Governor Larry Hogan: A Good Sign?

Berlin man sentenced to five years for stalking neighbor

Michael Murray, 49, of Berlin was sentenced to five years in jail for a combination of stalking, trespassing and harassment charges brought by a neighbor.

The neighbor said the incidents began shortly after she moved into an adjacent property in August 2014.

She said Murray would stare at her constantly, which then escalated to him appearing in her yard, at the back door of her home or knocking on windows, uninvited.

After a long period of inactivity from December 2015 to March 2016, the neighbor purchased a motion-activated “deer camera,” and mounted it overlooking the rear entry to her home.

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Beware Central Banks' "Illusion Of Control"; Spitznagel Warns "If The Fed Hikes, Markets Will Go Down Very, Very Hard"

Central banks have created a bubble in the stock market, which will come down "very, very hard" when it finally prices in a series of Fed rate hikes, said Universa's Mark Spitznagel, warning that "the markets are absolutely not positioned for this."

CNBC anchors were stunned into relative silence as Spitznagel unleashed truth-bomb after truth-bomb. Those 'facts' are just hard to argue with...

Key Excerpts...

CNBC: Well what’s the precipitating factor?

Spitznagel: Well, the ultimate cause of that would be the fact that the central banks got us here in the first place. Ultimately, my view is that central banks are the cause of bubbles.

CNBC: So you’re betting essentially that the central banks, whether it be the Fed or the ECB, they can’t unwind the trade that they put on years ago. It’s going to be a messy unwind for their trade.

Spitznagel: There’s no doubt about that.

CNBC: But is that really a black swan? Because you’ve got all these people at Delivering Alpha talking about it, isn’t a black swan supposed to be something that nobody is talking about? Godzilla attack on Tokyo, out of the blue, or something like that?

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How to inform an officer that you are carrying a handgun and live!

Temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are finally returning to normal after last winter's powerful El Niño, Nasa reveals

After months of above average ocean temperatures tied to an extremely strong El Niño, researchers say the Pacific Ocean is finally cooling back down.

And, while many braced for the possibility of a La Niña event to close out the year and bring even more weather abnormalities, the analysis reveals the onset of such an event is unlikely.

A new animation released by Nasa shows how the ocean temperatures have changed since the start of 2015, illustrating the current transition back to a zone that’s neither too hot or too cold.

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Building Fire In Salisbury

Salisbury Stations 1, 2 and 16 and Station 6 from Parsonsburg have been alerted to a building fire at Microtel Inn & Suites 3050 Merritt Mill Rd.

SFD on scene nothing showing.  Investigating now. 

Trump Calls Clinton 'Trigger Happy,' Lists Proposals to 'Update and Upgrade' Military

Donald Trump is zeroing in on national security, foreign policy and America’s military.

During a speech in Philadelphia, the Republican blasted his rival Hillary Clinton — describing her record as “disqualifying.”

“In a Trump administration, our actions in the Middle East will be tempered by realism,” Trump stated, explaining that regime change produces radical terrorism. During his remarks at the Union League of Philadelphia he added, “we can make new friends, rebuild old alliances and bring new allies into the fold. I’m proud to have the support of war fighting generals.”

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Raising Suicide Awareness A Goal For September; Community Walk Planned In OC

BERLIN – Suicide rates among youth in Worcester and Wicomico counties are higher than the state average, according to recent numbers from the state and local health departments.

Suicide rates were 16 percent higher in Worcester County from 2012 to 2014 and 33 percent higher in Wicomico County, compared to Maryland’s average suicide rate.

These statistics come with the start of World Suicide Prevention Month, a campaign that spreads mental health awareness each September.

A culmination of factors, including school transition and upcoming holidays, leads to more suicides during this time of year, according to Ronald Pilling, secretary and treasurer for The Jesse Klump Memorial Fund.

Pilling says rural counties, like Worcester and Wicomico, are not immune to suicide.

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Emails Shed New Light On Clinton Server Fiasco

An email exchange involving employees with the tech firm that managed Hillary Clinton’s off-the-books email server provides new insight into the company’s deliberations in the early days of the FBI’s investigation of the former secretary of state.

The email chain, which was obtained by The Daily Caller, shows that an employee for Platte River Networks joked about accessing the email accounts of employees of the Clinton Executive Services Corp., a pass-through company owned by the Clintons.

The emails, which are dated Aug. 19, 2015, also show that PRN had a would-be corporate client back out of a deal at the last minute because of its involvement in the Clinton email fiasco.

PRN provided the email chain to the Senate Homeland Security Committee last year. TheDC obtained a copy from an aide with the House Oversight Committee, which held a hearing on Tuesday in which two PRN employees pleaded the Fifth.

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A Dry Cleaner Robbery Turns Into A Redemption Story

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A robbery that occurred last month, take an unbelievable twist when the robber anonymously return the money.

When a robber held up a dry cleaner on York Road, there was a very recognizable witness to the crime who tried to stop it with his cane.

“I just saw boom boom” says Joe Curran, the father in law of former Governor Martin O’Malley and former Attorney General.

The dry cleaner gave the surveillance tape showing the crime to police, who then released the suspect’s photo to the public. No one could have predicted what happened next.

“This arrived in the mail.” says store owner Helen Paik, “When mail come, I open, money is in here.”

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Obama gives away the internet and, with it, our liberty

In 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president, if you asked the average American, “What is the Internet? What is the World Wide Web? And, what is Email?” most Americans would not have known.

It is hard to believe in less than a quarter century, the internet has transformed the world. It has created wealth for many. It has changed the way America does business. It has given birth to political movement and killed political careers. The Internet is without a doubt the greatest tool for advancing freedom since the invention of the printing press.

It is no great shock that President Obama does not like American control of the internet. The internet was an American invention and America shared it with the world. American values of freedom and liberty created the Internet and allowed it to flourish. Now, in one of his last acts, Obama wants to destroy the Internet.

No, this is not one of those crazy internet conspiracy theories.

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Baby Memorial ‘Vision’ Becomes A Reality At Cemetery

SELBYVILLE – One man’s effort to improve a largely forgotten section of a local cemetery culminated this week with a dedication by Bishop Francis Malooly.

Malooly, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, presided over a ceremony at the new stone marking the section of the Gate of Heaven Cemetery set aside for infants. Ocean City resident Joe Mulholland spent the past year raising money to have the new stone installed.

“Thirteen months ago it was a vision,” Mulholland said the day after the ceremony. “Yesterday it was a reality because of so many parts played by so many people. I was just one part.”

Mulholland, 88, became a regular visitor at Gate of Heaven Cemetery following his wife’s death. It was on one of his twice-weekly visits that he first noticed the small area of the graveyard set aside for babies that have passed away. Unlike the rest of the cemetery, it was plain and overlooked. Tiny markers the size of index cards delineated the graves.

“A lot of the couples didn’t have money for anything,” Mulholland said.

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The Video Hillary Clinton Doesn't Want Seen! (2016-2017)

City School Students to Get Vaccinated or Stay Home

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Thousands of Baltimore City students will soon be barred from the classroom, because they haven’t received required vaccines that protect against things like measles, chickenpox, hepatitis, and meningitis.

The bell has rung for parents procrastinating that back-to-school doctor’s visit for vaccines.

“You have to remind yourself like, ‘okay, this is important. We need to make the time.’ it’s really just making the time,” said one mom.

By Maryland law, kids must be up to date on shots by the 20th day of school or they’ll stay home. In Anne Arundel county, 84 students still aren’t vaccinated and are barred from school. In Baltimore County, 345 kids have been out since Tuesday and in Baltimore City, about 3800 students don’t meet requirements.

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L.A. Times Stunned by Diversity of Volunteers at Trump H.Q.

The Los Angeles Times paid a visit to Donald Trump’s Southern California headquarters in Long Beach on Monday and was stunned by the diversity of volunteers who are committed to seeing him win the Golden State and the presidency.

“It was as if the whole thing had been staged, in Cambodia Town, no less, to belie the notion that Trump’s appeal is largely limited to older white males,” the Times‘s Steve Lopez wrote. In Long Beach, one of America’s most diverse cities, that same diversity was reflected in Trump’s supporters at his Southern California headquarters.

Lopez spoke with a woman and millennials of Filipino descent, a Mexican-American, and a Jewish man, and saw the “names of volunteers from the African-American, Hispanic and Asian communities” written on blackboards adorning the names of volunteers. He noted that “two middle-aged white people [also] joined the party.”

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Server Charged With Felony Theft

OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City restaurant server and Romanian national was charged last week with theft after scheming to steal money from guests through various scams and ultimately her employer.

Last Thursday, an Ocean City police officer responded to the Parched Pelican to investigate a reported theft scheme. The officer met with the restaurant’s general manager, who advised a server identified as Roxana Calugaru, 24, of Ocean City, had been stealing money from customers and the restaurant using several different schemes between July 13 and Aug. 28.

The manager told police he began investigating Calugaru’s activities in the restaurant’s computerized billing system and found that she had been altering the tips on credit card transactions and making unauthorized charges on customer credit cards. The charges Calugaru allegedly made on credit cards were ultimately refunded to the customers’ accounts by the Parched Pelican, making the restaurant the ultimate victim in the alleged scam.

The manager told police each server is required to complete a server report at the end of each shift, which shows the employee’s cash sales and credit card sales. In some cases, the employee owes money to the restaurant because his or her cash sales exceeded credit card tips. In other cases, the restaurant pays money back to the employee because his or her credit card tips exceed cash sales.

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VFW raising funds with beer table at BikeFest festivities

The campaign to save Ocean City’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8296 from the wrecking ball is gaining momentum.

Post Commander Bob Shiffner said this week the organization hopes to raise additional capital with a table inside the Roland E. Powell Convention Center during the BikeFest event, which began on Thursday and continues until Sunday.

“Come support the VFW at the Ocean City convention center on 40th Street, where we will be selling beer to save the post,” he said.

The VFW will be vending brews from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., except on Sunday when the hours are limited to noon to 5 p.m.

Shiffner has been enthused by the response the post has received since initiating the campaign in early August.

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As Obama campaigns for Hillary, Trump mocks, 'Shouldn't you be at work?'

Turning his attention to Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief surrogate, Republican Donald Trump ripped President Obama who is on the campaign trail again for his hoped for successor, asking, "Shouldn't you be at work?

In a statement, Team Trump listed the efforts by Obama to leave the White House to spend hours helping the limping Clinton while major issues go untouched in Washington. Today, Obama flew to Philadelphia for a Clinton rally and fundraiser where co-chairs wrote a $100,000 check.

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Harvest Full Moon Rises Tonight — with a Subtle Lunar Eclipse

The full moon known as this year's Harvest Moon will rise tonight (Sept.16) and will be shaded by a subtle type of lunar eclipse for some skywatchers in Africa, Asia and Australia.

The Harvest Moon (as with all full moons) officially turns full when it reaches the spot in the sky opposite to (180 degrees from) the sun. In 2016, the Harvest Moon's moment will occur tonight at 3:05 p.m. EDT (12:05 p.m. PDT).

A minor penumbral lunar eclipse will accompany the full moon tonight, and will be visible from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Western Pacific. The Slooh Community Observatory will offer a live webcast of the eclipse at Slooh.com beginning at 12:45 p.m. EDT (1645 GMT). You can also watch the lunar eclipse webcast on Space.com, courtesy of Slooh. [Harvest Moon Lunar Eclipse Guide: When & How to See It]

The Harvest Moon is the one that comes the closest to the autumnal equinox, so this year it falls in September, although occasionally this title can be bestowed upon the October full moon. That will happen 12 times from 1970 to 2020, occurring next in 2017. The 2016 version of the Harvest Moon comes six days prior to the autumnal equinox, although it can occur as early as Sept. 8 (as it did in 2014) or as late as Oct. 7 (as happened in 1987).

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Conflicts Of Interest And Local Government

In small town government, conflicts of interest can seem apparent at nearly every turn, but locally most of the time problems do not arise.

For example, take the Boardwalk street performer task force. It’s comprised of Boardwalk business owners and a street performer, among others. Surely, the Boardwalk property owners appointed to the body have a stake in this situation as does the spray paint artist himself. They may or may not be exercising judgment based on their own well-beings but surely they are referring to their own unique perspectives when weighing in on certain matters. Their personal experiences make them knowledgeable on the matters at hand.

Concerns would surface if the Boardwalk property owners were crafting or proposing legislation that would singularly help their business and bottom line while not looking to suggest Boardwalk-wide recommendations. Over two years of crafting proposed rules and regulations, all individuals involved appeared to approach matters with a broad enough lens to not raise any proverbial red flags.

The same can be said for several other committees in Ocean City. On the surface, there would appear to be obvious conflicts of interest after a review of their personnel make-ups because the individuals serving on these groups have experiences and knowledge unique to their professions. It’s typically okay for these sorts of advisory groups to work around these obvious conflicts so long as it doesn’t hamper integrity and undermine policy making at the higher Mayor and Council level. What cannot be tolerated is any semblance of impropriety or actions that raise questions about impartiality and special treatment.

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