

Israel swiftly moved to dispute the report’s findings.

"In defending itself against attacks, Israel's military acted according to the highest international standards," the Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said the findings failed to differentiate between Israel's" moral behavior" and the actions of Palestinian "terror organizations."

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which the report said also may have committed war crimes in firing rockets at Israeli civilian population centers.

The Israeli government refused to cooperate with the Human Rights Council investigation, citing past reports it believes were biased against the Jewish State, and a former panel chairman who led inquiries even as he did legal work for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

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Actor Dick Van Patten Has Died. He was 86

Breaking News: Dick Van Patten, who starred in the Eight Is Enough - TV Show, died Tuesday morning at age 86. 

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Its About Time

The U.S. Park Police has replaced longstanding policy for how it treats pregnant employees. The Washington Post reports that now the Park Police follow procedures under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which requires accommodation of pregnant women only after the pregnancy hinders their ability to work. Under the old policy, women were required to tell Park Service supervisors the moment they became pregnant. The policy change comes in response to a lawsuit by former officer Renee Abt. She also received a $300,000 pain-and-suffering settlement.

5 Bullets to Save 1,000 People From 4 Terrorists

WCSO Press Release 6-23-15 (Part 1 of 2)

Incident: Assault

Date of Incident: 11 June 2015

Location: 34000 block of Main Street, Pittsville, MD

Suspect: 1. Herman R. Baumgartner, 50, Pittsville, MD

Herman Baumgartner

               2. Christy Marie Baumgartner, 38, Pittsville, MD

Christy Baumgartner

Narrative: On 11 June 2015 at 8:13 PM a deputy responded to a reported domestic related altercation at a residence in the 34000 block of Main Street in Pittsville, MD. Upon arrival the deputy met with Herman and Christy Baumgartner who were husband and wife. Both told the deputy that each had been assaulted by the other. The deputy also observed that they both were visibly intoxicated. During the investigation the deputy observed signs on both that supported their claims of being assaulted.

Believing that a mutual assault had taken place, the deputy placed both under arrest and transported them to the Central Booking Unit where they were processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following their initial appearance, both were detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond each.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

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Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Date of Incident: 14 June 2015

Location: N/B Salisbury Blvd. at E. Ruark Drive, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Gisela Tula Teles, 34, Salisbury, MD

No Photo Available

Narrative: On 14 June 2015 at 3:32 AM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Gisela Teles for erratic driving on N/B Salisbury Blvd. Upon making contact with Teles, the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from within the vehicle. Based on the odor and other physical indicators, the deputy initiated sobriety testing. At the conclusion of the tests, the deputy placed Teles under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing Teles provided a breath sample with a result of .11.

Teles was released upon the issuance of citations.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Per Se

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Incident: Assault

Date of Incident: 19 June 2015

Location: 100 block of Onley Road, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Tyler D. Truitt, 30, Salisbury, MD

No Photo Available

Narrative: On 19 June 2015 at 2:27 AM a deputy responded to a reported domestic related altercation in the 100 block of Onley Road in Salisbury. Upon arrival the deputy met with a visibly distraught female who advised that she was involved in an altercation with her child’s father, Tyler Truitt that turned physical. It was alleged that Truitt kicked the female subject in the stomach and punched her in the ear as she was trying to make a call. The victim further told the deputy that she was assaulted “several times” and during the investigation the deputy observed signs of injury and a torn shirt on the victim the corroborated her account.

The deputy placed Truitt under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Truitt in the Detention Center in lieu of $15,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

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Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Date of Incident: 21 June 2015

Location: 1000 block of Robins Avenue, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Dalton Perry Baker, 19, Salisbury, MD

No Photo Available

Narrative: On 21 June 2015 at 7:39 PM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Dalton Baker for erratic driving on Robins Avenue in Salisbury. Upon making contact with Baker, the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. Based on the odor and other physical indicators, the deputy initiated sobriety testing. It was following these tests that the deputy placed Baker under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing Dalton provided a breath sample with a result of .12.

Dalton was released upon the issuance of citations.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Per Se

                                                                         

Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date:  23 June 2015

Karachi heat wave kills more than 400 people

KARACHI (Reuters) - A heat wave has killed more than 400 people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi over the past three days, health officials said on Tuesday, as they set up emergency medical camps in the streets.

The heat wave coincides with major power cuts, leading to harsh criticism of the provincial government and K-electric, the company that supplies electricity to Karachi, the country's richest city and home to 20 million people.

One of Karachi's biggest public hospitals said all its beds were full, with more than 200 people dying there of dehydration or heat exhaustion.

"Some were brought in dead, while others died during treatment," said Dr Seemin Jamali, joint director at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Civil Hospital was also full of heatstroke patients. A few old fans blew the sweltering air past stray cats sprawled in the dark corridoors as friends of an unconcious policeman rushed outside to buy him the cold water the hospital could not provide.

"This is how it is. No one cares for common poor man here," Khadim Ali complained as he fanned his cousin, Shahad Ali, a 40-year-old vegetable vendor who collapsed in the heat.

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SAMSUNG MAKES BIG TRUCKS TRANSPARENT IN THE NAME OF ROAD SAFETY

Korean company has stitched together a video wall of four displays at the rear of the truck

It was remarkably simple: put a camera on the front of large, slow-moving trucks and connect it to video displays on the back, thereby informing trailing drivers whether it’s safe to overtake the big rig. That’s the exact same idea that Samsung is now pursuing with a new prototype truck. Making use of its abundance of outdoor displays, the Korean company has stitched together a video wall of four displays at the rear of the truck, which transmits video captured by a wireless camera at the front.

Samsung says it’s now working to obtain regulatory approval for the deployment of its so-called Safety Truck, however the idea doesn’t appear economically practical at large scale. The camera might be cheap and simple enough to install, but four displays per truck would be a major investment for any transport company to make, especially since it wouldn’t lead to any direct financial benefit. Still, it’s impressive that Samsung has managed to overcome the technical challenges (like solar glare) of realizing this otherwise laudable idea.

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Pakistan heat wave death toll spikes towards 450

Paramilitary forces set up emergency medical camps in Karachi ahead of expected break in sweltering conditions.

A heat wave has killed almost 450 people in Pakistan's south over the past three days, with paramilitary forces beginning to set up emergency medical camps in the streets, health officials have said.

Most of the deaths have been in the southern port city of Karachi where temperatures in the surrounding Sindh province reached up to 45C on Saturday.

Hospitals have been swamped with people suffering from heatstroke and dehydration, while repeated power outages have left many without air conditioning or running water.

The electricity grid, run by a private company, K-electric, has been overwhelmed as people switch on fans and air conditioners, and as families begin to cook at the same time during the month of Ramadan.

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Whoopi Goldberg and ‘The View’ Get Fooled by Fake Story About Christian Pastor

During Monday’s episode of the ABC daytime talk show “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg and the crew were fooled by a fake news website that claimed pastor John Hagee of San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church wanted women prosecuted if they said “God” during sex.

Watch the women of “The View” tee off on Pastor Hagee:

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Los Angeles Police Shoot Unarmed Man in Head – And Then Handcuff Him

Man with towel around hand appeared to flag officers down for help...

An unarmed man was shot in the head and critically wounded by Los Angeles police officers on Friday night, after he appeared to be flagging them down for assistance.

A passerby recorded graphic video of the incident from a car, and then posted it on Twitter. The video showed officers turning over the man, who appeared to be unconscious and lying on his face, and handcuffing his hands behind his back as his head bled profusely.

The Los Angeles police department said the man, who was not immediately named, had a towel wrapped around his hand and the two officers believed he was concealing a weapon.

The man reportedly waved over the officers in their patrol car in the quiet Los Feliz area of LA, north-east of Hollywood, at about 6.30pm. The officers got out of their vehicle and one ordered the man to “drop the gun”, LAPD lieutenant John Jenal told local television news on Friday night.

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Opinion analysis: Is the New Deal in new trouble?

Analysis

One of the more durable legacies of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s was the idea that the farm economy can be bolstered by paying growers to keep some of their crop off the market, or paying them not to grow some of it at all. One of those programs ran into a high constitutional fence on Monday, raising at least some question about how long the idea can continue unchanged.

Depending on how farmers, and their lawyers, interpret the new decision in Horne v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, it could pose a threat to a wide range of government subsidy programs that seek to keep crop prices up by keeping supply down. That formula has been used since 1949 for the California raisin industry under a 1937 farm law, but its future is in doubt. What happens to other farm regulatory programs will have to await further development.

The feature of the raisin program that a Court majority condemned constitutionally is that growers are required to turn over full control of a part of their annual crop to the government, to be held off the market temporarily to push up prices for the annual crop as a whole. Whether the growers get anything back, after the government finds ways to dispose of those put in the set-aside bin, was the feature that led the majority to say it is a form of government seizure for which the growers must get fair compensation under the Fifth Amendment.

Although eight of the nine Justices agreed that the raisin program does involve a form of “taking” private property for public use, three of those eight split off from the others on the question of whether the amount the growers were now due for the takeover of their raisins could be settled now.

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Judge Assigned In Freddie Gray Case; Next Week's Arraignment Cancelled

A judge and a trial date has been set for the six Baltimore City Police officers charged in the April death of Freddie Gray, who died from spinal cord injuries in police custody.

The Maryland Judiciary named Baltimore City Circuit Judge Barry Williams to hear the case.

The arraignment for the six officers which is set for Thursday of next week has been cancelled, with a deadline set for Friday for the officers to submit not guilty pleas in writing.

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Obama Uses N-Word: US 'Not Cured' of Racism

President Barack Obama said the United States has not overcome its history of racism and is using the N-word to make his case.

In an interview, Obama weighed in on the debate over race and guns that has erupted after the arrest of a white man for the racially motivated shooting deaths of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina.

"Racism, we are not cured of it," Obama said. "And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

Obama's remarks came during an interview out Monday with comedian Marc Maron for his popular podcast, where crude language is often part of the discussion.

The president said while attitudes about race have improved significantly since he was born to a white mother and black father, the legacy of slavery "casts a long shadow and that's still part of our DNA that's passed on."

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Kayaker Catches Shark Off Ocean City NJ

A kayaker off the coast of Ocean City reeled in a 6-foot shark on Wednesday night.

The catch was made about 200 yards from the 58th Street beach according to WCAU TV.

The shark, a 6-foot Thresher, was released back into the ocean after people gathered around the shark and took pictures as it lay on the beach.

Willdlife experts tell WMGM TV that Thresher sharks are not known for attacking people.

Source

I'm In Serious Trouble

Welcome To OSHA's World of Reality in Maryland

CONSERVATIVE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATOR PREVIEWS PLANS TO BATTLE ESTABLISHMENT PUSH TO RIP DOWN FLAG

Nine dollars per minute. Fifty-three thousand American dollars per day.

This is what it will take to defeat “that damn Confederate flag.” Is that worth it to the taxpayers of South Carolina?

Senator Tom Davis, of Beaufort, says that “debate on the Confederate Battle Flag in the Senate it would likely take a minimum of two weeks, and perhaps longer,” and, considering Davis’ last cause (defeating a gas-tax increase), may actually take longer given the State Senate’s desire to give every member his or her own say. “This isn’t an issue where the State Senate will cut off debate in any sort of expedited manner,” says Davis. “There will be every effort made to ensure that senators will have every opportunity to say everything they want to say.”

I’ve talked to many a legislator regarding “the flag,” and they are saying 99% of the emails, snail mail, or phone calls they are getting, come from people who are not South Carolinians. They do not have a say in this matter. Much like what actually spurred on the Civil War, these people are coming in from a national level and telling South Carolina how to run its government—and, as it did then, it’s working.

As Governor Nikki Haley is known to do, she is predictably kowtowing to national pressure. For instance, as Haley said in her ’04 House election, “It was settled and it has been put away. And I don’t have any intentions of bringing it back up or making it an issue.” (Emphasis mine.) In addition to her damning quote, her spokesman Rob Godfrey said, “if the people aren’t focused on the flag, it’s hard to see why the governor and General Assembly should be.”

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As Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Treats Cancer, Lt. Gov. Thrust Into Bigger Spotlight

Boyd Rutherford was shocked when he got a call more than a year ago from a little-known Republican businessman who was mounting an improbable campaign for governor.

The man on the other end of the line, Larry Hogan, wanted to know whether Rutherford -- who had never before considered seeking public office -- would be his running mate in a statewide campaign almost no one thought was winnable.

Once again, the 58-year-old Rutherford will be thrust into the spotlight unexpectedly, as Hogan undergoes weeks of treatment, including chemotherapy, and recovery. The governor announced Monday he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

"We keep piling more and more work on him," Hogan said of Rutherford after announcing he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. "Boyd has my back, there's no question about that."

And, Hogan added, "He is going to step up and do even more."

For Rutherford -- the third African-American to serve as Maryland's lieutenant governor -- taking on a more public role will represent a departure from a career that has largely played out behind the scenes. Colleagues describe Rutherford as reserved, level-headed and animated more by the inner workings of government than by politics.

Rutherford once called himself as an "operations person" who enjoys "making the trains run on time."

"He has a keen understanding of how the processes of government work," said Michael S. Steele, who was lieutenant governor under Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., and who worked with Rutherford during that time.

"He has a keen understanding of the difference between what government should do and what it does do," Steele said.

The Maryland Constitution is clear on the transfer of power in the governor's office, even in temporary circumstances. If Hogan is unable to serve his full term, Rutherford would become governor for the rest of it.

If the governor is temporarily unable to perform his duties, the lieutenant governor would become acting governor "when notified in writing by the governor" or if the governor is "disabled" and "unable to communicate."

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Columbia, South Carolina Rescinds Decision To Criminalize Homelessness

Columbia, South Carolina has decided to rescind its controversial decision tocriminalize homelessness after facing major backlash from police, city workers and advocates.

Columbia’s city council decided on Tuesday to reverse its unanimous vote that would have given homeless people the choice to either go to a remote shelter or get arrested, according to the Free Times. The council apologized, backtracked on its decision and said it would give homeless people the option to go to the shelter, but would not force them to.

“I will take responsibility for that getting into the public discourse,” Councilman Cameron Runyan said on Tuesday about his suggestion to force homeless people into confinement, according to the Free Times. “That is not the desire…We are not going to forcibly confine anyone.”

Runyan’s softer stance is a far cry from his stern Aug. 13 declaration.

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Walker Wows Social Conservatives, Puts GOP Rivals On Notice

Just weeks away from possibly joining the 2016 race, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker thrilled a crowd of social conservatives Saturday night with a withering attack on President Obama’s record while putting his potential GOP rivals on notice that he plans to run on his record as a get-it-done governor.

Mr. Walker sought to convince the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s 2015 Road to the Majority Conference he may be the best choice for president, repeatedly citing his record of success in Wisconsin that includes a balanced budget, concessions from unions and pro-faith policies.

“We fight the good fight and win those fights over and over and over again,” he said.

Mr. Walker also mocked the president on national security, citing Mr. Obama’s recent speech in which he said climate change was the biggest threat facing America.

“I’ve got a message for you, Mr. President. The number one threat to the military, the number one threat to America, the number one threat to the world is radical Islam. It’s time we do something about it,” he said to roaring cheers.

More here

Why Is Rachel D. Less 'Authentic' Than Barry O.?

If the least attentive of news watchers this past month can identify only two people by sight, one of them is surely Rachel Dolezal (pronounced DOLE-uh-zhal).

Rachel, of course, has spent the last decade passing for a black woman. And say what you will about her authenticity or lack of it, she, unlike other famous transitional types in the news, is not insisting we call her by a new name like, say, “Shamiqua.”

Or “Barack.”

In his memoir, “Dreams from My Father,” Barack Obama tells the story of how he transitioned from “Barry” to “Barack.”

“Regina,” a coed from Chicago’s South Side, somehow found her way to Southern California’s pricy Occidental College. In “Dreams,” Obama described her as “a big, dark woman who wore stockings and dresses that looked homemade.”

Although the character was largely fictional, Obama assigned Regina a tangible real-life task. It was she who convinced Obama to abandon the name “Barry,” a name that presumably sounded much too white and middle class.

“Do you mind if I call you Barack?” she asked. “Not as long as you say it right,” he answered. Coming straight from the motherland, Obama’s baby daddy, Barack Obama Sr., pronounced his name bear-ick, not buh-rock.

Barack Senior himself was known as “Barry” when he was in Hawaii. When Obama visited Africa, well after he became “Barack,” all of his kin called him “Barry.” It was Obama who would contrive the new pronunciation, perhaps because the new pronunciation sounded more forceful, more revolutionary, more black.

In February 2001, as part of an oral history on black America, Julieanna Richardson interviewed then-state Sen. Barack Obama. Obama told Richardson that his childhood in Hawaii was “idyllic” and that “the image that [he] had of being a black American was almost exclusively positive.”

He added, “All the children around me were of some mixture, and so I was not unusual or untypical in Hawaii.” He mentioned not a single racial affront.

Obama was either deceiving Richardson or deceiving the readers of “Dreams.” The evidence suggests the latter. David Remnick, the author of “The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama,” conceded that Obama “darkens the canvas” in “Dreams” and that many of the grievances cited were “novelistic contrivances.”

More here

Former Red Light Camera CEO Pleads Guilty To Bribing Officials

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN) -- The former CEO of a red-light camera company has pled guilty to issuing bribes to city officials in Columbus and Cincinnati, to keep the cameras up and running.

Karen Finley, of Arizona, admitted in court that between 2005 and 2013, the company made campaign contributions to elected officials.

According to the Dispatch, the bribes were taken by the Ohio Democratic Party, and the campaign of Andrew Ginther solicited for the bribe to keep the cameras operating in late 2011.

In a release from the US District Attorney's Office, "According to admissions made in connection with her plea, Finley and others, including another executive of the company, agreed to provide the conduit campaign contributions with the understanding that the elected public officials would assist the company in obtaining or retaining municipal contracts, including a photo red light enforcement contract with the City of Columbus."

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Beached Hammerhead Shark Discovered In Fenwick Reportedly Birthed Pups In OC

OCEAN CITY — While the details remain unclear, it appears a beached hammerhead shark birthed two or three pups on the beach in north Ocean City early Monday morning before dying and eventually washing ashore in neighboring Fenwick Island.
It is unclear if the large hammerhead was caught by surf anglers or washed ashore deceased, but what is known is the shark birthed two or three healthy pups that were returned safely to the ocean. Witnesses report the pups were fine and swam off in the ocean.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) on Monday confirmed the hammerhead did have pups on the beach in north Ocean City early this morning. National Aquarium officials also reported they were contacted by the NRP early on Monday to consult with officials on the beach on how to handle the beached shark, but did not respond in a rescue capacity after learning the hammerhead was already deceased.

NRP Public Information Officer Candy Thompson outlined the sequence of events as her agency knows it according to its dispatch center log. At 1:22 a.m., a report of a hammerhead shark giving birth along the shoreline came in and was reportedly observed by a witness and police officers. National Aquarium staff advised at 1:42 a.m. the shark should be left near the shoreline. At 2:09 a.m. it was determined the shark was dead.

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Parents furious after Baltimore school throws away thousands of books

BALTIMORE, Md. – Officials in the Baltimore school district are taking heat from local activists and city council members for trashing Dumpsters full of usable books as part of a local school closing.

Teachers and community members were flabbergasted after Heritage High School principal Stephanie Farmer ordered staff to “recycle” every book at the school copyrighted before 1999 by tossing them in a massive dumpster at the now closed campus, WBALTV reports.

Terra Café owner Terence Dickson and an associate went to the school this week after learning of the book dump through social media and discovered thousands of books – from math texts to classic literary works from John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemmingway and William Shakespeare – set to be tossed out, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Others report many of the books were published after 2000, and appeared to be in new or like new condition.

Dickson and his associate, Sharron Childs, attempted to collect some of the books to distribute to community centers, schools and other places that could use them, but were reportedly turned away by officials.

The two were also heckled for inquiring about the books, with officials demanding to know their intentions for the books and they were eventually escorted out of the building, the Sun reports.

“I didn’t know Shakespeare got old,” Dickson told WBALTV. “I didn’t know algebra changed.”

“Our intentions with the books were to recycle the books into the communities,” Childs said.

The two contacted city councilman Carl Stokes, who immediately took school officials to task for the book dump.

“These books, first of all, were in good shape and second of all, they’re not out of date,” Stokes said. “I was greatly disappointed that they were throwing them in the Dumpster, when there were people wanting to take them.

“I couldn’t believe it – that I had just watched a loader take a Dumpster full of books,” he said.

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Child found unresponsive in locked car dies

BALTIMORE —A child found unresponsive in a car in Baltimore's Belair-Edison neighborhood has died.

Officials were called around 5:30 p.m. to the 3400 block of Juneway, where a 2-year-old girl was found locked in a car.

The child was taken in very serious condition to Johns Hopkins Children's Center, where she later died, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Kai Reed reported.

Police said the girl was left in the hot car for at least 24 hours

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5 Ways Stress Affects Your Brain

We are all familiar with stress. This stress happens each and every day and comes in a wide variety of forms. It might be the stress of trying to juggle family, work, and school commitments. It might involve issues like health, money, and relationships. In each instance where we face a potential threat, our minds and bodies go into action, mobilizing to eitherdeal with the issues (fight) or avoid the problem (flight).

You have probably heard all about how bad stress is for your mind and body. It can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches and chest pain. It can produce mood problems such as anxiety or sadness. It can even lead to behavioral problems such as outbursts of anger or overeating.

What you might not know is that stress can also have a serious impact on your brain. In the face of stress, your brain goes through a series of reactions – some good and some bad – designed to mobilize and protect itself from potential threats.

Researchers have found that sometimes stress can help sharpen the mind and improve the ability to remember details about what is happening. In other cases, stress can produce a wide range of negative effects on the brain ranging from contributing to mental illness to actually shrinking the volume of the brain.

Let’s take a closer look at five of the most surprising ways that stress affects your brain.

Chronic stress might make you more susceptible to mental illness.

In a study published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers found that chronic stress results in long-term changes in the brain. These changes, they suggest, might help explain why those who experience chronic stress are also more prone to mood and anxiety disorders later on in life.

Researchers from the University of California - Berkeley performed a series of experiments looking at the impact of chronic stress on the brain.

They discovered that such stress creates more myelin-producing cells, but fewer neuronsthan normal. The result of this disruption is an excess of myelin in certain areas of the brain, which interferes with the timing and balance of communication.

In particular, the researchers looked at how stress impacted the brain's hippocampus. They suggest that stress might play a role in the development of mental disorders such as depression and various emotional disorders.

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Extreme Heat Today!

 

Todays forecast is calling for extreme heat in our area.  Please check on your elderly neighbors to make sure they are ok.  Make sure your outdoor pets have adequate fresh water and shade. Bring them inside during this extreme heat if possible. Stay Safe!

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DC Officials Sentenced For Fraud – Stealing Money To Fund President Obama 2009 Inaugural Ball

Considering the fraud throughout the presidency, it should come as no surprise a 2009 DC inaugural ball was funded through similar scheme. The ideological Democrats couldn’t raise money via donations, so they stole taxpayer money from a children’s fund to pay for a lavish black tie affair….

WASHINGTON—Neil S. Rodgers, a former District of Columbia government official, was sentenced today to a period of incarceration and ordered to pay full restitution on a charge stemming from his role in channeling $110,000 in youth and drug prevention grant funds that were used to pay for an inaugural ball.

[…] According to the government’s evidence, Rodgers aided [Harry] Thomas in illegally securing funds for the 51st State Inaugural Ball, held on Jan. 20, 2009, at the Wilson Building.

“Neil Rodgers worked with former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas to perpetrate a fraud that diverted money from at-risk children to throw a black-tie ball for adults,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen. “His conviction at trial brings to seven the number of people convicted as part of Harry Thomas’s chronic abuse of the public trust.”

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Rep. Gohmert: Obama Outed Active Israeli Iran Spy Mission

Congressman also blasts White House for disclosing possible use of Azerbaijani airspace by Israel in Iran strike.

United States Congressman Louie Gohmert revealed Thursday that the Obama administration had “outed” an active Israeli spy mission in Iran. Israel, he said, had infiltrated Israeli spies into mainland Iran via cargo boats.

He dropped the bombshell in a speech at EMET’s 9th annual “Rays of Light in the Darkness” gala dinner.

Rep. Gohmert, who is one Israel’s fiercest and truest friends on Capitol Hill, stated: “We are on the brink of disaster.”

He listed a stream of virulently anti-Israel actions taken by President Obama which included the “outing” of the Israeli spy mission, and the Obama Administration’s disclosing of possible use of Azerbaijani airspace by Israel.

Rep. Gohmert did not elaborate on whether Obama’s disclosure of Israeli covert operations had resulted in the capture or death of any of Israel’s Iranian spies.

Gohmert also related that he is often asked about prophecies of “end-of-days” events, and how they might be tied to the current events. He explained, “I tell everybody, the only way America will be around until the end of days is if America is the best friend Israel ever had.”

However, the plain talking congressman made clear, “the new gas chambers are called nuclear weapons. And, we can’t, can’t allow Iran to kill millions of Jews. They must be stopped!”

Rep. Gohmert's accusations are sure to add fuel to the controversy ignited by former Israeli ambassador to the United States, MK Michael Oren (Kulanu), that President Obama has purposefully destroyed the Israeli-United States relationship.

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