Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in California for Nearly $1.6B Jackpot

The winning Powerball numbers were drawn Wednesday night: 8, 27, 34, 4, 19 and the Powerball of 10.

We have a winner in California! A jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Chino Hills. We’re still awaiting results from other states.

Maryland! We have THREE $1 million winners for tonight's Powerball drawing. Check your numbers on mdlottery.com! It could be you! 

UPDATE: The California Lottery Association said Wednesday that a winning Powerball ticket had been sold in Chino Hills, California. The group also confirmed that two winning tickets were sold in Florida and Tennessee.

College student's story of near death night of binge drinking goes viral

Today is my 21st birthday, a day I have been looking forward to for quite some time now. Due to an event that happened about six months ago I will not be taking birthday shots and getting wasted tonight. Instead I plan on having dinner and maybe a glass of wine with my closest friends and family. I am writing this because I didn’t realize the importance of drinking responsibly until I was waking up from a coma, and I don’t want anyone to go through what my family and I went through. I ask that you share this with your friends, family or anyone who may benefit from reading this. If I can help just one person by sharing my experience, then I will be absolutely ecstatic.

July 27, 2015: The first thing I remember is my mom holding my hand, telling me I was going to be okay. I felt like I was dreaming. Everything seemed foggy. I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. I was coming out of a 24 hour coma.

On the morning of July 25, 2015, I thought I was going to have a fun day with friends at the Night in the Country music festival in Yerington, Nevada. I woke up, had breakfast and started what would end up being the worst 48 hours of my life. The first part of the day was a lot of fun. We met new people, played human foosball and had a really good time. After dinner we went to the Joe Nichols and Jake Owen concert. At the concert I had two beers. Many of the people I was with had been drinking throughout the day and were already feeling good. I hadn’t started drinking until a little after dinner and I felt a little behind. My problems started after the concert. I was beginning to feel a little bit of a buzz and drifted off from the people I went to the concert with. I ended up at a campsite where I found some of my other friends. I am a competitive person by nature and this group was mostly guys who (for some reason) I promised I could outdrink. Around 11:30pm, one of my guy friends and I were seeing who could take the longest chug from a bottle of “Black Velvet Whiskey.”

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Santorum: Gay Marriage is Anti-Nature, Like Changing ‘Chemical Equation for Water’ From H20 to H30

Relying on the natural law, former Senator Rick Santorum argued that the undeniable sexual complementarity between men and women excludes the notion of homosexual “marriage,” and that to seek to redefine marriage, at the state level or nationally, is as unnatural as redefining the chemical formula for water from H20 to H30 – it doesn’t work.

“Look, I’m very proud of the conservative record I’ve put together,” Sen. Santorum saidduring a Jan. 7 interview on the Simon Conway Show. “There’s no one who’s fought more on moral and cultural issues.”

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Armed Robbery In Salisbury

Armed robbery in the area of Emory Court/Parkside Apartments.  Police are looking for (2)  #1 males dressed in dark clothing.  One of the males had a shotgun.  MSP have requested K-9s to help search for the suspects.

Salisbury Fire Department’s “Blazing a Trail for Literacy” Program Enters Second Year

Salisbury – The Salisbury Fire Department, Wicomico County Board of Education, and Wicomico Day School have partnered to encourage students to read for twenty minutes a day with the “Blazing a Trail for Literacy” program.

The program, which is in its second year, focuses on 2nd grade students who attend Glen Avenue, Pemberton, Pinehurst, Prince Street, West Salisbury, and Wicomico Day School, and runs from the first of the New Year through March 25th. Students are challenged to read for twenty minutes every day.

Throughout the program, the SFD will check in on the students and read three age-appropriate books to each class. One book was read during the program kickoff, a second book will be read at the half way point, and the third book will be read during the recognition portion of the program. Teachers and staff at each school will monitor students’ progress throughout.

First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded to the students who log the most reading time at each school. Prizes include a turn as Honorary Fire Chief for the Day, backpacks with school supplies courtesy of Peninsula Orthopedics, and Barnes and Noble gift cards, courtesy of Salisbury Career Firefighters Local 4246. Each school will pick three winners by the March 25, 2016 end date.

To find out more about the “Blazing a Trail for Literacy” program, please contact the Salisbury Fire

Department at 410-548-3120.

FLASHBACK—Obama’s First Speech to Congress: We Can’t Pass on to Our Children a Debt They Can’t Pay

In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, delivered on Feb. 24, 2009--a little more than a month after his inauguration--President Barack Obama warned that we have a “responsibility” not to pass on to our children a federal debt they cannot pay.

“There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children,” Obama said in that speech. “And that's the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. That is critical.”

At this point, a chuckling Obama paused to accept a standing ovation from the chamber. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was sitting behind the podium, was one of the first to stand and applaud.

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AMERICANS MINDLESSLY FOLLOW ORDERS, HAND OVER PERSONAL DETAILS TO A COMPLETE STRANGER

Seat Of Unrest

All eyes are on 15-year-old Gavin Grimm at a school board meeting in Gloucester, Va., the small town where he has lived his entire short life. Gavin is here because the main item of business before the board on the afternoon of Dec. 9, 2014, has to do with him. The board is voting on whether he should be allowed to use the boys bathroom at Gloucester High School.

Designated a girl at birth, Gavin, now 16, is transgender. He came out to his family after a long struggle in 2014, and has been taking hormones as part of the transition process. He has legally changed his name, dresses as a boy, and lives as a boy in every way.

When he started 10th grade in September 2014, the administration granted his request to use the boys room. But now, in response to complaints from members of the community, the school board was compelled to vote on a policy that would prohibit him from using the boys room and require him to use a gender-neutral bathroom or the girls room.

As the floor opens for public debate on the question, Gavin, wearing a crisp checked dress shirt and a royal-blue tie, rises and approaches the microphone at a podium in the aisle. He faces the board without fidgeting, his posture erect and his hands folded, speaking with composure and precision.

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Here We Go Folks: ARIZONA READIES BILL TO OUTLAW CITIZENS RECORDING COPS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY

Citizens will have to ask permission to record police

The Arizona Senate is poised to pass a bill that will outlaw citizens from taking videos of police, even on their own private property.

“It is unlawful for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity,” SB 1054 reads, “if the person making the video recording does not have the permission of a law enforcement officer and is within twenty feet of where the law enforcement activity is occurring.”

The bill also states that an individual may not record police on their private property or in their homes unless they are twenty feet away from police or “from an adjacent room.” If a police officer determines the individual is “interfering in the law enforcement activity or that it is not safe to be in the area,” the officer may order “the person to step recording or to leave the area.”

Police routinely oppose citizens recording their activity and the proposed legislation will provide them with a legal loophole to shut down all video recording as interference in law enforcement activity.

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SOTU: Cardin Says Congress Should Unite to Work with President Obama throughout the Year Ahead

“The country does not stop because of a presidential election and neither should we. We are open for business.”

WASHINGTON – In response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address,U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) issued the following statement. Senator Cardin’s guest for the speech was Robert Caret, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM).

“President Obama set out an aggressive agenda tonight, showing the country and the world that he will not allow himself to be labeled as a ‘lame-duck’ president. We must use every moment of the next 12 months, working together – Congress, the president, Democrats and Republicans – to continue to ensure that our homeland is safe, to continue to improve our economy, reduce the violence in our communities, make college more affordable for American families, protect our air and water, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and so much more. The country does not stop because of a presidential election and neither should we. We are open for business. Congress approved a two-year budget, putting us back on a path toward bipartisanship. We need to unite to put the public interest first – from local transportation issues to national security.

“President Obama was right to be optimistic about the state of the American economy. When he took office, our country was deep in recession and bleeding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month. We’ve now reached a record 70 straight months of private sector job growth and wages have begun to increase over the last year. The deficit has shrunk by nearly $1 trillion, and Medicare’s solvency has been extended by 13 years. Energy usage is down, energy production is up and oil imports are down, adding to America’s energy security.

SPD: Can You Identify These Shoplifters?

Stockman: Only 11,000 Jobs Last Month, Not 292,000

Here’s a newsflash that CNBC didn’t mention. According to the BLS, the US economy generated a minuscule 11,000 jobs in the month of December.

Yet notwithstanding the fact that almost nobody works outside any more, the BLS fiction writers added 281,000 to their headline number to cover the “seasonal adjustment.” This is done on the apparent truism that December is generally colder than November and that workers get holiday vacations.

Of course, this December was much warmer, not colder, than average. And that’s not the only deviation from normal seasonal trends.

The Christmas selling season this year, for example, was absolutely not comparable to the ghosts of Christmas past. Bricks and mortar retail is in turmoil and in secular decline due to Amazon and its e-commerce ilk, and this trend is accelerating by the year.

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Worcester County Superintendent's Of Schools Response to Recent Bomb Threats

LOWER SHORE HEALTH INSURANCE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

HealthConnectNow Event Scheduled

Snow Hill, MD– The Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program will be hosting HealthConnectNow on Saturday, January 16, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Somerset Civic Center at 11828 Crisfield Lane Princess Anne, MD.

The free health insurance sign up event is open to the public and will feature certified program staff that will be on site to answer questions and guide individuals through the Maryland Health Connection application process. Maryland Health Connection is the state-based health insurance marketplace for individuals, families, and small businesses.

Consumers can call 855-445-5540 for more information.

Maryland Health Connection Open Enrollment is November 1, 2015-January 31, 2016.

About the Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program: The Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program is administered through the Worcester County Health Department and funded by a grant through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. The program helps to educate, determine eligibility and enroll uninsured and underinsured residents of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties into private health plans or Medicaid. For more information on our program and a continuously updated list of events, please visit us at lowershorehealth.org.

US Court: Wearing Unearned Military Medals Is Free Speech

A federal appeals court has tossed out a veteran's conviction for wearing military medals he didn't earn.

A specially convened 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that wearing unearned military honors is free speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Elven Joe Swisher of Idaho was convicted of violating the Stolen Valor Act. Investigators looked into his military claims after he testified at the 2005 trial of a man charged with soliciting the murder of a federal judge. Swisher wore a Purple Heart on the witness stand.

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Change underway in disciplinary process for Baltimore police officers

BALTIMORE —A big change is underway in the disciplinary process for Baltimore police officers.

Some of the secrecy surrounding police discipline will soon be gone as part of an overhaul of the process announced Tuesday on the heels of an 11 News I-Team report that aired Sunday night. The I-Team's report revealed how few cases in which people complain about officers actually move forward.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis promised a much more robust effort to hold police officers accountable.

"Much has been said, reported and written lately about shortcomings with discipline and accountability. I hear and profoundly understand those concerns," Davis said.

As it stands now, the process that investigates and disciplines Baltimore police officers is secret. Investigators work out of an off-site building. Administrative disciplinary hearings, in the fraction of cases that get that far, are held out of public view at headquarters.

That will soon change.

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Worcester County Sheriff's Office Press Release: Bomb Threat At Stephen Decatur High School

This morning, the Worcester County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported bomb threat at the Stephen Decatur High School. Protocol procedures were immediately put into place and multiple agencies responded to the school. The Sheriff's Office K-9 unit responded with two explosive detector dogs and immediately conducted scans of the school and surrounding areas. Students were escorted from the school while the scans were conducted. The school was searched with negative results. Members from the Criminal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Office were quickly on scene and are investigating.

At this time, an ongoing investigation is continuing with the assistance from our Federal and State partners. Members of this office have been in constant contact with surrounding jurisdictions and Federal Authorities to compare these calls that schools in our area have been receiving. We understand the frustration that parents and staff are facing and we are aggressively pursuing any leads that we discover during these investigations. We further understand the concerns about the safety of each child and the reunification process that takes place after such an event. Our partners at the Board of Education are in constant contact with us and are assisting us in evaluating our plans for each school. We are monitoring several intelligence outlets and continue to evaluate the needs of our school systems. We would like to thank those parents who responded to the school. We understand the emotion during these events and we ask for some patience when situations like these occurr. Every effort is being made to locate, identify and apprehend the individual(s) involved.

We would like to thank the Berlin Police Department for their quick response along with the Maryland State Police, Natural Resources Police, Worcester Fire Marshals Office, and the Worcester County Emergency Services Division. Also to the members of the Berlin Fire Department for their readiness in the event of an incident. We would also like to remind you to report anything suspicious that you may observe at any of our schools or businesses. Please report any suspicious activity to your local police department or to the Sheriff's Office at 410-632-1112. We will do our best to keep you posted when information is received.

Calling All Deputies... Calling All Deputies...

TWO K-9 Units were dispatched to Stephen Decatur High School in Worcester County today. 

It should be noted that the Wicomico County Fire Marshall's Office has a bomb sniffing K-9. Hmmmm, I wonder why the Sheriffs Department didn't call that unit in to inspect two Schools recently. 

House Approves Bill to Cap Expenses for Ex-presidents

The House has voted to limit federal expenses for former presidents who receive lucrative speaking fees or other income totaling more than $400,000 a year.

Former presidents receive a pension of more than $200,000 a year. They also get annual expenses that can add up to more than $1 million for office space, travel and other costs.

Under the bill, approved by voice vote Monday, the government would begin reducing payouts after their income reaches $400,000. And ex-presidents who earn more than $600,000 a year would not receive any federal funds for office expenses or travel.

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Jimmy John's Coming to Sea Gull Square

SALISBURY, MD, JANUARY 2016- Matthew Trader of Rinnier Development Company and Will Moore of SVN brokered a new long term lease that will bring Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches to Sea Gull Square in South Salisbury, MD. The nationally known restaurant, after searching for the best location in the South Salisbury market, chose Sea Gull Square for their new location. Jimmy John's will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Roly Poly and expects to open later in the Spring.