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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thank God and Greyhound He's Gone
i think the same fantasy popped into the head of everybody in my business who has ever been told what i have been told. this will be the last edition of your show. you go to the scene from the movie network complete with the pajamas and the rain coat and go off on a verbal journey of unutterable vision and you insist upon peter finch's gutteral resonance and you will the viewer to go to the window, open it, stick out his head and yell. you know the rest. in the mundane world of television goodbyes, reality is laughably uncooperative. when i resigned from espn 13 1/2 years ago, i was given 30 seconds to say goodbye at the end of my last edition of sports center. with god as my witness, in the commercial break before the moment, the producer got into my earpiece and said can you cut it down to 15 seconds so we can get in the tennis result? i'm grateful that i have more time to sign off here. regardless, this is the last edition of countdown. it is just under 8 years since i returned to msnbc. i was supposed to fill in for exactly three days. 49 days later, there was a-year contract for me to return to this 8:00 time slot that i fled years earlier.
MORE HERE>>
Chandler Sentenced For Drug Possession and Distribution
CHANDLER
On May 19, Maryland State Police stopped a vehicle heading south on Route 113 for speeding. During a search incident to the speeding stop, an MSP K-9 unit alerted on the trunk of the vehicle and 75 pounds of marijuana was discovered in two gym bags.
Two men were arrested including Darnell Kelley, 24, and Modis Chandler, 40, both of Newport News, Va.
Last week in Circuit Court, Chandler pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and was sentenced to five years in jail, all but two of which were then suspended. He was also fined $1,000 and placed on probation for five years.
In December, Kelley pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to five years with all but one year suspended. Kelley was also fined $1,000 and placed on probation for three years.
www.mdcoastdispatch.com
Stop By The Bay Queen Restaurant and Bakery This Weekend
MONDAY THRU SATURDAY
6 AM until 9 PM
SUNDAY
6 AM until 7 PM
SUNDAY BRUNCH AVAILABLE
DELICIOUS DAILY SPECIALS !!
Carry Out and Delivery Available
In addition to great food, the bakery section is making Smith Island Cakes daily, featuring their Original "Smith Island BabyCakes". Cakes on hand daily. Be sure to try either one.
Need private dining for a group? The Bay Queen Restaurant has 2 dining rooms. One can be rented for private affairs.
Bay Queen Restaurant and Bakery is located on Rt.13 North next to the Ford dealership.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Exercises From NASA Beginning Tonight
The test is part of exercise Atlantic Trident 2011 scheduled through January 25.
According to the Navy, the exercise will provide realistic training for BMD ships and give them the opportunity to track a live target and simulate intercept of a short-range target missile in the midcourse phase of flight.
A target missile will be launched from the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The launch is scheduled during the overnight hours of Friday night into Saturday morning.
As part of the exercise, the Navy says a cruiser and destroyer will detect and track the target with its SPY-1 radar, develop fire control solutions, and simulate firing SM-3 missiles.
The Navy stresses that no missiles will be fired from the ships as Atlantic Trident 2011 is a tracking exercise only.
Aegis BMD is the sea-based mid-course component of the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and is designed to intercept and destroy short to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats.
The MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD program.
DiPino & Oglesby Attend "Governor's Forum on Security"
As two of the Eastern Shore’s representatives, DiPino and Oglesby participated in identifying and building key partnerships with other regional leaders during breakout sessions. Participants reported their recommendations to the governor concerning the public safety and security needs of Lower Shore residents.
“I was asked by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention to represent and facilitate the forum for the eastern region of the state. I was honored to be chosen. We discussed the direction of public safety. I was able to give my insight and opinions about various topics that impact Ocean City, including communication issues, better public safety cooperative initiatives and recommendations for new legislation including mandatory sentencing for repeat offenders. It was a privilege to be a part of this discussion,” DiPino said.
Working alongside DiPino, Oglesby discussed how the state plans to reduce crime in Maryland by 20 percent by the end of 2012. Strategies such as identifying high risk offenders and holding them accountable, enhancing warrant service to swiftly re- move violent of- fenders from the streets, maximizing the use of DNA samples to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent, expanding efforts to reduce illegal gun use and possession and modernizing the fight against crime by utilizing the best technology avail- able were among the topics discussed.Presentations included topics on Homeland Security, ad- vances in public safety technology and emergency management strategies.
As the state continues to reduce crime in Maryland, Oglesby said he looks forward to building new partnerships and seeking fresh, innovative ways that Worcester County can continue to be a leader in the fight against violent crime.
Bill Proposed To Exempt Firefighters From Jury Duty
They'd be exempt too under a bill proposed by state Delegate James E. Edmunds II, R-South Boston, and endorsed last week by a House subcommittee.
House Bill 1527 also would apply to emergency medical technicians, rescue squad members and arson investigators. Along with firefighters, they would be exempt from jury duty if they so request.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel often are stretched thin; in a fire department, only a handful may be licensed to drive a fire truck. Requiring them to serve on juries puts more stress on first responders and can undermine public safety, Edmunds said.
"A lot of departments only have one or two who have the license to drive a truck," Edmunds said.
"You can imagine if they were on vacation and there's no substitute, and you have to call somebody from a different department. It could potentially be a life-saving issue."
The issue was brought to Edmunds' attention by the Virginia State Firefighters Association.
On Wednesday, a subcommittee of the House Courts of Justice Committee voted 11-0 in favor of HB 1527. The measure now goes to the full committee for consideration this week.
Edmunds assured the panel that such claims could easily be disproved by simply calling the department.
He said the bill is a fitting recognition for public servants: "It's a small token of appreciation for those who serve.
Missing Maryland Teens
The Maryland Center for Missing Children and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with several state and local law enforcement agencies, this week continue to search for Rachel Elizabeth Reilly, 16, and Nicholas “Cole” Balderson, 17, both of Olney, Md., who were reported missing in Montgomery County last week. The couple was last seen on Wednesday, January 12, in the Damascus area in Montgomery County.
According to the Maryland Center for Missing Children, Balderson and Reilly may have attempted to travel to Ocean City or Lewes, Del. It is uncertain why it is believed the pair of teens could be headed to Ocean City or the Delaware resort areas, but Balderson’s grandmother lives in Lewes.
Reilly, 16, is a white female, about 5’5” tall and around 125 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. Balderson is a white male, about 5’10” tall and 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The couple is expected to be traveling in a black 1989 Jeep Wrangler with a gray hardtop. Montgomery County Police said this week they were concerned for the welfare as the search moved into its second week.
“They are still missing,” said Montgomery County Police Public Information Officer Lucille Baur. “We know they left the area together of their own volition and we don’t have any evidence of foul play. It’s just a concern because they are so young and have been missing for over about a week now. You just don’t know what kind of choices they could make at their age.”
Meanwhile, Ocean City police remain on the lookout for the two missing teens although it is uncertain they ever came to the resort area.
“We’re all well aware of the situation,” said OCPD public information officer Jessica Waters on Wednesday. “Their information and descriptions go into our roll call every day. Our officers meet daily before they start their shifts and they are all well aware of the missing teens.”
Anyone with information on the welfare or whereabouts of Balderson and Reilly is urged to contact the Montgomery County Police Family Crimes Division at 240-773-5400, or the non-emergency number at 301-279-8000. Information can also be reported to the OCPD at 410-723-6610.
Increase In Ticket Prices For Orioles Games
All tickets -- except for the cheapest, left-field, upper reserve seats which will remain at $8 and $9 -- will increase in cost for 2011, ranging from $1 to $7 extra depending on the game desired and when the tickets are purchased.
Greg Bader, the club’s director of communications, said non-prime, advance tickets will increase on average $3, which would make the average price for those tickets roughly $28. The average season-ticket price remains at about $23, below the 2010 Major League Baseball average of $27, according to Bader.
“We believe that the average increase of $3 per ticket is not going to negatively impact someone’s decision to buy, although we recognize no one ever wants to pay more for anything. We certainly understand that point,” Bader said.
Season ticket prices did not go up for 2011 and this is the first, full seat hike for advance tickets since after the 2003 season, Bader said. The increase after 2006 affected some but not all of the tickets sold.
However, this increase comes after the Orioles lost 96 games in 2010, their 13th consecutive losing season. Fans who have not seen an increase of production on the field are being asked to pay more for that product.
“I understand that reaction, but the reality is that there are other factors that are part of that decision-making process,” Bader said.
The Orioles will also continue to implement higher prime-game prices – for all contests against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox as well as Opening Day on April 4 against the Detroit Tigers – and an extra charge for walk-up ticket purchases the day of the game.
Gameday charges were implemented last season and Bader said it had little to no effect on the number of walkups in 2010. The drop in attendance to an all-time low at Camden Yards last season had more to do with a drop in advance sales after the Orioles began the year 2-16 and 9-24, he said.
“The 2010 walkup figures were essentially unchanged from previous seasons. The difference in attendance from 2009 to 2010 was directly attributable to the lack of advanced sales, which was directly attributable to the team performance during the first two weeks of the season,” Bader said. “So from early April until July, we simply were not selling tickets in advance at the rate we did in previous years. But game day sales were practically identical. And we do not believe that the average $2 difference (for walkups) is going to prevent most fans from making a game-day purchase.”
Concert To Benefit the Courtney Bloxom Fund
BENEFIT CONCERT TONIGHT
NASSAWADOX -- The Franktown United Methodist Church Choir will perform a variety of songs including "Child of Peace" by Mark Hayes, a seasonal cantata, in addition to solosists presenting Opera and Broadway selections on Jan. 21, 7 p.m. at the Franktown Methodist Church.
Performers include Marilyn Kellam, Anna Womble Sterrett, Jo Ann Molera, BJ Rogers, Dora Weston Wilkins, choir director Judi Tracy, and Stefan Dulcie on the piano.
All proceeds will benefit the Courtney Bloxom Fund.
Courtney is a local teen who was involved in a single car accident in May 2010. Although unable to attend graduation exercises she is a graduate of Arcadia High School. Courtney suffered a severe brain injury that left this young teen in a coma for six weeks with her Mother constantly by her side.
Through days and weeks and months of prayer and constant rehabilitation in hospitals far away from her hometown, friends and loved ones, Courtney now continues her daily sessions of speech and physical therapies to regain her skills from Shore Lifecare in Parksley.
This has been a long and hard struggle for Courtney and all that know her and love her. The hard work is far from over for her. Each day she continues to work hard and each day she is surrounded by those that love her and each person takes the time to give Courtney the extra care she needs to be complete again.
This Week At The MarVa Theater
Voyage of the Dawn Treader "
Friday &Saturday
January 21st & 22nd - 7PM
Sunday
January 23rd - 2PM
Admission Only $5
Rated: PG-13
Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
UPDATE: Criminal Investigation Into Parksley House Fire
There was one fatality-45 year old Dana Rodriquez of Estate Lane in Parksley. At this time an arrest of a juvenile has been made.
There will be more details on a future report.
Assateague Pony Shot During Deer Hunt
“Regardless of whether the shooting was accidental or not, the failure to report the incident violates National Park Service regulations and we intend to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Chief Ranger Ted Morlock said in a news release. The statement said a hunter found the dead animal on Jan. 15 and reported it to park rangers the next day.
Park officials allow several gun-hunting seasons a year to control the barrier island’s deer population, but do not permit the hunting of its wild horses, instead using contraceptives to keep their population on the Maryland side to about 125 animals.
The National Park Service is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible individual. Persons with information about the incident should contact Chief Ranger Morlock at 410-629-6055, or by email at ted_morlock@nps.gov. All information provided may remain confidential.
Arrest Made For Breaking and Entering Into New Church Business
Douglas Edward Waters, age 42 of Pocomoke, MD, was arrested on charges of Breaking & Entering and Grand Larceny. He is incarcerated in the Accomack County Jail in lieu of a $3500 bond.
The Accomack County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Virginia State Police and the Chincoteague Police Department.
Gov. Bob McDonnell Ends Ban On Guns In State Parks
The Republican governor ordered Conservation and Recreation Department Director David Johnson to stop enforcing the ban in a letter sent Friday.
McDonnell also gave initial approval to another administrative change allowing firearms to be carried openly in state forests.
Concealed handgun permit holders were already free to carry firearms. The right to openly carry guns is widely recognized across Virginia.
In his letter, McDonnell wrote that the department lacks authority under state law to prohibit firearms being carried in plain view.
McDonnell said it was clear that the General Assembly never intended to restrict firearms in parks. "Lacking specific legislative authorization to further regulate firearms, the Department of Conservation and Recreation can not promulgate a regulation that does so," he wrote.
The ban was put in place by McDonnell's predecessor, former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said J. Tucker Martin, McDonnell's chief spokesman.
"These regulations ... would simply allow law-abiding Virginians who legally own a firearm to exercise the same rights in a Virginia state forest or state park that they already possess while elsewhere in the commonwealth," Martin said.
In his letter to Johnson, McDonnell cites an opinion he wrote as attorney general on Sept. 26, 2008, answering an inquiry from then-Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican who is now attorney general.
In the opinion, McDonnell told Cuccinelli that although state laws don't explicitly permit weapons carried openly in parks, nothing in the law prohibits it, either.
Gun control advocate Lori Haas, whose daughter survived a gunshot in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, said it was bad for public safety and for tourism.
"You really think we're going to get tourists to Virginia parks if people are carrying firearms everywhere," Haas said. "Who would want to be camping in a state park if the person in the next campsite is carrying an AK-47?"
www.shoredailynews.com
Bingo Night Tonight
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the last game will be at 9:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact (757) 709-2866 .
What Were They Thinking ????
The ashes were taken from a woman's home in the central Florida town of Silver Springs Shores on December 15. The thieves took an urn containing the ashes of her father and another container with the ashes of her two Great Danes, along with electronic equipment and jewelry, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators learned what happened to the ashes after they arrested five teens in connection with another burglary attempt at a nearby home last week.
"The suspects mistook the ashes for either cocaine or heroin. It was soon discovered that the suspects snorted some of the ashes believing they were snorting cocaine," the sheriff's report said.
Once they realized their error, the suspects discussed returning the remaining ashes but threw them in a lake instead because they thought their fingerprints were on the containers, sheriff's spokesman Judge Cochran said.
Police divers were trying to recover the ashes. The suspects were jailed on numerous burglary and other charges.
House Fire Claims Life Of Accomack County Mother
The owner of the residence identified the victim as Dana Rodriguez, 45, of Estate Lane, off Country Court. Police could not be reached to confirm the identification of the victim.
Units and personnel from Parksley, Bloxom, Tasley and Onancock responded to the 2 a.m. fire, which flattened the single-wide mobile home where Rodriguez's body was found.
Rodriguez did not work, said neighbor Willie Tumblin. He said the victim's 14-year-old daughter escaped from the fire.
Tumblin said there had been no fire when he arrived home from his job at the Perdue Farms Inc. plant at about 1:20 a.m.
Before the blaze, he said, there had been a family argument in which one of the members threatened the others.
A state police fire detective is investigating the incident. A police spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
Rodriguez is survived by her children and an estranged husband.
The house was owned by Henry and Wanda Johnson of Bloxom. Rodriguez and her family had lived there for about eight years, said Wanda Johnson. They were in the process of purchasing the home.
"She's always been nice to me," she said. "Isn't it horrible?"
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Oh the joys we had of our youth
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Pocomoke Councilman Has Filed To Run For Mayor
POCOMOKE CITY -- After serving two three-year terms as councilman of Pocomoke's third district, Bruce Morrison has filed to run for mayor. A lifelong resident of Pocomoke City, Morrison is the second longest-serving council member.
As Morrison took the oath of office in April 2005, along with outgoing Mayor Mike McDermott, a top concern was reducing crime and tackling the drug issue that seemed prevalent. The overall crime rate has dropped by 18 percent in the last year, according to Morrison. This focus on crime has been aided by community outreach and a number of concerned citizens getting involved. A Neighborhood Crime Watch has been established that meets in area churches to target problematic issues. Six cameras have been installed in hot spots around town, aiding in many drug crimes being solved and two additional cameras are scheduled to be added complete this year, Morrison said.
In early 2011, Pocomoke City will be completing a $6 million upgrade to its sewage treatment plant, making it one of the few compliant plants in the state. This effort was largely funded through federal sources.
Pocomoke's downtown makes up a large part of the third district that Morrison has served. Upon taking office six years ago, Morrison expressed his concern for the downtown area, hoping to make its revitalization a priority. Many area attractions have come to fruition, he said, including the new addition to the Sturgis One-Room School Museum, which has brought the black history of the area to life, adding to Pocomoke's other history museum, The Costen House.
The opening of the Mar-Va Theater now brings first-run movies to Pocomoke City on the first and third weekends of each month along with outstanding musical and theatrical performances.
The Delmarva Discovery Center is open and loaded with much of Delmarva's history, highlighting many outstanding exhibits depicting life in yesteryear -- a look into the past and a step into the future.
The Bay Queen calls the docks of the Pocomoke River home and offers cruises almost daily and by reservation three seasons a year.
Even though much has been accomplished in the downtown area, Morrison said he thinks much is left to be done. It is his hope Pocomoke City is charting a course toward reinvention as a tourist destination area, he said.
Morrison has served on the Maryland Critical Areas Commission, serving under governors Robert Ehrlich and Martin O'Malley.
Locally, he is an active member of Salem United Methodist Church, having served as chairman of the trustees for two years. He is a member of Pocomoke Elks Lodge 12624, where he is a past exalted ruler. In the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company he has served as a line officer and past president. He is also serving on the Board of Directors of the Lower Shore YMCA. Morrison is employed at Hardwire LLC and is married to Laura Gladding Morrison; they have two children.
Pocomoke's elections are held on the first Tuesday in April. Registered voters who wish to run for office must file nominating petitions 60 days before the elections are held.
New Rocket Integration Facility to be Unveiled At NASA
The Horizontal Integration Facility will support medium class mission capabilities. The first customer to use the facility will be Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle.
Orbital will be conducting missions for NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services program. Integration of the Taurus II at the facility will begin in February with launch expected later this year.
Participants in the ceremony:
- Sen. Barbara Mikulski
- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Rob Strain
- NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director William Wrobel
- Orbital Sciences Corp. Chairman and CEO David Thompson
For more information about Wallops, visit:
www.nasa.gov/wallops
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Structure Fire In Pocomoke
The fire originated near a portable kerosene heater. During the course of the investigation, it was determined the kerosene heater was filled with gasoline, not kerosene. The fire is listed as accidental.