Almost 5,700 State Employees Make $100,000 Or More

Maryland Reporter’s third annual report on state salaries found that 5,663 state employees pulled in $100,000 or greater in 2012 –about 6% of total state employees. Three out of four of these six-figure salaries are earned by people working for state colleges and universities — more than 10% of the full-time employees — led by three million-dollar coaches.

This total is slightly higher than last year’s number, when 5,552 people — about 6% of state work force — made $100,000 or more, but 500 more than calendar 2010 when furloughs reduced all state salaries. The state employed close to 94,828 total full-time employees in 2012, according to budget documents (pages 144-146) including figures for higher education, non-budgeted agencies and contractual employees.

The median household income in Maryland was $72,419, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, meaning half of Maryland homes make less than that amount.

Here is the complete list of state employees making more than $100,000 per year.

Read more

Eric's Barber Shop Closed Today

County Council Member Bob Culver Speaks Out On New States Attorney Office

Recently local news outlets have reported a closed meeting held March 18, 2013 by Wicomico County Council regarding the release of attorney/client information and States Attorney office by myself. I would like to clear up all questions.

The meeting that started this entire situation was a closed meeting where during that meeting I asked Mr. Ed Baker, County Attorney, how was someone supposed to challenge a bid if they felt they were not treated fairly. Mr. Baker told the council that there was a process to oppose the bid and that the individuals in question had not done so. Another council member then asked where this process was spelled out because they could not find on our County’s website. Mr. Baker then said it was in a book on Mr. Rick Konrad’s (Wicomico County purchasing manger) desk.

After the closed meeting the next day I explained to the bidder that there is a process to oppose a bid and they would have to go through Mr. Baker’s office to do so. The next day Mr. Baker received a request from a local attorney representing clients and asking how to protest the bid process. Because the exact word “protest” was used by the inquiring attorney that was considered information leaked from a closed meeting. On March 8, 2013 at a regular meeting with the council & executives office it was decided by Mr. Rick Pollitt, Mr. Wayne Strausburg, Mrs. Sharon Morris, Mr. Ed Baker, Ms. Maureen Lanigon, Mr. Matt Creamer & Mr. Matt Hollaway that I had released information that was confidential so a special meeting was held on March 18, 2013 to reprimand me for my actions.

I personally do not feel that the information I gave the bidders of having to go through Mr. Bakers office to oppose the bid was a serious breach of confidentially. Both bidders opposed and challenged the winning bid because in there opinion it did not meet all criteria set forth in the RFP. Mr. Konrad had expressed to both bidders if their specs did not meet the RFP requirements word for word they would not be considered.

I believe when it all comes down to the truth the building chosen was picked before the request for bids even got published in the paper. We were presented plans by the architect hired by Wicomico County showing a date that pre dated the RFP.

The other parties both spent monies on plans and attorneys that in fact were a waste of time and money for all involved. I do not feel this is a good practice and I do not feel that this is how we should treat our constituents, and in the end the tax payers of Wicomico County lose in this process.

The new States Attorney’s office will be a first class building and I have no problem with the location or successful bidder. I only have a problem with the process that was followed. Bob Culver

Ireton Was Clueless About Public Works Director Quitting

It turns out NO ONE in the GOB was aware that Teresa Gardner was quitting her job. In fact, V-DOT screwed up and let out the press release Salisbury News obtained before they were supposed to release it.

So today Ireton was squirming wondering if what we had published was in fact true. There was a press conference for the new water tower ribbon cutting and Teresa Gardner was nowhere to be found.

Then on WBOC tonight they did a segment on the pollution in the River. In fact, they went so far as to catching the ducks swimming through the crud and then interviewed Ireton who claimed it's all because of all the massive rain we've had recently. Hmmmmm, didn't we say the images were taken today? How many days ago did we have massive rain??? 

It seems Jimmy will say just about anything to try to make himself look better. The bottom line is, he has no clue what his Staff is doing and clearly he could give a crap about the River, yet he swears that it's one of the most important topics in his two campaigns.

His partnership with WBOC is just disgusting as well. Even funnier though is that WBOC will copy just about ANYTHING Salisbury News does that gains a lot of comments. Who's Delmarva's News Leader again Mr. Jahelka?

Put On Your Seat Belts Pittsville

Get ready to feel the pain Pittsville. This coming Monday night at 7:30 PM you'll want to be at the Town Hall Meeting as your Water and Sewer rates are about to increase 9% this year. Oh, that's not all! 

Your rates will increase another 9% next year as well. That's a total of 18% over the next two years. 

Public Works Director Teresa Gardner Leaving Salisbury And Going To V-DOT

I'm not sure what makes City of Salisbury Employees happier at this very moment, the possibility of a 2% raise or Public Works Director Teresa Gardner leaving her position. 

During my campaign I assured City Employees one of the first things I'd do would be to terminate Mrs. Gardner's position immediately. Her reputation and actions mirrored that of a bully. Many employees came to me with unbelievable stories I came to learn were true. She has the mouth of a drunken sailor, I've been told multiple times.

Not only will Salisbury have the open position of the Public Works Director, they still haven't filled the Zoo Director position. I'm told the interim Director is not interested in the position and that the City has had several great interviews, hopefully that position will be filled soon.

Public Works is far more important though.  Here's the actual Press Release that wasn't supposed to go public yet.

I am pleased to announce that effective June 10, 2013, Teresa Gardner, P.E. will begin employment at VDOT as the Regional Traffic Engineer for NWRO. Teresa will be relocating to the Valley from Salisbury, MD where she most recently held the position of Director of Public Works for the City of Salisbury. Teresa has over 25 years of engineering experience in both the Public and Private sectors, including various positions with Delaware Department of Transportation. Her management, financial and traffic engineering background will be a great asset to our division. Teresa is a graduate of University of Delaware where she received a BSCE specializing in transportation. Teresa will be serving both the Culpeper and Staunton districts as the Regional Traffic Engineer. Her office will be in the Traffic Operations Center in Staunton. Please join me in welcoming Teresa to VDOT and to NWRO.

MattMatthew W. Shiley, P.E.
Regional Operations Director
VDOT Culpeper & Staunton Districts

A Letter To The Editor 5-14-13

Joe,

I fished the Wicomico River yesterday and thought I would send you some pictures. The Mayor and Council of this city should be ashamed of their part in allowing this once great river become so polluted with one sewage spill after another and garbage so thick on the water that duck's can't swim thru it. Salisbury must hold the World Record for sewage spills for no one is held accountable.Why do the folks living along this river and the restaurants and businesses put up with it? Have you ever wondered why the cancer rate is so high here? Just look closely at the water. MDE is totally worthless and does nothing to help and rarely hands down the fines this city deserves for ruining the river!

Publishers Notes: Mayor Ireton wants the River to look bad so he can shove that new rain tax, (or whatever he wants to call it these days) down your throats. I agree, the Mayor should be ashamed that he lied to the public. He doesn't care about the River. He only cares about taxing people as a liberal. Just like O'Malley, they'll invent ways to tax people. Unfortunately there was a day when the conversation was actually about the well being of the wildlife and not the eyesore that River now creates.

Remember Ladies & Gentlemen, Jim Ireton spent around $10,000.00 per pipe coming into the River to catch this debris. How's it working for you now? Oh, by the way, do you see the Daily Times, WBOC or WMDT covering this pollution, ever? Yeah, that pesky Joe Albero, he's such a mean man for exposing such things and telling the TRUTH.

UPDATE: The Skimmer Boat remains in dry dock. Photo taken around 9:00 AM this morning.

The Irony

FATHER DIES AFTER HE ‘BEGGED FOR HIS LIFE’ WHILE COPS STRUCK HIM WITH BATONS — CELLPHONE VIDEOS SEIZED

A California father of four died after being beaten by police outside of a Bakersfield hospital, while witnesses say he begged for his life. A couple witnesses filmed the gruesome scene, but say they were later forced to give their cellphones to authorities and have yet to receive their devices back.

The Bakersfield Californian reported 33-year-old David Sal Silva died early Wednesday morning in the hospital after he was struck an unknown amount of times by nine authorities seeking to subdue him. Silva was considered possibly intoxicated and an autopsy is expected to reveal if he was killed by injuries sustained in the beating or other complications.

Police and county sheriffs were responding to a call regarding a possibly intoxicated man outside Kern Medical Center Tuesday night and say Silva resisted them.
More 

Dear Shopper: My Son Has Autism, So Please Stop Judging My Parenting

Dear Shopper,

Yes, I know. I’m well aware that my child is screaming. Not just a regular scream, but an ear-piercing, sanity-shattering screech. Even if I wasn’t seeing and hearing it, I would know by the expression on your face.

Clearly, you have raised your children better than me.

That is what you were wanting to say, right? There certainly can’t be any other purpose to you stopping in your tracks to stare or elbow your companion or better yet — give knowing looks to other shoppers passing by.

I have no doubt that you have wonderful, well-behaved children. Grown, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens who would never have dreamed of screaming like this in public when they were children. Judging by your expression and utter exasperation, you’ve never hesitated to let them know who was boss.
More 

Traveler From Saudi Arabia Arrested At Detroit Metro With Pressure Cooker

Detroit — Federal agents have arrested a Saudi Arabian traveler who arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with a pressure cooker, a key component used in the Boston Marathon bombings last month.

Hussain Al Khawahir appeared for a brief hearing at 1 p.m. in federal court on charges he allegedly used an altered passport and lied to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent about the pressure cooker.

It was unclear Monday whether his arrest is terrorism related or a misunderstanding. But the prosecutor handling the case is Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel, who prosecuted the terror case against underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

More

SCHOOL BEHAVIORAL SPECIALIST 'HAS SEX WITH DOG'

Woman indicted for 'unnatural or perverted sexual practice'(ABC2NEWS) — BEL AIR, Md. – Stephanie Mikles was hired in 2009 to be the behavioral specialist for Harford County Schools … but it is her behavior that may very well get her fired and did get her indicted.

The child advocacy center of Harford County began investigating Mikles last year, but did not anticipate finding evidence that would lead to the shocking indictmentAccording to court records and evidence of still photos, a grand jury indicted Mikles with “unnatural or perverted sexual practice.”

The indictment lacks a lot of detail but does say she had “sexual intercourse with a dog.”

Source

Recent Incident

About 20 troopers and city police chased a dodge ram to the car wash by Walmart. One person in cuffs. Male

Miss Lube Rack 1955

You'll NEVER guess who it is. 

Who was Miss Lube Rack 1955? [ Try guessing who it is before scrolling down too far. ]

Nancy D'Alesandro (Pelosi) \ Miss Lube Rack 1955

Now They Want to Take Away the 8-Hour Day and 40-Hour Week

Republicans are trying to pass an "alternative" to overtime pay. This is really about taking away the eight-hour workday and 40-hour workweek. Will weekends be next? What about an "alternative" to paying workers at all?

House Republicans are pushing a bill that takes away extra pay for overtime, substituting "comp" time instead. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 is the law that brought us the eight-hour workday and the 40-hour workweek. This law does not prohibit employers from requiring workers to work over 40 hours. Instead, it gives employers an incentive to instead pay extra or hire more people, and gives employees a premium if they do have to work longer. (Note that this is also the law that brought us a minimum wage and outlawed child labor.)

There is proof that overtime pay works: workers like domestic workers and agricultural workers - jobs not covered by the FLSA - are twice as likely to have to work more than 40 hours in a week. And even with this law, Americans already work more hours than in almost any other industrialized country.

More

BREAKING NEWS: Winning Powerball Ticket Sold In Florida

One winning ticket sold in Florida for record Powerball jackpot of more than $590 million, lottery official says.
From Fox News

The Trick To Suppressing Revolution: Keeping Debt/Tax Serfdom Bearable

The 30 million whose labor funds the parasitic status quo don't have to rebel; they simply have to stop going to work, stop starting enterprises, stop being productive.

Parasites must balance their drive to maximize what they extract from their host with the risk of losing everything by killing their host. This is the dilemma of the parasitic partnership of the central state and financial Elites everywhere: to extract the maximum possible in debt payments and taxes without sparking rebellion and revolution.

I have often commented on the current class structure, which paradoxically unites the interests of the top 1/5% of 1% and their political-class toadies and the bottom 50% who are drawing transfer payments/benefits from the state: both support the status quo because both receive direct benefits from it.

The 20% who pay most of the tax and service much of the debt are in the middle, a political minority of debt/tax serfs who finance the status quo, i.e. cartel-crony capitalism owned and operated by the financial and political Elites:

The Three-and-a-Half Class Society (October 22, 2012)
Entitlements, Taxes, Inequality and Three-Way Class Warfare (September 20, 2010)
Tyranny of the Majority, Corporate Welfare and Complicity (April 9, 2010)
Two Americas: The Gap Between the Top 5% and the Bottom 95% Widens (August 18, 2010)

More

20 Reasons To Dislike The Democrat Party

1) Ted Kennedy. Barney Frank. Rod Blagojevich. Eric Massa. Marion Barry. Dan Rostenkowski. Eliot Spitzer. John Murtha. Alcee Hastings. Anthony Weiner. James Traficant. Sandy Berger. Gerry Studds. Robert Byrd. Mel Reynolds. James McGreevey. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Robert Torricelli. Gary Condit. Bill Clinton. John Edwards. And those are JUST SOME OF THE ONES that got caught.

2) The estimated number of people killed in the Holocaust? 11 million. The estimated number of people who were killed in WWI? 37 million. The estimated number of babies who have been killed because of the Democrats’ beloved Roe v. Wade? 54 million.

3) The three worst Presidents of the last one hundred years have been Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson, in that order.

4) The Democrats in the audience actually BOOED GOD at their 2012 Democratic National Convention.

5) The Democrat Party's slogan in 1868: "This is a white man’s country: Let white men rule."
More 

10 Perspectives Into The Slow, Agonizing Death Of The American Worker

The middle class American worker is in danger of becoming an endangered species. The politicians are not telling you the truth, and the mainstream media is certainly not telling you the truth, but the reality is that there is nothing but bad news on the horizon for workers in the United States. In the old days, when the big corporations that dominate our society did well, that also meant good things for American workers since those corporations would need more of us to work for them. But in the emerging one world economic system that our economy is being merged into, those corporations have other choices now.

For instance, the big corporations can now choose to limit the number of "expensive" American workers that they employ by shipping millions of jobs to the other side of the world [14]. And from their perspective, it makes perfect sense. They can make much bigger profits by hiring people on the other side of the planet to work for them for less than a dollar an hour. If they can get good production out of those people, then why should they hire Americans for ten to twenty times as much, plus have to give those Americans health insurance and other benefits?

Another major factor in the slow, agonizing death of the American worker is technology. We live during a period when technology is advancing at a pace that is almost unimaginable at the same time that it is steadily becoming cheaper and cheaper. That means that it is going to become easier and easier for companies to replace workers with robots and computers. As I have written about previously [15], it is being projected that our economy will lose millions of jobs to technology in the coming years. Yes, some of us will still be needed to help build the robots and the computers, but not all of us will. And of course the overall general weakness of the economy is not helping matters either.

More

Beaches Ready For Post Sandy Summer

Officials in Maryland and Delaware beach towns are hoping renovations, good publicity and activities pegged to historical events will help usher in a strong summer beach season, and they say the states are on track to receive more visitors this year.

While the Mid-Atlantic beaches were not as badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy last year as those from New Jersey northward, it's unclear whether people are showing more interest in visiting down south due to storm damage at their regular vacation spots. Maryland officials say the state has increased advertising in those areas in recent years.

"We definitely have talked to a lot of people from New Jersey and that northern (Pennsylvania) area who are coming to the area for the first time," said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association.
More 

Obama Making A Lot Of Money On Your Student Loan

I went to law school because, like the IRS spokeswoman, I am notoriously bad at math. I say I have that “math anxiety” thing, but in truth, I really don’t, I just don’t give a sh*t. Except for algebra. Because you need algebra to figure out if you’re getting an accurate sale price.

At any rate, I took out a lot of loans from the government at the height of the economy when lawyers were making six figures for sitting at their desks and mastering internet checkers, and while I dutifully pay them back on schedule, I feel like the government, of all the lenders I have, is definitely the stingiest with that warm, fuzzy, “we’ll definitely help you kind of stuff.” I mean, I don’t even get to deduct a reasonable portion of my interest off my taxes, the way I can with my mortgage and that kidney I sold last year to pay Sallie Mae on time. I thought this might have just been a clerical oversight not yet corrected by our omnipotent leadership because the student loan industry had yet to hire lobbyists with the ability to secure first class plane tickets to exciting vacation destinations.

But it turns out, it’s because the government makes a crapload of money off the backs of hard-working service industry professionals with advanced degrees they paid for but will probably never use.

More

Biden Now Blamed In SEAL Team 6 Deaths

The families of three fallen Navy SEAL Team Six members say President Obama and Vice President Biden are culpable for the deaths of their sons for publicly identifying the unit that killed Osama bin Laden and pursuing policies that coddle Muslims and put our own troops at a tactical disadvantage.

SEAL Team Six carried out the daring raid in Pakistan in early May 2011. Three months later, three members of the unit were among 38 killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Twenty-five of the dead were special operations forces. Larry Klayman is founder of Freedom Watch, a WND columnist and the attorney representing three of the families who lost their sons. He said the Obama administration carelessly and illegally revealed the role of SEAL Team Six shortly after announcing the successful mission to kill bin Laden.

“Shortly after that successful raid on bin Laden, the president – through the vice president for political purposes – released the name of SEAL Team Six. That’s classified information, and even (then) Defense Secretary Robert Gates was critical of that. So that was like putting a target on the backs of the sons of my clients,” said Klayman, who revealed the helicopter may have been infiltrated by the Taliban before the crash because the Afghans on board were last-minute changes from the names on the original flight manifest.
Read More

Will The Catholic Bishops Decide How You Die Or Whether You Live?

What happens when religious institutions get to manage public funds, absorb secular hospitals, and put theology above medical science and individual patient conscience? Religious freedom suffers.

In 2010, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an elderly woman was rushed to a local hospital called St. John. She had suffered a massive stroke and could no longer eat, drink or speak. Mercifully, she was one of the growing percent of Americans who have prepared for such an eventuality by writing an end-of-life directive. Hers said that said she did not want artificial hydration or nutrition if she wasn't going to recover. Unfortunately, St. John is a facility where the directives of the Catholic bishops take precedence over the directives of individual patients, and one such directive orders hospitals to feed and hydrate end-of-life patients whether they want it or not.

Americans would do well to consider what happens when theology dictates health care.

More

Two Clarksburg Maryland Men Caught Going Through Parked Cars

On May 15, 2013 at approximately 1:30 a.m. Ocean City Police responded to the 8800 block of Rusty Anchor Road, in reference to a citizen report of three males tampering with parked cars. When officers arrived in the area, they observed two males tampering with parked cars by trying door handles to see if the vehicles were unlocked.

Officers confronted the two suspects at which point one of the suspects fled from police. When officers attempted to subdue the suspect later identified as Harry Gardner Holmes, III, 25 of Clarksburg, MD, Holmes assaulted an officer. Holmes was subdued and subsequently arrested by an officer equipped with an Electronic Control Device (ECD/Taser). The second suspect, who was identified as Christopher Ryan Holmes, 22, of Clarksburg, MD, was taken into custody without incident. During the on scene investigation police determined the two suspects are brothers and staying in the 94th Street area. Officers located several witnesses and victims and determined the suspects had gained entry to at least two vehicles.

Per OCPD procedure H. Holmes was treated by OC EMS and transported to Atlantic General Medical Center for treatment after being subdued by an ECD/Taser. He was released from the AGH and transported by officers to the Ocean City Public Safety Building.
More 

A 7-Year-Old Boy In Wisconsin Has A Brand-New Idea For Gun Control

Chocolate. The boy, known only as Myles, sent his suggestion to Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama, and his U.S. Representative Gwen Moore. According to Myles, if bullets were made out of chocolate, "nobody would get hurt and nobody would be sad." Well, the Vice President may have a sweet tooth, because he took the time to hand write a response to Myles. He wrote, "If we had guns that shot chocolate, not only would our country be safer, it would be happier. People love chocolate." Great work Myles! And we nominate you to be the new National Sweet Tooth Association spokesperson.

The Battle To Force Feed Gitmo Detainees

CNN's Chris Lawrence traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to get a rare, first-hand look at the drastic measures being taken inside the U.S. detention facility to keep dozens of inmates on hunger strikes alive.

The inmates' hunger strike marks its 100th day Friday, and shows no signs of stopping. Some of the 100 hunger-strikers will drink supplements if ordered to, but 30 detainees who refuse to eat are force fed through tubes put up their nose, down their throat and into their stomach.

"It's kind of a tough mission, this is kind of an ugly place sometimes," says a senior medical officer at Guantanamo Bay who has to remain anonymous for security reasons.
More 

Senator Chuck Schumer Got A Call From The White House

The Obama Administration is calling on the Democratic senator to reintroduce his "Free Flow of Information Act" to protect journalists from governmental intrusion on their investigations. The President previously opposed the legislation, saying it posed a threat to national security, but it appears the administration is reconsidering, after the Justice Department secretly obtained Associated Press phone records. According to Senator Schumer, his bill may not have prevented the AP's phone records from being obtained, "but it might have reduced the chances that the Justice Department would have demanded the records in secret." The Free Flow of Information Act may not be perfect, but it would provide some much-needed protections for journalists, and it would require government officials to provide a legitimate reason to a judge, for infringing on the freedom of the press. Hopefully, Senator Schumer's bill can overcome a Republican filibuster. Stay tuned.

State Jobless Rate Inches Down

The jobless rate for Maryland inched down in April.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Maryland's unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent.

That figure compares with the latest national rate of 7.5 percent and is a tenth lower than the March number for Maryland.

Even though the overall percentage dropped, the state actually saw a net loss of jobs in April of 6,200.
More 

U.S. Retailers Are Refusing To Help Stop Slave Labor

Earlier this week, major European retailers announced their plans to implement a sweeping safety agreement to protect garment workers in Bangladesh. But Walmart and Gap refuse to sign on to the plan. According to the New York Times, Gap has expressed concerns that "overzealous American lawyers could seize on the agreement to sue American companies on behalf of aggrieved factory workers in Bangladesh." Walmart opposes "governance and dispute resolution mechanisms," saying these worker protections are, "appropriately left to retailers, suppliers and government, and are unnecessary to achieve fire and safety goals." Instead, Walmart will use its own so-called safety plan, which labor groups have characterized as "merely aspirational." We must stand up for those who aren't given a voice, and start voting with our dollars to let these companies know we won't stand for their use of slave labor. If Walmart and Gap refuse to protect workers, we'll start supporting the companies that do.

Noise Violations Lead To Board Limiting Bar’s Music

SNOW HILL -- An Ocean City rooftop nightclub, the first of its kind in the resort, will be a whole lot quieter this summer after the county’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) on Wednesday voted to shut down its nightly music by 8:30 p.m.

Owners of the Galaxy 66 and its associated Skye Bar, a posh rooftop bar on the fourth floor of the popular restaurant at 66th Street, came before the BLC on Wednesday to address repeated official citations and grievances filed by neighbors in the area last summer over the loud music and other ambient noise emanating from the popular nightspot. For years, a smaller version of the Skye Bar existed on the roof of the Galaxy 66 Bar and Grille, but with the blessing of the BLC, owners Roger and Tammy Cebula last year undertook a major renovation of the rooftop space, creating a much larger version of the Skye Bar complete with more dining, live music and disc jockeys.

Last summer, the Ocean City police issued five official noise violation citations and handled scores of complaints from residents in the area about the late night music and loud conversation.
More 

At $105,000-plus, Maryland Households The Nation's Top Earners

Maryland households are the nation’s top earners.

The Department of Health and Human Services this week released its annual list of the estimated state median income for four-person families, and Maryland, for the first time, comes out on top with $105,348.

The Free State traditionally comes in second or third, behind New Jersey or Connecticut. But Maryland incomes, per the list, were bumped up by more than $3,000 in the last year, breaking the $105,000 barrier and carrying the state to No. 1.
More 

Congressman Harris Votes To Repeal Obamacare

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. released the following statement on his vote this evening to repeal The Affordable Care Act – or Obamacare – and lay the foundation for patient-centered reforms that actually improve the quality and access to healthcare.

He also participated in a press conference this afternoon with other members of the GOP Doctors Caucus to raise awareness about the over 20,000 pages of regulations associated with Obamacare.

“The American people deserve a healthcare system that is patient-centered, improves quality and access to care, and lowers costs,” said Harris. “Unfortunately, Obamacare does none of these things. With the IRS targeting groups based on political affiliation, why would we want them running our healthcare? Obamacare was a bad idea when Washington Democrats passed it, and now we are watching the train wreck as it’s being implemented. Obamacare is clearly not the right way to go, so that’s why I voted today to repeal it, laying the foundation for healthcare reform that works.”

A Capital Budget That Works

Governor O’Malley and the Presiding Officers signed the FY2014 Capital Budget into law to make the investments that educate, innovate and rebuild our infrastructure. The $3.7 billion capital budget makes investments to support and leverage almost 43,000 jobs.
The capital budget invests over $698 million in K-12 and higher education. We’re investing $338 million to renovate, rebuild, and improve Maryland’s #1 public schools creating, supporting, and leveraging nearly 8,200 jobs. We’re dedicating over $285 million to our four-year public colleges and universities and $52 million to our community colleges.

Additionally, Governor O’Malley signed the Baltimore City Public Schools Construction and Revitalization Act of 2013, which invests approximately $1 billion to build as many as 15 new schools and renovate and replace approximately 30 of the City’s aging schools. Baltimore City, the School System, and the State will each invest $20 million annually to raise roughly $1 billion in construction funds through the sale of bonds.

To prepare our workforce to compete and win in this global economy, the budget makes investments to spur innovation. The budget devotes $11 million to the One Maryland Broadband Network and $5 million to the East Baltimore Biotechnology Park.

To prepare for our future and protect our quality of life, the capital budget invests $182.5 million for Bay restoration projects and $110 million for land preservation programs. We are investing $20 million in the Rental Housing Works initiative launched last year to build 900 new affordable housing units for working families and support over 1,500 jobs. And, $10.9 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will ensure that we make smarter choices about the way we power our State.

This morning, Governor O’Malley also signed the job-creating Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013.

Through the FY14 operating budget, we took action to encourage private investments in Maryland for innovation and job creation. Learn more about the key investments and tax credits here.

Head Of Prison Investigative Unit Leaving For Federal Job

The head of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Service's internal investigative unit is leaving for a federal job.

The agency announced the departure of Jesse Ballard, a 26-year veteran of the agency, on Friday.

The unit handles investigations of inmates, detainees, employees and others.

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has come under scrutiny recently after a sweeping federal indictment charged 25 people in a contraband conspiracy at the Baltimore City Detention Center, including 13 correctional officers.
More 

Law Enforcment Torch Run Invite 6/3/13

Dear Maryland Law Enforcement Colleagues and Friends;

‘Flame of Hope’ Arrives in Worcester County!

Worcester County Law Enforcement Officer, Friends, and Supporters Participate in Statewide Torch Run Relay as Show of Support for the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games

Maryland Torch Run Celebrates 28 Years of Success
Law Enforcement officers representing ALL of Worcester County will be on the run on Monday, June 3rd at 8:00am, taking part in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Relay for Special Olympics Maryland. Their mission: to escort and protect the Special Olympics ‘Flame of Hope’ as it makes its way toward the opening of the 43nd Anniversary Summer Games at Towson University, June 7-9. 
This year marks the 28th Anniversary of the Maryland Torch Run, a movement that began in 1986 with a handful of officers raising $5,000, and has grown into a true year-round effort that involves thousands of officers and sponsors raising over $3 million in 2012. Since its inception, the Torch Run has taken very seriously its role as “Guardians of the Flame”, and the Relay is an important and celebrated part of every Special Olympics competition. 
The schedule for Ocean City/Worcester County’s portion of the Torch Run is as follows (all times are approximate and subject to change): 
Monday, June 3, 2013 
8 – 8:30am Pre-Event Ceremonies, 27th Street and the Boardwalk, Ocean City, MD 
8:30am Torch Run Relay Begins. Run will proceed from 27th Street to N. Division Street. 
9:15 – 9:30am Run Concludes at N. Division Street with Photo Opportunity and Refreshment
*We will load bus to proceed to Historic Downtown Berlin, for the second leg of the Relay 
10:00 – 10:15am Meet at Worcester Preparatory School for Pre-Run Pep Rally 
10:15am Begin Second Leg through Historic Downtown Berlin 
10:45-11:00am Conclude Second Leg at Berlin Fire Department (approx. 1 mile run) 
*More Refreshments and Photo Opportunities to follow run 
This local portion of the Torch Run Relay is part of a much larger effort. Statewide, the Maryland Torch Run Relay consists of four different legs – Eastern, Western, Central and Southern – and throughout the entire week, thousands of Torch Run volunteers will cover hundreds of miles, eventually converging on Towson where the individual flames will be united in the Final Leg Ceremony and then officers from around the state will travel the final 2.5 miles to the Opening Ceremony at Towson University. It is there that the Flame is handed off to the Special Olympics athletes who have the honor of taking the final lap with the torch and then lighting the cauldron and officially declaring the 2013 SOMD Summer Games open. 
*PLEASE consider participating in the Eastern Leg of the Torch Run Relay as shown above. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A “RUNNER!” Each leg will have support vehicles and/or buses so you can run as much OR as little as you want. You may also ride your BICYCLE if you wish! The actual Torch Run Relay is an awareness campaign to highlight our UNITED law enforcement efforts to benefit Special Olympics and create excitement for the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games each year. 2013 Torch Run t-shirts should be worn for this event and may be purchased in advance or purchased the morning of the event for $10. 
Our local Torch Run Leg is always VERY WELL attended and is by far the most beautiful leg of the states Torch Run relay, incorporating the refreshing Ocean City boardwalk and the beauty and charm of historic downtown Berlin, Maryland. I hope to see you at our Torch Run leg this year!!! Again, you DO NOT have to be a runner…we just ask that you be a supporter! GIVE MARYLAND SPECIAL OLYMPIC ATHLETES THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AND “GO FOR THE GOLD!” 
Torch Run Relay Week leading up to the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games at Towson University is June 3-7, 2013! 
Contact: Sgt. Dennis G. Eade, Ocean City Police Department, 410-520-5309

Who swears more: Maryland or Virginia residents?

WASHINGTON - What the @#*! did you just say?!

A study from Marchex, a Seattle-based mobile marketing company, finds that when it comes to cursing, those who live in Maryland are right up there with the best -- or worst -- of them.

The home of "Charm City" ranked second behind Ohio for states where residents are the most likely to curse during consumer-to-business transactions. Virginia, on the other hand, is among the top five states where residents are least likely to swear during these phone conversations.

Last year, a different survey found D.C. was the worst among major markets when it comes to employees using foul language at work.
More 

SALI5BURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA MAY 20, 2013

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ROOM 301

GOVERN IENT OFFICE BUILDING

1:30 p.m. Critical Areas Ordinance— Further Discussion— Jack Lenox

2:00 p.m. COPS Grant— Chief Barbara Duncan

2:30 p.m. Request to Authorize Application for Port Security Grant for Boat Lift and Canopy Shelter for the Fire Boat— Chief Rick Hoppes

3:00 p.m. Maryland Bikeways Program — FY 14 Grant— Teresa Gardner

3:15 p.m. EDU Free Zone —Teresa Gardner

3:45 p.m. Request to Amend Ordinance to Permit Property Owners to Paa Capacity Fee Prior to Water

Meter Setting— Further Discussion - Teresa Gardner

4:15 p.m. Request to Reallocate Funds from the Parkside and Hampshire Road Lift Stations to the Mill Street Pumping Station— Teresa Gardner

4:45 p.m. Wastewater Credit Allowance— Further Discussion— Teresa Gardner

5:15 p.m. General Discussion

5:30 p.m. Adjournment

Grant Received For Regional Health Insurance Assistance Prog.

Worcester County Health Department has been selected by the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to implement a regional consumer assistance program to help educate, determine eligibility and enroll uninsured residents into private health plans or Medicaid.

“We are honored to be selected as the connector program for the Lower Eastern Shore,” said Worcester County Health Officer Deborah Goeller. “We look forward to working with our state and local partners to help people select plans offered through Maryland Health Connection.”

The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange is the public corporation and unit of Maryland state government responsible for the implementation of the state-based insurance exchange through the Affordable Care Act.
More 

The First Stealth Fighter Goes To The Boneyard

Berlin Planning Head Resigns After Ultimatum

BERLIN -- Berlin Planning Director Chuck Ward resigned Tuesday morning after being told he had a choice to make -- step down or he would be terminated.

"I resigned. My letter of resignation is on file in Town Hall," Ward said in a statement Thursday.

While Ward refused to go into detail over what transpired that led to him stepping down, Mayor Gee Williams was specific in an interview this week. He outlined the council’s reasons for seeking Ward’s resignation on Wednesday.

At the Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, concerned merchants converged on town hall to protest what they believed was a pending crackdown on sidewalk clutter, such as sandwich-style signs and tables and chairs. At an April Historic District Commission meeting, the topic of sidewalk accessibility was broached, and Ward was asked to evaluate the code and issue suggestions. The mere possibility of a crackdown on these items sparked concerns throughout the business community, and the Mayor and Council decided at Monday’s meeting to work toward amending the existing code and clarify exactly what is allowed and what is not.
More 

Somerset County Sheriff's Office Press Release 5-18-13

Brandi Martia Warr of Severn Maryland, arrested 5-8-13 for driving without a license, driving on a suspended drivers license, failure to stop at a stop sign, and failing to display a driver’s license. Warr was released on signature pending court actions.

Deondre Lamont Brown of Crisfield, arrested 5-9-13 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Brown was held on a $1,000 bond.

Corey Eugene Fontaine Jr. of Crisfield, arrested 5-10-13 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Fontaine was later released after posting bond.

Abygail Dorethea Horner of Princess Anne, and Cheyenne November Patton of Pocomoke, arrested 5-10-13 for possession of suspected marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and underage possession of alcohol. Both parties were released on a criminal citation pending court actions. The arrest was the result of an investigation where deputies were called to the Somerset County Intermediate School regarding students entering the school smelling like burnt marijuana. An inspection of Horner’s vehicle by school staff was conducted, and deputies recovered a suspected marijuana pipe, and a bottle of liquor.

Shelby Dawn Frost of Crisfield, arrested 5-11-13 for possession of suspected marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Frost was released on a criminal citation pending court actions. The arrest was the result of deputies investigating a truck parked in the former Riggin’s Market lot. Deputies smelled a strong odor of suspected marijuana from inside the truck. Deputies later recovered two suspected marijuana blunts under frost’s leg.

Elton Wesley Cottman of Princess Anne, arrested 5-12-13 for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol,  negligent driving, loud music from a vehicle, speeding, and improper turn at an intersection. Cottman was released on citations pending court actions. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies on Somerset Ave, Princess Anne.

James Lee Byers of Princess Anne, arrested 5-12-13 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Byers was held on a $500.00 bond.

Willie Lee Rogers of Westover, criminal summons served 5-13-13 for theft $1,000 to under $10,000. Rogers was released on signature pending court actions.

\Earvine Troy Lamonte Fields of Salisbury, arrested 5-13-13 for two warrants regarding failing to appear in court. Fields was held on a $1,000 bond.

Nina Marie Shores of Salisbury, arrested 5-15-13 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Shores was released after posting bond.

Taru Malik franklin of Crisfield, arrested 5-15-13 on a warrant for violation of probation. Franklin was held on a $50,000 bond.

Matthew Stephen Ruark of Pittsville, arrested 5-15-13 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Ruark was held on a $500.00 bond.

Josua Arthur Timmons of Princess Anne, criminal summons served for forgery of private documents, uttering false documents, and theft less than $1,000. Timmons was released on signature pending court actions.

Meron Tesfae Mulu of Princess Anne, arrested 5-16-13 on a warrant for disorderly conduct. Mulu was later released on personal recognizance pending court actions.

25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Name

• 1. Tittle

  
  The dot over an ‘i’ or ‘j.’

• 2. Lunule

  
  The white, crescent shaped part at the top of a nail.

• 3. Crepuscular Rays

  
  Rays of sunlight coming from a certain point in the sky. Also known as “God’s rays.”

• 4. Ferrule

  
  The metal part on a pencil.

• 5. Gynecomastia

  
  Man-boobs.
  More 

Cat Found 5-18-13

This cat has been hanging around a family members house off of Dagsboro Rd in Salisbury. Very loving, in tact male. Front declawed! Skinny. Can't keep him. Needs to be inside (obviously). Anyone missing him or want this sweetie pie? Cathy 443.235.0387

WE’RE FROM THE IRS & WE’RE HERE TO HELP

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: IRS equips agents with 12-gauge Remington shotguns

Police Magazine has a report that should be quite comforting to all of us seeing as how the IRS is above reproach and all.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will arm its agents with Remington 870 pump-action shotguns, according to a solicitation request by the agency.

The federal tax collector posted an acquisition notice earlier this month on FedBizOpps.gov. The IRS will close its acquisition request on Wednesday.

The IRS will purchase 60 Remington Model 870 Police, 12-gauge pump-action shotguns for its Conservative Criminal Investigation Division. The Remington parkerized shotguns will include a 14-inch barrel, modified choke, Wilson Combat ghost-ring rear sight and XS4 contour-bead front sight, Knoxx reduced-recoil adjustable stock, and Speedfeed ribbed black forend, according to the notice.
The shotguns are designated as the only shotguns authorized for IRS duty, based on compatibility with existing IRS shotguns, certification by an armorer, combat training and protocol, maintenance and parts.

Wait for it… wait for it…

“What could possibly go wrong?“

Source

Two Clarksburg Maryland Men Caught Going Through Parked Cars

On May 15, 2013 at approximately 1:30 a.m. Ocean City Police responded to the 8800 block of Rusty Anchor Road, in reference to a citizen report of three males tampering with parked cars. When officers arrived in the area, they observed two males tampering with parked cars by trying door handles to see if the vehicles were unlocked.

Officers confronted the two suspects at which point one of the suspects fled from police. When officers attempted to subdue the suspect later identified as Harry Gardner Holmes, III, 25 of Clarksburg, MD, Holmes assaulted an officer. Holmes was subdued and subsequently arrested by an officer equipped with an Electronic Control Device (ECD/Taser). The second suspect, who was identified as Christopher Ryan Holmes, 22, of Clarksburg, MD, was taken into custody without incident. During the on scene investigation police determined the two suspects are brothers and staying in the 94th Street area. Officers located several witnesses and victims and determined the suspects had gained entry to at least two vehicles.

Per OCPD procedure H. Holmes was treated by OC EMS and transported to Atlantic General Medical Center for treatment after being subdued by an ECD/Taser. He was released from the AGH and transported by officers to the Ocean City Public Safety Building.

More

Updated SPD Press Release

Why The Peaceful Majority Is Irrelevant

From Paul E. Marek

I used to know a man whose family were German aristocracy prior to World War II. They owned a number of large industries and estates. I asked him how many German people were true Nazis, and the answer he gave has stuck with me and guided my attitude toward fanaticism ever since.“Very few people were true Nazis,” he said, “but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.”
We are told again and again by experts and talking heads that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unquantified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars world wide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behea
The fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.
d, murder, or execute honor killings. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard, quantifiable fact is that the “peaceful majority” is the “silent majority,” and it is cowed and extraneous.Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people. The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a war-mongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across Southeast Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians - most killed by sword, shovel and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were “peace loving”?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt; yet, for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points. Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by the fanatics. Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because, like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Bosnians, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians and many others, have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us, watching it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 5-18-13

Hitting the Road

The N.Y., P. & N. railroad station in 1905.

My grandfather, Albert L. Disharoon, said very little about his early years, probably because therewasn’t too much variety in his life. His formal education ended in 1904 when he was 15 years old and still in the fifth grade. He then began a life of hard work that would last for some 63 years when he finished building his last house at age 78. His first job was working for his father on the family farm. Apparently his father had a way of dispensing punishment with what my grandfather called a buggy whip. He was made to lean over a railing and, when his father struck him he said he could see his own blood spurt from the wound on his stomach. One day, when he was 16, he took the whip from his father before he could touch him, pushed him down a flight of stairs and told him he was the last man that was ever going to lay a hand on him. That night, he left home for good,

He walked the two miles to Salisbury by way of Anderson Road (now Pemberton Drive) and went to the railroad station. The railroad station in 1905 was the N.Y., P. & N. Station (New York, Philadelphia andNorfolk) and was located on the West side of the tracks about 200 yards South of where the Union Station is today. He inquired of the station attendant when the next train was coming through. He said he didn’t care at the time whether it was heading North or South. The attendant told him that the only train going through that night was an express going South, to which my grandfather replied, “I didn’t ask what it was, I asked when it was coming through.”

Around 9:30 that night he took a chance that could have ended his life before it started. He said the train was going 30-35 mph as it approached the station. The attendant told him he could never catch it, but he hadn’t figured on my grandfather’s desperation and determination. As the train approached, he began running down the platform and was positioned to make his move when the train’s box cars passed close to him. He often told me that when he grabbed the ladder attached to one of the box cars he knew that if he didn’t hang on he would have been thrown under the train and killed. The jolt he got when he was snatched up by the speeding train separated him from his prized derby hat and relieved him of all the buttons on his leather jacket. But, hang on he did. He was now heading South, with no hat, and only the clothes on his back and $4.35 in his pocket. He said his hat had his name in the hatband and one of his family ended up with the hat. When he finally came home for good in 1910, the hat wasn’t returned to him and he never had much to do with his family for the rest of his life. He stayed on that train until he finally got off in Pee Dee, South Carolina.

(This is part 1 of a 7 part story of my grandfather’s life – part 2 next week)

County Approves Employee Raises; Bus Contractors Get Lower Amount

SNOW HILL -- Worcester County employees and teachers will get a raise in the upcoming fiscal year, but it likely will not be what they were hoping for.

During budget deliberations on Tuesday, the County Commissioners began a line-by-line inspection of the fiscal year 2014 to close the estimated $7 million gap between requested expenditures and anticipated revenue and naturally the conversation eventually came around to salary increases for county employees, teachers and school bus drivers.

On the table was an across-the-board 2.5-percent salary increase for all county employees including teachers, but after considerable debate, the commissioners voted for the two-percent increase option.
More 

QUOTES OF THE DAY 5-18-13

“The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else.”

Frederic Bastiat

“War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.”

General Smedley Butler

“I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we’ll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.”

General Smedley Butler

“In March, 1915, the J.P. Morgan interests, the steel, shipbuilding, and powder interest, and their subsidiary organizations, got together 12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the most influential newspapers in the United States and sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press. … They found it was only necessary to purchase the control of 25 of the greatest papers. An agreement was reached; the policy of the papers was bought, to be paid for by the month; an editor was furnished for each paper to properly supervise and edit information regarding the questions of preparedness, militarism, financial policies, and other things of national and international nature considered vital to the interests of the purchasers.”

Oscar Callaway

More Foreclosures And Suicides Than During The Great Depression

The San Francisco Chronicle notes that it is difficult to keep track of foreclosure rates now … let alone during the Great Depression:
Foreclosure rates of the late 2000s are often compared with those of the Great Depression, which took place through the first half of the 1930s. However, there were no public or private agencies keeping track of foreclosure rates at that time. Indeed, the government still does not keep an official statistic on the number of homes in foreclosure or repossessed by banks and lenders.

But the Chronicle provides estimates of foreclosures during the 1930s:
A 2008 article by David C. Wheelock, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, cited annual reports issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board during the 1930s. These reports reveal that the foreclosure rate exceeded 1 percent from 1931 until 1935. At the worst point in the Depression-era economic crisis, in 1933, about 1,000 home loans were being placed in foreclosure by banks every day.

How does that compare to the last 5 years?
More

Homeless High Risk Tier III Sex Offender Notification

Edward L. Thornton, 41, Georgetown , DE
5’06” tall, 210 lbs.
Brown hair, brown eyes

Resume:
Georgetown, DE- Edward Thornton is not wanted. This is a Homeless Sex Offender Public Notification. Thornton is a high risk Tier III sex offender who has registered as homeless in Georgetown, DE. If you have information that Edward Thornton is occupying a residence please contact 302-672-5306 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/ Information can also be provided to the Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com

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

Report: There’s No Health Benefit In Drastically Cutting Your Salt Intake

Watching someone dump a whole lot of salt on their meal might make a person cluck in disapproval — “Don’t you know that too much salt is bad for you?” And while a person’s blood pressure can go up, leading to possible ill health effects like heart attacks and strokes, a new report says that there is no good reason for people to aim for the very lowest of the low levels recommended by national guidelines.

We know — it sounds like taking years of public health warnings and medical advice and throwing it out the window. But while you shouldn’t go unscrewing the lids on your salt shakers just yet, a group organized by the government to study sodium consumption says there’s no need to make drastic cuts in your salt intake, reports the New York Times.

More