Oil Spill Became Too Much For Boat Skipper

(June 24) -- Two weeks after he was hired by BP to help with the oil spill cleanup, William Allen Kruse killed himself.

The 55-year-old charter boat captain shot himself in the head Wednesday morning as he prepared to spend another day skimming oil off the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, clearing the spill that threatened to destroy his livelihood and community.
Kruse left no note, so it's impossible to know why he took his life. But those who knew him say the veteran fisherman and father of four was almost certainly the latest casualty in the gulf oil crisis, and a symbol of the spill's exacting human toll.

"There's not a doubt in my mind, the oil spill was the cause of this," Tom Ard, who fished alongside Kruse for 25 years, told AOL News this morning. "It was just too much for him."

In a phone interview, Ard, 39, the president of the Orange Beach Fishing Association, said Kruse was in his prime when he killed himself and had been enjoying taking his 13-year-old son out on his boat to teach him how to fish.
"He had everything going for him. He was at the top of his game," Ard said. "He was the kind of guy that made everyone smile, and he was one heck of a fisherman."

In Orange Beach, Ala., where Kruse ran a sport boat business for more than two decades, acquaintances of the man known as "Rookie" said he did not have any psychological problems. And many said he was no more devastated than anyone else in the community, which has been hit hard by the spill.

"He didn't show any signs he was going to do this that would have thrown up any red flags where you'd think you better keep an eye on him," Jason Bell, Kruse's co-captain, who knew him for a decade,told the Press-Register of Mobile, Ala.

"He wasn't any more aggravated with the whole situation than any of the rest of us," Bell said. "I hate to say it, but I'm surprised something like this hasn't already happened."

Bell said Kruse had planned on retiring soon. He declined comment this morning.

Ard described a community under a severe amount of stress that doesn't know what will become of businesses that have been in families for generations.

"This is something that you put your whole life and soul into. You've done it for 25 years. Just the thought of all that gone, when it's not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong ... that's a lot of stress," he said.

Ard is grateful to have been hired by BP to help in the cleanup efforts, but said the oil spill has threatened an entire way of life.

"The cleanup is all we've got right now. It's the only work here," he said.

The death of a second cleanup worker Wednesday was unrelated to the spill. The unnamed worker drowned in a swimming pool accident. But when Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen announced the deaths at a press conference Wednesday, they seemed to emphasize the human cost of the crisis anyway.

"On a more somber note,we had two deaths reported on people that were involved in this response earlier today," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families. We know this is a devastating thing to happen."

A BP official told AOL News today the company extends its condolences to the families.

Until now, the psychological toll of the disaster has not been widely discussed, but experts say the oil spill could cause emotional and social devastation in communities along the gulf.

Ard said the emotional toll of the spill killed his friend. "It's been a ton of stress on all of us," he said. "I guess everybody handles stress differently. And I guess he went off the deep end."

The Washington Post noted that Dr. Howard Osofsky, a Louisiana State University psychiatrist, said he'd noticed "an increase in suspiciousness, arguing and domestic violence" among those affected by the spill.

In Kruse's case, the boat captain had asked his staff to help him prepare to go out on the water one more time when he apparently chose to take his life instead.

"He had just let his deckhands off the boat and sent them to get something," Baldwin County Coroner Rod Steade told the Press-Register. "He was going to meet them at the fuel dock. They heard a pop, and when the boat didn't come around, they went back and found him."

Bell remembered Kruse as a kind man. "Even in the wintertime when things got tough, if you needed a little extra cash, he was always like, 'Here, take it,'" he said.

The community where Kruse lived is in mourning. But Ard said the town would recover.

"We are a very resilient bunch. We've had to deal with hurricanes and fishing closures and everything. I truly believe we'll all be fine. This morning we all went up, and we got to work," he said.
www.aolnews.com

AWOL Afghans On Facebook??

At least 11 of the 17 members of the Afghan military who went AWOL from an Air Force base in Texas and are considered deserters by their nation have turned up in the exact place you'd expect to find them in the year 2010.

They're on Facebook.

And, by the look of things, they're not unlike millions of other young men on the social networking site. One proclaims to be a fan of Paris Hilton and is a member of a group named “FREE Webcam Sex with ME!” Another is a fan of hip hop music, Michael Jackson, the tearjerker movie The Notebook, Family Guy and Sports Center. Another is a fan of soccer and the Godfather.

But others have friends whose motives may be much more sinister. Some belong to the “Afghanistan Mujahideen” group, a page that features, among other content, videos from the American-born Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn, a.k.a. Azzam the American.

According to a nationwide be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) bulletin that was sent by the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task force to law enforcement agencies across the country last week, the 17 Afghan deserters walked away from the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base, where they had been studying English. The men have military identification that would give them access to secure U.S. military installations, the bulletin read. The existence of the BOLO alert was revealed exclusively by FoxNews.com.

One week later, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement source told FoxNews.com that only two or three of the 17 Afghans remain at large. The source said investigators have been working with Canadian immigration records and now believe that many of the men are in Canada.

David Smith, spokesman for Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, told FoxNews.com he was told that four of the men remain unaccounted for. Of the 13 who have been located, he said, six have pending refugee claims in Canada, two have permanent residency in Canada, four are in the process of being deported and one is a conditional resident alien in the U.S. But one thing most of them have in common is an affection for social networking.

FoxNews.com found Facebook pages belonging to 11 of the 17 deserters. The wife of one of them also created a page, on which she said her husband should not have appeared in the BOLO alert because authorities knew exactly where he was — at a South Texas immigration detention center, where she said he’s been held for the past eight months.

Many of the men found on Facebook appear unconcerned that they are being actively sought by law enforcement officials, having made little or no attempt to disguise their identities or whereabouts. Eleven of the men can be linked together either directly or through mutual friends on Facebook. On June 17 at 11:50 p.m., Mohd Ali Karimi posted an online note to the Facebook pages of two of the other AWOL men, Mohammad Nasim Fateh Zada and Sardar Mohd Ahmadi.
All three list their current city as Toronto. Zada’s profile lists his favorite quotation, Reinhold Nieburh's Serenity Prayer: “God grand me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.” He says he graduated from Uluanovsk Signal Military College in 1986 and attended Military High School in Kabul, Afghanistan.

His “likes and interests” include soccer, jogging, gymnastics, history books, the movies Slumdog Millionaire and the Godfather, Fox News and CBC Radio 1.

On May 2, he posted a photo of himself at Niagara Falls, timestamped June 21, 2008 Zada’s online friends include a U.S. Army liaison officer and other members of the Afghan military.

On Sunday, Ahmadi, 32, who belongs to a Facebook group for Defense Language Institute students, posted a link to a Fox News report,

Kakar is friends with another AWOL man named in the BOLO alert, Sayed Qadir Shah Habiby, who provides this description of himself: “I like to spend time with the people I love! I enjoy having fun in what ever I do. Life is short, live it to the fullest."
He is a fan of Michael Jackson, The Notebook and Sports Center, and he says, “I want everyone to be a Democratic.” He says he graduated from National Military Academy of Afghanistan in 2008 and Kabul Military High in 2005.

In a comment posted on a friend’s wall, Habiby reveals that he studied civil engineering at NMAA and is living in California. Last active on March 29, he belonged to a Facebook group dedicated to making Pashto Afghanistan’s only official language. The description reads, in English, “To destroy a nation, Turn it into a bilingual or multilingual country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures."

It continues in Pashto,“75 percent of Afghanistan’s people speak Pashto, so this is the right of all Afghans that the national language be Pashto. In the near future, a grand jirga will be held in Kabul, so I request all patriotic Afghans to fulfill their responsibility and national duty in order to get their rights, and to put an end to Iran and its proxies.”

Another group Habiby belongs to is “Let us laugh,” a Pashto site described as “Let’s laugh so much that we forget our sorrows, but let’s not laugh too much because it’s harmful.”

The wife of Mohammad Fahim Faqier, one of the missing men, started a Facebook group page called “Set Fahim Free,” following his incarceration at an immigration detention center in South Texas. But she changed the page to “Setting the record straight for my husband: Mohammad Fahim Faqier,” once news broke that her husband, who she says has been detained for more than eight months, was included in the BOLO alert.

In an e-mail to FoxNews.com she wrote, “Believe me no one was more shocked than me to see my husband's name and photo on that list, especially considering the fact that he wasn't missing and ICE knew exactly where he was.”

None of the AWOL men, other than Ahmadi, replied to Facebook messages. A man named Ahmad Sameer Samar, when contacted by Fox News, replied that he was not the same Ahmad Sameer Samar named in the BOLO alert.

The following 17 Afghan military members have gone AWOL from an Air Force base in Texas and are being sought in a nationwide alert in the U.S.

Abdul Ghani Barakzai, born 8/8/1977
Mohd Ali Karimi, born 9/3/1982
Mohammad Nasim Fateh Zada, born 12/4/1966
Aminullah Sangarwal, born 8/27/1982
Mohd Ahmadi, born 5/5/1978
Ahad Abdulahad, born 5/5/1984
Sayed Qadir Shah Habiby, born 5/7/1985
Javed Aryan AKA Aryan Javed, born 1/1/1987
Mirwais Qassmi, born 4/24/1974
Barsat Noorani, born 6/3/1981
Atiqullah Habibi, two dates of birth are listed on the alert: 6/2/1982 and 7/2/1982
Ahmad Sameer Samar, born 5/2/1983
Mohamed Fahim Faqier, born 6/1/1987
Obaiddullah Abrahimy, born 8/1/1979
Sayed Nasir Hashimi, born 4/5/1972
Shawali Kakar, born 12/31/1979
Khan Padshah Amiri, born 4/1/1978

www.foxnews.com

Spinach Recall In Three States

Tests by a state agency have prompted the voluntary recall of spinach sold in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement Wednesday that Lancaster Foods of Jessup, Md. is recalling its Krisp-Pak Ready to Eat Hydro-Cooled Fresh Spinach.

Routine tests found, an organism which can cause serious ailments in pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. The agencys Food and Drug Protection Division found the bacteria in a sample from an Elizabeth City store.

Although no illnesses have been linked to the spinach, the company is asking people who bought the product to throw out the spinach, save the package and call 800-247-8125.

www.choredailynews.com

Oil Skimming Ship Makes Stop In Virginia

I wonder how long it will take for all of this to get through the red tape? Finally a country coming to the United States in he time of great need!! Why didn't anyone think about this a loooong time ago? Surely, someone that deals with oil MUST have some idea of what this ship can possibly do. I don't buy it for a second that they didn't. So much time has been used on the "duh and um" factors.


NORFOLK, Va. — With no assurances it will be allowed to join the Gulf oil cleanup, a Taiwanese-owned ship billed as the world's largest skimming vessel is sailing Friday to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in hopes of gulping down 500,000 barrels a day of oily water.

The ship — the length of 3 1/2 football fields and 10 stories high — is designed to work 40 to 50 miles offshore and collect oily water through 12 vents on either side of its bow. It docked in Norfolk en route to the Gulf from Portugal, where it was retrofitted to skim the seas.

The owners of the "A Whale" said the new skimming approach has never been attempted on this scale.

"We really have to start showing people what we can do," said Bob Grantham, project coordinator for TMT Group, a Taiwan-based shipping company. "We're seriously looking at whether we can go on site and just try to do it ourselves. That's not a good solution. We need to work with everyone else."

The company is still negotiating with the Coast Guard to join the cleanup and does not have a contract with BP to perform the work. The company also needs environmental approval and waiver of a nearly century-old law aimed at protecting U.S. shipping interests.

Environmental Protection Agency approval is required because some of the seawater returned to the Gulf would have traces of oil.

The company said it also needs a waiver of the 1920 Jones Act, which limits the activities of foreign-flagged ships in coastal U.S. waters.

Grantham said TMT was hopeful it could secure the necessary approvals during the ship's three-day passage to the Gulf. The Liberian-flagged ship was to leave Norfolk later Friday.

The converted oil tanker has the capacity of holding 2 million barrels, but would limit its holding tanks to 1 million barrels for environmental reasons. Oil skimmed up by the tanker would be separated from seawater, then transferred to another vessel.

"I believe this spill is unprecedented and you need an unprecedented solution," said T.K. Ong, senior vice president for TMT.

The effort received the endorsement of at least one Louisiana resident.

Edward Overton, a professor emeritus from Louisiana State University, was among the visitors at the port where the A Whale was berthed. He called the current cleanup inadequate.

"We need this ship," he told TMT executives. "That oil is already contaminating our shoreline."

www.chron.com

photos- Daily Press

Delaware Man Found Dead At Virginia Accident Scene

Parksley, Va. — Detectives with the Virginia State Police are investigating a pickup truck crash in which a Delaware man was found dead.

The accident occurred at 7:14 a.m. June 24, southeast of Parksley, Accomack County, Va., said police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Cotten.

The dead man was identified as Anthony Wayne Wilson, 46, of the 500 block of Blaine Drive, Felton, Cotten said.

Their initial investigation, which still was under way as of 4 p.m., indicated the 1994 Chevy ran off the highway, overcorrected, hit an embankment and crashed.

Wilson’s body was discovered next to the truck, she said. He was identified through his driver’s license.

“It is not known if he was the driver or the passenger,” Cotten said. Wilson’s family has been notified of the accident, she added.

Virginia authorities have requested warrants in order to search the truck, she said.

Cotten discounted initial reports in the local press that Wilson had sustained a gunshot wound.

“He was dirty and disheveled, and we have to wait until he is examined by the medical examiner,” she said.

www.doverpost.com

BWI Celebrated 60th Birthday

YESTERDAY -- In 101 degree heat BWI had a birthday yesterday and my sister and I were unaware of it as we sat and waited for a relative's plane to land. Gee, I didn't see a birthday cake!

Sixty years ago an airport carved out of Anne Arundel County farmland ushered Baltimore into the airliner age

Today, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is the nation's 23rd busiest.

The airport, dedicated by President Harry Truman as Friendship International Airport, now serves about 21 million passengers and handles more than a quarter-million takeoffs and landings a year. BWI is an important base for low-cost carriers and is estimated to support about 22,000 jobs. It was one of only two large U.S. airports to grow in 2009.

"We are the low-cost-carrier airport," said BWI Chief Executive Paul Wiedefeld, pointing to the strong growth of such carriers as Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways.

Friendship replaced Harbor Field, a 360-acre municipal airport on the site of what is now the Dundalk Marine Terminal.

Mayor Theodore McKeldin appointed a committee to study the idea of building a new airport in 1943. The site that was selected is between Baltimore and Washington, which at the time was served only by National Airport, on a plateau high above sea level, which reduces the dangers of fog.

In 1945, the city created the Baltimore Aviation Commission to oversee construction of the airport. Its cost would eventually run to $15 million about $136 million in current dollars.

For all its cutting-edge features in 1950, Friendship did not remain a paragon of modernity for long. Though passenger growth remained strong through the 1960s, Friendship would be eclipsed by more advanced facilities soon after it opened. Once jets began commercial operations in 1957-1958, Bentley said, "you had the airports all over the country mushrooming."

In the 1970s, the state spent $36 million to take over the airport, renamed it Baltimore-Washington International to capitalize on its location and launched a $70 million rebuilding program.

In 2001 a $1.8 billion expansion began with a long-term hub for Southwest Airlines, which began flying out of BWI in 1993 and is now the airport's biggest customer.

But BWI has retained some of the feel of the original airport with less "tenseness" than some of its rivals, Wiedefeld said.

"We did not lose sight of the personal connection the people feel you have compared with other airports," he said. "It's still Friendship Airport in a lot of people's minds.

www.wbal.com

Orioles and Nationals go to bat for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

BALTIMORE—Some Orioles and Nationals players are going to bat for a new team—the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

MASN, the television network that broadcasts the Baltimore and Washington games, was to announce Friday that it is launching a "Go to Bat for the Bay" public service campaign with the foundation.

The spots featuring players such as Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie and Washington's Adam Dunn are designed to educate viewers about the bay and its restoration. Tips include using less lawn fertilizer and chemicals and planting trees.

In Guthrie's pitch, he tells viewers the Chesapeake produces 500 million pounds of crabs, oysters and other seafood.

"A cleaner bay means better seafood and more jobs for those who bring the Chesapeake's bounty to our dinner tables," Guthrie says in the spot, which cuts from scenes of crabs, oysters and boats on the bay, to the pitcher standing in his uniform at Camden Yards.

In another commercial, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman tells viewers the bay has lost half of its forested shoreline, more than half its wetlands and 90 percent of its underwater grasses.

"The health of the Chesapeake is in jeopardy. Go to bat for the bay," Riggleman says.

The bay is the nation's largest estuary and was once a major producer of oysters and crabs. However, pollution and development have spurred oxygen-robbing algae blooms, killed bay grasses that provide habitat for many species, and hurt the seafood population. The bay watershed covers Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, almost all of MASN's seven-state territory. MASN spokesman Todd Webster said the network is available to 7 million households from Harrisburg, Pa., to Charlotte, N.C. On an average night during baseball season, about 175,000 people watch the Orioles and Nationals.

Foundation President Will Baker said the partnership will "enhance awareness and educate millions of sports fans who live in the Chesapeake region."

www.eveningsun.com

OPERATION DRY WATER In Effect

RICHMOND

Virginia conservation police officers will be patrolling the state's waterways for boaters under the influence.

Called Operation Dry Water, the initiative begins today and continues through the weekend.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said conservation officers will be looking for boat operators with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. That's the legal limit in Virginia.

In the past five years, Virginia has had an average of 128 recreational boating incidents each year. An average of 17 of those each year have been alcohol-related.

The Virginia crackdown is part of a national safe-boating initiative.

www.hamptonroads.com

Federal Witness Killed After Name Is Leaked

Kareem Guest ignored the "stop snitching" credo, and authorities say his candid chatter to the FBI about drug dealers got him killed. The woman police say saw him get shot won't talk about it, and prosecutors have charged her with lying to a grand jury and want her imprisoned for 30 years.

It is at first glance an all-too-familiar and tragic tale of witness intimidation and a demonstration of the collateral damage of Baltimore's epic drug war, but with a sardonic twist: The silence of one witness has thwarted efforts to make an arrest in the silencing of another.

Authorities say they caught Raine Zircon Curtis bragging on a cell phone to her imprisoned boyfriend: "Kareem got killed last night. They killed that boy while we was right there. … We was standing right there." Yet to a grand jury, she denied seeing anything, court documents say.

As a result, Guest's execution-style slaying in September 2009 on a walkway known as "the blacktop" in South Baltimore's Westport neighborhood has gone unsolved, and for FBI agents who protect their informants like one of their own, it has gone unavenged.
Authorities say that a defense attorney gave his client's mother a copy of Guest's statement, which was distributed in Westport and might have been the reason Guest was outed and killed.

Defense attorneys have argued that witnessing the killing of a witness might understandably make one hesitant to become a witness. But Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Purcell Jr. wrote in court documents that Curtis was not being obstinate out of fear and should be held in jail pending trial on a rarely used perjury charge.

"Outside the grand jury, the defendant has expressed pride in her refusal to cooperate with authorities," Purcell wrote. "The defendant's refusal is based on her disregard for Guest and his family, her obvious contempt for the justice system and her overarching loyalty to the code of the streets."

The prosecutor charged that Curtis "has expressed pride in not being a 'snitch,' " and considered the perjury charge "a joke."

Curtis' attorney, Joseph Murtha, has asked a federal judge to reconsider holding his client without bail until her trial, and a hearing has been scheduled July 9 in U.S. District Court. Murtha declined to comment on the case.

Guest, 31, was shot repeatedly in the head and chest on Sept. 20, 2009, at 10 p.m. He collapsed on Maisel Court, near where he had lived with his mother, and died 36 minutes later at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

In one of those familiar bloody Baltimore weekends, he was one of 13 people shot over two days — one more name on a burgeoning list noting the violence but saying virtually nothing of the circumstances.

City police and the news media (though the City Paper profiled the case this month) initially dismissed Guest as a routine victim, a man on probation for drugs, leaving the impression that he was killed, like many others, in some sort of petty dispute over heroin.

The FBI knew better.

Guest, despite his personal battle with drugs, or perhaps to get favorable consideration on pending charges, sat down with FBI agents in January 2008 and provided enough information to fill nine typewritten pages describing the intricate life of slinging heroin called "Dynasty" on Westport streets.

The tips helped the FBI arrest eight people seven months later sporting nicknames like Playboy, Pooh, Marly Mar and Fingers. By May 2009, six had pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges, including ringleader Jamal Stewart, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence.

Two others demanded trials, and federal prosecutors had to give Guest's statement to their defense attorneys as part of a process called discovery, to give attorneys a chance to prepare their cases and research potential witnesses. Just before the trial, in June 2009, those two men pleaded guilty as well.

That spared Guest from having to testify in public.

But it wouldn't spare him apparent retribution on the street.

"By then … the damage that led to the murder of Kareem Guest had already been done," federal prosecutors said in court papers.

Two defense lawyers had Guest's statement. The prosecutors wrote that one of the attorneys gave the documents to his jailed client and to his client's mother. It was done, prosecutor Purcell said in court documents, "without permission from the U.S. attorney's office and in direct violation of the discovery agreement put in place to prevent these very sorts of disclosures."

Purcell wrote that the documents were "distributed and displayed … throughout Westport" and that "several individuals confronted Guest" about what he had told the police. Guest was killed three months after his statement first started appearing on the streets.

Prosecutors don't specifically name the two attorneys who got the forms. But they said in court documents that they did not give them to the six attorneys whose clients had pleaded guilty by May 2009 because their cases ended before trial dates were set.

The documents were given to two attorneys whose clients held out until June, prosecutors said. Court records show those defendants as Larry Cheese, represented by attorney Michael Carithers, and Elliot Brown, represented by attorney David R. Solomon.

Carithers left his Baltimore law firm and could not be reached for comment. Phone numbers to his house and cell phone have been disconnected.

Solomon said in an interview that he reviewed Guest's statement with his client, which is permissible, but said that "under no circumstances did I give him any of the paperwork." Solomon also said he has talked with prosecutors and has been "cleared of any wrongdoing."

It is not clear whether distributing copies of the FBI statements is a crime or would be considered a breach of ethical conduct.

Federal prosecutors declined to comment, and a spokeswoman for the Maryland U.S. attorney's office would not say whether defense attorneys are being investigated. The spokeswoman, Marcia Murphy, did say that no attorney has been charged in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, authorities are still trying to determine who killed their star witness.
www.baltimoresun.com

Fallen Heroes Poker Run- Federalsburg VFW

Many PGR attended Federalsburg Maryland's funerals' for two young men; 21 yr old Navy Corpsman HM3 Manuel Ruiz in 2007 and 19 yr old Army Spc Michael"Mikey"Yates in 2009.

These families have been fighting very hard for the last three years to build a memorial for these fallen soldiers and ALL veterans from ALL wars. Recently they were granted permission to build just down the road from Federalsburg's VFW!

This first ever poker run, of an annual event, will be to raise money for the Federalsburg Hometown Veterans Memorial that will honor our hero's near and far, some gone but not forgotten!!!

Poker Run
Saturday June 26th 2010
Federalsburg Md VFW
Registration 9am-11am
Roll out 11:30am
Cost:$25.00 for driver, $15.00 for each passenger (includes meal upon return)

Grand Prize $150.00
3 runner ups
D.J , 50/50 raffle, door prizes food,fun etc...

www.mdpatriotguard.com

Husband Arrested In Venus Stewart Murder Case

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WAVY) - A Michigan woman's estranged husband has been arrested in connection with her disappearance.

A prosecutor in St. Joseph's County, Michigan announced Wednesday, Douglas Stewart is charged with murder and conspiracy. Douglas, who has ties to Newport News, was arrested and taken into custody Tuesday night.

His estranged wife Venus vanished from her parents' home near Kalamazoo, Mich., on April 26. At that time, Doug told police he was at his home in Newport News. Someone was in Newport News making transactions on his accounts, so the alibi appeared to be legitimate.

In May, police in Michigan and Newport News asked the public for information about anyone who might have impersonated Doug Stewart.

St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney John McDonough said investigators spoke with a man Tuesday who admitted to portraying Doug in Newport News. McDonough said the co-conspirator had been "extremely cooperative."

Authorities are not releasing many details about the man, such as his age, hometown, or relationship to Douglas Stewart; however, WAVY.com has learned he is not from Hampton Roads.

A relative told WAVY sister station WOOD TV that Stewart met the co-conspirator through an online video game. As of Wednesday night, the man had not been charged with a crime.

McDonough said Stewart and the impersonator started planning in early April. According to McDonough, evidence and interviews with several people including the co-conspirator, lead him to believe Venus is dead.

McDonough said he believes Stewart abducted, killed, and disposed of his wife's body, then went back to Newport News, met up with his look-alike, and exchanged clothes.

Dustin Jasper, Venus's brother, said after so many weeks of hoping she would be found alive, the latest developments are tough on the family.

"I just feel so bad that all this had to come this way... it's just terrible," he said.

In a report from WOOD TV , Colleen Roussey said: "[Doug] was such a controller."

Roussey, a friend of Venus' parents continued, "I just knew he killed her. He had to have killed her. We're all just -- we're calling each other and crying. It is so horrible for all of us, because we've all been working so hard to bring that girl home. And that didn't happen."

McDonough explained prosecuting the case may be more difficult without a body, but he said there is strong evidence. He added though that finding Venus is a "number one priority."

Stewart is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail on $4 million bond.

Judge to rule on deputy Troy Durham's termination

The fate of a former Somerset County sheriff's deputy's career is expected to be decided during a Somerset County Circuit Court hearing Friday.

A judge will determine if James "Troy" Durham, 42, was unfairly terminated in September after being placed on administrative leave for more than a year.

"I'm not nervous," Durham said. "I'm glad I will get my day in court."

Durham claims he was placed on leave because of a grievance he filed against the Somerset County Sheriff's Office that alleges police corruption within the agency.

The grievance alleges Durham was forced to change an incident report and omit information related to a police chase he assisted with in August 2008.

"The law clearly states if you report corruption, you cannot be terminated," Durham said.

The former deputy, who dreamed of becoming a cop since childhood, worked in law enforcement for two decades before he was fired. A little more than half of his career was spent at the Sheriff's Office.

"He has a right to appeal," said Somerset County Sheriff Robert N. Jones during a previous interview. "It's part of the process."

Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge W. Newton Jackson III is expected to preside over the hearing Friday.

While Durham said he was shedding light on police corruption, a police hearing board found him guilty of disseminating departmental information and engaging in unbecoming conduct after Durham sent a copy of his grievance to outside agencies including the Maryland Attorney General's Office, Maryland State Police, local media and a U.S. senator from Virginia, according to a copy of the hearing board report obtained by The Daily Times.

"The only time I went outside the agency is when I was told that the grievance I filed against Sheriff Jones would be investigated by Sheriff Jones," Durham said.

The police trial board convened a two-day hearing July 16 and recommended a five-day suspension for disseminating department information and another five days for unbecoming conduct, according to a report on the hearing proceedings.

The sheriff deviated from the board's recommendations and terminated Durham for reasons stated in a hearing Sept. 16.

According to transcripts from the September hearing, Jones said Durham undermined the public's trust and hampered the Sheriff's Office's ability to protect the public when he distributed copies of the grievance.

VIA: DelmarvaNow.com

Local Chicken farmers to gain protection

Carole Morison spent 23 years of her life as a chicken farmer when the company she held a contract with gave her a choice: Make $150,000 in upgrades to her two chickenhouses or have her contract terminated.

Morison chose not to make the upgrades.

"The cost was, No. 1, we would have never seen a return on that investment," she said. "No. 2, in our opinion, it wouldn't have been in the best interest of the chickens."

The proposed upgrades would have required her to completely enclose the houses, leaving the only air exchange up to fans and tripling her electricity usage.

To address practices like this nationwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspectors, Packers and Stockyards Administration has proposed a set of rules, as required by the 2008 Farm Bill, to protect poultry farmers from unfair, fraudulent or retaliatory practices.

The bill, among other things, addresses the lack of information poultry dealers provide on pricing and contract terms by requiring companies to post sample contracts on GIPSA's website allowing producers to be more aware of what a typical contract looks like and what type of deal they are getting.

"Concerns about a lack of fairness and commonsense treatment for livestock and poultry producers have gone unaddressed far too long," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The proposed rule will help ensure a level playing field for producers by providing additional protections against unfair practices."

Changes should include addressing discrepancies in the tournament pricing system, requiring poultry companies to give additional written notice 90 days before they stop delivery of birds time to recoup up to 80 percent of their investment.

The reform is partly in response to a decrease in the number of buyers with whom producers can conduct business and consolidation in the poultry market, which increases the possibility packers, dealers and swine contractors may engage in unfair practices. For example, a producer should be able to speak freely against something they have seen as wrongful treatment without being retaliated against or having their contract terminated.

However, the National Chicken Council, which represents companies like Perdue Farms Inc. and Tyson, says the regulation appears to be "one-sided, unrealistic and not in accordance with court rulings."

They stated the proposed regulation is not in the best interest of poultry producers, companies or consumers and went on to dispute the USDA's estimate of the average grower making 34 cents per bird when the processing company makes $3.23, stating the figure is a wholesale value and not the profit.

Although Morison said it's too late for the regulations to help her, she hopes they will be able to help other poultry farmers make wise business decisions.

The rules remove ambiguity from the existing regulation, making what practices are acceptable and what practices are not clearer to packers, swine contractors and live poultry dealers.

"I see it leveling the playing field," Morison said. "Growers will have more security that they don't have now, especially when they make their investments."

The proposed rules are open for the public to comment on until Aug. 23 and include:

Restore the ability of small producers to compete with larger operations.

Encourage beginning farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers to look to animal agriculture as an employment option.

Prohibit packers from purchasing, acquiring or receiving livestock from other packers, and communicate prices to competitors.

Ensure a fair process for producers who choose arbitration as a remedy to a dispute. Additionally, a clear contract will be required to ensure producers are provided the option to decline arbitration to settle a dispute.

Require that companies paying growers under a tournament system provide the same base pay to growers that raise the same type and kind of poultry including ensuring that the growers' pay cannot go below the base pay amount.

Create transparency by making sample contracts available on GIPSA's website for producers.

Improve competition in markets by limiting exclusive arrangements between packers and dealers.

VIA: DelmarvaNow.com

Sex Offender Says He Should Be Able To Attend Church

CONCORD, N.H. --
A convicted sex offender took his fight to attend church to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.

A lower court told Jonathan Perfetto that he couldn't go to church because his suspended sentence prohibits him from being around children. Perfetto was convicted in 2002 of possessing 61 images of child pornography.

Barbara Keshen of the New Hampshire American Civil Liberties Union told the court that Perfetto, a Jehovah's Witness, has a fundamental right to go to the church of his choice and should be permitted to be around the children of the congregation as long as he has a chaperone.

But Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Cort argued that using a chaperone is unrealistic.

"It would be too dangerous and unrealistic to expect a single person to be able to keep an eye on him every minute of every meeting every week," Cort said.

The justices seemed concerned about setting a precedent of making specific exceptions to the conditions of release for convicts and challenged the notion that the condition of having no contact with children is overly restrictive.

"Maybe the least restrictive is you can study at home," said Chief Justice John Broderick. "You can have someone come to the house. You can deal with the elders of the church or go to services without children."

Keshen argued that the conditions should be tailored based on specific facts about Perfetto and the church. She said the lower court didn't hold a hearing on those issues before denying his request in August.

"The real facts are who is the person now?" Keshen said. "What is the likelihood that he will reoffend? What is the actual danger to any child, and what is this church like?"

The state Supreme Court typically hands down decisions within 90 days. Legal experts said that in this case, the court could order a lower court to hold a hearing to consider evidence from both sides.

www.wmur.com

Rocket Launch A Success

College students are looking forward to studying their experiments being carried in a suborbital rocket launched from Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The Terrier-Orion suborbital sounding rocket launched Thursday morning from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The rocket was estimated to be traveling more than 2,650 miles per hour less than a minute into the launch.

The rocket carried 11 experiments that were developed in part with a weeklong workshop on how to build small experiments for launch aboard suborbital rockets.

A boat was to travel more than 40 miles from shore later Thursday to retrieve the rocket from the water. The students whose experiments were on board will have them returned for study.

www.shoredailynews.com

Yummy!!~~ Eat A Peach!!

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's peach crop is shaping up as a sweet one.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services bases that forecast on a survey of major peach growers this month. They predict an abundant and sweet crop, with some picking already under way.

Spring rains got the peach crop off to a strong start, and the recent heat is putting a sweet finishing touch on the fruit.

Virginia's peach season runs from mid-July to Labor Day. The state has approximately 2,000 acres of commercial peaches.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/

Another HOT Day-- Maybe Even HOTTER

The Accomac Office of the Virginia Department of Health would like to remind everyone as temperatures continue to remain extremely high, the Eastern Shore Health District advises citizens to protect themselves by keeping cool and using common sense.



It is important to drink plenty of fluids, wear light weight, light colored, loose fitting clothing, put on sunscreen when outdoors, limit outdoor activities to morning and evening hours, rest often, stay cool indoors if possible, check on family members and neighbors and to monitor yourself and others for heat exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion is a mild form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with high blood pressure and people working or exercising in a hot environment. Warning signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, fainting, cool or moist skin, pulse rate that is fast and weak and breathing that is fast and shallow.

If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to a heat stroke. Seek medical attention immediately if symptoms are severe or the victim has heart problems or high blood pressure. Otherwise, help the victim to cool off and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than one hour.

And PLEASE DON'T FORGET-- As you go about your day, trying to keep cool in these record breaking temperatures, remember kindly your animals that are outside. They NEED to be cool also! DON'T leave them unattended in your vehicle for any amount of time.

An empty soda bottle filled with water and frozen makes a wonderful toy for dogs.

Think about it: Would you want to sit in a hot car with the windows rolled up and wait???

www.shoredailynews.com

Firefighter Injured Fighting Wheat Field Fire

ACCOMAC -- A volunteer firefighter was injured and a Tasley tanker truck was damaged fighting a huge blaze that swept across a wheat field on Folly Farm Lane around 3 p.m. Thursday. Most of the fire companies in the county and two from Northampton spent over three hours fighting the fire in a successful effort to save several homes on the property, including The Folly, a historic home dating to the 1700s.

One firefighter suffered first and second degree burns on his face and arms after the wind suddenly changed direction, causing those fighting the blaze to run for safety. The injured man was treated and released at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Tasley Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jeff Beall said, adding that the injuries were sustained while the firefighter "was making a valiant effort to protect the homes."

Beall said the company's 1994 tanker also was overrun by the fire but was not a total loss and is being repaired.

The conflagration, which Beall estimated consumed over a hundred acres of cutover wheat field as well as part of the nearby woods, started when a combine that was harvesting the wheat caught on fire. The fire quickly spread to the dry stubble and across the field.

Several fire companies responded to the call directly from a structure fire they were battling on Bennett Street in Parksley.

Beall said he could tell immediately that the Accomac fire was a large one. "As I was coming down Route 13 from Fisher's Corner I could see the smoke," he said, and called for additional help.

In addition to the damaged vehicle, some 800 feet of hose, portable radios and other equipment also were lost in the fire, along with the combine, which was a total loss, Beall said.

Tasley was called back to the scene Friday morning to fight a small fire in the woods, which likely resulted from a smoldering ember.

Units responded to the fire from Saxis, Atlantic, Parksley, Tasley, Onley, Onancock, Melfa, Wachapreague, Painter, Community Fire Company in Exmore and Eastville. The Virginia Department of Forestry also was on the scene and Pocomoke City and Stockton, Md. fire departments also assisted Accomack County for the duration of the fire.

www.easternshorenews.com

Nurse In Times Square Photo Dies

The woman depicted in an iconic photograph kissing a zealous American sailor in a 1945 Times Square photo died Sunday at age 91.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the shot, which was first published in Life Magazine a week later. The nurse's identity was unknown until the 1970s, when Shain wrote to Eisenstaedt that she was the woman in the photograph.

In his autobiography "The Eye of Eisenstaedt," the photographer writes: "I was walking through the crowds on V-J Day, looking for pictures. I noticed a sailor coming my way. He was grabbing every female he could find and kissing them all young girls and old ladies alike. Then I noticed the nurse, standing in that enormous crowd. I focused on her, and just as I'd hoped, the sailor came along, grabbed the nurse, and bent down to kiss her."

Life Magazine acknowledged Shain as the woman in the now famous picture, and since then she has become a WWII icon herself. Shain was frequently invited to memorials, wreath-layings and parades.

"My mom was always willing take on new challenges and caring for the World War II veterans energized her to take another chance to make a difference," her son Justin Decker said in a statement, MSNBC reports.

"Now if this girl hadn't been a nurse, if she'd been dressed in dark clothes, I wouldn't have had a picture," wrote Eisenstaedt. "The contrast between her white dress and the sailor's dark uniform gives the photograph its extra impact."

Shain died at her Los Angeles home on Sunday. She leaves behind three sons, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

www.msn.com

Rocket Launch From NASA Set For Thursday Morning

REMINDER....... Tomorrow Morning!


A Terrier-Orion suborbital sounding rocket is set to launch from NASA on Thursday June 24th between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM. The rocket will be the culmination of eleven experiments by different universities which where developed in a week long workshop where partakers learned how to build small experiments which can be launched onto suborbital rockets. A back up launch has been scheduled between June 25 and June 28.

The launch will be visible to people along the Wallops area and people along northern seaside coastal areas. NASA will open its Visitor Center at 5:00 AM for people wishing to view the launch.

The launch will be web cast beginning at 5 a.m. on launch day at: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast. Launch status can be followed on Twitter at: www.Twitter.com/NASA_Wallops.

Launch status also is available at the Wallops launch status line at 757-824-2050. Further information on the mission is available on the Internet at: www.nasa.gov/wallops.

http://www.shoredailynews.com/

General McChrystal Is Out........

Gen. Stanley McChrystal is no longer the top U.S. commander and strategist for Afghanistan, reportedly being told Wednesday by President Obama that he is out of a job following a scathing article in which McChrystal and his aides were quoted criticizing the commander-in-chief over his leadership in the Afghan war.

McChrystal got his marching orders as he held a face-to-face meeting at the White House, where he met with the president after a meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon.

The Wednesday meeting preceded a regular session of the administration's strategy team for Afghanistan, held in the White House Situation Room. Normally, McChrystal would have joined via teleconference but he was summoned to Washington as he faced a private flogging over the article that appeared in Rolling Stone.

If not insubordination, the remarks in the Rolling Stone magazine article were at least an indirect challenge to civilian management of the war in Washington by its top military commander.

Military leaders rarely challenge their commander in chief publicly, and when they do, consequences tend to be more severe than a scolding.

"I think it's clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed a poor -- showed poor judgment," the president said Tuesday, surrounded by members of his Cabinet. "But I also want to make sure that I talk to him directly before I make any final decisions."

Gates hand-picked McChrystal to take over the war last year, calling him a driven visionary with the fortitude and intelligence to turn the war around. Obama fired the previous commander at Gates' recommendation.

In Kabul on Tuesday, McChrystal issued a statement saying: "I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened."

In the Rolling Stone article, McChrystal and his staff described the president as unprepared for their first one-on-one encounter.

McChrystal also said he felt betrayed and blind-sided by his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Eikenberry remains in his post in Kabul, and although both men publicly say they are friends, their rift is on full display. McChrystal and Eikenberry, himself a retired Army general, stood as far apart as the speakers' platform would allow during a White House news conference last month.

The story characterized the general as unable to convince some of his own soldiers that his strategy can win the nation's longest-running war, and dejected that the president didn't know about his commendable military record.

The article says that although McChrystal voted for Obama, the two failed to connect from the start. Obama called McChrystal on the carpet last fall for speaking too bluntly about his desire for more troops.

"I found that time painful," McChrystal said in the article, on newsstands Friday. "I was selling an unsellable position."

It quoted an adviser to McChrystal dismissing the early meeting with Obama as a "10-minute photo-op."

"Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. The boss was pretty disappointed," the adviser told the magazine.

Some of the strongest criticism was reserved for Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"The boss says he's like a wounded animal," one of the general's aides was quoted as saying. "Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he's going to get fired, so that makes him dangerous."

McChrystal said he felt "betrayed" by Eikenberry for expressing doubts about his proposed troop buildup last year and accused the ambassador of giving himself cover.

"Here's one that covers his flank for the history books," McChrystal told the magazine. "Now, if we fail, they can say 'I told you so."'

Obama agreed to dispatch an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan only after months of study that many in the military found frustrating. The White House's troop commitment was coupled with a pledge to begin bringing troops home in July 2011, in what counterinsurgency strategists advising McChrystal regarded as an arbitrary deadline.

The profile, titled "The Runaway General," emerged from several weeks of interviews and travel with McChrystal's tight circle of aides this spring.

It includes a list of administration figures said to back McChrystal, including Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and puts Vice President Joe Biden at the top of a list of those who don't.

The article claims McChrystal has seized control of the war "by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House."

www.foxnews.com

Officers Sickened After PCP Exposure

OCEAN CITY -- Several Ocean City police personnel were hospitalized after being exposed to the hallucinogen PCP, which they unwittingly found in the purse of a woman detained on drug possession charges.

One police officer and three public safety aides were taken to Atlantic General Hospital on June 15 after experiencing symptoms of elevated blood pressure, dizziness, burning eyes and a racing heartbeat. Analysis by Maryland State Police determined the substance recovered from the purse of detained suspect Leslie Veronica Simpson was PCP, or phencyclidine, according to Ocean City Police spokeswoman Jessica Waters.

Officers were going through her purse because Simpson had asked them to retrieve a telephone number stored in her cell phone. Inside the purse, police found marijuana, other suspected drugs in vials and a box cutter. Simpson, 40, of Washington, apparently had dipped a cigar in liquid PCP and kept it inside a plastic baggie. When Officer Vicki Martin opened the plastic pouch, marked "blunt," that's when she and three others were overcome with dizziness, according to court documents.

A deputy Ocean City fire marshal later responded as a hazardous materials official. When he questioned Simpson to learn what the chemicals were in the vials, she refused to identify the substance, according to police.

Simpson subsequently was charged with four counts of reckless endangerment in addition to her initial charges of marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia possession.

www.delmarvanow.com

Leaders Warn The President On Firing Of Gen. McChrystal

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials said Wednesday that firing Gen. Stanley McChrystal would disrupt progress in the war and could jeopardize a pivotal security operation under way in Taliban strongholds in the south.

At the end of a one-hour video conference Tuesday night with President Barack Obama, Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his confidence in the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, Karzai spokesman Waheed Omar said.

McChrystal was summoned to Washington to explain disparaging comments published in Rolling Stone magazine that he and his top aides made about Obama's national security team.

While McChrystal, who was meeting with Obama on Wednesday, was harshly scolded by his superiors in the United States, officials in Afghanistan rallied to his support, saying he had increased cooperation between Afghan and international troops, worked to reduce civilian casualties and gained the trust of the Afghan people.

"The president believes that we are in a very sensitive juncture in the partnership, in the war on terror and in the process of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan, and any gap in this process will not be helpful," Omar told reporters.

"We hope there is not a change of leadership of the international forces here in Afghanistan and that we continue to partner with Gen. McChrystal."

The controversy erupted as June is on track to becoming one of the deadliest months for U.S. and international forces in the nearly nine-year Afghan war.

The military said Wednesday that two American service members died Tuesday following separate bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan, and another Wednesday in a bomb attack in the west. That makes 70 international forces killed so far this month. Forty-four of them were Americans.

The deadliest month of the conflict for U.S. forces was October 2009, when 59 service members were killed. For NATO forces overall, the deadliest month was July 2009, when 75 troops were killed.

The violence is also hitting Afghans. A vehicle belonging to a candidate for parliament hit a roadside bomb early Wednesday in the east, killing the candidate's brother. The candidate was wounded but survived, said Ghafoor Khan, a police spokesman in Nangarhar province.

The flap over McChrystal comes as NATO and Afghan forces are ramping up security in and around the key southern city of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban.

Karzai's younger half brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of the Kandahar provincial council, gave McChrystal a ringing endorsement, telling reporters in Kandahar that McChrystal's leadership would be sorely missed.

"If he is fired, it will disrupt the operation," Ahmad Wali Karzai said. "It definitely will affect it. He (McChrystal) started all this, and he has a good relationship with the people. The people trust him and we trust him. If we lose this important person, I don't think that this operation will work in a positive way."

In Kabul, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi also publicly voiced his support for the general, who is prepared to submit his resignation to Obama, according to two military officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the issue.

"Since Gen. McChrystal took over the job as commander of the international forces, there have been a lot of changes in different departments, which are very important and positive," Azimi said. "For example, there has been a decrease in the numbers of civilian casualties and we're still working jointly with McChrystal to decrease it further."

Azimi spoke at a regular news conference held with Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, spokesman for the NATO command in Kabul. Blotz declined to discuss McChrystal's fate or the magazine article, which reported deep rifts between the top commander in the war and the U.S. administration.

"Let us be a little bit more patient," Blotz said.

www.wavy.com

Violent Gang Leader Sentenced To Two Life Terms

A Baltimore man accused of ordering several murders as a leader in a high-profile gang was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to two life terms.

Terrence "Squeaky" Richardson, 30, was convicted by a jury in March of racketeering and conspiring to sell drugs, as a leader of the Pasadena Denver Lanes set of the Bloods. Prosecutors also allege that Richardson ordered several murders, including the execution-style shooting of Brandon Everline in July 2008, incidents U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles heavily relied on in handing down his sentence.

During his sentencing, Richardson denied having anyone killed, reiterating his stance in a three-minute diatribe addressed to the court. He railed against the prosecution, detectives and state's witnesses who testified against him during the five-day trial.

"I sat through this whole trial and watched people lie," Richardson said. "I know they've all been offered plea bargains, and in actuality, the whole thing was made up. … I apologize to my family. And to the [Everline] family, I want to let them know I didn't have nothing to do with their son's murder, nothing at all."

Three members of Everline's family — his mother and two sisters — attended the hearing, as well as four of Richardson's relatives.

After the sentencing, Everline's mother, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said she was glad the case was over. She said she felt "nothing" when she heard Richardson deny any involvement.

Prosecutors have dubbed Richardson one of the city's most notorious criminals.

"Terrence Richardson was one of the most violent leaders Baltimore has ever seen," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kwame Manley said after the hearing. "He killed and had other people killed numerous times."

Richardson and a co-defendant, Gregory Saulsbury, were arrested as part of a sting dubbed "Operation Tourniquet" designed to cut off the Bloods — and 23 of them were charged with racketeering as gang members. Saulsbury, who is not part of the gang, is expected to be sentenced tomorrow. Another 11 were charged at the state level and in a second federal indictment.

During Richardson's trial, prosecutors played a tape of a wiretap recording in which the defendant is heard planning the death of another with another man.

www.baltimoresun.com

Illegal Immigrant Charged With Negligent Driving Killing Passenger

A 22-year-old Hyattsville man has been charged with negligent driving after police say he crashed his car while driving drunk on I-83 early Monday, killing his passenger.

Freddy Cortez Flores, who police say is an illegal immigrant, was driving northbound on I-83 just before 1 a.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and crossed over the right lanes, striking a Jersey wall near Guilford Avenue. Police say he was driving 65 miles an hour in a 40 mile-per-hour zone.

Cortez Flores' passenger, Carlos O. Cardoza Portillo, was wearing his seat belt but was partially ejected and dragged against the Jersey wall for 567 feet before the vehicle came to rest, police said. Portillo was pronounced dead at the scene.

When officers arrived at the scene, they noted Cortez Flores' speech was slurred and detected a strong odor of alcohol, according to charging documents. A Spanish-speaking officer interviewed Cortez Flores, who said he had swerved to avoid an unknown vehicle that had swerved into his lane.

Cortez Flores told the officer that he had consumed four beers, records show. At the Central District station, his blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.09.

Police said Cortez Flores, who had a valid Maryland driver's license, is in the country illegally, and officers contacted an agent from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who placed an immigration detainer on him.

www.baltimoresun.com

Six Alleged Gang Members Indicted

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY/AP) - A grand jury has indicted six alleged "Dump Squad" gang members Wednesday, according to the Unites States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia.

The indictment stems from charges against the alleged gang members in March 2009.

The six alleged gang members were indicted on a total of 29 charges, including multiple murders, attempted murders, robberies, assaults, arson, narcotics distribution and weapons violations, according to a release from the U.S. District Attorney's Office.

If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of 20 years and up to life in prison, depending on the charge. The murder charges may be punishable by death.According to court documents, the six men were members of the "Dump Squad," a criminal organization that operates in the Ridley Circle, Harbor Homes and Dickerson Court areas of Newport News, Va. The defendants established the power and prestige of the gang through violence, including the murders of Rashed Caudle on Aug. 9, 2003, and Lorenzo Thomas on Sept. 12, 2005.

The indictment also alleges the gang members attempted to murder at least three individuals and robbed others at gunpoint. The defendants are charged with financially supporting the enterprise by trafficking illegal drugs, including crack cocaine and marijuana.

In addition, the indictment connects defendants to some alleged acts in a March 2009 indictment of 11 Dump Squad gang members, all of whom pled guilty. These acts include the conspiracy to murder Tony Vaughan on Dec. 24, 2007, and the attempt to burn and set fire to the Newport News Police Department's High Impact Patrol Station located in the Harbor Homes apartment complex in Newport News, Va.

All residents of Newport News, Va., the defendants charged in the indictment are the following:

Perry Cousins, a/k/a "Pzo," 25

Darryl Vaughn, a/k/a "T-Tot" and "Toni Roni," 22

Kevin Vaughn, a/k/a "Hawk," 23

Jayson Bryan, a/k/a "J-Money," 20

Monquay Williams, a/k/a "Quay," 20

Haywood Lockhart, 22

Eleven Dump Squad members indicted in March 2009 have pleaded guilty.

FBI special agent in charge Alex Turner says the investigation will continue until the gang is dismantled.

www.wavy.com

Publics Help In Murder Case Closure

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - Crime solvers are asking the public to help close a murder case. Reginald Handy Jr. was gunned down in Pocomoke May 26th. Subsequent investigation by members of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation determined that 36 year-old Alexander Crippen of Pocomoke City, MD was responsible for shooting Handy.

Crippen was subsequently located and charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of Reginald Handy, however the location of the firearms involved in this crime have not been located.

A reward of up to $1,000.00 is being offered for anyone who can provide information that leads to the successful recovery of the firearms in this case. Contact Crime Solvers or your local law enforcement agency immediately.

www.wmdt.com

Wachapreague Carnival Begins Tonight!

The 58th Annual Wachapreague Volunteer Fireman's

Carnival starts tonight, June 23rd, 2010 .

The Carnival is set to run through July 17 and will be open 7:30 until 10:30 nightly.

Carnival will be closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

Tonight will be the Miss Wachapreague Pageant with WESR's own Bill LeCato DJing.

Facing painting will also be at the Carnival.

http://www.wesr.com/

Westover Man Sought For Attempted Murder Of Wife

WESTOVER, Md.- Maryland state troopers are looking for a Westover man accused of beating and repeatedly stabbing his wife multiple times.

Robert Lee Cooper, 47, is wanted for attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and use of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure. He was last seen operating a 2007 dark blue Ford Explorer with Maryland registration 85T403, with a Mary Kay sticker on the bumper.

On Monday, troopers from the Princess Anne Barrack responded to a reported assault that had occurred at a home on the 7000 block of Crisfield Highway in Westover. When troopers arrived on the scene, they found Cooper's wife lying on her living room floor suffering from multiple stab wounds. Police say a further investigation revealed she had been beaten, stabbed and struck with a baseball bat.

As a result of her injuries the victim was flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, where she remains in the intensive care unit.

Police say both the victim and witnesses identified Cooper as responsible for the attack. According to troopers, the Ford Explorer that Cooper used to flee the scene belongs to his wife.

Anyone with information on Cooper's whereabouts is asked to contact Maryland State Police at (443) 260-3700.

www.wboc.com

Nye Wants To Create Panel To Weed Out Budget Waste

RICHMOND

Nowadays, it seems ideas abound about how to cut federal spending and reduce a national deficit trillions in the red.

In Virginia, Republican Whip Eric Cantor and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, each recently have touted proposals to reduce government expenses during these lean times.

The latest lawmaker to pitch a plan to curtail congressional spending is U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye, a Norfolk Democrat, who today is expected to file legislation to create a bipartisan commission to root out waste.

If enacted, the Stop Waste by Eliminating Excessive Programs Act, or SWEEP, would establish a panel to investigate ineffective and redundant government programs. Those found to be unnecessary could be consolidated or abolished outright.

Nye's staff highlighted some federal flood-prevention programs as among those with duplicative purposes.

"There is no current mechanism to identify and correct this irresponsible spending," Nye said in a statement.

"This legislation is about improving the way the federal government spends money," he continued, to ensure that "taxpayer dollars are allocated wisely and efficiently."

A message left with a spokesman for Scott Rigell, a Republican running against Nye this fall, seeking comment on the legislation was not immediately returned.

Ohio Rep. Charlie Wilson, a fellow member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, is co-sponsoring the bill with Nye.

Their proposal follows a legislative amendment Warner filed last week to eliminate funding for 17 federal programs recommended for termination by the federal government budget office over the years.

Passed by the House of Representatives last week, the Warner amendment could save the nation more than $800 million, the senator say s.

As with Nye's legislation, the programs Warner's amendment targets are various ly viewed as outdated, ineffective and redundant.

Separately, Cantor and a House GOP economic working group last month launched the interactive YouCut initiative, which seeks public input online about ways to reduce federal spending.

The option with the most votes each week is then championed by House Republicans who push for a floor vote on the proposed cut.

www.virginiapilot.com

Beach Wildlife Expert Helps With Rescue in the Gulf

VIRGINIA BEACH

Kathryn Owens decided to pursue a career in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. After seeing so much damage to birds, fish and marine life, "I just knew I wanted to help."

So it seems only natural that Owens was one of the first wildlife experts from Hampton Roads to do battle with the massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Owens, a deputy manager at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, just returned from a two-week stint in Louisiana, where she helped to organize rescues of oil-covered birds and waterfowl.

The experience left her emotionally and physically drained. But she cannot wait to go back.

"It's a nightmare scenario," Owens said Monday, "but it's exactly where I needed to be and where I wanted to be."

Her boss, refuge manager Jared Brandwein, reported to the Gulf last week just as Owens was returning. Refuge biologist John Gallegos got word Monday that he, too, will go to Louisiana, where he will lead a rescue team in search of oily birds trapped at sea, in marshes and on beaches.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has more than 495 employees fighting the BP oil spill, according to agency statistics. Most go for two weeks at a time and are not supposed to work more than 16 hours per day - "but that doesn't always happen," Owens said with a chuckle.

Her days typically began at 6 a.m. and ended "about 10 or 11 at night," when she returned to her hotel room, exhausted.

Owens was assigned to the Incident Command Center, located at BP offices in Houma, La. She thought she would be scrubbing oil off pelicans and terns.

But lacking enough personnel, responders asked Owens to coordinate rescue efforts instead - putting crews together with boats, equipment, fuel and resources. She was on the phone almost continuously for 14 straight days.

"I would have cleaned toilets if they had asked me," she said. "There are so many people working so hard down there. You just roll up your sleeves and dig in. It's the only thing we can do."

According to government statistics updated Monday, 724 birds have been collected alive, the vast majority in Louisiana. Another 957 have died. Sea turtles also are bearing a big brunt, with 387 reported dead and another 117 undergoing rehabilitation.

Owens, a wildlife ecologist by training, said one of her worst days in the Gulf was seeing images on TV of the first birds pulled from the water with oil caked to all parts of their bodies.

"There was just silence in the command center," she recalled. "Some people had to leave the room, they were so emotional."

Owens could feel an air of depression among workers and locals, "in part because it's just so senseless. And we have no idea how comprehensive this is. This'll take decades to deal with."

As for herself, Owens said, "I was on the verge of tears every day, and still am."

Working at BP offices and side by side with BP employees was "definitely strange," she said. Because so many Louisiana residents are so mad over the spill, especially at BP, Owens said government staffers were told not to wear their federal credentials away from the command center - and definitely not to wear anything with BP printed on it.

"It's a security issue," she said.

Still, Owens said, most locals support government efforts and are friendly to visiting workers like herself: "They realize we're heart broken too."

Owens said Gulf seafood remains available - she recalled one delicious plate of crawfish etouffee at a restaurant in Houma, "my only night out" - despite ever-expanding closure areas because of pollution.

Back in Virginia, Owens is working with the Coast Guard, state scientists and other authorities to cope with any spilled oil in the Gulf that might push up the Atlantic coast, as some forecasters predict.

Back Bay staffers were asked to identify critical habitats along the Virginia coast, including much of the wildlife refuge, where protections should be readied just in case.

"At least we have time to plan," Owens said. "The Gulf didn't have that luxury."

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