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Thursday, January 21, 2010

BREAKING NEWS


"Hi Joe,

Just heard some rather disturbing news this evening. Jessica Workman, age 20, passed away from complications from MRSA. Apparently she did not know she had MRSA and was just hospitalized earlier this week. Prior to this she has been a waitress/hostess at Delmar Pizza. In Jessicas case it was a bacteria in her blood and it caused her kidneys and brain to shut down.. but she was fine last week.. even this previous Monday."

What is MRSA?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It's tougher to treat than most strains of staphylococcus aureus -- or staph -- because it's resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.

The symptoms of MRSA depend on where you're infected. Most often, it causes mild infections on the skin, causing pimples or boils. But it can also cause more serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract.

Though most MRSA infections aren't serious, some can be life-threatening. Many public health experts are alarmed by the spread of tough strains of MRSA. Because it's hard to treat, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug."

BALTIMORE PD REACHES ARREST MILESTONE DUE TO DNA


(Baltimore, MD) – State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence Sheridan today commended the Baltimore Police Department for its effective use of Marylands DNA database to fight serious crime in the city.

Colonel Sheridan announced that the Baltimore Police Department has made 101 arrests for serious crimes with the assistance of Marylands DNA database during the past three years. Those arrests have included 13 for murder, 68 for rape or sex offense, one for child abuse, one for assault, and 18 for burglary.

Reducing violent crime in Maryland is why we have worked so hard to make the states DNA database as effective as it can be, Colonel Sheridan said. By eliminating the offender sample backlog and passing legislation requiring persons arrested for violent crimes to submit samples, Marylands DNA database is operating more efficiently than ever before and is helping dedicated law enforcement personnel in Baltimore and across our State to unlock the secrets of crime scene evidence and bring those responsible for violent crime in Maryland to justice. I thank Governor Martin OMalley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown for making the DNA database a priority by providing the personnel, equipment, and support we needed to make it a crime fighting tool that is becoming more valuable each day.

For the past two years, Baltimore has experienced the lowest number of homicides in 20 years," said Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld, III. Continued investment in our DNA Lab is paying big dividends towards making Baltimore a safer city and I thank Col. Sheridan and Governor OMalley for their continued support and partnership.

In the fall of 2009, Marylands DNA database, housed at the State Police Forensic Sciences Division laboratory, surpassed the mark of 1,500 positive comparisons, or hits, as they are commonly referred to. A positive comparison occurs when DNA obtained from a crime victim or scene is matched with either a known offender sample or DNA from another crime scene that is on file in Marylands DNA database, or CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, which enables access to the national database.

The rate at which positive DNA comparisons are now occurring is faster than ever before. Marylands DNA database was established by law in 1994 and the first positive comparison occurred in 1998. It was eight years later, in August 2006, when State Police scientists reached the 500th hit.

Twenty-three months later, Governor OMalley announced the 1,000th hit, in July 2008. Only 15 months later, another 500 positive comparisons were made, proving the database is more efficient than it has ever been.

According to the Governors Office of Crime Control and Prevention, 103 criminal arrests were made in 2009 as a result of 203 offender hits made through the DNA database during that same period. There are currently 82,906 offender samples and 4,213 arrested/charged samples in the statewide DNA database.

On January 1, 2009, legislation proposed and signed into law by Governor OMalley took effect that requires those arrested and charged with qualifying violent crimes, or 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burglaries and attempts to commit those crimes, to submit a DNA sample. Since the beginning of this year, 37 positive comparisons have occurred as a result of the new law. This has a direct impact on crime because it gives police the ability to take criminals off the street sooner and before they can continue their criminal activities.

In January 2008, Governor OMalley announced the elimination of the backlog of untested and uncollected DNA samples from convicted felons that had grown to more than 24,000 by the end of 2006. The backlog elimination was the result of additional funding for new positions and new equipment provided by the Governor.

In addition to Governor OMalleys support, the success of the statewide DNA database is due to the hard work and cooperation of many individuals. They include the personnel of the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division and those in local police DNA laboratories, as well as the cooperative collection efforts by the Governors Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Department of Parole and Probation, sheriffs offices and detention centers across the state, and Marylands district and circuit court systems.

Last month, the Governors Office of Crime Control and Prevention awarded $375,000 to the Baltimore Police Department for its DNA lab. The money will assist in handling, screening, and analyzing backlogged forensic DNA casework samples, as well as with improving DNA laboratory infrastructure and capacity. This will include analyzing DNA contained in cold case files that will help bring criminals to justice who until now thought they had successfully avoided arrest.

The money was part of a $1.2 million grant award under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and made possible through the efforts of Senator Barbara Mikulski. Money was also provided to the Maryland State Police, Prince Georges County Police, and Montgomery County Police crime labs.

NOTE: THE WEB EDITOR DOES NOT PERMIT THE APPROPRIATE USE OF APOSTROPHES OR QUOTATIONS. PLEASE EXCUSE THOSE ERRORS.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE & MAYOR NOMINATE CHARLES R. DASHIELL, JR. TO HEAD COUNTY-CITY PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION


Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., and Salisbury Mayor James Ireton, Jr., have nominated Charles R. “Chip” Dashiell, Jr., Esq. to serve as the Chair of the Wicomico County/City of Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Dashiell would succeed Corinne LesCallette as Commission Chair. Ms. LesCallette has served on the Commission since 1978 and has been the Chair since 1983. Ms. LesCallette recently informed officials of her intention to step down after more than 3 decades of service.

In a joint statement, Executive Pollitt and Mayor Ireton said, “We salute Corinne LesCallette for her remarkable record of service to the people of Salisbury and Wicomico County. Her career on our Planning Commission exemplifies the highest standard of civic responsibility. We are indeed fortunate to have a person of Mr. Dashiell’s caliber to succeed Ms. LesCallette as the leader of this important commission.”

Mr. Dashiell, the president of the law firm of Hearne & Bailey, P.A., has a long history of public service in Wicomico County. He served as the Vice President of the Wicomico County Council from 2002-to2006. He is the current chair of the Greater Salisbury Committee and a past president of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Dashiell has served on the boards of the Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Service, the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Wor-Wic Community College Foundation and the Blood Bank of Delmarva.

Wicomico County and the City of Salisbury have cooperatively engaged in joint planning activities since 1943. The Wicomico County/City of Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission oversees the preparation of the Long Range Comprehensive Plan for the county and the city. The Commission is also responsible for review and approval of development proposals as provided by the county and city codes.

Mr. Dashiell’s appointment is subject to the approval of the Wicomico County Council and the Salisbury City Council.

WBI Needs Your Help Again



WBI needs help with identifying the witness pictured is the attached photo. He was in the Barnes and Noble Store in Salisbury on 1/15/10 at 9:19 am. Could you help us by running the photo and asking anyone who may know who the person is to contact WBI at 410-548-4898. He is the younger gentleman in the black jacket in the lower left hand corner of the screen.

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release


Incident: Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident
Date of Incident: 10 January 2010
Location: Morris Leonard Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Ronald A. Marzec, 42, Delmar, MD

Narrative: On 10 January 2010
at 6:04 PM, deputies from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a motor vehicle accident on Morris Leonard Road in the area of Holt Rd. Upon arrival, the deputies discovered that a vehicle had left the roadway, struck a power pole and left the scene. The damage to the pole necessitated its immediate replacement to prevent its collapse. During the ensuing investigation, deputies identified Ronald Marzec of Delmar as the operator of the vehicle that had struck the pole and left the scene. Marzec was charged on a Maryland Uniform Traffic Citation with Failure to Control Speed to Avoid a Collision and Leaving the Scene of an Unattended Property Damage Accident.
.

Charges:
Failure to Control Speed to Avoid a Collision
Leaving the Scene of an Unattended Property Damage Accident.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Bans on Corporate Spending in Elections

In a dramatic special session Thursday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote said that congressional restrictions on independent expenditures by corporations in federal elections violate the First Amendment.


Justice Anthony Kennedy announced the opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, declaring that the ban on corporate expenditure "uses censorship to control thought" and amounts to a chill on "core political speech." Click here for the opinion.


For more than 20 minutes, Justice John Paul Stevens read from his dissent, describing the majority opinion as "a radical change in the law." Stevens said that long tradition and common sense justify treating corporations differently from individuals under the First Amendment. Stevens spoke haltingly and with emotion, summarizing his 90-page dissent.


Joining Stevens in dissent were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor

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By a separate 8 to 1 vote, the Court did preserve the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's disclosure requirements as a valid restriction on corporations. Only Justice Clarence Thomas dissented on that issue.


The president of Public Citizen, Robert Weissman, said in a statement: "In eviscerating longstanding rules prohibiting corporations from using their own monies to influence elections, the court invites giant corporations to open up their treasuries to buy election outcomes. Corporations are sure to accept the invitation."


Stay tuned to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times for more to come on the case.

Supreme Court Rolls Back Campaign Cash Limits


Obama slams 'green light to a new stampede of special interest money'

WASHINGTON
- In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down laws that banned corporations from using their own money to support or oppose candidates for public office.

By 5-4 vote, the court overturned federal laws, in effect for decades, that prevented corporations from using their profits to buy political campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.

It leaves in place a ban prohibiting corporations and unions from directly contributing funds to candidates for any use.

GO HERE to read more.

Pelosi: 'I Don't See The Votes' For Sen. Health Bill


After Mass. defeat, Democrats eye pared-down version of reform legislation

WASHINGTON
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she lacks the votes to quickly move the Senate's sweeping health overhaul bill through the House, a potentially devastating blow to President Barack Obama's signature issue.

Pelosi, D-Calif., made the comment to reporters after House Democrats held a closed-door meeting at which participants vented frustration with the Senate's massive version of the legislation.

Her concession meant there was little hope for a White House-backed plan to quickly push the Senate-approved health bill through the House, followed by a separate measure making changes sought by House members, such as easing the Senate's tax on higher-cost health plans. Such an approach would be "problematic," she said, though Democrats haven't completely ruled out pursuing it.

GO HERE to read more.

Obama Slams Banks, Calls For Tighter Rules


Obama seeks tighter limits on banks' reach

‘If these folks want a fight, it's a fight I'm ready to have,’ president says

WASHINGTON
- President Barack Obama stepped up his campaign against Wall Street on Thursday with a far-reaching proposal for tougher regulation of the biggest banks.

"We have to get this done," Obama said at the White House. "If these folks want a fight, it's a fight I'm ready to have."

It was a stern, populist lecture from the president to Wall Street for what he perceives as its abandonment of Main Street. Obama said the government should have the power to limit the size and complexity of large financial institutions as well as their ability to make high-risk trades.

GO HERE to read more.

Kratovil Introduces Immigration Resolution With Bipartisan Group Of Representatives

Washington, DC –Today a bipartisan group led by freshman Members of Congress introduced a resolution seeking to bridge the political divide between parties on the issue of immigration by outlining some of the key principles that should guide immigration reform. Representative Frank Kratovil (D-MD) was joined by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), and Glenn Nye (D-VA) as well as 18 other colleagues on H. Res. 1026 the Bipartisan Reform of Immigration through Defining Good Enforcement (“BRIDGE”) Resolution.

The BRIDGE Resolution reaffirms that the continued peace, prosperity, liberty, and national security of the United States depend upon effective immigration enforcement policies which both welcome lawful immigrants and also prevent individuals from entering or remaining in the U.S. illegally.

Specifically, the resolution states that Congress should: make E-Verify mandatory for all employers, and hold employees accountable as well; provide sufficient border infrastructure and manpower to secure and control our borders; and, reject amnesty and any legal status which pardons those here in violation of our laws.

“We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. The immigration reform debate must start with both an acknowledgement of the historical and contemporary importance of immigration to our nation and a renewed commitment to the rule of law,” said Rep. Kratovil. “This resolution calls for Congress to take a common sense approach to immigration reform: enforcing the rules already on the books, punishing those who knowingly choose to violate them, and opposing any plans that reward or incentivize illegal behavior at the expense of those who are trying to play by the rules.”

“Our government has a duty and responsibility to make our first immigration priority the enforcement of existing laws by ensuring that illegal behavior is punished, not rewarded,” said Rep. Chaffetz. “Any discussion of comprehensive immigration reform must begin with a renewed commitment to enforce our immigration laws. We need to remove the incentives that encourage illegal behavior if we expect to get immigration under control.”

“Our national and economic security continues to be undermined by our porous borders and the inconsistent enforcement of existing immigration laws,” said Rep. Hunter. “The immigration reform debate must not be dictated by misguided calls for open borders or amnesty. The American people expect security to be a priority and immigration laws to be thoroughly enforced in our communities and the workplace. This resolution reiterates these principles, which should be the basis for immigration reform.”

SPD "Saturation Patrol" Report


PRESS RELEASE


January 21, 2010

On Wednesday, January 13, 2010 the Salisbury Police Department with assistance from the Maryland State Police, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police K9 Unit embarked upon a saturation patrol of the U.S. Rt 13 corridor and several neighborhoods within the jurisdiction of the City of Salisbury, MD. The operation started at approximately 9:00pm and concluded at 3:00am on Thursday, January 14, 2010.
The purpose of the saturation patrol was to “flood” the Rt 13 corridor and surrounding neighborhoods with as many police officers as possible for a high visibility patrol in an effort to reduce the rise in Part I crimes such as burglaries and robberies. The officers and deputies were broken down into teams. The teams were encouraged to enforce quality of life and traffic violations as a means to initiate criminal investigations.

The results of the operation included:
Approximately 65 calls for service were generated
39 field interviews were conducted
22 traffic stops were initiated
14 motor vehicle citations were issued
15 motor vehicle warnings were issued
1 equipment repair order issued
2 wanted subjects located and released to the sheriff’s office
1 subject charged with possession of controlled dangerous substance
1 juvenile civil citation issued
In addition, numerous business and neighborhood checks were conducted.

The Salisbury Police Department does consider this operation a success and we hope to conduct similar operations in the future with our allied agencies.

D/Lt Rob Kemp, 0193


Two Arrested In Connection With Kent County Irrigation Thefts



Date time of Apprehension:
Wednesday January 20, 2010 4:15 A.M.
Location(s):
· 2900 block of Walnut Shade Road Magnolia
· Clapham Road S/O Magnolia
· Millchop Lane and Autumn Moon Roads Magnolia
· 1000 block of Woodleytown Road Magnolia
· Sorghum Mill Road Magnolia
· 4000 block of Bay Road Magnolia
· Killens Pond Road Felton
· Burnite Mill Road (SR 12) Felton
· Winkler Road E/O S. DuPont Highway (US 13) Felton
· Hopkins Cemetery Road Harrington
· 4000 and 5000 block of Whiteleysburg Road W/O Harrington
· 2000 and 5000 block of Carpenter Bridge Road and Winkler E/O Harrington
· 300 block of Campground Road Harrington
· Steeles Ridge Road Camden
· Dundee Road Camden
· Canterbury Road Milford

DATE and TIME:
· Month of October 2009 the following dates: 8th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th
· Month of November 2009 the following dates: 16th, 17th, 18th,
· Month of December 2009 the following dates: 1st, 9th, 15th, 18th, 28th,
· Month of January 2010 the following dates: 4th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 15th

Approximate Value of Damage/to Repair and Stolen Copper Wire:
· $185,000

Approximate Length of Copper Stolen:
· 27,000 feet of copper wiring

Victim(s):
· 13 different farms around Kent County

Defendant and Charge Information(s):
· Roman E. Byler Jr-28, 100 block of Merritt Road Woodside, Delaware
· 26 counts of Theft
· 8 counts of Criminal Trespass
· 5 counts of Criminal Mischief
· Possession of Burglary Tools
· Conspiracy 2nd degree

· Kyle A. Rash-19, 600 block of Campground road Harrington, Delaware
· 10 counts of Theft
· 3 counts of Criminal Trespass
· Possession of Burglary Tools
· 2 counts of Criminal Mischief
· Conspiracy 2nd degree

Bond Information:

· Roman E. Byler Jr.: $140,500 secured bail remanded to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center

· Kyle A. Rash: $8,150.00 secured bail remanded to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center

Resume:

Since October 2009 Delaware State Police have been investigating numerous reports of theft of copper from farm irrigation equipment. Kent County farmers who began to prepare their fields for the upcoming farming seasons are beginning discover that they have been victimized. Many of their irrigation equipment has been damaged and copper wiring removed costing them thousands of dollars in repairs.

On Wednesday January 20, 2010 Delaware State Police obtained a break in this investigation. State Police 911 center received a report of a suspicious vehicle that appeared to be stuck in a field near Campground Road and Paradise Alley Road N/E of Harrington Delaware. Troopers responded to this area and located Kyle A. Rash of Harrington being detained by a farmer and eventually apprehended Roman E. Byler Jr. of Woodside who initially fled from the scene prior to police arrival. A search of Rash’s truck a black 1991 Chevy Blazer resulted in the recovery of large “wire cutters” and a quantity of irrigation wire.

State Police conducted interviews of the defendants and were able to link them to a number of thefts in the Milford, Magnolia, Camden, Dover, Harrington and Felton areas of Kent County.

Although the arrest of Roman E. Byler Jr. and Kyle A. Rash is considered significant, State Police will continue their efforts to solve other copper related crimes. There are still other possible suspects committing these crimes and other unsolved cases. State Police continue to request the reporting of suspicious activity in and around farm fields throughout the State. It was because of information quickly received by a concerned alert farmer that we were able to make this apprehension. If suspicious activity is observed contact 911 immediately. Those who have been victims of copper related thefts are also encouraged to contact State Police via the 911 center.

Byler and Rash were arrested on numerous criminal charges and incarcerated in the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, Smyrna in lieu of failing to post bond.

Hitler Finds Out Scott Brown Won Massachusetts Senate Seat

Disaster Do-Gooders Can Actually Hinder Help


Uninvited volunteers, useless donations can cost money, time — and lives

No question, the two church-goers from New Jersey had the best intentions in the world when they arrived in Port-au-Prince this week to help victims of Haiti’s killer earthquake.

Trouble was, that was all they had in a land where food, water, shelter and transportation are at a desperate premium, said Laura Blank, a disaster communications manager on the ground for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian aid group with long ties to the country.

“They seemed very eager and very passionate about helping the people of Haiti, but they didn’t have a ride to get out of the airport,” said Blank, who had to direct the pair to assistance.

GO HERE to read more.

New Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly


Official: Much of increase due to administrative backlog over holidays

WASHINGTON
- The number of newly-laid off workers seeking jobless benefits unexpectedly rose last week, as the economy recovers at a slow and uneven pace.

Layoffs have slowed and the economy began to grow in last year's third quarter, but companies are reluctant to hire new workers. The unemployment rate is 10 percent and many economists expect it to increase in the coming months.

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 482,000. Wall Street economists expected a small drop, according to Thomson Reuters.

GO HERE to read more.

Brown Touts 'Big-Tent' Outlook


Massachusetts' U.S. Sen.-elect Scott Brown said Wednesday he believes in a "big-tent philosophy" for the Republican Party and said that his election, powered by a populist surge of independent voters, signals the arrival of a "new breed of Republican" on Capitol Hill.

"I have been asked many times what kind of Republican I'm going to be, and I really didn't know how to answer that. So I'd just said I'm going to be a Scott Brown Republican. Maybe there's a new breed of Republican coming to Washington, [someone] who is not beholden to the special interests of the party and who will look just to solve problems," he said.

On the campaign trail, "the No. 1 thing I heard is that people are tired of business as usual" and the "the behind-the-scenes deals," he said.

He grew emotional when he sought to explain what being elected to the Senate means for him, citing his parents' marital struggles, his mother's time on welfare and his own "issues" growing up.

"If you would have told me ... I'd be standing here before you right now and going to Washington, D.C. - are you kidding me?" he said, his eyes looking a bit misty.

"I don't know if you guys understand that. ... I can't tell you how proud I am to be here, standing before you all, and having an opportunity to help send the country in a different and better direction," he said.

More..

Denny's In Salisbury Has A New Look


SALISBURY, MD (Jan. 21, 2010) – Folks will be wowed when they walk in the door of Denny’s Restaurant at 405 Punkin Court in Salisbury.

After closing its doors for a mere three days, Denny’s reopens today with a brand new look including fresh paint, new carpet, booths, chairs, tables, new pictures focusing on Denny’s nostalgia and all new bathroom fixtures.

“We pretty much built a new restaurant in three days. It’s an amazing transition and it’s very exciting for our customers. It’s cleaner, crisper and brighter. Everything is new,” says Paul Mazza, vice president of restaurant operations for Rommel’s Holdings, who owns the Denny’s.

Mazza said crews went in and stripped the interior. “It’s a high volume Denny’s and probably is in the top 10 percent in the nation. It needed a facelift,” adds Mazza. “Our menu has changed so much over the years. Everyone thinks ‘Grand Slam,’ but we have much more than that. People will be surprised all around.”

Rommel Holdings, Inc. is a mid-sized holding company located in Fruitland. As a family held enterprise, it has owned and operated a variety of businesses dating back to the 1950's. Today the company consists of 12 Ace Hardware stores, four Denny's Restaurants, Uno Chicago Bar and Grill in Fruitland, a Skateland roller-skating rink in Baltimore, MD and several commercial properties located from Baltimore to Ocean City, MD. They employ approximately 500 people in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.

Accident On Rt. 50 This Morning

"Hi Joe,

On my way into work this morning(7:30ish), I came upon an accident on Rt 50 next the post office. Someone was covered with a sheet in the middle of the road. I am hoping it wasn't a student crossing the road that was struck. I couldn't tell the height or sex of the victim."

A MESSAGE ABOUT GROWING OLD:

Shoot.....I forgot what it was....but, it was beautiful.

Slow News Day On Delmarva

Well, I've been waiting around for a day like this for quite a long time. Kicking back, enjoying a fresh cup of coffee, actually having the time to read the Washington Post, it's been a long time since I've been able to relax that much.

I did spend a few minutes looking around at the local news and was pleased to see there's not much out there as well. So I popped into the national news and between everyone going nuts on Tiger and where he might be, then Edwards fathering Lord knows how many extramarital children, there's not much going on out there.

If there's one thing I've learned from doing this Blogging thing over the years, news will develop throughout the day, it's a given. That's why you see various articles popping up here every so often.

So what's going on with Salisbury News. Well, we're very excited about our future. After putting in almost 5 years into Blogging, we've clearly proven we are dedicated to posting articles daily but what's most important to us is making a difference in our community. Being able to rely on coming here and finding daily news is one thing but coming here knowing you can depend on finding the most breaking news stories is something all of us take pride in.

Having our own 3 day a week Video/Blog Broadcast allows you to see the passion we have in the news we provide, not just letters and posts. No one here is hiding behind a mask because we're afraid of the outside world. We're proving to you that we are dedicated and not afraid to run into each and every one of you on the street and hold a quality debate on every issue.

We're also providing a 30 minute television show on WRDE every Saturday morning at 9:00 AM but I have to tell you Folks, it is extremely time consuming. What goes on behind the scenes and after we tape the show is just unbelievable. It would be one thing if it was a simple YouTube production but what we do is extremely time consuming and I personally can't thank our production people enough.

The future for Salisbury News will depend on advertisers. In 2010 we do plan on placing ads on the Site and one thing is for sure, (just ask Eric the Barber) our ads work. If you or your company are interested in advertising, send me an e-mail at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com and we'll go over what rates we'll be charging. I can guarantee you that you'll be shocked at what we provide and how well of a return you'll get on your investment.

Keep those comments coming in Folks. Don't be afraid of making anonymous comments as they cannot be traced back to you. We want to hear your point of view as well. Even if you think we're wrong about a topic, tell us. When our public officials read the post and then the comments, that's what gives them a feel of how everyone feels and sets the bar in their decision making.

Look at it this way Folks. Before Salisbury News came along, everything in Salisbury was run a certain way. Even though we had citizens like Debbie Campbell stepping up to the plate, (all alone, mind you) and running for Office, we stood behind her. Over time we grew enough to a point people were starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Then Terry Cohen came along, then Jim Ireton. The next thing you knew there was "The Dirty Dozen." The Dirty Dozen turned into a hundred and then thousands. It may have taken us time but clear dedication removed ALL of those Good Old Boys out of Office and jobs and the light just got brighter and we could see the opening at the end of that tunnel.

Because you and I have stuck together, WE are making a difference. We may not be happy with every decision but one thing is for sure, the City of Salisbury is now being managed to a point in which change has excited each and every one of us. We need your help and support to continue to make Salisbury and the Eastern Shore a safer and better place to live. Your support will raise property values and will encourage businesses to relocate here. We just needed change and Jim Ireton is proving, (baby steps) we are headed in the right direction.

Just remember this. Back when Barrie Tilghman was in Office, everyone was afraid to come forward because of retaliation. Now their people are the ones hiding behind anonymous and masks.

Thanks for coming here every day Folks and again, let your voice be heard, even if its anonymous.

Mike Pence To Challenge Bayh For Senate?


U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana is giving an ear to colleagues who are encouraging him to challenge Sen. Evan Bayh this year.

”I'm willing to hear them out,” the Republican Pence said Wednesday as the hallways of the Capitol buzzed with the implications of the Senate race in Massachusetts.

Republican state Sen. Scott Brown won the special election Tuesday to fill the seat that had been held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in the heavily Democratic state, prompting Democrats to debate what went wrong and what it means for this year's congressional elections.

Democrat Bayh, who is seeking a third term this fall, told ABC News on Tuesday that moderates and independents don't believe that Democrats' proposals would solve their problems and “that's something that has to be corrected.”

Pence said the Senate race didn't tell him anything he hasn't already known since he started getting huge crowds at his town hall meetings a year ago.

“I think millions of Americans have had it with runaway federal spending and with the deficits and debts and takeovers and bailouts,” Pence said. “I've had colleagues talking to me since some of the news accounts (on Massachusetts). We've been hearing kind comments from people around the state and received some encouragement from others.”

Pence declined to elaborate on his conversations with the campaign arm of Senate Republicans.

More..

U.S. Senate Candidate Eric Wargotz


U.S. Senate Candidate Wargotz 'Freezin for a Reason' in Game-Changer Election for Scott Brown in Massachusetts

Maryland.
Queen Anne's County Commissioner Eric Wargotz took time off from his own campaign for U.S. Senate in Maryland to travel to Massachusetts over the weekend to work for Scott Brown's Senate campaign. Commissioner Wargotz stated, "We felt the single most important thing we could do for our Country was to be in Massachusetts helping Scott Brown be the 41st vote against socialized medicine." Wargotz volunteered with the Brown Campaign's "Freezin' for a Reason" get-out-the-vote effort by going door-to-door in six inches of fresh snow.

"It was amazing to watch the voters take back their Senate seat. The common theme at the polls was that people were tired of being told what do and how to vote. They were tired of machine politics that produced nothing but bigger government, less choices and less freedoms," said Wargotz. "After meeting voters on their doorsteps, many asked how they could help. These were - Republicans, Independents and Democrats - who had simply had enough. I was witnessing history unfold before my eyes.

The same game-changing history is now unfolding here in Maryland. For decades, Maryland's U.S. Senate seats have been controlled by special interest groups and have been entirely unresponsive to the needs of the average Marylander. But Marylanders, much like the citizens of Massachusetts, are tired of politicians who think they "own" their seat. The two U.S. Senate seats afforded Maryland by our Constitution are owned by the citizens of Maryland. This fall, look for the citizens of Maryland to take one back!

Obama, (the democrats) Just Don't Get It, Do They!


Gary --

Yesterday's disappointing election results show deep discontent with the pace of change. I know the OFA community and the President share that frustration.

We also saw what we knew to be true all along: Any change worth making is hard and will be fought at every turn. While it doesn't take away the sting of this loss, there is no road to real change without setbacks along the way.

We could have simply sought to do things that were easy, that wouldn't stir up controversy. But changes that aren't controversial rarely solve the problem.

Our country continues to face the same fundamental challenges it faced yesterday. Our health care system still needs reform. Wall Street still needs to be held accountable. We still need to create good jobs. And we still need to continue building a clean energy economy.

The President isn't walking away from these challenges. In fact, his determination and resolve are only stronger. We must match that commitment with our own.

But it won't be easy. Real change never is. For that reason, I am grateful you're part of this fight with us.

Thank you,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Why The Great And Growing Backlash?

by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online


Dream up a gargantuan backlash against Barack Obama’s left-wing gospel, and you still could not invent the notion of a relatively unknown, conservative Scott Brown knocking off an Obama-endorsed, liberal, female attorney in liberal Massachusetts — in a race to fill the seat once held by Ted Kennedy.

If a liberal senatorial candidate can be defeated in Massachusetts, eleven months after the Obama hope-and-change blitzkrieg, it is hard to believe that any liberal seat is necessarily safe anywhere.

So the real story is not a populist backlash, but a growing populist backlash, whose ultimate nature and magnitude are as yet unknown. What’s going on?

Buying Jobs?

Voters are sick and tired of a terrible year of big spending and big deficits — especially the sight of Obama and his congressional allies almost daily talking breezily about spending what we do not have.

Voters went for the hope-and-change Obama in part because he promised fiscal sobriety after the Bush $500 billion deficit. Instead, in utterly cynical fashion, Obama trumped that red ink four times over. In the process, he developed a terrible habit of promising favored constituencies a hundred billion here, a hundred billion there as if it were all paper money — rather than real borrowed currency that will have to be confiscated in the future from the beleaguered taxpayer. It only makes it worse that the more the administration borrowed, printed, and spent, the higher unemployment rose and the lower economic activity plummeted.

Most have had enough of pie-in-the-sky talk of massive new healthcare entitlements, cap-and-trade taxes and regulation, more stimulus, and more takeovers of private enterprise. The country is broke and the people want to pay off, not incur more, crushing debt. What got us into the mess was too much borrowing, skyrocketing debt, and reckless spending — not too many balanced budgets and too much lean government.

Prophets Can’t Mislead?

No politician quite gets a pass for deception and prevarication. Obama in his narcissism thought his sonorous rhetoric made him exempt from a “read my lips” or “I didn’t have sex with that woman” moment. It didn’t.

People heard his serial promises about airing the healthcare debate on C-SPAN, his new-transparency/no-lobbyist vows, and his monotonous boasts to close down Guantanamo within a year. All that is now “inoperative.” The problem was not just that Obama made promises that he broke, but that he made them so frequently and so vehemently — and so cavalierly broke them. That brazen campaign deception is problematic for a politician, but proves fatal for a self-appointed messiah.

A Cessation of Corruption

We went from a Republican “culture of corruption” to a liberal cesspool of corruption. Sen. Chris Dodd lectures Wall Street while he gets sweetheart loans and vacation-home deals. Few could make up a story that the nation’s top tax lawmaker, House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, is a tax dodger, and the nation’s top tax enforcer, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, is an even more egregious tax dodger. When the Democratic Senate leadership started buying healthcare votes at $300 million a clip, our Congress became little more than the praetorian guard, auctioning off its support to any wannabe late Roman emperor. The idea of a muckraking Obama nominating Tom Daschle as his Health Secretary — the liberal populist who skips out of thousands of dollars in taxes on his free corporate limousine service — was the stuff of satire.

Bush Really, Really, Really Did Do It

No one likes a serial whiner. It has been a year now — and Obama still blames George W. Bush ad nauseam. He did it in Massachusetts again — and on the eve of the election, no less. Blaming the past for the mistakes of the present gets old quickly. And when one adds in the constant What’s the Matter With Kansas? brand of condescension about naïve yokels not knowing what’s good for them, it gets even worse.

Yet Obama still pontificates that angry deluded voters will “suddenly” come to appreciate how he rammed healthcare down their otherwise ignorant throats: “The American people will suddenly learn that this bill does things they like and doesn’t do things that people have been trying to say it does. . . . The worst fears will prove groundless. And the American people’s hope for a fair shake from their insurance companies — for quality, affordable healthcare they need — will finally be realized.”

Good luck with that, O philosopher king!

Wall Street Populists

Elite liberals are not good class warriors. Factor in multi-millionaire Nancy Pelosi’s government mega-jet or Barack Obama’s various overseas junkets or the big Wall Street money that went into Obama’s near billion-dollar campaign coffers, and it is hard to take seriously Obama’s constant war against “them.” The voters have figured out that their president likes the elite plutocracy and the lower middle classes, but not so much the wannabe rich who aspire to cross his hated $250,000 income threshold — at which point suddenly they become unpatriotic, unwilling to pay their fair shares, and reluctant to spread the wealth around.

It is not particularly smart to constantly demonize the entrepreneurial classes, promise to raise income, payroll, healthcare, and inheritance taxes on them, and expand government regulations — and then wonder why they are not creating more jobs.

Elmer Gantry

Devotees turn on false prophets with a special vengeance. Obama is beginning to grate. His flip-the-switch-on, evangelical cadences at rallies sound more like a Harvard nerd doing blues imitations than Martin Luther King Jr. Purple-state presidents don’t appoint Van Joneses and Anita Dunns, or turn the NEA into a quid pro quo Ministry of Approved Culture. A healer doesn’t start in on the “rich,” “Wall Street,” the “big” oil companies, drug companies, insurance companies, or “fat-cat bankers” — especially when he has done his best to shake them all down for campaign money, hire as many of them as he can in his own administration, and arrange cut-rate loans, insider deals, bailouts, and guarantees for all of them.

Obama’s populism is beginning to sound more like a bought boxer who belatedly has second thoughts about throwing the fight he previously contracted. In short, Obama’s ideological presidency hinged on his post-racial, post-national mesmerizing presence that reassured reluctant Democrats to vote against their local constituencies.

If cap-and-trade or healthcare reform polled below 50 percent, a worried congressional supporter could always call in Him to charm bolting voters. But now? We have in a blink gone from Obama as the bankable 10 percent edge, to Obama as a non-factor, to Obama as a real liability. In short, why vote for an agenda as unpopular as its albatross author?

Liked by All, Respected by None

Obama thought the antidote to “smoke ’em out,” “dead or alive,” and “bring ’em on” braggadocio was bowing to the Saudis, promulgating new and undiscovered great moments in Islamic history, and reaching out to Ahmadinejad as he rounded up and beat down reformers in the streets of Tehran.

It’s one thing to accuse Bush of shredding the Constitution, quite another to adopt his anti-terrorism protocols like tribunals, renditions, Predators, intercepts, and wiretaps. Somehow Obama offended his base by such duplicity, and then his opposition by his tokenism of trashing Bush, promising the architect of 9/11 a show trial a few blocks from the former World Trade Center, and using touchy-feely euphemisms to suggest we are not in a war against terrorism emanating from the radical Islamic world.

Ahmadinejad, Assad, Chávez, the Castro Brothers, Putin, and others for the first six months liked us as much as they had little respect for our sycophancy; now they openly show contempt. We accept that obsequiousness cannot earn respect, but it apparently cannot earn affection either.

The best thing that could happen to Barack Obama is more Democratic losses in hodgepodge elections that might yank away our young transfixed Narcissus from his mesmerizing reflecting pool.

Almost immediately after Obama showed his ideological cards last spring, I suggested in the first weeks of his presidency that the bait-and-switch president would soon face a Carter/Clinton moment in which he could either press on with his polarizing ideology, damage his party for a generation, and eventually end up churlish and sneering at the electorate, who did not appreciate his exalted morality and genius — or triangulate and follow the Dick Morris/Bill Clinton model of talking and acting sort of centrist.

Who knows after Obama’s Scott Brown moment? We now may hear once again the old “no more Red State/Blue State” tropes, the stale campaign promises of presidential vetoes, claims of financial sobriety, the return of a “war on terror,” and smaller government

We’re either down to all that — or Obama’s more principled road to perdition.

Military To Lawmakers: Next Round’s On Me


According to today’s Wall Street Journal, the military has dispatched officials to accompany lawmakers on dozens of trips abroad – and shower them with "thousands of dollars worth of alcohol, food and other amenities." In doing so, the Journal reports, the "military exploits its official escort role on these trips to foster relationships with lawmakers who approve departmental budgets and top appointments. The disclosures also underscore the military's pervasive pursuit of congressional access."



The officials who go on the trips are usually the same ones lobbying Congress in Washington, reports the Journal, which requested the military-expense records through the Freedom of Information Act.


GO HERE to read more.

ClimateGate's Michael Mann Received Stimulus Funds


And the media remained mum.

A scientist in the middle of the ClimateGate scandal received economic stimulus funds last June.

As NewsBusters reported on November 28, Penn State University is investigating Professor Michael Mann, the creator of the discredited "Hockey Stick Graph," for his involvement in an international attempt to exaggerate and manipulate climate data in order to advance the myth of manmade global warming.

According to the conservative think tank the National Center for Public Policy Research, Mann received $541,184 in economic stimulus funds last June to conduct climate change research.

With this in mind, NCPPR issued a press release Thursday asking for these funds to be returned:

In the face of rising unemployment and record-breaking deficits, policy experts at the National Center for Public Policy Research are criticizing the Obama Administration for awarding a half million dollar grant from the economic stimulus package to Penn State Professor Michael Mann, a key figure in the Climategate controversy.

"It's outrageous that economic stimulus money is being used to support research conducted by Michael Mann at the very time he's under investigation by Penn State and is one of the key figures in the international Climategate scandal. Penn State should immediately return these funds to the U.S. Treasury," said Tom Borelli, Ph.D., director of the National Center's Free Enterprise Project.

Professor Mann is currently under investigation by Penn State University because of activities related to a closed circle of climate scientists who appear to have been engaged in agenda-driven science. Emails and documents mysteriously released from the previously-prestigious Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom revealed discussions of manipulation and destruction of research data, as well as efforts to interfere with the peer review process to stifle opposing views. The motivation underlying these efforts appears to be a coordinated strategy to support the belief that mankind's activities are causing global warming. [...]

The $541,184 grant is for three years and was initiated in June 2009.

Potentially adding insult to injury, Penn State received additional stimulus funds to investigate the impact of climate change last week:

A nearly $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation is enabling a Penn State-led group of researchers to continue studies on the potential effects of climate change on the spread of infectious diseases, such as malaria and dengue. The grant is part of federal stimulus funding authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This grant appears to have nothing to do with Mann's department. However, given the high-profile the university is currently under as a result of his involvement in ClimateGate, it seems absurd that any federal funds involving climate change would be going to this school while it is investigating its chief proponent of this myth.

Maybe more importantly, why are economic stimulus funds being given to a university for scientific research in the first place, especially one with such political overtones?

As NCPPR noted in its release:

"It's no wonder that Obama's stimulus plan is failing to produce jobs. Taxpayer dollars aren't being used in the ways most likely to spur job creation. The stimulus was not sold to the public as a way to reward a loyalist in the climate change debate. Nor was the stimulus sold as a way to promote the Obama Administration's position on the global warming theory...As is often the case, political considerations corrupt the distribution of government funds," said Deneen Borelli, a fellow with the National Center's Project 21 black leadership network.

Despite the obviously controversial nature of this funding and its recipient, I can identify absolutely no media coverage concerning the matter.

I'm sure now that NCPPR has exposed this hypocrisy, press outlets across the fruited plain will be aggressively investigating economic stimulus grants to Mann and others involved in the ClimateGate scandal in order to inform the public about how their tax dollars are being spent.

Of course, I'm not holding my breath.

Source

Life: Bottlenose Dolphins Mud-Ring Feeding

Revolution Billboard In Missouri


AMERICANS ARE REACHING THE BOILING POINT

American's have got to be getting the message that their children's and grandchildren's futures are being mortgage so the Left can achieve its dream of an highly socialist society.

Every highly socialist society is reactionary, not progressive, once achieved, as people do not want to give up benefits they believe entitled to even if it becomes obvious that those entitlements are unsustainable. That will eventually lead to economic decline as people who are heavily taxed, i.e., those who actually produce the Nation's wealth, will either stop working hard and stop taking investment risk or they will leave the country.

That people are, in fact, leaving the country is evidenced by a recent change in U.S. tax law. In the past, if you turned in your citizenship you had to pay tax on all income and capital gains to the date of leaving. After that you were no longer taxed.

A recent change now allows the IRS to levy U.S. taxes for an additional ten years on former Americans, if, at the time you gave up your citizenship, you had current income of $100,000 per annum and total assets of $500,000. You are presumed to be leaving to avoid taxes.

All your rights of citizenship are taken away from you -- the right to vote, the right to social security that you into, etc. -- but you still are taxed. When I learned about this I was amazed and checked it out. It's true but a tax attorney says that the U.S. has a difficult time enforcing the change. What it does mean is that you cannot return to the U.S. to visit family and friends, as you will be arrested at the port of entry. (Wonder if the U.S. would ever follow up on this threat. Seems that it is unconstitutional, but who knows.)

What kind of a country have we become? Remember "No taxation without representation." What about innocent until proven guilty.

What this change means is that the number of people leaving the country and turning in their citizenship must be reaching levels that are of concern for our national well being. It's not only the really the rich who are leaving, as attested by the low income and asset thresholds. It's the well educated, moderately well off with a bright future who see the handwriting on the wall. The country is spending itself into eventual poverty.

What is different today than in the past, in addition to a very Left social progressive administration and government, is the world now offers many alternate opportunities for bright, young, well educated and ambitious professionals where living standards will shortly be be almost equal those in the U.S., and, as the U.S. eventually becomes poorer, maybe even better.

Maybe the trend is now unstoppable but at least there are some who will not allow it to happen without a fight.

Caption This Photo

Smack The Penguin

This one could keep you occupied for hours.

It's certainly a way to get rid of your aggression.

This is also really good for improving hand-eye coordination and timing.

Try it you'll like it!!

So, how far can you smack the penguin?

Click to make the penguin jump and then click again, in time to make the polar bear swing the bat to hit the penguin across the ice!

Warning : Very addictive ! ! !

GO HERE to play.

Determined Woodpecker

Today's Wildlife Photo By Scott Phoebus




CITY OF SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA


Meeting #2 January 25, 2010 6:00 p.m.
City/County Government Office Building Room 301

Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.

6:00 p.m. CONVENE – LORD’S PRAYER – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

6:04 p.m. ADOPTION OF AGENDA

6:07 p.m. CERTIFICATES – Mayor James Ireton, Jr.
Salisbury University Field Hockey Team
Santa’s Workshop

6:18 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
January 11, 2010

6:20 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Internal Services Director Pam Oland

6:25 p.m. ORDINANCES – City Attorney Paul Wilber

Ordinance No. 2095 – 2nd reading - amending 5.22.070(A) of the Code to increase the percentage of the cable television franchise fee that is dedicated for the Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Channel

Ordinance No. 2097 – 2nd reading – approving an amendment to the FY10 Sewer Fund budget (chemical costs)

6:40 p.m. RESOLUTIONS – City Administrator John Pick

Resolution No. 1883 - authorizing the Mayor and the Chief of Police to sign a Mutual Aid Agreement between Wicomico County, the City of Salisbury, the City of Fruitland and the Town of Delmar to allow the police departments and the Sheriff’s Office to operate sobriety checkpoints within the City of Salisbury and Wicomico County

Resolution No. 1884 - endorsing the revitalization of the Richardson Apartment House (known as “The Bricks”) to be financed either directly by the Department of Housing and Community Development of the State of Maryland or through the Department’s Community Development Administration

Resolution No. 1885 – authorizing the Mayor to sign a contract with PAC 14, Inc. providing for Public, Educational and Governmental Programming to be made available through the cable television system or systems serving the City

7:15 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS

CLOSED SESSION – following conclusion of regular meeting agenda
Consult with legal counsel on a litigation matter as permitted
under the Annotated Code of Maryland
Section 10-508(a)(7)(8)

Copies of the agenda items are available for review in the City Clerk’s Office
Room 305 - City/County Government Office Building 410-548-3140 or on the City’s web site www.ci.salisbury.md.us

The City Council reserves the right to go into closed session as permitted under the Annotated Code of Maryland 10-508(a)

Proposed agenda items for February 8, 2010 (subject to change) Charter Amendment Resolution – amending §SC6-7, Primary elections, for the purpose of providing that a voter may vote for no more than one candidate per available position from the candidates on the primary election ballot and §SC6-9, Election of Mayor and Council, for the purpose of a) moving the date of elections from April to November beginning in the year 2015, b) modifying the terms of the three Councilmember positions who will be elected in April 2011, and c) modifying the terms of the Mayor and the two Councilmembers who will be elected in April 2013

Charter Amendment Resolution – amending §SC2-3 and §SC3-3 of the City Charter to permit elected officials (Mayor and City Council) to participate in employee benefits programs and removing reference to the salary amounts for
elected officials

Ordinance – 1st reading – approving an amendment to the FY10 General Fund budget to budget the expense for several vehicles that were budgeted in FY09 but not delivered and paid for until FY10 and to budget for a replacement for a fire destroyed vehicle.

"The Axis Of Idiots"

"The Axis of Idiots"

From the Podium:
J. D. Pendry, Retired Sergeant Major, USMC
FROM THE PODIUM



This retired USMC Sgt. Major has his Stuff together.

Jimmy Carter, you are the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the "runner-in-chief."

Bill Clinton, you played ring around the Lewinsky while the terrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia and then you ran from it. Your weak-willed responses to the USS Cole and the First Trade Center Bombing and Our Embassy Bombings emboldened the killers. Each time you failed to respond adequately, they grew bolder, until 9/11/2001.

John Kerry, dishonesty is your most prominent attribute. You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam . Your military service, like your life, is more
fiction than fact. You've accused our military of terrorizing women and children in Iraq . You called Iraq the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time, and the same words you used to describe Vietnam . You're a fake! You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did to the Vietnamese. Iraq , like Vietnam , is another war that you were for, before you were against it.

John Murtha, you said our military was broken. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq . You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof and said we should redeploy to Okinawa . Okinawa, John? And the Democrats call you their military expert! Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt, and washed up old fool. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's ass. You're a phony and a disgrace. Run away, John.

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot, who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned Southeast Asia to the Communists. Now you want to abandon the Iraqis to the same fate. History was not a good teacher for you, was it? Lord help us! See Dick run.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Carl Levine, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Russ Feingold, Pat Leahy, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, the Hollywood Leftist morons, et al, ad nauseam: Every time you stand in front of television cameras and broadcast to the Islamic Nazis that we went to war because our President lied, that the war is wrong and our Soldiers are torturers, that we should leave Iraq, you give the Islamic butchers - the same ones that tortured and mutilated American Soldiers - cause to think that we'll run away again, and all they have to do is hang on a little longer. It is inevitable that we, the infidels, will have to defeat the Islamic jihadists. Better to do it now on their turf, than later on ours after they have gained both strength and momentum.

American news media, the New York Times particularly: Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one united with the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can't strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer.

You are America 's 'AXIS OF IDIOTS.' Your Collective Stupidity will destroy us. Self-serving politics and terrorist-abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers. It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing. There is as much blood on your hands as is on the hands of murdering terrorists. Don't ever doubt that. Your frolics will only serve to extend this war as they extended Vietnam . If you want our Soldiers home as you claim, knock off the crap and try supporting your country ahead of supporting your silly political aims and aiding our enemies.

Yes, I'm questioning your patriotism. Your loyalty ends with self. I'm also questioning why you're stealing air that decent Americans could be breathing. You don't deserve the protection of our men and women in uniform. You need to run away from this war, this country. Leave the war to the people who have the will to see it through and the country to people who are willing to defend it.

Our country has two enemies: Those who want to destroy us from the outside and those who attempt it from within.

Semper Fi,
J. D. Pendry - Sergeant Major, USMC, Retired

“HOPE-A-THON” FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY, BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS HOLD THIRD ANNUAL “HOPE-A-THON” FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING

$1.2 Billion Invested in School Construction Over Three Years

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot, today met with Superintendents from school systems across the state at the annual “Hope-a-thon” for the allocation of the remaining $62.5 million in public school construction funding. Governor O’Malley has proposed $250 million in school construction funding for FY 2011. Over the last three years, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has awarded more than $1.2 billon to local jurisdictions for school construction and renovation projects.

The “hope-a-thon,” formerly known as the “beg-a-thon” was implemented by the Board of Public Works to allow school superintendents to have a more meaningful conversation with the Board of Public Works on their jurisdiction’s key school priorities.

“For a second year in a row, Education Week has ranked Maryland’s public schools #1 in the nation, and it is because of the important investments we have made in our public schools over the last three years,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Even during these difficult economic times, we’ve continued to fully fund efforts to build new, state-of-the-art classrooms, integrate curriculum across all grade levels, and hire and retain the nation’s best educators. We must continue to protect these critical education investments for our children’s future and the future of our workforce.”

Today, superintendents from 18 local school systems in Maryland appeared before the Board of Public Works to discuss school construction projects in their local jurisdictions. Currently, $62.5 million of the total $250 million in state aid for public school construction funding remains unallocated. The recommendations are made by the State’s Interagency Committee on School Construction.

The O’Malley-Brown Administration has made record investments over the last three years totaling over $1.26 billion in public school construction and renovation. The Governor’s FY 2011 proposed budget includes record levels of funding for K-12 Education, totaling $5.7 billion, making it the largest component of the State’s General Fund budget. The O’Malley-Brown Administration has also included $92.4 million in teacher and librarian pensions, bringing the total to $866.7 million over the last three years. In addition, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has included an additional $99.1 million to close the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their peers, and has included $8.4 million for the State’s first public residential boarding school, the SEED School in Baltimore City.

Last week, Maryland’s public school system was ranked number one in the nation, for a second year in a row according to Education Week. Each year, Education Week issues an education report card.

Scholarship Gala Ticket Info

Well, the tickets are finally here, and we're ready to roll!

LORA presents the inaugural "Tastes for Tomorrow" Scholarship Gala on March 6, 2010 at Chef Fred's Chesapeake Steakhouse.

This western-themed event is sure to be a hit! Western wear is encouraged, but please leave your horses outside! With 17 members in our organization, we will showcase a wide assortment of freshly-prepared food from 6 to 8pm, accompanied by a cash bar. Randy Lee Ashcraft will then provide entertainment and there will be dancing and socializing from 8 till 11pm.

During the gala, we will have a live Chef's Auction in which the services of several local chefs will be won by the highest bidder, as well as other equally high-end donated items. A silent auction will also be featured. Tickets for this gala are quite reasonably priced at $30 each, or two for $55.

Our event was designed to generate funds in order to assist two local students in their pursuit of higher education in the culinary field. It is our intention to continue to offer this scholarship on an annual basis to qualified individuals who meet the scholarship criteria as determined by area school administrators. Our goal is to set aside these funds in perpetuity. Tickets may be purchased at any member restaurant.

Our membership at this time includes Adam's Ribs, Back Street Grill, Bistro 54, Boonie's, Break Time Sports Grill & Pub, Cactus Taverna, Cakes by David, Chef Fred's Chesapeake Steakhouse, Catering by Chef Stewart of Flannery's, Lagoon Bar & Grill, Lombardi's, Namaste Indian Cuisine, Old West Steakhouse, Red Roost, Sobo's, Vinny's La Roma and Zia's Italian Grill. Tickets are also available at the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce.

HURRY! Tickets are expected to sell out quickly, and we don't want you to be left out! A final note... if you would like to be a sponsor of this event, please contact us immediately, as sponsorship packages are very attractive and are moving at a brisk pace. In addition to quite a lot of advertising, sponsors are also receiving multiple tickets to the event, as well as LORA gift certificate packages, website placement, banners and more! Contact Pat Scott or Jinya Bennett at 410-742-7665, or Alex Bubas at 443-783-4214 for full sponsorship information.

AND... we are still seeking wonderful items for both of our auctions! If your business would like to donate something unique to this worthy event, please call us at the above numbers! Thanks so much, and we look forward to seeing you at the gala!

STUFF YOU MAY NOT KNOW

1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

3. The dot over the letter “I” is called a 'tittle.”

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

8. The “spot” on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.

10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

13. Most lipstick contains fish scales (yuck).

14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

16. Upper and lower case letters are named “upper” and 'lower” because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, lower case letters.

17. Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time, hence, multi-tasking was invented.

18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

20. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before.

21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!

22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original “Halloween” movie was a Captain Kirk's mask painted white.

25. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)

27. The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages it. I NEED TO REMEMBER THIS.

34. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart. “Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. O.J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around - Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the last woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and they haul her fanny off to jail."

Notes from the Jan. 12 Meeting Of The Wicomico County Board Of Education

The Wicomico County Board of Education at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12, voted on first reading to raise the minimum GPA for extracurricular activities to 2.0 starting next school year, approved most of the calendar for the 2010-11 school year, and adopted a plan to pilot bocce in high schools this spring in cooperation with Special Olympics Maryland.

The Board heard a number of public comments Tuesday about the proposal to raise the minimum grade point average (GPA) for participation in cocurricular and extracurricular activities from the current 1.6 to 1.85 next school year, and 2.0 the year after that. A number of speakers urged the Board to raise the standard to 2.0 for next school year and said students would rise to the challenge. Others endorsed the interim step of 1.85 next school year, saying that students would benefit from time to meet the new standard for participation. Others asked the Board not to further limit eligibility for extracurricular activities because of the benefits all students receive from participation in activities beyond the classroom.

Following its own discussion on the issue, the Board voted 4-3 against the plan to step from 1.6 to 1.85 to 2.0, then voted 5-2 on first reading to raise the minimum GPA to 2.0 starting with the 2010-11 school year. A second and final vote on the 2.0 GPA proposal is anticipated at the Feb. 9 Board meeting. If the 2.0 minimum GPA is approved on second reading, students would need a 2.0 GPA in the 4th marking period of this school year to be eligible for sports and other extracurricular activities such as dances and clubs – this August.

The Board approved the 2010-11 school calendar with the exception of commencement dates. The Board said it wants further input on the proposal to hold all four commencement ceremonies at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, with Mardela High School students graduating on Friday, June 3, and ceremonies for the three in-town high schools at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. Scheduling commencement ceremonies for two days instead of four would save approximately $2,500. Some speakers advocated not changing the tradition of having each school’s ceremony on a different day. Comments about commencement for 2011 may be made to comments@wcboe.org or to 410-677-4421. The Board will approve commencement dates at an upcoming meeting.

The 2010-11 school year will begin Monday, Aug. 30 and end June 10, 2011. Students will be off Nov. 24-26 for the Thanksgiving break, Dec. 23-Jan. 2 for the winter holidays (schools reopen Jan. 3), and April 21-25 for the spring holidays. June 8, 9 and 10 will be early dismissal days.

Schools will also be closed Sept. 6 (Labor Day), Sept. 14 (Primary Election), Oct. 15 (MSTA Convention), Nov. 2 (General Election), Jan. 17 (Martin Luther King Birthday), Feb. 21 (Presidents Day) and May 30 (Memorial Day). Schools will be closed for students (but open for teachers) for professional days on Oct. 18, Jan. 24 and 25, Feb. 28 and May 2.

In other business, the Board voted to go forward with a pilot bocce (lawn bowling) athletic program in all four high schools this spring, in cooperation with Special Olympics Maryland. Under the Maryland Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act, all Maryland school systems must provide appropriate and meaningful athletic opportunities to students with disabilities by July 1, 2011. Launching bocce teams in the four high schools this spring, with funding and other support from Special Olympics Maryland, will be a first step toward meeting that deadline and will allow Wicomico to meet a May 15, 2010 deadline to report on its progress to the Maryland General Assembly.

The bocce teams will have eight athletes, evenly divided between students with and without disabilities, an approach the Special Olympics calls Unified Sports. Special Olympics Maryland will fund the Wicomico pilot through a federal grant, providing stipends for a Unified Sports coordinator for the bocce season, coaches at the four high schools, uniforms, equipment, transportation, and a state championship event in May. Other sports that provide the opportunity for meaningful competition for both athletes with and without disabilities include team track and field, team aquatics, team powerlifting, bowling and team tennis.

In other business, the Board:

PUBLIC COMMENT

Heard from a parent from the Advocates for Accelerated Learners who said the Magnet centers are the best option for educating high-performing learners, and another parent who said the community might want to consider a charter school for high-performing students.

REPORT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Heard from Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen that:

Anyone seeking H1N1 vaccine can contact the Health Department at 410-543-6943.

The 2010 Maryland General Assembly will convene on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and key issues this session will likely include legislation on maintenance of effort funding, student performance, underfunded and unfunded mandates, and budget.

Wicomico has been invited to express interest in joining Maryland’s application for federal Race to the Top funding of $150-$200 million to target the lowest performing schools and student subgroups.

The Redistricting Task Force had begun moving school boundary lines and will meet two nights next week to develop a redistricting proposal that could be shared with the Board Jan. 22 and discussed at the Board work session Jan. 26. Comments may be made at any time at 410-677-5251 or comments@wcboe.org.

Wicomico will appeal to the Board of Public Works on Jan. 20 for almost $3 million in state funding needed to finish the James M. Bennett High School project. The Maryland Interagency Committee on Public School Construction has recommended $7 million in state funding for fiscal 2011, but nearly $10 million is needed. Wicomico may know next month whether the building can be done in time to open in August 2010, a full year ahead of schedule.

Results of the school climate survey done last fall will arrive next week. The school system will then review the results and data to begin planning next steps.

A proposed revision of the dress code is posted on the web site at www.wcboe.org and input is being taken at comments@wcboe.org.

A firm and appropriate response is being made to recent student misbehavior.

Negotiations on the Bi-State Agreement with the Delmar School District will begin Friday.

The school system continues to work on the capital budget with the County Executive, with the goal of securing funding for the Bennett Middle School project. In other budget news, the Board has received for consideration Tiers I and II of the superintendent’s proposed budget reduction for fiscal 2011, and four additional tiers of reductions have been drafted. The Board will hold a budget input session to receive public comments for the fiscal 2011 budget process at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, in the Wicomico High School Auditorium.

The staffs of Wicomico Middle School, East Salisbury Elementary and Beaver Run Elementary, as well as support staff from the school system and staff from the Wicomico County Health Department, responded very well to the tragedy of Sarah Foxwell during the winter holidays, and will continue to support students and staff members as needed.

Wicomico can be proud of 2009 James M. Bennett High graduate Derek Wu, now a freshman at Princeton University, who because of his community and academic achievements will represent his country as a 2010 Olympic Torchbearer.

The First Lego League Regional Tournament held at Salisbury Middle School Jan. 9 was a great success, with three Eastern Shore teams moving on to the state competition.

GRANTS REPORT

Received for information the latest update of the 2009-10 grants report and updated information on 2008-09 grants. In 2008-09, Wicomico County Public Schools applied for almost $3.6 million in grants and received $2.9 million, an 80.1 % success rate. So far this school year, Wicomico Schools have applied for $2,039,140 in grants and received $1.9 million, a 93 % success rate. Dr. Fredericksen said Wicomico has also been invited to participate with lead applicant Anne Arundel County Public Schools on a state STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) grant, as well as a grant for arts instruction in Maryland schools.

REPORTS

Approved the monthly report of personnel matters for certificated employees, received for information the monthly personnel report for classified employees, and approved January 2010 budget transfers within category in the amount of $2,870.

CONTRACT EXTENSION

Authorized a five-year voluntary contract extension with Sunesys LLC for the Board of Education’s Managed Leased Lit Fiber Wide Area Network.

REFLECTIONS ART RECEPTION

Heard from Ben Brumbley, president of the Wicomico County Council of PTAs, that the Reflections Art Reception will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Parkside High Auditorium.

TRAFFIC ALERT


Emergency Road Closure of Bender Farm Road Replacement of Crossroad Pipes

Greenwood
-- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that Bender Farm Road between Memory Road and Blacksmith Shop Road near Greenwood will be closed for the replacement of crossroad pipes. The closure will occur at 7 a.m. on Thursday, January 21. The road will reopen at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 5, pending weather.

Detour eastbound: Bender Farm Road to Blacksmith Shop Road onto Staytonville Road to Route 36 to Memory Road and back onto Bender Farm Road

Detour westbound: Bender Farm Road to Memory Road onto Route 36 to Staytonville Road to Blacksmith Shop Road and back to Bender Farm Road