Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

'Wake Up Baby!': The Chilling Words A Couple Heard In The Middle Of The Night From A Man Who Had Hacked Their Daughter's Baby Monitor And Was Watching Her Sleep

An Ohio couple awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a man screaming 'wake up baby!', quickly realizing a hacker had hijacked the wirless baby monitor in their daughter's room and was watching the little girl sleep.

Heather and Adam Schreck say they feel 'violated' after the midnight encounter, only worsened by the fact they have no way of working out who the online intruder was.

The Cincinnatti couple had stirred during the night, thinking they heard a voice.

Heather then checked on their 10-month-old, Emma, by looking at her cellphone , which streams the camera feed from the monitor that sits above the baby's crib.

Heather saw that the camera was moving erratically, when it is only meant to move if following the child or someone else walking about the room.

More

University Students Forbidden by Administration From Handing Out US Constitution

According to the University of Hawaii you can’t have the right of free speech. Even Universities are trying to taking away our Constitution bit by bit.

Two students are suing the University of Hawaii for violating their First Amendment rights after administrator prevented them from distributing copies of the U.S. Constitution — demonstrating a frightening lack of knowledge about the very legal document they were attempting to censor.

Students Merritt Burch and Anthony Vizzone, members of the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at UH-Hilo, were prevented from handing out copies of the Constitution at a recruitment event in January. A week later, they were again informed by a censorship-minded administrator that their First Amendment-protected activities were in violation of school policy.

The students were told that they could only distribute literature from within UH-Hilo’s “free speech zone,” a small, muddy, frequently-flooded area on the edge of campus. Administrators further clarified their level of respect for students’ free speech rights, making comments like, “This isn’t really the ’60s anymore,” and “people can’t really protest like that anymore,” according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

More

Dorchester County PreK-8 Delayed Tomorrow

On Thursday May 1, 2014 South Dorchester PreK-8 School will be operating on a 2 hour delay due to localized flooding.

‘Pop-Tart’ Case Gun Appeal: School Officials Say The Problem Was Ongoing Misbehavior

School officials who suspended a boy in Anne Arundel County after he chewed his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun said Tuesday that the second-grader’s removal from school came because of ongoing classroom disruption, not his imaginary weapon.

“We had not been able to make him understand that he had to follow the rules,” testified Sandra Blondell, principal at Park Elementary School, during an appeals hearing that lasted more than six hours in what has become widely known as “the Pop-Tart case.”

Blondell said that the child, then 7 years old and diagnosed with ADHD, received the two-day suspension after repeated problems and lost instructional time. “This must have been probably the 15th or 20th time there was a classroom disruption,” she said.
MORE

America Eats Itself

The body politic's overactive racism antibodies.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is Jonah Goldberg’s weekly “news”letter, the G-File. Subscribe here to get the G-File delivered to your inbox on Fridays.

Dear Reader (Including those of you who came here expecting a good ‘Dear Reader’ gag),

I’m sitting here in the lobby of the Williamstown Inn waiting for the restaurant to open. The décor is a mix between New England traditional and cat-lady Grandma’s House (though the staff is very nice). The Muzak playing at 5:30 in the morning seems oddly reminiscent of a long time-lapse scene from A Man Called Horse or maybe the soundtrack when William Holden found that nice pacific village in Bridge on the River Kwai.

Now that I got the important stuff out of the way, I gave a talk here at Williams College last night. The paperwork from my speakers’ bureau said I was being brought in by the Young Republicans. But, as the guy caught with a tranny hooker said to the cops, either there was some mistake or this was a clever ruse. I was in fact brought in by a group of impressive kids called simply “Uncomfortable Learning.”

More

BLM Responds To Texas Land Grab Accusations: It’s Already Ours

Texans are proud of their “Don’t Mess With Texas” bumper sticker, and the Bureau of Land Management is about to find out why.

The agency’s Oklahoma Field Office is sticking with the bureau’s position that the federal government has a right to 90,000 acres along the Red River long held in Texas’ control, saying ownership has been settled for generations.“It’s not the BLM making any such claim as to the status of the land,” bureau spokesman Paul McGuire told Breitbart Texas. “That land was a matter that the courts adjudicated decades ago, going back to the 1920s in fact. The Supreme Court settled the matter as to where the public land in the Red River was. So BLM is really just proceeding on those earlier court decisions.”

The bureau announced Wednesday it was taking control over the land, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has sworn to fight it. Now, Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson has joined the battle, disputing the federal government’s position.

More

EDITORIAL: Lesbian ‘throuple’ proves Scalia right on slippery slopes

Well, that didn’t take long. Doll, Brynn and Kitten Young, a lesbian trio, have declared themselves the world’s first “throuple.” The Massachusetts women claim to be “married” and await their first child. Massachusetts doesn’t recognize “throuple marriage” yet, but the year is young. When the Supreme Court eviscerated authentic marriage last year, this was foretold. There’s already an organized movement, led by college professors, for what might be called “grouple” marriage.

The British tabloids report that Doll, 30, and Brynn, 34, were dating for 2 years when they met Kitten, 27, through a website for couples who think two is at least one too few. The trio tied the “knot” last year. “In our eyes, we’re married,” Brynn told The London Sun. “We had specialist lawyers draw up paperwork so our assets are equally divided.”

Kitten is now pregnant with the first of the three children they’re hoping to raise together. No word yet on who the father might be.

More

Massive Street Collapse Sweeps Away Cars, Covers CSX Tracks In North Baltimore

Nels Schumacher is unexpectedly in the market for a new car.

Schumacher, who lives at 52 E. 25th St., said he was at home Wednesday afternoon when neighbors banged on his door, telling him to go outside. When he walked out, he saw that his 1997 Saturn was starting to sink from 26th Street into a freight train path.

"I was standing here taking pictures of my car as it was slowly moving toward the ravine," Schumacher said. "The cars sank about five or six feet and then the whole wall came down."

MORE

A Prom You Won't Believe

Prom night. It's a night made of memories.

To say the memories a pair of Maryland teenagers shared on their prom night this past weekend will last a lifetime could be an understatement to say the least.

That's because instead of sharing their prom night with friends on Saturday night at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, a pair of Sherwood High School students shared their prom night together in a hospital room.

Josh Popkin, a member of the Sherwood basketball team affectionately known as "Ziggy" to his friends in Olney, was waiting in Kasey Rosen's driveway to make his prom-posal a few weeks ago as she returned home from volleyball practice.
MORE

Obama’s America: In 20% of U.S. Families, No One Works…

The takers are taking over.

Via CNS News:

In 20 percent of American families in 2013, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), not one member of the family worked.

A family, as defined by the BLS, is a group of two or more people who live together and who are related by birth, adoption or marriage. In 2013, there were 80,445,000 families in the United States and in 16,127,000—or 20 percent–no one had a job.

The BLS designates a person as “employed” if “during the survey reference week” they “(a) did any work at all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; (c) or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an enterprise operated by a member of the family.”

Members of the 16,127,000 families in which no one held jobs could have been either unemployed or not in the labor force. BLS designates a person as unemployed if they did not have a job but were actively seeking one. BLS designates someone as not in the labor force if they did not have a job and were not actively seeking one. (An elderly couple, in which both the husband and wife are retired, would count as a family in which no one held a job.)

Keep reading…

Neglected Ducks Get Their First Swim

Men Who Work Full-Time Earn Less Than 40 Years Ago

(CNSNews.com) - The real median income of American men who work full-time, year-round peaked forty years ago in 1973, according to data published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 1973, median earnings for men who worked full-time, year-round were $51,670 in inflation-adjusted 2012 dollars. The median earnings of men who work full-time year-round have never been that high again.

More

MD GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVED $16 MILLION IN NEW DEBT FOR LOCAL PORK

$146 million in new debt since 2007

The Maryland General Assembly approved $16 million in new debt for 156 local pork projects during the 2014 legislative session.

Known in Annapolis as bond bills, they are submitted by legislators, but are not voted on individually by the assembly. Rather, they are added to the capital budget via the amendment process. The projects are funded through general obligation bonds authorized in the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan 0f 2014, which totaled $1.2 billion.

More 

Enriching Our World Through Cultural Exchange

High School Students from Sweden, Germany, and China are looking forward to making their dreams come true in DelMarVa this fall and to participate in an Academic Year in the USA. International Cultural Exchange Services, ICES is a non-profit student exchange organization and we are currently seeking families in the area who are interested in opening up their heart and home to a student who will soon be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime!

ICES students are carefully screened and selected according to their ability to adapt to another culture, academics, flexibility, maturity and the willingness to share and learn more about your family and America. ICES students will arrive in Southern Delaware at the end of August, each student will have their own medical insurance, spending money, good English ability and a strong commitment to becoming a member of your family and the local community.

DelMarVa!! We are looking for host families who would be willing to provide a loving home and meals for a semester or year to a student who would love to share their cultural with your family. They do truly become like one of your own children and you help to build bridges around the world and relationships that will last a lifetime. They can share a room and are looking forward to meeting your family. For more information on how to become a host family, please contact Erin Windsor at 302-725-7777. You can also visit us online atwww.icesusa.org or call our National Office toll free 1-800-344-3566.

Post racial society


Berlin To Evaluate Proposed Recreation Park Concept For Tyson Property

BERLIN — The former poultry processing plant property in Berlin has become the topic of a lot of recent conversations, and the question is whether the property owner and the Town of Berlin would consider turning the 60-acre space into a park or recreational area.

Without making any guarantees, the Berlin Mayor and Council have indicated that the option is possible and a hard look will be taken at the unused site soon after the town’s budget is put to rest this spring.

Left empty for more than a decade, the old Tyson Foods plant property on Old Ocean City Blvd. has been an unproductive splotch on an otherwise booming Berlin. Over the years, numerous strategies for how to revitalize the site have been pitched to the town with no real progress made. Interest spiked last week, however, when a new development plan called “Tyson’s Park” began to make the rounds.
More

United Church Of Christ Challenges North Carolina Ban On Gay Marriage

The United Church of Christ is joining the national debate on the future of gay marriage in a novel way: The church filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging North Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage, saying Amendment One violates the church's constitutional guarantee to freedom of religion.

According to the church, this is likely the first challenge by a national Christian denomination of a state's gay marriage ban.

Amendment One, the church argues, makes it a crime for its clergy to officiate a marriage between two people of the same sex. That, the church argues, puts a limit on the church's exercise of religion.

"It is unfortunate that, even today, laws are designed to treat gay and lesbian people unequally," the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, the church's general minister and president said in a statement. "In its efforts to restrict gay marriage, the State of North Carolina has restricted one of the essential freedoms of our ministers and of all Americans."

More

'Daily Record' Honors SU's Bunch Among '20 in Their Twenties'

SALISBURY, MD---Sarah Bunch, assistant director of Salisbury University’s Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) has a philosophy: Work hard and give back.

That mantra recently earned her a spot on The Daily Record’s prestigious “20 in their Twenties” list, honoring young professionals in Maryland who are making a difference in their communities and beyond.

At BEACON, Bunch’s work in developing dashboards and decision support tools has helped influence corporate and public policy decisions in the mid-Atlantic. In addition, through BEACON, she helps train undergraduate and graduate students in business and economic modeling skills.

Weighing The Risks Of Warrantless Phone Searches During Arrests

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in two cases testing whether police can search cellphones without a warrant at the time of an arrest, be it for a traffic violation or a felony.

The Supreme Court has interpreted the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches to require that police obtain a search warrant from a neutral judge upon a showing that there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. The warrant is to specify where the search will be conducted and the evidence being sought.

There are, however, exceptions to the warrant requirement.

The court has long allowed police to search people without a warrant at the time of their arrest. But as privacy advocate Andrew Pincus points out, until very recently, those searches were self-limiting, meaning they were limited by the amount of information an individual could carry on his person.

Now, however, because cellphones can store so much information, a person can carry more than any one of the Founding Fathers had amassed in a lifetime.

"The Library of Congress' entire collection of James Madison's papers is 72,000 pages," Pincus observes, adding, "he couldn't have carried them. They would have weighed 675 pounds." And, says Pincus, today's cellphones carry 100 times that much information.

More

Baby Booty Bump

I decided to enter an online dance off for moms, but was a little hesitant about posting a clip of me dancing on the Internet. I wanted to practice a little before and this is an outtake from my "warm-up." It's too good not to share!!

When This Teacher's Ethnic Studies Classes Were Banned, His Students Took the District to Court—and Won

Can YOU Pick Out The Liberal News Stations?


13 Year Old Charged After Wrecking Father’s Vehicle near Harrington

Harrington, DE – Troopers have cited a 13 year old boy after he took his father’s vehicle and crashed into a telephone pole.

The incident occurred around 7:15 a.m. this morning as a 13 year old Harrington boy was operating a 2006 Toyota 4Runner westbound on Bloomfield Drive, just west of Cloverfield Lane. The vehicle traveled off the north side of the road and into a ditch before the passenger’s side struck a utility pole, sheering it off at the base. The 4Runner continued westbound for a short distance before coming to a stop in the roadway.

The 13 year old was initially transported to Milford Memorial Hospital before being transferred to A.I. DuPont where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He was cited with Careless Driving, Failure to Remain in a Single Lane, No Insurance in Possession, No Registration in Possession, and Driving Without a Valid License.

Small Plane Crashes Into Wind Farm Covered in Fog, Killing Four

A single-engine plane crashed into a South Dakota wind farm after flying through fog and low-hanging clouds on Monday, killing all four passengers on board.

National Transportation Safety Board authorities found the wreckage at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, where 27 turbines tower 213 feet tall, not counting the blades. One of the turbines was damaged, but the heavy fog has kept investigators from inspecting the scene, according to Syracuse.com.

This is not the first time a plane has crashed into a wind farm--in 2008 near southeast Minnesota, poor weather caused the pilot of a 1948 Cessna 140 to lose control while trying to fly around wind turbines.

Funeral homes confirmed the deaths of the 30-year-old pilot, Donald J. "D.J." Fischer, and of cattlemen Logan Rau and Brent Beitelspacher. Another funeral home declined to provide information on the fourth victim.

The fatal crash deeply affected the ranching community and Gettysburg, South Dakota.

More

SFD Calls For Service 4-29-14

  • Tuesday April, 29 2014 @ 21:34:22Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 29 2014 @ 20:10:40Nature: Unconscious SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 29 2014 @ 19:50:03Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 29 2014 @ 18:29:17Nature: Allergic ReactionCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 29 2014 @ 17:09:13Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 908 Outten Rd Salisbury, MD 21801

JUST IN: Senate Blocks Federal Minimum Wage Bill

WASHINGTON – A bill to increase the federal minimum wage stalled Wednesday in the Senate, in the latest setback for Democrats pushing a set of election-year economic bills.

Republicans argued that the change would be too expensive for employers and would backfire by costing jobs. Fueling their argument was a Wednesday morning Commerce Department report showing the economy grew at just a 0.1 percent rate in the first quarter.

The bill failed on a 54-42 test vote. It needed 60 to advance.
MORE

TRAFFIC ALERT

NEW DATES: Diagnostic Load Testing Will Require Nighttime Intermittent Bridge Closure at Charles W. Cullen Bridge/Indian River Inlet

South Bethany
-- The Delaware Department of Transportation in conjunction with the University of Delaware will have intermittent bridge closures for 15 minute intervals beginning at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 1 and ending at 3 a.m. on Friday, May 2, for diagnostic load testing. Right lane closures approaching the bridge will occur in both the northbound and southbound lanes on Route 1.

At all times, emergency response vehicles will have access.

Diagnostic load testing involves driving pre-weighed trucks across a bridge, and measurements are recorded as the test vehicle is driven across the bridge. From the data collected during the diagnostic test, a number of significant properties that affect the bridge's actual load-carrying capacity can be determined. By gathering enough response data, a more accurate structural model of the bridge can be created and used in the final bridge rating. In Delaware, bridges are rated using the Bridge Rating and Analysis of Structural Systems (BRASS) program.

Obama's Approval Rating Is At Its Lowest Point Ever, And It Could Mean Major Disaster For Democrats

Democrats are at risk of losing control of the Senate this November, after a new poll found that voters prefer a Republican-controlled Congress to check President Barack Obama's agenda when his approval rating is at its lowest point ever.

Just 41% approve of Obama's job performance, according to the new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Tuesday, a new low in his presidency and down from 46% over the first three months of the year. Some of his approval ratings on individual issues are even worse: 42% on handling the economy, 37% on the Affordable Care Act's implementation, and 34% on his handling of the Ukrainian crisis.

After a couple rounds of encouraging polling for the Affordable Care Act, the new Washington Post-ABC poll serves as a setback for supporters. Obamacare is expected to play a major role in the midterm elections, and some numbers suggest the law could be a major hindrance for Democrats:

More

Gay Veteran Denied Burial Next To Wife

According to the state of Idaho, a 74-year-old Navy veteran will not be allowed to be buried next to the love of her life.

Madelynn Taylor and her wife, Jean Mixner, were inseparable for 17 years, until Mixner passed away two years ago. After Mixner's death, Taylor went to the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, where her brother and sister are also buried, and requested to be buried next to her wife's ashes when the times comes, according to Idaho news outlet KTVB.

Although the cemetery would normally permit veterans and their spouses to be buried next to one another, the Idaho Division of Veterans Services denied Taylor's application because the state refuses to recognize her marriage.

"I'm not surprised," Taylor said. "I've been discriminated against for 70 years, and they might as well discriminate against me in death as well as life."

More

Star Wars cast confirmed as Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford are back

After months of speculation, the cast of Star Wars VII has finally been announced.

On Tuesday Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed on the official Star Wars website that Girls star Adam Driver would take a part in the relaunched film as well as newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow were also listed as cast members.

It was also confirmed that stars of the original trilogy - Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker - would also be in the film, which will be directed by JJ Abrams.

More

Police Department Shoots Down Report Winston Cited For Shoplifting Crab Legs

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS Tampa/AP) — Florida State’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston reportedly was issued a citation for shoplifting crab legs, but the Tallahassee Police Department has refuted that they issued the citation.

Tomahawk Nation reports Winston was caught shoplifting at a Tallahassee Publix and issued a citation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office will be holding a 2 p.m. press conference.

“He got an adult civil citation,” a Tallahassee police source told Tomahawk Nation. “If he completes the sanctions it will never show up on his record. They commonly give them to juveniles on first criminal offenses. They are now doing it for minor misdemeanors for adults to lower crime rate.”

More

Challenge To Chesapeake Cleanup Tests EPA Power

Maryland is joining three other jurisdictions in supporting the Obama administration's plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay watershed, seeking to counter an election-year legal challenge by farmers and 21 attorneys general that could shape future U.S. environmental policy.

The case before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia asks whether the Environmental Protection Agency went too far in negotiating a 2010 agreement that sets pollution limits in the nation's largest estuary.

The last of the legal briefs in the case were submitted late Monday. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler argues that the cleanup is making progress and shouldn't be derailed by outside states with no interest in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Signing onto his brief are Delaware and the District of Columbia; Virginia earlier had submitted a separate brief in support. That means four of the seven bay jurisdictions who consented to the EPA cleanup in 2010 are now defending the plan in court.
MORE

A Viewer Writes: If only politicians could be required to know how to do simple math

If you blow up the picture you will see that the cost of this project is expected to be $4.183 million.

The "expected savings" are claimed to be $150,000 - $200,000 annually.

SO,
assuming the project comes in on budget (when has that happened?)
AND,
that the projected savings are as expected (when has that happened?)
it will take 21 - 28 YEARS for the project to pay for itself and start actually saving money.

The question of course immediately comes to mind: what is the life-span of a wind turbine?

Doesn't this just have boondoggle written all over it?

Judge OKs sale of home over $6 tax bill

BEAVER, Pa. (AP) -- A widow was given ample notice before her $280,000 house was sold at a tax auction three years ago over $6.30 in unpaid interest, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled.

The decision last week turned down Eileen Battisti's request to reverse the September 2011 sale of her home outside Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania.

"I paid everything, and didn't know about the $6.30," Battisti said. "For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy."

More

Frederica Man Arrested for his 6th Offense DUI After Crash near Harrington

Harrington, DE – Troopers have arrested a Frederica man for his 6th offense DUI after he was involved in motor vehicle crash east of Harrington.

On Tuesday April 29, 2014 at approximately 5:12 p.m., troopers responded to a three vehicle crash at the intersection of Milford-Harrington Highway (SR14) and Killens Pond Road. The investigation revealed that Elsworth M Smith III, 30 of Frederica, was operating a 1994 GMC Sierra pick-up truck southbound on Killens Pond Road and came to a stop at the posted stop sign at the intersection with SR14. Derrick L. Short, 23 of Selbyville, DE, was operating a 2002 Dodge Durango eastbound on SR14 when Smith failed to remain stopped and pulled out into the path of the Durango where the two collided. The GMC pick-up continued southbound where it struck a 2000 Honda Civic being operated by Robert B. Vincelette, 67 of Houston, who was stopped at the stop sign facing northbound on Deep Grass Road.

Elsworth Smith was removed from the scene by EMS and transported to Milford Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries. A DUI investigation ensued and Smith was subsequently charged with his 6th Offense Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (previous convictions of 02/02/01, 12/28/06, 08/22/07, 05/02/07, and 07/21/09), two counts of Vehicular Assault 2nd, Driving While Suspended or Revoked, Failure to have Insurance in Possession, and Failure to Remain Stopped. He was arraigned at JP2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $14,502.00 cash only bond.

Derrick Short and Robert Vincelette were both transported to Milford Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.

UCLA cancels $3-million research gift from Sterling Foundation

UCLA will return $425,000 recently donated by the Donald T. Sterling Charitable Foundation for kidney research and will cancel an agreement that would have brought Sterling’s gift to $3 million over seven years, the university announced Tuesday.

The university also denied Sterling's previous boasts that his donation and pledge were supposed to lead UCLA to name a lab after him and his wife.

“Mr. Sterling’s divisive and hurtful comments demonstrate that he does not share UCLA’s core values as a public university that fosters diversity, inclusion and respect. For those reasons, UCLA has decided to return Mr. Sterling’s initial payment of $425,000 and reject the remainder of a $3-million pledge he recently made to support basic kidney research by the UCLA Division of Nephrology,” UCLA spokeswoman Carol Stogsdill said in a statement.

The decision was announced soon after the NBA announced sanctions against Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, for recorded comments about African Americans.

More

Frontier Airlines Puts $25 Price on Overhead Bins

Regular fare now only includes oneself and whatever fits under seat

Flyers, the airlines have finally slapped a price tag on the overhead bin: that is if you’re one of the more than 8 million passengers who fly Frontier Airlines each year.

Frontier revealed a new fee structure Monday that will mean many flyers have to pay more for a number of perks and services, including up to $50 for placing a bag in the overhead bin. For economy-class tickets purchased on or after April 28, passengers who book online will have to pay either $20 (for frequent flyers) or $25 (for everyone else) to use that overhead bin, $35 if they buy during check-in at the airport (even if it’s at the self-service kiosk) and a whopping $50 if they wait to check-in after they get to the gate. (Already, flyers who booked on travel booking sites like Orbitz and Expedia had to pay for carry-on bags in the overhead bin.) Flyers will also need to pay between $15 and $75 for checked bags.

That fee joins a host of others that Frontier is unleashing, including: $3 for reserving a seat in advance if you do it while booking online and $8 if you check-in at the airport; $5 to $15 more to get a seat in the front half of the plane; and $15 to $50 for more legroom or the exit row (passengers on connecting flights must pay twice).

More

Inmates produce braille textbooks for visually impaired

The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center’s sprawling campus east of Smyrna houses 2,500 men at any given time. Many have prison industry jobs, but only a handful get to spend their days in Building B.

There, 11 men meticulously peck away at keyboards, filling a screen in front of them with a series of staggered dots.

It’s a visual representation of what Homer’s Iliad or a Spanish textbook will look and feel like when it’s eventually embossed in Braille.

The program partners with the state Division of the Visually Impaired to crank out these materials requested by the 15 school-aged Braille readers in Delaware.

It’s produced nearly 370,000 pages of Braille since its inception in 1989 and more than 510,000 pages of large-print since 2001 for those who retain some vision.

Before the program began, the state relied on volunteers to do the job.

More

White House Wants to Turn Interstates Into Toll Roads

Plan would damage the economy and allow the government to track motorists using toll tags

The White House sent a transportation plan to Congress yesterday encouraging states to turn existing interstates into toll roads, which would allow the government to easily track motorists while damaging the economy even more.
States are currently barred from tolling federal interstates except if the tolls are used to pay for the construction of additional lanes, which rarely happens, or for specific turnpikes which existed prior to the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

But if Congress enacts the White House plan into law, states could implement tolls on interstates throughout America, a nightmare scenario that’s already raising concerns.

More

Egyptian court orders 683 Islamists to be executed

An Egyptian court has condemned the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and 682 of his supporters to death, a year after the Islamist group was ousted from power in a military coup.

Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood's general guide, and his fellow defendants faced charges over an attack on a police station in Minya in 2013 in which a policeman was killed.

If confirmed by Egypt's Grand Mufti, it would make him the most senior Brotherhood figure sentenced to death since one of the group's leading ideologues, Sayed Qutb, was sentenced and executed in 1966.

The decision sparked hysteria outside the court as several women fainted upon hearing news of the verdicts, while others wailed: 'Why? This is unfair!'

But after sentencing Badie and his followers, the judge then overturned the death penalties of another 492 Muslim Brotherhood members, jailing them for life instead.

More

Salisbury City Council Special Meeting 5-1-14

Ron Paul Warned Us in 1997

Speaking on the House of Representatives floor on September 17, 1997, then-Rep. Ron Paul warned of the “massive buildup of a virtual army of armed regulators.” Paul, the chairman and founder of RPI, proceeded to comment in his speech that, with the number of armed federal employees approaching 60,000, the Secretary of the Interior was pushing for even the Bureau of Land Management to be armed.

With the continuing rise of SWAT over the following 16 years, the number of armed US government employees continued to grow. According to the bulletin Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2008 of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, by September of 2008 “federal agencies employed approximately 120,000 full-time law enforcement officers who were authorized to make arrests and carry firearms in the United States,” with 255 of them working for BLM.

More

MAKE A SOBER RIDE HOME PART OF YOUR CINCO DE MAYO PLANS

Cinco de Mayo in the United States has become synonymous not only with tacos, sombreros, and piñatas, but also with margaritas, tequila, and beer. Since alcohol is such a big part of many Cinco de Mayo festivities, it’s no surprise that drunk driving is especially high on May 5th.Ocean City police are urging citizens to designate a sober driver or plan another sober ride home before heading to the bars this Cinco de Mayo.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 233 people were killed in drunk driving crashes on Cinco de Mayo (6 p.m. May 4th to 5:59 a.m. May 6th) from 2008 to 2012.  In 2012, almost half (45 percent) of all traffic crash fatalities on Cinco de Mayo involved drunk driving.

“Some people have this misconception that they can drink a little, and drive safely,” said Chief Ross Buzzuro, “but that’s just not true. Everyone needs to remember that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, and there’s never an excuse for it.”

Every 51 minutes in 2012, someone was killed in a drunk driving crash in the United States, and 89 of those fatalities were around Cinco de Mayo, according to the NHTSA. In fact, from 2011 to 2012, the number of people killed in drunk driving crashes on Cinco de Mayo more than doubled. In all fatal crashes in 2012, seventy-one percent of the drunk drivers involved had blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .15 or higher—almost twice the legal limit.

Ocean City police reminds all citizens that plan to celebrate Cinco de Mayo to designate a sober driver beforehand or call a sober friend to ensure a safe ride home. Citizens are also encouraged to call one of the many local taxi companies or ride the municipal bus.

###

Sheriff David A Clarke Jr NRA-ILA Leadership Forum FULL SPEECH

The love that led a couple to stand in front of a train

Earl and Mary Myatt met at a party when they were 17.

"It was one of those instant loves," said their son, Brad Myatt, 30.

His parents were married for 42 years.

Their marriage and lives ended Sunday when they stood in the path of a CSX train in the Madison County town of Verona. They were both 59.

Earl and Mary Myatt, of Oneida, were hardworking parents who doted on their children and then their grandchildren. He loved to golf. She loved to fish and make sandcastles at Verona Beach.

But their story is one where the complications of age and illness came early: Mary Myatt had a brain aneurysm in January, her son said.

She spent a month in intensive care at Upstate University Hospital, Brad Myatt said. Mary Myatt had multiple surgeries on her skull. The last was two weeks ago, her son said.

More

Homemade Guns: Legal, Unregistered and Can Kill

This morning, this gun didn't exist. It was just a pile of metal parts.

This AR-15 was built from a kit you can buy online. It can shoot 45 rounds a minute. It has no record of sale and no serial number. The government has no clue it exists. And that's just how Dimitri Karras wants it.

“Our goal was to get as many of these onto the streets as humanly possible,” he said. “In my opinion, an armed society is a just society and every time someone builds one of these guns, our society gets a little more justice inside of it.”

In Oceanside, Calif., Karras has made a big business out of selling kits that are easily turned into guns. And because of the way the gun laws work, no background check is required.

He sells gun parts to people like Perry Williams.

“I do assemble my own rifles, it's my right,” said Williams. “Basically, we're entitled to create our own firearms.”

It's true. You can legally build a gun as long as you don't sell it or give it away. And now, with ready-to-order gun kits and instructional videos online, it's easier than assembling an IKEA dresser.

More

The Lower Cost of a Truly Limited Government

A demonstration of just how far the United States has moved from its original founding principles is seen in the fact that in all the jousting over ObamaCare, the general rise in "entitlement" spending and the burden of government regulation over American enterprises, there is one question that seems rarely to be asked: What should be the size and scope of government, and what would it cost if government were cut down more to the size delineated in the original Constitution? 

Whenever, occasionally, this question is asked, the answer seems to be very far from what the Founding Fathers had in mind, if one is in anyway familiar with their conception of limited government and individual liberty. 

Thinking the Clinton Years were "Limited Government" 

For example, in 2012 two books appeared by "conservative," free market-oriented economists who were clearly trying to influence the terms of the political debate during that presidential election year.

Petition Drive Launched To Get Transgender Rights Bill On Ballot

The bill that extends the protections of the state's anti-discrimination law to transgender people may go before voters this year.

Washington County Delegate Neil Parrott, House Minority Whip Kathy Szleiga and other legislative Republicans are launching a petition drive to get the issue on the ballot in November.

Parrott heads a group called MDPETITIONS.COM.

In 2011 and 2012, that group gathered enough petition signatures to put the DREAM Act, congressional redistricting and the same sex marriage law before voters in the 2012 General Election.
MORE

Wicomico Students Last Day Of School

State Board of Education Approves Friday, June 13 as Last Day for Wicomico Students. Have a great summer.

Is Wicomico county being short changed again by the Governor again?

We have heard reports of Sarbanes supporters tearing down Caldwell signs...... and one where there may be video footage. If we find it we will post it to every media outlet.

Here is a compilation and list of the Circuit Court cases for Caldwell and Sarbanes. Please note that Case Search (http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquirySearch.jis) shows only the latest 500 cases, thus Caldwell shows only 500, when he has in fact done many times that number. Sarbanes has only 196 total........

Questions.....
How many criminal cases has each done?
How many major civil cases has each done?
How many family law (divorce/custody/visitation) cases has each done?

The numbers do not lie. Encourage the pubic to check out the record.

Wicomico County deserves better.

Nuclear power producer Exelon to buy Pepco for $6.83 billion

(Reuters) - Exelon Corp, the largest U.S. nuclear power producer, said it would buy Pepco Holdings Inc for $6.83 billion to create the biggest electric and gas utility in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.

The deal will allow Exelon to sell more power at stable rates set by regulators at a time when an abundance of cheap natural gas is dragging down power prices on the open market.

"We view this transaction in a positive light as it further reduces Exelon's consolidated exposure to the vagaries of the wholesale power market," BMO Capital Markets analyst Michael Worms wrote in a note.

After the deal, as much as 65 percent of the company's earnings are expected to be derived from regulated businesses compared with roughly 55 percent now, he said.

More

A Viewer wrote: "pepco holdings sold (delmarva power is owned by them)"

The Decline of Newspapers Hits a Stunning Milestone

Here’s a quick reminder that, despite the upbeat story lines we’ve heard about the greater media business during the past year or so, most newspapers are still very much in free fall. At the American Enterprise Institute’s Carpe Diem blog, Mark J. Perry finds that print ad revenues are now the lowest they've been since 1950, when the Newspaper Association of America began tracking industry data. Again, that's 1950, when the U.S. population was less than half its current size and the economy was about one-seventh as big. Revenues are down more than 50 percent in just the past five years alone.

“The dramatic decline in newspaper ad revenues since 2000 has to be one of the most significant and profound Schumpeterian gales of creative destruction in the last decade, maybe in a generation,” Perry writes.

And yet, his graph might actually understate the horror of last year’s newspaper financials. The problem isn’t simply that growing digital ad dollars can’t replace disappearing print money fast enough; it’s that digital ad revenue is barely growing at all.

More

Beauty of Mathematics

David Craig - Gubernatorial Candidate

Come and meet gubernatorial candidate David Craig, Wednesday, 4/30 - 11 am at Newport Kitchen & Bath in the Village Square Shopping Center (next door to Taylor's Restaurant) in Ocean Pines. For additional information call Joe Shanno 443-614-6825.

CITIZENS REMINDED OF PICKUP PASSENGER ORDINANCE

As warm weather approaches, the Ocean City Police Department is reminding citizens of the recent legislative changes prohibiting passengers from riding unrestrained in the beds of pick-up trucks on Ocean City roadways. In January, the Mayor and City Council voted this change into effect to enhance public safety and prevent serious injuries that could result from riding unrestrained in an unenclosed area of motor vehicles. A violation of this ordinance could result in a fine of up to $250.

Ocean City citizens are reminded that the new ordinance falls under the town code “Seat Belts” division and reads that “a person may not ride or allow another person to ride in the unenclosed area of a motor vehicle except in a seat and with a seat belt in use.”

“This is another step we are taking to make Ocean City roadways safer,” said Chief Ross Buzzuro. “In 2013, Ocean City experienced 504 reportable traffic collisions. If one collision involved a pickup truck that was full of unsecured passengers, it could be tragic. This new ordinance will prevent that.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seatbelts saved an estimated 12,174 lives nationwide in 2012. The NHTSA also says that seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle collisions.

###

Wall Street Republicans' Dark Secret: If Not Jeb, Hillary in 2016

“If it turns out to be Jeb versus Hillary we would love that and either outcome would be fine."

The dark secret among Wall Street Republicans is they would much prefer a "familiar" big government progressive to an "unknown or untrusted" constitutional conservative. In other words, for many in Wall Street if they can't have Jeb Bush, they'd much prefer Hillary.

Politico’s Ben White and Maggie Haberman report that after conducting two dozen interviews, the off the record consensus amongst Wall Street Republicans is that if Jeb Bush is not the GOP candidate in 2016, Hillary would be far more aligned with their interests than the likes of Cruz or Paul.

Two dozen interviews about the 2016 race with unaligned GOP donors, financial executives and their Washington lobbyists turned up a consistent — and unusual — consolation candidate if Bush demurs, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn’t recover politically and no other establishment favorite gets nominated: Hillary Clinton.

More

Worcester County Sheriff's Office Press Release 4-30-14

Worcester County Sheriff's Office
On April 29, 2014 at approximately 0713 hours, a Deputy with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, was operating stationary radar in the area of Bishopville Road and Bishop Street, in Bishopville, Worcester County Maryland. At this time, the Deputy observed a vehicle traveling 44 miles per hour in a posted 30 mile per hour zone

The Deputy initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, and made contact with the operator Morgan Alaina Bernstein, 30, of Ocean City. A license check was performed on Bernstein, and it was found that Bernstein’s privilege to drive was suspended. Bernstein was issued Maryland traffic citations for the traffic violations. Once the traffic stop was complete, Bernstein gave the Deputy consent to search the vehicle.

During the consent search, the Deputy located crack cocaine, a glass smoking device, and a hypodermic needle. Throughout the investigation it was determined the handbag belonged to the left rear passenger, Ashley Nicole Lewis, 25, of Berlin. Lewis was placed under arrest for 2 counts of CDS paraphernalia, 1 count of CDS possession not marijuana. Lewis was seen by the District Court Commissioner, released on her own recognizance and is awaiting trial.

Bill O'Reilly Judge Napolitano On Bundy Ranch vs Federal Agents

NEVADA RANCH STAND OFF ONE COWBOYS WITNESS

Caption This Photo 4-30-14


Priorities


Defense


Tea Party, Rand Paul Stomp Establishment in Maine GOP Convention Straw Poll

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) easily swept a straw poll of 2016 GOP contenders at the Maine GOP convention this weekend, securing nearly a hundred votes more than the next best potential presidential candidate.

Paul topped the field with 176 votes out of 690 cast, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) finishing second with 98 votes. Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker rounded out the top three vote-getters in the straw poll with 70 votes, while Dr. Ben Carson placed fourth with 62 votes.

Establishment Republicans like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and House Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) couldn’t even break the top four in the Maine GOP straw poll. Christie placed fifth with 60 votes, Bush sixth with 57 votes, and Ryan seventh with 37. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) all received fewer than 30 votes.

More

Obama Requests Plan to Teach the Teachers: Wants to Regulate Teacher Prep

(CNSNews.com) - Having a "great teacher" in every classroom is critical for the nation's success, the White House said on Friday, as it announced that President Obama has directed the Education Department to come up with a plan to strengthen America's teacher preparation programs.

Among other things, the Obama administration will use taxpayer money to pressure states to improve their teacher-prep programs, including those taught at colleges and universities.

For example, the administration will hand out TEACH grants only to students who attend "high-quality" teacher education programs. (The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4000 a year to students who are planning to become teachers in a high-need field in a low-income area.)

In addition, the administration says it will "encourage" all states to develop "meaningful" ways of identifying high- and low-performing teacher preparation programs.

More