Natural Greens Decorations Workshop to Be Held at Pemberton Historical Park

Natural Greens Decorations Workshop to Be Held at 

Pemberton Historical Park

Christmas is Coming & The Goose is Getting Fat – and it’s time to begin making decorations for the Holidays! Which means it’s time for the Natural Greenery-Making Workshop at Pemberton Historical Park. Once again Westside Historical Society and Pemberton Hall Foundation are inviting the public to join in this annual “make your own traditional wreath” event. Members of the two historical societies will be teaching this Eastern Shore traditional craft, and will supply participants with an assortment of local greens and the basic forms for wreath-making. Cost is only $15 for each wreath, swag, or other decoration participants choose to create! Participants should bring their own ribbons, fruits, or other decorations they choose to use. Some folks like to make table decorations, and if that is your goal, you should bring your own container. Light refreshments will be available. This is a fun way to get into the Holiday Spirit! Come join us!!

The workshop will be held in the Education Building (large barn-like building) at Pemberton Park and will begin at 10, lasting until 3 pm. While we do not pre-register, the workroom space is somewhat limited and you might experience a short wait for worktable space. For questions, contact us at 410-742-4182 or 410-726-8047, or email westsidehistorical@gmail.com or Pjtsby@aol.com .

Event Date is December 3, 2016

Judge awards damages of $36M in Bobbi Kristina death case

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge in Atlanta on Thursday ordered Bobbi Kristina Brown's partner, Nick Gordon, to pay $36 million in a wrongful death case, her estate's lawyers said.

Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome in January 2015. Gordon, who also lived there, and a friend were listed on the police report as being in the home when investigators arrived there.

The wrongful death suit said other people were there when Brown was initially found unresponsive. She was in a coma for six months before dying in hospice care at age 22 on July 26, 2015. Her death was similar to the way her mother died and drew worldwide headlines and the frenzied attention of the tabloids.

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Houston man , 78, arrested after mooning woman

A 78-year-old in a cowboy hat was arrested for stripping his pants and mooning a woman outside a hotel after she declined his sexual advances, authorities said.

The man identified as Robert Scott, of Houston, lurked around the Double Tree Hotel in Kenner, La., was booked with sexual battery and obscenity after he mooned a 29-year-old woman Saturday, according to the Kenner Police Department.

The unidentified woman told officers she was attending a seminar for aspiring models inside in the hotel, then stepped out to grab lunch around 1:13 p.m., Lt. Brian McGregor of the Kenner Police Department told the Daily News.

The woman said she was sitting outside eating lunch when Scott approached her wearing a cowboy hat, black shirt, police said.

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Delaware State Police Announces Crime Mapping

Engaging the communities we serve is vital to crime prevention. Crime mapping is one tool that serves that purpose and is an extraordinary example of DSP’s effort to leverage technology to improve services to better inform the public. A mutual benefit where residents are better informed and encouraged to be vigilant is a win, win. Like a virtual neighborhood, it is an opportunity to lend a hand for community members who want to see what is going on locally in their own community. It helps to reduce misinformation when people have real time data and facts. Mapping data can also act as a deterrent to crime and serve as a safety measure in community policing to make people more engaged, aware and cautious.

The Delaware State Police is providing access to this website which makes crime information available to the public. The mapping service allows residents to analyze interactive maps of recent crime activity near their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and places of interest.

Joe Biden offers frank analysis of Democratic election losses

Vice President Joe Biden talked about why Democrats lost the presidential election -- saying bluntly that the party had collectively overlooked key constituencies, particularly rural, working-class Americans.

“We lost because of awful lot of hard-working Americans who live in areas where we did not pay much attention to,” he said at a reception celebrating a Hindu festival. “Barack Obama won these people. They are not racist. They did not vote for the Democrats this time.”

Globalization, Biden said, has fundamentally altered the economic outlook for these voters -- especially blue-collar white American men -- who are feeling left behind by the political process.

“For the first time in recent memory, this is one section of American population where the life expectancy has gone down,” he added. “It is white American men between the age of 40 and 55. They have the highest suicide rate in America. Because they do not know how to deal with this new incredible change that is taking place in the world.”

“Remember, we won these same people,” Biden continued.

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USPS Takes In More Revenue, Needs To Spend More On Workers And Vehicles

Here’s the problem that the U.S. Postal Service has with making money: it’s delivering more packages to quench our thirst for online shopping, but carrying more packages means that the service needs more and upgraded vehicles, and to pay more people to deliver those packages. If the USPS simply reported its profit and loss, it would have had a $200 million profit for fiscal year 2016, but things are not that simple when you’re a quasi-governmental agency. 

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Free Thanksgiving meals offered in Berlin, Ocean City

Two local churches will host free Thanksgiving meals along with fellowship next week.

Berlin’s First Baptist Church will offer Thanksgiving dinners for its 30th year on Williams Street.

“It is an opportunity to share Thanksgiving with someone else and quite often people who live here are lonely so you are keeping them company,” said Sharon Parsons, church officer manager and a Thanksgiving volunteer since 2001.

About 40 volunteers and the church family provide turkeys and side dishes. The traditional dinner includes dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce, she said.

“There is so much joy in helping someone,” Parsons said. “We see it all come together and it is very rewarding.”

The volunteers cook Thanksgiving at their homes or come in to help prepare food before setting up the tables and serving guests in addition to clean-up duties.

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Should Your Job Be A Factor In How Much You Pay For Auto Insurance?

While many consumer advocates believe that drivers’ auto insurance rates should be based on factors that only relate directly to their activity on the road, many states allow insurers to use a wide variety of considerations — including education, marital status, homeownership, and occupation — to help set those rates? With one state looking to halt the use of occupation data, we wanted to know what our readers think. 

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Your Thanksgiving Feast Will Cost Less This Year

After the average price of Thanksgiving dinner topped $50 for the first time ever in 2015, consumers are getting a break this year: the American Farm Bureau Federation says the average cost of a feast for 10 people will be $49.87, a $0.24 drop from a year ago.

The Federation, an agricultural trade group, looked at prices for turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk — all in quantities capable of feeding 10 people with plenty of leftovers.

The star of the meal is about $0.30 cheaper per whole turkey (for a 16-pound bird) than it was in 2015, and should cost you about $22.74 this year.

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Local family draws support following several tragedies

After the Byrd family experienced three deaths in the last two years, mounting debt rendered them unable to buy gravestones for the departed, but a recently launched gofundme campaign seeks to remedy the situation.

Salisbury resident Dr. Cynthia Byrd, executive director of the Julia A. Purnell Museum in Snow Hill, said the string of tragic family events began when her younger sister, Christina Johnson, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011.

“She passed away in Dec 2014 from ovarian cancer,” she said. “My husband and I adopted her two young daughters.”

As it turned out, fate had a few more tragedies in store for the Byrd family, most of whom live in Folkston, Georgia.

“At my sister’s memorial, my mother told me she had not been feeling well,” she said.

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Morgan Stanley to Expand Operations in Baltimore City, Plans to Create 800 New Jobs

Global Financial Services Firm to Lease More Than 250,000 Square Feet in Baltimore

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, a leading global financial services firm, is expanding its operations in Baltimore City and plans to create as many as 800 additional jobs over the next four years. The company currently has approximately 1,000 employees at offices on Thames Street at Harbor Point, and plans to create the new jobs at that location and a new location at 100 South Charles Street. With more than 250,000 square feet of space between the two locations, Morgan Stanley’s Baltimore offices will contain a wide variety of roles across multiple divisions.

“Morgan Stanley has established a strong footprint in Baltimore over the past decade, successfully expanding our local operations in partnership with the city,” said Sheila Welch, managing director, head of global workforce strategy at Morgan Stanley. “The firm is pleased to move forward with this new strategic initiative and continue growing our presence in the area.”

Founded in 1935, Morgan Stanley has become one of the world’s leading financial firms. Headquartered in New York, the company has more than 55,000 employees in 43 countries, spanning six continents. Morgan Stanley provides a variety of services including investment banking and wealth management to corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals worldwide.

“It is a tremendous win for the state and for Baltimore City that a global company like Morgan Stanley is continuing to grow its business here in Maryland,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This expansion and the many new jobs being created underscores the promise we made to make our state more competitive and business-friendly, while creating new opportunities for all Marylanders.”

Donations to Planned Parenthood, ACLU, NRA spike after election

Several organizations have seen a spike in donations and support in the week since the election, both nationally and in Maryland.

Those groups include Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Rifle Association.

On one hand, some organization leaders said the support has been out of concern about what a Donald Trump administration could bring. Others attribute it to a kind of celebration for the incoming administration.

The surge in online volunteer applications started within 24 hours of the election at Planned Parenthood of Maryland, according to president and CEO Karen J. Nelson.

Usually it's eight in a week. In those first 24 hours, Nelson said they got 64.

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BREAKING NEWS: MANHUNT IN WEST OCEAN CITY: UPDATE #2, #3

The Maryland State Police, Trooper 4, Worcester County Sheriff's Department, Berlin Police and Ocean City Police are currently on Rt. 50 near the last entrance of the Riddle Farm searching for an individual with guns drawn. Trooper 4 is circling the entire area but we have not been informed as to what is going on. More to come...

UPDATE: They are looking for a female with short brown hair, wearing light colored pants and a dark brown shirt.

UPDATE #2: We've just been informed law enforcement has suspended the search for the individual. 

UPDATE #3: We're told the woman murdered someone. It turns out it was attempted murder.

Originally posted at 12:57

Google’s Eric Schmidt Wore ‘Staff’ Badge at Hillary Clinton Election Night Party

Hacked memo revealed Schmidt was working directly with the Clinton campaign

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc., was spotted at Hillary Clinton’s “victory” party last Tuesday wearing a staff badge, according to a picture recently submitted toPolitico.

Google came under fire earlier this year for allegedly altering search results to paint Hillary Clinton in a more favorable light than Donald Trump. Schmidt stated at the time that Google did not pick sides in the presidential race.

“We have not taken a position on the American election and nor do I expect us to,” Schmidt said at the time.

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COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES Contractual Law Saves County Taxpayers Dollars

SALISBURY, MD - November 18, 2016 - One of my goals as County Executive has been to run this county more like a business. I promised to review how we are doing business in the county and make some changes that make good economic sense.

For example, let’s look at our Legal Department. Having the best legal advice is critical to ensuring that everything we do complies with the law and is fair and responsible.

For decades, the county relied on one attorney, who worked as a contractor and billed the county for the number of hours he worked on county business.

Shortly after our first County Executive was elected in 2006, he decided to create a Department of Law, inside the government office building where the county attorney was hired as a county employee. That office grew into three full-time attorneys and two full-time staff members by the time I took office.

Shortly before I was elected County Executive, then County Attorney Ed Baker announced he was planning to retire.

As we searched for Mr. Baker’s replacement, we also sought ways to save money. The growing cost of salaries and benefits in that department was getting expensive. In 2015, the county spent $430,542 on the Legal Department ($302,977 in salaries and $127,565 in benefits).

So we looked for a better way.

Baltimore Police Crime Scene Tech Arrested In Raid

 

Baltimore Police say officers arrested a crime scene technician in a west Baltimore raid Wednesday.

The raid in the 1600 block of Ashburton Street was led by the police office of professional responsibility. The targets were Timika Jones--the crime scene technician--and boyfriend Clarence Jones Jr.

Both were in the home when the warrant was served. Police say they found two handguns, a capsule machine and $100,000. In a vehicle rented by Timika Jones, they found 125 gel capsules containing suspected heroin and $5,000 in cash.

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White House Backs Navy’s New Enlisted Ranking System Following Protest

The White House is standing by the decision of U.S. Navy leaders to “modernize” the service’s enlisted ranking system after thousands of individuals petitioned President Obama to roll back the changes.

The Navy announced in September that it would eliminate its 91 enlisted ratings titles, subjecting sailors to job classification similar to the the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The review of the service’s job titles was ordered by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who wanted to ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps titles are gender neutral.

The new enlisted rating system sparked massive criticism from current and former service members on social media, with more than 100,000 individuals signing onto a White House petition demanding the Obama administration restore the 240-year-old enlisted ranking system.

The White House responded to the petition this week, standing by the Navy’s argument that the new system will allow sailors to more easily enter the civilian workforce after retiring from the military and describing the outrage as “friction” typically caused by cultural changes.

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Md. Man Charged With Aiding ISIL Argues Freedom Of Speech

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Harford County man charged with aiding ISIS wants a judge to throw the charges out.

WJZ”S Alex DeMetrick reports his lawyers are arguing his right to freedom of speech is being violated.

It was postings on social media that brought the FBI to Mohamad Elshinawy’s front door in Harford County last year.

Charging documents allege he pledged allegiance to ISIL and called himself a soldier of the state.

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N.C. Liberals: Out for the Count

If you can’t win the election, steal it! That’s been a strategy of some on the Left for decades, and in North Carolina, plenty of voters are wondering if the same hijinks are taking place in the hotly-contested race for governor. For conservatives, who watched incumbent Pat McCrory (R) take a sizeable lead well into the counted precincts, it was a shock to see the last minute, inexplicable surge for his opponent, Attorney General Roy Cooper. Later, voters learned that because of some “technical glitches,” a heavily Democratic Durham County had petitioned to stay open later -- a clear advantage for the trailing liberal. An emergency appeal to the state Board of Elections demanding that polls stay open an extra hour was granted, resulting in a flood of last-minute Cooper ballots.

As if that weren’t fishy enough, the county already has a history of foul play. “A Superior Court Judge was recently quoted as saying, ‘Durham historically hasn’t figured out how to carry out an election properly.’ Also, the State Bureau of Investigation has opened up an investigation of the processing of provisional and absentee ballots.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only inconsistency in an election separated by barely 5,000 votes. “In the final days of the campaign, the NAACP won a court order for thousands of North Carolinians to be reinstated on voter rolls,” Bloomberg pointed out.

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Changing #MannequinChallenge for the better. #BacktoWork