VA Cut Off Benefits to 4,201 ‘Dead’ Veterans Who Were Still ‘Very Much Alive’

Between 2011 and 2015, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) cut off benefits to 4,201 veterans the department mistakenly presumed were dead.

However, “in each case, the veteran or person receiving VA benefits was very much alive,” according to a statement by Rep. David Jolly (R-FL).

Last December, Jolly asked the VA to report back to him the total number of veterans whose benefits were terminated over the last five years due to presumptive reports of their demise after several of his constituents in the Tampa Bay area complained.

The highest number of erroneous terminations occurred last year, when benefits to 1,025 veterans had to be resumed after they were erroneously listed by the department as deceased, the VA reported.

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Maryland Reforms Asset Forfeiture Laws, But Federal Loophole Added

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has signed a bill into law that significantly reforms asset forfeiture laws. But an amendment approved during the process creates a loophole that could allow law enforcement to work with the feds to skirt the more stringent state law.

Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. (D-Prince George’s County) sponsored House Bill 336 (HB336). Sen. Michael Hough (R-D4) sponsored the companion Senate Bill 161 (SB161). The legislation reforms Maryland law and creates important protections for Marylanders.

According to the Institute for Justice, the new law makes the following changes:

• Raises the standard of proof to forfeit property to “clear and convincing evidence;”
• Establishes new reporting requirements for seizures and forfeitures, which oblige agencies to report how they spent forfeiture funds, whether or not criminal charges or convictions accompanied a forfeiture case, and the race and gender of property owners affected by a seizure;
• Requires a criminal conviction to forfeit an owner’s principal family home;
• Repeals a provision that allowed money to be forfeited in relation to drug possession. (Forfeiting money related to the unlawful manufacture, distribution or dispensing of controlled substances would still be authorized.);
• Requires that property owners be given a receipt when their property is seized;
• Institutes new deadlines for agencies to file forfeiture complaints. (Failing to file would mean the government would have to promptly return seized property);
• Directs 20 percent of forfeiture proceeds from the general fund to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to fund drug treatment and education programs

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Carry 'F--- Cops' sign, win at least $50,000

Police officers in Westminster, Colorado, a bedroom community northwest of Denver, have been detaining or arresting, repeatedly, a man who carries around a sign with his dramatically low opinion of their department.

But they may want to learn to live with the “F— Cops” message on Eric Brandt’s sign.

Because he’s already gotten a settlement in one lawsuit against the city over the officers’ actions, and now two more are pending.

The newest complaint was filed this week against the city and officers Charles Rush and Ray Esslinger.

“For Plaintiff Eric Brandt, at this moment, it is difficult to differentiate the city of Westminster from a police state,” the complaint starts. “Mr. Brandt walks the sidewalks and streets of Westminster carrying a sign that reads ‘F— Cops.’ He carries this sign to raise awareness of the lawlessness and brutality regularly engaged in by Westminster police officers and officials.
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23 Maryland Parks and Playgrounds Receive Funding

Department of Natural Resources Now Accepting Grant Applications for Next Year

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting grant applications from cities and towns looking to rehabilitate or enhance local parks and playgrounds in their communities. Funding from the Community Parks and Playground Program can be utilized to restore existing areas and features or to develop and expand new green spaces. Applications for Fiscal Year 2018 funding are due on Aug. 17.

“Creating and improving public access to parks and play areas, especially those in more densely-populated areas, is a top priority for the department and state,” Land Acquisition and Planning Director Emily Wilson said. “That is why we continue to work to expand opportunities for our citizens and children to experience the great outdoors and all that nature has to offer. The program provides a recreational oasis in an otherwise urbanized setting. We encourage municipalities to take advantage of this grant opportunity.”

The department recently awarded 23 grants in Fiscal Year 2017 – totaling $2.5 million – to communities throughout Maryland, from Baltimore City to Trappe. Each grant was evaluated by the department and included in Governor Larry Hogan’s capital budget. Every project will be presented to the Board of Public Works for final approval.

Community Parks and Playground Program grant recipients included:
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Judge blocks order sending Obama lawyers to ethics class

Justice Department lawyers and illegal immigrants won a temporary reprieve Tuesday after Judge Andrew S. Hanen blocked his own order sending the lawyers back to remedial ethics classes, and ordering the government to turn over information on tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who were erroneously granted a three-year deportation amnesty.

Judge Hanen said he’ll hear new arguments in August, and until then he issued a stay.

He also gave the Justice Department a chance to suggest its own punishment for having repeatedly misled the federal court.

The lawyers enraged the judge after they repeatedly told him no part of President Obama’s 2014 deportation amnesty, known as deferred action, was in effect. But the administration had in fact been granting three-year work permits and stays of deportation to some illegal immigrants under one of the 2014 policies that modified a 2012 amnesty already in effect.

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Illegal immigrants kidnapping children to sneak into U.S. as ‘family units,’ feds say

Illegal immigrants are kidnapping children and bringing them across the border, hoping to appear to be families so they can take advantage of lax enforcement policies, the Obama administration told a federal appeals court on Tuesday.

Leon Fresco, a deputy assistant attorney general who handles immigration cases, made the stunning claim as he defended the administration’s policy of detaining illegal immigrant parents and children caught traveling together as they jump the border. After a federal judge last year ordered the families quickly released, Mr. Fresco said it’s served as an enticement for kidnapping.

“When people now know that when I come as a family unit, I won’t be apprehended and detained — we now have people being abducted so that they can be deemed as family units, so that they can avoid detention,” Mr. Fresco told the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

He did not back up that claim in court, and did not respond to a follow-up email seeking comment. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that handles detention and deportation, declined to comment, citing the ongoing case, while Customs and Border Protection, which guards the border, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Famous designer dumping 1,000 jobs as retail apocalypse continues

In what some are calling the latest victim of the grim economy, Ralph Lauren Corporation is closing at least 50 retail stores and cutting 8 percent of its full-time workforce – about 1,000 employees. CEO Stefan Larsson hopes this will create a leaner business that operates with fewer layers of management.

Centered in New York City, the company – home of the original Polo emblem – designs, markets and sells luxury apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrances and home furnishings under its portfolio of various brands.

As of April 2010, the Ralph Lauren Corporation operated a total of 179 full-price stores, 171 factory stores, and 281 “concessions-based shop-within-shops” – a total of 631 locations worldwide.

The company has been struggling with falling sales and profits attributed to several factors, including failing to keep up with rapidly changing retail trends and new style preferences, and the decline in popularity of brick-and-mortar stores in favor of online shopping. The company’s stocks have fallen nearly 48 percent from its December 2014 high of $182.74
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Former Clinton Aide Tasked With Setting Up Private Server Files Immunity Agreement

The former aide tasked with setting up Hillary Clinton’s private email server during her tenure as secretary of state has confirmed that he has been granted limited immunity by the Justice Department — but he’s also seeking to keep that agreement private.

Bryan Pagliano’s lawyer filed a sealed motion of the deal Tuesday — just barely under a deadline — as the former technology aide argues why he should be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in order to avoid self-incrimination. The Associated Press reported that he has requested a judge keep the conditions of the deal private.

“The DOJ has not authorized a grant of immunity for Mr. Pagliano in connection with any other matter, including this civil case,” Pagliano’s lawyers wrote in a court filing, according to the Associated Press.

Pagliano received limited “use” and “derivative use” immunity from the Justice Department, his lawyers wrote. That type of immunity generally protects witnesses from having statements they make to investigators being used against them in any criminal case — with the exception of lies or false statements — while still enabling the government to prosecute using evidence it obtains independent of that testimony.

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‘They Don’t Give a Damn’: Judge Nap Slams Congress Over Web Browsing Access That Promotes ‘a Police State’

The FBI may soon enjoy the authority to access the internet activity of any citizen without a warrant — a continuation of what Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano described as a decades-old “assault” on the Fourth Amendment.

Lawmakers are considering proposed legislation this week that would grant the FBI that uninhibited access. Critics, including Google and Facebook, have argued such changes would be a violation of Americans’ privacy. But, in Napolitano’s view, elected officials will argue under the “facade” that it is necessary for the population’s safety.

Ultimately, he concluded Congress will pass the legislation.

“This law will pass because the Congress doesn’t give a damn about whether it’s unconstitutional,” Napolitano charged. “[T]he American people should wake up. … This is a major step toward a police state.”

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House Republicans Unveil Their ‘Better Way’ to Fight Poverty

House Republicans unveiled the first plank of their “A Better Way” platform Tuesday aimed at fighting poverty.

During a press conference at House of Help City of Hope, an anti-poverty organization in Washington, D.C., House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that policy should reflect the lessons taught by people who are “on the front lines fighting poverty successfully” such as House of Help’s founder Bishop Shirley Holloway.

“The problem we have had in government for too long is that we think the way to fight poverty is to treat its symptoms. And when we treat the symptoms of poverty, we perpetuate poverty. We need to go at the root causes of poverty to break the cycle of poverty,” Ryan said, adding, “We should measure success based on results, outcomes, are our efforts working to actually get people out of poverty instead of measuring success based on input, on effort, are we spending enough money, do we have enough programs, do we have enough people on these programs?”

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‘Chewbacca Mom’ Has Received $420K in Free Stuff Since Her Video Hit — but Some Liberals Are Raising a Major Complaint

Texas mom Candace Payne became an internet sensation last month after she posted a hilarious Facebook live-stream video of herself trying on a Chewbacca mask in a Kohl’s parking lot.

Since Payne’s May 19 post, the video has received 155 million views and more than 3 million shares, making it the most-watched Facebook live-stream ever. And it’s paying off big time.

Payne, better known as “Chewbacca Mom,” has received gifts valued at $420,000, according to KCBS-TV. The nearly half-million dollar sum includes money for travel to appear on talk shows, a vacation at Walt Disney World and Kohl’s merchandise.

But the most extravagant gift awarded to Payne so far comes from Southeastern University in Florida. The private Christian liberal arts college presented Payne and her whole family with full tuition scholarships.

Clearly not everyone is celebrating Chewbacca Mom’s viral success. One of the harshest critiques Payne received came from Daily Dot contributor, Gillian Branstetter.

Branstetter’s piece, “What Chewbacca Mom’s Rise to Fame Tells Us About Race in This Country,” which was cross-posted on MSN, is an argument for why Payne’s sudden rise to internet fame can only be explained by one thing: white privilege.

From the article:

It’s true, free tuition is an oversized prize for such easily begotten fame. It’s also true that the real rewards typically reaped for online success tend to heavily favor insta-celebrities who are white. Content derived from black users of Twitter, Vine, or Snapchat is often sidelined as part of a monolithic Black Twitter.

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WORCESTER COUNTY RECREATION & PARKS OFFERS DAY CAMPS AT FRONTIER TOWN AND SHAD LANDING

 

Worcester County Recreation & Parks will host two off-site day camps again this summer, one at Frontier Town Water Park and a second at Shad Landing State Park. These camps will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for youth in grades 4–8.
Frontier Town Day Camp will take place Wednesday, July 6. Kids will have the chance to cool off on water slides, lounge on the lazy river, splash in the pool or just relax playing some mini golf under the summer sun.

Shad Landing Day Camp will take place Thursday, July 7. The day will be packed with fun in the pool, followed by the Parks' Scales & Tales exhibit. The afternoon will be spent canoeing on the Pocomoke River.

For these camps, drop-off and pick-up will take place at each camp location. No transportation will be provided. Campers should bring a change of clothing, sun screen and a packed lunch. The cost is $25 per participant, per camp. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. The registration deadline is Wednesday, June 29.

For more information, contact Myro Small at 410-632-2144, ext. 2512 or msmall@co.worcester.md.us. Visit our website at www.WorcesterRecandParks.org for a registration form. Don't forget to join our mailing list and to like us on facebook.

Music Box: O'Malley marches back to Annapolis

It's always good to have a backup plan when you're in politics for the long haul. A secondary skill could come in handy when the pendulum swings the other way.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley may have lost his bid for the American presidency (for now), but he'll avoid the unemployment line as he awaits word on Hillary Clinton's pick for running mate by getting a few gigs for his Celtic rock band O'Malley's March.

Not all politicians can play guitar and sing at a high level, but for O'Malley with a ring of righteous talent surrounding him and a few pints of encouragement (Guinness), the agenda at Rams Head On Stage for this Friday night is set (two shows, 6:30 & 9:30pm).

O'Malley's March features harper/piper and storyteller Jared Denhard (who also blows the bone), drummer Jamie Wilson, fiddler Jim Eagan (a protégé of Brendan Mulvihill, and third place finisher in the All Ireland music competition in 1996), multi-instrumentalist Ralph Reinoldi (who also plays mandolin, bouzouki and guitar), with noted accordion player Sean McComiskey and bassist Pete Miller.

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WORCESTER COUNTY RETAINS CURRENT TAX RATES

June 7, the Worcester County Commissioners approved the fiscal year 2016/2017 (FY17) Operating Budget of $188,872,655 in appropriations for the coming fiscal year. This reflects an increase of $6,422,546 or 3.5% more than the FY16 budget while reducing the requested expenditures of $193.9 million by $5 million.

The approved FY17 budget maintains tax rates at their current levels of 83.5¢ per $100 of assessed value for real property taxes and 1.75% for the County’s local income tax rate. Due to increasing assessments, Real Property Tax Revenue is projected to increase by $2,625,098 in FY17.

The Commissioners would like to thank County departments and agencies for maintaining and or reducing operating expenses wherever possible. This fiscally conservative budget maintains funding for valuable public services residents can count on, such as public safety, education, infrastructure and existing social service programs.

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Want to be in a Town of Ocean City commercial?

Want to be in a Town of Ocean City commercial? We are looking for volunteers to participate in our Beach Bus video, which we will begin filming tomorrow, June 9. For those interested in participating, please meet us at 11:45 a.m. in front of the Convention Center bus stop (41st Street & Coastal Highway). The more the merrier! We hope to see you there!

The Habig Cup - 9th Annual Golf Tournament

SPECIAL MUSICAL PEFORMANCE BY FRANK NANNA & THE WW TUNES AT WICOMICO PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Rabies Clinic June 16th In Hebron

Sponsored by: Wicomico County Health Department 

Cost: $10.00 per animal 

CASH ONLY – NO CHECKS ACCEPTED

June 16th at Hebron Volunteer Fire Department 200 South Main Street Hebron, MD 21830 All clinics are from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 

• Bring a previous rabies vaccination certificate in order to obtain 3 year shots. Otherwise, 1 year shots will be given. 
• Pets must be brought by a responsible adult. 
• Dogs must be secured on a leash. 
• Cats must be in a secure carrier. 
• Only dogs and cats will be vaccinated. 
• Maryland Law requires all dogs and cats four months of age or older to be adequately vaccinated against rabies. 

For more information call 410-546-4446 or visit www.wicomicohealth.org

Six Communities Receive Flooding and Storm Event Funding

Federal, State Program Aids Local Governments

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced today that six communities were selected to receive Community Resiliency Grants to help local governments prepare for weather-related hazards, including flooding, storm events and sea level rise. The new funding will provide both financial and technical assistance to coastal and non-coastal areas throughout Maryland through the CoastSmart Communities and Green Infrastructure Resiliency programs. 

“The funding will help communities prepare for weather-related challenges as well as reduce their vulnerability to hazards,” Chesapeake and Coastal Service Director Matt Fleming said. “Identifying and addressing potential problems before an event will enhance our collective resiliency and response.”

The following projects have been recommended for funding:

• Coastal Resiliency in Calvert County: The county will develop a Solomons Island Flood Mitigation Plan; maintain required activities for continuing in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System; and propose Zoning Ordinance Amendments that would reduce risk and promote flood protection.
• Coastal Resiliency Study for Cambridge: The city will oversee the completion of a Coastal Resilience Chapter to be integrated and adopted into the comprehensive plan and undergo an evaluation of green and gray replacement approaches of four aging seawalls.
• Flood Resiliency in Snow Hill: Community Rating System and Public Outreach. The town will apply to Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System; create a public outreach campaign to educate property owners about flood risk and living in the floodplain; and verify and establish geodetic benchmarks to accurately determine elevation.
• Howard County Green Infrastructure Analysis: The county will oversee the completion of a green infrastructure assessment to evaluate the current stormwater flooding problems in historic Ellicott City and determine green infrastructure practices that could be implemented to reduce future flood risk.
• Moving the Needle, Coastal Adaptation and Implementation Planning in Baltimore City: The city will update and enhance the Disaster Preparedness Project and Plan to incorporate small ‘community district’ risk assessments and develop community-level plans, and implementation guidelines to better focus efforts in local communities most at risk from the impacts of climate change.
• Smith Island Open Ditch Drainage Assessment: Somerset County will oversee the completion of an assessment to map and evaluate the island’s drainage system. The assessment will identify deficiencies in the system, recommend green infrastructure practices that could improve the system and develop an implementation plan for improvements.

The grant program is made possible by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Zone Management and Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant funding.

Pride Of Baltimore II Leaves Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Pride of Baltimore II is on its way to sea. The city’s floating goodwill ambassador will travel up the East Coast to the Great Lakes.

WJZ was on board for the departure and Alex DeMetrick has more on the Pride’s first voyage in three years.

Tuesday is day one of a four month voyage for the Pride of Baltimore.

It takes muscles and a lot of rope to move 19th century technology. It also helps not to have a fear of heights. But this is exactly what the crew for the Pride of Baltimore II signed up for.

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