State Police Medevac Helicopter Crew Tackles Challenges To Fly Premature Infant And Mother From Remote Location In Garrett County

(SWANTON, MD) – A mother and her newborn pre-mature infant were safely flown by Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter, based in Cumberland, MD from a remote Garrett County location amidst challenging weather conditions in the mountainous region of the state yesterday morning.

The infant, born approximately 10 weeks early, was delivered on the side of the road near Backbone Mountain by Garrett County Emergency Medical Services shortly after 9:30 a.m. At the time, the child’s mother was enroute to the hospital nearly 40 miles away when she suffered complications and went into labor. An off-duty medical professional from UPMC Western Maryland Regional Medical Center came upon the woman and assisted with the delivery of the infant. Tri-Towns Emergency Medical Services and Bloomington Volunteer Fire Company responded to provide emergency medical care to the mother and infant.

Due to the deteriorating medical condition of the infant, the Maryland State Police (MSP) Duty Officer, stationed in the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Baltimore, MD received a request for assistance from Garrett County volunteers for a MEDEVAC. Maryland State Police Trooper 5 out of Cumberland, MD was dispatched and arrived on scene within 15 minutes.

The infant’s medical condition led to the crew of Trooper 5 to make the decision to fly the infant and mother to J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia at approximately 9:45a.m. yesterday morning. As Trooper 5 departed the scene, complicated weather conditions enroute and limited flight visibility led to the crew requesting an instrument clearance from Air Traffic Control. Using the AW139 aircraft’s advanced avionics the crew was able to execute the instrument approach into Morgantown nearly 60 miles away. Trooper 5 was able to successfully transport the mother and infant to the medical facility for further treatment.

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of 10 helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search & rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue and EMS law enforcement agencies.

Undercover investigation of Maryland wildlife killing contests reveals cruelty, indifference to animal suffering

Our latest undercover investigation of wildlife killing contests in Maryland reveals a grisly world: one where contestants use digital technology to lure animals like foxes and coyotes to their death, riddle them with bullets in a mad rush to kill the most and heaviest animals, and then dump the animals like garbage once the contest is over.

Footage captured by the Humane Society of the United States at two such contests, the “Predator Hunters of Maryland” event in Unionville and the “Southern Maryland Predator Hunt” in Waldorf, shows contestants unloading foxes, coyotes and raccoons with gruesome injuries, their bodies bloody and ripped apart by bullets, from trucks. Worse, children seemingly inured to the violence play among the dead animals and even help drag them to the judging area.

Altogether, about 200 dead animals were placed before the judges in Unionville. Contestants were judged on a point system—killing a coyote earned five points, a fox three points and a raccoon one point. Prizes were also awarded for the heaviest coyote, the heaviest fox and the heaviest raccoon killed.

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Governor Hogan Redesignates Violent Crime Bills as Emergency Legislation, Calls on Lawmakers to Take Immediate Action

Marks Halfway Point of Legislative Session By Focusing on Number One Priority of Marylanders

ANNAPOLIS, MD—At a press conference today marking the halfway point of the legislative session, Governor Larry Hogan announced that he is redesignating his bills to combat the violent crime crisis in Baltimore City as emergency legislation so that they can be signed into law and take effect immediately. To date, the General Assembly has taken no action on the governor’s proposals to combat violent crime, which is the number one priority of Marylanders.

“We are redesignating our violent crime reduction package as emergency legislation and allowing the legislature to take this package, and each of these individual bills, and act on them immediately, so that they can be signed into law immediately, and so that they can take effect immediately to address this crisis,” said Governor Hogan. “We don’t want to hear any more excuses. There cannot be any more delays.”

In December, at a press conference at his office in Baltimore City, Governor Hogan announced expanded legislation to get violent offenders off the streets and address the city’s crime crisis. Today, the governor sent a letter to committee leaders requesting that these crime bills be redesignated as emergency legislation. Read the letter here.

“On the day before this legislative session began, I said that the session needed to focus on increasing accountability and that the most important legislation of this entire session were these bills to hold violent criminals more accountable in order to stop the shootings and the murders in Baltimore City,” continued the governor. “Nearly all the people in every part of the state, in both parties and in every demographic group, strongly agree and support these bills—but still, there is no action.”

The Violent Firearm Offenders Act significantly increases tougher sentences for violent offenders who commit crimes with guns. This new and expanded legislation will increase penalties for: (1) those who repeatedly illegally carry firearms and for convicted gang members who illegally possess guns; (2) those who illegally transfer guns to people they know intend to use them in a crime; and (3) those who steal firearms, possess stolen firearms, or engage in straw purchasing.

• 85% of Marylanders, and 85% of Baltimore City residents, support this measure.

The Judicial Transparency Act requires the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy to publish sentencing records of judges in violent crime cases to hold the system more accountable to the public for sentencing decisions.

• 83% of Marylanders, and 93% of Baltimore City residents, support this measure.

The Witness Intimidation Prevention Act toughens penalties for witness intimidation resulting in serious physical injury or death, and expands the courts’ ability to admit statements made by intimidated witnesses under certain circumstances to all crimes. 

• 91% of Marylanders, and 97% of Baltimore City residents, support this measure.

“I don’t believe there have ever been bills before the legislature that have ever had more enthusiastic, nearly unanimous support,” said the governor. “The public is literally crying out, pleading with the legislature to take these actions. But halfway through the legislative session, there has been no action. We need to stop playing politics. Pass these bills and get them to my desk so we can begin to stop the killings and get these violent shooters and murderers off the streets and behind bars.”

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The White House Historical Association

Maryland Walmart employee becomes unlikely viral sensation

NORTH EAST, Md. (WKRN) – A Walmart store in Maryland is known for using its store employees to promote products on sale on the store’s Facebook page, but one associate has become a viral sensation without even trying.

The associate, known only to the internet as ‘Charlene,’ has taken the internet by storm with her deadpan demeanor in various promotions for products at the North East, Maryland Walmart store.

In one photo, Charlene is donning a milk moustache while holding up a package of Family Size Oreos and a gallon of milk. Another photo has Charlene wrapped in yellow bubble wrap to promote bubble wrap on sale.

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Maryland Bill Would Ban Nontherapeutic Cat Declawing

State lawmakers heard a bill in committee Wednesday afternoon to ban declawing cats in Maryland.

"It's not just simply a manicure or something noninvasive that happens to cats. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last bone of the cat's toes on their paws," said Emily Hovermale, Maryland and Delaware director of the Humane Society of the United States.

House Bill 445, sponsored by Del. Lorig Charkoudian, a Montgomery County Democrat, prohibits declawing cats except for therapeutic reasons.

"There can be long-term physical complications that can come from declawing, such as lameness in the paw, arthritis and chronic pain," Hovermale said. "There are also some behavioral issues that can come from that, such as biting and issues using the litter box."

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Stand With Us Now.......No Tax Hikes

Hunter Biden scandals explained: Ukraine, China, drug history and more

From his eyebrow-raising dealings in Delaware, China and Ukraine to controversies involving drug use and child support, Hunter Biden is no stranger to scandal. The son of former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has faced accusations of corrupt behavior from both sides of the political aisle, and played a starring role in the recently concluded impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

The younger Biden's distinct scandals are best understood in rough chronological order because Republicans have argued that Biden's apparently irresponsible behavior only made it more likely that his later sweetheart gigs were obtained not through merit, but because of connections that he could monetize.

Delaware

In 2008, both The New York Times and The American Spectator highlighted Hunter Biden's sweetheart gigs while his father rose in political prominence. The articles, written as Barack Obama and John McCain vied for the White House, found that Hunter Biden received consulting fees from the financial services company MBNA from 2001 to 2005 — while his father, then a senator, was pushing successfully for legislation that would make it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-bidens-controversies-explained

Democrat rivals beat down on billionaire Mike Bloomberg in his first debate appearance for calling women 'horse-faced lesbians and fat broads'

The 2020 Democratic hopefuls welcomed Mike Bloomberg to the debate stage Wednesday by pummeling him with punches.

It was Elizabeth Warren - and not Bernie Sanders - who landed the opening jab, quoting Trump-ish comments the billionaire candidate had made about women in the past.

'I'd like to talk about who we're running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I'm not talking about Donald Trump, I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg,' Warren said.

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'Get rid of Pelosi. That’s okay with me!' Donald Trump praises heckler who interrupts speech during president's tour of California - then says Republicans can take back House seats in the state

Donald Trump on Wednesday praised a heckler in California who urged him to 'get rid of' Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying it was okay with him, and bragged Republicans will pick up seven House seats in the state this fall.

'He said get rid of Pelosi. That’s okay with me,' President Trump said at a water event with California farmers.

Relations between the president and the speaker - the head of their respective branches of government - are at an all time low and not likely to be helped by Trump attacking Pelosi on her home turf.

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It's here. A $2.6 billion tax increase on Marylanders.

DEBUNKED: Obama's Lies About Trump Economy | Louder with Crowder

Flanked by Black Trump Supporters and Ex-Cons, Self-Described “Trumpocrat” Rod Blagojevich Says it is Trump Who is Fixing “Broken and Racist” Criminal Justice System

Democrats and Never-Trumpers are shaking with rage as Trump’s move to commute Governor Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence was met with jubilation from Chicago’s black community.

The former governor, who held a press conference Wednesday morning, unleashed a torrent of gratitude to the president—and truth-bombs aimed at the Democrats’ failure to address an issue of key concern to the black community: criminal justice reform.

“No one has done more to fix this broken and racist criminal justice system than President Trump and Jared Kushner,” said Blagojevich as the crowd shouted support for both President Trump and the former governor, now calling himself a Trumpocrat:

Everyday people who find themselves caught up in this system…recognize the futility in fighting for their rights, they just give in, and under duress…unfair and cruel over-sentencing is the rule. It is a broken criminal justice system and it has been for a long time.

And it’s a racist criminal justice system. No one is doing more to fix this broken criminal justice system than president trump and Jared Kushner.

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National Poll: Bernie Sanders Stomps Joe Biden with 15-Point Lead

A national poll released Wednesday shows Sen. Bernie Sanders is currently leading the Democrat presidential primary field by 15 points.

Sanders is now at 32 percent support while former Vice President Joe Biden is only at 17 percent, down 11 points from a month ago, according to the ABC News/Washington Post poll.

In January, Biden was leading Sanders by four points, 28 percent to 24 percent.

Sanders is easily leading Biden among whites, and non-whites but falls short among black support, where the former vice president is clinging to a five-point lead.

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Donald Trump: ‘Mini’ Mike Bloomberg ‘Hates the Farmer’

President Donald Trump on Wednesday met with farmers in California to discuss ongoing issues regarding water use rights, referring to disparaging comments about them made by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“Devin and Kevin set it up long before we heard that mini Mike hates the farmer,” Trump said as the crowd booed. “Long before we learned about his hatred of the farmer and disrespect of the farmer.”

In a 2016 speech, Bloomberg mocked farmers as unskilled workers who were not suited for the modern world.

“I could teach anybody, even people in this room, no offense intended, to be a farmer,” Bloomberg said. “It’s a process. You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn. You could learn that.”

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Accused accomplice in Tessa Majors murder kept her from escaping: prosecutor

A 14-year-old boy kept Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors from escaping a fatal mugging in an Upper Manhattan park last year, a prosecutor said in court Wednesday.

Luchiano Lewis grabbed Majors, 18, and put her “in some kind of a bear hug or headlock” when she tried to flee up a set of stairs in Morningside Park, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos said.

“Ms. Majors is ultimately able to extricate herself from that top landing,” Bogdanos said in Manhattan Supreme Court.

“Unfortunately, she was already stabbed four times.”

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Larry Elder Speaks at Candace Owens's Blexit Event in Charlotte

Get WOKE...Go Broke! Beef with BOYSCOUTS!

Scientists spot ELEVEN asteroids that could hit Earth triggering 'unprecedented devastation' - but were 'MISSED by NASA software'

A computer algorithm from Leiden University in the Netherlands has spotted eleven asteroids that could eventually hit Earth and cause 'unprecedented devastation'.

All were missed by NASA software thanks to their chaotic orbits, which are difficult for current techniques to predict and identify as being potentially dangerous.

Each are more than 328 feet (100 metres) in diameter and will pass closer to our planet than ten times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

For comparison, the Tunguska object which flattened 772 square miles of forest in Siberia had a diameter of around 164–262 feet (50–80 metres).

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Bloomberg Gets Called Out at Presser for Being in Epstein’s Little Black Book

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in June and indicted on one count of conspiring to commit sex trafficking.

Epstein was later found dead in his prison cell. Authorities ruled it a suicide.

Epstein’s former house manager tried to sell his black book of contacts years ago. Gawker got a copy of the book and published the 93 pages of contacts in 2015.

The book contains entries for Alec Baldwin, Ralph Fiennes, Griffin Dunne, New York Post gossip Richard Johnson, Ted Kennedy, David Koch, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, and all manner of other people you might expect a billionaire to know.

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Woman charged after 11-year-old daughter gives birth to baby in a bathtub

ST CHARLES, Mo. — A mother was charged after her 11-year-old daughter who gave birth in a bathtub last week.

Lesbia Cante pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. In court Wednesday, her cash-only bond was increased from $10,000 to $100,000.

According to court documents, Cante and her husband, Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Lopez, took a newborn to St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles last week. The baby still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached and had a body temperature of 90 degrees.

Gonzalez-Lopez initially told police someone left the infant on his front porch. In an interview with detectives two days later, he told police the father of the child was his son, 17-year-old Norvin Leonidas Lopez-Cante, and the mother was the teen’s 11-year-old relative.

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Elizabeth Warren Torches Michael Bloomberg for Calling Women, ‘Fat Broads,’ ‘Horsed-Faced Lesbians’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) attacked former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for calling women “fat broads” and “horsed-faced lesbians” during the Democrat Debate in Nevada.

Thursday night’s Democrat debate started by focusing on Bloomberg’s late entry to the Democrat presidential campaign.

Warren attacked Bloomberg for allegedly making sexist remarks about women.

“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against — a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Michael Bloomberg,” the Massachusetts senator said.

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Coronavirus 2-20-20

SINCE YESTERDAY 473 NEW INFECTIONS 159 DEATHS.

Roger Stone sentenced to 3 years for lying, witness tampering as case roils DOJ

GOP operative Roger Stone was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Thursday after days of drama ensnaring career prosecutors, the attorney general and the president over how severe Stone's punishment should be for making false statements to investigators during the Trump-Russia probe.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, while taking a firm stance toward Stone in the courtroom, also said the up to nine years originally sought by federal prosecutors was excessive. Her sentence of 40 months in prison was considerably less than that -- yet far more than the probation sought by his defense and certainly tough enough to keep speculation alive about a possible pardon from President Trump.

In court, Jackson repeatedly made clear she holds Stone responsible for his circumstances, as his lawyers sought leniency.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/roger-stone-sentencing

Former Illinois Governor Blagojevich Was Imprisoned by Mueller, Comey and Deep State Gang – President Trump’s Release of Blago Sends Deep State a Message

President Trump’s commutation of former Illinois Governor Blagojevich may have more to do with dirty cops Comey, Mueller and Fitzgerald than anything else.

As was reported yesterday, President Donald Trump commuted former Illinois Governor Rod “Blago” Blagojevich’s sentence after previously floating the idea. Trump claimed the charges against Blago were “unfair.” President Trump commuted the former Democrat governor’s sentence on Tuesday.

As we reported last night, in his first interview at the Denver Airport Blagojevich thanked President Trump and noted how Democrats “don’t treat him [President Trump] very good.”

Former Governor Rod Blagojevich: The appropriate thing to say is I speak for Patty, for my daughters Amy and Annie and me when I express our most profound and everlasting gratitude to President Trump for doing what he did. He didn’t have to do it. This is a Republican president. I was a Democratic governor. And my fellow Democrats don’t treat him very good. So all I can say is I think this is the ending of the first act of a two act play. And tomorrow begins the second act and I think there’s a lot that has to be done in the second act.

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'You lost me': Whoopi Goldberg chides AOC on The View for 'dismissing' old people

Whoopi Goldberg ripped into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for what she perceived as attempts from the New York Democrat to dismiss the points of view of America's senior citizens.

"You know, I was very happy when you were elected because I thought it was a great step in a good direction," Goldberg told Ocasio-Cortez, who appeared on The View Wednesday. "And then, you lost me because it felt like you were saying to people like me that I was too old and didn’t do enough."

"And so, that has bothered me because I feel like I love young people. I was once one. But you're on my shoulders," the co-host added. "And to sort of hear it sound like you were dismissing us bothered the hell out of me."

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Tucker: Our Leaders Made It Possible to Become Dependent on China

Tuesday during his show’s opening monologue, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson explained how the United States has become more and more dependent on China, a nation grappling with the potential spread of the Coronavirus.

Transcript as follows:

The Democrat primary race is shaping up. It’s a pretty clear choice really for Democrat voters.

On the one hand, they can get a self-described Democrat socialist who wants to make your health insurance illegal or they can go with the plutocrat rich enough to buy your hometown.

That’s the choice. We have more to tell you with the Democrat Civil War now in progress in just a moment, but first tonight, there are serious long-term problems facing America as we’ve told you about for years on the show.

Thanks to outsourcing, this country no longer has the same reserve of stable middle class manufacturing jobs we did even 30 years ago. In coastal cities, housing has become astronomically expensive, prices are rising far quicker than wage growth.

And most tragically, an opioid epidemic kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. One of the chief reasons for that is a synthetic opiate called fentanyl that is smuggled in from abroad.

Now these might seem like unrelated problems, but they’re not. A single theme unites them, a systematic decision by many of our country’s most powerful leaders to sell out America to China.

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Trump claims Sen. Murphy's meeting with Iran's Zarif violated federal law

President Trump slammed a recent meeting between Sen. Chris Murphy and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and claimed the Connecticut Democrat violated federal law.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday alleged the meeting violated the Logan Act, which prohibits American citizens from conducting negotiations with a foreign government.

“This is why Iran is not making a deal. Must be dealt with strongly!” the president tweeted.

Mr. Murphy confirmed the meeting, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last weekend, in a post on Medium Tuesday. He said his goal was to discuss Iranian forces in Iraq in the wake of the fatal U.S. strike on former Quds force leader Qassem Soleimani, American citizens being held prisoner in Iran, and the ongoing war in Yemen.

Mr. Murphy insisted that he does not conduct diplomacy on behalf of the U.S., but stressed that Congress is a co-equal branch of government “responsible along with the Executive for setting foreign policy.”

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[ 18 U.S. Code § 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments -- Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.]

Change In Marine Parking Regs A Key Piece For Mad Fish Rebuilding Effort

SNOW HILL – County officials have introduced emergency legislation that could help with the redevelopment of Mad Fish Bar & Grill following a fire last summer.

The Worcester County Commissioners this week agreed to introduce a bill that would loosen parking requirements in the commercial marine district — the area around the West Ocean City Commercial Harbor. The bill would allow Mad Fish, which was closed indefinitely after being destroyed in an August fire, to be rebuilt with more of its parking across the street rather than on-site.

“You’ve been requested to introduce and adopt this legislation as quickly as possible for a pending project in the commercial marine district of the West Ocean City Harbor area,” said Kelly Shannahan, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer.

According to Shannahan, the bill would increase the percentage of off-premises parking permitted in the commercial marine district from 50% to 90%.

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Wisconsin parents hit school district with lawsuit over transgender identity policy

Parents in Wisconsin are suing a public school district over a policy they claim allows children to “socially transition” their gender identity without parental consent.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed the suit Tuesday on behalf of 14 parents against the Madison Metropolitan School District. The lawsuit claims that a school policy enacted in 2018 requires teachers to “enable” students to “socially transition to a different gender identity” without parental consent or knowledge.

"Madison schools have adopted policies that violate constitutionally recognized parental rights. A public school district should not and cannot make decisions reserved for parents," WILL President Rick Esenberg said in a statement.

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San Francisco sheriff won't help federal tactical units deport illegal immigrants

The newly elected sheriff of San Francisco has vowed to leave immigration law enforcement in the city to federal authorities.

"Our department is not involved in immigration enforcement," said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. "We feel that is a federal matter, and our realm of interest is public safety, and you can't really have a safe community if the community members are afraid to come to us to report crimes."

Miyamoto became the first Asian American sheriff in the city's history after he was elected last year.

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Study Shoots Down "Voter Suppression" Myth

A crucial part of the Democrat narrative is that the Republicans have spent decades engaged in a vast conspiracy to suppress the votes of minorities. Democrat judges routinely shut down voter ID requirements, claiming that they represent a voter suppression plot. When Democrats lose, they routinely blame voter suppression. Stacey Abrams has virtually locked in a V.P. slot with that line.

Meanwhile a new study shoots down this particular political myth.

People who value voting, will vote. Those who don't, won't.

That was the surprising finding of a sweeping new study released Wednesday by the Knight Foundation. The study, which involved polling and interviews with over 14,000 people, showed that a plurality of non-voters cited a dislike of the candidates (17 percent) and a feeling that their votes don’t matter (12 percent) as the main motivators for not voting.

There were similar responses with why eligible citizens chose not to register. According to the study, 29 percent of non-voters said they were not registered to vote because of a lack of interest, followed by 13 percent saying their votes don’t matter. Only 8 percent said they don’t vote because they don’t know how or it’s too complicated.

Only 3 percent of non-voters said a more convenient process to register would motivate them to vote in more elections.

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'So God Made a Farmer': Pence jabs Bloomberg for saying he could 'teach anyone' to farm

Vice President Mike Pence took a dig at 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg for his comments about farmers.

The vice president, who hails from the agriculture hub of Indiana, tweeted on Monday a commercial made by Dodge for the 2013 Super Bowl, with the caption, "So God Made a Farmer."

So God Made a Farmer 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/sbXSugMNyO— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) February 17, 2020

The commercial features a 1978 speech from radio broadcaster Paul Harvey.

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After police department disbands, chief protests by walking home in his underwear

CROYDON, N.H. —A one-man police department in New Hampshire was disbanded by a vote this week, leading its former chief to walk home from his office in his underwear in protest.

A motion abolishing the Croydon Police Department passed unanimously Tuesday night, according to a draft of the Croydon board of selectmen meeting minutes.

"The citizens that were up front were all surprised and shocked," former Chief Richard Lee said. "One was very angry. She had a case pending before the court that's now no good 'cause I can't prosecute it."

He was the only one on the force, working part-time, and had worked there since 2000.

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Small Town Pushes Back Against Library’s Drag Queen Event. Now It’s A Battle.

A small New York town of roughly 16,000 people has rebuffed their local library, which had planned to host a children's Drag Queen Story Hour event on February 8.

Robin Janovich and Tom McDermott of The Rye Record saw an announcement about the program at the Rye Free Reading Room (RFRR) in late January. Janovich wrote that seeing the announcement “stopped us in our editing tracks: Drag Queen Story Hour. For ages 3-8. ‘Families can celebrate difference, learn empathy, and create crafts…Kids are encouraged to celebrate diversity while building confidence in self-expression.’”

Janovich continued, “My first thought was: ‘We’re not in Kansas anymore, or in traditional library land for that matter.” But I refrained from comment because I’m an AARP member and a grandmother and maybe I’m not that edgy Manhattan sophisticate I was in my youth.’”

Some questions arose: “Are families likely to bring their young children to a program that uses drag queens to focus on inclusivity? Why are we foisting conversations on inclusivity on children that young? Are we replacing bedtime stories, which take children out of themselves and out into other, far more interesting worlds, with discussions of sexual differences when they are innocent sponges?”

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Ted Cruz calls climate movement 'an emotional primal scream'

Sen. Ted Cruz warned Democrats could destroy the country if they are allowed to implement aggressive reforms to combat climate change.

"What is dangerous about the climate movement is it has become an emotional primal scream, rather than being driven by science," the Texas Republican said in a campaign ad released Tuesday.

The minute-and-a-half ad features prominent Democrats who issue dire warnings about a warming planet and implore the public to take climate change more seriously.

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WCSAO: Frank Feather III Convicted Of Attempted Armed Robbery and First Degree Assault

Donald Trump to make ambassador to Germany Rick Grenell acting director of national intelligence, making him first openly gay cabinet secretary in history

Donald Trump named one of his closest loyalists, ambassador to Germany Rick Grenell, as acting director of national intelligence Wednesday.

'I am pleased to announce that our highly respected Ambassador to Germany, @RichardGrenell, will become the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,' Trump tweeted just before he started a rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

The appointment will make history with Grenell, 53, becoming the first openly gay cabinet secretary.

It puts a hawkish pro-Trump figure in charge of the intelligence community but may not be a permanent move - Grenell replaces an acting director, Joseph Maguire, and there was no clarity on whether the ambassador would be formally nominated for the role.

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Political Memes

Thursday Morning Funnies

President Trump in Phoenix, AZ

Sign The Petition

We the People can not sit still, we must act for our Wicomico County residents before it is to late.

We feel that Wicomico County should APPROVE a resolution in favor of affirming the 2nd Amendment which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, “Shall not be infringed.” OPPOSE any legislation that orders local, state, or federal law enforcement officials to confiscate firearms. This includes semi-automatic sporting rifles commonly referred to as assault rifles. The term “assault” rifle generally refers to military style weapons that have the capability for fully automatic fire when the trigger is depressed. Civilian “AR” style rifles are by nature semi-automatic weapons that DO NOT have the ability to fire fully automatic.

Wicomico County should know that the men and women of the Wicomico County Sheriff Office took an oath to honor and uphold the United States Constitution and we SHOULD NOT waiver on this duty.

Here is a list of people that completely support this Wicomico County 2nd Amendment Sanctuary movement. We just want you to see how important this is to Wicomico County, and the state as a whole. After seeing the injustices in Virginia, we can't let that happen here. Stripping the citizens of their rights is something we simply can't ignore. We hope you consider this petition with the same regard you should. We are the people, after all. And this is what we all want.

We encourage you to send an email to each Wicomico County Council and let them know we NEED the Council to APPROVE a resolution in favor of affirming the 2nd Amendment!

https://www.change.org/p/wicomico-county-council-wicomico-county-maryland-for-second-amendment-sanctuary

QAnon - "Ask The Q"

Illegal immigrants in Massachusetts city won't be arrested if they drive without a license

Illegal immigrants in Cambridge, Massachusetts, won’t be arrested for driving without a license, thanks to a new law.

Under a law passed by the city, police officers are advised not to arrest illegal immigrants found driving without a license. Instead, they are told to issue the drivers summonses.

“We need to protect our community members from a federal government that’s out of control," Cambridge City Councilor Quinton Zondervan said. “There are no other reasons for the police to arrest someone, give them a court summons instead which keeps them out of the clutches of the Trump administration.”

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Would your kids respond in the same way as these kids? Raises an interesting point

Convicted sex offender Anthony Weiner, 55, 'is lobbying to be allowed inside his eight-year-old son's prestigious New York school causing panic among parents who have children the same age as the teen he sexted

Anthony Weiner has been lobbying to be allowed access to his son's school again, after he was blocked from the premises following his conviction for sexting a 15-year-old girl.

The former US Congressman, 55, continued to take his eight-year-old son Jordan to school in New York after her served 18 months in prison, but he is only allowed to collect the child from the gate.

Now Weiner – who represented New York's 9th congressional district for more than 12 years – reportedly wants to gain access to school grounds and it has upset parents of attendees.

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Roger Stone WILL be sentenced on Thursday after judge rejects demand for new trial - but she will consider his plea - backed by Trump for new trial after jury foreperson's anti-Trump tweets were revealed

The federal judge overseeing Roger Stone's case has decided to go ahead with sentencing for Donald Trump's longtime political advisor – despite a personal intervention by the president who complained online the case was 'tainted.'

Judge Amy Berman Jackson held a scheduling call on the case with lawyers on Tuesday – after Stone's team sought a retrial. Although she is willing to listen to their latest request, she said she won't stall Stone's sentencing – which has provoked an extraordinary clash between career prosecutors and the White House that has brought new scrutiny on the attorney general.

'I am going to keep the sentencing where it is,' Jackson said, even as Stone's lawyers sought to delay proceedings.

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Why the West Won

Mississippi Welfare Director Arrested For Largest Embezzlement In State History

Mississippi welfare director arrested for largest embezzlement in state history

What happened:

The former director of Mississippi's Department of Human Services, John Davis, was arrested for embezzling millions of dollars from welfare funds. Some of the funds went to a former WWE wrestler who was allegedly being paid to give classes on drug abuse. In reality, the money was paying for the wrestler’s own posh drug rehab.

He never taught a class. According to the auditor's office, Davis and another DHS employee made fake invoices to pay Brett DiBiase — a former pro wrestler who later became a DHS employee — with money intended to help poor families. DiBiase is the son of well-known former pro wrestler Ted DiBiase.

Embezzled funds were also funneled to other co-conspirators through their businesses, using fake documents and forged signatures.

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Sean Hannity: Barr 'now focused on something much bigger'

Attorney General William Barr has a large operation underway to take down "deep state bureaucrats."

That's what Fox News host Sean Hannity told his audience Friday night, capping a tumultuous week for the Justice Department that involved upheaval in the Roger Stone case, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe escaping criminal charges, and news of an outside prosecutor being picked to review the case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

"We are now beginning to see something very large unfold," Hannity said on his show Friday. "Roger Stone's attorneys have filed a motion for a new trial. That is a major development. That should be granted. And, by the way, it should be the beginning of Stone's ultimate vindication. We have more good news. McCabe's dismissal is frankly — when you really look at it, it's a declination to prosecute on one specific issue. Here is my read between that and the Gen. Flynn news today because we know that Barr just installed an outside counsel to look into the Gen. Flynn case."

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FBI Raids James Biden-Tied Business

FBI agents last month raided the home of the CEO of a bankrupt hospital chain and one of its hospitals in Pennsylvania in new signs of trouble for a company central to accusations of influence-peddling by James Biden, brother of former Vice President Joe Biden.

The federal investigation was disclosed in documents filed this month by the acting U.S. trustee overseeing the bankruptcy case of Florida-based Americore Holdings, which is in the business of acquiring and managing rural hospitals.

The filing in Kentucky by the federal trustee, Paul A. Randolph, seeks the appointment of a trustee specifically to oversee the bankruptcy case, or otherwise the dismissal of the firm’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors. It said the company's CEO, Grant White, had “grossly mismanaged” his business; “has not operated the hospitals in a manner that is consistent with public safety”; and “improperly siphoned money from the Debtors for his personal benefit.”

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Stacey Abrams Defends Michael Bloomberg After She Receives $5 Million for PAC in December

Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams defended billionaire Michael Bloomberg on Monday for using his riches to compete in the Democrat presidential primary.

“Every person is allowed to run and should run the race that they think they should run, and Mike Bloomberg has chosen to use his finances,” Abrams said in an interview on ABC’s The View on Monday about Bloomberg.

Abrams compared Bloomberg using his billions to boost his campaign to other candidates using their natural talent or pets to run for office.

“Other people are using their dog, their charisma, their whatever,” she said. “I think it’s an appropriate question to raise. But I don’t think it’s disqualifying for anyone to invest in fixing America.”

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'Greater Idaho': Rural Oregon residents petition to join neighboring state to escape liberal government

Idaho’s borders could change if a group of frustrated Oregonians gets their way.

Some rural Oregon residents created a petition demanding that the eastern half of the state, along with parts of Northern California and eastern Washington, be allowed to join Idaho to avoid the liberal politics of their states. The group, “Greater Idaho,” has been working county-by-county to get a ballot proposition that would allow a vote on allowing the areas to detach from their current states.

Mike McCarter, one of the group's organizers, said in a statement posted to Facebook, “Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values. We tried voting those legislators out but rural Oregon is outnumbered and our voices are now ignored. This is our last resort.”

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Study: Taxpayers in Low-Migration States Pay $454M a Year for Illegal Aliens, Anchor Babies

Taxpayers in the ten states with the smallest foreign-born populations are still burdened by a cost of about $454 million every year to pay for various social services for illegal aliens and their United States-born children.

A study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) analyzes the cost of illegal immigration and the anchor baby population to American taxpayers who live in the ten least immigrant-populated states, including New Hampshire, Mississippi, Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, West Virginia, South Dakota, Vermont, Montana, and Wyoming.

The research reveals that even in low-migration states, the cost to American taxpayers is still significant. Of the total 415,000 foreign-born residents living in these ten states, about 88,000 are illegal aliens — indicating that illegal aliens represent more than 20 percent of foreign-born residents.

Those 88,000 illegal aliens across these ten states, along with about 35,000 of their U.S.-born children, are costing American taxpayers about $454 million every year, with each illegal alien costing anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000.

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‘A lot of white liberals are racist’: Black Guns Matter founder defends supporter attacked at Sanders rally

A rally for 2020 Democrat front-runner Bernie Sanders was briefly interrupted when an attendee was tackled while wearing a Black Guns Matter shirt, and the organization's founder is coming to the victim's defense.

Footage taken from Sanders's rally at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver on Sunday night shows a white Sanders supporter tackling a person of color sporting the shirt. The violence began after the two men exchanged words about the piece of clothing, which said "Black Guns Matter," referring to the organization started by Philadelphia gun rights activist Maj Toure.

"Black Guns Matter equates to racism?" the man wearing the "Black Guns Matter" shirt can be heard asking in a video of the incident released Monday.

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MAYOR BLOOMBERG: Obama Care Will Bankrupt Everyone

Iowa man accused of forcing woman to watch Roots to 'better understand her racism'

Police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have arrested a black man after a woman claimed he abducted her and forced her to watch the nine-hour 1977 miniseries Roots to combat "her racism."

Robert Lee Noye, 52, was arrested Monday on charges of first-degree harassment and false imprisonment.

The woman told police that Noye made her sit and watch the miniseries, which chronicles the journey of a family brought to America through the slave trade, “so she could better understand her racism.”

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History: 1776 vs. 1619

A wide-ranging group of writers from ideologically diverse backgrounds has come together to challenge leftist assertions in the New York Times’s 1619 Project that the United States was built on slavery. In response, the educational series 1776 was recently launched by the Woodson Center under the guidance of longtime activist and scholar Robert Woodson.

The Woodson Center was founded in 1981 to raise awareness and funding for neighborhoods seeking to solve critical community problems through innovative initiatives. Robert Woodson began 1776 as a direct response to the misguided and harmful history put forth by the Times.

Woodson described the 1619 Project as a “lethal” narrative that perpetuates a culture of victimhood in the African American community by claiming that life for blacks in America has been predetermined by slavery and Jim Crow.

“This garbage that is coming down from the scholars and writers from 1619 is most hypocritical because they don’t live in communities [that are] suffering,” said Woodson. “They are advocating something they don’t have to pay the penalty for.”

Glenn Loury, economics professor at Brown University and 1776 contributor, added, “The idea that the specter of slavery still determines the character of life among African Americans is an affront to me. I believe in America, and I believe in black people. Something tells me … the 1619 Project authors don’t. They don’t believe in America … and I’m sorry to have to report, I get the impression they don’t believe in black people.”

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Days after horrifying Daytona 500 crash, Ryan Newman released from hospital

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (WJLA) — Days after a horrifying crash at the Daytona 500 that sent Ryan Newman to a hospital, the longtime Monster Energy Cup Series driver has been released.

Earlier Wednesday morning, Roush Fenway had posted on social media of him awake and active, standing and smiling with his two daughters at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

The racing group then stated at 1:43 p.m. Newman was treated and released from the hospital.

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Tom Cotton: Establishment Media ‘Spouting’ Chinese ‘Communist Party Line’

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) ripped establishment U.S. media outlets who have mis-characterized his comments on the origins of the coronavirus outbreak plaguing China and the world during an exclusive interview with Breitbart News this week.

Cotton, who this past weekend during an appearance on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox News Channel program Sunday Morning Futures laid out how Communist China has not been honest about the origins of the coronavirus, has been the subject of vicious attacks from establishment media in the U.S. as a result.

In particular, during the Bartiromo interview, Cotton specifically said there is not evidence to suggest that the coronavirus originated in a high-security biochemical lab the Chinese Communist Party government operates in Wuhan. But since the government’s original official story about the virus’s origin is collapsing under scrutiny, the senator argued that the question needs to be asked—and that that theory, along with several other more plausible virus origin theories than the Communists’ original and likely false claim that the virus originated in a food market, need to be pursued. Cotton argued that the Communists must allow internationally renowned independent western experts into China to investigate the matter.

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WCSAO: Allan Scarborough Convicted Of Sex Abuse Of A Minor

'Some guy wearing a dress': Bloomberg once called transgender people 'it'

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made controversial remarks about transgender people while discussing priorities of various issues within the Democratic Party.

Bloomberg chided the Democratic Party for its focus on social issues, such as gender dysphoria, during a March 2019 forum hosted by the Bermuda Business Development Agency. "If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether 'he,' 'she,' or 'it' can go to the locker room with their daughter, that's not a winning formula for most people."

Bloomberg then went on to say he believes voters care more about the issues of healthcare, education, and public safety. He later blamed the Democratic Party for aiding the election of President Trump because they moved "so far left."

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Emmanuel Macron vows to 'win the battle' against Muslims creating separate communities in France

Emmanuel Macron today pledged to 'win the battle' against Muslims creating separate communities in France.

During a visit to a police station in a densely populated district of Mulhouse, in the east of the country, the French President said: 'The Republic must keep her promises.

'We must fight separatism because when the Republic does not keep her promises, others will try to replace it.'

He added: 'We have decided to win the battle against Islamic separatism using education and the economy'.

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China's military weaponizing LinkedIn, officials warn

U.S. officials are increasingly sounding the alarm about LinkedIn as a tool of foreign influence in American affairs.

Officials say the online professional networking platform owned by Microsoft poses a threat for foreign influence and intelligence collection efforts, particularly by China.

William R. Evanina, director of U.S. counterintelligence, singled out LinkedIn last week, saying the networking platform could be weaponized by the members of the Chinese military whom the U.S. indicted on charges of hacking credit reporting giant Equifax and stealing data of more than 145 million Americans in 2017.

“They have more than just your credit score; they have all of your data,” Mr. Evanina said. That includes Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information such as bank account numbers. He said the data can be used as leverage to target vulnerable Americans inside and outside of government who have access to sensitive information and who can be reached through LinkedIn.

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Massachusetts Democrat who sits on ethics panel arrested for corruption

Longtime Massachusetts state Rep. David Nangle, who sits on both the ethics and rules committees, has been arrested for corruption.

The Democratic lawmaker was arrested by the FBI and IRS on Tuesday and charged with bank fraud, lying to a bank, falsifying tax returns, and wire fraud. He stands accused of using his campaign’s bank account to fund his expensive gambling habit, according to ABC News.

The 28-count indictment alleges Nangle “was heavily in debt, had poor credit and had regular cash flow problems as a result of extensive gambling at various casinos in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, among others — placing thousands of bets on internet gambling sites.”

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'If Donald Trump won't talk to Iran, someone should.' Democratic senator Chris Murphy reveals he met Tehran's foreign minister and brushes aside criticism by Mike Pompeo

Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday defended a weekend meeting he held with Iran's foreign minister in Europe, after his actions were questioned in conservative media and as President Donald Trump suggested they may have violated U.S. law.

The Connecticut Democrat said his Saturday meeting with Mohammed Javad Zarif was important because it is 'dangerous not to talk to one's enemies.'

Murphy said he wanted to see Zarif because there has been no U.S. diplomatic channel with Iran since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago.

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Latino support for Trump holding steady: Poll

President Trump's Latino support is holding strong in the lead up to the 2020 election.

Thirty percent of Hispanic voters support Trump, and 23% approve strongly, according to a study by Pew Research Center.

Exit polls in 2016 showed about 28% of Latino voters voted for Trump.

"These voters no longer align their cultural identity with immigrants, and immigration as an issue is less important to them," Kristian Ramos, the former spokesman for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, wrote in the Atlantic. "The vitriol the White House directs at immigrants does not move those who support Trump."

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Coronavirus 2-19-2020

SINCE TUESDAY 1971 NEW INFECTIONS 137 DEATHS.

A Viewer Writes.........Wicomico County Next?

Former Diplomat’s Daughter Held Without Bond in Stabbing Death of Man in Maryland

A former U.S. ambassador’s daughter who is charged with murder was ordered held without bond Tuesday afternoon after the judge said she is a danger to the community.

Sophia Negroponte, 27, is accused of stabbing 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen to death inside a Rockville, Maryland, home last week.

When police arrived about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, Negroponte was lying on top of Rasmussen’s the bloody body pleading for her friend not to die and saying she was sorry, according to court documents.

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Can You Imagine If Trump Had Made These Comments?

Highest percentage of public since 2017 believe US heading in 'right direction': Poll

Citizens have the highest confidence in the direction of the United States since the month after President Trump's inauguration.

A new Rasmussen poll found that 46% of the public believes that the U.S. is headed in the "right direction," jumping 4 points since last week. The survey notes that confidence in the country's direction has nearly doubled since 2016.

"By comparison, this number ran in the mid- to upper 20s for much of 2016," Rasmussen wrote in its report. The last time people felt this degree of confidence was February 2017, when 46% of the public also felt the country was headed in the "right direction," while 48% said America was headed in the "wrong direction."

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A Friend Sent This To Me...

I TRUST A BILLIONAIRE THAT BECAME A POLITICIAN MUCH MORE THAN I TRUST A POLITICIAN THAT BECAME A BILLIONAIRE BY BECOMING A POLITICIAN!

Ja'net DuBois dies at age 74: Good Times actress, two-time Emmy winner and singer passes away in her sleep

Actress Ja'net DuBois has died at the age of 74.

The two-time Emmy winner passed away unexpectedly in her sleep Tuesday night at her home in California, TMZ reports.

DuBois is best known for starring in the hit 1970s sitcom Good Times, but she made history with her earlier role on the CBS soap opera Love of Life - becoming the first African-American actress to have a regular role on daytime TV.

She starred as Loretta Allen on that drama between 1971 and 1972.

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Judge rules 16-year-old charged in deadly Frederick Fair attack to be tried as juvenile

FREDERICK, Md. (ABC7) — A judge has ruled that one of the two teens charged in the murder of a man at the Great Frederick Fair last year will be tried as a juvenile, according to the State's Attorney for Frederick County.

Frederick County Judge Julie Stevenson Solt issued a written opinion on the case Tuesday afternoon denying the state's waiver motion concluding that the 16-year-old suspect's case remains in the juvenile court system.

The 16-year-old is accused of being one of the attackers who killed 59-year-old John Marvin Weed at the Great Frederick Fair on Sept. 20, 2019. Another teen, a 15-year-old, is also being charged in the case.

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