Saturday, May 15, 2010

Ripken, Jr. To Help Raise Funds For Shock Trauma


BALTIMORE -- Cal Ripken Jr. will add his star power to a fundraising effort for the University of Maryland Medical Center and its Shock Trauma Center.

The former Baltimore Oriole is being named honorary chairman of the campaign. The campaign's chairman, former state Sen. Francis X. Kelly, is a longtime friend of Ripken's.

The fundraising effort was set to kick off Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a nine-story trauma/critical care building.

The building, set to open in 2013, will be the first major expansion of Shock Trauma since it opened in 1989. The project is slated to get $50 million in state funds over several years.

Officials said the expansion is needed because demand for services is expected to increase. Already, Shock Trauma serves nearly 8,000 patients a year in a building originally designed for 3,500.

This is How Hussein Obama Got Elected

This video shows exactly how the typical liberal thinks and it was those people that put Hussein Obama in office.

Like I have said many times before "liberalism is a mental disorder" and here's the proof.



DIRECT LINK HERE

Autistic Boy Charged with Making Terroristic Threats in Stick Figure Drawing

Teen drew two stick figures, one with gun


FULTON COUNTY, Ga. (MyFOX ATLANTA) - A Fulton County mother was outraged Wednesday that her autistic son was suspended and charged with a felony over a picture he drew. The 14 year old is a student at Ridgeview Charter School in Atlanta.

Shane Finn's mother said he was in a special needs class when he drew a picture of two stick figures, and one had a gun.

The eighth grade boy's picture depicted a stick figure with a gun that was labeled "me." The figure was shooting another figure that had his teacher's name above it.

The picture led to Finn being suspended, and he is now facing criminal charges.

"They've pressed felony charges for terroristic threats," said the teen's mother, Karen Finn. "It's that sweeping zero tolerance and I think it's ridiculous."

Finn said her son drew the picture on the page of a school assignment where his teacher would easily see it. Finn says her son doesn't really understand why he's in trouble. Finn said her son is autistic and has the mental capacity of a third grader.

"It really breaks my heart because he's a really nice kid and this is obviously from his disability. He really doesn't have a good way of expressing anger, frustration," Finn said.

Finn said she wasn't proud of the picture her son drew, but she said the punishment was much too severe.

"I think there needs to be some sort of common sense used with the school system. That a 14-year-old autistic boy who does not understand what he's done or what he's drawn, has an IQ of 75 should not be charged with a felony. It's outrageous," Finn said.

School authorities could not say much about the student because of privacy laws, but they did confirm that Shane will face a tribunal and is being charged with making terroristic threats.

VIA: MyFox

78-Year-Old Arkansas Man Fights to Keep Pet Pig

An Arkansas man has asked a judge to decide the fate of his arthritic pet potbellied pig, Joker.

Less than a week after Wilferd Kallhoff, 78, moved to a subdivision in Mountain Home, Ark., police told him the pig had to go because the city prohibits hogs and other farm animals, the Baxter Bulletin reports.

A trial is set for June 29.

Joker, a Swedish potbellied pig who weighs about 200 pounds, is a well-mannered pet, Kallhoff tells Paw Nation. He spends his days inside a four-foot-high chain-link pen in the backyard, sleeps on blankets in the garage, and never barks, bites or leaves the property. The animal likes children, especially when they feed him popcorn, and never wallows in mud, Kallhoff said. He never eats table scraps (being limited to popcorn, bananas and pig feed).

"I'm not saying he smells perfect, but he doesn't smell any worse than a dog does," Kallhoff said.

Kallhoff spoke with an official at City Hall to make sure his pet was allowed before moving to Mountain Home a few weeks ago from the city of Salem. "She said you can't have hogs," he said. "It doesn't say anything about potbellied pigs. She said 'As long as nobody complains, I guess it will be OK.'"

But Kallhoff had barely moved in when a neighbor reported the pig in the yard to City Hall. The police gave him five days to find Joker a new home.

Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel said the law doesn't differentiate potbellied pigs from hogs or make an exception for pets.

"In this part of the country, hog and pig are basically the same thing," he told Paw Nation. "We have to act accordingly through points of law, and it's prohibited by city ordinance."

Joker, the runt of his litter, has been with Kallhoff since birth in California, when Kallhoff and his late wife, Myrtle, had a business raising and selling pet pigs.

"He was just so cute, he became one of the family," Kalhoff said.

The pig used to sleep in the dining room -- each night, Kalhoff would cover him with blankets like a child -- but these days, Joker sleeps in the garage because Kalhoff's lady friend would prefer not to have the pig in the house.

As pot-bellied pigs have grown popular as pets, owners in several states have succeeded in getting zoning laws changed to allow them, according to Pigs4Ever.com, a site for potbellied-pig owners. In 2008, city leaders in Kissimmee, Fla. struck a compromise between owners of Vietnamese potbellied pigs, and their neighbors, by enacting a limit of two potbellied pigs per household, with the requirement that the pigs must be kept indoors.

Mountain Home Mayor David L. Osmon was sympathetic to Kallhoff's plight but said there was nothing he could do unless the City Council decides to change the law, which has been on the books for decades.

"If the City Council wants to change that law, I'll sign the ordinance," Osmon said.

In the meantime, Kallhoff says he won't second-guess the judge, but he worries what will happen to Joker. While losing the pig would be "like losing a child," Kallhoff said, he can't pick up and move again.

"If he tells me I have to get rid of him, I guess, as bad as it will hurt, I'll have to do it," Kallhoff said. "I would probably have to have him euthanized because I don't think anybody would take care of him the way I do."

VIA: PawNation

~~ Strawberry Shortcake Sale ~~

The women of Emmanuel Episcopal Church announce a


Fundraising Strawberry

Shortcake Sale

Saturday May 15, 2010

1:00 PM until 4:00 Pm in the church Parish Hall

You can eat in or carryout this "all homemade, fresh dessert delight".

For directions or more information call the church - 757-824-5043


Stepfather Beat Boy To Death


How do small children "fall through the cracks"? This child made it clear that he did not want to go stay with his mother. And why, oh, why do adults do these terrible, nightmarish things to their OWN innocent children.......or even make excuses for why it happened?!! This child was sent to Utah by a Virginia judge even though the child did not want to go...............

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah man held in the slaying of his 4-year-old stepson beat him for days before the boy died, then used a hammer to disfigure his face and teeth before burying his body in the mountains, according to police records released late Wednesday.

The body of Ethan Stacy, wrapped in plastic, was unearthed by police Tuesday.

Interview summaries filed by Layton police detectives documented increasingly harsh treatment of the boy during his short time in Utah. A Virginia judge had sent the boy to Layton for a summer visit with his mother just 10 days before his death, police said.

Investigators said they obtained photographs and video images of Ethan's worsening condition from his mother's cell phone, starting more than a week ago.

The injuries resulted from the stepfather, Nathanael Sloop, "engaging in a systematic and progressively more violent pattern of abuse toward Ethan," detectives wrote in interview summaries. The documents say Sloop was angry with the child and "tried everything" to discipline him; however, they don't say why the boy was being disciplined.

Sloop, 31, acknowledged hitting the boy, which caused his face to swell, and leaving him in a locked bedroom May 6 while the couple went to get married in Farmington, about 10 miles away, according to the probable cause statements used to support arrest warrants and detention in jail.

Sloop and the boy's mother, Stephanie Sloop, 27, feared his injuries would alert authorities if they took him along to the courthouse wedding, the documents state.

"This pattern of behavior and abuse was done in a manner that was recklessly indifferent to the child's welfare," police wrote.

Stephanie Sloop told police she did not seek medical help for Ethan because she was afraid Nathanael Sloop "would harm her," Detective Brooke Plotnick wrote.

The couple told police they found Ethan dead in his bed Sunday morning, and that Nathanael Sloop buried him later that day.

Stephanie Sloop told investigators she bought two cans of lighter fluid for Nathanael Sloop to burn the body before it was buried. The reports didn't say whether that was actually done.

The stepfather disfigured the boy's face and teeth "in an effort to defeat or delay identification," detectives concluded in their reports.

Prosecutors said they expect to file charges against the couple Friday. Nathanael Sloop was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder. He and the mother face additional charges of desecration of a corpse, along with felony child abuse and obstruction of justice, police said.

Chief Deputy Davis County Attorney David Cole said prosecutors are awaiting the results of an autopsy conducted Wednesday.

The Sloops are being held at the Davis County jail.

Attorney Richard Gallegos, who has represented Nathanael Sloop in previous criminal cases, did not return a message Wednesday. It was unknown if Stephanie Sloop had an attorney.

Nobody answered a phone at the Sloops' apartment Wednesday, and a message wasn't returned.

Stephanie Sloop initially told officers that Ethan wandered away from their apartment complex late Monday, but that was just a ruse aimed at covering the couple's tracks, Lt. Garret Atkin said.

Police searched overnight and said that by midday Tuesday, the Sloops had revealed the location of Ethan's body. The search then moved 20 miles away to a spot off a wooded trail in Wolf Canyon, which borders the Powder Mountain ski resort, about 40 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

Ethan's biological father told The Associated Press police gave him details on the slaying Wednesday.

"I can't talk right now. I just got the horrible news, talking to prosecutors," said Joe G. Stacy of Tazewell, Va.

A relative says Ethan didn't want to spend the summer with his mother.

"Ethan did not want to even talk to (his mother) on the phone. She'd call and he'd say, 'I don't want to talk to her,"' Freida Stacy, Joe G. Stacy's stepmother, told the Deseret News of Salt Lake City.

Stephanie Sloop told police Ethan was vomiting, lethargic and refusing to eat for three days before his death. She also said that on Friday, she found Ethan badly burned from his feet to his buttocks from hot bath water, and that she suspected Nathanael Sloop was responsible.

At another point, the couple forced the child to drink two 16-ounce bottles of water, a 16-ounce bottle of Kool-Aid and a glass of orange juice over two hours, police said. They also gave him Motrin and Benadryl to ease his facial swelling and pain.

Utah State Courts records show that between 2000 and 2003, Nathanael Sloop had several convictions, including for criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and drug possession. In 2003, he served 30 days in jail for one drug possession charge and received a six-month suspended sentence for another.

No criminal history was found for Stephanie Sloop.

www.wavy.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Find out if your PC can run Windows 7


The Office of the CIO has learned of an email scam that is infecting computers with a Trojan horse program disguised as software that determines whether PCs are compatible with Windows 7.

The subject of the email is "Find out if your PC can run Windows 7,” and the body reads “This software scans your PC for potential issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs, and recommends what to do before you upgrade." The email text echo’s legitimate verbiage from Microsoft’s Web page.

Users who try to install the attached, zipped file end up with a back-door Trojan horse program on their computer. Once a victim has installed the software, criminals can pretty much do whatever they want on the PC. Please do not open this email or attachment. As always, the best practice is to open email only from known recipients.

Hat Tip; Eric

Unresponsive Tree Worker Rescued by Firefighters


SUFFOLK - —Firefighters in Suffolk rescued a tree worker on Wednesday afternoon after the man had become dehydrated and unresponsive while 60 feet off the ground.

The emergency crew responded around 4:30 p.m. to a location on Carolina Road after the 40-year-old man grew weak while working with a chain saw in a pine tree. When firefighters arrived, the man was unresponsive and was attempting to hold onto the tree and his safety ropes.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to reach the man and bring him down. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the city, said the rescue took about 30 minutes.

The man was treated at the scene but declined to be transported to a hospital.

7th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection A Huge Success


On Saturday, May 8 nearly 100 Eastern Shore citizens lined up at the Mother Earth Day Festival on Chincoteague to drop off nearly 3.5 tons (7,326 pounds to be exact) of household hazardous material for proper disposal by Care Environmental Corporation, of Landing, New Jersey. Saturday's successful effort brought in the most hazardous waste in the history of the event.

A variety of materials were brought in for proper disposal including old paint, stale fuels, pesticides, flammable aerosols, oxidizers, batteries, and asbestos shingles. In addition, nearly 200 pounds of reusable paint was collected and donated to the Eastern Shore Food Bank.

The Eastern Shores landfills are not engineered to handle these materials and hazardous wastes that illegally enter the landfill could potentially threaten the health of Eastern Shore residents. Hazardous wastes also tend to accumulate around everyones homes over time creating unnecessary health and safety risks at home. Every quantity of hazardous waste brought in through the collection program ensures that that waste will not pollute our water resources on the Eastern Shore and endanger the quality of our water and our health.

For tips on safer use, storage, and disposal of all types of household hazardous waste please contact Curt Smith with the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission and visit the A-NPDC on the web at www.a-npdc.org and on Facebook. Next years collection is currently scheduled to be held in Northampton County.

The event was sponsored by Accomac and Northampton Counties, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Ground Water Committee, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, the A-NPDC, the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance, the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of Chincoteague, the Chincoteague Natural History Association, Spangler Construction, and the Eastern Shore Soil & Water Conservation District.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Bill Clinton offers himself as lottery prize to pay off Hillary’s debts

There are many ways to pay off campaign debts — cajoling phone calls, begging letters — but Bill Clinton believes that he has come up with a better method to wipe out the financial obligations outstanding from his wife’s failed presidential bid.

He is raffling himself. In an e-mail sent to millions of people who supported Hillary Clinton’s White House campaign, the former President asks: “How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend the day with me?” For those who would like the One-Day-With-Bill prize, an online donation of as little as $5 (£3) will buy them the chance.

By 2007, seven years after leaving the White House, the Clintons had earned a combined $109 million (£73 million) through speaking engagements and bestselling memoirs. Even so, apparently they would prefer American voters to settle Mrs Clinton’s remaining $771,000 debt rather than paying it themselves.

“Hillary’s campaign still has a few vestiges of debt that I know she would like to see paid in full. Will you reach out today to help Hillary this one last time?” Mr Clinton asks. In her marathon battle against Barack Obama Mrs Clinton’s debts peaked at $25.2 million. More than $13 million of that she lent to her own campaign — a huge sum that she will never recoup.

This is the second time in a year that Mr Clinton has offered himself as a lottery prize to whittle down his wife’s debt, something that makes some of their supporters cringe. As Secretary of State she is barred from raising money herself to pay it off.

What further angers some of Mrs Clinton’s backers from her failed Democratic primary campaign is the name of the creditor to whom she owes all the money: Mark Penn, her former pollster and chief strategist.

Mr Penn, a longtime Clinton pollster from the former First Couple’s White House days, followed what is standard practice for political strategists in US campaigns: he took a cut of the money paid by Mrs Clinton’s campaign to his firm to carry out polling and send mailshots to voters.

A total of $24 million from her campaign was paid to Mr Penn’s firm, Penn Schoen Berland, during her failed presidential bid. Much of that was to cover the cost of the company’s services but there is no doubt that the advice and strategy Mr Penn gave — advice that many Democrats believe doomed her campaign — made him millions.

He is blamed, for example, for failing effectively to gauge the public’s desire for change, and for sending out 20 million pieces of direct mail in a campaign in which the internet was so crucial. By the end of 2008, Mrs Clinton’s campaign still owed Mr Penn’s firm $5.4 million. That is now down to $771,000, although the campaign also has nearly $624,000 in the bank.

There are some Clinton supporters who believe that Mr Penn, a divisive figure, should not be paid. The money is not owed to him personally but to his firm, which is a subsidiary of the London-based WPP Group.

Mrs Clinton’s campaign relied heavily on big-money donors, most of whom gave the maximum amount allowed, hence the mass appeal to the small-donor base.

VIA: Timesonline

SURF DOG RICOCHET TEAMS UP WITH LEASH YOUR FITNESS & I LOVE DOGS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR ARTHRITIS WITH AN ARTHRITIS WALK & PHOTO CONTEST!

SAN DIEGO, CA, May 13, 2010… Surf dog Ricochet, the SURFice dog who surfs for fun, competition, and charitable causes, is teaming up with Leash Your Fitness, and I Love Dogs, to raise awareness of arthritis in both humans and canines.

One in five adults, and over 300,000 children suffer with arthritis pain every day. Arthritis is one of the most common health problems a dog will face. In fact, at least one in five dogs will develop the debilitating disease. Arthritis is the most common disability in the nation.

This campaign hits close to home for Ricochet, as her guardian and handler, Judy Fridono has been suffering from debilitating arthritis since she was a teenager. "Ricochet has taught me to focus on what I CAN do, rather than what I can't" says Judy. Although she is in constant pain, and horrible fatigue, Judy is committed to helping Ricochet on her journey of raising funds and awareness for charitable causes. When Leash Your Fitness mentioned they were involved in the "Let's Move Together Arthritis Walk", Ricochet immediately joined their team. For more info on how arthritis affects Ricochet and Judy, go to http://www.surfdogricochet.com/Arthritis%20Campaign.htm

The Eighth Annual "Let's Move Together" Arthritis Walk will take place at the NTC Promenade at Liberty Station on Saturday, June 5, 2010. The goal for the 2010 Walk is to raise $250,000 for the prevention, treatment, and research to find a cure for arthritis.

Leash Your Fitness, the only workout class in San Diego where your dog is your workout partner is co-sponsoring the "Leash Your Fitness with Kima" 2010 Arthritis Walk team. In exchange for each team member raising a minimum of $150.00 for the Arthritis Foundation, the participant receives six weeks of FREE training, three FREE Leash Your Fitness classes and a FREE Leash Your Fitness t-shirt to wear in the walk. The team meets weekly at various parks throughout San Diego for one-hour "walk the circuit" classes, which incorporate upper body strength and core exercises, balance, yoga and dog obedience. The team training is designed to build endurance for the three-mile walk, all while preparing your dog to walk in a group setting. For additional details on Leash Your Fitness Classes or to join the team, please visit http://www.leashyourfitness.com/index.htm

I Love Dogs has long been supportive of Ricochet’s amazing charitable work and donations, and when they heard about her new arthritis campaign, they wanted to get involved. They are excited to announce that they’re co-hosting a photo contest with Ricochet, and because I Love Dogs dreams of a world without the pain of arthritis, the contest is focusing on health, exercise and fun! In honor of Ricochet’s talent as a surfer, the contest is beach and surf themed. Pet parents are asked to dress up their dogs in their coolest beach or surf outfits or accessories. The winner gets a big gift basket with all sorts of goodies such as a 60-day supply of Glucosamine & Chondroitin with Green Tea, a Frisbee, a leash and some Body Glove water toys. For all the details of the contest, go to
http://www.ilovedogs.com/2010/05/surf-dog-ricochet-and-i-love-dogs-team-up-for-a-contest/

Ricochet, Leash Your Fitness, and I Love Dogs invite you to join them in their quest to raise awareness of arthritis, by joining their team for the walk, entering the photo contest, or making a donation.

Ricochet dreams of a day when her guardian, and all those suffering with arthritis, both human and canine can live their life without pain.

For more information, contact Judy Fridono at 707-228-0679, or pawinspired@aol.com.

http://www.SurfDogRicochet.com
http://www.arthritiswalksandiego.com
http://www.LeashYourFitness.com
http://www.Ilovedogs.com

Subject: Letter to Orange County Ca. newspaper

As the battle continues about illegal immigration, this is a good message to pass along. There is no objection to legal immigrants, this country has always welcomed those who come through the proper channels. Illegal immigration is a whole different story. If it is necessary to check ID's that should not be seen as racial profiling; we need to take all precautions to protect ourselves from illegal activities.


ORANGE COUNTY ( CALIFORNIA ) NEWSPAPER-New Immigrants

This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points… For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper...................


Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!




From:
"David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:



Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of
Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages was looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their other country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed)
Rosemary LaBonte


Hat Tip; Art

Daughter/Mother Gone Again.......



Story continued ~~~~~
The Pocomoke mother that went missing during the first week of April and then returned to her home in Pocomoke has gone missing again.


Back in April it was reported to the police by the mother, Theresa Parks, that her daughter, Kristen Shockley, was missing. Kristen has a toddler son and attends WorWic Tech. When she did not arrive home from class one evening and her mother could not reach her daughter by cell phone the mother of the young woman became concerned. Contacting the local police department after waiting the required 24 hours Theresa was told they couldn't do much since her daughter was an adult and would more that likely, return home. Theresa began to reach out to the community for assistance in locating her daughter and the community came to her need.

Also during the week of April 5 th a phone call from Kristen to her mother lead her mother on a chase to Baltimore, Maryland where Kristen said she was and wanted to come home. Even though Kristen was calling from a police station the department could not hold her because she is an adult. And unfortunately Kristen was gone by the time her mother had completed the two hour or more drive to the city.

A few days after Theresa's trip to Baltimore Kristen returned home to Pocomoke and was reunited with her small son and family but only for a short time.

She has left her son and family once again ending up in Baltimore.

The missing mother from Pocomoke, Kristen Shockley, was arrested May 11, 2010 and is being held in a Baltimore jail. Also arrested was Paul Daniel Brown, Jr. Giving their addresses as unknown and homeless the two have been arrested and charged with fourth degree robbery and malicious destruction of property.

Medal For Troops Showing Restraint

Gen. Stanley McChrystal




U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan could someday be awarded medals for restraint that prevents civilian casualties in combat.

The possibility is under consideration by the staff of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander in Afghanistan, according to Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis, McChrystal's spokesman.

The idea of rewarding battlefield restraint was proposed by British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, who is in charge of the international forces in southern Afghanistan. Sholtis said the idea is still in its "conceptual stage."

"Although no decisions have been made on the award itself, the idea is consistent with our strategic approach," Sholtis said. "Our young men and women display remarkable courage every day, including situations where they refrain from using lethal force, even at risk to themselves, in order to prevent possible harm to civilians. In some situations our forces face in Afghanistan, that restraint is an act of discipline and courage not much different than those combat actions that merit awards for valor."

Sholtis said troops would still have the right of self defense.

"Let me be clear. We absolutely support the right of our forces to defend themselves. Valuing restraint in a potentially dangerous situation is not the same thing as denying troops the right to employ lethal force when they determine that it is necessary."

McChrystal has placed a priority on reducing civilian casualties as a means of gaining support of the Afghan people. A number of recent high-profile incidents in which civilians have been killed have given the Taliban a propaganda tool against the coalition, U.S. officials said.

McChrystal has instituted other rules to help minimize civilian deaths, including restricting the use of airstrikes in areas where there may be civilians, and limiting nighttime raids by U.S. forces.

Boat Strikes Jetty In Wenona- Five Are Hurt

The charter boat "Break Time" struck a jetty in Wenona on Thursday morning. (Photo submitted by WBOC Facebook fan Suzie Wantz DeVaughn)

WENONA, Md.- Maryland Natural Resources Police say a captain, a mate and three passengers on board a charter boat suffered non-life-threatening injuries when the vessel crashed into a jetty in Wenona on Thursday morning.



Two of the victims were transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury.



Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Natural Resources Police are investigating what happened and to determine what- if any- charges could be filed.

Wenona is an unincorporated community located on Deal Island in western Somerset County.

www.wboc.com

The charter boat is named "Break Time".

Becomming A Bluebird

I've been watching these bluebirds for a few weeks now and I must admit that creatures in the wild are such hard working beings that perhaps some of us could learn a lesson or two from them.
These two photos were taken on May 9...........Mother's Day. For a few days the male bluebird has been very active in seeing that his family is not only fed but protected. There has been a black bird, similar to a Grackle, trying to stir up trouble for this family. I have seen the male bird go directly at this black bird to knock him out of the air. The female bird has made numerous attempts to tap the bird on the head with her beak........which she has. Bluebirds are shy birds normally but it has been quite clear to me that like most parents, they will protect their home and their family.

Yesterday morning those same black birds (there are two) were at the bluebird house again with wads of dried grass this time........trying to force it into the hole of the house. These grackle-like birds are so very aggressive and if I could get my hands on just one of them life sure would be easier....... not just for me but for this tiny mommy bluebird.
I noticed all day yesterday that the male Bluebird was missing.
He is missing again today and I have been trying to help this pitiful mommy bluebird protect her nest from predators. Now I don't know if there is such a thing as a "dead beat dad" in the world of birds or not. I have no clue as to his whereabouts except that maybe he lost the battle trying to fight the Grackles.
So, the mommy bluebird continues her struggle to feed and protect her family and I am doing all I can to help. She has seen me so many times flapping my "wings" at the Grackles and understands that I am trying to help. In just a few more days these small fluffy birds will be leaving the nest and fly off into the world....................leaving the female bluebird and ME alone.
I'll take care of those Grackles....................

You can't see them very well in this picture but there are two in the house and I'm quite sure there are four.
Two years ago these same birds stuffed my bluebird house with dried grass and suffocated FOUR babies that within a day or two would have left the nest and I vowed it would never again happen in my yard!

Virginia Tax Holiday For Hurricane Preparedness

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS SALES TAX HOLIDAY For 2010
May 25 - 31


With the hurricane season upon us the Commonwealth of Virginia has announced their annual sales tax holiday for purchasing hurricane and emergency preparedness equipment. During this week you can stock up on supplies that will be needed during the hurricane and flooding season. It's also a good time to add to you family first aid kit.

Many of these items are less than $60.00. Please take advantage of this sales tax holiday so that you and your family will be prepared. We have been so very fortunate in the past years but let's not let our guard down. Be prepared and don't wait until the last minute!
  • Artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs, reusable ice
  • Batteries, excluding car or boat batteries
  • Battery-powered light sources, including flashlights and lanterns
  • First aid kits
  • Cell phone chargers
  • Weather Band radios and NOAA Weather Radios
  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radios, including radio with electrical power option
  • Bottled water of any size, including flavored, carbonated and vitamin water
  • Two-way radios
  • Manual can openers
  • Tarps, plastic sheeting, plastic drop cloths
  • Bungee cords and rope
  • Ground anchor systems or tie down kits
  • Ratchet straps
  • Duct tape
  • Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, fire extinguishers
  • Empty gas, propane or diesel fuel tanks or containers
  • Water storage containers such as buckets, barrels, canteens, coolers
  • Storm shutter devices made for the prevention of storm damage (not plywood)

Shop for items on this list that have a sales price of $1,000 or less:

  • Portable generators and generator power cords
  • Inverters and inverter power cables.

Participating retail outlets will have information about the upcoming Virginia tax holiday.

For more information, go to www.tax.virginia.gov/salestaxholiday.

For information about getting ready for hurricane and flooding season in Virginia, visit http://www.readyvirginia.gov/.

The History Of Pocomoke by Murray James (12)

Formerly New Town. 73 obliging and accomodating, and has made money. He has been sheriff of Worcester county. During 1881, he united in partnership with Edgar Fontaine, who was also in the drug business, thus the two stores became one ; they are now doing business under the firm of Lloyd and Fontaine, and are prospering.

In 1862, Dr. D. J. O. Truitt commenced the apothecary and variety business, in New Town, and has conducted it successfully to the present. In 1862, Dr. Samuel S. Quinn and Albert S. Merrill commenced the drug busi- ness, and continued it until 1864, when they retired. In 1866, Dr. John T. B. McMaster opened a drug store in co-partnership with Ashtchi Milbourn, which firm con- tinued until 1869, when Dr. McMaster sold out his interest in the store to Ashton Milbourn.

In 1869, Ashton Milbourn and William T. Broughton united in the drug business and conducted it until 1873, at which time they sold out their stock in trade to Messrs. Fontaine and Turpin. This firm continued for two years, when Mr. Turpin sold out to Mr. Fontaine. From 1875 to the present, or until Mr. Fontaine united in business with C. C. Lloyd, he has been quite attentive to business; has built up a good trade, and has become a popular merchant.

In i860, William W\ Quinn & Brother opened a general dry goods and grocery store, which they con- ducted until 1873, when they closed out. In 1855, W. S. C. Polk commenced merchandising in New Town, and 74 History of Pocorrwke City, in 1863 he took as a partner his brother, Emerson G.. Polk. This firm continued until 1866, when he sold out his interest in the store to his brother Emerson. From 1S66 until the present Emerson G. Polk has con- ducted a dry goods, clothing, boot and shoe store of quite an extensive character, and keeps on hand a general assortment of first class cloths for gentlemen's wear : and none need fear in going to him for a good article and of getting what they want.

He is polite, obliging and attentive to business. In 1868, Henry King commenced merchandising, in New Town, and conducted the business until 1875, when he closed out. In 1864, John W. Mezick commenced merchandizing,, in New Town, and continued until 1 866, when he retired from business, and removed to the State of Missouri.

In 1863 or '64, the Messrs. Bachrachs were engaged in the sale of goods, in New Town, about one year, after which they settled in Baltimore, where they are still doing business, and have become wealthy.

In 1864, Littleton T. Clarke, Thos. J. Blain and Thos. N. Williams, formed a co-partnership in merchandising in New Town. They kept a first class dry goods and grocery store. They continued in the business unti* 1866, when they closed out.

In 1867, Captain Robert Henry engaged in mercan- tile life in New Town. His store is a first class dry goods and grocery store. Captain Henry not only owns his- Formerly New Town. 75 stock in trade, but three schooners, seven houses and several building lots and two farms.

Some of the houses rank among the finest houses in the town. His entire property may be safely estimated at $30,000. In thus describing his wealth, the reader may be anxious to learn something of the man. Well, as I have known him from his infancy, it will give me pleasure to show him up as a wide-awake, sagacious business man.

Let me say in the first place, however, that he is a man of color, and was raised to work. When but a boy he became a sailor, and was hand before the mast, and after he became his own man he laid up $1,400, the result of his hard labor on board of vessels. After this he joined Ashcraft & Risley in the vessel trade, and here was the mine of wealth which he struck. After some years this partnership dissolved, and since then he has operated by himself. Captain Henry has no education. He can neither read nor write, but although he is without this necessary quali- fication, yet he studies men and business ; and there are but few more shrewd business men than Captain Henry.

He has six children, and he is over 50 years of age. CHAPTER IX. MERCANTILE ASPECT (CONTINUED). In 1 85 1, Mrs. Araminta Hall commenced the millinery and ladies trimming business, which she has conducted 76 History of Pocomoke City, up to the present ; has been very successful in business, and has made money. In 1S30, Mrs. Eliza Merrill established the millinery and ladies trimming business, in New Town, and con- ducted the same for 35 years, and made money.

In 1846, Miss Anna H. Henderson commenced the millinery and ladies trimming business, in New Town. In 1863, she married Mr. William T. Hearn, and after- wards her store was familiarly known as Mrs. Anna Hearn's store. She conducted the business successfully until 1863, in which year she died. In 1855) Miss Amereth J. Trader commenced the mil- linery, notion and ladies trimming business in New Town.

About one year after this she married Mr. Littleton T. Clarke, after which her house of business was known as Mrs. Jane Clarke's store. In 1866 Mr. Clarke died. She continued the business, however, without intermission, and in 1S71 she married Mr. Henry A. DeKay. After this her business com- menced increasing until it has assumed its present proportions as one of the finest millinery, notion and ladies trimming stores on the Eastern Shore.

In 1849, Mrs. Julia Redden commenced the millinery business and conducted the same until 1S61, when she closed out. In 1864, Mrs. Ursula B. Henderson, commenced the millinery, notion and ladies trimming business, in New Town, and has continuous! v conducted the same until

Formerly New Town. 77

the present. Mrs. Henderson is industrious and attentive to her businesss, enterprising and unyielding in her pur- pose to succeed. If these qualifications are a true index to success, she is bound to win. She commenced business on fifty dollars and has increased to such an extent as to warrant the declaration that her house, for the beauty and tasteful arrangement of goods, together with its heavy stock in trade, will com- pare favorably with any house of like character in the cities.

In 1866, Mrs. Ella Foster commenced the milli- nery business, and continued the same for about two years. In 1867, Miss Lizzie Clayville commenced the millinery business and conducted the same about two years and retired. In 1866, Mrs. Mary A. Tipton commenced the milli- nery business aud continued with slight intervals until 1880, when she moved to Philadelphia.

In 1876, Zadock J. Hall and his son, Charles S. Hall, commenced merchandising in Pocomoke City under the firm of C. S. Hall & Co, ; this partnership business lasted two years, when Zadok J. Hall sold out his interest in the store to Richard Hall another son of his. This firm is now doing business under the name of C. S. Hall & Brother, two enterprising young men, who without an accident will succeed. A word here in reference to Zadok J. Hall may be interesting to the reader: He is brother to Major T. Hall and Jerome B. Hall, who have already been noticed in

78 History of Pocomdke City, this history. He was subject to all the privations that marked their earlier years, and was reared under the most discouraging circumstances, without a friend who was able to take him by the hand and promote him, and without education ; yet by dint of perseverance, has made his mark in the world as well as his brothers.

He has attained a competency and lives retired from the whirl of business life, taking delight in the improvement and cul- tivation of his little farm. Mr. Hall is also a member of the Baptist Church, in Pocomoke City. He has four children, and he is fifty-two years old. In I878, Herbert H. King and William Sidney Dryden formed a partnership, under the title of H. H. King & Co., in a first-class dry goods and grocery store, in Pocomoke City. This firm is doing a safe business, enterprising and polite, they must win.

Mr. Dryden, one of this firm, has been engaged in business nearly twenty years, in the City of Baltimore. He left his father's home, a young man, to seek his for- tune with no other help but his own native talent. After being engaged in business for some time in the city, he worked his way up to a clerkship as salsman, in one of the largest wholesale dry-good houses in the city, that of William Devries & Co. In this house he has been engaged without intermission for seventeen years, the last three of which have been partially devoted to the collec- tion of claims for the house. formerly

New Town. 79 This trust, committed by the house to him, shows not ♦only their confidence in his integrity, but also their confi- •dence in his tact and business ability in dealing with men. He has succeeded above many of his chance and has made money. About the year 1869, James W. Payne commenced merchandising, in New Town and continued in business until his death, which occurred in January, 1878. About 1 866, Emerson Melvin commenced the sale of goods, in New Town ; he continued in the business with .great success until he died, which event took place in 1879. His estate was worth $6,000 clear of debt. In the settlement of his estate, the inventory of his personal property was the largest that had ever been entered in the Registers office of Worcester County.

He first commenced on fifty dollars capital. About the year 1865, William H. S. Merrill added clothing and gents' furnishing goods to his stock of boots and shoes, he having engaged in the sale of boots and .shoes several years previous. He sold goods until 1871, when he sold out to Robinson & Matthews, who con- ducted the business for five or six years and then closed -out. In 1S77, A. G. Marshall commenced merchandising, in Pocomoke City ; he conducted the business until the spring of 1881, when he closed out. In 1870, Mrs. Sally Payne commenced the confectionery and candy business, in Pocomoke City, and continues the same to the present.

Next 80 History of Pocomoke City,

Previous Chapters by reader request

(1) CLICK HERE

(2) CLICK HERE

(3) CLICK HERE

(4) CLICK HERE

(5) CLICK HERE

(6) CLICK HERE

(7) CLICK HERE

(8) CLICK HERE

(9) CLICK HERE

(10) CLICK HERE

(11) CLICK HERE

Missing Michigan Woman's Husband Has Left Newport News


Douglas Stewart, whose Newport News property was searched earlier this week in connection with his wife's disappearance in Michigan, has left Virginia.

Lt. Mike Risko of Michigan State Police said Stewart has left his apartment on West Avenue in Newport News and returned to Michigan.

His wife, Venus Rose Stewart, has been missing for two weeks. Douglas Stewart has not been named as a suspect, but investigators searched his home and vehicles earlier this week and found possible evidence – a substance that might be blood in his truck, and a receipt from a store in Ohio indicating that he purchased a tarp, a shovel and work gloves the day before his wife disappeared.

Venus Stewart, 32, went missing from her parents' home in Colon Township, Mich., on April 26 and is believed to have been abducted.

Search For Fugitive Wanted On Drug Charges


The Virginia State Police, the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force, and the DEA's Norfolk Office are currently searching for a notorious drug dealer wanted on a federal warrant stemming from a multi-agency investigation in Northampton County on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Jonathan Manwell Johnson, 28, is a black male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. His last known address was in the 2700 block of Arlington Road in Northampton County. Johnson has family in the Philadelphia area, and may flee there to avoid prosecution.

Johnson is known to carry firearms and has a violent criminal history. He should be considered armed and dangerous. He is wanted for conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine.

A reward is being offered for information resulting in the arrest of Johnson.
Anyone with information on this subject is asked to contact the following agencies. Anonymous tips are welcome.

Virginia State Police: 1-800-582-8350 Toll-free in Virginia

Eastern Shore Task Force: 757-414-0746

Northampton County Sheriff's Office: 757-678-0458

Accomack County Sheriff's Office: 757-787-1131

www.wtkr.com

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Little Johnny

A teacher asked her 6th grade class how many of them were Obama fans.

Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny .

The teacher asked Little Johnny why he has decided to be different... again.

Little Johnny said, "Because I'm not an Obama fan."

The teacher asked, "Why aren't you a fan of Obama?" Johnny said, "Because I'm a Republican."

The teacher asked him why he's a Republican. Little Johnny answered, "Well, my Mom's a Republican and my Dad's a Republican, so I'm a Republican."

Annoyed by this answer, the teacher asked, "If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?"

With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, "That would make me an Obama fan."

Kate & Gin Canine freestyle



DIRECT LINK HERE

Hat Tip; Mrs. M

Kagan Argued to Ban Political Pamphlets

Some free speech advocates are going to be very unhappy with President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court vacancy, Solicitor General Elena Kagan.

That’s because, as CNSNews.com reports, she argued to the court in September that Congress has the constitutional right to forbid companies from engaging in political speech such as publishing pamphlets that advocate the election or defeat of a candidate for federal office.

The court, in its 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, ruled against Kagan’s contention that the government can limit political speech by corporations.

In a scathing concurrence to the opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts blasted Kagan’s argument.

“The government urges us in this case to uphold a direct prohibition on political speech. It asks us to embrace a theory of the First Amendment that would allow censorship not only of television and radio broadcasts, but of pamphlets, posters, the Internet, and virtually any other medium that corporations and unions might find useful in expressing their views on matters of public concern,” he wrote.

“Its theory, if accepted, would empower the government to prohibit newspapers from running editorials or opinion pieces supporting or opposing candidates for office, so long as the newspapers were owned by corporations — as the major ones are. First Amendment rights could be confined to individuals, subverting the vibrant public discourse that is at the foundation of our democracy.”

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that Kagan was defending a law that represents an illegitimate attempt to use “censorship to control thought.”

He declared, “This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.”

Conservatives are uniting in opposition to Kagan and say her nomination will boomerang against Democrats.

VIA

THE WEDDING TEST

I was a very happy man.

My wonderful girlfriend
and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married.

There was only one little thing bothering me...It was her beautiful younger sister.

My prospective sister-in-law was twenty-two, wore very tight miniskirts, and generally was bra-less.

She would regularly bend down when she was near me, and I always got more than a nice view.

It had to be deliberate. Because she never did it when she was near anyone else.

One day her 'little' sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations.

She was alone when I arrived, and she whispered to me that she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome.

She told me that she wanted me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister.

Well, I was in total shock, and couldn't say a word.

She said, 'I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you wan one last wild fling, just come up and get me.'

I was stunned and frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs.

I stood there for a moment, then turned and made a beeline straight to the front door. I opened the door, and headed straight towards my car.

Low... and behold, my entire future family was standing outside, all clapping!

With tears in his eyes, my future father-in-law hugged me and said, 'We are very happy that you have passed our little test.

We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter.

Welcome to the family.'

And the moral of this story is:


Always keep your condoms in your car.

Hat Tip; Eric

Eureka! Understanding Women

Finally, we have an equation to understand female thinking.







.


"And thus, dear students, we have arrived at the formula for understanding women".

Hat Tip; Kack

Checkpoints At Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Toll Plazas

The Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response operation, called VIPR, has officers pulling randomly selected vehicles out of line and checking them for anything unusual, said Tom Anderson, the bridge-tunnel’s deputy director.

The goal of the event, a repeat of an operation held in the fall, is to increase safety, prevent terrorism and “act as a method of deterrence,” Anderson said.

The checkpoints are coordinated by the Transportation Security Administration and include the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Norfolk and Virginia Beach police and Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson said. Police dogs also are being used to check vehicles.

The checkpoints began early this morning and will continue through the day, Anderson said.

www.hamptonroads.com

Genetic Tests Available In Drug Stores

A new DNA test will be available at more than 6,000 Walgreen drug stores by the end of the week. However, there are big concerns about the tests.

Your corner drugstore could soon hold the key to unlock your genetic code and your potential for disease. It's a $30 home DNA test kit.

"It gives me the chance to be pre-emptive about it. It's always better to know in advance," Damion Sanders said.

After taking the test; you place your DNA order online. The company says for $79 you can find out how you'll react to certain medications, $179 will tell you what bad genes you might pass on to your baby; and for $179 you can find out what diseases you may develop.

Other companies sell DNA test kits online but Pathways is the first to do so in stores. The FDA says all DNA test kits come under its jurisdiction, and that without approval Pathways could face legal trouble.

Medical ethicists wonder what people might do if they find out they have the potential for getting an incurable disease or would they abort a baby if they find out they may pass along a defective gene.

"It kind of freaks me out, actually. I'm not sure that would be something I would be interested in," Lisa Indelicato said.

"I think that's an unbelievable help, but then again, where do we stop. You don't want to find out too much information," Lucas Hall said.

And if that information is bad; the company promises counselors will be available on the phone at no additional cost.

For more information, visit the company's website here: Pathway DNA & Genetic Testing

www.kbtx.com

Tournament To Benefit RELAY FOR LIFE


Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament


May 13, 2010 at Little Italy Restaurant in Nassawadox


Doors open at 6:30 PM Cards start at 7:00 PM


$20 buy-ins and $10 re-buys


Pizza and soda included


Proceeds to benefit Relay For Life

American Red Cross Blood Drive


Blood Donation dates to benefit the American Red Cross.

Thursday, May 13 at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

Thursday, May 13 at Craddockville United Methodist Church from 3:00 PM until 7:30 PM.

Thursday, May 13 at Broadwater Academy from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Portsmouth Mayor Challenges Petition

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Portsmouth Mayor James Holley, whose citizens filed a petition last week calling for his resignation, has filed a challenge petition.

The 40-word challenge questioned the "genuineness of the signatures," of which there were nearly 9,000, and the "qualifications of the electors."

A judge will decide the legitimacy of the signatures on May 27.

If the judge rules that the amount of legitimate signatures constitute enough for a recall, Holley will have five days from that date to step down from office.

www.wavy.com

Pre-Dawn Meteor Startles Drivers

The meteor seen Monday morning may have looked like this one.
Early-morning commuters in Maryland and as far away as Pittsburgh and Massachusetts were startled Monday by what was likely a spectacular meteor that crossed the sky in the pre-dawn darkness.

Dawn Teagle Dobbs spotted it as she drove south on Interstate 270 near Gaithersburg at 4:47 a.m. "At first I thought it was a shooting star, but it was huge and bright green with a tail," she wrote in a post to The Baltimore Sun's Weather Blog.

Ricky Diggler was motoring south on Route 100. "I saw a very large, greenish-yellow-colored object burning (with fiery tail) its way through the atmosphere in the east," he said in another blog comment. "It appeared to be heading for the Bay."

"Compared to the usual wisps of light very high up in the stratosphere that I usually see, this thing was huge," Diggler said.

Similar reports were posted to the blog from all across Central Maryland and the Eastern Shore, and as far off as Ashburn, Va., Pittsburgh, Greencastle and Gettysburg, Pa., and New Jersey and central Massachusetts.

The fireball sighting was at least the third such spectacle for Marylanders in less than a year.

On July 6, 2009, people in northern Baltimore County and nearby sections of Pennsylvania were rattled by the brilliant flash of a meteor and an accompanying sonic boom. The meteor's fiery entry into the atmosphere was captured on security camera tapes, but a subsequent search turned up no trace of the space rock itself.

Such was not the case on the evening of Jan. 18 this year, when another meteor dropped out of the twilight over Maryland and Virginia with a fiery flash and a lingering smoke trail that several people captured on their cameras.

Hundreds saw the fall, and a fist-sized chunk of that rock drilled through the roof of a doctor's office in Lorton, Va., narrowly missing its occupants before landing on the floor.

"Three [big meteors] in a year over a relatively populated area? That's pretty unusual," said Jim O'Leary, director of the Maryland Science Center's Davis Planetarium.

Although these objects encounter the Earth all the time, most fall over the ocean or other sparsely populated regions. "The chances of seeing it are pretty low," O'Leary said.

Most meteors are tiny bits of space dust no bigger than a grain of rice. They enter the Earth's atmosphere 40 to 60 miles up at such high speeds that the friction causes the air to glow and the meteor to vaporize, creating the visible light.

Fireballs are caused by much larger objects, said Denton Ebel, curator of meteorites at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. "They could be all the way from a basketball to a small car," he said. When they arrive it's "like hitting a wall of air. The air can't get out of the way, so they break into pieces. They explode, essentially," becoming a cluster of objects.

Fireballs can vary in color. Heating during descent will ionize both the air around the meteor, and the rock itself, "sort of like a neon sign," Ebel said. Depending on what element of the air or in the meteor itself dominates, the colors can vary from yellow or red to blue or green.

Because of the fireballs' high speed and brightness, observers on the ground often underestimate their distance, O'Leary said. "Typically they're very high when you see them," he said. "But the impression is that sometimes, especially when they're every bright, that they're closer. In your mind, they're just beyond the trees."

From the descriptions provided by Weather Blog comments, the Monday morning meteor seems to have crossed Maryland and Virginia from roughly west to east, disappearing after a matter of seconds near the east or southeast horizon.

"Charlie" said he was driving on Route 23 in Forest Hill, Harford County, when he spotted the meteor as he neared Conowingo Road.

"I noticed this amazing bright streak of green light falling diagonally through the sky," he said. "I lost sight as it appeared to go behind the buildings at the intersection. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

From the Eastern Shore, a poster named "Jeff" said he was driving to work, eastbound in Salisbury, at that early hour. "I saw the green fireball," he said. "It appeared to have been traveling off the coast."

A poster named "Abbie," writing from much farther north, in central Massachusetts, said she watched as the meteor traveled from southwest to southeast, "right above the horizon. It was a very bright yellow fireball, with a train twice as long and just as bright, with pieces of fire breaking off."

"Mike" was in New Alexandria, Pa., near Pittsburgh, 167 miles northwest of Baltimore. He said, "I saw it very, very low above the southeast horizon … I am amazed at how bright it was for being so far away from me!"

For "Sam," who was driving south from Gettysburg on Maryland Route 97 about 4:45 a.m. Monday, the meteor appeared to be moving "across the sky, from west to east, at approximately 45 degrees above the horizon. Brilliant green in color, with trailing pieces. One of the most awesome things of that nature that I have ever seen."

AMBER ALERT CANCELED

WILMINGTON, Del.- A 3-year-old boy has been located after he went missing from a Delaware home early Tuesday morning.


New Castle County Police have canceled an Amber Alert issued after reports were issued that the child was abducted at gunpoint.

The missing child, identified as Brian Kenney, was later found uninjured in Wilmington. He is currently being evaluated.

Stumbers (the childs mother) was taken into custody and is facing charges. The incident remains under investigation.

www.wboc.com

AMBER ALERT


WILMINGTON - Police in New Castle County have issued an Amber Alert after a 3-year-old was reportedly abducted from a Delaware home at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

Officers were called to the Murray Manor Trailer Park on the 500 block of 6th Avenue at about 2:20 a.m. following reports of a child being abducted by three gunmen.


The child's 24-year-old father said he awoke to three males assaulting him with the butt of a handgun. He was knocked unconscious during the attack and when he arose, he discovered his son and the child's mother were missing.

The victim told police he believes the mother, 24-year-old Ashlie Stumbers, has full custody of his child and she may have played a role in the incident.

The missing child, identified as Brian Kenney, is said to be 3-foot-tall and weighs 45 pounds. He has blond hair, blue eyes and was last wearing blue and yellow pajamas with a print on the front.


Stumbers is said to be 5-foot-4, 135 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

If you have any information on Kenney's or Stumbers' whereabouts, call 911.

www.wboc.com

VA. Space Flight Academy Announces Day Camp Session


The Virginia Space Flight Academy is pleased to present a Day Camp session of Space Flight Adventure Camp, July 5 through July 9, 2010. This session offers local students between the ages of 11 and 15 the same unique opportunities that attract campers from across the U.S., at less than half the price of residence camp tuition.

Campers build and launch model rockets, explore robotics using Lego MindStorm kits, fly cross-country with Microsoft Flight simulator, engineer a simulated rocket launch in an actual NASA mission control room, go behind the scenes of many departments at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and more!
www.shoredailynews.com
Camp tuition is $300, and bus service is available. Day camp registration is not available online, so call (757)824-3800 soon to reserve a spot for your favorite future space explorer.

Strict Rules For Facebook Page

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The city of Charlotte plans to bar public viewing of comments on its Facebook page when it is up and running, a policy that runs counter to other major cities in North Carolina.

The Charlotte Observer reported Monday that only city staff will be allow to view citizens' comments because officials fear they'll be sued if they delete comments that are deemed inappropriate.

City attorney Bob Hagemann says court precedents say the city can't stop someone from talking -- or posting -- just because it doesn't like what the person says.

Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Asheville allow citizens to post comments that other Facebook users can see, as does Mecklenburg County.

The city adopted its policy last month. The city-sponsored Facebook page and Twitter feed could be running in the next couple of months.

www.wavy.com

Monday, May 10, 2010

Large Fire Saturday Near Hallwood, Virginia

Fire departments were called once again this afternoon to this location due to a rekindle.
At 5:09 PM on Saturday afternoon, a woods fire was reported on Neal Parker Road just south of Bayside Market. The fire burned several acres of property on Neal Parker Road, which is Route 316 between Hallwood and Saxis Road. The piece of land which was damaged in the fire was a wooded area which had just recently been cut, according to Station 6 Chief Jody Bagwell.


Several stations responded or helped with standby vehicles to assist in the fire. The stations included Saxis, Bloxom, New Church, Parksley, Tasley and Greenbackville. Pocomoke was called for a standby engine and brought a standby tanker. Chincoteague also brought a standby vehicle. Units from the Virginia Department of Forestry were also on the scene. According to Bagwell, the stretch of Neal Parker Road between Hallwood and Saxis road was temporarily closed due to the enormity of the fire. The scene was cleared Saturday evening at 10:10 PM. Several recalls were made on Sunday because of the fire reigniting in certain areas. Roughly 10 acres of land were burned in the blaze. Bagwell said the cause of the fire has not been determined, but foul play is suspected by investigators.
A forest fire warning was in effect throughout the weekend on the Eastern Shore due to the low humidity and the high winds. All citizens were advised to properly discard all smoking materials and items to avoid brush and timber fires. Lack of rain has caused the fire danger to be extreme and caution should continue. Showers and thunderstorms expected during the middle of the week should help reliveve some of the dry conditions.



Pictured: Pictures of the blaze on Neal Parker Road Saturday. Photos courtesy of Bloxom Fire Chief Jody Bagwell

http://www.shoredailynews.com/

State Of The County Report

The Northampton County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the County Breakfast at Aqua Restaurant in Cape Charles on Wednesday, May 5th.

The morning started off with a report on the state of the Commonwealth with Senator Ralph Northam. Northam reported that 4.2 million dollars has been cut from the budget in areas of Medicaid, k-12 education and law enforcement.

He also stated how the shore needs to concentrate on turning its economy around by getting people back to work. He mentioned the wallops initiative how there are companies coming to the shore that will be hiring. He noted that the Shore needs to make sure it has the ability to train the workforce, concentrating on vocational training.

Delegate Lynwood Lewis addressed the group, giving an overview of what happened during the general assembly session in Richmond. He said Virginia isnt immune to the Economic Challenge. He compared the challenge to a Category 5 storm. Lewis also elaborated on budget cuts. And stated how Virginia has been rated by several agencies the best place in the country to do business since it has a relative low tax and positive business environment.

Sam Long was the first member of the Northampton County Board of Supervisors to speak. He reminded the group that its a tough budget year and the board is having to make very difficult choices. Long voiced how he is disappointed in the lack of funding on Regional Jail, but excited with direction of the Board of Supervisors. He mentioned that they are taking steps toward eco develop-and opportunities are being presented but being kept private at this time.

Spencer Murray, intending to give a satellite view of Northampton County, noted the Northampton County was much like the rest of the world, country and state. He encouraged the county to connect with one another and reminded the group that we are really all in this mess together and we will either sink or we'll swim together. He said if community stops caring about each other, we wont make it.

Supervisor Richard Tankard was up next and focused in on Northampton Countys School System. He believes that the school system should make the same types of changes that have been done at the county level, noting that county employees have been furloughed, positions cut, and savings in many areas. He encouraged the school system to strive for the same so taxes dont have to be raised.

He also reported that through an audit, the school system discovered $377,000 last year that they didnt know they had and over 200,000 the year before. He asked school system to adjust their budget request based on this fact. By changing the base, it would be a big step to having a balanced budget.

Re-elected Mayor Dora Sullivan reported that Cape Charles has 16 millions in government funded projects going on at the same time. She noted how important tourism is to the town and that Cape Charles is Open For Business.

Newly elected Councilman Larry Lemond represented Cheriton reporting that the town has had 4 new businesses open recently, they are working on a boundary adjustment and the waste water system with other towns and the county.

Eastville Town Mayor Jim Sturgis reported that because of budget cutbacks at the state level, that town has re-instated its own police department, water testing is now paid for by the town and VDOT is requiring Eastville to be responsible for street repairs.

Re-elected Exmore Town May Billy Moore stated Exmore is a great town, giving credit to town employees, town manager and police department. He considers Exmore the commercial hub of the county. He noted that the two new hotels seem to be busy, the town is working towards broadband coming, and that the town is working with PSA and towards water and sewage.

www.shoredailynews.com