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Thursday, February 04, 2016

Western PA Humane Society director on leave amid 'collie controversy'

PITTSBURGH, Pa. —The director of the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society has been placed on paid administrative leave following a petition calling for her removal amid a controversy over her alleged purchase of a collie.

The petition on change.org supported by more than 900 people, accuses Joy Braunstein of paying $1000 to a breeder for a collie from "Carter Collies" in North Carolina.

"If you are the director of an animal shelter you should not be buying an animal of any kind from a breeder. Shame on her," wrote one supporter of the petition.

Another poster went even deeper.

"Joy Braunstein, you are a disgrace to the rescue community… and should be removed from your position effective immediately. Paying $1000 to a breeder when you are … going over a list of dogs to decide whether or not you will euthanize them is a complete conflict of interest," they wrote.

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Toyota Must Pay $22M For Charging Higher Interest To Non-White Borrowers

Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, creditors are prohibited from discriminating against loan applicants based on race or national origin. But that was a rule Toyota’s financing unit allegedly violated, resulting in thousands of African-American, Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers paying higher interest rates than their white counterparts. Now, in an effort to resolve charges filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation must pay $21.9 million to wronged consumers.  

Maryland Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Transporting Child Pornography into United States


A Maryland man was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for transporting child pornography into the United States, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers of the Eastern District of New York announced.

Victor Otubu, 50, previously pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography. U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry of the Eastern District of New York also ordered Otubu to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

In connection with his plea, Otubu admitted that when he arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sept. 6, 2014, from Nigeria, his suitcase contained an external hard drive and several DVDs containing hundreds of child exploitation files. Otubu was arrested on Sept. 10, 2014, in Houston as he attempted to flee prosecution by boarding a flight back to Lagos, Nigeria.

HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center Child Exploitation Investigations Unit and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) High Tech Investigations Unit investigated the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Amy Larson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ameet Kabrawala of the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Md. parents charged with scalding, binding 7-year-old son with plastic wrap, zip ties

CLARKSBURG, Md. (ABC7) — A father and step-mother in Clarksburg have been charged with first-degree child abuse after their 7-year-old son told hospital workers and police that he had been scalded with hot water and had been regularly restrained with plastic wrap around his body, held in place with belts or zip ties.

According to charging documents, the boy was taken to Shady Grove Hospital on December 2 with a possible seizure and multiple abrasions, blisters, and bruises over his body and head.

Craig Anthoney Williams, 42, and Nicole Williams, 39, both of Clarksburg, were charged with child abuse. They were given high bonds of $300,000 and $400,000, but a judge lowered that to $10,000 each and they have been released.

Five other children, ages 1, 4, 6, 12, and 17, live in the home with the parents. Some of the children told police that they had been hit by both their father and mother with a belt.

The boy told the investigating officer that he is often bound all day in his room and sometimes not allowed to eat. He said that on Thanksgiving Day, he was restrained in plastic wrap all day and only released to come to the dinner table.

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63% of Israelis Rank President Obama ‘Worst for Israel in The Last 30 Years’

A survey shows that Jewish Israelis rank Barack Obama as the “worst” U.S. president in relation to Israel in the last 30 years -- 63% of Israelis put Obama in the “worst” category while 16% rated Jimmy Carter as the second “worst” president.

The survey was conducted by Panels Politics in Tel Aviv, and the results were published in the Jewish Journal.

In the survey, Israelis were asked to identify the “best for Israel” U.S. president of the last 30 years, and the “worst for Israel” U.S. president. These included Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barak Obama.

Here's the survey results..

Federal Court Orders Delaware Donut Business and Its Owner to Pay Federal Payroll Taxes on Time


A federal court has ordered Chel-C Ventures Inc., which operated Donut Connection stores in Milford, Georgetown, and Harbeson, Delaware, to file its federal payroll tax returns on time and pay federal payroll taxes as they become due, the Justice Department announced. Although Chel-C Ventures has said that it closed the stores after the United States filed its civil complaint in this case, the court’s order directs Chel-C Ventures and its owner, Elva Davidson of Sussex County, Delaware, to file the returns and pay the taxes on time if the business starts operating again. The injunction is effective immediately.

According to the United States’ civil complaint in the case, Chel-C Ventures repeatedly failed over a period of years to fully pay its payroll taxes. The court’s order also determined that Chel-C Ventures was liable for more than $645,000 in federal payroll taxes, penalties and interest and that Davidson was personally liable to the United States for more than $250,000. Chel-C Ventures and Davidson agreed to entry of the court’s order, but did not admit to the allegations in the United States’ civil complaint in the case.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Tax Division thanked the revenue officer of Internal Revenue Service’s Field Collection for investigating and preparing the civil case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.

CDC Cover-Up of Autism and Vaccine Link Continues

While Congress plans a hearing on Feb. 3 concerning the contamination of Flint, Michigan's water supply with lead, it has yet to address another health crisis: the possibility — some even say the likelihood — that autism is caused by childhood vaccines.

Autism now strikes one out of every 45 children in every city and community in every state in the United States. "Autism is rising at an exponential rate," says nationally known holistic doctor David Brownstein.

"The same U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has failed to schedule hearings about another health crisis — whether or not the current childhood vaccination schedule, including the MMR vaccine given before 36 months of age causes autism," says Dr. Brownstein.

Several studies have found no link between autism and the MMR vaccine, including a 2015 study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study, which tracked 95,000 children, found no link between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

Most mainstream doctors believe the vaccines are safe and effective, but Dr. Brownstein is not alone in his fear that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism.

Many health experts have been calling for congressional hearings since August 2014, when a senior researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. William Thompson, claimed that the CDC found and then hid data from a study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism.

According to Thompson, the CDC published a study saying there was no link between childhood vaccines and autism even though their own data proved otherwise. So far, Congress has chosen not to act.

Read more here

Cruz voicemail 1 - Carson Dropping Out - Galveston, Texas - 7:07 p.m. CST

Cruz voicemail 2 - Carson Dropping Out - Cruz Volunteer Line - 7:29 p.m. CST

Appeals Court Orders Judge To Reconsider Ruling Upholding Assault Weapons Ban

A federal appeals court has ordered a judge to reconsider her decision upholding Maryland's assault weapons ban.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that the law implicates the Second Amendment's core protection of citizens' right to use firearms to defend their homes.

Maryland lawmakers passed the sweeping Firearms Safety Act after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Gun-rights advocates challenged the provision banning 45 assault weapons, and the 10-round limit on gun magazines.

The appeals court ruled that U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake applied the wrong judicial standard when she upheld the provision. The court sent the case back and told Blake to apply a higher standard of review that essentially makes it harder to prove the law passes constitutional muster.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, who as a state senator co-sponsored the act, issued the following statement on today's decision:

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WBOC's Dan Satterfield Said No Precipitation Thursday or Friday

 But Others Said...

Kerry Used Private Email to Send Clinton Now-Classified Info

The State Department says Sen. John Kerry used a private email account to send information now deemed classified to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her personal server.

Spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that Kerry, then a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, used a "non-official account" to send a May 19, 2011, message to Clinton and then-national security adviser Tom Donilon. Portions of the message were classified as "secret" last week and censored when it was released along with about another 1,000 of Clinton's emails.

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Remembering ‘record hop’ days

For four decades, the name “Jocko” meant one thing in the greater Berlin area: it was time to dance.

Born in 1933, Francis “Jocko” Graye grew up during segregation, in a time when the color of your skin dictated what schools, business and shops you could go into. Until the 1960s, even Ocean City was closed to many outside of three designated “colored excursion days” after the summer season.

Within those segregated areas, however, music became a unifying force in the black community, and Graye knew he wanted to be a part of it. In 1955, he was discharged from the United States Army. He remembers buying a turntable and a small one-tube amplifier that fit in the trunk of his car.

“I couldn’t learn how to play no instrument, but I always loved music. One thing I could do was play records,” he said.

Two shops he was allowed into were Uncle Ned’s Bargain Fair in Berlin and Watson’s Smoke House in Salisbury, where he shopped exclusively for records. At the time, each cost between 25 and 30 cents.

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Answer To Today's Puzzle 2-4-16

click picture to enlarge
Can you find the 6 hidden words
Click 'READ MORE' below to see the answers 

Winter Weather Advisory

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA

DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD...
PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY
318 PM EST THU FEB 4 2016

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO
1 PM EST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 1 PM EST FRIDAY.

* AREAS AFFECTED: THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

* HAZARDS: RAIN WILL MIX WITH THEN CHANGE TO WET SNOW AFTER
  MIDNIGHT. THE WET SNOW WILL END AROUND NOON FRIDAY.

* ACCUMULATIONS: 1 TO 3 INCHES....HIGHEST OVER DORCHESTER AND
  WICOMICO COUNTIES.

* TEMPERATURES: FALLING INTO THE LOWER 30S.

* WINDS: NORTH TO NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH. GUSTS TO 30 MPH AT THE
  COAST.

* IMPACTS: ROADS MAY BECOME SLIPPERY DUE TO THE WET SNOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White dead at 74



NEW YORK (AP) — Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, whose horn-driven band sold more than 90 million albums and made hits like “September,” ”Shining Star” and “Boogie Wonderland,” died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, his brother Verdine said.

White, who was 74, suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and had retreated from the public even as the band he founded kept performing.

“My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep,” Verdine White, also a member of the band, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.”

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U.N. and U.S. Officials Traveled from Ebola-Affected Countries Without Screening

(CNSNews.com) – A recent oversight report by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inspector general found that during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, "Diplomats, United Nations workers, U.S. Government employees, or other dignitaries were not thoroughly scrutinized or were incorrectly assumed to be exempt from Ebola screening” by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The DHS Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Audit Division confirmed to CNSNews.com via email that some of these dignitaries “were allowed back into the US from Ebola-affected countries without screening.”

The report, “DHS' Ebola Response Needs Better Coordination, Training, and Execution,” contained information from “an internal CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) report identifying problems with processing travelers with a nexus to Ebola-affected countries,” according to the DHS IG Office.

CNSNews.com asked how many of the dignitaries mentioned in the IG report were exempt from screening, and the IG explained that the internal CBP report “did not stipulate the number of instances that Diplomats, UN workers, government employees or other dignitaries were exempted from screening.”

The internal CBP report also did not stipulate whether the diplomats erroneously exempted from screening were U.S. or foreign diplomats.

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National Search Likely To Replace Worcester Superintendent; Wilson To Serve On Interim Basis Till Summer ’17

NEWARK — After almost 40 years in education and four years in Worcester County, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jerry Wilson says he’s ready to do something else.

Prior to the Worcester County Board of Education budget meeting on Tuesday morning, Wilson announced that he will not seek re-appointment at the end of his four year term, which expires June 30.

“My family and I have evaluated our plans for the next four years and beyond,” said Wilson. “I’m not able to commit to serving as the superintendent for the next four years as required by Maryland law.”

Wilson, who was hired in 2012, replacing former superintendent Dr. Jon Andes, says his future is not completely certain, but hints that he’s leaning more toward retirement than a career change.

“When I looked at all the things that I want to do in life, I looked at those four years and realized that it was beyond the commitment that I was willing to make,” said Wilson. “We have grandchildren in Colorado who touch my heart deeply and my daughter is in Wisconsin, so our family is spread out across the country.”

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Bacteria in Beards Could Lead to New Antibiotics

The looming crisis of antibiotic resistance means diseases that were once easily treatable are becoming deadly again. The over-prescription of antibiotics for conditions that don't require them is spurring resistant mutations leading to so-called superbugs - multi-drug-resistant infections that can evade the medicines designed to kill them.

"What we've done as a human species is to basically coat the world in antibiotics by our overuse and inappropriate use. So, we've selected for these resistance mechanisms in the bacteria, so it's why we're seeing the problem that we're seeing now," said microbiologist Dr. Adam Roberts from University College London.

The race is now on to develop new medicines to treat these emerging, mutating infections.
Only a few new antibiotics have been developed and brought to market in the past few decades, but one surprising source of hope has recently emerged -- beards.

The discovery came after a separate study to test the theory that most beards contain traces of feces.

More here

Civil rights advocate Mckesson runs for Baltimore mayor

BALTIMORE (AP) — Civil rights advocate DeRay Mckesson has joined the field seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor of Baltimore.

Mckesson is a well-known activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly in protesting the deaths in police custody of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

He filed to run Wednesday, the deadline for candidates in Maryland’s April 26 primary, joining a dozen contenders. Former Mayor Sheila Dixon is also a candidate in primary.

Democratic Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake opted not to run after unrest over Gray’s death, saying she wanted to focus on seeing the city through the trials of six officers charged in the case.

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Carson cuts campaign staff amid cash crunch, vows to stay in race

Ben Carson, who as recently as November was leading Donald Trump in Iowa and seen as a contender for front-runner status in the Republican primary battle, announced Thursday he’s slashing his campaign staff on the heels of a fourth-place finish in the Hawkeye State.

The retired neurosurgeon confirmed the campaign shake-up Thursday afternoon, while telling Fox News he’s staying in the race.

“We will be able to continue the campaign right until Cleveland," he said, referring to the Republican National Convention site.

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‘There is Nothing Moral About Trapping People In Poverty’

(CNSNews.com) – At a rally in Davenport, Iowa on Sunday GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said that too many Americans are dependent on government assistance, and it results in “trapping people in poverty.”

“We have a safety net in this country to take care of people who have fallen on hard times – to take care of people who are truly disabled,” Rubio said. “But today it’s become a way of life for far too many people.”

“And that has to change,” said the senator. “It isn’t right for the people that work hard and it isn’t right for the people we’re trapping in poverty.”

“There is nothing moral about trapping people in poverty,” Rubio said.

Rubio further said Americans have an obligation to help “the less fortunate,” and that they do so generously.

“We have to live out our moral creed and our obligations to one another,” Rubio said. “As a people we always have done this.”

“We are the most charitable people on this planet,” he said. “Because our Judeo Christian values teach us that we have a moral obligation to care for the less fortunate.”

Rubio said the government also has a role in helping people in need but should not make people dependent on it.

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What voters know about Hillary Clinton: She's a crook

This has not been a good week for Hillary Clinton.

She prevailed over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses by less than four tenths of one percent of all votes cast, after having led him in polls in Iowa at one time by 40 percentage points.

In her statement to supporters, standing in front of her gaunt and listless looking husband, she was not able to mouth the word “victory” or any of its standard variants. She could barely hide her contempt for the Iowa Democrats who disserted her.

Sanders isn’t even a Democrat. According to official Senate records, he is an “Independent Socialist” who votes to organize the Senate with the Democrats, and sits on the Senate floor with them.

Clinton, of course, is the heiress to the mightiest Democratic political apparatus in the land. Hence the question: What do the Iowa Democrats know that caused thousands of them to flee from her?

They know she is a crook.

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In First U.S. Mosque Visit, Obama Says Muslims Unfair Targets Of Suspicion

CATONSVILLE, Md. (AP) — President Barack Obama sought Wednesday to correct what he called a "hugely distorted impression" of Muslim-Americans as he made his first visit to a U.S. mosque. He said those who demonize all Muslims for the acts of a few are playing into extremists' hands.

Inserting himself into a debate that has ricocheted in the presidential campaign, Obama told parishioners at a mosque outside Baltimore that he'd heard from young Muslims worried they'll be rounded up and kicked out of the country. He said Muslims, too, are concerned about the threat of terrorism but are too often blamed as a group "for the violent acts of the very few."

"We've seen children bullied, we've seen mosques vandalized," Obama said, warning that such unequal treatment for certain groups in society tears at the nation's fabric. "That's not who we are."

For Muslim advocates, Obama's visit was a long-awaited gesture to a community that has warned of escalating vitriol against them that has accompanied the public's concern about the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Although Obama has visited mosques overseas in the past, he waited until his final year in office to make such a visit at home, reflecting the issue's sensitive political implications.

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Martin Shkreli pleads the Fifth, then tweets about 'imbeciles' in Congress

WASHINGTON—Embattled drug entrepreneur Martin Shkreli — who vigorously defended his decision to hike the price of a life-saving drug from $13.50 to $750 — suddenly went silent Thursday at a Congressional committee, smirking and grinning instead of answering questions.

Now facing an unrelated federal criminal indictment, the typically loquacious Shkreli refused to testify, repeatedly citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself.

Members of Congress launched into fiery lectures directed at Shkreli, whose previous company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, came under scrutiny when it raised the price of Daraprim more than 5,000%. The pill is used to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that afflicts people with weakened immune systems, such as those with AIDS and pregnant women.

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Comment Worthy Of A Post 2-4-16

The below comment was left on THIS post
 
Rick Green said...
Response from Rick Green

First of all, let me say that I attended the council meeting, seated in the front row.

Councilman Kilmer misstated with respect the "hassling" of the CAFO farmer from Hebron. Truth is ALL attendees listened carefully and politely to the gentleman with absolutely NO comments or murmuring at all.

Councilman, please refrain from trying to stir up animosity and division in an effort to further support your position and that of two of your fellow council members who are IN FAVOR OF THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT AND close minded on residential concerns.

We are not anti-chicken farming at all! We are opposed to commercial ventures of the magnitude of the proposed project, owned by people who do not live here (and correction is needed - the family resides in Virginia and is not intending to live on the property).Tyson(Virginia) would provide the birds etc.-truck the mature birds to Virginia for processing-ship the meat overseas leaving our pristine AG land with "FEATHERS AND FECES".

Chicken growers contribute a great deal to the local and state economy and we CHERISH them and all farm operations on the shore. We want to protect them as well against big commercial farm operators while at the same time retaining acceptable air quality levels and the protect the purity of the Paleo Channel.

Rick Green

Contradicting Kerry, Iran Claims $100 Billion in Sanctions Relief ‘Fully’ Released

(CNSNews.com) – Iran now has access to more than $100 billion in formerly frozen assets that has been “fully” released as a result of the nuclear deal, regime spokesman Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht has claimed in an interview with state-owned television.

“These assets have fully been released and we can use them,” Press TV quoted Nobakht as telling the Alalam TV network late Sunday. He said much of the money – Iranian oil revenues – had been held in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey for years because of sanctions imposed over the nuclear program.

With Iranian banks now reconnected to SWIFT – the global cross-border financial transactions system from which Iran was excluded in 2012 – those funds could now be repatriated. However, he said much of it would not be brought directly home, but instead be used for purchases and investments abroad.

Nobakht’s claim contradicts assurances by Secretary of State John Kerry that the actual benefit to Iran resulting from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal would amount to some $55 billion.

When he appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on July 28 last year to defend the deal finalized in Vienna a fortnight earlier, he stated, “We’re not talking about 150 billion, we’re not talking about 100 billion; we’re actually talking about about 55 billion dollars that will go to Iran.”

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A Viewer Writes: Delmar Bus Crash - No Kids On It

Corner of Old Stage Rd & East Snake Rd. Bus lady P.A. Chandler vs black truck with 2 women and a baby. All appear to be ok.

Sheriff responds to fundraiser-crasher on Facebook: 'See you soon'

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A man who said he crashed a fundraising event in a post on Facebook received a response from the county sheriff.

Police say Sean Eric Kovalick Jr. posted on Facebook on Jan. 29 that he was enjoying the free beer and shrimp at a fundraiser, which he guessed was for a politician. According to a screenshot provided by police, the post's privacy was set to "public."

The next day Kovalick received the following reply:

"That was a bad play for you, Mr. Kovalick, last night at Michael's 8th Avenue. Thanks for posting your confession. This is Sheriff Ron Bateman and that was MY fundraiser that you stole from. I will stop by your house in the next day or two. See you soon."

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The Weather Channel vs WBOC: THURSDAY UPDATE It's Been Raining All Morning


I guess we will see who is right.

Powerful Democrat Women Standing in Way of Hillary Indictment

A former Inspector General for the State Department says Hillary Clinton will never be indicted for her use of a private email server because there are four loyal Democrats standing in the way.

Former Inspector General Howard J. Krongard says the current FBI investigation should be focused on how material made it from the classified email system, known as SIPRNet, to Clinton’s unclassified private server. “It can’t just jump from one system to the other. Someone had to move it, copy it. The question is who did that?” Krongard tells the New York Post.

Krongard says Hillary’s top three aides–Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Jake Sullivan–are facing “significant scrutiny” because they sent most of the material that wound up on Clinton’s server. Though it has yet to be determined how classified material wound up crossing from one email system to the other, Krongard suggests staffers emailing Hillary likely summarized what they had read elsewhere.

“She’s trying to distance herself from the conversion from SIPRNet to [the nonsecure] NIPRNet and to her server, but she’s throwing her staffers under the bus,” Krongard tells the Post. Indeed, when Clinton was pressed about whether something needed to be marked classified in order to be considered classified on a Sunday news show, she replied that identifying such material was the responsibility of “someone down the chain.”

Even if the FBI decides Clinton holds the ultimate responsibility for creating the private server, “It will never get to an indictment,” Krongard tells the Post. The decision to act on the FBI’s recommendation would have to pass through, “four loyal Democrat women.” Krongard is referring to Loretta Lynch and her deputies Leslie Caldwell and Sally Yates. In addition, Valerie Jarrett, one of President Obama’s top advisers, could weigh in.

More here

2016 MD SB 333 Proposes to Limit Children’s Menu Drink Selections in Restaurants

Countdown To The Superbowl: Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip



Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Posted by Tasty on Thursday, September 3, 2015

CLICK on title of post if video does not load

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Rotisserie Chicken (shredded)
  • 1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened 
  • 1 cup hot sauce
  • 1 cup ranch dressing 
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  •  shredded cheese and blue cheese for the top
  •  

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE all ingredients and spoon into shallow 1-quart baking dish.
BAKE 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired. Serve with crackers and/or vegetables.

2016 MD HB 491 Proposes to Reimburse Citizens for some Police Caused Damage

German Journalist: National News Agenda Set By Government

A retired media boss at a major German state broadcaster has admitted his network and others take orders from the government on what — and what not — to report.

National public service broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), which was recently forced into a humiliating apology for their silence on migrant violence and sex assault is being drawn into a fresh scandal after one of their former bureau chiefs admitted the company takes orders from the government on what it reports. He said journalists received instructions to write news that would be “to Ms. Merkel’s liking”.

Former head of ZDF Bonn Dr. Wolfgang Herles make the remarks during a radio event (from minute 27) in Berlin where journalists discussed the media landscape. Moving on to the freedom of the press, the panel chair asked Dr. Herles whether things in Germany had got “seriously out of whack”. With an honesty perhaps unusual in Germany, Dr. Herles replied that ordinary Germans were totally losing faith in the media, something he called a “scandal”.

He said:

OCPD Seeking Assistance in Construction Equipment Theft Case


OCEAN CITY, MD – (February 4, 2016): The Ocean City Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is requesting assistance in an investigation involving the theft of a large piece of construction equipment.
On January 5, 2016, officers responded to 11427 Coastal Highway, the parking lot of the Gold Coast Mall, in reference to a report of malicious destruction of property. Officers met with the victim, an employee of an asphalt maintenance company, who stated that the front door to a Bobcat brand skid-steer loader and a breaker attachment had been stolen from the job site the night before.
The victim believed the theft occurred sometime between 7 p.m. on January 4 and 6:30 a.m. on January 5. The breaker is a Stanley brand Model #MB05 and a sticker was attached that read “Image Asphalt Maintenance Inc.” with the company logo. The breaker weighs approximately 550 pounds. The serial number is #060112006.
Anyone with information regarding the stolen items or the suspects involved are asked to contact Detective Nick Simpson at 410-520-5349 or nsimpson@oceancitymd.gov. Citizens may also contact the OCPD Crime Tip Hotline at 410-520-5136 or by visitinghttp://oceancitymd.gov/oc/departments/police/crime-tips/.

Jimmy Carter: I'd Take Trump Over Cruz

Former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday he would take Donald Trump over Ted Cruz to occupy the White House were he forced to choose.

Appearing at Britain's House of Lords Wednesday afternoon, the 39th president surprisingly said he would take Trump over Cruz because of his ability to strike a deal and because many of his positions are not set in stone — as Cruz's are comparably.

"I think I would choose Trump, which may surprise some of you," Carter said when asked who he'd prefer for the GOP nomination.

"The reason is, Trump has proven already he's completely malleable," Carter explained. "I don't think he has any fixed [positions] he'd go the White House and fight for.

More here

Charges Placed In Queen Anne’s Co. Crash That Killed Five

(WYE MILLS, MD) – Following a review of the Maryland State Police crash investigation, the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office has issued multiple traffic charges that troopers have filed against the driver of the tractor trailer involved in the crash one year ago that killed five people.

The driver charged is identified as Yvenet Mayette, 29, of Philadelphia, PA. Mayette met troopers at the Easton Barrack on the morning of February 2, 2016 and was served with a criminal summons.

The 11 charges, issued by Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance Richardson, are as follows:

-failure to stop at a red light, contributing to a fatal crash (Transportation Law Article, Sec. 21-202(h);

-failure to control speed to avoid collision, contributing to a fatal crash (TLA, Sec. 21-801(b);

-negligent driving, which contributed to a fatal crash (TLA, Sec. 21-901(1)(b);

-reckless driving (TLA, Sec. 21-901(1)(a);

-driving a commercial vehicle in condition likely to cause a crash, which contributed to a fatal crash (Annotated Code of MD, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-396-7);

-driving a commercial vehicle with inoperative brakes on a combination vehicle, which contributed to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-393-48);

-driving a commercial vehicle with inadequate brake linings, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-393-47);

-driving a commercial vehicle after being on duty for 70 hours in eight consecutive days, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(b1);

-driver of a commercial vehicle preparing a falsified record of duty status, which contributed to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-8(e);

-driver of property carrying vehicle driving after 14 hours of having come on duty without 10 hours off duty, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(a2);

-driver of property carrying vehicle driving after having driven 11 hours without 10 hours off duty, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(a1).

The charges resulted from a review of the Maryland State Police Crash Team investigation by the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Crash Team investigators conducted an extensive investigation into the crash, in an attempt to determine the causes and contributing factors.

The crash occurred shortly after 1:00 a.m. on January 10, 2015, in the intersection of Rt. 50 and Rt. 213 in Wye Mills, Md. The crash involved a tractor trailer driven by Mayette and a 2006 Suzuki Forenza, in which the Ayres family from Greenbush, Va., was traveling. The tractor trailer was southbound on Rt. 213 and the passenger vehicle was westbound on Rt. 50.

Killed in the crash were: Regina M. Ayres, 24, Zerissa Ayres, 30, and her unborn child, Jordan Ayres, 7, Travis M. Straton, 25, and Jonathan Ayres, two months. Mayette was also injured in the crash and taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Mayette has the right to stand trial on the charges or to pay pre-set fines for each offense. Additional details concerning the investigation cannot be provided at this time, due to the potential of a court trial.

Microsoft’s Iowa Vote-Count A Dry Run for Bigger Corporate Role In U.S. Election Process

The use of Microsoft’s vote-counting technology in Monday’s Iowa Caucus may foreshadow a future in which corporate technology plays a central role in U.S. elections, raising concerns about the possibility of private firms skewing the democratic process.

In a disclosure largely unreported by the news media last year, President Obama’s Special Commission on Election Reform recommended that commercial software and computers, such as iPads, be used to accurately record and count Americans’ votes — even though companies’ financial interests can be helped or hurt by the outcome of those elections.

Following election issues that plagued the Iowa Caucus in the 2012 presidential race, Microsoft partnered with the technology firm InterKnowlogy as well as the Democratic and Republican parties to develop and deploy an electronic reporting system used in the caucus on Monday. But now questions have been raised as to the effectiveness of the Microsoft volunteer effort.

Already, some political participants are raising the alarm about Microsoft leaders’ ties to presidential candidates.

CBS News reported:

FEC Informs Ted Cruz Campaign They Must Provide Information On 2012 Senate Loans…

By now most people are aware of the controversy surrounding Candidate Ted Cruz and his failure to reveal $1.3 million in campaign “loans” from Goldman Sachs and Citibank during his 2012 campaign for the senate. At the heart of the issue is a failure of Ted and Heidi Cruz to list Wall Street “loans” on the required Federal Election Commission financial reports.

Together with the campaign officials the Cruz’s say the non-reporting was an accidental oversight. However, a watch dog group has now filed a complaint with the FEC which is step one to beginning an FEC investigation.

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Doritos Super Bowl 50 Commercial 2016 Crash the Super Bowl Finalist Ultrasound

The US is about to sell $1 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia

At the end of January, attachés to US Secretary of State John Kerry dusted off the typical lines about Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses. Concerns were expressed, disappointments were level led.

Kerry made his first visit to Riyadh after the mass execution of 47 people, including Muslim cleric and opposition leader Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, three political dissidents, several mentally ill prisoners, and multiple prisoners arrested for crimes committed as minors.

It is unclear exactly what issues Secretary Kerry raised in these high-level meetings.

Despite a flurry of international criticism regarding Saudi Arabia's mass execution, the US government has been exceptionally muted in its response. After the executions, the State Department reported that it had "expressed [its] concerns" about the legal process in Saudi Arabia and raised those concerns at "high levels of the Saudi government".

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Isn't It Strange?

There is a letter titled "Isn't It Strange?" making the rounds in email boxes. It asks questions to which our fellow Americans should know the answers, save for those caught up in modernity.

It starts off asking, "Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture but ... after a shooting, the problem is the gun?"

In other words, after a shooting, it is the gun, an inanimate object, that is the culprit, but after a bombing, it is not the bomb that receives the blame but the evil individual. In both cases it is the evil individual who is to blame.

Ronald Reagan had it right when he said, "We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."

Speaking of guns, the letter has a 1950s photo of high school girls at an indoor shooting range. The photo caption states: "Back in the 1950s and even later, many high schools had shooting ranges. Students even brought their own rifles to school." It asks, "What changed in society that we could trust such activities then, but not now?"

Read more here

This is how Mexican drug cartels make billions selling drugs

Mexican drug cartels are making billions of dollars by flooding America with cocaine and other drugs. Ioan Grillo, author of "Gangster Warlords," breaks down what drug traffickers invest and the kind of profits they make.

GO HERE to view.

"We Have Even More Embarrassing Footage of Your Captured Sailors"

(CNSNews.com) – The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy said Monday that if the U.S. seeks to humiliate Iran, the IRGC would release footage of ten U.S. sailors detained last month that is much more embarrassing than images released earlier.

Addressing Iranian lawmakers a day after being awarded a medal by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the Jan. 12-13 incident in the Persian Gulf, Sardar Fadavi also said his personnel had obtained information from the U.S. sailors’ laptops and phones.

“We have extracted extensive information from their laptops and cell phones,” the state-owned Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying, adding that the material could be made public.

A U.S. Navy investigation is underway. Earlier, U.S. Central Command said that when Iran released the sailors and boats, “all weapons, ammunition and communication gear are accounted for minus two SIM cards that appear to have been removed from two handheld satellite phones.”

In his address in parliament, Fadavi also warned that the IRGC had much more footage of the incident than the material it released earlier – which showed the sailors kneeling on the deck at gunpoint, later relaxing and eating, and one of them apologizing for unintentionally entering Iranian waters.

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WCSO Press Releases February 3, 2016 con’t.

Lynch, Jerry
Incident: Fugitive from Florida
Date of Incident: 28 January 2016
Location: Wicomico County, MD
Suspect: Jerry Lynch, 25, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 28 January 2016 at 3:30 PM a deputy arrested Jerry Lynch as a fugitive from the State of Florida. Authorities in that state wanted Lynch on a warrant that was issued after Lynch violated the terms of his probation in a case where he had been convicted of Resisting an Officer.
Lynch was processed at the Central Booking Unit and detained by the Commissioner in the Detention Center without bond pending extradition back to Florida.
Charges: Fugitive from Florida.


Shelton, Chelsea
Incident: Warrant
Date of Incident: 28 January 2016
Location: Wicomico County, MD
Suspect: Chelsea Marie Shelton, 23, Pittsville, MD
Narrative: On 28 January 2016 at 6:35 PM a deputy arrested Chelsea Shelton who was wanted on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Shelton failed to appear for a CDS Possession trial.
Shelton was detained in the Detention Center without bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Failure to Appear.


Whaley, Nicholas
Incident: Robbery and Theft
Date of Incident: 29 January 2016
Location: 4000 block of Cardinal Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Nicholas Latray Whaley, 27, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 29 January 2016 at 10:00 PM a deputy arrested Nicholas Whaley in connection with a reported robbery. It is alleged that Whaley became embroiled in an argument with a subject he resides with over needing money. During the argument it is alleged that Whaley snatched a necklace off the complainant’s neck, pocketed it and left the residence.
Upon arrest the deputy transported Whaley to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Whaley in the Detention Center in lieu of $50,000.00 bond.
Charges: Robbery, Theft and Assault 2nd Degree.


Owens, Doris
Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 30 January 2016
Location: 100 block of Main Street, Mardela Springs, MD
Suspect: Doris Ann Owens, 51, Mardela Springs, MD
Narrative: On 30 January 2016 at 4:54 PM a deputy arrested Doris Owens on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Owens failed to pay a deferred fine in a CDS Possession case.
The District Court Commissioner released Owens on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Failure to Pay a Fine


Lightfoot, Keith
Incident: Failure to Comply With a Peace Order
Date of Incident: 30 January 2016
Location: 8000 Burnt Branch Dr., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Keith Shawn Lightfoot Jr., 21, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 30 January 2016 at 6:35 PM a deputy arrested Keith Lightfoot following an allegation that he violated the terms of a Peace Order. It is alleged that Lightfoot was repeatedly sending text messages to a 16 year old female that were both unwanted and in direct violation of a peace order that barred Lightfoot from having any contact with this subject.
Upon arrest the deputy transported Lightfoot to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Lightfoot in the Detention Center in lieu of $50,000.00 bond.
Charges: Failure to Comply with a Peace Order


Brittingham, Brinton
Incident: Burglary
Date of Incident: 30 January 2016
Location: 32000 block of Jordan Court, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Brinton Lee Brittingham, 31, Fruitland, MD
Narrative: On 30 January 2016 at 11:57 PM a deputy arrested Brinton Brittingham in connection with a burglary that occurred on Jordan Court in Salisbury. It is alleged that he forced entry earlier that same day into a residence that he believed was unoccupied. While Brittingham was inside the residence he came upon one of the residents at which time he rapidly left the house. Before Brittingham ran off, he stole gold jewelry from a bedroom.
The investigating deputy was able to develop both a description of a potential suspect (Brittingham) and his vehicle during the ensuing investigation and that suspect was in custody before the day was out.
Upon arrest the deputy transported Brittingham to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Brittingham in the Detention Center in lieu of $100,000.0 bond. That bond was upheld at bond review.
Charges: Burglary 1st Degree and Theft $1,000.00 to $10,000.00


Workman, Elizabeth and Fitzsimon, Autumn

Incident: Wanted Subjects
Date of Incident: 1 February 2016
Location: Wicomico County and Baltimore City
Suspects:
1. Elizabeth Lee Workman, 22, Salisbury, MD
2. Autumn Virginia Fitzsimon, 19, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 30 January 2016 the Wicomico Sheriff’s Office contacted the Baltimore Police after receiving information that two wanted subjects that the Sheriff’s Office had been seeking since October 2015 could be found at a location in Baltimore while awaiting the Garth Brooks concert. Baltimore authorities located the pair and took them into custody at the behest of Wicomico County.
Deputies traveled to Baltimore and took custody of the pair and returned them to Wicomico County just after midnight on 1 Feb 2016. Fitzsimon was wanted on a bench warrant that was issued after she violated the terms of her probation in an Assault and Reckless Endangerment case. Workman was wanted on a bench warrant that was issued after she violated the terms of her probation in a CDS case.
Both were detained in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Violation of Probation


Barnes, Kurt
Incident: Most Wanted Apprehension
Date of Incident: 1 February 2016
Location: Wicomico County
Suspect: Kurt Thomas Barnes, 41, Federalsburg, MD
Narrative: On 1 February 2016 one of Wicomico County’s “Most Wanted” Individuals, Kurt Thomas Barnes, was apprehended in Caroline County and brought back to Wicomico County to face sentencing on the charge of Constructive Criminal Attempt. Barnes had been sought since March 2014 after he failed to appear for sentencing and had been repeatedly featured on local media outlets as one of Wicomico County’s “Most Wanted”.
Upon return to Wicomico County, Barnes was detained in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Failure to Appear for Sentencing


Powell, Jamal
Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 1 February 2016
Location: 100 block of Highland Avenue, Delmar, MD
Suspect: Jamal Powell, 32, Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 1 February 2016 at 9:30 PM a deputy arrested Jamal Powell in connection with a reported assault. It is alleged that Powell became embroiled in a verbal altercation with his wife that turned physical. It was alleged that Powell pushed his wife and then began banging her head into the wall. During the investigation, the deputy observed signs of injury that corroborated the account.
Upon arrest Powell was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Powell in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson Date: 3 February 2016

‘American Pickers’ visit to former Burgess museum to air Feb. 10

Lawrence Burgess, pictured in the Early Americana Museum he started in 1976, grew his collection through a lifetime of attending auctions and estate sales.

MARION — During a recent summer tour of the Northeast, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of the History Channel’s popular show American Pickers, paid a visit to Somerset County and the former Early Americana Museum to rummage through the collection of the late Lawrence Burgess. The results of their Aug. 19 visit will air 9 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) on the History Channel with it appearing online after the run date at www.history.com/shows/american-pickers.

The museum opened in 1976, entertaining and educating countless visitors, and featured the treasures collected by Mr. Burgess over a lifetime of going to auctions and estate sales. Located in a three-story chicken house at Hudson’s Corner, the museum had thousands of exhibits highlighting agricultural and rural life on the Eastern Shore.

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Bernie Sanders Raises $3 Million in One Day

Democrat Bernie Sanders raised more than $3 million since he lost by a razor-thin margin to Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses on Monday.

"It's been our best day ever," Sanders communications chief Michael Briggs told The Washington Post.

Because Sanders raises money from small donors, his campaign is able to seek additional contributions from them, according to the Post.

Very few of the Vermont senator's donors have reached the maximum amount of $2,700, aides told the newspaper.

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Panic Hits Democrats After Clinton's Narrow Victory

Hillary Clinton emerged from Iowa with a razor-thin victory over Bernie Sanders — and a new round of nervous second-guessing from supporters.

Topping the list of concerns is Clinton's staggering disadvantage with young voters, a crucial Democratic constituency that overwhelmingly sided with Sanders. Clinton supporters are also worried that the campaign is still struggling with a muddled message, a problem that plagued her not only in the opening months of this campaign but also in her failed 2008 White House bid.

But this time the Democratic hand-wringing is balanced by something more positive: cautious optimism that she has an organization that might overcome her weaknesses.

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3 people are going to the moon — here's how a private company will pull off ​the historic mission

Only 24 people in the history of Earth have made the 239,000-mile trip to the Moon, but a company based out of Virginia plans to change that.

With a Russian cosmonaut behind the controls, a company called Space Adventures hopes to fly two private citizens around the Moon and back by the end of the decade. Though it has shifted its timetable slightly from its original launch target of 2018, the company already has two passengers who reserved their seats for $150 million a piece.

"We've got a couple of clients under contract for our lunar mission," says Tom Shelley, the president of Space Adventures. "That's taking up the majority of our time, working with our partners in Russia."

Right now, Shelley says his company is working out all the logistics. But he did offer some details as to what his as-yet-unnamed clients will be doing on their trip.

Here's what the crew will experience aboard the first lunar mission in about 45 years.

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Mallows bay shipwreck drone maryland

Dear American Muslims, Can We Have An Honest Talk?

On 9/11, one of my roommates was a Turkish pilot. Not only was he sent home that day, he didn’t work again for weeks. In one moment he was just a guy with a religion that most Americans had no strong opinions about. In the next, there were people who thought he was potentially dangerous because of what he believed.

I’m sure a lot of Muslims have gone through that and since then, every other day it seems like there’s a story in the news about a Muslim blowing himself up, murdering innocent people or taking sex slaves. Ironically, most of the victims of these Muslims are other Muslims. So, if you’re a peaceful Muslim who loves his country, I’m sure it’s easy to feel under siege.

Personally, I think most American Muslims are good people; they’re anti-terrorist; they’re anti-Sharia law and they want to raise their families in peace and pursue the American Dream just like everybody else. I condemn in the strongest of terms, not just hate crimes and harassment, but the smearing of all Muslims with the same brush. Every Muslim who seems like a nice guy isn’t engaging in Taqiyya as he secretly plans to kill the infidels. Moreover, telling Muslims who mean us no harm that if they understood their own religion, they’d be murdering the rest of us is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

That being said, switching gears, the second dumbest thing I’ve ever heard is robotically repeating, “Islam is a religion of peace,” every time radical Muslims murder someone because of their religion. We know these radicals are murdering people because of their religion since they go out of their way to tell us this. You can certainly argue that groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and Boko Haram are misinterpreting Islam or perverting the Koran, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are Muslims who believe they’re being faithful to their religion as they rape, murder, and enslave the innocent in the name of Allah.

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Ex-Spies Say That Clinton’s Illegal Server Triggered Widespread Devastation

Three veterans of American intelligence are horrified by the havoc that they believe former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton caused through her epic abuse of state secrets in the E-Mailgate scandal.

“If there really were SAP [special-access programs] material on her server, consider the implications,” a former U.S. intelligence officer tells me. He refers to the “several dozen” messages marked TOP SECRET/SAP that I. Charles McCullough III, inspector general for the intelligence community, reports were on the private server at Clinton’s home in Chappaqua, N.Y., 267 miles north of the State Department. Special-access programs are America’s most clandestine activities. Their revelation could damage national security severely and possibly get people killed. In the anonymous words of this one-time American intelligence professional, here is some of the devastation likely caused by Clinton’s exposure of SAP secrets:

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Official Ram Trucks Super Bowl Commercial "Farmer"

Obama Asks Congress For More Money To Fight Opioid Drug Abuse

Every day in America more than 50 people die from an overdose of prescription pain medication. Some people who start out abusing pain pills later turn to heroin, which claims another 29 lives each day.

President Obama plans to ask lawmakers for hundreds of millions of dollars to combat this epidemic of opioid abuse when he releases his budget next week.

Most of that money — about a billion dollars over the next two years — would pay to expand treatment to help people kick the opioid habit. While the patchwork of treatment programs around the country has the capacity to serve about one million people, administration officials say the number of addicts who need help is more than double that.

"We've heard countless stories about people who encounter long waiting lines to get into treatment, to find a bed," said White House drug czar Michael Botticelli. "[It's] one of the things that's really important when people reach out for help with addiction, which often can be a challenge. We want to get to the point where we have treatment on demand."

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Politically-Challenged: Texas Tech Edition

Maryland loses $1M in oyster restoration funding after Tred Avon River project is delayed

At least $1 million in federal money earmarked to build new oyster reefs on the Eastern Shore will instead go to Virginia after Maryland officials asked that the project be delayed.

An oyster restoration project in the Tred Avon River, a tributary of the Choptank River in Talbot County, began in 2015 and had been scheduled to resume early this year. The project is part of a wider effort to help oyster populations rebound throughout the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia.

However, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in December called for a delay, and despite calls from environmentalists and both of the state's U.S. senators to ignore the request, the Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it did not expect to restart the efforts until at least October.

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When it is not your time to go

Registration Open for Wicomico Recreation Winter/Spring Bus Trips

(Salisbury, MD) Registration is open for Wicomico Recreation’s winter/spring bus trips. All trips depart from the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury.

Day At Harrington Casino

Feeling lucky or just want a day out? Join us on this trip and receive $15 in free slot play and $7 credit to use at the lunch buffet.
Age Group: 21+
Date: Thursday, February 18
Time: Bus Departs the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center at 9 a.m.; Returns at 3:30 p.m.
Program Fee: $20 Per Person

Philadelphia Flower Show

Join us for the 2016 Philadelphia Flower Show "Explore America." From steamy to petrified, hot springs to arctic and Redwood to Yellowstone, the largest flower show in the Unites States celebrates 100 years of the National Park Service.
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: Bus Departs the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center at 9 a.m.; Returns at 10 p.m.
Program Fee: $72 Per Person

Cape May, NJ

Visit Cape May, NJ and enjoy the Spring Festival full of crafts, collectibles, tours and more.
Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: Departs the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center at 7 a.m.; Returns at 9 p.m.
Program Fee: $97 Per Person

Cape Cod, MA

Pack your bags and join us as we travel to Cape Cod, MA for tours of history and New England architecture. Fully escorted tours include Hyannis area, Provincetown, Plymouth and more!
Dates: May 15 - 18
Program Fee: $498 Per Person (Includes lodging and meals, see website for more info.)

For more information on our bus trips, visit www.WicomicoRecandParks.org. To register, contact Karen McInturff at 410-548-4900 x118 or kmcinturff@wicomicocounty.org.