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Friday, November 07, 2014

‘How’s Everybody Doing?’: George W. Bush Walks in, Surprises Special Group of People in Texas


Former President George W. Bush visited Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas Friday, the hospital which cared for Ebola patients in Texas.

“How’s everybody doing?” Bush asked as he walked into the hospital and spoke to health care workers

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Taxpayers Win Big in Midterms

Voters on Tuesday rejected several measures that would have imposed additional taxes on residents and businesses.

Massachusetts voters approved Question 1, which repeals the gas tax indexing to inflation. Fifty-three percent voted in favor of eliminating that indexing.

Nevada voters rejected a two percent margin tax on businesses that, if passed, would be used for public schools. Eighty percent voted no on the new tax.

The Nevada State Education Association supported Question 3. On Election Day the NSEA tweetedout, “Yes on Question 3, if not now, when?” They linked to a cartoon on their Facebook page thatsaid, “No matter how you slice it, we need more pie.”

Nevada voters rejected their need for “more pie,” as did the Nevada AFL-CIO, which opposed the new tax.

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Patuxent Institute Inmates Train Puppies For Life Beyond Bars

The odds of finding good homes for shelter animals are sometimes stacked against a happy ending. But there is a unique route to adoption.

Alex DeMetrick reports it runs from the pound to prison.

Patuxent Institute is unique among Maryland’s prisons. Inside the compound, it looks like the treatment facility it is for inmates with psychological issues.

Many of whom have committed crimes serious enough to require the bars and locked doors of a standard prison.

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Fight over public pensions to widen after Republican election gains

(Reuters) - Union-backed defenders of public pensions and their opponents expect their battle to expand to more states next year in the fight over U.S. entitlements after Tuesday's mid-term elections.

Despite defeat for a hotly contested ballot measure that sought to end traditional public pensions in Phoenix, a fight which drew millions of dollars in outside money, Republican gains in some state houses and governors' mansions mean the battle over public pensions will likely intensify.

Defenders of public pensions say they will be particularly focused on Colorado, Florida and Nevada, where they expect moves to reform pensions will gain steam after Republican gains on Tuesday.

"This fight is not going away," said Jordan Marks of the National Public Pension Coalition, a national union-funded group that seeks to protect public pensions. "There are a number of states, including Colorado and Nevada. We are looking at next year."

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Jesse Matthew Linked To Earlier Assault Via DNA From Victim's Fingernail

DNA recovered from under the fingernail of a sexual-assault victim in 2005 matches that of the man accused of abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, according to a forensic analysis.

The analysis was conducted late last month by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, according to court records. It compared DNA samples taken from the victim of the September 2005 attack in Fairfax City with samples taken from Jesse L. Matthew Jr. after he was charged with abducting Graham. Graham's remains were found in October after a monthlong search.

The report concludes that the odds of an unrelated person matching the DNA profile developed from under the victim's fingernail are higher than 1 in 7.2 billion.

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GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH? 5 AGENCIES TO MEET MICHAEL BROWN'S PARENTS

Prior to pleading case to U.N. Committee Against Torture

UNITED NATIONS –
The parents of Michael Brown will meet with about 20 representatives of the Obama administration in Geneva, Switzerland, before pleading their case to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, according to the director of the nonprofit group organizing their trip.

Ejim Dike, executive director of the U.S. Human Rights Network, told WND that Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden – the parents of the black teen who was killed in a confrontation in August with a white police offer in Ferguson, Missouri – will meet Nov. 11 in Geneva with the U.S. officials.

The parents, who demand the immediate arrest of Officer Darren Wilson, say their “goal is not only to achieve justice in Ferguson, but to unite governments around the world against the human rights violations that result from racial profiling and police violence.”

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Postal Service Adds Sunday Delivery For Holidays

The U.S. Postal Service will deliver packages on Sundays in major cities and high volume areas during the holiday season.

Seven-day delivery will run from Nov. 17 through Christmas Day in response to anticipated growing demands.

The agency expects a 12 percent growth in its package business this holiday season, or in the range of about 450 to 470 million packages.

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Obama: Dictatorship Is Democracy

But America was founded as a republic

President Obama threatened to write his own laws through executive orders while claiming “that’s how democracy works.”

Responding to the Republican takeover of Congress yesterday, Obama said he will use executive orders if Congress doesn’t pass bills he wants to sign into law.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll take some actions that some in Congress will not like,” he said. “That’s natural.”

“That’s how our democracy works.”

Obama singled out amnesty for illegals in particular, stating that if Congress passes an immigration bill which allows millions of illegal aliens to stay in the U.S., his executive actions will disappear.

“You send me a bill that I can sign, and those executive actions go away,” he said.

Obama is equating dictatorship with democracy.

“The president’s taste for unilateral action to circumvent Congress should concern every citizen, regardless of party or ideology,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) wrote in an op/ed in January. “The great 18th-century political philosopher Montesquieu observed: ‘There can be no liberty where the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or body of magistrates.’”

“America’s Founding Fathers took this warning to heart, and we should too.”

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Man Gets 50 Years For Producing Child Pornography

An Essex man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for producing child pornography.

Thirty-nine-year-old Foster William Dove III was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Baltimore.

According to court documents, Dove used a file-sharing program to send a video depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct to an undercover law enforcement officer.

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CNN Exit Poll: Republicans Win Among Full-time Workers, College Attendees

Liberty growing among younger generations

Republican candidates were heavily favored over their Democratic opponents among full-time workers and most college-educated Americans, a CNN exit poll shows.

During the midterm elections Tuesday, CNN asked voters leaving the voting booth a series of questions, including, “Do you work full-time for pay?”

About 60 percent responded that they did work full-time for pay. Of those, 54 percent said they had voted for a Republican, while 44 percent stated they voted for a Democrat. Another two percent reported voting for “other” candidates.

Of the 40 percent who said they did not work full-time for pay, 48 percent said they voted for Democrats. Another 50 reported voting Republican, and two percent voted for “other” candidates.

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Peninsula Regional Medical Center Visitor Policy for Flu Season

Flu season is upon us! That’s why Peninsula Regional Medical Center is reminding the community to observe the Medical Center’s Visiting Policy and to remember the important role it plays in protecting both inpatients and visitors from contracting or spreading the flu virus and other respiratory illnesses.

Anyone with a cold, cough, fever or other flu-like symptoms should remain at home and not visit patients. If visitors arrive with those symptoms, they will be asked to wear a mask, and based on the severity of symptoms, could be forbidden from visiting patients in the Medical Center. Children under the age of 12 should not visit friends or relatives in patient care areas, as they are more prone to unknowingly transmit and/or acquire illnesses. If they must accompany parents or guardians, children under the age of 12 must remain in a lobby area and must be supervised by an adult at all times.

Those unable to visit in person may call the patient room, or can use Peninsula Regional’s free online patient greeting card service – visithttp://www.peninsula.org/PatientGreetingCard to send a message to a loved one that will be delivered by a Peninsula Regional volunteer.

US Pension Plans Need Massive $110 Billion In 7 Years, Moodys Warns

Thanks to improving life expectancy and the Federal Reserve's financial repression lowering yields, US company pension funds have been hit by a double whammy. As Moody's warns, companies will have to find $110 billion in the next seven years to fund pension liabilities shortfalls. Moody's adds, "given these increasing liabilities and cash drains, we expect to see an acceleration in lump sum offers," as firms try to derisk.

As Chief Investment Officer reports,

Improving life expectancy is expected to add billions to the amount companies must pay into their defined benefit plans.

US companies will have to find $110 billion in the next seven years to fund pension liabilities as life expectancy increases, according to ratings agency Moody’s.

Using data from new mortality tables published by the Society of Actuaries last week, Moody’s calculated significant increases in the amount of cash US firms would have to contribute to their defined benefit pensions in order to match growing liabilities.

The new mortality tables show male life expectancy at age 65 in the US has improved by two years since 2000, when the Society of Actuaries last updated its assumptions. For women, life expectancy at age 65 has improved by 2.4 years. This has resulted in an estimated increase of between 4% and 8% in company pension obligations.

Moody’s applied the calculations to the funding obligations for 10 of the biggest listed companies in the US. IBM’s funding obligations - which include servicing the pension fund as well as regular contributions adjusted for 2% inflation - were estimated at $99.7 billion in 2013, but Moody’s calculations showed this could increase to as much as $113.6 billion at the top end of assumptions.

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Reports Of Sex Assaults Increase At UMd., UVa

Reports of sexual violence on college campuses are on the rise -- especially at the flagship public universities of Virginia and Maryland.

In 2013, there were 19 reports of forcible sex at the University of Maryland -- that's up nine from 2012. Also, the University of Virginia had 27 reports in 2013, up from 11.

"Definitely the administrators are working with the health center counseling to increase how they can help students," says Kristie Kim, a UMd. senior on the Dean's Student Advisory Board.

The number of sex offenses reported at American colleges and universities went up in the last decade even as overall campus crime decreased, according to an Education Department survey released in June.

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Teachers unions spend, lose big on midterm elections

Teachers unions spent big on the midterm elections and lost big -- dropping as much as $80 million on mostly Democratic candidates.

The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers spent their members' dues to support labor-friendly candidates in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina, only to see Republicans win handily. Some critics say not only did they get little bang for their bucks, they may have further alienated members who don't share the organizations' politics.

The National Education Association spent $40 million on ads in various Senate and gubernatorial races. In Michigan, the NEA spent $200,000 in a bid to unseat Gov. Rick Snyder, according to Education Week. In Florida, the AFT spent $500,000 supporting Democratic candidate Charlie Crist's unsuccessful effort to unseat Gov. Rick Scott. And in Wisconsin, the teachers union campaigned hard against Gov. Scott Walker, who has now won three campaigns in four years, including a recall effort led by public-sector unions.

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Witness Statements Leaked In Ochse Case

State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby is considering what action he might take following his discovery this week that a recently launched website, www.justice-for-locals.com, is featuring what appears to be authentic police witness statements involved in the investigation into the death of Justin Cancelliere.

Cancelliere was pronounced dead in the early hours of Aug. 24, 2014 at Atlantic General Hospital. Arrested in connection with his death were Caleb Ochse and Christopher Blake Kendall, who were charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and fighting. The initial trial date is set for Jan. 7, 2015.

It is unclear from the website how many witness statements were leaked. At least three, but as many as seven distinct accounts of the night’s activities were made public. The accounts vary, but the editors of the website highlighted portions where witnesses claim not to have seen any specific altercation between the victim and the accused.

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Democrats Turn on the Real Enemy: Each Other

It's the albatross tie in the Oval Office who sealed our doom

Even before the Democratic Party’s…drubbing (that seems to be the favored term this time around) in yesterday’s elections, the White House was already blaming its supposed allies for the defeats that were (correctly) anticipated once voters trooped to the polls.

“Ultimately, you know, it’s the quality of these candidates that’s going to be the driver of their success in this election,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday in what just might be taken as a slap at political hopefuls who were frantically distancing themselves from the aura of electoral leprosy surrounding President Obama.

Oh no you don’t, legislative Democrats responded. It’s the albatross tie in the Oval Office who sealed our doom.

“The president’s approval rating is barely 40 percent,” said David Krone, chief of staff to (soon to be former) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “What else more is there to say? . . . He wasn’t going to play well in North Carolina or Iowa or New Hampshire. I’m sorry. It doesn’t mean that the message was bad, but sometimes the messenger isn’t good.”

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Supreme Court to rule on new challenge to ObamaCare

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new challenge to ObamaCare, this time dealing with the legality of the law's insurance subsidies.

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BREAKING NEWS: US to send more troops to Iraq

President Obama has approved a request from the Department of Defense to send up to 1,500 additional American troops to Iraq, which would more than double the number of soldiers there.

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WCSO Monthly Crime Statistics October 2014




Sector 1
  • Salisbury, Allen,
  • Deer Harbour, Fruitland,
  • Fox Chase
Sector 2
  • Parsonsburg, Delmar
Sector 3
  • Delmar, Reservation,
  • Booth/West Rd.
Sector 4
  • Nanticoke, Waterview,
  • White Haven, Tyaskin
Sector 5
  • Booth Street, Reservation
Sector 6
  • Hebron, Mardela Springs,
  • Sharptown
Sector 7
  • Pittsville, Willards,
  • Powellville

IRS Admits: We Haven't Bothered to Search For Lois Lerner's "Missing" Emails

According to a release from government Watch Dog Judicial Watch, the IRS hasn't even bothered to look for "missing" emails belonging to former head of tax exempt organizations Lois Lerner, the woman at the center of the targeting scandal. As a reminder, the IRS said in June that two years of Lerner's emails were lost in a hard drive crash. 

According to the House Ways and Means Committee, the IRS has "lost" two years of emails belonging to former head of tax exempt organizations Lois Lerner. The IRS doesn't have a record of her emails to outside groups or government agencies from January 2009 through April 2011, conveniently encompassing some of the same time when tea party groups were being targeted for extra scrutiny and possible criminal prosecution. The IRS says the loss of emails is due to a "computer crash" and claims emails from or to Lerner from the White House, Democratic members of Congress, the Treasury Department, FEC and Department of Justice cannot be located. They do however have emails belonging to Lerner that she sent to other IRS employees.

The admission from the IRS that officials haven't gone looking for emails comes after Judicial Watch made a "request that a federal court judge allow discovery into how “lost and/or destroyed” IRS records relating to the targeting of conservative groups may be retrieved." Essentially, the IRS is doing everything it can to run out the clock on the scandal and the investigation.

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NASCAR's Kurt Busch Facing Assault Probe

Police in Delaware say they are investigating a domestic assault allegation made against NASCAR driver Kurt Busch.

The Dover Police Department said in a statement Friday that the allegations were brought to the department on Wednesday. His ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, said the allegations involved an incident inside his motorhome at a race.

NASCAR said it was aware of the situation, and gathering information. Busch has not been charged.

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Suspected abductor showed girl photos of other victims, investigators say

[CHARLES CITY] Detectives in Charles City County and New Kent County who helped track down abduction suspect Delvin Barnes in Maryland late Wednesday described a horrific crime scene in Virginia.

Speaking to reporters in a midday press conference today, the officers said that Barnes threatened a 16-year-old juvenile he'd abducted, burning her clothes as she watched in horror and after being doused in gasoline at the suspect's Charles City trailer home near Roxbury.

As the victim looked on, Barnes began digging a hole in the yard, suggesting that his victim would be buried there, said Charles City sheriff's Captain Jayson Crawley.

After being held for about two days, the victim turned up at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, naked and bleeding, after making her way along Roxbury Road 3 miles to a building supply company.

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JUST IN: Judge OKs Detroit's plan to get out of bankruptcy

Fox News

Breaking News: A judge has approved Detroit's plan to get out of bankruptcy by cutting pensions, erasing billions of dollars of debt and promising nearly $2 billion in better services for a city desperate for a turnaround. http://fxn.ws/1tIPICS

Queen Anne’s County Drug Task Force PRESS RELEASE 11-7-14

Queen Anne’s County Drug Task Force
PRESS RELEASE

Incident: Search and Seizure warrant
Date/Time: 10/24/14 @ 0800 hrs
Location: 1112 Oyster Cove Drive Grasonville, QA Co., MD

Suspects: Tina Marie Karasek (38) of Chester
AKA: Tina Marie Rotert

Vehicle seized: 2012 Kia Sorento

Synopsis: On 10/24/14 at approximately 0800 hours the Queen Anne’s County Drug Task Force, assisted by uniformed deputies from the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office and a uniformed Trooper assigned to the Centreville Barrack served a knock and announce search warrant at 1112 Oyster Cove Drive Grasonville, Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Entry into the residence was made through the unlocked front door.

A search of the residence revealed 653 suspected Oxycodone pills and evidence of multiple, long term prescription fraud. Investigators also recovered Oxycodone and packaging materials from the 2012 Kia.

A Letter To The Editor: Incident at Delmar VFW, Gun Bash

Yet another incident with Salisbury PD you might want to check out. Currently, young man is in in ICU with brain bleed. Salisbury PD, officer, Jonathon Oliver attacked young man causing brain injury. He was off duty at the time.

Might want to check it out.


Publishers Notes: While I am very aware of this incident, there are many rumors going around between Police and Fire Dept personnel. 

I have spoken to several people who witnessed the incident first hand and the situation is NOT at all good. 

Nevertheless, the Police need to do an in depth investigation, (in which they are) to get to the bottom of WHY this young man is actually in the Hospital. I personally believe it was because of something that happened well after the incident at the Fire Department and I hope THAT is thoroughly investigated. I'll just say, dents on the hood and hopefully that spells out enough. 

As for mentioning the Officer involved and saying he caused that kind of harm, that's out of line. Was the Officer in the wrong, ABSOLUTELY. For me personally, a Police Officer should be setting the example of how to refrain from just hauling off and punching someone because they may have had too much to drink. No question, the Officer absolutely assaulted this young man and the Officer without a doubt was at fault. A verbal attack in the state of Maryland and Delaware is NOT reason enough to physically attack someone. 

However, just know that something happened well after this incident that may have caused this man's head trauma. Learn the details before you just go off like you are in the know because you are NOT. I'll add, the event was not at the VFW.

SFD Calls For Service 11-6-14

  • Thursday November, 6 2014 @ 22:40Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Thursday November, 6 2014 @ 20:37Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Fruitland
  • Thursday November, 6 2014 @ 17:50Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Eden
  • Thursday November, 6 2014 @ 15:34Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
  • Thursday November, 6 2014 @ 12:34Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

Breaking News: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new challenge to ObamaCare

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new challenge to President Obama's health care law.

The justices on Friday say they will decide whether the law authorizes subsidies that help millions of low- and middle-income people afford their health insurance premiums.

A federal appeals court upheld Internal Revenue Service regulations that allow health-insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act for consumers in all 50 states. Opponents argue that most of the subsidies are illegal.

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TO Brighten your day

Voters Give Republicans a Mandate to Stop Gun Control

While media pundits and defeated Democrat campaigns voice different interpretations of the Republicans' midterm landslide, no one should overlook one indisputable fact: voters gave Republicans a mandate to stop gun control at the federal and state level.

Federally speaking, in race after race pro-gun control candidates were run out of office and replaced with pro-Second Amendment candidates in the US Senate.

This was clear for Mark Udall (D-CO) and Kay Hagan (D-NC)--two Senators who voted for Senator Joe Manchin's (D-WV) gun control bill in April 2013, only to be replaced by pro-Second Amendment candidates. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) voted for Manchin's gun control package as well, and she lost so much support among midterm voters that her race will be decided via a run-off election against pro-Second Amendment candidate Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in December.

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A Scenario Analysis of the Potential Costs of Implementing the Phosphorus Management Tool on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

pmt-analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: Phosphorus Management Tool Economic Analysis Study

pmt faqs

Veterans Day Discounts and Freebies

Veterans Day: Discounts and Freebies We've compiled a list of all Veterans Day Deals and Discounts on restaurants, goods, services and events for 2014. Get Veterans Day Discounts

Elementary School Students Decorate Boxes For Troops

Operation We Care, a 501(c)3 charitable organization is ending its eighth year collecting and distributing supply boxes to U.S. soldiers deployed overseas.

The deadline to donate is Friday, Nov. 14. Drop-off locations are spread throughout the Salisbury-Ocean City areas and a list of the most-needed items is available at www.operationwecare.org.

Students from Showell Elementary and Snow Hill Elementary schools have taken to decorating the boxes for the soldiers, at first drawing or writing directly on the interior of the package and then, after the Post Office began printing on the inside, using construction paper “panels” that are easier to handle and can be easily removed, according to Dawn O’Hara, a teacher at Showell involved with Operation We Care for the past six years.

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Michael Brown's mother accused in armed robbery of Ferguson vendors selling t-shirts commemorating her son's death

Michael Brown's mother has been named as one of the 'attackers' who assaulted and robbed vendors selling t-shirts commemorating the youngster's death.

A report from Ferguson police identified Lesley McSpadden, 34, as one of a group of up to 30 people that ran into the tent and ransacked the stall in the Missouri city on Saturday October 18.

Pearlie Gordon, 54, Brown's mother-in-law, and two men were selling 'Justice for Mike Brown' merchandise when the subjects 'jumped out of vehicles and rushed them' during what police are classifying as an armed robbery.

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Alcohol Related Collision

Location: N/B MD Rt. 589 @ Beauchamp Rd, Berlin, Worcester County

Incident:Alcohol Related Collision

A 1994 Jeep Wrangler was traveling north MD Rt. 589 attempting to turn on Beauchamp Rd when the driver failed to turn, striking a 2010 Nissan Rogue in the driver’s side door which was at the stoplight on Beauchamp Rd. The driverof the Jeep, Michael M. McCarraher, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The driver submitted to a breath test with results of a .19. No injuries were reported from the collision.

BBQ Fundraiser Sunday


Executive Summary of the PMT

A Scenario Analysis of the Potential Costs of Implementing the
Phosphorus Management Tool on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Executive Summary

Introduction
The Chesapeake Bay is a vast economic engine for a multi-state region supporting high property values, a vibrant seafood industry and fisheries sector, recreational boating and other tourism, among other economic activities.  While the cleanup of the Bay is progressing, there are soils in some parts of Maryland that are saturated with Phosphorus.  The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is proposing the use of a Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) to better determine where these soils are and whether additional Phosphorus can be applied. 

Agriculture is an economic activity sector representing over $8 Billion for the economy of the State of Maryland, supporting over 45,000 jobs.  Many of the stakeholders from the agriculture sector are concerned that the rapid implementation of the PMT will create a significant economic burden that could put some of them out of business.  Estimates of the potential costs associated with the proposed implementation of the PMT using three possible scenarios are presented in this public policy briefing document.

The Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT)
As explained in a 2013 University of Maryland Extension Bulletin, the PMT seeks to include new science relative to site and source factors and highlight management decisions more accurately targeted to reduce phosphorus losses from agricultural landscapes.  The overall objective is to identify critical areas where there is a high P loss potential due to both a high transport potential and a large source of P, and also to encourage the use of management practices in those critical source areas that protect water quality. 

The Project 
The information gathering process, and the inputs from the MDA, EPA, and two stakeholder advisory panels, yielded over 4,500 pages of documents, reports, correspondence, opinions, and other source material that were used in designing this project.  Since there was no historical or pilot study data available, a series of viable value ranges for each cost variable were created based on the input from the advisory panels and the review of the resource documents, reports, correspondence, opinions, and other source material.    These ranges were adjusted to the specifics of each of the three scenarios provided and each scenario was converted into a simulation model based on two standalone (MACRO and MICRO) frameworks.

With the MACRO-Level framework, the broader costs impacts were examined.  The variables examined included agriculture, land values, recreation, water-based commerce, as well as infrastructure costs, and community costs, among others.  With the MICRO-Level framework, only farm level variables were examined.  These include storage and transportation costs, synthetic fertilizer purchase costs, changes to land values, changes to production costs and associated revenues, etc.  This MICRO-Level framework was used to develop a prototype PMT Regulation Implementation Analysis Dashboard Template for future use.  Once a final PMT implementation scenario is determined by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the template will be updated and a fully functional dashboard that reflects the actual scenario chosen will be activated. 

The Three Scenarios
The three potential PMT implementation scenarios studied were provided by MDA.   Cost and subsidy assumptions used in the scenario analysis were based on input provided by MDA, the advisory panels, and the information gleaned from the documents and reports submitted by stakeholders.  Additional input from the Environmental Protection Agency, Delmarva Poultry Industries, Inc., and other sources was also incorporated.  The three scenarios examined are not forecasts.  They simply represent the range of possible outcomes for each of the three different phase-in timelines under different subsidy assumptions. 

Scenario 1 uses a two-year implementation schedule.  In year 1 (2016), Nutrient Management Plans will be developed using both the existing PSI and the proposed PMT.   Under this scenario, starting with Year 2 (2017), no P will be applied to lands with a PMT Risk Score of 100 or greater.   To offset the cost of transportation for manure/poultry litter that will be required to be relocated and used in accordance with PMT; this scenario provides a total of $1,464,000 a year in subsidies for manure transportation and $1,465,000 a year in subsidies once implementation begins (Year 2) for Nutrient Management Plan Revisions reflecting current levels of program support.

Scenario 2 is a variant of Scenario 1 where the only difference is the replacement of the activities of Year 2 in Scenario 1 with a two-year phase-in.   Under this scenario, more time is available for the development of the storage and transportation infrastructure, and some P application is still allowed in the first of the two years of phase-in.  The annual subsidy amounts used for scenario 1 remain unchanged. 

Scenario 3 uses a six-year implementation schedule.  In addition, this scenario provides additional subsidies, incentives, and investments, including some capital expenditures for infrastructure development. 

In Phase I of this scenario, the interim period between formal adoption of the new regulation and the commencement of implementation by farmers (February 2015 through November 2016), Nutrient Management Plans will be developed using both existing PSI and the proposed PMT.  During this time, information on changes in management and volumes of acres/manure affected will be collected to further inform the development of MDA programmatic strategies.   In Phase II, a multi-(5) year tiered implementation schedule will commence. Tiers and management requirements will be based on soil phosphorus levels (FIV) and agronomic crop need for P. These levels will be determined so that affected acres can be brought under the PMT regime incrementally in an effort to minimize disruption of markets related to manure. Tiers for PMT phase-in will be based on soil phosphorus levels (FIV), and may begin at some level above existing level of 150 FIV as determined by MDA. For example, in year one, the tier with the highest FIV level would begin a three-year transition to the PMT.  In year two, the second tier begins, ending in year four. In year three, the lowest FIV tier (150 and greater) begins adoption and at the end of year five, all farms over FIV 150 will be managing in accordance with the PMT.  P/manure applications allowed under resulting PMT risk categories (low/medium/high) will change during the respective transition periods, allowing more flexibility at first but ultimately result in no additional P being applied at the highest PMT risk category when each tier’s implementation is complete.

This scenario also adds programmatic strategies for cost sharing, offsets, and other incentive based approaches, from existing and potential funding sources, to address economic impacts to affected farm operations, valued at about $39 Million between 2016 and 2021.  The additional costs of the enhanced subsidies to the State over 6 years total $15.5 million for this scenario. Some of these costs are one time only or of limited duration and some are annual ongoing. These include tax incentives for manure/litter handling/transportation infrastructure, such as subtraction modification, and an Early Adopters Incentive to offset the costs of commercial fertilizer purchases for implementation in advance of prescribed schedule.  These incentives will be offered for a defined and limited time in the early stages of the five-year implementation timetable. 

In addition there is approximately $40 Million in existing programs available over the same time horizon for alternative use technologies, providing alternative applications for manure/poultry litter.   These new uses would include manure to energy alternatives, as well as alternative uses to land application.  According to the MDA, certain projects under discussion have the potential to utilize from 125,000 to 250,000 tons of litter, beginning in the 2016/2017 horizon.  As some of these alternative uses become a reality, the PMT implementation costs are expected to decline.  Since most of these alternative uses are not currently available, the potential cost reductions attributable to them are not incorporated into the current version of Scenario 3.

Finally, the extended phase-in schedule (six-years) envisaged in Scenario 3 would allow for programmatic adjustments based on new data as implementation progresses.  This time-frame also would allow for any other systemic changes to be taken into account so that implementation variables can be adjusted if necessary.  Since there is currently no data or data estimates for such future events, their impacts have not been incorporated into the current version of Scenario 3.

A Letter To The Editor: Wicomico County: Is Matt Holloway Real or RINO?

Let's review the record – most recently Matt Holloway was spotted at the special invitation fund raiser for Rick Pollitt that was held by Salisbury attorney William Hall, along with liberal Democrats like Josh Hastings. That, his campaign contribution to Sheree Sample-Hughes and his lack of support for Bob Culver’s campaign for County Executive, raise real concern that Mr. Holloway is a "Republican In Name Only" unlike the other member of the County Council with that surname, Joe Holloway, who is the real thing.

Then there's Matt Holloway's vote for Pollitt's latest (and, fortunately, his last) budget that was supported by the squishy Republicans -- Bartkovich and Prettyman -- who will soon be departed from the Council, and the RINO, John Hall, some of whom are reported to have supported Pollitt personally if not also financially and attended the fund-raiser mentioned above. To be clear, and to her credit: Ms. Bartkovich supported Bob Culver not Rick Pollitt, and we understand she did not attend that fund-raiser.

During his first term on the Council the past four years, Matt Holloway appears to have morphed from a mainstream Republican who supports small government with limited power over property rights, to a believer in big government with pervasive land-use powers. Rumor is that this shift may be due to a desire to obtain a preservation easement deal with the State, which would mean big bucks, taken from County taxpayers, but probably would not happen unless the County adopts the "tier plan" to limit development that is proposed by the Department of Planning. Given the shift forthcoming in Annapolis, that may be history, but until this week it was a distinct possibility.

Salisbury City Council Agenda For 11-10-14

 

Salisbury Kennel Club Dog Show Going On Now


The show runs through Sunday. ...Eastern Shore Classic....8 AM until best of show....groups start around 3pm....vendors with all types of dog goodies from jewelry to treats.

RIP, O'Malley For President

Here Lies Martin O’Malley for President, a 2016 Presidential flirtation which was was over before anyone even knew it started.

The amount of media coverage on O’Malley mirrored his own constituents’ lack of enthusiasm. Seriously, FITSNews gave more coverage to the failed storybook romance of Thomas Ravenel and Kathryn Dennis than to O’Malley’s presidential aspirations. And that’s unacceptable for a man who hoped to be the leader of the free world. Or really bad editorial policy, I’m not sure.

O’Malley received some attention for being governor of Maryland, for being the former Mayor of Baltimore, for banning capital punishment, for allowing same-sex marriage, for declaring war on guns … but he drew yawns from everybody else, and apparently himself as well, as he dozed off once during a meeting.

So, after Republican Larry Hogan eviscerated O’Malley’s hand-picked gubernatorial successor Anthony Brown (thank you, campaigner in chief), where does this leave us with respect to the 2016 election? As FITS has coined it, “The Maryland Mob” (Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, O’Malley, and Chris Van Hollen) is in a bit of a pickle. O’Malley was going to be their dark horse challenger to Hillary Clinton – but now that’s about as likely to happen as Obama making it a month without playing a round of golf.

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Film Festival Offers Viewings For Adults, Children

OCEAN CITY — The Wild & Scenic Film Festival, featuring award-winning short films that will amaze, amuse and inspire, kicks off Thursday, Nov. 13 with two shows in Ocean City at Seacrets Morley Hall, including a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening screening at 6 p.m.

Featuring 15 short films, this year’s program will be shown on Morley Hall’s new and improved projection system.

Andrew Tawes of Outdoors Delmarva will be joining us as a special guest for the evening show and will be available to meet and greet members of the audience before the show and during the intermission.

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Obama Meets With Sharpton After Loss

President Obama met with Rev. Al Sharpton at the White House Wednesday one day after suffering a resounding loss in his final set of midterm elections, The Hill reports.

Obama met with Sharpton, NAACP president Cornell Brooks and National Urban League president Marc Morial shortly after Republicans gained their first Senate majority since 2006 and picked up seats in the House of Representatives. The White House claimed that their meeting touched on Obamacare implementation, education and criminal justice.

“The president also highlighted how we are looking forward to working with the leaders over the next two years to advance these and other critical issues facing the country,” said a White House official.

The president does not, however, seem to be looking forward to working with Republican leaders.

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Election Results: “What’s Going To Change Is Only Who Is Going To Screw You — Not Whether You’ll Get Screwed”

Widespread victories for the Republican Party in the 2014 mid-term elections have given many Americans hope that the country might finally have a chance for getting back on track.

But are the Republicans going to be any better than the Democrats? As Karl Denninger of The Market Ticker highlights in the commentary below, with conrol of the House of Representatives they have had a chance to shutdown Obamacare for nearly two years, yet it seems that despite all the rhetoric from the right no one has been willing to actually get anything done.

So what should we expect for the next two years under a lame-duck Obama Presidency? Will a majority Republican Congress act to begin the process of repealing Obamacare? Will they de-militarize domestic law enforcement agencies? Will they shut down NSA spying programs? Will they cut spending, lower taxes and remove legislation that restricts small business growth and job creation? Will they open their doors and make good on their promises of transparency in government?

One can hope. But let’s be honest, we all know the answers to these questions:

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Egleston to open a special Ebola unit for children

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston is building a special isolation unit dedicated to treating children with Ebola, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.

Hospital spokeswoman Patty Gregory confirmed the construction of the unit Wednesday, though she stressed that the children’s hospital does not have any patient with the Ebola virus.

Children’s Healthcare has three hospitals — Egleston, Hughes Spalding and Scottish Rite — and more than 20 neighborhood locations in metro Atlanta. Egleston is located at 1405 Clifton Road in northeast Atlanta, across the street from Emory University Hospital.

“We are creating an isolated Special Care Unit where we would provide care to children with possible or confirmed Ebola virus infections,” said the section of the Children’s Healthcare website titled “Ebola: Children’s is Prepared.”

The site added, “This unit will provide care to a child who needs special isolation and is run by specially trained staff.”

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One In Five Jobs Added In October Was A Waiter Or A Bartender, Which Just Hit A New All-Time High

While the headline jobs print was a modest kneejerk disappointment at least until it is appropriately spun in some sort of "goldilocks" frame, where the October jobs report was a true disappointment, was in the report of average hourly earnings: rising at just 0.1% for the month and 2.0% Y/Y, it missed expectations across both metrics. As a reminder, even Janet Yellen has observed that with the unemployment rate ridiculously low and thus meaningless to shape policy, the key thing the Fed head is watching is any changes in wages to determine where benign wage inflation is headed. Well, as the chart below shows, it is headed exactly nowhere, because 6 years after the recovery, wages simply refuse to rise.

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Obama Caught Ordering Press to Cover Up Ebola

Pharmacologist reveals how press has bowed to government demand to keep Americans in the dark

An eyebrow-raising admission at the end of a Forbes article written by pharmacologist David Kroll reveals that the media has agreed not to report on suspected Ebola cases in the United States.

In a piece entitled Liberian Traveler At Duke Hospital Shows Preliminary Negative Result For Ebola, Kroll describes attending a press conference involving Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos.

After revealing that “an unnamed official abruptly called the press conference to a close” when Wos was asked a difficult question about the suspected Ebola victim, Kroll then drops a bombshell.

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Gold Alert Issued for Missing Millsboro Woman

Millsboro - The Delaware State Police are issuing a Gold Alert for Catherine M. Vitale-52 who was last heard from by family members on Thursday November 6, 2014 at approximately 8:35 p.m.

Catherine M. Vitale is a white female, 52 years of age, 5’05” tall, 115 lbs., brown hair and brown eyes. Vitale, who is considered homeless, may be operating a grey 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse with Delaware registration 219466 and may be living out her car in the Millsboro area. (Photo attached)

Troopers have been unable to make contact with Vitale to check on her welfare. Attempts to locate her have been unsuccessful and there is a real concern for her safety and welfare.

If anyone has any information in reference to her whereabouts, they are asked to contact Troop 7 at 302-644-5020 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/ Information can also be provided to the Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com

Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Maryland Public Television to honor Vietnam vets with $2.5M project, including a documentary

Maryland Public Television will embark on its largest project yet to honor Vietnam War veterans starting next year.

The $2.5 million effort will include a three-hour, multi-part documentary set to air in June 2016 and a two-day event at Pimlico Race Course to honor local veterans and their families. The activities coincide with the U.S. 50th anniversary commemoration of the war.

MPT will launch the program with a traveling exhibit dedicated to Vietnam veterans in spring 2015. The exhibit will stop at schools, libraries and museums statewide.

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90-Year-Old WW2 Vet Charged For Feeding Homeless Again

Mayor says homeless should be forced to have "interaction with government"

A 90-year-old World War 2 veteran has been apprehended and charged by police in Fort Lauderdale yet again after defying a new law that criminalizes feeding the homeless.

After his initial citation on Sunday for violating a recently passed city ordinance that prohibits the sharing of food, Arnold Abbott, founder of Love Thy Neighbor, garnered international media attention as his story went viral, but that didn’t stop police from interrupting another event last night on Fort Lauderdale Beach during which Abbott dished out free food to the homeless.
After police recorded the event from a distance, Abbott was eventually escorted away during an interview with a local news station before being fingerprinted and charged. Along with other volunteers, he could face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

“The good news is that there is pressure being put on the city of Fort Lauderdale to do something about a law that is not only unfair, it’s repressive,” Abbott, who has been feeding the homeless for 23 years, told Local 10, adding, “It’s our right to feed people, it’s our First Amendment right and I believe in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and we should be allowed to feed our fellow man.”

However, Mayor Jack Seiler doubled down, arguing that homeless people should be forced to have “interaction with government” and cannot be taken care of by fellow citizens, adding that Abbott’s activities represented a “public safety” and a “public health” issue.

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Alex Guerrero Fight

Just wanted to put the word out that people can either call Hal Chernoff, (410-430-6687) OR go on line to the Chase Center in Wilmington to get tickets. 

If they go on line they can type in the code word Guerrero.

W.Va. Senator Switches Parties, Giving GOP Control

CHARLESTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Daniel Hall said he switched to the Republican party Wednesday, a move that will help the GOP secure a majority in the upper chamber of the West Virginia Legislature.

Driven by backlash against President Barack Obama, West Virginia voters ended eight decades of Democratic rule in the Legislature on Tuesday. They dumped Democrats from the state House of Delegates and deadlocked the Senate.

Hall quickly broke the Senate tie. The Wyoming County lawmaker confirmed his party change with The Associated Press on Wednesday evening.

For Republicans, it’s the first real chance to govern the Legislature since the 1930s.

Toss in Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, and West Virginia’s state lawmaking could be pretty jumbled come January.

“What you see occurring now has not occurred during the lives of anyone else that is alive,” said House Speaker Tim Miley, D-Harrison.

So far, West Virginia Republicans only have a plan-in-the-making for their agenda.

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Thank God Its Friday 11-7-14

What will you be doing this weekend?

BREAKING NEWS: US Economy Adds 214,000 Jobs in October

US economy added 214,000 jobs in October, below Wall Street estimates for 231,000. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent, the lowest rate since July 2008, while economists expected it to hold steady at 5.9 percent. The labor force participation rate rose to 62.8 percent from 62.7 percent in September.

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What Maryland's Business Leaders Want To See From Larry Hogan

The Baltimore Business Journal asked major players in the business community, "What should Governor-elect Larry Hogan make his top priorities when he takes office?" Here are their answers.

"Baltimore's had a good relationship with the governor through the last term, and we've been able to get some things done. There's a lot more progress we need to make, and it'll only happen with cooperation with the next governor who understands Baltimore is a cultural engine and an economic engine. We're still trying to figure out the best way to update or upgrade our arena — we have the highest-performing per square foot arena for that size, and we want to make sure we stay competitive in that field. We also have the [$1 billion] 21st Century Schools [construction initiative] we need to continue. Phase one has started, but we have phase two we need to think about." -Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

"The reality is, is that the idea of winning should be for the good of all, not for the good of a Democrat or a Republican. What we need from the new governor is someone who's going to embrace an agenda that's for the good of all Marylanders — that includes the business community. I also personally believe we should embrace something called lean government. I totally and completely support that because it will result in better service to Marylanders. I would like to see the governor adopt across all agencies lean government." -Michael Galiazzo, president, Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland

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HERO DAY


Democrats Rally for Obama


Yard Sale 11-7-14

806 Waverly Dr., Salisbury, MD 21801. In our yard sale we would have mostly boys clothes from new born to size 6. Assorted toys Big and small. Other items would include a refrigerator drum set Christmas decorations and other useful items. We plan on starting our yard sale at 7 AM until 12:30 1 o'clock.

$5.00 Burger Night In Pittsville Last Night Was Great

I can't believe it's been nine years since I sold them this building. We have always enjoyed Todd and Carol and coming back to this building always makes me so proud of what they did to an old Fire House. 

Troopers Seek Public’s Help in Identifying Theft Suspect

Rehoboth, DE - The Delaware State Police is asking the public’s assistance in attempting to identify a male subject that made unauthorized charges to a credit card that was stolen from a 24 year old Harbeson man.

The incident took place sometime after noon on Thursday October 30, 2014 when an unknown subject removed a 24 year old male’s debit card while he was working at the Sundew Painting Inc. located at 26836 Lewes-Georgetown Highway. The suspect then proceeded to make charges on the card at various businesses in the Lewes and Rehoboth area, including the Wawa located on Dartmouth Drive where the suspect was captured on video surveillance making a purchase for over $100.00. In all, the total fraudulent charges on the card were more than $1,300.00.

The suspect depicted in the surveillance images is described as a white male between the ages of 40-45 years old, standing approximately 5'09" - 6'00" tall, wearing blue jeans and a black shirt.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident or the identity of the suspect, they are asked to contact Corporal J. O’Neal at 302-644-5020 ext. 250 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."

Chipman Cultural Center Event


Matcha Tea: Superfood That Boosts Weight Loss

It’s been called “the champagne of green teas” by Dr. Mehmet Oz and other holistic experts because it surpasses even highly touted regular green tea in its antioxidant content and nutrient density.

Although it’s been consumed in Japan for over a thousand years, matcha tea is just now making its mark in North America as its powerful anti-aging properties become known.

“Cutting-edge health enthusiasts are making matcha tea part of their daily regimen,” says Dr. Tom Cutler, a biochemist who developed a proprietary formula for matcha tea for a company called Unicity.

Andrew Weil, M.D., the well-known holistic practitioner and naturopath, has enthusiastically endorsed matcha as “a precious jewel-green powder that is the focus of the Japanese tea ceremony and has a long association with Zen Buddhism. It is a unique, beautiful, and richly flavored drink that gives most people a feeling of well-being,”

Matcha (pronounced MAH-cha) is a special type of green tea grown in the shady hills of Japan. Growers pick only the most tender and greenest of the leaves from the tea bushes and then grind them by hand into a fine powder.

Matcha tea is not prepared by brewing or steeping, like other teas. Instead, hot water is added to matcha tea powder and the drinker consumes the ground matcha leaves along with the liquid.

Imagine That!


How Portugal gets rid of stupid people

MORE FUNDAMENTAL TRANSFORMATION: LIST OF CITIES OBAMA SENT 36,007 CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS TO...

According to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arm of DHS, 36,007 criminal illegal aliens were released into the United States in 2013. Responding to a request by Sen. Chuck Grassley, ICE provided a list of ZIP codes — not cities and states — where criminal illegals, many convicted of violent offenses including murder, rape and kidnapping, have been dumped by the administration.

The list of cities and zip codes are below. Not very comforting but good to know so please pas along. A city next to mine is on this list-ugh!

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