Popular Posts

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Alex Guerrero Is Still Undefeated

Alex Guerrero is still undefeated. Alex put his opponent on the mat in the 1st and 2nd round and finished the job in the 3rd round with a knockout. This was a sold out event. This was one awesome fight and we will have pictures posted soon. Congratulations Alex!!

Kathy Day Passes Away

Kathy Day, (Wife of former Salisbury City Council Member Michael Day) passed away yesterday morning at Deers Head Hospital.

Kathy had gone to see her Doctor around 4 weeks ago with some health issues and learned she had cancer. Unfortunately, Kathy passed away from cancer in a very short period of time.

Our kindest thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Day and the Day Family.

Relatives Say 'Fukushima 50' Toiling In Desperate Conditions

Relatives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers assigned to avert a nuclear catastrophe at the quake-ravaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have called on the Japanese government and people not to abandon their loved ones.

About 50 workers were left battling to prevent a nuclear meltdown at the plant even when TEPCO temporarily withdrew all non-essential staff on Tuesday.

Four of the plant's six reactors are in a dangerous condition. The small corps of workers is dousing the reactors with water to prevent a meltdown while desperately trying to restore a cooling system that might stabilize the reactors.

The wife of one worker said she received word from her husband at the plant in a text message late on the night of March 11, hours after the magnitude-9.0 temblor rocked the facility.

The message was abrupt: "I'm alright."

She had to wait another four days before she received a short text message.

"We're running out of drinking water. I feel like I'm coming down with something," the second message said.

She said she wondered whether her husband and other workers left behind in the facility could carry out their duties in such dire conditions.

Another family member of the same worker said: "Perhaps they are unable to say anything because, as Tokyo Electric employees, they are in the most responsible position. As kin, we would like to see something done right away for them."

The worker's family said they could not watch TV coverage of the situation at the nuclear power plant.

A relative of another TEPCO employee asked: "Was there no way that the government and whole nation could have done something earlier?"

A relative of the worker who was evacuated from the facility on Tuesday described an employee torn between sense of duty and a wish to be with their family.

The relative quoted the evacuated worker saying: "I thought I would never see you again. But I also feel bad about walking away alone."

The employee, who had been at the facility since March 11, said TEPCO staff had scrambled to get power from car batteries and small diesel generators in the hope of jump-starting the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) after the earthquake and tsunami crippled vital equipment and power supplies. The efforts failed.

"The most frustrating thing was that the external electricity supply had been cut off," the employee added.

Immediately after the quake, several hundred TEPCO employees and affiliated workers took turns trying to repair the damage but their work was frustrated by repeated aftershocks, the family members said.

Workers have been working without sleep. Some have a hard time swallowing the stored biscuits and packs of cooked rice with which they are being fed.

High levels of stress caused by working in a facility faced with the danger of exploding, in which exposure to radiation is a constant worry and in which a complete nuclear meltdown is a real possibility are being aggravated by some media coverage. Televised news conferences in which tense exchanges between reporters and TEPCO officials yield little positive information have affected the morale of some inside the plant.

"The outside world doesn't seem to realize what is going on inside. At one point I even thought that the company had given up on us," the evacuated employee said.

"I also thought that we should not leave until it is safe enough for nearby residents to return," the employee added.
More here

[The "Fukushima 50" as the workers have come to be known have been the object of profound gratitude and admiration in Japan and elsewhere. --Editor]

Worcester County Bureau Of Investigation Press Release

DATE & TIME: March 19, 2011 at 4:30 AM
Case # 11-96-001548
LOCATION: 11466 Maid At Arms Ln. Berlin, Md. 21811

CRIME: Burglary

VICTIM: Debra Ruth Kuhn, age 48

ACCUSED: Unknown

NARRATIVE:
 

On Saturday, March 19, 2011 at approximately 4:45 AM Troopers from the Berlin barrack and a member of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 11466 Maid At Arms Ln. Berlin, reference a reported burglary, resulting in the owner being shot in the leg.

Upon officers arrival met with EMS personnel and the reporting victim. The victim states, on this date at approximately 4:30 Am she was awoken by noises from inside the residence. The victim, believing that some unknown suspects had entered the residence; she removed a loaded handgun from her bedroom and went to investigate.

The victim states, when she entered the living room area of the residence she observed a subject exiting from the upper level floors. The victim states, she advised the unknown suspect; she had a gun and for the suspect not to move. At this time, she was accosted from behind by a second suspect, who grabbed her from behind and a struggle ensued. During the struggle with victim, the gun she was carrying discharged striking the victim in her upper thigh.

The victim was transported to PRMC with non life threatening injuries.
At this time, there are few leads and are asking if anyone having any information to please contact the Worcester County Beau of Investigation, or the Maryland State Police, Berlin. (410) 641-4408

Pohanka's Midnight Madness Sale Delivers 58 Vehicles Last Night

It doesn't get any better than that! 58 vehicles over the curb means $5,800.00 also went back into the community to local non profits in one night with the "Pohanka Pays It Forward" Program.

If you haven't been out to their new Toyota Dealership, it really is something to see. We used our new Toyota Prius yesterday with it full of passengers to Arlington, VA. and back and burned less than 1/3 of a tank of gas!

Go see my friend Charles McAleer at Pohanka Toyota and tell him "Captain Joe" sent ya. LOL

Beware: Nuclear Overreaction

The March 11 earthquake off the coast of Japan and the ensuing tsunami is a tragedy hard to comprehend. Thousands are dead, entire villages are gone and hundreds of thousands are homeless. As the days pass, the death toll continues to climb. The U.S. military has mobilized to assist in relief efforts, while we and millions of others offer our prayers for the Japanese people.

Sadly, even in the midst of chaos and human suffering, the usual suspects have a political ax to grind. In this case, that ax is nuclear power. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan has been a focal point since last week's catastrophe. When the earthquake hit, the plant automatically shut down and switched to generator power. It was designed to withstand an 8.2-magnitude quake; in fact, it survived a 9.0-magnitude one, which is many times stronger.

However, the ensuing tsunami destroyed the generators, and the debris-filled water contaminated the reserve coolant. The reactors soon heated up, pressure built, and the resulting explosions released radiation into the atmosphere. The jury is still out as to the impact this will have, though there has been no shortage of anti-nuclear hysteria on the Left.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) ran to the nearest microphone to pronounce the disaster "another Chernobyl" (it's nothing of the sort) and to call for the Obama administration to curtail any new nuclear reactors in the U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said that we should "put the brakes on right now until we understand the ramifications of what's happened in Japan." In the media, many of the alarmed so-called experts are actually just shills for anti-nuclear organizations.

Other voices, including even The New York Times, have been more measured. The Times wrote, "The unfolding Japanese tragedy also should prompt Americans to closely study our own plans for coping with natural disasters and with potential nuclear plant accidents to make sure they are, indeed, strong enough." We completely agree. In fact, 30 American nuclear reactors have similar or identical designs to the 40-year-old plant in Fukushima. While our facilities should be reviewed and updated as necessary, none are subject to tsunamis.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu was also on the right side, telling a House panel, "The American people should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly." He added that the administration "is committed to learning from Japan's experience." We hope the follow-through is as good as the rhetoric.

The U.S. hasn't built a new plant since 1979, the year of the Three Mile Island accident. In other words, the brakes have been on for 32 years. Even still, nuclear power provides 20 percent of our electricity. New, safer reactors are close to coming on line, and it should go without saying that our technology has come a long way in three decades. The situation at Fukushima is indeed grave, but any call for a nuclear moratorium in response is overwrought. Indeed, it's often mere political opportunism for those who oppose nuclear power under any circumstances.

More from The Patriot Post

CBO: Obama Budget Worse Than Projected On 10-Year Deficit

The Congressional Budget Office on Friday released its analysis of President Obama’s 2012 budget proposal and found it does less to rein in deficits and the debt than the administration had estimated.

CBO estimates Obama's plan would produce 10 years of deficits totaling $9.5 trillion. By 2021, it would increase the debt held by the public to 87 percent of gross domestic product.

The administration, using different methods, estimated budget deficits would total $7.2 trillion over the next 10 years under the 2012 budget. It forecast that total debt in 2021 would be 77 percent of GDP.

The White House also said total deficits over the next decade would be $1.1 trillion more without the recommendations included in Obama's budget.

Marc Goldwein, policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said that CBO has found the effects to be almost nil.

He explained that the difference between the CBO's $9.5 trillion estimate and OMB's $7.2 trillion estimate comes from two sources: rosy economic growth assumptions by OMB and offsets for the Medicare doc fix as well as transportation spending OMB did not specify in the budget and which CBO will not factor in.

The most important aspect of CBO's analysis is that, while OMB claimed the president's budget "stabilized" the debt at 77 percent of GDP over the 10-year window, CBO estimates the debt will grow throughout the period and end up at 87 percent, he said.

More here

Reid: GOP Must Give In On Planned Parenthood To Get Spending Deal

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declared Thursday that a Republican proposal seeking to ban taxpayer dollars for Planned Parenthood will not be part of any agreement to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

Asked Thursday about the GOP proposal, Reid defended group, which provides abortions, and said the GOP measure will not be part of a long-term funding deal.

“[It] won’t be part of an agreement,” Reid said.

Reid's vow will complicate negotiations on that spending deal. GOP leaders are under intense pressure from their members and outside groups to deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who crafted the House amendment, has said it is time to pass his measure. It is one of 67 riders attached to the spending bill cleared by the House last month. Pence's office declined to comment on Reid's remarks.

More

Salisbury Rollergirls

Joe,
     
Salisbury Rollergirls are having their first premiere bout on Sunday March 20th at 7:00 pm at Crown Skating Center in Fruitland. Its an interleague face off between the Old Bay Bombers and the Wicomikazis. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. You can purchase tickets at Specific Gravity, Rise Up, Illusions Comics, and Crown

Skating Center. One dollar of every ticket is being donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER


Washing

Something we take for granted these days was quite a chore in days gone by. Back in the 1800’s, a galvanized wash tub was the norm. The water was heated in a kettle on the wood stove, and a washboard was used to scrub the clothes. The clothes were then rinsed and wrung out by hand. Since this was way before the days of permanently pressed clothes, everything had to be ironed. The iron was a heavy, clumsy instrument that had to be heated on the stove. The standard day for washing was Monday.
         
The next great invention to invade the standard household was the wringer washer. These came about when electricity was brought into the more affluent households. At least this invention freed the housewife from the tedious task of the washboard, and the attached rubber wringers would do the task of getting the water out of the clothes. I imagine that whatever had to be ironed would be ironed at the end of the ringer’s task.
         
Not having a washing machine until the 1950’s, I remember my mother washing our clothes in the kitchen sink. She had this plunger-like instrument that she would use to agitate the clothes. I remember her standing over the sink furiously plunging the clothes with a swok-swok sound emanating throughout the whole kitchen. Since most of the mothers that I remember as I grew up in Salisbury were housewives, doing the wash at home was the norm. When women started to go out into the workplace, the long, tedious chore of clothes-washing was replaced by the automatic clothes washer. Probably, all she earned was used to pay for that new washer.
         
Mom was prolific when it came to washing clothes. I think she washed clothes every day. We followed a ritual in our house that entailed everyone throwing their dirty clothes in the hall at night after we had changed into our pajamas. Miraculously, those clothes disappeared over night and would reappear on the corner of my desk the next day after school. They were always neatly folded and fresh-smelling. She even ironed my underwear and the neatly folded handkerchief I was required to carry and change every day.
         
If she didn’t have time to iron right after washing, she would put the laundry in the refrigerator to be ironed later. Since everything had dried out a bit, she had an attachment to a soda bottle that would sprinkle water on them and make them suitable for ironing.
         
Times have sure changed over the years, and the washer and dryer in these modern times (along with the advent of perma-pressed clothes) have made the maintenance of clothing nothing short of easy. They’re two of the many modern conveniences that free us up to pursue other endeavors. The only hard part about washing nowadays is picking out the proper detergent and fabric softener from the many brands available at the grocery store.

Fukushima Status Update

Power has now been restored to some parts of the Fukushima plant, reports the BBC's Chris Hogg - though reports suggest the power lines to the cooling systems will only now be switched on on Sunday, after system tests.

"If the power is turned on without checks it may malfunction. They are checking the facility now. If no problem is found at the facility today, the power will resume as early as tomorrow [Sunday]."

If engineers are unable to cool the reactor, Reuters says, the last option would be entombing the plant with concrete and sand to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, the method used at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

Water-spraying operations have resumed at the number 3 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant, NHK reports. AFP quotes Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa as saying: "Instead of dumping water in phases we would like to set up an operation that will allow us to continuously inject water." So far such efforts to cool the reactors at the stricken plant have taken place intermittently, AFP explains.

The UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA says Japan has ordered a halt to all sales of food products from Fukushima prefecture, Reuters reports. It comes after the chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said radiation levels in milk and spinach from the region of Fukushima nuclear plant exceeded safety standards - though the radiation levels recorded still pose no serious risk to human health.

Outside the exclusion zone around Fukushima nuclear plant, radiation levels are absolutely miniscule and nothing to worry about, points out the BBC's Tim Willcox in Tokyo. That's interesting, he says, given how many foreign nationals have left Tokyo and other parts of the country.

Midori Horikawa in Tokyo, writes: "Ungrounded panic and paranoia about the situation in Fukushima are making Tokyo a less than liveable place at the moment. I fear that the alarmist media and reactions of foreign governments are mostly to blame for this mass paranoia. Much of the non-Japanese media's reporting is based on pure speculations, prompting foreigners to leave Tokyo... With foreigners leaving the country, however, even the Japanese are growing distrustful of 'the government stories'. I feel that the whole nuclear scare is just a side show to the very real damage brought by the earthquake and tsunami.

Pete Payne, an American living in Gunma prefecture, also thinks some journalists have been overdramatising events in Japan. He tells the BBC: "There's a big difference between how some outside journalists have been presenting the situation and the reality here is. Some US journalists in particular have been using the most sensationalist language as if an imminent catastrophe is going to affect the whole country. People in Japan are concerned of course, but life goes on. We are running a business, shipping bento boxes. We've been in touch with all our distributors across the country - they are all open to business. The post office has been functioning every day."

The Oshika peninsula in Miyagi prefecture has moved 5.3m (17.4 feet) and dropped 1.2m since the devastating March 11 quake - both records for land mass movements in Japan - government data show, according to Kyodo.

BBC

Sam's Club Is A Mess!


I took this picture the other day and then I went to the manager of Sam's Club and pointed it out. At first he said, what's wrong with it. In my mind I thought, well, the "wecome" is missing an "L". Then, the entire sentence is wrong! Add the "L" to "wecome" and take out "To The" and it MIGHT be OK. "Welcome New Arrival."

I thought they would have pulled it from the cooler. He did, at first. I went back the next day and guess what, it was right back on the shelf with all of the same screw ups. Now I'm sure someone familiar with Ebonics looked at it and said, PERFECT, I Love It!

I would have even bought it if it wasn't $35.00 and then marked down to $5.00. I would have added an "L" and driven to PRMC and sold it for $50.00. LOL

DOJ To White Male Bullying Victims: Tough Luck

The viral video sensation showing a bullying incident at an Australian school has brought the issue of bullying back into the spotlight.

Here in the United States, the Obama administration has made school bullying a federal issue. Last week, President Barack Obama addressed an anti-bullying conference with First Lady Michelle Obama at his side. The administration's anti-bullying campaign has been ongoing since the beginning of Mr. Obama's term.  The Department of Justice announced in December 2010 its intention to hold liable school districts that fail to protect students that are bullied.

DOJ’s website states:

    The Civil Rights Division and the entire Justice Department are committed to ending bullying and harassment in schools, and the video highlights the Department’s authority to enforce federal laws that protect students from discrimination and harassment at school because of their race, national origin, disability, religion, and sex, including harassment based on nonconformity with gender stereotypes.

The statement later says:

    The enforcement of the Equal Protection Clause, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in school districts is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information is available at the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section website at www.justice.gov/crt/edo/.

Here is the catch. DOJ will only investigate bullying cases if the victim is considered protected under the 1964 Civil Rights legislation. In essence, only discrimination of the victim’s race, color, religion, or sex will be considered by DOJ. The overweight straight white male who is verbally and/or physically harassed because of his size can consider himself invisible to the Justice Department.

More here

Nolte: When Will Obama, Democrats, And MSM Call For Civility?

Below, you’ll find a compilation of 20 days worth of the death threats, vandalism, and intimidation practiced by pro-union thugs opposed to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.

Wisconsin is my home state. I lived there until I was 27 years-old in 1993 and most of my family, including my parents still live there. For that reason and because the issue of education and teachers unions has been a passion of mine for going on two decades, I’ve been following this story very, very closely.

My original intent was to compile all of this earlier in the week, but after reading Lee Stranahan’s superb editorial I decided to wait and see if that might have some effect on the national and local Wisconsin media in moving them towards giving the ongoing violence, intimidation, vandalism, and overall thuggery occurring at the hands of union activists and their supporters, the coverage it needs and deserves.

Not only should the local and national media be amplifying their coverage of this ongoing scandal because of the bar they themselves set with the Tea Party for what rises to the level of of racism, “predominantly white” protesters and troubling behavior — but in the wake of the tragic shootings in Tuscon you would think direct threats on elected officials would rate a little outrage. Well, obviously not when those threats come from the Left.

Politics aside, what’s happening in Wisconsin is downright frightening because, as you’ll see below, these incidents are growing in number and intensity. Furthermore, other than the Right, no one is calling for calm or civility. The local media is, at best, wrist-flicking these incidents, Democratic legislators have not called for calm, President Obama is AWOL, and worst of all, Public Union employees not involved in the thuggish behavior taking place in their name, have been complicit with their silence.

(See the compilation here)

Majority Of NYC Voters: Teacher Layoffs Should Be Based On Performance

A whopping 78 percent of New York City voters said teacher layoffs should be based on performance, not the seniority-based "last-in, first out" law, a poll released today found.

Even 63 percent of voters in union households agree that layoffs should be based on merit, not LIFO, according to the Quinnipiac College survey.

Read more

Franklin Graham: World’s Christians In Grave Danger

The Muslim Brotherhood, with the complicity of the Obama administration, has infiltrated the U.S. government at the highest levels and is influencing American policy that leaves the world’s Christians in grave danger, warns internationally known evangelist Franklin Graham

“The Muslim Brotherhood is very strong and active here in our country,” Graham tells Newsmax. “We have these people advising our military and State Department. We’ve brought in Muslims to tell us how to make policy toward Muslim countries.

“It’s like a farmer asking a fox, ‘How do I protect my hen house?’ “

That same Muslim Brotherhood is fomenting much of the rebellion and the deteriorating social order roiling the Middle East, forcing millions of Christians to flee for their lives, says Graham, son of beloved evangelist Dr. Billy Graham, and founder of The Samaritan’s Purse international charity.

“Under [Egypt’s Hosni] Mubarek and [Jordan’s] King Hussein and other moderate leaders, Christians had been protected,” Graham says. 11 million Christians live in Egypt and I fear for them, because if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power, you’re going to see a great exodus of Christians. Same thing in Tunisia and Lebanon. I fear for the church because the Muslim Brotherhood is going to be a very terrible thing.”

A new report from the Roman Catholic aid agency Aid to the Church in Need supports Graham’s contention that the persecution of Christians world­wide has worsened exponentially in the past few years.

According to the report, Christians face increased suffering in 22 countries around the world, with Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Nigeria being among the worst countries to be a Christian in today.

The persecution has gotten markedly worse over the past two years according to the organization.

Read more on Newsmax

Steyn: John Boehner Has Basically Climbed Into The Bob Dole Suit’

One by one, conservatives are expressing their displeasure in the way Speaker of the House John Boehner is leading the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Conservative talker Mark Levin has expressed his frustration on a nightly basis in recent weeks.

Add author Mark Steyn to that list. On Thursday’s “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Steyn likened Boehner to failed 1996 presidential candidate and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and said they still don’t understand why what happened in November 2010 happened.

“No, I don’t. I don’t, to be honest,” Steyn replied. “I think John Boehner has been an incredible disappointment. I think John Boehner has basically climbed into the Bob Dole suit, and I think they misunderstand the lessons of the 2010 election, which is that the tea party chose to work within the diseased husk of the Republican Party it loathes. And it still hasn’t forgiven for 2006 and 2008. So for the Republicans to demonstrate that ‘hey, we’re back to 2006 again,’ except on Obama-level spending, is not a good idea.”

Steyn explained the recent small cuts the Republican majority in the House had been able to achieve through continuing resolutions were inadequate.

“We need Republicans to at least take the lead in broadening public discourse,” he continued. “This country is broke. It’s the brokest country in the history of the planet. And the idea of arguing over itsy-bitsy, half a billion here and half a billion there, and continuing resolutions staggering forward every ten days, is preposterous. It’s inadequate to the task. It’s inadequate for the challenge facing America”

Going Bananas Over Radiation

With all the worries over radiation leaks from Japan, and hoarding of potassium iodide tablets, many people might be surprised to learn that they will get more radiation from eating a single banana today than they will from Japan’s nuclear reactor problems.

While doing some research on Thorium reactors, I came across this interesting little fact that I wasn’t familiar with, so I thought I’d pass it along. Many people fear radiation — sometimes the fear is irrational, based on the erroneous concept that we live radiation-free lives. I’ll never forget the time I showed my Geiger counter to a neighbor who was shocked when it started clicking. She was horrified to learn that cosmic rays were in fact zipping right through her body right that very second. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about neutrinos.

But, along the same lines, this little factoid might drive some people “bananas” when they read it. But, it illustrates a fact of life: radiation is everywhere.

A banana equivalent dose (BED) is a concept occasionally used by nuclear power proponents to place in scale the dangers of radiation by comparing exposures to the radiation generated by a common banana. Bananas are high in potassium, and naturally radioactive, due to the isotope potassium-40 they contain. One BED is the radiation exposure received by eating a single banana.

More here

Hamas-Associated CAIR Applauded By White House

White House officials have applauded advocacy efforts by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), even though top FBI managers refuse to meet its leaders, the council has been judged by courts to have been associated with the Islamic terror group Hamas, and several of its employees and members have been jailed or expelled for jihadi-related terrorist offenses since 2001.

CAIR was publicly applauded at a Mar. 10 White House event by Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement, for its work with MTV to counter “bullying.” “Bullying can be prevented if we all take action,” said Jarrett, as she cited the MTV project, and named CAIR as a partner.

Read more

Satellite Photos Of Tsunami

Even better satellite photos of tsunami....DO NOT MISS

These are the best satellite photos yet. Move your mouse sideways to reveal "Then and Now" comparison.
Look at Fujutseka and Noriaga especially....whole forests have disappeared as well as half an island in the middle of the river. In one a river has been revealed that was obscured by the forest canopy before. The very last photo both valleys by the sea area have been "scoured" from the shore inland just like a glacier would produce. I think there will be closer to 350,000-500,000 deceased. They will probably have to bull doze piles of debris and burn it where they pile it. This goes on down the coast for 200 miles. 

Nice treatment of the google sat photos here:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm


MAKE SURE YOU MOVE YOUR MOUSE LEFT TO RIGHT OVER EACH PHOTO!

Fatal Accident In Salisbury

03/19/11, 1258 am, Fatal accident;

A 2007 BMW was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Mill Street and crossed Rt 50, the vehicle then struck a traffic light support pole at the N/W corner of Rt 50 & Mill St, in front of Farmers & Planters.  Salisbury Fire Department personnel had to extricate the driver from the mangled vehicle.  The male driver was the single occupant, and was a 58 year old resident of Salisbury.  He was pronounced dead at the scene by Salisbury EMS.  The release of his name is pending the notification of next of kin.  The investigation is continuing, and it is unknown at this time if alcohol contributed to the accident.    Local case number, 201100009999,

PETA To Rally For Pets Of Americans Leaving Japan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- PETA says Americans being evacuated from Japan are not allowed to take their pets with them.

The animal rights group says it plans to rally Saturday afternoon outside the White House to protest the situation.

PETA says many will endanger themselves by ignoring evacuation orders instead of leaving their animals behind.

The group says it is calling on the State Department to develop an evacuation plan that includes safeguarding pets.

Source

Senate Panel Rejects Rear Seat Belt Use Mandate

A Senate committee has rejected a bill that would have required all occupants of a car, including adults in the rear seat, to have their seat belts buckled while the vehicle was in motion.

More

For O'Malley And Friend, Interests Align In Offshore Wind Bill

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's childhood friend and right-hand man for a decade stands to gain from the governor's ambitious plan to subsidize development of an estimated $1.5 billion offshore wind farm.

More

Fukushima Update

Japanese emergency teams have been battling to repair the Fukushima nuclear plant stricken by the quake and tsunami - fire engines and army helicopters have sprayed tons of water on the plant, and power lines have been re-laid.

Engineers are accelerating efforts to restore cooling functions to reactors at the damaged Fukushima plant on Saturday, reports Kyodo news agency. They are hoping to reconnect the electricity to reactor number 2 later today.

Members of Tokyo Fire Department's 'hyper rescue team' have joined the operation to cool down reactor 3 by spraying it with 90 tons of water, according to Kyodo.


BBC

Montgomery County Cop Charged In Drug Trafficking Plot

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - A Montgomery County police officer has been charged with using police databases to help a convicted drug dealer she was having a relationship with.

A criminal complaint announced Wednesday charges 37-year-old Delores Culmer, of Silver Spring, Md., with conspiracy to deal cocaine and computer fraud.

Federal prosecutors say Culmer used police databases to run criminal records checks on people who were associates of a man authorities identify as her boyfriend and fiancé. Authorities say Culmer ran registration checks on cars owned by the girlfriend of a drug customer who owed a debt to Culmer's boyfriend. That woman reported her cars were vandalized.

More

Congratulations To The 27 Semifinalists For Wicomico Teacher Of The Year

Twenty-seven semifinalists for 2011-12 Wicomico Teacher of the Year have met with a blue ribbon panel of judges and will find out on Thursday, March 24, who will be named the new Wicomico Teacher of the Year. Watch for a salute to the semifinalists airing until March 24 on PAC 14.

The annual Wicomico Teacher of the Year banquet, with more than 200 guests including dozens of outstanding teachers, will be held at The Commons at Salisbury University beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24. The announcement of four finalists (one for each school level) and the naming of the new Wicomico Teacher of the Year will take place by around 8:30 p.m. The banquet will also feature student musicians and the honoring of a new Friend of Education.

Congratulations to all of these semifinalists for 2011-12 Wicomico Teacher of the Year:

Tammy Adams
Grade 3 Reading teacher
East Salisbury Elementary School

Jessica Atkins
Grade 5 teacher
Glen Avenue Elementary School

Donna Bennett
Grade 3 teacher
Northwestern Elementary School

Christy Briggs
Grade 5 Reading teacher
Fruitland Intermediate School

Sheila M. Edwards
Prekindergarten teacher
Pinehurst Elementary School

Jennifer Fenzel
Grade 5 teacher
Westside Intermediate School

Brooke Fleetwood
Kindergarten teacher
Delmar Elementary School

Casey Foltz
Art teacher
James M. Bennett High School

Chris Grande
History teacher
Parkside High School

Pam Hall
Special Education teacher/case manager
Wicomico Infants & Toddlers Program

Sherri Harkins
Foreign Language Elementary School (FLES)/French teacher
Pittsville Elementary and Middle School

Jana Hobbs
Band Director
Wicomico Middle School

Susan Jones
Grade 1 teacher
Fruitland Primary School

Rosemarie Leonard
Title I Math teacher
Beaver Run Elementary School

Patrick McGlinchey
History teacher
Wicomico High School

Elizabeth McQuown
Special Education teacher
Wicomico Early Learning Center

Kairlyn Miles-Smith
Science teacher
Choices

Chad Pavlekovich
Science teacher
Salisbury Middle School

DeAnna Richardson
Grade 2 teacher
Prince Street Elementary School

Josefina Rodriguez
Grade 4 teacher
Pemberton Elementary School

Michelle Schlegel
Kindergarten teacher
Charles H. Chipman Elementary School

Debbie Simpkins
Grade 2 teacher
Willards Elementary School

Christen Tacka
Grade 6 Reading/English/Language Arts teacher
Mardela Middle and High School

Deb Tobin
Title I teacher
West Salisbury Elementary School

Jeff Williams
Technology Education teacher
Bennett Middle School

Nicole Williams
Grade 1 teacher
Westside Primary School

Teresa Williams
Grade 3 Magnet Math teacher
North Salisbury Elementary School