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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Bennett Middle School Is A No Go, For Now


Bennett Middle School is being tabled for now. The Board of Public Works denied the request to reconsider the project until additional funding becomes available.

For what its worth, some politicians really put their futures on the line for something Salisbury News figured would happen anyway.

Let me assure you Ladies & Gentlemen. While it may be tabled at this point and time, your voices are clearly being heard and the Board has seen the massive volume of comments from those of you completely against this project. We have delivered information that is forcing them to take a more serious look at the location and future of this project.

While the majority of people believe something needs to be done with Bennett, clearly not enough effort was placed into possibly rebuilding/remodeling Bennett. Since Wi Middle was built in 1930 and is in line to receive new air conditioning, Bennett is too new, (1965/1966) to simply tear down and rebuild at a cost to the taxpayers of more than $80,000,000.00. Their own reports showed the school was in the shape/condition of a 25 to 30 year old school.

Keep those comments coming in. Contact your Delegates and let them know how frustrated you are with such an irresponsible expense. Start holding these liberals and bureaucrats liable for such fiscally irresponsible expenditures. Better yet, here's a no brainer. Make the BOE responsible for NOT maintaining the property/structure. At the rate they're going you'll have to replace the new project in another 25 years, or less.

The Board of Public Works decision is being appealed. BE HEARD NOW!




New Posts to fall below.

Guy Finds $8K On The Road, Gives It Back To Owner

If you ever lose a briefcase containing personal documents and $8,000 in cash, you probably won't see it again. But a man in Tampa got lucky because a virtuous person snagged the case and made sure it found its way back to its owner.

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Ultrasound Zap May Be New Form of Birth Control

Do not try this at home.

A new animal study, published in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, revealed that a couple zaps to the testicles might be the future of contraception.

 Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that zapping the testicles of rats with a therapeutic ultrasound machine, the type normally used by physical therapists to treat muscle injuries, abolished the germ cells that produce sperm. The best results were seen when the testes underwent two 15-minute zap sessions.

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Farm Bureau Wants Pollution Diet Stopped


WASHINGTON, D.C. The plaintiffs in a case against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion last week to stop the federal pollution diet for the Chesapeake Bay.
The EPA's pollution diet establishes controls on land use that trespass into territory legally reserved for state governments, according to the brief. The diet also would have potentially devastating effects on agriculture within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the brief continues.

Report: Home Prices Dropped Steeply Across The Country

Home prices continued to drop in November, according to the latest report that covers 20 cities across the country in its index. Out of those 20, 19 saw a decline, resulting in a 1.3% dip from the previous month in the index score.

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New Airline Rules Give Meaning To Price Tags; Other Industries Should Follow


Cry as it might about the new federal rules designed to clarify flight ticket prices, the airline industry brought this on itself. The hidden fees and “after charges” encountered by flying consumers had reached such absurdity that one might rightly call them an attack on the English language.

Podcast: Hundreds Rally For Traditional Marriage

Supporters of traditional marriage rallied in Annapolis on the evening before bills legalizing same-sex marriage are heard in the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

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The Tricky Politics Of Political Discourse In The Workplace

(CNN) -- It seemed like a harmless comment, or so Mario Almonte thought at the time.

The year was 1992, and Bill Clinton had just appeared on "The Arsenio Hall Show" to play a rendition of "Heartbreak Hotel" on his saxophone. Almonte thought it was entertaining; his supervisor, on the other hand, thought the stunt "demeaned the office of president of the United States," Almonte recalls.

Almonte offered his opinion to his supervisor and that he "relax." It turned out to be the wrong choice of words, he said. "He immediately got upset and started arguing with me, and for nearly half an hour, we kept arguing about the issue until we finally both walked away in disgust," said Almonte, a public relations specialist in New York who was not associated with the show or Clinton's campaign.

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Federal Pay Freeze

The House will vote this week on a bill to extend the federal pay freeze another year. But this time, the freeze would also apply to congressional salaries. Federal employee unions have slammed the proposal. Colleen Kelly, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, says the bill presents a political Hobson's Choice. To lift the federal employee freeze, lawmakers must vote themselves a raise. The bill was introduced by Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.). Its vote occurs under rules usually reserved for routine proclamations.The White House has proposed a 0.5 percent raise for federal workers in 2013.

U.S. Intel Head James Clapper On Greatest Threats In 2012

On Iran: We Don't Know If They'll Go for The Bomb, 'Concerned' About Attack on U.S.

 "We assess Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons, in part by developing various nuclear capabilities that better position it to produce such weapons, should it choose to do so. We do not know, however, if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons. Iran nevertheless is expanding its uranium enrichment capabilities, which can be used for either civil or weapons purposes."

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Federal Pay Differs From Private Sector

A new study by the Congressional Budget Office finds, federal pay and benefits do differ from those in the private sector. But how much depends on your level of education. Federal workers with only a high school degree earn 21 percent more than in the private sector. Pay for people with bachelors degrees is about the same. Those with advanced degrees earn about 23 percent less in the federal government. Overall, benefits for the federal government are higher than in the private sector. CBO says it tried to adjust the results for hard-to-define work factors such as motivation.

The Gas Tax

There's been a lot of buzz about Governor O'Malley's proposal to pursue a balanced approach to end the current sales tax exemption on gasoline. We wanted to make sure you saw this Baltimore Sun editorial...

KEY POINT: "Raising the gas tax is the right thing to do today if Maryland is to preserve its quality of life tomorrow and for the next generation."

The cost of transportation

Our view: Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed 6 percent tax on gasoline may be a tough sell in Annapolis, but it's the right thing for Maryland's future

January 31, 2012

When Gov. Martin O'Malley gives his annual State of the State address Wednesday, he will officially unveil his plan to apply a 6 percent sales tax to gasoline. The public's mood about gas prices being what it is, the governor probably shouldn't expect huge applause — despite the fact he deserves it.

Maryland hasn't raised the gasoline tax since William Donald Schaefer was governor two decades ago, and the current rate — applied as a 23.5-cent charge per gallon — has been rendered insufficient by inflation. The state faces tens of billions of dollars of unmet highway, bridge, transit, port and other transportation needs, but its Transportation Trust Fund has little more than enough for basic maintenance.

What's been done in the past to avoid raising the gas tax — the usual motley assortment of fees, fares and transportation-related taxes — is no longer good enough. If Maryland continues to embrace a 1992 tax rate, it will have to settle for crumbling 1992-era infrastructure.

Polls show a majority of Maryland residents oppose a gas tax increase. Twenty years ago, the public was largely indifferent about the tax, which at least has the benefit of being a "user's fee" (the more you drive, the more you pay). Rising gasoline prices have obviously caused people to become much more sensitive about prices at the pump.

But the tax — even if Mr. O'Malley convinces lawmakers to approve his increase — isn't what's driving fuel costs. What the governor is proposing would be collected at the wholesale level and would not apply to existing state and federal excise taxes — that is, motorists would not be paying a tax on a tax. Mr. O'Malley would also phase in the tax over several years — and plans to offer a "circuit breaker" to delay any of those incremental steps if average gasoline prices rise too steeply (perhaps 15 percent) during the year.

Thus, someone paying a theoretical $3.52 per gallon at the pump would see a first-year 2 percent tax applied to roughly $3.10 ($3.52 minus the state's 23.5-cent and federal government's 18.4-cent tax) or about 6 cents per gallon. Taken together, that's about 48 cents per gallon, or less than 14 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Even when fully implemented, the total cost of fuel taxes would be around 60 cents, or 17 percent of the price. In 1992, state and federal taxes represented closer to 20 percent of the price of gasoline.

What would motorists get in return? When the full gas tax increase is realized, about $613 million annually to spend on badly-needed transportation infrastructure. It means reduced congestion, upgraded mass transit service, safer roads and bridges and a more robust state economy (not to mention thousands of construction-related jobs).

Household budgets may be hurting, but many will be suffering a whole lot less if Maryland businesses are thriving. Small wonder that the gas tax increase is a top priority for the Greater Baltimore Committee and many other business-related advocacy groups.

Critics will claim that such a tax increase wouldn't be necessary if Mr. O'Malley (and his predecessors) hadn't drawn money out of transportation projects to balance the general fund. But that's not true. Those transfers have been largely paid back. Only local transportation aid (also known as highway user revenue) that is not used for state capital projects was reduced permanently — the same fate forced upon all other forms of local aid during the economic downturn.

Could the gas tax be postponed? Of course, but the benefits to the economy would be postponed as well. The problem Maryland faces is that it's been delayed too long already. If the last gasoline tax increase had simply been required to keep pace with inflation, Maryland would have collected $4.4 billion more over the past two decades, and Mr. O'Malley's plan would not be needed.

As the governor's own blue-ribbon commission on transportation finances pointed out last year, Maryland's transportation network is the lifeblood of the state, yet its finances are on the verge of collapse. Merely funding the one top priority of each political subdivision would require $12 billion more in transportation spending.

Convincing lawmakers to approve the tax won't be easy. Republicans and most rural lawmakers are likely to oppose it. Even support from the key jurisdictions of Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George's counties is far from automatic. Business leaders will have to stand up and voice their approval. So will many city and county elected leaders.

But at least nobody can accuse Mr. O'Malley of showing political cowardice. His plan is actually more forward-thinking than the commission's proposed 15-cent gas tax hike. By applying a sales tax on a percentage basis, revenues will now rise with inflation (although higher fuel efficiency and reduced demand for gas could offset the effect).

Lawmakers will have to ask themselves, if now is not the time to raise the gas tax, when would it be? When the 2014 election is drawing near? When prices at the pump rise further? When crucial economic development projects like the Red Line are shelved for lack of funds?

Mr. O'Malley seems willing to be flexible. If legislators want transportation funds put in a lock box (requiring a General Assembly super-majority to approve any future transfers), aides say he's ready to sign on. We think that's a bad idea that carries unintended consequences, but at least it would send the message that transportation is a high priority and not a piggy bank.

The fact is, it's time to pay the piper. Higher prices at the pump may be unwanted, but a deteriorating transportation system is costly, too. Not only in mere congestion but also in lost economic opportunity. Raising the gas tax is the right thing to do today if Maryland is to preserve its quality of life tomorrow and for the next generation.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-gas-tax-20120131,0,7529845,print.story

For a look at what types of projects could be impacted by the gas tax, click here.



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Three Things You MUST DO To Feel Joyful


1) DETERMINE WHAT THINGS YOU'RE DRAWN TO.

For me, when I think about living my best, healthiest and happiest life, creativity and self expression are always part of the picture. I HAVE to write, create, draw, paint and express myself. It's a MUST for my well-being and it's also the very first thing that gets pushed aside when I get busy.

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BREAKING NEWS: Romney Projected Winner Of GOP Florida Primary

Fox News projects Mitt Romney the winner of the Florida Republican primary.

Homeowner Wins Back Her House After Fighting Foreclosure


Karen Mena managed to get a foreclosure on her San Bernardino home rescinded. But she continues to negotiate with Bank of America over loan terms and could still lose the house.

Foreclosure commonly represents the end of a struggle. A borrower can't pay a mortgage, loses a home and moves on.
But Karen Mena, a 38-year-old county worker, never gave up. Mena fought even after her San Bernardino home was no longer hers. And she won the three-bedroom house back — at least for now.

Latest Congressional Budget Outlook For 2012-2022 Released, Says Real Unemployment Rate Is 10%

What do the NAR, Consumer Confidence and CBO forecasts have in common? If you said, "they are all completely worthless" you are absolutely correct. Alas, the market needs to "trade" off numbers, which is why the just released CBO numbers apparently are important... And the fact that the CBO predicted negative $2.5 trillion in net debt by 2011 [14]back in 2011 is largely ignored. Anyway, here are some of the highlights.

2012 Deficit: $1.1 trillion; 2013 Deficit: $0.6 - yes, we are cackling like mad too...

Unemployment to remain above 8% in 2012 and 2013; will be around 7% by end of 2015; to drop to 5.25% by end of 2022.

This forecast is utterly idiotic and is completely unattainable unless the US workforce drops to all time lows and the US economy generates 300,000 jobs a month for 10 years

Needless to say, CBO assumes the best of all worlds in this meaningless forecast
But here is the kicker: "Had that portion of the decline in the labor force participation rate since 2007 that is attributable to neither the aging of the baby boomers nor the downturn in the business cycle (on the basis of the experience in previous downturns) not occurred, the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2011 would have been about 1¼ percentage points higher than the actual rate of 8.7 percent" translation: CBO just admitted that the BLS numbers are bogus and real unemployment is 10%. Thank you

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City Padlocks Wilmington Bus Company

The city of Wilmington has locked down a charter bus company found in violation of federal safety standards.

The shutdown of Double Happyness Inc., which provides low-cost service to New York and Baltimore, comes more than a month after Department of Transportation officials first ordered the station to close because of violations.


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How The Public Schools Keep Your Child A Prisoner Of The State

Public education, in its current state, is based on the idea that government is the "parent" best equipped to provide children with the values and wisdom required to grow into intelligent, functional adults. To echo what former first lady Hillary Clinton professed, these public school champions believe "it takes a village" to cultivate a society of competent human beings.

As Hebrew University historian Martin van Crevald points out in his book, The Rise and Decline of the State, nineteenth-century state worshippers who wanted to impose a love of big government ideals upon the youth popularized the archetype for state-directed education. Additionally, there was an overall appetite for discipline of the "unruly" masses that reinforced the campaign to take education out of the hands of individuals. After all, the self-educated masses might resist government decrees, and this kind of disarray would be undesirable in the move toward building a powerful, controlling state apparatus. Prussia's Frederick William I and France's Napoleon discerned this, as did a legion of other despotic rulers throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In a recent article published on the American Daily Herald "Dumberer and Dumberest," Glenn Horowitz writes:

If you're not familiar with it, the Prussian system was a teaching methodology designed to stamp out good little worker bees assembly-line fashion, trained to be complacent with their station in life and compliant with every demand of the State. An elite of those better educated but still proven unquestioningly loyal to the State were promoted to lead the proletariat, rewarded with elevated status and material success commensurate with their skills and the zeal they demonstrate in supporting the system. It specifically avoided developing creativity and independent thought, reasoning these were skills the worker classes didn't need in their roles as mass produced labor.

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Dear Democrats: The Stimulus Worked, Start Acting Like It

About the only people on the planet who say the 2009 Recovery Act (ARRA) failed are Republicans. This is a necessary posture for them, given that not one of them voted for it. They have too much ideology vested in its failure to admit success, which is why they attack projects like Solyndra and green energy in particular. It's why the Republican governors in Republican states reject high-speed rail and other infrastructure projects. It isn't that it wouldn't be great for their states. It's simply that the funds came into being via the Democrat in the Oval Office and thin majority of Democrats in Congress, and so they just cannot, will not, bring themselves to be a party to possible success.


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Obama's Racial Politics

There's been a heap of criticism placed upon President Barack Obama's domestic policies that have promoted government intrusion and prolonged our fiscal crisis and his foreign policies that have emboldened our enemies. Any criticism of Obama pales in comparison with what might be said about the American people who voted him in to the nation's highest office.


Obama's presidency represents the first time in our history that a person could have been elected to that office who had long-standing close associations with people who hate our nation. I'm speaking of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for 20 years, who preached that blacks should sing not "God Bless America," but "God damn America." Then there's William Ayers, now professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago but formerly a member of the Weather Underground, an anti-U.S. group that bombed the Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and other government buildings. Although Ayers was never convicted of any crime, he told a New York Times reporter, in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attack, "I don't regret setting bombs. ... I feel we didn't do enough." Obama has served on a foundation board, appeared on panels, and even held campaign events in Ayers' home, joined by Ayers' former-fugitive wife, Bernardine Dohrn. Bill Ayers' close association with Obama is reflected by his admission that he helped write Obama's memoirs, Dreams From My Father.


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Anne Arundel Sheriff: Link Tax Refunds To Warrants


ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Anne Arundel County residents who have outstanding arrest warrants would see their state tax refunds withheld if the county's sheriff gets his wish.
Sheriff Ronald S. Bateman has asked the county's legislative delegation to support his proposal. The Capital of Annapolis newspaper reports that the legislation would make Anne Arundel the first Maryland jurisdiction where people with an outstanding arrest warrant could not receive a state tax refund until it's cleared up.
Bateman said withholding the refunds would encourage people facing warrants for minor crimes to clear them up.
The county has about 8,000 outstanding arrest warrants. About half are for people who live outside the county. They would not be covered.
The county delegation has not voted on whether to work for the bill's passage.

QUOTES OF THE DAY 1-31-12

“Truth has to be repeated constantly, because Error also is being preached all the time, and not just by a few, but by the multitude. In the Press and Encyclopaedias, in Schools and Universities, everywhere Error holds sway, feeling happy and comfortable in the knowledge of having Majority on its side.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Whatever you cannot understand, you cannot possess. ”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

No doubt you are right… there would be far less suffering amongst mankind if men… did not employ their imaginations so assiduously in recalling the memory of past sorrow, instead of bearing their present lot with equanimity.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“When I consider the narrow limits within which our active and inquiring faculties are confined; when I see how all our energies are wasted in providing for mere necessities, which again have no further end than to prolong a wretched existence; and then that all our satisfaction concerning certain subjects of investigation ends in nothing better than a passive resignation… when I consider all this… I am silent.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

More Light!”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“I am fully convinced that the soul is indestructible, and its activity will continue through eternity.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Error is related to truth as sleeping is to waking. I have observed that when one has been in error, one turns to truth as though revitalized.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“What is important in life is life, and not the result of life.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

ACTA Is Worse Than SOPA, Here's What You Need To Know

As a warrior for Internet freedom, you helped defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA by supporting Web blackouts by sites like Wikipedia and by contacting your lawmaker to voice your displeasure. So loud was your voice that even the president of the United States sided with you in opposing it.
 But don't take a deep sigh of relief because, after all, we're talking about a merger of Washington, D.C., and Hollywood here, as well as global interests.
After the motion picture industry, its subsidiaries and all "interested parties" have spent nearly $150 million lobbying for some sort of Internet-centric "anti-piracy" bill, you should have known the powers that be would return. And they have. Only this time they are pushing something far more onerous: ACTA, or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

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Gingrich Goes After George Soros

Newt will say anything to get elected, but he just put Soros and New York City into play:


"When we win tomorrow," he said in Florida, "we'll send a signal to George Soros, Goldman Sachs, to the entire New York and Washington establishment: Money can't beat people power."


Don't take this to mean that Gingrich is against big money influence. It just that Gingrich's money comes from Vegas.


Source

Teach Your Child How To Survive Being Arrested At School


The chances are increasing that your child will be arrested for being a child and behaving in a childish fashion at school. Behavior that once got a child a trip to the principal’s office or detention will now get them booked at the police station. Doubt me? Look it up: a 5 year old arrested for having a temper tantrum in kindergarten and a 12 year old arrested for scribbling on a desk, a 13 year old boy was arrested for burping, a 5th grader arrested for giving a wedgie, and I’m sure you can find more.
It’s never too early to teach your child what to do if they get arrested at school for normal behavior, as demonstrated by the arrest of the above children.
So what do you teach your child?

Recreation & Parks Staff Members & Retired Cardiac Nurse Recognized For Life Saving Efforts


(Salisbury, MD) Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. recognized Sharon Engster and Karen McInturff, coordinators of Recreation & Parks’ Happy Timers’ Club, and Carol Smith, a member of Happy Timers and retired cardiac nurse, after they helped save the life of a man who suffered a massive heart attack during a Happy Timers meeting in early January.

Each of these ladies have been praised for their efforts when Preston Tawes suffered a massive heart attack while attending a Happy Timers’ Club meeting at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on January 4. Engster, McInturff and Smith worked together to perform CPR and apply AED shock treatments on Mr. Tawes while contacting emergency services. Mr. Tawes survived due to the joint efforts of these ladies and the staff at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

The ladies were recognized by Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. and members of the County Council in a presentation during a Happy Timers’ meeting at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Monday, January 30. Preston Tawes and his wife Ruth were in attendance.

Photo Is attached. Pictured are Carol Smith, Ruth Tawes, Preston Tawes, Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., Karen McInturff and Sharon Engster.

Gingrich: I Won't Debate Obama If Media Moderates

PENSACOLA, Fla. - With his poll numbers lagging in Florida, Newt Gingrich returned Monday to his tried-and-true offensive against the media, declaring that if he's the Republican nominee, he will not debate President Obama if a reporter serves as moderator.
"The reporters who run the debates have no interest in asking any question which will affect Obama," Gingrich told a crowd gathered to see him at the Pensacola airport. "That's why, as your nominee, I will not accept debates in the fall in which the reporters are the moderators because you don't need to have a second Obama person on the debate."

Catholic Church Rejects Surrender Terms From Obama

My Catholic priest, Father Larry Swink, delivered a homily on Sunday that I told him would make headlines. In the toughest sermon I have ever heard from a pulpit, he attacked the Obama Administration as evil, even demonic, and warned of religious persecution ahead. What was also newsworthy about the sermon was that he cited The Washington Post in agreement—not on the subject of the Obama Administration being evil, but on the matter of its abridgment of the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

What is happening is extraordinary and unprecedented. The Catholic Church is in open revolt against the Obama Administration, with Fr. Swink noting from the pulpit that priests across the archdiocese were joining the call on Sunday to rally Catholics to resistance against the U.S. Government. He said we are entering a time of religious persecution and that Catholics and others will have to make a final decision about which side they are on.

The issue is what the Catholic Bishops have called a “literally unconscionable” edict by the Obama Administration demanding that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans.

At a time when the media are full of reports about who is ahead and behind in the polls, and who will win the next Republican presidential primary, this incredible uprising in the Catholic Church is something that could not only overshadow the political campaign season, but also may have a major impact on the ultimate outcome—if Republicans know how to handle it. This matter goes beyond partisan politics to the growing perception of an unconstitutional Obama Administration assault on religious freedom. To hear the Catholic Bishops and Priests describe it, our constitutional republic and our freedoms hang in the balance.

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The Van Ess Family Thanks The Community


To the Good People of Our Community

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who replied, after reading our tragedy on the sbynews.com. We thank each and every one for their thoughts, suggestions and comments that were posted.

I would like to give all concerned a little history on our family of dogs. Ace (deceased Black Lab) came to us as a gift from my son and his girlfriend, almost 4 years ago. They were concerned our old girl Holly would not be here much longer, she is 14 years old. We also have another yellow lab. Sadie, she is almost 8, she was a gift from my mother in law and now deceased father in law Linda and Buster Elburn from Rock Hall MD.

Bernie (deceased chocolate lab) was the baby of Ace and Sadie, Sadie had a difficult delivery. Bernie was first born, with a heartbeat. But, was not breathing. My wife did CPR on him for 45 minutes. He was a healthy boy after that. My wife had to have that pup after all they had been threw together. That was her baby.

I am an avid hunter and outdoors men. Sadie(in her prime) was the best waterfowl hunting dog I’ve ever had. Until she taught Ace . My goal over the years was to teach kids how to hunt, They also fell in love with our dogs. Bernie was just starting to hunt, he had potential to be an awesome hunting dog.

Everyone knows this tragedy could have been prevented. The way our dogs were killed, and the
way the Landowner handled the situation is inexcusable, unacceptable and should not be without consequence.

On Monday, I was stunned to see there is a Bill In The House, to prevent this type this type of tragedy to happen to others in the future.

I would like to thank the following local agencies and businesses in our community, Joe Albero… sbynews.com, Worcester Animal control, Wicomico Humane Society, Woody’s Pest Control,
The Bank of Delmarva, and the rest were are not aware of.

I would especially like to thank John and Robin Holloway for the services they provided to bring my boys home. My boys are up on the mantle above the woodstove.

We are so blessed for all our community has done for us during these heartbreaking times.

Thanks to all, God Bless Good People.

Sincerely,

John (Chuck) Van Ess




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Americans Put Their Health-Care Costs In Spotlight After Flap Over Skier Sarah Burke’s Hospital Bill


The whopping medical bill faced by the family of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who died from a head injury while practising at Park City, Utah, has triggered a spasm of embarrassment among Americans over their health-care system.
Burke, of Squamish, B.C., died at a Salt Lake City hospital nine days after crashing on the half-pipe course at Park City. The accident tore a vertebral artery in her neck, causing bleeding into her brain.

WCBOE Discipline

Mr. Albero,

Because I feel very strongy about the discipline concerns posted, I wanted to share some information that is true, and that you would find interesting. First, I need to stay anonymous for employment reasons, both for myself and my wife. Suffice it to say, what I am about to share is common knowledge to school administrators, a few teachers, and most definitely the following central office staff:

Dr. Fredricksen
Dr. Handy
Susan Jones, Director of Elem. Ed
Kim Miles, Director of Sec. Ed
ALL school administrators
Many SIT team chairpersons

In regards to the discipline situation, and the obvious outrage over the overwhelming numbers of discipline referrals, there is a very hush, hush document that sums up all discipline referrals in Wicomico County Schools. It is referred as the Management Information System Discipline Database. In short, this is a comprehensive data base that shows the school, the offense category, the month/date/year of the infraction, the gender and ethnicity. This report is NOT known to the BOE members beyond Mr. Willey, who certainly knows about this, but has most likely kept quiet about it. As you know, this report is one of the documents covered under the Freedom of Information Act and can be obtained much like our salary information is. I have used this database frequently over the years, and in my opinion it is the only discipline information that comprehensively sums our discipline data. I am simply disgusted over how poorly the BOE handles discipline - I can tell you that it is a first class sham. School administrators were first shown this data base at a meeting approximately four years ago by a MIS specialist. I don't want to use his name as I would not want him taking the brunt of the Super's burden - this guy is just a computer guru - a numbers guy, who does not work in the schools beyond the data he pulls down along with one other gentleman who is the head egghead. This discipline report was coupled with a very stern warning by Dr. Handy to not release it because the "....public would not understand". The truth is, ALL of the city schools would be correctly labeled as "persistently dangerous" by the state If the data came to the light of day, which would be a MAJOR black eye to senior leadership at the BOE. To request the report under the FOIA, you need only call the Wicomico County BOE at 410-677-4400 and request it. Please note that there are two versions of this report. One is the sanitized version officially reported to the state. The other one is the real deal, and is searchable back to approximately 2009, and is pass word protected. Further, school administrators have been told point blank to reduce their discipline referrals, which all parents and teachers want, but this 'discussion' went so far as Principals being told that they would be terminated if they were found responsible for releasing this. I don't have to tell you that while there are many corrupt administrators, there are a few that actually have some integrity and the best interests of their students at heart. Most Principals use a "cooperative discipline" program that forces teachers to go through a ridiculously long series of steps to curb discipline. The truth in my opinion is the fact that by forcing teachers to spend a lengthy Amount of time completing these sorts of forms, they just give up and keep students who misbehave. The administrators then point to their skewed data to show that they have reduced issues. Nothing is further from the truth, and I don't believe that even you knows just how serious the problem is at the Elementary Schools alone. ANY time a weapon ot drugs are taken it is swept under the rug. This is because it boils down to funding, Race/ethnicity issues, and in the persistently dangerous school label, investigations. It is so bad that teachers and administrators are afraid to do anything as they are routinely over ruled, and then 'engaged' so that they are properly counseled over these sorts of issues. Play ball and you can bat, otherwise you sit the bench. I hope that this is helpful to you in exposing the truth. Like I said, I have no motive other than wanting kids to be safe.

Good luck,

Paladin

Coca-Cola Becomes 'Official Soft Drink' Of Ocean City

Mayor and City Council Approve 5-Year Agreement


OCEAN CITY, Md. -- The Ocean City mayor and council on Tuesday approved a five-year agreement with Coca-Cola Refreshments for the beverage company to be the town's exclusive beverage franchise holder


The contract, which takes effect April 2, has an estimated annual value of $286,172. The franchise contract, among other things, designates Coca-Cola as the "official soft drink of Ocean City," and means that their products will be served in all town-owned properties and at all town-operated events.

Benefits provided to Ocean City by Coca-Cola include a direct annual cash payment of $65,000, commission on product sales, media advertising, free product for town events, and marketing and promotional support. Coca-Cola also will contribute $5,000 annually to the Ocean City Recreation Boosters, a non-profit community organization that supports the town's recreation programs.

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PHILLIP SCOTT BAILEY CONVICTED OF POSSESSION OF HEROIN AND COCAINE WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE AND IS FACING 25 YEARS MANDATORY/MINIMUM SENTENCE

On January 31, 2012, Phillip Scott Bailey was convicted by a Wicomico County jury of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, and other drug and driving offenses. On July 17, 2011 the Defendant was stopped on the Route 13 Bypass by a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy who was operating stationary radar at that location. The Deputy was a certified K-9 handler and had in his car his K-9 “Fiasco.” The driver had a suspended license and was driving a rental vehicle licensed out of the State of Virginia. After the K-9 scanned the vehicle and alerted to the presence of the odor of controlled dangerous substances, the driver was searched and was found to be in possession of several baggies of CDS (Heroin and Cocaine).

After the jury trial, Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello presented the Court with a Notice of Intention to Seek Subsequent Offender Penalties. The notice revealed that the Defendant had two prior convictions of Possession with Intent to Distribute. Because this is the Defendant’s third conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute, the Defendant is facing a mandatory/minimum penalty of 25 years incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Mr. Maciarello stated “law enforcement and the State’s Attorney’s Office are hoping that the message gets out that distributing narcotics in Wicomico County will get you serious jail time. The mandatory minimum for a second offense is ten years; for a third offense the mandatory minimum sentence is 25 years.”

State’s Attorney Maciarello would like to thank the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office K-9 “Fiasco,” the Fruitland Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Government School: Six Year Old Guilty Of Sexual Assault After Playing Tag

In politically correct San Francisco, a six year old boy was charged with sexual assault after playing a game of tag on the playground.

The child was accused of brushing his best friend’s leg or groin while the two were playing on the playground at Lupine Hills Elementary in Hercules two months ago, according to CBS in San Francisco.



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Group To Ask Senators To Repeal Sodomy Law


A gay-rights group wants Kansas legislators to repeal an unenforced law that makes sex between consenting adults of the same gender a crime.
Members of the Kansas Equality Coalition planned to testify Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering a bill making other technical changes to state criminal statutes.
In 2003 in a Texas case, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws criminalizing gay sex between consenting adults as unconstitutional.

How To Prepare For The Coming Global "Write Off" On Social Programs And Government Outlays

The coming years will be marked by a seismic change in the economic landscape in the US. Firstly and most importantly, we are going to see economic growth slow down dramatically. Jeremy Grantham, an asset manager I respect, believes we’ll see global growth at 2% over the next seven years. Personally I believe it could be even lower than that.

The reasons for this slow down are myriad but the most important are:

Age demographics: a growing percentage of the population will be retiring while fewer younger people are entering the workforce.
Excessive debt overhang.
A return to more frugal “common sense” spending patterns in the developed world.
Political and Geopolitical uncertainty.

Regarding #1, Europe is the most glaring situation. According to Eurostat, between 2004 and 2050, the number of people of non-working age relative to those of working age will increase dramatically. In the EU in 2004 there were approximately four people of working age (19-64) for every person of non-working age (65 and older). By 2050, this number will have dropped to only two people of working age for every person of non-working age.

Over the same time period, Europe will also see a tripling in people considered to be “elderly” (80 or older) from 18 million to 50 million.

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STOCK Act Advances In The Senate


In a move aimed at improving transparency and voter confidence in Congress, the Senate on Monday voted to advance a bill to stop so-called "congressional insider trading."
By a vote of 93 to 2, the Senate agreed to proceed with debate on the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge, or STOCK Act. The legislation specifically prohibits federal lawmakers from trading stocks based on nonpublic information they have obtained in the course of their congressional work.

Video: Ron Paul Blasts “Bureaucratic Monster” TSA

Says federal agency “traps” Americans into going along with police state

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul slammed the TSA during a CNN interview Sunday night, refusing to back down a week after the incident involving the detainment of Senator Rand Paul by the federal agency in Nashville.

Speaking with Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union”, Paul dubbed the TSA a “bureaucratic monster” that “totally voids the concept of the fourth amendment.”

“They trap us into it,” Paul told Crowley. “There’s no way you can travel if you don’t do it. So I’ve said, you know, when you look at some of these pictures of probing groin areas and breast areas and all this, and old women having to take their clothes off, if we as a people are so complacent that we can look at that and say, oh, that’s OK, they’re making us safe.”

“It doesn’t make us safe. It undermines our liberties and there’s a much better way of giving us security at the airports than accepting the bureaucrats and the politicians in Washington. That is totally unacceptable from my viewpoint.” Paul said.

Last week the Congressman raised a quarter of a million dollars in an impromptu ‘End the TSA’ money bomb, following the incident where his son Rand Paul refused to be subjected to a full body pat down after a glitch set off a body scanner at Nashville airport.

The Congressman was adamant that under his presidency transportation security would be very different.

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Attorney General: Getting Pardoned Mississippi Murderers Difficult

(CNN) -- Getting the convicted murderers pardoned by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour back in prison is like "being on a manhunt with one arm tied behind my back," the state's attorney general said.

Highlighting the difficulty is the case of Joseph Ozment, whom authorities finally located Monday in Wyoming, said Jim Hood, the attorney general.

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THIS IS WHY REVOLUTIONS START

Zero Hedge posted the chart below to show the potentially explosive situation in Europe with so many youths unemployed. Aren’t you glad the explosive situation is in Europe? But wait. Let’s look at the BLS data for youths in America. Here is the link:

ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat3.txt

Here are the facts:

There are 37.9 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 16 and 24 and only 17.1 million of them are employed. That means that 55% are not employed.
The BLS uses their magic 8 ball to conclude that 17 million of these yuuts aren’t really in the labor force. How convenient. I know I worked from the age of 16 onwards even when I was in school.
The BLS manipulated numbers show a 25.9% unemployment rate for 16 to 19 year olds and 15.1% for 20 to 24 year olds.
The rates for men are even higher at 28.8% and 17.8%.
The rates for black men are off the charts at 45.4% and 29.8%
No matter how you spin the numbers, 55% of the yuuts in this country are not working. As unbelievable as it sounds, 84% of the black men in this country between the ages of 16 and 24 do not work. You can verify my calculations by clicking the BLS link above.

The youths around the world are losing hope. It is even worse than Europe and the U.S. in the Middle East. Revolution is brewing. I can feel it in my bones.

Zero Hedge captures the explosive nature of these facts regarding Europe:

Surging Greek and Portuguese bond yields? Plunging Italian bank stocks? The projected GDP of the Eurozone? In the grand scheme of things, while certainly disturbing, none of these data points actually tell us much about the secular shift within European society, and certainly are nothing that couldn’t be fixed if the ECB were to gamble with hyperinflation and print an inordinate amount of fiat units diluting the capital base even further. No: the one chart that truly captures the latent fear behind the scenes in Europe is that showing youth unemployment in the continent’s troubled countries (and frankly everywhere else). Because the last thing Europe needs is a discontented, disenfranchised, and devoid of hope youth roving the streets with nothing to do, easily susceptible to extremist and xenophobic tendencies: after all, it must be “someone’s” fault that there are no job opportunities for anyone. Below we present the youth (16-24) unemployment in three select European countries (and the general Eurozone as a reference point). Some may be surprised to learn that while Greece, and Portugal, are quite bad, at 30.7% and 46.6% respectively, it is Spain where the youth unemployment pain is most acute: at 51.4%, more than half of the youth eligible for work does not have a job! Because the real question is if there is no hope for tomorrow, what is the opportunity cost of doing something stupid and quite irrational today?

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Psychiatrist Says Hinckley Has Had Risky Romances

Washington (CNN) -- Hearings to determine whether John Hinckley, Jr., should be granted more visits to his mother's home enter their 10th day Tuesday, a day after a psychiatrist questioned risky romantic relationships in which the presidential assailant had engaged.

 Hinckley, who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan in March 1981, is currently allowed to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital for 10 days each month to visit his mother's home in a gated community in Williamsburg, Virginia. St. Elizabeths' proposal calls for that to increase to two visits of 17 days and then to be upped again to six visits of 24 days.

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American Exceptionalists Love Their Primitive Secular State Theocracy

At a recent debate when Ron Paul mentioned the "Golden Rule," that we should treat foreigners as we should be treated, he was booed by a number of people in the audience. This happened at a previous debate. At that previous debate, Paul further questioned how we would like it if a foreign government invaded and occupied the U.S. and set up its military bases here.

How can so many people (and so many popular radio talk hosts and their listeners) condemn the suggestion that everyone must be equal under the rule of law?

The myth of American exceptionalism is that the U.S. is an example of moral progress, peace and prosperity for the rest of the world to follow. But that has not been the case during most of America’s existence.

Perhaps America was somewhat exceptional at its founding, when the ideas of the rights of the individual and private property were taken seriously. But when a Constitution, which limited the rights of the individual and empowered a centralized government, was written and ratified, that was really the end of such moral exceptionalism.

The Founders had the right idea, but the statists, centralists and fraudsters took control, and that was the end of that.

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Drug Cartel Member Confesses To 75 Murders

(AP)  
MONTERREY, Mexico - Police in northern Mexico have captured an alleged member of the Zetas drug gang who confessed to killing at least 75 people, including many who were pulled off buses, authorities said Monday.
Enrique Elizondo Flores told investigators 36 of his victims were bus passengers traveling through the town of Cerralvo, near the border with Texas, said Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene.

KUNSTLER BRUTALLY DISAVOWS OBAMA

Jive Talkin
By James Howard Kunstler

Well, he had to get up there and say something. In this particular winter of our discontent, the wispiest nostrums and baldest lies will do. America is not interested in reality. America is a nine-hundred pound man imprisoned in a fetid trailer bedroom begging for one more case of Little Debbie Cocoa Cremes before the front-end-loader bashes through the wall to haul him to intensive care. America just wants to hear another story about its own wonderfulness before that happens. America’s soul is so lost that it has disappeared into the same cosmic wilderness that MF Global’s client accounts were last seen entering.

Mr. Obama keeps telling nationwide audiences that “we have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years.” That is just not true. If he believes it then he is either 1) getting treasonously bad advice from dishonest advisors or 2) not reading reports issued by his own agencies or 3) just making shit up. This was the same week, by the way, when the US Department of Energy dropped its estimate for the Marcellus shale gas play by 66 percent, while the estimate for all US shale basins went down 42 percent. The shale gas industry is another Ponzi bubble that is about to founder on a scarcity of investment capital. Just watch.

The “energy independence” trope is a lie, too. At least in the sense that Mr. Obama means – that we can run the suburban clusterfuck and all its accessories by other means than fossil fuels. He just says it because it makes voters feel better. By the time they find out it was just a story, he won’t need their votes anymore. Meanwhile, we’ll do nothing to prepare for a different way of life, and so, necessarily, the result will be an obscene scramble for power and resources that will leave a lot of people dead.

The topper for me, though, was the President’s cheeky announcement that he’d ordered the Department of Justice to form a “special unit” to investigate mortgage fraud and other lethal irregularities in the banking sector. The fact that his congressional audience did not bust out laughing shows what a convocation of craven and perfidious cat’s paws they are. Note to readers: the DOJ has a long-established criminal division fully empowered to prosecute all the familiar scams of our time from NINJA lending to the robo-signing of titles to MERS mortgage mischief, to the bundling and sales of booby-trapped CDOs – up to and including whatever Jon Corzine thought he was doing at MF Global.

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Skunks Flood California City Looking For Love


Love stinks!

Just two weeks before Valentine's Day, hundreds of skunks have flooded Sacramento, Calif., in search of the perfect mate, bringing with them a pungent smell and creating a nuisance for many homeowners, Fox40.com reports.
"They are everywhere," animal trapper Stephen Andert told the station.


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Ranger Zaps Off-Leash Dog Walker With Shock Weapon

A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday.

The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service.

Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said.

The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger "pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her" electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. "That did stop him."

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South Africa Recalls 1.35 Million Condoms

South Africa is recalling 1.35 million condoms given away at the African National Congress party's centenary celebrations amid charges some broke during intercourse and others were porous, an official said Tuesday. 

AIDS activist Sello Mokhalipi of the Treatment Action Campaign said he complained after "we had people flocking in, coming to report that the condoms had burst while they were having sex." Some were panicking because they were infected with AIDS and were concerned for their partners, he said.

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Moody’s Warns Of Lower Maryland Credit Rating

Moody’s Investors Service warned Tuesday that it probably will lower the credit rating on five states if it downgrades the U.S. government’s credit rating.

The credit rating agency said it has placed on review for possible downgrade the triple-A bond ratings of Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

A triple-A rating is the highest for debt and tells investors an institutional borrower presents a minimal credit risk.

Last week, Moody’s placed the U.S. government’s triple-A credit rating under review for a possible downgrade as Congress and the White House wrestle over raising the nation’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. Moody’s said there is a small but rising risk the government will default on its debt if federal officials don’t raise the limit.

The government reached its borrowing limit in May. The Treasury Department says the government will default on its debt if the limit is not raised by Aug. 2.

Any action on the states’ ratings would come within 10 days of a U.S. rating downgrade, the firm said.

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Colbert Super PAC Reports $1 Million In Donations


The super PAC run by comedian Stephen Colbert -- Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow -- reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) early Tuesday morning that as of Monday, it had collected $1,023,121.24 in donations.
Colbert's super PAC, often discussed on his Comedy Central satirical show "The Colbert Report," has helped shed light on the significant role super PACs have played in this election cycle, spending millions of dollars to back political candidates. All campaigns and super PACs have until the end of Tuesday to report their finances to the FEC.

Freddie Mac Betting Against Struggling Homeowners

Freddie Mac, a taxpayer-owned mortgage company, is supposed to make homeownership easier. One thing that makes owning a home more affordable is getting a cheaper mortgage.

But Freddie Mac has invested billions of dollars betting that U.S. homeowners won't be able to refinance their mortgages at today's lower rates, according to an investigation by NPR and ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom.

These investments, while legal, raise concerns about a conflict of interest within Freddie Mac.

"We were actually shocked they did this," says Scott Simon, who heads the mortgage-backed securities team at the giant bond trading and investment firm called PIMCO. "It seemed so out of line with their mission, out of line with what Congress wanted them to do."

Freddie Mac, formally called the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., was chartered by Congress in 1970. On its website, it says it has "a public mission to stabilize the nation's residential mortgage markets and expand opportunities for homeownership." The company is owned by U.S. taxpayers and overseen by a regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

In December, Freddie's chief executive, Charles Haldeman, assured Congress his company is "helping financially strapped families reduce their mortgage costs through refinancing their mortgages."

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Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases 1-31-12

Incident: DUI Accident
Date of Incident: 17 December 2011
Location: 4000 block of Disharoon Road, Fruitland, MD
Suspect: Christopher Paul Burk, 36, Fruitland, MD

Narrative: On 17 December 2011
at 4:21 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office investigated a single vehicle collision where Christopher Paul Burk drove his vehicle into a ditch in the 4000 block of Disharoon Road. During the ensuing investigation, the deputy suspected that Burk was impaired by alcohol but was unable to complete his investigation due to Burk’s transportation to PRMC
from the scene. The investigation culminated on 24 January 2011 with the completion of blood testing which revealed that Burk was over the legal limit with regards to alcohol at the time of this incident.

The deputy obtained a warrant for Burk’s arrest charging him with DUI which was served 27 January 2012. Upon arrest Burk was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of a District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Burk on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Incident: DUI
Date of Incident: 27 January 2012
Location: 10700 block of Snethen Church Road, Mardela Springs, MD
Suspect: Christopher Michael Wolcott, 22, Mardela Springs, MD

Narrative: On 27 January 2012
at 4:55 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single vehicle collision in the 10700 block of Snethen Church Road in Mardela Springs.

Upon arrival, the deputy discovered a vehicle operated by Christopher Michael Wolcott had left the roadway and struck a fence. While speaking with Wolcott, the deputy detected a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Wolcott.

The deputy conducted field sobriety testing on Wolcott which led to his arrest for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/ During processing, Wolcott declined to take a breath test when requested.

The deputy also discovered that Wolcott did not have a valid driver’s license.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Driving Without a License

Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 29 January 2012
Location: 7600 block of Gumboro Road, Pittsville, MD
Suspect: Tyrone T. Anderson, 32, Pittsville, MD

Narrative: On 29 January 2012
at 12:34 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 7600 block of Gumboro Road for a reported assault. Upon arrival, the deputy discovered an altercation had been occurring in the residence between a female and her boyfriend that turned physical. During the investigation, the deputy observed signs of injury to the victim. Those,
along with witness accounts led to the arrest of Tyrone Anderson for assault.

The arresting deputy transported Anderson to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Anderson on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 27 January 2012
Location: 4800 block of Powell School Road, Powellville, MD
Suspect: Timothy Wayne Carey, 27, Powellville, MD

Narrative: On 27 January 2011
at 4:10 PM, a deputy responded to the 4800 block of Powell School Road and located Timothy Wayne Carey who was wanted on an outstanding District Court Bench warrant that had been issued the previous day when Carey failed to appear for a Driving Suspended Case. Carey was placed under arrest and transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in
front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Carey was held in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond.

Charges: Failure to Appear

Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 28 January 2012
Location: 100 block of Francis Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Tyteanna Monay Harris, 21, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 28 January 2011 at 9:00 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office went to a residence in the 100 block of Francis Drive for the purpose of locating Tyteanna Harris who was wanted on an outstanding bench warrant for failure to appear in a theft case on 18 January 2011.

The deputy located Harris and placed her under arrest. Upon arrest, the deputy transported her to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner.

After an initial appearance, Harris was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Failure to Appear

Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 30 January 2012
Location: North Salisbury Blvd. at Centre Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Sheldon Maurice Johnson, 44, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 30 January 2012
at 1:58 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle operated by Sheldon Johnson for an equipment violation. Upon contacting Johnson, the deputy discovered that Johnson’s privilege to drive a motor vehicle was suspended. The deputy also discovered two outstanding warrants for Johnson’s arrest for Failing to Appear in two separate Driving While Suspended cases.

The deputy placed Johnson under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Johnson on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Driving Suspended
Failure to Appear

Drug Problem


Click on image to enlarge. It's worth the read.

Physics Professor Uses Super Math Skills To Investigate Classic Question Of Generic vs. Brand Name Battery

It's a good thing there are physics professors around to do all the complicated math when we need questions answered, otherwise how would we know if it's worth it to buy name brand batteries? We would never know, is the answer.

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Customers Pitch In To Save Business Almost Ruined By Ill-Advised Groupon Deal

Since Groupon launched, we've written a handful of stories about businesses — like the bakery that claimed $19,500 in losses and the cafe owner who called it the "single worst decision" she'd ever made — that said they took on huge amounts of red ink when they were overwhelmed by bargain-hunting shoppers who only wanted the discount. Well, here's a story that's slightly different, in that the shop's regular customers have come to the rescue to save the sinking business.

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Only 246 Fans Jilted At Last Year's Super Bowl Agree To Attend This Year's For Free

At last year's Super Bowl in Dallas, 3,200 ticket-holding fans were denied the chance to take their seats because some seating was deemed unsafe. The league offered the displaced fans some make-good of options, including entry to this year's game in Indianapolis. Only 246 of the bumped ticketholders took the NFL up on its deal to attend.

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Help Wanted 01/31/12

Businesses looking to fill positions can put their information in comments for FREE.

Gun Wisdom

Some words to the wise. Shooting Advice from various Concealed Carry Instructors. If you own a gun, you will appreciate this. If not, you should get one and learn how to use it:

A; Guns have only two enemies rust and politicians.

B; Its always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

C; Cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.

D; Never let someone or something that threatens you get inside arms length.

E; Never say "Ive got a gun." If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off.

F; The average response time of a 911 call is 23 minutes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.

G; The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win - cheat if necessary.

H; Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets . . . You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, cause it'll be empty.

I; If youre in a gun fight:
1/ If you're not shooting, you should be loading.
2/ If you're not loading, you should be movin',
3/ If you're not movin', you're dead.

J; In a life and death situation, do something . . . It may be wrong, but do something!

K; If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. Nonsense! If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about?

L; You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much a universal language.

M; You cannot save the planet, but you may be able to save yourself and your family.

Sen. Whitehouse To Introduce ‘Buffett Rule’ Bill To Raise Taxes On Millionaires


President Obama renewed his call for raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help reduce the deficit during his State of the Union speech, a proposal that became known in 2011 as the “Buffett Rule” after Obama mentioned that Warren Buffett paid a lower tax rate than his secretary last year.
Obama’s State of the Union speech offered the first concrete details about the oft-mentioned idea, as he called for a 30 percent minimum tax rate for millionaires. And according to the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will introduce a bill this week that could make the Buffett Rule law: