Ted Cruz Rakes In $20 Million in Fourth Quarter of 2015

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is on a roll. He’s surging in the polls, crushing the establishment lane frontrunner Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the narrative and many polls, and about to hit the trail in Iowa for a six-day tour of 36 different counties.

Now the Wall Street Journal reports some extra promising news for the conservative Texan: he raised a whopping $20 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.

“Sen. Ted Cruz raised almost $20 million for his presidential campaign in the fourth quarter — a 66% increase over the previous three-month period, according to campaign officials and a memo that shows how the Texas Republican’s fundraising pace accelerated as he has gained in the polls,” the Wall Street Journal’s Janet Hook wrote.

In a staff memo that Hook obtained, Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe recounted how the Texas Senator and conservative firebrand’s campaign has raked in more than $45 million in 2015. Those numbers are hands down more than likely to be more than any other 2016 GOP presidential candidate’s actual campaign sans their Super PACs.

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Like Night And Day: How Two States' Utilities Approach Solar

This was a record-breaking year for rooftop solar power. It's booming across the country. But as more homeowners make their own power, electric utilities are making less money and that's shaking up their business model.

Utilities in two states — California and Georgia — are handling the growth of solar in dramatically different ways.

Matt Brown recently got solar panels on his Oakland, Calif., home, but it's dark out right now — his panels aren't working. So Brown's appliances are running on electricity he's buying from his utility, Pacific Gas & Electric.

So even with solar panels, you might think his utility bill is pretty high.

"Right now we're projected basically to have a zero bill," he says. Zero dollars. That's because during the day, when Brown's panels are cranking out electricity, he sells the extra back to PG&E. The power he sells cancels out the power he buys. That's what makes solar so financially attractive — at least, for him.

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Americans Back Religious Rights But Lose Confidence in Government Protection

Americans strongly support preservation of religious freedoms, although fewer believe their rights will be protected by the government, a survey says.

Moreover, not all Americans are enthusiastic about giving Islam full religious liberty protections.

Eight in 10 Americans say it is very important or extremely important for people like themselves to be allowed to practice their religion freely, said the survey of some 1,000 people released Wednesday by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

However, the survey showed that people’s confidence that the U.S. government would protect their religious freedoms has fallen steeply: An AP-NORC poll in 2011 found that 75 percent of Americans thought the government was doing a good job defending religious liberty.

Only 55 percent said the same in the poll taken Dec. 10-13.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said Wednesday that religious liberty issues will loom large in 2016, with “new alliances” — such as atheist groups and Satanist groups — already forming to attack Christians.

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EBONY EDITOR: WE’D ALL BE EASIER ON COSBY IF HE SUPPORTED #BLACKLIVESMATTER

Brought to you by MSNBC.

In a conversation with resident race-baiter Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC about the sexual assault charge against Bill Cosby, Ebony senior editor Jamilah Lemieux implied that if the embattled comedy legend were to have been known as a supporter of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, he wouldn’t have faced as much criticism.

And I can’t help but to wonder — say Mr. Cosby didn’t have that sort of respectability politics, you know, heavy-handed against single-mothers and complicating sounding names and wearing your pants low and listening to hip-hop. Say that wasn’t who he was. Say that he was a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. Say that he was a leftist. Say that he was really on our side, quote unquote, politically. Would we be having this conversation? How willing would people be to turn their backs on him?

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Filing Says Freddie Gray Complained Of Back Problem

BALTIMORE (AP) — Attorneys for Caesar Goodson, one of six officers facing criminal charges stemming from the death of Freddie Gray, filed two internal police documents that claim Gray complained of a back injury to police officers more than a month before his death in the back of a police van and he had a history of hurting himself while in custody.

The incident, first disclosed to defense attorneys during the trial for William Porter that ended in a mistrial earlier this month, is detailed in a police document that was until recently under seal. In the May 1 document, Baltimore Police Sgt. John Herzog says that during a March 31 meeting with Gray at the Western District station house, Gray “was awkwardly sitting in the chair, leaning to the left.” Herzog wrote that when he asked Gray about his position, he responded “something to the effect of `I hurt my back’ or `I have a bad back.”‘

Herzog went on to write that the incident had slipped his mind but his memory was “jogged” after “rumors and information was released that Freddie Gray possibly had been involved in a car accident.” Herzog said Gray had come to the station to provide information about a string of robberies in the neighborhood.

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Send Us Your Trophy Shots

Salisbury News would like to share your hunting and fishing trophy shots. alberobutzo@wmconnect.com. 

Nearly 200 Muslim Workers Fired in Colorado After Walkout Over Prayer Dispute

DENVER — Nearly 200 Muslim workers have been fired from their jobs at a Colorado meat-packing plant after walking out in a dispute over accommodating prayer in the workplace.

The company, Cargill Meat Solutions, fired about 190 workers after they staged a walkout earlier this month after they say they were told to pray at home instead of being allowed to pray in a specially designated room at the plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado.

Company officials and representatives for the workers, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said they continue to engage in negotiations.

The dispute appears to center on the time of day at which workers are able to pray, which changes according to the season in the Muslim faith.

In a statement to 9News in Denver, Cargill said that its policy on accommodating prayer in the workplace had not changed.

“In the Fort Morgan plant, a reflection area for use by all employees to pray was established in April 2009, and is available during work shifts based on our ability to adequately staff a given work area,” said the statement.

More here

I Saw A Miracle Today

State Dept. Still Doesn’t Have All of Clinton’s Emails

Clinton did not turn over emails sent or received between January and March 2009; State Dept. making little effort to get them

Despite the high-profile release of Hillary Clinton’s emails each month, voters are unlikely to get a chance to read all of her correspondence.

That’s because Clinton failed to hand over all her work emails, despite being asked to do so repeatedly, and the State Department is not searching for them elsewhere.

The Democratic front-runner for president said she is unable to access emails she sent or received in her first two months as secretary of state in 2009 because her emails were not yet being captured on her private computer server.

The Defense Department in the fall gave the State Department a chain of emails between Clinton and former Army Gen. David Petraeus, who at the time headed the military’s U.S. Central Command, responsible for running the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinton had not turned those emails over.

But other federal agencies have not been asked to search their archives for Clinton emails, according to a McClatchy survey of more than a dozen agencies with which Clinton was most likely to interact. Some, including the Energy Department and the Defense Intelligence Agency, said they had not received requests. Others, including the Interior and Justice departments, declined to speak on the record and referred questions to State.

It’s unclear how the Defense Department determined it had the Clinton emails and why it turned them over. Defense and State officials declined to comment.

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HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 1-2-16

Aunt Jemima

Little did I know back in December, 1955, that the Aunt Jemima serving up the pancake and sausage dinner was not the original Aunt Jemima. But I had her sign a paper plate and graciously took one of the Aunt Jemima Breakfast Club pins and meticulously filed them away in my scrapbook where they have resided until today.

The original company was started by a newspaperman named Chris Rutt and another man named Charles Underwood. They bought the Pearl Milling Company and had the original idea of developing and packaging a ready-mixed, self rising pancake flour. To survive in a highly competitive business, the man needed an image for their product. In 1889, Rutt attended a vaudeville show where he heard a catchy tune called “Aunt Jemima” sung by a blackface performer who was wearing and apron and bandanna headband. He decided to call their pancake flour “Aunt Jemima”.

In 1890, they were broke so they sold the formula to the R. T. Davis Milling Company. Mr. Davis began looking for a black woman to employ as a living trademark for his product. He found Nancy Green in Chicago. She was 56 years old. The Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix was introduced in St. Joseph, MO.

In 1893, the Davis Milling Company began and all-out promotion of “Aunt Jemima” at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, The Columbian Exposition was the venue for the debut of consumer products which are so familiar today – including Cream of Wheat, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Beer, Aunt Jemima syrup and Juicy Fruit gum. Nancy Green, as “Aunt Jemima” demonstrated the pancake mix and served thousands of pancakes. Green was a hit, friendly, a good storyteller, and a good cook. Her warm and appealing personality made her the ideal “Aunt Jemima”, a living trademark. Her exhibition booth drew so many people that special policemen were assigned to keep the crowds moving. The Davis Milling Company received over 50,000 orders, and Fair officials awarded Nancy Green a medal and certificate for her showmanship.

She was proclaimed “Pancake Queen”. She was signed to a lifetime contract and traveled on promotional tours all over the country. Flour sales were up all year and pancakes were no longer considered exclusively for breakfast.

Nancy Green maintained this job until a car crash in Chicago killed her on September 23, 1923. The company has had other representatives impersonating “Aunt Jemima”, but the original was Nancy Green, a former slave from Montgomery County, Kentucky. She was born on November 17, 1834.

An actress, Rosie Hall was the last to portray Aunt Jemima, giving demonstrations at state fairs from 1950-1967. The company is now part of the Quaker Oats family of commercial products.

Eric's Barber Shop Closed Until 1-11-16

Growth in ‘coolest’ town undeniable

Last year, a majority of the headlines in Berlin centered on its “Coolest Small Town” designation, to the point where the Gazette considered a temporary moratorium on the dreaded “c-word.”

Growth in the small town has been undeniable, however, and that trend continued throughout 2015, when change came in both small and large doses.

Several new businesses opened doors in and around Main Street, considered the hotbed of commerce in Berlin, including new restaurants at the north (Leaky Pete’s) and south (Crush ‘n Crab) ends. In between, a new fine arts gallery, Art in the Fields, opened with an exhibition featuring legendary pop artist Andy Warhol.

On the outskirts of town, Rinnier Development Company introduced plans for Oceans East, a major new housing complex with potentially 700-plus units on Seahawk Road, near Stephen Decatur High School.

Berlin annexed the property in March, although a text amendment battle over just how wide each building of the complex could be continued into November, when a 3-1 vote decided to set the magic number at 36 units – at maximum – with future discretion given to the town’s planning commission.

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Amen

2016 The year everyone should grow up!

Brew River Lobster Blowout

Chick-fil-A ditching cole slaw this month

WASHINGTON — Since 1967, Chick-fil-A has featured cole slaw to complement its signature chicken sandwiches. On Jan. 18, the restaurant will retire the creamy Southern staple from its menu.

The company, on its Facebook page, said it was a “difficult decision.”

“We know many of our customers love our Cole Slaw, yet we have also heard from them they are looking for new tastes and healthier ways to eat in our restaurants. It is important to us to provide a wide variety of menu options and this will occasionally mean we have to remove one menu item to make room for another,” Chick-fil-A wrote in response to a customer who asked about the company’s plans.

“Superfood sides,” such as a kale a broccolini salad, will replace the cole slaw, according to Business Insider.

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How I Spent My New Years Eve

President Obama's 2016 wish list

By this time next year, President Obama's successor will have been elected, but before he goes, he still has things he intends to finish in the remaining 12 months of his presidency.

"We think the lame duck moniker is dead," a senior administration official told CBS News. Another official told CBS that the president has instructed his senior staff to "squeeze every last drop of progress out of the final year."

The president will fight to preserve gains in areas including "access to affordable health care, expanding the green economy, implementing the Iran deal" and continuing the normalization of relations with Cuba," the official said.

Here's where he may make some progress:

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So True, And They Are ALL Legal Too

Vehicle Stolen From Downtown Salisbury

Please help! My husband's 2001 black gmc yukon has been stolen from down town Salisbury between 2am-2pm today. This...

Posted by Emily Nichols on Friday, January 1, 2016

Welcome To Crisfield

COAST GUARD SUSPENDS SEARCH FOR MAN OVERBOARD OFF ANNAPOLIS, MD.

BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a man believed to have entered the water Thursday near Sandy Point State Park off Annapolis.

Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders received a report Thursday at approximately 9 p.m. from Anne Arundel Fire Rescue stating a man not wearing a life jacket fell overboard from a sailboat.

Coast Guard crews involved in the search efforts included:

• A 29-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Oxford, Maryland
• A 45-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Annapolis, Maryland
• A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey

Coast Guard crews searched approximately 11 hours and covered more than 75 square nautical miles.

"After more than 11 hours of cumulative search efforts by the Coast Guard, MNRP, Maryland State Police and Anne Arundel County Fire Rescue, the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to suspend its search," said Cmdr. Michael Keane, chief of response at Coast Guard Sector Baltimore. "This decision is never an easy one, and our thoughts are with the boater's family."

Somerset County Public Works Department

2016 SBY NYE Ball Drop!

WOW, Where Is This Restaurant On The Shore That Deserves Such Protection?

Berlin Had Huge Turn Out for New Years Eve

States to Colleges: Prove You’re Worth It

New College of Florida doesn’t offer pre-professional degrees, like nursing or engineering. Students choose the public liberal arts college because they want an intellectual experience. Many take a year off after graduation to pursue research or community service.

Yet last fall, New College opened a flashy new career center on its Sarasota campus. It needed to prove to the state that it was helping students find jobs and graduate on time, or risk losing $1.1 million in state aid. “That’s a big deal for us,” David Gulliver, media relations coordinator for New College, said of the money.

This fiscal year, Florida was one of 26 states to fund their two- or four-year college systems (or both) partly based on outcomes such as graduation rates, according to HCM Strategists, a consulting firm. Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio and Tennessee all spent over half their higher education budgets that way.

The idea of using outcomes — not enrollments — to guide public funding of higher education has so much bipartisan backing that both President Barack Obama and Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott support it. In July, the Florida Board of Education approved a performance-funding system for state colleges, adding to its existing system for state universities.

It’s too early to say whether performance-based funding will drive the changes lawmakers want. But the policy so aligns with national concerns about the cost and payoff of a college education that it’s likely here to stay.

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First Baby Born in 2016 At PRMC

Meet Sophia Gonzaga! She was born at 2:16 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016, to be Peninsula Regional's first baby of the year. She weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. Parents Keila Jorge and Luiz Gonzaga of Salisbury say their 2-year-old Kevin is excited to be a big brother. “It was a great way to start out the year,” Luiz said. Along with a memorable birthday, Sophia received a basket of beautiful baby items, including clothes, blankets and toys as a gift from the Junior Auxiliary Board President Joanne Jackson presented the basket on behalf of the Junior Board. Congratulations to the family on their beautiful new baby girl!

DUI Collision

Type of Incident: Motor Vehicle Collision/ Impaired Driver
Date and Time: 1/1/2016 at 3:38 am
Location: E/B Rt 50/ Ocean Gateway at Hall Road

Driver: Lamar Marcus Palmer (Salisbury, MD)
33 year old

Accused: Lamar Marcus Palmer

Charges: Driving While Intoxicated and related traffic charges for Motor Vehicle Collision

Troopers responded to E/B US Rt 50/ Ocean Gateway at Hall Rd for a single-vehicle collision.

Upon arrival, Troopers met with the sole occupant and driver, Lamar Marcus Palmer. Palmer advised he was not injured and refused EMS at the scene.

During the investigation, Troopers observed Palmer to display several indicators of impairment. A battery of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were administered to Palmer.

Palmer was arrested for Driving under the Influence. Once at the barrack, he submitted to an evidence breath test, charged with DUI and related charges.

Disposition: Released to a sober party from the barrack.

FAKE HATE: Devout Muslim Attendee Charged with Torching Houston Mosque

A Houston mosque was torched on Christmas Day.

On Tuesday a devout Muslim attendee was charged with setting the blaze.

Gary Nathaniel Moore, a very devout follower of Mohammad, started the blaze.

A Houston man has been arrested in connection with a suspected arson at a mosque on Christmas Day.

A spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that the man was arrested early Wednesday, sometime after midnight, and appeared in court 7 a.m. Wednesday.

The suspect, Gary Nathaniel Moore, 37, of Houston, appeared in court at 7 a.m., spokeswoman Nicole Strong said.
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Can You Fix Stupid? (Part 2)

Trump: Bill Clinton 'One of the Great Abusers in the World'

Sharpening his attacks on Hillary and Bill Clinton, Donald Trump proclaimed Wednesday that women "don't like" the Democratic presidential front runner – and called the former president "one of the great abusers of the world."

In South Carolina for his last campaign rally of 2015, the top-polling GOP presidential contender said Hillary Clinton left him no choice.

Hillary Clinton, he told the Hilton Head gathering, has been hitting him "really hard with the women card, OK? Really hard," Politico reports.

"And I had to say, OK, that's enough. That's enough. And we did a strong number. She's not going to win."

Clinton is "horrible," Trump declared. "But I'll tell you who doesn't like Hillary are women. Women don't like Hillary. I see it all the time."

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Agents nab Pakistanis with terrorist connections crossing U.S. border

When the U.S. Border Patrol nabbed two Pakistani men with ties to terrorism at the U.S.-Mexico border in September, it marked just the latest instance of illegal immigrants from so-called “special interest countries” using the southern border as a point of entry into the country.

Muhammad Azeem and Mukhtar Ahmad, both in their 20s and from Gujrat, were caught Sept. 20 by agents south of San Diego and just over the international border from Tijuana. When agents checked their identities through databases, they got hits on both of them: Mr. Ahmad popped up as an associate of a known or suspected terrorist, while Mr. Azeem’s information had been shared by a foreign government for intelligence purposes.

Both men had been processed two months earlier by immigration officials in Panama, suggesting they took advantage of smuggling networks or other routes increasingly used by Central American illegal immigrants to sneak into the U.S.

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New California Law Will Allow Cops to Take Guns Without Notice

A new California gun control law takes effect next week that will allow police, without prior warning to a gun owner, to seize their weapons if a judge decides there's a potential for violence.

The law was prompted by a 2014 mass shooting near the University of California, Santa Barbara, in which officers beforehand visited shooter Elliot Rodger's home after his parents raised alarms about his mental health — yet concluded he wasn't a risk and didn't search the apartment where he'd stashed guns, ammo and knives.

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Deadline looms for political fundraising reports

BALTIMORE —This is no holiday week on the fundraising side of politics. A deadline looms Thursday night for candidates to report how much or how little money they've raised in the last quarter.

Money certainly matters: The last couple of weeks have seen Republicans Lindsay Graham and on Tuesday, George Pataki, bow out of the presidential race. Neither of them was able to get out of the gate in fundraising.

Among the Democrats, Thursday's deadline looms large for Maryland's own Martin O'Malley, who's not been able to gain robust support in the polls or the campaign wallet.

In the third quarter of the year, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton raised $30 million. Bernie sanders raised $26 million and O'Malley just $1.3 million.

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Saudi Arabia will no longer Limit Production

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia won't change its current reliable production policy and is ready to meet any additional demand from its customers, the kingdom's oil minister Ali al-Naimi said Wednesday.

“It is a reliable policy and we won't change it,” Naimi told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Riyadh.

“We will satisfy the demand of our customers. We no longer limit production. If there is demand, we will respond. We have the capacity to respond to demand,” he said.

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Oyster Roast Saturday January 2, 2016

Amen

New Laws In 2016 Show States Are Diverging On Guns, Voting

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Laws taking effect at the start of the new year show states diverging on some hot-button issues.

Restrictions on carrying guns will ease in Texas, for example, but will get tighter in California. It will be easier to register to vote in Oregon, but there will be another step to take at the polls in North Carolina.

The opposing directions in the states reflect a nation with increasingly polarized politics.

In the debate over gun control, both sides say their arguments are strengthened by a string of mass shootings this year. That includes the December attack at a county health department gathering in San Bernardino, California, when a couple who investigators say pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group killed 14 people.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a group backed by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is seeking to be a counterweight to the National Rifle Association’s lobbying of state lawmakers. Both groups are expected to be active in legislatures in the coming year.

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Maine Governor Vows to Veto Any Expansion of Medicaid Under Obamacare

Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage, who's repeatedly crushed efforts to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, promises to veto another bill being pushed by two fellow Republican lawmakers.

In his weekly radio address on Maine Public Radio, LePage blasted the legislative effort as election-year politicking.

"We have vetoed Medicaid expansion five times, and we will veto it every time electioneering politicians try to bring it up," he said.

The Sun Journal reports supporters of expansion haven't been able to muster enough support to override another veto.

"As Yogi Berra said, 'It’s déjà vu all over again'," Adrienne Bennett, a spokeswoman for the governor, tells the newspaper. "The results were disastrous for Maine when it expanded this kind of welfare in 2002, and now it’s blowing holes in state budgets around the country."

According to Bennett, Illinois, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Mexico and California were all states that saw their budgets decimated by expanding Medicaid.

"And the list keeps growing. Obamacare is crumbling because there is no such thing as free money," Bennett tells the newspaper.

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Abandoned Baby Surrendered to the Hospital

Stanton, De. - The Delaware State Police responded to the Christiana Hospital Emergency Room in reference to a newborn infant who was surrendered to the hospital staff in regards to the Safe Arms for Babies Act. (DE Title 16 Sec. 907A)

Troopers contacted the hospital staff, who advised that on December 29, 2015, at approximately 9:15 a.m., a female responded to the front lobby of the Christiana Hospital located at 4755 Ogletown Stanton Road, Christiana Medical Center , Newark, and turned over a newborn infant male to the triage staff. The only information provided was that the baby was born on December 29, 2015 at approximately 7:00 a.m. No other information was obtained due to the right for the parent to remain anonymous.

The infant was immediately taken under the hospital's care and provided after birth medical treatment. There were no signs of abuse or neglect to the infant. The infant appeared to be in good health.

The hospital staff advised that the infant will stay in the hospital's care before being turned over to the custody Division of Family Services.

Any questions can be directed to Mr. Joseph Smack, spokesperson for the Division of Family Services 302-893-8930.

Division of Family Services for Safe Arms for Babies 1-800-262-9800
http://kids.delaware.gov/policies/dfs/UserManual-04.16.2015.pdf

Delaware Division of Health and Social Serviceshttp://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/chca/dphahsab01.html

DUI Traffic Stop Leads to Recovery Of Four Guns And Two Machetes

Greensboro, MD) – A traffic stop for impaired driving by Maryland State Police in Caroline County early this morning led to the recovery of four guns, two machetes and the arrests of two men on felony gun charges.

The accused are identified as Brady Scott, 22, of the 8600 block of Anderson Town Road in Denton, Maryland and Nicholas Garcia, 25, of the 7600 block of Rudyard Street in Falls Church, Virginia. Scott is charged with illegal possession of a firearm, three counts of second degree assault, DUI, malicious destruction of property and resisting arrest. Garcia is charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Both have been transported to Caroline County Court Commissioner’s office and are awaiting their initial appearance.

At about 1:17 a.m. this morning, troopers from the Easton Barrack received a 9-1-1 call from a motorist reporting a reckless and possibly intoxicated driver headed northbound on MD 313. The caller reported the suspect was driving a Dodge pickup truck bearing North Carolina tags.

Within minutes, a trooper accompanied by a Caroline County sheriff deputy spotted the vehicle on MD 313 at Linhard Lane. The trooper witnessed the reckless driving and stopped the truck.

As the trooper approached the driver’s side window, a very strong odor of alcohol was detected. Further investigation led troopers to the arrest of Scott for suspected impaired driving.

When troopers attempted to handcuff Scott, he resisted arrest and pulled away while cursing, spitting and assaulting police. Once Scott was successfully handcuffed, he was transported to the Easton Barrack for processing.

Garcia, while still inside the pickup, asked troopers to exit the vehicle. Upon his exit, troopers observed a pistol protruding from under the seat. Troopers immediately placed Garcia into police custody. A further search of the vehicle revealed three loaded handguns, one unloaded pump-action shotgun with boxes of ammunition and two machetes.

Maryland State Police from the Easton Barrack responded to the incident. Sheriff deputies from the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Denton Police Department also responded to assist.

Trooper Struck While Assisting Disabled Motorist On I-95

(Elkridge, MD) A Maryland State Trooper sustains injuries after his patrol car was rear ended by a passing motorist while assisting a disabled motorist this afternoon.

The trooper is identified as Trooper Tristen Phillip, 27, assigned to patrol duties at the Waterloo Barrack. He has been a member of the Maryland State Police for two years. Trooper Phillip was inside his marked patrol car on the right shoulder of southbound I-95 assisting a family with their disabled vehicle.

The driver who struck Trooper Phillip’s vehicle is identified as Rodney Irons, Jr., 31, of the 10,000 block of Inwood Avenue in Silver Spring. Irons was driving a black Dodge Stratus. Upon further investigation, troopers on the scene discovered Irons was driving without a driver’s license. Irons was transported by ambulance to Howard County General Hospital. Charges are pending.

The passengers in the disabled vehicle are identified as Ellen Pell, 72, the driver and Melvin Pell, 73, the front seat passenger. Mr. and Mrs. Pell, of Wilmington Delaware were the only the occupants in the disabled vehicle and refused medical treatment on scene.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team is conducting the investigation on this incident. The preliminary investigation indicates that shortly after 1:30 p.m. today, Trooper Phillip was dispatched to assist a disabled motorist on the right shoulder of southbound I-95, north of Route 100 in Howard County.

Trooper Phillip was operating a marked State Police patrol car and was parked on the shoulder with his emergency lights activated. He was on the scene for approximately an hour before Irons veered off I-95, onto the right shoulder, striking Trooper Phillip’s patrol car from behind. A chain reaction occurred resulting in the trooper’s patrol car striking the disabled vehicle.

Trooper Phillip was transported by ambulance to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center for treatment. Irons was taken to Howard County General Hospital by ambulance.

Troopers from the Waterloo Barrack responded to the scene. State Highway Administration was on scene assisting with lane closures. The Maryland State Police Crash Team investigation is continuing. Charges have not been filed at this time

New Year’s Surprise: Obama Regulation To Give Work-Permits To Foreign College-Graduates

As the nation prepares to ring in the New Year, President Barack Obama is preparing a colossal new executive action that could print-up work permits for a huge number of foreign white-collar graduates every year, above and beyond the levels set by Congress.

This executive action, which directly bypasses Congressional lawmakers, is likely to reverberate across the presidential race, as GOP voters look to choose a nominee they believe will most effectively roll back the President’s still-expanding agenda. And it will certainly raise new security concerns as it covers categories of immigration utilized by migrants from the Middle East and nearby regions.

President Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security plans to publish the proposed rule tomorrow, the last day of 2015.

The 181-page rule focuses primarily on giving work-permits to foreign college-grads who will compete against Americans for white collar jobs, despite the large number of American graduates now stuck in lower-wage positions and struggling to pay off college debts. The rule will also make each foreign graduate much cheaper for U.S. employers to hire than many U.S.-born college grads.

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Painkillers Often Gateway to Heroin for Teens

Three-quarters of U.S. high school students who use heroin first tried narcotic painkillers, a new survey reveals.

Survey results from nearly 68,000 high school seniors provide some clues to heroin's recent deadly path from the inner city into affluent suburbs and rural communities.

"The more times a teen uses non-prescribed painkiller pills, the greater the risk he or she is at for becoming dependent on the drug," said lead researcher Joseph Palamar, an assistant professor of population health at New York University.

"People who become dependent on painkiller pills often wind up resorting to heroin use because it's cheaper and more available than these pills," Palamar explained.

And white students appear more likely than blacks or Hispanics to travel this route, the research suggests.

More than 12 percent of the high school seniors reported using narcotic painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin. And 1.2 percent reported using heroin, the researchers said.

Recent and frequent nonmedical painkiller use increased the odds that kids had tried heroin: More than 77 percent of teens who reported using heroin had also used narcotic painkillers, also called opioids, Palamar said.

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The 10 Most Insane Things That Happened In Maryland In 2015

2015 was an interesting year for Maryland. There were several top news stories, the most influential definitely being the Freddie Gray case. There were also unusual things that happened as a result of the Baltimore unrest, as well as weird news stories from all around the state. Today we’re looking back at some of the most insane things that happened in Maryland in 2015.

1. The “Baltimore Mom” smack went viral. More

WORCESTER COUNTY: CHRISTMAS TREE DROP OFF SITES

The Solid Waste Division of Worcester County will host its annual collection of Christmas trees through Jan. 15, 2016. Trees can be dropped off at the Central Landfill in Newark and the Berlin, Pocomoke and Snow Hill Homeowners Convenience Centers at no cost to area residents only. 

“Despite the future closing of the Berlin HOCC for yard waste on January 1,” we will still be providing containers at that site and the Pocomoke HOCC for Christmas Tree Recycling,” Public Works Director John Tustin said. “Citizens may bring their trees to the HOCC for disposal until Jan. 15.”

Snow Hill area residents may dispose of their trees at the Central Landfill. Businesses and organizations that sold trees will not be permitted to drop off trees at the convenience centers, but may take them to the Central Landfill where applicable tipping fees will be assessed.

The trees will be ground into mulch for use at the Central Landfill. Remember, you can make a difference by recycling!
For more info, contact Recycling Manager Ron Taylor at 410-632-3177.

Want To Know How Fresh Baked Goods, (bread) Are?

Marion Station church treasurer charged with embezzlement

MARION STATION, Md. (AP) — Maryland State Police have charged the treasurer of a Marion Station church with stealing nearly $17,000 worth of funds from the congregation.

Police said in a news release Thursday that 34-year-old James Franklin Powell faces several criminal charges, including embezzlement, theft and theft scheme in connection with an investigation started last month.

Authorities say Powell, who is the church treasurer at Quindocqua United Methodist Church, wrote several fraudulent checks from the church account over a period of time beginning in 2004. Police say Powell initially denied writing the checks, but later admitted to writing them when he was seen on surveillance video writing the checks.

Pastor Charles Jacobson says Powell will remain a member of the church, but will not work in an official capacity at the church

Source

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker sings gorgeous rendition of 'Ave Maria' in church

Justin Tucker Performs With Concert Artists of Baltimore

Tucker swapped his uniform for a tux last night for a Catholic Charities benefit concert with the Concert Artists of Baltimore (cabmusic.org).Nice pipes, Tuck.

Posted by Baltimore Ravens on Friday, December 11, 2015

Officials concerned MS 13 resurging in Md.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WUSA9) -- Officials are concerned one of the nation's deadliest gangs is beginning to resurge in two Maryland Counties.

In 2009, the FBI identified at least three MS 13 “cliques” operating in Montgomery and Prince George's County, but Montgomery's top prosecutor say the gang was losing their hold.

"There was a massive federal prosecution that occurred about three or four years ago, in coordination with my office and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s. Forty-two members of MS 13 got very, very long prison sentences…That effectively cut the head off of that gang,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney, John McCarthy, explained.

Now, McCarthy said they're back, committing at least five homicides in the county this year, and recruiting harder than ever.

“The numbers have grown and the intelligence that has been shared with me tells me the problem is even broader and wider than I even imagined,” McCarthy said.

"We have - to date - had 5 homicides that have been tied to MS13."

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Dog attacks put bite on Maryland prison pet program

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Maryland’s prison agency said Wednesday it has suspended one facility’s program allowing inmates to prepare rescued pets for adoption after a prison worker and an inmate were bitten by dogs in separate incidents in recent months.

The civilian worker required stitches for a bite in the face, and the inmate suffered a puncture wound to his hand, a spokesman said.

The suspension of the Prison Pets program at the medium-security Maryland Correctional Training Center near Hagerstown does not affect animal-centered programs at nine other Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services institutions, including two programs similar to Prison Pets, spokesman Robert Thomas said. Most of the other programs involve inmates training service dogs.

Thomas said the Prison Pets program was launched at the 180-bed prison with good intentions but without higher approval of any guidelines or agreements with the animal shelters that supplied the dogs and cats, which otherwise would have been euthanized.

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Now this is my kind of customer service!

 

GOOD MORNING,  WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, a Christian nation, land of the  free and home of the brave. 

    

How may I help  you?
Press '1' for  English.
Press '2' to disconnect until you learn to speak  English


And remember  only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus  Christ
And the  American Soldier.



One died for  your soul,


The other for  your freedom.

Gold Alert Issued for Missing Millsboro Woman

**Update as of 1:10 p.m., Mary Marasa has been located in Ocean City, MD in good condition. The Gold Alert has been canceled.** 

Millsboro-The Delaware State Police are issuing a Gold Alert for Mary L. Marasa of Millsboro who was last heard from around 11:30 p.m., Wednesday December 30, 2015 after she telephoned a relative in Georgia and advised she may be lost in Ocean City, Maryland.

Mary is a white female, 80 years of age, 5'04” tall, 140 lbs., grey hair and brown eyes. (Photo attached)

Troopers have been unable to make contact with Mary to check on his welfare. Attempts to locate her have been unsuccessful and there is a real concern for her safety and welfare. She may be operating a silver 2015 Dodge Dart with Delaware registration 342117 (Photo attached of similar vehicle - not the actual vehicle). Mary was driving home to her residence located in the 31000 block of Crepe Myrtle Drive, from Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) alone when she may have gotten lost.

If anyone has any information in reference to his whereabouts, they are asked to contact Troop 4 at 302-856-5850 or by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet atwww.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

MORE FAKE HATE: Caught on Video… Devout Muslim Torches Houston Mosque

Another day, another fake hate crime. On Christmas Day, a Houston mosque was torched. At the time, the authorities said it looked suspicious. Well, it was… a devout Muslim was caught on video setting the blaze. The Jihadist is Gary Nathaniel Moore, who went to the mosque several times a day to pray to Allah. The cries of ‘hate crime’ quickly followed. Just like they did in Vegas when a man wrapped yummy bacon around the door handles of a mosque. The same thing happened in Oklahoma. Both are being treated as hate crimes. Put down the pork and back away! Seriously, this is just nuts. There have been other fake attacks on mosques across the nation as well… supposedly to garner sympathy for Muslims after major terrorist attacks take place. However, this follower of Mohammad was filmed doing the deed. Oops.

From Gateway Pundit:

A Houston mosque was torched on Christmas Day.

On Tuesday a devout Muslim attendee was charged with setting the blaze.

Gary Nathaniel Moore, a very devout follower of Mohammad, started the blaze.

Moore told investigators that he had attended the mosque for five years, visiting it five times a day to pray, seven days a week. That’s devotion. He admitted to being at the mosque on Christmas Day to pray and said he left around 2 pm to go home. Moore said he was the last to leave. He then claims he returned to the scene after a friend told him about the fire. Using surveillance video from multiple businesses nearby, investigators were able to identify Moore. A search warrant of his home was conducted and investigators recovered a backpack and clothing that seemingly matched what was seen in surveillance footage, as well as one half of a two-pack of charcoal lighter fluid bottles that seemed to match another lighter fluid bottle found inside the mosque. Bond for Moore has been set at $100,000. He’s going to need one heck of a lawyer and I’m sure his one phone call went straight to CAIR.

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Happy Kwanzaa! The Holiday Brought to You by the FBI

I will not be shooting any Black Panthers this week because I am Kwanza-reform, and we are not that observant. Kwanzaa, celebrated exclusively by white liberals, is a fake holiday invented in 1966 by black radical/FBI stooge Ron Everett — aka Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of United Slaves, the violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers. In the annals of the American ’60s, Karenga was the Father Gapon, stooge of the czarist police.

In what was ultimately a foolish gambit, during the madness of the ’60s, the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the group, the better. By that criterion, Karenga’s United Slaves was perfect.

Despite modern perceptions that blend all the black activists of the ’60s, the Black Panthers did not hate whites. Although some of their most high-profile leaders were drug dealers and murderers, they did not seek armed revolution.

Those were the precepts of Karenga’s United Slaves. The United Slaves were proto-fascists, walking around in dashikis, gunning down Black Panthers and adopting invented “African” names.

And hasn’t that been a huge help to the black community?

It’s as if David Duke invented a holiday called “Anglika,” which he based on the philosophy of “Mein Kampf” — and clueless public school teachers began celebrating the made-up, racist holiday.

Whether Karenga was a willing FBI dupe, or just a dupe, remains unclear.

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It Begins: MA Court Tells Catholic School It Must Hire Homosexuals

Remember that thing called “religious freedom” that this country was founded on? Yeah, apparently it doesn’t exist anymore.

The Fontbonne Academy, a Catholic Girls Preparatory School, has just earned a place in American history. This past week a Massachusetts court decided that religious institutions like Fontbonne had no right to “discriminate” against homosexuals by choosing not to hire them. The court said that the religious freedom of those attending the Fontbonne Academy was not as important as the “right” of a homosexual to work for the school.

From Buzzfeed:

As to the constitutional claim, the school argued that its expressive association rights would be infringed if forced to hire Barrett. The court, however, found that the school failed to meet two of the three standards set by the Supreme Court for such claims in its 2000 decision regarding the Boy Scouts. Although the academy does engage in “at least some form of expression,” meeting the first standard, the court found that there is “minimal risk” that Barrett’s hire would “significantly and seriously burden [Fontbonne’s] expression.”

… The liberal Massachusetts Court went well out of its way to contort, twist and destroy both the 1st Amendment and the various Supreme Court rulings on the same subject. It is beyond the pale to force a Christian school (or any religious institution for that matter) to act contrary to their religious beliefs when those beliefs do not infringe upon the rights or lives of others. The complainant felt he was discriminated against because he lost a job opportunity after the Catholic school learned of his homosexuality, but the truth is that he was free to find work anywhere. The Fontbonne Academy is now simply another example of a tyrannical activist government forcing its views on to a supposedly free people. The First Amendment means nothing to the court in Massachusetts, and it also obviously means nothing to the liberals who are now applauding this decision.

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OCPD Charge Man with Burglaries, Manufacturing Marijuana

OCEAN CITY, MD – : An Ocean City man was recently arrested for two area burglaries in addition to charges stemming from several marijuana plants being found in his home during his arrest.

On December 23, 2015, at approximately 1:50 p.m. Ocean City Police responded to a restaurant in the area of Jamestown Road and Coastal Highway for a report of a burglary that had already occurred. Video surveillance showed that a man had broken into a cooler in the rear of the restaurant several hours earlier and had stolen alcohol, energy drinks and meat. Through investigation, officers were able to identify the suspect as Thomas D. Palenchar, 40, of Ocean City. A warrant was issued for his arrest on December 24.

On December 24, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Ocean City police responded to a Jewish center located in the area of 137th Street and Coastal Highway for another report of a burglary. The suspect broke a window, entered the building, damaged and stole numerous religious items.

Later that day at approximately 1 p.m., officers responded to a home on Captain Quarters Road to serve a warrant on Palenchar for the restaurant burglary. When officers arrived, they noticed numerous items stolen from the Jewish center in the home. Also in the home were over 35 marijuana plants and marijuana that had previously been harvested.

Police have charged Palenchar with second degree burglary, two counts of fourth degree burglary, theft of greater than $1,000, two counts of theft less than $1,000, malicious destruction of property, manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana. He was seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and was transferred to the Worcester County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Misleading and Using Blacks

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ran headlong into the leftist meat grinder by questioning whether college admission of blacks with academic achievement levels significantly lower than the rest of the student body is beneficial to blacks. His question came up during oral arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas, wherein the court will rule whether the use of race in college admission decisions violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection of the laws” to all citizens.

Justice Scalia’s questions generated news headlines such as “Justice Scalia Suggests Blacks Belong at ‘Slower’ Colleges,” “Scalia questions place of some black students in elite colleges” and “Scalia and the misguided ‘mismatch’ theory.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, “It is deeply disturbing to hear a Supreme Court justice endorse racist ideas from the bench of the nation’s highest court.”

The issue for black parents is not whether their sons and daughters should be admitted to an elite college or one that is lower-ranked. The issue is whether their sons and daughters should be admitted to a college where they would not be admitted if they were white. The question for black parents and black people is: Which better serves our interests, a black student’s being admitted to an elite college and winding up in the bottom of his class or flunking out or a black student’s being admitted to a less prestigious college and performing just as well as his white peers? I would opt for a black student’s doing well and graduating from a less prestigious college.

Think of it this way. Suppose you asked, “Williams, would you teach my son how to box?” I say yes, and after your son wins a few amateur matches, I set him up with a match against an elite boxer like Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis. Your son may have the potential to be a world-class boxer, but he is going to get his brains beaten out and have his career ended before he learns how to bob and weave.

It’s the same with any student — black or white. Pupils are less likely to succeed if they are placed in a fast-paced academic environment where their academic achievement levels do not begin to match those of their peers. Such students would have a greater chance of success in a slower-paced, less competitive environment, one more in tune with their preparation and where they might receive more personal help.

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Young Voters, Hispanics Up For Grabs In 2016 Race

Younger voters are emerging as the most volatile as both parties prepare for what could be a generational showdown in next year’s general election.

Depending on the specific matchups, voters give the Democratic presidential nominee as much as three-quarters of the youth vote, or as little as 37 percent, according to polling over the past six months that underscores just how unsettled the election is within the emerging generation of voters.

Hispanics are also living up to their reputation as swing voters, with a 30 percent variation in their voting preferences between a Democrat and a Republican, according to a Washington Times analysis of recent polling.

More broadly, women are more settled as a voting group than men, and voters in the South, who lean Republican more than those in the rest of the country, are less of a swing group than elsewhere. Voters making less than $50,000 a year are more of a swing group than those with higher incomes, the analysis found.

Without any “soccer moms” or “NASCAR dads” — groups that pollsters identified in previous elections as key swing constituencies — the major battlegrounds now appear to be the same groups as in the past: self-identified independents, Hispanics and younger voters.

“The younger, 18- to 34-year-old voters could be one of the tipping points,” said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “Do they turn out for the Democrat in the way they did Obama in 2008 or even 2012, or do they yawn? They seemed to break late in 2012.”

Mr. Yepsen said his students are turned off by politics and by the negativity of the debate, and are less enthused than their elder siblings in 2008.

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“All You Americans Are Fired.” Black Americans Fired To Make Way For Guest Workers

A shocking move that allowed members of The H-2 guest worker program has been revealed by Buzzfeed. Keep in mind, this is a program that is SUPPOSED to make it so that Americans keep working – not employing foreign born workers and forcing citizens to the unemployment line:

The H-2 guest worker program, which brought in 150,000 legal foreign workers last year, isn’t supposed to deprive any American of a job. But many businesses go to extraordinary lengths to deny jobs to U.S. workers so they can hire foreigners instead. A BuzzFeed News investigation.

“All you black American people, f*ck you all…just go to the office and pick up your check,” the supervisor at Hamilton Growers told workers during a mass layoff in June 2009.

The following season, according to a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, about 80 workers, many of them black, were simply told: “All you Americans are fired.”

Year after year, Hamilton Growers, which has supplied squash, cucumbers, and other produce to Wal-Mart and the Green Giant brand, hired scores of Americans, only to cast off many of them within weeks, according to the U.S. government. And time after time, the grower filled the jobs with foreign guest workers instead.

Although Hamilton Growers eventually agreed to pay half a million dollars to settle the suit, company officials said the allegations are baseless. Mass firings never happened, they said, nor did anyone use racially inflammatory language. But workers tell a different story.

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Transgender Fad Rapidly Spreading in UK Primary Schools as Children Copy Friends

The number of primary school-aged children, some as young as four, beginning to “transition” their gender is rising rapidly in the UK. The popularity of the fad appears to be clustered, with children copying others in the same schools.

Up to 80 primary school-aged children a year are now seeking help towards potentially changing their gender, the chair of Mermaids, a charity which lobbies for families who believe their children and teenagers are transgendered, has revealed.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Susie Green said that, in some cases, British children as young as four are already in the process of “transitioning” to another sex.

She also described how her organisation has observed a cluster effect across the country, with children following one and another in the same school; a school where there might be a teacher who promotes transgender ideology.

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Cruz Outlines Plans for First Day as President

White House contender Sen. Ted Cruz is laying out a first-day Oval Office agenda to unravel the Obama presidency – by ripping up the Iran deal, moving the Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, scrapping the president's executive actions, investigating Planned Parenthood and ending the "persecution of religious liberty."

Writing the epilogue for his preacher dad Rafael Cruz's new book, "A Time for Action," the Texas lawmaker, who's surged to No. 2 in national polling averages in his GOP presidential nomination bid, makes the case for an aggressive first day if elected, the Washington Examiner reports.

"The left, and the media (who are in cahoots), try to convince us that nothing can change," Cruz writes in an excerpt posted by the Examiner.

"They want us to give up. But strong presidential leadership, backed by the American people, can usher in dramatic change."

The to-do list includes top priorities Cruz has championed previously.

But he also lays out a short term goal to press even further, the Examiner reports, including:

Repealing Obamacare;
Expanding school choice;
Moving to "rebuild our military" and to further reforms at the Veterans Administration;
Hitting ISIS with more force; and
Ending the sanctuary city system that protects illegal immigrants who are wanted by federal authorities.

"Our country is in crisis," Cruz writes. "I am convinced, it is now or never. There comes a point where the hole is too deep, the debt is too great, our liberties are too receded, and there is no going back."

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Ocean City Community Remembers Hal Glick As ‘Good Man And Great Leader’

OCEAN CITY — More than 350 people packed the Temple Bat Yam synagogue this week to say goodbye to distinguished businessman and beloved community leader Hal Glick, who passed away on Dec. 24.

Glick, 74, ended his courageous battle with cancer on Christmas Eve with his loving family at his side and leaves behind a lasting legacy in the region as both a businessman and a humanitarian.

“He was a mentor to so many people, and best friend to so many people,” said longtime friend Jeff Thaler. “Hal Glick’s name will live forever in Ocean City.”

Born in Onancock, Va. in 1941 to a family that owned a small retail business, Glick quickly showed business prowess of his own after graduating from Randolph Macon Military Academy in 1960 and the University of Maryland’s Business School in 1965. He opened a fine men’s clothing store in Salisbury in 1967 and later a unisex hair salon in 1975.

Yet, Glick’s business career will likely be remembered most in the real estate industry, as he joined Bruce Moore and Robert Warfield as the company’s 12th associate in 1979 and in 1983, he was made partner, creating the well-known Moore, Warfield and Glick, Inc. Realtors.

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Caitlyn Jenner settles one of many lawsuits she faces after deadly crash

Caitlyn Jenner has settled a lawsuit brought by the driver of the Prius involved in her fatal accident early this year.

According to TMZ, Jenner’s insurance company paid the settlement to Jessica Steindorff for personal injury and property damage.

In February, the Olympic gold medalist rear-ended 69-year-old widow Kim Howe, pushing her into traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., where she hit a Hummer and was killed. Jenner crashed into Steindorff after hitting Howe.

The “I Am Cait” star still faces other lawsuitsstemming from the crash.

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