Cops And Courts – November 18, 2016

First-Degree Assault Charge For Knife Threat

OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last weekend after allegedly threatening a female victim with a knife.

Around 7:45 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a residence on Colonial Avenue for a reported assault that had occurred. The officer met with a female victim who told police her friend had called 911. The victim told police another female friend had called her the day before upset and crying about her current living situation. The victim’s friend had been living with a male, identified as Randolph Main, Jr., 44, of Ocean City, and another female.

The victim’s friend stayed over the night before, but when the victim woke up early Saturday morning, her friend was gone. The victim texted her friend to see if she was okay and got a return text message from Main stating he was going to come over to her house in five minutes and “kick her [expletive deleted],” according to police reports.

Continue/More Cases

Exit Poll: 58 Percent of Hispanic Voters Back Donald Trump’s Immigration Policies

A majority of Hispanic voters said they “support Donald Trump’s immigration policies,” undercutting the narrative that enforcing immigration law will drive away Latinos, one exit poll found.

The poll, conducted from Nov. 9 to Nov. 10 by Zogby Analytics for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), found 58.5 percent of Hispanic voters favored President-Elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies, compared to 32.9 percent for failed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Of all voters, 57.4 percent said they support Trump’s immigration policies, with 38.4 percent backing Clinton’s.

Twice as many Hispanic voters think immigration enforcement is too lax than those who think it’s too strict (36.3 percent versus 18.3 percent).

“The conventional wisdom that advocating enforcement of immigration laws is a deal-killer for Hispanic voters is just plain wrong,” Dan Stein, president of FAIR, said in a statement. “It is a myth perpetuated by groups and individuals with a political stake in maintaining mass immigration and by a bunch of high-price political consultants who continually misread public sentiment.”

More

Sanders to Newsmax: Trump Prosecution of Hillary Is 'Beyond Comprehension'

Despite some hints from Donald Trump before and after Nov. 8 that he would support criminal prosecution of Hillary Clinton if elected president, former Democratic presidential hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dismissed the possibility of such prosecution as "almost beyond comprehension."

Sanders, who waged a strong campaign against Clinton for the Democratic nomination this year, made his view of such a prosecution known to Newsmax Wednesday morning at a press breakfast in Washington, D.C. hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

"He said a whole lot of things," Sanders said of Trump's talk of prosecuting the former secretary of State, "Was he serious or were these just campaign slogans out there to gain some votes?"

The self-styled socialist told us, "It would be almost beyond comprehension to think that a new president would be involved in the prosecution of his opponent who ended up getting some 2 million more votes than he did."

More

Mexico's Raises Overnight Rate after Trump's Win

Mexico’s central bank raised borrowing costs for the fourth time this year after Donald Trump’s election dragged the peso to never-before-seen levels of more than 20 per dollar, boosting the risk of faster inflation.

Policy makers increased the key rate a half point to 5.25 percent Thursday, the highest level since 2009. Most of the 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg beforehand expected a half-point increase, with the rest split between a hike of three quarters of a point and a full-point. The peso fell 0.9 percent to 20.3859 per dollar at 3:18 p.m. in New York, signalling that the market may have expected a bigger increase or more measures.

Before the election, central bank Governor Agustin Carstens said he and the Finance Ministry had a contingency plan for panicked markets. So when Trump’s victory sent the peso plunging as much as 12 percent and Mexico’s government took no action, attention shifted to today’s meeting. The statement following the meeting focused on the risks of pass-through from peso depreciation to consumer prices and said that the rate hike seeks to counter price pressures and keep inflation expectations anchored.

Today’s decision is meant to "avoid having the depreciation un-anchor inflation expectations," Carlos Capistran, the chief Mexico economist at Bank of America Corp., said in an e-mailed response to questions. "We expect the next movement to be a quarter-point hike in December with the Fed."

More

Trump Said It, EVERYONE Doubted Him, But Now Apple Might Make iPhones In America!?!?

Donald Trump hasn’t even been inaugurated and he might already be returning jobs to American soil!

During his campaign, Donald Trump used Apple as an example of companies that have sent jobs to overseas workers, and promised that he would bring those opportunities back to American workers and a mere week after he was elected to be the President of the United States, a headline pops up among tech blogs that Apple may be doing it voluntarily.

Rush Limbaugh discussed this on his radio show Thursday morning, and discussed the ramifications of such an action.

So there I am reading my tech blogs today. I took a little break, scoured the tech blogs. Not to delve deeply; just to see what was popping. And I saw a headline: “Apple Could Make iPhones in U.S. in Future.” And I said, “Whoa! Now wait a minute.” Remember during the campaign Trump said he was gonna make Apple make iPhones in America. And everybody said, can’t happen, including me. I said this cannot happen, and the reason it can’t happen — well, there are many reasons why I thought it couldn’t happen.

I mean, I can go through some of them right now. I mean, you could do it, but you couldn’t keep the price what they are now. They would be significantly more expensive simply because of the volume. We don’t have, in the United States, factory infrastructure to manufacture iPhones. Not if they were all made here. They could make a few here, if they wanted to split it up. But the factories in China where iPhones are made, there’s two companies that make iPhones. One’s called Hon Hai Precision, and the Anglicized name is Foxconn. And another company is called Pegatron.

Without a doubt, this could be early evidence that a Donald Trump Presidency is already setting out to fulfill campaign promises.

More

Beefed Up Shopping Patrol Turned Down By County

SNOW HILL – Deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department will not be providing extra patrols at Walmart this holiday season following a recent decision by county leaders.

On Tuesday the Worcester County Commissioners voted 5-2 against approving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would have allowed deputies to perform extra patrols at Walmart on Black Friday and Christmas.

“I’ve been on the record as not in favor of any MOUs with anybody,” Commissioner Jim Bunting said. “I don’t think our sheriff’s department should be security.”

Lieutenant Mark Bowen approached the commissioners seeking approval of the MOU, which outlined the time periods the extra patrols would occur, the rate Walmart would pay and the fact that the deputies would be on-duty and under the supervision of the sheriff during that time. Bowen said Walmart would be charged $75 per hour per deputy, as that was the rate that had been set by the county.

More

Baltimore Expected to Approve Law Banning Possession of ‘Replica’ Guns

A Baltimore police detective shot and wounded 14-year-oldDedric Colvin earlier this year during a foot chase. Police say they gave chase and ultimately fired shots after seeing Colvin carrying a weapon that appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol. After the shooting, however, officers discovered the weapon was actually a BB pistol modeled after a popular type of semi-automatic handgun. Authorities ruled the shooting was justified and no charges were filed against the officer.

If the aftermath of the incident, the Baltimore City Council decided that it wanted to do more to prevent another similar incident from happening.

How do they plan to achieve their goal?

By passing a citywide ban on the possession of toy or replica guns that appear similar to real handguns and rifles.

More

Court Upholds Federal Ban On Gun Sales To Medical Marijuana Cardholders

A large number of states have legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes, even as the federal government continues to maintain that pot is as dangerous and addictive as heroin. However, even though you can’t currently be prosecuted by the feds for properly obtaining medical marijuana in a state like Nevada, your status as a confirmed marijuana user could be used to prevent you from buying a gun.

Federal laws regarding firearms sales include a prohibition against selling guns to fugitives, convicts, “mental defectives,” and anyone who is an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” as defined by the Controlled Substances Act.

As mentioned above, not only does the DEA consider marijuana a controlled substance, but lists it as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the agency considers it to be highly addictive, dangerous, and having no legitimate medical application.

More

A Viewer Writes: The Kelly File

Joe,

I am angered by people like Matt Bennett bashing Lt Gen Flynn. What Democrats need to come to grips with is this, The election is over, you LOST! We the people have spoken! Come January Donald Trump will be in the White House! We are sick and tired of your whining! You have had 8 years now it is our turn. Let's put America FIRST!

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 11-19-16

Nannie Rider Jackson

(The portrait above is an original oil painting of Mrs. Jackson and
can be seen displayed in the lobby of the Wicomico County Library)

Born on August 10, 1849, she was the daughter of Dr. William H. Rider, whose residence was Honeysuckle Lodge. It is still there on the east side of Camden Ave. and the south side of Tony Tank Lake south of Salisbury. The Rider family cemetery is still on the property.

Early in her life, in 1866, a year before she married Elihu E. Jackson, she was invited to attend the organizational meeting of a new Methodist Church. This was to become Trinity Methodist Church. She was the only woman in attendance, so the men elected her to be Secretary and keep the minutes. She remained faithful to Trinity Church all her life and convinced her husband, Elihu E. Jackson, former governor of Maryland, to build a new Trinity Church in 1904. Trinity Church still remains at its Division Street location near Route 50 to this day and is still an active Church.

She built and donated the Jackson Memorial Building to Trinity Church in 1913 as a memorial to her late husband, who had died in 1907. It was originally built as a YMCA. Trinity Church finished a $1.2 million project in 2008 to bring the building up to the standards of the 21st Century. It should stand as a loving tribute to her husband for many years to come.

A tribute was paid to her in her lifetime by her brother, Noah Harrison Rider. While in Alabama looking after his brother-in-law’s lumber interest, he gave the mill town that was built around the mill there the name of Riderville. Another town was named Riderwood in honor of their family name.

The Jackson’s residence at the corner of N. Division and Isabella Streets was an imposing 40 room mansion on 23 acres named “The Oaks”. She sold it for $100,000 in 1925 to an out-of-town buyer who sub-divided it for residences. The only existing remembrance of the grandeur of the property is a remnant of the brick wall along Isabella St. that once surrounded the entire property.

Nannie Jackson died on October 3, 1914 and is interred beside her husband in Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury.

Three Pakistani Men Apprehended in U.S. at Arizona Border

Three Pakistani men were apprehended after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in the Tucson Sector. A combination of sources — including official confirmation from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — revealed the men were in fact apprehended and are currently in U.S. federal custody.

Breitbart Texas sources first released the information and CBP confirmed via email. CPB responded:

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Nogales, AZ, apprehended three Pakistani nationals on Nov. 11. As a standard procedure, agents processed the individuals and checked their identities against numerous law enforcement and national security related databases. Record checks revealed no derogatory information about the individuals. The individuals are currently in Federal custody while they await the outcome of their immigration cases.

Additional information on the individuals was obtained by federal agents working under the umbrella of CBP, but it is important to note that the additional details were not confirmed by CBP.

More

A Tale Of Two Americas: Trump Vs. Clinton

It is no surprise that Democrats derive most their support from the large metropolitan areas of the United States while Republicans appeal more to people living in the rural areas. That said, the following two maps, created by the New York Times, provides a stunning look at the divide.

According to the NYT's, while Hillary won the popular vote on November 8th, Trump was supported by residents occupying 85% of the land area of the country.

Meanwhile, Hillary derived her support from the large coastal cities of the Northeast and West coast which comprise the other 15% of the country's land area.

More

Police: 16-year-old girl claimed to be lost White Marsh dog's owner, sold it on Craigslist

WHITE MARSH, Md. (WBFF) -- Baltimore County police say a 16-year-old girl posed as the owner of a lost dog, gained custody, and sold it on Craigslist.

The 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier wandered away from her White Marsh home around 9 a.m. on Oct. 16 and was found by a Good Samaritan who placed a lost dog ad on Craigslist, police said. When contacted by the teen who allegedly claimed to be the owner, the Good Samaritan gave her the dog.

“The girl had seen the ad, pretended to be the dog's owner, took the dog, then sold the dog on Craigslist,” police wrote in a release on Wednesday.

Detectives identified the teen and charged her as a juvenile.

More

Like we expected anything else from this race-baiting tool

"It would be a monumental moral and political mistake to pursue the prosecution of Hillary Clinton."

- Rev. Jesse Jackson

NOT TODAY KIDS: Students at Maryland High School Attempt Walkout – School Locks Them in (VIDEO)

Students at Dr. Henry A Wise, Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland attempted a walkout protest on Friday.

They didn’t get too far.
The school locked them in.

They were upset with the election of Donald Trump.. and it was Friday… and they wanted to skip school.

More/Video

Not A Bad Idea

Powerful

Elon Musk: Tesla solar roof will likely cost less than a normal roof

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the solar roof that will be sold under a combined Tesla-SolarCity will likely cost less than a normal roof to install.

Tesla and SolarCity shareholdersvoted in favor of the $2 billion deal Thursday. In late October, Musk unveiled a new solar roof product to show his vision for a combined company with SolarCity, but did not provide specifics on how much it would cost.

On Thursday after the shareholder vote, Musk said its solar roof will likely cost less than a normal roof:

“It’s looking quite promising that a solar roof will actually cost less than a normal roof before you even take the value of electricity into account. So the basic proposition would be ‘Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less and by the way generates electricity’ It’s like, why would you get anything else.”

Musk added the price he is speaking to factors in the cost of labor, as well.

More

Twitter mocks selfie of Mike Pence and Republican members of Congress

A selfie taken by Mike Pence was mercilessly mocked online on Thursday for its apparent lack of diversity.

The picture, tweeted by Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, showed the vice president-elect surrounded by more than 100 Republican representatives.

View image on Twitter

 Follow

CathyMcMorrisRodgers 

✔@cathymcmorris

Great having @mike_pence visit today! I’m excited to work with him and @realDonaldTrump to shake up the status quo in Washington, D.C. #MAGA

10:09 AM - 17 Nov 2016

 
•  203203 Retweets
 
•  388388 likes

But social media users quickly jumped on one conspicuous detail about the picture — virtually everyone in it is white.

More

Cool Machines

Whod'a Thunk It!

Caption This Photo 11-19-16

Tesla’s acquisition of Solar City has been approved by its shareholders

Over 85 percent of Tesla shareholders approved the deal

Tesla’s shareholders have approved the acquisition of Solar City, bringing together two of Musk’s companies under one (solar-powered) roof. The vote clears the way for the $2.6 billion deal to close “in the coming days,” Tesla said.

The acquisition of Solar City is part of Musk’s master plan, which has Tesla expanding its offerings to include integrated energy generation and storage, entering the electric truck and bus markets, and vehicle sharing. The first product to come out of the newly combined company is likely to be the Solar Roof Tesla showed off last month.

More

Natural Greens Decorations Workshop to Be Held at Pemberton Historical Park

Natural Greens Decorations Workshop to Be Held at 

Pemberton Historical Park

Christmas is Coming & The Goose is Getting Fat – and it’s time to begin making decorations for the Holidays! Which means it’s time for the Natural Greenery-Making Workshop at Pemberton Historical Park. Once again Westside Historical Society and Pemberton Hall Foundation are inviting the public to join in this annual “make your own traditional wreath” event. Members of the two historical societies will be teaching this Eastern Shore traditional craft, and will supply participants with an assortment of local greens and the basic forms for wreath-making. Cost is only $15 for each wreath, swag, or other decoration participants choose to create! Participants should bring their own ribbons, fruits, or other decorations they choose to use. Some folks like to make table decorations, and if that is your goal, you should bring your own container. Light refreshments will be available. This is a fun way to get into the Holiday Spirit! Come join us!!

The workshop will be held in the Education Building (large barn-like building) at Pemberton Park and will begin at 10, lasting until 3 pm. While we do not pre-register, the workroom space is somewhat limited and you might experience a short wait for worktable space. For questions, contact us at 410-742-4182 or 410-726-8047, or email westsidehistorical@gmail.com or Pjtsby@aol.com .

Event Date is December 3, 2016

Judge awards damages of $36M in Bobbi Kristina death case

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge in Atlanta on Thursday ordered Bobbi Kristina Brown's partner, Nick Gordon, to pay $36 million in a wrongful death case, her estate's lawyers said.

Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome in January 2015. Gordon, who also lived there, and a friend were listed on the police report as being in the home when investigators arrived there.

The wrongful death suit said other people were there when Brown was initially found unresponsive. She was in a coma for six months before dying in hospice care at age 22 on July 26, 2015. Her death was similar to the way her mother died and drew worldwide headlines and the frenzied attention of the tabloids.

More

Houston man , 78, arrested after mooning woman

A 78-year-old in a cowboy hat was arrested for stripping his pants and mooning a woman outside a hotel after she declined his sexual advances, authorities said.

The man identified as Robert Scott, of Houston, lurked around the Double Tree Hotel in Kenner, La., was booked with sexual battery and obscenity after he mooned a 29-year-old woman Saturday, according to the Kenner Police Department.

The unidentified woman told officers she was attending a seminar for aspiring models inside in the hotel, then stepped out to grab lunch around 1:13 p.m., Lt. Brian McGregor of the Kenner Police Department told the Daily News.

The woman said she was sitting outside eating lunch when Scott approached her wearing a cowboy hat, black shirt, police said.

More

Delaware State Police Announces Crime Mapping

Engaging the communities we serve is vital to crime prevention. Crime mapping is one tool that serves that purpose and is an extraordinary example of DSP’s effort to leverage technology to improve services to better inform the public. A mutual benefit where residents are better informed and encouraged to be vigilant is a win, win. Like a virtual neighborhood, it is an opportunity to lend a hand for community members who want to see what is going on locally in their own community. It helps to reduce misinformation when people have real time data and facts. Mapping data can also act as a deterrent to crime and serve as a safety measure in community policing to make people more engaged, aware and cautious.

The Delaware State Police is providing access to this website which makes crime information available to the public. The mapping service allows residents to analyze interactive maps of recent crime activity near their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and places of interest.

Joe Biden offers frank analysis of Democratic election losses

Vice President Joe Biden talked about why Democrats lost the presidential election -- saying bluntly that the party had collectively overlooked key constituencies, particularly rural, working-class Americans.

“We lost because of awful lot of hard-working Americans who live in areas where we did not pay much attention to,” he said at a reception celebrating a Hindu festival. “Barack Obama won these people. They are not racist. They did not vote for the Democrats this time.”

Globalization, Biden said, has fundamentally altered the economic outlook for these voters -- especially blue-collar white American men -- who are feeling left behind by the political process.

“For the first time in recent memory, this is one section of American population where the life expectancy has gone down,” he added. “It is white American men between the age of 40 and 55. They have the highest suicide rate in America. Because they do not know how to deal with this new incredible change that is taking place in the world.”

“Remember, we won these same people,” Biden continued.

More

USPS Takes In More Revenue, Needs To Spend More On Workers And Vehicles

Here’s the problem that the U.S. Postal Service has with making money: it’s delivering more packages to quench our thirst for online shopping, but carrying more packages means that the service needs more and upgraded vehicles, and to pay more people to deliver those packages. If the USPS simply reported its profit and loss, it would have had a $200 million profit for fiscal year 2016, but things are not that simple when you’re a quasi-governmental agency. 

[More]

Free Thanksgiving meals offered in Berlin, Ocean City

Two local churches will host free Thanksgiving meals along with fellowship next week.

Berlin’s First Baptist Church will offer Thanksgiving dinners for its 30th year on Williams Street.

“It is an opportunity to share Thanksgiving with someone else and quite often people who live here are lonely so you are keeping them company,” said Sharon Parsons, church officer manager and a Thanksgiving volunteer since 2001.

About 40 volunteers and the church family provide turkeys and side dishes. The traditional dinner includes dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce, she said.

“There is so much joy in helping someone,” Parsons said. “We see it all come together and it is very rewarding.”

The volunteers cook Thanksgiving at their homes or come in to help prepare food before setting up the tables and serving guests in addition to clean-up duties.

More

Should Your Job Be A Factor In How Much You Pay For Auto Insurance?

While many consumer advocates believe that drivers’ auto insurance rates should be based on factors that only relate directly to their activity on the road, many states allow insurers to use a wide variety of considerations — including education, marital status, homeownership, and occupation — to help set those rates? With one state looking to halt the use of occupation data, we wanted to know what our readers think. 

[More]

Your Thanksgiving Feast Will Cost Less This Year

After the average price of Thanksgiving dinner topped $50 for the first time ever in 2015, consumers are getting a break this year: the American Farm Bureau Federation says the average cost of a feast for 10 people will be $49.87, a $0.24 drop from a year ago.

The Federation, an agricultural trade group, looked at prices for turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk — all in quantities capable of feeding 10 people with plenty of leftovers.

The star of the meal is about $0.30 cheaper per whole turkey (for a 16-pound bird) than it was in 2015, and should cost you about $22.74 this year.

More

Local family draws support following several tragedies

After the Byrd family experienced three deaths in the last two years, mounting debt rendered them unable to buy gravestones for the departed, but a recently launched gofundme campaign seeks to remedy the situation.

Salisbury resident Dr. Cynthia Byrd, executive director of the Julia A. Purnell Museum in Snow Hill, said the string of tragic family events began when her younger sister, Christina Johnson, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011.

“She passed away in Dec 2014 from ovarian cancer,” she said. “My husband and I adopted her two young daughters.”

As it turned out, fate had a few more tragedies in store for the Byrd family, most of whom live in Folkston, Georgia.

“At my sister’s memorial, my mother told me she had not been feeling well,” she said.

More

Morgan Stanley to Expand Operations in Baltimore City, Plans to Create 800 New Jobs

Global Financial Services Firm to Lease More Than 250,000 Square Feet in Baltimore

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, a leading global financial services firm, is expanding its operations in Baltimore City and plans to create as many as 800 additional jobs over the next four years. The company currently has approximately 1,000 employees at offices on Thames Street at Harbor Point, and plans to create the new jobs at that location and a new location at 100 South Charles Street. With more than 250,000 square feet of space between the two locations, Morgan Stanley’s Baltimore offices will contain a wide variety of roles across multiple divisions.

“Morgan Stanley has established a strong footprint in Baltimore over the past decade, successfully expanding our local operations in partnership with the city,” said Sheila Welch, managing director, head of global workforce strategy at Morgan Stanley. “The firm is pleased to move forward with this new strategic initiative and continue growing our presence in the area.”

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley has become one of the world’s leading financial firms. Headquartered in New York, the company has more than 55,000 employees in 43 countries, spanning six continents. Morgan Stanley provides a variety of services including investment banking and wealth management to corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals worldwide.

“It is a tremendous win for the state and for Baltimore City that a global company like Morgan Stanley is continuing to grow its business here in Maryland,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This expansion and the many new jobs being created underscores the promise we made to make our state more competitive and business-friendly, while creating new opportunities for all Marylanders.”

Donations to Planned Parenthood, ACLU, NRA spike after election

Several organizations have seen a spike in donations and support in the week since the election, both nationally and in Maryland.

Those groups include Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Rifle Association.

On one hand, some organization leaders said the support has been out of concern about what a Donald Trump administration could bring. Others attribute it to a kind of celebration for the incoming administration.

The surge in online volunteer applications started within 24 hours of the election at Planned Parenthood of Maryland, according to president and CEO Karen J. Nelson.

Usually it's eight in a week. In those first 24 hours, Nelson said they got 64.

More

BREAKING NEWS: MANHUNT IN WEST OCEAN CITY: UPDATE #2, #3

The Maryland State Police, Trooper 4, Worcester County Sheriff's Department, Berlin Police and Ocean City Police are currently on Rt. 50 near the last entrance of the Riddle Farm searching for an individual with guns drawn. Trooper 4 is circling the entire area but we have not been informed as to what is going on. More to come...

UPDATE: They are looking for a female with short brown hair, wearing light colored pants and a dark brown shirt.

UPDATE #2: We've just been informed law enforcement has suspended the search for the individual. 

UPDATE #3: We're told the woman murdered someone. It turns out it was attempted murder.

Originally posted at 12:57

Google’s Eric Schmidt Wore ‘Staff’ Badge at Hillary Clinton Election Night Party

Hacked memo revealed Schmidt was working directly with the Clinton campaign

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc., was spotted at Hillary Clinton’s “victory” party last Tuesday wearing a staff badge, according to a picture recently submitted toPolitico.

Google came under fire earlier this year for allegedly altering search results to paint Hillary Clinton in a more favorable light than Donald Trump. Schmidt stated at the time that Google did not pick sides in the presidential race.

“We have not taken a position on the American election and nor do I expect us to,” Schmidt said at the time.

More

COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES Contractual Law Saves County Taxpayers Dollars

SALISBURY, MD - November 18, 2016 - One of my goals as County Executive has been to run this county more like a business. I promised to review how we are doing business in the county and make some changes that make good economic sense.

For example, let’s look at our Legal Department. Having the best legal advice is critical to ensuring that everything we do complies with the law and is fair and responsible.

For decades, the county relied on one attorney, who worked as a contractor and billed the county for the number of hours he worked on county business.

Shortly after our first County Executive was elected in 2006, he decided to create a Department of Law, inside the government office building where the county attorney was hired as a county employee. That office grew into three full-time attorneys and two full-time staff members by the time I took office.

Shortly before I was elected County Executive, then County Attorney Ed Baker announced he was planning to retire.

As we searched for Mr. Baker’s replacement, we also sought ways to save money. The growing cost of salaries and benefits in that department was getting expensive. In 2015, the county spent $430,542 on the Legal Department ($302,977 in salaries and $127,565 in benefits).

So we looked for a better way.

Baltimore Police Crime Scene Tech Arrested In Raid

 

Baltimore Police say officers arrested a crime scene technician in a west Baltimore raid Wednesday.

The raid in the 1600 block of Ashburton Street was led by the police office of professional responsibility. The targets were Timika Jones--the crime scene technician--and boyfriend Clarence Jones Jr.

Both were in the home when the warrant was served. Police say they found two handguns, a capsule machine and $100,000. In a vehicle rented by Timika Jones, they found 125 gel capsules containing suspected heroin and $5,000 in cash.

More

White House Backs Navy’s New Enlisted Ranking System Following Protest

The White House is standing by the decision of U.S. Navy leaders to “modernize” the service’s enlisted ranking system after thousands of individuals petitioned President Obama to roll back the changes.

The Navy announced in September that it would eliminate its 91 enlisted ratings titles, subjecting sailors to job classification similar to the the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The review of the service’s job titles was ordered by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who wanted to ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps titles are gender neutral.

The new enlisted rating system sparked massive criticism from current and former service members on social media, with more than 100,000 individuals signing onto a White House petition demanding the Obama administration restore the 240-year-old enlisted ranking system.

The White House responded to the petition this week, standing by the Navy’s argument that the new system will allow sailors to more easily enter the civilian workforce after retiring from the military and describing the outrage as “friction” typically caused by cultural changes.

More

Md. Man Charged With Aiding ISIL Argues Freedom Of Speech

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Harford County man charged with aiding ISIS wants a judge to throw the charges out.

WJZ”S Alex DeMetrick reports his lawyers are arguing his right to freedom of speech is being violated.

It was postings on social media that brought the FBI to Mohamad Elshinawy’s front door in Harford County last year.

Charging documents allege he pledged allegiance to ISIL and called himself a soldier of the state.

More

N.C. Liberals: Out for the Count

If you can’t win the election, steal it! That’s been a strategy of some on the Left for decades, and in North Carolina, plenty of voters are wondering if the same hijinks are taking place in the hotly-contested race for governor. For conservatives, who watched incumbent Pat McCrory (R) take a sizeable lead well into the counted precincts, it was a shock to see the last minute, inexplicable surge for his opponent, Attorney General Roy Cooper. Later, voters learned that because of some “technical glitches,” a heavily Democratic Durham County had petitioned to stay open later -- a clear advantage for the trailing liberal. An emergency appeal to the state Board of Elections demanding that polls stay open an extra hour was granted, resulting in a flood of last-minute Cooper ballots.

As if that weren’t fishy enough, the county already has a history of foul play. “A Superior Court Judge was recently quoted as saying, ‘Durham historically hasn’t figured out how to carry out an election properly.’ Also, the State Bureau of Investigation has opened up an investigation of the processing of provisional and absentee ballots.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only inconsistency in an election separated by barely 5,000 votes. “In the final days of the campaign, the NAACP won a court order for thousands of North Carolinians to be reinstated on voter rolls,” Bloomberg pointed out.

More

Changing #MannequinChallenge for the better. #BacktoWork

My Friend Bobby Hammond Paying It Forward Again

I stopped in WalMart earlier to pick up a few items and I happened to come across Bobby Hammond buying out all the children's winter coats to donate to his Church for the winter. There's a second cart loaded with them too and they're even hanging over the sides.

"Never Forget Where You Come From" Folks. I'm voting this guy in as President of the "What A Guy Club"!

Florist Puts the Petal to the Mettle

Same-sex marriage isn’t about building homes -- it’s about destroying them. Ask Barronelle Stutzman. The Christian florist has been struggling to hang on to a lot more than her business for following her faith on marriage. Three and a half long years into her legal battle to preserve Arlene’s Flowers, Barronelle took her turn at the Washington Supreme Court yesterday, where she hoped to undo the damage done by a lower court that found her guilty of “discrimination” for politely declining to make the arrangements for the same-sex wedding of a longtime gay customer.

Although she was more than willing to sell the couple flowers, Barronelle carefully explained that using her talents to celebrate the union was a violation of her biblical beliefs. “I waited on Rob for nine years and created flowers for him on all types of occasions, but when it comes to my faith, marriage is between a man and a woman, and that’s where the line is drawn. I cannot create something for him in good faith; I wouldn’t be honoring God’s Word.”

More

The Price Is Riot

No wonder there are so many anti-Trump protests. Apparently, there’s good money to be made in joining them! Barely a week after his election, Donald Trump is already creating jobs. Thanks to Planned Parenthood Action, Americans can make a good living joining their phony demonstrations against the president-elect. Craigslist ads like “STOP TRUMP -- up to $1,500/week. Hiring immediately. Call today, start tomorrow! $15-18 hourly rate + bonus + overtime, up to 77 hours per week!” have been running in major cities like Denver and Philadelphia for weeks. Clearly, the end of the election has only been the beginning of another phase of manufactured outrage.

“I wouldn’t be shocked that this group is going the extra mile to undermine the legitimate transfer of power,” said former senator Scott Brown, who watched the marches sweep through his own city of Boston. “It comes to question whether they are using taxpayer money appropriately or even legally. This goes above and beyond their duty and ability to provide services for women.”

Of course, questions have been swirling around Planned Parenthood’s use of taxpayer dollars for years. And while it’s illegal for Cecile Richards’s group to spend a penny of the government’s money on political advocacy, a full bank account certainly gives them the flexibility to. The reality is this: Any group that can afford to spend $30 million influencing an election doesn’t need a half-billion in taxpayer assistance. For too long, Americans have been on the hook for the group’s corruption while women who need honest and safe care take a backseat to Planned Parenthood’s politics. (And unpopular politics at that!)

More

Trains

More Stagflationary Signals Emerge As Philly Fed Misses

Philly Fed missed expectations, dropping modestly from 9.7 to 7.6 in November.

The number of employees has now contracted for 10 straight months and while new orders were marginally higher, theoutlook for business tumbled to 9-month lows, which combined with the highest prices paid since July 2014 flashes a loud stagflationary warning that all is not well.

More

Clever

After the first round of votes were counted, Hillary and Donald were deadlocked.

Instead of going through a recount, they agreed to a week-long ice fishing contest to settle the election. Whoever caught the most fish at the end of the week would be the President.

They decided that a remote frozen lake in northern Wisconsin would be the ideal place. No observers on the fishing grounds, but both would need to have their catches verified and counted each night at 5 pm.

After Day 1, Trump returned with a total of 10 fish, Hillary came back with nothing.

Day 2 finished, and Trump caught another 20 fish, but Hillary once again came back with nothing.

That night, Hillary and her cronies got together and accused Trump of being a “low-life, cheating’ son-of-a-gun.” Instead of fishing on 

Day 3, they were going to follow and to spy on him and figure out how he was cheating.

Day 3 finished up and Trump had an incredible day, adding 50 fish to his total !

That night, Hillary and her democratic cohorts got together for the full report on how Donald was cheating. Hillary stood up to give her report and said, “You are not going to believe this, he’s cutting holes in the ice!”

And this story, ... tells you all you need to know about the difference between a successful businessman and a career politician!

Ted Nugent on Donald Trump win

Breaking down President-elect Trump's immigration agenda

Trump vows to deport criminal illegal immigrants; Judge Jeanine Pirro and Dr. Sebastian Gorka weigh in on 'Hannity'

More/Video

Maryland State Troopers Help Deliver Baby On I-695

(Baltimore, MD) – Two troopers from JFK Barrack helped a mother deliver her baby boy on the side of the road on I-695 last night.

At 10:45 p.m. last night, a motorist pulled onto the shoulder of I-695 where First Sergeant Edward Luers and Trooper First Class Zachary Mills, from the JFK Barrack, were working overtime at an I-695 construction site. The driver of the vehicle exited and ran over to the troopers in their patrol cars to alert them his wife was having intense labor pains.

The troopers immediately called for emergency medical service personnel and ran to the wife to administer aid. They recognized the mother’s labor pains were becoming worse. Subsequently, TFC Mills placed himself in a position to assist with the delivery. With one push, the baby boy was delivered into the arms of the trooper.

The baby was swaddled in towels the family had with them and placed upon the mother’s stomach. Five minutes later, EMS arrived and assisted the newborn and his family with transportation to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore.

Maryland asks EPA to step in to reduce smog from Midwest

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland officials are seeking federal help in reducing the pollution that blows in from the Midwest.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/2eJG0BT) state environmental regulators filed a petition Wednesday asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to crack down on 19 coal plants in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia whose emissions they say make Maryland’s air unhealthy to breathe on hot summer days.

The plants have spent billions of dollars on technologies to reduce pollution, but state environment secretary Ben Grumbles says they’re not using them every day during the summer, when the heat and sunshine cause the pollutant ozone to form and make air quality its worst.

More

Hannity: kellyanne conway 'fires back at protesters' President-elect Trump speaks out

Old Car Lovers - The Ultimate Man Cave

Lake Okoboji is a popular vacation and recreation spot in northwest Iowa, including an amusement park named Arnold’s

Park. It has an array of beautiful old cars in it, along with recreations of storefronts much the way Arnold’s Park looked in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The Roof Garden was a well-known dance hall, drawing people from long distances to dance to big-name rock & roll bands. It's worth your time to watch:

ULTIMATE

UMass Students Occupy All Campus Toilet Stalls To Protest For More Gender Neutral Bathrooms

This is so great. You really can’t make this stuff up. These students are choosing to protest. They have apparently caught the protest fever. But they can’t seem to come up with a worthy cause to protest. They have decided to jump back to the gender neutral bathrooms debate. They are occupying…. wait for it……. the campus bathroom stalls. All the bathrooms are being occupied as they boycott class to make a statement.

I know you are probably thinking this has to be a joke, right? That is what I was completely convinced was the case. But after some research it turns out this is completely true. They are boycotting. And the very best part is this….. they are calling it…. wait for it, drum roll please, a shit-in. I kid you not.

The “Shit-In at Whitmore” demonstration began Monday morning at the Whitmore Administration building (which the activists have nicknamed “Queermore”), and organizers intend to have students continue occupying stalls in the building’s male and female restrooms until their demands are met, though the Facebook event specifies a Friday afternoon ending.

The primary goal of the protest is to convince the administration to convert additional bathrooms on campus into gender-neutral facilities by changing the signage, which the group believes will promote “trans inclusivity and safety on campus,” but GLU has also articulated two additional demands, pledging to continue obstructing toilets until all three are met.

More

Appeals court blocks "Making a Murderer" subject's prison release

MADISON, Wis. -- A federal appeals court has blocked the release of a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer.”

A federal judge told Wisconsin prison officials on Wednesday that they must release Brendan Dassey by Friday. But state attorneys subsequently rushed to file an appeal with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago seeking to block the release.

The appeals court on Thursday ordered Dassey should remain in prison pending the resolution of the appeal,reports CBS affiliate WDJT.

Dassey’s attorneys posted a statement online Thursday saying they were “disappointed more than words can say” with the appellate decision.

More

Hogan Administration Announces New Phase of Statewide Customer Service Initiative

Agency Customer Service Plans, Public Online Survey Provide Renewed Focus on State Employee Customer Service

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced the next phase of the administration’s statewide Customer Service Initiative, an ongoing program launched in June 2016 to foster improvements in customer service across Maryland state agencies. The initiative focuses on three core deliverables: a renewed focus on a strong service culture in state agencies, improved customer service training for Maryland’s 50,000 state employees, and the establishment of new service performance metrics.

This new phase of the initiative includes the completion of individual agency customer service plans, as well as a public online survey that all Maryland citizens can use to provide feedback about their experience with state government.

“Marylanders deserve the best possible customer service from their state government, and our goal is to provide exactly that,” said Governor Hogan. “This initiative will ensure that Maryland citizens always come first in this administration. These new accountability tools will help our agencies and state employees improve the services they provide and continue to change Maryland for the better.”

Paddy Power owes Trump betters $5 million, paid out early on Clinton win

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is regretting its decision to pay out early to customers who had bet on a Hillary Clinton win in the U.S. presidential election.

Donald Trump’s shocking victory has cost the bookmaker nearly $5 million.

CNBC reports that in October, Paddy Power paid out £800,000 ($992,528) in bets place on Clinton after a series of negative news stories threatened to derail Donald Trump's campaign.

As Trump’s poll numbers continued to collapse, the bookmaker referred to Clinton as a “nailed-on certainty to occupy the Oval Office.”

“Should Trump upset the odds and become 45th President,” Paddy Power announced at the time, “it will trigger the biggest political payout in bookmaking history and leave Paddy Power with some very expensive pie on its face.”

More

Soros spends millions to bury Republicans, elect liberal prosecutors

Republican Matthew McCord was feeling pretty good about the $12,000 he had raised for his campaign for Henry County district attorney when he was blindsided by a September surprise.

New York billionaire George Soros dumped $147,000 into Georgia Safety & Justice, an independent-expenditure committee registered on Aug. 26, aimed at defeating Mr. McCord and electing his opponent, Democrat Darius Pattillo.

After recovering from the shock, Mr. McCord, a former prosecutor in Clayton and Newton counties, did what he thought was best for himself and the party: He dropped out of the race, allowing Mr. Pattillo to run unopposed.

“It was horrible,” said Mr. McCord, a lawyer in private practice in McDonough. “They rented space, they had a staff, they were using a Washington, D.C.-based PR firm. So what I knew was they could say whatever they wanted to say about me. It didn’t matter if it was true, and I would have no way to respond.”

More

At least 1 killed, 6 wounded in shooting at toddler's birthday party in Tennessee

At least one person was killed and six were wounded in a shooting at a child’s birthday party in Tennessee on Thursday night.

Fox 13 Memphis reported that the shooting occurred in Dyersburg and one woman was dead. Another victim was airlifted to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, according to Mayor John Holden.

More

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/18/at-least-1-killed-6-wounded-in-shooting-at-toddlers-birthday-party-in-tennessee.html

Video: Teacher calls black students the N-word

BALTIMORE - Video published by civil rights activist Shaun King shows a teacher disciplining a black student, then yelling at others using the n-word and claiming they "were going to be a bunch of broke a** n****** who get shot."

The video was shot Wednesday at Harlem Park Middle School in Baltimore, Md, according to a statement released by officials.

The teacher is "no longer employed" by Baltimore City Public Schools, according a statement they released to WBFF, Fox45 News in Baltimore.

(WARNING: Video contains explicit language)

More/Video

Here He Comes

Mob Of Anti-Trump High School Students BRUTALLY Beat 15 Yr-Old Trump Supporter

This is getting out of hand… someone is going to get killed if this keeps up. In Rockville, Maryland, high school students walked out during a so-called peaceful protest over Donald Trump being elected our 45th President. Let’s put aside for a moment that if I caught my child doing this over ANY election, they’d be grounded into the next century. These kids went even further and savagely beat a 15 year-old for supporting Trump and wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ cap. You people do realize this is only going to make Trump more popular, right? Those who didn’t support him, will support him just because of this kind of crap.

Four teens punched and savagely kicked this boy… all because of a political statement that was harmless. The kid did not fight back, I guess he couldn’t. Police have at least one of the attackers identified, reports say. The 17 year-old suspect is not in custody, but has been interviewed by officers. And why in the hell isn’t he in custody for assault? If this had been reversed politically, you can bet the kid would be in handcuffs. He is facing assault charges… but he should be in jail over this.

More/Video

Ga. Bill would place Restrictions on Burqas

Women would be barred from wearing burqas and veils while posing for photos on Georgia driver’s licenses under legislation filed for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.

House Bill 3, filed by state Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, would also subject female Muslim garb to the state’s anti-masking statute — which originally was aimed at the Ku Klux Klan.

The need for the changes are unclear. Bert Brantley, the commissioner of the state Department of Driver Services, said wearing burqas in state license photographs is already prohibited.

“We have agency rules against any kind of facial covering,” Brantley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have to be able to see from below the chin to above the eyebrows.”

More

A Growing Group Of Doctors Are Big-Money Prescribers In Medicare

The number of doctors who each prescribe millions of dollars of medications annually in Medicare's drug program has soared, driven by expensive hepatitis C treatments and rising drug prices overall, federal data obtained by ProPublica show.

The number of providers who topped the $5 million mark for prescriptions increased more than tenfold, from 41 in 2011 to 514 in 2015. The number of prescribers — mostly physicians but also nurse practitioners — exceeding $10 million in drug costs jumped from two to 70 over the same time period, according to the data.

Most of the doctors atop the spending list prescribed Harvoni or Sovaldi, relatively new drugs that cure hepatitis C. Other providers on the list prescribed pricey drugs to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Medicare's drug program, known as Part D, covers more than 41 million seniors and disabled people. In 2015, it accounted for $137.4 billion in drug spending, before factoring in rebates from drug companies. That was up from $121.5 billion a year earlier.

"The trends in this space are troubling and don't show any signs of abating," said Tim Gronniger, deputy chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that runs Medicare. "It's going to be a pressure point for patients and the program for the foreseeable future."

More

Final Duck Call: Duck Dynasty Will Wrap After Season 11

The Robertson family is about to say farewell to the Duck Dynasty TV series as they have announced the 11th season will be their last.

The Robertson’s made the announcement in a video that aired after theason season 11 premiere on November 16.

The final episode of the series is slated for April 12, 2017 although the family will appear in a series of holiday specials for the A&E Network.

"May God bless each and every one of you," Si Robertson says towards the end of the video announcing the final season.

More/Video