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Monday, June 16, 2014

This 3-Year-Old Barely Survived A Vicious Dog Attack, And KFC Wouldn’t Let Her Eat At Their Restaurant — Read Why

At just three years old Victoria Welcher has a long recovery ahead after being attacked by three pit bulls several months ago. The little girl, who has scars and a bandage over what was once her right eye, was asked to leave a Mississippi Kentucky Fried Chicken recently because her appearance was bothering other customers.

“She was on a feeding tube at the time, but I figured she could just swallow (the potatoes). They just told us, they said, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Victoria’s grandmother told Sky News.

After taking Victoria’s story to the Internet, the Welcher family has received a huge amount of support, and seen heavy backlash towards the KFC restaurant chain.

The chicken giant reached out to the Welcher’s to make things right by pledging $30,000 to help offset the cost of Victoria’s hospital bills.

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Truck load of beer spills over highway as driver falls asleep at wheel

A truck driver in South Dakota was having a Duff day on Wednesday after falling asleep at the wheel and spilling his cargo of beer across the highway.

Crates of Budlight were scattered across the median and the driver was seriously injured after his truck rolled and the trailer split open.

The truck had been traveling down the road at about 3.25am yesterday when it began drifting and then tipped over.

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Thousands to Be Questioned on Eligibility for Health Insurance Subsidies

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is contacting hundreds of thousands of people with subsidized health insurance to resolve questions about their eligibility, as consumer advocates express concern that many will be required to repay some or all of the subsidies.

Of the eight million people who signed up for private health plans through insurance exchanges under the new health care law, two million reported personal information that differed from data in government records, according to federal officials and Serco, the company hired to resolve such inconsistencies.

The government is asking consumers for additional documents to verify their income, citizenship, immigration status and Social Security numbers, as well as any health coverage that they may have from employers. People who do not provide the information risk losing their subsidized coverage and may have to repay subsidies next April.

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Another Attack Discovered at an Electricity Substation Near the Border — and One Congressman Says It’s ‘Only a Matter of Time’ Before More Attackers ‘Exploit This Vulnerability’

A 50,000 gallon diesel fuel tank at a critical transformer substation south of Tucson near a border town that has been the center of immigration news lately was the target of an attack last week, but the make-shift bomb failed to cause a major explosion or power outage.

More than 30,000 Arizona residents could have been stripped of all access to power for their homes and businesses, for an unknown period of time, if the explosive device had knocked out their critical transformer substation.

Instead, the device — roughly described by local police as a homespun device that could fit in the palm of your hand — failed to ignite the diesel fuel in one of the storage tanks for four back-up power generators housed at the site.

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OJ Simpson hires a fellow felon named 'Smoke' to watch his back

Where there’s 'Smoke' there’s OJ. The 66-year-old disgraced gridiron great has hired himself a fellow felon - Willie Hartwell, aka Smoke - to protect him in prison.

OJ has been worried about attacks from aggressive inmates at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, where he has been incarcerated since 2008. He fears there are prisoners who want to make a name for themselves by hurting 'The Juice,' especially on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.

'He found the biggest guy who is in great shape and willing to fend off the bullies to help OJ out -- but, of course, it comes at a price,' a close friend revealed.

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OC Police Investigating Weekend Attack On Municipal Bus Driver

OCEAN CITY — Resort detectives are currently investigating an attack by multiple individuals on an Ocean City bus driver early Saturday morning.

Although the probe is ongoing, Lindsay O’Neal of the Ocean City Police Department’s Public Affairs Office confirmed Monday that on Saturday, June 14 at about 1 a.m. multiple suspects got into a verbal altercation of some sort with a municipal bus driver after passengers were picked up along Baltimore Avenue near Dorchester Street.

“The verbal argument escalated at which the time the suspects assaulted the victim. After the assault, the suspects reportedly stole bus tickets and fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing and has been assigned to a Major Crimes detective in the Criminal Investigation Division,” O’Neal said.

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Obama’s Illegal Alien Amnesty Brings Gangs, Gun Violence to US

Obama keeps pounding the pulpit over gun violence rates in the US. But as any law enforcement officer will tell him, national gun violence rates are driven by urban gang violence rates.

Places like his hometown of Chicago which is overrun with gang members. And where the gap between gangs and politicians is thin. Maybe that’s why he insists of increasing gun violence rates with his illegal and unilateral illegal alien amnesty.

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No Aid to Our Enemies

The danger posed by the Syrian rebels

Last year, I warned that giving aid to the Syrian rebels could come back to haunt the United States and Israel, and that we shouldn’t do it.

Recently, the Washington Free Beacon reported:

One of the militant Syrian rebel groups provided access to advanced U.S. missiles said that it is seeking “the return of all Syrian land occupied by Israel,” a stance that could potentially complicate U.S. military support to the armed rebel group.

This is why I strenuously opposed the United States aid to these Syrian rebels. I warned the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of this on the day it voted overwhelmingly to arm this group. My exact warning: “This is an important moment. You will be funding, today, the allies of al-Qaeda.”

“It’s an irony you cannot overcome,” I added.

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Computer Crash? IRS Claims To Have Lost Two Years’ Worth Of Lois Lerner Emails

The scope of excuses coming from the Obama Administration is truly stunning. The IRS is now claiming it lost two years’ worth of former IRS official Lois Lerner’s email because of a computer crash. These emails just so happen to come from the time period in which conservatives were being targeted by the agency.

A congressional investigation into the targeting has been underway for quite some time, and the timing of the recent discovery has outraged House Republicans.

On Friday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) called the excuse “unacceptable.”

According to Camp, the IRS is now saying it has Lerner’s emails sent to and received from other IRS employees from early 2009 to April 2011. But the IRS cannot find emails between Lerner and anyone outside the IRS in that timeframe.

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Orwell’s Oceania in ‘1984’

George Orwell, novelist, essayist, journalist and critic, was born 111 years ago on June 25th. His novel 1984, a disturbing reminder of the dangers of excessive state power, remains gripping and popular, as does his allegorical novella Animal Farm, a creative and devastating critique of Stalinism.

Before long, however, Orwell’s fiction may cease to shock as surveillance states across the globe turn his dystopian Oceania and nightmarish Big Brother into horrible realities.

Here in America, according to an April Rasmussen survey, 37% of voters fear their federal government and 57% believe the federal government threatens rather than protects individual liberty. How did we come to this?

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Chesapeake Bay Regional Council Meets In Annapolis

Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley is hosting the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council.

The council is meeting Monday in Annapolis. The council is scheduled to sign an agreement to update a 14-year-old plan to guide restoration and conservation in the bay's six-state watershed.

Among the issues the plan covers is how the states and the federal government will address the impact of climate change on the nation's largest estuary.

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Barry’s New ‘Tell-Enough’ Memoir Tries To Recast Mayor For Life’s Legacy, Deny Troubles

At times during the 1980s, Marion Barry writes in his new memoir, he would stand amid one of the many parties he’d frequent as mayor, sip on a Hennessy and Coke, and take it all in.

“I would think, Damn! I did all of this [stuff]? How did I do it?” Barry writes about his days as both unapologetic “night owl” and power broker. “But I didn’t have time to be too proud or introspective. I had to keep doing what I was doing, and what had gotten me there.”

With the Tuesday release of the 336-page autobiography “Mayor for Life: The Incredible Story of Marion Barry, Jr.,” the time for pride and introspection has come for the former four-term mayor, current Ward 8 D.C. Council member and defining figure of modern-day District politics.

Written with Charlotte-based novelist Omar Tyree, “Mayor for Life” is heavier on the former than the latter, seeking to recast Barry’s legacy as a civil rights icon and crusader for black empowerment while denying, eliding or explaining away the controversies that pocked his four decades in politics.

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Bowe Bergdahl's 'stalker' dad 'peeped into twin sister's shower'

The father of embattled POW Bowe Bergdahl, who landed on US soil today, waged a sinister campaign of stalking and harassment against pretty twin sisters – even stealing a gnome from their garden and peaking at them in the shower, the sisters claim in shocking police reports.

Bearded Robert 'Bob' Bergdahl drove by the home of Lacey and Allie Hillman ‘several times a day’ over a period of months and left 'creepy' notes for them, the sisters allege in police documents, obtained exclusively by MailOnline.

Once Bergdahl banged on Allie’s door and accused her of 'two-timing' him – despite the fact that the pair never dated or were even friends, Allie told police.

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Smart Phones Blamed For Wasting Time At Work

A new survey looks at some of the reasons why employees waste time at work. Not surprisingly, smart phones are a big culprit.

Fingers typing on a keyboard is a sound often associated with someone hard at work but sometimes it’s what you can’t hear that’s keeping people away from doing their jobs.

“Surfing the web,” said one.

“Text,” said another.

“Cell phone use,” said a third.

A new survey from careerbuilder.com found one in four workers admit to spending at least one hour a day on personal calls, emails or texts.

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Chelsea Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC News

Chelsea Clinton had a $600,000 annual contract with NBC but has recently switched over to a month-to-month arrangement in case her mother runs for president.

The news network would cut ties with the former first daughter if her mother formally announces that she will be seeking the presidency, and the month-to-month contract would be an easier way to do that.

It is not clear how much she earns in the monthly deal, but Politico reported that her contract was up for renewal or non-renewal this year.

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Snapchat's Take on its Settlement with Maryland

On Thursday we reported that Snapchat had reached an agreement with Maryland to pay $100,000 to the state and change some of its practices that violated laws over deceptive marketing and children's privacy. The deal looks fairly straightforward but has some legal kinks that are worth expanding on and that Snapchat emphasized in their own statement on the matter.

Snapchat, although making all the changes and paying the money as described in the Maryland Attorney General's statement, is not actually admitting any fault or liability in the matter. That may seem a very technical point to quibble on but it matters a lot legally. It's a way for Maryland to get Snapchat to change (and pay) without any legal repercussions for Snapchat. It also matters to the company because it emphasizes that its not that Snapchat itself was taking and saving the data, just that customers might have been misinformed or misunderstood how the app works. That fits with the earlier agreement Snapchat made with the FTC too.

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Feds Give $102M In Storm Prevention To 11 States

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Eleven states in the eastern U.S. will share $102.7 million in grants from the federal government to protect against future storms, with the greatest amount of funded projects in New Jersey and New York.

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resilience Grant Program will fund a variety of projects to protect communities at risk from future big storms like the October 2012 event that pummeled the East Coast.

The money comes from a Sandy relief bill passed by Congress.

"We know we have a lot to learn from Mother Nature," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Monday. "Climate change is going to make weather events more frequent and more severe."

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To see what each state will receive and how it will be spent click HERE
 

SFD Calls For Service 6-15-14

  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 22:17Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 20:58Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 19:34 Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 721 S Schumaker Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 18:47Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 18:42Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 18:21Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Sunday June, 15 2014 @ 18:03Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

Troopers Investigate Robbery near Georgetown

Georgetown, DE - The Delaware State Police are investigating the robbery of a subject while walking along a road near County Seat Gardens MHP.

The incident occurred around 12:15 a.m. this morning as a 22 year old male was walking along Donovan Road in the area of County Seat Gardens MHP when two unknown males approached him and began assaulting him. During the altercation, one of the subjects struck the victim in the head with a bottle and then removed a cellphone from his pocket. The victim received minor injuries to his head and was transported to Beebe Medical Center where he was treated and released. No physical or clothing description was given on the two suspects.

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident, they are asked to contact Troop 4 Major Crimes Unit at 302-856-5850 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Obama and Elizabeth Warren’s Big Lie About Student Debt

On Monday, two millionaires showed off their latest inequality talking points as Obama used Elizabeth Warren’s student loan bill to bash congressional Republicans.

“If you’re a big oil company, they’ll go to bat for you,” Obama sneered. “If you’re a student, good luck.”

Good luck indeed. Warren’s bill cynically piggybacks on a lower interest rate plan from last year that the House passed 392 to 31. The Republicans, who only care about oil companies, unlike Obama who doled out billions in Green Energy loans to the companies of his donors, voted for it almost en masse.

Unlike it, Warren’s bill isn’t really about student loans and isn’t meant to pass. Like her Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act, it’s political theater by a lifelong fraud who began her career as a fake Indian, was a fake Republican and is now a fake Socialist. It would be easier to find a garden spot on Mars than a single honest moment in the career of Elizabeth Ann Herring.

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David Brat Is Right

Let’s not shy away from the truth about what government is.

With just seven little words, the freakout began: “The government holds a monopoly on violence.”

These were written by David Brat, a professor of economics at Virginia’s Randolph-Macon College and, now, the Republican party’s nominee for the state’s seventh congressional district. “Unusual” and “eye-opening” was the New YorkDaily News’s petty verdict. In the Wall Street Journal, Reid Epstein insinuateddarkly that the claim cast Brat as a modern-day fascist. And, for his part, Politico’s Ben White suggested that the candidate’s remarks “on Neitzsche and the government monopoly on violence don’t make a whole lot of sense.” As is its wont, the progressive blogosphere lost its collective marbles too: One contributor sardonically described Brat’s claim as a “doozy,” while another contended that such opinions were sufficient for “one to question his, shall we say, cognitive coherence.”

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Magna Carta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the charter issued on 15 June 1215, and later modified. For other uses, see Magna Carta (disambiguation).
"Great Charter" redirects here. For the Irish law, see Great Charter of Ireland.

Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter),[1] also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, is an Angevin charter originally issued in Latin. It was sealed under oath by King John at Runnymede, on the bank of the River Thames near Windsor, England, on 15 June 1215.[2]

Magna Carta was the first document imposed upon a King of England by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their rights.

The charter is widely known throughout the English speaking world as an important part of the protracted historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law in England and beyond.

The 1215 charter required King John to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary—for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right that still exists under English law today. The name Runnymede may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'runieg' (regular meeting) and 'mede' (mead or meadow), describing a place in the meadows used to hold regular meetings. The Witan, Witenagemot or Council of the Anglo-Saxon kings of the 7th to 11th centuries was held from time to time at Runnymede during the reign of Alfred the Great. The Council met usually in the open air. Succeeding versions of the Council influenced the creation of England's 13th century parliament.

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DC Among Finalists For 2024 Summer Olympic Games


Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles 
named finalists

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced Friday that Washington, D.C., is on the short list for a potential bid to host the 2024 Summer Games.

Having been down this road before, it's likely going to be a regional bid with Baltimore and Maryland playing a big role. It appears this time around any kind of bid from the area would have the D.C. name on it but Baltimore would probably be part of the team to play host.

The DC2024 plan could include using Baltimore for transportation, hospitality and to host some events. The marketing video on its website shows Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium as possibilities

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Matt Drudge Reports on Iraq: A Total Rout of Neoconservatism

It’s total. Drudge lists the stories.

The neoconservatives can run, but they can’t hide. Their policies have come home to roost.

So far, it’s a cakewalk for radical Islam, which had no foothold in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

The Pentagon built the American military base in Baghdad. It is called the Victory Base Complex. Maybe the militants will keep this name, out of spite. Baghdad is about to fall to the militants.

This is from Drudge Report.

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Rand Paul Met With Major GOP Donors and Talked About Making a Big Change to the Party Platform

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) met with about 25 major Republican donors on Wednesday to discuss making changes to the 2016 Republican Party platform to draw in more young voters, including potentially changing the party’s approach to same-sex marriage.

All of the donors present had contributed the maximum $32,400 to the Republican National Committee, said Shaun McCutcheon, who was the lead plaintiff in this year’s landmark McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court case.

“I heard them saying, these donors of the committee, that they really want to reach their own children,” McCutcheon told TheBlaze. “One of them had 15 grandkids. They feel like they’re not on board with the platform. They want to change the platform is what I heard so that we can reach their kids.”

McCutcheon, seated next to Paul at the head of the table, said the senator took numerous questions.

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GOP tolls Hillary with supersized squirrel

Hillary Rodham Clinton admirers on their way to see the former first lady speak were greeted by a supersized squirrel today in Washington, D.C.

The GOP's political arm trolled Clinton at her book event on the George Washington University campus this afternoon with a giant orange HRC Squirrel wearing dark blue t-shirt that read, 'Another Clinton in the White House is nuts.'

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A Viewer Writes...

I keep checking on the campaign signs at the Civic Center and the democrats keep moving the signs and putting theirs in front. Conway, Laferla, Judy Davis an the worst one is Sarbanes. I've also noticed republican signs laying on the ground with stakes missing including Holloway, Caldwell, Dodd and Mautz. I believe someone is stealing the stakes.

Accident On Rt. 13 North

There's been an accident on Rt. 13 between Carroll Street and Main Street. The left hand lane is closed.

Adult Male Recovered From City Park Identified

Adult male recovered from water west of spillway near foot bridge @ Snow Hill Road. Rodney Stevenson Jr, 25 yoa

DISSING CHRISTIAN PROF COSTS COLLEGE $700,000

A federal judge has ordered the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to pay more than $700,000 in legal fees in a case charging the school violated the speech rights of an applicant for a professorship.

But the university may not be done racking up the bills. It has appealed a court order that it promote Mike Adams to professor and reimburse him an additional $50,000 for lost salary.

University officials said they didn’t think it was fair taxpayers be penalized that much for the school’s actions.

According to a report from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the protracted legal battle “can be fairly characterized as a series of failures by the university to cut its losses and own up to its mistakes.”
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Possible Child Drowning In Salisbury: UPDATE

Rescue workers are at Snow Hill Road and Main Street searching for a possible child drowning. No one is giving out any details but as soon as we know more we'll update this Post. 

UPDATE: They did recover a body of a possible 12 to 13 year old child. 

UPDATE: Adult male recovered from water west of spillway near foot bridge @ Snow Hill Road. Rodney Stevenson Jr, 25 yoa 

Originally Posted at 9:52 AM.

Agenda for Next County Council Meeting

AGENDA

COUNTY COUNCIL OF WICOMICO COUNTY, MARYLAND

Room 301, Government Office Building, Salisbury, Maryland

LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2014-12
June 17, 2014 10:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m. Matt Holloway, President
Call meeting to order
Opening Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance

10:03 a.m. Approval of Minutes from June 3, 2014

10:05 a.m. Matthew Creamer: Council Administrator Presentation: Stash your Trash-Priscilla Timken

Resolution 78-2014- Approving Kelsie J. Mattox as a nominee to be sent to the Governor, in accordance with State law, to be considered for reappointment to the Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board

Resolution 79-2014- In support of the “Girl Scout Leadership Experience” Project undertaken by the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council, Inc. and an allocation of tax credits for business entities that contribute to the project

Resolution 80-2014- Adopting the Wicomico County Festivals Cash and Alcoholic Beverage Handling Audit Report

Resolution 81-2014- Authorizing the County Executive to submit a training grant application and accept a grant award from the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT) in an amount up to One Thousand, Five Hundred Fifty Dollars ($1,550)

Resolution 82-2014- Reappointment of Joseph W. Giordano to the Audit Committee

Resolution 83-2014- Reappointment of Ralph E. Capen to the Audit Committee

Resolution 84-2014- Reappointment of Phyllis T. White to the Audit Committee

10:50 a.m. Edgar A. Baker, Jr., County Attorney:

10:55 a.m. Public Comments-Please limit all public comments to five minutes or less; any presented material may be submitted to Council members-Please include eight copies.

11:00 a.m. Council Comments

11:05 a.m. Council President’s Comments

11:10 a.m. Open Work Session:

Recreation, Parks and Tourism-Wicomico County Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan

12:00 p.m. LUNCH

1:00 p.m. Open Work Session: Board of Education

The County Council reserves the right to close a portion of this meeting as authorized by Section 10-(508)a of the State Government Articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

One Cop’s Kindness Saved a Daycare Full of Kids and a Poodle — And the Cop Wound Up Needing Stitches


After a torrential downpour left a street outside a daycare center flooded, kids faced the prospect of wading through puddles to get to their bus.

Then a cop showed up.

“It was amazing,” said daycare worker Shahnazz Jones-Hays. “He said, ‘Don’t let them cross the street yet’ and he went over and just started picking them up. And they were just smiling – they were so excited.”

The cop was officer Michael Green, and the incident took place in Chesterfield County, Virginia Thursday.

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10 Tips For Getting Rid Of The Junk In Your Life

Whether you’ve already done your spring cleaning or you’re still avoiding it, your home probably has lots of stuff you don’t need anymore — Junk. Stuff. Crapola. Where to get started separating the keepers from the junk?

First, a confession: I’m a huge offender when it comes to useless stuff. Our garage in chock-full of too-small bicycles, kid-friendly wagons, snow paraphernalia and Christmas decorations that have long since been updated and replaced.

Then there’s our unfinished basement, filled with old furniture, well-used but outgrown kid toys, reptile tanks and accessories (Yes, we were the owners of four lizards and a snake at the same time) and lots of bursting-at-the-seams boxes full of my late parents’ old stuff. China, crystal and collectibles — all worth a pretty penny to the right buyer — and certainly not ready for the trash heap.

Though I haven’t cleared out the house yet, I’ve done a ton of research on my options. I will get there.

But until I’m ready (which is soon, according to my husband), why don’t you take advantage of all I’ve learned.

Do as I say, not as I do.

Here are 10 tips on how to not suck at getting rid of junk.
1. Don’t do it all at once

Set a timeline to go through your old stuff. Telling yourself you can do it all in a couple of sittings is probably very unrealistic.

And that will make the task a job, and an unpleasant one, at that.

Book your time on your calendar over the course of several weeks (depending on how much stuff you have), and have specific goals for each session. Then divide your basement, garage or whatever living space has the junk, and schedule exactly what you plan to hit at any given time.

5 Native American Survival Medicines Secretly Made At Home

If someone told you that your backyard may contain plants that could boost your immune system, improve your eyesight, relieve your upset stomach and help you fall asleep, would you believe them? Most people take for granted the fact that their yard, neighborhood or favorite spot in the woods are full of vegetation with therapeutic value.

However, Native Americans were quick to realize the value in plants. They have been practicing herbal therapy for thousands of years. Some believe that native medicine may be as old as 40,000 years old, although there was no early written language and nothing was documented until the Europeans arrived at the end of the 15th century.

According to oral traditions, Native Americans watched sick animals and learned how to apply various herbs for certain conditions. It was they who shared their knowledge of medicinal herbs with new settlers. We should be grateful for the information and knowledge which they imparted.

Hundreds of herbs and plants were used in Native American remedies — many of which we value today for their potent healing properties. Below are just 5 such plants that deserve recognition for not only their beauty but also their functionality.

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Mississippi's voter ID law could be example for nation

Mississippi might be an example to the rest of the nation on voter identification.

The Mississippi voter ID law received its shakedown cruise in the June 3 primary elections and passed muster with only a few issues.

Of the 397,822 ballots cast, 513 voters did not have a photo ID compliant with the law and 177 returned with ID later to have their votes counted. Missing the Tuesday deadline were 298 voters whose ballots were rejected because the voter never returned with an acceptable ID. Thirteen more were rejected for other reasons.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said the success of the new law is proof the state doesn’t need federal oversight of its elections and redistricting.

“What this means … is over 99.9 percent of Mississippians cast their ballot with a voter ID,” Hosemann said. “No other state I’ve ever seen has shown that kind of response. We’re very pleased with the number,s and I think it reflects that Mississippi is able to conduct its own elections and have people show up with the constitutionally required documents without any missteps.”

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The Results Are In: America Is Dumb and on the Road to Getting Dumber

The success of National Geographic’s Cosmos might appear to offer a glimmer of hope that America is ready to break free of the anti-intellectualism movement that has left this country in the wake of other developed nations when it comes to scientific literacy.

But the deep structural and cultural obstacles in American society for attaining intellectual enlightenment will erase any short-term good news moments like popularity of a TV show.

America remains a scientifically ignorant nation for two reasons: the resurgence of fundamentalist religion during the past 40 years, and secondly, the low level of science education in American elementary and secondary schools, as well as many tertiary colleges.

While television ratings for Cosmos may have stunned media critics and your average fundamentalist, “Americans continue to poll more like Iranians or Nigerians than Europeans or Canadians on questions of evolution, scriptural inerrancy, the presence of angels and demons, and so forth.”

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Obama Ignored General’s Pleas To Keep U.S. Forces In Iraq

The last American commander in Iraq recommended to the Obama administration that 23,000 U.S. troops remain to cement the victory, but no deal was ever reached with Baghdad, and all combat forces went home.

That stalemate has come back to haunt the country as al Qaeda-linked extremists, who had been defeated by 2011, have returned to Iraq in a terrorist campaign to capture huge swaths of territory in northern and western areas.

The extremists, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISILor ISIS, for Syria), are threatening Baghdad and could be on the verge of creating an enormous terrorist state that menaces the world. 


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Victim of Viral YouTube Video has Message for Racist Stripper in Explosive Interview

Narvell Benning posted a video on YouTube on June 4, 2014 called Blatant Racism in Cheektowaga NY. In the video you watch and hear Janelle Ambrosia unleash a racist verbal assault upon the videographer and victim, Narvell Benning. In just seven days, the video went viral and amassed over 9 million hits.

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Most Cigarettes in New York Are Now Smuggled

More than half of the cigarettes consumed in New York, 56.9 percent, are now smuggled into the state, according to a report from the Tax Foundation.

And it's no wonder: The cigarette tax in New York is $4.35 a pack, the highest in the nation. And New York City imposes an additional $1.50 tax, bringing the total taxes to $5.85 a pack — nearly 35 times higher than in the lowest-taxed state.

The cigarette tax in New York has risen 190 percent since 2006, and the smuggling rate has surged 59 percent.

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Principal Curtis will be missed

Principal Curtis is leaving Chipman on his own accord! He has given thirty years of service. Get this, he will be returning as a teacher.

I'd say, enjoy your retirement but instead we'll have to say, thank you for your continued service.

Hemp Seeds Planted in Kentucky Following Dispute

"Hemp has turned legitimate in Kentucky, where researchers are starting to plant test plots that will help gauge the economic potency of the non-intoxicating plant banned for decades due to its family ties to marijuana.

As part of the comeback, University of Kentucky agronomy researchers planted a small hemp plot Tuesday in central Kentucky. The seeds used were part of a shipment from Italy that was released last week after a legal standoff between Kentucky's Agriculture Department and the federal government.

Elsewhere, a test hemp plot affiliated with Murray State University in western Kentucky has also been planted, using another seed source, state agriculture officials said.

Statewide, about 13 acres of hemp plots are expected to be planted in coming days, said Holly Harris VonLuehrte, chief of staff to state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. The state Agriculture Department is looking into possibly arranging more hemp seed shipments into the state, she said."

Source

Early Voting Continues Through Thursday; More Than 46K Cast Ballots

The Maryland State Board of Elections reports that as of Saturday night 46,521 people had cast ballots in the first three days of early voting.

More than 73-percent of those who have voted, 34,111 voters, have been Democrats..

More than 25-percent of those who have voted, 11,683 voters have been Republicans.

Baltimore County has had the highest number of early voters with 7,036 votes cast;.

Prince George's County had the second highest total with 6,518 votes cast. Montgomery County had the third highest total with 6,266.

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Future ISIS leader told soldiers 'I'll see you guys in New York' in 09

As he was being released from an American detention camp in Iraq in 2009, the man who will go on to head the powerful ISIS group issued a menacing warning to his former captors.

'I'll see you guys in New York,' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reportedly told U.S. Army reservists from Long Island who had been guarding him at Camp Bucca near the Kuwaiti border.

Army Colonel Kenneth King, who was the commanding officer of the U.S. forces' largest detention facility in Iraq in 2009 was one of the people who heard al-Baghdadi’s parting words, but he did not take them as a threat at the time.

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Be more British Cameron tells UK Muslims: PM issues powerful pledge

Muslim clerics in the UK who inflame terrorism by denouncing free speech, equality and democracy will be opposed in a ‘muscular’ new defence of ‘British values’, David Cameron has pledged.

In a powerful intervention clearly aimed mainly at ‘preachers of hate’, the Prime Minister says the failure to stand up to such firebrands has ‘allowed extremism – both the violent and non-violent kind – to flourish’.

He plans to use the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta – 12 months from today – to reassert British values in a ‘Magna Carta for Modern Britain.’

It is time to stop being ‘squeamish about Britishness’ and tell everyone who lives here that refusing to accept British laws and the British way of life is ‘not an option’, Mr Cameron argues.

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Taliban slice off 11 people's fingers as punishment for voting

The Taliban cut off the fingers of 11 people as punishment for voting in Afghanistan’s presidential election.

The barbaric attacks were in the western Herat province after Saturday’s vote, according to police.
In violence marring the poll, another 47 people died in a series of rocket barrages and scattered attacks.

Interior minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai said the victims included 20 civilians and an election worker. He added that 60 militants were killed.

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The next 'inevitable 9/11 attack' will come from Iraq and Syria

The next 9/11-style terrorist attack will come from Iraq and Syria if the Iraqi government collapses, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday.

'According to our own Director of National Intelligence, FBI director, the next 9/11 is coming from here,' Graham (R-S.C.) said to Bob Schieffer on CBS's 'Face the Nation.'

When asked about his personal opinion, Graham said he agreed with that statement and that another 9/11 attack was 'inevitable.'

'The seeds of 9/11s are being planted all over Iraq and Syria,' he said.

Graham made the remarks while speaking about militant Sunni group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) movement toward Baghdad.

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Chelsea Manning accuses US of lying about Iraq

Chelsea Manning, the U.S. soldier serving a 35-year sentence for leaking a trove of classified documents to WikiLeaks, has spoken out from his military prison cell in Kansas to warn Americans that they are being lied to about Iraq once more.

In a remarkable New York Times Op-Ed piece written from behind bars, Manning said she believes the 'limits on press freedom and excessive government secrecy make it impossible for Americans to grasp fully what is happening in the wars we finance.'

Manning, who changed her name from Bradley after beginning sex-reassignment treatments, also defended her leak of 700,000 secret documents - the largest leak of U.S. intelligence in history.

'I understand that my actions violated the law. However, the concerns that motivated me have not been resolved,' she wrote.

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Our Shared Belief in Dignity

June is LGBT Pride month, an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment to celebrating and protecting the dignity of every individual in Maryland.

As Marylanders, we believe that love is an unalienable right. We believe that the way forward is always to be found through greater respect for the equal rights of all of our friends, families, and neighbors. The common thread running through all our efforts together in Maryland is the thread of human dignity, our shared belief in the dignity of work, the dignity of faith, the dignity of family, the dignity of every single person.

In 2012, I signed the Civil Marriage Protection Act into law. The Act protects the dignity of every individual in Maryland by allowing same-sex couples to get a government-issued marriage license, while including important provisions to ensure fair protection for religious institutions.

When the act was brought before voters, we became the first state in the nation to uphold same-sex marriage at the ballot box. Clergy and faith-based leaders, community leaders, civic organizations, civil rights groups, and citizens of all backgrounds from across our State came together as one, ensuring that Maryland protected individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom equally.

We are One Maryland, and all of us, at the end of the day, want the same thing for our children: to live in a loving, stable, committed home recognized and protected equally under the law.

Soon after taking office, we expanded the definition of protected classes to include “gender identity and expression” under the state’s Code of Fair Employment practices. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of signing another victory for inclusion and openness in our State. The Fairness for All Marylanders Actensures that everyone, regardless of gender identity, is protected from discrimination under the law. Because of the Act, we are one step closer today to creating the open, respectful, inclusive world that we want for all of our children.

Marylanders stand on the side of fairness and progress, and we will keep moving forward together. Join in on the celebration and learn more about Maryland’s LGBT community at Baltimore Pride 2014, a wonderful weekend of exhibitions, vendors, and performances taking place June 13 through 15.