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Friday, June 03, 2011

Pollitt to Re-Institute Burn Ban

Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt plans to reinstitute a burn ban.  In response to a recent increase in fires, SbyNEWS’s Joe Albero asked Pollitt if he planned to re-institute the ban.  Pollitt stated that he will be meeting with a committee next week to put a burn ban in place ASAP:

Our committee meets next week and I expect we’ll have to do it.

Pollitt also noted that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources wants him to wait until the end of next week.

Preliminary Release Of Serious Motor Vehicle Crash With Road Closure

Location:
·         SR#1 Coastal Highway southbound at Wilkins Road, Milford

Date of Occurrence:  
·         Friday, June 3, 2011 5:00 p.m.


Resume
Milford-The Delaware State Police are currently on-scene of a serious motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle at SR#1 Coastal Highway southbound and Wilkins Road, Milford, DE.

Troopers are advising that the roadway is closed and advise motorists to avoid the area and plan alternate routes.  An updated release will be provided as information related to the crash investigation becomes available.

BREAKING NEWS: RT. 90 CLOSED: UPDATE Rt. 90 Reopened



Both East and West bound lanes are closed due to an alleged fatal motorcycle accident. More to come...

UPDATE: C.R.A.S.H. Team has been requested to the scene. Rt. 90 could be closed for quite a while.

UPDATE #2: Rt 90 has just reopened.

Original Post 2:41 PM.

Another Bad Accident

Station 8 alerted for a MVC with rescue on Bethel Road just past Poplar Neck Road. Single vehicle accident with two trapped, one unconscious. Command requested a second rescue truck out of Pittsville. Also requesting additional ambulance from Station 7 and Trooper 4. Two priority one patients.

YARD SALE

Only 2 yard sales tomorrow, which came in late:

yard sale tomorrow
6704 Quercus Drive
Hebron, MD
6:30-11:30am
Items will include clothes, furniture, DVDs, toys and other items.

1841 Mt Hermon Road, it is between the overpass and tilghman road (kmart)

tons and tons of boys clothes, sizes newborn to 3T (3 1/2 years worth)
golf bag, lamps, some adult clothes, treadmill, computer monitor, headboard, and other misc items

An Agent Of The King In Every Home

The legal concept of citizen privacy from government intrusion is unfortunately a very new one in the long strides of human history. The idea that government can be limited, or restricted in its powers by the people, and that certain realms of life can and should be off-limits to the prying eyes of bureaucracy, is rarely applied in any culture of any era. This is because most civilizations have been founded and ruled upon the principles of military dominance. There was no separation between the government and the armies it fashioned; the government WAS the military. That is to say, martial law was a way of life for society, privacy was a foolish dream, and daring to contest the fact usually led to one’s death.

The Magna Carta of 1215, which King John was essentially forced to support, established a foundation for civil liberties which would then be fought over for the next several centuries. Beginning in 1627, and the ‘Petition of Right’ in Britain, common citizens began demanding a separation between military and civilian life, as well as the dismantling of standing armies which at that time were being used by the corrupt oligarchy as a means to subdue the populace. The aristocracy called it “royal prerogative”. The masses called it tyranny. However, as we all know, such breaks in the suffocation of despotism are few and fleeting. Fractures in the Petition of Right were frequent, and the aptitude of government to make war (even when there is no call for war) became the common excuse for the rulership to degrade civilian legal protections and hurtle them back into the dark ages, where property is a novelty that the authorities violate at their leisure.

During the years leading up to the American Revolution, the British attempted to stifle the growing independent nature of the colonies by issuing laws such as the ‘Writs of Assistance’, bypassing rights to privacy and allowing officials to search homes and businesses at will without probable cause, supposedly in the name of “capturing smugglers”. Not fully satisfied with this intrusion on the lives of the colonists, King George and his cronies issued the ‘Quartering Acts’, which required all colonists to welcome soldiers sent to subjugate them into their homes and to their dinner tables. According to law, early Americans were not only forced to allow warrant-less searches of their homes, they also had to show hospitality to the goons sent to dirty their doorsteps!

The purpose of these actions by governments is to assert their control over a population. THAT – IS – ALL. Rationalizations are always made; usually in the name of “protecting the public from harm”, but the real name of the game is imperialism, and fear. When the establishment violates the line of citizen privacy, and gives its agents the legal free reign to enter your home at will, the message they are trying to send is: “Your property is our property. Your life is our business. The law does not protect you. The law is our weapon.” In other words: Resistance is futile.

The Revolutionary War and the U.S. Constitution should have been the final word on the matter of limited government and the inherent rights of individuals. But, the Founding Fathers only thwarted the elites for a time, and as long as such powerful minorities of men exist, there will always be new methods of tyranny, and new battles to be endured. Some may respond skeptically, claiming that our society today is a far cry from the age of British oppression and soldiers storming our living rooms and our pantries. I would have to disagree of course, after I stopped cringing at their ignorance.

The 4th Amendment A Fond Memory…

Last month in a 3-2 decision that has shocked the independent media community but gone mostly unreported in the mainstream, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that citizens have no right to block an officer’s entry into their home, even if the officer does not have a warrant. The officer also does not have to give any clear indication as to why he wishes to enter your home, meaning he can enter without cause. Justice Steven David, one of the supporting judges stated:

“We believe … a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence…”

“We also find that allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest.”


Keep in mind, this is the same Indiana court that decided in a previous case that an officer serving a warrant is not required to knock (make his presence known) before entering your home if he feels circumstances require it. So, to clarify; if an officer wishes to walk into your house, for any reason, he may do so, without a warrant, and without even knocking. You cannot block his path. You cannot close your door and lock it. You cannot kick his ass. You can’t even discuss the matter calmly with him before hand. He just walks in, and, he is legally protected.

BREAKING NEWS: House Passes Boehner Resolution On Libya Withdrawal

House votes 268-145 to pass Speaker Boehner's resolution rebuking President Obama for military action against Libya without congressional approval.

Wynetta And Jaylin Wright Found Dead; DC Cop In Custody

OXON HILL, Md. (WUSA) -- A DC Police Officer has been arrested in connection to the murder of a woman and a 11-month-old girl, sources tell 9NEWS NOW.

Wynetta Wright, and her daughter, Jaylin were found murdered in the Hillcrest Heights section of Prince George's County Thursday night.

Richmond Phillips, a DC 1-D cop, was arrested in connection to the crime, sources said.

Court records indicate Wynetta Wright had filed a paternity case against Phillips. A court date was scheduled for Tuesday morning. Wright and her daughter have not been seen by family members since Monday night.

More

What We Should Really Do With John Edwards

It is sad for former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards that he was indicted Friday on felony charges. He is accused of giving cash from his campaign to his mistress. It is even sadder for America that with the real problems we have as a country that we are wasting taxpayer money and government time on this indictment.

The six counts Edwards was charged with are not lightweight charges. Accepting and receiving illegal campaign donations is serious, and if you are going to get those contributions illegally then of course you are going to conceal it, hence two more indictments.

We can't be having Presidential candidates breaking the law, of that there is no question.

My concern is on two fronts: How is it that John Edwards can't conceal cash to his campaign and yet the Supreme Court found in the Citizen's United case last year that it was perfectly legal to have interest groups/corporations provide campaign cash and not having to disclose where the cash is coming from. 

It is much more damaging to the democratic process to have piles of money influencing the elections than a private donor like Bunny Mellon's money going to support a love child. 

More 

FIRST LADY KATIE O’MALLEY TO OPEN THIS YEAR’S “GROW IT EAT IT” GARDEN


ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 3, 2011) – TOMORROW, First Lady Katie O’Malley, joined by the University of Maryland Master Gardeners and students from Cedar Chapel Special School in Worcester County will plant a food garden at Government House for the third consecutive year.  Master Gardeners and students from Cedar Chapel Special School in Snow Hill (Worcester County) will join the First Lady to plant the garden and refreshments made with items from the garden will be served. First Lady O’Malley will also promote the University of Maryland Master Gardener Vegetable Gardening classes and events to teach more Marylanders how to create their own backyard garden and grow their own food. Sue Langley, beekeeper for the Government House bee hive, will also be on available to answer questions.

First Lady O’Malley is partnering with University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center and Master Gardeners to promote the “Grow It Eat It campaign” which encourages Maryland families to improve health and save money by growing fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs using sustainable practices.  The campaign hopes to encourage 1 million Marylanders to produce their own affordable, healthy food.  More information on the campaign and the University of Maryland’s Master Gardener program can be found at www.growit.umd.edu.  

Maryland is one of the first states in the in the nation to have a backyard food garden at the Governor’s home. The vegetable garden sets a realistic example of what Maryland families can do in their own backyards.    


WHAT:                       First Lady to officially open this year’s “Grow It Eat It” Garden

WHEN:                       TOMORROW, Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:                     Government House, Annapolis, MD

Public Notice Of Second Special Meeting - Adoption Of FY2012 Budget

SPECIAL MEETING

JUNE 6, 2011 * Follows 6:00 p.m. Public Hearing
Government Office Building Room 301
of FY2012 Budget
of Water and Sewer rates
of City parking rates
  This meeting to begin immediately following the 6:00 p.m. Special Meeting for the 6:05 p.m. Public Hearing
*
CONVENEADOPTION OF AGENDAORDINANCES – presented by Council President Terry CohenOrdinance No. 2161 – 2nd reading – amending an adoptionOrdinance No. 2151 – 2nd reading – amending an adoptionOrdinance No. 2152 – 2nd reading – amending an adoptionADJOURN

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

Poodle Club Announces 2012 Return to Wicomico County


(Salisbury, MD) On Friday, April 29th the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center bid a fond farewell to poodles and their handlers as the Poodle Club of America National Specialty Show drew to a close.  Due to the hospitality shown them, the International Poodle Club announced on May 2nd that this good-bye would not be permanent though as they will return to Wicomico County in 2012. 

Show Chairman, in announcing their return, explained “Salisbury is such a wonderful location for our annual poodle national specialty.  The community is so welcoming to us and offers lodging and dining perfect for our needs.  The whole community and WYCC go all out to make our show the envy of national dog clubs.”

On April 23-27, 2012 the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center and Wicomico County as a whole will play host to visitors traveling from as close as the Mid-Atlantic Region to as far as international locales including Japan.  In hosting the Specialty Show, Wicomico County sees an estimated $2 million economic impact.  Commenting on the return of the poodles, Wicomico County Executive, Richard M Pollitt Jr. stated, “This is the one time of year when I’m so happy to say ‘Wicomico County has gone to the dogs’.  The Poodle Show is an outstanding event and one our community looks forward to each year with a great deal of anticipation and delight.”

Wicomico County Tourism originally brought the Specialty Show to Wicomico County seven years ago.  Wicomico Tourism, along with the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center works side-by-side to meet the needs of the show each year.  However, Tourism Manager Sandy Fulton explains, “It is the people and businesses in Wicomico County that brings the show back year after year.”  Fulton elaborates, “The hospitality shown is unlike any they [specialty show participants] have received anywhere in the Country.  This says so much about our local businesses and our residents.  The WY&CC and Wicomico Tourism work hard to keep the event here, but without the support of the local community it would not be possible.”

For more information on Wicomico Tourism visit http://www.wicomicotourism.org/ or visit http://www.wicomicociviccenter.org/ for information on the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

Taking Away The Punchbowl

Federal spending has risen by 40% since 2008 and the deficit has soared to over 40% of Federal spending. That's the punchbowl Wall Street fears might be taken away.

Whenever I unleash a tirade at home about how Federal spending has leaped 40% in three years and how the government is now borrowing 42% of its spending, my wife points out that nobody cares because the deficit doesn't impact them at all. This always stops the tirade in its tracks, because it's so obviously true.

As long as the Federal checks keep being issued and everyone gets their 17 "low-cost" meds paid by Medicare, the National Defense State gets unlimited billions to spy on the citizenry and indeed, the entire world, gasoline at $1,000 a gallon flows freely in Afghanistan and other distant corners of the Empire, and Wall Street writes itself billions in bonuses, then nobody cares about the deficit.

The only way anyone will feel the deficit is if their share of the Federal swag is trimmed to pay the interest on the ballooning debt. But the Federal Reserve has a solution to that eventuality: keep interest rates (and thus yields on new Federal debt) super-low.

At zero interest, $50 trillion in debt costs nothing. Heck, you and I could handle the interest payments on $50 trillion at zero interest. At 1%, the interest is "only" $500 billion a year--no big deal, as we can easily borrow another $500 billion a year, no problem. After all, the bond market hasn't barfed yet and we're already borrowing $1.65 trillion a year, plus hundreds of billions "off-balance sheet" in "supplemental appropriations."

(Of course the bond market has been "helped" by the Fed buying $600 billion new Federal debt over the past nine months, but there's no limit on that "help" either: there is literally no limit on the Fed's balance sheet, because $50 trillion in Federal debt is an "asset" that pays a yield. A nice, solid balance sheet, loaded with assets.)

As long as short-term interest rates remain near zero, the deficit spending game can run a long, long time. Here is the current yield on Treasury debt, courtesy of the U.S. Treasury: Daily Treasury Yield Curve Rates [2]. The yield on one-year Treasuries is .18%. Given that "official" inflation (Consumer Price Index [3]) is 3.2%, and unofficial (a.k.a. real-world) inflation is running much hotter, the investor/mark is losing 3% a year by investing in T-bills at .18% yield--or perhaps in real-world terms, 5% or more.

It's like a subprime "teaser rate" mortgage that never adjusts. Imagine having a $100,000 mortgage at .18% interest. The interest would only be $180 a year. On $1 trillion, it's only $1.8 billion--a trivial sum (at 10%, the interest is $100 billion, at 1%, it's $10 billion.)

As long as the Treasury can borrow money this cheaply, there is no visible limit to how much the Federal machine can borrow.

More

Judge Rules Gay League Can Limit Number Of Heterosexual Players

A federal judge ruled Thursday that a gay softball league can limit the number of heterosexuals on its teams, the Courthouse News Service reports.

The ruling was announced after three bisexual men claimed they were kicked out of the Gay Softball World Series for not being gay enough and filed a lawsuit in Washington state against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association.

The three men, playing for a San Francisco softball team, were challenged on their sexuality by a rival team, citing a rule that limits no more than two heterosexuals on a team.

The men claim they were "summoned to a hearing room to answer questions about their sexual interests or attractions," according to the Courthouse News Service.

The men said they were told that "this is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series."

U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour struck down the lawsuit.

More 

Rep. Andy Harris' Statement On May Jobs Report

Job Growth is Job One

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today’s shockingly weak jobs report for May indicates a stalled economy, which has Maryland families, investors and businesses fearful of a possible double dip recession.  With the national unemployment rate again over 9%, and only 54,000 jobs added last month, it is clear that a new fiscal policy course must be charted. 
“In order to grow the economy and create jobs in America, we must stop the spending spree in Washington,” said Rep. Andy Harris.  “President Obama’s insistence on taxing and spending our way to prosperity doesn’t work.  It’s time to chart a new course – it’s time for results.”
Since the passage of President Obama’s cornerstone economic policy, the Stimulus package of 2009, 1.8 million American jobs have been shed at a cost of $1.1 trillion and the federal debt has risen to $14.29 billion.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 150,000 new jobs need to be created each month just to keep up with the population growth.  The economy is not growing fast enough to employ the nearly 14 million Americans looking for jobs.

Friday Night LIve

Award-winning Classical Guitarist Peter Fletcher

WHAT:  Friday Night Live - Classical Guitar
WHO:  Peter Fletcher
WHEN: Friday, June 17, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Wicomico Public Library, Room 1


SALISBURY, MD – June 3, 2011 – Peter Fletcher returns to the Friday Night Live line up June 17th at 7 p.m. to perform classical guitar at the Main Library.   

For more information on this event or other library services, visit us on the web at www.wicomicolibrary.org or call 410-749-3612. Programs are free and open to the public. 

Wicomico Public Library: Supporting Learning, Building Community, Enriching Lives!

Fishing Derby Tomorrow At City Park!

Hook, Line and Sinker
  Cast your rod at Salisbury City Park tomorrow, Saturday, June 4 during the Annual Youth Fishing Derby. This free event is open to children 15 and under. Registration will begin at 8:30am (advanced registration is not necessary), and fishing starts promptly at 9:00am. Each child must bring their own rod and bait. Several catch and release contests are planned. Prizes and trophies will be awarded for the biggest fish, most fish caught, youngest angler, most unusual catch and more.

Food will be provided for all of the youth participants and Door prizes will be raffled off at the end of the competition
.
If you would like to learn about other upcoming programs offered by Wicomico County Recreation, Parks and Tourism sign up for email announcements at http://www.wicomicorecandparks.org/

In preparation for the Derby, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) helped stock the pond at Salisbury City Park. Approximately 500 Blue Gills joined the pond's current inhabitants including Catfish, Large-Mouth Bass, Sunny and Perch.

Free Fishing Derby on June 4 at Salisbury City Park

Google / GMail Users–Beware of Password Fishing

I use Google for a lot of things:

  • GMail (e-mail)
  • Calendar
  • To-Do Lists
  • Google Notebooks (notes)
  • the list goes on …

I recently receive an email that was pretty scary.  I received an email that claimed to be from Google.  It stated that multiple attempts to access my account had been made and that Google was poised to launch an investigation.  The also asked me to “validate” my email account.

Click the link and you are taken to the standard Google log-in screen … or so it appears.  In reality I was taken to a fake screen on another site.

Google users should be aware.

Caption This Photo

Fruitland's Monthly Newsletter

The new budget is currently being struck by City Council with a final vote due on June 14th at the regular City Council meeting. Council currently has no plans to increase taxes or raise water rates in this new budget.

The new proposed budget is slightly higher than the FY 2010-11 budget with the majority of the increase being accounted for from the construction and operating costs of the new Police Station on Division Street.

With the reorganization of the Public Works and Utilities Division there is a savings in payroll as at least two positions are being eliminated.

Under the current proposal employees will not be getting a pay increase for the third consecutive year. The State retirement plan will be taking an additional 2% from all the employees in the coming year.
The current proposed Capital Improvement Plan allows for the purchase of much needed attachments for spreading salt and snow plowing, grant funded engineering for Wastewater Treatment Plan upgrades, and Board of Education funded improvements to two sewer pump stations.

City Odds and Ends The City’s new website is online now.

The City will be voting on the 2011-2012 Budget on June 14 at the City Council meeting at 7:30 PM.

The City has awarded the contract for rebuilding the storage building that was damaged in the fire in January at the Public Works complex on Shady Lane. The contractor is Harkins Construction. The rebuilding is slated for June and July. The cost of the project will be covered by the proceeds from the insurance claim.

June Schedule
June 1, 2011—Budget work Session 6 PM June 7, 2011—Planning Commission Meeting 7PM June 14, 2011—City Council Meeting 7:30PM June 21, 2011

Public Works installed the new welcome sign on Route 13 South coming into the City from Salisbury this past week. The sign was created by Redwood Burl of Ocean City, MD
Police News D.A.R.E. graduation was held @ Fruitland Intermediate June 1, 2011
Officer Kilgore completed Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy comparative compliance program May 2011.
Chief Phillips completed Maryland Police Training Commission Executive Training May 2011
Date selected for Fruitland Police Department K-9 Crab Feast Benefit – September 10

Assistant City Manager Diane Nelson presents a fruit basket to the employees of the City’s newest business Its Fashion Metro who opened May 26th in the Food Lion mall.

Recreation News Pavilion and ball field rentals are now being scheduled through the office at City Hall. Call 410-548-2800.
There are no meetings of the Recreation Commission in July and August 2011.
Three new members have joined the Commission—Amanda Pollack, Dizzy Bromley, and Lynn Creasy.
The Fruitland Recreation facilities will be hosting the USSSA World Series event in July at the two Recreational Parks

Code Enforcement Memo Just a few reminders for the upcoming spring season.

Building permits are slowly on the increase .

Unfortunately so are grass violations. During this time of year grass has to be cut at least every week even during this "heat wave".

Also property owners are now responsible for removing weeds from their sidewalks and driveways. The City no longer sprays on private property.

The appearance of various properties have noticeably improved, and unregistered/abandoned vehicles are disappearing, since my "junk for cash" column. Thanks!

Just a reminder that garbage containers should be put out for pickup curbside, not left in your yard. Our personnel are not allowed to go onto private property to pick up your trash.

Joe Vogel Code Enforcement Officer
 
 
th 2011 at the Salisbury Moose Lodge.  
—Recreation Commission 7PM (No Recreation Commission Meetings in July and August)  

City Budget for 2011-12 in Final Stages