SEC Goes After A Town For Fraud

In a first, the Securities and Exchange Commission has gone after a city. The SEC charged Harrisburg, Pa., with securities fraud. Without admitting the charges, the city agreed to settle, and the SEC levied no fines. According to the SEC order, Harrisburg misled buyers of municipal bonds about how bad its fiscal condition was. Harrisburg, the state capital, missed $14 million in interest payments to bond holders. The SEC says the city is nearly bankrupt. Harrisburg is operating under state receivership. The SEC has put all public officials on notice about misleading information in bond sales.

From The Horses Mouth

Mr. Ed has nothing on this horse. Metro Meteor, a 10-year-old retired race horse, is now a best-selling painter in Pennsylvania. After retiring from the track because of bad knees, Metro was adopted by a local artist and his wife, who decided to teach the horse to paint. By holding a paintbrush in his teeth, Metro swings his head to create colorful abstract painting, which have sold for as much as $2,000 a piece. According to his owner, there are 120 people on a waiting list to purchase one of Metro's paintings. A portion of the proceeds go to help a local animal shelter, and the rest is used to cover the medical expenses for the arthritis in Metro's knees. According to the owner's website about Metro, "Art scholars are not going to have lengthy discussions trying to decipher the hidden meaning to Metro's paintings. He is a horse." It looks like George Bush isn't the only one to take up painting in his retirement.

NYC Federal Courthouse To Finally Get Proper Security

A federal courthouse in Manhattan is getting a security upgrade nearly a dozen years after the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. A 4,500-square-foot glass-and-steel structure will be built outside the courthouse. Security officers will screen people for weapons and explosives there. Chief Judge Loretta Preska said the General Services Administration had to "scour the country" for $10 million left over from other projects. Several terrorism trials have been conducted at the courthouse. It's just a few blocks from the World Trade Center site. Construction will begin this fall and end in April 2015.

Solar powered Airplane

In an attempt to score another landmark achievement for green energy, two pilots are hoping to make the first around-the-world trip in a solar-powered airplane. The pair started the project back in 2003, with a 10-year budget of over $100 million, and the help of Swiss engineers and Belgian researchers. The plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, took off on the first-leg of the journey on Friday, leaving San Francisco Bay on a slow-speed flight to Phoenix. They expect to make several stops on their trip across country, as they wait for favorable weather, and they expect to make it to New York's J.F.K. International airport in about two months. Although the plane may not break any speed records, it represents a huge breakthrough in the use of green energy. The Solar Impulse is a test model for a more sophisticated plane that the pair hopes to build next, which will allow for higher speeds and longer flights. One of the pilots spoke to reporters before the first flight, and said, "If we don't try to fly today using renewable energy, we never will."

Winners in the 2nd Annual Wicomico County Elementary Chess Tournament

Congratulations to all the winners in the 2nd annual Wicomico County Elementary School Chess Tournament, which took place Friday, May 3 at Westside Intermediate School.
All Wicomico County students in grades 2-5 were invited to register for the tournament, and winners and participants came from both public and private schools. The 1st place winner for each grade level will be honored at the Board of Education June 4 Awards & Recognitions Night, which will take place at James M. Bennett Auditorium.
2ND GRADE
1st -Ben O'Brien, Pemberton Elementary
2nd - Gianluca Secondi, Westside Intermediate
3rd - Donovan Twilley, Salisbury Christian
4th -Dominic Cereo, Westside Intermediate
5th - Aryavir Sangwan, Westside Intermediate
6th - John Koch, Westside Intermediate
3rd GRADE
1ST - Liam Hornstein, Westside Intermediate
2nd - Gianfranco Secondi, Westside Intermediate
3rd - Katelyn Marcum, Westside Intermediate
4th - Alexander Emmert, Salisbury Christian
5th - Jamie Stoltzfus, Salisbury Christian
6th -Bobby Schaller, North Salisbury Elementary
4th GRADE
1st - Noah Hornstein, Westside Intermediate
2nd - Ben Leader, Westside Intermediate
3rd - Daniel Chen, Westside Intermediate
4th - Gage Sabater, Glen Avenue Elementary
5th - Ben Jennings, Wicomico Day School
6th - Brian James, Westside Intermediate
5th GRADE
1ST - Chase Donaway-Corbin, Pinehurst Elementary
2nd - Trevor Pusey, North Salisbury Elementary
3rd - Taewoo Kang, North Salisbury Elementary
4th - Ashley Marcum, Westside Intermediate
5th - Jakobi Hudson, North Salisbury Elementary
6th - Adan Thomas-Mason, Pinehurst Elementary

NRA Update

Incoming NRA president, Jim Porter, will lead the legal fight to challenge recent gun laws in several states throughout our nation. The Alabama lawyer will replace current president David Keene. Keene told the Washington Times that Porter is a "perfect match" for the NRA, as it shifts its focus to court-room challenges. Keen said, "as we are likely to win most of the legislative battles in Congress, we will have to move to courts to undo the restrictions placed on gun owners' rights in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and Colorado." Apparently, the NRA only respects state's rights in those states that refuse to place any limitations on gun sales and ownership. And, they don't respect the 90% of Americans that support background checks and many other modest reforms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. This is just more evidence that the NRA doesn't work for its members, it only does the bidding of gun manufacturers.

Honey Bees Are Dying Putting America At Risk Of A Food Disaster

Forget the plight of the polar bear for a moment and consider the coming collapse of the $30 billion honey bee economy in the US.

Since 2006 honey bees responsible for pollinating more than 100 crops—from apples to zucchini—have been dying by the tens of millions. As a new report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) details, scientists are still struggling to pinpoint the cause of so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and time is running out.

“Currently, the survivorship of honey bee colonies is too low for us to be confident in our ability to meet the pollination demands of U.S. agricultural crops,” the report states. 
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Capitalism Is Cancer

Unregulated capitalism is cancer on our nation. Like tumors, greed has metastasized, strangling once-healthy parts of our economy, and our social safety net. A new piece on Alternet lists several ways this cancer capitalism has taken hold. For starters, the hoarding of wealth by the banksters and the 1% has diverted resources away from nutritional aid programs. Twenty people in our country collected a whopping $73 billion in investment income – all taxed at a lower rate than working Americans. Compare that with the fact that President Obama couldn't even get $1 billion to improve childhood nutrition in our schools. And, while cancer capitalism has lead to higher-than-ever corporate profits, it hasn't translated into good jobs for college grads. Because of rising tuition costs, the average student graduates with $26,000 of student loan debt, and adding to that burden, high-unemployment allows the corporate elite to underpay workers, and hoard a larger share of profits. In addition, tax-dodging corporations have drained much-needed revenue out of our society like a tumor choking off the blood supply to our economy. According to Alternet, tax exemptions and corporate loopholes drain nearly a trillion dollars from "the body of our society" every year. And, the worst parasite of all is the unrestrained corporate purchase of our politicians. Cancer capitalism has left voters feeling weak and powerless, while Congress repeatedly represents only the will of the corporate elite. We must stop this cancer before it spreads into every last inch of our national body. Just like conquering any type of cancer, we must attack this problem from all sides, from getting money out of politics, to regulating Wall Street, to breaking up the monopolies that have too much power over our government. We can do all this, and we must.

NY DEMOCRATIC LEADER INDICTED FOR CORRUPTION

Democrat Sen. John Sampson, 47, the New York State Senate leader and former leader of the Democratic caucus, has been indicted on charges of embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to the FBI.

Sampson has been accused of embezzling $440,000 between 1998 and 2008. He used escrow accounts which were in his control when he negotiated foreclosures for the court to channel some of the funds into his attempt to be elected Brooklyn district attorney in 2005.
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PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING OPENINGS FOR CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

The Salisbury Board of Zoning Appeals has two openings available for qualified area residents who would like to serve. The Board of Zoning Appeals is responsible for hearing applications for special exceptions to the Zoning Code, appeals of rulings of Building, Permitting and Inspections Director, and applications for non-conforming structures. The Salisbury Board of Zoning Appeals meets the 1st Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the City/County Government Building, Room 301. Applicants should have general knowledge of construction and zoning code requirements. 

If you are interested in serving on this board please submit a written description of your qualifications to the following address: 

Office of the Mayor 125 N. Division Street, Room 304 
Salisbury. MD 21801 

All letters of interest must be received by Monday, May 20, 2013.

Contact: Office of the Mayor (410) 548-3100

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Sequestration Cuts Expected To Hit Job Market Over Summer

The sequester will take a bigger bite from the economy in the coming months as workers collect more unpaid leave and additional spending cuts are triggered, several economic experts predicted Monday.

A strong employment report in April that found the economy added 165,000 jobs underlined the sense that the labor market is improving, but observers warn it’s too early to declare the economy is safe from sequestration.

“The fiscal drag is going to reach its peak in the second and third quarter, and we know that’s going to be around 2.5 percent of GDP,” said Andrew Busch, a political and economic strategist who advised Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his 2008 presidential campaign.

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Report: YouTube Introducing Paid Subscription Channels Soon

The Internet is busy buzzing over reports that YouTube has gathered its druthers and is set to launch a paid subscription model for certain video channels very soon. As for how soon, exactly — it could be as early as this week.

The paid channels would help YouTube amp up its revenue and, it’s to be hoped, give fans of TV shows and movies yet another option for watching streaming content.

According to the report in the Financial Times (via Mashable), there will up to 50 channels, with subscriptions going for each at about $1.99 a month. There’ve been rumors about such a thing since way back in June of 2012, so the timing just feels right.

A YouTube spokesperson tells Mashable in a statement that doesn’t confirm or deny the report:

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DELAWARE TO BECOME 11TH STATE WITH GAY MARRIAGE

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A divided Delaware state Senate voted Tuesday to make their state the 11th in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, after hearing hours of passionate testimony from supporters and opponents.

The Senate's 12-9 vote sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Jack Markell, who supports the measure and planned to sign it later in the day. It would go into effect July 1.

"I think this is the right thing for Delaware," the governor said after the vote, while posing for pictures with supporters outside his legislative office. "It took an incredible team effort."
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Senate Signs Off On Marketplace Fairness Act; Online Sales Tax Inches Closer To Reality

If you’re one of the many Amazon customers whose state has yet to reach an agreement about the collection of online sales tax, this will probably be bad news. This afternoon, the Senate voted in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would give each state the authority to compel online businesses to collect applicable taxes.

Currently, online businesses without a physical in a state are not obliged to collect tax from customers — even though consumers have a duty to pay this usage tax when they file their annual tax returns. The Act would grant each state the ability to decide whether online businesses need to collect the tax (Prediction: They will).

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More Haitians Using Puerto Rico As Migrant Route

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Haitians have been fleeing their troubled country for years, trying to reach the U.S. or other Caribbean islands by sea or by trekking across the island of Hispaniola to scratch out a living in the Dominican Republic.

But a newly popular route has caught officials in the Caribbean by surprise, taking migrants to a piece of the U.S. much closer to home.

Hundreds of Haitian migrants have made their way to Puerto Rico in recent months. They've found that if they can make it to the U.S. territory without getting arrested, they can fly on to U.S. cities such as Miami, Boston or New York without having to show a passport, although some kind of identification, such as a driver's license, is needed.
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NEITHER THE GUTS NOR THE DESIRE

The Social Security Trust Fund annual report to Congress is due out this week. It will be discussed in the Press for a few days. Some of the things that will come up:

- The NPV of the unfunded liability will go up by approximately $2 trillion, to $23 trillion. Every year this horrific number is discussed, and then ignored. What does this number mean? The 2012 increase in new liabilities is double the reported increase in federal debt. If this number were added to the existing debt, it would bring the total nut the country faces to $39T – 250% of GDP.

The problem is that the calculation measures the present cost of the infinite future. Who cares about something that might go wrong 50+ years from now? Hopefully, the scary NPV number to be released will focus attention on SS. The fact is that SS is PayGo. It has a revenue base, it spends more than it takes in, the Treasury makes up any shortfall by issuing more debt. If this reality were the basis of looking at SS (versus goofy TF accounting), then there would be no infinite future issues.

- The date of exhaustion of the OASDI TF will be shortened by 2 years to 2031. This means that anyone 47 or younger is paying “full price” for a benefit that will be worth only 75 cents on the dollar. That is how the law is currently written; I keep wondering when younger workers will wake up to the realities of what they are paying for.

- The SSTF will recommend that either payroll taxes go up by 2.5%, or that all current and future benefits get cut by 2.5% (or some combo). These recommendations would require an immediate change to achieve the desire long term stability of SS.

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Filmmakers Debut Catonsville Vietnam Protest Documentary in Md.

BALTIMORE —A new documentary made by local filmmakers details one of the most historic moments of the Vietnam War protests that happened in Baltimore County.

The film, called "Hit and Stay," is about the group known as the Catonsville 9, and it can be viewed at the Maryland Film Festival this weekend.

The Catonsville 9 was a group of nine Catholic activists who were among the first to publicly protest the Vietnam War in May 1968. The group took draft cards from a selective service office in Catonsville and set them on fire with homemade napalm. They then prayed while they waited to be arrested.

"The Catonsville 9 is just one action that happened here in Baltimore, but it inspired plenty of actions all over the country, and that's the story we wanted to tell," said local filmmaker Skizz Cyzyk.

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Juvenile Falls From Third Story Window

On May 4, 2013, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Ocean City Police responded to a residence on 52nd Street in reference to a fall from a third story window.

The investigation revealed that several juveniles were at the location for a party and had been consuming alcoholic beverages. During the party, the victim, identified as a 14-year-old female from Worcester County, attempted to exit the unit through a third story window and fell. The victim was conscious and alert when police arrived but was disoriented.

The victim was treated at the scene by OCFD Paramedics and was then flown to University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma in Baltimore as a precaution by Maryland State Police helicopter. The victim was later released from Shock Trauma to her parents.

Foul play is not suspected in this incident.

Ocean City Police will not be releasing the name of the victim or the other juveniles involved. The findings of the incident will be forwarded to Worcester County Social Services for further investigation.

Study Pegs Cost Of Immigration Bill's Mass Legalization At $6.3 Trillion

The comprehensive immigration overhaul being taken up in the Senate this week could cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion if 11 million illegal immigrants are granted legal status, according to a long-awaited estimate by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The cost would arise from illegal immigrants tapping into the government's vast network of benefits and services, many of which are currently unavailable to them. This includes everything from standard benefits like Social Security and Medicare to dozens of welfare programs ranging from housing assistance to food stamps.

The report was obtained in advance by Fox News. 

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Boston Cop Shot By Other Cop!

Eyewitnesses of the shootout that killed one of the Boston bombing suspects believe that police officer Richard Donohue was injured and almost killed by his colleagues, who were firing at the fleeing suspect.

In a 10-minute shootout in Watertown, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was fatally injured, while his brother Dzhokhar escaped. Donohue, a 33-year-old transit officer, took a gunshot to his right thigh and suffered severe blood loss that sent him into cardiac arrest and almost killed him.

With a severed femoral vein and artery, the wounded officer lost all of his own blood and his heart stopped beating for 45 minutes before he was resuscitated.

Initial reports made no mention of the cause of Donohue's gunshot wounds, but newly-released eye reports suggest that he was struck by friendly fire. Rob Mullen, a Watertown resident and eyewitness, told the Boston Globe that he watched as all the officers fired simultaneously at the black SUV that the Dzokhar used to escape.

“Every cop out there just unloaded everything he had on the SUV,” Mullen said, recalling the scene as he saw it from the second-floor window of his house on Laurel Street.

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